Wing Aviation LLC

X Development LLC

Audi Ag

Volkswagen Ag

Google Inc.

Trevor Shannon

Andre Prager

Zhefei Li

Adam Woodworth

James Ryan Burgess

Roger William Graves

Joanna Cohen

Mathias Samuel Fleck

Leila Takayama

Paul Richard Komarek

Matthew Ball

Andrew Lambert

Michael Arthur Simonian

Jesse Blake

Evan Twyford

Stephen Benson

Kyle A Liske

Jim Schmalzried

Sindre Klepp

André Prager

Mario Tippelhofer

Alexander Miller

Heiko Maiwand

Giulia Pantalone

Kyle Krafka

Marco Antonio Lobato Fregoso

Kyle Liske

A payload coupling apparatus is provided including a housing, wherein the housing is adapted for attachment to a first end of a tether, a slot extending downwardly from an outer surface of the housing towards a center of the housing thereby forming a lower lip on the housing beneath the slot, and wherein the slot is adapted to receive a handle of a payload. A method of delivering a payload using the payload coupling apparatus is also provided.

Payload coupling apparatus for UAV and method of delivering a payload

Systems, apparatus, and methods are presented for testing a device. One method includes activating an actuator device to cause a carriage, coupled to a device, to be moved in one or more directions along a guide rail, wherein the device includes at least one processing device and one or more sensor devices. The method may also comprise receiving, by the device, one or more input commands and executing, by the device based on the one or more input commands, a software application to generate an output while the device is moving in the one or more directions. Further, the method may comprise verifying the execution of the software application on the device based on the output.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for testing UAV devices

An unmanned aerial vehicle system including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); a tether having a first end positioned in a winch system of the UAV and a second end secured to a payload coupling apparatus; a payload coupling apparatus receptacle positioned in the UAV; a payload having a handle, wherein the handle of the payload is positioned within a slot in the payload coupling apparatus; wherein the UAV has a recessed restraint slot for receiving a top portion of the payload.

Described herein are methods and systems to dampen oscillations of a payload coupled to a tether of a winch system arranged on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). For example, the UAV's control system may dampen the oscillations by causing the UAV to switch to a forward flight mode in which movement of the UAV results in drag on the payload, thereby damping the oscillations. In another example, the control system may cause the UAV to reduce an extent flight stabilization along at least one dimension, thereby resulting in damping of the detected oscillations due to energy dissipation during movement of the UAV along the dimension. In this way, the control system could select and carry out one or more such techniques, and could do so during retraction and/or deployment of the tether.

Methods and systems for damping oscillations of a payload

Fairing

Described herein are methods and systems for picking up, transporting, and lowering a payload coupled to a tether of a winch system arranged on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). For example, the winch system may include a motor for winding and unwinding the tether from a spool, and the UAV's control system may operate the motor to lower the tether toward the ground so a payload may be attached to the tether. The control system may monitor an electric current supplied to the motor to determine whether the payload has been attached to the tether. In another example, when lowering a payload, the control system may monitor the motor current to determine that the payload has reached the ground and responsively operate the motor to detach the payload from the tether. The control system may then monitor the motor current to determine whether the payload has detached from the tether.

Methods and systems for raising and lowering a payload

Described herein are methods and systems for motorized control of a tether, such as for purposes of user interaction and feedback. In particular, a UAV's control system may determine one or more operational parameters of a motor for a winch disposed in the UAV, the winch including the tether and a spool. The control system may then detect in the one or more operational parameters, an operational pattern of the motor that is indicative of an intentional user-interaction with the tether. Based on the detected operational pattern of the motor that is indicative of the intentional user-interaction with the tether, the control system may determine a motor response process. Then, the control system may operate the motor in accordance with the determined motor response process.

Methods and systems for user interaction and feedback via control of tether

An example UAV landing structure includes a landing platform for a UAV, a cavity within the landing platform, and a track that runs along the landing platform and at least a part of the cavity. The UAV may include a winch system that includes a tether that may be coupled to a payload. Furthermore, the cavity may be aligned over a predetermined target location. The cavity may be sized to allow the winch system to pass a tethered payload through the cavity. The track may guide the UAV to a docked position over the cavity as the UAV moves along the landing platform. When the UAV is in the docked position, a payload may be loaded to or unloaded from the UAV through the cavity.

Landing and payload loading structures

A payload coupling apparatus is provided that includes a housing. The housing is adapted for attachment to a first end of a tether. The apparatus further includes a slot extending downwardly from an outer surface of the housing towards a center of the housing thereby forming a lower lip on the housing beneath the slot. The slot is adapted to receive a handle of a payload. The apparatus further includes a sensor configured to detect touchdown of the payload and a transmitter configured to send a touchdown confirmation signal to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on a touchdown detection by the sensor.

A payload coupling apparatus is provided including a housing, wherein the housing is adapted for attachment to a first end of a tether, a slot extending downwardly from an outer surface of the housing towards a center of the housing thereby forming a lower lip on the housing beneath the slot, and wherein the slot is adapted to receive a handle of a payload.

An unmanned aerial vehicle system is provided including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a fuselage, a tether having a first end secured to a winch system positioned in the UAV and a second end secured to a payload coupling apparatus, a payload coupling apparatus receptacle positioned in the fuselage of the UAV, a payload having a handle, wherein the handle of the payload is positioned within a slot in the payload coupling apparatus. A method of securing a payload to a UAV is also provided.

Unmanned aerial vehicle and techniques for securing a payload to the UAV in a desired orientation

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Trevor Shannon