Aircraft flight user interface

A system for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the system comprising:

• an interactive display device;
• an interactive menu that enables a user to select from a plurality of different control modes;
• a processor;
• and
• a memory having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the system to:
• display, using the interactive display device, a graphical user interface comprising:
• a view of the physical environment based on sensor data from a sensor device onboard the UAV;
• and
• a plurality of interactive elements that enable the user to interact with the GUI to control the UAV;
• wherein an arrangement of the interactive elements dynamically changes based on a selected control mode of the plurality of different control modes;
• detect a user interaction with the GUI;
• responsive to the user interaction, identify the selected control mode, wherein the manner in which the aircraft responds to the user interaction is dependent on the selected control mode;
• interpret the detected user interaction as indicative of a particular input, command or intention associated with the selected control mode,
• wherein the arrangement of interactive elements dynamically changes based on the selected control mode and the interpretation of user interactions differs across control modes;
• translate the interpreted user interaction into a behavioral objective comprising parameter values including a target, a dead-zone region, and a weighting factor;
• and
• input the behavioral objective into a motion planner configured to generate a planned trajectory through three-dimensional space and to continually update the planned trajectory based on perception inputs including object-tracking data for a tracked subject;
• wherein an interactive element of the plurality of interactive elements dynamically changes from active to inactive in response to a determination that a maneuver by the UAV will cause a collision with an obstacle.

An aircraft flight control system comprising:

• a navigation system for:
• continually generating and updating a planned trajectory through three-dimensional space based on perception inputs, one or more behavioral objectives comprising parameter values including at least one of a target, a dead-zone region, and a weighting factor, and a tracked motion of a physical object;
• and
• controlling one or more control actuators onboard the aircraft to cause the aircraft to autonomously fly through a physical environment along the planned trajectory;
• and
• a graphical user interface (GUI) coupled to the navigation system to enable a user to define behavioral objectives for processing by the navigation system, the GUI comprising:
• a view of the physical environment based on the perception inputs;
• a representation of the planned trajectory overlaid on the view of the physical environment;
• and
• an interactive element that dynamically changes based on a selected control mode of a plurality of different user-selectable control modes;
• wherein user interaction with the interactive element is interpreted differently based on the selected control mode and is translated into the behavioral objective for processing by a motion planner of the navigation system to control the aircraft.