Anticipatory dispatch of UAVs to pre-staging locations

• US 10,691,142 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Blake, Jesse, Schmalzried, James, Velez, Scott, Prager, Andre, Teller, Eric, Nubbe, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US15/851,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20190196512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• 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: 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: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

An example method involves determining an expected demand level for a first type of a plurality of types of transport tasks for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the first type of transport tasks associated with a first payload type. Each of the UAVs is physically reconfigurable between at least a first and a second configuration corresponding to the first payload type and a second payload type, respectively. The method also involves determining based on the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks, (i) a first number of UAVs having the first configuration and (ii) a second number of UAVs having the second configuration. The method further involves, at or near a time corresponding to the expected demand level, providing one or more UAVs to perform the transport tasks, including at least the first number of UAVs.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a control system, an expected demand level corresponding to a demand for a first type of a plurality of types of transport tasks for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wherein the first type of transport tasks is associated with a first payload type of a plurality of payload types, wherein each of the UAVs is physically reconfigurable between at least a first configuration corresponding to the first payload type and a second configuration corresponding to a second payload type of the plurality of payload types;

determining, by the control system, based on the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks, (i) a first number of UAVs having the first configuration and (ii) a second number of UAVs having the second configuration;

before a time corresponding to the expected demand level, dispatching one or more UAVs to a plurality of pre-staging locations distributed throughout a geographic area to which the expected demand level corresponds, wherein the one or more UAVs include at least the first number of UAVs with the first configuration, and wherein each of the plurality of pre-staging locations accommodates landing of at least one UAV thereon; and

in response to receiving requests for the first type of transport tasks, dispatching the UAVs with the first configuration from the plurality of pre-staging locations to perform the requested transport tasks of the first type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pre-staging locations comprises landing structures distributed throughout the geographic area.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pre-staging locations comprises features of an environment within the geographic area.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the plurality of pre-staging locations to which to dispatch the one or more UAVs based on the expected demand level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein payload items of the plurality of payload types are provided by item providers in the geographic area, wherein an aerial transport service provider (ATSP) operates the UAVs, wherein the ATSP houses the UAVs at a UAV nest location different from locations of the item providers, and wherein at least one pre-staging location of the plurality of pre-staging locations is within a threshold distance of at least one of the item providers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein payload items of the plurality of payload types are provided by item providers in the geographic area, wherein an aerial transport service provider (ATSP) operates the UAVs, wherein the ATSP houses the UAVs at a UAV nest location different from locations of the item providers, wherein the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks indicates expected times at which the first type of transport tasks are predicted to be requested by the item providers, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, based on distances between the UAV nest location and the pre-staging locations, transit times between the UAV nest location and the pre-staging locations; and

dispatching, based on the transit times, the one or more UAVs from the UAV nest location to arrive at the pre-staging locations at or before the expected times.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein payload items of the plurality of payload types are provided by item providers in the geographic area, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from a first item provider of the item providers in the geographic area and by a first UAV of the first number of UAVs with the first configuration, a first payload item of the first payload type;

receiving, from the first item provider, a destination for the first payload item; and

causing the first UAV to transport the first payload item from a location of the first item provider to the destination.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks indicates (i) source locations from which to pick up payload items of the first payload type and (ii) expected times at which the first type of transport tasks are predicted to be requested.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks indicates (i) destinations to which to deliver payload items of the first payload type and, (ii) expected times at which deliveries of the payload items of the first payload type are predicted to be requested, and wherein dispatching the one or more UAVs to the plurality of pre-staging locations comprises:

dispatching, based on the expected times, the first number of UAVs carrying payload items of the first type to the plurality of pre-staging locations, wherein at least one pre-staging location of the plurality of pre-staging locations is within a threshold distance of at least one of the destinations.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first number of UAVs having the first configuration is configured to transport payload items of the first payload type.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the first number of UAVs to have the first configuration by swapping one or more components of the first number of UAVs for components of a first type; and

configuring the second number of UAVs to have the second configuration by swapping one or more components of the second number of UAVs for components of a second type, wherein the one or more UAVs dispatched to the plurality of pre-staging locations additionally include at least the second number of UAVs with the second configuration.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein configuring the first number of UAVs to have the first configuration comprises configuring the first number of UAVs with a first type of payload container configured to carry payload items of the first payload type, wherein configuring the second number of UAVs to have the second configuration comprises configuring the second number of UAVs with a second type of payload container configured to carry payload items of a second payload type of the plurality of payload types, wherein the second payload type is different from the first payload type.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein payload items of the first payload type comprise food items, and wherein the first type of payload container comprises an insulated cavity configured to receive the food items.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected demand level is a first expected demand level, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, for the geographic area to which the first expected demand level corresponds, a second expected demand level corresponding to a demand for a second type of transport tasks of the plurality of types of transport tasks, wherein the second type of transport tasks is associated with a second payload type of the plurality of payload types; and

determining the first number of UAVs having the first configuration and the second number of UAVs having the second configuration further based on the second expected demand level for the second type of transport tasks, wherein the one or more UAVs provided to perform the transport tasks additionally include at least the second number of UAVs with the second configuration.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

determining an expected demand level corresponding to a demand for a first type of a plurality of types of transport tasks for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wherein the first type of transport tasks is associated with a first payload type of a plurality of payload types, wherein each of the UAVs is physically reconfigurable between at least a first configuration corresponding to the first payload type and a second configuration corresponding to a second payload type of the plurality of payload types;

determining, based on the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks, (i) a first number of UAVs having the first configuration and (ii) a second number of UAVs having the second configuration;

before a time corresponding to the expected demand level, dispatching one or more UAVs to a plurality of pre-staging locations distributed throughout a geographic area to which the expected demand level corresponds, wherein the one or more UAVs include at least the first number of UAVs with the first configuration, and wherein each of the plurality of pre-staging locations accommodates landing of at least one UAV thereon; and

in response to receiving requests for the first type of transport tasks, dispatching the UAVs with the first configuration from the plurality of pre-staging locations to perform the requested transport tasks of the first type.

16. A method comprising:

determining, by a control system and for a geographic area, an expected demand level corresponding to a demand, by item providers in the geographic area, for transport tasks for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wherein an aerial transport service provider (ATSP) operates the UAVs, and wherein the ATSP houses the UAVs at a UAV nest location different from locations of the item providers;

determining, by the control system, based on the expected demand level, one or more pre-staging locations within the geographic area at which one or more of the UAVs can land prior to initiating one or more of the transport tasks; and

before a time corresponding to the expected demand level, dispatching the one or more of the UAVs from the UAV nest location to the one or more pre-staging locations.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the expected demand level indicates a distribution in the geographic area of the item providers expected to request the transport tasks, and wherein at least one pre-staging location of the one or more pre-staging locations is within a threshold distance of at least one of the item providers.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more pre-staging locations comprise one or more landing structures distributed throughout the geographic area.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more pre-staging locations comprise one or more features of an environment within the geographic area.

20. A method comprising:

determining, by a control system and for a geographic area, an expected demand level corresponding to a demand, by item providers in the geographic area, for transport tasks for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wherein the expected demand level indicates a distribution in the geographic area of the item providers expected to request the transport tasks;

determining, by the control system, based on the expected demand level, one or more pre-staging locations within the geographic area at which one or more of the UAVs can land prior to initiating one or more of the transport tasks, wherein at least one pre-staging location of the one or more pre-staging locations is within a threshold distance of at least one of the item providers; and

before a time corresponding to the expected demand level, dispatching the one or more of the UAVs to the one or more pre-staging locations.