Flexibly supported movable platform having an actuator to move a display

• US 10,143,930 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2015
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verity AG
• Original Assignee: Verity Studios AG
• Inventors: D'Andrea, Raffaello, Gherardi, Luca, Hehn, Markus, Waibel, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): Lam, David
• Application Number:
  US14/757,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20160184719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 700275, 396428, 212318
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/02 with moving substructures
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/045 adapted to left-right translation movement
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/046 adapted to upward-downward translation movement
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/048 adapted to forward-backward translation movement
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/027 Ceiling supports
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

A movable platform, comprising a structural element, a display structured and arranged to be coupled to the structural element, a first flexible support with a first end structured and arranged to be coupled to the structural element and a second end structured and arranged to be coupled to a support structure. The platform further comprises a sensor structured and arranged to provide data representative of movement of the display and at least one actuator, wherein the at least one actuator is structured and arranged to move the display based on at least one control signal. The platform further comprises a control module structured and arranged to send the at least one control signal to the at least one actuator, and operable to determine the at least one control signal based on the data representative of movement of the display and a reference signal.

Claims

1. A movable platform, comprising a structural element;

a display structured and arranged to be coupled to the structural element;

a first flexible support having a first end and a second end, the first end structured and arranged to be coupled to the structural element at a proximal attachment point, and the second end structured and arranged to be coupled to a support structure at a distal attachment point, wherein the structural element is structured and arranged to hang from and receive at least some support from the first flexible support;

a sensor structured and arranged to provide data representative of movement of the display;

at least one actuator structured and arranged to be coupled to at least one of the structural element and the display, wherein the at least one actuator is structured and arranged to move the display based on at least one control signal; and

a control module structured and arranged to receive the data representative of the movement of the display and structured and arranged to send the at least one control signal to the at least one actuator, and operable to determine the at least one control signal based on the data representative of movement of the display and a reference signal.

2. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the sensor is structured and arranged to be coupled to one of the structural element and the display.

3. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a camera, accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope.

4. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the first flexible support is structured and arranged to impose a constraint on the structural element and wherein the control module is further operable to determine the at least one control signal based on the constraint imposed by the first flexible support.

5. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the control module is further operable to determine the at least one control signal based on data representative of display content for the display to coordinate the movement of the display with the display of the display content.

6. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein an angle is formed at the distal attachment point between the first flexible support and a vertical axis passing through the distal attachment point and wherein the at least one actuator is operable to cause the display to move such that the angle changes by at least 15 degrees when moving the display based on the at least one control signal.

7. The movable platform of claim 1, further comprising a second actuator structured and arranged to be coupled to the support structure, wherein the second actuator is structured and arranged to extend and retract the first flexible support from the distal attachment point based on a second control signal, wherein the distance between the distal attachment point and the proximal attachment point changes when the first flexible support is extended or retracted, and wherein the control module is structured and arranged to send the second control signal to the second actuator.

8. The movable platform of claim 1, further comprising a second actuator structured and arranged to be coupled to the support structure, wherein the second actuator is structured and arranged to move the location of the distal attachment point based on a second control signal, and wherein the control module is structured and arranged to send the second control signal to the second actuator.

9. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the at least one actuator comprises at least two actuators, wherein the at least two actuators are structured and arranged to move the display based on at least two control signals, wherein the control module is structured and arranged to send the at least two control signals to the at least two actuators, and wherein the control module is operable to determine the at least two control signals based on the data representative of the movement of the display and a reference signal.

10. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the at least one actuator is at least one of a ducted fan, propeller, air nozzle, fin, vane, flywheel, momentum wheel, and a mass shift mechanism.

11. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the display is one of a projection display screen, LCD display screen, LED display screen, and plasma display screen.

12. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the control module is operable to determine the at least one control signal to achieve a desired position and orientation of the display.

13. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein control module is operable to control at least two translational degrees of freedom and at least two rotational degrees of freedom of the display.

14. The movable platform of claim 1, further comprising a second flexible support, wherein the structural element is further structured and arranged to hang from and receive at least some support from the second flexible support.

15. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the control module is operable to coordinate movement of multiple displays.

16. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein the at least one actuator is structured and arranged to provide a force to one of the structural element and display that is independent from the support received from the flexible support.

17. The movable platform of claim 1, wherein:

the first flexible support, without action by the at least one actuator, imposes an equilibrium position on the structural element and display; and

the at least one actuator is configured to move the structural element and display away from the equilibrium position based on the at least one control signal.

18. A method for operating a movable platform, the movable platform comprising:

an onboard portion;

an offboard portion;

a flexible support structured and arranged to couple the onboard portion to the offboard portion, wherein the onboard portion is structured and arranged to hang from and receive at least some support from the flexible support;

at least one actuator operable to move the onboard portion, wherein the at least one actuator is structured and arranged to provide a force on the onboard portion that is independent from the support received from the flexible support; and

at least one sensor operable to provide data representative of movement of the onboard portion of the movable platform,

the method comprising the steps of;

filtering the data representative of movement of the onboard portion of the movable platform; and

controlling the at least one actuator based on the filtered data representative of movement of the onboard portion of the movable platform.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the filtering the data comprises computing an estimate of a state of at least the onboard portion of the movable platform with respect to a predefined reference frame.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

defining a target state for at least the onboard portion of the movable platform; and

using the target state for controlling the at least one actuator based on the estimate of the state,

wherein at least two of a position, an attitude, a velocity, and a rotational rate of at least the onboard portion of the movable platform are included in each of the estimate of the state and the target state.

21. A method according to claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

defining a target velocity of the onboard portion of the movable platform;

estimating the current velocity of the onboard portion of the movable platform;

comparing the target velocity and the current velocity;

computing signals based on the comparison of the target velocity and the current velocity;

using the computed signals for controlling the at least one actuator to move the onboard portion of the movable platform with respect to the predefined reference frame;

or comprising the steps of;

defining a target position of the onboard portion of the movable platform;

estimating the current position of the onboard portion of the movable platform;

comparing the target position and the current position;

computing signals based on the comparison of the target position and the current position; and

using the computed signals for controlling the at least one actuator to move the onboard portion of the movable platform with respect to the predefined reference frame.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the flexible support, without action by the at least one actuator, imposes an equilibrium position on the onboard platform; and

the at least one actuator is operable to provide a force on the onboard platform to move it away from the equilibrium position based on the filtered data.

23. A control unit for a movable platform, the movable platform comprising:

a display;

a flexible support structured and arranged to be coupled to the display, wherein the display is structured and arranged to receive at least some support from the flexible support;

at least one actuator structured and arranged to move the display in space, wherein the at least one actuator is structured and arranged to provide a force on the display that is independent from the support received from the flexible support;

at least one sensor structured and arranged to provide data representative of the movement of the display in space; and

a control module structured and arranged to;

receive the data representative of the movement of the display in space;

determine one or more control signals for the at least one actuator based on the data representative of the movement of the display in space and a reference signal; and

provide the one or more control signals to the actuator.

24. The control unit of claim 23, wherein:

the flexible support, without action by the at least one actuator, imposes an equilibrium position on the display; and

the at least one actuator is operable to move the display away from the equilibrium position based on the one or more control signals.