System and method of last mile delivery

• US 10,809,745 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2019
• Issued: 10/20/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motogo, LLC
• Original Assignee: Motogo, LLC
• Inventors: Ruth, David Brian, Lo, Yuan-Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): Weber, Tamara L
• Application Number:
  US16/247,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20190220044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/06 for carrying vehicles B60P3/12 takes precedence; caravans, camping, or like vehicles with vehicle-carrying means B60P3/36
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• 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 80/86 Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0287 involving a plurality of land vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00, particularly anticollision systems G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• 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: G05D 1/12 Target-seeking control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A vehicle includes a storage unit configured to store a plurality of package containers. Each package container of the plurality of package containers is associated with a corresponding destination. The vehicle includes a package manipulator configured to move a first package container of the plurality of package containers from the storage unit to a first drone. The first drone is configured to move the first package container to a first destination corresponding to the first package container.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first drone;

a second drone;

a vehicle to transport the first drone and the second drone, the vehicle comprising;

a storage unit configured to store a plurality of package containers, each package container of the plurality of package containers associated with a corresponding destination, wherein each package container of the plurality of package containers includes a plurality of electromechanical interfaces, and wherein the first drone and the second drone are configured to electrically and mechanically couple to the electromechanical interfaces; and

a package manipulator configured to move a first package container of the plurality of package containers from the storage unit to the first drone; and

a package container reception point configured to couple to a first electromechanical interface of the plurality of electromechanical interfaces, wherein the package container reception point corresponds to a first destination associated with the first package container, wherein the first drone is configured to move the first package container from the vehicle to the first destination, and wherein the second drone is configured to provide data to the first drone, the data related to a route from the vehicle to the package container reception point.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first drone comprises a wheeled vehicle configured to deliver the package container to the package container reception point.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second drone is configured to move to the first drone responsive to the first drone transmitting a distress signal.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second drone is configured to provide power to the first drone responsive to the distress signal.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the second drone is configured to couple to the first drone and move the first drone responsive to the distress signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second drone is an aerial vehicle.

7. A method comprising:

receiving, at a controller of a vehicle, a distress signal from a first drone, wherein the vehicle transported the first drone to a location near a destination associated with a first package container and released the first drone to deliver the first package container to the destination, and wherein the first drone comprises a ground drone; and

releasing, by the controller, a second drone from the vehicle responsive to the distress signal, wherein the second drone is configured to move the first drone responsive to the distress signal, and wherein the second drone comprises an aerial drone.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the destination of the first package container responsive to a malfunction of a package container reception point associated with a first destination, responsive to a mismatch between a first location and an identifier of the package container reception point associated with the first destination, responsive to detecting an erroneous location of the package container reception point, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the aerial drone comprises a quadcopter.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising recording, in a first memory associated with the vehicle, a chain of custody for the first package container.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the first drone comprises a wheeled vehicle configured to drive the first package container to a package container reception point.

12. A method comprising:

initiating, by a controller of a vehicle, movement of a package container of a plurality of package containers from a storage unit of the vehicle to a first drone, the vehicle configured to transport the first drone and a second drone;

initiating, at the controller, coupling of a first electromechanical interface of a plurality of electromechanical interfaces of the package container to the first drone, wherein the first drone and the second drone are configured to electrically and mechanically couple to the plurality of electromechanical interfaces; and

releasing, by the controller, the first drone from the vehicle with instructions for the first drone to move the package container to a package container reception point configured to couple to a second electromechanical interface of the plurality of electromechanical interfaces, the second drone configured to provide data to the first drone, wherein the data is related to a route from the vehicle to the package container reception point.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising recording, in a memory associated with the vehicle, data related to a chain of custody for the package container.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, at the vehicle, a pickup request from the package container after a carrier space of the package container has been emptied.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first drone comprises a wheeled vehicle configured to drive the package container to the package container reception point.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising initiating release of the second drone while the first drone is released.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of electromechanical interfaces is substantially similar.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the second drone is an aerial vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the vehicle determines the route to the package container reception point based on the data received from the second drone.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein a robotic arm of the vehicle includes a vehicle electromechanical interface to couple to a particular electromechanical interface of the package container, and wherein initiating the movement of the package container includes using the robotic arm to move the package container to the first drone to facilitate the coupling of the first electromechanical interface of the package container to the first drone.