Remote control method and terminal

• US 9,927,812 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2014
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: Wang, Tao, Wang, Mingyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US14/537,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20150142213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The present application discloses a remote control method and apparatus for controlling the state of a movable object and/or a load carried thereon. The remote control method comprising: receiving, via an apparatus, a state signal that corresponds to a user'"'"'s position; remote-controlling the state of the a load being carried on a movable object based on the state signal; wherein the state of the load is the result of combining the movement of the load relative to the movable object and the movement of the object relative to its environment. For example, the control of the state can be achieved through the state of the apparatus itself, a user'"'"'s state captured by an apparatus, a graphical interface on a screen of an apparatus, or a voice command.

Claims

1. A method of controlling positioning of a payload supported by a carrier on a movable object, said method comprising:

receiving, at a receiver positioned on the carrier or the movable object, a signal from a sensor indicative of an attitude of a terminal, said terminal being remote relative to the payload;

determining whether the attitude of the terminal falls within a predetermined angle range; and

varying and/or maintaining a rotational attribute of the payload in response to the signal indicative of the attitude of the terminal, wherein the attitude of the terminal controls a first rotational attribute of the payload when the attitude of the terminal falls within the predetermined range, wherein the attitude of the terminal controls a second rotational attribute of the payload when the attitude of the terminal falls outside the predetermined range, wherein the first rotational attribute comprises a rotational position, and wherein the second rotational attribute comprises a rotational speed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal is a handheld device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal is configured to be worn on a user'"'"'s head.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal comprises a display showing a user interface with a range of angles and a visual indicator of the attitude of the terminal within the range of angles.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying, on the user interface, a subset of the range of angles in a visually discernible manner as the predetermined range.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the range of angles is displayed as a slider bar and the visual indicator is positioned within the slider bar.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the movable object is an unmanned aerial vehicle, and wherein the payload is an image capturing device.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium for controlling positioning of a payload supported by a carrier on a movable object, said computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions for analyzing a signal from a sensor indicative of an attitude of a terminal, said signal received by a receiver positioned on the carrier or the movable object, said terminal being remote relative to the payload;

program instructions for determining whether the attitude of the terminal falls within a predetermined angle range; and

program instructions for effecting variation and/or maintenance of a rotational attribute of the payload in response to the signal indicative of the attitude of the terminal, wherein the attitude of the terminal controls a first rotational attribute of the payload when the attitude of the terminal falls within the predetermined range, wherein the attitude of the terminal controls a second rotational attribute of the payload when the attitude of the terminal falls outside the predetermined range, wherein the first rotational attribute comprises a rotational position, and wherein the second rotational attribute comprises a rotational speed.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the terminal is a handheld device.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the terminal comprises a display showing a user interface with a range of angles and a visual indicator of the attitude of the terminal within the range of angles.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising program instructions for displaying, on the user interface, a subset of the range of angles in a visually discernible manner as the predetermined range.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the range of angles is displayed as a slider bar and the visual indicator is positioned within the slider bar.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the movable object is an unmanned aerial vehicle, and wherein the payload is an image capturing device.

14. A system for controlling positioning of a payload supported by a carrier on a movable object, said system comprising:

one or more processors individually or collectively configured to;

analyze a signal from a sensor indicative of an attitude of a terminal, said signal received by a receiver positioned on the carrier or the movable object, said terminal being remote relative to the payload;

determine whether the attitude of the terminal falls within a predetermined angle range; and

effect variation and/or maintenance of a rotational attribute of the payload in response to the signal indicative of the attitude of the terminal, wherein the attitude of the terminal controls a first rotational attribute of the payload when the attitude of the terminal falls within the predetermined range, wherein the attitude of the terminal controls a second rotational attribute of the payload when the attitude of the terminal falls outside the predetermined range, wherein the first rotational attribute comprises a rotational position, and wherein the second rotational attribute comprises a rotational speed.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the terminal is a handheld device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the terminal is configured to be worn on a user'"'"'s head.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the terminal comprises a display showing a user interface with a range of angles and a visual indicator of the attitude of the terminal within the range of angles.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to display, on the user interface, a subset of the range of angles in a visually discernible manner as the predetermined range.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the range of angles is displayed as a slider bar and the visual indicator is positioned within the slider bar.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the movable object is an unmanned aerial vehicle, and wherein the payload is an image capturing device.