Techniques for UAV Gimbal Stabilization

Coil actuator that uses electromagnetic forces to drive mechanical motion by applying current to a coil in a magnetic field. The coil is attached to a structural element that rotates when placed in a magnetic field. This allows the coil actuator to rotate connected objects about an axis without moving parts or bearings. The coil actuator can be used in applications like gimbals without requiring a separate motor or inverters.

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A 3-axis angular velocity sensor that employs a guided mass system to achieve improved offset stability, vibration rejection, and reduced part-to-part coupling. The sensor features a substrate, a rotating structure, a drive mass, and an element coupling the drive mass to the rotating structure. The drive mass is driven into oscillation along a first axis in-plane to the substrate, while the rotating structure is driven into rotational oscillation around a second axis normal to the substrate. The sensor includes a first transducer to sense the motion of the rotating structure in response to a Coriolis force, and a second transducer to sense the motion of the sensor during a drive mode.

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A tracking control method for tilt-rotor multi-rotor UAVs based on dual quaternions, which enables stable position and attitude tracking of the UAV by utilizing the compact and singularity-free representation of dual quaternions to model the UAV's motion. The method employs a dual quaternion-based tracking control law that combines proportional, integral, and derivative terms to achieve precise tracking of the desired configuration.

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Automatically adjusting the orientation of a gimbal on an aerial vehicle like a drone based on predicted flight trajectory to provide more immersive and realistic aerial photography experience. The gimbal attitude is adjusted by aligning it with the predicted velocity direction at points on the predicted flight path. This binds the gimbal orientation to the flight trajectory based on velocity, so the gimbal automatically follows the drone's predicted motion.

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A stabilizing device for drones carrying loads like NDT instruments that allows the drone to maintain stability when moving horizontally with a cantilevered load. The device consists of a connecting element attached to the drone, a tilting arm attached to the connecting element, and a load arm attached to the tilting arm. An IMU on the tilting arm detects its angle and a processing unit generates control signals to adjust thrust and extend/retract the arms to counteract load forces. This keeps the load stable during horizontal flight without needing the drone to tilt. An I/O unit can transmit load data to the drone for coordinated control.

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A gimbal control method and device that prevents camera damage during power-off or sleep transitions by gradually reducing motor torque based on the camera's moment of inertia. The method configures motor control parameters during operation to account for the camera's mass and calculates the moment of inertia using IMU data. When the gimbal powers off or enters sleep mode, the motor torque is gradually reduced according to the configured parameters to prevent sudden impacts.

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Split control architecture for UAV autopilots that improves stability, accuracy, and power efficiency by utilizing the optimal processing capabilities of separate real-time and non-real-time processors. The architecture has a real-time main processor (like a low-level microcontroller) executing a rate damping loop algorithm to generate motor control signals for stability. A non-real-time co-processor (like a high-level microprocessor) computes complex algorithms like state estimation, flight control, and mission control using raw sensor data. This split configuration allows using computationally intensive algorithms without compromising efficiency, improves stability by compensating for co-processor latency, reduces power consumption, and enables better peripheral interfacing like LAN/WiFi.

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Stabilizing flight of an aerial vehicle with movable propulsion units to prevent fluttering and resonance issues when actuators fail. The method involves using the thrust force itself as a manipulated variable to control the propulsion unit's position and orientation. If actuators and propulsion fail, the thrust force still provides feedback to stabilize. Alternatively, the propulsion unit's motion is used to control mounting structure deformation. This closed-loop control prevents fluttering and resonance without relying on actuators.

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Aerial vehicle with agile maneuverability and vertical takeoff/landing capability for applications like autonomous swarms in complex environments. The vehicle is a fixed-wing UAV with a gimballed propeller that can pivot to change angle. This allows high angle-of-attack flight for tight turns and obstacle avoidance. A nonlinear model predictive control algorithm optimizes trajectories in real-time to navigate complex environments. Stereo vision sensors provide 3D mapping for obstacle detection during flight. The UAV can takeoff vertically like a rotorcraft and land softly in stalled flight. The gimballed propeller enables single-propulsion vertical flight without extra vertical thrusters.

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Fault-tolerant control of unmanned aerial vehicles that allows them to maintain flight and land safely when they experience motor failures. When a motor fails, the system can disable the opposing motor to maintain balance and control. It reconfigures the flight control priorities and commands to prioritize stability and flight over yaw control. This is because a motor-disabled aerial vehicle has fewer independent control axes. The system also implements a bank-to-yaw control architecture during motor failures. This involves using bank angle changes for yaw control instead of differential thrust.

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Stabilizing a camera on a gimbal and drone to eliminate vibrations and jitter during high-frequency motion like drone flight. The stabilization system uses an inertial measurement unit on the gimbal to detect the current orientation. A processor calculates the difference between the desired orientation and the current one. It then commands the camera's actuators to move the optical elements by that amount to compensate for the gimbal motion. This allows stable footage on moving platforms without needing fine-tuned gimbal control.

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A control allocation method for multi-actuator systems, particularly MAV-VTOL aircraft, that optimizes power distribution between actuators by minimizing the maximum power demand. The method uses a weighted allocation matrix where individual actuator weights are determined based on their deviation from a mean value of the desired control commands. This approach reduces the maximum required command power and enables better power distribution between multiple actuators.

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Vibration reduction structure for movable platforms like drones to improve image stabilization when shooting from a moving platform. The structure connects the platform body to the gimbal using multiple damping members. It has a first bracket connecting to the platform head, a second bracket connecting to the platform head, and a third bracket connecting to the platform tail. Vibration dampers between the brackets absorb vibrations transmitted from the platform body. This reduces vibrations at the gimbal and improves image stability.

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A flight control system for aerial vehicles that optimizes motor control based on environmental conditions. The system detects environmental data, adjusts motor limits, and validates torque values to ensure feasible motor inputs. It determines a minimum torque for hover status and iteratively validates torque values to prevent unachievable motor inputs. The system adjusts motor speeds based on validated torque values to maintain stable flight in changing environmental conditions.

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Method to improve yaw fusion and convergence speed in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by combining GPS, IMU, and magnetometer data. The method involves calculating a corrected yaw from IMU and GPS, aligning the magnetometer yaw using GPS and IMU, and realigning the yaw using GPS again. This multiple-step alignment improves convergence in weak GPS and strong magnetic fields.

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A two-axis direct-drive rotation mechanism for observation devices, comprising a pan-axis assembly and a tilt-axis assembly. The pan-axis assembly includes a direct-drive motor, encoder, and electronic circuit board, while the tilt-axis assembly includes a direct-drive motor, encoder, and electronic circuit board. The mechanism enables 360° rotation of the observation device in both pan and tilt axes, with independent control of each axis. The design features a compact and waterproof structure, with integrated motor and encoder components, and a dynamic sealing system to protect against environmental factors. The mechanism is suitable for use in scanning equipment, communications equipment, and observation systems for motor vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

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A four-degree-of-freedom gimbal-based camera stabilization system that enables arbitrary mounting and unlimited rotation of a camera in space. The system comprises two sub-systems: a three-loop PID controller for stabilizing the camera's angular velocity, and a cascaded PID controller for controlling the relative velocity of the gimbal's first frame. The system eliminates the need for dynamic conversions to calculate motor torques, simplifying control and enabling precise stabilization in a wide range of orientations.

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A gimbal device for automatic tracking of subjects without human intervention, comprising a depth camera, control unit, and actuator. The depth camera captures spatial coordinates of the subject, which are processed by the control unit to determine direction adjustments for the gimbal. The actuator implements these adjustments to maintain the subject in frame, enabling hands-free operation and improved tracking performance.

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A drone with anti-torque compensation system that maintains hovering stability and prevents tumbling during failure scenarios. The system includes an anti-torque compensator that tilts the propulsor to maintain yaw axis angular velocity within a target range. When a propulsor failure occurs, the system stabilizes the drone's rotation by blocking power to a portion of the propulsor, then activates the anti-torque compensator to maintain stability and prevent tumbling. The system enables safe landing and recovery of the drone in the event of a failure.

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A gimbal for stabilizing a supported unit in a predetermined attitude, comprising an acceleration sensor, a first calculator, a rotator, an angle detecting sensor, and a second calculator. The gimbal calculates attitude information using the acceleration sensor, detects rotation angle of the rotator, and calculates a correction value for the angle information using the attitude information and the detected rotation angle.

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