EN ROUTE PRODUCT DELIVERY BY UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES

• US 20190043370A1
• Filed: 08/02/2017
• Published: 02/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: MULHALL, Alan, BALZER, Andreas, WOULFE, Muiris
• Granted Patent: US 10,916,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: B64F 1/32 for handling freight
• 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: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/12 Target-seeking control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) rendezvous with and transfers a product to a receiving vehicle that is en route to a destination-location. The UAV is dispatched with the product along a flight path that intercepts with a predetermined route that the receiving vehicle is expected to travel along toward the destination-location. Once the UAV is within the vicinity of the receiving vehicle, the UAV approaches the receiving vehicle and utilizes cargo release equipment to transfer the product to the receiving vehicle. In one example, the UAV flies above the receiving vehicle at a synchronized velocity and drops the product through an opening in the roof of the receiving vehicle. In another example, the UAV flies above the receiving vehicle and suspends the product adjacent to a side-window opening of the receiving vehicle to enable an occupant of the receiving vehicle to reach out and retrieve the product.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining order data indicating a selection of a product for delivery by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a receiving vehicle;

determining anticipated travel data corresponding to the receiving vehicle;

generating, based on the anticipated travel data, flight plan data that at least partially defines a flight path for the UAV from an initial-location to a rendezvous area for transferring the product from the UAV to the receiving vehicle;

releasably coupling the product to the UAV;

dispatching the UAV in accordance with the flight plan data to cause the UAV to travel along the flight path from the initial-location to the rendezvous area;

causing the UAV to maintain a synchronized velocity between the UAV and the receiving vehicle within the rendezvous area; and

causing the UAV to transfer the product through an opening of the receiving vehicle while maintaining the synchronized velocity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the UAV to adjust an alignment between the product and the opening of the receiving vehicle; and

in response to a determination that the alignment has reached a predetermined alignment, causing the UAV to release the product to cause the product to pass through the opening of the receiving vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the causing of the UAV to release the product is further responsive to a determination that the UAV is within a predetermined vertical distance from the receiving vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the causing of the UAV to transfer the product through the opening includes:

causing the UAV to deploy a tether to controllably lower the product towards the opening; and

causing the UAV to release the product in response to a determination that the product has passed through the opening into an interior region of the receiving vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the receiving vehicle within the rendezvous area based on at least one vehicle identifier of the receiving vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the identifying of the receiving vehicle comprises:

causing the receiving vehicle to emit an identification signal while located within the rendezvous area; and

identifying an individual vehicle, of a plurality of vehicles within the rendezvous area, as the receiving vehicle based on the individual vehicle emitting the identification signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a current autonomy level of the receiving vehicle, wherein the current autonomy level indicates a degree of control that an autopilot module is currently exhibiting over movements of the receiving vehicle; and

selecting an individual transfer protocol, from a plurality of transfer protocols for transferring the product through the opening, based on the current autonomy level of the receiving vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically updating the flight path to cause the UAV to follow the receiving vehicle while a velocity of the receiving vehicle is above a threshold velocity, wherein the causing of the UAV to transfer the product through the opening is responsive to the velocity of the receiving vehicle decreasing to the threshold velocity.

9. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer storage media storing instructions that are executable by the at least one processor to;

obtain order data indicating a selection of a product for delivery by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a receiving vehicle;

determine anticipated travel data that indicates a travel-schedule that the receiving vehicle is expected to travel along a predetermined route;

generate, based on the anticipated travel data, flight plan data that at least partially defines a flight path for the UAV to travel from an initial-location to a rendezvous area along the predetermined route;

generate dispatch data causing the UAV to travel along at least a portion of the flight path from the initial-location to the rendezvous area while the product is releasably coupled to cargo release equipment of the UAV;

determine at least one vehicle identifier to enable identification of the receiving vehicle within the rendezvous area; and

cause the UAV to transfer the product to the receiving vehicle in accordance with a transfer protocol in response to identifying the receiving vehicle based on the at least one vehicle identifier.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to:

determine vehicle configuration data that at least partially indicates a configuration of the receiving vehicle; and

select, based on the vehicle configuration data, the transfer protocol from a plurality of transfer protocols for transferring the product from the UAV to the receiving vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the transfer protocol is selected based on the vehicle configuration data indicating that the receiving vehicle is configured with a roof-opening, and wherein the transfer protocol is associated with at least one of releasing the product at a predetermined vertical alignment with respect to the roof-opening, or deploying a tether to controllably lower the product through the roof-opening.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to:

determine operational state data that at least partially indicates a current operational state of the receiving vehicle; and

cause the UAV to travel along a holding pattern with respect to the receiving vehicle while the current operational state corresponds to a first operational state, wherein the causing of the UAV to transfer the product in accordance with the transfer protocol is further responsive to the current operational state changing from the first operational state to a second operational state.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to:

monitor a spatial relation of the UAV with respect to the receiving vehicle; and

in response to the spatial relation reaching a threshold spatial relation, transmit an instruction to the receiving vehicle to cause the current operational state of the receiving vehicle to change from the first operational state to the second operational state.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein causing the UAV to transfer the product to the receiving vehicle includes causing the UAV to deploy a tether to controllably lower the product towards the opening.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions are further executable by the at least one processor to:

determine one or more substantially real-time locations of the receiving vehicle;

generate, based on the one or more substantially real-time locations, projected location data that indicates one or more expected future locations of the receiving vehicle; and

generate, based on the projected location data, updated flight plan data that at least partially defines an updated flightpath for the UAV to travel to rendezvous with the receiving vehicle.

16. A method comprising:

obtaining order data indicating a selection of a product for delivery by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a receiving vehicle, wherein the UAV includes at least one sensor to generate physical characteristic data indicating one or more physical characteristics of the receiving vehicle;

determining anticipated travel data corresponding to at least one of the receiving vehicle or a client device that is associated with the order data, wherein the anticipated travel data indicates a travel-schedule that the receiving vehicle is expected to travel along a predetermined route;

determining at least one vehicle identifier to enable the UAV to identify the receiving vehicle within a rendezvous area;

dispatching the UAV in accordance with flight plan data, that is based on the anticipated travel data, to cause the UAV to travel along a flight path from an initial-location to the rendezvous area; and

causing the UAV to transfer the product to the receiving vehicle in accordance with a transfer protocol that includes at least;

monitoring the physical characteristic data to adjust an alignment between the product and an opening of the receiving vehicle; and

in response to a determination that the alignment has reached a predetermined alignment, releasing the product to facilitate a transfer of the product through the opening.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one vehicle identifier corresponds to an emission of a predetermined signal from the receiving vehicle by the client device that is associated with the order data.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting an instruction to the receiving vehicle to cause the receiving vehicle to expose the opening.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting to the receiving vehicle an instruction associated with reducing a velocity of the receiving vehicle.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the order data further indicates a source of the product, and wherein the flight plan data further causes the UAV to travel along the flightpath from the initial-location to a source-location corresponding to the source of the product.