Systems and methods for monitoring flight

• US 10,692,311 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• 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: Gong, Ming, Dai, Jin, Cui, Hao, Wang, Xiaodong, Huang, Han, Wu, Jun, Fan, Wei, Ma, Ning, Rong, Xinhua, Lin, Xingsen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao Long T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Berns, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US15/850,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20180137694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 9/00 Adjustable control surfaces or members, e.g. rudders trimming stabilising surfaces B64C5/10
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0055 with safety arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/004 Indicating the operating range of the engine economical driving B60R16/0236, F02B77/084; measuring liquid fuel of an engine G01F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A device for recording user operation data for a remotely controlled vehicle includes a memory off-board the remotely controlled vehicle and a housing receiving the memory. The memory is configured to record user operation data comprising outgoing operation commands that affect operation of the remotely controlled vehicle. The outgoing operation commands are received via a remote controller of the remotely controlled vehicle and transmitted to the remotely controlled vehicle. The housing is removable from the remote controller and more resistant to destruction than the rest of the remote controller.

Claims

1. A device for recording user operation data for a remotely controlled vehicle, the device comprising:

a memory off-board the remotely controlled vehicle and configured to record user operation data, the user operation data comprising outgoing operation commands that affect operation of the remotely controlled vehicle, the outgoing operation commands being received via a remote controller of the remotely controlled vehicle and transmitted to the remotely controlled vehicle; and

a housing receiving the memory, the housing being removable from the remote controller and more resistant to destruction than the rest of the remote controller;

wherein the device is configured to enter an accident mode that prevents updates to the user operation data recorded in the memory in response to the device being alerted that an accident condition is detected.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises at least one of a shock-absorbing material or a waterproof material.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a tamper-evident structure comprising:

a label adhered to a fastener of the housing and configured to be physically damaged in case of an attempt to unfasten the fastener.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a tamper-evident structure comprising:

a fastener of the housing that is coupled to an electrical circuit, a detected change to the electrical circuit resulting from an attempt to unfasten the fastener being recorded to the memory or a processing unit of the remote controller.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor in communication with the memory and configured to;

receive the outgoing operation commands from a user,

receive an identity of the user entering the outgoing operation commands, and

associate the user operation data with the user using the identity of the user.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory comprises:

physically separated storage regions configured to separately store the user operation data for a plurality of users;

or

digitally separated databases configured to separately store the user operation data for the plurality of users.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the user operation data further comprises at least one of a location of a user or an identification of the remotely controlled vehicle.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the user operation data is associated with a corresponding time.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the accident condition comprises at least one of a loss of a global positioning system signal of the remotely controlled vehicle, a loss of a radio connection of the remotely controlled vehicle, a collision of the remotely controlled vehicle, an entry of the remotely controlled vehicle into a restricted area, a deviation of a flight path of the remotely controlled vehicle from a projected path, an abnormal acceleration of the remotely controlled vehicle, an abnormal speed of the remotely controlled vehicle, an abnormal temperature of the remotely controlled vehicle, or an indicating of poor visibility by data from a vision sensor of the remotely controlled vehicle.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is further configured to exit the accident mode in response to receiving instructions that the accident condition has been resolved.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the instructions are issued by a user having special privileges or authorization.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the outgoing operation commands affect positioning of a payload on-board the remotely controlled vehicle with respect to the rest of the remotely controlled vehicle.

13. A system for data recording comprising:

the device of claim 1; and

a vehicle operation data recorder having a memory on-board the remotely controlled vehicle and configured to record vehicle operation data, the vehicle operation data comprising incoming operation commands that affect operation of the remotely controlled vehicle, the incoming operation commands being received by the remotely controlled vehicle from the remote controller of the remotely controlled vehicle.

14. A remote controller comprising:

a device for recording user operation data for a remotely controlled vehicle, the device comprising;

a memory off-board the remotely controlled vehicle and configured to record user operation data, the user operation data comprising outgoing operation commands that affect operation of the remotely controlled vehicle, the outgoing operation commands being received via a remote controller of the remotely controlled vehicle and transmitted to the remotely controlled vehicle; and

a housing receiving the memory, the housing being removable from the remote controller and more resistant to destruction than the rest of the remote controller;

wherein the device is configured to enter an accident mode that prevents updates to the user operation data recorded in the memory in response to the device being alerted that an accident condition is detected;

a user interface configured to receive the outgoing operation commands and to control operation of the remotely controlled vehicle; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the outgoing operation commands from the remote controller to the remotely controlled vehicle.

15. A method for recording user operation data for a remotely controlled vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, through a user interface of a remote controller, outgoing operation commands, the remote controller comprising a user operation data recorder remote to the remotely controlled vehicle;

recording the user operation data to a memory of the user operation data recorder, the user operation data comprising the outgoing operation commands; and

causing the user operation data recorder to enter an accident mode that prevents updates to the user operation data recorded in the memory in response to an alert that an accident condition is detected,

wherein the memory is received in a housing that is removable from the remote controller and more resistant to destruction than the rest of the remote controller.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving an identity of a user entering the outgoing operation commands; and

associating the user operation data with the user using the identity of the user.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein recording the user operation data to the memory comprises:

separately storing the user operation data for a plurality of users to physically separated storage regions of the memory, or

separately storing the user operation data for the plurality of users to digitally separated databases of the memory.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the accident condition comprises at least one of a loss of a global positioning system signal of the remotely controlled vehicle, a loss of a radio connection of the remotely controlled vehicle, a collision of the remotely controlled vehicle, an entry of the remotely controlled vehicle into a restricted area, a deviation of a flight path of the remotely controlled vehicle from a projected path, an abnormal acceleration of the remotely controlled vehicle, an abnormal speed of the remotely controlled vehicle, an abnormal temperature of the remotely controlled vehicle, or an indicating of poor visibility by data from a vision sensor of the remotely controlled vehicle.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

causing the user operation data recorder to exit the accident mode in response to

receiving instructions that the accident condition has been resolved.