Drone noise reduction

• US 10,023,297 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beckman, Brian C., Rolnik, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Antonucci, Anne M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stroud, James E
• Application Number:
  US15/194,258
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 701 14
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2220/00 Active noise reduction systems
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

Techniques for using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver a payload while reducing and/or altering sound generated by the UAV during delivery may be provided. For example, during delivery, the UAV may be instructed to utilize one or more sets of propellers of different sizes to reduce and/or alter the sound generated by and/or around the UAV. Intrinsic and extrinsic information associated with the UAV may be utilized to dynamically adjust the particular sets of propellers of a certain and different size to utilize during different portions of a flight path while delivering the payload.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, an order to deliver a package associated with an electronic marketplace;

generating, by the computer system, a flight plan that instructs an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver the package based in part on information associated with the order;

generating, by the computer system, one or more sound profiles based in part on one or more sets of propellers of different sizes that are associated with the UAV, the one or more sound profiles identifying an expected sound that corresponds to utilizing a particular set of propellers of a certain size during flight of the UAV; and

instructing, by the computer system, the UAV to fly to a location associated with the delivery of the package utilizing the flight plan and the one or more sound profiles thereby modulating in a complete transition from a first set of propellers of a first size to a second set of propellers of a second size while flying during at least portion of the flight plan to alter the sound generated by the UAV.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer system from the UAV, information indicating that the first set of propellers of the first size are malfunctioning; and

instructing, by the computer system, the UAV to modulate to a third set of propellers of a third size.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting, by the computer system and from a user associated with the delivery of the package, for input regarding a sound level of the UAV during delivery;

updating, by the computer system, the one or more sound profiles based in part on the input from the user; and

instructing, by the computer system, the UAV to modulate from the second set of propellers of the second size to a third set of propellers of a third size to alter the sound generated by the UAV.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each set of propellers of the one or more sets of propellers of different sizes comprises a different material composition.

5. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, an order to deliver a package;

instructing, by the computer system, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver the package to a location associated with the order;

receiving, by the computer system and from a first sensor associated with the UAV, a first sound generated around the UAV based on a first set of propellers of a first size that are utilized by the UAV during flight to the location;

generating, by the computer system, a sound profile based in part on the first sound, the sound profile identifying an expected sound that corresponds to utilizing a particular set of propellers of a certain size during flight of the UAV; and

instructing, by the computer system, the UAV to modulate in a complete transition from the first set of propellers of the first size to a second set of propellers of a second size based in part on the sound profile and a relative location of the UAV during delivery of the package to the location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising receiving, by the computer system and from a second sensor associated with the UAV, a second sound generated around the UAV based on sounds from the surrounding environment.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein generating the sound profile is further based in part on the second sound.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving, by the computer system and from the first sensor and second sensor associated with the UAV, an updated first sound and second sound;

updating, by the computer system, the sound profile based in part on the updated first sound and second sound; and

instructing, by the computer system, the UAV to modulate from the second set of propellers of the second size to a third set of propellers of a third size.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first set of propellers of the first size include one or more propeller dressings.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein instructing the UAV to modulate from the first set of propellers of the first size to the second set of propellers of the second size includes altering a rotational speed associated with the propellers of the second size.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising updating the sound profile based in part on the an updated first sound that includes an additive sound from the first set of propellers of the first size and the second set of propellers of the second size utilized simultaneously.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first set of propellers of the first size are angled relative to the UAV in a first position and the second set of propellers of the second size are angled relative to the UAV in a second position.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein generating the sound profile is further based in part on a machine learning algorithm that uses the first sound.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein instructing the UAV to modulate from the first set of propellers of the first size to the second set of propellers of the second size is further based in part on a relative location of the UAV in a flight plan to deliver the package.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having collectively stored thereon instructions executable by one or more processors of a computer system to cause the computer system to at least:

receive first instructions to deliver a package;

instruct a first set of propellers of a first size of an associated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to propel the UAV to a location associated with the package;

obtain, from a first sensor associated with the UAV, a first sound generated around the UAV based on the first set of propellers of the first size that are utilized during flight to the location;

obtain, from a second sensor associated with the UAV, environmental input within a certain distance of the UAV during flight to the location; and

instruct the UAV to modulate in a complete transition from the first set of propellers of a first size to a second set of propellers of a second size during flight to the location based in part on the first sound and the environmental input.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the environmental input includes one or more of at least temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, a calendar date, cloud coverage, sunshine, surface conditions or textures within an environment, a radiation level, or a pollution level.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the computer system to at least:

obtain performance metrics of the first set of propellers of the first size and the second set of propellers of the second size during flight; and

instruct the UAV to modulate from the second set of propellers of the second size to a third set of propellers of a third size based in part on the performance metrics.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the computer system to at least:

obtain input that identifies delivery of the package to the location; and

instruct the UAV to modulate from the second set of propellers of the second size to a third set of propellers of a third size based in part on the input.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein instructing the UAV to modulate from the first set of propellers of the first size to the second set of propellers of the second size is further based in part on a set of sound metrics, the set of sound metrics including a decibel level, a loudness level, a sharpness level, a roughness level, and a fluctuation strength.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19, wherein instructing the UAV to modulate from the first set of propellers of the first size to the second set of propellers of the second size during flight is further based in part on metrics obtained from the first sensor and the second sensor and a threshold associated with the delivery.