WO2020063631A1 - Handheld remote control device and flight system kit - Google Patents

Abstract

A handheld remote control device (8) and a flight system kit. The handheld remote control device (8) comprises: a support structure (72); a rapid capture and release coupling mechanism (74), wherein the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism (74) is disposed on the support structure (72), and has a first magnetic component (82); and a controller (14), wherein the controller (14) is used to control the first magnetic component (82), so that the first magnetic component (82) can have at least a first working state and a second working state; in the first working state, the first magnetic component (82) generates a magnetic attraction with the second magnetic component (84) of a flight system (12); and in the second working state, the first magnetic component (82) does not generate a magnetic attraction with the second magnetic component (84) of the flight system (12). The flight system kit comprises: a handheld remote control device (8); and a flight system (12), wherein the flight system (12) comprises a second magnetic component (84) capable of generating a magnetic attraction with a first magnetic component (82) of the handheld remote control device (8).

Description

Handheld remote control and flight system kit Technical field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of flight systems, and more particularly to a handheld remote control device for a flight system and a flight system kit including the handheld remote control device and a flight system.

Background technique

Flight initiation (ie, "takeoff") and landing are key steps in autonomous or remote control of the flight system. The current takeoff and landing operations are performed relative to the ground or the user's hand. These operations are relatively complicated. Performing these operations from the ground can be difficult because the ground is often complex, i.e. uneven and uncertain. Performing these operations from / to the user's hand may cause other problems, such as unstable surfaces. In addition, performing these operations from / to the user's hand causes additional security issues related to user safety.

The present disclosure addresses one or more of the aforementioned issues.

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a handheld remote control device for use with a flight system, the handheld remote control device includes: a support structure; a rapid capture and release coupling mechanism, the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism Provided on the support structure and having a first magnetic component; and a controller for controlling the first magnetic component so that the first magnetic component can have at least a first working state and a second working state State, in the first working state, the first magnetic part is magnetically attracted to the second magnetic part of the flight system, and in the second working state, the first magnetic part is not in contact with the flight system The second magnetic component is magnetically attracted.

According to a first aspect, the first magnetic component is an electromagnet, and in the first working state, the controller turns on a current through the first magnetic component so that the electromagnet and the flight system The second magnetic component of the magnetic attraction is generated. In the second working state, the controller cuts off the current passing through the first magnetic component, so that the electromagnet does not generate with the second magnetic component of the flight system. Magnetic attraction.

According to a first aspect, the controller is capable of controlling a direction of current passing through the first magnetic component so that the first magnetic component has a third working state different from the first working state and the second working state, In the third working state, the magnetic properties of the first magnetic component are the same as the magnetic properties of the second magnetic component, so that the first magnetic component and the second magnetic component are mutually exclusive.

According to a first aspect, the first magnetic component is a permanent magnet, and the handheld remote control device further includes a first magnetic component driving mechanism provided on the support structure, and the first magnetic component driving mechanism can enable the first magnetic component A magnetic component moves between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the first magnetic component and the second magnetic component can generate a first magnetic attraction force. In the second position, A magnetic attraction force or a second magnetic attraction force smaller than the first magnetic attraction force cannot be generated between the first magnetic component and the second magnetic component.

According to a first aspect, the first magnetic component driving mechanism includes a motor, a guide rail, a movable tray connected to the guide rail, and a screw connected to the motor, and the first magnetic component is fixed to the movable tray, The screw is screwed through the threaded hole of the movable tray, and the motor can drive the screw to rotate, so that the movable tray can move up and down along the guide rail, so that the first magnetic component The movement between the first position and the second position.

According to a first aspect, the support structure includes an elongated tube containing a battery.

According to a first aspect, the handheld remote control device includes a display screen disposed on the support structure and connected to the controller, the display screen being capable of receiving and displaying images from the flight system or the handheld remote control device signal.

According to a first aspect, the handheld remote control device includes one or more cameras.

According to a first aspect, the handheld remote control device includes a camera driving mechanism for driving the camera to translate and / or rotate.

According to a first aspect, the handheld remote control device includes one or more microphones and / or one or more speakers.

According to a first aspect, the support structure includes a recess for receiving at least a portion of a flight system.

According to a first aspect, the recess of the support structure is capable of accommodating the flight system so that the outline of the flight system is enclosed within the recess.

According to a first aspect, the support structure includes a buckle, and a correspondingly disposed tab on the flight system can be releasably snapped into the buckle.

According to a first aspect, a snap-in direction in which a tab on the flight system is snapped into the buckle is the same as a direction of magnetic attraction between the first magnetic component and the second magnetic component.

According to a first aspect, the support structure further includes a snap drive mechanism capable of driving the snap to release a tab of the flight system.

According to a first aspect, the snap drive mechanism is controlled by the controller, and the controller is configured to be able to control the snap drive mechanism and the first magnetic component such that the snap releases the flight The operation of the tab of the system is basically synchronized with the operation of the first magnetic component entering the second working state.

According to a first aspect, the support structure is provided with a sensor capable of detecting whether the buckle is in a locked state of the locking tab, and the controller is configured to control all positions when detecting that the buckle is in the locked state. The first magnetic component enters the second working state.

According to a first aspect, the support structure is provided with a flight system controller coupling mechanism for mounting the flight system controller on the support structure.

According to a first aspect, the handheld remote control device is capable of charging a flight system controller connected to the flight system controller coupling mechanism by a wired or wireless manner, and / or the connection to the flight system controller is coupled The flight system controller of the mechanism can charge the hand-held remote control device through a wired method or a wireless method.

According to a first aspect, the handheld remote control device can charge the flight system via a wired or wireless method, and / or the flight system can charge the handheld remote control device via a wired or wireless method.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a flight system kit including: the above-mentioned handheld remote control device; and a flight system including the first magnetic component capable of generating magnetics with the first remote control device of the handheld remote control device. Attached second magnetic component.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the flight system further includes a tab that cooperates with the buckle.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the second magnetic component is a permanent magnet or an electromagnet.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the flight system includes a flight system main body and a power module detachably connected to the flight system main body, the flight system main body is provided with the second magnetic component and can be magnetically attracted To the handheld remote control device, the power module includes at least one rotor and a motor driving the rotor.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the flight system main body can be received in a recess of the support structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a flight system and a system for controlling a flight system including a handheld remote control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a view of an exemplary flight system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a view of an exemplary optical system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a second schematic diagram of a flight system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

5 is a third schematic diagram of a flight system and a system for controlling a flight system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

6 is a schematic diagram of a flight system including an obstacle detection and avoidance system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

7 is a schematic diagram of the handheld remote control device of FIG. 1 together with an exemplary flight system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is an exploded state diagram of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an exploded state diagram of the handheld remote control device of FIG. 1 together with an exemplary flight system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the quick capture and release coupling mechanism is different from the quick capture and release coupling mechanism of the first embodiment .

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of part A of FIG. 9, showing that the permanent magnet or magnetizable material of the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism is in an elevated position capable of being magnetically adsorbed with the coupler component.

11 is another exploded state diagram of the handheld remote control device of FIG. 1 together with an exemplary flight system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of part B of FIG. 11, showing that the permanent magnet or magnetizable material of the quick capture and release coupling mechanism is in a lowered position that cannot be magnetically attracted to the coupler component.

FIG. 13 is another schematic diagram of the handheld remote control device of FIG. 1 together with an exemplary flight system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is an exploded state diagram of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is another schematic diagram of the handheld remote control device of FIG. 1 together with an exemplary flight system according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is an exploded state diagram of FIG. 15.

17 and 18 are schematic diagrams of a power module of the flight system removed from FIG. 15.

detailed description

The following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is not intended to limit the present disclosure to these embodiments, but is for enabling those skilled in the art to implement and use the present disclosure. With reference to the drawings and in operation, a system 10 for controlling a flight system 12 (eg, a drone) is provided. The system 10 includes a remote control device or a flight system controller 14 having a control client 16. The control client 16 provides a user interface (see below) that allows the user 18 to send instructions to the flight system 12 to control the operation of the flight system 12. As discussed further below, the flight system 12 includes one or more cameras (see below) for obtaining photos and / or videos that can be sent to the flight system controller 14 and / Or stored in a memory on the flight system 12.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a handheld remote control device 8 is provided. As discussed in further detail below, the remote control device 8 provides support for the flight system 12 and the flight system controller 14. The hand-held remote control device 8 includes a quick capture and release mechanism (see below) for controllably capturing and releasing the flight system 12 during take-off and landing operations, respectively.

The flight system 12 may include an obstacle detection and avoidance system 50. The obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 may include a pair of ultra-wide-angle lens cameras 52A, 52B (see below) for providing obstacle detection and avoidance.

The flight system 12 may include one or more sensors (see below) for detecting or sensing operations or actions (e.g., expressions) performed by the user 18, in the absence of direct or physical interaction with the flight system controller 14 The operation of the flight system 12 is controlled (see below). In a controllerless embodiment, the entire control loop from start (release and hover) to end (capture and leave), and triggers that control the movements and events of the flight system 12 (e.g., taking photos and videos) are in flight The system 12 executes on its own without involving the flight system controller 14. In some such embodiments or systems 10, the flight system controller 14 may not be provided or included.

In some embodiments, the flight system controller 14 includes one or more sensors that detect or sense operations or actions performed by the user 18 so that, under certain conditions (for example, when the flight system 12 is too far from the user 18 ) To control the operation of the flight system 12 without physical interaction with the flight system controller 14.

Overview of system 10 and flight system 12

An exemplary flight system 12 and control system 10 are shown in FIGS. 1-5. The control client 16 of the flight system 12 is configured to receive data from the flight system 12 and control a visual display on the flight system controller 14, the data including video images and / or video. The control client 16 may also receive operation instructions and facilitate remote control of the flight system 12 based on the operation instructions. The control client 16 is preferably configured to run on the flight system controller 14, but can instead be configured to run on the flight system 12 or on any other suitable system. As discussed above, and discussed more fully below, the flight system 12 may be independently controlled without direct or physical interaction with the flight system controller 14.

The control client 16 can be a native application (eg, a mobile application), a browser application, an operating system application, or any other suitable configuration.

The flight system controller 14 executing the control client 16 is configured to display data (e.g., display data as instructed by the control client 16), receive user input, and calculate operation instructions based on the user input (e.g., by the control client 16 Instructions based on user input to calculate operating instructions), sending operating instructions to the flight system 12, storing information of the control client (e.g., associated flight system identifier, security key, user account information, user account preferences, etc.) or Perform any other suitable functions. The flight system controller 14 can be a user device (eg, a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.), a networked server system, or any other suitable remote computing system. The flight system controller 14 can include one or more: outputs, inputs, communication systems, sensors, power supplies, processing systems (eg, CPU, memory, etc.) or any other suitable components. Outputs can include: displays (e.g., LED displays, OLED displays, LCDs, etc.), audio speakers, lights (e.g., LEDs), haptic outputs (e.g., haptic pixel systems, vibration motors, etc.) or any other suitable output . The inputs can include a touch screen (eg, a capacitive touch screen, a resistive touch screen, etc.), a mouse, a keyboard, a motion sensor, a microphone, a biometric input, a camera, or any other suitable input. Communication systems can include wireless connections, such as radios that support: long-range systems (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular, WLAN, WiMAX, microwave, IR, radio frequency, etc.), short-range systems (e.g., BLE, BLE long-range, NFC, ZigBee, RF, audio, optical, etc.) or any other suitable communication system. The sensors can include: orientation sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.), ambient light sensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, optical sensors, acoustic sensors, or any other suitable sensor. In one variation, the flight system controller 14 can include a display (eg, a touch-sensitive display including a touch screen that overlaps the display), a set of radios (eg, Wi-Fi, cellular, BLE, etc.), and a set of position sensors. However, the flight system controller 14 can include any suitable set of components.

The flight system 12 is used to fly in a physical space, capture video, stream the video to the flight system controller 14 in near real time, and perform operations based on the operation instructions received from the flight system controller 14.

The flight system 12 can additionally process video (eg, video frames) and / or process audio received from an onboard audio sensor before streaming the video to the flight system controller 14; generate its own operating instructions and based on this The instructions operate automatically (eg, to follow the object automatically); or perform any other suitable function. The flight system 12 can additionally be used to move the field of view of the optical sensor within the physical space. For example, the flying system 12 can control macro movements (e.g., large field of view (FOV) changes, meter-level adjustments), micro-movements (e.g., small field of view (FOV) changes, millimeter or centimeter-level adjustments), or any other suitable movement.

The flight system 12 can perform certain functions based on on-board processing of sensor data from on-board sensors. Such functions may include, but are not limited to:

-Takeoff and landing;

-Owner identification;

-face recognition;

-Speech Recognition;

-Facial expression and gesture recognition; and

-Control of the flight system based on owner, face, expression and gesture recognition and speech recognition, for example controlling the movement of the flight system.

As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the flight system 12 (eg, a drone) can include a main body 20, a processing system 22, a communication system 24, an optical system 26, and an actuation mechanism 28 that mounts the optical system 26 to the main body 20. . The flight system 12 can additionally or alternatively include a lift mechanism, a sensor, a power supply system, or any other suitable component (see below).

The main body 20 of the flight system 12 is used to mechanically protect and / or hold the flight system components. The body 20 can define a lumen, be a platform, or have any suitable configuration. The body 20 can be closed, open (eg, a truss), or have any suitable configuration. The body 20 can be made of metal, plastic (eg, polymer), carbon composite material, or any other suitable material. The main body 20 can define a longitudinal axis, a transverse axis, a lateral axis, a front end, a rear end (eg, opposite the front end along the longitudinal axis), a top, a bottom (eg, opposite the top along the lateral axis), or any other suitable reference. In one variation, while flying, the lateral axis of the body 20 can be substantially parallel to the gravity vector (e.g., perpendicular to the ground), and the longitudinal axis and lateral axis of the body can be substantially perpendicular to the gravity vector (e.g., parallel On the ground). However, the main body 20 can be configured in other ways.

The processing system 22 of the flight system 12 is used to control the operation of the flight system. The processing system 22 is capable of receiving operation instructions from the communication system 24, interpreting the operation instructions as machine instructions, and controlling the flight system components based on the machine instructions (alone or as a group). The processing system 22 can additionally or alternatively process images recorded by the camera, stream the images to the flight system controller 14 (eg, in real time or near real time) or perform any other suitable function. The processing system 22 may include one or more: a processor 32 (e.g., CPU, GPU, etc.), memory (e.g., flash memory, RAM, etc.), or any other suitable processing component. In one variation, the processing system 22 can additionally include dedicated hardware that automatically processes the images (eg, image restoration, image filtering, image cropping, etc.) before transmitting the images to the flight system controller 14. The processing system 22 is preferably connected to the movable components of the flight system 12 and mounted to the main body 20, but can alternatively be related to the flight system components in other ways.

The communication system 24 of the flight system is used to send and / or receive information from the flight system controller 14. The communication system 24 is preferably connected to the processing system 22 such that the communication system 24 sends data to and / or receives data from the processing system 22, but can instead be connected to any other suitable component. The flight system 12 can include one or more types of one or more communication systems 24. The communication system 24 can include a wireless connection, such as a radio supporting the following systems: long-range systems (e.g., Wi-Fi, cellular, WLAN, WiMAX, microwave, IR, radio frequency, etc.), short-range systems (e.g., BLE, BLE long-range, NFC, ZigBee, RF, audio, optical, etc.), or include any other suitable communication system 24. The communication system 24 preferably shares at least one system protocol (e.g., BLE, RF, etc.) with the flight system controller 14, but can instead communicate with the flight system controller 14 via an intermediate communication system (e.g., a protocol conversion system). However, the communication system 24 can be configured in other ways.

The optical system 26 of the flight system 12 is used to record images of the physical space on the near side of the flight system 12. The optical system 26 is preferably mounted to the main body 20 via an actuation mechanism 28, but can instead be statically mounted to the main body 20, removably mounted to the main body 20, or otherwise mounted to the main body 20. The optical system 26 is preferably mounted to the front end of the main body 20, but can be optionally mounted to the bottom (e.g., near the front), top, rear end, or any other suitable portion of the main body 20. The optical system 26 is preferably connected to the processing system 22, but can instead be connected to the communication system 24 or to any other suitable system. The optical system 26 can additionally include dedicated image processing hardware that automatically processes images before the images recorded by the camera are transmitted to a processor or other endpoint. The flight system 12 can include one or more optical systems 26 of the same or different types mounted to the same or different locations. In one variation, the flight system 12 includes a first optical system 26 mounted to a front end of the main body 20 and a second optical system 26 mounted to a bottom of the main body 20. The first optical system 26 can be actuated about a pivot support, and the second optical system 26 can be held substantially statically with respect to the main body 20, wherein the corresponding active surface is substantially parallel to the bottom of the main body. The first optical sensor 36 can be high-resolution, and the second optical sensor 36 can be low-resolution. However, the optical system 26 can be configured in other ways.

The optical system 26 can include one or more optical sensors 36 (see FIG. 5). The one or more optical sensors 36 can include a single lens camera (eg, a CCD camera, a CMOS camera, etc.), a stereo camera, a hyperspectral camera, a multispectral camera, or any other suitable image sensor. However, the optical system 26 can be any other suitable optical system 26. The optical system 26 can define one or more effective surfaces that receive light, but can alternatively include any other suitable components. For example, the effective surface of a camera can be the effective surface of a camera sensor (eg, a CCD sensor, a CMOS sensor, etc.), preferably including a regular array of sensor pixels. The camera sensor or other active surface is preferably substantially planar and rectangular (e.g., having a first sensor edge, a second sensor edge opposite the first sensor edge, and each perpendicular to the first sensor edge and the second sensor edge and Third and fourth sensor edges extending from the first sensor edge to the second sensor edge), but can instead have any suitable shape and / or topography. The optical sensor 36 is capable of generating image frames. The image frame preferably corresponds to the shape of the active surface (e.g., a rectangle, having first and second frame edges opposite to each other, etc.), and more preferably a regular array of pixel positions, each pixel position corresponding to a sensor pixel of the active surface and The pixels of the image sampled by the optical sensor 36 correspond, but can have any suitable shape instead. The image frame preferably defines various aspects of the image sampled by the optical sensor 36 (eg, image size, resolution, pixel size and / or shape, etc.). The optical sensor 36 can optionally include a zoom lens, digital zoom, fisheye lens, filter, or any other suitable active or passive optical adjustment. The application of optical adjustments can be actively controlled by the controller, manually controlled by the user 18 (eg, where the user manually sets the adjustment), controlled by the flight system controller 14, or otherwise controlled. In one variation, the optical system 26 can include a housing that encloses the rest of the optical system components, where the housing is mounted to the body 20. However, the optical system 26 can be configured in other ways.

The actuation mechanism 28 of the flight system 12 is used to movably mount the optical system 26 to the main body 20. The actuation mechanism 28 can additionally be used to suppress optical sensor vibrations (e.g., to mechanically stabilize the resulting image), adapt to the rolling of the flight system, or perform any other suitable function. The actuation mechanism 28 can be active (e.g., controlled by a processing system), passive (e.g., controlled by a set of weights, spring elements, magnetic elements, etc.) or otherwise controlled. The actuation mechanism 28 is capable of rotating the optical system 26 relative to the body about one or more axes, translating the optical system 26 relative to the body along one or more axes, or otherwise actuating the optical system 26. The one or more optical sensors 36 can be mounted to the support along the first end, along the rear of the optical sensor (eg, opposite the active surface), through the optical sensor body, or any other suitable Parts are mounted to the support.

In one variation, the actuation mechanism 28 can include a motor (not shown) connected to a single pivot support (eg, a gimbal), where the motor causes the support to be based on instructions received from a controller Pivot about a rotation (or universal joint) axis 34. The support is preferably arranged such that the rotation axis is substantially parallel to the lateral axis of the main body 20, but can alternatively be arranged such that the rotation axis is in any other suitable orientation relative to the main body 20. The support is preferably arranged in a cavity defined by the body 20, wherein the cavity also surrounds the optical sensor 36, but can instead be arranged along the outside of the body or at any other suitable portion of the body 20. The optical sensor 36 is preferably mounted to a support, wherein the effective surface is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation (e.g., such that the lateral axis of the body 20 or an axis parallel to the lateral axis is substantially parallel to the axis of rotation), but can be alternatively disposed So that the effective surface is arranged at any suitable angle with respect to the axis of rotation.

The motor is preferably an electric motor, but can be any other suitable motor instead. Examples of motors that can be used include: DC motors (eg, brushed motors), EC motors (eg, brushless motors), induction motors, synchronous motors, magnetic motors, or any other suitable motor. The motor is preferably mounted to the main body 20 (eg, inside the main body), is electrically connected to and controlled by the processing system 22, is electrically connected to and is powered by the power source or system 38. However, the motor can be connected in other ways. The actuation mechanism 28 preferably includes a single motor support device, but can instead include a plurality of motor support devices, wherein the auxiliary motor support device can be arranged orthogonal to the first motor support device (or any other Other suitable angles).

In a second variation, the actuation mechanism 28 can include a set of pivotal supports and counterweights connected to the optical sensor 36 that are offset from the center of gravity of the optical sensor, wherein the actuation mechanism 28 passively stabilizes the optical sensor 36.

The lift mechanism 40 of the flight system 12 is used to enable the flight system to fly. The lift mechanism 40 preferably includes a set of propeller blades 42 driven by a motor (not shown), but can alternatively include any other suitable propulsion mechanism. The lift mechanism 40 is preferably mounted to the main body 20 and controlled by the processing system 22, but can instead be mounted to the flight system 12 in other ways and / or controlled in other ways. The flight system 12 can include a plurality of lift mechanisms 40. In one example, the flight system 12 includes four lift mechanisms 40 (e.g., two pairs of lift mechanisms 40), where the lift mechanisms 40 are distributed substantially evenly around the perimeter of the flight system 12 (e.g., where each pair of lift mechanisms 40 spans The main bodies 20 face each other). However, the lift mechanism 40 can be configured in other ways.

The additional sensors 44 of the flight system are used to record signals indicating the operation of the flight system, the surrounding environment around the flight system 12 (eg, the physical space near the flight system 12), or any other suitable parameter. The sensor 44 is preferably mounted to the main body 20 and controlled by the processing system 22, but can instead be mounted to any other suitable component and / or otherwise controlled. The flight system 12 can include one or more sensors 36,44. Examples of sensors that can be used include: orientation sensors (e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope, etc.), ambient light sensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, optical sensors, acoustic sensors (e.g., microphones), voltage sensors, current sensors, or any other The right sensor.

The power source 38 of the flight system 12 is used to power active components of the flight system 12. The power source 38 is preferably mounted to the main body 20 and (for example, directly or indirectly) electrically connected to all active components of the flight system 12, but can be arranged in other ways. The power source 38 can be a primary battery, a secondary battery (eg, a rechargeable battery), a fuel cell, an energy harvester (eg, the sun, wind, etc.) or any other suitable power source. Examples of secondary batteries that can be used include lithium chemistry (for example, lithium ion, lithium ion polymer, etc.), nickel chemistry (for example, NiCad, NiMH, etc.), or a battery having any other suitable chemical process.

One or more flight systems 12 can optionally be used with a remote computing system or with any other suitable system. The flight system 12 is used for flight and can additionally be used for taking pictures, transporting loads, and / or relaying wireless communications. The flight system 12 is preferably a rotorcraft (e.g., a quadcopter, helicopter, cyclocopter, etc.), but can instead be a fixed-wing aircraft, aerostat, or any other suitable flight system 12. The flight system 12 can include: a lift mechanism 40; a power source 38; sensors 36, 44; a processing system 22; a communication system 24; a main body 20; and / or any other suitable component.

The lift system 40 of the flight system is used to provide lift and preferably includes a set of rotors driven individually or collectively by one or more electric motors. Each rotor is preferably configured to rotate about a corresponding rotor axis, defining a corresponding rotor plane perpendicular to its rotor axis, and sweeping out a swept area on its rotor plane. The motor is preferably configured to provide sufficient power to the rotor to enable the flight system to fly, and more preferably can operate in two or more modes, at least one of which includes Provide sufficient power for flight, and at least one of the two or more modes includes providing less power than required for flight (e.g., providing zero power, providing 10% of the minimum flight power, etc. ). The power provided by the motor preferably affects the angular velocity of the rotors around their rotor axis. During the flight of the flight system, the set of rotors is preferably configured to cooperatively or individually generate (e.g., by rotating around their rotor axis) the total aerodynamic forces generated by the flight system 12 (which may be ruled out such as at high altitudes) Almost all (for example, more than 99%, more than 95%, more than 90%, more than 75%) of the drag force generated by the main body 20 during the flight. Alternatively or additionally, the flight system 12 can include any other suitable flight components for generating a force for the flight of the flight system, such as a jet engine, a rocket engine, a wing, a solar sail, and / or any other suitable Force generating component.

In one variation, the flight system 12 includes four rotors, each rotor being disposed at a corner of the body of the flight system. The four rotors are preferably distributed substantially evenly about the main body of the flight system, and each rotor plane is preferably substantially parallel (e.g., within 10 degrees) to the transverse plane of the main body of the flight system (e.g., surrounding the longitudinal and lateral axes) . The rotor preferably occupies a relatively large portion of the entire flight system 12 (eg, 90%, 80%, 75% or most of the flight system footprint, or any other suitable proportion of the flight system 12). For example, the sum of the squares of the diameters of each rotor may be greater than the threshold amount (e.g., 10%, 50%, 75%) of the convex hull of the projection projected by the flight system 12 onto the main plane (e.g., the transverse plane) of the flight system , 90%, 110%, etc.). However, the rotor can be arranged in other ways.

The power source 38 of the flight system is used to power active components of the flight system 12 (eg, a motor of a lift mechanism, etc.). The power source 38 can be mounted to the main body 20 and connected to an active component, or otherwise arranged. The power source 38 can be a rechargeable battery, a secondary battery, a primary battery, a fuel cell, or any other suitable power source.

The sensors 36, 44 of the flight system are used to obtain signals indicative of the surroundings of the flight system and / or the operation of the flight system. The sensors 36, 44 are preferably mounted to the main body 20, but can instead be mounted to any other suitable component. The sensors 36, 44 are preferably powered by the power source 38 and controlled by the processor, but can be connected to and interact with any other suitable component. The sensors 36, 44 can include one or more: cameras (e.g., CCD cameras, CMOS cameras, multispectral cameras, visual range cameras, hyperspectral cameras, stereo cameras, etc.), orientation sensors (e.g., inertial measurement sensors , Accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter, magnetometer, etc.), audio sensors (e.g., transducers, microphones, etc.), barometers, light sensors, temperature sensors, current sensors (e.g., Hall effect sensors), air flow meters , Voltmeter, touch sensor (for example, resistive touch sensor, capacitive touch sensor, etc.), proximity sensor, force sensor (for example, strain gauge, load cell), vibration sensor, chemical sensor, sonar sensor, position sensor ( For example, a GPS position sensor, a GNSS position sensor, a triangulation position sensor, etc.) or any other suitable sensor. In one variation, the flight system 12 includes a first camera mounted along a first end (eg, statically or rotatable) of the main body of the flight system, the field of view of the first camera intersecting the lateral plane of the main body; A second camera mounted along the bottom of the aircraft body, the field of view of the second camera being substantially parallel to the transverse plane; and a set of orientation sensors, such as an altimeter and an accelerometer. However, the system can include any suitable number of any sensor type.

The processing system 22 of the flight system is used to control the operation of the flight system. The processing system 22 is capable of performing the following methods; stabilizing the flight system 12 during flight (e.g., selectively operating the rotors to minimize flight system swing during flight); receiving, interpreting, and operating the flight system 12 based on the remote control instruction; Or otherwise control the operation of the flight system. The processing system 22 is preferably configured to receive and interpret measurements sampled by the sensors 36, 44 and more preferably by combining measurements sampled by different sensors (e.g., combining camera and accelerometer data). Flight system 12 can include one or more processing systems, where different processors can perform the same function (e.g., function as a multi-core system) or can be specialized. The processing system 22 can include one or more: a processor (e.g., CPU, GPU, microprocessor, etc.), memory (e.g., flash memory, RAM, etc.), or any other suitable component. The processing system 22 is preferably mounted to the main body 20, but can instead be mounted to any other suitable component. The processing system 22 is preferably powered by a power source 38, but can be powered in other ways. The processing system 22 is preferably connected to and controls the sensors 36, 44, communication system 24, and lift mechanism 40, but the processing system 22 can be additionally or alternatively connected to any other A suitable component and interact with any other suitable component.

The communication system 24 of the flight system is used to communicate with one or more remote computing systems. The communication system 24 can be a long-range communication module, a short-range communication module, or any other suitable communication module. The communication system 24 can facilitate wired and / or wireless communication. Examples of the communication system 24 include 802.11x, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, NFC, RFID, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, cellular communications (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, etc.), radio (RF), A wired connection (eg, USB) or any other suitable communication system 24 or a combination thereof. The communication system 24 is preferably powered by a power source 38, but can be powered in other ways. The communication system 24 is preferably connected to the processing system 22, but can additionally or alternatively be connected to and interact with any other suitable component.

The main body 20 of the flight system is used to support the components of the flight system. The main body can additionally be used to protect components of the flight system. The main body 20 preferably substantially encapsulates the communication system 24, the power source 38, and the processing system 22, but can be configured in other ways. The body 20 can include a platform, a housing, or have any other suitable configuration. In one variation, the main body 20 includes a main portion that houses the communication system 24, the power source 38, and the processing system 22, and a first frame that extends parallel to the rotor rotation plane and is arranged along the first and second sides of the main portion 20. And a second frame (eg, a cage). These frames can be used as an intermediate component between a rotating rotor and a holding mechanism (for example, a holding mechanism such as a user's hand). The frame can extend along one side of the body 20 (eg, along the bottom of the rotor, along the top of the rotor), along the first and second sides of the body 20 (eg, along the top and bottom of the rotor) Extend, encapsulate the rotor (eg, extend along all sides of the rotor), or otherwise be configured. These frames can be statically mounted to the main body 20 or actuably mounted to the main body 20.

The frame can include one or more holes (e.g., airflow holes) that fluidly connect one or more rotors to the surroundings, which can be used to allow air and / or air between the surroundings and the rotors Other suitable fluids can flow (for example, so that the rotor can generate aerodynamic forces that move the flight system 1 throughout the surrounding environment). The airflow holes can be elongated or can have comparable length and width. The airflow holes can be substantially the same or can be different from each other. The airflow holes are preferably small enough to prevent components of the retention mechanism (eg, fingers of a hand) from passing through the airflow holes. The geometric transparency (eg, the ratio of the opening area to the total area) of the frame near the rotor is preferably large enough to enable the flight system to fly, and more preferably to enable high-performance maneuvering. For example, each airflow hole can be smaller than a threshold size (e.g., all sizes are smaller than the threshold size, an elongated slot narrower than the threshold size but significantly longer than the threshold size, etc.). In a specific example, the frame has a geometric transparency of 80-90%, and each air flow hole (eg, a circle, a polygon such as a regular hexagon, etc.) defines a circumscribed circle having a diameter of 12-16 mm. However, the subject can be configured in other ways.

The body 20 (and / or any other suitable components of the flight system) can define a holding area that can be held by a holding mechanism (eg, a human hand, a flight system dock, a claw, etc.). The holding area preferably surrounds a part of one or more rotors, and more preferably completely surrounds all the rotors, thereby preventing any unintentional interaction between the rotors and the holding mechanism or other objects approaching the flight system 12. For example, the projection of the hold area on the flight system plane (e.g., transverse plane, rotor plane, etc.) can be compared to the sweep area of one or more rotors (e.g., the sweep area of one rotor, the total sweep area of a group of rotors) Etc.) The projections (eg, partially, completely, most, at least 90%, etc.) on the same flight system plane overlap.

The flight system 12 can additionally include inputs (eg, microphones, cameras, etc.), outputs (eg, displays, speakers, light emitting elements, etc.) or any other suitable components.

The remote computing system is configured to receive auxiliary user input and can additionally be used to automatically generate and send control instructions to one or more flight systems 12. Each flight system 12 can be controlled by one or more remote computing systems. The remote computing system preferably controls the flight system 12 through a client (eg, a local application, a browser application, etc.), but can control the flight system 12 in other ways. The remote computing system can be a user device, a remote server system, a connected appliance, or any other suitable system. Examples of user devices include tablets, smartphones, mobile phones, laptop computers, watches, wearable devices (eg, glasses), or any other suitable user device. User devices can include power storage devices (e.g., batteries), processing systems (e.g., CPU, GPU, memory, etc.), user outputs (e.g., displays, speakers, vibration mechanisms, etc.), user inputs (e.g., keyboard, touch screen, microphone) Etc.), positioning systems (e.g. GPS systems), sensors (e.g. optical sensors (such as light sensors and cameras), orientation sensors (such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and altimeters), audio sensors (such as microphones, etc.), data communications System (eg, Wi-Fi module, BLE, cellular module, etc.) or any other suitable component.

The system 10 may be configured for controller-less user-drone interaction. Generally, the flight system or drone 12 requires a separate device, such as the flight system controller 14. The flight system controller 14 may be implemented in different types of devices, including, but not limited to, ground stations, remote controllers, or mobile phones. In some embodiments, control of the flight system 12 may be performed by a user through a user expression without using the flight system controller 14. The user expression may include, but is not limited to, any activity performed by the user that does not include physical interaction with the flight system controller 14, including thoughts (measured through brain waves), facial expressions (including eye movements), gestures, and / or speech. In such embodiments, user instructions are received directly via at least some of the optical sensors 36 and other sensors 44 and processed by the onboard processing system 22 to control the flight system 12.

In some embodiments, the flight system 12 may instead be controlled via the flight system controller 14.

In at least one embodiment, the flight system 12 may be controlled without interacting with the flight system controller 14, however, the display of the flight system controller 14 may be used to display images and / or videos forwarded from the flight system 12 These images and / or videos can help the user 18 control the flight system 12. In addition, sensors 36, 44 (e.g., one or more cameras and / or microphones (not shown)) associated with the flight system controller 14 may forward data when the flight system 12 is too far from the user 18 To flight system 12. The sensor data forwarded from the flight system controller 14 to the flight system 12 is used in the same manner as the sensor data from the onboard sensors 36, 44 is used to control the flight system 12 using user expressions.

In this manner, the flight system 12 may be (1) fully controlled from start to end without using the flight system controller 14 or (2) without physical interaction with the flight system controller 14. The control of the flight system 12 is based on user instructions received at the on-board sensors 36,44. It should be noted that in the discussion below, using on-board sensors 36, 44 may also include using corresponding or similar sensors on the flight system controller 14.

Generally, the user 18 may use certain gestures and / or voice controls to control takeoff, landing, movement of the flight system 12 during flight, and other features, such as triggering of photo and / or video capture. As discussed above, the flight system 12 may provide the following features without using the flight system controller 14 or without processing by the flight system controller 14:

-Takeoff and landing;

-Owner identification;

-face recognition;

-Speech Recognition;

-Facial expression and gesture recognition; and

-Control of the flight system based on owner, facial expression and gesture recognition, and speech recognition, such as controlling the motion of the flight system.

As described in detail above, the flight system 12 includes an optical system 26 that includes one or more optical sensors 36, such as a camera. At least one on-board camera is configured for real-time video streaming and computer vision analysis. Optionally, the flight system 12 can have at least one depth sensor (or stereo-vision pair) for multi-pixel depth sensing. Optionally, the flight system 12 can have at least one for voice recognition and control An onboard microphone.

Generally, in order to provide full control of the flight system 12, a variety of user / drone interactions or activities are provided from the beginning to the end of the flight. User / drone interactions include, but are not limited to, takeoff and landing, owner recognition, gesture recognition, facial expression recognition, and sound control.

Referring to FIG. 6, in another aspect of the present disclosure, the flight system 12 may include an obstacle detection and avoidance system 50. In one embodiment, the obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 includes a pair of ultra-wide-angle lens cameras 52A, 52B. As will be described more fully below, the pair of cameras 52A, 52B are coaxially equipped at the center of the top of the fuselage and the center of the bottom of the fuselage (see below).

This method and / or system can bring several advantages over conventional systems. First, the images recorded by the camera are processed on-board, in real-time or near real-time. This allows robots to use images recorded by the camera to navigate.

The pair of cameras 52A, 52B is generally mounted to or statically fixed to the housing of the main body 20. The memory 54 and the vision processor 56 are connected to the pair of cameras 52A, 52B. The system is used to sample the image of the monitored area for real-time or near real-time image processing, such as depth analysis. The system can additionally or alternatively generate 3D video, generate a map of the monitored area, or perform any other suitable function.

The case is used to hold the pair of cameras 52A, 52B in a predetermined configuration. The system preferably includes a single housing that holds the pair of cameras 52A, 52B, but the system can alternatively include multiple housing parts or any other suitable number of housing parts.

The pair of cameras 52A, 52B may be used to sample signals of the surrounding environment near the flight system 12. The pair of cameras 52A, 52B are arranged such that the respective frustum of each camera overlaps the frustum of the other camera (see below).

Each camera 52A, 52B can be a CCD camera, a CMOS camera, or any other suitable type of camera. The camera can be sensitive in the visible spectrum, the IR spectrum, or any other suitable spectrum. Cameras can be hyperspectral, multispectral, or capture any suitable subset of frequency bands. The camera can have a fixed focal length, an adjustable focal length, or any other suitable focal length. However, the camera can have any other suitable parameter value set. Multiple cameras can be the same or different.

Each camera is preferably associated with a known position relative to a reference point (e.g., on a housing, on one of a plurality of cameras, on a host robot, etc.), but can be associated with an estimated, calculated, or Unknown locations are associated. The pair of cameras 52A, 52B is preferably statically mounted to the housing (e.g., a through hole in the housing), but can be actuably mounted to the housing (e.g., by a joint) instead. body. The camera can be mounted to the surface, edge, apex of the housing or to any other suitable housing feature. The camera can be aligned with the housing feature, centered along the housing feature, or otherwise arranged relative to the housing feature. The camera can be arranged such that the effective surface is perpendicular to the housing radius or surface tangent, such that the effective surface is parallel to the surface of the housing, or such that the effective surface is otherwise arranged. Adjacent camera effective surfaces can be parallel to each other, at a non-zero angle to each other, located on the same plane, angled relative to the reference plane, or otherwise arranged. Adjacent cameras preferably have a baseline of 6.35 cm (eg, distance between cameras or axial distance, distance between lenses, etc.), but can be more separated or closer together.

The cameras 52A, 52B can be connected to the same vision processing system and memory, but can be connected to different vision processing systems and / or memories. Preferably, the cameras are sampled with the same clock, but the cameras can be connected to different clocks (for example, where the clocks can be synchronized or otherwise related). The cameras are preferably controlled by the same processing system, but can be controlled by different processing systems. The cameras are preferably powered by the same power source (eg, rechargeable batteries, solar panel arrays, etc .; host automatic instrument power, separate power sources, etc.), but can be powered by different power sources or otherwise.

The obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 may further include a transmitter 58 for illuminating a physical area monitored by the cameras 52A, 52B. The obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 can include one transmitter 58 for one or more of the cameras 52A, 52B, multiple transmitters 58 for one or more of the cameras 52A, 52B, and a transmitter. Transmitter 58 or any other suitable configuration of any suitable number of transmitters 58. One or more transmitters 58 are capable of emitting modulated light, structured light (e.g., having a known mode), collimated light, diffused light, or light having any other suitable property. The emitted light can include wavelengths in the visible range, UV range, IR range, or any other suitable range. The transmitter position (eg, relative to a given camera) is preferably known, but can instead be estimated, calculated, or otherwise determined.

In a second variation, the obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 operates as a non-contact active 3D scanner. The non-contact obstacle detection and avoidance system is a time of flight sensor, which includes a camera and a transmitter, wherein the camera records the obstacles in the monitored area (for signals transmitted by the transmitter). ) Reflect, and the distance between the obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 and the obstacle is determined based on the reflected signal. The camera and the transmitter are preferably mounted within a predetermined distance (for example, a few millimeters) from each other, but can be mounted in other ways. The emitted light can be diffuse light, structured light, modulated light, or light with any other suitable parameter. In a second variant, the non-contact obstacle detection and avoidance system is a triangulation system, which also includes a camera and a transmitter. The transmitter is preferably mounted beyond a threshold distance of the camera (e.g. a few millimeters beyond the camera) and oriented at a non-parallel angle with respect to the effective surface of the camera (e.g. mounted to the vertex of the housing), but can be otherwise Was installed. The emitted light can be collimated light, modulated light, or light having any other suitable parameter. However, the obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 can define any other suitable non-contact active system. However, the pair of cameras can form any other suitable optical ranging system.

The memory 54 of the obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 is used to store camera measurement results. The memory can additionally be used to store: settings; maps (eg, calibration maps, pixmaps); camera positions or indexes; transmitter positions or indexes; or a collection of any other suitable information. The obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 can include one or more pieces of memory. The memory is preferably non-volatile (e.g. flash memory, SSD, eMMC, etc.), but may alternatively be volatile (e.g. RAM). In a variant, cameras 52A, 52B are written to the same buffer, where each camera is assigned a different part of the buffer. In a second variant, the cameras 52A, 52B are written to different buffers in the same memory or in different memories. However, the cameras 52A, 52B can write to any other suitable memory. The memory 54 is preferably accessible by the entire processing system (e.g., vision processor, application processor) of the system, but can be accessed by a subset of the processing system (e.g., single vision processor, etc.).

The visual processing system 56 of the obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 is used to determine the distance between the physical point and the system. The visual processing system 56 preferably determines the pixel depth of each pixel from a subset of the pixels, but can additionally or alternatively determine the depth of an object or any other suitable parameter that determines a physical point or set thereof (eg, an object). The vision processing system 56 preferably processes sensor data streams from the cameras 52A, 52B.

The vision processing system 56 may process each sensor data stream at a predetermined frequency (eg, 30 FPS), but is capable of processing the sensor data stream at a variable frequency or at any other suitable frequency. The predetermined frequency can be received from the application processing system 60, obtained from a storage device, automatically determined based on a camera score or classification (e.g., front, side, rear, etc.), determined based on available computing resources (e.g., available cores, remaining battery power, etc.) , Or otherwise determined. In one variation, the vision processing system 56 processes multiple sensor data streams at the same frequency. In a second variant, the vision processing system 56 processes multiple sensor data streams at different frequencies, where the frequency is determined based on a classification assigned to each sensor data stream (and / or source camera), where the classification is based on the source camera relative Assigned to the direction of the travel vector of the host robot.

The application processing system 60 of the obstacle detection and avoidance system 50 is used to determine time division multiplexing parameters for the sensor data stream. The application processing system 60 can additionally or alternatively perform object detection, classification, tracking (e.g. optical flow) or any other suitable processing using sensor data flow. The application processing system 60 can additionally or alternatively generate control instructions based on a sensor data stream (eg, based on a vision processor output). For example, navigation or odometry processes (eg, using SLAM, RRT, etc.) can be performed using sensor data streams, where the system and / or host robot are controlled based on the navigation output.

The application processing system 60 can additionally or alternatively receive control commands and operate the flight system 12 and / or host robot based on the commands. The application processing system 60 can additionally or alternatively receive external sensor information and selectively operate the system and / or host robot based on commands. The application processing system 60 can additionally or alternatively determine kinematics (e.g., position, orientation, velocity, acceleration) of the automated instrument system based on sensor measurements (e.g., using sensor fusion). In one example, the application processing system 60 can use measurements from accelerometers and gyroscopes to determine a system's and / or host robot's travel vector (eg, the direction of travel of the system). The application processing system 60 can optionally automatically generate control instructions based on the kinematic characteristics of the robotic system. For example, the application processing system 60 can determine the position of the system (in physical space) based on the images from the cameras 52A, 52B, where the relative position (from the orientation sensor) and the actual position (determined from the image) and velocity can be fed to Flight control module. In this example, images from a downward-facing camera subset can be used (eg, using optical flow method) to determine system translation, where the system translation can be further fed into a flight control module. In a specific example, the flight control module is able to synthesize these signals to maintain the position of the automated instrument (e.g., hovering a drone).

The application processing system 60 can include one or more application processors. The application processor can be a CPU, GPU, microprocessor, or any other suitable processing system. The application processing system 60 can be implemented as part of, or separate from, the visual processing system 56. The application processing system 60 may be connected to the vision processing system 56 by one or more interface bridges. The interface bridge can be a high-throughput and / or high-bandwidth connection, and can use the MIPI protocol (e.g., 2 input to 1 output camera aggregation bridge-extending the number of cameras that can be connected to the vision processor), LVDS protocol, DisplayPort Protocol, HDMI protocol, or any other suitable protocol. Alternatively or additionally, the interface bridge can be a low-throughput and / or low-bandwidth connection and can use the SPI protocol, UART protocol, I2C protocol, SDIO protocol, or any other suitable protocol.

The system can optionally include an image signal processing unit (ISP) 62 that is used to pre-process the camera signals (eg, images) before passing the camera signals to the vision processing system and / or the application processing system. The image signal processing unit 62 is capable of processing signals from all cameras, signals from a subset of cameras, or signals from any other suitable source. The image signal processing unit 62 can automatically white balance, correct field shading, correct lens distortion (such as fisheye correction), crop, select a subset of pixels, apply Bayer transform, demosaicing, apply noise reduction, sharpen the image, or Other ways to process camera signals. For example, the image signal processing unit 62 can select, from the images of the corresponding stream, pixels associated with the overlapping physical area between the two cameras (such as cropping each image to include only those shared between cameras with a stereo camera pair). Pixels associated with overlapping areas). The image signal processing unit 62 can be a system-on-chip with a multi-core processor architecture, an ASIC, an ARM architecture, a part of a vision processing system, a part of an application processing system, or any other suitable processing system.

The system can optionally include a sensor 64 for sampling a signal indicative of the operation of the system. The sensor output can be used to determine system kinematics, process images (for example for image stabilization), or be used in other ways. The sensors 64 can be peripherals to the vision processing system 56, the application processing system 60, or any other suitable processing system. The sensor 64 is preferably statically mounted to the housing, but can instead be mounted to a host robot or to any other suitable system. The sensors 64 can include: an orientation sensor (such as an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a gyroscope, an accelerometer, an altimeter, a magnetometer), an acoustic sensor (such as a microphone, a transducer), an optical sensor (such as a camera, an ambient light sensor), A touch sensor (such as a force sensor, a capacitive touch sensor, a resistive touch sensor), a position sensor (such as a GPS system, a beacon system, a trilateration system), or any other suitable set of sensors.

The system can optionally include inputs (e.g. keyboard, touch screen, microphone, etc.), outputs (e.g. speakers, light, screen, vibration mechanism, etc.), communication systems (e.g. WiFi module, BLE, cellular module, etc.), power storage devices (e.g. Battery) or any other suitable component.

The system is preferably used with a host robot that is used to pass within the physical space. The host robot can additionally or alternatively receive remote control instructions and operate in accordance with the remote control instructions. The host robot can additionally generate remote content or perform any other suitable function. The host robot can include one or more: a communication module, a motion mechanism, a sensor, a content generation mechanism, a processing system, a reset mechanism, or any other suitable set of components. The host robot can be a drone, a vehicle, a robot, a security camera, or any other suitable remotely controllable system. The motion mechanism 66 can include a transmission system, a rotor, an ejector, a pedal, a rotary connection, or any other suitable motion mechanism. The application processing system is preferably a host robotic instrument processing system, but can instead be connected to or otherwise associated with a host robotic instrument processing system. In a specific example, the host robot includes a flight system (such as a drone) having a WiFi module, a camera, and an application processing system. The system can be mounted to the top of the host robot (e.g., as determined based on gravity vectors during typical operations), the bottom of the host robot, the front of the host robot, centered within the host robot, or otherwise To be mounted to the host robot. The system can be integrally formed with the host robot, removably coupled to the host robot, or otherwise attached to the host robot. One or more systems can be used with one or more host robots.

Hand-held remote control

7-10, an exemplary embodiment of a handheld remote control device 8 is shown. In the illustrated embodiment, the handheld remote control device 8 includes a support structure 72, a quick capture and release coupling mechanism 74, a controller coupling mechanism 76, and a battery 78. As shown in FIG. 8, in the illustrated embodiment, the support structure 72 may include an elongated tube 72A. The battery 78 may be replaceable and placed within one end of the elongated tube 72A.

A controller coupling mechanism 76 couples the flight system controller 14 to the support structure 72. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the flight system controller 14 may be embedded in the support structure 72 or a portion of the flight system controller 14 may be integrally formed with the support structure 72. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the controller coupling mechanism 76 allows the flight system controller 14 to be removably coupled to the support structure 72. For example, the controller coupling mechanism 76 may include a magnet (not shown) and may use magnetic force to hold the flight system controller 14 in place. Alternatively, the controller coupling mechanism 76 may include one or more flexible attachments (not shown) for holding the flight system controller 14 in a desired position by friction. The controller coupling mechanism 76 may alternatively include a clamping mechanism or a plurality of fasteners or screws for releasably coupling the flight system controller 14 to the support structure 72.

As described above, the flight system controller 14 may include a user device (eg, a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.), a networked server system, or any other suitable remote computing system. Generally, the flight system controller 14 may include a touch screen display and a microphone.

The elongated tube 72A may form a handle 72B. The function button 72C may be located inside the handle 72B. As discussed in further detail below, the user can use the function button 72C to control the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism 74 during takeoff and landing operations. Alternatively or in addition, the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism 74 may be controlled by a user by using the flight system controller 14.

In one embodiment, the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism 74 includes a magnetic clutch device 80.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in the first embodiment, the magnetic clutch device 80 includes an electromagnet 82 (a first magnetic member) and a coupler member 84 (a second magnetic member). The electromagnet 82 may be controllably powered by a function button 72C and / or the flight system controller 14. Referring specifically to FIG. 8, the coupler component 84 is fixed to the bottom of the flight system 12. The coupler component 84 may be a permanent magnet or a magnetizable material (such as an electromagnet), or a soft magnetic material (such as pure iron or silicon steel). When a current is applied to the electromagnet 82 and the coupler component 84 is within a sufficient distance from the electromagnet 82, the flight system 12 is magnetically coupled to the handheld remote control device 8. If the flight system 12 is magnetically coupled to the handheld remote control device 8 and the current to the electromagnet 82 is terminated, the flight system 12 is released from the handheld remote control device 8. Therefore, take-off and landing operations can be achieved by manually or automatically controlling the current applied to the electromagnet 82 and the control instructions sent to the flight system 12.

It should be understood that the term "electromagnet" as used in this disclosure refers to any electromagnetic component that can generate a magnetic field by applying electricity and / or change the direction of a magnetic field by changing the direction of a current, including but not limited to an electromagnet.

After takeoff, the flight of the flight system 12 can be controlled by one or a combination of function buttons 72C, a microphone or a handheld remote control 8 or a flight system controller 14 (see above), or a combination thereof Or a camera or on-board photographic device.

As discussed above, the flight system controller 14 is releasably coupled to the support structure 72. Therefore, the flight system controller 14 may be used when detached from the support structure 72. The handheld remote control device 8 may be designed to include one or more quick control buttons (not shown) to perform quick takeoff and landing operations, or other operations or programmable operations.

The battery 78 provides power to the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism 74 and may additionally provide power to the flight system 12 and / or the flight system controller 14 via a charging cable or via a wireless charging module (not shown) and / or for the flight system 12 And / or the battery of the flight system controller 14.

Referring to Figures 9 to 12, a second embodiment of the quick capture and release coupling mechanism 74 is shown. In the second embodiment, the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism 74 uses a permanent magnet or a magnetizable material 86. The magnetic force between the permanent magnet 86 and the coupler member 84 is controlled by controlling the distance between the permanent magnet 86 and the coupler member 84.

Referring specifically to FIG. 10, the permanent magnet 86 is fixed to the movable tray 88. The movable tray 88 is slidably coupled to one or more guide rails 90. The quick capture and release coupling mechanism 74 further includes a bracket 92 and a motor 98, and the bracket 92 forms a housing 92A of the quick capture and release coupling mechanism 74. The motor 98 is mounted on a base 92B of the bracket 92. The motor 98 is capable of driving the screw 94 to rotate. The screw 94 is screwed through a threaded hole 96 in the tray. The motor 98 may be any type of suitable motor, including but not limited to a gear motor or a servo motor. The motor 98 and one or more guide rails 90 are fixed to the base 92. The screw 94 can be controllably rotated by the motor 98 to drive the permanent magnet 86 to move linearly up and down, thereby changing the distance between the permanent magnet 86 and the coupler part 84 fixed to the flying device 12. The fast capture and release coupling mechanism 74 may utilize other suitable mechanisms to change the distance between the permanent magnet 86 and the coupler component 84, including but not limited to a crank and a connecting rod.

9 and 10 show that the permanent magnet or magnetizable material 86 of the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism 74 is in an elevated position where the distance between the permanent magnet or magnetizable material 86 and the coupler member 84 is minimized, Thus, the maximum magnetic attraction force is generated, so that the permanent magnet or the magnetizable material 86 and the coupler member 84 can be effectively magnetically attracted.

Figures 11 and 12 show that the rapid capture and release coupling mechanism 74 uses a permanent magnet or magnetizable material 86 in a lowered position where the distance between the permanent magnet or magnetizable material 86 and the coupler component 84 is maximized, thereby The magnetic force is weakened, so that the permanent magnet or the magnetizable material 86 and the coupler part 84 cannot be effectively magnetically attracted, thereby releasing the coupler part 84 (that is, the flight system 12 is released).

FIG. 13 is another schematic diagram of the handheld remote control device of FIG. 1 together with an exemplary flight system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is an exploded state diagram of FIG. 13. The third embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 provides a more compact and portable structure.

Specifically, the flight system 12, the flight system controller 14, and the support structure 72 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 may have the structures and functions described above in the overview of the system 10 and the flight system 12 and the description of the handheld remote control device . Specifically, the flight system 12 includes four rotors and an optical system 26, the flight system controller 14 and the support structure 72 are integrally formed, and the flight system 12 can be embedded in a recess 721 at the front end of the support structure 72, so that the flight system 12 is roughly accommodated The recess 721 does not protrude beyond the outline of the support structure 72 to achieve a more compact and portable structure. The flight system controller 14 includes a display 141, a function knob 142, and a button 143. The display 141 may be used as a touch screen, which may be used to display the video captured by the optical system 26 in real time, display flight trajectories, preview photos, or video streams, and the user may also input various control instructions through the display 141, such as selecting a flight trajectory. The function knob 142 and the button 143 may be used to manually adjust the flight status (eg, altitude, orientation, etc.) of the flight system 12.

In the third embodiment shown in Figs. 13 and 14, similar to the first and second embodiments described above, the quick capture and release coupling mechanism 74 uses an electromagnet 82 or uses a permanent magnet or a magnetizable material (in the figure An electromagnet 82 is shown in FIG. 14 as an example) in order to magnetically couple a coupler component (not shown) of the flight system 12 so as to fix the flight system 12.

In addition to fixing the flight system 12 by magnetic attraction, in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, a buckle 722 is provided for a tab (not shown) corresponding to the flight system 12. ) To more securely fix the flight system 12 to the support structure 72. In this way, after the flying system 12 is initially positioned and fixed to the support structure 72 by magnetic attraction between the electromagnet 82 and the coupler part 84 of the flying system 12, the flying system 12 can be further fixed by the buckle 722 (for example, the user presses The flight system 12 snaps the tab of the flight system 12 into the buckle 722). Thereby, a smaller electromagnet 82 can be provided. In addition, after the tab of the flight system 12 is snapped into the buckle 722, the electromagnet 82 can no longer be powered, thereby saving power.

It should be understood that, in the third embodiment, whether a tab of the flight system 12 is caught in the buckle 722 may be detected by setting a sensor or the like, and when it is detected that the tab of the flight system 12 is caught in the card After the buckle 722 is clicked (that is, the buckle 722 is in the locked state of the lock tab), the power of the electromagnet 82 is automatically turned off. As a result, the advantage of further saving power can be achieved.

It should also be understood that similar to the magnetic attraction and release by turning on and off the power of the electromagnet 82, the buckle 722 can also be controlled by setting an appropriate motor to release the tongue of the flight system 12. This makes it possible to simplify the operation of releasing the flight system 12. For example, it is possible to simultaneously release the power of the electromagnet 82 and control the latch 722 to release the tab of the flight system 12 by pressing a release button (for example, the button 143), thereby achieving one-click release of the flight system 12. As a possible implementation manner, the locking direction of the tab of the flight system 12 into the buckle 722 is the same as the direction of the magnetic attraction between the electromagnet 82 and the coupler component 84 to simplify the flight system 12. Adsorption and release operations.

Although the electromagnet 82 and the buckle 722 are shown as separate components in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, it should be understood that the electromagnet 82 and the buckle 722 can also be provided as an integrated component. At least a part is provided as an electromagnet.

In addition, in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the support structure 72 may be provided with one or more cameras (not shown), so that the support structure 72 itself can also be used to take photos or videos, for example The photos or videos are taken in synchronization with the optical system 26 of the flight system 12, and the photos or videos taken by the camera of the support structure 72 and the photos or videos taken by the optical system 26 of the flight system 12 may be simultaneously displayed on the display 141. It should be understood that the camera of the support structure 72 may be fixedly disposed, may also be capable of being translated and / or rotatable, and may be provided with an actuating device (such as a motor) for driving the camera of the supporting structure 72 to translate and / or rotate. ). Such actuation devices are well known in the art and will therefore not be described in detail here.

FIG. 15 is another schematic diagram of the handheld remote control device of FIG. 1 together with an exemplary flight system according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is an exploded state diagram of FIG. 15. 17 and 18 are schematic diagrams of a power module of the flight system removed from FIG. 15. The structure of the fourth embodiment is similar to that of the third embodiment, except that the flight system 12 of the fourth embodiment includes a flight system main body 121 and a detachable power module 122.

Specifically, the flight system 12, the flight system controller 14, and the support structure 72 shown in FIGS. 15 to 18 have the structures and functions described above in the overview of the system 10 and the flight system 12 and the description of the handheld remote control device. The detachable power module 122 of the flight system 12 includes two rotors and a motor for driving the rotors, and is detachably mountable to the flight system main body 121. Therefore, when no flight is required, the power module 122 can be removed from the flight system main body 121 and placed separately to reduce the space occupied by the flight system and improve portability. It should be understood that the components of the flight system 12 described above, such as sensors, optical systems, power sources, etc., may be provided in the flight system main body 121, and the power module 122 may also be provided with the flight system described above, such as sensors, etc. component.

The flight system controller 14 and the support structure 72 are integrally formed, and the flight system main body 121 of the flight system 12 can be embedded in a recess 721 at the front end of the support structure 72, so that the flight system main body 121 of the flight system 12 is roughly accommodated in the recess 721 It does not protrude beyond the outline of the support structure 72 to achieve a more compact and portable structure. The flight system controller 14 includes a plurality of control buttons.

In the fourth embodiment, similarly to the first, second, and third embodiments described above, the quick capture and release coupling mechanism 74 uses an electromagnet 82 or a permanent magnet or a magnetizable material 86 (shown in FIG. 16). An electromagnet 82 is shown as an example) so as to fix the flight system 12 by a coupler component (not shown) on the flight system main body 121 of the magnetic attraction flight system 12.

It should be understood that, in the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 to 18, the support structure 72 itself may be provided with one or more cameras 722 (only one is shown in FIG. 17), so that the support structure 72 also It can be used for taking photos or videos, for example, taking photos or videos in synchronization with the optical system 26 of the flight system 12.

In the case where the flight system 12 is provided with a large rotor, the structure of the fourth embodiment is very advantageous. The reason is that the flight system's power module 122 including the rotor can be removed from the flight system main body 121 and placed separately, and the flight system main body 121 and the support structure 72 are formed into a compact whole, so the flight system 12 and the support structure are significantly improved. 72 overall portability. In addition, since the power module 122 can be easily snapped onto the flight system main body 121 and can be easily removed from the flight system main body 121 (this type of snap structure is well known in the art, so it will not be described in detail), so Can significantly reduce take-off preparation time and storage time.

It should be understood that, when the fast capture and release coupling mechanism 74 uses the electromagnet 82, by controlling the current of the electromagnet 82, in addition to having the magnetic attraction coupler component 84 (that is, the first working state) and the release coupler component 84 ( That is, the second working state) In addition to these two working states, the magnetic direction of the electromagnet 82 can be made the same as that of the coupler member 84 by controlling the direction of the current passing through the electromagnet 82. A repulsive force (ie, a third operating state) is generated between the components 84 (ie, between the support structure 72 and the flight system 12), thereby facilitating the take-off of the aircraft 12.

Although omitted for brevity, preferred embodiments include each combination and permutation of various system components and various method procedures, where the method procedures can be performed in any suitable order, sequentially, or simultaneously.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art from the foregoing detailed description and from the drawings and claims, modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the following claims. And change.

Claims (25)

A handheld remote control device for use with a flight system. The handheld remote control device includes: supporting structure; A rapid capture and release coupling mechanism provided on the support structure and having a first magnetic component; and A controller for controlling the first magnetic component so that the first magnetic component can have at least a first working state and a second working state, and in the first working state, the first magnetic component Generate magnetic attraction with the second magnetic component of the flight system. In the second working state, the first magnetic component does not generate magnetic attraction with the second magnetic component of the flight system. The handheld remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetic component is an electromagnet, and in the first working state, the controller turns on a current through the first magnetic component to make all the The electromagnet and the second magnetic component of the flight system generate magnetic attraction. In the second working state, the controller cuts off the current passing through the first magnetic component, so that the electromagnet is not connected with the The second magnetic component of the flight system generates magnetic attraction. The handheld remote control device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is capable of controlling a direction of a current passing through the first magnetic member so that the first magnetic member has a different state from the first working state and the second A third working state of the working state. In the third working state, the magnetism of the first magnetic member is the same as that of the second magnetic member, so that the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member Mutual exclusion. The handheld remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetic component is a permanent magnet, and the handheld remote control device further comprises a first magnetic component driving mechanism provided on the support structure, the first magnetic component The component driving mechanism can move the first magnetic component between a first position and a second position, and in the first position, the first magnetic component and the second magnetic component can generate a first magnetic attraction force In the second position, a magnetic attraction force cannot be generated between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member or a second magnetic attraction force smaller than the first magnetic attraction force is generated. The handheld remote control device according to claim 4, wherein the first magnetic component driving mechanism includes a motor, a guide rail, a movable tray connected to the guide rail, and a screw connected to the motor, the first magnetic component Fixed to the movable tray, the screw is screwed through a threaded hole of the movable tray, and the motor can drive the screw to rotate, so that the movable tray can be moved up and down along the guide rail, so that The first magnetic component moves between the first position and the second position. The handheld remote control device of claim 1, wherein the support structure includes an elongated tube containing a battery. The handheld remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the handheld remote control device includes a display screen provided on the support structure and connected to the controller, and the display screen is capable of receiving and displaying information from the flight system. Or an image signal of the handheld remote control device. The handheld remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the handheld remote control device includes one or more cameras. The handheld remote control device according to claim 8, wherein the handheld remote control device includes a camera driving mechanism for driving the camera to translate and / or rotate. The handheld remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the handheld remote control device comprises one or more microphones and / or one or more speakers. The handheld remote control device of claim 1, wherein the support structure includes a recess for receiving at least a portion of a flight system. The handheld remote control device according to claim 11, wherein the recess of the support structure is capable of accommodating the flight system so that the outline of the flight system is enclosed within the recess. The handheld remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the support structure includes a buckle, and a correspondingly disposed tab on the flight system can be releasably snapped into the buckle. The hand-held remote control device according to claim 13, wherein a direction in which a tab on the flight system snaps into the buckle and a distance between the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member The magnetic attraction direction is the same. The handheld remote control device according to claim 13, wherein the support structure further comprises a snap drive mechanism capable of driving the snap to release the tab of the flight system. The handheld remote control device according to claim 15, wherein the snap drive mechanism is controlled by the controller, and the controller is configured to be able to control the snap drive mechanism and the first magnetic member such that The operation of the snap release of the tab of the flight system is substantially synchronized with the operation of the first magnetic component entering the second working state. The handheld remote control device according to claim 16, wherein the support structure is provided with a sensor capable of detecting whether the buckle is in a locked state of a locking tab, and the controller is configured to detect that the buckle is in In the locked state, the first magnetic component is controlled to enter the second working state. The handheld remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the support structure is provided with a flight system controller coupling mechanism for mounting the flight system controller on the support structure. The handheld remote control device according to claim 18, wherein the handheld remote control device is capable of charging a flight system controller connected to the flight system controller coupling mechanism by a wired method or a wireless method, and / or the connection The flight system controller coupled to the flight system controller coupling mechanism can charge the handheld remote control device through a wired or wireless manner. The handheld remote control device according to claim 1, wherein the handheld remote control device is capable of charging a flight system by a wired method or wirelessly, and / or the flight system is capable of charging the handheld remote control by a wired method or wirelessly. Device is charging. A flight system kit includes: The handheld remote control device according to any one of claims 1 to 20; and A flight system comprising a second magnetic component capable of generating magnetic attraction with a first magnetic component of the handheld remote control device. The flight system kit according to claim 21, wherein the handheld remote control device is a handheld remote control device according to any one of claims 13 to 17, and the flight system further comprises a Tab. The flight system kit according to claim 21, wherein the second magnetic component is a permanent magnet or an electromagnet. The flight system kit according to claim 21, wherein the flight system includes a flight system main body and a power module detachably connected to the flight system main body, and the flight system main body is provided with the second magnetic component And it can be magnetically attracted to the handheld remote control device. The power module includes at least one rotor and a motor driving the rotor. The flight system kit according to claim 21, wherein the handheld remote control device is a handheld remote control device according to claim 11, and the flight system main body can be received in a recess of the support structure.

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