Model helicopter control and receiving means
First Claim
1. A remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system, wherein the remote-controlled model helicopter comprises at least a tail, a tail rotor for controlling yaw of the model helicopter, a main rotor, and a swashplate for controlling the main rotor to control both pitch and roll of the model helicopter, said controller system comprising:
- at least one receiver located on the remote-controlled model helicopter configured to receive a plurality of control channel signals, including a plurality of user input instruction signals comprising information corresponding to a plurality of user input instructions, each instruction designated to instruct one of a plurality of mechanisms for controlling at least one aspect of the remote controlled model helicopter;
an attitude control unit located on the remote-controlled model helicopter, optionally contained within a control system housing, said attitude control unit comprising;
a receiver input configured to be connected to said receiver via only a single communication link, said receiver input adapted to process said information through said single communication link, said communication link comprising a high-speed digital link;
at least one sensor input for receiving at least one sensor input signal from the at least one sensor, the at least one sensor input signal corresponding to at least one sensor input value,a processor capable of processing said plurality of user input instructions and said at least one sensor input value, said processor programmed with one or more control algorithms for generating output instructions, anda plurality of outputs for transmitting the output instructions to a plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude; and
at least one sensor located on the remote-controlled model helicopter, optionally contained within the control system housing, the at least one sensor comprising an angular rate sensor;
wherein said control algorithms comprise at least a swashplate algorithm for generating output instructions for the swashplate for controlling both pitch and roll of the RC model helicopter and a tail control algorithm for generating output instructions for the tail rotor for controlling yaw of the RC model helicopter, said swashplate algorithm and said tail control algorithm each configured to provide information to the other control algorithm.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A control system for a remote-controlled device comprising at least one receiver configured to receive a plurality of control channel signals and an operational control unit. The operational control unit comprises at least one receiver input connected to the receiver via a high speed digital link. The input is configured to receive a sequence of digital packets of information from the receiver. This input may contain information relating to the plurality of control channels including at least one user input signal. The operational control unit also includes a sensor input for receiving signals from a sensor located on the device. The operational control unit includes a processor capable of processing the data. The operational control unit will include at least one output for transmitting an output signal to a mechanism for controlling operation of the device. This device may be specifically designed to work with remote-controlled helicopters.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system, wherein the remote-controlled model helicopter comprises at least a tail, a tail rotor for controlling yaw of the model helicopter, a main rotor, and a swashplate for controlling the main rotor to control both pitch and roll of the model helicopter, said controller system comprising:
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at least one receiver located on the remote-controlled model helicopter configured to receive a plurality of control channel signals, including a plurality of user input instruction signals comprising information corresponding to a plurality of user input instructions, each instruction designated to instruct one of a plurality of mechanisms for controlling at least one aspect of the remote controlled model helicopter; an attitude control unit located on the remote-controlled model helicopter, optionally contained within a control system housing, said attitude control unit comprising; a receiver input configured to be connected to said receiver via only a single communication link, said receiver input adapted to process said information through said single communication link, said communication link comprising a high-speed digital link; at least one sensor input for receiving at least one sensor input signal from the at least one sensor, the at least one sensor input signal corresponding to at least one sensor input value, a processor capable of processing said plurality of user input instructions and said at least one sensor input value, said processor programmed with one or more control algorithms for generating output instructions, and a plurality of outputs for transmitting the output instructions to a plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude; and at least one sensor located on the remote-controlled model helicopter, optionally contained within the control system housing, the at least one sensor comprising an angular rate sensor; wherein said control algorithms comprise at least a swashplate algorithm for generating output instructions for the swashplate for controlling both pitch and roll of the RC model helicopter and a tail control algorithm for generating output instructions for the tail rotor for controlling yaw of the RC model helicopter, said swashplate algorithm and said tail control algorithm each configured to provide information to the other control algorithm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A remote-controlled model helicopter and controller system, wherein the remote-controlled model helicopter comprises at least a tail, a tail rotor for controlling yaw of the model helicopter, a main rotor, and a swashplate for controlling the main rotor to control both pitch and roll of the model helicopter, said controller system comprising:
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at least one communications receiver located on the remote-controlled model helicopter configured to receive a plurality of control channel signals, including information corresponding to a plurality of user input instructions each designated to instruct one of a plurality of mechanisms for controlling the remote controlled model helicopter, including at least one swashplate control mechanism and one tail control mechanism; at least one sensor located on the remote-controlled model helicopter; an attitude control unit located on the remote-controlled model helicopter, said attitude control unit comprising; a receiver input adapted to process said user input instructions received from the receiver, at least one sensor input for receiving at least one sensor input signal from the at least one sensor, a processor capable of processing said user input instructions and said at least one sensor signal, said processor programmed with one or more control algorithms for generating output instructions, and a plurality of outputs for transmitting the output instructions to the plurality of mechanisms for controlling the remote controlled model helicopter; and a single high-speed digital communication link connecting the receiver to the receiver input of the attitude control unit, wherein said receiver is configured to transmit said information corresponding to the plurality of user input instructions in the form of a sequence of digital packets of information transmitted over said single high-speed digital communication link, and said receiver input is configured to receive and process said information corresponding to the plurality of user input instructions in the form of the sequence of digital packets of information transmitted over said single high-speed digital communication link; wherein said control algorithms comprise at least a swashplate algorithm for generating an output for the at least one swashplate control mechanism and a tail control algorithm for generating an output for the at least one tail control mechanism, said swashplate algorithm and said tail control algorithm each configured to provide information to one another. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A remote-controlled model helicopter attitude control unit, said control unit comprising:
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a receiver input configured to be connected to a receiver via only a single communication link, said receiver input configured to receive via said single communication link and to process a plurality of control channel signals, including a plurality of user input instruction signals comprising information corresponding to user input instructions, each instruction designated to instruct one of a plurality of mechanisms for controlling at least one aspect of a remote controlled model helicopter, said receiver input configured to receive and process information corresponding to the plurality of user input instructions in the form of the sequence of digital packets of information transmitted over said single high-speed wired digital communication link; at least one sensor input for receiving at least one sensor input signal from at least one sensor configured to sense at least one characteristic of the remote controlled model helicopter; a processor capable of processing said user input instructions and said at least one sensor input signal, said processor programmed with one or more control algorithms for generating output instructions, and a plurality of outputs for transmitting the output instructions to a plurality of mechanisms for controlling attitude; wherein said control algorithms comprise; at least a swashplate algorithm for generating output instructions for at least one swashplate control mechanism of the remote controlled model helicopter for controlling both pitch and roll of the model helicopter, and at least a tail control algorithm for generating output instructions for at least one tail control mechanism of the remote controlled model helicopter for controlling yaw of the remote controlled model helicopter, said swashplate algorithm and said tail control algorithm each configured to provide information to one another. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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Specification