Optical marker for delivery drone cargo delivery

• US 9,898,638 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DoorDash, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Gregory S., Pannell, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Allison, Andrae S
• Application Number:
  US15/004,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20170213062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1448 based on markings or identifiers characterising the document or the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/2247 Characters composed of bars, e.g. CMC-7
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/413 Classification of content, e.g. text, photographs or tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/416 Extracting the logical structure, e.g. chapters, sections or page numbers; Identifying elements of the document, e.g. authors

Abstract

At least one image captured by an image capture device of a delivery drone can be processed to identify at least one optical marker contained in the image. The optical marker can display at least one machine readable optical label, or alphanumeric characters, indicating a cargo recipient. Responsive to identifying the optical marker, image processing on the image can be performed to generate data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters. Whether the data corresponds to an intended cargo recipient of a cargo being carried by the delivery drone can be determined. Responsive to determining that the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to the intended cargo recipient of the cargo being carried by the delivery drone, the delivery drone can be initiated to deliver the cargo at a specific location indicated by the optical marker.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing at least one image captured by an image capture device of a delivery drone to identify at least one optical marker contained in the image, the optical marker displaying at least one machine readable optical label, or alphanumeric characters, indicating a cargo recipient;

responsive to identifying the optical marker contained in the image, performing, using a processor, image processing on the image to generate data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters;

determining whether the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to an intended cargo recipient of a cargo being carried by the delivery drone; and

responsive to determining that the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to the intended cargo recipient of the cargo being carried by the delivery drone, determining a first specific location at a general location by processing the image, wherein the optical marker indicates the first specific location and the first specific location is different than a second specific location where the optical marker is positioned at the general location, and initiating the delivery drone to deliver the cargo at the first specific location indicated by the optical marker.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one machine readable optical label is a quick response code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one machine readable optical label is a bar code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing, using the processor, image processing on the image to generate data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters is autonomously performed by the delivery drone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to the intended cargo recipient of the cargo being carried by the delivery drone is autonomously performed by the delivery drone.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

autonomously capturing, by the image capture device of the delivery drone, the at least one image.

7. A system, comprising:

a processor programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

processing at least one image captured by an image capture device of a delivery drone to identify at least one optical marker contained in the image, the optical marker displaying at least one machine readable optical label, or alphanumeric characters, indicating a cargo recipient;

responsive to identifying the optical marker contained in the image, performing image processing on the image to generate data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters;

determining whether the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to an intended cargo recipient of a cargo being carried by the delivery drone; and

responsive to determining that the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to the intended cargo recipient of the cargo being carried by the delivery drone, determining a first specific location at a general location by processing the image, wherein the optical marker indicates the first specific location and the first specific location is different than a second specific location where the optical marker is positioned at the general location, and initiating the delivery drone to deliver the cargo at the first specific location indicated by the optical marker.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one machine readable optical label is a quick response code.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one machine readable optical label is a bar code.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein performing image processing on the image to generate data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters is autonomously performed by the delivery drone.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein determining whether the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to the intended cargo recipient of the cargo being carried by the delivery drone is autonomously performed by the delivery drone.

12. The system of claim 7, the executable operations further comprising:

autonomously capturing, by the image capture device of the delivery drone, the at least one image.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon, the program code executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

processing, by the processor, at least one image captured by an image capture device of a delivery drone to identify at least one optical marker contained in the image, the optical marker displaying at least one machine readable optical label, or alphanumeric characters, indicating a cargo recipient;

responsive to identifying the optical marker contained in the image, performing, by the processor, image processing on the image to generate data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters;

determining, by the processor, whether the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to an intended cargo recipient of a cargo being carried by the delivery drone; and

responsive to determining that the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to the intended cargo recipient of the cargo being carried by the delivery drone, determining a first specific location at a general location by processing the image, wherein the optical marker indicates the first specific location and the first specific location is different than a second specific location where the optical marker is positioned at the general location, and initiating the delivery drone to deliver the cargo at the first specific location indicated by the optical marker.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the at least one machine readable optical label is a quick response code.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the at least one machine readable optical label is a bar code.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein performing, using the processor, image processing on the image to generate data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters is autonomously performed by the delivery drone.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein determining whether the data corresponding to the machine readable optical label or alphanumeric characters corresponds to the intended cargo recipient of the cargo being carried by the delivery drone is autonomously performed by the delivery drone.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, the method further comprising:

autonomously capturing, by the image capture device of the delivery drone, the at least one image.