Stabilized airborne drop delivery

• US 9,688,404 B1
• Filed: 12/02/2014
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: LeGrand, III, Louis LeRoi, Erdozain, Jr., Jack, Koller, Scarlett Elizabeth, Riehl, Eric Alexander, Walker, Trevor Barr, Buchmueller, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Badawi, Medhat
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rodriguez, Vicente
• Application Number:
  US14/558,046
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 294 662, 294907
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 15/14 the jets being other than main propulsion jets jet flaps B64C9/38
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/08 the articles being load-carrying devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/12 Releasing
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/22 Taking-up articles from earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• 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 2101/67 the UAVs comprising tethers for lowering the goods
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• 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 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping

Abstract

Stabilized airborne drop delivery using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is described. In one embodiment, the UAV includes a flight controller configured to control a flight path of the UAV, a winch mechanism secured to an underside of the UAV, a platform tethered to and extendable from the winch mechanism, and a ballast system configured to stabilize the platform. The winch mechanism may be relied upon to drop an item for delivery without landing the UAV. Because the use of the winch mechanism may give rise to certain design and operating considerations, various active and passive flight and/or ballast control systems are described. These systems are configured to maintain an orientation of the UAV, the platform, and/or the item during one or more stages of airborne drop delivery.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), comprising;

a flight controller configured to control a flight path of the UAV;

a winch mechanism secured to an underside of the UAV, the winch mechanism comprising;

a first winch including a first extendable tether, the first winch being secured to the UAV in a first orientation;

a second winch including a second extendable tether, the second winch being secured to the UAV in a second orientation; and

a platform tethered to a distal end of the first and second extendable tethers, the platform including an attachment mechanism to releasably secure an item to the platform; and

a payload system configured to stabilize the platform, the payload system comprising;

at least one thrust generator;

at least one orientation sensor; and

a payload controller configured to control the at least one thrust generator to alter an orientation of the platform based on feedback from the at least one orientation sensor, wherein

the first extendable tether flexes in a first direction and resists flexing in a second direction, the second extendable tether flexes in the second direction and resists flexing in the first direction, and the first direction is different than the second direction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flight controller is further configured to:

actuate the winch mechanism of the UAV to extend the platform from the UAV;

monitor a height of at least one of the platform or the item above a landing surface within a delivery zone; and

based on the height, release the item from the platform to deliver the item.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first orientation is perpendicular to the second orientation.

3. An apparatus, comprising:

an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), comprising;

an orientation sensor;

a flight controller configured to control a flight path and orientation of the UAV;

a first winch mechanism secured to the UAV in a first orientation;

a second winch mechanism secured to the UAV in a second orientation; and

a platform tethered to a distal end of the first winch mechanism and the second winch mechanism, the platform including an attachment mechanism to releasably secure an item to the platform, wherein

the first extendable tether flexes in a first direction and resists flexing in a second direction, the second extendable tether flexes in the second direction and resists flexing in the first direction, and the first direction is different than the second direction.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the flight controller is further configured to monitor a height of at least one of the platform or the item above a landing surface within a delivery zone.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the flight controller is further configured to actuate the attachment mechanism of the UAV to release the item based on the height.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a contact sensor to detect contact with the landing surface, wherein the flight controller is further configured to release the item from the platform based on a signal from the contact sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the flight controller is further configured to:

determine whether the monitored height is less than a predetermined drop height;

receive an instruction to release the item via a communications interface; and

release the item from the attachment mechanism.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first winch includes a first extendable tether and the second winch includes a second extendable tether.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the flight controller is further configured to:

determine whether tension in at least one of the first extendable tether and the second extendable tether is greater than a predetermined threshold based on a signal from a tension sensor; and

disconnect at least one of the winch mechanism or the platform when the tension is greater than the predetermined threshold.

10. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a payload system configured to stabilize the platform, the payload system comprising:

at least one thrust generator;

at least one orientation sensor; and

a payload controller to control the at least one thrust generator based on feedback from the at least one orientation sensor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the payload controller is configured to control the at least one thrust generator to provide thrust in a direction opposing a direction of tilt of the platform.

19. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first orientation is perpendicular to the second orientation.

12. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), comprising:

a first winch including a first extendable tether secured to an underside of the UAV in a first orientation;

a second winch including a second extendable tether secured to the underside of the UAV in a second orientation;

an attachment mechanism to releasably secure an item to the first extendable tether and the second extendable tether;

an orientation sensor to provide orientation feedback signals representative of swinging or tilting in at least one of the first extendable tether, the second extendable tether, and the item; and

a flight controller configured to control flight of the UAV based on the orientation feedback signals, wherein

the first extendable tether flexes in a first direction and resists flexing in a second direction, the second extendable tether flexes in the second direction and resists flexing in the first direction, and the first direction is different than the second direction.

13. The UAV of claim 12, further comprising a payload system at a distal end of the first extendable tether and the second extendable tether.

14. The UAV of claim 13, wherein the payload system comprises:

at least one thrust generator; and

a payload controller configured to control the at least one thrust generator to alter an orientation of the payload system based on the orientation feedback signals.

15. The UAV of claim 14, wherein the payload controller is further configured to:

determine a shift in orientation of the payload system based on the orientation feedback signals; and

control an amount of thrust generated by the at least one thrust generator based on the shift in orientation.

16. The UAV of claim 12, wherein the flight controller is further configured to:

actuate the first winch and the second winch to extend the first extendable tether and the second extendable tether from the UAV;

monitor a height of the item above a landing surface; and

actuate the attachment mechanism of the UAV to release the item based on the height.

17. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the flight controller is further configured to:

determine whether the height of the UAV above the landing surface is less than a predetermined drop height;

receive an instruction to release the item via a communications interface; and

release the item from the extendable tether using the attachment mechanism.

20. The UAV of claim 12, wherein the first orientation is perpendicular to the second orientation.