Obstacle awareness based guidance to clear landing space

• US 10,388,172 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2018
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boyd, Scott Patrick, Cui, Chengwu, Graber, Sarah, O'Brien, Barry James, Watson, Joshua John, Wilcox, Scott Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldman, Richard A
• Application Number:
  US16/006,048
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3, 701 4, 701 11, 701 16, 701 26, 2441374
• 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 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• 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 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/204 using stereoscopic image cameras stereoscopic photography G03B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/207 using a single 2D image sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/271 wherein the generated image signals comprise depth maps or disparity maps

Abstract

Techniques for providing an object awareness guidance to clear a landing space may be provided. For example, during delivery an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may capture an image of a potential landing zone and identify one or more objects in the image that may impede or obstruct delivery of the item in the potential landing zone. The UAV may be configured to generate and provide instructions to a user device to move or remove the identified one or more objects from the potential landing zone thereby creating a safe and unobstructed landing zone to deliver the item.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, an indication that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has arrived at a location associated with an order for an item;

receiving, by a computer system and from the UAV, one or more images of an area associated with the location, the area including a landing marker;

identifying, by the computer system, a presence of an object in the area using the one or more images;

determining, by the computer system, an alternate location to move the landing marker and dimensions required to generate a landing zone within the area based at least in part on identifying the presence of the object and the one or more images; and

transmitting, by the computer system and to a user device, instructions for moving the landing marker to the determined landing zone.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the UAV includes a sensor that emits and receives a signal to a certain distance around the UAV to determine a landing surface composition included in the area or the landing zone.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein determining the alternate location to move the landing marker is further based at least in part on the landing surface composition.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the presence of the object in the area using the one or more images includes determining a physical volume of the object in the area, and wherein determining the alternate location to move the landing marker is further based at least in part on the physical volume of the object in the area.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the alternate location to move the landing marker is further based at least in part on one or more characteristics of the item.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5;

wherein the one or more characteristics of the item include one or more of a physical dimension of the item, a weight of the item, a type of storage container for the item, or a composition of the storage container.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the alternate location to move the landing marker is further based at least in part on a delivery mechanism used by the UAV to deliver the item.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising instructing, by the computer system, the UAV to land and deliver the item on the landing marker in the determined landing zone.

9. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), comprising:

an image capture component,

a set of propellers associated with a propulsion system configured to provide propulsion for the UAV; and

a computing system configured to manage the propulsion system during a flight associated with a delivery of a payload and further configured to instruct the UAV to;

receive, by the computing system, an indication that the UAV has arrived at a location associated with an order for the payload;

obtain, by the computing system and the image capture component, one or more images of an area associated with the location, the area including a landing marker;

identify, by the computing system, a presence of an object in the area using the one or more images;

determine, by the computing system, an alternate location to move the landing marker and dimensions required to generate a landing zone within the area based at least in part on identifying the presence of the object and the one or more images; and

transmit, by the computing system and to a user device, instructions for moving the landing market to the determined landing zone.

10. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the UAV further comprises a sensor that emits and receives a signal to a certain distance around the UAV to determine a landing surface composition included in the area or the landing zone.

11. The UAV of claim 10, wherein determining the alternate location to move the landing marker is further based at least in part on the landing surface composition.

12. The UAV of claim 9, wherein identifying the presence of the object in the area using the one or more images includes determining a physical volume of the object in the area, and wherein determining the alternate location to move the landing marker is further based at least in part on the physical volume of the object in the area.

13. The UAV of claim 9, wherein determining the alternate location to move the landing marker is further based at least in part on one or more characteristics of the item.

14. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the one or more characteristics of the item include one or more of a physical dimension of the item, a weight of the item, a type of storage container for the item, or a composition of the storage container.

15. The UAV of claim 9, wherein determining the alternate location to move the landing marker is further based at least in part on a delivery mechanism used by the UAV to deliver the item.

16. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the computing system is further configured to instruct the UAV to land and deliver the item on the landing marker in the determined landing zone.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer system, configure the computer system to perform operations comprising:

receiving an indication that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has arrived at a location associated with an order for an item;

receiving, from the UAV, one or more images of an area associated with the location, the area including a landing marker;

identifying a presence of an object in the area using the one or more images;

determining an alternate location to move the landing marker and dimensions required to generate a landing zone within the area based at least in part on identifying the presence of the object and the one or more images; and

transmitting, to a user device, instructions for moving the landing marker to the determined landing zone.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the UAV includes a sensor that emits and receives a signal to a certain distance around the UAV to determine a landing surface composition included in the area or the landing zone.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein determining the alternate location to move the landing marker is further based at least in part on the landing surface composition.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise instructing the UAV to land and deliver the item on the landing marker in the determined landing zone.