Long-range drone remote-control equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9709983-B2
Application number	US-201514935348-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2015
Priority date	Nov 12, 2014
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

This unit implements a remote-control console ( 20 ) supporting a tablet ( 18 ). The console comprises a TX/RX module ( 48 ) interfaced with a TX/RX module ( 50 ) of the tablet to form a first Wi-Fi local network, which is a short-range standard network. The console comprises another specific TX/RX module ( 54 ), interfaced with an TX/RX module ( 58 ) of the drone ( 10 ) to form a second Wi-Fi local network, which is an optimized long-range network, both being networks operating on non-shared channels. A bidirectional routing module ( 78 ) ensures the interfacing between the two Wi-Fi networks, to allow the transparent exchange of data between the drone ( 10 ) and the tablet ( 18 ), as well as with levers and buttons of the console ( 64, 66 ) or with a peripheral ( 80 ) connected thereto.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A unit for the bidirectional transmission of data between a remote-control equipment ( 16 ) and a remote drone ( 10 ), said data comprising piloting commands, flight parameters and a video flow, this unit including:
a drone ( 10 ) comprising:
piloting circuits;
an on-board video camera ( 14 ); and
a long-range wireless transceiver module ( 58 ), coupled to the piloting circuits and to the on-board video camera;

a portable device of the tablet type ( 18 ) comprising:
a visual display screen ( 22 );
a software module ( 70 ′) including a drone piloting and image visualization applicative module ( 76 ′); and
a short-range wireless transceiver module ( 50 ); and

a remote-control console ( 20 ), comprising:
a support ( 24 ) receiving the tablet;
a short-range wireless transceiver module ( 48 ), interfaced with the short-range wireless transceiver module ( 50 ) of the tablet;
a long-range wireless transceiver module ( 54 ), interfaced with the long-range wireless transceiver module ( 58 ) of the drone; and
levers and buttons ( 28 , 30 ) adapted to generate flight commands as a function of actions exerted on these levers and buttons,

this unit being characterized in that:
the console ( 20 ) comprises a software module ( 70 ) including a bidirectional routing module ( 62 ; 78 ) for the exchange said data, this routing module being coupled to the short-range ( 48 ) and long-range ( 54 ) wireless transceiver modules as well as to the levers and buttons ( 28 , 30 );
the short-range wireless transceiver module ( 48 ) of the console ( 20 ) is interfaced with the short-range wireless transceiver module ( 50 ) of the tablet to form a short-range tablet local network (LAN 1 );
the long-range wireless transceiver module ( 54 ) of the console ( 20 ) is interfaced with the long-range wireless transceiver module ( 58 ) of the drone to form a long-range drone local network (LAN 2 );
the short-range tablet local network (LAN 1 ) and the long-range drone local network (LAN 2 ) are distinct wireless networks and operate on non-shared channels;
the short-range tablet local network (LAN 1 ) is a network operating according to a non-modified standard protocol, whereas the long-range drone local network (LAN 2 ) is a network operating according to a non-standard dedicated protocol, wherein the non-standard dedicated protocol of the long-range drone local network (LAN 2 ) is a protocol providing a waiting time for the frame receipt acknowledgment that is longer than the value specified by the standard protocol and further wherein the short-range tablet local network (LAN 1 ) and the long-range drone local network (LAN 2 ) are both networks according to IEEE 802.11; and
said data are exchanged:
between the drone ( 10 ) and the tablet ( 18 ) through the tablet local network (LAN 1 ) interfaced with the drone local network (LAN 2 ) via the routing module ( 62 ; 78 ); and
between the levers and buttons ( 28 , 30 ) and the drone ( 10 ) through the drone local network (LAN 2 ) via the routing module ( 62 ; 78 ).

2. The unit of claim 1 ,
wherein the console software module ( 70 ) comprises a series of software layers including:
a first operating system core ( 72 );
a first operating system over-layer ( 74 ); and
a first applicative layer ( 76 ), containing said routing module ( 78 ),

and wherein the tablet software module ( 70 ′) also comprises a series of software layers including:
a second operating system core ( 72 ′);
a second operating system over-layer ( 74 ′); and
a second applicative layer ( 76 ′), similar to said first applicative layer ( 76 ) of the console software module, but containing no active routing module.

3. The unit of claim 2 , wherein the second applicative layer ( 76 ′) of the tablet software module ( 70 ′) also contains a second routing module ( 78 ′), similar to said first routing module ( 78 ) of the console software module, but this routing module being deactivated.

4. The unit of claim 1 , wherein:
the long-range wireless transceiver module ( 58 ) of the drone is configured as an access point AP and the long-range wireless transceiver module ( 54 ) of the console is configured as a mobile station STA, and
the short-range wireless transceiver module ( 48 ) of the console is configured as an access point AP and the short-range wireless transceiver module ( 50 ) of the tablet is configured as a mobile station STA.

5. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the console further comprises:
a short-range omnidirectional antenna system coupled to the short-range wireless transceiver module; and
a long-range directional antenna system coupled to the long-range wireless transceiver module.

6. The unit of claim 1 , wherein:
the console further comprises indicators ( 32 ) for displaying drone state information, such state information being transmitted from the drone ( 10 ) to the routing module ( 62 ) of the console through the drone local network (LAN 2 ); and
the routing module ( 62 ) is adapted to transmit the state information:
to the indicators ( 32 ) of the console, for a visualization by means of these indicators, and
to the tablet ( 18 ) through the tablet local network (LAN 1 ), for a visualization on the tablet screen ( 22 ).

7. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the console further comprises means ( 64 , 66 ) for coupling the routing module to an auxiliary visualization and/or of data input/output equipment ( 80 ).

Assignees

• Parrot Drones

Inventors

• Seydoux Henri
• Ferrand Arsene
• Brulez Nicolas
• Zaouia Farid

Classifications

• A63H27/12

  Helicopters (A63H27/04 takes precedence); Flying tops · CPC title

• H04B7/18506

  Communications with or from aircraft, i.e. aeronautical mobile service · CPC title

• G08C2201/93

  Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop · CPC title

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• A63H30/04

  using wireless transmission · CPC title