Secure payload deliveries via unmanned aerial vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9646283-B2
Application number	US-201414282419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2014
Priority date	May 20, 2014
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A device receives a request for a flight path for a UAV to travel from a first location to a second location, and determines capability information for the UAV based on component information of the UAV. The device calculates the flight path based on the capability information, and generates flight path instructions that include delivery confirmation instructions. The device provides the flight path instructions to the UAV to permit the UAV to travel from the first location to the second location to deliver a payload, and obtains, based on the delivery confirmation instructions, user credentials associated with a user at the second location. The device determines whether the user is an authorized recipient of the payload, based on the user credentials, and causes the UAV to selectively deliver the payload to the user based on whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, a request for a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from a first geographical location to a second geographical location;
determining, by the device, capability information for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on component information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle;
calculating, by the device, the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the capability information;
generating, by the device, flight path instructions, for the flight path, that include delivery confirmation instructions;
transmitting, by the device, the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to travel, based on the flight path instructions, from the first geographical location to the second geographical location to deliver a payload;
obtaining, by the device and based on the delivery confirmation instructions, user credentials associated with a user at the second geographical location,
the user credentials including at least one of:
an image of the user captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle, or
an audio file, of a voice of the user, captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determining, by the device, whether the user is an authorized recipient of the payload, based on the user credentials; and
controlling, by the device, the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload to the user based on whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the user credentials are received from the user by the unmanned aerial vehicle and transmitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle to the device.

3. The method of claim 1 , where the controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload includes:
controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver the payload to the user when the user is the authorized recipient of the payload; or
controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to not deliver the payload to the user and to leave the second geographical location when the user is not the authorized recipient of the payload.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a notification indicating that the payload is delivered to the user when the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

5. The method of claim 1 , where the user credentials further include at least one of:
a confirmation code transmitted to a user device associated with the user, or
an authentication mechanism transmitted to the user device.

6. The method of claim 5 , where:
the confirmation code includes at least one of:
a bar code,
a quick response (QR) code,
a word,
a numeric code,
an alphabetical code, or
an alphanumeric code; and

the authentication mechanism includes at least one of:
a private encryption key,
a public encryption key,
a certificate, or
a password.

7. The method of claim 1 , where the determining whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload comprises at least one of:
determining, based on facial recognition, whether the image of the user captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle matches another image stored by the device;
determining, based on audio recognition, whether the audio file, of the voice of the user, captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle, matches another audio file stored by the device;
determining whether a confirmation code, transmitted to a user device associated with the user, is received by the unmanned aerial vehicle; or
determining whether an authentication mechanism, transmitted to the user device, is received by the unmanned aerial vehicle.

8. A device, comprising:
a memory to store instructions; and
one or more processors, to execute the instructions, to:
receive a request for a flight path for an unmanned aerial vehicle to travel from a first geographical location to a second geographical location in a region;
determine capability information for the unmanned aerial vehicle based on component information associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle;
calculate the flight path from the first geographical location to the second geographical location based on the capability information and based on one or more of weather information, air traffic information, obstacle information, or regulatory information associated with the region;
generate flight path instructions, for the flight path, that include delivery confirmation instructions;
transmit the flight path instructions to the unmanned aerial vehicle to permit the unmanned aerial vehicle to travel, based on the flight path instructions, from the first geographical location to the second geographical location to deliver a payload;
obtain, based on the delivery confirmation instructions, user credentials associated with a user at the second geographical location,
the user credentials including at least one of:
an image of the user captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle, or
an audio file, of a voice of the user, captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle;

determine whether the user is an authorized recipient of the payload, based on the user credentials; and
control the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload to the user based on whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

9. The device of claim 8 , where the user credentials are received from the user by the unmanned aerial vehicle and transmitted by the unmanned aerial vehicle to the device.

10. The device of claim 8 , where, when controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively deliver the payload, the one or more processors are to:
control the unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver the payload to the user when the user is the authorized recipient of the payload; or
control the unmanned aerial vehicle to not deliver the payload to the user and to leave the second geographical location when the user is not the authorized recipient of the payload.

11. The device of claim 8 , where the one or more processors are further to:
receive a notification indicating that the payload is delivered to the user when the user is the authorized recipient of the payload.

12. The device of claim 8 , where the user credentials further include at least one of:
a confirmation code transmitted to a user device associated with the user, or
an authentication mechanism transmitted to the user device.

13. The device of claim 8 , where the one or more processors are further to:
instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to not deliver the payload unless the authorized recipient is visible to the unmanned aerial vehicle; or
instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to scan the second geographical location for humans or animals and to not deliver the payload if any humans or animals are present at the second geographical location.

14. The device of claim 8 , where, when determining whether the user is the authorized recipient of the payload, the one or more processors are to at least one of:
determine, based on facial recognition, whether the image of the user captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle matches another image stored by the device;
determine, based on audio recognition, whether the audio file, of the voice of the user, captured by the unmanned aerial vehicle, matches another audio file stored by the device;
determine whether a confirmation code, transmitted to a user device associated with the user, is received by the unmanned aerial vehicle; or
determine whether an authentication mechanism, transmitted to the user device, is received by the unmanned aerial vehicle.

Assignees

• Verizon Patent & Licensing Inc

Inventors

• Kantor Igor
• Srivastava Ashok N
• Pasko Douglas M
• Batla Hani
• Ubhi Gurpreet

Classifications

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64D1/02

  Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles (jettisonable fuel reservoirs B64D37/12) · CPC title

• B64C39/024

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title

• B64C2201/128

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64C2201/146

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic