Drone Flight Controller UI for Emergency Stop and Altitude Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional controllers for autonomously flying drones, particularly in agricultural settings, are complex and difficult for non-experts to operate, requiring manual intervention for emergency situations and fine adjustments, which is a challenge especially in narrow and complex farmland terrains.
Innovation Solution
A controller with an operation screen displaying map information, route details, and an emergency response button that is easy to access and understand, allowing for hovering and thrust generation control, along with features like altitude adjustment and peripheral equipment status, designed to simplify operations for non-experts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional controller with control stick (joystick) is used for autonomous flight, then the drone can be controlled freely, but the operation becomes complicated and difficult for non-experts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential control functions from the complex conventional controller interface and presents them through a simplified touchscreen interface with visual icons and buttons. The control stick functionality is replaced with touch-based controls that display intuitive symbols, allowing non-experts to access the same control capabilities without dealing with complex manual操纵.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a visual representation copy of the control interface on the touchscreen display, showing icons and buttons that represent physical control elements. This virtual copy allows users to interact with control functions through touch gestures rather than physical manipulation, simplifying the operation while maintaining control versatility.
2Measurement precision
If autonomous flight is implemented with computer control, then flight accuracy is improved, but manual intervention capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The touchscreen controller serves as an intermediary between the autonomous flight system and the operator. It maintains precise computer control for navigation and positioning while providing simplified touch interfaces that enable manual intervention when needed. The visual feedback system acts as a mediator, showing drone status and allowing corrective input without requiring expert knowledge.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller is designed with multi-functionality, handling both autonomous operation and manual control through a single unified interface. The same touchscreen displays both automated flight information and manual control options, allowing the system to switch between autonomous and manual modes seamlessly without requiring separate control mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If an emergency response button is made large and prominent, then ease of operation is improved, but screen space for map information is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency response button is designed with distinctive visual characteristics (color, size, position) that make it immediately recognizable and accessible. By concentrating visual attention on this specific local area of the screen, the button can be made prominent without requiring excessive screen space, as users will naturally focus on the distinct emergency indicator.
Solution Approach 2:
The emergency button utilizes the visual dimension of the touchscreen interface, employing color coding, iconography, and spatial positioning to convey its function. This allows the button to be visually prominent in the two-dimensional screen space without physically occupying excessive area, as its significance is communicated through visual hierarchy rather than sheer size alone.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a controller for controlling a drone that performs autonomous flight under computer control and a control program that runs on a tablet terminal. On a screen of the controller or the program, map information on an agricultural field over which the drone is to fly, route information on a route along which the drone is to fly, and an emergency stop button of the drone are displayed. A button for performing fine adjustment on an altitude may be displayed. It is desirable that the emergency stop button be translucent and be displayed such that the button is superimposed on the map information. It is desirable that emergency stop be performed only when a predetermined operation is performed on the emergency stop button a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined time period.