Cooperative autonomous aerial and ground vehicles for item delivery
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system, comprising:
- an autonomous ground based vehicle;
a management system, including;
one or more processors;
a memory including program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least;
determine a source location of an item and a destination location to which the item is to be delivered; and
send first instructions to the autonomous ground based vehicle instructing the autonomous ground based vehicle to navigate with the item from the source location toward the destination location;
wherein the autonomous ground based vehicle is configured to at least;
in response to the first instructions, navigate toward the destination location;
detect, during navigation, an obstacle that will obstruct passage of the autonomous ground based vehicle;
in response to detection of the obstacle;
determine, with the autonomous ground based vehicle, a transfer location; and
send, from the autonomous ground based vehicle and to an autonomous aerial vehicle, a request that the autonomous aerial vehicle navigate to the transfer location, retrieve the item, and continue transport of the item toward the destination location.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure is directed toward the use of two or more autonomous vehicles, working in cooperation, to deliver an item between a source location and a destination location. For example, an autonomous ground based vehicle may transport an item from a source location to a transfer location and an autonomous aerial vehicle will transport the item from the transfer location to the destination location. The transfer location may be at any location along a navigation path between the source location and the destination location. In some examples, the transfer location may be adjacent the destination location such that the autonomous aerial vehicle is only transporting the item a short distance.
-
Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A system, comprising:
-
an autonomous ground based vehicle; a management system, including; one or more processors; a memory including program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least; determine a source location of an item and a destination location to which the item is to be delivered; and send first instructions to the autonomous ground based vehicle instructing the autonomous ground based vehicle to navigate with the item from the source location toward the destination location; wherein the autonomous ground based vehicle is configured to at least; in response to the first instructions, navigate toward the destination location; detect, during navigation, an obstacle that will obstruct passage of the autonomous ground based vehicle; in response to detection of the obstacle; determine, with the autonomous ground based vehicle, a transfer location; and send, from the autonomous ground based vehicle and to an autonomous aerial vehicle, a request that the autonomous aerial vehicle navigate to the transfer location, retrieve the item, and continue transport of the item toward the destination location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method, comprising:
-
initiating with a first autonomous vehicle a transport of an item from a source location toward a destination location; receiving, at the first autonomous vehicle, a plurality of images of an environment; processing, at the first autonomous vehicle, the plurality of images to determine an obstacle along a navigation path of the first autonomous vehicle; in response to determining the obstacle, determining, with the first autonomous vehicle, a transfer location; sending, from the first autonomous vehicle and to a second autonomous vehicle, a request that the second autonomous vehicle navigate to the transfer location, retrieve the item, and continue delivery of the item toward the destination location; causing, at the transfer location, transfer of the item from the first autonomous vehicle to the second autonomous vehicle; and transporting the item with the second autonomous vehicle past the obstacle and toward the destination location. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. An autonomous ground based vehicle apparatus, comprising:
-
one or more processors; and a memory storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least; cause the autonomous ground based vehicle apparatus to transport an item from a source location toward a destination location; detect, during transport of the item, an obstacle that will obstruct passage of the autonomous ground based vehicle apparatus; in response to detection of the obstacle; determine a transfer location; send a request that an autonomous aerial vehicle of a plurality of autonomous aerial vehicles navigate to the transfer location and continue delivery of the item toward the destination location; cause the autonomous ground based vehicle apparatus to navigate to the transfer location; and enable transfer of the item from the autonomous ground based vehicle apparatus to the autonomous aerial vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
-
Specification