Aerial vehicle delivery of items available through an E-commerce shopping site

• US 10,403,155 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2016
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kimchi, Gur, Buchmueller, Daniel, Green, Scott A., Beckman, Brian C., Isaacs, Scott, Navot, Amir, Hensel, Fabian, Bar-Zeev, Avi, Rault, Severan Sylvain Jean-Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Trivedi, Atul
• Application Number:
  US15/393,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20170110017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/12 Releasing
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• 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 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

This disclosure describes an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) configured to autonomously deliver items of inventory to various destinations. The UAV may receive inventory information and a destination location and autonomously retrieve the inventory from a location within a materials handling facility, compute a route from the materials handling facility to a destination and travel to the destination to deliver the inventory.

Claims

1. A system for aerial delivery of items to a delivery location, comprising:

a plurality of aerial vehicles, each of the plurality of aerial vehicles configured to aerially transport items;

an aerial vehicle management system, including;

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor and storing program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processors to at least;

receive, from a device, a request to order an item for aerial delivery, the item available through an e-commerce shopping site;

send to an aerial vehicle of the plurality of aerial vehicles, delivery parameters identifying at least a delivery location corresponding to a first current location of the device;

receive, subsequent to sending the aerial vehicle the delivery parameters, a second current location of the device, wherein the second current location is different than the first current location; and

send, to the aerial vehicle, the second current location;

wherein the aerial vehicle is configured to at least;

aerially navigate toward the delivery location with the item;

receive, while the aerial vehicle is aerially navigating toward the delivery location, the second current location;

alter a navigation path such that the aerial vehicle navigates toward the second current location; and

disengage the item when the aerial vehicle arrives at the second current location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the aerial vehicle is further configured to at least:

receive environment information; and

develop the navigation path based at least in part on the delivery parameters and the environment information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions that when executed by the processor further cause the processor to at least:

determine, based at least in part on the request, a delivery time estimate identifying an estimated amount of time required to transport the item to the delivery location.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the aerial vehicle is further configured to at least:

determine, at the second current location, a surface;

aerially navigate, prior to disengagement of the item, to a position over the surface; and

wherein the item is disengaged onto the surface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the surface is at least one of a table, a ground, a chair, or a balcony.

6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving, from a portable device, a request to view information about order an item;

in response to receiving the request;

determining a first current location of the portable device;

sending, to an aerial vehicle, delivery parameters identifying at least a delivery location corresponding to the first current location of the portable device such that the aerial vehicle begins aerial navigation toward the first current location;

subsequent to sending the delivery parameters, determining a second current location of the portable device, wherein the second current location is different than the first current location; and

sending, to the aerial vehicle, the second current location such that the aerial vehicle, during aerial navigation, alters navigation and aerially navigates toward the second current location.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining the aerial vehicle from a plurality of aerial vehicles.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

estimating a power requirement for the aerial vehicle based at least in part on one or more of the aerial vehicle, the delivery location, a source location, a weight of the item, a size of the item, a distance between the source location and the delivery location, weather between the source location and the delivery location, a monetary value of the item, or the item.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

causing the aerial vehicle to transport the item to a relay location; and

causing a second aerial vehicle to transport the item from the relay location to the second current location.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a power requirement for aerial transport of the item to the delivery location;

determining a first power module that will provide an aerial vehicle sufficient power to aerially transport the item from a source location to a relay location; and

determining a second power module that will provide the aerial vehicle sufficient power to aerially transport the item from the relay location to the delivery location.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining that the aerial vehicle has departed with the item toward the delivery location; and

sending a notification that the item is in-route to the delivery location.

12. A system for aerial transport of items using aerial vehicles, comprising:

an e-commerce shopping site configured to at least;

receive a request to view information about an item available for purchase through the e-commerce shopping site;

determine a delivery location corresponding to a first current location of a portable device;

determine a delivery time estimate for aerial delivery of the item from a source location of the item to the delivery location;

provide item information to a user, the item information including a delivery option for aerial transport of the item to the delivery location and an indication of the delivery time estimate; and

receive a request for aerial delivery of the item to the delivery location;

an aerial vehicle management system configured to at least;

wirelessly communicate with an aerial vehicle;

send delivery parameters to the aerial vehicle, the delivery parameters indicating at least the delivery location corresponding to the first current location of the portable device;

determine, during aerial transport of the item by the aerial vehicle, a second current location of the portable device, wherein the second current location is different than the first current location;

send, to the aerial vehicle, the second current location; and

the aerial vehicle configured to at least;

wirelessly communicate with the aerial vehicle management system;

receive the delivery parameters;

receive the item; and

aerially navigate with the item toward the delivery location;

receive, while the aerial vehicle is aerially navigating toward the delivery location, the second current location; and

alter a navigation path such that the aerial vehicle navigates toward the second current location.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the aerial vehicle is further configured to at least determine the navigation path for aerial transport of the item to the delivery location.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the navigation path is determined based at least in part on one or more of delivery parameters provided by the aerial vehicle management system, environmental information, or information received from a second aerial vehicle.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the aerial vehicle is further configured to at least:

determine a surrounding environment; and

alter the navigation path, during aerial transport of the item, based at least in part on the surrounding environment.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the aerial vehicle management system is further configured to at least:

send a notification that the item is in-route to the delivery location.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the request to view information is received from a second device that is different than the portable device.