System and method for delivering articles from a start point to a destination point by means of drones

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11587015-B2
Application number	US-201916351725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2019
Priority date	Mar 20, 2018
Publication date	Feb 21, 2023
Grant date	Feb 21, 2023

Abstract

A system for delivering articles (34) from a start point (54) to a destination point (56), having at least one drone (20), which a) has a flight control unit (22) configured for autonomous flying, b) has at least one flight motor realized as an electric motor (24), c) has a battery (28) that supplies the flight motor with voltage, d) has a programmable control (30) unit, and e) on its underside has a coupling (34) for electrical, and preferably also mechanical, connection, having a control center (50), which is wirelessly connected to the control unit (30) of the drone (20), having a mobility network consisting of a fleet of vehicles (44), in particular road vehicles, each vehicle having a drone carrier (40), which has a mating coupling (38) that acts in combination with the coupling (36), and having a digital mobility platform (46), which is wirelessly connected to the fleet of vehicles (44) and which is informed about their travel schedules, drone carriers (40) and current locations of the vehicles (44), and is connected to the control center (50).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for transporting an article from a start point to a destination point, the method comprising:
inputting data of an article, wherein the data comprises the destination point, into a control center; and
planning and organization of a journey of the article to the destination point by the control center, comprising the steps of:
selecting a drone at the start point for the journey,
planning an itinerary, with request to a mobility platform for a drone place for at least one road section, and booking the at least one road section, including planning at least one flight section,
storing the at least partly complete itinerary, and transmitting data of the stored itinerary into a control unit of the drone, and
sending a start command to start the drone, wherein, in the organizing of the journey, proportions of flight sections on the itinerary are weighted with a higher weighting factor than the proportions of road sections on the itinerary, and wherein, for the total distance of the journey, a sum of individual weighting factors times length of the individual sections is minimized.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control center continuously receives data concerning a current location of the drone and checks whether these data correspond with the planned itinerary and, if a deviation is ascertained in this case, the control center calculates a new itinerary.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control center receives information on whether the drone is or is not located on a drone carrier.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, if it is ascertained during the journey of the drone that there is currently no suitable drone carrier in the vicinity of the drone, the control center requests a waiting place and, if the latter is free, causes the drone to park on the waiting place.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the organizing of the journey is configured such that, for a journey, the total sum of the road section is greater than the total sum of the flight section.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, in the case of a transport standstill over a road section, if a location coordinate of the drone does not change for a certain time span, the control center causes the drone to leave the drone carrier and to fly to another drone carrier or, if appropriate, to the destination point.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the proportions of flight sections on the itinerary are weighted with at least twice as great a weighting factor than the proportions of road sections on the itinerary.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the total sum of the road sections is at least twice as great than the total sum of the flight sections.

9. A method for transporting an article from a start point to a destination point, the method comprising:
inputting data of an article, wherein the date comprises the destination point, into a control center; and
planning and organization of a journey of the article to the destination point by the control center, comprising the steps of:
selecting a drone at the destination point for the journey,
planning an itinerary, with request to a mobility platform for a drone place for at least one road section, and booking the at least one road section, including planning at least one flight section,
storing the at least partly complete itinerary, and transmitting data of the stored itinerary into a control unit of the drone, and
sending a start command to start the drone, wherein, in the case of a transport standstill over a road section, if a location coordinate of the drone does not change for a certain time span, the control center causes the drone to leave the drone carrier and to fly to another drone carrier or, if appropriate, to the destination point.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Longin David
• Gijbels Mark

Classifications

• G08G5/32

  for flight plan preparation · CPC title

• G08G5/25

  Transmission of traffic-related information between aircraft · CPC title

• B64U80/30

  with arrangements for data transmission · CPC title

• B64U2101/64

  for parcel delivery or retrieval · CPC title

• B64U80/25

  for recharging batteries; for refuelling · CPC title