Track and tether vehicle position estimation

• US 10,364,026 B1
• Filed: 09/21/2015
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanlon, Jon T., Woodward, III, Neil Whitney
• Primary Examiner(s): Berona, Kimberly S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US14/860,317
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 3320313, 280734, 73 109, 356407, 375228, 244 2, 244 1723, 244135 R, 244 992, 114318, 290 55, 290 44, 359446, 254385, 250395, 701 3, 701 4, 701 13, 701 18, 701 24, 40414
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/022 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 3/02 with means for supplying electricity to aircraft during flight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/60 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/202 using tethers for connecting to ground station
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/34 In-flight charging photovoltaics B64U50/31
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0866 specially adapted to captive aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/101 specially adapted for aircraft

Abstract

A UAV tethering system provides an environment in which to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) where the tether is selected to prevent the UAV from unintentional contact with the ground or other objects within the flight area. A tether may connect the UAV to a shuttle that slides along a track. The tether may be used to provide efficient, robust and accurate positioning information. The system can be configured to detect the angle at which the tethering line extends from the shuttle, the length of the extended tethering line, and then compute the position of the UAV relative to the shuttle. Furthermore, by knowing the position of the shuttle, the absolute position of the UAV can be determined.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (“

UAV”

);

an elongated track that defines a pathway;

a shuttle slidably engaged with the track to move along the pathway, wherein the shuttle comprises a shuttle motor that is configured to move the shuttle along the pathway in response to a central processor determining a position of the UAV relative to the shuttle and in response to tension in a tethering line caused by a pulling force associated with movement of the UAV;

a tether mechanism coupled to the shuttle, the tether mechanism comprising;

a rotatable spool;

the tethering line having a first end collected about the rotatable spool and a second end coupled to the UAV, the rotatable spool configured to extend the tethering line as the rotatable spool is rotated in an extending direction and to retract the tethering line as the rotatable spool is rotated in a retracting direction;

an angle sensor configured to detect an angle of the tethering line in relation to the shuttle and output an angle signal associated with the angle; and

a distance sensor configured to detect a length of the tethering line extended from the rotatable spool and output a length signal associated with the length; and

a central processor comprising;

one or more processors; and

memory to store computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

generate, based at least partly on the angle signal, angle data;

generate, based at least partly on the length signal, length data; and

determine, based at least upon the angle data and the length data, the position of the UAV relative to the shuttle.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tethering line transmits at least one of electrical power or data to the UAV.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shuttle comprises one or more wheels that are configured to roll along the track.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a motor coupled to the rotatable spool and configured to rotate the rotatable spool in the extending direction and the retracting direction.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the motor is configured to limit the length of the tethering line extended from the rotatable spool by limiting rotations of the rotatable spool in the extending direction to prevent the UAV from contacting an obstacle.

6. A system comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle (“

UAV”

);

a track that defines a pathway;

a shuttle slidably engaged with the track to move along the pathway, wherein the shuttle comprises a shuttle motor that is configured to move the shuttle along the pathway at least in response to a central processor determining a position of the UAV relative to the shuttle and in response to tension in a tethering line caused by a pulling force associated with movement of the UAV;

a tether mechanism attached to the shuttle, the tether mechanism comprising;

a rotatable spool;

the tethering line having a first end collected about the rotatable spool and a second end attached to the UAV, the rotatable spool configured to extend the tethering line as the rotatable spool is rotated in an extending direction and to retract the tethering line as the rotatable spool is rotated in a retracting direction;

an angle sensor configured to detect an angle of the tethering line in relation to the shuttle;

a distance sensor configured to detect a length of the tethering line extended from the rotatable spool; and

a communication interface configured to transmit data associated with the angle and the length;

one or more processors; and

memory to store computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

determine, based at least in part on data associated with the angle and the length, the position of the UAV relative to the shuttle.

7. The system as in claim 6, wherein the track has a circular cross section and a longitudinal axis along the length of the track and the shuttle is configured to rotate about the longitudinal axis of the track.

8. The system as in claim 6, wherein the shuttle comprises one or more wheels that are configured to roll along the track.

9. The system as in claim 6, wherein the rotatable spool comprises a motor configured to turn the rotatable spool in the extending direction and the retracting direction.

10. The system as in claim 6, wherein the angle sensor comprises a potentiometer configured to measure the angle of the tethering line in relation to the shuttle by detecting a voltage change across the potentiometer.

11. The system as in claim 6, wherein the tethering line transmits at least one of electricity or data to the UAV.

12. The system as in claim 6, further comprising a shuttle position sensor configured to determine a shuttle position of the shuttle along the track.

13. The system as in claim 12, further comprising a controller configured to provide wireless communication between at least the shuttle and the UAV, the controller configured to:

receive angle data associated with at least the angle and distance data associated with at least the length;

receive shuttle position data associated with at least the shuttle position;

determine, based on the angle data, the distance data, and the shuttle position data, UAV position data; and

transmit the UAV position data to the UAV.

14. The system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a gimbaled cage surrounding the UAV, the gimbaled cage including at least an attachment point for the tethering line.

15. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the angle sensor comprises a potentiometer configured to vary an applied voltage based upon the angle of the tethering line in relation to the shuttle.

16. A method, comprising:

determining a first position of a reel coupled to a shuttle slidably engaged with a track that defines a pathway;

determining, using a length sensor, a length of a tethering line extending from the reel, wherein the tethering line is in tension with a tethered flying vehicle caused by a pulling force associated with movement of the tethered flying vehicle;

determining, using an angle sensor, an angle relative to horizontal or vertical at which the tethering line extends from the reel;

determining, based upon the length and the angle, a second position of the tethered flying vehicle relative to the reel; and

causing the shuttle to move along the pathway in response to determining the second position of the tethered flying vehicle relative to the reel.

17. The method as in claim 16, further comprising:

determining, using at least the first position and the second position, an absolute position of the tethered flying vehicle.

18. The method as in claim 17, further comprising transmitting the absolute position of the tethered flying vehicle to the tethered flying vehicle.

19. The method as in claim 16, further comprising limiting the length of the tethering line based upon objects within a vicinity of the tethered flying vehicle.

20. The method as in claim 16, further comprising detaching the tethered flying vehicle from the tethering line during flight of the tethered flying vehicle.