Systems and methods for monitoring the internal storage contents of a shipment storage using one or more internal monitor drones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11068836-B2
Application number	US-202016849207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2020
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A drone-based monitored storage system includes a shipment storage with an interior storage area and a drone storage area, an internal docking station, and an internal monitor drone disposed within the shipment storage that aerially monitors the items being shipped within the interior storage area. The monitor drone includes an airframe, battery, onboard controller, lifting engines and lifting rotors responsive to flight control input, communication interface, sensor array that gathers sensory information as the drone moves within the interior shipment storage area of the shipment storage, and a drone capture interface that can selectively mate to the internal docking station to hold the monitor drone in a secure position. The monitor drone can gather the sensory information (such as environment information, image information, multidimensional mapping information, and scanned symbol information) and autonomously detect conditions of items being shipped based upon the sensory information from the sensor array.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A multiple drone-based monitored storage system, comprising:
a shipment storage comprising
a closable entry providing access to within the shipment storage,
an interior shipment storage area within the shipment storage, the interior shipment storage area being accessible through the closable entry and operative to temporarily maintain custody of a plurality of items being shipped within the shipment storage, and
a plurality of drone storage areas respectively disposed at different locations within the shipment storage;

a plurality of internal docking stations fixed within respectively different ones of the drone storage areas;
a plurality of internal monitor drones initially disposed on respective ones of the internal docking stations, wherein each of the internal monitor drones having a sensor array that gathers sensory information as the respective internal monitor drone moves within a part of the interior shipment storage area of the shipment storage; and
wherein a first of the internal monitor drones is operative, as part of the system, to
move from a first of the internal docking stations to a first initial airborne position within the shipment storage as part of a first airborne monitoring path within a first part of the interior shipment storage area of the shipment storage, and
aerially monitor a first part of the items being shipped within the interior shipment storage area using the sensor array on the first of the internal monitor drones as the first of the internal monitor drones transits the first airborne monitoring path within the shipment storage from the first initial airborne position;

wherein a second of the internal monitor drones is operative, as part of the system, to
move from a second of the internal docking stations to a second initial airborne position within the shipment storage as part of a second airborne monitoring path within a second part of the interior shipment storage area within the shipment storage, and
aerially monitor a second part of the items being shipped within the interior shipment storage area using the sensor array on the second of the internal monitor drones as the second of the internal monitor drones transits the second airborne monitoring path within the shipment storage from the second initial airborne position; and

wherein one of the first of the internal monitor drones and the second of the internal monitor drones autonomously detects a condition of the items being shipped based upon sensory information generated when monitoring the items being shipped within the interior shipment storage area by the first of the internal monitor drones and the second of the internal monitor drones.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor array of at least the first of the internal monitor drones comprises an environment sensor that detects environmental information as the gathered sensory information, wherein the sensed environmental information is relative to a plurality of airborne locations within the shipment storage as the first of the internal monitor drones transits the first airborne monitoring path; and
wherein the first of the internal monitor drones autonomously detects the condition of the of the items being shipped by being further operative to automatically identify an environmental condition related to the first part of the items being shipped based upon the sensed environmental information.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the sensor array of the second of the internal monitor drones comprises a second environment sensor that detects environmental information as the gathered sensory information, wherein the environmental information sensed by the second environment sensor is relative to a second plurality of airborne locations within the shipment storage as the second of the internal monitor drones transits the second airborne monitoring path; and
wherein the second of the internal monitor drones autonomously detects the condition of the items being shipped by being further operative to automatically identify an environmental condition related to the second part of the items being shipped based upon the environmental information sensed by the second environment sensor.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the environmental condition related to the first part of the items being shipped comprises at least one of a movement condition as sensed by at least three from a group consisting of a motion sensor operating as part of the environmental sensor, a light condition as sensed by a light sensor operating as part of the environmental sensor, a sound condition as sensed by a microphone operating as part of the environmental sensor, a temperature condition as sensed by a temperature sensor operating as part of the environmental sensor, a smoke condition as sensed by a smoke sensor operating as part of the environmental sensor, a humidity condition as sensed by a moisture sensor operating as part of the environmental sensor, and a pressure condition as sensed by a pressure sensor operating as part of the environmental sensor.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor array of at least the first of the internal monitor drones comprises an image sensor that captures a plurality of images of the first part of the items being shipped while the first of the internal monitor drones transits the first airborne monitoring path; and
wherein the first of the internal monitor drones autonomously detects the condition of the items being shipped by being further operative to automatically identify a configuration change as the condition of the first part of the items being shipped based upon a comparison of at least two of the captured images as performed by the first of the internal monitor drones.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor array of at least the first of the internal monitor drones comprises a depth sensor that maps a configuration of at least the first part of the interior shipment storage area of the shipment storage as the first of the internal monitor drones transits the first airborne monitoring path within the first part of the interior shipment storage area of the shipment storage, the configuration of the first part of the interior shipment storage area represented as a multi-dimensional mapping of at least the first part of the items being shipped within the first part of the interior shipment storage area of the shipment storage; and
wherein the first of the internal monitor drones autonomously detects the condition of the items being shipped by being further operative to automatically identify a change in the multi-dimensional mapping of at least the first part of the items being shipped over time as the first of the internal monitor drones repeatedly transits the first airborne monitoring path.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor array of at least the first of the internal monitor drones comprises a scanning sensor that scans an identification symbol fixed to one of the first part of the items being shipped as the first of the internal monitor drones transits the first airborne monitoring path.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the identification symbol comprises a barcode symbol identifying shipping information related to the one item.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the identification symbol comprises a sign affixed to the one item, the sign identifying shipment loading information related to placement of the one item when being shipped within the shipment storage.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first of the internal monitor drones is further operative to:
autonomously determine a loading status of the one item based by comparing the identification symbol as scanned by the scanning sensor

Assignees

• Federal Express Corp

Inventors

• Burch V Reuben F
• Doyle David A
• Popp Brian D

Classifications

• B64U80/82

  Airborne vehicles · 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

• B64U2201/00

  UAVs characterised by their flight controls · CPC title

• B64U2101/30

  for imaging, photography or videography · CPC title

• G05D1/656

  Interaction with payloads or external entities · CPC title