Modular air delivery

• US 9,348,333 B1
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• 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: Erdozain, Jack Jr., Buchmueller, Daniel, Kimchi, Gur, Porter, Brandon William, Welsh, Ricky Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwari, Maceeh
• Application Number:
  US14/563,647
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2101/69 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 weather along a route to a delivery zone for an airborne delivery of a shipping container;

evaluating an approach to drop the shipping container at the delivery zone;

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

identifying a set of modular components to assemble an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the airborne delivery based in part on at least one of the weather along the route, the approach to drop the shipping container, and the amount of time remaining; and

directing assembly of the UAV using the set of modular components, wherein identifying the set of modular components comprises;

selecting a modular platform;

selecting a thruster arrangement to provide thrust to the modular platform;

selecting a control system to control the thruster arrangement; and

selecting at least one sensor to provide data to a computing device of the UAV connected to the control system.

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

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

selecting the modular platform for the UAV based in part on a volume and a weight of the shipping container;

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 drop the shipping container.

4. 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 of a shipping container;

evaluating an approach to drop the shipping container at the delivery zone;

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

selecting a modular platform of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for delivery of the shipping container based in part on at least one of the weather along the route, the approach to drop the shipping container, and the amount of time remaining;

selecting a thruster arrangement to provide thrust to the modular platform;

selecting a control system to control the thruster arrangement; and

selecting at least one sensor for navigation of the UAV based in part on at least one of the approach at the delivery zone and the weather along the route.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising calculating the amount of time remaining until the target delivery time for the airborne delivery based in part on a target delivery time for the airborne delivery.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising selecting the thruster arrangement to provide airborne thrust to the modular platform based in part on at least one of a weight of the shipping container or an amount of time remaining until a target delivery time.

7. The system of claim 6, 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.

8. The system of claim 7, 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.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises selecting a loading bay for the UAV based in part on a volume of the shipping container.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the shipping container comprises a plurality of shipping containers.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein weight among the plurality of shipping containers is balanced in the loading bay and the plurality of shipping containers substantially occupy a volume of the loading bay.

12. The system of claim 4, 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 4, wherein the method further comprises dispatching the UAV to deliver the shipping container according to flight plan instructions from a ground controller.

14. A method, comprising:

assessing weather along a route to a delivery zone for airborne delivery of a shipping container;

evaluating an approach to drop the shipping container at the delivery zone;

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

selecting a modular platform of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for delivery of the shipping container based in part on at least one of the weather along the route, the approach to drop the shipping container, and the amount of time remaining;

selecting a thruster arrangement to provide thrust to the modular platform;

selecting a control system to control the thruster arrangement; and

selecting at least one sensor for navigation of the UAV based in part on at least one of the approach at the delivery zone and the weather along the route.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising assessing present and future weather conditions along the route to the 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, further comprising 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 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.