Position-based control of unmanned aerial vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11099581-B2
Application number	US-201815915630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2018
Priority date	Sep 28, 2017
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

The position of a UAV within a three-dimensional space is changed based on a change in position of a controller of the UAV. First and second sensor data are produced using sensors of the controller to maintain stable altitude output for the UAV. The first sensor data indicates a geolocation of the controller, and the second sensor data indicates a barometric pressure of an environment in which the controller is located. The first and second sensor data are post-processed using a complementary filter based on respective altitude measurements of the first and second sensor data to determine an altitude of the controller. A position of the controller is determined within a three-dimensional space based on the altitude. Data indicative of the position of the controller within the three-dimensional space is then transmitted to the UAV to cause a change in a position of the UAV within the three-dimensional space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising:
producing first sensor data and second sensor data, the first sensor data indicating a geolocation of a controller of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the second sensor data indicating a barometric pressure of an environment in which the controller is located;
filtering the first sensor data and the second sensor data based on a first altitude measurement of the first sensor data and a second altitude measurement of the second sensor data to determine an altitude of the controller by:
determining a sensor data value for one or both of the first sensor data or the second sensor data,
determining whether the sensor data value satisfies a first threshold,
determining whether the sensor data value satisfies a second threshold, wherein the sensor data value reflects a value measured using a first sensor that produced the first sensor data, wherein the sensor data value satisfies the first threshold when the value is less than a first threshold value, wherein the sensor data value satisfies the second threshold when the value is greater than the first threshold value and less than a second threshold value,
determining a delta value reflecting a difference between the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement using a smoothing window, and
determining the altitude of the controller based on the delta value;

determining a position of the controller within a three-dimensional space based on the first sensor data, the second sensor data and the altitude; and
transmitting data indicative of the position of the controller within the three-dimensional space to the unmanned aerial vehicle to cause a change in a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle within the three-dimensional space.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the delta value reflecting the difference between the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement comprises:
calculating the delta value by applying a window function using the smoothing window against the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement to determine a moving window average for the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
subsequent to calculating the delta value by applying the smoothing window function against the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement, adjusting the smoothing window.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to determining that the sensor data value does not satisfy the first or second threshold, determining the delta value by calculating the difference between the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
subsequent to determining the delta value by calculating the difference between the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement, smoothing the delta value using a low pass filter.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to determining that the sensor data value does not satisfy the first threshold or the second threshold, discarding one or both of the first sensor data or the second sensor data.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining an altitude measurement difference between the second sensor data and sensor data previously produced using a sensor that produced the second sensor data using a low pass filter with a gain parameter,
wherein the altitude of the controller is determined using the barometric pressure difference.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the gain parameter is dynamically controlled by performing a weighting function based on a difference between the second altitude measurement and an altitude measurement of the sensor data previously produced using the sensor that produced the second sensor data.

9. A controller of an unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:
a first sensor that produces first sensor data based on a geolocation of the controller;
a second sensor that produces second sensor data based on a barometric pressure of an environment in which the controller is located;
a sensor data filter mechanism that filters a first altitude measurement of the first sensor data and a second altitude measurement of the second sensor data to produce filtered sensor data by:
determining a sensor data value for one or both of the first sensor data or the second sensor data,
determining whether the sensor data value satisfies a first threshold,
determining whether the sensor data value satisfies a second threshold, wherein the sensor data value reflects a value measured using a first sensor that produced the first sensor data, wherein the sensor data value satisfies the first threshold when the value is less than a first threshold value, wherein the sensor data value satisfies the second threshold when the value is greater than the first threshold value and less than a second threshold value,
determining a delta value reflecting a difference between the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement using a smoothing window, and
determining the altitude of the controller based on the delta value; and

a position determination mechanism that determines a position of the controller within a three-dimensional space based on the first sensor data, the second sensor data and the filtered sensor data.

10. The controller of claim 9 , wherein the instructions include instructions to: calculate the delta value by applying a window function using the smoothing window against the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement to determine a moving window average for the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement.

11. The controller of claim 9 , further comprising: responsive to a determination that the sensor data value does not satisfy the first threshold or the second threshold, determine the delta value by calculating the difference between the first altitude measurement and an altitude measurement of sensor data previously produced using the second sensor.

12. The controller of claim 9 , further comprising:
a third sensor that produces third sensor data based on movement of a user of the controller, wherein the sensor data filter mechanism filters one or more of the first altitude measurement or the second altitude measurement according to the third sensor data.

13. The controller of claim 9 , further comprising:
a buffer that stores sensor data previously produced using one or both of the first sensor or the second sensor, wherein the sensor data filter mechanism filters the first altitude measurement and the second altitude measurement using the sensor data stored in the buffer.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising processor-executable routines that, when executed by a processor, facilitate a performance of operations for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle, the operations comprising:
filtering first sensor data and second sensor data based on a first altitude measurement of the first sensor data and a second altitude measurement of the second sensor data to determine an altitude of a controller of the unmanned aerial vehicle by:
determining a sensor data value for one or both of the first sensor data or the second sensor data,
determining whether the sensor data value satisfies a first threshold,
determining whether the sensor data value satisfies a second threshold, wherein the sensor data value reflects a value measured using a first sensor that produced the first sensor data, wherei

Assignees

• Gopro Inc

Inventors

• Di Ruihui
• Arya Ashwani
• Ferdowsi Mehran
• Shah Nirmit Kamalbhai

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64U2101/30

  for imaging, photography or videography · CPC title

• G05D1/46

  Control of position or course in three dimensions [3D] · CPC title

• G05D1/689

  Pointing payloads towards fixed or moving targets (positioning towed, pushed or suspended implements G05D1/672) · CPC title

• G05D2109/23

  Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft; Short take-off and landing [STOL, STOVL] aircraft · CPC title