Drone Air Traffic Control over wireless networks for package pickup and delivery
AssigneeETAK Systems, LLC
InventorLee Priest
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Drone systems and method include, in an air traffic control system configured to manage Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight in a geographic region, communicating to one or more UAVs over one or more wireless networks; selecting a delivery technique for a UAV to drop a package at a delivery location, the delivery technique being selected from a plurality of techniques including a technique of the UAV maneuvering to swing the package; and directing the UAV to deliver the package and communicating delivery instructions to the UAV, the delivery instructions including the delivery technique selected.
Claims20
A drone method for package pickup and delivery, comprising:
- in an air traffic control system configured to manage Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight in a geographic region, communicating to one or more UAVs over one or more wireless networks;
- selecting a delivery technique for a UAV to drop a package at a delivery location, the delivery technique being selected from a plurality of techniques including a technique of the UAV maneuvering to swing the package;
- and
- directing the UAV to deliver the package and communicating delivery instructions to the UAV, the delivery instructions including the delivery technique selected.
A drone air traffic control system comprising:
- a processor and a network interface communicatively coupled to one another;
- and
- memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
- communicate to one or more Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over one or more wireless networks, wherein the one or more UAVs are configured to constrain flight based on coverage of the one or more wireless networks;
- select a delivery technique for a UAV to drop a package at a delivery location, the delivery technique being selected from a plurality of techniques including a technique of the UAV maneuvering to swing the package;
- and
- direct the UAV to deliver the package and communicate delivery instructions to the UAV, the delivery instructions including the delivery technique selected.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for delivering a package, the UAV comprising:
- hardware and antennas adapted to communicate with one or more wireless networks;
- a processor communicatively coupled to the hardware and antennas;
- and
- memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
- communicate with an air traffic control system via one or more wireless networks including receiving delivery instructions from the air traffic control system;
- obtain and send data to the air traffic control system in association with a flight of the UAV during delivery of the package;
- and
- deliver the package to a delivery location based on instructions received from the air traffic control system, wherein the delivery includes a delivery technique of maneuvering the UAV to swing the package.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.