The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 04, 2017
Filed:
Sep. 29, 2014
Amazon Technologies, Inc., Seattle, WA (US);
Jon Lewis Lindskog, Seattle, WA (US);
Daniel Buchmueller, Seattle, WA (US);
Samuel Park, Seattle, WA (US);
Louis LeRoi LeGrand, III, Seattle, WA (US);
Ricky Dean Welsh, Bellevue, WA (US);
Fabian Hensel, Zurich, CH;
Christopher Aden Maynor, Boston, MA (US);
Ishwarya Ananthabhotla, Kings Park, NY (US);
Scott Michael Wilcox, Bothell, WA (US);
Amazon Technologies, Inc., Seattle, WA (US);
Abstract
This disclosure describes an unmanned aerial vehicle ('UAV') and system that may perform one or more techniques for protecting objects from damage resulting from an unintended or uncontrolled impact by a UAV. As described herein, various implementations utilize a damage avoidance system that detects a risk of damage to an object caused by an impact from a UAV that has lost control and takes steps to reduce or eliminate that risk. For example, the damage avoidance system may detect that the UAV has lost power and/or is falling at a rapid rate of descent such that, upon impact, there is a risk of damage to an object with which the UAV may collide. Upon detecting the risk of damage and prior to impact, the damage avoidance system activates a damage avoidance system having one or more protection elements that work in concert to reduce or prevent damage to the object upon impact by the UAV.