Wing Aviation LLC

Louis Kenneth Dressel

Kyle Julian

Kevin Jenkins

Ivan Qiu

John Mooney

A method includes obtaining sensor data indicating a tension experienced by a tether while a payload coupling apparatus connected to the tether is lowered from an aerial vehicle using the tether. The method also includes determining, based on the sensor data, a ground contact time at which the payload coupling apparatus or a payload coupled thereto made initial contact with a ground surface. The method additionally includes determining a length of the tether released from the aerial vehicle at the ground contact time. The method further includes determining a tether-based altitude of the aerial vehicle based on the length of the tether released from the aerial vehicle at the ground contact time. The method yet further includes causing the aerial vehicle to perform an operation based on the tether-based altitude.

Using unwound tether length to measure altitude

A method includes, during a delivery process of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), receiving, by an image processing system, a depth image captured by a downward-facing stereo camera on the UAV. One or more pixels are within a sample area of the depth image and are associated with corresponding depth values indicative of distances of one or more objects to the downward-facing stereo camera. The method also includes determining, by the image processing system an estimated depth value representative of depth values within the sample area. The method further includes determining that the estimated depth value is below a trigger depth. The method further includes, based at least on determining that the estimated depth value is below the trigger depth, aborting the delivery process of the UAV.

Stereo abort of unmanned aerial vehicle deliveries

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having logic stored thereon is provided. The logic, in response to execution by one or more processors of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), causes the UAV to perform actions comprising receiving at least one ADS-B message from an intruder aircraft; generating a intruder location prediction based on the at least one ADS-B message; comparing the intruder location prediction to an ownship location prediction to detect conflicts; and in response to detecting a conflict between the intruder location prediction and the ownship location prediction, determining a safe landing location along a planned route for the UAV and descending to land at the safe landing location.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Louis Kenneth Dressel