Autonomous cargo delivery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10824170-B2
Application number	US-201916379357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2019
Priority date	Nov 27, 2013
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

An autonomous aerial vehicle includes a flight controller and a mission manager in communication with the flight controller. The flight controller is configured to navigate the autonomous aerial vehicle. The mission manager is configured to receive mission data. The mission data identifies both a landing zone and a designated touchdown zone located within the landing zone. The mission manager is further configured to provide flight control data to the flight controller. The flight control data causes the flight controller to navigate the autonomous aerial vehicle to a predetermined distance from the landing zone. The mission manager is further configured to determine, subsequent to the autonomous aerial vehicle reaching the predetermined distance, whether landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible. The mission manager is further configured, in response to determining that landing at the designated touchdown zone is not feasible, to identify an alternate touchdown zone located within the landing zone for landing the autonomous aerial vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An autonomous aerial vehicle, comprising:
a flight controller configured to navigate the autonomous aerial vehicle; and
a mission manager in communication with the flight controller and configured to:
receive mission data, the mission data identifying both a landing zone and a designated touchdown zone located within the landing zone;
provide flight control data to the flight controller, the flight control data to cause the flight controller to navigate the autonomous aerial vehicle to a predetermined distance from the landing zone;
determine, subsequent to the autonomous aerial vehicle reaching the predetermined distance, whether landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible; and
in response to determining that landing at the designated touchdown zone is not feasible, identify an alternate touchdown zone located within the landing zone for landing the autonomous aerial vehicle.

2. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the mission manager is further configured, in response to identifying the alternate touchdown zone, to provide additional flight control data to cause the flight controller to navigate the autonomous aerial vehicle to the alternate touchdown zone.

3. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the mission manager is further configured, in response to determining that landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible, to provide additional flight control data to cause the flight controller to navigate the autonomous aerial vehicle to the designated touchdown zone.

4. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the mission manager receives the mission data from an operating base.

5. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance is associated with a descent procedure of the autonomous aerial vehicle.

6. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the mission manager is configured to determine whether landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible based on data associated with the landing zone.

7. An autonomous aerial vehicle, comprising:
memory including machine readable instructions; and
processor circuitry to execute the machine readable instructions to perform operations including:
accessing mission data, the mission data identifying both a landing zone and a designated touchdown zone located within the landing zone;
providing flight control data to cause the autonomous aerial vehicle to be navigated to a predetermined distance from the landing zone;
determining, subsequent to the autonomous aerial vehicle reaching the predetermined distance, whether landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible; and
in response to determining that landing at the designated touchdown zone is not feasible, identifying an alternate touchdown zone located within the landing zone for landing the autonomous aerial vehicle.

8. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the operations further include, in response to identifying the alternate touchdown zone, providing additional flight control data to cause the autonomous aerial vehicle to be navigated to the alternate touchdown zone.

9. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the operations further include, in response to determining that landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible, providing additional flight control data to cause the autonomous aerial vehicle to be navigated to the designated touchdown zone.

10. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the mission data is received at the autonomous aerial vehicle from an operating base.

11. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined distance is associated with a descent procedure of the autonomous aerial vehicle.

12. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 7 , wherein determining whether landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible is based on data associated with the landing zone.

13. A method, comprising:
receiving mission data at an autonomous aerial vehicle, the mission data identifying both a landing zone and a designated touchdown zone located within the landing zone;
generating, by at least one processor of the autonomous aerial vehicle, flight control data based on the mission data, the flight control data to cause the autonomous aerial vehicle to be navigated to a predetermined distance from the landing zone;
determining, subsequent to the autonomous aerial vehicle reaching the predetermined distance, whether landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible; and
in response to determining that landing at the designated touchdown zone is not feasible, identifying an alternate touchdown zone located within the landing zone for landing the autonomous aerial vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, in response to identifying the alternate touchdown zone, generating additional flight control data to cause the autonomous aerial vehicle to be navigated to the alternate touchdown zone.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising, in response to determining that landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible, generating additional flight control data to cause the autonomous aerial vehicle to be navigated to the designated touchdown zone.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined distance is associated with a descent procedure of the autonomous aerial vehicle.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining whether landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible is based on data associated with the landing zone.

18. An autonomous aerial vehicle, comprising:
a flight controller configured to control the flight of the autonomous aerial vehicle; and
a mission manager in communication with the flight controller and configured:
to receive mission data identifying both a landing zone and a designated touchdown zone located within the landing zone;
to provide flight control data to the flight controller, with the flight control data causing the flight controller to navigate the autonomous aerial vehicle to a predetermined distance from the landing zone;
when the autonomous aerial vehicle has reached the predetermined distance, to determine whether landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible; and
when landing at the designated touchdown zone is determined to be infeasible, to determine an alternate touchdown zone located within the landing zone in which to land the autonomous aerial vehicle.

19. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the mission manager is further configured, in response to determining the alternate touchdown zone, to provide additional flight control data to cause the flight controller to navigate the autonomous aerial vehicle to the alternate touchdown zone.

20. The autonomous aerial vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the mission manager is further configured, in response to determining that landing at the designated touchdown zone is feasible, to provide additional flight control data to cause the flight controller to navigate the autonomous aerial vehicle to the designated touchdown zone.

21. An apparatus, comprising:
a mission manager adapted to communicate with a flight controller of an autonomous aerial vehicle, the mission manager configured to:
receive mission data, the mission data identifying both a first region and a second region to land the autonomous aerial vehicle, the first region having a first radius, the second region having a second radius less than the first radius, the second region located within the firs

Assignees

• Aurora Flight Sciences Corp

Inventors

• Paduano James D
• Wissler John B
• Piedmonte Michael D
• Mindell David A

Classifications

• G06Q10/00

  Administration; Management · CPC title

• G06Q50/265

  Personal security, identity or safety · CPC title

• G06Q10/08

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title

• G05D1/0676

  specially adapted for landing · CPC title

• G05D1/0202

  specially adapted to aircraft · CPC title