Improving launch time for autonomous drones

Abstract

Systems, computer-readable media, and methods for improving launch time of an autonomous drone are disclosed. An autonomous drone including an off-state and an off-state is disclosed. The off-state is as if the autonomous drone is off for a user of the autonomous drone, but the off-state maintains some states of the autonomous drone, e.g., the operating system is loaded into memory. The autonomous drone enters a powered-off state from a powered-off state in which all or substantially all of the power is powered off based on a timeout or a power level of the battery falling below a threshold level. The OFF state reduces the start time of the autonomous drone compared to the OFF state. The time reduction is typically less than ten seconds, but this time is beneficial for situations where the user wishes the autonomous drone to perform photography immediately.

Description

[0001] Priority Claim

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 335,390 filed on April 27, 2022 and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 17 / 981,785 filed on November 77, 2022, the entire contents of each of the above-mentioned U.S. Provisional Application and U.S. Patent Application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to reducing the preparation time or startup time of an autonomous drone. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for reducing the preparation time of a personal autonomous drone having a camera sensor by using an additional power state that is transparent to the user of the autonomous drone. Background Art

[0004] Autonomous drones that provide photography services to users are becoming increasingly popular. But autonomous drone designs are limited by size and power constraints. And users of autonomous drones continue to demand more and more services from autonomous drones. Furthermore, photography opportunities are often limited to the duration of the event the photographer is trying to capture. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, similar reference numerals may describe similar components in different views. To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, the highest digit or digits in the reference numeral refer to the figure number in which the element is first introduced. Some non-limiting examples are shown in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0006] Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a networked environment in which the present disclosure may be deployed, according to some examples.

[0007] Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a messaging system having both client-side and server-side functionality according to some examples.

[0008] Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of data structures as maintained in a database according to some examples.

[0009] Figure 4 is a graphical representation of messages according to some examples.

[0010] Figure 5 is a flow chart of an access restriction process according to some examples.

[0011] Figure 6Examples of components of an autonomous drone according to some examples are shown.

[0012] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an autonomous drone system according to some examples.

[0013] Figure 8 A state diagram illustrating states of an autonomous drone according to some examples.

[0014] Fig. 9 A state diagram illustrating states of an autonomous drone according to some examples.

[0015] Fig.10 An autonomous drone is shown according to some examples.

[0016] Fig.11 Methods for reducing startup time of an autonomous drone according to some examples are shown.

[0017] Fig.12 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of a computer system according to some examples within which a set of instructions may be executed for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

[0018] Fig.13 is a block diagram illustrating a software architecture in which examples may be implemented.

[0019] Fig.14 is a diagrammatic representation of a processing environment according to some examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following description includes systems, methods, techniques, instruction sequences and computing machine program products that implement the illustrative examples of the present disclosure. In the following description, for the purpose of illustration, many specific details are set forth to provide an understanding of the various examples of the subject matter of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the examples of the subject matter of the present invention can be put into practice without these specific details. Typically, known instruction instances, protocols, structures and techniques are not necessarily shown in detail.

[0021] Examples herein describe systems, methods, and computer-readable media for reducing the startup time of a personal autonomous drone. Designing a personal autonomous drone to meet various design specifications and constraints can be challenging. One challenge is to balance battery life with power usage, and the form factor often further exacerbates this challenge. Autonomous drones are expected to be lightweight and portable. For example, a user may want to take an autonomous drone hiking, or take an autonomous drone with them to a beach vacation in another country. In some examples, the autonomous drone is about the size of a palm. Autonomous drones typically include a battery to power themselves and a camera for recording photos and videos. Ideally, the autonomous drone is always ready to capture an event at any second. However, when not in use, the autonomous drone typically enters standby and consumes power. Therefore, it is important to reduce the startup time or preparation time for a personal autonomous drone to be ready to record or to substantially minimize the startup time or preparation time for a personal autonomous drone to be ready to record. The startup time or preparation time is the lag time or duration between a user indicating that the personal autonomous drone takes off and the personal autonomous drone actually takes off.

[0022] For example, if a user carries a small personal autonomous drone with him, it is important to the user that the autonomous drone takes off quickly after the user's instruction. However, autonomous drones are very limited in power because they are limited by battery levels, and autonomous flight of autonomous drones usually causes the processor to place a heavy load on the battery. In addition, autonomous drones require wireless communication, at least one camera device, and a memory large enough to store video. Considering the power limitations, solutions to maintain power to all components of the autonomous drone are not feasible.

[0023] Each state of the autonomous drone is associated with a power state, where the power state indicates which components of the autonomous drone receive power. In some examples, the technical problem is solved by adding an additional shutdown state to the autonomous drone. The autonomous drone includes a "standby state", in which the autonomous drone enters the standby state by inactivity or by shutting down the autonomous drone. In the "standby state", most components continue to receive power; however, higher power wireless protocols can be powered off. The autonomous drone enters the "off state" from the "standby state" based on a timeout or a battery level falling below a threshold. The power state of the "off state" maintains power to the processor's memory so that the operating system and state of the autonomous drone remain active. The autonomous drone enters the "power-off state" from the "off state" again based on a timeout or a battery level falling below a threshold. The power state of the "power-off state" is to power off all components. However, some components may require a very small amount of power to maintain their state, so they need to continue to be powered.

[0024] An advantage of having an "off state" and a "power off state" is that the preparation time or startup time can be significantly reduced. For example, the startup time for an autonomous drone to take off from a "power off state" may be about 10 seconds, while the startup time for taking off from an "off state" may be only 3 seconds. In addition, from the user's perspective, a personal autonomous drone in an "off state" may be completely off as a personal autonomous drone in a "power off state", so from the user's perspective, the preparation time of the personal autonomous drone may be shorter than the actual preparation time of the autonomous drone, which can improve the user's perception of the performance of the autonomous drone. In addition, entering and leaving the "off state" can be controlled by the autonomous drone, so that the user does not have to care whether the autonomous drone is in a "power off state" or a "off state". The autonomous drone can try to predict when the user is likely to use the autonomous drone, and remain in the "off state" so that the autonomous drone will be ready to take off in a shorter amount of time than in the "power off state".

[0025] Networked computing environment

[0026] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a messaging system 100 for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network. The messaging system 100 includes multiple instances of a client device 102, each instance hosting several applications, including a messaging client 104 and other applications 106. Each messaging client 104 is communicatively coupled to other instances of the messaging client 104 (e.g., hosted on respective other client devices 102), a messaging server system 108, and a third-party server 110 via a network 112 (e.g., the Internet). The messaging client 104 may also communicate with the local host application 106 using an application program interface (API).

[0027] The messaging clients 104 are able to communicate and exchange data with other messaging clients 104 and messaging server systems 108 via the network 112. The data exchanged between the messaging clients 104 and between the messaging clients 104 and messaging server systems 108 include functions (e.g., commands for activating functions) and payload data (e.g., text, audio, video, or other multimedia data).

[0028] The messaging server system 108 provides server-side functionality to certain messaging clients 104 via the network 112. Although certain functions of the messaging system 100 are described herein as being performed by the messaging client 104 or by the messaging server system 108, it may be a design choice whether certain functions are located within the messaging client 104 or within the messaging server system 108. For example, it may be technically preferable to initially deploy certain technologies and functions within the messaging server system 108, but later migrate the technologies and functions to the messaging client 104 where the client device 102 has sufficient processing power.

[0029] The messaging server system 108 supports various services and operations provided to the messaging clients 104. Such operations include sending data to the messaging clients 104, receiving data from the messaging clients 104, and processing data generated by the messaging clients 104. As examples, the data may include message content, client device information, geolocation information, media enhancements and overlays, message content persistence conditions, social network information, and live event information. The data exchange within the messaging system 100 is stimulated and controlled by functions available via the user interface (UI) of the messaging client 104.

[0030] Turning now specifically to the messaging server system 108, an application program interface (API) server 116 is coupled to the application server 114 and provides a programming interface to the application server 114. The application server 114 is communicatively coupled to a database server 120, which facilitates access to a database 126 that stores data associated with messages processed by the application server 114. Similarly, a web server 128 is coupled to the application server 114 and provides a web-based interface to the application server 114. To this end, the web server 128 processes incoming network requests via the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and several other related protocols.

[0031] The application program interface (API) server 116 receives and sends message data (e.g., commands and message payloads) between the client device 102 and the application server 114. Specifically, the application program interface (API) server 116 provides a set of interfaces (e.g., routines and protocols) that can be called or queried by the messaging client 104 to activate the functions of the application server 114. An application program interface (API) server 116 exposes various functions supported by the application server 114, including: account registration; login functionality; sending messages from a particular messaging client 104 to another messaging client 104 via the application server 114; sending media files (e.g., images or videos) from a messaging client 104 to a messaging server 118 and for possible access by another messaging client 104; setting up of a collection of media data (e.g., a story); retrieving a friend list of a user of a client device 102; retrieving such a collection; retrieving messages and content; adding and removing entities (e.g., friends) from an entity graph (e.g., a social graph); locating friends in a social graph; and opening application events (e.g., related to a messaging client 104).

[0032] The application server 114 hosts several server applications and subsystems, including, for example, a messaging server 118, an image processing server 122, and a social network server 124. The messaging server 118 implements several message processing technologies and functions, particularly those related to the aggregation and other processing of content (e.g., text and multimedia content) included in messages received from multiple instances of the messaging client 104. As will be described in more detail, text and media content from multiple sources can be aggregated into collections of content (e.g., referred to as stories or galleries). These collections are then made available to the messaging client 104. In view of the hardware requirements for other processor and memory intensive data processing, other processor and memory intensive data processing can also be performed on the server side by the messaging server 118.

[0033] The application server 114 also includes an image processing server 122 that is dedicated to performing various image processing operations, typically with respect to images or videos within the payload of messages sent from the messaging server 114 or received at the messaging server 118 .

[0034] The social network server 124 supports various social networking functions and services and makes them available to the messaging server 118. To this end, the social network server 124 maintains and accesses an entity graph 304 (e.g., Figure 3Examples of functions and services supported by social network server 124 include identifying other users in messaging system 100 that have a relationship with a particular user or that the particular user is "following," and also identifying interests and other entities of a particular user.

[0035] Returning to the messaging client 104, the features and functions of the external resource (e.g., application 106 or applet) are available to the user via the interface of the messaging client 104. In this context, "external" refers to the fact that the application 106 or applet is outside the messaging client 104. External resources are usually provided by a third party, but can also be provided by the creator or provider of the messaging client 104. The messaging client 104 receives a user selection of an option to launch or access the features of such an external resource. The external resource can be an application 106 (e.g., a "local app") installed on the client device 102, or a small-scale version of the application (e.g., a "applet") hosted on the client device 102 or away from the client device 102 (e.g., on a third-party server 110). The small-scale version of the application includes a subset of the features and functions of the application (e.g., a full-scale, local version of the application) and is implemented using a markup language document. In one example, the small-scale version of the application (e.g., a "applet") is a web-based markup language version of the application and is embedded in the messaging client 104. In addition to using markup language documents (eg, *ml files), applets may include scripting languages ​​(eg, .*js files or .json files) and style sheets (eg, *ss files).

[0036] In response to receiving a user selection of an option to launch or access a feature of an external resource, the messaging client 104 determines whether the selected external resource is a web-based external resource or a locally installed application 106. In some cases, the application 106 locally installed on the client device 102 can be independent of the messaging client 104 and launched separately from the messaging client 104, such as by selecting an icon corresponding to the application 106 on a home screen of the client device 102. A small-scale version of such an application can be launched or accessed via the messaging client 104, and in some examples, none of the portions of the small-scale application can be accessed outside of the messaging client 104 or limited portions of the small-scale application can be accessed outside of the messaging client 104. The small-scale application can be launched by the messaging client 104 receiving, for example, a markup language document associated with the small-scale application from a third-party server 110 and processing such a document.

[0037] In response to determining that the external resource is a locally installed application 106, the messaging client 104 instructs the client device 102 to launch the external resource by executing the locally stored code corresponding to the external resource. In response to determining that the external resource is a web-based resource, the messaging client 104 communicates with the third-party server 110 (for example) to obtain a markup language document corresponding to the selected external resource. The messaging client 104 then processes the obtained markup language document to present the web-based external resource within the user interface of the messaging client 104.

[0038] The messaging client 104 may notify the user of the client device 102 or other users (e.g., "friends") associated with such a user of activities occurring in one or more external resources. For example, the messaging client 104 may provide a notification to a participant in a conversation (e.g., a chat session) in the messaging client 104 about the current or recent use of an external resource by one or more members of a user group. One or more users may be invited to join a valid external resource or to start an external resource that was recently used but is currently inactive (in the friend group). The external resource may provide the participants in the conversation who each use the corresponding messaging client 104 with the ability to share items, conditions, states, or locations in the external resource with one or more members of the user group entering the chat session. The shared item may be an interactive chat card that members of the chat may interact with, for example, to start a corresponding external resource, view specific information within an external resource, or bring members of the chat to a specific location or state within an external resource. Within a given external resource, a response message may be sent to a user on the messaging client 104. The external resource may selectively include different media items in the response based on the current context of the external resource.

[0039] The messaging client 104 may present a list of available external resources (e.g., applications 106 or applets) to the user to launch or access a given external resource. The list may be presented in the form of a context-sensitive menu. For example, icons representing different applications (or applets) of the application 106 (or applets) may vary based on how the user launches the menu (e.g., from a conversational interface or from a non-conversational interface).

[0040] System Architecture

[0041] Figure 21 is a block diagram showing additional details about the messaging system 100 according to some examples. Specifically, the messaging system 100 is shown to include a messaging client 104 and an application server 114. The messaging system 100 includes several subsystems that are supported on the client side by the messaging client 104 and on the server side by the application server 114. These subsystems include, for example, a transient timer system 202, a collection management system 204, an augmentation system 208, a map system 210, a gaming system 212, an external resource system 214, and an autonomous drone management system 216.

[0042] The transient timer system 202 is responsible for implementing temporary or time-limited access to content by the messaging client 104 and the messaging server 118. The transient timer system 202 includes several timers that selectively enable access (e.g., for presentation and display) of messages and associated content via the messaging client 104 based on duration and display parameters associated with a message or a collection of messages (e.g., a story). Additional details regarding the operation of the transient timer system 202 are provided below.

[0043] The collection management system 204 is responsible for managing collections or collections of media (e.g., collections of text, images, video, and audio data). Collections of content (e.g., messages, including images, videos, text, and audio) may be organized into "event galleries" or "event stories." Such collections may be made available for a specified period of time (e.g., the duration of the event to which the content relates). For example, content related to a concert may be made available as a "story" for the duration of the concert. The collection management system 204 may also be responsible for publishing an icon to the user interface of the messaging client 104 that provides notification of the existence of a particular collection.

[0044] In addition, the collection management system 204 also includes a curation interface 206, which enables collection managers to manage and curate specific content collections. For example, the curation interface 206 enables event organizers to curate collections of content related to specific events (e.g., deleting inappropriate content or redundant messages). In addition, the collection management system 204 uses machine vision (or image recognition technology) and content rules to automatically curate content collections. In some examples, compensation can be paid to users for including user-generated content in a collection. In such a case, the collection management system 204 operates to automatically pay such users for using their content.

[0045] The enhancement system 208 provides various functions that enable users to enhance (e.g., annotate or otherwise modify or edit) media content associated with a message. For example, the enhancement system 208 provides functions related to generating and publishing media overlays (media overlays) for messages processed by the messaging system 100. The enhancement system 208 is operable to provide media overlays or enhancements (e.g., image filters) to the messaging client 104 based on the geographic location of the client device 102. In another example, the enhancement system 208 is operable to provide media overlays to the messaging client 104 based on other information such as social network information of the user of the client device 102. Media overlays can include audio and visual content and visual effects. Examples of audio and visual content include pictures, text, logos, animations, and sound effects. Examples of visual effects include color overlays. Audio and visual content or visual effects can be applied to media content items (e.g., photos, digital objects) at the client device 102. For example, media overlays can include text or images that can be superimposed on top of photos taken by the client device 102. In another example, the media overlay includes a location identifier (e.g., Venice Beach) overlay, the name of a live event, or a business name (e.g., Beach Cafe) overlay. In another example, the augmentation system 208 uses the geolocation of the client device 102 to identify a media overlay that includes the business name at the geolocation of the client device 102. The media overlay may include other logos associated with the business. The media overlay may be stored in the database 120 and accessed by the database server 120.

[0046] In some examples, the enhancement system 208 provides a user-based publishing platform that enables a user to select a geolocation on a map and upload content associated with the selected geolocation. The user may also specify under what circumstances a particular media overlay should be provided to other users. The enhancement system 208 generates a media overlay that includes the uploaded content and associates the uploaded content with the selected geolocation.

[0047] In other examples, the enhancement system 208 provides a merchant-based publishing platform that enables merchants to select specific media overlays associated with a geographic location via a bidding process. For example, the enhancement system 208 associates the highest bidding merchant's media overlay with the corresponding geographic location for a predefined amount of time.

[0048] The mapping system 210 provides various geolocation functions and supports the presentation of map-based media content and messages by the messaging client 104. For example, the mapping system 210 enables the display of a user icon or avatar (e.g., stored in the profile data 316) on a map to indicate the current or past locations of the user's "friends" and media content (e.g., a collection of messages including photos and videos) generated by such friends in the context of the map. For example, on the map interface of the messaging client 104, messages posted by the user to the messaging system 100 from a particular geolocation can be displayed to the "friends" of the particular user within the context of that particular location on the map. The user can also share his or her location and status information with other users of the messaging system 100 (e.g., using an appropriate status avatar) via the messaging client 104, where the location and status information is similarly displayed to selected users within the context of the mapping interface of the messaging client 104.

[0049] The gaming system 212 provides various gaming functions within the context of the messaging client 104. The messaging client 104 provides a gaming interface that provides a list of available games that can be launched by a user within the context of the messaging client 104 and played with other users of the messaging system 100. The messaging system 100 also enables a particular user to invite other users to participate in playing a particular game by sending an invitation to such other users from the messaging client 104. The messaging client 104 also supports both voice messaging and text messaging within the context of game play (e.g., chatting), provides leaderboards for games, and also supports providing in-game rewards (e.g., game coins and items).

[0050] The external resource system 214 provides an interface for the messaging client 104 to communicate with a remote server (e.g., a third-party server 110) to launch or access external resources (i.e., applications or applets). Each third-party server 110 hosts, for example, an application or a small-scale version of an application based on a markup language (e.g., HTML5) (e.g., a game application, a utility application, a payment application, or a ride-sharing application). The messaging client 104 can launch a web-based resource (e.g., an application) by accessing an HTML5 file from a third-party server 110 associated with a web-based resource. In some examples, the application hosted by the third-party server 110 is programmed in JavaScript using a software development kit (SDK) provided by the messaging server 118. The SDK includes an application programming interface (API) having functions that can be called or activated by a web-based application. In some examples, the messaging server 118 includes a JavaScript library that provides a given external resource access to certain user data of the messaging client 104. HTML5 is used as an example technology for programming games, but applications and resources programmed based on other technologies can be used.

[0051] To integrate the functionality of the SDK into a web-based resource, the SDK is downloaded by the third-party server 110 from the messaging server 118, or received by the third-party server 110 in other ways. Once downloaded or received, the SDK will be included as part of the application code of the web-based external resource. The code of the web-based resource can then call or activate certain functions of the SDK to integrate the features of the messaging client 104 into the web-based resource.

[0052] The SDK stored on the messaging server 118 effectively provides a bridge between external resources (e.g., applications 106 or applet) and the messaging client 104. This provides users with a seamless experience of communicating with other users on the messaging client 104 while also preserving the look and feel of the messaging client 104. In order to bridge the communication between the external resources and the messaging client 104, in some examples, the SDK facilitates communication between the third-party server 110 and the messaging client 104. In some examples, the web view JavaScript bridge running on the client device 102 establishes two one-way communication channels between the external resources and the messaging client 104. Messages are sent asynchronously between the external resources and the messaging client 104 via these communication channels. Each SDK function activation is sent as a message and a callback. Each SDK function is implemented by constructing a unique callback identifier and sending a message with the callback identifier.

[0053] By using the SDK, not all information from the messaging client 104 is shared with the third-party server 110. The SDK limits which information is shared based on the needs of the external resource. In some examples, each third-party server 110 provides an HTML5 file corresponding to a web-based external resource to the messaging server 118. The messaging server 118 can add a visual representation (e.g., box art or other graphics) of the web-based external resource in the messaging client 104. Once the user selects the visual representation or instructs the messaging client 104 to access a feature of a web-based external resource through the GUI of the messaging client 104, the messaging client 104 obtains the HTML5 file and instantiates the resources required to access the features of the web-based external resource.

[0054] The messaging client 104 presents a graphical user interface (e.g., a login page or title screen) for the external resource. During, before, or after presenting the login page or title screen, the messaging client 104 determines whether the launched external resource has been previously authorized to access the user data of the messaging client 104. In response to determining that the launched external resource has been previously authorized to access the user data of the messaging client 104, the messaging client 104 presents another graphical user interface of the external resource including the functions and features of the external resource. In response to determining that the launched external resource has not been previously authorized to access the user data of the messaging client 104, after displaying the login page or title screen of the external resource for a threshold period of time (e.g., 3 seconds), the messaging client 104 slides a menu for authorizing the external resource to access the user data (e.g., animating the menu to emerge from the bottom of the screen to the middle or other portion of the screen). The menu identifies the type of user data that the external resource will be authorized to use. In response to receiving the user selection of the accept option, the messaging client 104 adds the external resource to the list of authorized external resources and enables the external resource to access the user data from the messaging client 104. In some examples, the messaging client 104 authorizes the external resource to access the user data according to the OAuth 2 framework.

[0055] The messaging client 104 controls the type of user data shared with the external resource based on the type of external resource that is authorized. For example, an external resource comprising a full-scale application (e.g., application 106) is provided with access to a first type of user data (e.g., only a two-dimensional avatar of a user with or without different avatar characteristics). As another example, an external resource comprising a small-scale version of an application (e.g., a web-based version of the application) is provided with access to a second type of user data (e.g., payment information, a two-dimensional visualization of a user, a three-dimensional visualization of a user, and a visualization with various visualization characteristics). Avatar representation characteristics include different ways to customize the look and feel of an avatar representation (e.g., different poses, facial features, clothing, etc.).

[0056] Autonomous drone management system 216 provides a method for managing autonomous drones (such as Figure 7 and Fig.10 710). In addition, according to some examples, the autonomous drone management system 216 manages the services provided by the client device 102 for the autonomous drone 710. For example, the client device 102 can act as a host device for the autonomous drone 710 and transmit service requests to the autonomous drone management system 216, such as storing or publishing data, messages, photos, and videos. In addition, the autonomous drone management system 216 can be executed in whole or in part by the client device 102 or the host device of the autonomous drone.

[0057] Data Architecture

[0058] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a data structure 300 that may be stored in a database 126 of a messaging server system 108 according to some examples. Although the contents of the database 126 are illustrated as including several tables, it should be understood that data may be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., object-oriented databases).

[0059] Database 126 includes message data stored in message table 302. For any particular message, the message data includes at least message sender data, message recipient (or receiver) data, and payload. Figure 4 Additional details regarding information that may be included in a message and included in the message data stored in message table 302 are described.

[0060] The entity table 306 stores entity data and is linked (e.g., referenced) to the entity graph 308 and profile data 316. The entities for which records are maintained within the entity table 306 may include individuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects, places, events, etc. Regardless of the entity type, any entity about which the messaging server system 108 stores data may be an identified entity. Each entity is provided with a unique identifier as well as an entity type identifier (not shown).

[0061] The entity graph 308 stores information about relationships and associations between entities. By way of example only, such relationships may be social, professional (e.g., working in a common company or organization), interest-based, or activity-based.

[0062] The profile data 316 stores multiple types of profile data about a particular entity. Based on the privacy settings specified by the particular entity, the profile data 316 can be selectively used and presented to other users of the messaging system 100. In the case where the entity is a person, the profile data 316 includes, for example, a user name, a phone number, an address, settings (e.g., notification and privacy settings), and an avatar representation (or a collection of such avatar representations) selected by the user. The particular user can then selectively include one or more of these avatar representations in the content of messages transmitted via the messaging system 100 and in a map interface displayed to other users by the messaging client 104. The collection of avatar representations can include a "status avatar" that presents a graphical representation of a state or activity that a user can select to communicate at a particular time.

[0063] Where the entity is a group, the group's profile data 316 may similarly include one or more visual representations associated with the group, in addition to the group name, members, and various settings related to the group (eg, notifications).

[0064] Database 126 also stores enhancement data, such as overlays or filters, in enhancement table 310. Enhancement data is associated with and applied to videos (whose data is stored in video table 304) and images (whose data is stored in image table 312).

[0065] In one example, a filter is an overlay displayed as an overlay on an image or video during presentation to a recipient user. The filter can be of various types, including filters selected by a user from a set of filters presented to a sending user by the messaging client 104 when the sending user is composing a message. Other types of filters include geolocation filters (also referred to as geofilters), which can be presented to a sending user based on geolocation. For example, a geolocation filter specific to a nearby or special location can be presented by the messaging client 104 within a user interface based on geolocation information determined by a global positioning system (GPS) unit of the client device 102.

[0066] Another type of filter is a data filter, which can be selectively presented to the sending user by the messaging client 104 based on other input or information collected by the client device 102 during the message creation process. Examples of data filters include the current temperature at a particular location, the current speed at which the sending user is traveling, the battery life of the client device 102, or the current time.

[0067] Other augmented data that may be stored in the image table 312 include augmented reality content items (eg, corresponding to application lenses or augmented reality experiences). Augmented reality content items may be real-time special effects and sounds that may be added to an image or video.

[0068] As described above, augmented data includes augmented reality content items, overlays, image transformations, AR images, and similar terms referring to modifications that can be applied to image data (e.g., videos or images). This includes real-time modifications that modify images when they are captured using a device sensor (e.g., one or more cameras) of the client device 102 and then display the modified images on the screen of the client device 102. This also includes modifications to stored content such as video clips that can be modified in a gallery. For example, in a client device 102 that can access multiple augmented reality content items, a user can use a single video clip with multiple augmented reality content items to watch how different augmented reality content items will modify the stored clips. For example, by selecting different augmented reality content items for content, multiple augmented reality content items that apply different pseudo-random movement models can be applied to the same content. Similarly, real-time video capture can be used with the modifications shown to show how the video image currently captured by the sensor of the client device 102 will modify the captured data. Such data may simply be displayed on the screen without being stored in memory, or content captured by the device sensors may be recorded and stored in memory with or without modification (or both). In some systems, a preview function may display different augmented reality content items as they would appear in different windows of a display simultaneously. This may, for example, enable viewing of multiple windows with different pseudo-random animations on a display simultaneously.

[0069] Thus, data and various systems using augmented reality content items or other such transformation systems that modify content using such data may involve detection of objects (e.g., faces, hands, bodies, cats, dogs, surfaces, objects, etc.) in video frames; tracking of such objects as they leave, enter, and move around the field of view; and modification or transformation of such objects as they are tracked. In various examples, different methods for implementing such transformations may be used. Some examples may involve: generating a three-dimensional mesh model of one or more objects; and using transformations of the model and animated textures within a video to implement the transformations. In other examples, tracking of points on an object may be used to place an image or texture (which may be two-dimensional or three-dimensional) at the tracked location. In further examples, neural network analysis of a video frame may be used to place an image, model, or texture in content (e.g., an image or video frame). Thus, augmented reality content items refer both to images, models, and textures used to create transformations in content, and to additional modeling and analysis information required to implement such transformations using object detection, tracking, and placement.

[0070] Real-time video processing can be performed using any kind of video data (e.g., video streams, video files, etc.) stored in the memory of any kind of computerized system. For example, a user can load video files and store them in the memory of the device, or a sensor of the device can be used to generate a video stream. In addition, any object, such as a human face and parts of a human body, an animal, or a non-living thing (e.g., a chair, a car, or other objects) can be processed using computer animation models.

[0071] In some examples, in the case where a specific modification is selected together with the content to be transformed, the element to be transformed is identified by the computing device, and then if the element to be transformed is present in the video frame, the element to be transformed is detected and tracked. The elements of the object are modified according to the request for modification, thereby transforming the frame of the video stream. The transformation of the frame of the video stream can be performed by different methods for different types of transformations. For example, for the transformation of the frame that mainly involves changing the form of the elements of the object, the feature points of each element of the object are calculated (for example, using an active shape model (ASM) or other known methods). Then, for each element of at least one element of the object, a grid based on the feature points is generated. The grid is used for the subsequent stage of tracking the elements of the object in the video stream. During the tracking process, the grid mentioned for each element is aligned with the position of each element. Then, additional points are generated on the grid. A first set of first points is generated for each element based on the request for modification, and a set of second points is generated for each element based on the set of first points and the request for modification. Then, the frame of the video stream can be transformed by modifying the elements of the object based on the set of first points and the set of second points and the grid. In such a method, the background of the modified object may also be changed or deformed by tracking and modifying the background of the modified object.

[0072] In some examples, the transformation of some areas of the object using the elements of the object can be performed by calculating the feature points of each element of the object and generating a grid based on the calculated feature points. Points are generated on the grid, and then various areas are generated based on the points. Then, the elements of the object are tracked by aligning the area of ​​each element with the position of each element in at least one element, and the properties of the area can be modified based on the modification request, thereby transforming the frame of the video stream. Depending on the specific modification request, the properties of the mentioned area can be transformed in different ways. Such modifications may involve: changing the color of the area; removing at least some parts of the area from the frame of the video stream; including one or more new objects in the area based on the modification request; and modifying or distorting the elements of the area or object. In various examples, any combination of such modifications or other similar modifications may be used. For certain models to be animated, some feature points may be selected as control points for determining the entire state space of options for model animation.

[0073] In some examples of computer animation models that use face detection to transform image data, faces are detected on an image using a specific face detection algorithm (e.g., Viola-Jones). An active shape model (ASM) algorithm is then applied to the face region of the image to detect facial feature reference points.

[0074] Other methods and algorithms suitable for face detection can be used. For example, in some examples, landmarks are used to locate features, which represent distinguishable points that exist in most of the images considered. For example, for facial landmarks, the location of the left pupil can be used. If the initial landmarks are not recognizable (for example, if the person wears an eye patch), secondary landmarks can be used. Such landmark identification procedures can be used for any such objects. In some examples, a set of landmarks forms a shape. The coordinates of the points in the shape can be used to represent the shape as a vector. One shape is aligned with another shape using a similarity transformation (allowing translation, scaling, and rotation) that minimizes the average Euclidean distance between the shape points. The mean shape (meanshape) is the average value of the aligned training shapes.

[0075] In some examples, the landmark search begins with a mean shape aligned with the position and size of the face determined by a global face detector. Such a search then repeats the steps of proposing tentative shapes by adjusting the positions of shape points via template matching of the image texture around each point, and then conforming the tentative shapes to a global shape model until convergence occurs. In some systems, individual template matches are unreliable, and the shape model pools the results of weak template matches to form a stronger overall classifier. The entire search is repeated at each level of the image pyramid from coarse to fine resolution.

[0076] The transformation system can capture an image or video stream on a client device (e.g., client device 102) and perform complex image manipulations locally on the client device 102 while maintaining an appropriate user experience, computational time, and power consumption. Complex image manipulations can include size and shape changes, mood transformations (e.g., changing a face from frowning to smiling), state transformations (e.g., aging a subject, reducing apparent age, changing gender), style transformations, application of graphical elements, and any other suitable image or video manipulations that can be implemented by a convolutional neural network that has been configured to execute efficiently on the client device 102.

[0077] In some examples, a computer animation model for transforming image data can be used by a system in which a user can capture an image or video stream of the user (e.g., a selfie) using a client device 102 having a neural network that operates as part of a messaging client 104 operating on the client device 102. A transformation system operating within the messaging client 104 determines the presence of a face within the image or video stream and provides a modification icon associated with the computer animation model to transform the data image, or the computer animation model can be presented as associated with an interface described herein. The modification icon includes the following changes, which can be the basis for modifying the face of the user within the image or video stream as part of the modification operation. Once the modification icon is selected, the transformation system initiates a process of transforming the image of the user to reflect the selected modification icon (e.g., generating a smiley face on the user). Once the image or video stream is captured and the specified modification is selected, the modified image or video stream can be presented in a graphical user interface displayed on the client device 102. The transformation system can implement a complex convolutional neural network on a portion of the image or video stream to generate and apply the selected modification. That is, a user can capture an image or video stream, and once a modification icon has been selected, the modified result can be presented in real time or near real time. Furthermore, while the video stream is being captured, the modification can be persistent and the selected modification icon remains toggled. Machine-taught neural networks can be used to implement such modifications.

[0078] The graphical user interface presenting the modifications performed by the transformation system can supply additional interactive options for the user. Such options can be based on the interface for initiating content capture and selecting a specific computer animation model (e.g., initiated from a content creator user interface). In various examples, the modifications can be persistent after the modification icon is initially selected. The user can switch to turn the modification on or off by tapping or otherwise selecting the face being modified by the transformation system, and store it for later viewing or browsing other areas of the imaging application. In the case of multiple faces being modified by the transformation system, the user can globally turn on or off the modification by tapping or selecting a single face modified and displayed in the graphical user interface. In some examples, each face in a plurality of face groups can be modified individually, or such modifications can be switched individually by tapping or selecting a single face or a series of faces displayed in the graphical user interface.

[0079] The story table 314 stores data about a collection of messages and associated image, video or audio data that are compiled into a collection (e.g., a story or gallery). The creation of a particular collection can be initiated by a particular user (e.g., each user whose record is maintained in the entity table 306). A user can create a "personal story" in the form of a collection of content that has been created and sent / broadcasted by the user. To this end, the user interface of the messaging client 104 may include a user-selectable icon to enable the sending user to add specific content to his or her personal story.

[0080] A collection may also constitute a "live story" that is a collection of content from multiple users, created manually, automatically, or using a combination of manual and automatic techniques. For example, a "live story" may constitute a curated stream of content submitted by users from different locations and events. Users whose client devices have location services enabled and who are at a co-located event at a particular time may be presented with an option, for example, via a user interface of the messaging client 104, to contribute content to a particular live story. Live stories may be identified to a user by the messaging client 104 based on his or her location. The end result is a "live story" told from a community perspective.

[0081] Another type of content collection is called a "location story," which enables users whose client devices 102 are located in a particular geographic location (e.g., on a college or university campus) to contribute to a particular collection. In some implementations, contributions to location stories may require secondary authentication to verify that the end user belongs to a particular organization or other entity (e.g., is a student on a university campus).

[0082] As mentioned above, the video table 304 stores video data, which in one example is associated with a message whose record is saved within the message table 302. Similarly, the image table 312 stores image data associated with a message whose message data is stored in the entity table 306. The entity table 306 can associate various enhancements from the enhancement table 310 with the various images and videos stored in the image table 312 and the video table 304.

[0083] Data communication architecture

[0084] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a message 400 generated by a messaging client 104 for transmission to another messaging client 104 or a messaging server 118 according to some examples. The content of a particular message 400 is used to populate a message table 302 stored in a database 126 accessible by a messaging server 118. Similarly, the content of the message 400 is stored in memory as "in-transit" or "in-flight" data of a client device 102 or application server 114. The message 400 is shown as including the following example components:

[0085] Message identifier 402 : a unique identifier that identifies the message 400 .

[0086] Message text payload 404 : Text to be generated by a user via the user interface of the client device 102 and included in the message 400 .

[0087] Message image payload 406 : Image data captured by a camera component of the client device 102 or retrieved from a memory component of the client device 102 and included in the message 400 . Image data for a sent or received message 400 may be stored in the image table 312 .

[0088] Message video payload 408 : Video data captured by the camera component or retrieved from the memory component of the client device 102 and included in the message 400 . The video data for a message 400 sent or received may be stored in the video table 304 .

[0089] Message audio payload 410 : audio data captured by a microphone or retrieved from a memory component of the client device 102 and included in the message 400 .

[0090] Message enhancement data 412 : Enhancement data (eg, filters, stickers, or other annotations or enhancements) representing enhancements to be applied to the message image payload 406 , message video payload 408 , or message audio payload 410 of the message 400 . The enhancement data for a sent or received message 400 may be stored in the enhancement table 310 .

[0091] Message duration parameter 414: A parameter value indicating the amount of time in seconds that the content of a message (eg, message image payload 406, message video payload 408, message audio payload 410) will be presented to or made accessible to a user via messaging client 104.

[0092] Message geolocation parameters 416: Geolocation data (e.g., latitude and longitude coordinates) associated with the content payload of the message. Multiple message geolocation parameter 416 values ​​may be included in the payload, each of which is associated with a content item included in the content (e.g., a specific image within a message image payload 406 or a specific video in a message video payload 408).

[0093] Message story identifier 418: An identifier value that identifies one or more content collections (e.g., a "story" identified in story table 314) associated with a particular content item in message image payload 406 of message 400. For example, multiple images within message image payload 406 may each be associated with multiple content collections using an identifier value.

[0094] Message tags 420: Each message 400 may be tagged with a plurality of tags, each of which indicates the subject of the content included in the message payload. For example, where a particular image included in the message image payload 406 depicts an animal (e.g., a lion), a tag value may be included within the message tags 420 indicating the relevant animal. The tag values ​​may be manually generated based on user input, or may be automatically generated using, for example, image recognition.

[0095] • Message sender identifier 422: An identifier (eg, a messaging system identifier, an email address, or a device identifier) ​​that indicates the user of the client device 102 on which the message 400 was generated and from which the message 400 was sent.

[0096] • Message recipient identifier 424: An identifier (eg, a messaging system identifier, an email address, or a device identifier) ​​that indicates the user of the client device 102 to which the message 400 is addressed.

[0097] The content (e.g., value) of the various components of message 400 may be pointers to locations in a table where content data values ​​are stored. For example, the image value in message image payload 406 may be a pointer (or address) to a location within image table 312. Similarly, the value within message video payload 408 may point to data stored within video table 304, the value stored within message enhancement data 412 may point to data stored in enhancement table 310, the value stored within message story identifier 418 may point to data stored in story table 314, and the values ​​stored within message sender identifier 422 and message recipient identifier 424 may point to user records stored within entity table 306.

[0098] Time-based access restriction architecture

[0099] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an access restriction process 500 according to which access to content (e.g., ephemeral message 502 and associated multimedia data payload) or a collection of content (e.g., ephemeral message group 504) can be time-restricted (e.g., made ephemeral).

[0100] The ephemeral message 502 is shown to be associated with a message duration parameter 506, the value of which determines the amount of time that the messaging client 104 will display the ephemeral message 502 to the receiving user of the ephemeral message 502. In one example, depending on the amount of time specified by the sending user using the message duration parameter 506, the receiving user can view the ephemeral message 502 for up to 10 seconds.

[0101] The message duration parameter 506 and the message recipient identifier 424 are shown as inputs to a message timer 510, which is responsible for determining the amount of time that the transient message 502 is shown to a particular receiving user identified by the message recipient identifier 424. In particular, the transient message 502 is shown to the associated receiving user only for a period of time determined by the value of the message duration parameter 506. The message timer 510 is shown as providing an output to a more generalized transient timer system 202, which is responsible for the overall timing of displaying content (e.g., the transient message 502) to the receiving user.

[0102] Short message 502 Figure 5504 (e.g., a collection of messages in a personal story or an event story). The ephemeral message group 504 has an associated group duration parameter 508, the value of which determines the duration for which the ephemeral message group 504 is presented and accessible to users of the messaging system 100. For example, the group duration parameter 508 may be the duration of a concert, where the ephemeral message group 504 is a collection of content about the concert. Alternatively, a user (an owning user or a curator user) may specify a value for the group duration parameter 508 when performing setup and creation of the ephemeral message group 504.

[0103] In addition, each ephemeral message 502 within the ephemeral message group 504 has an associated group participation parameter 512, the value of which determines the duration for which the ephemeral message 502 is accessible within the context of the ephemeral message group 504. Thus, a particular ephemeral message group 504 may "expire" and become inaccessible within the context of the ephemeral message group 504 before the ephemeral message group 504 itself expires according to the group duration parameter 508. The group duration parameter 508, the group participation parameter 512, and the message recipient identifier 424 each provide inputs to a group timer 514, which is operable to first determine whether a particular ephemeral message 502 in the ephemeral message group 504 is to be displayed to a particular receiving user, and if so, how long to display it. Note that the identity of the particular receiving user is also known to the ephemeral message group 504 due to the message recipient identifier 424.

[0104] Thus, the group timer 514 is operable to control the total lifespan of the associated ephemeral message group 504 and the individual ephemeral messages 502 included in the ephemeral message group 504. In one example, each ephemeral message 502 within the ephemeral message group 504 remains viewable and accessible for a period of time specified by the group duration parameter 508. In another example, within the context of the ephemeral message group 504, a particular ephemeral message 502 may expire based on the group participation parameter 512. Note that even within the context of the ephemeral message group 504, the message duration parameter 506 may still determine the duration for which a particular ephemeral message 502 is displayed to a receiving user. Thus, the message duration parameter 506 determines the duration for which a particular ephemeral message 502 is displayed to a receiving user, regardless of whether the receiving user is viewing the ephemeral message 502 within or outside the context of the ephemeral message group 504.

[0105] The transient timer system 202 may also be operable to remove a particular transient message 502 from the transient message group 504 based on a determination that an associated group participation parameter 512 has been exceeded. For example, where a sending user has established a group participation parameter 512 of 24 hours from posting, the transient timer system 202 will remove the associated transient message 502 from the transient message group 504 after the designated 24 hours. The transient timer system 202 may also be operable to remove a transient message group 504 when the group participation parameter 512 for each transient message 502 within the transient message group 504 has expired, or when the transient message group 504 itself has expired according to the group duration parameter 508.

[0106] In some use cases, the creator of a particular ephemeral message group 504 may specify an indefinite group duration parameter 508. In this case, the expiration of the group participation parameter 512 for the last remaining ephemeral message 502 within the ephemeral message group 504 will determine when the ephemeral message group 504 itself expires. In this case, a new ephemeral message 502 with a new group participation parameter 512 added to the ephemeral message group 504 effectively extends the life of the ephemeral message group 504 to a value equal to the group participation parameter 512.

[0107] In response to the transient timer system 202 determining that the transient message group 504 has expired (e.g., is no longer accessible), the transient timer system 202 communicates with the messaging system 100 (and, for example, in particular, the messaging client 104) to cause the indicia (e.g., icon) associated with the relevant transient message group 504 to no longer be displayed within the user interface of the messaging client 104. Similarly, when the transient timer system 202 determines that the message duration parameter 506 for a particular transient message 502 has expired, the transient timer system 202 causes the messaging client 104 to no longer display the indicia (e.g., icon or text identification) associated with the transient message 502.

[0108] Improving startup time for autonomous drones

[0109] Figure 6 An example of components 600 for an autonomous drone is shown, according to some examples. Figure 6 The component 600 shown in FIG. 1 is a drone (e.g. Figure 7 and Fig.10 Components 600 are organized into functional groups that include input / output devices 602, processor 604, memory 606, battery 608, power chip 610, sensor 648, wireless connection 666, power and communication connection 646, and propulsion system 684. Components 600 are connected via power and communication connection 646.

[0110] According to some examples, the power and communication connection 646 includes one or more communication buses and a power bus. According to some examples, two or more components 600 are connected via a point-to-point connection to provide communication and / or power between the two or more components 600. According to some examples, the components 600 are organized into functional groups; however, those skilled in the art will recognize that the components 600 can be organized in different ways, or can all be part of an autonomous drone individually. In addition, one or more components 600 may be optional. And the component 600 may include additional components. In addition, the number of components shown may also be different. For example, there may be multiple processors 604. According to some embodiments, the processor 604 is part of an integrated circuit chip. The terms electrical and electronic may be used to refer to electrical components and / or electronic components.

[0111] The propulsion system 684 includes electric motors 686, each of which includes a rotor 688 associated with a propeller 690. According to some examples, the propeller 690 provides aerodynamic lift for the autonomous drone 710, as well as accelerates and rotates the autonomous drone. The motor 686, once actuated in response to a signal including a motor operating instruction from, for example, the processor 604, rotates the rotor 688, which causes the propeller 690 to rotate. The electric motor 686 and the actuator 638 are powered by the battery 608 and / or the power chip 610, and are controlled by signals from the processor 604.

[0112] Having more than one propeller 690 enables the autonomous drone to continue flying when one or more of the electric motor 686, the rotor 688, or the propeller 690 fails. For example, if one electric motor 686 fails, the autonomous drone 710 can still continue flying with the remaining electric motors 686 working together to compensate. In some examples, the propulsion system 684 sends a signal to the processor 604 indicating that the electric motor 686 is not functioning properly. In some examples, the electric motor 686 provides a signal to the processor 604 indicating whether the electric motor 686 is functioning properly. In addition, the greater the number of electric motors 686 incorporated into the autonomous drone, the greater the lift that the autonomous drone 710 will generate, thereby allowing the autonomous drone to carry a heavier payload, such as one or more sensors 648.

[0113] In some examples, propulsion system 684 includes one or more actuators 638 that tilt electric motors 686 so that electric motors 686 can operate at an angle relative to the reference frame of the autonomous drone. For example, each electric motor 686 is rotationally mounted on the autonomous drone with a single axis of rotation, wherein actuator 638 controls the angle of electric motor 686. In some examples, each electric motor 686 is rotationally mounted with two or more axes of rotation controlled by one or more actuators 638. In some examples, one or more actuators 638 control the angle of more than one electric motor 686.

[0114] The functional group includes a sensor 648 having a component 600, and the component 600 includes a photographic camera 650, a navigation camera 651, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) A 652, an altimeter 654, a gyroscope 656, an IMU B 658, an accelerometer 665, an altitude detector 660, and the altitude detector 660 includes a light 662 and a light detector 660, etc.

[0115] In some examples, the sensor 648 generates data that is processed by the processor 604 and stored as data in the memory 606, for example, as data 630 in the memory 1 626, or as data 636 in the memory N 632. For example, the altimeter 664 is an instrument for determining the height reached. Therefore, when the autonomous drone is set to hover in place, the processor 604 uses the data from the altimeter 664 to determine the height and adjusts the propulsion system 684 to maintain the height. Alternatively or additionally, the height detector 660 is used to generate data that can be used to determine the height of the autonomous drone above the ground. For example, the light 662 of the height detector 660 is mounted on the bottom of the autonomous drone to irradiate light downward toward the ground, which bounces and hits the light detector 660. The processor 604 determines the height of the autonomous drone above the ground using data generated based on the light irradiated by the light 662 and the light received at the light detector 660. The light 662 can be a suitable light source that is strong enough to produce a detectable reflection on the ground by the light detector 660. In some examples, light 662 emits electromagnetic radiation of a particular wavelength, and light detector 660 is fabricated to detect the electromagnetic radiation. In some examples, the altitude is further determined based on the roll and pitch of the autonomous drone to account for the fact that light 662 may not shine light straight down.

[0116] IMU A 652 and IMU B 658 use a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and optionally magnetometers to output measurements of the autonomous drone, such as specific force, angular rate, and orientation of the autonomous drone. The altimeter 654, gyroscope 656, accelerometer 665, and other sensors 648 can be replaced by IMU A 652 and / or IMU B 658. Various combinations of sensors 648 can be used to generate data required for autonomous drone navigation. In some examples, sensors 648 include lidar systems, radar systems, light sensors, or other forms of sensors that can be used to assist in navigation and / or photography. In some examples, sensors 648 are included that enable the autonomous drone to determine the pitch, yaw, and roll of the autonomous drone. In some examples, sensors 648 include motion sensors that do not require power but generate signals based on the movement of the autonomous drone. Motion sensors can be used to generate combined Figure 8 The event in question (event 826).

[0117] The camera 650 and other sensors 648 generate data that can be captured for the purpose of displaying or saving the data to a user of the autonomous drone. In some examples, an IMU A 652 is coupled to the camera 650, which enables the processor 604 to stabilize the camera 650 to improve photography. The camera 651 can be rotatably mounted on the body of the autonomous drone, coupled to the body via one or more actuators or other mechanisms to control the orientation of the camera 650 relative to the body of the autonomous drone. IMU B 658 is attached to the autonomous drone to provide data for navigation. The processor 604 uses the data generated by the IMU for navigation and, in some examples, stabilizes the camera 650. In some examples, there is more than one camera 650.

[0118] The navigation camera 651 is mounted on the body of the autonomous drone to provide data to assist the navigation of the autonomous drone. There are more than one navigation camera 651. For example, the navigation can be a front camera mounted on the body of the autonomous drone, wherein the navigation camera 651 is positioned to pick up an image of the scene toward which the autonomous drone is facing. Additionally or alternatively, the navigation camera 651 can be mounted vertically on the body of the autonomous drone, wherein the navigation camera 651 is positioned to pick up an image of the terrain being flown (overflown). One or more navigation cameras 651 can be movably or fixedly mounted on the body of the autonomous drone, coupled to the body via one or more actuators or other mechanisms to control the orientation of one or more navigation cameras 651 relative to the body of the autonomous drone. In some examples, the photographic camera 650 is also used as the navigation camera 651. In some examples, the photographic camera 650 provides a higher pixel resolution than the navigation camera 651 and requires more power to operate.

[0119] Data such as video and digital images captured by the photographic camera 650 and the navigation camera 651 can be stored in the memory 606 as data 630, 636. In addition, the data captured by the photographic camera 650 and / or the navigation camera 651 can be wirelessly streamed to an external device 682 in near real time using a wireless connection. In addition, the autonomous drone can also send or receive data including instructions to or from the external device 682.

[0120] The wireless connection 666 includes one or more wireless protocols, which may include radio waves and / or light waves. As shown, the wireless connection 666 includes a GPS chip 668, a lower power wireless chip 670 connected to a transceiver / antenna 672, and a higher power wireless chip 676 connected to a transceiver / antenna 678. The GPS chip 668 is connected to an antenna / transceiver, which may be internal or external to the chip. The GPS chip 668 receives communications from satellites and uses information from signals received from multiple satellites to determine the location of the autonomous drone. The GPS chip 668 is a higher power chip 676. In some examples, the processor 604 receives setup data required to operate the GPS chip 668 from an external device 682, wherein the setup data may include information about the satellites from which the GPS chip 668 receives signals, wherein the data may include location information about the satellites.

[0121] The lower power wireless chip 670 may include a chip that executes one or more lower power wireless protocols. For example, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) can be used to communicate with a closer external device 682. The higher power wireless chip 676 includes a chip that executes one or more higher power wireless protocols. For example, 3GPP protocol and IEEE802.11 protocol.

[0122] The input / output device 602 provides input and output to the autonomous drone that can be used by the user. The indicator light 612 indicates the status of the autonomous drone and is visible to the user of the autonomous drone. For example, the indicator light 612 can indicate on and off, charge level, charge status (such as charging or not charging), standby status, whether there are photos or videos in the memory, whether the memory is full, whether the wireless connection 666 is on or off, etc. An electronic display such as a liquid crystal display can be in addition to or instead of the indicator light 612.

[0123] Control knob 614, which may take other forms, is a knob mounted on the exterior of the autonomous drone that provides the user with the ability to control the operation of the autonomous drone. Control knob 614 has several positions or states, such as off, on, for transmitting data such as images out of the autonomous drone, various flight paths and behaviors, etc. State 615 is an internal state that provides information to processor 604 about the setting of control knob 614. Other input and output user interface items may be used in addition to or in place of control knob 614.

[0124] Connector 616 is an external connector that provides power and / or data connection from external device 682 to the autonomous drone. For example, there is a power connector 616 for charging the autonomous drone. Power connector 616 or another connector 616 can be used to transfer data to a host device or receive power from another power source. In some examples, connector 616 is a wireless rechargeable connector 616 so that the autonomous drone is placed on or near a charging base. In some examples, there is a connector 616 for a micro secure digital (SD) card or another external storage device.

[0125] In some examples, there is a button 618 for performing one or more functions. For example, button 618, when pressed, instructs the autonomous drone to perform any function indicated by control knob 614, such as taking off as quickly as possible and taking a portrait photo of the user of the autonomous drone.

[0126] The processor 604 executes instructions 620 to process data 630, 636 and / or control the operation of the autonomous drone. The instructions 620 are machine instructions that specify the operations to be performed by the processor 604 and may be stored in a cache memory that is part of the chip of the processor 604. The processor 604 may be a separate integrated processor chip or may be part of another integrated chip. Power section 1 622 to power section N 624 indicate that the processor 604 is divided into different sections so that the power chip 610 can select which sections of the processor 604 to provide power to according to different power states 641 of the autonomous drone. Throughout the discussion, the processor 604 is described as an actor that determines various functions, but those skilled in the art will recognize that special purpose chips that perform specific functions may be included in various components of the autonomous drone. For example, the altitude detector 660 may include a processing circuit system that determines the height above the ground and outputs data indicating the height above the ground for consumption by the processor 604.

[0127] The memory 606 includes memory 1 626 to memory N 632. Each of the memory 1 626 to memory N 632 includes instructions 628, 634 and data 630, 636, respectively. The processor 604 and one or more other components 600 can access these memories via power and communication connection 646. The memory in memory 1 626 to memory N 632 is a main memory for storing data generated by the sensor 648 and other data such as transmitted to and received from the wireless connection 666. According to some examples, the main memory is a dynamic memory, such as DRAM or RAM. Another memory of memory 1 626 to memory N 632 is a static memory that does not require power to maintain a state, such as SRAM or ROM. In some examples, another memory of memory 1 626 to memory N 632 is a storage unit as a machine-readable medium. In some examples, memory 1 626 is a higher power memory and a faster access memory, while memory N 632 is a lower power memory and a slower access memory. For example, the storage unit is a removable micro SD card. The power chip 610 has connections to different memories so that the power chip 610 can provide power to one or more memories in memory 1 626 to memory N 632. Instructions 628, 634 and data 630, 636 reside completely or partially in the main memory, static memory, storage unit and / or processor 604, such as in cache memory or any suitable combination thereof. The main memory, static memory, storage unit and memory of the processor 604 are examples of machine-readable media.

[0128] The autonomous drone may have a pre-programmed flight path or operation that controls the flight path and operation of the autonomous drone. The memory 606 stores the pre-programmed flight path or operation. In some examples, the autonomous drone downloads a new pre-programmed flight path or operation from the external device 682.

[0129] Alternatively or additionally, the movement of the autonomous drone can be controlled by a remote control, which is an external device 682 such as a remote control device that a pilot or user can use to take off, land, take photos or videos, and navigate the autonomous drone. The remote control can come in many forms, from gamepad-like controllers to smartphones and tablets. Regardless of its design, the remote control needs to communicate with the autonomous drone, and typically uses radio waves to communicate. For example, autonomous drones typically operate on 2.4 gigahertz radio waves. To communicate with the autonomous drone, many autonomous drone controllers use one of the communication protocols of IEEE 802.11, which may be referred to as Wi-Fi, which can transmit on the 2.4 gigahertz spectrum and is used by smartphones and tablets for communication. In one example, referring to Figure 7 , autonomous drone 710 uses Wi-Fi or Communicates with smartphone 708. External devices 682 include remote control / host devices, such as off-site client device 704, server 706, smartphone 708, or other devices.

[0130] Power is needed to power the electric motor 686 and to power other components 600. In some examples, the autonomous drone includes one or more batteries 608 as a power source for the components 600 (such as the electric motor 686). According to some examples, the battery 608 is removable. In some examples, the battery 608 is rechargeable, wherein one or more connectors 616 are connected to the battery 608 directly or via electrical or electronic components. In some examples, the power chip 640 manages the battery 608 by performing various functions, such as determining the charge of the battery 608, turning charging on or off, providing capacitors, resistors and / or inductors for the output of the battery 608, etc. In some examples, the power chip 640 includes a power state 641, which indicates which components 600 of the autonomous drone are currently being powered. The power state 641 includes different power states 641, such as power state 1 642 to power state N 644. Different power states 641 provide power to different subsets of components 600, and therefore consume different amounts of power, and provide different levels of functionality for an autonomous drone, as discussed herein. Different power states 641 are achieved by providing power to different sets of power and communication connections 646. In some examples, components 600 are included as part of machine 1200.

[0131] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an autonomous drone system 700 according to some examples. In some examples, autonomous drone 710 may be referred to as a drone, a semi-autonomous drone, a personal autonomous drone, or similar terms. Autonomous drone 710 is configured to operate autonomously by using Figure 6 The wireless connection 666 of the wireless communication device 702 is used to send communications 712, 713 to a remote control / host device (such as an off-site client device 704, a server 706, a mobile phone or smart phone 708, or other device) to communicate. The wireless network 702 is a cellular telephone network, such as an LTE network, an IEEE 802.11 network, In some examples, autonomous drone 710 communicates directly with a remote control / host device via communication 713, where communication 713 is sent using a communication protocol such as the communication protocol discussed for wireless network 702.

[0132] In the example, the autonomous drone 710 sends communications 712, 713 including data and / or commands or requests to another device, such as a smartphone 708. In some cases, communications between a remote control / host device such as a smartphone 708 and the autonomous drone 710 may occur via a wireless network 702. The wireless network 702 may include access to the Internet and / or the autonomous drone 710 may access the Internet via another connected device such as a smartphone 708.

[0133] In some examples, server 706 provides a social networking service to enable direct posting to social media sites (such as Facebook, Facebook Video, and others) from autonomous drone 710, which may be in flight. ) to transmit content such as photos, videos, status updates, media content messages, etc. In some examples, the server 706 is a messaging server system 108, and the data captured by the camera 650 of the autonomous drone 710 is broadcast or otherwise transmitted to a remote control / host device (such as a smartphone 708), the server 706, the client device 704, or other devices via the wireless network 702 (which may be in near real time). The autonomous drone 710 can communicate directly or via another device Figure 2 The autonomous drone management system 216 keeps you connected.

[0134] One or more remote control / host devices, such as smartphone 708, can assist in processing data, such as data 630, by wirelessly receiving the data, processing the data, and then wirelessly sending information back to autonomous drone 710. For example, smartphone 708 can receive an image from autonomous drone 710 and determine that the image is of a landmark, such as a museum, restaurant, park, national monument, etc. Smartphone 708 can send back information used by autonomous drone 710 to assist in a flight path associated with the landmark. Smartphone 708 can contact autonomous drone management system 216 to perform functions of autonomous drone 710.

[0135] In some examples, the remote control / host device (such as a smartphone 708) includes an associated application that can be used by the user or device to control the autonomous drone 710 or send instructions to the autonomous drone 710, such as returning to the user, flying a specific setting, moving left, moving right, moving up or down, tilting, taking a set of photos, shutting down, etc. The associated application can provide real-time or near real-time images of the video being captured by the autonomous drone 710. In some examples, the associated application enables the user to configure the autonomous drone 710 by setting timeouts and conditions that will be combined with Figure 8 and Fig. 9 In addition, the user can select configurations regarding the wireless connection 666 to indicate which wireless protocols should be used in which states of the autonomous drone.

[0136] In some examples, the remote control / host device acts as a router or passes messages or packets directly or indirectly to other devices connected to the wireless network 702. For example, the smartphone 708 receives images from the autonomous drone 710 via communication 713. The smartphone 708 obtains the images and sends them to the server 706 for posting on a social media website, which can be posted in near real time. The server 706 can host the autonomous drone management system 216. According to some examples, the remote control / host device (such as the smartphone 708) controls the state of the autonomous drone 710 by sending instructions to the autonomous drone 710 via communications 713, 712.

[0137] Figure 8A state diagram 800 is shown of states of an autonomous drone according to some examples. In some examples, the states of the autonomous drone are a transmitting state 802, a power-off state 810, an off state 814, a standby state 818, an on state 824, and a charging state 834. These states change based on events, such as changes in the state 615 of the control knob 614, timeouts, and conditions. For example, a user of the autonomous drone can turn the control knob 614 to select a different state 615, such as from a state 615 "off" or off position to a state 615 "on" or on position, which causes the autonomous drone to enter an "on state 824". The states 615 of the control knob 614 are off, on, transmitting, flying position, etc.

[0138] The state begins in a "power off state" 810, where the autonomous drone consumes zero or close to zero power. The power used by the "power off state" 810 corresponds to the power state 641, such as power state 1 642 to power state N 644. The power chip 640 selects the appropriate power state 641 for the "power off state" 810. In some examples, in the "power off state" 810, no component 600 receives power. According to some examples, in both the "power off state" 810 and the "off state" 615, any external lights or power indicators of the autonomous drone are off. In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 in both the "power off state" 810 and the "off state" 615 tries not to display or does not display external lights or power indicators of the autonomous drone. If the user turns the control knob 614 to the "off state" 615, the autonomous drone will eventually end up in the "power off state" 810 without any other activity. Additionally, regardless of the state 615 of the control knob 614, the autonomous drone may enter a "power off state" 810 based on a timeout or battery level as discussed herein.

[0139] If the control knob 614 is turned to "on", the "power-off state" 810 will transition 840 to the "on state" 824. In the "on state" 824, the power consumed by the autonomous drone is higher than in other states. The power used by the "on state" 824 corresponds to one of the power states 641. The components 600 powered in the "on state" 824 include a wireless connection 666 with one or both of a lower power wireless chip 670 and a higher power wireless chip 676, a sensor 648, an input / output device 602, a processor 604, a memory 606, and a power chip 610. Some components 600 in the "on state" 824 are not powered unless used to provide the required functions. For example, the electric motor 686 is not powered unless the autonomous drone is in flight. In some examples, the autonomous drone includes a button 618 for the user to press the button 618 to instruct the autonomous drone to take off. The pressing of the button transitions the autonomous drone to the "on state" 824, and the autonomous drone takes off. Additionally, in some examples, "on state" 824 includes various flight positions on control knob 614. For example, control knob 614 may be turned to select a flight mode that indicates that the autonomous drone will capture a 360-degree video of the user. The user presses button 618, and the autonomous drone takes off and flies around the user, capturing a video of the user.

[0140] The startup time 844 from the "power-off state" 810 to the "on state" 824 is, for example, a duration of 5 seconds to 20 seconds. The startup time 844 from the "power-off state" 810 to the "on state" 824 includes the autonomous drone turning on the component 600 of the "on state" 824 and loading the operating system of the autonomous drone from another memory 606 of the autonomous drone into the memory 606. For example, the autonomous drone 710 can load the instructions 634 from the SRAM of the memory N 632 to the SRAM of the memory 1 626. In addition, in some examples, the startup time 844 includes the processor 604 establishing a wireless connection with the external device 682 (such as a host smartphone). In addition, other components 600 are also turned on and communicate to ensure that they are operating normally and are correctly calibrated or positioned.

[0141] If the control knob 614 is turned to "off", the "on state" 824 transitions to the "standby state" 818. The power consumed by the autonomous drone in the "standby state" 818 is lower than the power consumed in the "on state" 824, but higher than the power consumed in the "off state" 814 and the "power-off state" 810. The power used by the "standby state" 818 corresponds to one of the power states 641. When the autonomous drone enters the "standby state" 818, one or more components 600 powered in the "on state" 824 will be turned off or enter standby mode. For example, power can be cut off from the propulsion system 684 and the sensor 648 providing navigation data. In addition, if condition three (C3) 805 is met, the "on state" 824 will transition 822 to the "standby state" 818. In some examples, C3 850 refers to the autonomous drone being idle for a period of time in the "on state" 824, where the period of time is between 30 seconds and 10 minutes.

[0142] If the control knob 614 is switched to the flight position while in the “standby state” 818, the autonomous drone 820 transitions to the “on state” 824. In addition, if the control knob 614 is in any flight position and the user presses the button 618 mounted on the autonomous drone to take off the autonomous drone, the autonomous drone transitions from the “standby state” 818 to the “on state” 824. When the autonomous drone returns to the “on state” 824, the autonomous drone powers the component 600 as shown in the power state 641 of the component 600 disclosed above.

[0143] If the autonomous drone is plugged into or placed on a wireless charger while in the “standby state” 818, the autonomous drone will transition 836 to the “charging state” 834. For example, a charging cable may be attached to the connector 616 that is electrically connected to the power chip 610 or the battery 608.

[0144] In the "charging state 834", the power state 641 of the autonomous drone can be the same as in the "on state" 824, or the same or similar to the power state 641 from which the autonomous drone entered the "charging state" 834. Power is supplied to one of the indicator lights 612 to indicate that the battery 608 is charging.

[0145] If the autonomous drone is plugged into a wireless charger for charging or placed on a wireless charger while in the "off state" 814, the autonomous drone transitions 832 to the "charging state" 834. According to some examples, the control knob 614 can be in any state 615, but the autonomous drone still transitions to the "charging state" 834. For example, a charging cable can be attached to a connector 616 that is electrically connected to the power chip 610 or the battery 608. In some examples, if the autonomous drone transitions from the "power off state" 810 or the "off state" 814 to the "charging state" 834, the power state 641 of the autonomous drone remains in the "power off state" 810 or the "off state" 814; however, one of the indicator lights 612 is powered to indicate that the battery 608 is charging or charging or has been charged.

[0146] If the autonomous drone is unplugged from the charger or removed from the wireless charger while in the “charging state” 834 , and the control knob 614 is in the “off” state 615 , the autonomous drone transitions 830 to the “off state” 814 .

[0147] If the control knob 614 is switched to the flight position while in the "off state" 814, the autonomous drone transitions to the "on state" 824. Additionally, if the control knob 614 is in any flight position and the user presses a button 618 mounted on the autonomous drone to cause the autonomous drone to take off, the autonomous drone transitions from the "off state" 814 to the "on state" 824. When the autonomous drone returns to the "on state" 824, the autonomous drone powers the component 600 as disclosed above by the power state 641 of the component 600. As discussed herein, the startup time 842 from the "off state" 814 to the "on state" 824 is reduced by maintaining power to portions of the component 600, such as maintaining power to the memory 606 to maintain an operating system or operating system state within the memory 606.

[0148] If the autonomous drone is unplugged from the charger or removed from the wireless charger while in the “charging state” 834 , and the control knob 614 is in the “on” state 615 or in flight, the autonomous drone will transition 838 to the “on state” 824 .

[0149] If the autonomous drone is unplugged from the charger or removed from the wireless charger while in the “Charging State” 834 , and the control knob 614 is in the “Transmitting” state 615 , the autonomous drone transitions 804 to the “Transmitting State” 824 .

[0150] If the autonomous drone exceeds or exceeds the timeout period while in the "transmit state" 802, the autonomous drone 806 transitions to the "standby state" 818. The timeout period may have a duration of, for example, 30 seconds to 5 minutes. When the autonomous drone is idle in the "transmit state" 802, the timeout period begins. If the state 615 of the control knob 614 is changed to "transmit" while the autonomous drone is in the "standby state" 818, the autonomous drone transitions 808 to the "transmit state" 802.

[0151] If the autonomous drone satisfies C2 848 in the "standby state" 818, the autonomous drone transitions 816 to the "off state" 814. The "off state" 814 consumes power according to the power state 641 of the "off state" 184. According to some examples, C2848 is based on the battery level. For example, the autonomous drone will remain in the "standby state" 818 until the battery level drops below 20% or another percentage (such as 5%-50%). The low battery threshold determines when the condition is met, such as C2 848 where the low battery threshold can be, for example, a charge level of 5% to 50%. In some examples, C2 848 is met based on the percentage of battery level drop since entering the "standby state" 818. For example, the autonomous drone can remain in the "standby state" 818 when the battery level drops by 10% or the battery level drops by another percentage (such as a battery level drop of 5% to 90%). If the timeout period is exceeded or exceeded, C2 848 is met. For example, the timeout period can be one minute to ten minutes or longer. In some examples, C2 848 is satisfied based on battery conditions and / or timeouts that occur.

[0152] If the autonomous drone satisfies C1 846 in the "off state" 814, the autonomous drone transitions 812 to the "power off state" 810. C1 846 is satisfied if a timeout period is exceeded or exceeded. For example, the timeout period can be one minute to twenty minutes. In some examples, C1 846 is based on the battery level. For example, if the battery level drops below or exceeds a threshold percentage (such as 5%), C1 846 is satisfied. In some examples, C1 846 is satisfied based on the battery condition and / or timeout that occurs. In some examples, C1 846, C2 848, and C3 850 are parameters that can be set by the host device or the processor 604 of the autonomous drone at startup. For example, the host application on the smartphone 708 maintains statistics on the use of the autonomous drone by a user or multiple users, and sends the values ​​of C1 846, C2 848, and C3 850 to the autonomous drone 710 based on these user statistics.

[0153] In some examples, event 826 transitions 828 the autonomous drone to the “off state” 814. For example, inserting a battery into the autonomous drone causes the autonomous drone to enter the “off state” 814, where the autonomous drone will enter the power state 641 used in the “off state” 814, and will prepare or start any components 600 powered in the power state 641 of the “off state” 814. For example, transition 828 can include moving instructions 634 to instructions 628 and / or instructions 620, where memory N 632 is a slower memory that requires less power, and memory 626 is a faster memory or high-speed memory that requires more power. If the state 615 of the control knob 614 is in the flight position or on, the autonomous drone will enter the “on state” 824. In some embodiments, the autonomous drone includes a motion sensor that does not require power but generates a signal when the autonomous drone moves. In some embodiments, the signal from the motion sensor triggers the autonomous drone to enter the “off state” 814.

[0154] In some examples, there are additional states for the autonomous drone. In some examples, one or more states are optional. In some examples, the transitions between states are different. In some implementations, the names of the states may be different. For example, the "power off state" 810 may be called the "true power off state" or another name.

[0155] Fig. 9 A state diagram 900 is shown according to the states of an autonomous drone in some examples. In some examples, the states of the autonomous drone are an "on state" 902, a "sleep state" 904, and an "off state". These states change based on events such as a change in the state 615 of a control knob 614. For example, a user of the autonomous drone can turn the control knob 614 to select different states 615. The states of the control knob 614 are "off", "on", "transmit", various flight paths, etc.

[0156] The power consumption 910 of the “on state” 902 is higher than the power consumption 920 of the “sleep state” 904 and the power consumption 930 of the “off state” 906. In some examples, the “on state” 902 maintains power for one or both of the wireless 914 communication protocols (such as Wi-Fi and BLE) that require higher power 916 and lower power 918, respectively. Figure 8 Under the condition of C3 850 , the “on state” 902 transitions 940 to the “sleep state” 904 .

[0157] The power consumption 920 of the "sleep state" 904 is lower 922 than the power consumption 910 of the "on state" 902, and higher than the "power consumption" 930 of the "off state" 906. The "sleep state" 904 maintains a lower power 928 wireless 924 communication protocol, such as The "sleep state" 904 transitions to the "on state" 902 based on an event 942 such as a change in the state 615 of the control knob 614. The "sleep state" 904 transitions to the "off state" 946 based on a condition or event such as C1 846 or C2 848.

[0158] The power consumption 930 of the "off state" 906 is minimal 932, in which no or only a few components 600 are powered. The wireless connection 666 is not powered in the "off state" 906. Based on an event or condition, the "off state" 906 transitions 944 to the "on state" 902. Based on an event or condition, the "off state" 906 transitions 948 to the "sleep state" 904. The start time of the "off state" 906 is the same or similar to the start time 844. The start time of the "sleep state" 904 is similar to the start time of the "standby state" 818 transitioning 820 to the "on state" 824; however, the sleep state 904 is slower than Figure 8 The "off state" 814 consumes more power. In some examples, there are additional states of the autonomous drone. In some examples, one or more states are optional. In some examples, the transitions between states are different.

[0159] Fig.10 An autonomous drone 710 is shown according to some examples. The autonomous drone 710 is shown from a bottom view of the autonomous drone 710. Figure 6 and Fig.10 , the autonomous drone 710 includes propellers 690, a control knob 614 that may be located on the top, an altitude detector 660, a battery 608, a photo camera 650, an indicator light 612, a connector 616, a central box 1004, and a navigation camera 651. The charging / transfer cable 1002 plugs into the connector 616. The central box 1004 includes various components 600, such as a processor 604, a memory 606, a wireless connection 666, etc. In some examples, the autonomous drone 710 is plastic and is about six inches long and about four inches wide.

[0160] Fig.11 A method for reducing the startup time of an autonomous drone according to some embodiments is shown. The method 1100 begins at operation 1102 by entering a standby state from an on state in response to a first timeout or a command to shut down the autonomous drone, wherein the standby state has a first power state and the on state has a second power state. For example, referring to Figure 8, if C3 805 is satisfied, the autonomous drone in the "on state" 824 transitions 822 to the "standby state" 818. In some examples, C3 850 is satisfied when the autonomous drone is idle in the "on state" 824 for a period of time (the period of time is between 30 seconds and 10 minutes). In addition, if the control knob 614 is turned to "off", the "on state" 824 transitions to the "standby state" 818. The "standby state" 818 has the power state 641 described herein.

[0161] The method 1100 continues at operation 1104 by entering an off state from the standby state in response to a second timeout or the first condition, the off state having a third power state. Figure 8 , if the autonomous drone satisfies C2 848 in the "standby state" 818, the autonomous drone transitions 816 to the "off state" 814. The "off state" 814 consumes power according to the power state 641 of the "off state" 184. According to some examples, C2 848 is based on the battery level. For example, the autonomous drone will remain in the "standby state" 818 until the battery level drops to 20% or another percentage (such as 5%-50%). In some examples, C2 848 is satisfied based on the percentage of battery level drop since entering the "standby state" 818. For example, the autonomous drone can remain in the "standby state" 818 when the battery level drops by 10% or the battery level drops by another percentage (such as 5% to 90% battery level drops). In some examples, C2 848 is satisfied if a timeout period is exceeded or exceeded. For example, the timeout period can be one minute to twenty minutes.

[0162] The method 1100 continues at operation 1106 by entering a power-off state in response to a third timeout or a second condition, the power-off state having a fourth power state. Figure 8 , if the autonomous drone satisfies C1 846 in the "off state" 814, the autonomous drone transitions 812 to the "power off state" 810. C1 846 is satisfied if a timeout period is exceeded or exceeded. For example, the timeout period can be one minute to twenty minutes. In some examples, C1 846 is based on the battery level. For example, if the battery level drops below or exceeds a threshold percentage, such as five percent, C1 846 is satisfied.

[0163] Method 1100 may be performed by one or more of the devices discussed herein, alone or in combination with each other. For example, autonomous drone 710, messaging system 100, another device or apparatus of a device may perform method 1100, alone or in combination with each other. One or more operations of method 1100 may be optional. Method 1100 may include one or more additional operations. One or more operations of method 1100 may be performed in a different order.

[0164] Machine Architecture

[0165] Fig.12 The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is a diagrammatic representation of a machine 1200 within which instructions 1210 (e.g., software, programs, applications, applet, app, or other executable code) may be executed for causing the machine 1200 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. For example, the instructions 1210 may cause the machine 1200 to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. The instructions 1210 transform a general purpose, unprogrammed machine 1200 into a specific machine 1200 that is programmed to perform the functions described and illustrated in the manner described. The machine 1200 may operate as a standalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a network deployment, the machine 1200 may operate as a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine 1200 may include, but is not limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of sequentially or otherwise executing instructions 1210 specifying actions to be taken by the machine 1200. In addition, although only a single machine 1200 is shown, the term "machine" should also be taken to include a collection of machines that individually or jointly execute instructions 1210 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. For example, the machine 1200 may include any of the client device 102 or a number of server devices that form part of the messaging server system 108. In some examples, the machine 1200 may also include both a client system and a server system, wherein certain operations of a particular method or algorithm are performed on the server side and certain operations of the particular method or algorithm are performed on the client side.

[0166] The machine 1200 may include a processor 1204, a memory 1206, and an input / output I / O component 1202, which may be configured to communicate with each other via a bus 1240. In an example, the processor 1204 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a processor 1208 that executes instructions 1210 and a processor 1212. The term "processor" is intended to include a multi-core processor, which may include two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as "cores") that can execute instructions simultaneously. Although Fig.12 Multiple processors 1204 are shown, but the machine 1200 may include a single processor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors with a single core, multiple processors with multiple cores, or any combination thereof.

[0167] The memory 1206 includes a main memory 1214, a static memory 1216, and a storage unit 1218, which are all accessible by the processor 1204 via a bus 1240. The main memory 1206, the static memory 1216, and the storage unit 1218 store instructions 1210 that implement any one or more of the methods or functions described herein. The instructions 1210 may also reside, completely or partially, within the main memory 1214, within the static memory 1216, within the machine-readable medium 1220 within the storage unit 1218, within at least one of the processors 1204 (e.g., within a cache memory of a processor), or within any suitable combination thereof during execution thereof by the machine 1200.

[0168] I / O components 1202 may include various components that receive input, provide output, generate output, send information, exchange information, capture measurements, etc. The specific I / O components 1202 included in a particular machine will depend on the type of machine. For example, a portable machine such as a mobile phone may include a touch input device or other such input mechanism, while a headless server machine will be less likely to include such a touch input device. It should be appreciated that I / O components 1202 may include Fig.121202. In various examples, the I / O components 1202 may include a user output component 1226 and a user input component 1228. The user output component 1226 may include a visual component (e.g., a display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an acoustic component (e.g., a speaker), a tactile component (e.g., a vibration motor, a resistance mechanism), other signal generators, etc. The user input component 1228 may include an alphanumeric input component (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, an optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input component), a point-based input component (e.g., a mouse, a touch pad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instrument), a tactile input component (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen or other tactile input component that provides the location and force of a touch or touch gesture), an audio input component (e.g., a microphone), etc.

[0169] In other examples, the I / O component 1202 may include a biometric component 1230, a motion component 1232, an environmental component 1234, or a position component 1236, as well as a wide range of other components. For example, the biometric component 1230 includes components for detecting expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, voice expressions, body postures, or eye tracking), measuring biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, sweat, or brain waves), identifying people (e.g., voice recognition, retinal recognition, facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, or EEG-based recognition), etc. The motion component 1232 includes an acceleration sensor component (e.g., an accelerometer), a gravity sensor component, and a rotation sensor component (e.g., a gyroscope).

[0170] Environmental components 1234 include, for example, one or more cameras (with still image / photo and video capabilities), lighting sensor components (e.g., photometers), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., barometers), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gas detection sensors for detecting concentrations of hazardous gases for safety purposes or for measuring pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that can provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to the surrounding physical environment.

[0171] With respect to cameras, client device 102 may have a camera system including, for example, a front-facing camera on a front surface of client device 102 and a rear-facing camera on a rear surface of client device 102. The front-facing camera may, for example, be used to capture still images and videos (e.g., “selfies”) of a user of client device 102, which may then be enhanced with the enhancement data (e.g., filters) described above. The rear-facing camera may, for example, be used to capture still images and videos in a more traditional camera mode, where the images are similarly enhanced using the enhancement data. In addition to the front-facing camera and the rear-facing camera, client device 102 may also include a 360° camera for capturing 360° photos and videos.

[0172] Additionally, the camera system of the client device 102 may include dual rear cameras (e.g., a main camera and a depth sensing camera), or even triple, quad, or quintuple rear camera configurations on the front and back sides of the client device 102. For example, these multi-camera systems may include a wide-angle camera, an ultra-wide-angle camera, a telephoto camera, a macro camera, and a depth sensor.

[0173] The location component 1236 includes a positioning sensor component (e.g., a GPS receiver component), an altitude sensor component (e.g., an altimeter or barometer that detects air pressure, from which the altitude can be obtained), an orientation sensor component (e.g., a magnetometer), etc.

[0174] A variety of technologies may be used to achieve communication. The I / O components 1202 also include a communication component 1238 that is operable to couple the machine 1200 to the network 1222 or device 1224 via a corresponding coupling or connection. For example, the communication component 1238 may include a network interface component or another suitable device that interfaces with the network 1222. In other examples, the communication component 1238 may include a wired communication component, a wireless communication component, a cellular communication component, a near field communication (NFC) component, Components (e.g. Low energy consumption), Components, and other communication components for providing communication via other forms. Device 1224 can be another machine or any peripheral device in a variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via USB).

[0175] In addition, the communication component 1238 can detect an identifier or include a component operable to detect an identifier. For example, the communication component 1238 can include a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader component, an NFC smart tag detection component, an optical reader component (e.g., an optical sensor for detecting one-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar codes, multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) codes, Aztec codes, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, UltraCode, UCC RSS-2D bar codes, and other optical codes) or an acoustic detection component (e.g., a microphone for identifying an audio signal of a tag). In addition, various information can be derived via the communication component 1238, such as a location via Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation, a location via Internet Protocol (IP), ... The location of signal triangulation, the location of an NFC beacon signal via detection that can indicate a specific location, etc.

[0176] Various memories (e.g., main memory 1214, static memory 1216, and memory of processor 1204) and storage unit 1218 may store one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g., software) used by or implementing any one or more of the methods or functions described herein. When executed by processor 1204, these instructions (e.g., instructions 1210) cause various operations to implement the disclosed examples.

[0177] The instructions 1210 may be sent or received via a network interface device (e.g., a network interface component included in the communication component 1238) using a transmission medium and using any of several well-known transmission protocols (e.g., Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)) over the network 1222. Similarly, the instructions 1210 may be sent or received via a coupling (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to the device 1224 using a transmission medium.

[0178] Software Architecture

[0179] Fig.131300 is a block diagram illustrating a software architecture 1304 that may be installed on any one or more of the devices described herein. The software architecture 1304 is supported by hardware such as a machine 1302 including a processor 1320, a memory 1326, and an I / O component 1338. In this example, the software architecture 1304 may be conceptualized as a stack of layers, where each layer provides specific functionality. The software architecture 1304 includes layers such as an operating system 1312, a library 1310, a framework 1308, and an application 1306. In operation, the application 1306 invokes an API call 1350 through the software stack and receives a message 1352 in response to the API call 1350.

[0180] The operating system 1312 manages hardware resources and provides public services. The operating system 1312 includes, for example, a kernel 1314, services 1316, and drivers 1322. The kernel 1314 serves as an abstraction layer between the hardware and other software layers. For example, the kernel 1314 provides functions such as memory management, processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management, networking, and security settings. Services 1316 can provide other public services to other software layers. Drivers 1322 are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware. For example, drivers 1322 may include display drivers, camera drivers, or Low-power drivers, Flash drivers, Serial communication drivers (e.g., USB drivers), Drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, etc.

[0181] The libraries 1310 provide a common low-level infrastructure used by the applications 1306. The libraries 1310 may include a system library 1318 (e.g., a C standard library) that provides functions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematical functions, etc. In addition, the libraries 1310 may include an API library 1324, such as a media library (e.g., a library for supporting the presentation and manipulation of various media formats, such as Moving Picture Experts Group-4 (MPEG4), Advanced Video Coding (H.264 or AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 (MP3), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio codec, Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or JPG), or Portable Network Graphics (PNG)), a graphics library (e.g., an OpenGL framework for presentation in two dimensions (2D) and three dimensions (3D) in graphical content on a display), a database library (e.g., SQLite providing various relational database functions), a web library (e.g., WebKit providing web browsing functions), etc. The library 1310 may also include various other libraries 1328 to provide many other APIs to the application 1306 .

[0182] The framework 1308 provides a common high-level infrastructure used by the applications 1306. For example, the framework 1308 provides various graphical user interface (GUI) functions, high-level resource management, and high-level positioning services. The framework 1308 can provide a wide range of other APIs that can be used by the applications 1306, some of which can be specific to a particular operating system or platform.

[0183] In an example, applications 1306 may include home applications 1336, contact applications 1330, browser applications 1332, book reader applications 1334, positioning applications 1342, media applications 1344, messaging applications 1346, game applications 1348, and a broad category of other applications such as third-party applications 1340. Autonomous drone management 1341 system manages autonomous drones, as with drone management system 216 and disclosed herein. Applications 1306 are programs that perform functions defined in the programs. Various programming languages ​​may be used to create one or more of the applications 1306 structured in various ways, such as object-oriented programming languages ​​(e.g., Objective-C, Java, or C++) or procedural programming languages ​​(e.g., C or assembly language). In a specific example, third-party applications 1340 (e.g., those created by entities other than the vendor of a particular platform using ANDROID TM or IOS TM Software Development Kit (SDK) can be used for mobile operating systems, such as IOS TM ANDROID TM , Phone, or other mobile operating system running on the mobile software. In this example, the third-party application 1340 can activate the API call 1350 provided by the operating system 1312 to facilitate the functions described in this article.

[0184] Processing components

[0185] Now turn to Fig.14 , Fig.14 A diagrammatic representation of a processing environment 1400 is shown that includes a processor 1402 , a processor 1406 , and a processor 1408 (eg, a GPU, a CPU, or a combination thereof).

[0186] Processor 1402 is shown coupled to power supply 1404 and includes modules (permanently configured or temporarily instantiated), namely navigation component 1410, wireless component 1412, and power management component 1414. Navigation component 1410 controls the autonomous drone for navigation. For example, navigation component 1410 processes sensor 648 data and controls propulsion system 684. Wireless component 1412 manages wireless connection 666. Power management component 1414 manages power state 641, such as in conjunction with Figure 8 According to some examples, the processor 1402 is a special purpose processor 1402 designed specifically for the autonomous drone 710. According to some examples, the processor 1402 communicates with other processing circuit systems included in the autonomous drone 710, such as the lower power wireless chip 670.

[0187] the term

[0188] "Carrier signal" refers to any intangible medium that can store, encode or carry instructions for execution by a machine and includes digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media that facilitates communication of such instructions. Instructions may be sent or received over a network using a transmission medium via a network interface device.

[0189] "Client Device" refers to any machine that interfaces with a communications network to obtain resources from one or more server systems or other client devices. A client device may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a portable digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a tablet computer, an ultrabook, a netbook, a laptop computer, a multiprocessor system, a microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics product, a game console, a set-top box, or any other communications device that a user may use to access a network.

[0190] "Communications network" means one or more parts of a network, which may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a part of the Internet, a part of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, A network, other type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, the network or a portion of the network may include a wireless network or a cellular network, and the coupling may be a code division multiple access (CDMA) connection, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) connection, or other type of cellular or wireless coupling. In this example, the coupling may implement any of various types of data transmission technologies, such as single carrier radio transmission technology (1xRTT), evolution data optimized (EVDO) technology, general packet radio service (GPRS) technology, enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE) technology, the third generation partnership project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) network, universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), high speed packet access (HSPA), world wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), long term evolution (LTE) standards, other data transmission technologies defined by various standard setting organizations, other long distance protocols, or other data transmission technologies.

[0191] "Component" refers to a device, a physical entity, or logic with boundaries defined by function or subroutine calls, branch points, APIs, or other techniques that provide partitioning or modularization for specific processing or control functions. Components can be combined with other components via their interfaces to perform machine processing. Components can be packaged functional hardware units designed for use with other components and can be part of a program that generally performs specific functions in related functions. Components can constitute software components (e.g., codes implemented on machine-readable media) or hardware components. "Hardware components" are tangible units that can perform certain operations and can be configured or arranged in a certain physical manner. In various examples, one or more computer systems (e.g., independent computer systems, client computer systems, or server computer systems) or one or more hardware components (e.g., processors or processor groups) of a computer system can be configured by software (e.g., applications or application parts) to perform hardware components that operate to perform certain operations described herein. Hardware components can also be implemented mechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, a hardware component may include a dedicated circuit or logic that is permanently configured to perform certain operations. The hardware component may be a dedicated processor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The hardware component may also include a programmable logic or circuit system that is temporarily configured to perform certain operations by software. For example, the hardware component may include software executed by a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor. Once configured by such software, the hardware component becomes a specific machine (or a specific component of a machine) that is uniquely customized to perform the configured function, and is no longer a general-purpose processor. It should be understood that it can be decided whether to mechanically implement the hardware component in a dedicated and permanently configured circuit system or in a temporarily configured (e.g., configured by software) circuit system for cost and time considerations. Therefore, the phrase "hardware component" (or "hardware-implemented component") should be understood to include a tangible entity, that is, an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in some way or perform certain operations described herein. Considering an example in which a hardware component is temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), it is not necessary to configure or instantiate each of the hardware components at any one time. For example, in the case where a hardware component includes a general-purpose processor that is configured by software to become a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor can be respectively configured as different special-purpose processors (e.g., including different hardware components) at different times. Software accordingly configures one or more specific processors to, for example, constitute a specific hardware component at one time, and to constitute different hardware components at different times. Hardware components can provide information to other hardware components and receive information from other hardware components. Accordingly, the described hardware components can be considered to be coupled in communication.In the case of multiple hardware components being present at the same time, communication can be achieved by signal transmission (e.g., by appropriate circuits and buses) between or among two or more hardware components. In examples where multiple hardware components are configured or instantiated at different times, communication between such hardware components can be achieved, for example, by storing information in a memory structure accessible to multiple hardware components and retrieving information in the memory structure. For example, a hardware component can perform an operation, and the output of the operation is stored in a memory device coupled to it in communication. Then, another hardware component can access the memory device at a subsequent time to retrieve the stored output and process it. The hardware component can also initiate communication with an input device or an output device, and can operate on resources (e.g., a collection of information). The various operations of the example methods described herein can be performed at least in part by one or more processors that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform related operations. Whether it is temporarily configured or permanently configured, such a processor can constitute a processor-implemented component that operates to perform one or more operations or functions described herein. As used herein, "processor-implemented components" refer to hardware components implemented using one or more processors. Similarly, the method described in this article can be implemented at least in part by a processor, wherein one or more specific processors are examples of hardware. For example, at least some operations of the method can be performed by one or more processors or components implemented by the processor. In addition, one or more processors can also operate to support the execution of related operations in a "cloud computing" environment or as a "software as a service" (SaaS) operation. For example, at least some operations in the operation can be performed by a group of computers (as an example of a machine including a processor), wherein these operations can be accessed via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., API). The execution of some operations in the operation can be distributed between processors, not only can reside in a single machine, but also can be deployed across several machines. In some examples, a processor or a component implemented by a processor can be located in a single geographic location (e.g., in a home environment, an office environment, or a server cluster). In other examples, a processor or a component implemented by a processor can be distributed across several geographic locations.

[0192] "Computer-readable storage media" refers to both machine storage media and transmission media. Therefore, these terms include storage devices / media and carrier / modulated data signals. The terms "machine-readable medium", "computer-readable medium" and "device-readable medium" mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[0193] "Ephemeral messages" are messages that are accessible for a limited duration. Ephemeral messages can be text, images, videos, etc. The access time for ephemeral messages can be set by the sender of the message. Alternatively, the access time can be a default setting or a setting specified by the recipient. Regardless of the setting technique, the message is transient.

[0194] "Machine storage media" refers to a single or multiple storage devices and media (e.g., centralized or distributed databases, and associated caches and servers) that store executable instructions, routines, and data. Thus, the term should be considered to include, but is not limited to, solid-state memory and optical and magnetic media, including memory internal or external to the processor. Specific examples of machine storage media, computer storage media, and device storage media include: non-volatile memory, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices such as erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), FPGA, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The terms "machine storage media", "device storage media", and "computer storage media" mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure. The terms "machine storage media", "computer storage media", and "device storage media" expressly exclude carrier waves, modulated data signals, and other such media (at least some of which are encompassed by the term "signal media").

[0195] “Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” refers to tangible media capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions to be executed by a machine.

[0196] "Signal medium" refers to any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying instructions executed by a machine and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media that facilitate the communication of software or data. The term "signal medium" should be deemed to include any form of modulated data signals, carrier waves, etc. The term "modulated data signal" refers to a signal that has one or more of its various characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. The terms "transmission medium" and "signal medium" mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

Claims

1. A system for an autonomous drone, comprising: processor; as well as a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, configure the system to perform operations including: In response to a first timeout or a command to shut down the autonomous drone, entering a standby state from an on state, wherein the standby state has a first power state and the on state has a second power state; In response to a second timeout or a first condition, entering an off state from the standby state, the off state having a third power state; and In response to a third timeout or a second condition, a power-off state is entered, the power-off state having a fourth power state.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The operations also include: loading an operating system for controlling the autonomous drone from a first memory to a second memory, wherein the second memory is a higher power memory that consumes more power than the first memory; and Enter the on state.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein: The first power state of the on state, the second power state of the standby state, and the third power state of the off state maintain power to the second memory, and wherein the fourth power state of the power-off state does not provide power to the second memory.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein: The operations also include: Prior to entering the on state, initiating operation of a higher power wireless protocol; and Initiate operation of a lower power wireless protocol.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein: The first power state of the on state maintains power to the circuit system for the higher-power wireless protocol and to the circuit system for the lower-power wireless protocol; the second power state of the standby state and the third power state of the off state maintain power to the circuit system for the lower-power wireless protocol and do not provide power to the circuit system for the higher-power wireless protocol; and the fourth power state of the power-off state does not provide power to the circuit system for the lower-power wireless protocol or the circuit system for the higher-power wireless protocol.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein: The first power state of the on state maintains power to the circuit system for the higher-power wireless protocol and to the circuit system for the lower-power wireless protocol; the second power state of the standby state maintains power to the circuit system for the lower-power wireless protocol and does not provide power to the circuit system for the higher-power wireless protocol; and the third power state of the off state and the power-off fourth power state of the power-off state do not provide power to the circuit system for the lower-power wireless protocol or the circuit system for the higher-power wireless protocol.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein: The operations also include: One or more of a value of the first timeout, a value of the second timeout, or a value of the third timeout is received from a host device via the lower power wireless protocol or the higher power wireless protocol.

8. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The first power state consumes more power than the second power state, the second power state consumes more power than the third power state, and the third power state consumes more power than the fourth power state.

9. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The command to shut down the autonomous drone is to turn the control knob to the off position.

10. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The first timeout is a duration of one minute to ten minutes.

11. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The second timeout is from one minute to ten minutes in duration and the first condition is the battery level falling below a low battery threshold, wherein the low battery threshold is a charge level from 5% to 50%.

12. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The third timeout is from one minute to ten minutes in duration and the second condition is the battery level falling below a low battery threshold, wherein the low battery threshold is a charge level from 5% to 50%.

13. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: Neither the off state nor the power off state displays an indicator of the status of the autonomous drone.

14. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The operations also include: The shut-down state is entered from the power-off state in response to insertion of one or more batteries.

15. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The third power state does not provide power to one or more components of the autonomous drone, and the second power state does provide power to the one or more components.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein: The one or more components include one or more of the following: a photographic camera, a navigation camera, a first inertial measurement unit, a second inertial measurement unit, an altitude detector, one or more electric motors, one or more actuators, one or more parts of a processor chip, one or more memories, or one or more indicator lights.

17. A method comprising: In response to a first timeout or a command to shut down the autonomous drone, entering a standby state from an on state, wherein the standby state has a first power state and the on state has a second power state; In response to a second timeout or a first condition, entering an off state from the standby state, the off state having a third power state; and In response to a third timeout or a second condition, a power-off state is entered, the power-off state having a fourth power state.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The method further comprises: loading an operating system for controlling the autonomous drone from a first memory to a second memory, wherein the second memory is a higher power memory that consumes more power than the first memory; and Entering the on state, wherein the first power state of the on state, the second power state of the standby state, and the third power state of the off state maintain power to the second memory, and wherein the fourth power state of the off state does not provide power to the second memory.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: In response to a first timeout or a command to shut down the autonomous drone, the autonomous drone enters a standby state from an on state, wherein: The standby state has a first power state, and the on state has a second power state; In response to a second timeout or a first condition, entering an off state from the standby state, the off state having a third power state; and In response to a third timeout or a second condition, a power-off state is entered, the power-off state having a fourth power state.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein: The operations also include: loading an operating system for controlling the autonomous drone from a first memory to a second memory, wherein the second memory is a higher power memory that consumes more power than the first memory; and Entering the on state, wherein the first power state of the on state, the second power state of the standby state, and the third power state of the off state maintain power to the second memory, and wherein the fourth power state of the off state does not provide power to the second memory.

Images