Interactive transport services provided by unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 10,460,279 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lesser, Jonathan, Bauerly, Michael, Burgess, James Ryan, Cheng, May, Song, Rue
• Primary Examiner(s): Shudy, Angelina
• Application Number:
  US15/195,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20170372259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3, 701 23
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/08 the articles being load-carrying devices
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/67 the UAVs comprising tethers for lowering the goods
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1652 with ranging devices, e.g. LIDAR or RADAR
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a client-facing application for interacting with a transport service that transports items via unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). An example graphic interface may allow a user to order items to specific delivery areas associated with their larger delivery location, and may dynamically provide status updates and other functionality during the process of fulfilling a UAV transport request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a client computing device, a transport request for transport of one or more items by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a user-specified target delivery location, wherein a geographic area is defined by a property line of the target delivery location;

responsive to receiving the transport request, the client computing device;

(i) determining two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas for the target delivery location comprising at least a first UAV-accessible sub-area and a second UAV-accessible sub-area, wherein each UAV-accessible sub-area;

(a) is within the geographic area and at least the threshold distance from the property line and (b) includes an unobstructed path between a ground surface in the UAV-accessible sub-area and a sky area above the ground surface; and

(ii) displaying, on a graphic display, a graphic map interface indicating the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas for the target delivery location, wherein both the first UAV-accessible sub-area and the second UAV-accessible sub-area are selectable via the graphic map interface;

receiving, via the graphic map interface of the client computing device, a selection of the first of the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas; and

responsive to receiving the selection, the client computing device causing the UAV to transport the one or more items to the first UAV-accessible sub-area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UAV is adapted to lower the one or more items from the UAV by a tether, and wherein the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas comprise two or more tether-accessible sub-areas.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas further comprises:

determining a weather condition of a first sub-area of the geographic area; and

based on (i) the first sub-area being at least the threshold distance from the property line and (ii) the determined weather condition, determining that the first sub-area is the first UAV-accessible sub-area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas further comprises:

determining that a first sub-area of the geographic area does not include a hazard; and

based on (i) the first sub-area being at least the threshold distance from the property line and (ii) the first sub-area not including the hazard, determining that the first sub-area is the first UAV-accessible sub-area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas further comprises:

determining a surface feature of a first sub-area within the geographic area, wherein the surface feature comprises at least one of a water surface, a ground surface, or a building surface; and

based on (i) the first sub-area being at least the threshold distance from the property line and (ii) the determined surface feature, determining that the first sub-area is the first UAV-accessible sub-area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the two or more available UAV-accessible sub-areas further comprises:

determining that a first sub-area within the geographic area is at least a threshold distance from a property line; and

based on the first sub-area being at least the threshold distance from the property line and the first sub-area having the unobstructed vertical path, determining that the first sub-area is the first UAV-accessible sub-area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic area associated with the client computing device is based on a location of the client computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic area associated with the client computing device is based on a location identified by a user through a user interface of the client computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic area associated with the client computing device includes a location based on an order history of a user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic area associated with the client computing device comprises a predicted future location of the client computing device based on one or more movement patterns of the client computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographic area associated with the client computing device comprises a real estate property, and wherein the first UAV-accessible sub-area is located on at least one of a backyard, a front yard, a driveway, or a patio of the real estate property.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the selection of the first of the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas comprises:

receiving a selection of one of the backyard, the front yard, the driveway, or the patio of the real estate property; and

receiving a selection of the first UAV-accessible sub-area located on the selected one of the backyard, the front yard, the driveway, or the patio of the real estate property.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the graphic map interface indicating the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas comprises:

displaying a graphic map interface of the geographic area; and

displaying on the graphic map interface a boundary of each of the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying the graphic map interface indicating the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas further comprises displaying on the graphic map interface a label for each of the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the UAV to transport the one or more items to the selected UAV-accessible sub-area comprises:

determining that a weight of the one or more items exceeds a threshold weight; and

responsive to determining that the weight of the one or more items exceeds the threshold weight, causing the UAV and at least one other UAV to transport the one or more items to the first UAV-accessible sub-area.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphic map interface includes an overhead view of the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphic map interface includes an oblique view of the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas for the target delivery location further comprises:

determining that the first UAV-accessible sub-area is UAV-accessible for the transport request based on a comparison of one or more characteristics of the first UAV-accessible sub-area and one or more characteristics of the one or more items.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a first sub-area and a second sub-area of the geographic area each include a respective unobstructed vertical path between a respective ground surface and a respective sky area above the sub-area;

determining that the first sub-area and the second sub-area are at least a threshold distance from the property line; and

based at least in part on (i) the determination that the first and second sub-areas being at least the threshold distance from the property line and (ii) the determination that the first and second sub-areas having the unobstructed vertical path between the ground and the sky, identifying the first and second sub-areas as the first and second UAV-accessible sub-areas associated with the target delivery location.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, by a client computing device, a transport request for transport of one or more items by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a user-specified target delivery location, wherein a geographic area is defined by a property line of the target delivery location;

responsive to receiving the transport request, the client computing device;

(i) determining that a first sub-area of the geographic area includes an unobstructed vertical path between a first ground surface and a first sky area above the first ground surface;

(ii) determining that a second sub-area of the geographic area includes an unobstructed vertical path between a second ground surface and a second sky area above the second ground surface;

(iii) determining that both the first sub-area and second sub-area are at least a threshold distance from the property line; and

(iv) based at least in part on (i) the first and second sub-areas being at least the threshold distance from the property line and (ii) the first and second sub-areas having the unobstructed vertical path between the ground and the sky, determining that the first and second sub-areas are a first and a second UAV-accessible sub-area, respectively, which are associated with the target delivery location; and

(v) displaying, on a graphic display, a graphic map interface indicating the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas for the target delivery location, wherein both the first UAV-accessible sub-area and the second UAV-accessible sub-area are selectable via the graphic map interface;

receiving, via the graphic map interface of the client computing device, a selection of the first of the two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas; and

responsive to receiving the selection, the client computing device causing the UAV to transport the one or more items to the first UAV-accessible sub-area.

21. A system comprising:

a graphic display;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to;

receive a transport request for transport of one or more items by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a user-specified target delivery location, wherein a geographic area is defined by a property line of the target delivery location;

responsive to receiving the transport request;

(i) determine two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas for the target delivery location comprising at least a first UAV-accessible sub-area and a second UAV-accessible sub-area, wherein each UAV-accessible sub-area;

(a) is within the geographic area and at least the threshold distance from the property line and (b) includes an unobstructed path between a ground surface in the UAV-accessible sub-area and a sky area above the ground surface; and

(ii) display, on the graphic display, a graphic map interface indicating the one or more UAV-accessible sub-areas for the target delivery location;

receive, via the graphic map interface, a selection of one of the one or more UAV-accessible sub-areas; and

responsive to receiving the selection, cause the UAV to transport the one or more items to the selected UAV-accessible sub-area.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving a transport request for transport of one or more items by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a user-specified target delivery location, wherein a geographic area is defined by a property line of the target delivery location;

responsive to receiving the transport request;

(i) determining two or more UAV-accessible sub-areas for the target delivery location comprising at least a first UAV-accessible sub-area and a second UAV-accessible sub-area, wherein each UAV-accessible sub-area;

(a) is within the geographic area and at least the threshold distance from the property line and (b) includes an unobstructed path between a ground surface in the UAV-accessible sub-area and a sky area above the ground surface; and

(ii) displaying, on a graphic display, a graphic map interface indicating the one or more UAV-accessible sub-areas for the target delivery location;

receiving, via the graphic map interface, a selection of one of the one or more UAV-accessible sub-areas; and

responsive to receiving the selection, causing the UAV to transport the one or more items to the selected UAV-accessible sub-area.