Systems for autonomous item delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018158018-A1
Application number	US-201715832245-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 5, 2017
Priority date	Dec 5, 2016
Publication date	Jun 7, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and systems for autonomous item delivery and/or pick up are provided. IN some aspects, a mothership travels along an item route. One or more autonomous delivery vehicles may be dispatched from the mothership as the mothership progresses along the route. Each of the autonomous delivery vehicles may deliver and/or pick-up one or more items at one or more item locations. In addition, as the mothership progresses along its route, it may also stop to facilitate the manual delivery and/or pick-up of additional items via a human operator. Upon completing their delivery and/or pick up tasks, the autonomous delivery vehicles return to the mothership, either at the point at which they dispatched from the mothership, or at a different location along the item delivery route.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for autonomous item delivery, comprising:
a mothership, comprising:
a freight bay, configured to store one or more autonomous delivery units (ADUs);
a scheduling and control computer, configured to:
identify a set of item transactions along an item route, each item transaction comprising a delivery or a pick-up of an item at an item location;
divide the set into a first set of manual item transactions and a second set of autonomous item transactions for execution by the one or more ADUs;
determine ADU departure and return locations based on the first set and the second set;
generate a mothership manifest indicating the transactions in the first and second set; and
communicate the item transactions in the second set to the one or more ADUs; and

the one or more ADUs, each ADU configured to automatically:
receive item information from the mothership;
travel from the mothership to a location indicated by the item information;
deliver or pick-up an item at the location indicated by the item information; and
return to the mothership.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more ADUs comprise a GPS receiver.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mothership further comprises a mothership control computer, configured to autonomously control the mothership along the item route.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the manifest indicates stop locations for item transactions in the first and second sets, and wherein the mothership control computer is further configured to stop the mothership at the stop locations associated with the first set and second set of item transactions.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mothership further comprises manual driving controls to provide a means for an operator to operate the mothership along the item route.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mothership further comprises a ramp configured to allow ingress and egress by the ADUs to and from the freight bay.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mothership comprises automated loading means for loading an item onto an ADU.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the ADUs comprises item loading means or item drop off means.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the item loading means comprises a scoop.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the autonomous delivery vehicles comprises a bed, and wherein the item drop off means comprises a bed lifting means.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mothership further comprises an item storage system located within the freight bay, and a robotic arm configured to retrieve and store items in the item storage system.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the mothership further comprises a roof structure substantially enclosing the freight bay, and wherein the roof comprises an access portal to provide ingress and egress of aerial ADUs.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the robotic arm is further configured to position an item for pick-up by an ADU via the access portal.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the robotic arm is further configured to retrieve an item from an ADU via the access portal and store the item in the item storage system.

15 . A computer-implemented method for automated transfer of items, the method comprising:
under control of one or more processors of a mothership, identifying a set of item transactions along an item route, each item transaction comprising a delivery or a pick-up of an item at an item location; dividing the set into a first set of manual item transactions and a second set of autonomous item transactions for execution by one or more autonomous delivery units (ADUs) located within the mothership; determining ADU departure and return locations based on the first set and the second set; generating a mothership manifest indicating the transactions in the first and second set; communicating a first item transaction of the second set to a first ADU of the one or more ADUs; at a first ADU departure location, causing the first ADU to leave the mothership to execute the first item transaction; and at a first ADU return location, causing the mothership to receive the first ADU subsequent to execution of the first item transaction.

16 . The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the first ADU return location is different from the first ADU departure location, the method further comprising:
receiving, from the first ADU, a signal indicating that the first item transaction is complete; and sending a signal to the first ADU indicating the first ADU return location.

17 . The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the first item transaction comprises a delivery, the method further comprising:
based at least in part on the mothership manifest, causing an automated loading mechanism of the mothership to retrieve a first item from a storage location within the mothership; and causing the automated loading mechanism to load the item onto the first ADU.

18 . The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the first item transaction comprises a pick-up, the method further comprising, subsequent to the mothership receiving the first ADU:
causing an automated loading mechanism of the mothership to retrieve a first item from the first ADU; and causing the automated loading mechanism to place the first item into a storage location within the mothership.

19 . The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , wherein the first ADU is selected from the one or more ADUs based at least in part on a battery charge status of the first ADU.

20 . The computer-implemented method of claim 15 , further comprising, subsequent to causing the mothership to receive the first ADU:
determining that a battery charge level of the first ADU is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold; communicating a second item transaction of the second set to the first ADU; and at a second ADU departure location, causing the first ADU to leave the mothership to execute the second item transaction.

Assignees

• United States Postal Service

Inventors

• Luckay Ryan
• Dixon Jr Robert E
• Cooil Gregory

Classifications

• B64U80/86

  Land vehicles · CPC title

• G01C21/343

  Calculating itineraries (travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047) · CPC title

• B64U2201/104

  using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• G06Q10/0832 Primary

  Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods · CPC title

• G01C21/3469

  Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects · CPC title