Waterborne parcel transport

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11249481-B2
Application number	US-201916577014-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 20, 2019
Priority date	Sep 20, 2019
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A method for transporting a parcel comprises a marine unmanned vehicle (MUMV) receiving a waterproof tote, coupling the tote to a tether, and towing the tether and the tote, with the tether floating on the transport waterway and the tote immersed in the the transport waterway, to a delivery location. The method can include an MUMV receiving the tote from, and/or delivering the tote to, an aerial vehicle. An unmanned water transport system (UWTS) comprises an MUMV, a floating tether, and a waterproof tote containing a parcel for transport on a transport waterway. The MUMV and tether are configured to tow the tether, with the tether floating on the transport waterway, and the tote coupled to the tether and immersed in the water of the transport waterway, to transport the tote from a source location to a delivery location on the transport waterway. The UWTS can perform the method.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising a first marine unmanned vehicle (MUMV):
receiving, at a source location of a transport waterway, a waterproof tote, the waterproof tote containing a parcel for transport to a delivery location, the waterproof tote configured to transport the parcel, via the transport waterway, with the waterproof tote immersed, at least partially, in water of the transport waterway, the source location comprising a land location for delivering the waterproof tote to the first MUMV, the delivery location comprising a land location for receiving the waterproof tote from the first MUMV;
coupling the waterproof tote to a tether, the tether coupled to the first MUMV, the tether having a buoyancy to float on the water of the transport waterway, the tether and the waterproof tote configured to couple the waterproof tote to the tether with the tether floating on the water of the transport waterway and the waterproof tote immersed, at least partially, in the water of the transport waterway, the first MUMV and the tether configured to tow the waterproof tote from the source location to the delivery location with the waterproof tote coupled to the tether and immersed, at least partially, in the water of the transport waterway; and,
transporting, from the source location to the delivery location, the waterproof tote on the transport waterway by towing the tether with the tether floating on the water of the transport waterway and the waterproof tote coupled to the tether and immersed in the water of the transport waterway.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tether comprises a net, the net configured to float on the water of the transport waterway; and,
wherein the method the transporting the waterproof tote on the transport waterway comprises the first MUMV transporting the waterproof tote on the transport waterway by the first MUMV towing the tether and the net with the waterproof tote contained within the net.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of the waterproof tote and the parcel contained within the waterproof tote comprises an identification (ID) tag, the ID tag comprising one of an electronically readable ID tag and a visually readable ID tag; and,
wherein the method further comprises identifying one of the waterproof tote and the parcel using the ID tag.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method the first MUMV receiving the waterproof tote comprises the first MUMV receiving the waterproof tote from an aerial vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising receiving the waterproof tote, from the first MUMV, at the delivery location, by an aerial vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises coupling a second MUMV to the tether; and,
wherein the method the transporting the waterproof tote from the source location to the delivery location comprises transporting the waterproof tote from the source location to the delivery location by the first and the second MUVM towing the tether, with the tether floating on the water of the transport waterway and the waterproof tote coupled to the tether and immersed in the water of the transport waterway.

7. The method of claim 6 , the method further comprising de-coupling, from the tether, in response to a condition of one of the first and the second MUMV, while transporting the waterproof tote, on the transport waterway from the source location to the delivery location, the condition comprising one of a failure of the one of the first and the second MUMV and the combination of the first and the second MUMV towing the tether providing more power than required to tow the tether.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises, in response to the decoupling the one of the first and the second MUMV from the tether, coupling to the tether a third MUMV; and,
wherein the method the transporting the waterproof tote on the transport waterway comprises transporting the waterproof tote on the transport waterway by the first and the third MUVM towing the tether, with the waterproof tote coupled to the tether and immersed in the water of the transport waterway.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tether is further configured to couple a plurality of waterproof totes;
wherein the first MUMV and the tether are further configured to tow the plurality of waterproof totes coupled to the tether with waterproof totes, among the plurality of waterproof totes, immersed in the water of the transport waterway; and,
wherein the method the transporting the waterproof tote on the transport waterway comprises the first MUMV towing the tether, with the waterproof tote among the plurality of waterproof totes coupled to the tether, on the transport waterway.

10. An unmanned water transport system (UWTS) comprising:
a first marine unmanned vehicle (MUMV) configured to navigate in water of a transport waterway;
a tether coupled to the first MUMV, the tether configured to float on the water of the transport waterway; and,
a waterproof tote containing a parcel for transport from a source location to a delivery location, the waterproof tote configured to transport the parcel, via the transport waterway, with the waterproof tote immersed in the water of the transport waterway, the source location comprising a land location for delivering the waterproof tote to the first MUMV, the delivery location comprising a land location for receiving the waterproof tote from the first MUMV,
wherein the waterproof tote and the tether are further configured to couple the waterproof tote to the tether with the tether floating on the water of the transport waterway and the waterproof tote immersed, at least partially, in the water of the transport waterway; and,
wherein the first MUMV and the tether are further configured to transport the waterproof tote from the source location to the delivery location, via the transport waterway, by the first MUMV towing the tether with the tether floating on the water of the transport waterway and the waterproof tote, coupled to the tether and immersed, at least partially, in the water of the transport waterway.

11. The UWTS of claim 10 , wherein the tether configured to float on the water of the transport waterway comprises the tether configured to float on the water of the transport waterway by means, at least in part, of a float coupled to the tether.

12. The UWTS of claim 10 , wherein the UWTS further comprises a plurality of MUMVs coupled to the tether to tow the tether and the waterproof tote on the transport waterway, the first MUMV among the plurality of MUMVs;
wherein the UWTS further comprises a control center, the control center configured to receive a message indicating that the plurality of MUMVs has more power, in combination, than necessary to transport the waterproof tote; and,
wherein the control center is configured to, in response to receiving the message, direct a second MUMV, among the plurality of MUMVs, to decouple from the tether.

13. The UWTS of claim 10 , wherein the waterproof tote comprises a mechanical latch, the latch configured to open and close to couple the waterproof tote to the tether at an attachment point of the tether.

14. The UWTS of claim 10 , wherein the UWTS further comprises a control center, the control center configured to receive a message indicating that the first MUMV has insufficient power to tow the tether and the waterproof tote on the transport waterway, and, in response to receiving the message, direct a second MUMV to a location, on the transport waterway, of the first MUMV; and,
wherein the first and second MUMV are configured to, in response to the second MUMV

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Kline Eric Vance
• Rakshit Sarbajit Kumar

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64U2101/64

  for parcel delivery or retrieval · CPC title

• B63B27/32

  using cableways · CPC title

• B63B21/62 Primary

  characterised by moving of more than one vessel (rigid interconnections between pontoons B63B35/38) · CPC title

• B63B2035/007

  autonomously operating · CPC title