Unmanned aerial vehicle control method and unmanned aerial vehicle using same

• US 9,738,399 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloud Network Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hou-Hsien, Lee, Chang-Jung, Lo, Chih-Ping
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US14/812,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20170029134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/08 optical
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing

Abstract

A control method for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided. The method includes: obtaining, from a depth-sensing camera, images of a surface below the unmanned aerial vehicle; obtaining, from a gyroscope, current pitch angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle; determining, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, a current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on the images and the current pitch angle; determining, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, whether the current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is less than a predefined value; and controlling, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, a drive unit to rotate so as to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to slow down in a balanced condition if the current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is less than a predefined value.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

a storage device configured to store constructions; and

a processor configured to execute instructions to cause the processor to;

capture images of a surface below the unmanned aerial vehicle from a depth sensing camera and using a gyroscope to determine the pitch angle of the unmanned vehicle;

determine a current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on depth information of the images;

determine whether the current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is less than a predefined value; and

control a drive unit to rotate, to balance, and to slow down the unmanned aerial vehicle if the current altitude is less than the predefined value;

wherein the image is divided into a plurality of blocks, each block having a depth value, and the surface is determined to be suitable for landing if depth values of two adjacent blocks are within a predefined range.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further causes the processor to:

determine whether the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle is suitable for landing;

determine whether there is an adjacent suitable surface for landing if the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle is not suitable for landing; and

control the drive unit to rotate to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to land at an adjacent suitable surface if there is an adjacent suitable surface is available.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

control the drive unit to rotate to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to hover evenly at the surface below the unmanned aerial vehicle if there is no adjacent suitable surface is available.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the instructions further causes the processor to:

calculate drive data based on current angular velocity, pitch angle and a distance between the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle and the adjacent suitable surface; and

control the drive unit to rotate based on the drive data.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the instructions further causes the processor to:

control the drive unit to rotate to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to land evenly and slowly at the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle if the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle is suitable for landing.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the current altitude is an average of at least two altitude values of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the surfaces.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the instructions further causes the processor to:

calculate drive data based on current angular velocity and pitch angle; and

control the drive unit to rotate based on the drive data.

8. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

obtaining, from a depth-sensing camera, images of a surface below the unmanned aerial vehicle;

obtaining, from a gyroscope, current pitch angle of the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determining, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, a current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on depth information of the images and the current pitch angle;

determining, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, whether the current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is less than a predefined value; and

controlling, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, a drive unit to rotate so as to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to slow down in a balanced condition if the current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is less than a predefined value;

wherein the image is divided into a plurality of blocks, each block having a depth value, and the surface is determined to be suitable for landing if depth values of two adjacent blocks are within a predefined range.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

obtaining, from the depth-sensing camera, images of the surface below the unmanned aerial vehicle from the depth-sensing camera;

determining, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, whether the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle is suitable for landing based on depth information of the images;

determining, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, whether there is an adjacent suitable surface for landing based on depth information of the images if the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle is not suitable for landing; and

controlling, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, the drive unit to rotate to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to land at an adjacent suitable surface if there is an adjacent suitable surface is available.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the drive unit to rotate to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to hover evenly at the surface below the unmanned aerial vehicle if there is no adjacent suitable surface is available.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

calculating, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, drive data based on current angular velocity, pitch angle and a distance between the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle and the adjacent suitable surface; and

controlling, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, the drive unit to rotate based on the drive data.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

controlling, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, the drive unit to rotate to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to land evenly and slowly at the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle if the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle is suitable for landing.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the current altitude is an average of at least two altitude values of the unmanned aerial vehicle relative to the surfaces.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

calculating, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, drive data based on current angular velocity and pitch angle; and

controlling, at the unmanned aerial vehicle, the drive unit to rotate based on the drive data.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions, the instructions causing a processor to:

obtain images of the surface below an unmanned aerial vehicle from a depth-sensing camera and current pitch angle from a gyroscope;

determine a current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle based on depth information of the images;

determine whether the current altitude of the unmanned aerial vehicle is less than a predefined value;

control a drive unit to rotate to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to slow down in a balanced condition if the current altitude is less than the predefined value;

wherein the image is divided into a plurality of blocks, each block having a depth value, and the surface is determined to be suitable for landing if depth values of two adjacent blocks are within a predefined range.

16. The non-transitory medium according to claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

obtain images of the surface below the unmanned aerial vehicle from the depth-sensing camera;

determine whether the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle is suitable for landing based on depth information of the images;

determine whether there is an adjacent suitable surface for landing based on depth information of the images if the surface directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle is not suitable for landing;

control the drive unit to rotate to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to land at an adjacent suitable surface if there is an adjacent suitable surface is available; and

control the drive unit to rotate to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to hover evenly at the surface below the unmanned aerial vehicle if there is no adjacent suitable surface is available.