Vehicle control system

• US 9,518,821 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ares Aerosystems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Benjamin Malay
• Inventors: Malay, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): CASS, JEAN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US13/957,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20140297067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/02 Model aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/18 using automatic pilot
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/20 using radiated signals
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/80 Arrangement of on-board electronics, e.g. avionics systems or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/005 specially adapted for use in aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A vehicle control system may include a vehicle frame, a mount secured to the vehicle frame and configured for rigidly securing a smartphone therein such that motions experienced by the vehicle frame are correspondingly experienced by the smartphone, and system electronics arranged on the frame and in communication with the smartphone and vehicle controllers, the system electronics configured to receive signals from the smartphone and control directional devices of the vehicle based on the signals via the vehicle controllers. A system for preparing signals for transmission to the vehicle to control navigation may also be provided.

Claims

1. A system of control components for a vehicle, comprising:

a mount secured to the vehicle and configured for rigidly securing a smartphone therein such that motions experienced by the vehicle are correspondingly experienced by the smartphone, and such that an internally defined three-dimensional reference frame of the smartphone is positioned and maintained in substantial alignment with a three-dimensional reference frame of the vehicle such that, at a point in time, the orientation of the internally defined reference frame defines an orientation of the vehicle, allowing the smartphone to autonomously track and control the orientation of the vehicle in three-dimensional space in real-time; and

system electronics arranged on the vehicle and in communication with the smartphone and electromechanical control devices, the system electronics configured to;

receive autonomous control signals from the smartphone for controlling orientation of the vehicle in three-dimensional space, the control signals based on continuously tracked variations of the vehicle orientation from the vehicle orientation defined at the point in time; and

based on the received control signals, control directional devices of the vehicle via the electromechanical control devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mount further comprises a body portion and a floor and the floor comprises a cutout portion for accommodating a camera of a smartphone.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system electronics are incorporated into the mount.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the system electronics comprises a serial bus, a controller bus, and an electrical power bus.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the serial bus comprises a host connection for placing the mount and peripheral devices in communication with a smartphone.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the serial bus comprises a hub in communication with the host connection and comprising a plurality of outlets.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of outlets comprises at least one outlet wired directly to a controller.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is an airframe and the electromechanical control device is a servo controller comprising a plurality of channels arranged on a surface of the mount for connecting devices to be controlled.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the devices to be controlled include servo motors for controlling flight surfaces and throttles.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of channels forms the controller bus.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller bus comprises a pulse width modulation bus.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of outlets further comprises at least one serial port configured for communication with a peripheral device.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein the electrical power bus comprises an external power connector configured to allow the electrical power bus to be powered by one of a BEC and an external power source.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the electrical power bus is configured for 5 volts of DC current.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the electrical power bus is in electrical communication with and provides power to the serial bus and the controller bus.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a turret device configured to allow the camera of a smartphone to receive imagery from a plurality of directions.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the mount is further configured to position the smartphone at a center of mass of the vehicle.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the system electronics are further configured to receive control signals from an operator interrupting the autonomous control signals.

17. A system of control components for a vehicle, comprising:

a self-contained handheld computing device comprising a computer readable storage medium, a processor, a user interface and an output and comprising an accelerometer, a gyroscope, an attitude sensor, and a positioning system; and

computer implemented instructions configured for autonomously controlling navigation of the vehicle performable by the processor and stored on the computer readable storage medium, the instructions comprising;

storing an orientation of a reference frame of the computing device relative to an orientation of a reference frame of the vehicle at a point in time;

electrically receiving in real-time information sensed by at least two of the accelerometer, the gyroscope, the attitude sensor, and the positioning system;

continuously performing real-time error correction of the information received in real-time and sensed by at least one of the accelerometer, gyroscope, attitude sensor, and positioning system;

continuously calculating an orientation of the vehicle, wherein calculating an orientation of the vehicle comprises combining real-time sensed and/or corrected information for at least two of the accelerometer, the gyroscope, the attitude sensor, and the positioning system; and

based on the calculated orientation of the vehicle, preparing control signals for transmission to the vehicle to autonomously control navigation of the vehicle in three-dimensional space via electromechanical control devices.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer implemented instructions comprise an inertial navigation system.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the inertial navigation system comprises an extended kalman filter.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer implemented instructions include an autopilot module.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the computing device is configured for linking to a broadband network and further configured to receive control information and control the vehicle based on the control information.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the computer implemented instructions are further configured to allow for interruption of the autonomously controlled navigation by receiving control signals from an operator.