Unmanned aerial vehicle payload delivery
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsMenashe Haskin, Louis LeRoi LeGrand, III, Uri Ran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Techniques for using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver a payload may be provided. For example, upon arrival to a delivery location, the UAV may release the payload and lower a tether coupling the payload to the UAV. Based on a distance associated with the lowering of the payload, the UAV may release the cable. This release may decouple the payload and at a least a portion of the cable from the UAV, thereby delivering the payload at the delivery location.
Claims20
A system associated with using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver a package associated with an electronic marketplace, the system comprising:
- a frame;
- a severing mechanism associated with the frame and comprising an electrical conductor contact surface;
- a cable associated with the frame;
- and
- a computing system associated with the UAV and comprising one or more processors and one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store computer-readable instructions that upon execution by the one or more processors configure the computing system to instruct the UAV to:
- fly to a location associated with the delivery of the package, the package including an item ordered from the electronic marketplace;
- release the package from a compartment of the UAV based at least in part on detecting that the UAV has arrived to the location;
- lower the package at a controlled speed based at least in part on extending the cable from the UAV, the cable coupling the package to the UAV;
- operate, based at least in part on detecting that the package has been lowered by a distance, the severing mechanism of the UAV to sever the cable, the cable severed based at least in part on a thermoelectric effect applied to the cable, severing the cable causing the delivery of the package and of at least a portion of the cable;
- and
- fly away from the location without the package and the at least a portion of the cable based at least in part on the severing of the cable.
A system associated with using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to deliver a payload, comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store computer-readable instructions that upon execution by the one or more processors configure the system to instruct the UAV to:
- lower the payload with a tether from the UAV based at least in part on detecting that the UAV has arrived to a location associated with a mission of the UAV, the tether coupling the payload to the UAV and comprising perforations;
- release, based at least in part on detecting that the payload has been lowered by a distance, at least a portion of the tether from the UAV, the portion of the tether released based at least in part on contact between the perforations of the tether and a head, edge, or surface within the UAV, releasing the at least a portion of the tether causing a delivery of the payload and of the at least a portion of the tether;
- and
- fly away from the location without the payload and the at least a portion of the tether based at least in part on the releasing of the at least a portion of the tether.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to deliver a payload, the UAV comprising:
- a frame;
- a cable associated with the frame and comprising a weakness point that is defined based at least in part on a mass of the payload;
- a computing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store computer-readable instructions that upon execution by the one or more processors configure the UAV to:
- hold the payload during a portion of a flight associated with a delivery of the payload;
- and
- deliver the payload by at least:
- lowering the payload by using the cable;
- and
- releasing at least a portion of the cable at or around the weakness point based at least in part on lowering the payload by a distance, the releasing causing the delivery of the payload and of the at least a portion of the cable.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.