Aerial vehicle powering off method and device, and aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11001387-B2
Application number	US-201916537281-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2019
Priority date	Jul 31, 2014
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

A method for automatically powering off an aerial vehicle includes detecting an operating state of the aerial vehicle based on altitude information of the aerial vehicle. The attitude information includes at least one of absolute altitude information or relative altitude information. The relative altitude information includes a landing distance to a landing plane. The method further includes determining whether the operating state of the aerial vehicle indicates that the aerial vehicle has landed and, in response to a determination result that the aerial vehicle has landed, shutting down a propulsion output of the aerial vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for automatically powering off an aerial vehicle, comprising:
detecting an operating state of the aerial vehicle based on altitude information of the aerial vehicle, the attitude information including at least one of absolute altitude information or relative altitude information, and the relative altitude information including a landing distance to a landing plane;
determining whether the operating state of the aerial vehicle indicates that the aerial vehicle has landed; and
in response to a determination result that the aerial vehicle has landed, shutting down a propulsion output of the aerial vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the operating state of the aerial vehicle indicates that the aerial vehicle has landed comprises:
determining whether the altitude information satisfies a preset landed criterion; and
determining the aerial vehicle has landed in response to the altitude information satisfying the preset landed criterion.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
the altitude information comprises the relative altitude information comprising a number of times the landing distance is measured within a preset time period to be smaller than a distance threshold;
determining whether the altitude information satisfies the preset landed criterion comprises determining whether the number of times reaches a threshold number; and
the aerial vehicle is determined as having landed in response to determining that the number of times has reached the threshold number.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the altitude information comprises the absolute altitude information comprising a plurality of absolute altitude values;
determining whether the altitude information satisfies the preset landed criterion comprises determining whether the aerial vehicle is descending and a variance of the plurality of absolute altitude values is smaller than a threshold variance; and
the aerial vehicle is determined as having landed in response to determining that the aerial vehicle is descending and the variance is smaller than the threshold variance.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein::
the altitude information comprises:
the relative altitude information comprising a number of times the landing distance is measured within a preset time period to be smaller than a distance threshold; and
the absolute altitude information comprising a plurality of absolute altitude values;

determining whether the altitude information satisfies the preset landed criterion comprises determining whether:
a distance measuring sensor that is provided at the aerial vehicle and configured to measure the landing distance is operating in a normal state and the number of times reaches a threshold number; and
the aerial vehicle is descending and a variance of the plurality of absolute altitude values is smaller than a threshold variance; and

the aerial vehicle is determined as having landed in response to determining that:
the distance measuring sensor is operating in the normal state and the number of times reaches the threshold number; and
the aerial vehicle is descending and the variance is smaller than the threshold variance.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aerial vehicle is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein shutting down the propulsion output of the aerial vehicle comprises:
determining, in response to the aerial vehicle having landed, whether the propulsion output of the aerial vehicle is enabled and whether an automatic take-off operation indicated by an automatic take-off instruction is performed; and
shutting down the propulsion output of the aerial vehicle in response to the propulsion output being enabled and the automatic take-off operation not being performed.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operating state of the aerial vehicle is detected at least twice, and shutting down the propulsion output of the aerial vehicle comprises:
detecting a position of a throttle joystick of a remote controller of the aerial vehicle in response to a number of times that the aerial vehicle is detected as having landed is greater than a preset threshold; and
shutting down the propulsion output of the aerial vehicle in response to the throttle joystick of the remote controller being at a lowest position where the aerial vehicle is requested to land.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein shutting down the propulsion output of the aerial vehicle comprises:
sending a power off instruction to a propulsion component of the aerial vehicle, such that the propulsion component shuts down the propulsion output in response to the power off instruction.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein shutting down the propulsion output of the aerial vehicle comprises:
sending a turning off instruction to a power supply of the aerial vehicle, such that the power supply shut down powering to a propulsion component of the aerial vehicle to effect a power off operation of the propulsion output in response to the turning off instruction.

11. An aerial vehicle, comprising:
a propulsion component; and
a flight controller configured to:
detect an operating state of the aerial vehicle based on altitude information of the aerial vehicle, the attitude information including at least one of absolute altitude information or relative altitude information, and the relative altitude information including a landing distance to a landing plane,
determining whether the operating state of the aerial vehicle indicates that the aerial vehicle has landed, and
in response to a determination result that the aerial vehicle has landed, shut down a propulsion output of the aerial vehicle.

12. The aerial vehicle of claim 11 , further comprising:
a flight sensor configured to obtain the at least one of the absolute altitude information or the relative altitude information;
wherein the flight controller is further configured to determine whether the altitude information satisfies a preset landed criterion, and determine that the aerial vehicle has landed in response to the flight information satisfying the preset landed criterion.

13. The aerial vehicle of claim 12 , wherein:
the flight sensor comprises a distance measuring sensor configured to obtain the relative altitude information of the aerial vehicle, the relative altitude information comprising a number of times the landing distance is measured within a preset time period to be smaller than a distance threshold; and
the flight controller is further configured to:
determine whether the number of times reaches a threshold number; and
determine that the aerial vehicle has landed in response to determining that the number of times has reached the threshold number.

14. The aerial vehicle of claim 12 , wherein:
the flight sensor comprises an altitude sensor configured to obtain the absolute altitude information of the aerial vehicle, the absolute altitude information comprising a plurality of absolute altitude values; and
the flight controller is further configured to:
calculate a variance of the plurality of absolute altitudes;
determine that the aerial vehicle has landed in response to determining that the aerial vehicle is descending and the variance is smaller than a threshold variance.

15. The aerial vehicle of claim 12 , wherein:
the flight sensor comprises:
a distance measuring sensor configured to obtain the relative altitude information of the aerial vehicle, the relative altitude information comprising a number of times the landing distance is measured within a preset time period to be smaller than a

Assignees

• Sz Dji Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shi Renli
• Pan Xuyang
• Song Jianyu
• Lin Canlong

Classifications

• B64D31/00 Primary

  Power plant control systems; Arrangement of power plant control systems in aircraft · CPC title

• B64U50/19 Primary

  using electrically powered motors · CPC title

• G05D1/654

  Landing (docking at a base station G05D1/661) · CPC title

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64C2201/042

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic