Amazon patents drone system
Most recent prototypes weigh about 25 kilograms, carry loads up to 2 kilograms
SAN FRANCISCO — A newly granted patent gives a peek into Amazon’s vision of how drones with its Prime Air service could deliver packages across large areas.
The patent, filed July 12, is for a “Multi-use unmanned aerial vehicle docking station system.”
By the sound of it, instead of flying all the way to the customer’s home, the drones would instead head toward the final destination but then stop at docking stations as they get low on charge.
These docking stations will be able to accommodate multiple drones and be located high up and out of the way on cell towers and other vertical structures. With solar panels, they could generate their own power.
There, a drone might tether itself down to flash-charge and get the latest weather report and network update before continuing.
The package could also be handed off to a fully charged drone that would fly it closer to its destination.
How far each drone could go on one leg of the journey would depend on the package’s weight, any headwinds or other weather.
The internal group working on the drone program is called Prime Air.
The most recent prototypes weigh about 25 kilograms and can carry packages weighing up to about two kilograms. These would fly under120 metres and use “sense and avoid” technology to dodge potential obstacles.
However, actual drone delivery is far in the future. The most recent rules from the Federal Aviation Administration, released last month, don’t allow for package delivery. Also important to note is that the patent doesn’t mean it will actually implement the docking system described, merely that it now has ownership over the ideas in the patent.