DJI (company)

DJI Innovations
Native name
 大疆创新科技有限公司
Da-Jiang Innovations Science and Technology Co., Ltd.
Private
Industry Aerial Photography
Founded 2006
Founder Frank Wang
Headquarters Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Photography Platforms, Flight Controllers, Gimbals
Number of employees
 c. 2800[1]
Divisions China, North America, Europe, Japan
Slogan "The future of possible"
Website www.dji.com

DJI is a Chinese technology company founded in 2006 by Frank Wang[2] and headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. It manufactures commercial and recreational unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for aerial photography and videography.[3][4][5]

According to The Economist, the company is at the forefront of the civilian-drone industry.[6]

Company products

DJI manufactures a range of products like flying cameras (ex. Inspire and Phantom series), flying platforms, flight controllers for multi rotors, accessories for helicopters, camera gimballs (aerial, handheld) and ground stations. These products are for industrial, professional and amateur use.[7][8] Recently, the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed some regulations and guidelines to ensure proper operation of these vehicles.[9][10]

Flight Controllers

DJI makes professional and amateur flight controllers intended for multi-rotor stabilization control of various platforms or heavy payloads in aerial photography. In addition to the main A2 main controller model (intelligent orientation, landing, home return), there are the IMU (damper module), the GPS-Compass Pro Plus (high end antenna, satellite receiver), the PMU (voltage alarm) and the LED bluetooth indicator (smartphone connectivity).[11][12]

Model A2 Naza V2 Wookong-M Naza-M Lite
Number of Motors Compatible 4-8 4-8 4-8 4-6
Has Built in Receiver Yes (2.4 GHz) No No No
Hovering Accuracy (m) Vertical: ± 0.5m / Horizontal: ± 1.5m Vertical:±0.8m / Horizontal:±2.5m Vertical: ± 0.5m / Horizontal: ± 2m Vertical:±0.8m / Horizontal:±2.5m
Motor/ Rotor Configuration Quad-Rotor: +4,X4; Hex-Rotor: +6,X6,Y6,Rev Y6; Octo-Rotor: +8,X8,V8 Quad-rotor: I4, X4; Hex-rotor: I6, X6, IY6, Y6; Octo-rotor: I8，V8，X8 Quad-Rotor: +4,X4; Hex-Rotor: +6,X6,Y6,Rev Y6; Octo-Rotor: +8,X8,V8 Quad-rotor I4, X4; Hex-rotor I6, X6, IY6, Y6

The Ronin platform

The DJI Ronin is the company's first stand alone ground based camera stabilization platform developed for everyday cinematography and aerial film making in professional environments. It is built for professional videography and photography and targets the movie-making industry. By using the 3 individual motors to balance the system the DJI Ronin has the ability to stabilize the camera when moving vigorously.[13]

The DJI Modules

DJI offers several add-on modules for their base products such as power management and video modules.

Module Lightbridge PMU (A2, Wookong, Naza V2, Naza Lite) iOSD MARK II iOSD mini BTU
Type (Purpose) Video Downlink Power Management On-Screen Display On-Screen Display Bluetooth Link
Works With A2, Wookong-M, Naza V2 A2, Wookong-M, Naza V2, Naza-M Lite A2, Wookong-M, Naza V2 A2, Wookong-M, Naza V2 Naza V2
Interface CAN Bus CAN Bus, Battery Connection CAN Bus CAN Bus CAN Bus
Battery Requirements 4S-6S Lipo 4S-12S Lipo 4S Lipo and Shared Flight Controller Power 2S Lipo and Shared Flight Controller Power Shared Flight Controller Power

The Flame Wheel series

DJI has developed a series of multirotors flying platforms called Flame Wheel (Feng-Huo-Lun or Fenghuolun, 风火轮) for aerial photography in entertainment. In 2013, there was a total of three electrically powered Flame Wheels: the hexacopter Flame Wheel F550, and quadcopters Flame Wheel F330 and Flame Wheel F450. The most recent one is the Flame Wheel ARF KIT.[14][15]

Model Flame Wheel F330 Flame Wheel F450 Flame Wheel F550
Diagonal wheelbase (cm) 33 45 55
Frame weight (g) 156 282 478
Take-off weight (g) 600 – 1200 800 – 1600 1200 – 2400

The Phantom series

Main article: Phantom (UAV)
A Phantom UAV

DJI has also developed a series of quadcopters called the Phantoms that have evolved into an integrated flying system with aircraft, camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, a controller and the pilot’s mobile device.[16][17][18] These quadcopters are mainly intended for aerial cinematography and photography applications.[19] The Phantom 2 Vision+ features a camera and a gimbal system manufactured by DJI. It is capable of taking 14 MegaPixel still shots and recording high definition (1080p) video.[20]

Model Phantom 1 Phantom 2 Phantom 2 Vision Phantom 2 Vision+ Phantom FC40 Phantom 3 Professional Phantom 3 Advanced
Diagonal wheelbase (cm) 0.35 0.35 0.35 0.35 0.35 — —
Height (m) 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 0.19 — —
Power consumption (W) 3.12 — — — 3.12 — —
Take-off weight (kg) < 1 < 1.3 1.18 1.284 < 1.2 — —
Max speed (m/s) 10 15 15 15 10 16 16
Endurance (min) — 25 25 25 10 23 23
Rate of climb/descend (m/s) 6 6/2 6/2 6/2 6 5/3 5/3
Operating temperature (°C) - 10 to 50 - 10 to 50 — — - 10 to 50 0 to 40 0 to 40

The Spreading Wings series

DJI has also developed a series of hexacopters called Spreading Wings (Gen-Dou-Yun or Gendouyun, 跟斗云) for carrying heavy cameras in aerial photography, search and rescue, and surveillance. In 2013, two models have been released as Spreading Wings S800 and Spreading Wings S800 EVO.[21]

Model Spreading Wings S800 Spreading Wings S800 EVO Spreading Wings S900 Spreading Wings S1000
Diagonal wheelbase (cm) 80 80 90 104.5
Empty weight (kg) 2.6 3.7 3.3 4.2
Take-off weight (kg) 5 – 7 6 – 8 4.7 – 8.2 6 – 11
Endurance (min) 16 20 18 15
Operating temperature (°C) — — - 10 to 40 - 10 to 40

The unmanned helicopter

DJI unmanned helicopter is a small unmanned helicopter jointly developed by Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) with DJI. This small unmanned helicopter is intended for high elevation missions and can operate with wind scale of 6. The general designer is Professor Li Ze-Xiang (李泽湘), and the chief designer for software is associate Professor Zhu Xiao-Rui (朱晓蕊). The unmanned helicopter is completely indigenously developed in China and Hong Kong, without using any foreign technology, except the constellation of GPS satellites developed by other nations on which its navigation relies.[22]

Applications and usage

DJI products have a wide range of applications in industry and in everyday life with models for professionals and amateurs. Although initially known for military and intelligence applications, drones have many surprising civilian uses. For example, they can be used for hurricane hunting, 3-D mapping of landscape, nature protection, farming, and search and rescue.[23] Drones have made dramatic appearances at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) of Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. for several years.[24][25] A new community of drone enthusiasts called SkyPixel has recently been created as a mean to connect and support drone users.[26]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to DJI Phantom.
  1. ↑ "DJI: How this Chinese drone maker is flying high in global market". http://economictimes.indiatimes.com''. January 7, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  2. ↑ Colum Murphy and Olivia Geng (November 10, 2014). "Q&A: Chinese Drone Founder Explains Why Steve Jobs Is His Role Model". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  3. ↑ Farhad Manjoo (December 31, 2014). "Standouts in Tech: Drones, Virtual Reality, Instant Translation and A.I.". New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  4. ↑ Helen Regan. "Watch the Latest Must-Have Smart Toys Unveiled at Asia’s Largest Toy Fair". Time (magazine). Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  5. ↑ Tom Duening. "A Hot Seller in a Hot Market: Meet the World's Most Successful Seller of Drones". Flying Cameras. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Up: A Chinese firm has taken the lead in a promising market". The Economist. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "DJI Products". DJI Technology. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ Jack Nicas (November 12, 2014). "Chinese Drone Maker DJI Unveils More Powerful Model". The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  9. ↑ "DOT and FAA Propose New Rules for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems". Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). February 15, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  10. ↑ "China's drone king says the revolution depends on regulators". Reuters. July 30, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  11. ↑ "The A2 model". DJI Technology. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  12. ↑ "DJI Naza-H Helicopter Gyro System w/ GPS". Helipal. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  13. ↑ "The A2 model". OXM HOFFMAN 360. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Flame Wheel ARF Kit". DJI Technology. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  15. ↑ "FYFT M5 series blimps". DJI Technology. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  16. ↑ Personal Tech (September 10, 2014). "An Eye in the Sky, Accessible to the Hobbyist: A Teardown of the Phantom 2 Vision Plus Drone from DJI". The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Phantom series". Flying Cameras. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Phantom features". DJI Technology. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  19. ↑ "DJI Phantom Released". Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  20. ↑ Chase Sutton. "DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ Review and Manual". DroneLifestyle. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Spreading-Wings s1000 Plus". DJI Technology. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Unmanned helicopter". DJI Technology. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  23. ↑ "5 Surprising Drone Uses (Besides Pizza Delivery)". National Geographic. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  24. ↑ "New drone among most popular unveiled at CES 2015 - New drone among most popular unveiled at CES 2015". USA Today. June 6, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  25. ↑ Jim Fisher (January 9, 2015). "CES 2015: Drones, Drones, Drones". PC Magazine. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  26. ↑ Gregory S. McNeal. "Will Recreational Drone Flying Lead Drone Usage In 2015?". Forbes. Retrieved March 2, 2015.