Air Traffic Control for Drone Deliveries to Balconies

For the moment, drone deliveries are far from mainstream. They can be useful in rural environments with vast expanses, but hardly safe in an urban setting. This invention is for an air traffic control ground station to help a delivery drone leave a package on your balcony.

A user simply installs a gizmo on their front door or on the balcony, and the gizmo talks to the drone once the drone is within hailing distance. The software inside the device guides the drone with more precision than GPS or other cost-effective systems. Once the drone drops its package, it simply reverses the flight path.

It is certainly exciting that we will have spinning blades of death so close in our lives. If you live in an apartment below or above a frequent shopper, the startling noises outside your balcony might create an unforeseen NIMBY movement.

The patent text really tries to sell the idea: “in a multi-story house environment, the issue does not end with finding the right building—as a next step the drone needs to find the right apartment. Then, the drone must drop the packet at the right location, usually a balcony with limited space for maneuvering. While doing all this, the drone needs to circumnavigate any obstructions. Current drone navigation is ill-equipped to perform these tasks. [. . .] The [ground station] device serves as a micro air-traffic controller to the UAV’s precise drop off target location, [. . .] can provide approach vectors, guidance around obstacles (such as tall hedges near the front door), optical and laser guidance, and/or transmitted navigation instructions.”

Title: “Local Flight Path Navigation For Drone Deliveries”
US Patent No: 12174030
Filed (USA Reg): 2021-10-28
Granted: 2024-12-24
Applicant: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)