US 10,482,418 B2 · Systems and methods for inspecting a delivery vehicle using a paired inspection drone

Abstract

Paired drone-based systems and methods are described that inspect a delivery vehicle. For example, a system may include a docking station within the vehicle and a sensor-enabled inspection drone paired to the vehicle and that aerially inspects targeted inspection points corresponding to respective parts of the delivery vehicle. In response to an activation command, the inspection drone transitions to an active power state, uncouples from the docking station, identifies the targeted inspection points as corresponding to respective parts of the vehicle, moves to respective aerial positions proximate each of the targeted inspection points, automatically identifies an out of range inspection condition about a targeted inspection point based upon sensor-based inspection information detected from at least one of the aerials positions, and responsively transmits an inspection notification message to a vehicle receiver on the vehicle to indicate the targeted inspection point is outside an acceptable range for operation of the vehicle.

A drone-based system for inspecting a delivery vehicle, comprising:

an internal docking station fixed within a drone storage area within the delivery vehicle, the internal docking station further comprising
a physical docking interface,
an electronic charging connection interface, and
an electronic data connection interface;
and
an inspection drone paired to the delivery vehicle and operative to aerially inspect a plurality of targeted inspection points corresponding to respective parts of the delivery vehicle, the paired inspection drone further comprising:
a main housing,
an onboard controller disposed within the main housing,
a memory storage coupled to the onboard controller and maintaining an inspection profile record corresponding to the delivery vehicle,
a plurality of lifting engines coupled with respective lifting rotors, each of the lifting engines being fixed to a different portion of the main housing and responsive to flight control input generated by the onboard controller as part of maintaining a desired flight profile,
a drone capture interface responsive to the onboard controller and disposed on the main housing, the drone capture interface being operative to selectively mate to the physical docking interface of the internal docking station in response to a docking command from the onboard controller, wherein the drone capture interface holds the paired inspection drone in a secure position when selectively mated to the physical docking interface of the internal docking station,
at least one sensor coupled to the onboard controller, the sensor being operative to (a) detect sensor-based inspection information while the paired inspection drone is airborne and has aerially moved from the secured position on the internal docking station to respective aerial positions proximate each of the targeted inspection points and (b) provide the detected sensor-based inspection information to the onboard controller,
a communication interface coupled to the onboard controller, the communication interface being operative to transmit an inspection notification message in response to a transmission command from the onboard controller, and
an onboard battery providing electrical power to each of the onboard controller, the lifting engines, the drone capture interface, the at least one sensor, and the communication interface, wherein the onboard battery connecting to the electronic charging connection interface when the paired inspection drone is in the secure position on the internal docking station;
and
wherein the onboard controller of the paired inspection drone is operative, in response to receiving an activation command over the communication interface, to
transition from at least a low power state to an active power state as part of a targeted inspection operation of the delivery vehicle, the paired inspection drone being exclusively assigned to the delivery vehicle;
cause the drone capture interface to automatically uncouple the paired inspection drone from the physical docking interface of internal docking station once the internal monitor drone transitions to the active monitoring state;
access the memory storage to identify the targeted inspection points from the inspection profile record stored in the memory storage, the targeted inspection points corresponding to respective parts of the delivery vehicle;
change the desired flight profile to first cause the lifting engines to move the paired inspection drone from the secured position on the internal docking station to an initial airborne position within the drone storage area of the delivery vehicle and then move the paired inspection drone from the initial airborne position to the respective aerial positions proximate each of the targeted inspection points;
automatically identify an inspection condition about at least one of the targeted inspection points based upon the sensor-based inspection information detected from at least one of the aerials positions, the inspection condition being outside an acceptable range for operation of the delivery vehicle;
and
cause the communication interface to responsively transmit an inspection notification message to a delivery vehicle receiver disposed on the delivery vehicle upon identifying the inspection condition for the at least one targeted inspection point is outside the acceptable range for operation of the delivery vehicle.

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Systems and methods for inspecting a delivery vehicle using a paired inspection drone

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Systems and methods for inspecting a delivery vehicle using a paired inspection drone

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims190