Delivery drop platforms, tethers, and stabilization

• US 9,969,494 B1
• Filed: 09/28/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Buchmueller, Daniel, LeGrand, III, Louis LeRoi, Neal, Lowell Timothy, Schoenberg, Yves Christian Albers, Wilcox, Scott Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, Peter M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Topolski, Magdalena
• Application Number:
  US14/867,908
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/12 Releasing
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• 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 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can deliver a package to a delivery destination. Packages delivered by a UAV may be lowered towards the ground while the UAV continues to fly rather than the UAV landing on the ground and releasing the package. Packages may sway during lowering as a result of wind or movement of the UAV. A package sway may be monitored and mitigated by rapidly paying out a tether, when using a winch mechanism, to dissipate the energy of the sway as downward energy. Further, the UAV may navigate in the direction of the sway or reduce the altitude of the UAV to dissipate the energy of the sway. Open-loop and/or closed loop drop techniques may be utilized to lower a package from the UAV, and the package may be released in the air or on the ground.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to deliver an item to a delivery destination, the UAV comprising:

a plurality of motors to generate thrust for the UAV;

a power source to selectively provide power to the plurality of motors, the plurality of motors operating the UAV to transport the item to the delivery destination;

a package assembly to secure the item;

an image sensor to monitor a first marker on the package assembly and to monitor a reference point at the delivery destination;

a tether coupled to the package assembly;

an attachment mechanism to attach the package assembly to the UAV;

a lowering mechanism to selectively lower the package assembly via the tether;

a package attachment controller to selectively operate the attachment mechanism to release the package assembly at least partially above a drop zone associated with the delivery destination; and

a sway controller to;

determine a sway of the package assembly while the lowering mechanism is lowering the package assembly; and

determine the sway of the package assembly based at least in part on a relative movement of the first marker with respect to the reference point;

wherein the sway controller provides a first indication to the lowering mechanism to control a rate of lowering the package assembly to reduce the sway of the package assembly.

2. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the lowering mechanism includes a winch mechanism to lower or raise the package assembly, the winch mechanism operating at a variable rate to reduce the sway of the package assembly.

3. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the lowering mechanism includes a drum mechanism and a brake mechanism to lower the package assembly, the brake mechanism to reduce the sway of the package assembly by modulating a rate of rotation of the drum mechanism that lowers the package assembly via the tether.

4. The UAV of claim 1, wherein the tether is coupled to the package assembly and the UAV, the tether wrapped at least in a first direction around the package assembly and wrapped at least in a second direction around the package assembly, the tether configured to rotate the package assembly in a plurality of directions as the tether unwraps from the package assembly.

5. A method comprising:

lowering a package assembly from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at a delivery location using a lowering mechanism of the UAV;

monitoring a first marker on the package assembly;

monitoring a reference point associated with the delivery location;

monitoring a sway of the package assembly with a sensor of the UAV;

determining that the package assembly is out of position with respect to the UAV based at least in part on a relative movement of the first marker with respect to the reference point;

providing a first indication to the lowering mechanism to increase a rate of lowering the package assembly to reduce the sway of the package assembly; and

releasing the package assembly from the UAV at the delivery location.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that the sway of the package assembly has been reduced; and

providing a second indication to the lowering mechanism to decrease the rate of lowering the package assembly.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein lowering the package assembly from the UAV comprises lowering the package assembly to a surface at the delivery location using the lowering mechanism, and wherein releasing the package assembly from the UAV at the delivery location comprises releasing the package assembly after the package assembly contacts the surface at the delivery location.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising wrapping a tether around the package assembly in at least a first direction and a second direction, and wherein lowering the package assembly from the UAV comprises rotating the package assembly in at least the first direction and the second direction, wherein the package assembly changes a direction of rotation as the package assembly descends from the UAV.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein releasing the package assembly from the UAV at the delivery location comprises cutting a tether coupling the package assembly to the UAV.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein releasing the package assembly from the UAV at the delivery location comprises detaching the lowering mechanism from the package assembly.

11. The method of claim 5, further comprising retracting the lowering mechanism to the UAV after the package assembly is delivered at the delivery location.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein lowering the package assembly from the UAV comprises sliding the package assembly down a tether to the delivery location.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising detaching a tether of the lowering mechanism from the UAV at a time in which the tether is fully extended.

14. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

monitoring an altitude of the UAV and a distance of the package assembly above a drop zone associated with the delivery location; and

releasing the package assembly at a time in which the package assembly is at a predetermined height above the drop zone.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising navigating the UAV in a direction of the sway to further reduce the sway of the package assembly.

19. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

monitoring an elevation of the package assembly;

determining that the package assembly has reached a threshold elevation; and

providing a second indication to the lowering mechanism to decrease the rate of lowering the package assembly.

16. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:

a plurality of motors;

an attachment mechanism to attach a package assembly to the UAV;

a lowering mechanism to lower the package assembly;

one or more image sensors;

one or more processors; and

memory coupled to the one or more processors, the memory including one or more modules that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

positioning the UAV at a predetermined height above a delivery location;

lowering the package assembly from the UAV at the delivery location using the lowering mechanism of the UAV;

monitoring a first marker on the package assembly with the one or more image sensors;

monitoring a reference point at the delivery location with the one or more image sensors;

determining a sway of the package assembly based at least in part on a relative movement of the first marker with respect to the reference point;

providing a first indication to the lowering mechanism to control a rate of lowering the package assembly to reduce the sway of the package assembly; and

releasing the package assembly from the UAV at the delivery location.

17. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the lowering mechanism includes a winch mechanism to lower or raise the package assembly the winch mechanism operating at a variable rate to further reduce the sway of the package assembly.

18. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the lowering mechanism includes a drum mechanism and a brake mechanism to lower the package assembly, the brake mechanism to reduce the sway of the package assembly by modulating a rate of rotation of the drum mechanism that lowers the package assembly.

20. The UAV of claim 16, wherein the operations performed by the one or more processors further comprise determining that the delivery location is clear of obstructions using the one or more image sensors.