Method of controlling autonomous vehicles for delivering a payload to an intended delivery location
View Patent ↗A computer-implemented method of controlling Autonomous Vehicles for delivering a payload to an intended delivery location comprising: identifying a first AV for retrieving a payload from a first location; determining a second location to which the first AV is capable of travelling with the payload from the first location; instructing the first AV to retrieve the payload from the first location and to deliver the payload to the second location; communicating a wireless communication requesting assistance from another AV to deliver the payload from the second location, wherein the wireless communication is in the form of a system information message; in response to the wireless communication, identifying a second AV for retrieving the payload from the second location; and instructing the second AV to retrieve the payload from the second location and to deliver the payload to the intended delivery location.
1 . A computer-implemented method of controlling Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) for delivering a payload to an intended delivery location comprising the steps of:
identifying a first AV for retrieving a payload from a first location;
determining a second location to which the first AV is capable of travelling with the payload from the first location;
instructing the first AV to retrieve the payload from the first location and to deliver the payload to the second location;
communicating a wireless advertisement communication from a first radio access point requesting assistance from another AV to deliver the payload from the second location, wherein the wireless advertisement communication is in the form of a System Information Block (SIB) and/or a Master Information Block (MIB);
in response to the wireless advertisement communication, identifying a second AV for retrieving the payload from the second location; and
instructing the second AV to retrieve the payload from the second location and to deliver the payload to the intended delivery location, wherein
the first AV is a subscriber of a first telecommunications network with which the first radio access point is exclusively associated and the second AV is a subscriber of a second telecommunications network with which a second radio access point is exclusively associated, and
the wireless advertisement communication allows the second AV to receive and process the wireless advertisement communication despite the second AV not being a subscriber of the first telecommunications network and being unable to access the first telecommunication network.
2 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the first AV is registered with said first radio access point.
3 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless advertisement communication comprises the second location and/or the intended delivery location.
4 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the second location is determined in dependence upon a maximum travel range of the first AV.
5 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of retrieving capability information regarding a capability of the second AV to retrieve the payload and to deliver said payload to the intended delivery location, and identifying and/or instructing the second AV in dependence on said capability information.
6 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the second location is performed by the first AV.
7 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the step/s of identifying and/or instructing the second AV is/are performed by the first AV.
8 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 7 , wherein the step of identifying the second AV further comprises the steps of:
broadcasting the wireless advertisement communication; and
in response to the wireless advertisement communication, receiving a reply from the second AV, wherein the second AV is identified in dependence on the reply.
9 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the second location is closer to the intended delivery location than the first location.
10 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the first AV is carrying one or more payload/s to one or more intended delivery location/s, and wherein a plurality of second AVs are identified and instructed to retrieve and to deliver the one or more payload/s to the one or more intended delivery location/s.
11 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless advertisement communication comprises a priority level for a delivery, and wherein said identifying of the second AV is performed in dependence on said priority level.
12 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or the second AV is/are unmanned.
13 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or the second AV is/are an aerial, marine and/or ground vehicle/s.
14 . A non-transitory storage medium carrying computer-readable code representing instructions for causing at least one processor to perform the steps according to claim 1 when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor.
15 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the second location is determined in dependence upon a location of the second AV.
16 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless advertisement communication comprises a current geographical location of the first AV.
17 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless advertisement communication comprises a velocity of the first AV.
18 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein the second AV cannot establish a data bearer session via the first radio access point.
19 . The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , further comprising communicating an acceptance communication from the second AV via the second telecommunications network and the second radio access point, the acceptance communication being indicative of a determination of the second AV being suitable for retrieving the payload from the second location.