Remote control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10303164-B2
Application number	US-201515504491-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2015
Priority date	Aug 18, 2014
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

A remote control device for an unmanned helicopter includes an orientation sensor that detects a flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter, a GPS antenna and a GPS receiver that detect speed information of the unmanned helicopter, and a CPU that detects a flight distance of the unmanned helicopter by integrating the speed information. A memory stores information concerning a base point of the unmanned helicopter. Based on a flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter and a flight distance of the unmanned helicopter, which is obtained by integration of the speed information, the CPU determines a relative position, which indicates a position of the unmanned helicopter with respect to the base point, and controls the flight of unmanned helicopter based on the relative position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device for an unmanned helicopter, the control device comprising:
an orientation detector that detects a flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter;
a speed information detector that detects speed information of the unmanned helicopter;
a distance detector that detects a flight distance of the unmanned helicopter by integrating the speed information;
a storage that stores information about the unmanned helicopter concerning a base point;
a position detector that detects a relative position that indicates a position of the unmanned helicopter with respect to a base point based on the flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter and the flight distance of the unmanned helicopter;
a controller configured or programmed to control a flight of the unmanned helicopter based on the relative position; and
a transmitter that transmits a signal to the controller to cause the storage to store the information concerning the base point in the storage; wherein
the base point is a position of the unmanned helicopter at a time point during the flight of the unmanned helicopter; and
the controller is configured or programmed to cause the storage to store the flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter at the time point during the flight of the unmanned helicopter as the information concerning the base point, to set a flight path for the unmanned helicopter to fly based on the flight orientation at the base point, and to control the flight of the unmanned helicopter so that the relative position is along the flight path.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising an instruction processor that provides an instruction to start Turn Assist of the unmanned helicopter as a flight mode in which a traveling direction is automatically changed; wherein
in order to fly the unmanned helicopter along the flight path including a first outgoing path, a return path, and a first U-turn path which connects an end point of the first outgoing path and a start point of the return path with each other, the controller is configured or programmed to:
cause the storage to store a position and a flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter when the instruction processor provides the instruction to start Turn Assist, as the information concerning the base point;
cause the unmanned helicopter to fly along the flight orientation at the base point in the first outgoing path;
cause the unmanned helicopter to move from the end point of the first outgoing path to the start point of the return path by determining the start point of the return path based on the flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter at the base point or in the first outgoing path and first space information which indicates a space between the first outgoing path and the return path in the first U-turn path; and
cause the unmanned helicopter to fly in a reverse direction from the flight orientation at the base point or in the first outgoing path in the return path.

3. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the controller is further configured or programmed to:
cause the unmanned helicopter to move from the end point of the first outgoing path to the start point of the return path by determining the start point of the return path based on the flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter at the end point of the first outgoing path and the first space information, in the first U-turn path; and
cause the unmanned helicopter to fly in a reverse direction from the flight orientation at the end point of the first outgoing path in the return path.

4. The control device according to claim 2 , further comprising a steering device which steers the unmanned helicopter; wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to adjust a flight state of the unmanned helicopter if an amount of operation of the steering device is within a threshold value, or terminate Turn Assist if the amount of operation of the steering device exceeds the threshold value, after the instruction is given to start Turn Assist.

5. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the flight path further includes a second outgoing path and a second U-turn path which connects an end point of the return path and a start point of the second outgoing path with each other, and the controller is further configured or programmed to:
cause the unmanned helicopter to move from the end point of the return path to the start point of the second outgoing path by determining the start point of the second outgoing path based on the flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter at the base point, in the first outgoing path, or in the return path and second space information which indicates a space between the return path and the second outgoing path in the second U-turn path; and
cause the unmanned helicopter to fly along the flight orientation at the base point or in the first outgoing path, or cause the unmanned helicopter to fly in a reverse direction from the flight orientation in the return path in the second outgoing path.

6. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured or programmed to:
cause the unmanned helicopter to move from the end point of the return path to the start point of the second outgoing path by determining the start point of the second outgoing path based on the flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter at the end point of the return path and the second space information in the second U-turn path; and
cause the unmanned helicopter to fly in a reverse direction from the flight orientation at the end point of the return path in the second outgoing path.

7. The control device according to claim 5 , further comprising an end point instruction processor which provides instructions of the end point of the first outgoing path and of the end point of the return path; wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to determine the start point of the return path based on the flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter at the end point of the first outgoing path indicated in the instruction by the end point instruction processor and the first space information, and determine the start point of the second outgoing path based on the flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter at the end point of the return path indicated in the instruction by the end point instruction processor and the second space information.

8. The control device according to claim 7 , further comprising a spray instruction processor that provides instructions to start and terminate spraying of a spray material;
the spray instruction processor corresponds to the end point instruction processor;
the controller is configured or programmed to start the spraying of the spray material in response to the instruction to start the spraying from the spray instruction processor, and terminate the spraying of the spray material and determine the start point of the return path and the start point of the second outgoing path in response to the instruction to terminate the spraying from the spray instruction processor.

9. The control device according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured or programmed to determine the start point of the first outgoing path, triggered by the instruction to start Turn Assist from the instruction processor, determine the end point of the first outgoing path based on the start point of the first outgoing path and distance information which is set in advance; and determine the start point of the return path based on the flight orientation of the unmanned helicopter at the end point of the first outgoing path and the first space information; and
the controller is further configured or programmed to determi

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• HARUTA Yugo
• Yoshiyama Hiroaki
• Adachi Hajime

Classifications

• B64C27/04

  Helicopters · CPC title

• B64C13/20 Primary

  using radiated signals · CPC title

• B64D1/18

  by spraying, e.g. insecticides · CPC title

• G01S19/52

  Determining velocity · CPC title

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title