# US 2021/0240180 A1 · Aerial device and method for controlling the aerial device

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- Number: US 2021/0240180 A1
- Document ID: US20210240180A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/226,108
- Filed: 2021-04-09
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2017-02-14
- Assignees: Hangzhou Zero Zero Technology Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Hangzhou Zero Zero Technology Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Zheng QU; Pengxiang JIN; Tong ZHANG
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210240180A1

## CPC

- G05D 1/005: {by providing the operator with signals other than visual, e.g. acoustic, haptic}
- B64C 39/024: {of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV}
- G05D 1/0016: {characterised by the operator's input device (input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00)}
- G05D 1/0202: {specially adapted to aircraft}
- G05D 1/223: Command input arrangements on the remote controller, e.g. joysticks or touch screens
- G05D 1/224: Output arrangements on the remote controller, e.g. displays, haptics or speakers
- G05D 1/227: Handing over between remote control and on-board control; Handing over between remote control arrangements
- G05D 1/46: Control of position or course in three dimensions [3D]
- G06F 1/169: {the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033)}
- G06F 1/1694: {the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer}
- G06F 1/3215: Monitoring of peripheral devices
- G06F 1/3262: {Power saving in digitizer or tablet}
- G06F 3/016: {Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user}
- G06F 3/017: {Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883)}
- G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
- G06F 3/04883: for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
- B64U 10/00: Type of UAV
- B64U 10/14: with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
- B64U 30/20: Rotors; Rotor supports
- B64U 50/19: using electrically powered motors
- B64U 50/30: Supply or distribution of electrical power
- B64U 2101/30: for imaging, photography or videography
- B64U 2201/20: Remote controls
- G06F 2203/04808: Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- B64C: AEROPLANES; HELICOPTERS
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR

## Abstract

An aerial device includes a body, an optical system having gimbal supporting a camera, a lift mechanism coupled to the body, a haptic sensor coupled to the body and configured to generate haptic data, and a processing system disposed in the body and in data communication with the haptic sensor. The processing system is configured to process the haptic data to understand an intended position of the aerial device and/or an intended orientation of the gimbal and convert the intended position to a target position of the aerial device and/or the intended orientation to a target orientation of the gimbal utilizing said processed data irrespective of an initial position of said aerial device and an initial orientation of said gimbal. Also disclosed is a method for controlling the aerial device.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-21. (canceled)

### Claim 22

A system for use with an aerial device, the aerial device including a body, a lift mechanism, an optical system and a gimbal, the lift mechanism being coupled to the body and configured to provide at least one of lift and thrust to the body, the optical system being coupled to the body and having a camera, the gimbal supporting the camera and enabling rotational movement of the camera, the system comprising:
a haptic sensor coupled to the body and configured to generate haptic data; and
a processing system and in communication with the haptic sensor and being configured to:
receive the haptic data from the haptic sensor; and
determine at least one of a target position of the aerial device and a target orientation of the gimbal based on the haptic data.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The system of claim 22, wherein the determine at least one of the target position of the aerial device and the target orientation of the gimbal based on the haptic data including:
processing the haptic data to understand at least one of an intended position of the aerial device and an intended orientation of the gimbal; and
converting the at least one of the intended position of the aerial device and the intended orientation of the gimbal to at least one of the target position of the aerial device and the target orientation of the gimbal utilizing the processed data.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one of the intended position of the aerial device and the intended orientation of the gimbal is converted to at least one of the target position of the aerial device and the target orientation of the gimbal utilizing the processed data irrespective of an initial position of the aerial device and an initial orientation of the gimbal.

### Claim 25 (depends on 23)

The system of claim 23, wherein the aerial device further includes at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscope for stabilizing the aerial device; and
the processing system is further configured to deactivate self-stabilization of said aerial device upon processing the haptic data received from the haptic sensor.

### Claim 26 (depends on 22)

The system of claim 22, wherein the aerial device has a control interface disposed on the body with the control interface being free of at least one actuation button.

### Claim 27 (depends on 22)

The system of claim 22, wherein the haptic sensor is one of a touch sensor and a touch screen.

### Claim 28 (depends on 22)

The system of claim 22, wherein the haptic sensor is mounted to the body and the processing system is further configured to determine the target position of the aerial device utilizing the haptic data generated by the haptic sensor.

### Claim 29 (depends on 22)

The system of claim 22, wherein the aerial device further includes a housing coupled to the body and the optical system is disposed within the housing with the haptic sensor mounted to the housing; and
the processing system is further configured to determine the target orientation of the gimbal utilizing the haptic data generated by the haptic sensor.

### Claim 30 (depends on 22)

The system of claim 22, wherein the haptic sensor is further includes a first haptic sensor coupled to the body and a second haptic sensor coupled to the body;
the first haptic sensor is configured to generate first haptic data and the second haptic sensor is configured to generate second haptic data; and
the processing system is further configured to determine the target position utilizing the first haptic data and the target orientation utilizing the second haptic data.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The system of claim 30, wherein each of the first haptic sensor and the second haptic sensor is selected from a touch sensor and a touch screen.

### Claim 32

A system for use with an aerial device, the aerial device including a body, an optical system coupled to the body and having a camera, a gimbal supporting the camera, the system including:
a haptic sensor coupled to the body; and
a processing system and in data communication with the haptic sensor with the aerial device having an initial position and the gimbal having an initial orientation, the processing system being configured to:
activate the haptic sensor to generate haptic data;
receive the haptic data from the haptic sensor;
determine at least one of a target position of the aerial device and a target orientation of the gimbal based on the haptic data; and
move at least one of the aerial device from the initial position to the target position and the gimbal from the initial orientation to the target orientation.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32, wherein the determine at least one of the target position of the aerial device and the target orientation of the gimbal based on the haptic data including:
processing the haptic data to understand at least one of an intended position of the aerial device and an intended orientation of the gimbal; and
converting the at least one of the intended position of the aerial device and the intended orientation of the gimbal to at least one of the target position of the aerial device and the target orientation of the gimbal utilizing the processed data.

### Claim 34 (depends on 33)

The system of claim 33, wherein the at least one of the intended position of the aerial device and the intended orientation of the gimbal is converted to at least one of the target position of the aerial device and the target orientation of the gimbal utilizing the processed data irrespective of the initial position of the aerial device and the initial orientation of the gimbal.

### Claim 35 (depends on 33)

The system of claim 33, wherein the aerial device further includes at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscope; and
the processing system is further configured to deactivate self-stabilization of the aerial device upon processing the haptic data received from the haptic sensor.

### Claim 36 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32, wherein the haptic sensor is a touch sensor; and
wherein the processing system in performing the activating step is configured to:
activate the touch sensor with a single finger touch and maintain the single finger touch on the touch sensor during the step of moving at least one of the aerial device from the initial position to the target position and the gimbal from the initial orientation to the target orientation.

### Claim 37 (depends on 36)

The system of claim 36, wherein the processing system is further configured to deactivate the touch sensor by removing the single finger touch from the touch sensor after the moving step.

### Claim 38 (depends on 33)

The system of claim 33, wherein the haptic sensor is a touch sensor mounted to the body of the aerial device; and
the processing system in performing the converting step is further configured convert the intended position to the target position of the aerial device utilizing the processed data.

### Claim 39 (depends on 33)

The system of claim 33, wherein the aerial device further has a housing coupled to the body and the optical system disposed in the housing;
the haptic sensor is a touch sensor mounted to the housing; and
the processing system in performing the converting step is further configured to convert the intended orientation to the target orientation of the gimbal utilizing the processed data.

### Claim 40 (depends on 39)

The system of claim 39, wherein the processing system is further configured to rotate the gimbal to effect movement of the aerial device to the target orientation.

### Claim 41 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32, wherein the haptic sensor is further includes a first haptic sensor coupled to the body and a second haptic sensor coupled to the body;
wherein the processing system is further configured to:
activate the first haptic sensor and the second haptic sensor by touching each of the first haptic sensor and the second haptic sensor with a single finger touch; and
move at least one of the aerial device to the target position and the gimbal to the target orientation while maintaining the touching of the first haptic sensor and the second haptic sensor.

### Claim 42 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32, wherein the haptic sensor is a touch screen mounted to the body; and
the processing system, in performing the activating step, is further configured to activate the touch screen with a finger swipe and generate haptic data representative of a swipe direction by the touch screen.

### Claim 43 (depends on 33)

The system of claim 33, wherein the aerial device further includes a housing coupled to the body and the optical system being disposed within the body;
the haptic sensor is a touch screen mounted to the housing; and
the processing system perform the converting step by converting the intended orientation to the target orientation of the gimbal utilizing the processed data.

### Claim 44 (depends on 32)

The system of claim 32, wherein the haptic sensor is a touch screen mounted to the housing;
the processing system performs the activating step by activating the touch screen with a finger swipe, and
the processing system is further configured to generate haptic data representative of a swipe direction by the touch screen.