Flexible gloves for drone control and their preparation method, gesture control method

Abstract

This invention discloses a flexible glove for drone control, its manufacturing method, and a gesture control method. The flexible glove includes a glove body and a flexible circuit sheet attached to the surface of the glove body. The flexible circuit sheet includes a back part and a front part of the glove. The back part is located on the back of the glove body, and the front part is located on the front of the glove body. The back part of the glove includes a bending sensor, a wireless communication unit, Bluetooth, a main control chip, a GPS chip, a six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, and a power supply module. The front part of the glove includes a miniature vibration motor, contact point one, contact point two, and contact point three. The bending sensor, wireless communication unit, Bluetooth, main control chip, GPS chip, six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, power supply module, miniature vibration motor, contact point one, contact point two, and contact point three are connected to the flexible liquid metal circuit. This invention improves the flexibility and wearing comfort of the glove, enabling precise and real-time drone control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of drone control gloves, and in particular to a flexible glove for drone control, its preparation method, and a gesture control method. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing prevalence of drones in various scenarios such as aerial photography, logistics, and inspection, higher demands are being placed on the convenience and precision of their control equipment. Glove-style remote control devices, due to their ability to enable flexible one-handed operation, perfectly meet the control needs of drones in complex environments and have become a current research hotspot. For example, CN105223959A proposes a drone glove control system and method. By integrating a six-axis gyroscope and accelerometer onto the glove, triggered by a finger switch, the operator can control the drone's takeoff, landing, rotation, and forward / backward / left / right movement with a single hand. The wristband also features a power switch, mode switch button, wireless communication unit, display unit, and antenna, and is powered by a built-in lithium battery. The mode switch button supports three flight modes: slow, medium, and fast, meeting the different responsiveness requirements of the operator at various stages.

[0003] However, existing glove-based control devices generally have many shortcomings. For example, traditional gloves often use rigid materials to fix sensors and contacts, resulting in poor comfort and an inadequate fit to the hand. They cannot perfectly conform to the flexible glove body, and prolonged wear can easily cause pressure on the skin, leading to hand fatigue and discomfort. This severely impacts the user's endurance and focus, significantly affecting the control experience. Furthermore, the internal wiring is often rigid and complex; during frequent bending of the glove, material fatigue can easily cause the wiring to break. Once the wiring fails, signal transmission will be severely interfered with. Moreover, contact-based signal transmission is highly susceptible to environmental interference. In humid, dusty, or other complex environments, the contacts are easily contaminated, leading to poor contact and consequently delays or loss of control commands. This significantly reduces the reliability and real-time performance of drone control, failing to meet the stringent requirements of precise, real-time drone control. In addition, the integration needs to be improved: the glove only carries the sensor and circuitry, while the wristband needs to accommodate additional modules such as the power switch, mode switch, display and antenna, making it relatively bulky; the separate design of the wristband and glove affects the integrated wearing experience and is not conducive to long-term continuous operation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the prominent problems of existing drone gloves, such as poor comfort due to rigid materials, complex internal circuitry, and low integration. This invention provides a flexible drone control glove and its preparation method, as well as a gesture control method. Liquid metal circuits are fabricated on a flexible substrate using liquid metal, and the various modules are connected to form a flexible circuit. This circuit is then attached to the glove body to form a flexible drone control glove. Thus, after wearing the flexible glove, the drone's flight status can be controlled via finger gestures, improving the glove's flexibility and wearing comfort, and achieving precise, real-time drone control.

[0005] The first objective of this invention is to provide a flexible control glove for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), comprising a glove body and a flexible circuit sheet adhered to the surface of the glove body. The flexible circuit sheet includes a back portion and a front portion, with the back portion disposed on the back side of the glove body and the front portion disposed on the front side. The back portion includes a bending sensor, a wireless communication unit, Bluetooth connectivity, a main control chip, a GPS chip, a six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, and a power supply module. The front portion includes a miniature vibration motor, contact point one, contact point two, and contact point three. The bending sensor, wireless communication unit, Bluetooth connectivity, main control chip, GPS chip, six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, power supply module, miniature vibration motor, contact points one, two, and three are connected to a liquid metal circuit on the flexible substrate surface of the flexible circuit sheet. The flexible glove is connected to the main control chip. Three bending sensors are located on the dorsal side of the second joint of the middle, ring, and little fingers, respectively. Contact point one is located on the inside of the thumb of the glove, contact point two is located below the side of the index finger, and contact point three is located above the side of the index finger. All three contacts are connected to the main control chip. When contact point one contacts contact point two, the flexible glove is activated and enters working mode, starting data acquisition and command execution. Movements of the middle, ring, and little fingers control the drone to perform corresponding flight maneuvers. When contact point one separates from contact point two, the power circuit is cut off, and the drone enters a hovering standby state. When contact point one contacts contact point three, the drone switches to rotation mode, and then the upward or downward movement of the little finger triggers a counter-clockwise or clockwise rotation command, respectively.

[0006] Preferably, the main control chip is located at the center of the back of the hand, below the wireless communication unit. Preferably, at the preset pad of the liquid metal flexible circuit, it is used to receive multi-source data from other modules, perform multi-source data fusion processing through internally pre-written processing algorithms, analyze the relationship between the data, determine the user's control intention for the drone, generate corresponding control commands, and determine the drone's flight actions.

[0007] Preferably, the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer is arranged near and below the main control chip to monitor the hand's movements and postures in real time, including the tilt and rotation angle changes of the palm in three-dimensional space and the acceleration of the hand in various directions. Through an extremely short signal transmission line, the real-time collected hand posture and acceleration data are quickly transmitted to the main control chip, providing basic posture information for UAV control.

[0008] Preferably, the bending sensor is used to convert the physical movement of the finger into an electrical signal by sensing changes in the bending angle of the finger, thereby controlling the left and right flight, forward acceleration / deceleration, and backward posture of the drone, thus constructing a key sensing hub for the conversion between finger movements and drone commands.

[0009] Preferably, the wireless communication unit is located on the edge of the glove, on the back of the hand near the little finger, and below the bending sensor, for transmitting control commands generated by the main control chip to the drone via Bluetooth in the form of wireless signals.

[0010] Preferably, the GPS chip is located below the main control chip and on one side of the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer. It is used to filter the real-time bending angle data of each finger joint collected by the bending sensor and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm collected by the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, and then use an algorithm to fuse the bending angle data of each finger joint and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm to obtain multi-source fusion data, determine the relative position of the drone and the glove, and extract or determine the gesture features. The bending angle data of each finger joint and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm are transmitted to the main control chip through a liquid metal flexible circuit.

[0011] Preferably, the Bluetooth is located on one side of the wireless communication unit and below the bending sensor for transmitting wireless signals; the power supply module is located near the wrist and below the GPS chip and the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor for supplying power to the glove device.

[0012] Preferably, the micro vibration motor is located below the first contact, the second contact, and the third contact, and between the center of the palm and the wrist, for providing the execution result to the user through vibration feedback.

[0013] A second objective of this invention is to provide a method for preparing a flexible glove for controlling unmanned aerial vehicles, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Preparation of flexible substrate: Mix PDMS Sylgard184 prepolymer and curing agent thoroughly at a preset weight ratio of 10:1, stir and then degas using a vacuum degassing machine; pour the degassed mixture into a flat mold, place it in an oven to cure and then demold to obtain a smooth PDMS film; then place it in a plasma cleaning machine to generate active hydroxyl groups on the surface to obtain a flexible substrate; Step 2: Fabricate masks for the liquid metal flexible circuit and the sensing channel of the bending sensor and attach them to the flexible substrate: Use AutoCAD drawing software to draw the patterns of the liquid metal flexible circuit, the bending sensing channel, and the module pads. The traces of the liquid metal circuit are straight grids, and the traces of the bending sensing channel are hexagonal network curves. Export the patterns in .dxf format and import them into the femtosecond laser processing equipment to cut them into precise masks on the self-adhesive sticker. After peeling off the excess parts, attach them to the surface of the flexible substrate. Remove the interface air by light pressure or rolling to ensure that the mask and the substrate are flat and without obvious gaps. Step 3: Spraying Gallium-Indium Eutectic Alloy Liquid Metal: Gallium and indium are heated and stirred to melt at a preset weight ratio of 3:1. After complete fusion, the mixture is allowed to cool naturally at room temperature to obtain gallium-indium eutectic alloy liquid metal. The liquid metal is loaded into a spray gun, and under controlled conditions of spraying air pressure, nozzle-substrate distance, and spraying angle, it is uniformly sprayed onto the mask opening area, so that the liquid metal is deposited only on the exposed PDMS surface to form a predetermined pattern. After spraying, the mixture is left to stand for several minutes to enhance the interfacial wetting and adhesion between the liquid metal and the PDMS surface. Then, the mask is removed to obtain a liquid metal pattern with clear boundaries and uniform distribution. The sample is left to stand for several minutes to enhance the interfacial bonding between the liquid metal and the PDMS substrate, so that liquid metal droplets or thin layers are partially embedded in the substrate surface, thereby obtaining a PDMS-liquid metal composite structure with good adhesion and stable conductivity. Step 4: Integrated Soldering Functional Modules: Place the surface-mount components used to form the main control chip, wireless communication module, six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor, Bluetooth, GPS chip, power supply module, micro vibration motor, and three contact modules into the reserved solder pad areas, ensuring that the metal pins are aligned with the ends of the liquid metal lines; apply silver nano-conductive adhesive to each solder pad, covering the component pins and the ends of the lines, and press the surface-mount components to ensure tight adhesion; after all surface-mount components are in place, lay the flexible substrate flat on the temperature control table for gentle baking, allowing the silver nano-conductive adhesive to fully cure and form a stable conductive connection; Step 5: Encapsulation of the liquid metal circuit and its surrounding area: PDMS prepolymer is uniformly coated on the liquid metal circuit and its surrounding area, and after completely encapsulating the liquid metal circuit, it is left to stand at room temperature to allow the PDMS colloid to cure, thus obtaining a PDMS-liquid metal flexible circuit. Step 6: Measure the resistance of the PDMS-liquid metal flexible circuit at different bending angles using a multimeter, record the resistance variation curve with deformation, complete the calibration of sensor sensitivity and linear range, and verify its high-precision capture capability of finger movements in the drone control glove. Step 7: Cut the prepared PDMS-liquid metal flexible circuit into a shape corresponding to the hand and attach it to a silicone glove to obtain a flexible glove for drone control. During the attachment process, the back of the circuit and the corresponding inner surface of the silicone glove are simultaneously activated with ultraviolet ozone. The circuit is then pressed onto the silicone glove and left to stand at room temperature for a period of time. A layer of PDMS prepolymer is then coated on the attachment area and cured at low temperature to form an integrated encapsulation layer, making the circuit and the silicone glove materials fuse together.

[0014] A third objective of this invention is to provide a gesture control method for a flexible glove used in drone operation, comprising: Step 1: When the wearer brings their thumb and forefinger together, triggering the contact between contact point one and contact point two in the control glove, the drone enters working mode; Step 2: Input flight maneuver commands by bending the fingers in different ways; Step 3: Bend the ring finger towards the palm to make the drone rise, and extend it over the back of the hand to make it descend; Step 4: The middle finger gradually bends to indicate that the drone is flying forward. If the bending angle continues to increase to a certain threshold, the drone will enter an acceleration state. The middle finger gradually straightens to indicate deceleration. When the middle finger is overextended to the back of the hand, it will move backward. Step 5: Curling the little finger upwards or downwards corresponds to the drone's left and right translation, respectively; Step 6: When contact point one and contact point two are disconnected, the drone will automatically enter a hovering state and maintain its stability by relying on the built-in six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor. Step 7: When contact point one and contact point three are closed, the drone switches to rotation mode. The rotation of the drone is controlled by different movements of the little finger: raising the little finger corresponds to counterclockwise rotation, and pressing down the little finger triggers clockwise rotation.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the flexible control glove for drones of the present invention are as follows: 1. Exceptional flexibility and comfort: By using liquid metal to print circuits and sensors directly on a flexible substrate, unprecedented flexibility and hand fit are achieved, fundamentally eliminating the bulkiness and restriction of traditional rigid components, which significantly improves the comfort of users wearing it for a long time. 2. Significantly reduced size and weight: The one-piece molding method and the inherent properties of liquid metal make the device extremely lightweight and compact, less bulky and easier to carry than existing solutions; 3. More precise and natural control experience: The flexible bending sensor, combined with other modules, can capture finer and more subtle hand and finger movements, which can be translated into a more intuitive, responsive and precise control experience, supporting a wider range of natural gestures for drone operation; 4. Enhanced durability and reliability: The integration and flexibility of electronic components reduce discrete connection points and rigid stress points, making the gloves more robust and less susceptible to damage from bending or impact, thereby extending the overall lifespan of the equipment. 5. Seamless one-handed operation: Fully supports and enhances one-handed operation capabilities, freeing up the other hand to perform other tasks, a key advantage of existing glove controllers; 6. More efficient motion recognition capability: The sensing channel with a hexagonal grid structure has more comprehensive strain perception, more stable mechanical performance and more sensitive motion response. It performs better in multi-directional gesture recognition and is an important design highlight for improving control accuracy and packaging quality. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a back view of the drone control glove of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a front view of the drone control glove of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible substrate used in this invention.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention after a flexible metal circuit and a bending sensing channel template are attached to the surface of a flexible substrate.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible metal circuit and bending sensing channel formed by spraying liquid metal (EGaIn) onto PDMS according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the packaging of the PDMS flexible circuit chip of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the hexagonal network structure of the flexible bending sensor of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the workflow of the flexible glove for drone control according to the present invention.

[0024] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1- Bending sensor, 2- Wireless communication unit, 3- Main control chip, 4- Six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, 5- Power supply module, 6- GPS chip, 7- Bluetooth, 8- Contact 3, 9- Contact 1, 10- Contact 2, 11- Miniature vibration motor. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0026] See Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown in the exemplary embodiment of this application, the flexible glove for drone control (taking the glove worn on the right hand as an example) includes a glove body and a flexible circuit sheet attached to the surface of the glove body. The flexible circuit sheet includes a glove back and a glove front. The glove back is disposed on the back of the glove body, and the glove front is disposed on the front of the glove body. The glove back includes a bending sensor, a wireless communication unit, Bluetooth, a main control chip, a GPS chip, a six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, and a power supply module. The glove front includes a miniature vibration motor, contact one, contact two, and contact three. The bending sensor is disposed on the dorsal side of the second joint of the middle, ring, and little fingers, and the wireless communication unit and Bluetooth are disposed below the bending sensor. The glove has a wireless communication unit located on the edge of the glove, on the back of the hand near the little finger. Bluetooth is located on the other side of the wireless communication unit. The main control chip is located below the wireless communication unit, in the center of the back of the hand. The GPS chip and six-axis gyroscope accelerometer are located below the main control chip. The power supply module is located near the wrist, below the GPS chip, and the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer is positioned close to the main control chip. Contact point one is located on the inside of the thumb, contact point two is located below the side of the index finger, and contact point three is located above the side of the index finger. All contacts one, two, and three are connected to the main control chip on the back of the glove. A miniature vibration motor is located below contacts one, two, and three.

[0027] In this embodiment, when contact point one and contact point two are in contact, the two channels are connected to each other, providing power to the power management module inside the glove. The main control chip wakes up from standby and begins to execute the built-in attitude control program. The sensors and communication units are powered on and enter the data acquisition and command execution state. As long as they are kept together, the system remains powered on. Once separated, the power circuit is immediately cut off, allowing the drone to enter a hovering or standby state to ensure safety. When contact point one and contact point three are in contact, the system immediately switches from the normal flight mode to the "rotation mode". After that, the user can trigger the counterclockwise or clockwise rotation command by raising or lowering the little finger.

[0028] In this embodiment, the main control chip serves as the "brain" of the entire system. It is mounted on the liquid metal flexible circuit pre-set pad in the center of the back of the hand. This location can conveniently receive data from other modules. Through a complex algorithm pre-written internally, it fuses and processes the multi-source data, analyzes the relationships between the data, determines the user's intention to control the drone, generates corresponding control commands, and determines the drone's flight actions.

[0029] In this embodiment, the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer is positioned near the main control chip to monitor hand movements and postures in real time, including changes in the tilt and rotation angles of the palm in three-dimensional space, as well as the acceleration of the hand in various directions. Through an extremely short signal transmission line, the real-time collected hand posture and acceleration data are rapidly transmitted to the main control chip, providing basic posture information for drone control.

[0030] In this embodiment, three bending sensors are installed on the dorsal side of the second joint of the middle, ring, and little fingers. They are used to sense changes in the bending angle of the fingers (such as the increasing or straightening of the middle finger, the bending of the ring finger, etc.), and convert the physical movements of the fingers into electrical signals. These signals are then used to control the left and right flight, forward acceleration / deceleration, and backward posture of the drone, thereby constructing a key "sensing hub" for converting finger movements into drone commands.

[0031] In this embodiment, the wireless communication unit is located on the edge of the glove, on the back of the hand near the little finger, and is used to send the control commands generated by the main control chip to the drone via Bluetooth in the form of wireless signals; the GPS chip is used to obtain the relative position of the drone and the glove; the Bluetooth is located above the wireless communication unit and is used for wireless signal transmission; the power supply module is located near the wrist and is used to supply power to the glove device; the micro vibration motor is used to provide the execution result to the user through vibration feedback. In this embodiment, contact point one is located on the inside of the thumb of the glove, contact point two is located below the side of the index finger, and contact point three is located above the side of the index finger. Contact points one, two, and three are connected to the main control chip on the back of the glove via liquid metal circuitry. A very fine channel is etched on each side of the contact point, normally kept open. When contact point one contacts contact point two, the two channels connect and provide power to the power management module inside the glove. The main control chip immediately wakes up from standby and begins executing the built-in attitude control program. All sensors and communication units are powered on and enter data acquisition and command execution states. As long as they remain together, the system remains powered. Once separated, the power circuit is immediately cut off, allowing the drone to enter hover or standby mode for safety. When contact point one contacts contact contact point three, the system immediately switches from normal flight mode to "rotation mode." The user can then trigger counter-clockwise or clockwise rotation commands by raising (stretching the hexagonal microchannel of the bending sensor) or pressing down (compressing the hexagonal microchannel of the bending sensor), respectively.

[0032] This application embodiment provides a method for preparing the flexible glove for drone control, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Preparation of flexible substrate: Mix PDMS Sylgard184 prepolymer and curing agent thoroughly at a preset weight ratio of 10:1. After stirring, degas the mixture using a vacuum degassing machine at 0.08 MPa until no bubbles are visible rising, ensuring that the film is free of internal bubbles. Pour the degassed mixture into a flat glass mold, place it in an 80℃ oven for curing for 2 hours, and then demold to obtain a smooth PDMS film. Then, place it in a plasma cleaner and treat it with 100 W power for 30 seconds to generate active hydroxyl groups on the surface, improving the adhesion of subsequent liquid metals and obtaining a flexible substrate. Step 2: Fabricate the mask for the liquid metal flexible circuit and the bending sensing channel and attach it to the flexible substrate: Use AutoCAD drawing software to draw the pattern of the liquid metal flexible circuit, the bending sensing channel of the bending sensor, and the module pads. The main circuit traces are 3 mm wide straight lines, and the bending sensing channel is a 1 mm wide hexagonal network curve. Export it as a .dxf format, import it into the femtosecond laser processing equipment, cut it into a precise mask on the self-adhesive sticker, peel off the excess part and attach it to the surface of the flexible substrate. Remove the interface air by light pressure or rolling to ensure that the mask and the substrate are flat and without obvious gaps. In this embodiment, the bending sensor, employing a hexagonal grid structure, offers several advantages over traditional serpentine channels. Its uniform distribution in multiple directions allows for more comprehensive sensing of bending or stretching of the finger in any direction, avoiding the directional blind spots of serpentine channels. Its honeycomb arrangement provides stronger mechanical stability and fatigue resistance, maintaining overall conductivity even in the event of localized breakage. Compared to the same area, the grid structure allows for more measurement points, improving the accuracy of recognizing subtle movements. Furthermore, the more uniform deformation distribution results in more linear resistance changes and a more stable response. Additionally, the continuous grid surface facilitates tighter bonding with PDMS during packaging, preventing air bubbles and stress concentration, thus improving durability and comfort.

[0033] Step 3: Spraying Gallium-Indium Eutectic Alloy (EGaIn) Liquid Metal: Gallium and indium are heated to 80°C and stirred to melt in a preset weight ratio of 3:1. After complete fusion, the mixture is allowed to cool naturally at room temperature to obtain Gallium-Indium Eutectic Alloy Liquid Metal. The liquid metal is loaded into a spray gun, and under controlled conditions of spraying air pressure, nozzle-substrate distance, and spraying angle, it is uniformly sprayed onto the mask opening area so that the liquid metal is deposited only on the exposed PDMS surface to form a predetermined pattern. After spraying, the mixture is left to stand for several minutes to enhance the interfacial wetting and adhesion between the liquid metal and the PDMS surface. Then, the mask is removed to obtain a liquid metal pattern with clear boundaries and uniform distribution. The sample is left to stand for several minutes to enhance the interfacial bonding between the liquid metal and the PDMS substrate, so that liquid metal droplets or thin layers are partially embedded in the substrate surface, thereby obtaining a PDMS-liquid metal composite structure with good adhesion and stable conductivity. Step 4: Integrated Soldering Functional Modules: Place the surface-mount components used to form the main control chip, wireless communication module, six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor, Bluetooth, GPS chip, power supply module, vibration motor, and three contact modules into the reserved solder pad areas, ensuring that the metal pins are aligned with the ends of the liquid metal lines; apply silver nano-conductive adhesive to each solder pad, covering the component pins and the ends of the lines, and press the surface-mount components to ensure tight adhesion; after all surface-mount components are in place, lay the flexible substrate flat on the temperature control table for gentle baking at 60–80℃ to allow the silver nano-conductive adhesive to fully cure and form a stable conductive connection; Step 5: Encapsulation of the liquid metal circuit and its surrounding area: PDMS prepolymer is uniformly coated on the liquid metal circuit and its surrounding area, and after completely encapsulating the liquid metal circuit, it is left to stand at room temperature to allow the PDMS colloid to cure, thus obtaining a PDMS-liquid metal flexible circuit. Encapsulation protects the circuitry and prevents leakage during repeated bending. The thickness of the encapsulation protective layer is controlled at 100-200 μm, which can completely cover the liquid metal while maintaining the overall flexibility of the material. In this step, the PDMS colloid is left to stand at room temperature for 4 hours to allow it to fully cure.

[0034] In addition, after curing, check whether the encapsulation layer is flat and free of bubbles. If necessary, a second coating and curing can be performed to enhance the protective effect.

[0035] Step 6: Measure the resistance of the PDMS-liquid metal flexible circuit at different bending angles after encapsulation and curing using a multimeter, record the resistance change curve with deformation, complete the calibration of sensor sensitivity and linear range, and verify its high-precision capture capability of finger movements in drone control gloves. Step 7: Cut the prepared PDMS-liquid metal flexible circuit into a shape corresponding to the hand and attach it to a silicone glove to obtain a flexible glove for drone control. During the attachment process, the back of the circuit and the corresponding inner surface of the silicone glove are simultaneously activated with ultraviolet ozone. The circuit is then pressed onto the silicone glove and left to stand at room temperature for a period of time. A layer of PDMS prepolymer is then coated on the attachment area and cured at low temperature to form an integrated encapsulation layer, making the circuit and the silicone glove materials fuse together.

[0036] Specifically, the circuit board is first cut into the shape corresponding to the finger joints (middle finger, ring finger, little finger) and the back of the hand. UV ozone activation is then performed simultaneously on the back of the circuit board and the corresponding inner side of the glove to generate hydroxyl groups on the PDMS surface, enhancing adhesion strength. Next, the circuit board is precisely aligned with the corresponding area on the back of the glove, gently pressed together, and left to stand at room temperature for half an hour after several minutes to promote chemical bonding between the PDMS and silicone. Finally, after bonding, a layer of approximately 100 μm PDMS prepolymer is coated over the entire bonding area. After low-temperature curing, an integrated encapsulation layer is formed, which is not only waterproof and dustproof but also fills tiny interface gaps, allowing the circuit board and glove material to become one.

[0037] In this embodiment of the application, the flexible glove for drone control, when in use, achieves the acquisition and processing of three-dimensional attitude data through the following steps: Step 1: The bending sensor collects the bending angle of each finger joint in real time, and the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer collects the three-dimensional posture data of the palm. Step 2: Finger joint bending angle data and palm three-dimensional posture data are transmitted to the main control chip through a liquid metal flexible circuit; Step 3: The main control chip first filters the finger joint bending angle data and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm for validity, and then uses an algorithm to fuse the finger joint bending angle data and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm to obtain multi-source fusion data. Through multi-source fusion data, gesture features can be extracted and the current gesture can be recognized.

[0038] In this embodiment of the application, the gesture control method for the flexible glove used for drone control includes the following steps: Step 1: When the wearer brings their thumb and forefinger together, triggering contact point one and contact point two in the control glove, the drone enters working mode. Step 2: All flight maneuvers are input by bending the fingers in different ways; Step 3: Curling the ring finger towards the palm will cause the drone to rise; extending it over the back of the hand will cause it to descend. Step 4: The gradual bending of the middle finger indicates that the drone is flying forward. If the bending angle continues to increase to a certain threshold, the drone will enter an acceleration state. The gradual straightening of the middle finger corresponds to deceleration. When the middle finger is overextended to the back of the hand, it will move backward. Step 5: Curling the little finger upwards or downwards corresponds to the drone's left and right translation, respectively; Step 6: When contact point one and contact point two are disconnected, the drone will automatically enter a hovering state and maintain its stability by relying on the built-in six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor. Step 7: When contact point one and contact point three are closed, the rotation of the drone can be controlled by different movements of the little finger: raising the little finger corresponds to counterclockwise rotation, and pressing down the little finger triggers clockwise rotation.

[0039] The overall workflow of the flexible means and the gesture control method of this application are detailed below: The system collects the bending angles of each finger joint in real time using a bending sensor and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm using a six-axis gyroscope accelerometer. The data is transmitted to the main control chip via a liquid metal flexible circuit. The main control chip first filters the data for validity and then uses an algorithm to fuse the finger joint bending angle data and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm to obtain fused data. Gesture features are then extracted. For example, when the middle finger gradually bends to a certain angle, the user's intention is determined to be "accelerating forward." Subsequently, the gesture features of the fused data are compared with a predefined gesture action library. If a match is found, specific control parameters or command parameters (such as acceleration of 1 m / s²) are calculated and encoded into a binary signal containing 16 check bits. The encoded command is then wirelessly transmitted to the drone via Bluetooth. After receiving the command, the drone drives the motor to adjust the flight status and simultaneously feeds back the real-time altitude, speed, and other statuses to the flexible glove. The flexible glove provides the execution results to the user, such as vibration feedback, through an integrated haptic feedback unit (such as a micro vibration motor).

[0040] The system automatically calibrates the zero point every 30 seconds, using the natural downward posture of the hand as a benchmark to compensate for the posture deviation caused by hand fatigue, ensuring long-term control accuracy and forming a complete closed-loop control process of "motion acquisition - data processing - command transmission - execution feedback - dynamic calibration".

[0041] When the wearer brings their thumb and forefinger together, triggering contact between contact points one and two in the control glove, the drone enters operational mode. Thereafter, all flight maneuvers are controlled by different finger bends. Bending the ring finger towards the palm causes the drone to ascend, while extending it towards the back of the hand causes it to descend. Gradually bending the middle finger indicates forward flight; if the bend angle increases beyond a certain threshold, the drone accelerates, while straightening the middle finger corresponds to deceleration, and extending it towards the back of the hand causes backward movement. The little finger's upward or downward bending corresponds to left or right translation, respectively. When contact points one and two disconnect, the drone automatically enters a hovering state, maintaining stability using a built-in six-axis gyroscope accelerometer. Furthermore, when contact points one and three are closed, different little finger movements control the drone's rotation: upward bending corresponds to counter-clockwise rotation, and downward bending triggers clockwise rotation. This control method fully utilizes the precise finger movement recognition capabilities of the liquid metal flexible glove, achieving natural interactive control of the drone without relying on hand and wrist postures.

[0042] It should be noted that silver nanowires or carbon nanotube imprinted wires can also be used instead of the liquid metal flexible circuit of this application. Although the use of silver nanowires or carbon nanotube imprinted wires can improve flexibility, their conductivity stability and durability are not as good as the liquid metal circuit scheme.

[0043] In this application, a gallium indium eutectic alloy (EGaIn) is used to fabricate a liquid metal circuit and a bending sensor on a flexible PDMS substrate, realizing the integration and packaging of the liquid metal flexible circuit and the bending sensor. The PDMS layer is used for encapsulation protection to ensure flexibility, durability and leakage prevention.

[0044] In this application, the PDMS circuit is activated by ultraviolet ozone and precisely aligned with the inner surface of the silicone glove. The bonding is promoted by heating and curing at 50°C. Finally, a PDMS layer of about 100 μm is coated for overall sealing and encapsulation, achieving seamless integration of the circuit and glove material, waterproofing and dustproofing, and realizing the integrated bonding process of flexible circuit sheet and glove body.

[0045] In this application, all electronic modules (main control chip, six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor, GPS chip, wireless communication unit, Bluetooth, power supply module, bending sensor, three contacts, and micro vibration motor) are integrated on the flexible glove body without a rigid wristband. The core components (main control chip and six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor) are located in the central area of ​​the back of the hand, achieving a highly integrated flexible layout.

[0046] In this application, intelligent power and mode switching are realized based on contact technology. When contact one and contact two are in contact (thumb and index finger together): the system is woken up, power is continuously supplied, and operation is started; when contact one and contact three are in contact: the system is switched to "rotation mode"; when the contacts are separated (thumb and index finger apart): the power is immediately cut off, and the drone enters a safe hovering state, making operation convenient.

[0047] This application proposes a natural gesture mapping control logic, such as bending / extending the ring finger → the drone rises / falls; bending / straightening / extending the middle finger → the drone moves forward / accelerates / decelerates / reverses; and raising / pressing down the little finger → the drone moves left / right (normal mode) or rotates counterclockwise / clockwise (rotation mode), which is convenient for operation and easy to learn.

[0048] In this application, the main control chip integrates and processes data such as finger bending angle (bending sensor), palm posture (six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor), and relative position (GPS) to analyze user intent and generate commands; feedback is provided through a micro vibration motor; and fatigue error is compensated by periodic automatic calibration, thus realizing multi-source data fusion and closed-loop control.

[0049] The technology in this application achieves high flexibility and integration of key electronic modules such as the main control chip, six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, wireless communication unit, battery module, and bending sensor with the glove body through liquid metal flexible circuitry. This eliminates the need for rigid circuit boards or bulky wristbands, and all functional modules exist in a flexible manner that conforms to the curves of the hand, greatly improving wearing comfort and natural control.

[0050] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims be included within the invention.

[0051] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A flexible glove for controlling drones, characterized in that, The device includes a glove body and a flexible circuit sheet attached to the surface of the glove body. The flexible circuit sheet includes a glove back and a glove front. The glove back is located on the back of the glove body, and the glove front is located on the front of the glove body. The glove back includes a bending sensor, a wireless communication unit, Bluetooth, a main control chip, a GPS chip, a six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, and a power supply module. The glove front includes a miniature vibration motor, contact one, contact two, and contact three. The bending sensor, wireless communication unit, Bluetooth, main control chip, GPS chip, six-axis gyroscope accelerometer, power supply module, miniature vibration motor, contact one, contact two, and contact three are connected to a liquid metal circuit on the flexible substrate surface of the flexible circuit sheet. The bending sensor is... Three contacts are located on the dorsal side of the second joint of the middle, ring, and little fingers, respectively. Contact point one is located on the inside of the thumb of the glove, contact point two is located below the side of the index finger, and contact point three is located above the side of the index finger. All three contacts are connected to the main control chip. When contact point one contacts contact point two, the flexible glove is activated and enters working state, starting data acquisition and command execution. The middle, ring, and little fingers are used to control the drone to perform corresponding flight actions. When contact point one separates from contact point two, the power circuit is cut off, and the drone enters a hovering standby state. When contact point one contacts contact point three, the drone switches to rotation mode, and then the little finger can be used to raise or lower the drone to trigger a counterclockwise or clockwise rotation command, respectively.

2. The flexible glove for drone operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main control chip is located at the center of the back of the hand, below the wireless communication unit. Preferably, it is located at the preset pad of the liquid metal flexible circuit. It is used to receive multi-source data from other modules, perform multi-source data fusion processing through internally pre-written processing algorithms, analyze the relationship between the data, determine the user's intention to control the drone, generate corresponding control commands, and determine the drone's flight actions.

3. The flexible glove for drone operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor is positioned near and below the main control chip to monitor hand movements and postures in real time, including changes in the tilt and rotation angle of the palm in three-dimensional space, as well as the acceleration of the hand in various directions. Through an extremely short signal transmission line, the real-time collected hand posture and acceleration data are quickly transmitted to the main control chip, providing basic posture information for drone control.

4. The flexible glove for drone operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bending sensor is used to convert the physical movement of the finger into an electrical signal by sensing changes in the bending angle of the finger, thereby controlling the drone's left and right flight, forward acceleration / deceleration, and backward posture, thus constructing a key sensing hub for the conversion between finger movements and drone commands.

5. The flexible glove for drone operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wireless communication unit is located on the edge of the glove, on the back of the hand near the little finger, and below the bending sensor. It is used to transmit the control commands generated by the main control chip to the drone via Bluetooth in the form of wireless signals.

6. The flexible glove for drone operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The GPS chip is located below the main control chip and to one side of the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer. It is used to filter the real-time bending angle data of each finger joint collected by the bending sensor and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm collected by the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer. Then, it uses an algorithm to fuse the bending angle data of each finger joint and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm to obtain multi-source fusion data, determine the relative position of the drone and the glove, and extract or determine the gesture features. The bending angle data of each finger joint and the three-dimensional posture data of the palm are transmitted to the main control chip through a liquid metal flexible circuit.

7. The flexible glove for drone operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The Bluetooth module is located on one side of the wireless communication unit and below the bending sensor for transmitting wireless signals; the power supply module is located near the wrist and below the GPS chip and the six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor for powering the glove device.

8. The flexible glove for drone operation according to claim 1, characterized in that, The miniature vibration motor is located below contact points one, two, and three, between the center of the palm and the wrist, and is used to provide the execution result to the user through vibration feedback.

9. A method for preparing the flexible glove for drone control according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Including the following steps: Step 1: Preparation of flexible substrate: Mix PDMS Sylgard184 prepolymer and curing agent thoroughly at a preset weight ratio of 10:1, stir and then degas using a vacuum degassing machine; pour the degassed mixture into a flat mold, place it in an oven to cure and then demold to obtain a smooth PDMS film; then place it in a plasma cleaning machine to generate active hydroxyl groups on the surface to obtain a flexible substrate; Step 2: Fabricate masks for the liquid metal flexible circuit and the sensing channel of the bending sensor and attach them to the flexible substrate: Use AutoCAD drawing software to draw the patterns of the liquid metal flexible circuit, the bending sensing channel, and the module pads. The traces of the liquid metal flexible circuit are straight grids, and the traces of the bending sensing channel are hexagonal network curves. Export the patterns in .dxf format and import them into the femtosecond laser processing equipment. Cut them into precise masks on self-adhesive stickers, peel off the excess parts, and attach them to the surface of the flexible substrate. Remove the interface air by light pressure or rolling to ensure that the mask and the substrate are flat and without obvious gaps. Step 3: Spraying Gallium-Indium Eutectic Alloy Liquid Metal: Take gallium and indium in a preset weight ratio of 3:1, heat and stir to melt, and after complete fusion, allow to cool naturally at room temperature to obtain Gallium-Indium Eutectic Alloy Liquid Metal; Load the liquid metal into a spray gun, and under the conditions of controlling the spraying air pressure, the distance between the nozzle and the substrate, and the spraying angle, spray the mask opening area evenly so that the liquid metal is deposited only on the exposed PDMS surface to form a predetermined pattern; After spraying, the sample is left to stand for several minutes to enhance the interfacial wetting and adhesion between the liquid metal and the PDMS surface. Then, the mask is removed to obtain a liquid metal pattern with clear boundaries and uniform distribution. The sample is then left to stand for several minutes to enhance the interfacial bonding between the liquid metal and the PDMS substrate, so that liquid metal droplets or thin layers are partially embedded in the substrate surface, resulting in a PDMS-liquid metal composite structure with good adhesion and stable conductivity. Step 4: Integrated Soldering Function Module: Place the surface-mount components used to form the main control chip, wireless communication module, six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor, Bluetooth, GPS chip, power supply module, micro vibration motor, and three contact modules into the reserved solder pad areas, ensuring that the metal pins are aligned with the ends of the liquid metal lines; apply silver nano-conductive adhesive to each solder pad, covering the component pins and the ends of the lines, and press the surface-mount components to ensure tight adhesion; after all surface-mount components are in place, lay the flexible substrate flat on the temperature control table for gentle baking, allowing the silver nano-conductive adhesive to fully cure and form a stable conductive connection; Step 5: Encapsulation of the liquid metal circuit and its surrounding area: PDMS prepolymer is uniformly coated on the liquid metal circuit and its surrounding area, and after completely encapsulating the liquid metal circuit, it is left to stand at room temperature to allow the PDMS colloid to cure, thus obtaining a PDMS-liquid metal flexible circuit. Step 6: Measure the resistance of the PDMS-liquid metal flexible circuit at different bending angles using a multimeter, record the resistance variation curve with deformation, complete the calibration of sensor sensitivity and linear range, and verify its high-precision capture capability of finger movements in the drone control glove. Step 7: Cut the prepared PDMS-liquid metal flexible circuit into a shape corresponding to the hand and attach it to a silicone glove to obtain a flexible glove for drone control. During the attachment process, the back of the circuit and the corresponding inner surface of the silicone glove are simultaneously activated with ultraviolet ozone. The circuit is then pressed onto the silicone glove and left to stand at room temperature for a period of time. A layer of PDMS prepolymer is then coated on the attachment area and cured at low temperature to form an integrated encapsulation layer, making the circuit and the silicone glove materials fuse together.

10. The gesture control method for a flexible glove used for controlling a drone according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, include: Step 1: When the wearer brings their thumb and forefinger together, triggering the contact between contact point one and contact point two in the control glove, the drone enters working mode; Step 2: Input flight maneuver commands by bending the fingers in different ways; Step 3: Bend the ring finger towards the palm to make the drone rise, and extend it over the back of the hand to make it descend; Step 4: The middle finger gradually bends to indicate that the drone is flying forward. If the bending angle continues to increase to a certain threshold, the drone will enter an acceleration state. The middle finger gradually straightens to indicate deceleration. When the middle finger is overextended to the back of the hand, it will move backward. Step 5: Curling the little finger upwards or downwards corresponds to the drone's left and right translation, respectively; Step 6: When contact point one and contact point two are disconnected, the drone will automatically enter a hovering state and maintain its stability by relying on the built-in six-axis gyroscope accelerometer sensor. Step 7: When contact point one and contact point three are closed, the drone switches to rotation mode. The rotation of the drone is controlled by different movements of the little finger: raising the little finger corresponds to counterclockwise rotation, and pressing down the little finger triggers clockwise rotation.

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