Aspects of modular airborne delivery are described. When a shipping container is provided to an airborne carrier for delivery, the airborne carrier may assess weather across a route for airborne delivery of the shipping container, evaluate an approach to drop the shipping container at a delivery zone, and calculate a remaining amount of time until a target delivery time, for example. The airborne carrier may then select components to assemble a modular unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based on those or other factors, and assemble the UAV using the selected components. The modular UAV may then be directed to deliver the shipping container according to instructions from the airborne carrier. According to the concepts described herein, flexibility and other advantages may be achieved using modular UAVs for airborne delivery.
Modular air delivery
2016-05-24
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | G05D SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES , Systeme zum Steuern oder Regeln nichtelektrischer veränderlicher Größen / B64C AEROPLANES , Flugzeuge / B64D Ausrüstung für Flugzeuge , EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT / B64F GROUND OR AIRCRAFT-CARRIER-DECK INSTALLATIONS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH AIRCRAFT , Boden- oder Flugzeugträgerdeckeinrichtungen besonders ausgebildet für die Verwendung in Verbindung mit Luftfahrzeugen / G06F ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING , Elektrische digitale Datenverarbeitung / G06Q Datenverarbeitungssysteme oder -verfahren, besonders angepasst an verwaltungstechnische, geschäftliche, finanzielle oder betriebswirtschaftliche Zwecke, sowie an geschäftsbezogene Überwachungs- oder Voraussagezwecke , DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS OR METHODS, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTING PURPOSES |