Ground-based mobile maintenance facilities for unmanned aerial vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9718564-B1
Application number	US-201715461038-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 16, 2017
Priority date	Mar 16, 2017
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

Intermodal vehicles may be loaded with items and an aerial vehicle, and directed to travel to areas where demand for the items is known or anticipated. The intermodal vehicles may be coupled to locomotives, container ships, road tractors or other vehicles, and equipped with systems for loading one or more items onto the aerial vehicle, and for launching or retrieving the aerial vehicle while the intermodal vehicles are in motion. The areas where the demand is known or anticipated may be identified on any basis, including but not limited to past histories of purchases or deliveries to such areas, or events that are scheduled to occur in such areas. Additionally, intermodal vehicles may be loaded with replacement parts and/or inspection equipment, and configured to conduct repairs, servicing operations or inspections on aerial vehicles within the intermodal vehicles, while the intermodal vehicles are in motion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile system comprising:
a locomotive;
a first well car, wherein the first well car is coupled to the locomotive;
a first intermodal maintenance vehicle disposed on the first well car, wherein the first intermodal maintenance vehicle comprises a plurality of batteries, at least one robotic arm and at least one system for launching an aerial vehicle or retrieving the aerial vehicle within a compartment of the first intermodal maintenance vehicle;
at least one computer system in communication with at least the locomotive, the first intermodal maintenance vehicle and a first aerial vehicle, wherein the at least one computer system is configured to execute a method comprising:
causing the locomotive and the first well car to travel in a predetermined direction on a first set of rails;
determining that a power level of a first battery aboard the first aerial vehicle is below a predetermined threshold at a first time, wherein the locomotive and the first well car are traveling in the predetermined direction on the first set of rails at the first time;
determining a position of the first aerial vehicle;
determining a rendezvous point for the first aerial vehicle and the first intermodal maintenance vehicle on the first set of rails based at least in part on at least one of the position of the first aerial vehicle or the power level;
determining a first course and a first speed for the first aerial vehicle based at least in part on the power level and the rendezvous point;
causing the first aerial vehicle to travel to the rendezvous point at the first course and the first speed;
causing the locomotive and the first well car to travel to the rendezvous point at a second speed on the first set of rails;
retrieving the first aerial vehicle within the compartment of the first intermodal maintenance vehicle by the at least one system while the locomotive is in motion on the first set of rails;
removing the first battery from the first aerial vehicle within the compartment of the first intermodal maintenance vehicle by the at least one robotic arm; and
installing a second battery into the first aerial vehicle within the compartment of the first intermodal maintenance vehicle by the at least one robotic arm.

2. The mobile system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
after installing the second battery into the first aerial vehicle,
launching the first aerial vehicle from the compartment of the first intermodal maintenance vehicle by the at least one system.

3. The mobile system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second well car, wherein the second well car is coupled to at least one of the locomotive or the first well car; and
a first intermodal carrier disposed on the second well car, wherein the first intermodal carrier vehicle comprises a plurality of items, at least one robotic arm and at least one system for launching an aerial vehicle or retrieving the aerial vehicle within a compartment of the first intermodal carrier,
wherein the at least one computer system is in communication with at least the first intermodal carrier, and
wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, at a second time, a request for a delivery of one of the plurality of items to a location, wherein the second time precedes the first time, wherein the locomotive, the first well car and the second well car are traveling in the predetermined direction on the first set of rails at the second time, and wherein the first aerial vehicle is releasably disposed within the first intermodal carrier at the second time;
loading the one of the plurality of items into the aerial vehicle within the first intermodal carrier;
launching the aerial vehicle from the first intermodal carrier;
causing the aerial vehicle to travel to the location with the item loaded therein; and
causing the aerial vehicle to deposit the item at the location prior to the first time.

4. A method comprising:
determining, by at least one server at a first time, that a first aerial vehicle requires a first servicing operation;
determining, by the at least one server; a first position of the aerial vehicle at the first time;
identifying, by the at least one server, a first intermodal maintenance vehicle configured to perform the first servicing operation on the first aerial vehicle, wherein the first intermodal maintenance vehicle comprises at least one of a replacement part and a robotic arm within a first compartment;
determining, by the at least one server, a second position of the first intermodal maintenance vehicle at the first time;
selecting, by the at least one server, a first rendezvous point for the first aerial vehicle and the first intermodal maintenance vehicle;
causing the first aerial vehicle to travel to the first rendezvous point;
causing the first intermodal maintenance vehicle to travel to the first rendezvous point;
causing the first aerial vehicle to be received within the first compartment of the first intermodal maintenance vehicle; and
performing the servicing operation on the first aerial vehicle within the first compartment.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining a maximum range of the first aerial vehicle at the first time, wherein the maximum range of the first aerial vehicle is determined with respect to the first position;
identifying a plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles within the maximum range of the first aerial vehicle at the first time; and
selecting one of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles,
wherein the first intermodal maintenance vehicle is the selected one of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein selecting the one of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles further comprises:
determining, for each of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles, a rendezvous point for the intermodal maintenance vehicle and the first aerial vehicle;
determining, for each of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles, at least one of:
a net distance between the first position and the rendezvous point of the intermodal maintenance vehicle;
a net time for the performance of the first servicing operation by the intermodal maintenance vehicle; or
a net cost for the performance of the first servicing operation by the intermodal maintenance vehicle; and

selecting the one of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles based at least in part on the at least one of the net distance, the net time, or the net cost,
wherein the second position is the position of the selected one of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein determining the second position comprises:
determining, for each of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles, a position of the intermodal maintenance vehicle,

wherein determining the rendezvous point comprises:
determining a maximum speed of the first aerial vehicle;
determining, for each of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles, a maximum speed of the intermodal maintenance vehicle; and
determining, for each of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles, the rendezvous point based at least in part on the first position, the position of the intermodal maintenance vehicle, the maximum speed of the first aerial vehicle and the maximum speed of the intermodal maintenance vehicle,
wherein each of the rendezvous points is selected according to at least one of Dijkstra's Algorithm, Bellman-Ford Algorithm, Floyd-Warshall Algorithm, Johnson's Algorithm or a hub labeling technique.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein selecting the one of the plurality of intermodal maintenance vehicles further comprises:
identifying a

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Beckman Brian C
• Bjone Nicholas

Classifications

• B64U80/70

  in containers (B64U80/60 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B64U80/86

  Land vehicles · CPC title

• B64U80/84

  Waterborne vehicles · CPC title

• G06Q10/0832

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

• B61D3/16

  adapted for carrying special loads · CPC title