Methods and systems for self-deployment of operational infrastructure by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)

• US 10,894,601 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2017
• Issued: 01/19/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wing Aviation LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Blake, Jesse, Schmalzried, James, Zerweckh, Siegfried, Prager, Andre, Velez, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/848,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20190185158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 701 1- 18, 244138, 244139
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/364 Mobile units
• 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 2101/67 the UAVs comprising tethers for lowering the goods
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/00 UAVs characterised by their flight controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/26 Ducted or shrouded rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/37 Charging when not in flight
• 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 10/20 : Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 : Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 : Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 : with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Example implementations may relate to self-deployment of operational infrastructure by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Specifically, a control system may determine operational location(s) from which a group of UAVs is to provide aerial transport services in a geographic area. For at least a first of the operational location(s), the system may cause a first UAV from the group to perform an infrastructure deployment task that includes (i) a flight from a source location to the first operational location and (ii) installation of operational infrastructure at the first operational location by the first UAV. In turn, this may enable the first UAV to operate from the first operational location, as the first UAV can charge a battery of the first UAV using the operational infrastructure installed at the first operational location and/or can carry out item transport task(s) at location(s) that are in the vicinity of the first operational location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a control system, a plurality of operational locations from which a group of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is to provide aerial transport services in a geographic area, wherein the group of UAVs is initially located at a source location serving the geographic area;

for at least a first of the plurality of operational locations, causing, by the control system, a first UAV from the group to perform an infrastructure deployment task that includes (i) a flight from the source location to the first of the plurality of operational locations and (ii) installation of operational infrastructure at the first of the plurality of operational locations by the first UAV;

receiving, by the control system, a request for a transport task having an associated item-source location;

determining, by the control system, that the item-source location corresponds to the first of the plurality of operational locations; and

causing, by the control system, the first UAV to perform the transport task.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for at least a second of the plurality of operational locations, causing, by the control system, a second UAV from the group to perform another infrastructure deployment task that includes (i) a flight from the source location to the second of the plurality of operational locations and (ii) installation of another operational infrastructure at the second of the plurality of operational locations by the second UAV;

receiving, by the control system, another request for another transport task having an associated another item-source location;

determining, by the control system, that the another item-source location corresponds to the second of the plurality of operational locations; and

causing the second UAV to perform the another transport task.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational infrastructure is of a weight that is lesser than a weight of the first UAV.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational infrastructure is a ground charging system that comprises one or more of the following:

(i) a charging interface configured to connect to a universal power interface, (ii) a solar panel, or (iii) an energy storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational infrastructure is a ground charging system, the method further comprising:

causing, by the control system, the first UAV to use the ground charging system installed by the first UAV at the first of the plurality of operational locations to charge a battery of the first UAV.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operational infrastructure is a ground charging system, the method further comprising:

causing, by the control system, a second UAV of the group to use the ground charging system installed by the first UAV at the first of the plurality of operational locations to charge a battery of the second UAV.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first of the plurality of operational locations is one from which one or more UAVs of the group are to provide aerial transport services in a sub area of the geographic area.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sub area comprises a plurality of locations that are each respectively within a threshold distance away from the first of the plurality of operational locations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport task comprises pickup of an item at the item-source location and subsequent delivery of the item at a delivery location.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the control system, that at least one of the first UAV and second UAV encountered a return condition, and responsively causing the at least one of the first UAV and second UAV to fly to (i) the first of the plurality of operational locations, (ii) a second of the plurality of operational locations, (iii) the source location, or (iv) a hangar.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining that the at least one of the first UAV and second UAV encountered a return condition comprises one or more of the following:

(i) determining that the at least one of the first UAV and second UAV completed the transport task,

(ii) determining that the at least one of the first UAV and second UAV is in condition for a maintenance event,

(iii)determining that the at least one of the first UAV and second UAV is in condition for an upgrade,

(iv)determining that the at least one of the first UAV and second UAV encountered a predefined weather condition, or

(v) determining that a battery of the at least one of the first UAV and second UAV encountered a re-charging condition.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing, by the control system, the first UAV to perform another infrastructure deployment task that includes (i) a flight to a second operational location and (ii) installation of operational infrastructure at the second operational location by the first UAV.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the control system, another request for another transport task having an associated another item-source location;

determining, by the control system, that the another item-source location corresponds to the second operational location; and

causing the first UAV to perform the another transport task.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the geographic area is a first geographic area, and wherein the second operational location is one from which one or more UAVs are to provide aerial transport services in a second geographic area.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the control system, a demand for aerial transport services at the second geographic area,

wherein causing the first UAV to perform the another infrastructure deployment task is based on the determined demand for aerial transport services at the second geographic area.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the second operational location is a second of the plurality of operational locations from which the group of UAVs is to provide aerial transport services in the geographic area.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first of the plurality of operational locations is associated with a first sub area of the geographic area, and wherein the second of the plurality of operational locations is associated a second sub area of the geographic area, the method further comprising:

determining, by the control system, a demand for aerial transport services at the second sub area of the geographic area,

wherein causing the first UAV to perform the another infrastructure deployment task is based on the determined demand for aerial transport services at the second sub area of the geographic area.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the another infrastructure deployment task further includes moving the operational infrastructure installed at the first of the plurality of operational locations by the first UAV from the first of the plurality of operational locations to the second operational location.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the control system, a plurality of authorized locations at which respective deployment of operational infrastructure is permitted,

wherein determining the plurality of operational locations is based at least on each determined operational location respectively being one of the determined plurality of authorized locations.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the control system, a demand for aerial transport services of the group in the geographic area,

wherein determining the plurality of operational locations is based at least on the determined demand for aerial transport services of the group in the geographic area.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the control system, a flight range respectively of one or more UAVs of the group,

wherein determining the plurality of operational locations is based at least on the one or more determined flight ranges.

22. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system comprising:

a group of UAVs, wherein the group of UAVs includes at least a first UAV; and

a control system configured to;

determine a plurality of operational locations from which the group of UAVs is to provide aerial transport services in a geographic area, wherein the group of UAVs is initially located at a source location serving the geographic area;

for at least a first of the plurality of operational locations, cause the first UAV to perform an infrastructure deployment task that includes (i) a flight from the source location to the first of the plurality of operational locations and (ii) installation of operational infrastructure at the first of the plurality of operational locations by the first UAV;

receive a request for a transport task having an associated item-source location;

determine that the item-source location corresponds to the first of the plurality of operational locations; and

cause the first UAV to perform the transport task.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by one or more processors to cause a control system to perform functions comprising:

determining a plurality of operational locations from which a group of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is to provide aerial transport services in a geographic area, wherein the group of UAVs is initially located at a source location serving the geographic area;

for at least a first of the plurality of operational locations, causing a first UAV from the group to perform an infrastructure deployment task that includes (i) a flight from the source location to the first of the plurality of operational locations and (ii) installation of operational infrastructure at the first of the plurality of operational locations by the first UAV;

receiving a request for a transport task having an associated item-source location;

determining that the item-source location corresponds to the first of the plurality of operational locations; and

causing the first UAV to perform the transport task.