# US 12,179,922 B2 · Unmanned aircraft system, control device and control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,179,922 B2 - Document ID: US12179922B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/417,546 - Filed: 2019-11-15 - Published: 2022-02-17 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2019-11-15 - Assignees: Rakuten Group, Inc. - Applicants: Rakuten Group, Inc. - Inventors: Toshiaki Tazume - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179922B2 ## CPC - B64D 1/22: Taking-up articles from earth's surface - B64D 1/02: Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles (jettisonable fuel reservoirs B64D37/12) - B64D 1/12: Releasing - B66D 1/485: {electrical} - B64U 10/13: Flying platforms - B64U 50/19: using electrically powered motors - B64U 2101/30: for imaging, photography or videography - B64U 2101/66: for retrieving parcels - B64U 2101/67: the UAVs comprising tethers for lowering the goods - B64U 2201/00: UAVs characterised by their flight controls - B64U 2201/20: Remote controls - B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT - B66D: CAPSTANS; WINCHES; TACKLES, e.g. PULLEY BLOCKS; HOISTS (winding or unwinding ropes or cables for feeding or storage purposes B65H; rope or cable winding or unwinding mechanisms for lifts B66B) - B64U: UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES [UAV]; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR ## Abstract The present invention has an object of providing an unmanned aircraft system, control device and control method which can more easily anchor a package to a linear member. An unmanned aircraft system (1) of an embodiment of the present invention includes: an unmanned aircraft (2) including a hoisting mechanism capable of feeding out and hoisting a linear member (31); a flight control unit (61) which causes the unmanned aircraft (2) to take off in a state in which a package (T) anchored to the linear member (31) is arranged on a ground surface; and a hoisting control unit (62) which causes the linear member (31) to be hoisted by the hoisting mechanism (3), after the unmanned aircraft (2) has taken off, in a case of a hoisting condition indicating a state enabling hoisting of the linear member (31) being satisfied. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An unmanned aircraft system comprising: an unmanned aircraft including a hoisting mechanism configured to feed out and hoist a linear member; at least one memory configured to store program code; and at least one processor configured to access the program code and operate as instructed by the program code, the program code including: flight control code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to cause the unmanned aircraft to take off in a state in which a package anchored to the linear member is on a ground surface; and hoisting control code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to release the linear member to be drawable out from the hoisting mechanism after the unmanned aircraft takes off until a hoisting condition is satisfied, and to cause the linear member to be hoisted by the hoisting mechanism, after the unmanned aircraft has taken off, based on the hoisting condition being satisfied, wherein the hoisting condition corresponds to a state enabling hoisting of the linear member. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, further comprising: a detector configured to detect positional relationship information regarding a positional relationship between the unmanned aircraft and the package, wherein the program code further includes: positional relationship calculation code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to calculate the positional relationship between the unmanned aircraft and the package based on the positional relationship information, and wherein the hoisting condition is satisfied where the positional relationship corresponds to the state enabling hoisting of the linear member. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The unmanned aircraft system of claim 2, wherein the state enabling hoisting of the linear member corresponds to a position of the unmanned aircraft being directly above the package. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The unmanned aircraft system of claim 2, wherein the detector further includes an imaging unit configured to detect the positional relationship information by photographing an image including the package, and wherein the positional relationship calculation code is further configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to calculate the positional relationship between the unmanned aircraft and the package based on the image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, further comprising a retaining device adapted to fix and release the package relative to the ground surface, wherein the flight control code is further configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to cause the unmanned aircraft to take off in a state wherein the package is fixed by the retaining device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The unmanned aircraft system of claim 5, wherein the flight control code is further configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to cause the unmanned aircraft to take off in a state wherein the linear member is not released. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The unmanned aircraft system of claim 1, further comprising an altimeter configured to measure an altitude of the unmanned aircraft, wherein the hoisting control code is further configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to cause the linear member to be fed out by the hoisting mechanism based on the altitude. ### Claim 8 An unmanned aircraft system comprising: an unmanned aircraft including an altimeter configured to measure an altitude of the unmanned aircraft, and a hoisting mechanism configured to feed out and hoist a linear member, wherein the hoisting mechanism includes a measurement unit configured to measure a feed out length of the linear member; at least one memory configured to store program code; and at least one processor configured to access the program code and operate as instructed by the program code, the program code including: flight control code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to cause the unmanned aircraft to take off in a state in which a package anchored to the linear member is on a ground surface; and hoisting control code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to cause the linear member to be hoisted by the hoisting mechanism, after the unmanned aircraft has taken off, based on a hoisting condition being satisfied, wherein the hoisting condition corresponds to a state enabling hoisting of the linear member, wherein the unmanned aircraft system further comprises a detector configured to detect positional relationship information regarding a positional relationship between the unmanned aircraft and the package based on the feed out length and the altitude, wherein the program code further includes: positional relationship calculation code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to calculate the positional relationship between the unmanned aircraft and the package based on the positional relationship information, and wherein the hoisting condition is satisfied where the positional relationship corresponds to the state enabling hoisting of the linear member. ### Claim 9 An unmanned aircraft system comprising: an unmanned aircraft including a hoisting mechanism configured to feed out and hoist a linear member; at least one memory configured to store program code; and at least one processor configured to access the program code and operate as instructed by the program code, the program code including: flight control code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to cause the unmanned aircraft to take off in a state in which a package anchored to the linear member is on a ground surface; and hoisting control code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to release the linear member to be drawable out from the hoisting mechanism after the unmanned aircraft takes off until a hoisting condition is satisfied, and to cause the linear member to be hoisted by the hoisting mechanism, after the unmanned aircraft has taken off based on the hoisting condition being satisfied, wherein the hoisting condition corresponds to a state enabling hoisting of the near member, wherein the unmanned aircraft system further comprises a detector configured to detect positional relationship information regarding a positional relationship between the unmanned aircraft and the package, wherein the program code further includes: positional relationship calculation code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to calculate the positional relationship between the unmanned aircraft and the package based on the positional relationship information, wherein the hoisting condition is satisfied where the positional relationship corresponds to the state enabling hoisting of the linear member, and wherein the flight control code is further configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to control flight of the unmanned aircraft based on the positional relationship after the unmanned aircraft takes off until the hoisting condition is satisfied. ### Claim 10 A control device for an unmanned aircraft, the control device comprising: at least one memory configured to store program code; and at least one processor configured to access the program code and operate as instructed by the program code, the program code including: flight control code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to cause the unmanned aircraft to take off in a state in which a package anchored to a linear member of the unmanned aircraft is arranged on a ground surface; and hoisting control code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to cause the linear member to be fed out by a hoisting mechanism of the unmanned aircraft based on an altitude measured by an altimeter of the unmanned aircraft, and to cause the linear member to be hoisted by the hoisting mechanism after the unmanned aircraft has taken off based on a hoisting condition being satisfied, wherein the hoisting condition corresponds to a state enabling hoisting of the linear member. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The control device of claim 10, wherein the hoisting control code is further configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to release the linear member to be drawable out from the hoisting mechanism after the unmanned aircraft takes off and until a hoisting condition is satisfied. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The control device of claim 10, wherein the program code further includes: positional relationship calculation code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to calculate a positional relationship between the unmanned aircraft and the package based on positional relationship information obtained via a detector of the unmanned aircraft, and wherein the hoisting condition is satisfied where the positional relationship corresponds to the state enabling hoisting of the linear member. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The control device of claim 12, wherein the state enabling hoisting of the linear member corresponds to a position of the unmanned aircraft being directly above the package. ### Claim 14 A method of controlling an unmanned aircraft, the method comprising: causing the unmanned aircraft to take off in a state in which a package anchored to a linear member is on a ground surface; release the linear member to be drawable out from a hoisting mechanism after the unmanned aircraft takes off until a hoisting condition is satisfied; and hoisting the linear member by the hoisting mechanism, after the unmanned aircraft has taken off, based on a hoisting condition being satisfied, wherein the hoisting condition corresponds to a state enabling hoisting of the linear member. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: calculating a positional relationship between the unmanned aircraft and the package based on positional relationship information obtained via a detector of the unmanned aircraft, wherein the hoisting condition is satisfied where the positional relationship corresponds to the state enabling hoisting of the linear member. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the state enabling hoisting of the linear member corresponds to a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle being directly above the package. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising: controlling flight of the unmanned aircraft based on the positional relationship after the unmanned aircraft takes off and until the hoisting condition is satisfied. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: causing the linear member to be fed out by the hoisting mechanism based on an altitude of the unmanned aircraft.