Vehicle and drone management system
The disclosure provides a system and method of delivering packages. The system may include a plurality of land vehicles that transport a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to locations within a distance of delivery destinations. The system may determine, based on a number of packages to be delivered to destinations in a geographical area, a number of land vehicles to carry the packages to within a UAV round-trip range of each of the destinations. The system may allocate the number of packages to the number of land vehicles. The system may determine a route for each land vehicle that brings the land vehicle within the UAV round-trip range of each destination. The system may dispatch the UAVs carrying the packages from the land vehicle at dispatch locations along the respective route.
1. A method of delivering packages, comprising:
determining, based on a number of packages to be delivered to destinations in a geographical area, a number of land vehicles to carry the packages to within an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) round-trip range of each of the destinations, wherein each land vehicle carries at least one UAV capable of delivering at least one of the number of packages to one of the destinations within the UAV round-trip range;
allocating the number of packages to the number of land vehicles, each land vehicle being allocated a set of destinations;
determining a route for each land vehicle that brings the land vehicle within the UAV round-trip range of each destination within the set of destinations, wherein determining the route for each land vehicle comprises:
establishing a dispatch area for each destination by determining a radius around each destination, wherein the radius is within the UAV round-trip range;
detecting locations where dispatch areas for different destinations overlap;
assigning a dispatch location at a location where the most dispatch areas overlap;
removing destinations covered by the selected dispatch location from the set of destinations; and
assigning another dispatch location until every destination is covered by a respective dispatch location, wherein each dispatch location allows parking of the land vehicle; and
dispatching, for each destination, the at least one UAV carrying the package from the land vehicle at the selected dispatch location for the destination along the respective route, wherein each land vehicle includes a UAV bay for storing one or more UAVs and UAV support equipment, and wherein dispatching includes refreshing power on the at least one UAV to increase or maintain the UAV round-trip range.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispatching comprises providing the UAV with an aerial route from the dispatch location to the respective destination and then to a pickup location on the route.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the dispatch location and the pickup location are the same.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the aerial route comprises geographic coordinates of the dispatch location, the respective destination, and the pickup location and autonomous navigation rules.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the autonomous navigation rules include indications of restricted areas proximate the respective destination.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the number of land vehicles is based on a range and a capacity of each land vehicle and the UAV round-trip range.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the UAV round-trip range is based on one or more of battery capacity, battery charge level, altitude, temperature, wind speed, package weight, and safety margin.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the number of land vehicles comprises dividing the geographical area into a number of zones.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the route for each land vehicle comprises selecting the route between the dispatch locations based on speed or distance.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the destinations include pick up locations where at least one UAV is to pick up a package and transport the package to the land vehicle, the method further comprising dispatching, for each pick up location, the at least one UAV at the dispatch location along the respective route.
11. A system for delivering packages, comprising:
a plurality of land vehicles;
a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wherein each of the plurality of land vehicles carries at least one of the plurality of UAVs, wherein each land vehicle includes a UAV bay for storing one or more UAVs and UAV support equipment; and
a computer system comprising a memory storing computer executable instructions and a processor configured to:
determine, based on a number of packages to be delivered to destinations in a geographical area, a number of the land vehicles to carry the packages to within a UAV round-trip range of each of the destinations;
allocate the number of packages to the number of land vehicles, each land vehicle being allocated a set of destinations;
determine a route for each land vehicle that brings the land vehicle within the UAV round-trip range of each destination within the set of destinations, wherein the processor is configured to determine the route by:
establishing a dispatch area for each destination by determining a radius around each destination, wherein the radius is within the UAV round-trip range;
detecting locations where dispatch areas for different destinations overlap;
assigning a dispatch location at a location where the most dispatch areas overlap;
removing destinations covered by the selected dispatch location from the set of destinations; and
assigning another dispatch location until every destination is covered by a respective dispatch location, wherein each dispatch location allows parking of the land vehicle; and
dispatch, for each destination, a UAV carrying the package from the land vehicle at the selected dispatch location for the destination along the respective route, wherein the UAV bay is configured to refresh power on the at least one UAV to increase or maintain the UAV round-trip range.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to provide the UAV with an aerial route from the dispatch location to the respective destination and then to a pickup location on the route.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the dispatch location and the pickup location are the same.
14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the aerial route comprises coordinates of the dispatch location, respective destination, and pickup location, and autonomous navigation rules.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the autonomous navigation rules include indications of restricted areas proximate the respective destination.
16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to determine the number of land vehicles based on a range and a capacity of each land vehicle and the UAV round-trip range.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the UAV round-trip range is based on one or more of battery capacity, battery charge level, altitude, temperature, wind speed, package weight, and safety margin.
18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the destinations include pick up locations where one of the UAVs is to pick up a package and transport the package to the land vehicle, wherein the processor is configured to dispatch, for each pick up location, the at least one UAV at the dispatch location along the respective route.