Drone delivery system having a single use lowering line

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11401034-B2
Application number	US-201916281683-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2019
Priority date	Feb 28, 2018
Publication date	Aug 2, 2022
Grant date	Aug 2, 2022

Abstract

An aerial vehicle for delivering a package. The aerial vehicle having a package deployment system coupled to the aerial vehicle. The package deployment system having a spool coupled to the aerial vehicle, a lowering line fixedly coupled to the spool at a first end, the lowering line having a second end secured to a grasping device, and a cutting device coupled to one of the spool or the lowering line. The aerial vehicle also having a package coupled to the grasping device and a monitoring system couple to one of the aerial vehicle or the package deployment system. The package deployment system is configured to deliver the package at a delivery location. The cutting device is configured to sever the lowering line to deliver the package. A method for delivering a package with an aerial vehicle having the package deployment system.

First claim

We claim:

1. An aerial vehicle for delivering a package, the aerial vehicle comprising:
a package deployment system coupled to the aerial vehicle, the package deployment system comprising:
a spool coupled to the aerial vehicle;
a lowering line fixedly coupled to the spool at a first end of the lowering line, the lowering line having a second end secured to a grasping device; and
a cutting device coupled to one of the spool or the lowering line; and
a monitoring system coupled to one of the aerial vehicle or the package deployment system,
wherein the monitoring system is configured to:
monitor a parameter of a component of the package deployment system and delay or prevent actuation of the cutting device if the parameter exceeds a predetermined threshold; and
determine a distance between a delivery surface of a delivery location and one of the aerial vehicle or the package based on the size of the delivery location in a current figure compared to a figure of a predetermined distance,

wherein the parameter is an air speed of the aerial vehicle,
wherein the package deployment system is configured to deliver the package at the delivery location by actuating the cutting device to sever the lowering line to deliver the package, the severed lowering line having a first portion coupled to the spool and a second portion coupled to the package, and
wherein the spool is configured to spool the first portion of the lowering line before navigating to another location.

2. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system is further configured to monitor a second parameter and wherein the second parameter is the lowering line tension or load.

3. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cutting device is at least one of a scissor, a scissor type device, a piezoelectric cutter, a thermal device, a laser, a blade, an energy device for heating an element which cuts the lowering line, or a resistance based wire element which heats and cuts the lowering line.

4. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a parachute coupled to the lowering line at the first end.

5. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system further comprising one or more of an altitude sensor, altimeter, a tension monitoring system, a load cell, an airspeed indicator, an airspeed gauge, sonar, an optical sensor, or Lidar.

6. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a second package deployment system, the second package deployment system configured to deliver a second package.

7. A method for delivering a package with an aerial vehicle, the method comprising:
loading a package on a package deployment system of the aerial vehicle;
navigating the aerial vehicle to a delivery location;
monitoring a parameter of the aerial vehicle or the package deployment system;
determining a distance between a delivery surface of the delivery location and one of the aerial vehicle or the package based on the size of the delivery location in a current figure compared to a figure of predetermined distance;
severing a lowering line secured to the package into a first portion coupled to the aerial vehicle and a second portion coupled to the package, the severing based on a signal indicative of the parameter being within a predetermined threshold;
releasing the second portion of the lowering line and the package to be delivered to the delivery location; and
spooling the first portion of the lowering line before navigating to another location.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein monitoring the parameter comprises monitoring of airspeed of the aerial vehicle, distance between the package and a delivery surface, and tension on the lowering line.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the parameter is the distance between the package and the delivery surface.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein, subsequent to the steps of claim 9 , the method further comprises:
unspooling lowering line from the spool and securing another packages thereto;
repeating the steps of loading, navigating, monitoring, severing, releasing and spooling until no lowering line remains on the spool; and
removing the spool and coupling a new spool to the aerial vehicle or winding lowering line onto the spool.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of loading the package further comprises:
a consumer coupling the delivery package to the package deployment system;
wherein the step of navigating the aerial vehicle to a delivery location further comprises:
using a mobile device to communicate with the aerial vehicle or the package deployment system and
instructing the aerial vehicle to navigate to a return center or warehouse location where the package is received and processed.

12. The aerial vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the package deployment system is configured to compensate for the change in weight and center of gravity of the aerial vehicle by shifting the position of the package deployment system components relative to the aerial vehicle based on one or more of pitch, yaw, and roll.

13. An aerial vehicle comprising:
a package deployment system coupled to the aerial vehicle, the package deployment system comprising:
a spool coupled to the aerial vehicle;
a lowering line fixedly coupled to the spool at a first end of the lowering line, the lowering line having a second end secured to a grasping device;
a monitoring system coupled to one of the aerial vehicle or the package deployment system; and
wherein the monitoring system is configured to:
monitor a parameter of a component of the package deployment system and delay or prevent actuation of a releasing device if the parameter exceeds a predetermined threshold and
determine a distance between a delivery surface of a delivery location and one of the aerial vehicle or the package based on the size of the delivery location in a current figure compared to a figure of predetermined distance, and

wherein the parameter is an air speed of the aerial vehicle.

14. The aerial vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the releasing device is configured to deliver the package by releasing the spool from the aerial vehicle.

15. The aerial vehicle of claim 14 , wherein a parachute is coupled to the spool and configured to control the rate of decent of the spool.

16. The aerial vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the spool is made of biodegradable material.

17. The aerial vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the package deployment system is further configured to deliver the package at the delivery location by preloading the spool with a predetermined length of lowering line; and
wherein the spool is configured to unspool the lowering line until the first end of the lowering line is no longer coupled to the spool.

18. The aerial vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the first end of the lowering line is secured to the spool with a collet.

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• High Donald R
• O'Brien John J
• Cantrell Robert
• Mchale Brian
• Schuhardt Justin

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/54 Primary

  for approach or landing · CPC title

• G08G5/21

  located onboard the aircraft · CPC title