Methods and systems for user interaction and feedback via control of tether

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10364030-B2
Application number	US-201615389304-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2016
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Jul 30, 2019
Grant date	Jul 30, 2019

Abstract

Described herein are methods and systems for motorized control of a tether, such as for purposes of user interaction and feedback. In particular, a UAV's control system may determine one or more operational parameters of a motor for a winch disposed in the UAV, the winch including the tether and a spool. The control system may then detect in the one or more operational parameters, an operational pattern of the motor that is indicative of an intentional user-interaction with the tether. Based on the detected operational pattern of the motor that is indicative of the intentional user-interaction with the tether, the control system may determine a motor response process. Then, the control system may operate the motor in accordance with the determined motor response process.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
determining, by a control system, one or more operational parameters of a motor for a winch disposed in an aerial vehicle, wherein the winch comprises a tether and a spool;
detecting, by the control system, in the one or more operational parameters, an operational pattern of the motor that is indicative of an intentional user-interaction with the tether;
based on the detected operational pattern of the motor that is indicative of the intentional user-interaction with the tether, determining, by the control system, a motor response process; and
operating, by the control system, the motor in accordance with the determined motor response process.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining one or more operational parameters of the motor comprises one or more of the following determinations: (i) determining current characteristics of the motor, (ii) determining speed characteristics of the motor, and (iii) determining rotation characteristics of the motor.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the operational pattern of the motor comprises detecting, in the one or more operational parameters, one or more of the following patterns: (i) a particular relative change of motor current, (ii) a particular rate of change of motor current, (iii) a particular motor current value, (iv) a particular sequence of motor current values, (v) a particular relative change of motor speed, (vi) a particular rate of change of motor speed, (vii) a particular motor speed value, (viii) a particular sequence of motor speed values, (ix) a particular relative change of motor rotation, (x) a particular rate of change of motor rotation, (xi) a particular motor rotation value, (xii) a particular sequence of motor rotation values.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to refer to mapping data that maps each of a plurality of operational patterns of the motor with a respective motor response process, and wherein determining the motor response process based on the detected operational pattern of the motor comprises referring to the mapping data to determine the respective motor response process that is mapped to the detected operational pattern of the motor.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the control system, the intentional user-interaction with the tether that is indicated by the detected operational pattern of the motor,
wherein determining the motor response process based on the detected operational pattern of the motor comprises determining the motor response process based on the determined intentional user-interaction with the tether.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the control system is configured to refer to mapping data that maps each of a plurality of operational patterns of the motor with a respective user-interaction, and wherein determining the intentional user-interaction with the tether that is indicated by the detected operational pattern of the motor comprises referring to the mapping data to determine the respective user-interaction that is mapped to the detected operational pattern of the motor.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the control system is configured to refer to mapping data that maps each of a plurality of user-interactions with a respective motor response process, and wherein determining the motor response process based on the determined intentional user-interaction with the tether comprises referring to the mapping data to determine the respective motor response process that is mapped to the determined intentional user-interaction with the tether.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the motor response process comprising determining one or more of the following responses: (i) a particular countering operation that counters unwinding of the tether due to at least one external force applied to the tether, (ii) a particular assistance operation that assists unwinding of the tether due to the at least one external force, (iii) a particular retracting operation that retracts the tether against the at least one external force, and (iv) a tether movement operation that moves the tether in accordance with a particular tether movement profile after the at least one external force is applied to the tether.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the at least one external force comprises one or more of the following forces: (i) gravity, (ii) an external force based on a payload coupled to the tether, and (iii) an external force based on the intentional user-interaction.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the particular countering operation comprises operating the motor to apply one or more particular counteracting torques each for a respective duration, and wherein the one or more particular counteracting torques each counter unwinding of the tether due to the at least one external force.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the particular assistance operation comprises operating the motor to apply one or more particular assistive torques each for a respective duration, and wherein the one or more particular assistive torques each assist unwinding of the tether due to the at least one external force.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the particular retracting operation comprises operating the motor to apply one or more particular retracting torques each for a respective duration, and wherein the one or more particular retracting torques each retract the tether against the at least one external force.

13. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein determining the motor response process comprises determining a motor response process that corresponds to one or more target tension forces being encountered by the tether, and
wherein operating the motor in accordance with the determined motor response process causes the one or more target tension forces to be encountered by the tether.

14. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein determining the motor response process comprises determining a motor response process that corresponds to one or more target tether movements being encountered by the tether, and
wherein operating the motor in accordance with the determined motor response process causes the one or more target tether movements to be encountered by the tether.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the control system, a payload altitude of a payload coupled to the tether, wherein the payload comprises one or more of (i) a payload coupled to a payload coupling apparatus and (ii) the payload coupling apparatus;
making a determination, by the control system, that the payload altitude is one at which the intentional user-interaction with the tether is expected; and
in response to making the determination, the control system carrying out the method.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
determining, by the control system, an unwound length of the tether; and
determining, by the control system, a flight altitude of the aerial vehicle,
wherein determining the payload altitude is based at least on the unwound length of the tether and the determined flight altitude of the aerial vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein making a determination that the payload altitude is one at which the intentional user-interaction with the tether is expected comprises making a determination that the payload altitude is less than a threshold altitude.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the control system from one or more sensors of the aerial vehicle, sensor data representative of a state of an environment of the aerial vehic

Assignees

• Wing Aviation Llc

Inventors

• Prager Andre
• Shannon Trevor

Classifications

• B64U2201/202

  using tethers for connecting to ground station · CPC title

• B64D1/22 Primary

  Taking-up articles from earth's surface · CPC title

• B64C2201/128

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C2201/148

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C39/024

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title