Instructing unmanned aerial vehicles to land

• US 9,896,204 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• 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:
  US14/739,927
• Time in Patent Office: 981 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 system for instructing an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided. The system may include a delivery management service for processing orders for items available in connection with an electronic marketplace. The delivery management service may also determine a landing location for delivery of an item to a customer of the electronic marketplace. The landing location may correspond the customer'"'"'s address. Determination of the landing location may be based on a first digital elevation dataset, a second digital elevation dataset, and parcel data corresponding to a region in which the customer'"'"'s address is located. The unmanned aerial vehicle may access the landing location as part of delivering the item to the customer.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an unmanned aerial vehicle configured to carry a payload, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising;

a frame; and

a management device attached to the frame; and

a delivery management service in communication with the management device and configured with at least a memory and a processor configured to;

receive a customer order for an item available in connection with an electronic marketplace;

determine a delivery location for the unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver a parcel including the item, the delivery location determined by accessing one or more computer-readable store devices for storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the delivery management service, configure the delivery management service to perform operations comprising;

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

accessing a second digital elevation dataset corresponding to the geographic region and collected according to a second collection procedure on a second flight, the second collection procedure being 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;

comparing the first digital elevation dataset with the second digital elevation dataset to determine a differential digital elevation dataset;

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

identifying a plurality of open areas based at least in part on the differential binary dataset, the plurality of open areas being open to the sky and free of obstacles;

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

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, the first set of open residential land parcel areas and the second set of open residential land parcel areas sharing at least one open residential land parcel 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 delivery location; and

provide the delivery location to the management device of the unmanned aerial vehicle for the unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver the parcel including the item to the customer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first digital elevation dataset comprises a surface elevation model corresponding to the geographic region and the second digital elevation dataset comprises a bare earth elevation model corresponding to the geographic region.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the delivery location for the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises determining a flight path for the unmanned aerial vehicle to navigate to the delivery location, the flight path avoiding critical areas determined from the land parcel data, and wherein providing the delivery location to the management device of the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises providing the flight path for the unmanned aerial vehicle to the management device of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

4. An unmanned aerial vehicle, comprising:

a frame;

a propulsion system attached to the frame; and

a management device attached to the frame and configured with at least a memory and a processor configured to;

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to land at a landing location and deliver an item at the landing location, the landing location being determined in accordance with a database configured by;

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

identifying an open area within a parcel of the parcel data by at least;

comparing the first digital elevation dataset with the second digital elevation dataset to determine a differential digital elevation dataset;

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

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

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.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, wherein the first collection procedure comprises collecting the first digital elevation dataset via the first flight using the first collection device and the second collection procedure comprises collecting the second digital elevation dataset via the second flight using the second collection device, wherein the first collection device is distinct from the second collection device.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, wherein the second collection procedure is distinct from the first collection procedure based at least in part on elevations of the first and second collection devices used for collection, an operator of the first and second collection devices, or software used to process data collected by the first and second collection devices.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, 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.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, further comprising a retaining system attached to the frame and configured to retain a payload including the item, and wherein the management device is further configured to, after instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to land at the landing location, instruct the retaining system to release the payload including the item.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, wherein the parcel data comprises residential parcels and non-residential parcels, and wherein identifying the open area within the parcel of the parcel data further comprises masking the open area with the parcel data to exclude the non-residential parcels.

10. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, 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.

11. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, 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.

12. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, wherein the landing location corresponds to a customer address of a customer of an electronic marketplace, and wherein instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to land at the landing location comprises instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver the item to the customer, the item being available in connection with the electronic marketplace.

13. The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 4, 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 air space extending upwards from the patch of land, an area value meeting or exceeding an area threshold, and no slope value exceeding a slope threshold.

14. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an order from a customer for an item available in connection with an electronic marketplace;

determining a delivery location for an unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver a parcel including the item to the customer, the delivery location determined by accessing a database configured by;

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

accessing a second digital elevation dataset corresponding to the geographic region and collected according to a second collection procedure on a second flight, the second collection procedure being 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;

identifying an open area within a land parcel of the geographic region by at least;

comparing the first digital elevation dataset with the second digital elevation dataset to determine a differential digital elevation dataset;

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

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

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 delivery location; and

instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to navigate to the delivery location and deliver the parcel at the delivery location.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, 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.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the land parcel comprises a residential parcel on which a home of the customer is located, and wherein the delivery location is within a front yard relative to the home or within a back yard relative to the home.