Aircraft control apparatus, control system and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10717525-B2
Application number	US-201715465457-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2017
Priority date	Jun 25, 2013
Publication date	Jul 21, 2020
Grant date	Jul 21, 2020

Abstract

An aircraft control system and control method are disclosed. The system comprises a remote control apparatus with a first control rod and a flight controller associated with an aircraft. The first control rod is configured to move in a first movement direction to control a motion of the aircraft in a first motion direction when an external force is applied on the first control rod and after a withdrawal of the external force, the first control rod returns to a preset position. The remote control apparatus operates to generate one or more control signals corresponding to the withdrawal of the external force. The flight controller controls the aircraft to maintain a flight state based on said control signals and one or more state signals, which are generated based on a measurement of the flight state by a flight controller associated with the aircraft state measurement sensors carried by the aircraft.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aircraft control system, comprising:
a remote control apparatus with a first control rod, wherein the first control rod is configured to move in a first movement direction to control a motion of an aircraft in a first motion direction when a first external force is applied on the first control rod in the first movement direction, wherein the first control rod returns to a first preset position along the first movement direction after a withdrawal of the first external force, the first preset position being a center position of the first control rod along the first movement direction and the first motion direction being an up and down motion direction of the aircraft,
wherein the remote control apparatus operates to generate one or more control signals corresponding to the withdrawal of the first external force applied to the first control rod in the first movement direction;
a second control rod configured to control at least one of translational flight of the aircraft in one or more movement directions and orientation of the aircraft, wherein the second control rod returns to a second preset position after a second external force on the second control rod is withdrawn, wherein the remote control apparatus operates to generate a start command for the aircraft when the first control rod and the second control rod are respectively positioned at one or more specific positions by external forces simultaneously; and
a flight controller associated with the aircraft, wherein the flight controller controls the aircraft to maintain a flight state based on the one or more control signals, which are received from the remote control apparatus, and one or more state signals, which are generated based on a measurement of the flight state by one or more state measurement sensors carried by the aircraft.

2. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the remote control apparatus further comprises a spring apparatus to drive the first control rod to return to the center position after the first external force is withdrawn.

3. The control system of claim 1 , wherein a movement of the first control rod in a second movement direction controls a translational flight or orientation of the aircraft, and wherein the first control rod also returns to the center position along the second movement direction after an external force applied on the first control rod in the second movement direction is withdrawn.

4. The control system of claim 1 , wherein an extent of a movement of the first control rod in the first movement direction corresponds proportionally to a motion velocity of the aircraft in the first motion direction.

5. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the maintained flight state is based on a user input parameter.

6. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the remote control apparatus uses one or more scales to indicate at least one of an extent of a movement of the first control rod and an extent of a movement of the second control rod.

7. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the maintained flight state is the flight state when the first external force applied to the first control rod in the first movement direction is withdrawn.

8. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the flight controller operates to correct an interference caused by the external forces applied on the aircraft and errors generated during the flight of the aircraft.

Assignees

• Sz Dji Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Tao
• Zhao Tao

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64U2101/30

  for imaging, photography or videography · CPC title

• G05D1/0033

  by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle · CPC title

• B64C13/20

  using radiated signals · CPC title

• A63H30/04 Primary

  using wireless transmission · CPC title