Patent ID: 9422139
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: B64C,B64D,B66C,B66D,G05D

Claim Text:
1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising: a winch system, wherein the winch system includes a single winch line having a first end that is secured to the payload at a single point of attachment on the payload, and wherein the winch system is controllable to vary the rate of descent of the payload; an inertial measurement unit positioned on the payload or on the first end of the winch line, wherein the inertial measurement unit (IMU) is configured to measure oscillations of the payload a descent of the payload for delivery or ascent of the payload for retrieval; and a control system including a processor and program instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the processor to control the winch to perform the functions of the controller, the control system configured to: (a) receive data from the IMU; (b) determine oscillations of the payload based on the data received from the IMU; and (c) operate the winch system to vary the deployment rate of the winch line so to damp oscillations of the payload during descent or ascent of the payload.