Gas-filled aerial transport and methods of deploying unmanned aerial vehicles in delivering products

• US 10,346,789 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2018
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• 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:
  US16/020,697
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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. A gas-filled aerial transport and deployment system of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), comprising:

an airborne fulfillment center comprising;

a lifting portion that includes a lighter than air gas; and

a fulfillment portion that is secured with the lifting portion such that the lifting portion lifts the fulfillment portion for aerial transport;

wherein the fulfillment portion includes;

a UAV staging area configured to receive a plurality of UAVs staged to be deployed to deliver items; and

a UAV deployment bay that enables a UAV of the plurality of UAVs to be deployed while the airborne fulfillment center is in flight and while the UAV is carrying an item to be delivered to a delivery location that is within a delivery range of the airborne fulfillment center.

2. The gas-filled aerial transport and deployment system of UAVs of claim 1, wherein the UAV of the plurality of UAVs includes:

an antenna and a control system such that the control system implements instructions received through the antenna to aerially navigate or deliver an item to the delivery location.

3. The gas-filled aerial transport and deployment system of UAVs of claim 1, wherein the UAV of the plurality of UAVs includes:

an antenna and a control system such that the control system implements return path instructions received through the antenna to aerially navigate to a shuttle replenishment location after delivery of the item.

4. The gas-filled aerial transport and deployment system of UAVs of claim 1, the UAV of the plurality of UAVs further including:

an item engagement mechanism that engages at least one item or container that contains an item prior to the UAV being deployed.

5. A method of aerially transporting and deploying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

carrying a plurality of UAVs within a fulfillment portion of an airborne fulfillment center that includes a lifting portion that contains a lighter than air gas; and

deploying at least one of the plurality of UAVs through a deployment bay while the airborne fulfillment center is in flight and while the UAV is carrying an item to be delivered to a delivery location that is within a delivery range of the airborne fulfillment center.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

for at least one of the plurality of UAVs, controlling, through a control system of the UAV, a flight of the UAV in navigating a return path to a shuttle replenishment location.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

retrieving at least one package from a storage area of the fulfillment portion; and

attaching the at least one package with a UAV of the plurality of UAVs prior to the UAV being deployed.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the plurality of UAVs is coupled to an item and maintained in the fulfillment portion of the airborne fulfillment center prior to an order for the item.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein deploying the at least one of the plurality of UAVs further includes:

deploying the at least one of the plurality of UAVs without activating a motor of the at least one of the plurality of UAVs until a time after the at least one of the plurality of UAVs has been deployed.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that the at least one of the plurality of UAVs has completed a delivery of the item; and

instructing the at least one of the plurality of UAVs to aerially navigate to a location other than a current location of the airborne fulfillment center.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

maintaining the airborne fulfillment center at a defined location and ready to deploy a UAV in response to receiving an order for an item.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving at the airborne fulfillment center and while the airborne fulfillment center is airborne, additional inventory items or additional UAVs.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a lifting portion that contains a lighter than air gas;

a fulfillment portion coupled to the lifting portion, the fulfillment portion storing inventory that is transportable from the apparatus while the apparatus is airborne; and

wherein the fulfillment portion includes;

an aerial vehicle staging area configured to store a plurality of aerial vehicles to be deployed from the apparatus to deliver items to delivery destinations; and

a deployment bay that enables deployment of at least one aerial vehicle from the apparatus while the apparatus is airborne.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

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 apparatus, a service, a pre-release item, a consumable item, or a sale item.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, 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 apparatus and the shuttle.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fulfillment portion contains at least one of:

a mobile drive unit, a forklift, a shelf, a bin, a tote, a cart, or a trolley.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

at least one cable that couples the lifting portion and the fulfillment portion.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fulfillment portion is mounted directly to the lifting portion.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a computing system that maintains a current inventory level of inventory stored in the fulfillment portion.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a radiation shield to protect a worker located on the apparatus from an exposure.