Unmanned ground and aerial vehicle attachment system

• US 10,713,102 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2017
• Issued: 07/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matias Klein
• Original Assignee: Matias Klein
• Inventors: Klein, Matias
• Primary Examiner(s): Su, Sarah
• Application Number:
  US15/642,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20180011751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4252 using a handshaking protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for hot swapping one or more module devices on a single host device. A module device can perform module-specific tasks that are defined in its module software driver. Using one or more application programming interfaces, the host device communicates with the module device'"'"'s module software driver to allow the module device to perform module-specific tasks while removably connected to the host device.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that upon execution cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

establishing a module-host connection between a module device and a robot when the module device is installed in a housing member mounted on a chassis of the robot;

detecting said module-host connection via a host bus connection polling;

identifying a module device identifier associated with said module device;

retrieving a module software driver correlating to said module device identifier from cloud services remote from module device and the robot, wherein (i) said module software driver defines a module-specific task corresponding to said module device and (ii) the module-specific task includes mapping a designated geographic area around the robot; and

generating a message comprising an API call from said module device to said host device to enable said module device to perform said module-specific task while connected to said host device, wherein the module device uses the API call to access data or manipulate data at the host device to perform the module-specific task.

2. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise:

generating a message comprising a second API call from said module device to the cloud services to access one or more databases hosted on said cloud services.

3. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein said module device identifier is stored in a module database hosted on said cloud services.

4. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise:

registering said module device in a module database hosted on the cloud services.

5. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise:

suspending said module device from performing said module-specific task until a handshake protocol is completed between said module device and said host device.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise:

retrieving user data associated with said module device, wherein said user data comprises user account information, further wherein said user account information comprises credentials for authenticating a user corresponding to said user data;

validating said user credentials to obtain authorization to enable said user to operate said module device.

7. A system, comprising:

a robot comprising a chassis and a housing member mounted on the chassis;

a memory unit having instructions stored thereon;

a processor operatively connected to said memory unit for executing said instructions to perform an operation for hot swapping a module device on a single host device, the operation comprising;

establishing a module-host connection between a module device and the robot when the module device is installed in the housing member;

detecting said module-host connection via a host bus connection polling;

identifying a module device identifier associated with said module device;

retrieving a module software driver correlating to said module device identifier from cloud services remote from module device and the robot, wherein said module software driver defines a module-specific task corresponding to said module device;

performing a handshake protocol to authenticate and authorize said module device to operate said module device while connected to said host device; and

generating a message comprising an API call from said module device to said host device to enable said module device to perform said module-specific task, wherein the module device uses the API call to access data or manipulate data at the host device to perform the module-specific task.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the operation further comprises:

generating a message comprising a second API call from said module device to the cloud services to access one or more databases hosted on said cloud services.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the module device identifier is stored in a module database hosted on said cloud services.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the operation further comprises:

registering said module device in a module database hosted on the cloud services.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the operation further comprises:

suspending said module device from performing said module-specific task until said handshake protocol is completed.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the operation further comprises:

retrieving user data associated with said module device, wherein said user data comprises user account information, further wherein said user account information comprises credentials for authenticating a user corresponding to said user data;

validating said user credentials to obtain authorization to enable said user to operate said module device.

13. A system, comprising:

a module device comprising a module software driver that defines a module-specific task corresponding to said module device, wherein said module device comprises a module identifier;

a network-enabled unmanned vehicle comprising a housing member mounted on a chassis and a host module controller;

cloud services for hosting one or more databases remote from module device and the network-enabled unmanned vehicle;

wherein said host module controller is configured to;

establish, by a host bus connection polling of said host module controller, a connection between said network-enabled unmanned vehicle and said module device when the module device is installed in the housing member;

retrieve said module software driver corresponding to said module identifier of said module device from the cloud services;

authenticate, by a protocol layer management of said host module controller, said module device;

provide, by said protocol layer management, authorization to said module device to establish a secure communication connection to said network-enabled unmanned vehicle; and

receive API calls from said module device to reconfigure said network-enabled unmanned vehicle to enable said module device to perform said module-specific task when said module device is connected to said network-enabled unmanned vehicle, wherein the module device uses the API calls to access data or manipulate data at the network-enabled unmanned vehicle to perform the module-specific task.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said module device is removably attached to said network-enabled unmanned vehicle and secured to the housing member using one or more straps.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said host module controller is further configured to:

assign, by a host device addressing of said host module controller, an Internet protocol address specific to said module device.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said host module controller is further configured to:

manage one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) via a cloud layer manager of said host module controller to integrate APIs when allowing said module device to perform said module-specific task when said module device is connected to said network-enabled unmanned vehicle.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein said host module controller is further configured to:

obtain, by said protocol layer management, credentials corresponding to an end user to provide authentication and authorization to allow said end user to operate said module devices to perform said module-specific task when said module device is connected to said network-enabled unmanned vehicle.