Modular air delivery

• US 10,373,104 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2016
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Buchmueller, Daniel, Erdozain, Jack, Kimchi, Gur, Porter, Brandon William, Welsh, Ricky Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwari, Maceeh
• Application Number:
  US15/134,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20160239804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2211/00 Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/08 the articles being load-carrying devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/69 the UAVs provided with means for airdropping goods, e.g. deploying a parachute during descent
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

Aspects of modular airborne delivery are described. When a shipping container is provided to an airborne carrier for delivery, the airborne carrier may assess weather across a route for airborne delivery of the shipping container, evaluate an approach to drop the shipping container at a delivery zone, and calculate a remaining amount of time until a target delivery time, for example. The airborne carrier may then select components to assemble a modular unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on those or other factors, and assemble the UAV using the selected components. The modular UAV may then be directed to deliver the shipping container according to instructions from the airborne carrier. According to the concepts described herein, flexibility and other advantages may be achieved using modular UAVs for airborne delivery.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program that, when executed by at least one computing device, directs the at least one computing device to perform a method comprising:

assessing a route to a delivery zone for an airborne delivery;

evaluating an approach to the delivery zone;

calculating an amount of time remaining until a target delivery time for the airborne delivery;

identifying a set of unassembled components, the set of unassembled components comprising at least a modular platform and a thruster, to assemble an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the airborne delivery based in part on at least one of the route to the delivery zone, the approach to the delivery zone, or the amount of time remaining; and

directing assembly of the UAV using the set of unassembled components.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises dispatching the UAV to the delivery zone for the airborne delivery.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of components comprises:

selecting the modular platform from among a plurality of modular platforms;

selecting a thruster arrangement to provide thrust to the modular platform from among a plurality of thruster arrangements;

selecting a control system to control the thruster arrangement; and

selecting at least one sensor to provide data to the control system from among a plurality of sensors.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

selecting the modular platform based in part on a size of an item for delivery;

selecting the thruster arrangement based in part on the amount of time remaining; and

selecting the at least one sensor based in part on the approach to the delivery zone.

5. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

an application stored in a memory that, when executed in the at least one computing device, directs the at least one computing device to perform a method comprising;

assessing weather along a route to a delivery zone for airborne delivery;

evaluating an approach at the delivery zone;

selecting a set of unassembled components of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the airborne delivery based in part on at least one of the weather along the route, the approach at the delivery zone, or an amount of time remaining until a target delivery time, the set of unassembled components comprising a modular platform and at least one sensor for navigation; and

directing assembly of the UAV using the set of unassembled components.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises calculating the amount of time remaining until the target delivery time for the airborne delivery.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises selecting a thruster arrangement to provide airborne thrust to the modular platform based in part on at least one of a weight of a shipping container or an amount of time remaining until the target delivery time.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises providing assembly instructions to assemble the UAV using the modular platform, the at least one sensor, and the thruster arrangement.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising an assembler that assembles the UAV using the modular platform, the at least one sensor, and the thruster arrangement with reference to the assembly instructions.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises selecting a loading bay for the UAV based in part on a size of an item for delivery.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein a weight of the item for delivery is balanced in the loading bay.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises selecting at least one airfoil to stabilize the modular platform based in part on the weather.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises dispatching the UAV to the delivery zone for the airborne delivery.

14. A method, comprising:

calculating, by at least one computing device, an amount of time remaining until a target delivery time for airborne delivery of a shipping container;

evaluating, by the at least one computing device, a plurality of delivery considerations that affect the airborne delivery;

selecting, by the at least one computing device, a plurality of unassembled components of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the airborne delivery based in part on at least the remaining amount of time and the plurality of delivery considerations; and

directing assembly of the UAV using the set of unassembled components.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising assessing weather along a route to a delivery zone.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises selecting at least one airfoil to stabilize the UAV based in part on the weather.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein selecting the plurality of unassembled components comprises:

selecting a modular platform of the UAV based in part on a size of the shipping container;

selecting at least one sensor for navigation of the UAV based in part on an approach at a delivery zone; and

selecting a thruster arrangement to provide airborne thrust for the UAV based in part on the amount of time remaining.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing assembly instructions to assemble the UAV using the modular platform, the at least one sensor, and the thruster arrangement.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the shipping container comprises a plurality of shipping containers, each of the plurality of shipping containers having a container volume which is a scalar factor of a volume of a loading bay for the UAV; and

the method further comprises balancing weight among the plurality of shipping containers in the loading bay.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising dispatching the UAV to deliver the shipping container according to flight plan instructions from a ground controller.