Delivering selected products with aerial drones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10081437-B2
Application number	US-201615185382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2016
Priority date	Jun 17, 2016
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product optimizes an operation of an aerial drone to transport a product to a customer. Processor(s) receive an order for a product from a customer. In response to determining that the customer is authorized to have the product delivered by the aerial drone, the processor(s) identify a weight, size, item type, and value of the product, and determine whether the aerial drone is physically able to lift and transport the product, based on a distance to the customer and a cost effectiveness of using the aerial drone over another mode of transportation. The aerial drone is coupled to the product and launched. In response to sensors on the aerial drone detecting a change in flight conditions while the aerial drone is flying to the customer, a drone on-board computer disengages an electric motor and engages an internal combustion on the aerial drone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method of optimizing an operation of an aerial drone to transport a product to a customer, the computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, an online order for a product from a customer, wherein the product is initially stored in a warehouse;
determining, by one or more processors, whether the customer is authorized to have the product delivered by an aerial drone, wherein the aerial drone has a predetermined travel range, and wherein the aerial drone has an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power sources for turning propellers on the aerial drone;
in response to determining that the customer is authorized to have the product delivered by the aerial drone, identifying, by one or more processors, a weight, size, item type, and value of the product;
determining, by one or more processors, whether the aerial drone is physically able to lift and transport the product having the identified weight, size, item type, and value while using the electric motor as the power system for the propellers on the aerial drone;
retrieving, by one or more processors, a physical address of the customer;
calculating, by one or more processors, a distance from the warehouse to the physical address of the customer;
comparing, by one or more processors, a first cost of delivering the product using the aerial drone to a second cost of delivering the product using a ground-based mode of transportation;
in response to the distance from the warehouse to the physical address of the customer being less than the predetermined travel range of the aerial drone, and in response to the first cost being less than the second cost, and in response to the aerial drone being physically able to lift and transport the product, assigning, by one or more processors, the aerial drone to deliver the product to the customer;
coupling, via an electrically actuated retention device, the aerial drone to the product;
launching, by a drone on-board computer on the aerial drone, the aerial drone with the product coupled to the aerial drone from the warehouse towards the physical address of the customer, wherein the electric motor is engaged to the propellers on the aerial drone;
receiving, by the drone on-board computer, sensor readings from sensors on the aerial drone, wherein the sensor readings detect a change in flight conditions while the aerial drone is flying between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer; and
in response to the sensors on the aerial drone detecting a change in the flight conditions while the aerial drone is flying between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer, disengaging, by the drone on-board computer, the electric motor from the propellers and engaging an internal combustion engine to the propellers.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, by one or more sensors affixed to the aerial drone, aerial obstacles between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer that the aerial drone must fly around, wherein the aerial obstacles are the change in flight conditions; and
adjusting, by the drone on-board computer, a physical configuration of the aerial drone based on the aerial obstacles between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising:
identifying, by a camera mounted on the aerial drone, the aerial obstacles as a flock of birds, wherein a presence of the flock of birds is the change in flight conditions.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , further comprising:
in response to the sensors affixed to the aerial drone detecting a subsequent change in the flight conditions while the aerial drone is flying between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer, disengaging, by the drone on-board computer, the internal combustion engine from the propellers and engaging the electric motor to the propellers; and
emitting, from a speaker on the aerial drone, a tone between 1 Khz and 4 Khz to disperse the flock of birds.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising:
identifying, by a camera mounted on the aerial drone, the aerial obstacles as another aircraft, wherein a presence of said another aircraft is the change in flight conditions; and
adjusting, by the drone on-board computer, flight control surfaces on the aerial drone to avoid flying near said another aircraft.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, by a set of sensors mounted on the aerial drone, the change in flight conditions as a change in weather conditions between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer, wherein the change in weather conditions presents a hazardous weather condition to the aerial drone; and
adjusting, by the drone on-board computer, flight control surfaces on the aerial drone to avoid flying through the hazardous weather condition.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the value of the product exceeds a predetermined value; and
in response to determining that the value of the product exceeds the predetermined value, removing the product from the aerial drone and placing the product on the ground-based mode of transportation.

8. A computer program product for optimizing an operation of an aerial drone to transport a product to a customer, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:
receiving an online order for a product from a customer, wherein the product is initially stored in a warehouse;
determining whether the customer is authorized to have the product delivered by an aerial drone, wherein the aerial drone has a predetermined travel range, and wherein the aerial drone has an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power sources for turning propellers on the aerial drone;
in response to determining that the customer is authorized to have the product delivered by the aerial drone, identifying a weight, size, item type, and value of the product;
determining whether the aerial drone is physically able to lift and transport the product having the identified weight, size, item type, and value while using the electric motor as the power system for the propellers on the aerial drone;
retrieving a physical address of the customer;
calculating a distance from the warehouse to the physical address of the customer;
comparing a first cost of delivering the product using the aerial drone to a second cost of delivering the product using a ground-based mode of transportation;
in response to the distance from the warehouse to the physical address of the customer being less than the predetermined travel range of the aerial drone, and in response to the first cost being less than the second cost, and in response to the aerial drone being physically able to lift and transport the product, assigning the aerial drone to deliver the product to the customer;
coupling, via an electrically actuated retention device, the aerial drone to the product;
launching, by a drone on-board computer on the aerial drone, the aerial drone with the product coupled to the aerial drone from the warehouse towards the physical address of the customer, wherein the electric motor is engaged to the propellers on the aerial drone;
wherein the sensor readings detect a change in flight conditions while the aerial drone is flying between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer; and
in response to the sensors on the aerial dr

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Jalaldeen Ahamed
• Narayana Chivukula V L

Classifications

• G06V20/17

  taken from planes or by drones · CPC title

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• G06V20/13

  Satellite images · CPC title

• B64D2027/026

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G08G5/0039

  Physics · mapped topic