Flying camera with string assembly for localization and interaction
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an arrangement comprising, a volitant body comprising at least one actuator; a control unit for controlling said actuator; and a mechanical arrangement for operationally connecting said volitant body to a reference point remote from said volitant body. There is further provided a corresponding method for operating such an arrangement.
1. An arrangement comprising:
a volitant body;
a tether connecting the volitant body to a reference point; and
one or more physical processors configured to:
determine a tension in the tether based on an acceleration of the volitant body.
2. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured to:
obtain first information representative of one or both of an attitude or a position of the volitant body relative to the reference point, wherein the attitude of the volitant body is determined based on the tension and the acceleration; and
control an actuator of the volitant body based on the first information.
3. The arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured to:
obtain second information representative of mechanical forces applied to the tether; and
evaluate the second information to determine the first information.
4. The arrangement of claim 3 , further comprising:
a sensor, the sensor being configured to generate measurements for determining the mechanical forces.
5. The arrangement of claim 2 , further comprising:
a sensor, the sensor being configured to generate measurements representative of the position of the volitant body relative to the reference point.
6. The arrangement of claim 2 , further comprising:
a memory coupled to the one or more physical processors, the memory being configured to store second information related to properties of the tether and third information related to properties of the volitant body; and
wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured to:
perform an evaluation using one or both of the second information or the third information; and
generate the first information representative of one or both of the attitude or the position of the volitant body relative to the reference point.
7. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured to:
receive information relating to one or more of a direction, a magnitude, or a time sequence of forces applied to the tether; and
control the volitant body so that the volitant body performs a predefined maneuver, wherein the predefined maneuver is associated with the received information.
8. The arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor, the sensor being configured to generate measurements representative of one or more of the acceleration, an attitude, or a rotational rate of the volitant body.
9. The arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the volitant body further comprises a camera, and wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured to capture images using the camera.
10. A method to operate an arrangement comprising a volitant body, an actuator, a tether connecting the volitant body to a reference point, and one or more physical processors, the method comprising: controlling the actuator of the volitant body to fly remote from the reference point; and determining a tension in the tether using an acceleration of the volitant body.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: obtaining first information representative of one or both of an attitude or a position of the volitant body relative to the reference point, wherein the attitude of the volitant body is determined based on the tension and the acceleration; and controlling the actuator of the volitant body based on the first information.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
obtaining second information representative of mechanical forces applied to the tether; and
evaluating the second information to determine the first information.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising generating measurements for determining the mechanical forces.
14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating measurements representative of the position of the volitant body relative to the reference point.
15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
storing second information related to properties of the tether and third information related to properties of the volitant body;
performing an evaluation using one or both of the second information or the third information; and
generating the first information representative of one or both of the attitude or the position of the volitant body relative to the reference point.
16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving information relating to one or more of a direction, a magnitude, or a time sequence of forces applied to the tether; and
controlling the volitant body so that the volitant body performs a predefined maneuver, wherein the predefined maneuver is associated with the received information.
17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising generating measurements representative of one or more of the acceleration, an attitude, or a rotational rate of the volitant body.
18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the volitant body further comprises a camera, and the method further comprises capturing aerial images using the camera.