Kill switch device of unmanned vehicle and operating method therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a kill switch device of an unmanned vehicle and an operating method therefor. The kill switch device comprises: a control loss status recognition unit for recognizing a control loss status by monitoring an operation state of each control system of an unmanned vehicle; a kill switch determination unit for determining at least one kill switch to be operated among a software kill switch and a hardware kill switch in accordance with the control loss status; a software kill switch operation performing unit for performing a software kill switch operation for generating a memory initialization command to initialize a memory of the control system to delete stored data when the software kill switch operation is determined; and a hardware kill switch operation performing unit for performing a hardware kill switch operation for electrically destroying the memory of the control system when the hardware kill switch operation is determined.

Description

Kill switch device and operating method of an unmanned vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to a kill switch technology for an unmanned vehicle, and more specifically, to a kill switch device and operating method for an unmanned vehicle that can recognize a loss of control situation of an unmanned vehicle and quickly remove information recorded in a storage medium by initializing or physically destroying the storage medium.

[0002]

[0003] Unmanned vehicles (UAVs) are vehicles that perceive their external environment, assess situations, and perform missions without human assistance. Representative examples include autonomous vehicles, robots, unmanned agricultural machinery, and unmanned transport vehicles on land; unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), military UAVs, and drones in the air; and unmanned ships, unmanned submarines, and remotely controlled underwater vehicles at sea. Because unmanned vehicles are not crewed, they can operate in hazardous or contaminated areas without risk of loss of life.

[0004] Unmanned vehicles (UAVs) are utilized in a wide range of fields, from military to civilian applications. Unexpected errors, malfunctions, and impacts during mission execution can lead to loss of control and loss of authority. In such cases, it is necessary to delete security-related records to prevent the leakage of critical information stored on the system's storage media. In particular, unmanned reconnaissance or attack systems operating on the battlefield require security technology to quickly and completely physically erase critical information stored on storage media in the event of loss of control due to a crash or failure in enemy territory.

[0005]

[0006] [Prior Art Literature]

[0007] [Patent Document]

[0008] Korean Patent No. 10-2221249 (February 23, 2021)

[0009]

[0010] One embodiment of the present invention provides a kill switch device and an operating method for an unmanned vehicle capable of recognizing a loss of control situation of the unmanned vehicle and quickly removing information recorded in a storage medium by initializing or physically destroying the storage medium.

[0011] One embodiment of the present invention provides a kill switch device and an operating method for an unmanned vehicle capable of determining a loss of control situation by combining the operating states of each control system of the unmanned vehicle and selectively controlling the execution of software kill switch and hardware kill switch operations according to the situation.

[0012] One embodiment of the present invention provides a kill switch device and an operating method for an unmanned vehicle capable of implementing a hardware kill switch that electrically destroys a storage medium by including an external power source separate from the system main power source.

[0013]

[0014] Among the embodiments, the kill switch device of an unmanned vehicle includes a loss of control situation recognition unit that monitors the operation status of each control system of the unmanned vehicle to recognize a loss of control situation; a kill switch determination unit that determines at least one kill switch to be operated among a software kill switch and a hardware kill switch according to the loss of control situation; a software kill switch operation execution unit that generates a memory initialization command when the software kill switch operation is determined to perform a software kill switch operation of initializing the memory of the control system to delete stored data; and a hardware kill switch operation execution unit that performs a hardware kill switch operation of electrically destroying the memory of the control system when the hardware kill switch operation is determined.

[0015] The above control loss situation recognition unit can define in advance at least one control loss situation according to a combination of normal or abnormal operation states of each control system of the unmanned vehicle, and can recognize a control loss situation matching the specific combination when monitoring information regarding the operation state of each control system satisfies a specific combination defined in advance.

[0016] The above control loss situation recognition unit analyzes log data of the flight control system to determine whether the flight control system is operating normally, analyzes data according to mission planning and execution of the mission control system to determine whether the mission control system is operating normally, and can recognize the control loss situation by combining the normal or abnormal operation states of the flight control system and the mission control system.

[0017] The above-mentioned loss of control situation recognition unit can monitor the overall system power status of the unmanned vehicle and determine whether to use an external power source by determining an abnormal power loss status.

[0018] The above kill switch decision unit may define a kill switch operation scenario in advance in the form of a table according to a loss of control situation, and when a loss of control situation is recognized for the unmanned vehicle, the operation of at least one of the software kill switch and the hardware kill switch may be activated so that a kill switch operation scenario matching the loss of control situation is performed.

[0019] The above kill switch decision unit may determine the operation of the software kill switch in the case of a loss of control due to a malfunction of the mission control system, and may determine the operation of the hardware kill switch in the case of a loss of control due to an emergency situation in which at least one control system among the flight control system and the mission control system operates abnormally.

[0020] The above software kill switch operation unit can be activated in a loss of control situation that satisfies preset operating conditions and generate a memory initialization command through software to perform memory initialization to delete and format data recorded in the memory of the control system.

[0021] The software kill switch operation unit may include a memory initialization command generation unit that generates the memory initialization command; an initialization command selection unit that distinguishes the memory initialization command according to the physical interface of the memory mounted on the control system; and an interface unit that communicates with the memory and transmits the memory initialization command.

[0022] The above hardware kill switch operating unit can electrically destroy the memory by applying a specific high voltage or reverse voltage to the memory through an external power source.

[0023] The above hardware kill switch operating unit may include a small battery that can be replaced with the external power source.

[0024] Among the embodiments, a method for operating a kill switch of an unmanned vehicle includes a system power monitoring step for monitoring power of the entire system of the unmanned vehicle, a control module monitoring step for periodically checking whether a flight control module and a mission execution control module of the system are operating normally, an external power control step for determining whether an external power source is being used based on power status information according to the system power monitoring, a step for recognizing a loss of control of the unmanned vehicle based on the power status information and system operation status information of each control module according to the control module monitoring, and a step for performing software kill switch operation and hardware kill switch operation control according to a kill switch operation scenario defined in advance according to the loss of control.

[0025] The step of performing the above software kill switch operation control may include the step of generating a flash memory command for initializing a flash memory mounted on the control module; and the step of communicating with the flash memory through a physical interface of the flash memory to initialize the flash memory.

[0026] The step of performing the above hardware kill switch operation control may include a step of electrically destroying the flash memory by applying a specific high voltage or reverse voltage to the flash memory from an external power module.

[0027]

[0028] The disclosed technology may have the following effects. However, this does not mean that a particular embodiment must include all or only the following effects, and therefore the scope of the disclosed technology should not be construed as being limited thereby.

[0029] A kill switch device and an operating method of an unmanned vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention can recognize a loss of control of the unmanned vehicle and quickly remove information recorded in the storage medium by initializing or physically destroying the storage medium.

[0030] The kill switch device and operating method of an unmanned vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention can determine a loss of control situation by combining the operating states of each control system of the unmanned vehicle and selectively control the execution of software kill switch and hardware kill switch operations according to the situation.

[0031] A kill switch device and an operating method of an unmanned vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention can implement a hardware kill switch that electrically destroys a storage medium by including an external power source that is separate from the system main power source.

[0032]

[0033] Figure 1 is a drawing explaining the system structure of an unmanned vehicle.

[0034] Figure 2 is a drawing explaining the functional configuration of a kill switch device of an unmanned vehicle according to the present invention.

[0035] Figure 3 is a drawing explaining the operation of a kill switch device according to the present invention.

[0036] Fig. 4 is a drawing showing a detailed configuration of the kill switch device of Fig. 3.

[0037] Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining a kill switch operation method of an unmanned vehicle according to the present invention.

[0038]

[0039] The description of the present invention is merely an example for structural and functional explanation, and therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described in the text. That is, since the embodiments can be modified in various ways and can take various forms, the scope of the present invention should be understood to include equivalents that can realize the technical idea. In addition, the purposes or effects presented in the present invention do not mean that a specific embodiment must include all of them or only such effects, and therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereby.

[0040] Meanwhile, the meaning of the terms described in this application should be understood as follows.

[0041] Terms such as "first" and "second" are intended to distinguish one component from another, and the scope of the rights should not be limited by these terms. For example, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

[0042] When a component is said to be "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected to that other component, there may also be other components intervening. Conversely, when a component is said to be "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other intervening components. Similarly, other expressions describing relationships between components, such as "between" and "directly between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted similarly.

[0043] Singular expressions should be understood to include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and terms such as "comprises" or "have" should be understood to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof, but not to exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0044] For each step, the identifiers (e.g., a, b, c, etc.) are used for convenience of explanation and do not describe the order of the steps. The steps may occur in a different order than stated unless the context clearly dictates a specific order. That is, the steps may occur in the same order as stated, may be performed substantially simultaneously, or may be performed in the opposite order.

[0045] The present invention can be implemented as computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage devices. Furthermore, the computer-readable recording medium can be distributed across network-connected computer systems, so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0046] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted to be consistent with their meaning within the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted as having an idealized or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined herein.

[0047]

[0048] Figure 1 is a drawing explaining the system structure of an unmanned vehicle.

[0049] Referring to Fig. 1, an unmanned vehicle (UAV) may be implemented by including multiple control systems for unmanned movement and mission execution. For convenience of explanation, the drone architecture, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is illustrated as an example. The UAV may be comprised of two to three control systems for flight control, networking with a base station, storage of captured data, and mission execution. The UAV's control systems may exchange data with each other via serial communication. Among the UAV's control systems, the flight control system and the mission control system store various data during flight. The mission control system may also be incorporated into the flight control system.

[0050] Flight control systems utilize various sensors to ensure stable and accurate flight. These sensors may include an Intermediate Measurement Unit (IMU), a Global Positioning System (GPS), and a Magnetic Compass. The IMU, which includes a gyroscope and an accelerometer, measures the attitude (roll, pitch, and yaw) and acceleration of the unmanned vehicle. The flight control system uses the IMU to monitor the UAV's attitude, position, and velocity in real time and adjusts motor output as needed to maintain stable flight. The GPS provides the UAV's position and velocity in real time. The flight control system uses the GPS sensor to determine the UAV's current location, enabling it to move accurately along a set path. It also measures the UAV's speed to adjust its speed and ensure it reaches its destination. GPS data is primarily used for navigation and path planning and also plays a crucial role in the automatic return-to-home function. The magnetic compass measures the Earth's magnetic field to determine the UAV's heading. The flight control system can accurately determine the direction of the unmanned vehicle through the magnetic compass sensor, thereby supporting stable flight in the set direction. It can also compensate for the drift of the gyroscope to provide accurate direction information even during long-term flights. The magnetic compass data can be combined with GPS to enable more precise position and direction control. The flight control system collects data in real time from sensors such as the IMU, GPS, and magnetic compass, and based on the collected data, determines the current status of the unmanned vehicle, such as its position, speed, attitude, and direction, and performs flight control. It can also store log data acquired during the flight control process.Here, the log data may include the attitude (roll, pitch, yaw), coordinates, altitude, control commands, joystick records, etc. of the unmanned vehicle.

[0051] The mission control system (MCS) can control the execution of assigned missions for unmanned vehicles (UAVs). The MCS can collect necessary data during mission execution using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or cameras. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a sensor that uses lasers to measure the distance of the surrounding environment and converts this data into a 3D map. This allows the UAV to detect and avoid obstacles or terrain changes in its flight path, and scan its surroundings in real time to detect targets (e.g., missing persons or specific objects). The UAV can also use cameras to capture real-time video, and this video data can be utilized in various applications, such as security surveillance, rescue missions, and agricultural monitoring. The MCS can plan and execute missions based on LIDAR or camera data. The MCS can store the data acquired during the mission.

[0052] Unmanned vehicles (UAVs) can experience loss of control and loss of authority due to unexpected errors, malfunctions, or impacts during flight or mission execution. To prevent external leaks of related records in the event of loss of control, a kill switch technology capable of permanently deleting or destroying stored data is required.

[0053] The present invention proposes a software and hardware-based kill switch technology for quickly and completely erasing important information stored in memory through situational awareness and judgment when an unmanned vehicle loses control due to various reasons such as physical attack, electronic attack (jamming, etc.), breakdown, power discharge, etc.

[0054]

[0055] Figure 2 is a drawing explaining the functional configuration of a kill switch device of an unmanned vehicle according to the present invention.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 2, the kill switch device (200) of the unmanned vehicle may include a loss of control situation recognition unit (210), a kill switch decision unit (230), a software kill switch operation execution unit (250), and a hardware kill switch operation execution unit (270).

[0057] The loss of control situation recognition unit (210) can recognize a loss of control situation by monitoring the operating status of each control system of the unmanned vehicle. The unmanned vehicle may be a drone, robot, autonomous vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), etc., but is not necessarily limited thereto and may include objects that can be remotely controlled or moved autonomously depending on the operating environment. Loss of control of an unmanned vehicle may occur due to various causes, such as system and component failure, data link failure, flight control system error, external interference, and collision. In one embodiment, the loss of control situation recognition unit (210) can recognize a loss of control situation of the unmanned vehicle by monitoring whether each control system of the unmanned vehicle is operating normally. The loss of control situation recognition unit (210) can recognize a loss of control situation by periodically checking whether the flight control and mission execution of the unmanned vehicle are operating normally during flight. Here, the loss of control situation recognition unit (210) monitors the operating status of each control system at a preset cycle and combines the monitoring results to comprehensively identify a loss of control situation. The system operation status monitoring cycle can be set shorter as the security level of the stored data increases, thereby preventing theft of important data. The loss of control situation recognition unit (210) can predefine at least one loss of control situation based on a combination of normal and abnormal states of each system in the entire unmanned vehicle system. The loss of control situation recognition unit (210) can recognize a loss of control situation matching a specific combination when the monitoring information regarding the operation status of each system satisfies a specific predefined combination.

[0058] In one embodiment, the loss of control situation awareness unit (210) can periodically check the status of sensors and systems to determine if there is an abnormality and analyze log data to detect an abnormality. That is, the loss of control situation awareness unit (210) can collect sensor data and periodically check the operating status of the flight control system and the mission control system based on the collected data. The loss of control situation awareness unit (210) can set a reference value that can distinguish normal operation and abnormal operation and analyze sensor data and system logs to distinguish normal and abnormal states. Specifically, the loss of control situation awareness unit (210) can recognize a loss of control situation by identifying the operating status of the flight control module, mission control module, sensor, and power module among the entire system modules of the unmanned vehicle. The loss of control situation awareness unit (210) can analyze the log data of the flight control module to determine whether the flight control module is operating normally. The log data may include information related to flight control, such as the attitude (roll, pitch, yaw) of the unmanned vehicle, coordinates, altitude, control commands, and joystick records. The loss of control situation awareness unit (210) can determine whether the flight control is operating normally based on log data. Flight control may mean performing path following control by generating a flight trajectory for the final path. In addition, the loss of control situation awareness unit (210) can determine whether the mission control module is operating normally by analyzing data according to the mission planning and execution of the mission control module. In addition, the loss of control situation awareness unit (210) can determine whether the sensor is abnormal by checking the allowable range of sensor data, signal strength, etc. In addition, the loss of control situation awareness unit (210) can determine an abnormal power loss state by checking the system power status. Here, the loss of control situation awareness unit (210) may also determine whether to use an external power source as driving power depending on the system power status.The loss of control situation recognition unit (210) can recognize a loss of control situation by combining the operational states of flight control and mission control. The loss of control situation recognition unit (210) can more accurately recognize a loss of control situation by additionally combining sensor and power states. The loss of control situation recognition unit (210) can check the operational state through communication with the system controller of the unmanned vehicle.

[0059] The kill switch decision unit (230) can determine which kill switch to activate among the software kill switch and the hardware kill switch depending on the recognized loss of control situation. In one embodiment, the kill switch decision unit (230) can define kill switch operation scenarios according to loss of control situations in advance in the form of a table, and when a loss of control situation is recognized, activate the corresponding kill switch so that the kill switch operation scenario matching the situation is performed. The kill switch operation table can be implemented to include a loss of control situation according to a combination of the operating states of each system configuration and a kill switch operation scenario corresponding to the loss of control situation.

[0060] The kill switch decision unit (230) may select at least one kill switch operation from among a software kill switch operation that deletes data recorded in memory and a hardware kill switch operation that physically destroys memory depending on a loss of control situation. In one embodiment, the kill switch decision unit (230) may determine a software kill switch operation that deletes or initializes only data recorded in the memory of the mission control module if only the mission control module is in an abnormal operating state. The software kill switch may refer to an operation that deletes and initializes data recorded in the memory using a software command. The kill switch decision unit (230) may determine a hardware kill switch operation that destroys the memory if the loss of control situation is recognized as an emergency emergency situation including an abnormal operating state of the flight control module. The hardware kill switch refers to an operation that electrically destroys the memory by providing a high voltage or a reverse voltage. To this end, the kill switch device (200) may include an external power module that generates a high voltage or a reverse voltage. Here, the external power module may be implemented by including a replaceable small battery.

[0061] The software kill switch operation execution unit (250) can generate a memory initialization command when the software kill switch operation is selected to perform memory initialization so that data stored in the memory is permanently deleted. Here, the memory may correspond to a non-volatile memory that electrically stores and erases data and maintains data even when power is cut off. That is, flash memory can be used. The software kill switch operation execution unit (250) can delete data in the memory by being activated in a loss of control situation that satisfies preset operating conditions. To this end, the software kill switch operation execution unit (250) can include a memory initialization command generation module and a memory interface module, etc. In one embodiment, the software kill switch operation execution unit (250) can generate a memory initialization command to perform memory initialization to delete and format data recorded in the memory.

[0062] The hardware kill switch operation performing unit (270) can perform a hardware kill switch operation that electrically destroys the memory by applying a specific high voltage or reverse voltage to the memory for a certain period of time through an external power module when the hardware kill switch operation is selected. The hardware kill switch operation is a powerful data deletion method that makes data unrecoverable and can produce an effect similar to physical destruction. For example, the hardware kill switch operation performing unit (270) can perform a flash memory destruction process by applying a high voltage of 40 V or more to a specific pin (Vpp or voltage application pin) of the flash memory through an external power module.

[0063]

[0064] FIG. 3 is a drawing explaining the operation of a kill switch device according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a drawing showing a detailed configuration of the kill switch device of FIG. 3.

[0065] First, referring to FIG. 3, the kill switch device (200) can be configured to communicate with each control system and memory of the unmanned vehicle.

[0066] The kill switch device (200) can be connected to the flight control processor (330) and the mission control processor (340) of the unmanned vehicle to monitor the operating status of the corresponding control system. In addition, the kill switch device (200) can monitor the status of the sensor (350) and the power source (360). The kill switch device (200) can autonomously recognize a loss of control situation of the unmanned vehicle by combining monitoring information on the operating status of the control system, the status of the sensor, and the status of the power source. When a loss of control situation is recognized, the kill switch device (200) can perform software or hardware-based kill switch operation control on data stored in the memory (310, 320) of each control system. Here, the memory (310, 320) may use a flash memory including at least one of a solid-state drive (SSS), a universal serial bus (USB), a secure digital (SD) card, a floating gate transistor, and a charge trap layer transistor, and is not necessarily limited thereto, and may include any storage medium capable of erasing data.

[0067] The kill switch device (200) can quickly recognize a loss of control situation and control the execution of a kill switch operation accordingly by predefining a loss of control situation and a corresponding kill switch operation according to a combination of the operating status of each control system, sensor, and power status. This can be defined as shown in Table 1 below.

[0068] [Table 1]

[0069]

[0070] Here, H represents normal operation and L represents abnormal operation.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 4, the kill switch device (200) may be implemented as a kill switch control module (400) including a system power monitoring unit (410), a control module monitoring unit (420), an external power control unit (430), a flash memory command (CMD) generation unit (440), an initialization command selection unit (450), and a flash memory interface unit (460). In addition, the kill switch device (200) may include an external power module (470) and a power selection (Power MUX) module (480).

[0072] The system power monitoring unit (410) monitors the power of the entire system. If the system power falls below a reference level, the unit can determine whether to transfer control to an external power source after checking for abnormalities in the external control system. If a stable power supply is not maintained in the system of the unmanned mobile device, the system may experience performance degradation, malfunction, or serious damage. The system power monitoring unit (410) can continuously monitor parameters such as voltage, current, and temperature of the system power to detect abnormal situations, or track the overall power consumption of the system to detect abnormal power consumption.

[0073] The control module monitoring unit (420) can periodically check whether the flight control and mission control modules are operating normally. The system power monitoring unit (410) and the control module monitoring unit (420) may correspond to the loss of control situation recognition unit (210) of FIG. 2. In one embodiment, the control module monitoring unit (420) can periodically analyze log data stored locally within the flight control system during flight to determine whether the flight control system is operating abnormally. That is, the control module monitoring unit (420) can detect abnormal patterns or rapid changes in values ​​in the log data, such as sudden changes in altitude or speed, to determine system abnormalities. In addition, the control module monitoring unit (420) can periodically analyze image data stored locally within the mission control system during mission execution to determine an abnormal operating state of the mission control system.

[0074] The external power control unit (430) can determine whether or not an external power source is used. The external power control unit (430) can determine whether or not an external power source is used based on monitoring information regarding the status of the system power source and monitoring information regarding the operating status of the control module. That is, the external power control unit (430) can determine whether or not to use an external power source when the system power source status is an abnormal power loss situation. In addition, the external power control unit (430) can perform a hardware kill switch operation to electrically destroy a flash memory, which is a storage medium, by controlling the output voltage of the external power module (470) when the operating status of the control module is an emergency situation.

[0075] The flash memory initialization command generation unit (440) can generate a flash memory command for flash memory initialization. The flash memory initialization command generation unit (440) can generate an initialization command depending on the type and interface of the flash memory. The flash memory initialization command generation unit (440) can correspond to the software kill switch operation execution unit (250) of FIG. 2.

[0076] The initialization command selection unit (450) can communicate an initialization command according to the physical interface of the flash memory mounted on each control system of the unmanned vehicle. That is, the flash memory mounted on each control system of the unmanned vehicle can use various interfaces such as an SD card, eMMC, PCIe, etc. The initialization command selection unit (450) can identify the interface type of the flash memory mounted on each control system, and then select an appropriate initialization command to communicate with the flash memory through the flash memory interface unit (460) to perform a software kill switch operation for initializing the flash memory.

[0077] The external power module (470) may correspond to a backup battery that is separate from the main power source of the unmanned vehicle. The external power module (470) may be implemented by including a small battery that can minimize the impact on the weight or size of the kill switch device (200). The external power module (470) may operate as a hardware kill switch that applies high voltage or reverse voltage to electrically destroy the flash memory under the control of the external power control unit (430). In addition, the external power module (470) may provide power required for the operation of the software kill switch in the event of a power loss of the main power source.

[0078] The power selection module (480) can select power and apply it to the flash memory side based on the judgment of whether or not an external power source is used by the external power control unit (430).

[0079]

[0080] Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining a kill switch operation method of an unmanned vehicle according to the present invention.

[0081] Referring to FIG. 5, the kill switch device (200) of the unmanned vehicle can monitor the system power and generate power status information (step S510). The kill switch device (200) can monitor the operations of each of flight control and mission execution and generate operation status information of each control system (step S530).

[0082] In addition, the kill switch device (200) can recognize a loss of control situation of the unmanned vehicle based on power status information and operation status information of each control system (step S550). The kill switch device (200) can perform software kill switch operation and hardware kill switch operation control with a predefined kill switch operation scenario according to the recognized loss of control situation (step S570).

[0083]

[0084] The kill switch device and operating method of an unmanned vehicle according to the present invention can quickly and completely physically erase important information stored in memory through situational awareness and judgment when various control rights of the unmanned vehicle are lost.

[0085] In addition, the kill switch of the present invention can be applied to various electronic devices such as IoT devices such as electronic door locks as well as unmanned vehicles.

[0086]

[0087] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below.

[0088]

[0089] [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 200: Kill switch device for unmanned vehicles

[0091] 210: Loss of Control Situational Awareness Unit 230: Kill Switch Decision Unit

[0092] 250: Software Kill Switch Operation Unit

[0093] 270: Hardware Kill Switch Operation Unit

[0094] 400: Kill Switch Control Module

[0095] 410: System power monitoring unit 420: Control module monitoring unit

[0096] 430: External power control unit

[0097] 440: Flash memory initialization command generation unit

[0098] 450: Initialization command selection unit 460: Flash memory interface unit

[0099] 470: External power module 480: Power selection module

Claims

1. A loss of control situation recognition unit that monitors the operation status of each control system of an unmanned vehicle and recognizes a loss of control situation; A kill switch decision unit that determines at least one kill switch to be activated among a software kill switch and a hardware kill switch depending on the above loss of control situation; A software kill switch operation execution unit that performs a software kill switch operation that initializes the memory of the control system by generating a memory initialization command when the above software kill switch operation is determined, thereby deleting stored data; and An unmanned vehicle kill switch device including a hardware kill switch operation performing unit that performs a hardware kill switch operation that electrically destroys the memory of the control system when the hardware kill switch operation is determined.

2. In paragraph 1, the control loss situation recognition unit A kill switch device for an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that at least one loss of control situation is defined in advance according to a combination of normal or abnormal operation states of each control system of the unmanned vehicle, and when monitoring information regarding the operation state of each control system satisfies a specific combination defined in advance, the device recognizes a loss of control situation matching the specific combination.

3. In paragraph 1, the control loss situation recognition unit A kill switch device for an unmanned vehicle characterized in that it analyzes log data of a flight control system to determine whether the flight control system is operating normally, analyzes data according to mission planning and execution of a mission control system to determine whether the mission control system is operating normally, and recognizes a loss of control situation by combining the normal or abnormal operation states of the flight control system and the mission control system.

4. In the third paragraph, the control loss situation recognition unit A kill switch device for an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that it monitors the overall system power status of the unmanned vehicle and determines whether to use an external power source by determining an abnormal power loss status.

5. In the first paragraph, the kill switch decision unit A kill switch device for an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that a kill switch operation scenario according to a loss of control situation is defined in advance in the form of a table, and when a loss of control situation is recognized for the unmanned vehicle, the operation of at least one of the software kill switch and the hardware kill switch is activated so that a kill switch operation scenario matching the loss of control situation is performed.

6. In the first paragraph, the kill switch decision unit A kill switch device for an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that it determines the operation of the software kill switch in the case of a loss of control situation due to a malfunction of the mission control system, and determines the operation of the hardware kill switch in the case of a loss of control situation due to an emergency situation in which at least one control system among the flight control system and the mission control system operates abnormally.

7. In the first paragraph, the software kill switch operation unit A kill switch device for an unmanned vehicle characterized in that it is activated in a loss of control situation that satisfies preset operating conditions and generates a software memory initialization command to perform memory initialization that deletes and formats data recorded in the memory of the control system.

8. In paragraph 7, the software kill switch operation unit A memory initialization command generation unit that generates the above memory initialization command; An initialization command selection unit that distinguishes the memory initialization command according to the physical interface of the memory mounted in the above control system; and A kill switch device for an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that it includes an interface unit that communicates with the memory and transmits the memory initialization command.

9. In the first paragraph, the hardware kill switch operation unit A kill switch device for an unmanned vehicle characterized in that it electrically destroys the memory by applying a specific high voltage or reverse voltage to the memory through an external power source.

10. In the 9th paragraph, the hardware kill switch operation unit A kill switch device for an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that it includes a small battery that can be replaced with the external power source.

11. In the method of operation performed in the kill switch device of an unmanned vehicle, A system power monitoring step for monitoring the power of the entire system of the above unmanned vehicle; A control module monitoring step that periodically checks whether the flight control module and mission execution control module of the above system are operating normally; An external power control step for determining whether to use external power based on power status information according to the above system power monitoring; A step of recognizing a loss of control situation of the unmanned vehicle based on the power status information and the system operation status information of each control module according to the control module monitoring; and An unmanned vehicle kill switch operation method comprising a step of performing software kill switch operation and hardware kill switch operation control according to a predefined kill switch operation scenario according to the above loss of control situation.

12. In the 11th paragraph, the step of performing the software kill switch operation control is A step of generating a flash memory command for initializing a flash memory mounted on the above control module; and A method for operating a kill switch of an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a step of initializing the flash memory by communicating with the flash memory through a physical interface of the flash memory.

13. In the 11th paragraph, the step of performing hardware kill switch operation control is A method for operating a kill switch of an unmanned vehicle, characterized by including a step of electrically destroying the flash memory by applying a specific high voltage or reverse voltage from an external power module to the flash memory.

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