Apparatus and method for controlling its operation

• US 10,216,184 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Vega, Victor, Koh, Adrian, Esser, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Sood, Anshul
• Application Number:
  US15/399,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20170192421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/00 Type of UAV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising a reader and a controller operatively coupled to the reader, wherein the reader is configured to receive certificate data from an external tag and to provide said certificate data to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to receive said certificate data from the reader, to verify whether the certificate data are valid, and to enable operation of the apparatus if the certificate data are valid. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding method for controlling the operation of an apparatus is conceived. According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding computer program product is provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing;

a certification sticker adhered to the housing, the certification sticker including an NFC tag embedded therein;

an NFC reader;

a controller operatively coupled to the NFC reader;

wherein the NFC reader is configured to;

receive certificate data from the NFC tag that is embedded in the certification sticker that is adhered to the housing of the apparatus;

provide said certificate data to the controller; and

wherein the controller is configured to;

receive said certificate data from the NFC reader;

verify whether the certificate data are valid;

enable operation of the apparatus if the certificate data are valid;

wherein the apparatus is a drone and the controller is a flight controller;

wherein the controller is further configured to set permissible zones of operation using the certificate data.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to disable operation of the apparatus if the certificate data are invalid.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the certificate data include at least one of the following data:

user credentials, use classifications, an insurance certificate.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a long-range wireless communication unit that is operatively coupled to the controller.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the controller is further arranged to transmit, using the long-range wireless communication unit, a notification comprising a user authentication request to a mobile device.

6. An apparatus as claimed claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to broadcast or backscatter, using the long-range wireless communication unit, an identifier of the apparatus to other devices if the certificate data are invalid.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a GPS module, wherein the flight controller is configured to receive location data from said GPS module, and wherein the flight controller is configured to restrict a flight of the drone to flight zones defined in accordance with the certificate data.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a sensor, wherein the flight controller is further configured to restrict the flight of the drone in accordance with measurement data received from said sensor.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises a decryption unit for decrypting encrypted certificate data.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a secure element for securely storing said certificate data and/or for inhibiting tampering.

11. A method for controlling the operation of an apparatus, said apparatus comprising a reader and a controller operatively coupled to the reader, wherein:

a certification sticker is adhered to the apparatus, the certification sticker including an NFC tag embedded therein;

the reader receives certificate data from the NFC tag that is embedded in the certification sticker that is adhered to the apparatus;

the reader provides said certificate data to the controller;

the controller receives said certificate data from the reader;

the controller verifies whether the certificate data are valid;

the controller enables operation of the apparatus if the certificate data are valid;

wherein the apparatus is a drone and the controller is a flight controller;

wherein the controller is further configured to set permissible zones of operation using the certificate data.

12. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a controller, cause said controller to carry out or control steps of a method as claimed in claim 11.

13. A drone comprising:

a housing;

a certification sticker adhered to the housing of the drone, the certification sticker including an NFC tag embedded therein;

an NFC reader;

a controller operatively coupled to the NFC reader;

wherein the NFC reader is configured to;

receive certificate data from the NFC tag that is embedded in the certification sticker that is adhered to the housing of the apparatus;

provide said certificate data to the controller; and

wherein the controller is configured to;

receive said certificate data from the NFC reader;

verify whether the certificate data are valid;

enable operation of the apparatus if the certificate data are valid.

14. The drone of claim 13, wherein the controller is a flight controller and wherein the controller is further configured to set permissible zones of operation using the certificate data.