Automated fulfillment of unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 9,815,633 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2016
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kisser, Lauren Marie, Medina Romero, Armando
• Primary Examiner(s): Randazzo, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US15/269,477
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/80 Exchanging energy storage elements, e.g. removable batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/32 for handling freight
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/80 Arrangement of on-board electronics, e.g. avionics systems or wiring
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/96 using air
• 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: B64U 50/39 Battery swapping
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/90 Launching from or landing on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 37/02 Flow-sheets for conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

A method and system for evaluating and loading unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are described. The UAVs are moved by a conveyance device. It may be determined whether the UAV passes at least one of a structural integrity test or a functionality test. The UAV may be removed from the conveyance device in the event the UAV fails at least one of the structural integrity test or the functionality test. A package may be loaded into a compartment of the UAV in the event the UAV passes the structural integrity test and the functionality test.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a conveyance device configured to receive and transport a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from a loading location of the conveyance device to an unloading location of the conveyance device;

a plurality of stations disposed relative to the conveyance device, the plurality of stations comprising a first station comprising a structural scanner, a second station comprising a diagnostic device, and a third station comprising a power device;

a UAV loading structure configured to receive one or more UAVs; and

a management device in communication with the conveyance device, the structural scanner, the diagnostic device, the power device, and the UAV loading structure, and configured to at least;

instruct placement of a UAV on the conveyance device at the loading location;

instruct movement of the conveyance device;

instruct the structural scanner disposed at the first station to structurally scan the UAV while the UAV is located at the first station;

instruct the diagnostic device disposed at the second station to functionally test the UAV while the UAV is located at the second station;

instruct the power device disposed at the third station to remove a first battery from the UAV and place a second battery into the UAV;

instruct the power device to power test the UAV while the UAV is located at the third station;

instruct removal of the UAV from the conveyance device at the unloading location and placement of the UAV into the UAV holding structure;

instruct transfer of a set of delivery instructions to the UAV; and

instruct loading of a package into a compartment of the UAV while the UAV is held by the UAV loading structure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the UAV is a first UAV; and

the management device is further configured to at least instruct the structural scanner to structurally scan a second UAV while the second UAV is at the first station and while the first UAV is located at one of the second station or the third station.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the management device is further configured to at least:

instruct removal of the UAV from the conveyance device at the first station in the event first output from the structural scanner indicates a structural deficiency of the UAV;

instruct removal of the UAV from the conveyance device at the second station in the event second output from the diagnostic device indicates failure of at least one system of the UAV; and

instruct removal of the UAV from the conveyance device at the third station in the event third output from the power device indicates failure of a power system of the UAV.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein:

the system further comprises robotic manipulators disposed at each of the first station, the second station, and the third station; and

instructing removal of the UAV from the conveyance device at each of the first station, the second station, and the third station comprises instructing the respective robotic manipulator of the first station, the second station, or the third station to remove the UAV from the conveyance device.

5. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

while moving an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) along a conveyance device, causing at least one of;

a structural scanner to scan at least a portion of the UAV;

a diagnostic device to test functionality of at least one system of the UAV;

or

a power device to perform a power-related operation with respect to the UAV; and

causing loading of a package into a compartment of the UAV.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising, prior to causing loading of the package, instructing placement of the UAV on a UAV loading structure configured to support a plurality of UAVs in a vertical configuration.

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

instructing placement of the UAV on the UAV loading structure comprises causing placement of the UAV into a slot of a plurality of vertically oriented slots of the UAV loading structure, the plurality of slots corresponding to a plurality of slot levels; and

causing loading of the package comprises causing loading of the package while the UAV is located in the UAV loading structure.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the structural scanner, the diagnostic device, and the power device are each disposed on a different level of the plurality of slot levels.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising instructing placement of the UAV on a conveyance device configured to support a plurality of UAVs in a horizontal configuration.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein:

instructing placement of the UAV on the conveyance device comprises instructing placement of the UAV onto a surface of the conveyance device; and

the method further comprising, prior to causing loading of the package, instructing removal of the UAV from the surface of the conveyance device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the power-related operation comprises at least one of:

a battery replacement operation comprising removal of a first battery from the UAV and placement of a second battery in the UAV;

or

a power test operation comprising testing of a power system of the UAV.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

causing packaging of an item into the package prior to causing loading of the package into the compartment of the UAV; and

causing transfer of a set of delivery instructions to the UAV.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the at least one system of the UAV comprises at least one of an avionics system, an obstacle detection and avoidance system, a communication system, a propulsion system, a power management system, or a package retention system.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein:

the method further comprises instructing placement of the UAV on a movable device that is configured to transport the UAV and other UAVs between a plurality of stations; and

the structural scanner, the diagnostic device, and the power device are each disposed at a respective station of the plurality of stations.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein:

causing loading of the package into the compartment of the UAV comprises causing loading of the package via a package loading conveyance device and a lift platform;

the package loading conveyance device is configured to move the package to a first position below the UAV; and

the lift platform is configured to lift the package from the first position to a second position within the compartment of the UAV.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving information about placement of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on a conveyance device;

determining whether the UAV passes at least one of a structural integrity test or a functionality test;

instructing removal of the UAV from the conveyance device in the event the UAV fails at least one of the structural integrity test or the functionality test; and

causing loading of a package into a compartment of the UAV in the event the UAV passes the structural integrity test and the functionality test.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein:

determining whether the UAV passes the structural integrity test comprises at least;

scanning the UAV using a structural scanner to generate scanning information; and

identifying structural deficiencies of the UAV based at least in part on the scanning information; and

determining whether the UAV passes a functionality test comprises at least;

operating at least one system of the UAV to generate diagnostic information; and

identifying diagnostic faults of the at least one system based at least in part on the diagnostic information.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein:

instructing removal of the UAV from the conveyance device in the event the UAV fails the structural integrity test comprises instructing a first robotic manipulator to remove the UAV from the conveyance device; and

instructing removal of the UAV from the conveyance device in the event the at least one system of the UAV fails the functionality test comprises instructing a second robotic manipulator to remove the UAV from the conveyance device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein causing placement of the UAV on the conveyance device comprises aligning the UAV with a set of alignment fiducials disposed on the conveyance device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising enabling the UAV to take off after the package has been loaded in the compartment.