SECURE PAYLOAD DELIVERIES VIA UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

• US 20160189101A1
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: KANTOR, Igor, Srivastava, Ashok N., Pasko, Douglas M., Batla, Hani, Ubhi, Gurpreet
• Granted Patent: US 9,646,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/02 Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles jettisonable fuel reservoirs B64D37/12
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• 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 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/006 in accordance with predefined flight zones, e.g. to avoid prohibited zones
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft

Abstract

A device receives a request for a flight path for a UAV to travel from a first location to a second location, and determines capability information for the UAV based on component information of the UAV. The device calculates the flight path based on the capability information, and generates flight path instructions that include delivery confirmation instructions. The device provides the flight path instructions to the UAV to permit the UAV to travel from the first location to the second location to deliver a payload, and obtains, based on the delivery confirmation instructions, user credentials associated with a user at the second location. The device determines whether the user is an authorized recipient of the payload, based on the user credentials, and causes the UAV to selectively deliver the payload to the user based on whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device, a request for a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from a first geographical location to a second geographical location;

determining, by the device, capability information for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on component information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle;

calculating, by the device, the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the capability information;

generating, by the device, flight path instructions, for the flight path, that include delivery confirmation instructions;

transmitting, by the device, the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to travel, based on the flight path instructions, from the first geographical location to the second geographical location to deliver a payload;

obtaining, by the device and based on the delivery confirmation instructions, user credentials associated with a user at the second geographical location,

the user credentials including at least one of;

an image of the user captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle, or

an audio file, of a voice of the user, captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determining, by the device, whether the user is an authorized recipient of the payload, based on the user credentials; and

controlling, by the device, the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload to the user based on whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

2. The method of claim 1, where the user credentials are received from the user by the unmanned aerial vehicle and transmitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle to the device.

3. The method of claim 1, where the controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload includes:

controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver the payload to the user when the user is the authorized recipient of the payload;

or

controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to not deliver the payload to the user and to leave the second geographical location when the user is not the authorized recipient of the payload.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a notification indicating that the payload is delivered to the user when the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

5. The method of claim 1, where the user credentials further include at least one of:

a confirmation code transmitted to a user device associated with the user, or

an authentication mechanism transmitted to the user device.

6. The method of claim 5, where:

the confirmation code includes at least one of;

a bar code,

a quick response (QR) code,

a word,

a numeric code,

an alphabetical code, or

an alphanumeric code; and

the authentication mechanism includes at least one of;

a private encryption key,

a public encryption key,

a certificate, or

a password.

7. The method of claim 1, where the determining whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload comprises at least one of:

determining, based on facial recognition, whether the image of the user captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle matches another image stored by the device;

determining, based on audio recognition, whether the audio file, of the voice of the user, captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle, matches another audio file stored by the device;

determining whether a confirmation code, transmitted to a user device associated with the user, is received by the unmanned aerial vehicle;

or

determining whether an authentication mechanism, transmitted to the user device, is received by the unmanned aerial vehicle.

8. A device, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

one or more processors, to execute the instructions, to;

receive a request for a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from a first geographical location to a second geographical location in a region;

determine capability information for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on component information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle;

calculate the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the capability information and based on one or more of weather information, air traffic information, obstacle information, or regulatory information associated with the region;

generate flight path instructions, for the flight path, that include delivery confirmation instructions;

transmit the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to travel, based on the flight path instructions, from the first geographical location to the second geographical location to deliver a payload;

obtain, based on the delivery confirmation instructions, user credentials associated with a user at the second geographical location,

the user credentials including at least one of;

an image of the user captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle, or

an audio file, of a voice of the user, captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determine whether the user is an authorized recipient of the payload, based on the user credentials; and

control the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload to the user based on whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

9. The device of claim 8, where the user credentials are received from the user by the unmanned aerial vehicle and transmitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle to the device.

10. The device of claim 8, where, when controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload, the one or more processors are to:

control the unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver the payload to the user when the user is the authorized recipient of the payload;

or

control the unmanned aerial vehicle to not deliver the payload to the user and to leave the second geographical location when the user is not the authorized recipient of the payload.

11. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive a notification indicating that the payload is delivered to the user when the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

12. The device of claim 8, where the user credentials further include at least one of:

a confirmation code transmitted to a user device associated with the user, or an authentication mechanism transmitted to the user device.

13. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to not deliver the payload unless the authorized recipient is visible to the unmanned aerial vehicle;

or

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to scan the second geographical location for humans or animals and to not deliver the payload if any humans or animals are present at the second geographical location.

14. The device of claim 8, where, when determining whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload, the one or more processors are to at least one of:

determine, based on facial recognition, whether the image of the user captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle matches another image stored by the device;

determine, based on audio recognition, whether the audio file, of the voice of the user, captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle, matches another audio file stored by the device;

determine whether a confirmation code, transmitted to a user device associated with the user, is received by the unmanned aerial vehicle;

or

determine whether an authentication mechanism, transmitted to the user device, is received by the unmanned aerial vehicle.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a request for a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from a first geographical location to a second geographical location;

determine capability information for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on component information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle;

calculate the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the capability information;

generate flight path instructions, for the flight path, that include delivery confirmation instructions;

transmit the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to travel, based on the flight path instructions, from the first geographical location to the second geographical location to deliver a payload;

obtain, based on the delivery confirmation instructions, user credentials associated with a user at the second geographical location,

the user credentials including at least one of;

an image of the user captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle, or

an audio file, of a voice of the user, captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determine whether the user is an authorized recipient of the payload, based on the user credentials; and

control the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload to the user based on whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the user credentials are received from the user by the unmanned aerial vehicle and transmitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle to the device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to control the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

control the unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver the payload to the user when the user is the authorized recipient of the payload;

or

control the unmanned aerial vehicle to not deliver the payload to the user and to leave the second geographical location when the user is not the authorized recipient of the payload.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to at least one of;

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to not deliver the payload unless the authorized recipient is visible to the unmanned aerial vehicle;

or

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to scan the second geographical location for humans or animals and to not deliver the payload if any humans or animals are present at the second geographical location.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to at least one of;

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to scan the second geographical location for a particular wireless local area network, as the user credentials, and to deliver the payload only when the particular wireless local area network is detected;

or

instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to scan the second geographical location for a particular user device, as the user credentials, and to deliver the payload only when the particular user device is detected.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to at least one of;

instruct unmanned aerial vehicle to hover and drop the payload at the second geographical location;

or

transmit, to a user device, associated with the user, a notification indicating that the unmanned aerial vehicle is at the second geographical location and receive an instruction to deliver the payload from the user, via the user device and based on the notification.