Unmanned aerial vehicle pick-up and delivery systems

• US 9,969,495 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2017
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gil, Julio
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanderson, Joseph W
• Application Number:
  US15/582,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20170313422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/11 for carrying aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 2211/00 Modular constructions of airplanes or helicopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/00 Dropping, ejecting, releasing, or receiving articles, liquids, or the like, in flight with respect to weapon sights devices F41G takes precedence, parachutes per se B64D17/00; ejectable seats B64D25/10; ejectable capsules B64D25/12; refuelling during flight B64D39/00; launching apparatus for projecting projectiles or missiles F41F1/00, F41F7/00; rocket or torpedo launchers F41F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/22 Taking-up articles from earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/04 Landing aids; Safety measures to prevent collision with earth's surface
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 9/00 Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like emergency equipment B64D17/00, B64D19/00, B64D25/00; structures integral with fuselage to facilitate loading, fuselage floors specially adapted for freight, steps mounted on and retractable within aircraft B64C; ground installations B64F
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/0299 characterized by the use of multiple devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/10 using self-propelled vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/22 for handling aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/32 for handling freight
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/16 with five or more distinct rotor axes, e.g. octocopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/40 Modular UAVs
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/70 Constructional aspects of the UAV body
• 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 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 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/297 : Tilting rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/299 : Rotor guards ducted or shrouded rotors B64U30/26; guards used as ground propulsion B64U60/60
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/39 : Battery swapping
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/00 : Launching, take-off or landing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 : Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/10 : with means for moving the UAV to a supply or launch location, e.g. robotic arms or carousels
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/86 : Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0435 : with pulling or pushing means on either stacking crane or stacking area
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/06 : with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level B65G1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 : using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 : Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 : specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 : Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 : Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 : Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 : in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 : specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 : Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 : Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Systems and methods include UAVs that serve to assist carrier personnel by reducing the physical demands of the transportation and delivery process. A UAV generally includes a UAV chassis including an upper portion, a plurality of propulsion members configured to provide lift to the UAV chassis, and a parcel carrier configured for being selectively coupled to and removed from the UAV chassis. UAV support mechanisms are utilized to load and unload parcel carriers to the UAV chassis, and the UAV lands on and takes off from the UAV support mechanism to deliver parcels to a serviceable point. The UAV includes computing entities that interface with different systems and computing entities to send and receive various types of information.

Claims

1. An enhanced parcel delivery system for delivering parcels via an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the system comprising:

a primary delivery vehicle comprising a roof panel;

a UAV support mechanism coupled to the primary delivery vehicle, the UAV support mechanism comprising opposing rails extending along the roof panel of the primary delivery vehicle, wherein the opposing rails are configured for simultaneously supporting multiple UAVs along a length of the opposing rails;

a plurality of UAVs, each of the UAVs comprising;

a UAV chassis including a plurality of propulsion members configured to provide lift to the UAV chassis; and

a parcel carrier comprising;

an engagement housing configured for being secured to the UAV chassis; and

a parcel carrying mechanism coupled to and positioned below the engagement housing, wherein the parcel carrying mechanism is configured for engaging and holding a parcel for delivery;

wherein the UAV support mechanism'"'"'s opposing rails include a conveyor comprising powered rollers, and wherein the powered rollers are configured to engage a reduced width portion of the UAV chassis of each of the plurality of UAVs.

2. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 1, wherein the UAV support mechanism comprises a guidance array, and wherein each of the plurality of UAVs comprise a vehicle landing sensor, wherein the guidance array is configured to interact with the vehicle landing sensor of each of the plurality of UAVs.

3. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 2, wherein the UAV support mechanism comprises a landing region configured to engage the UAV chassis of each of the plurality of UAVs, and the guidance array is positioned on the landing region.

4. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 1, wherein the opposing rails define an upper surface positioned above the powered rollers and oriented to face upward, and wherein the UAV chassis of each of the plurality of UAVs further comprises landing gear configured to engage the upper surface when the UAV chassis is positioned the conveyor.

5. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 4, wherein the landing gear comprises a pair of rollers coupled to an upper portion of the UAV chassis.

6. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 5, wherein the UAV chassis of each of the plurality of UAVs comprise the reduced width portion positioned below the upper portion, and wherein the landing gear of the UAV chassis is positioned on opposing sides of the reduced width portion.

7. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 1, wherein the UAV support mechanism comprises a plurality of sensors positioned along the conveyor, the plurality of sensors configured to detect a position of a UAV chassis positioned within the conveyor.

8. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 1, wherein the UAV support mechanism comprises a damper that is positioned on the opposing rails and configured to engage the UAV chassis of each of the plurality of UAVs.

9. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 8, wherein the damper is positioned on a landing region of the opposing rails.

10. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 9, wherein the opposing rails of the UAV support mechanism comprises a transport region positioned downstream of the landing region and wherein the opposing rails converge toward one another moving along the landing region toward the transport region and a width evaluated between the opposing rails is greater at the landing region as compared to the transport region.

11. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 10, wherein the UAV chassis of each of the plurality of UAVs comprise an upper portion having a width that is greater than a width evaluated between the opposing rails in the transport region.

12. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 10, wherein the UAV chassis of each of the plurality of UAVs comprises a lower portion having a width that is greater than a width evaluated between the opposing rails in the transport region.

13. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises;

an interior compartment;

a supply portal positioned on the roof panel, wherein the interior compartment is accessible through the supply portal; and

a loading robot positioned within the interior compartment and configured to move parcel carriers from the interior compartment to the UAV support mechanism.

14. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 13, wherein the UAV support mechanism defines a supply region positioned over the supply portal and comprises a sensor configured to detect when a UAV is positioned within the supply region.

15. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises;

an interior compartment;

a return portal positioned on the roof panel, wherein the interior compartment is accessible through the return portal; and

a loading robot positioned within the interior compartment and configured to move parcel carriers from the UAV support mechanism.

16. The enhanced parcel delivery system of claim 15, wherein the UAV support mechanism defines a return region positioned over the return portal and comprises a sensor configured to detect when a UAV is positioned within the return region.