If you’re familiar with the name DJI, chances are you know the brand primarily for its drones. The company filed two patents that don’t depict drones, but rather a remote-controlled car and a caged gimbal. The patents were spotted by DroneDJ on the Chinese patent system. They reportedly appeared on 10 December 2019.
The DJI patent on the remote-controlled camera car is simply named Vehicle. Its four wheels can rotate 3360-degrees for better manoeuvrability, and are attached to the car body with arms that can move up and down. The camera itself is placed on a platform with dampers beneath it to reduce vibrations.
As for the gimbal, DJI simply named it the Stabilising Device. The cage looks like it can be detached, which may allow it to be attached to other things, via what looks like a mounting plate. The two handles, on the other hand, looks like permanent fixtures that can’t be removed. They do come with buttons and wheels, which may explain why they need to be fixed parts of the gimbal. Its battery looks to be located at the back.
Both of these patents also depict very similar-looking cameras. This may suggest that the one on the gimbal can be attached to the remote-controlled car once the cage is removed.
While the gimbal is not exactly something new for DJI, the remote-controlled camera car looks like a good addition to the company. Having multiple drones in its catalogue, a remote controlled car will complete the company’s ecosystem for land and air videography. But as with all patents, there’s no indication as to if or when DJI will make products based on them.
(Source: DroneDJ. Image: DJI / Facebook)
