Unmanned aerial vehicle scale alignment

• US 10,035,592 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2015
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanlon, Jon T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caputo, Lisa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woodward, Nathaniel T
• Application Number:
  US14/734,940
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 73 6501
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/125 Mooring or ground handling devices for helicopters
• 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 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/10 Determining the moment of inertia
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/125 of aircraft

Abstract

A weight distribution associated with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be determined prior to dispatch of the UAV and/or after the UAV returns from operation (e.g., a flight). In some embodiments, one or more UAVs may be placed on or proximate to a physical metrics acquisition (PMA) device. The PMA device may include a configurable scale and may be used to determine a distribution of weight of the UAV at three or more points associated with the UAV. The distribution of weight may be used generate analytics, which may include a total weight of a vehicle, a center of mass of the vehicle (in two or more dimensions), power requirements of the UAV for a given flight task (e.g., how much battery power the UAV requires, etc.), and/or other analytics. In various embodiments, the PMA device may perform moment of inertia tests for the UAV.

Claims

1. A system to determine a distribution of weight associated with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the system comprising:

a configurable weighing device including;

a frame;

a plurality of arms that include a first end rotatably coupled to the frame and a second end located opposite the first end; and

scale coupling devices to couple to the UAV at designated locations on the UAV, each of the scale coupling devices configured to lift the UAV and generate a signal associated with a downward force exerted by the UAV,

wherein each of the scale coupling devices is coupled to a respective arm of the plurality of arms by a respective tension member, the plurality of arms configured to rotate to cause the scale coupling devices to couple to the UAV and configured to manipulate the respective tension member to lift the UAV;

a processor configured to;

receive the signal from each of the scale coupling devices;

calculate a total weight of the UAV based at least in part on the signal obtained from each of the scale coupling devices; and

calculate a center of mass of the UAV based at least in part on the signal and the designated locations of each of the scale coupling devices relative to the UAV; and

a network interface coupled to the processor and configured to transmit at least one of the total weight or the center of mass to a central controller.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising an imaging device to determine a location of the UAV, and wherein the processor causes the plurality of arms to move to align with structures of the UAV to be engaged and lifted by each of the respective scale coupling devices.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

cause the UAV to swing about an axis, and

calculate a moment of inertia associated with the UAV for at least one of pitch, roll, or yaw.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the configurable weighing device to disengage from the UAV to enable the UAV to initiate flight.

5. A system comprising:

a configurable weighing device including scale components, each scale component including a scale coupling device configured to couple to a respective coupling location on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the scale components configured to lift the UAV and to generate a signal that is associated with an amount of force applied to each of the scale components by the UAV;

a processor configured to;

receive the signal from each of the scale components;

calculate a total weight of the UAV based at least in part on the signal obtained from each of the scale components; and

calculate a center of mass of the UAV based at least in part on the signal and a relative position of each of the scale components; and

a network interface coupled to the processor to transmit at least one of the total weight or the center of mass to another device.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein each of the scale components includes:

an arm extending from a frame and capable of rotating with respect to the frame; and

a tension member connecting the arm to a respective scale coupler device,

wherein each of the scale components lifts the UAV by winding the tension member.

7. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the configurable weighing device further includes:

a track to cause movement of each of the scale components about a surface, the track including arms that move along the track to modify an X-axis location of the scale component relative to a grid, the arms configured to extend and contract to modify a Y-axis location of the scale component relative to the grid, and

wherein each of the scale components is configured to extend to lift the UAV away from the grid.

8. The system as recited in claim 5, further comprising an imaging device to determine a location of the respective coupling location on the UAV, and wherein the processor causes the scale components to move to align the scale coupling device included in each of the scale components with the respective coupling location on the UAV.

9. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein each of the scale components includes a load cell to generate the signals.

10. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to determine at least a type of UAV based at least in part on communication data received from a sensor and UAV data received from a central controller over the network interface.

11. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a footprint associated with the UAV based on locations associated with each of the scale components, the footprint used to determine at least a type of the UAV.

12. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the processor transmits at least the center of mass associated with the UAV to the UAV to update a system controller of the UAV.

13. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the processor transmits at least the total weight associated with the UAV to a power manager for selection of power resources for the UAV.

14. The system as recited in claim 5, further comprising an imaging device to determine a type of UAV.

15. A method comprising:

receiving an assignment for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver an item;

configuring a plurality of scale component devices to engage and lift the UAV, each of the plurality of scale component devices including an arm having a first end rotatably coupled to a frame and a second end, opposite the first end, coupled to the UAV, at designated locations of the UAV, by a scale coupling device and a tension member;

receiving data associated with each of the plurality of scale component devices that lifts the UAV, the data including at least a signal that is associated with a weight;

associating signals from each of the plurality of scale component devices with the UAV;

calculating a total weight based at least in part on each signal associated with the UAV; and

transmitting, via a network interface, the total weight to at least one of the UAV or another system that interfaces with the UAV.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising:

causing the UAV to at least partially rotate relative to at least one of the plurality of scale component devices; and

calculating at least one moment of inertia of the UAV associated with at least one of pitch, roll, or yaw.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising calculating a center of mass based at least in part on the signal associated with each of the plurality of scale component devices, locations associated with each of the plurality of scale component devices, and known information associated with the UAV.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising transmitting the total weight and the center of mass to a control system of the UAV.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising lifting the UAV by causing spools to wind a tension member coupled to the UAV.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising lifting the UAV by positioning at least one of the plurality of scale component devices toward the UAV.