Airborne fulfillment center utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles for item delivery

• US 10,032,125 B1
• Filed: 03/02/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Berg, Paul William, Isaacs, Scott, Blodgett, Kelsey Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith-Stewart, Demetra R
• Application Number:
  US15/059,197
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64B 1/00 Lighter-than-air aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/08 the articles being load-carrying devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 5/00 Aircraft transported by aircraft, e.g. for release or reberthing during flight flying units formed by separate aircraft B64C37/02
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/16 with five or more distinct rotor axes, e.g. octocopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/30 Lighter-than-air aircraft, e.g. aerostatic aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• 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: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/40 for two or more UAVs
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/82 Airborne vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 : specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Described is an airborne fulfillment center (“AFC”) and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAV”) to deliver items from the AFC to users. For example, the AFC may be an airship that remains at a high altitude (e.g., 45,000 feet) and UAVs with ordered items may be deployed from the AFC to deliver ordered items to user designated delivery locations. As the UAVs descend, they can navigate horizontally toward a user specified delivery location using little to no power, other than to stabilize the UAV and/or guide the direction of descent. Shuttles (smaller airships) may be used to replenish the AFC with inventory, UAVs, supplies, fuel, etc. Likewise, the shuttles may be utilized to transport workers to and from the AFC.

Claims

1. An airborne fulfillment center (“

AFC”

) apparatus, comprising;

an airship that includes a lifting portion that contains a lighter than air gas;

a fulfillment center coupled to the airship, wherein the fulfillment center is configured to store inventory that is transportable from the AFC while the AFC is airborne;

a presentation component that outputs at least one advertisement, wherein the at least one advertisement corresponds to at least one of an item available for delivery from the AFC, a service, a pre-release item, a consumable item, or a sale item; and

a computing component operable to at least;

cause the AFC to aerially navigate to a first altitude at which the AFC is visible to a customer;

present with the presentation component of the AFC the at least one advertisement;

receive an order for the at least one of the item available for delivery from the AFC, the service, the pre-release item, the consumable item, or the sale item; and

in response to the order, update the at least one advertisement to indicate a change in a quantity of the at least one of the item available for delivery from the AFC, the service, the pre-release item, the consumable item, or the sale item.

2. The AFC apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fulfillment center includes:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (“

UAV”

) deployment bay through which one or more UAVs may be deployed while the AFC is airborne.

3. The AFC apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fulfillment center includes:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (“

UAV”

) staging area, wherein one or more UAVs are staged at the UAV staging area prior to a deployment from the AFC.

4. The AFC apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a docking bay configured to receive a shuttle and enable transfer of at least one of an inbound item or an outbound item between the AFC and the shuttle.

5. The AFC apparatus of claim 1, wherein the airship is at least one of a non-rigid airship, a semi-rigid airship, or a rigid airship.

6. The AFC apparatus of claim 1, wherein the AFC apparatus is configured to aerially carry over one-hundred tons.

7. The AFC apparatus of claim 1, wherein the presentation component presents the at least one advertisement at least one of audibly or visually.

8. A method to deliver an item from an airborne fulfillment center (“

AFC”

), the method comprising;

presenting an advertisement from the AFC, wherein the advertisement corresponds to an item deliverable from the AFC using an unmanned aerial vehicle;

receiving an order for an instance of the item;

causing an unmanned aerial vehicle (“

UAV”

) within the AFC to engage the instance of the item;

causing the UAV to be deployed from the AFC; and

causing the UAV to deliver the instance of the item.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the UAV navigates using little or no power of the UAV as it descends from the AFC.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the UAV navigates by manipulating at least one of an aileron of a wing of the UAV or by selectively engaging a motor of the UAV.

11. The method of claim 8, the method further comprising:

causing the UAV to allow a propeller to freely rotate during a descent of the UAV from the AFC in response to a force of wind passing over the propeller during the descent, the rotation of the propeller acting as a generator and providing a charge to the UAV.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the advertisement is presented audibly using a speaker of the AFC or visually using a presentation device of the AFC.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the advertisement indicates a quantity of the item that is available for delivery from the AFC.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

causing the UAV to disengage the instance of the item at a delivery location; and

aerially navigating the UAV away from the delivery location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the advertisement is for the item and the order for the item is received subsequent to presenting the advertisement.

14. A method to deliver an item from an airborne fulfillment center (“

AFC”

), the method comprising;

presenting an advertisement from the AFC, wherein the advertisement corresponds to at least one of an item available for delivery from the AFC, a service, a pre-release item, a consumable item, or a sale item;

receiving an order for an instance of an item contained in the AFC;

causing an unmanned aerial vehicle (“

UAV”

) within the AFC to engage the instance of the item;

causing the UAV to be deployed from the AFC; and

causing the UAV to deliver the instance of the item.

17. A method to deliver an item from an airborne fulfillment center (“

AFC”

), the method comprising;

causing the AFC to aerially navigate to a first altitude at which the AFC is visible to a customer;

determining a quantity of an item contained in an inventory of the AFC; and

presenting from the AFC an advertisement for the item, wherein the advertisement indicates a quantity of the item.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving an order for the item;

causing an instance of the item to be delivered from the AFC;

determining that the advertisement for the item is to continue; and

updating the advertisement to indicate a remaining quantity of the item available for delivery from the AFC.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein it is determined that the advertisement is to continue based at least in part on a quantity of the item remaining in the AFC or a duration time of the advertisement.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving an order for the item;

causing an instance of the item to be delivered from the AFC;

determining that the advertisement for the item is not to continue;

terminating a presentation of the advertisement; and

causing the AFC to aerially navigate to a second altitude.