Delivery vehicle including an unmanned aerial vehicle support mechanism

• US 10,460,281 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gil, Julio
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanderson, Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US15/870,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20180155028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/11 for carrying aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2211/00 Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/00 Dropping, ejecting, releasing, or receiving articles, liquids, or the like, in flight with respect to weapon sights devices F41G takes precedence, parachutes per se B64D17/00; ejectable seats B64D25/10; ejectable capsules B64D25/12; refuelling during flight B64D39/00; launching apparatus for projecting projectiles or missiles F41F1/00, F41F7/00; rocket or torpedo launchers F41F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/22 Taking-up articles from earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/0299 characterized by the use of multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/10 using self-propelled vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/22 for handling aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/32 for handling freight
• 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 20/40 Modular UAVs
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/70 Constructional aspects of the UAV body
• 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: B64U 30/297 : Tilting rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/299 : Rotor guards ducted or shrouded rotors B64U30/26; guards used as ground propulsion B64U60/60
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/39 : Battery swapping
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 : Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 : Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/10 : with means for moving the UAV to a supply or launch location, e.g. robotic arms or carousels
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/86 : Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0435 : with pulling or pushing means on either stacking crane or stacking area
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/06 : with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level B65G1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 : using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 : Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 : specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 : Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 : Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 : Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 : in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• 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: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Systems and methods include UAVs that serve to assist carrier personnel by reducing the physical demands of the transportation and delivery process. A UAV generally includes a UAV chassis including an upper portion, a plurality of propulsion members configured to provide lift to the UAV chassis, and a parcel carrier configured for being selectively coupled to and removed from the UAV chassis. UAV support mechanisms are utilized to load and unload parcel carriers to the UAV chassis, and the UAV lands on and takes off from the UAV support mechanism to deliver parcels to a serviceable point. The UAV includes computing entities that interface with different systems and computing entities to send and receive various types of information.

Claims

1. A primary delivery vehicle configured for delivering parcels via an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the primary delivery vehicle comprising:

an interior compartment;

a roof panel defining a portal, wherein the interior compartment is accessible through the portal;

a UAV support mechanism positioned on the roof panel of the vehicle and configured for providing a landing surface for the UAV, the UAV support mechanism comprising;

a pair of opposing rails extending in a longitudinal direction and positioned above the portal, wherein the opposing rails are spaced apart from one another in a lateral direction that is transverse to the longitudinal direction, the opposing rails defining;

a landing region;

a takeoff region positioned opposite the landing region; and

a transport region positioned between the takeoff region and the landing region, wherein the transport region comprises a conveyor comprising a plurality of powered rollers, wherein the plurality of powered rollers is positioned within each of the opposing rails and along a length of each of the opposing rails.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the UAV support mechanism further comprises a plurality of sensors positioned along the conveyor, the plurality of sensors configured to detect a position of a UAV engaged with the conveyor.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the portal defined by the roof panel comprises a supply portal and the opposing rails further define a supply region positioned over the supply portal of the roof panel, and wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a supply position sensor configured to detect when a UAV is positioned within the supply region.

4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the portal defined by the roof panel comprises a return portal and the opposing rails further define a return region positioned over the return portal of the roof panel, and wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a return position sensor configured to detect when a UAV is positioned within the return region.

5. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising a loading robot positioned within the interior compartment.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the loading robot comprises a robot processor and the robot processor is communicatively coupled to the plurality of sensors.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the opposing rails comprise a guidance array configured to interact with one or more sensors.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the opposing rails converge toward one another moving along the landing region toward the transport region and a width evaluated between the opposing rails is greater at the landing region as compared to the transport region.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein UAV support mechanism comprises a damper positioned on the opposing rails and configured to engage a UAV in the landing region.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the damper comprises flexible brushes coupled to the opposing rails.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the UAV support mechanism comprises a plurality of support arms coupled to the roof panel and the opposing rails, wherein the support arms extend upward from the roof panel.

12. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the opposing rails are spaced apart from the roof panel in a vertical direction.

13. A primary delivery vehicle configured for delivering parcels via an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the primary delivery vehicle comprising:

an interior compartment;

a roof panel defining a supply portal and a return portal spaced apart from the supply portal, wherein the interior compartment is accessible through the supply portal and the return portal;

a UAV support mechanism comprising;

a pair of opposing rails extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein the opposing rails are spaced apart from one another in a lateral direction that is transverse to the longitudinal direction, the opposing rails defining;

a landing region;

a supply region positioned over the supply portal of the roof panel;

a return region positioned over the return portal of the roof panel; and

a transport region positioned between the supply region and the return region.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the transport region of the UAV support mechanism comprises a conveyor comprising powered rollers positioned within the opposing rails.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the UAV support mechanism further comprises a plurality of sensors positioned along the conveyor, the plurality of sensors configured to detect a position of a UAV engaged with the conveyor.

16. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the opposing rails converge toward one another moving along the landing region toward the transport region and a width evaluated between the opposing rails is greater at the landing region as compared to the transport region.

17. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the opposing rails comprise a guidance array configured to interact with one or more sensors.

18. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein UAV support mechanism comprises a damper positioned on the opposing rails and configured to engage a UAV.