Active position control of tethered hook

A method comprising:

• identifying, by a control system, a payload to be picked up by an aerial vehicle within an environment, wherein a winch system is coupled to the aerial vehicle, wherein the winch system comprises a tether disposed on a spool, a motor operable to apply a torque to the tether, and a payload coupling apparatus coupled to a leading end of the tether and configured to mechanically couple to the payload;
• controlling, by the control system, the aerial vehicle to hover above the payload;
• controlling, by the control system, the winch system to deploy the payload coupling apparatus by unwinding the tether from the spool;
• receiving, by the control system, while the aerial vehicle hovers above the payload, from a sensor on the aerial vehicle, sensor data indicative of a position of the payload coupling apparatus in relation to the payload;
• and
• while the aerial vehicle hovers above the payload, providing instructions, based on the sensor data and by the control system, to reposition, using a repositioning apparatus mounted on the payload coupling apparatus and configured to reposition the payload coupling apparatus in at least a horizontal direction by applying at least a horizontal force directly to the payload coupling apparatus, the payload coupling apparatus in the horizontal direction to mechanically couple to the payload.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

• identifying a payload to be picked up by an aerial vehicle within an environment, wherein a winch system is coupled to the aerial vehicle, wherein the winch system comprises a tether disposed on a spool, a motor operable to apply a torque to the tether, and a payload coupling apparatus coupled to a leading end of the tether and configured to mechanically couple to the payload;
• controlling the aerial vehicle to hover above the payload;
• controlling the winch system to deploy the payload coupling apparatus by unwinding the tether from the spool;
• receiving, while the aerial vehicle hovers above the payload, from a sensor on the aerial vehicle, sensor data indicative of a position of the payload coupling apparatus in relation to the payload;
• and
• while the aerial vehicle hovers above the payload, providing instructions based on the sensor data to reposition, using a repositioning apparatus mounted on the payload coupling apparatus and configured to reposition the payload coupling apparatus in at least a horizontal direction by applying at least a horizontal force directly to the payload coupling apparatus, the payload coupling apparatus in the horizontal direction to mechanically couple to the payload.