IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,886,203
Granted Patent B2
US 11,886,203 · App. 17/473,543 · Granted Jan 30, 2024

Flight control method and apparatus, and control device

Inventors: Zhuo Guo (Shenzhen, CN); Zhuo Xie (Shenzhen, CN); Haoyu Li (Shenzhen, CN); Wenlin Li (Shenzhen, CN); Ding Wang (Shenzhen, CN); Zebo Yang (Shenzhen, CN)
Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
G05D1/10B64C39/024G01C21/38G08G5/0013G08G5/0026G08G5/0034G08G5/0069B64U2201/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,886,203
App. No.
17/473,543
Granted
Jan 30, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A flight control method includes displaying a user interface configured to receive an operation instruction including coordinates of waypoints, generating route data of a route based on the coordinates of the waypoints, sending the route data to an aircraft to instruct the aircraft to execute the route, recording an interruption point during execution of the route by the aircraft, displaying a plurality of candidate starting points including at least one of the interruption point, a last waypoint of the route before the interruption point, a next waypoint of the route after the interruption point, or a user-designated waypoint, in response to a selection instruction, selecting a target starting point from the plurality of candidate starting points, and controlling the aircraft in an interrupted state to fly to the target starting point and resume the execution of the route from the target starting point.

Claims (87)

1. A flight control method comprising:

displaying, on a display, a user interface configured to receive an operation instruction, the operation instruction including coordinates of waypoints;

generating, through a processor, route data of a route based on the coordinates of the waypoints;

sending, through the processor, the route data to an aircraft to instruct the aircraft to execute the route;

detecting whether the aircraft is in an interrupted state, the aircraft in the interrupted state undergoing an interruption of the execution of the route;

in response to detecting the aircraft being in the interrupted state, recording, through a memory, an interruption point during execution of the route by the aircraft;

after the aircraft enters the interrupted state, displaying, on the display, a plurality of candidate starting points including at least one of the interruption point, a last waypoint of the route before the interruption point, a next waypoint of the route after the interruption point, or a user-designated waypoint;

in response to a selection instruction, selecting, through the processor, a target starting point from the plurality of candidate starting points; and

controlling, through the processor, the aircraft in the interrupted state to fly to the target starting point and resume the execution of the route from the target starting point.

2. The method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the operation instruction is a first operation instruction;

the method further comprising:

analyzing the route data according to a preset splitting condition, including determining whether a total number of the waypoints included in the route data is greater than or equal to a threshold number indicated in the preset splitting condition;

splitting the route into a plurality of sub-routes in response to the route data satisfying the preset splitting condition;

displaying the plurality of sub-routes and at least one candidate aircraft on the user interface;

determining a to-be-executed sub-route from the plurality of sub-routes and the aircraft from the at least one candidate aircraft according to a second operation instruction; and

transmitting the to-be-executed sub-route to the aircraft for instructing the aircraft to fly on the to-be-executed sub-route.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein splitting the route into the plurality of sub-routes includes:

splitting the route such that a number of waypoints of each of the sub-routes is less than or equal to a threshold number;

splitting the route such that a total length of each of the sub-routes is shorter than or equal to a threshold length; or

splitting the route according to a remaining battery capacity of the aircraft.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein analyzing the route data according to the preset splitting condition includes:

determining that the route data satisfies the preset splitting condition in response to the total number of the waypoints included in the route data being greater than or equal to the threshold number.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein analyzing the route data according to the preset splitting condition includes:

determining whether a route length of the route is greater than or equal to a threshold length indicated in the preset splitting condition; and

determining that the route data satisfies the preset splitting condition in response to the route length being greater than or equal to the threshold length.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein:

the aircraft is a first aircraft, and the at least one candidate aircraft further includes a second aircraft; and

splitting the route represented by the route data into the plurality of sub-routes includes:

acquiring a remaining battery capacity of each of the first aircraft and the second aircraft; and

splitting the route represented by the route data into the plurality of sub-routes according to route lengths that are able to be executed with the remaining battery capacities of the first aircraft and the second aircraft.

7. The method according to claim 2 , wherein determining the to-be-executed sub-route from the plurality of sub-routes and the aircraft from the at least one candidate aircraft includes:

determining one of the plurality of sub-routes that is selected by a route selecting event as the to-be-executed sub-route; and

determining an aircraft selected by the second operation instruction as the aircraft to fly on the route.

8. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:

determining a next to-be-executed sub-route from the plurality of sub-routes in response to receiving a flight request initiated by the aircraft; and

transmitting the next to-be-executed sub-route to the aircraft.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein determining the next to-be-executed sub-route includes:

acquiring sequence marks of the plurality of sub-routes; and

determining the next to-be-executed sub-route from the plurality of sub-routes according to an order indicated by the sequence marks.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein determining the next to-be-executed sub-route includes:

acquiring a position of one of the plurality of sub-routes that has been executed by the aircraft in the route represented by the route data; and

determining the next to-be-executed sub-route from the plurality of sub-routes according to the position.

11. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:

in response to detecting that the aircraft undergoes interruption of execution of one of the plurality of sub-routes, determining the aircraft to be in the interrupted state; and

in response to a selection on the plurality of candidate starting points, transmitting a third operation instruction to control the aircraft in the interrupted state to resume the execution of the one of the plurality of sub-routes.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:

the aircraft is in the interrupted state at the interruption point; and

the interruption point is a point that the aircraft is away from the route for a preset duration threshold.

13. A control device comprising:

a display configured to display a user interface configured to receive an operation instruction, the operation instruction including coordinates of waypoints;

a processor configured to:

generate route data of a route based on the coordinates of the waypoints;

send the route data to an aircraft to instruct the aircraft to execute the route; and

detect whether the aircraft is in an interrupted state, the aircraft in the interrupted state undergoing an interruption of the execution of the route; and

a memory recording an interruption point during execution of the route by the aircraft in response to detecting the aircraft being in the interrupted state;

wherein:

the display is further configured to, after the aircraft enters the interrupted state, display a plurality of candidate starting points including at least one of the interruption point, a last waypoint of the route before the interruption point, a next waypoint of the route after the interruption point, or a user-designated waypoint; and

the processor is further configured to:

select a target starting point from the plurality of candidate starting points in response to a selection instruction; and

control the aircraft in the interrupted state to fly to the target starting point and resume the execution of the route from the target starting point.

14. The control device according to claim 13 , wherein:

the operation instruction is a first operation instruction;

the processor is further configured to:

analyze the route data according to a preset splitting condition, including determining whether a total number of the waypoints included in the route data is greater than or equal to a threshold number indicated in the preset splitting condition; and

split the route into a plurality of sub-routes in response to the route data satisfying the preset splitting condition;

the display is further configured to display the plurality of sub-routes and at least one candidate aircraft on the user interface; and

the processor is further configured to:

determine a to-be-executed sub-route from the plurality of sub-routes and the aircraft from the at least one candidate aircraft according to a second operation instruction; and

transmit the to-be-executed sub-route to the aircraft for instructing the aircraft to fly on the to-be-executed sub-route.

15. The control device according to claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to split the route represented by the route data into the plurality of sub-routes by:

splitting the route such that a number of waypoints of each of the sub-routes is less than or equal to a threshold number;

splitting the route such that a total length of each of the sub-routes is shorter than or equal to a threshold length; or

splitting the route according to a remaining battery capacity of the aircraft.

16. The control device according to claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the route data satisfies the preset splitting condition in response to the total number of the waypoints included in the route data being greater than or equal to the threshold number.

17. The control device according to claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether a route length of the route is greater than or equal to a threshold length indicated in the preset splitting condition; and

determine that the route data satisfies the preset splitting condition in response to the route length being greater than or equal to the threshold length.

18. The control device according to claim 14 , wherein:

the aircraft is a first aircraft and the at least one candidate aircraft further includes a second aircraft; and

the processor is further configured to:

acquire a remaining battery capacity of each of the first aircraft and the second aircraft; and

split the route represented by the route data into the plurality of sub-routes, according to route lengths that are able to be executed with the remaining battery capacities of the first aircraft and the second aircraft.

19. The control device according to claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine one of the plurality of sub-routes that is selected by a route selecting event as the to-be-executed sub-route; and

determine an aircraft selected by the second operation instruction as the aircraft to fly on the route.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 13, 2021
From: GUO, ZHUO; XIE, ZHUO; LI, HAOYU; LI, WENLIN; WANG, DING; YANG, ZEBO
To: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 057466/0068 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16364625 · Mar 26, 2019
Continuation PCTCN2016100236 · Sep 27, 2016
Related Publication 20210405657A1 · Dec 30, 2021