Method of controlling an aircraft, flight control device for an aircraft, and aircraft with such flight control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12487605-B2
Application number	US-202217659694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2022
Priority date	Oct 21, 2019
Publication date	Dec 2, 2025
Grant date	Dec 2, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of controlling an aircraft and a flight control device for an aircraft, an aircraft with such flight control device and a storage medium. The method includes: determining a flight mode adopted by the aircraft in a non-static state; if the flight mode is an absolute hovering mode, determining a target speed of the aircraft according to a current flight speed, a current flight height and a first preset hovering height of the aircraft and a remote control speed set for the aircraft by remote control device; if the flight mode is a relative static hovering mode, determining the target speed of the aircraft according to a relative flight speed, the current flight height, a second preset switching hovering height and the remote control speed; and controlling the aircraft to fly according to the target speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of controlling an aircraft, comprising:
determining a flight mode adopted by the aircraft in a non-static state; in response to the flight mode being an absolute hovering mode, determining a target speed of the aircraft according to a current flight speed, a current flight height and a first preset hovering height of the aircraft and a remote control speed set for the aircraft by a remote control device, wherein absolute hovering mode means that: after taking off in the non-static state, the aircraft gradually and stably hover on a certain fixed position in the air and is no longer in flight; in response to the flight mode being a relative hovering mode, determining the target speed of the aircraft according to a relative flight speed, the current flight height and a second preset hovering height of the aircraft in the non-static state and the remote control speed set for the aircraft by the remote control device, wherein the relative hovering mode means that the aircraft is gradually stabilized on a certain height in the air and synchronously fly with a non-static reference object after taking off in the non-static state; and controlling the aircraft to fly according to the target speed; wherein the relative flight speed of the aircraft in the non-static state comprises a relatively horizontal flight speed and the current vertical flight speed, and wherein determining the relatively horizontal flight speed comprises: acquiring the current horizontal flight speed of the aircraft; determining a first horizontal relative speed of the aircraft according to the current horizontal flight speed and the current speed of the remote control device, wherein the current horizontal flight speed is obtained by fusion performed by a satellite navigation module and an accelerometer; determining a second horizontal relative speed of the aircraft according to a contrast of at least two images acquired by the aircraft in a flight process; and acquiring a joystick operation information; converting the joystick operation information into the remote control speed according to a mapping rule preconfigured; obtaining a target horizontal speed of the aircraft at a next moment by the relatively horizontal flight speed of the aircraft is subtracted by the horizontal remote control speed set for the aircraft by the remote control device; fusing the first horizontal relative speed and the second horizontal relative speed to obtain the relatively horizontal flight speed of the aircraft in the non-static state; controlling the flight mode of the aircraft to be switched into the absolute hovering mode in response to the current flight height of the aircraft being greater than or equal to a preset switching height; calculating a height difference of both the current flight height and the first preset hovering height in the absolute hovering mode; wherein the height difference is required to further ascend to ensure the aircraft reaches the first preset hovering height, wherein the step of controlling the aircraft to fly according to the target speed comprises generating a pulse width modulation signal according to the target speed, wherein before the step of determining the flight mode adopted by the aircraft in the non-static state, the method further comprises: initializing the aircraft according to state parameters of the aircraft under a preset takeoff standard, wherein the step of determining the target speed of the aircraft according to the relative flight speed, the current flight height and the second preset hovering height of the aircraft in the non-static state and the remote control speed set for the aircraft by the remote control device comprises: determining a target horizontal speed of the aircraft according to the relatively horizontal flight speed and the horizontal remote control speed set for the aircraft by the remote control device; determining a vertical adjusting speed based on a preset height adjustment rule according to the current flight height and the second preset hovering height, wherein the relatively horizontal flight speed is a horizontal component of a velocity vector.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the target speed of the aircraft according to the current flight speed, the current flight height and the first preset hovering height of the aircraft and the remote control speed set for the aircraft by the remote control device comprises:
acquiring a current horizontal flight speed and a current vertical flight speed of the aircraft; determining a target horizontal speed of the aircraft according to the current horizontal flight speed and the horizontal remote control speed set for the aircraft by the remote control device; determining a vertical adjusting speed based on a preset height adjustment rule according to the current flight height and the first preset hovering height; and determining a target vertical speed of the aircraft according to the current vertical flight speed, the vertical adjusting speed and a vertical remote control speed set for the aircraft by the remote control device.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of controlling the aircraft to fly according to the target speed comprises:
controlling the aircraft to fly according to the pulse width modulation signal.

4 . An aircraft, comprising:
one or more processors; and a storage device for storing one or more programs; the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, causing the one or more processors to: determine a flight mode adopted by the aircraft in a non-static state; in response to the flight mode being-an absolute hovering mode, determine a target speed of the aircraft according to a current flight speed, a current flight height and a first preset hovering height of the aircraft and a remote control speed set for the aircraft by a remote control device, wherein absolute hovering mode means that: after taking off in the non-static state, the aircraft gradually and stably hover on a certain fixed position in the air and is no longer in flight; in response to the flight mode being a relative hovering mode, determine the target speed of the aircraft according to a relative flight speed, the current flight height and a second preset hovering height of the aircraft in the non-static state and the remote control speed set for the aircraft by the remote control device, wherein the relative hovering mode means that the aircraft is gradually stabilized on a certain height in the air and synchronously fly with a non-static reference object after taking off in the non-static state; and control the aircraft to fly according to the target speed; wherein the relative flight speed of the aircraft in the non-static state comprises a relatively horizontal flight speed and the current vertical flight speed, and the one or more processors is further configured to: acquire the current horizontal flight speed of the aircraft; determine a first horizontal relative speed of the aircraft according to the current horizontal flight speed and the current speed of the remote control device, wherein the current horizontal flight speed is obtained by fusion performed by a satellite navigation module and an accelerometer; determine a second horizontal relative speed of the aircraft according to a contrast of at least two images acquired by the aircraft in a flight process; and acquire a joystick operation information; convert the joystick operation information into the remote control speed according to a mapping rule preconfigured; obtain a target horizontal speed of the aircraft at the next moment by the relatively horizontal flight speed of the aircraft is subtracted by the horizontal remote control speed set for the aircraft by th

Assignees

• Autel Robotics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Tianbao

Classifications

• G05D1/652

  Take-off (delivering or retrieving payloads G05D1/667) · CPC title

• G05D1/439

  on the runway during take-off or landing · CPC title

• G05D1/46

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

• G05D1/221

  Remote-control arrangements · CPC title

• G05D1/65

  Following a desired speed profile · CPC title