Providing services using unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 9,434,473 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2015
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Peeters, Eric, Teller, Eric, Patrick, William Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, YUEN H
• Application Number:
  US14/705,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20150353195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 29/00 Aircraft capable of landing or taking-off vertically, e.g. vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft rotorcraft B64C27/00
• 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: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/20 Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft flying platforms B64U10/13; helicopters B64U10/17
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/57 for bringing emergency supplies to persons or animals in danger, e.g. ropes or life vests
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/69 the UAVs provided with means for airdropping goods, e.g. deploying a parachute during descent
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/299 Rotor guards ducted or shrouded rotors B64U30/26; guards used as ground propulsion B64U60/60
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• 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 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Embodiments described herein may help to provide support via a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). An illustrative medical-support system may include multiple UAVs, which are configured to provide support for a number of different situations. Further, the medical-support system may be configured to: (a) identify a remote situation, (b) determine a target location corresponding to the situation, (c) select a UAV from the fleet of UAVs, where the selection of the UAV is based on a determination that the selected UAV is configured for the identified situation, and (d) cause the selected UAV to travel to the target location to provide support.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying, by a processor, a remote situation;

determining, by the processor, a target location corresponding to the identified remote situation;

selecting, by the processor, a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a plurality of UAVs that are configured to provide support for a plurality of remote situations, wherein the plurality of UAVs comprises at least the first UAV and a second UAV, wherein the first UAV is configured to provide support for a first remote situation and the second UAV configured to provide support for a second remote situation, and wherein the selection of the first UAV is based at least in part on a determination that the first UAV is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation than at least one other UAV, from the plurality of UAVs;

determining, by the processor, that an expected benefit of sending the first UAV to the target location outweighs a cost of sending the first UAV to the target location; and

in response to determining that the expected benefit outweighs the cost, causing the first UAV to;

(a) travel to the target location in a forward-flight mode to provide support for the identified remote situation, (b) transition to a hover flight mode when the first UAV is located at or near to the target location, and (c) while in the hover flight mode at or near to the target location, provide at least some support for the identified remote situation, wherein, to provide at least some support for the identified remote situation while in the hover flight mode, the first UAV uses a winch to lower one or more support items to a ground at or near the target location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the remote situation comprises:

receiving a communication that originated from a remote device; and

identifying the remote situation based on information provided by the communication.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

(a) a phone call, (b) a text-message, and (c) an electronic message generated by an application of the remote device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the information provided by the communication comprises location information.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the information provided by the communication comprises information related to the identified remote situation.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the target location comprises receiving, from the remote device, a message that indicates a location of the remote device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the UAV from the plurality of UAVs comprises:

determining a type of the identified remote situation; and

selecting, from the plurality of UAVs, a UAV that has a support configuration to provide or assist in support for the determined type of the identified remote situation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the support configuration comprises one or more items to provide or assist in support for the identified remote situation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the remote situation comprises:

receiving a communication from a remote device, wherein the communication identifies the remote situation and requests support; and

during travel to the target location searching for a beacon signal from the remote device, wherein the transition to the hover flight mode is performed at least in part in response to detecting the beacon signal from the remote device.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions that are executable to cause a processor to perform functions comprising:

identifying, a remote situation;

determining a target location corresponding to the identified remote situation;

selecting a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a plurality of UAVs that are configured to provide support for a plurality of remote situations, wherein the plurality of UAVs comprises at least the first UAV configured to provide support for a first remote situation and a second UAV configured to provide support for a second remote situation, and wherein the selection of the UAV is based at least in part on a determination that the first UAV is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation than at least one other UAV, from the plurality of UAVs;

determining that an expected benefit of sending the first UAV to the target location outweighs a cost of sending the first UAV to the target location; and

in response to determining that the expected benefit outweighs the cost, causing the first UAV to;

(a) travel in a forward-flight mode to the target location to provide support for the identified remote situation, (b) transition to a hover flight mode when the first UAV is located at or near to the target location, and (c) while in the hover flight mode at or near to the target location, provide at least some support for the identified remote situation, wherein, to provide at least some support for the identified remote situation while in the hover flight mode, the first UAV uses a winch to lower one or more support items to a ground at or near the target location.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, further having stored therein instructions that are executable to cause a processor to perform functions comprising:

determining a type of the identified remote situation; and

selecting, from the plurality of UAVs, a UAV that has a support configuration to provide or assist in support for the determined type of the identified remote situation.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein selecting the UAV from the plurality of UAVs comprises:

determining a user-account associated with the identified remote situation;

determining a service level for the user-account; and

using the service level as a further basis to select the UAV.

13. A situational-support system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one non-transitory computer readable medium in at least one component of the system; and

program instructions stored in the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by at least one processor to cause the situational support system to;

identify a remote situation;

determine a target location corresponding to the identified remote situation;

select a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a plurality of UAVs that are configured to provide support for a plurality of remote situations, wherein the plurality of UAVs comprises at least the first UAV configured to provide support for a first remote situation and a second UAV configured to provide support for a second remote situation, and wherein the selection of the first UAV is based at least in part on a determination that the first UAV is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation than at least one other UAV, from the plurality of UAVs;

determine that an expected benefit of sending the first UAV to the target location outweighs a cost of sending the first UAV to the target location; and

in response to determining that the expected benefit outweighs the cost, cause the first UAV to;

(a) travel in a forward-flight mode to the target location to provide support for the identified remote situation, (b) transition to a hover flight mode when the first UAV is located at or near to the target location, and (c) while in the hover flight mode, provide at least some support for the identified remote situation, wherein, to provide at least some support for the identified remote situation while in the hover flight mode, the first UAV uses a winch to lower one or more support items to a ground at or near the target location.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising at least one component having the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the at least one component comprises one or more of:

(a) one or more access systems and (b) one or more dispatch systems, and (c) one or more deployment systems.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more dispatch systems comprise at least one central dispatch systems and one or more local dispatch systems.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising program instructions stored in the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by at least one processor to:

determine a type of the identified remote situation; and

select, from the plurality of UAVs, a UAV that has a support configuration to provide or assist in support for the determined type of the identified remote situation.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the support configuration comprises a package of one or more items to provide or assist in support for the identified remote situation.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the support configuration comprises one or more operational functions to provide or assist in support for the identified remote situation.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein selecting the UAV from the plurality of UAVs comprises:

determining a user-account associated with the identified remote situation;

determining a service level for the user-account; and

using the service level as a further basis to select the UAV.

20. A system comprising:

a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wherein the plurality of UAVs are configured to provide support for a plurality of remote situations, and wherein the plurality of UAVs comprises at least a first UAV configured to provide support for a first remote situation and a second UAV configured to provide support for a second remote situation; and

at least one computing system comprising a processor, wherein the computing system is configured to;

identify a remote situation;

determine a target location corresponding to the identified remote situation;

select the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from the plurality of UAVs that are configured to provide support for the plurality of remote situations, wherein the selection of the first UAV is based at least in part on a determination that the first UAV is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation than at least one other UAV, from the plurality of UAVs;

determine that an expected benefit of sending the first UAV to the target location outweighs a cost of sending the first UAV to the target location; and

in response to determining that the expected benefit outweighs the cost, cause the first UAV to;

(a) travel in a forward-flight mode to the target location to provide support for the identified remote situation, (b) transition to a hover flight mode when the first UAV is located at or near to the target location, and (c) while in the hover flight mode, provide at least some support for the identified remote situation, wherein, to provide at least some support for the identified remote situation while in the hover flight mode, the first UAV uses a winch to lower one or more support items to a ground at or near the target location.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one component comprises one or more of:

(a) an access system, (b) a dispatch system, and (c) a deployment system.