Control method, gimbal, flyer, gimbal flyer, and program

Abstract

A control method according to the present technology controls the pitch angle of a gimbal, which is provided to a flying body and is capable of rotating a camera in a pitch direction and a roll direction, in a manner independent of the pitch angle of the flying body itself; and controlling the roll angle of the gimbal in relation to the roll angle of the flying body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates to a technology for controlling the orientation of a camera in a gimbal that is mounted on a flying object such as a drone and holds the camera. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, aerial photography, in which a camera is attached to a drone to capture images with the camera, has become widely known. Typically, such a camera is held by a gimbal and its orientation is controlled.

[0003] As gimbal control modes, there are known lock mode, follow mode, and first-person view (FPV) mode. In lock mode, the camera maintains a specified angle (azimuth) in the roll direction, pitch direction, and yaw direction. In follow mode, the camera follows the posture of the fuselage only in the yaw direction among the roll direction, pitch direction, and yaw direction. In FPV mode, the camera follows the posture of the fuselage in the roll direction, pitch direction, and yaw direction.

[0004] Note that Patent Document 1 below relates to the present technology.

[0005] Reference List

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2007 / 097431 Summary of the invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] New, unconventional gimbal control modes are required.

[0010] In view of the above-mentioned situation, an object of the present technology is to provide a new and unconventional gimbal control mode and the like.

[0011] Solution to the problem

[0012] The control method according to the present technology includes: controlling the pitch angle of the gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating the camera in the pitch direction and the roll direction; and controlling the roll angle of the gimbal in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

[0013] This allows new, unconventional gimbal control modes to be provided.

[0014] A control method according to another aspect of the present technology includes changing a pitch angle of a gimbal according to a direction of a velocity vector in movement of a flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating a camera in a pitch direction.

[0015] The gimbal according to the present technology includes a control unit. The control unit controls the pitch angle of the gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal is mounted on the flying object and can rotate the camera in the pitch direction and the roll direction; and controls the roll angle of the gimbal in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

[0016] The flying object according to the present technology includes a control unit. The control unit controls the pitch angle of a gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating a camera in pitch and roll directions, and controls the roll angle of the gimbal in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

[0017] A gimbaled flying object according to the present technology includes a control unit. The control unit controls the pitch angle of a gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating a camera in pitch and roll directions, and controls the roll angle of the gimbal in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

[0018] The program according to the present technology causes a computer to perform the following processing: controlling the pitch angle of a gimbal independently of the pitch angle of an object, the gimbal being mounted on the object and capable of rotating the camera in pitch and roll directions; and controlling the roll angle of the gimbal in relation to the roll angle of the object. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a control system according to a first embodiment of the present technology.

[0020] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of a gimbaled drone.

[0021] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the controller.

[0022] Figure 4 : is a diagram showing a comparison between a comparative example and a gimbal control mode in the present technology.

[0023] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing the processing of the control unit in the gimbaled drone.

[0024] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the roll angle of the fuselage of the drone.

[0025] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing the angle difference between the yaw angle of the body and the yaw angle of the gimbal (camera).

[0026] Figure 8 : is a diagram showing the relationship between the angle difference in the yaw direction and the roll angle of the gimbal (camera).

[0027] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A partial enlarged view showing the relationship between equations (1) to (3).

[0028] Fig.10 It is shown from Figure 8 A diagram of a drone and camera viewing from directions A, B, C, D, E, and F is shown.

[0029] Fig.11 1 is a diagram showing the processing of the control unit in the gimbaled drone in the second embodiment.

[0030] Fig.12 is a diagram showing the processing of the control unit in the third embodiment.

[0031] Fig.13 This is a diagram showing the relationship between the velocity vector of the drone body during movement and the pitch angle of the gimbal (camera).

[0032] Fig.14 This is a diagram showing the relationship between the velocity vector of the drone body during movement and the pitch angle of the gimbal (camera). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present technology will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0034] <<First Embodiment>>

[0035] <Overall configuration and configuration of each unit>

[0036] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing a control system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present technology. Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the control system 100 includes a universal drone 10 and a controller 40 .

[0037] [UAV 10]

[0038] The gimbaled drone 10 includes a drone 11 (flying object), a camera 31 , and a gimbal 30 (see FIG. 1 ) attached to the drone 11 and holding the camera 31 . Figure 2 ).

[0039] The drone 11 (flying object) includes a body 12 and a plurality of rotor blades 13 provided to the body 12. The drone 11 can perform various movements such as forward / backward and right / left movements, ascending and descending operations, and turning operations by controlling driving of the rotor blades 13.

[0040] Here, the drone 11 is an example of a flying object. The flying object is not limited to the drone 11, but may also be a radio-controlled airplane or helicopter, etc. In general, a flying object may be any device that can fly (and is relatively small).

[0041] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the universal drone 10. Figure 2 As shown in , the gimbaled drone 10 includes a control unit 14, a first inertial measurement unit 15 (IMU), a global positioning system 16 (GPS), a visual sensor 17, a rotor blade drive unit 18, a storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, a gimbal 30, a camera 31 and a second IMU 32.

[0042] The control unit 14 performs various calculations based on various programs stored in the storage unit 19 , and comprehensively controls each unit of the gimbaled drone 10 .

[0043] The control unit 14 is implemented by hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Hardware is configured as part or all of the control unit 14, and examples of the hardware include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a visual processing unit (VPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a combination of two or more of these. Note that this is also true for the control unit 45 of the controller 40.

[0044] The first IMU 15 is disposed in the fuselage 12 of the drone 11. The first IMU 15 includes an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in three axis directions in the drone 11, an angular velocity sensor for detecting angular velocity around three axes in the drone 11, etc. The first IMU 15 sends the detected acceleration information and angular velocity information to the control unit 14.

[0045] The GPS 16 generates GPS position information based on signals from a plurality of GPS satellites, and outputs the GPS position information to the control unit 14 .

[0046] The visual sensor 17 is, for example, a stereo camera 31 , and outputs acquired image information to the control unit 14 .

[0047] The control unit 14 integrates the acceleration information and angular velocity information from the first IMU 15 , the GPS information from the GPS 16 , and the image information from the visual sensor 17 , and estimates the own position and posture of the body 12 of the drone 11 based on these information.

[0048] Rotor blade drive unit 18 is, for example, an electric speed controller (ESC), a motor, or the like, and drives rotor blade 13 in response to control of control unit 14 .

[0049] The storage unit 19 includes a nonvolatile memory that stores various programs and various types of data necessary for processing by the control unit 14 , and a volatile memory used as a work area for the control unit 14 .

[0050] Note that the above-mentioned various programs may be read from a portable recording medium such as an optical disk or a semiconductor memory, or may be downloaded from a server device on a network. The same is true for the program of the controller 40.

[0051] The communication unit 20 is configured to be able to communicate with the controller 40 and an external device (eg, a server device on a network).

[0052] The gimbal 30 is attached to, for example, the lower side of the body 12 of the drone 11, and holds the camera 31. The gimbal 30 can rotate the camera 31 in the roll direction, the pitch direction, and the yaw direction.

[0053] Note that in the description herein, the terms of the roll angle, pitch angle, and yaw angle of the body 12 of the drone 11 and the roll angle, pitch angle, and yaw angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) are used, and these terms mean the roll angle, pitch angle, and yaw angle in the global coordinate system.

[0054] The second IMU 32 is provided at a position closest to the front end in the gimbal 30, that is, at a position where the gimbal 30 holds the camera 31 and moves integrally with the camera 31. Note that the second IMU 32 may be provided at the camera 31.

[0055] The second IMU 32 includes an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in the three axis directions of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) and an angular velocity sensor for detecting angular velocity around the three axis directions of the gimbal 30 (camera 31). The second IMU 32 sends the detected acceleration information and angular velocity information to the control unit 14 as posture information of the gimbal 30 (camera 31).

[0056] The camera 31 is a camera 31 for aerial photography, and is held by the gimbal 30 to control its posture (orientation). The camera 31 captures any image according to the control of the control unit 14.

[0057] [Controller 40]

[0058] The controller 40 is a device for a user to control the movement of the drone 11, the movement of the gimbal 30, the image capture timing of the camera 31, etc. Figure 1As shown in FIG. 4 , the controller 40 includes a housing 41 , an antenna 42 , two control levers 43 , and a display unit 44 .

[0059] The antenna 42 is configured to be able to send signals to the gimbaled drone 10 and receive signals from the gimbaled drone 10 .

[0060] The two control sticks 43 are each assigned various operations such as forward / backward and right / left movement, ascending and descending operations, and steering operations of the drone 11 .

[0061] The display unit 44 displays various images on the screen. The screen of the display unit 44 may be provided with a proximity sensor or other sensors that detect the proximity of a user's finger.

[0062] Figure 3 40 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the controller 40. Figure 3 As shown in , the controller 40 includes a control unit 45 , an operation unit 46 , a display unit 44 , a storage unit 47 , and a communication unit 48 .

[0063] The control unit 45 performs various calculations based on various programs stored in the storage unit 47 , and comprehensively controls each unit of the controller 40 .

[0064] The operation unit 46 includes two joysticks 43 , a proximity sensor provided on the screen of the display unit 44 , etc. The operation unit 46 detects an operation by a user, and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation to the control unit 45 .

[0065] The storage unit 47 includes a nonvolatile memory that stores various programs and various types of data required for the processing of the control unit 45 and a volatile memory used as a work area of ​​the control unit 45. The communication unit 48 is configured to be able to communicate with the gimbaled drone 10 and an external device (a server device on a network) via the antenna 42.

[0066] Note that Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG. 4 , the controller 40 is a dedicated controller 40 , but a general-purpose device such as a smartphone or a tablet personal computer (PC) may be used as the controller 40 . Alternatively, for example, a smartphone or the like may be connected to the dedicated controller 40 including the joystick 43 to form an integrated controller 40 .

[0067] <Comparison between gimbal control modes>

[0068] Next, a comparison between the comparative example and the gimbal control mode in the present technology will be described. Figure 4 : is a diagram showing a comparison between a comparative example and a gimbal control mode in the present technology.

[0069] like Figure 4 As shown in , in the lock mode (comparative example), the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is fixed in a specified direction in all of the roll direction, the pitch direction, and the yaw direction (controlled independently of the posture of the body 12 of the drone 11 ).

[0070] Furthermore, in the follow mode (comparative example), the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is fixed in a specified direction in the roll direction and the pitch direction (controlled independently of the posture of the body 12 of the drone 11 ), while the gimbal 30 is related to the posture of the body 12 of the drone 11 in the yaw direction.

[0071] Furthermore, in the FPV mode (comparative example), the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is correlated with the posture of the body 12 of the drone 11 in all of the roll direction, the pitch direction, and the yaw direction.

[0072] Compared with the above, in the first embodiment of the present technology, the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled to be related to the posture of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11 in the roll direction, and is fixed in a specified direction in the pitch direction and the yaw direction (controlled independently of the posture of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11).

[0073] Furthermore, in the second embodiment of the present technology, the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled to be correlated with the posture of the body 12 of the drone 11 in the roll direction and the yaw direction, and is fixed in a specified direction in the pitch direction (controlled independently of the body 12 of the drone 11 ).

[0074] In this way, the present technique provides a new, unconventional mode of gimbal control.

[0075] Note that in the description of the present embodiment, the wording that the posture (pitch and yaw: first embodiment, pitch only: second embodiment) of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled “independently of” the posture (pitch and yaw: first embodiment, pitch only: second embodiment) of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11 means that the posture of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is not in a consistent or correlated relationship with the posture of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11.

[0076] Furthermore, in the description of the present embodiment, the expression that the posture of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) (roll only: first embodiment, roll and yaw: second embodiment) is controlled “in correlation with” the posture of the body 12 of the drone 11 (roll only: first embodiment, roll and yaw: second embodiment) includes both cases where the posture of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is in a relationship of coincidence or correlation with the posture of the body 12 of the drone 11. Note that “correlated” includes a case where they are correlated using a reflection ratio to be described below.

[0077] <Description of the operation>

[0078] Next, the processing of the control unit 14 in the gimbaled drone 10 will be described. Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing the processing of the control unit 14 in the universal drone 10. The description here corresponds to Figure 4 The first embodiment of the invention. Figure 5 As shown in , the control unit 14 simultaneously and in parallel executes a body attitude control process for controlling the attitude of the body 12 of the drone 11 and a gimbal attitude control process for controlling the attitude of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ).

[0079] [Posture control process of the body 12]

[0080] First, the body posture control process will be described. The control unit 14 integrates information from the first IMU 15, the GPS 16, and the visual sensor 17 to estimate the current own position and posture of the body 12, and calculates the current posture angle of the body 12 (step 101).

[0081] Next, the control unit 14 calculates the target attitude angles (roll angle φ1, pitch angle ψ1, yaw angle θ1) of the body 12 based on the input values ​​from the controller 40 (information such as the speed and angle of the drone 11) (step 102). The target roll angle φ1 and yaw angle θ1 of the body 12 obtained at this time are used to calculate the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) in the gimbal attitude control process to be described below.

[0082] Next, the control unit 14 controls the posture of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11 by driving the rotor blades 13 so that the current posture angle coincides with the target posture angle (roll angle φ1, pitch angle ψ1, yaw angle θ1) (step 103). This changes the posture of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11 (step 104), and thereafter the control unit 14 returns to step 101. The processing from step 101 to step 104 is repeated at a predetermined cycle.

[0083] [Posture Control Process of the Gimbal 30]

[0084] Next, the attitude control process of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) will be described. The control unit 14 calculates the current attitude angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) based on the information of the second IMU 32 (step 201 ).

[0085] Next, the control unit 14 calculates the target attitude angle (pitch angle ψ2, yaw angle θ2) of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) based on the input values ​​(angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) and the like) from the controller 40 (step 202).

[0086] Note that the values ​​obtained in step 202 are only the pitch angle ψ2 (fixed in a specified direction) and the yaw angle θ2 (fixed in a specified direction) of the gimbal 30 (camera 31), and the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) will be obtained in step 203 to be described below.

[0087] In step 203, the control unit 14 calculates the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) based on the roll angle φ1 of the body 12, the angle difference Δθ (= θ2 - θ1) between the yaw angle θ1 of the body 12 and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31), and the like, and sets the roll angle φ2 as the target roll angle φ2.

[0088] In step 203, the following equations (1) to (3) are specifically used:

[0089] (1) roll_b = sinφ1

[0090] (2) roll_g = roll_b × cosΔθ

[0091] (3) φ2 = a × atan (roll_g / (1 2 -roll_g 2 ) 1 / 2 )

[0092] Here, in equation (1), roll_b is the roll component of the tilt of the body 12, and φ1 is the roll angle of the body 12. Furthermore, in equation (2), roll_g is the roll component of the tilt of the gimbal 30, and Δθ is the angle difference (Δθ=θ2-θ1) between the yaw angle θ1 (head direction) of the body 12 and the yaw angle θ2 (front direction of the camera 31) of the gimbal 30 (camera 31). Furthermore, in equation (3), φ2 is the roll angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31), and a is a reflection rate indicating the degree to which the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 is reflected in the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30.

[0093] Figure 6 1 is a diagram showing a roll angle φ1 of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11 . Figure 7 1 is a diagram showing an angle difference Δθ between the yaw angle θ1 of the body 12 and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ). Figure 8 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction and the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ). Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A partial enlarged view showing the relationship between equations (1) to (3).

[0094] Reference Fig. 9, the roll component roll_b of the roll of the body 12 is expressed as sinφ1 (Equation (1)) using the roll angle φ1 of the body 12. In addition, the roll component roll_g of the roll of the gimbal 30 is expressed as roll_b×cosΔθ (Equation (2)) using the roll component roll_b of the roll of the body 12 and the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction.

[0095] The diagonal of the right triangle shown in the unit circle is 1, the sine component is roll_g, and the cosine component is (roll_g / (1 2 -roll_g 2 ) 1 / 2 ). Therefore, tanφ2=roll_g / (1 2 -roll_g 2 ) 1 / 2 , and φ2=atan(roll_g / (1 2 -roll_g 2 ) 1 / 2 ). The equation for multiplying the reflection rate a by the right-hand side is the above equation (3).

[0096] In this embodiment, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 is controlled to finally take the value of φ2 represented by equation (3).

[0097] Note that, as expressed in the above equations (1) to (3), in the present embodiment, the roll angle φ1 of the gimbal 30 is related to the roll component roll_b of the inclination of the fuselage 12, the roll angle φ1 of the fuselage 12, the roll component roll_g of the inclination of the gimbal 30, the yaw angle θ1 of the fuselage 12, the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30, the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction, the reflection rate a, and the like, and the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 is controlled based on these values ​​(these values ​​are reflected in the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30).

[0098] Figure 8 The roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 is shown when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°. Note that Figure 8 The example shown in is an example when the roll angle φ1 of the airframe 12 is 30° and the reflection rate a is 1.

[0099] In this case, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 180°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is 30°, 20.7°, 0°, −20.7°, and −30°, respectively.

[0100] Fig.10 Shows from Figure 8The drone 11 and the camera 31 are viewed from directions A, B, C, D, E, and F as shown in FIG. Fig.10 In FIG. 1 , the body 12 is represented by a rectangular parallelepiped, wherein the front of the body 12 is black, the left side of the body 12 is dark gray, the back of the body 12 is light gray, and the bottom of the body 12 is white. Fig.10 , the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is set to 0° (fixed at a specified angle).

[0101] like Fig.10 As shown in the uppermost figure, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled to take the same value as the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 (this value reflects the reflection rate when the reflection rate is set to a value other than 1).

[0102] In addition, if Fig.10 As shown in the lowermost figure, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 180°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled to take the same value as the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 in the opposite direction (this value reflects the reflection rate when the reflection rate is set to a value other than 1).

[0103] In addition, if Fig.10 As shown in the third figure from the top, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 90°, regardless of the roll angle φ1 of the fuselage 12 (regardless of the reflection rate), the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled to 0°.

[0104] In addition, if Fig.10 As shown in the top figure, the second figure from the top, and the third figure from the top, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°<Δθ<90°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled to gradually decrease as the angle difference Δθ increases.

[0105] In addition, if Fig.10 As shown in the third figure from the top, the fourth figure from the top, and the bottom figure in FIG. 1 , when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 90°<Δθ<180°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled to gradually increase in the direction opposite to the case of 0°<Δθ<90° as the angle difference Δθ increases.

[0106] Note that the case where the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°≤Δθ≤180° has been described here ( Figure 8 ), but for the case where the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0° ≥ Δθ ≥ -180° ( Figure 8This is because for cosΔθ in equation (2) above, cos(Δθ)=cos(-Δθ).

[0107] In other words, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is −90°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled to 0° regardless of the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 (regardless of the reflectivity).

[0108] Furthermore, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°>Δθ>−90°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled to gradually decrease as the absolute value of the angle difference Δθ increases.

[0109] Furthermore, when the angular difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 90°>Δθ>−180°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled to gradually increase in the opposite direction to the case of 0°>Δθ>−90° as the absolute value of the angular difference Δθ increases.

[0110] Next, the reflection rate a will be described. The reflection rate a generally takes a value in the range of x≤a≤y. For example, x is set to 0.5, and, for example, y is set to 1.5. Note that if the reflection rate is 1, when the angle difference Δθ is 0, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 is consistent with the roll angle φ1 of the body 12. In addition, if the reflection rate a is zero, the gimbal 30 (camera 31) will not rotate in the roll direction regardless of the angle difference Δθ (in the present technology, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 reflects the roll angle φ1 of the body 12, and therefore the reflection rate is not set to zero).

[0111] The reflection rate a may be pre-set as a fixed value that cannot be changed, or it may be set as a variable value that can be changed. If the reflection rate a is set as a variable value, the reflection rate a may be changeable in response to a user instruction, or may be automatically changeable by the control unit 14 (the reflection rate a may be controlled to be variable).

[0112] Back to Figure 5 , the control unit 14 calculates the target roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 in step 203, and then proceeds to the next step 204. In step 204, the control unit 14 controls the posture of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) so that the current posture angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) coincides with the target posture angle (roll angle φ2, pitch angle ψ2, yaw angle θ2).

[0113] This changes the posture of the gimbal 30 (step 205), and then the control unit 14 returns to step 201. The processing from step 201 to step 205 is repeated at a predetermined cycle.

[0114] Note that Figure 5 In the description of , the case has been described where the posture angle of the body 12 as the target value is used for the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 and the yaw angle θ1 of the body 12 used in step 203. On the other hand, the current posture angle of the body 12 may be used as the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 and the yaw angle θ1 of the body 12 used in step 203 (see step 101).

[0115] In addition, Figure 5 In the description of , the case where the control unit 14 of the drone 11 performs the body posture control process and the gimbal posture control process has been described. On the other hand, the control unit may be provided in the gimbal 30, and the control unit 14 of the drone 11 may perform the body posture control process, and the control unit of the gimbal 30 may perform the gimbal posture control process. Alternatively, the control unit of the gimbal 30 may perform the body posture control process and the gimbal posture control process.

[0116] Alternatively, the body posture control process and the gimbal posture control process may be executed by the control unit 45 of the controller 40, or may be executed by a server device on the network. Alternatively, the body posture control process and the gimbal posture control process may be shared and executed by two or more of the control unit 14 of the drone 11, the control unit of the gimbal 30, the control unit 45 of the controller 40, and the server device on the network. Note that this is also true for the second embodiment to be described below.

[0117] <Functions, etc.>

[0118] As described above, in the control method according to the present embodiment, the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled independently of the pitch angle ψ1 of the body 12 , while the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled in relation to the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 .

[0119] Assume that when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°, in order to move the drone 11 forward in the nose direction, the fuselage 12 tilts forward (tilts in the pitch direction). In this case, the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is fixed in a specified direction. For example, if the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is 0°, the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is not tilted forward, and the camera 31 images the horizontal direction.

[0120] On the other hand, it is assumed that when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°, the body 12 tilts (banks) in the roll direction. In this case, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 changes according to the roll angle φ1 of the body 12, and the camera 31 captures an image that appropriately reflects the tilt of the body 12.

[0121] Here, usually, the user assumes an aerial video reflecting the tilt (rotation in the roll direction) of the fuselage 12, such as an aerial video of an airplane. In the present embodiment, as described above, the pitch angle of the fuselage 12 is not reflected in the pitch direction of the gimbal 30 (camera 31), and the roll angle of the fuselage 12 is reflected in the roll direction of the gimbal 30, so that it is possible to capture an aerial video reflecting the tilt (rotation in the roll direction) of the fuselage 12, such as an aerial video of an airplane. Therefore, it is possible to acquire an image close to the aerial video assumed by the user.

[0122] Furthermore, in the control method according to the present embodiment, the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 is controlled independently of the yaw angle θ1 of the airframe 12. In addition to this, even when there is an angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 reflects the roll angle φ1 of the airframe 12. This makes it possible to acquire an image closer to the aerial video assumed by the user.

[0123] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 is changed according to the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction.

[0124] refer to Fig.10 , particularly in the present embodiment, when the angular difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled to take the same value as the roll angle φ2 of the body 12 (this value reflects the reflection rate when the reflection rate is set to a value other than 1). Furthermore, when the angular difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 180°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled to take the same value as the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 in the opposite direction (this value reflects the reflection rate when the reflection rate is set to a value other than 1).

[0125] Furthermore, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 90°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled to 0° regardless of the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 (regardless of the reflectivity).

[0126] Furthermore, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°<Δθ<90°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled to gradually decrease as the angle difference Δθ increases.

[0127] Furthermore, when the angular difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 90°<Δθ<180°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled to gradually increase in the opposite direction to the case of 0°<Δθ<90° as the angular difference Δθ increases.

[0128] Furthermore, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is −90°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled to 0° regardless of the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 (regardless of the reflectivity).

[0129] Furthermore, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 0°>Δθ>−90°, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled to gradually decrease as the absolute value of the angle difference Δθ increases.

[0130] Furthermore, when the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is 90°>Δθ>−180°, the roll angle φ1 of the gimbal 30 is controlled so that the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) gradually increases in the direction opposite to the case of 0°>Δθ>−90° as the absolute value of the angle difference Δθ increases.

[0131] Here, if a user boards an airplane and holds a camera to capture images of the outside (front, back, side, etc.) of the airplane, the user typically positions the camera at Fig.10 In other words, in this embodiment, an image closer to the aerial video assumed by the user can be obtained.

[0132] <Second Embodiment>

[0133] Next, a second embodiment of the present technology will be described. In the second embodiment and subsequent embodiments, points different from the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0134] The main difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that, in the first embodiment, the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled independently of the yaw angle θ1 of the body 12 (fixed in a specified direction), while in the second embodiment, the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is controlled to be related to the yaw angle θ1 of the body 12 (see Figure 4 ).

[0135] Generally, in the second embodiment, the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is consistent with the yaw angle θ1 of the body 12. In other words, the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is always zero (the second embodiment can also be regarded as a form in which the angle difference Δθ in the yaw direction is always zero in the first embodiment).

[0136] Fig.11 2 is a diagram showing the processing of the control unit 14 in the gimbaled drone 10 in the second embodiment. Fig.11 Steps 301 to 304 in the body posture control process are generally related to Figure 5 Steps 101 to 104 in the body posture control process are the same.

[0137] In the gimbal attitude control process, the control unit 14 first calculates the current attitude angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) based on the information of the second IMU 32 (step 401 ).

[0138] Next, the control unit 14 calculates a target attitude angle (pitch angle ψ2 ) of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) based on the input values ​​(angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) and the like) from the controller 40 (step 402 ).

[0139] Note that the value obtained in step 402 is only the pitch angle ψ2 (fixed in a specified direction) of the gimbal 30 (camera 31). The yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 coincides with the yaw angle θ1 of the body 12, and the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is obtained in step 403 to be described below.

[0140] In step 403 , the control unit 14 calculates the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) based on the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 , and sets it as a target roll angle.

[0141] In step 403, the following equation (4) is specifically used:

[0142] (4) φ2=a×φ1

[0143] Reference symbol a is a reflection rate indicating the degree to which the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 is reflected in the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 .

[0144] Next, the control unit 14 controls the posture of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) so that the current posture angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) matches the target posture angle (roll angle φ2 , pitch angle ψ2 , yaw angle θ2 ) (step 404 ).

[0145] This changes the posture of the gimbal 30 (step 405), and the control unit 14 then returns to step 401. The processing from step 401 to step 405 is repeatedly performed in a predetermined cycle.

[0146] Also in the second embodiment, as in the above-described first embodiment, the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled independently of the pitch angle ψ1 of the body 12 , while the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is controlled in relation to the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 .

[0147] Assume that in order to move the drone 11 forward in the nose direction, the fuselage 12 tilts forward (tilts in the pitch direction). In this case, the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is fixed in a specified direction. For example, if the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is 0°, the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is not tilted forward, and the camera 31 images the horizontal direction.

[0148] On the other hand, assume that the body 12 tilts (inclins) in the roll direction. In this case, the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 changes according to the roll angle φ1 of the body 12 , and the camera 31 captures an image that appropriately reflects the tilt of the body 12 .

[0149] As described above, also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the pitch angle of the airframe 12 is not reflected in the pitch direction of the gimbal 30 (camera 31), and the roll angle of the airframe 12 is reflected in the roll direction of the gimbal 30, so that it is possible to capture an aerial video such as an aerial video of an airplane that reflects the tilt (rotation in the roll direction) of the airframe 12. Therefore, an image close to the aerial video assumed by the user can be acquired.

[0150] <Third Embodiment>

[0151] Next, a third embodiment of the present technology will be described. In the above-described first and second embodiments, the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is fixed in a prescribed direction in the pitch direction.

[0152] On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) changes according to the direction of the velocity vector Vxyz in the movement of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11 (for the velocity vector xyz, see Fig.13 and Fig.14 ). In other words, in the third embodiment, the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 is controlled in relation to the direction of the velocity vector Vxyz of the body 12 of the drone 11 (not the attitude angle of the drone 11 ).

[0153] In the description of the third embodiment, the process of changing the pitch angle of the gimbal 30 according to the direction of the velocity vector of the drone 11 will be described as being applied to the first embodiment (i.e., the roll angle of the gimbal: related to the posture of the fuselage; the pitch angle of the gimbal: related to the velocity vector of the fuselage; and the yaw angle of the gimbal: fixed in a specified direction). Therefore, the description of the third embodiment will focus on the points that are different from the above-mentioned first embodiment.

[0154] Note that the process of changing the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 according to the direction of the velocity vector of the drone 11 can be applied to the above-mentioned second embodiment (i.e., the roll angle of the gimbal: related to the posture of the fuselage; the pitch angle of the gimbal: related to the velocity vector of the fuselage; and the yaw angle of the gimbal: related to the posture of the fuselage).

[0155] Fig.12 2 is a diagram showing the processing of the control unit 14 in the third embodiment.

[0156] [Posture control process of the body 12]

[0157] The control unit 14 integrates information from the first IMU 15 , the GPS 16 , and the visual sensor 17 to estimate the current own position and posture of the body 12 , and calculates the current posture angle of the body 12 (step 501 ).

[0158] The control unit 14 also calculates the current body speed Vx, Vy and Vz of the body 12 based on the information from the first IMU 15, the GPS 16 and the visual sensor 17 (step 501). The information of the body speed Vx, Vy, Vz obtained at this time is used to calculate the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) in the gimbal attitude control process (see below). Fig.13 , Fig.14 ).

[0159] Note that in step 501 , the control unit 14 may acquire information about the wind speed of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11 based on information from the first IMU 15 , the GPS 16 , the visual sensor 17 , and the like.

[0160] Next, the control unit 14 calculates the target attitude angles (roll angle φ1, pitch angle ψ1, yaw angle θ1) of the body 12 based on the input values ​​from the controller 40 (step 502). The target roll angle φ1 and yaw angle θ1 of the body 12 obtained at this time are used to calculate the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) in the gimbal attitude control process.

[0161] Note that if the control unit 14 has acquired information on the wind speed of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11 , then in step 502 , the control unit 14 may perform processing for eliminating the influence of the wind speed on the roll angle φ1 of the fuselage.

[0162] In other words, even if the airframe 12 is affected by the wind speed, the control unit 14 adjusts the roll angle φ1 of the airframe so that the roll angle φ1 of the airframe becomes the target roll angle. Note that this process is also applicable to the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above.

[0163] Next, the control unit 14 controls the posture of the fuselage 12 of the drone 11 by driving the rotor blades 13 so that the current posture angle matches the target posture angle (roll angle φ1, pitch angle ψ1, yaw angle θ1) (step 503).

[0164] [Posture Control Process of the Gimbal 30]

[0165] The control unit 14 calculates the current posture angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) based on the information of the second IMU 32 (step 601 ).

[0166] Next, the control unit 14 calculates a target attitude angle (yaw angle θ2 ) of the gimbal 30 based on the input value from the controller 40 (step 602 ).

[0167] Note that the value obtained in step 602 is only the yaw angle θ2 (fixed in a specified direction) of the gimbal 30 (camera 31). The pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is obtained in step 604 to be described below, and the roll angle φ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is obtained in step 605 to be described below.

[0168] Note that the control unit 14 may calculate the target pitch angle of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) based on the input value from the controller 40 , and may add the pitch angle (depending on the velocity vector) calculated in the following step 603 to the target pitch angle.

[0169] In step 604 , the control unit calculates the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal based on the body velocities Vx, Vy, and Vz of the drone 11 , and sets it as the target pitch angle.

[0170] Fig.13 and Fig.14 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between the velocity vector Vxyz of the body 12 of the drone 11 during movement and the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ).

[0171] Fig.13 The case is shown when the angle difference between the horizontal component Vxy in the velocity vector Vxyz of the body and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is 0° and the front face of the camera is turned in the direction consistent with the direction of the velocity vector Vxyz.

[0172] on the other hand, Fig.14 The case is shown when the angle difference between the horizontal component Vxy in the velocity vector xyz of the body and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) is 180° and the front face of the camera 31 is turned in the direction opposite to the direction of the velocity vector Vxyz.

[0173] In step 603 , the control unit 14 first calculates the horizontal component Vxy of the velocity vector of the fuselage based on the fuselage velocities Vx and Vy using the following equation (5).

[0174] (5) Vxy = +(Vx 2 + Vy 2 ) 1 / 2 , or -(Vx 2 + Vy 2 ) 1 / 2

[0175] Note that in equation (5), one of the + sign and the - sign is used, which is determined as follows. First, if the angle difference between the horizontal component Vxy of the velocity vector of the fuselage and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is less than ±90 (-90° to 90°), the value of Vxy is set to be positive (see Fig.13 ).

[0176] On the other hand, if the angle difference between the horizontal component Vxy of the velocity vector of the fuselage and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) exceeds ±90 (-90° to -180°, 90° to 180°), the value of Vxy is set to negative (see Fig.14 ).

[0177] Next, if the value of Vxy is positive, the control unit 14 calculates the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) using the following equation (6) (see Fig.13 ), or if the value of Vxy is negative, the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is calculated using the following equation (7) (see Fig.14 ).

[0178] (6) ψ2 = atan (-Vz / Vxy)

[0179] (7) ψ2 = atan(Vz / -Vxy)

[0180] In other words, in step 604 , the control unit 14 performs a process of changing the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ) according to the direction of the velocity vector Vxyz in the movement of the body 12 of the drone 11 .

[0181] The control unit 14 also changes the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal according to the angle at which the velocity vector Vxyz tilts relative to the horizontal direction (XY plane). In particular, in the third embodiment, the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is changed so that the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is consistent with the angle at which the velocity vector xyz tilts relative to the horizontal direction (XY plane). Here, the consistency is not limited to complete consistency, but may include some errors (e.g., ±10°).

[0182] Note that a reflection rate may be used for the degree to which the angle at which the velocity vector Vxyz tilts with respect to the horizontal direction (XY plane) is reflected in the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal.

[0183] Furthermore, under the condition that the yaw angle difference between the horizontal component Vxy of the velocity vector Vxyz and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is equal to or less than ±90° (first condition), the control unit 14 changes the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 so that the front orientation of the camera 31 obtained by the change in the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 is the same orientation as the velocity vector of the drone 11 (see Fig.13 ).

[0184] Furthermore, under the condition (second condition) that the yaw angle difference between the horizontal component Vxy of the velocity vector Vxyz and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) exceeds ±90°, the control unit 14 changes the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 so that the front orientation of the camera 31 obtained by the change in the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 is the orientation opposite to the velocity vector of the drone 11 (see Fig.14 ).

[0185] Note that the control unit 14 inverts the positive and negative signs of the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 based on the yaw angle difference between the horizontal component Vxy of the velocity vector Vxyz and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31 ).

[0186] In step 604, after setting the pitch angle φ2 of the gimbal to the target value, the control unit 14 performs the processing of step 605 and subsequent steps. Note that the processing of step 605 and subsequent steps is the same as in the above-mentioned first embodiment, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted here.

[0187] <Functions, etc.>

[0188] As described above, in the control method according to the third embodiment, the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 (camera 31) is changed according to the direction of the velocity vector Vxyz in the movement of the body 12 of the drone 11. This makes it possible to capture not only an aerial video reflecting the tilt (rotation in the rolling direction) of the body 12 but also an aerial video reflecting the ascending and descending movements of the body 12.

[0189] Will refer to Fig.13 and Fig.14 This is described in detail.

[0190] exist Fig.13In FIG. 1 , the drone 11 is flying toward the lower left, and the velocity vector Vxyz is facing the lower left direction. The yaw angle difference between the horizontal component Vxy of the velocity vector Vxyz and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 is 0°.

[0191] In addition, Fig.13 , the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 is set to the same angle as the angle (absolute value) at which the velocity vector xyz tilts relative to the horizontal plane, and the sign of the pitch angle ψ2 is negative, which is the same as the pitch direction of the velocity vector Vxyz. As a result, the front of the camera 31 faces the same direction as the velocity vector Vxyz. Therefore, the camera will image the lower left, which is the same direction as the velocity vector.

[0192] exist Fig.14 In FIG. 1 , the drone 11 is flying toward the upper right, and the velocity vector Vxyz is facing the upper right direction. The yaw angle difference between the horizontal component Vxy of the velocity vector Vxyz and the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 is 180°.

[0193] In addition, Fig.14 , the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 is set to the same angle as the angle (absolute value) of the inclination of the velocity vector xyz relative to the horizontal plane, and the sign of the pitch angle ψ2 is negative, which is opposite to the pitch direction of the velocity vector Vxyz. As a result, the front direction of the camera 31 is exactly opposite to the direction of the velocity vector Vxyz. Therefore, the camera will image the lower left, which is the direction exactly opposite to the direction of the velocity vector.

[0194] In addition, in the third embodiment, when the drone 11 rises vertically, the drone 11 can also perform imaging directly above (or conversely, directly below), and when the drone 11 descends vertically, the drone 11 can also perform imaging directly below (or conversely, directly above).

[0195] As described above, in the third embodiment, it is possible to capture not only the aerial video reflecting the tilt (rotation in the roll direction) of the airframe 12 but also the aerial video reflecting the ascending movement and the descending movement of the airframe 12 .

[0196] In the description of the third embodiment, the case where the process of changing the pitch angle ψ2 of the gimbal 30 according to the direction of the velocity vector of the drone 11 is applied to the first embodiment has been described, but such a process can be applied to the second embodiment described above. In general, in the process in the second embodiment, it is only necessary to perform the same process as step 604 (see Fig.11 ).

[0197] In the second embodiment, a process of making the yaw angle θ2 of the gimbal 30 coincide with the yaw angle θ1 of the body 12 is performed so that the front of the camera 30 faces substantially the nose direction of the drone 11 in the yaw direction.

[0198] Will refer to Fig.13 and Fig.14 Describe the situation. Fig.13 In the figure, the drone 11 is flying toward the lower left side of the front side of the nose direction, and the velocity vector Vxyz is facing the lower left direction. In this case, the camera will image the lower left side of the front side of the nose direction, which is the same direction as the direction of the velocity vector.

[0199] exist Fig.14 In the figure, the drone 11 is flying backwards toward the upper right, and the velocity vector Vxyz is facing the upper right direction. Flying backwards is a way of flying with the nose direction as the rear side. In this case, the camera 31 will image the lower left side of the front side of the nose direction, which is the direction opposite to the direction of the velocity vector.

[0200] In other words, also in this case, as described above, it is possible to capture not only the aerial video reflecting the tilt (rotation in the roll direction) of the airframe 12 but also the aerial video reflecting the ascending and descending movements of the airframe 12 .

[0201] Various variations

[0202] The present technology may also be configured as follows.

[0203] (1) A control method comprising:

[0204] Controlling the pitch angle of a gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating the camera in pitch and roll directions; and

[0205] The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

[0206] (2) The control method according to (1), wherein:

[0207] The gimbal is capable of rotating the camera in a yaw direction, and

[0208] The control method further comprises:

[0209] The yaw angle of the gimbal is controlled independently of the yaw angle of the flying object.

[0210] (3) The control method according to (1), wherein:

[0211] The gimbal is capable of rotating the camera in a yaw direction, and

[0212] The control method further comprises:

[0213] The yaw angle of the gimbal is controlled in relation to the yaw angle of the flying object.

[0214] (4) The control method according to (2), wherein:

[0215] The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled based on the roll angle of the flying object.

[0216] (5) The control method according to (4), wherein:

[0217] The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled based on the yaw angle of the flying object.

[0218] (6) The control method according to (5), wherein:

[0219] A roll angle of the gimbal is controlled based on the yaw angle of the gimbal.

[0220] (7) The control method according to (6), wherein:

[0221] The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled based on the angular difference between the yaw angle of the flying object and the yaw angle of the gimbal.

[0222] (8) The control method according to (7), wherein:

[0223] The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled based on a reflection rate indicating the extent to which the roll angle of the flying object is reflected in the roll angle of the gimbal.

[0224] (9) The control method according to (7) or (8), wherein:

[0225] When the angle difference is 0°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal takes the same value as the roll angle of the flying object.

[0226] (10) The control method according to (9), wherein:

[0227] When the angle difference is 180°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal takes the same value as the roll angle of the flying object in the opposite direction.

[0228] (11) The control method according to (10), wherein:

[0229] When the angle difference is 90° and -90°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal is 0° regardless of the roll angle of the flying object.

[0230] (12) The control method according to (11), wherein:

[0231] When the angle difference Δ is 0°<Δθ<90°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal gradually decreases as the angle difference increases.

[0232] (13) The control method according to (12), wherein:

[0233] When the angle difference Δθ is 90°<Δθ<180°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that as the angle difference increases, the roll angle of the gimbal gradually increases in a direction opposite to the case of 0°<Δθ<90°.

[0234] (14) The control method according to any one of (11) to (13), wherein:

[0235] When the angle difference Δθ satisfies 0°>Δθ>−90°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled such that the roll angle of the gimbal gradually decreases as the absolute value of the angle difference increases.

[0236] (15) The control method according to (14), wherein:

[0237] When the angle difference is 90°>Δθ>-180°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal gradually increases in a direction opposite to the case of 0°>Δθ>-90° as the absolute value of the angle difference Δθ increases.

[0238] (16) The control method according to any one of (8) to (15), wherein:

[0239] The roll angle of the gimbal is calculated by the following equation,

[0240] roll_b = sinφ1,

[0241] roll_g = roll_b × cosΔθ, and

[0242] φ2 = a×atan(roll_g / (1 2 -roll_g 2 ) 1 / 2 ),

[0243] Among them, φ1 is the rolling angle of the flying object, Δθ is the angle difference, φ2 is the rolling angle of the gimbal, and a is the reflection rate.

[0244] (17) The control method according to any one of (1) to (18), wherein:

[0245] The pitch angle of the gimbal changes according to the direction of the velocity vector of the moving object.

[0246] (18) The control method according to (17), wherein:

[0247] The pitch angle of the gimbal changes according to the angle at which the velocity vector tilts relative to the horizontal direction.

[0248] (19) The control method according to (18), wherein:

[0249] The pitch angle of the gimbal is changed so that the pitch angle of the gimbal is consistent with the tilt angle of the velocity vector relative to the horizontal direction.

[0250] (20) The control method according to any one of (17) to (19), wherein:

[0251] Under the first condition, the pitch angle of the gimbal is changed so that the front orientation of the camera obtained by changing the pitch angle of the gimbal is the same orientation as the velocity vector of the flying object.

[0252] (21) The control method according to (20), wherein:

[0253] Under a second condition different from the first condition, the pitch angle of the gimbal is changed so that the front orientation of the camera obtained by changing the pitch angle of the gimbal is an orientation opposite to the velocity vector of the flying object.

[0254] (22) The control method according to (21), wherein:

[0255] The first condition is that the yaw angle difference between the horizontal component of the velocity vector and the yaw angle of the gimbal is equal to or less than ±90°.

[0256] (23) The control method according to (22), wherein:

[0257] The second condition is that the yaw angle difference between the horizontal component of the velocity vector and the yaw angle of the gimbal exceeds ±90°.

[0258] (24) A control method comprising:

[0259] The pitch angle of a gimbal is changed according to the direction of a velocity vector in the movement of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating the camera in the pitch direction.

[0260] (25) A gimbal comprising:

[0261] A control unit, the control unit:

[0262] controlling the pitch angle of the gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating the camera in pitch and roll directions; and

[0263] The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

[0264] (26) A flying object comprising:

[0265] A control unit, the control unit:

[0266] controlling the pitch angle of a gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating the camera in pitch and roll directions; and

[0267] The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

[0268] (27) An omnidirectional flying object, comprising:

[0269] A control unit, the control unit:

[0270] Controlling the pitch angle of a gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating the camera in pitch and roll directions; and

[0271] The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

[0272] (28) A program for causing a computer to execute the following processing:

[0273] Controlling the pitch angle of a gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating the camera in pitch and roll directions; and

[0274] The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

[0275] Reference Symbols List

[0276] 10. Universal drone

[0277] 11. Drones

[0278] 12 Body

[0279] 30 Gimbal

[0280] 31 Camera

[0281] 40 Controller

[0282] 100 Control Systems

Claims

1. A control method, comprising: Controlling the pitch angle of a gimbal independently of the pitch angle of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating the camera in pitch and roll directions; and The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled in relation to the roll angle of the flying object.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The gimbal is capable of rotating the camera in a yaw direction, and The control method further comprises: controlling the yaw angle of the gimbal independently of the yaw angle of the flying object, or The yaw angle of the gimbal is controlled in relation to the yaw angle of the flying object.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The gimbal is capable of rotating the camera in a yaw direction, and The control method further comprises: controlling the yaw angle of the gimbal independently of the yaw angle of the flying object, and The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled based on the roll angle of the flying object.

4. The control method according to claim 3, wherein: The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled based on the yaw angle of the flying object or the yaw angle of the gimbal.

5. The control method according to claim 4, wherein: The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled based on the angular difference between the yaw angle of the flying object and the yaw angle of the gimbal.

6. The control method according to claim 5, wherein: The roll angle of the gimbal is controlled based on a reflection rate indicating the extent to which the roll angle of the flying object is reflected in the roll angle of the gimbal.

7. The control method according to claim 5, wherein: When the angle difference is 0°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal takes the same value as the roll angle of the flying object.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein: When the angle difference is 180°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal takes the same value as the roll angle of the flying object in the opposite direction.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein: When the angle difference is 90° and -90°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal is 0° regardless of the roll angle of the flying object.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein: When the angle difference Δ is 0°<Δθ<90°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal gradually decreases as the angle difference increases.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein: When the angle difference Δθ is 90°<Δθ<180°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal gradually increases in a direction opposite to the case of 0°<Δθ<90° as the angle difference increases.

12. The control method according to claim 9, wherein: When the angle difference Δθ satisfies 0°>Δθ>−90°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled such that the roll angle of the gimbal gradually decreases as the absolute value of the angle difference increases.

13. The control method according to claim 12, wherein: When the angle difference is 90°>Δθ>-180°, the roll angle of the gimbal is controlled so that the roll angle of the gimbal gradually increases in a direction opposite to the case of 0°>Δθ>-90° as the absolute value of the angle difference Δθ increases.

14. The control method according to claim 6, wherein: The roll angle of the gimbal is calculated by the following equation, roll_b = sinφ1, roll_g = roll_b × cosΔθ, and φ2 = a×atan(roll_g / (1 2 - roll_g 2 ) 1 / 2 ), Among them, φ1 is the rolling angle of the flying object, Δθ is the angle difference, φ2 is the rolling angle of the gimbal, and a is the reflection rate.

15. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The pitch angle of the gimbal changes according to the direction of the velocity vector of the moving object.

16. The control method according to claim 15, wherein: The pitch angle of the gimbal changes according to the angle at which the velocity vector tilts relative to the horizontal direction.

17. The control method according to claim 16, wherein: The pitch angle of the gimbal is changed so that the pitch angle of the gimbal is consistent with the tilt angle of the velocity vector relative to the horizontal direction.

18. The control method according to claim 15, wherein: When the yaw angle difference between the horizontal component of the velocity vector and the yaw angle of the gimbal is equal to or less than ±90°, the pitch angle of the gimbal is changed so that the front orientation of the camera obtained by changing the pitch angle of the gimbal is the same orientation as the velocity vector of the flying object.

19. The control method according to claim 18, wherein: When the yaw angle difference between the horizontal component of the velocity vector and the yaw angle of the gimbal exceeds ±90°, the pitch angle of the gimbal is changed so that the front orientation of the camera obtained by changing the pitch angle of the gimbal is opposite to the velocity vector of the flying object.

20. A control method, comprising: The pitch angle of a gimbal is changed according to the direction of a velocity vector in the movement of the flying object, the gimbal being mounted on the flying object and capable of rotating the camera in the pitch direction.

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