Delivery drop rate modulation

• US 10,071,804 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2015
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Buchmueller, Daniel, LeGrand, III, Louis LeRoi, Neal, Lowell Timothy, Wilcox, Scott Micheal
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Tien Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Giczy, Alexander V.
• Application Number:
  US14/868,005
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 414787, 414800, 294 75, 294 76
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/08 the articles being load-carrying devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/12 Releasing
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/22 Taking-up articles from earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/66 for retrieving parcels
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/67 the UAVs comprising tethers for lowering the goods
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can deliver a package to a delivery destination. Packages delivered by a UAV may be lowered towards the ground while the UAV continues to fly rather than the UAV landing on the ground and releasing the package. Packages may sway during lowering as a result of wind or movement of the UAV. By modulating a rate of descent of a package, a package sway may mitigated. The lowering mechanism includes wrapping a tether in various directions around the package such that the package rotates in a first and second direction as the package descends. Additionally, a rip-strip lowering mechanism that separates under tension to lower the package and a rappel mechanism that slides the package down a tether may be used. Accordingly, the tether can control a descent of the package assembly.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to deliver a package assembly to a delivery destination, the UAV comprising:

a plurality of motors to generate thrust for the UAV;

a power system to selectively provide power to the plurality of motors, the plurality of motors operating the UAV to transport the package assembly to the delivery destination;

an attachment mechanism configured to attach the package assembly to the UAV; and

a package attachment controller configured to selectively operate the attachment mechanism to release the package assembly at least partially above a drop zone associated with the delivery destination; and

a tether coupled to the package assembly and the UAV, the tether wrapped at least in a first direction around the package assembly and wrapped at least in a second direction around the package assembly, the tether configured to rotate the package assembly in a plurality of directions as the tether unwraps from the package assembly, wherein the tether controls a rate of descent of the package assembly to reduce a sway of the package assembly.

2. The UAV of claim 1, further comprising a winch mechanism configured to lower or raise the package assembly via the tether, the winch mechanism operating at a variable rate to further reduce the sway of the package assembly.

3. The UAV of claim 1, further comprising a drum mechanism and a brake mechanism configured to lower the package assembly released by the attachment mechanism, the brake mechanism configured to further reduce the sway of the package assembly by modulating a rate of rotation of the drum mechanism that lowers the package assembly via the tether.

4. A system comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to fly an item to a delivery location;

a tether having a first end and a second end, the tether coupled to the UAV;

an attachment mechanism configured to securely engage a package assembly and to selectively disengage the package assembly at least partially above a drop zone associated with the delivery location; and

the package assembly coupled to the second end of the tether, the package assembly including at least the item in a container, wherein the tether controls a descent of the package assembly, and

wherein the tether is wrapped at least in a first direction around the package assembly and wrapped at least in a second direction around the package assembly, the tether configured to rotate the package assembly in a plurality of directions as the tether unwraps from the package assembly after the package assembly is disengaged and as the package assembly falls toward a ground associated with the delivery location, wherein the tether controls a rate of descent of the package assembly to reduce a sway of the package assembly.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first end of the tether is configured to uncouple from the package assembly at a time in which the tether is unwrapped from the package assembly, and wherein the second end of the tether is configured to remain coupled to the package assembly.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first end of the tether is coupled to the UAV, the tether including a rip-strip configured with a plurality of fasteners fixed along a length of the rip-strip, a first fastener of the plurality of fasteners configured to release at a first time and a second fastener of the plurality of fasteners configured to release at a second time, the first time and the second time following a time in which the package assembly is released from the UAV.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of fasteners fixed along the length of the rip-strip includes a release force limit configured to release a first portion of the tether from a second portion of the tether to control the descent of the package assembly, the release force limit selected based on a weight of the package assembly.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the package assembly further includes a release mechanism to release the package assembly from the tether at a time in which the package assembly is lowered at least partially to a surface associated with the delivery location.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the release mechanism is triggered to release the package assembly from the tether after the package assembly contacts the surface at the delivery location.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the release mechanism comprises a biased component configured to open the package assembly to release the container, wherein the release mechanism is activated by a force caused by the tether at a time in which the tether is fully extended.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the UAV further comprises a tether attachment mechanism to detach the tether coupling the package assembly to the UAV.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein the UAV further comprises a spool mechanism to retract the tether to the UAV after the package assembly is delivered at the delivery location.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein the UAV is configured to fly at a height above the drop zone, and wherein the height is based at least in part on a length of the tether.

14. The system of claim 4, wherein the first end of the tether is coupled to the UAV.

15. A system comprising:

a package assembly; and

an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to deliver the package assembly at a delivery location, wherein;

a tether is coupled to the package assembly and the UAV,

the tether is wrapped at least in a first direction around the package assembly and wrapped at least in a second direction around the package assembly,

the tether is configured to rotate the package assembly in a plurality of directions as the tether unwraps from the package assembly, and

the tether controls a rate of descent of the package assembly from the UAV to reduce a sway of the package assembly.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein a first end of the tether is configured to separate from the package assembly at a time in which the tether is unwrapped from the package assembly, and further wherein a second end of the tether is configured to remain fixed to the package assembly.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a release mechanism to release the package assembly from the tether at a time in which the package assembly is lowered at least partially to a surface associated with the delivery location.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the release mechanism is triggered to release the package assembly from the tether after the package assembly contacts the surface at the delivery location.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the release mechanism comprises a biased component configured to open the package assembly to release a container, wherein the release mechanism is activated by a tension on the tether at a time in which the tether is fully extended.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising a tether attachment mechanism configured to selectively detach the tether from the UAV.