Method for piloting a rotary wing drone for taking an exposure through an onboard camera with minimization of the disturbing movements

• US 9,563,200 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Parrot Drones
• Original Assignee: Parrot SA
• Inventors: Rischmuller, Michael, Callou, Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baptiste, Jerry Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/733,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 701/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations

Abstract

The drone (10) comprises an onboard video camera (14) picking up a sequence of images to be transmitted to a remote control. The user selects an exposure mode such as forward or sideways, panoramic or boom plane, tracking, defining a trajectory to be transmitted to the drone. Corresponding setpoint values are generated and applied to a processing subsystem controlling the motors of the drone. Once the drone is stabilized on the prescribed trajectory (38), the exposure by the video camera (14) is activated and the trajectory is stabilized by an open loop control avoiding the oscillations inherent in a servocontrol with feedback loop.

Claims

1. A method for piloting, by means of a remote control apparatus, a rotary wing drone with multiple rotors driven by respective motors that can be controlled in a differentiated manner to pilot the drone attitude-wise and speed-wise, wherein horizontal displacements of said drone result from angular tilting movements about roll and pitch axes, said drone comprising a processing subsystem for piloting the drone attitude-wise and speed-wise by servocontrols, said servocontrols including a horizontal speed control including a closed-loop, the drone further comprising an onboard video camera suitable for picking up a sequence of images of a target seen from the drone and for transmitting this sequence to the apparatus, characterized by the following steps:

selection by the user of a predetermined exposure mode, defined by a set of parameters describing a translational trajectory to be transmitted to the drone, these parameters comprising;

exposure mode in displacement;

a constant, non-zero speed of displacement;

direction of displacement;

orientation of displacement;

duration of displacement; and

exposure altitude;

generation of setpoint values from said set of parameters, and application of these setpoints to said processing subsystem for controlling the motors of the drone; and

once the drone is stabilized on a translational trajectory conforming to said parameters, activation of the exposure by the video camera, wherein said activation of the exposure by said video camera includes activation of a trajectory-stabilization mode including a selective modification of said servocontrols as a function of said predetermined exposure mode selected by the user, said modification including a deactivation of said closed-loop of said horizontal speed control once said constant, non-zero speed of displacement has been reached, whereby minimizing stray oscillations resulting from said angular tilting movements about roll and pitch axes.

2. The method of claim 1, in which:

the exposure mode is a forward or sideways tracking mode, and

the set of parameters is suitable for describing a translational trajectory with constant speed of displacement along a horizontal direction, this horizontal direction being parallel to the axis (Δ

) of the camera for a forward tracking and at right angles to the axis (Δ

) of the camera for a sideways tracking,

the trajectory being oriented toward the front or rear for a forward tracking, and toward the left or toward the right for a sideways tracking.

3. The method of claim 2, in which the setpoint values are generated in the form of angular setpoints according to a pitch angle of the drone for a forward tracking, or according to a roll angle of the drone for a sideways tracking, these angular setpoints being applied:

during a transitional phase;

to the processing subsystem configured in a horizontal speed servocontrol closed loop suitable for enabling the drone to reach said parameterized displacement speed, then

once the displacement speed is reached;

to the processing subsystem configured in a horizontal speed control open loop, with deactivation of said servocontrol closed loop.

4. The method of claim 2, in which the generation of setpoints comprises the generation of additional setpoints representative of a horizontal speed compensating the component of the wind in the direction of displacement of the drone.

5. The method of claim 4, in which said additional setpoints are fixed at a constant value when the horizontal speed servocontrol error passes below a predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, in which:

the exposure mode is a boom plane mode wherein the boom plane mode gives an illusion of the camera attached to an end of a boom, and

the set of parameters is suitable for describing a translational trajectory at constant speed, in one direction or in the other, along a direction forming an angle with the plane of the horizontal.

7. The method of claim 6, in which the setpoint values are applied:

during a transitional phase;

to the processing subsystem configured in a speed servocontrol closed loop, suitable for enabling the drone to reach the speed of displacement and follow said direction of displacement by generation of angular setpoints according to pitch and roll angles of the drone, then

once the speed of displacement and the direction of displacement have been reached;

to the processing subsystem configured in a speed control open loop, with deactivation of said servocontrol closed loop.

8. The method of claim 1, also comprising:

the application by the user of trajectory correction commands, superimposed on said setpoint values generated from said set of parameters.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein when a speed error passes below a predetermined threshold, a compensation term of the horizontal speed is fixed at a constant.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein said subprocessing system estimates the wind, computes an average angle for fighting against the wind, and when the exposure mode is triggered, said subprocessing system applies the average angle to the setpoints of the drone.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the setpoints are directly applied as input in open loop mode, and a horizontal speed correction circuit is deactivated to prevent oscillations around a setpoint position.