System and methods for drone-based vehicle status determination

• US 10,424,130 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Brien, John Jeremiah, High, Donald, Natarajan, Chandrashekar, Jones, Nathan Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan A
• Application Number:
  US15/723,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20180096541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 701 29
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/46 Extracting features or characteristics from the video content, e.g. video fingerprints, representative shots or key frames
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments relate to a drone system including a drone configured for navigation of an outdoor facility and equipped with an RFID reader, an optical code reader, and at least one of powertrain control module data receiver and an electronic control module data receiver. The system includes a computing system in communication with the drone.

Claims

1. A drone system comprising:

a drone configured for navigation of an outdoor facility and equipped with;

an RFID reader,

an optical code reader and,

at least one of a powertrain control module (PCM) data receiver and electronic control module (ECM) data receiver; and

a computing system in communication with the drone and configured to execute;

a security module, and

an analysis module,

wherein the outdoor facility houses a plurality of trucks and a plurality of trailers and the drone is configured to;

operate the RFID reader to read an RFID tag affixed to a selected truck or a selected trailer to determine a first identifier or operate the optical code reader to read a second identifier for the selected truck or selected trailer,

receive data at the PCM data receiver from a PCM installed in the selected truck or the selected trailer or receive data at the ECM data receiver from an ECM in the selected truck or the selected trailer, the data received at the PCM data receiver or the ECM data receiver including an error code, and

transmit the first or second identifier, the received data and a location of the selected truck or the selected trailer in the outdoor facility to the computing system, and

wherein the computing system is further configured to;

process the received PCM or ECM data with the analysis module to determine a status of the selected truck or the selected trailer, and

process the first or second identifier and the location received from the drone with the security module to verify an assigned location for the selected truck or the selected trailer.

2. The drone system of claim 1, wherein the drone is coupled to an image capturing device.

3. The drone system of claim 2, wherein the drone is configured to execute the image capturing device to obtain images of a security seal on at least one of the selected truck and the selected trailer.

4. The drone system of claim 2, wherein video analytics are applied to the images to detect a break of the security seal.

5. The drone system of claim 2, wherein the images obtained by the drone are transmitted to the computing system and the analysis module is configured to detect damage to the selected truck or selected trailer in the outdoor facility by applying video analytics to the images.

6. The drone system of claim 1, wherein the drone is configured to:

retrieve an initial time at which an identified truck among the plurality of trucks or an identified trailer among the plurality of trailers arrived at a current location in the outdoor facility,

identify a current time for the identified truck or the identified trailer at the current location to determine an elapsed parked time for the identified truck or the identified trailer at the current location, and

transmit an alert to the computing system when the elapsed parked time is greater than a pre-determined threshold.

7. The drone system of claim 1, wherein the drone is configured for autonomous navigation of the outdoor facility based on a predefined route.

8. The drone system of claim 7, wherein the drone is configured to deviate from the predefined route when the drone detects a predefined event.

9. A method for a drone system comprising:

configuring a drone for navigation of an outdoor facility, the drone equipped with an RFID reader, an optical code reader and, at least one of a powertrain control module (PCM) data receiver and electronic control module (ECM) data receiver;

operating the RFID reader at the drone to read an RFID tag affixed to a selected truck or a selected trailer to determine a first identifier or operating the optical code reader to read a second identifier for the selected truck or selected trailer;

receiving data at the PCM data receiver from a PCM installed in the selected truck or the selected trailer or receive data at the ECM data receiver from an ECM in the selected truck or the selected trailer, the data received at the PCM data receiver or the ECM data receiver including an error code;

transmitting the first or second identifier, the received data and a location of the selected truck or the selected trailer in the outdoor facility to a computing system in communication with the drone and configured to execute a security module and an analysis module;

processing the received PCM or ECM data with the analysis module to determine a status of the selected truck or the selected trailer; and

processing the first or second identifier and the location received from the drone with the security module to verify an assigned location for the selected truck or the selected trailer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein an image capturing device is coupled to the drone.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

executing the image capturing device coupled to the drone to obtain images of a security seal on at least one of the selected truck and the selected trailer.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

applying video analytics to the images to detect a break of the security seal.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting the images obtained by the drone to the computing system; and

detecting, at the analysis module, damage to the selected truck or selected trailer in the outdoor facility by applying video analytics to the images.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

retrieving an initial time at which an identified truck among the plurality of trucks or an identified trailer among the plurality of trailers arrived at a current location in the outdoor facility;

identifying a current time for the identified truck or the identified trailer at the current location to determine an elapsed parked time for the identified truck or the identified trailer at the current location; and

transmitting an alert to the computing system when the elapsed parked time is greater than a pre-determined threshold.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the drone is configured for autonomous navigation of the outdoor facility based on a predefined route.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the drone is configured to deviate from the predefined route when the drone detects a predefined event.