Cooperative system and method for precise autonomous delivery

• US 9,412,280 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2015
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jr., Ronald Douglas Hettich
• Inventors: Zwillinger, Daniel Ian, Hettich, Ronald Douglas Jr., Cogliandro, John
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US14/934,025
• Time in Patent Office: 278 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 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• 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 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/26 Ducted or shrouded rotors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/45 by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/00 Traffic control systems for aircraft , e.g. air-traffic control [ATC]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/025 Navigation or guidance aids radar or analogous systems specially adapted for landing purposes G01S13/913

Abstract

A system for delivery of payload at a precise location by autonomous delivery vehicle. A machine-readable unique identifier is laid at a place where a user wants delivery of an item. User opens a precise delivery app on smartphone, activates the scanner and standing near the unique identifier scans it. Precise delivery app reads the unique identity of the unique identifier and collects the geophysical location of the smartphone. Third party system feeds this information of the target unique identifier to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous delivery vehicle includes a first prior art navigator and a second scanner navigator. The autonomous vehicle determines its route to the approximate location of the target unique identifier with the help of the first prior art navigator and the second scanner navigator scans every unique identifier that may be present around that location and guides the autonomous vehicle to the target unique identifier.

Claims

1. A system for delivery of a payload by an autonomous delivery vehicle, said system comprising:

a unique identifier having a unique identity, wherein said unique identifier is a target unique identifier placed at a location where delivery of said payload is desired by a user and said unique identifier is a machine readable code recognizable in any frequency that lies within a visible frequency range, an infrared frequency range or an ultra violet frequency range of an electromagnetic spectrum;

a navigation system included in said autonomous delivery vehicle, said navigation system comprising a first prior art navigator and a second scanner navigator; and

a third party system, said third party system providing a unique identifier information to said navigation system, said unique identifier information comprising said unique identity of said unique identifier and a geophysical location information of said location where delivery of said payload is desired by said user;

wherein said first prior art navigator navigates said autonomous delivery vehicle to said location based on said geophysical location information and said second scanner navigator scans said location, locates said target unique identifier based on said unique identity and then navigates said autonomous delivery vehicle precisely to said unique identifier for delivery of said payload.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein said second scanner navigator includes an optical scanner, an ultra violet scanner, a radio frequency scanner, and/or an infra red scanner.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein said user uses a mobile computing device to scan said unique identity of said unique identifier and to send said unique identity to said third party system.

4. The system as in claim 3, wherein said mobile computing device is used to obtain said geophysical location information.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein said unique identifier information is stored associated with a user code in a precise delivery system server.

6. The system as in claim 5, wherein said unique identifier information is retrieved by said third party system from said precise delivery system server by using said user code.

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein said second scanner navigator finds said target unique identifier based on said unique identity when said unique identity of said target unique identifier matches said unique identity included in said unique identifier information provided by said third party system to said navigation system.

8. A method for delivery of a payload by an autonomous delivery vehicle, said method comprising:

placing of a unique identifier having a unique identity at a desired location, wherein said unique identifier is a target unique identifier placed at said desired location where delivery of said payload is desired by a user and said unique identifier is a machine readable code recognizable in any frequency that lies within a visible frequency range, an infrared frequency range or an ultra violet frequency range of an electromagnetic spectrum;

providing a navigation system to said autonomous delivery vehicle, said navigation system comprising a first prior art navigator and a second scanner navigator; and

providing a unique identifier information to said navigation system, said unique identifier information comprising said unique identity of said unique identifier and a geophysical location information of said desired location where delivery of said payload is desired by said user;

wherein said first prior art navigator navigates said autonomous delivery vehicle to said desired location based on said geophysical location information and said second scanner navigator scans said desired location, locates said target unique identifier based on said unique identity and then navigates through a cooperative navigation said autonomous delivery vehicle precisely to said target unique identifier for delivery of said payload.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein said unique identifier information is provided to said navigation system by a third party system.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein said unique identifier information is provided to said third party system by a precise delivery system server.

11. The method as in claim 8, wherein said second scanner navigator includes an optical scanner, an ultra violet scanner, a vibration scanner, a radio frequency scanner, and/or an infra red scanner.

12. The method as in claim 9, wherein said user uses a mobile computing device to scan said unique identity of said unique identifier and to send said unique identity to said third party system.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein said mobile computing device is used to obtain said geophysical location information.

14. The method as in claim 10, wherein said unique identifier information is stored associated with a user code in said precise delivery system server.

15. The method as in claim 8, wherein said unique identifier information further comprises data related to contents of said payload.

16. The method as hi claim 8, wherein said cooperative navigation enables delivery of said payload by said autonomous delivery vehicle safely when said desired location is a safe location.

17. The method as in claim 8, wherein said unique identifier is generated in electronic form by said third party system against receipt of said geophysical location information and information on details of said payload entered to a computing device manually by said user and said third party system sends said unique identifier in electronic form to said user.

18. The method as in claim 8, wherein said autonomous delivery vehicle collects an acknowledgement against successful delivery of said payload from said desired location.

19. The method as in claim 18, wherein said acknowledgement is an electronic code included in said unique identifier information.

20. The method as in claim 18, wherein said acknowledgement is a physical receipt provided at said desired location.

21. A system for delivery of a payload by an autonomous delivery vehicle, said system comprising:

a unique identifier having a unique identity, wherein said unique identifier is a target unique identifier placed at a location where delivery of said payload is desired by a user and said unique identifier is a machine readable code recognizable in any frequency that lies within a visible frequency range, an infrared frequency range or an ultra violet frequency range of an electromagnetic spectrum;

a mobile computing device configured to collect a unique identifier information and to communicate said unique identifier information with a third party system, said unique identifier information comprising said unique identity of said unique identifier and a geophysical location information for said location;

a navigation system included in said autonomous delivery vehicle, said navigator system comprising a first prior art navigator and a second scanner navigator, wherein said navigation system is provided with said unique identifier information by said third party system;

wherein said first prior art navigator navigates said autonomous delivery vehicle to said location based on said geophysical location information and said second scanner navigator scans said location, locates said target unique identifier based on said unique identity and then navigates said autonomous delivery vehicle precisely to said unique identifier for delivery of said payload.

22. The system as in claim 21, wherein said unique identifier is generated by said third party system.

23. The system as in claim 21, wherein said unique identifier is generated by said user using common manufacturing methods.

24. The system as in claim 21, wherein said mobile computing device is provided with a detachable electronic device configured to add additional capability of scanning and transmission to said mobile computing device.