UAV Spline Flight Interface for Real-Time Keyframe Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems lack the ability for pilots to make real-time adjustments to flight paths or sensor operations during automated flights, limiting creative control and data capture opportunities.
Innovation Solution
A graphical user interface (GUI) is implemented on a computing device that allows pilots to define keyframes for UAV flight paths, enabling the computation and display of a spline flight path. This interface permits real-time modifications to the flight path and camera operations while the UAV is in flight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a drone operates under a programmed set of flight instructions, then the flight path and sensor operations are automated and consistent, but the pilot loses the ability to make real-time adjustments to the flight path or sensor operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from a static, fully automated flight plan to a dynamic hybrid mode where the pilot can intervene in real-time. The flight controller accepts both automated spline path commands and manual pilot inputs, allowing the drone to smoothly transition between automated and manual control modes during flight, thus maintaining adaptability while preserving automation benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The flight controller serves as an intermediary that reconciles automated spline flight instructions with manual pilot commands. It processes both automated navigation data and manual control inputs, merging them into a unified control signal that drives the drone, enabling both automation and real-time adjustment capabilities to coexist.
2Ease of operation
If the pilot terminates automated flight operation to make adjustments, then real-time control is regained, but the opportunity to capture important data is lost due to reprogramming time
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically allows the pilot to switch between automated and manual modes without terminating the flight mission. The pilot can temporarily take control to capture important data or make adjustments, then return to automated operation, eliminating the need to reprogram and preventing data loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter of control mode from fixed (either fully automated or fully manual) to variable, allowing the pilot to adjust the level of automation during flight. This enables temporary manual intervention for critical moments while maintaining automated operation for routine phases, optimizing both control access and time efficiency.
3Manufacturing precision
If a team of world-class drone pilots is employed to create dynamic aerial shots, then high-quality cinematic footage is achieved, but the cost and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses pre-computed spline flight paths that replicate complex, cinematic flight maneuvers without requiring expert piloting skill. These programmed splines serve as templates for professional-quality shots, allowing less skilled pilots to achieve Hollywood-level aerial cinematography by simply executing the pre-planned paths with minimal intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
Complex flight paths and cinematic maneuvers are pre-computed and stored as spline trajectories before flight. This preliminary preparation of flight paths eliminates the need for highly skilled pilots to manually execute complex maneuvers during flight, reducing both the skill level required and the time needed to capture cinematic footage while maintaining high quality results.
Data Source
AI summary
Technology for generating and displaying a graphical user interface for operating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is disclosed herein that generates and updates a representation of a spline flight path. In various implementations, a graphical user interface detects user interactions with a remote control device directing the flight control subsystem of the UAV to record keyframes and to compute a spline based on the keyframes during flight. The graphical user interface displays a real-time perspective of the UAV with a representation of the spline and the keyframes overlaying the view. The graphical user interface continually updates the representation as the UAV flies and when the spline is updated as the keyframes are updated.