Amazon files patent application in India for tech related to drone safety

Amazon Technologies has filed a patent application in India for a technology which might ensure that automated aerial vehicles (AAVs, better known as drones) do not hit humans or animals while delivering packages.

This comes as the e-commerce major is working on Amazon Prime Air, a service aimed to deliver packages up to five pounds in 30 minutes or less, using small drones.

The patent application, for propeller safety in AAVs, describes a system for automatically detecting a contact or an imminent contact between a propeller of the AAV and an object such as a human, pet or other animal. When a contact is detected, a safety profile is executed, by which the rotation of the propeller could be quickly stopped.

"For example, an AAV may be configured to deliver a payload that contains an item ordered from an e-commerce website to a custome- specified location (e.g a backyard of a home). As the AAV is preparing to land at the location, it may monitor for objects (pets, humans) approaching the AAV and quickly respond to prevent the object from becoming harmed," says the specification filed by the company with the Patent Office.

"For example, if a dog (object) approaches the AAV as the AAV is landing and the dog enters the safety perimeter of one of the propellers of the AAV, a safety profile is automatically performed, so that the dog is not harmed by the propeller," it added.

That includes stopping the propeller or other propellers, moving it away from the object, landing the vehicle, emitting an audible tone or changing the way the blades rotate.

It also details another form, where the AAV will communicate with other AAVs in the area to provide or receive information, such as the weather conditions, landing conditions, traffic, objects or safety profiles, which could then be utilised to plan the route or flight path for other AAVs.

The company got an okay this week from the US Patent and Trademark Office for a shipping label, including a built-in parachute, to enable the delivery of packages by aerial vehicles, according to reports. The company is also doing trials in the UK to gather data to improve the safety and reliability of these systems.

"Our vehicles will be built with multiple redundancies, as well as sophisticated "sense and avoid" technology," says the company website. "We will deploy when and where we have the regulatory support needed to safely realise our vision. We're excited about this technology and will one day be using it to deliver packages to customers around the world in 30 minutes or less."

It is testing different vehicle designs and delivery mechanisms to discover the best ways to deliver packages in different operating environments.

In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has been working on framing of rules on to civil usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.