Method and system for controlling vehicles and drones

• US 9,978,108 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2017
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bryson, Donald L., Kline, Eric V., Rakshit, Sarbajit K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alharbi, Adam M
• Application Number:
  US15/716,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20180012319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 238 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• 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 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

Embodiments are provided for controlling a fleet of vehicles and drones. The vehicles are directed to respectively drop off passenger groups at multiple locations. Routes are calculated routes for the vehicles to respectively pick up the passenger groups from the multiple locations based on predicted pick-up times, passenger group sizes and available vehicle capacities. One or more assign drones are assigned to each passenger group at each location. Each drone is configured to broadcast a current location of the passenger group in the location and a corresponding one of the predicted pick-up times and delay the corresponding passenger group in the location based on one of the vehicles assigned as a pick-up vehicle for the passenger group being delayed.

Claims

1. A system for controlling vehicles and drones, the system comprising a processing circuit configured to:

control the vehicles by directing the vehicles to drop off passengers at multiple locations and by calculating routes for the vehicles to respectively pick up the passengers from the multiple locations based on predicted pick-up times, numbers of passengers and vehicle capacities; and

control the drones by assigning one or more of the drones to passengers at each location, each drone being controllable to broadcast a current location of the passengers in the location and a corresponding one of the predicted pick-up times and to delay the passengers in the location based on one of the vehicles assigned as a pick-up vehicle for the passengers in the location being delayed.