Delivery assistance using unmanned vehicles

• US 10,387,825 B1
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Canavor, Darren Ernest, McClintock, Jon Arron, Porter, Brandon William
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Florian M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Buchanan, Christopher R
• Application Number:
  US14/745,193
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 705338, 705330
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/03 Airborne
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

An unmanned vehicle obtains first location information associated with a customer order, which causes the unmanned vehicle to travel to a first location. While at the first location, the unmanned vehicle receives, from another device, second location information. The unmanned vehicle uses the second location information to travel to a second location where the other device is located. Once at the second location, the unmanned vehicle performs one or more operations involved with fulfillment of the order.

Claims

1. An unmanned vehicle, comprising:

a propulsion subsystem configured to propel the unmanned vehicle between locations;

a transceiver configured to receive and transmit messages; and

an on-board computer system including;

one or more processors; and

memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the on-board computer system to;

obtain first location information usable to determine a first location;

control at least the propulsion subsystem to travel to the first location;

cause one or more additional propelled unmanned vehicles to communicate with the unmanned vehicle via a local communications network established by the unmanned vehicle;

receive, from a user device, a request to join the local communications network provided by the unmanned vehicle and identified by a network identifier broadcast by the unmanned vehicle;

obtain, over the local communications network, second location information usable to determine a second location; and

use the second location information to enable performance of one or more operations at the second location.

2. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the on-board computer system to:

establish the local communications network at the first location; and

use information received over the local communications network to authenticate a device of a customer.

3. The unmanned vehicle of claim 2, wherein:

the information received over the local communications network includes one or more images obtained through a device connected to the local communications network; and

the instructions further cause the on-board computer system to use one or more facial recognition analyses to authenticate the customer.

4. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein:

the unmanned vehicle further comprises one or more storage compartments configured to carry a payload; and

the one or more operations include enabling a customer to access the storage compartment at the second location.

5. The unmanned vehicle of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the on-board computer system to:

receive, at the second location, one or more items for delivery to a recipient;

store the received one or more items in the one or more storage compartments;

obtain, over the local communications network, third location information usable to determine a third location where the recipient is located;

determine, based at least in part on characteristics of the received one or more items or the third location information, whether to travel to the third location; and

control at least the propulsion subsystem to travel to the third location to deliver the one or more items to the recipient based at least in part on the determination.

6. The unmanned vehicle of claim 4, wherein:

the one or more storage compartments include one or more items for delivery to the customer at the second location; and

the one or more operations include removing the one or more items from the one or more storage compartments at the second location to enable the customer to obtain the one or more items.

7. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the on-board computer system to transmit the second location information to a courier, the courier carrying one or more items for delivery and the second location information used by the courier to travel to the second location to deliver the one or more items.

8. The unmanned vehicle of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the on-board computer system to:

utilize the second location information to generate triangulation data usable to identify the second location, the triangulation data determined based on signal data obtained by the unmanned vehicle and the at least one additional unmanned vehicle that are connected to the local communications network; and

calculate the second location based at least in part on the generated triangulation data.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer system of an unmanned vehicle, cause the unmanned vehicle to at least:

obtain first location information associated with an order;

travel to a first destination corresponding to the obtained first location information;

establish a communication channel between the unmanned vehicle and one or more additional propelled unmanned vehicles via a local communications network provided by the unmanned vehicle at the first destination, the local communications network identifiable based on a network identifier;

receive, from another device via the local communications network, information usable to determine a second destination; and

perform, at the second destination, one or more operations involved with fulfillment of the order.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the unmanned vehicle to transmit the information usable to determine the second destination to a courier to enable the courier to perform the one or more other operations involved with fulfil of the order at the second destination.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein:

the order specifies third location information for delivering one or more items to a recipient at a third destination; and

the one or more operations involved with fulfillment of the order include;

obtaining one or more items at the second destination;

determining, based at least in part on characteristics of the one or more items or the third location information, whether to travel to the third destination; and

travelling to the third destination to deliver the one or more items based at least in part on the determination.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the unmanned vehicle to:

establish, at the first destination, a local communications network;

obtain, from the other device and through the local communications network, authentication information of a customer; and

determine the one or more operations to be performed at the second destination based at least in part on the authentication information of the customer.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the unmanned vehicle to:

obtain, at the second destination, one or more images of individuals at the second destination;

perform one or more facial recognition analyses on the obtained one or more images to determine whether a customer necessary for fulfillment of the order is present at the second destination; and

determine the one or more operations to be performed at the second destination based at least in part on the determination whether the customer necessary for fulfillment of the order is present.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein:

the information usable to determine the second destination includes information indicative of signal latency from the other device; and

the instructions further cause the unmanned vehicle to;

obtain triangulation data based at least in part on the information indicative of signal latency from the other device; and

calculate a location of the second destination based at least in part on the triangulation data.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions further cause the unmanned vehicle to:

determine if one or more items not associated with fulfillment of the order have been obtained from one or more storage compartments of the unmanned vehicle; and

generate a notification indicating that the one or more items not associated with fulfillment of the order have been obtained from the one or more storage compartments of the unmanned vehicle.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the one or more operations involved with fulfillment of the order include enabling the other device to access data stored within the unmanned vehicle.