Anticipatory dispatch of UAVs to pre-staging locations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12025993-B2
Application number	US-202318213226-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2023
Priority date	Dec 21, 2017
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

An example method involves determining an expected demand level for a first type of a plurality of types of transport tasks for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the first type of transport tasks associated with a first payload type. Each of the UAVs is physically reconfigurable between at least a first and a second configuration corresponding to the first payload type and a second payload type, respectively. The method also involves determining based on the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks, (i) a first number of UAVs having the first configuration and (ii) a second number of UAVs having the second configuration. The method further involves, at or near a time corresponding to the expected demand level, providing one or more UAVs to perform the transport tasks, including at least the first number of UAVs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining, by a control system, an expected demand level corresponding to a demand for a first type of a plurality of types of transport tasks for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), wherein the first type of transport tasks is associated with a first payload type of a plurality of payload types, wherein each of the UAVs is physically reconfigurable between at least a first configuration corresponding to the first payload type and a second configuration corresponding to a second payload type of the plurality of payload types;
determining, by the control system, based on the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks, (i) a first number of UAVs having the first configuration and (ii) a second number of UAVs having the second configuration, wherein each of the first number of UAVs having the first configuration is configured to transport payload items of the first payload type; and
before a time corresponding to the expected demand level, providing one or more UAVs to perform the transport tasks, wherein the one or more UAVs include at least the first number of UAVs with the first configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein payloads of the plurality of payload types are provided by item providers, and wherein an aerial transport service provider (ATSP) operates the UAVs.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the ATSP houses the UAVs at a UAV nest location different from locations of the item providers, wherein the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks indicates expected times at which the first type of transport tasks are predicted to be requested by the item providers, and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, based on distances between the UAV nest location and the locations of the item providers, transit times between the UAV nest location and the locations of the item providers; and
dispatching, based on the transit times, the one or more UAVs from the UAV nest location to arrive at the locations of the item providers at or before the expected times.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein payloads of the plurality of payload types are provided by item providers in a geographic area, and wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, from a first item provider of the item providers in the geographic area and by a first UAV of the first number of UAVs with the first configuration, a first payload item of the first payload type;
receiving, from the first item provider, a destination for the first payload item; and
causing the first UAV to transport the first payload item from a location of the first item provider to the destination.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks indicates (i) source locations from which to pick up payloads of the first payload type and (ii) expected times at which the first type of transport tasks are predicted to be requested.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expected demand level indicates a distribution in a geographic area of item providers expected to request the transport tasks.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks indicates (i) destinations to which to deliver payload items of the first payload type and, (ii) expected times at which deliveries of the payload items of the first payload type are predicted to be requested, and wherein providing the one or more UAVs to perform the transport tasks comprises:
dispatching, based on the expected times, the first number of UAVs carrying payload items of the first type to the destinations.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
configuring the first number of UAVs to have the first configuration by swapping one or more components of the first number of UAVs for components of a first type.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
configuring the second number of UAVs to have the second configuration by swapping one or more components of the second number of UAVs for components of a second type, wherein the one or more UAVs provided to perform the transport tasks additionally include at least the second number of UAVs with the second configuration.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein configuring the first number of UAVs to have the first configuration comprises configuring the first number of UAVs with a first type of payload container configured to carry payload items of the first payload type, wherein configuring the second number of UAVs to have the second configuration comprises configuring the second number of UAVs with a second type of payload container configured to carry payload items of a second payload type of the plurality of payload types, wherein the second payload type is different from the first payload type.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein payload items of the first payload type comprise food items, and wherein the first type of payload container comprises an insulated cavity configured to receive the food items.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the expected demand level is a first expected demand level, and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, for a geographic area to which the first expected demand level corresponds, a second expected demand level corresponding to a demand for a second type of transport tasks of the plurality of types of transport tasks, wherein the second type of transport tasks is associated with a second payload type of the plurality of payload types; and
determining the first number of UAVs having the first configuration and the second number of UAVs having the second configuration further based on the second expected demand level for the second type of transport tasks, wherein the one or more UAVs provided to perform the transport tasks additionally include at least the second number of UAVs with the second configuration.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the one or more UAVs to perform the transport tasks comprises:
before the time corresponding to the expected demand level, dispatching the one or more UAVs to a plurality of pre-staging locations distributed throughout a geographic area to which the expected demand level corresponds, wherein each of the plurality of pre-staging locations is configured to accommodate landing of at least one UAV thereon.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
in response to receiving requests for the first type of transport tasks, dispatching the UAVs with the first configuration from the plurality of pre-staging locations to perform the first type of transport tasks.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the plurality of pre-staging locations comprises one or more of:
landing structures distributed throughout the geographic area; or
features of an environment within the geographic area.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining the plurality of pre-staging locations to which to dispatch the one or more UAVs based on the expected demand level.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein payload items of the plurality of payload types are provided by item providers in the geographic area, and wherein at least one pre-staging location of the plurality of pre-staging locations is within a threshold distance of at least one of the item providers.

18. A system comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
determining an expected demand level corresponding to a de

Assignees

• Wing Aviation Llc

Inventors

• Blake Jesse
• Schmalzried James
• Velez Scott
• Prager Andre
• Teller Eric
• Nubbe Matthew

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

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

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64U2101/64

  for parcel delivery or retrieval · CPC title

• B64U10/20

  Vertical take-off and landing [VTOL] aircraft (flying platforms B64U10/13; helicopters B64U10/17) · CPC title

• B64U10/25

  Fixed-wing aircraft (VTOL aircraft B64U10/20) · CPC title