System and method for supporting movable object application development

• US 10,116,785 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: Liu, Weifeng, Li, Xiaojun, Zhao, Caihua, Li, Nanning, Xu, Changjian
• Primary Examiner(s): HUANG, WEN WU
• Application Number:
  US15/349,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 455 7, 455 111, 455 16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/088 Usage controlling of secret information, e.g. techniques for restricting cryptographic keys to pre-authorized uses, different access levels, validity of crypto-period, different key- or password length, or different strong and weak cryptographic algorithms network architectures or network communication protocols for using time-dependent keys in a packet data network H04L63/068
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Systems and methods can support application development in a movable object environment. A movable object manager can establish a connection with a movable object, and receives one or more data packets from the movable object. Then, the movable object manager can provide information in said one or more data packets to an application on a user terminal.

Claims

1. A method for supporting application development in a movable object environment, comprising:

establishing, via a movable object manager, a connection with a movable object configured to process commands for controlling at least one hardware module on the movable object;

receiving, via said movable object manager, one or more data packets from the movable object, wherein the data packets include information corresponding to the at least one hardware module on the movable object;

providing, via said movable object manager, the information in said one or more data packets to an application on a user terminal; and

providing, via said movable object manager, one or more commands from the application to the movable object, wherein the commands include information corresponding to the at least one hardware module on the movable object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the movable object is a unmanned aircraft, a unmanned vehicle, a hand-held device, or a robot.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via said movable object manager, one or more commands from the application; and

sending, via said movable object manager, the one or more commands to the movable object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a communication device to receive said one or more data packets from the movable object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the communication device operates to communicate with the movable object via multiple links, wherein each said link is used to transmit a different type of data packets.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the communication device operates to communicate with the movable object via a link, which is used to transmit mixed types of data packets.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a communication manager to handle a communication protocol associated with said one or more data packets.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a data manager to distribute information received from the movable object to the application on the user terminal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said movable object manager is accessible by one or more applications via an interface.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

associating the interface with one or more interfacing components, wherein each said interfacing component represents a module in a movable object.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

associating each said interfacing component with a listener, which allows the interfacing component to receive information that relates to the module represented.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the movable object is an unmanned aircraft;

the at least one hardware module includes a camera, a battery, a gimbal, a communication device, and a flight controller; and

the interface includes a camera component, a battery component, a gimbal component, a communication component, and a flight controller component.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the interface includes a ground station component, which is associated with the flight controller component, wherein said ground station component operates to perform one or more flight control operations.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using an authentication server to authenticate the application before allowing the application to communicate with the movable object, wherein the authentication server is associated with a software development kit.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method is implemented as a part of a software development kit.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user terminal includes a plurality of applications including the application to which the information in said one or more data packets is provided,

the one or more data packets received from the movable object further including information corresponding to the application; and

providing, via said movable object manager, the information in said one or more data packets to the application further comprises using the information corresponding to the application.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the application has an associated privilege; and

the method further comprises verifying the associated privilege before providing, via the movable object manager, the information in said one or more data packets to the application.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

an external authentication server grants the associated privilege to the application.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the application has an associated privilege; and

the method further comprises verifying the associated privilege before providing, via the movable object manager, the one or more commands from the application to the movable object.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

an external authentication server grants the associated privilege to the application.

21. A system for supporting application development in a movable object environment, comprising:

one or more microprocessors;

a movable object manager, running on the one or more microprocessors, wherein the movable object manager operates to

establish a connection with a movable object configured to process commands for controlling at least one hardware module on the movable object;

receive one or more data packets from the movable object, wherein the data packets include information corresponding to the at least one hardware module on the movable object;

provide the information in said one or more data packets to an application on a user terminal; and

providing one or more commands from the application to the movable object, wherein the commands include information corresponding to the at least one hardware module on the movable object.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the movable object is a unmanned aircraft, a unmanned vehicle, a hand-held device, or a robot.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein:

said movable object manager operates to;

receive one or more commands from the application; and

send the one or more commands to the movable object.

24. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a communication device that operates to receive said one or more data packets from the movable object.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein:

the communication device operates to communicate with the movable object via multiple links, wherein each said link is used to transmit a different type of data packets.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein:

the communication device operates to communicate with the movable object via a link, which is used to transmit mixed types of data packets.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the movable object manager operates to use a communication manger to handle a communication protocol associated with said one or more data packets.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the movable object manager operates to use a data manager to distribute information received from the movable object to the application on the user terminal.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein:

said movable object manager is accessible by one or more applications via an interface.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein:

the interface is associated with one or more interfacing components, wherein each said interfacing component represents a module in the movable object.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein:

each said interfacing component is associated with a listener, which allows the interfacing component to receive information that relates to the represented module.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein:

the movable object is an unmanned aircraft;

the at least one hardware module includes a camera, a battery, a gimbal, a communication device, and a flight controller; and

the interface includes a camera component, a battery component, a gimbal component a communication component, and a flight controller component.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein:

the interface includes a ground station component, which is associated with the flight controller component, wherein said ground station component operates to perform one or more flight control operations.

34. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

an authentication server that operates to authenticate the application before allowing the application to communicate with the movable object, wherein the authentication server is associated with a software development kit.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a processor, perform the steps comprising:

establishing, via a movable object manager, a connection with a movable object configured to process commands for controlling at least one hardware module on the movable object;

receiving, via said movable object manager, one or more data packets from the movable object, wherein the data packets include information corresponding to the at least one hardware module on the movable object;

providing, via said movable object manager, the information in said one or more data packets to an the application on a user terminal; and

providing, via said movable object manager, one or more commands from the application to the movable object, wherein the commands include information corresponding to the at least one hardware module on the movable object.

36. A system for supporting application development in a movable object environment, comprising:

one or more microprocessors;

a movable object manager, running on the one or more microprocessors, wherein the movable object manager operates to

establish a connection with a movable object configured to process commands for controlling at least one hardware module on the movable object;

receive one or more data packets from the movable object, wherein the data packets include information corresponding to the at least one hardware module on the movable object;

provide the information in said one or more data packets to an application on a user terminal; and

providing one or more commands from the application to the movable object, wherein the commands include information corresponding to the at least one hardware module on the movable object.