Method and apparatus for dispatching an airborne drone to carry an item to a customer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10474983-B2
Application number	US-201615344095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2016
Priority date	Nov 6, 2015
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A control circuit dispatches towards a delivery zone a terrestrial vehicle that carries at least one airborne drone and at least one item to be delivered to a customer. When the terrestrial vehicle is in the delivery zone, the drone is dispatched to carry the item to the customer. By one approach the drone exits the terrestrial vehicle without bearing the item. The item can be automatically moved from within the terrestrial vehicle to a position such that the item is at least partially exposed external to the terrestrial vehicle. The airborne drone, subsequent to exiting the terrestrial vehicle, can engage the item in order to then deliver that item to the customer. By one approach the terrestrial vehicle includes one or more platforms that support one or more airborne drones and that can be moved from within the terrestrial vehicle to a deployed position external to the terrestrial vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
by a control circuit:
dispatching a terrestrial vehicle that carries at least one airborne drone and at least one item to be delivered to a customer towards a delivery zone;
when the terrestrial vehicle is in the delivery zone, dispatching the airborne drone to carry the item to the customer by, at least in part:
when the terrestrial vehicle is in the delivery zone, causing the airborne drone to exit the terrestrial vehicle without the item by opening a portal through a backside of the terrestrial vehicle and moving a platform that supports the airborne drone through the portal such that the airborne drone is fully positioned external to the terrestrial vehicle;
moving the item from within the terrestrial vehicle to a position such that the item is at least partially exposed external to the terrestrial vehicle;
when the terrestrial vehicle is in the delivery zone, and after the airborne drone has exited the terrestrial vehicle without the item, causing the airborne drone to engage the item.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein causing the airborne drone to exit the terrestrial vehicle without the item comprises causing the airborne drone to exit the terrestrial vehicle while the terrestrial vehicle is stationary.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is physically remote from the terrestrial vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the terrestrial vehicle carries a plurality of airborne drones and a plurality of items to be delivered to a plurality of different customers within the delivery zone.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein dispatching the airborne drone to carry the item to the customer comprises dispatching a first airborne drone to carry a first one of the items to a first customer and dispatching a second airborne drone to carry a second one of the items to a second customer that is different than the first customer.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein dispatching the airborne drone to carry the item to the customer comprises dispatching a first airborne drone to carry a first one of the items to the customer and dispatching a second airborne drone to carry a second one of the items to the same customer.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a terrestrial vehicle that carries at least one airborne drone and at least one item to be delivered to a customer in a delivery zone, wherein the airborne drone is configured to engage the item after the airborne drone has exited the terrestrial vehicle without the item and wherein the terrestrial vehicle is configured to automatically move the item from within the terrestrial vehicle to a position such that the item is at least partially exposed external to the terrestrial vehicle such that the airborne drone can engage the item;
a control circuit configured to dispatch the airborne drone to carry the item to the customer when the terrestrial vehicle is in the delivery zone by, at least in part:
when the terrestrial vehicle is in the delivery zone, causing the airborne drone to exit the terrestrial vehicle without the item by opening a portal through a backside of the terrestrial vehicle and moving a platform that supports the airborne drone through the portal such that the airborne drone is fully positioned external to the terrestrial vehicle.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the control circuit is configured to cause the airborne drone to exit the terrestrial vehicle without the item by causing the airborne drone to exit the terrestrial vehicle while the terrestrial vehicle is stationary.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the terrestrial vehicle carries a plurality of airborne drones and a plurality of items to be delivered to a plurality of different customers within the delivery zone.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the control circuit is configured to dispatch the airborne drone to carry the item to the customer by dispatching a first airborne drone to carry a first one of the items to a first customer and dispatching a second airborne drone to carry a second one of the items to a second customer that is different than the first customer.

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• High Donald R
• Thompson John P
• Atchley Michael D
• Natarajan Chandrashekar

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

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

• B64U80/86

  Land vehicles · CPC title

• G06Q10/083 Primary

  Shipping · CPC title

• B64F1/007

  Helicopter portable landing pads · CPC title

• G06Q10/0833 Primary

  Tracking · CPC title