IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,150,646
Granted Patent B2
US 11,150,646 · App. 16/253,908 · Granted Oct 19, 2021

Delivery with swarming aerial vehicles

Inventors: Pavel Ivanov (Tampere, FI); Artem Vassilyev (Tampere, FI); Stanislav Krainikov (Tampere, FI); Tatiana Vyunova (Tampere, FI)
Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
G05D1/0027B64C39/024G05D1/0022G05D1/104G06Q10/08355B64C2201/128G01W1/02G01W1/10
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,150,646
App. No.
16/253,908
Granted
Oct 19, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments include apparatus and methods for dispatching package delivery by aerial vehicles. The embodiments include a route module, a wind model, and a dispatcher. The route module is configured to generate a route for package delivery. The wind model configured to store wind factors associated with geographic areas and provide one or more wind factors associated with the route for package delivery. The dispatcher is configured to identify one or more aerial vehicles for assistance of package delivery in response to the one or more wind factors associated with the route and send a message to the one or more aerial vehicles.

Claims (48)

1. A method for package delivery by aerial vehicles, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a route;

accessing a wind model according to the route from a database;

performing, by a processor, a comparison of a wind factor from the wind model that corresponds to at least a portion of the route to a package assistance threshold;

selecting one or more aerial vehicle identifiers based on the comparison of the wind factor to the package assistance threshold;

generating a message for assistance for delivery of a package; and

sending the message for assistance to one or more aerial vehicles according to the aerial vehicle identifiers.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a number of aerial vehicle based on the comparison of the wind factor to the package assistance threshold; and

sending the message for assistance to the number of aerial vehicles, wherein the aerial vehicles are configured to couple to the package.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more aerial vehicles includes a master node that relays commands to a plurality of slave nodes.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a property of a package associated with the route; and

calculating the package assistance threshold based on the property of the package.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the route is a first route, the method further comprising:

calculating the first route to a destination for package delivery; and

calculating a second route as an alternate for package delivery to the destination, wherein the second route is based on availability of the one or more aerial vehicles.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

assigning an initial aerial vehicle as a master node; and

assigning other aerial vehicles as slave nodes, wherein the master node is configured to generate a command for at least one of the slave nodes.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a pattern for the one or more aerial vehicles based on the comparison of the wind factor to the package assistance threshold, wherein the message for assistance designates the pattern for the one or more aerial vehicles.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving weather data; and

modifying the wind factor according to the weather data, wherein the modified wind factor is compared to the package assistance threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating a code based on one or more properties of the package, wherein the one or more aerial vehicles are configured to read the code and form a pattern according to the code.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more properties of the package include a weight of the package, a dimension of the package, a center of mass of the package, a sum of dimensions of the package, or a content of the package.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

assigning a first swarming status to an initial aerial vehicle; and

assigning a second swarming status to the one or more aerial vehicles selected for assistance.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving location data from an initial aerial vehicle carrying the package; and

performing a comparison of the location data to the route, wherein the message for assistance for delivery of the package is generated and sent in response to the comparison of the location data to the route indicates a final portion of the delivery.

13. An apparatus for dispatching package delivery by aerial vehicles, the apparatus comprising:

a route module configured to generate a route for package delivery;

a wind model configured to store wind factors associated with geographic areas and provide one or more wind factors associated with the route for package delivery; and

a dispatch module configured to identify one or more aerial vehicle identifiers for assistance of package delivery in response to a comparison of the one or more wind factors associated with the route to a package assistance threshold and send a message to one or more aerial vehicles corresponding to the one or more vehicle identifiers.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the dispatch module; based on the comparison, selects a quantity for the one or more aerial vehicles, a type of aerial vehicle for the one or more aerial vehicles, or a pattern for the one or more aerial vehicles.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the threshold is selected based on a property of a package associated with the route.

16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the dispatch module designates a master node that issues commands to slave nodes.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instruction that when executed by a processor are configured to perform:

receiving a request for a route;

accessing a wind model according to the route from a database;

performing, by a processor, a comparison of a wind factor from the wind model that corresponds to at least a portion of the route to a package assistance threshold;

selecting one or more aerial vehicle identifiers based on the comparison of the wind factor to the package assistance threshold;

generating a message for assistance for delivery of a package; and

sending the message for assistance to one or more aerial vehicles according to the aerial vehicle identifiers.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 8, 2019
From: IVANOV, PAVEL; VASSILYEV, ARTEM; KRAINIKOV, STANISLAV; VYUNOVA, TATIANA
To: HERE GLOBAL B.V.
Reel/Frame 048291/0335 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200233411A1 · Jul 23, 2020
Cited By (1)
US 12,534,231