Aerial Gimbal Control Using Haptic Input Instead of Multi-Button Commands
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators of unmanned aerial devices face challenges in controlling their position and orientation due to the complexity of multi-button interfaces, requiring simultaneous actuation of multiple buttons for precise movement and camera orientation.
Innovation Solution
An aerial device equipped with haptic sensors and a processing system that generates and processes haptic data to determine intended positions and orientations, allowing for target positioning and orientation conversion without relying on initial device states, enabling button-free control through touch sensors or touch screens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional multi-button control interfaces are used, then precise control of aerial device position and orientation is achieved, but operator complexity and difficulty of operation increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical button-pressing operations with haptic sensor-based touch detection. The haptic sensor detects operator input through tactile interaction with the device body, converting physical touch into control signals. This substitution eliminates the need to learn and memorize multiple button functions while maintaining precise control capability, directly resolving the contradiction between control precision and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The haptic sensor serves as an intermediary between the operator and the aerial device control system. Instead of directly pressing buttons on a remote controller, the operator interacts with the device body itself through haptic feedback mechanisms. This intermediary layer simplifies the interface by allowing intuitive touch-based control while the processing system handles the complex conversion of haptic data into precise positional and orientational commands
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple buttons are required for simultaneous actuation, then comprehensive control functionality is achieved, but learning curve and operational time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The haptic sensor integrated into the device body serves multiple control functions simultaneously. A single haptic interaction point can control both aerial device position and gimbal orientation depending on the touch location and pattern, eliminating the need for separate buttons for each function. This multi-functionality approach maintains comprehensive control capability while dramatically reducing the time required to learn and operate the system
3Ease of operation
If remote control with hand-held device is used, then operator control is achieved, but interface complexity and button combinations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control interface from the remote hand-held device and integrates it directly into the aerial device body through haptic sensors. By removing the complex button array from the remote controller and replacing it with simple haptic touch detection on the device body, the system maintains remote control capability while eliminating interface complexity and the need for multiple button combinations
Data Source
AI summary
An aerial device includes a body, an optical system having gimbal supporting a camera, a lift mechanism coupled to the body, a haptic sensor coupled to the body and configured to generate haptic data, and a processing system disposed in the body and in data communication with the haptic sensor. The processing system is configured to process the haptic data to understand an intended position of the aerial device and/or an intended orientation of the gimbal and convert the intended position to a target position of the aerial device and/or the intended orientation to a target orientation of the gimbal utilizing said processed data irrespective of an initial position of said aerial device and an initial orientation of said gimbal. Also disclosed is a method for controlling the aerial device.