Providing services using unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 9,849,979 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2016
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Peeters, Eric, Teller, Eric, Patrick, William Graham
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, YUEN H
• Application Number:
  US15/147,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20160244163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• 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;

determining, by the processor, that a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a plurality of UAVs is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation than at least a second UAV from the plurality of UAVs, wherein the determination that the first UAV is better configured is based at least in part on the first UAV being configured for an operational function designed to serve the identified remote situation and the second UAV not being configured for said operational function;

in response to determining that the first UAV is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation, selecting, by the processor, the first UAV, from the plurality of UAVs, for deployment to provide support at the target location; and

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 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, deliver one or items to a ground location 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 first UAV from the plurality of UAVs comprises:

determining a category of the identified remote situation; and

determining that the first UAV has a support configuration to provide or assist in support for the determined category of situation.

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

9. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the first UAV to deliver one or more items to the ground location at or near the target location comprises:

while the first UAV is hovering above the target location, causing the first UAV to operate a winch system to lower one or items to the ground location at or near the target location.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining at least one particular support item corresponding to the identified remote situation;

wherein the selection of the first UAV is based at least in part on a determination that the winch system is capable of holding and lowering the at least one particular support item to the ground location.

11. 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 remote situation;

determining that a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a plurality of UAVs is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation than at least a second UAV from the plurality of UAVs, wherein the determination that the first UAV is better configured is based at least in part on the first UAV being configured for an operational function designed to serve the identified remote situation and the second UAV not being configured for said operational function;

in response to determining that the first UAV is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation, selecting the first UAV, from the plurality of UAVs, for deployment to provide support at the target location; and

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 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, deliver one or items to a ground location at or near the target location.

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

determining a category of the identified remote situation; and

determining that the first UAV has a support configuration to provide or assist in support for the determined category of situation.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein selecting the first 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 first UAV.

14. A system comprising:

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;

identify a remote situation;

determine a target location corresponding to the identified remote situation;

determine that a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a plurality of UAVs is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation than at least a second UAV from the plurality of UAVs, wherein the determination that the first UAV is better configured is based at least in part on the first UAV being configured for an operational function designed to serve the identified remote situation and the second UAV not being configured for said operational function;

in response to a determination that the first UAV is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation, responsively select the first UAV, from the plurality of UAVs, for deployment to provide support at the target location; and

cause the selected 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 UAV is located at or near to the target location, and (c) while in the hover flight mode, deliver one or items to a ground location at or near the target location.

15. The system of claim 14, 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.

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

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising program instructions stored in the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

determine a category of the identified remote situation; and

determine that the first UAV has a support configuration to provide or assist in support for the determined category of situation.

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

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

20. The system of claim 14, wherein selecting the first 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 first UAV.

21. A system comprising:

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

at least one component that is configured to;

identify a remote situation;

determine a target location corresponding to the identified remote situation;

determine that the first UAV from the plurality of UAVs is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation than at least the second UAV from the plurality of UAVs, wherein the determination that the first UAV is better configured is based at least in part on the first UAV being configured for an operational function designed to serve the identified remote situation and the second UAV not being configured for said operational function;

in response to a determination that the first UAV is better configured to provide support for the identified remote situation, responsively select a the first UAV, from the plurality of UAVs, for deployment to provide support at the target location; and

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 UAV is located at or near to the target location, and (c) while in the hover flight mode, deliver one or items to a ground location at or near the target location.

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

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