UNMANNED DELIVERY

• US 20170011333A1
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Detection, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: CyPhy Works, Inc.
• Inventors: Norman, Christopher Owen, Bohorquez, Felipe, Zaparovanny, Alexey, Greiner, Helen, Walker, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 10,839,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/14 Deposit receptacles for food, e.g. breakfast, milk , or large parcels; Similar receptacles for food or large parcels with appliances for preventing unauthorised removal of the deposited articles , i.e. food or large parcels
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/00 Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00; electric transmission arrangements B60K17/12; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles per se B60L; current-collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B63G 8/08 Propulsion schnorkels B63G8/36; nuclear propulsion B63H21/18; submerged exhausting apparatus F01N13/12
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/17 by electric motor
• 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: B64D 27/00 Arrangement or mounting of power plants in aircraft; Aircraft characterised by the type or position of power plants
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 47/08 Arrangements of cameras
• 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 2101/67 the UAVs comprising tethers for lowering the goods
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A method for unmanned delivery of an item to a desired delivery location includes receiving, at an unmanned vehicle, first data representative of an approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location, receiving, at the unmanned vehicle, second data representative of a fiducial expected to be detectable at the desired delivery location, using the first data to operate the unmanned vehicle to travel to the approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location, upon arriving at the approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location, using the second data to operate the unmanned vehicle to detect the fiducial; and upon detecting the fiducial, using the fiducial to operate the unmanned vehicle to travel to the delivery location and deliver the item.

Claims

1. A method for unmanned delivery of an item to a desired delivery location, the method comprising:

receiving, at an unmanned vehicle, first data representative of an approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location;

receiving, at the unmanned vehicle, second data representative of a fiducial expected to be detectable at the desired delivery location;

using the first data to operate the unmanned vehicle to travel to the approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location;

upon arriving at the approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location, using the second data to operate the unmanned vehicle to detect the fiducial; and

upon detecting the fiducial, operating the unmanned vehicle to travel to the delivery location and deliver the item.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the fiducial is selected from a group including a two-dimensional code, a QR code, or a bar code.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein using the second data to operate the unmanned vehicle to detect the fiducial includes capturing images using a camera mounted on the unmanned vehicle and processing the captured images to determine if the fiducial is represented in the images.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein operating the unmanned vehicle to deliver the item includes operating a winch mounted on the unmanned vehicle to lower the item to the ground.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein, prior to operating the winch to lower the item to the ground, the unmanned vehicle determines whether any obstructions are present in the delivery location.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein delivery of the item to the delivery location is aborted if the unmanned vehicle determines that obstructions are present in the delivery location.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein operating the unmanned vehicle to deliver the item includes causing the vehicle to drop the item into a receptacle.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the receptacle is configured to soften the landing of the item.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein operating the unmanned vehicle to deliver the item includes landing at the delivery location and then dropping the item at the delivery location.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying a customer that the item has been delivered to the delivery location after delivering the item to the delivery location.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein notifying the customer includes one or more of sending an email to the customer or sending a text message to the customer.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data representative of an approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location is determined from a mapping of street addresses to global positioning system coordinates.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein using the first data to operate the unmanned vehicle to travel to the approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location includes notifying a customer of an estimated time of arrival of the item at the delivery location.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein notifying the customer includes one or more of sending an email to the customer or sending a text message to the customer.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the fiducial includes a radio-frequency beacon.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein 15 the radio-frequency beacon includes a near-field communication radio frequency signal.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the first data representative of an approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location includes receiving the first data from a mobile device and using the second data to operate the unmanned vehicle to detect the fiducial includes detecting the fiducial as generated from the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising updating the first data representative of an approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location as the mobile device moves.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the fiducial is a permanently installed fiducial associated with the delivery location.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the fiducial is a user-printed fiducial.

21. A method for unmanned delivery of an item to a desired delivery location, the method comprising:

receiving, at an unmanned vehicle, first data representative of an approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location;

receiving, at an unmanned vehicle, second data including a mapping of wireless network identifiers to representations of geographic locations;

using the first data to operate the unmanned vehicle to travel to the approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location; and

upon arriving at the approximate geographic location of the desired delivery location, using the second data to operate the unmanned vehicle to travel to the delivery location and deliver the item.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein using the second data to operate the unmanned vehicle to travel to the delivery location includes determining the delivery location using triangulation of a plurality of wireless networking signals in an area of the delivery location.

23. An unmanned aerial vehicle for delivery of a package, the unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:

a fuselage including a package bay and a lifting surface;

a plurality of rotors affixed to the fuselage;

wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is operable in a first mode with the rotors operating in a substantially horizontal configuration; and

the unmanned aerial vehicle is operable in a second mode with at least some of the rotors operating in a substantially vertical configuration.