Autonomous delivery of items

• US 10,176,447 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2015
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DoorDash, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Borley, Andrew J., Jackson, Callum P., McMullan, Kathryn M., Norton, Philip L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Kevin H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walsh, Emmett K.
• Application Number:
  US14/623,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20160239798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/64 for parcel delivery or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud

Abstract

Proposed is an autonomous vehicle (AV) for delivering an item to a recipient at a delivery location in a trusted manner. The AV includes: a sensor system adapted to detect, while the autonomous vehicle is travelling to the delivery location, a value of a property of at least one of: the autonomous vehicle, and the item. The AV further includes a data store adapted to store authentication data for verifying the trustworthiness of the item, the authentication data being based on the value detected. The AV further includes a recipient verification unit adapted to verify the identity of the recipient and to generate a verification signal indicative of whether the identity of the recipient is verified. The AV further includes a communication unit adapted to communicate stored authentication data to an authentication system for verification.

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle for delivering an item to a recipient at a predetermined delivery location in a trusted manner, the autonomous vehicle comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage devices;

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the stored program instructions comprising;

program instructions to detect, while the autonomous vehicle is travelling to the delivery location, a value of a property of at least one of;

the autonomous vehicle, and the item, wherein the property comprises values captured along the route, and wherein the value of the property comprises images captured at set points along the route;

program instructions to store authentication data for verifying the trustworthiness of the item, the authentication data being based on the value of the property, wherein the authentication data is stored in a data store;

program instructions to verify the identity of the recipient by;

receiving a first verification information provided by the recipient at the delivery location, receiving a second verification information provided to the recipient via a communication channel prior to the arrival of the autonomous vehicle at the delivery location, and determining whether the first verification information matches the second verification information;

program instructions to generate a verification signal indicative of whether the first verification information matches the second verification information;

program instructions to communicate the stored authentication data to an authentication system for verification;

program instructions to communicate the stored authentication data to the authentication system based on the generated verification signal; and

program instructions to automatically release the item to the recipient if the identity of the recipient is verified.

2. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the property further comprises:

location;

altitude;

route travelled;

weight;

size;

speed;

orientation;

G-force experienced; and

origin.

3. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the program instructions to detect comprise:

program instructions to track positions of the autonomous vehicle over time to determine a delivery route that the autonomous vehicle has travelled to arrive at the delivery location and to generate route data indicative of the determined delivery route; and

wherein the authentication data comprises route data.

4. The autonomous vehicle of claim 1, wherein the data store comprises one of:

a tamper-proof storage unit, and a tamper-evident data storage unit.

5. An automated delivery system for delivering an item to a recipient at a predetermined delivery location in a trusted manner comprising:

an autonomous vehicle;

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage devices; and

program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the stored program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive authentication data from the autonomous vehicle and to verify the trustworthiness of the delivered item based on the received authentication data, wherein the authentication data comprises values captured along the route;

program instructions to detect, while the autonomous vehicle is travelling to the delivery location, a value of a property of at least one of;

the autonomous vehicle, and the item, and wherein the value of the property comprises images captured at set points along the route;

program instructions to store authentication data for verifying the trustworthiness of the item, the authentication data being based on the value of the property;

program instructions to verify the identity of the recipient by;

receiving a first verification information provided by the recipient at the delivery location;

receiving a second verification information provided to the recipient via a communication channel prior to the arrival of the autonomous vehicle at the delivery location; and

determining whether the first verification information matches the second verification information;

program instructions to generate a verification signal indicative of whether the first verification information matches the second verification information;

program instructions to communicate the stored authentication data to an authentication system for verification;

program instructions to communicate the stored authentication data to the authentication system based on the generated verification signal; and

program instructions to automatically release the item to the recipient if the identity of the recipient is verified.

6. The automated delivery system of claim 5, wherein the authentication system comprises a portable computing device adapted to receive authentication data from the autonomous vehicle via a short-to-medium range communication link and to process the received authentication data in accordance with an authentication algorithm.

7. The automated delivery system of claim 5, wherein the authentication system further comprises:

an authentication server remotely located from the delivery location and adapted to verify the trustworthiness of the item based on received authentication information; and

wherein the portable computing device is adapted to transmit authentication information to the authentication server, the authentication information being based on authentication data received from the autonomous vehicle.

8. The automated delivery system of claim 6, wherein the portable computing device is adapted to communicate recipient identity data for verifying the identity of the recipient to the autonomous vehicle.

9. A computer program product for controlling an autonomous vehicle for delivering an item to a recipient at a delivery location in a trusted manner, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to detect, while the autonomous vehicle is travelling to the delivery location, a value of a property of at least one of;

the autonomous vehicle, and the item, wherein the property comprises values captured along the route, and wherein the value of the property comprises images captured at set points along the route;

program instructions to store authentication data for verifying the trustworthiness of the item, the authentication data being based on the value of the property;

program instructions to verify the identity of the recipient by;

receiving a first verification information provided by the recipient at the delivery location;

receiving a second verification information provided to the recipient via a communication channel prior to the arrival of the autonomous vehicle at the delivery location; and

determining whether the first verification information matches the second verification information;

program instructions to generate a verification signal indicative of whether the identity of the recipient is verified;

program instructions to communicate the stored authentication data to an authentication system for verification;

program instructions to communicate the stored authentication data to the authentication system based on the generated verification signal; and

program instructions to automatically release the item to the recipient if the identity of the recipient is verified.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the property further comprises:

location;

altitude;

route travelled;

weight;

size;

speed;

orientation;

G-force experienced; and

origin.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions to detect comprise:

program instructions to track positions of the autonomous vehicle over time to determine a delivery route that the autonomous vehicle has travelled to arrive at the delivery location and generating route data indicative of the determined delivery route; and

wherein the authentication data includes the generated route data.