Determining landing locations

• US 9,701,408 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Willison, Jason Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jha, Abdhesh
• Application Number:
  US14/739,883
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/61 for transporting passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/005 specially adapted for use in aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/913 for landing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/06 using stored programs, i.e. using an internal store of processing equipment to receive or retain programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• 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 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/185 : Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systemsH04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18504 : Aircraft used as relay or high altitude atmospheric platform

Abstract

In some examples, a landing location within a region for an unmanned aerial vehicle may be determined. The landing location may be determined based on a first digital elevation dataset, a second digital elevation dataset, and parcel data corresponding to a region. The landing location may be determined by identifying open areas within the parcel data and performing one or more slope calculations and one or more area calculations on the open areas.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle configured to deliver a payload to one of a plurality of delivery locations; and

a delivery management service to determine the plurality of delivery locations, the delivery management service configured with at least a memory and a processor configured to;

access a first digital elevation dataset corresponding to a geographic region and collected according to a first collection procedure using a first collection device on a first flight, the first digital elevation dataset comprising a surface elevation model corresponding to the geographic region;

access a second digital elevation dataset corresponding to the geographic region and collected according to a second collection using a second collection device on a second flight or the first flight, the second collection device distinct from the first collection device, the second digital elevation dataset comprising a bare earth elevation model corresponding to the geographic region;

access land parcel data corresponding to the geographic region, the land parcel data including a plurality of residential land parcels;

determine the plurality of delivery locations for the unmanned aerial vehicle corresponding to the plurality of residential land parcels by at least;

comparing the second digital elevation dataset with the first digital elevation dataset to identify elevation similarities at overlapping positions represented by the second digital elevation dataset and the first digital elevation dataset, the elevation similarities representative of a plurality of open areas;

comparing the plurality of open areas with the land parcel data to identify a plurality of open residential land parcel areas;

identifying a first set of open residential land parcel areas of the plurality of open residential land parcel areas that have slope values that fall within a slope threshold;

identifying a second set of open residential land parcel areas of the plurality of open residential land parcel areas that have area values that fall within an area threshold that corresponds to an area required for the UAV to deliver the payload, the first set of open residential land parcel areas and the second set of open residential land parcel areas sharing at least one open land parcel residential area; and

determining, based at least in part on the first set of open residential land parcel areas and the second set of open residential land parcel areas, the plurality of delivery locations; and

provide a first delivery location of the plurality of delivery locations to the UAV for the UAV to deliver the payload at the first delivery location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second collection procedure is distinct from the first collection procedure based at least in part on a type of collection device used for collection, an elevation of the collection device used for collection, an operator of the collection device, or software used to process data collected by the collection device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each delivery location of the plurality of delivery locations comprises a patch of land within a residential parcel, the patch of land comprising an unobstructed column of airspace extending upwards, an area value meeting or exceeding the area threshold, and no slope value exceeding the slope threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the geographic region corresponds to at least one of a city, a county, a district, a street, or a neighborhood.

5. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

accessing a first digital elevation dataset collected according to a first collection procedure using a first collection device on a first flight and a second digital elevation dataset collected according to a second collection procedure using a second collection device on a second flight or the first flight, each of the first digital elevation dataset and the second digital elevation dataset corresponding to a geographic region;

accessing parcel data corresponding to the geographic region; and

determining a landing location for an unmanned aerial vehicle within a parcel of the parcel data by at least;

identifying, based at least in part on the first digital elevation dataset and the second digital elevation dataset, an open area defined as having a similar elevation at an overlapping position represented by the first digital elevation dataset and the second digital elevation dataset;

identifying, based at least in part on the open area and the parcel data, an open parcel area; and

determining, based at least in part on a slope calculation and an area calculation, the landing location within the open parcel area of the parcel data, the open parcel area within the parcel;

storing the landing location in a database; and

enabling the unmanned aerial vehicle to access the landing location for the unmanned aerial vehicle to navigate to the landing location.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein identifying the open area comprises:

subtracting the first digital elevation dataset from the second digital elevation dataset to identify a differential digital elevation dataset, the similar elevation represented in the differential digital elevation dataset;

converting the differential digital elevation dataset to a differential binary dataset; and

identifying the open area based at least in part on the differential binary dataset, the open area being open to the sky and free of obstacles.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the parcel data comprises residential parcels and non-residential parcels, and wherein identifying the open parcel area comprises masking the open area with the parcel data to exclude the non-residential parcels.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the slope calculation comprises:

determining one or more slope values within the open parcel area; and

identifying, from the one or more slope values, slope values that fall within a slope threshold corresponding to a maximum slope on which the unmanned aerial vehicle can land.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the area calculation comprises determining one or more areas within the open parcel area that fall within an area threshold, the area threshold corresponding to a minimum area of ground to accommodate landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the parcel comprises a residential parcel on which a home is located, and wherein the landing location is within a front yard relative to the home or within a back yard relative to the home.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the parcel comprises a residential parcel, and the landing location comprises a patch of land within the residential parcel, the patch of land comprising an unobstructed column of airspace extending upwards from the patch of land, an area value meeting or exceeding an area threshold, and no slope value exceeding a slope threshold.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first digital elevation dataset and the second digital elevation dataset have about equal resolution and about equal margins of error, and wherein the first digital elevation dataset and the second digital elevation dataset are each collected within a first time period.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the landing location is an emergency landing location for landing the unmanned aerial vehicle in case of an emergency.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the second collection procedure is distinct from the first collection procedure based at least in part on a type of collection device used for collection, an elevation of the collection device used for collection, an operator of the collection device, or software used to process data collected by the collection device.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices for storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more computer systems, configured the one or more computer systems to perform operations comprising:

accessing a first digital elevation dataset corresponding to a geographic region and collected according to a first collection procedure using a first collection device on a first flight;

accessing a second digital elevation dataset corresponding to the geographic region and collected according to a second collection procedure using a second collection device on a second flight or the first flight, the second collection procedure distinct from the first collection procedure;

determining at least one possible delivery location for an unmanned aerial vehicle within a land parcel of the geographic region by at least;

identifying, based at least in part the first digital elevation dataset and the second digital elevation dataset, an open area within the land parcel, the open area defined as having a similar elevation at an overlapping position represented by the first digital elevation dataset and the second digital elevation dataset;

identifying, based at least in part on the open area and land parcel data including the land parcel, an open land parcel area within the open area;

determining one or more slope values corresponding to land within the open land parcel area;

determining one or more area values corresponding to the land within the open land parcel area that fall within an area threshold; and

determining, based at least in part on the one or more slope values and the one or more area values, the at least one possible delivery location;

land

enabling the unmanned aerial vehicle to access the at least one possible delivery location for the unmanned aerial vehicle to navigate to the at least one possible delivery location.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the at least one possible delivery location is stored in a database accessible by the unmanned aerial vehicle.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein the one or more computer-readable storage devices are executed by the one or more computer systems within a geographic information system (GIS) mapping execution environment.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices of claim 15, wherein determining the one or more slope values corresponding to the land within the open land parcel area comprises identifying, from the one or more slope values, slope values that fall within a slope threshold corresponding to a maximum slope on which the unmanned aerial vehicle can land, and wherein the area threshold corresponds to a minimum area of ground within the land to accommodate landing of the unmanned aerial vehicle.