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US 11,738,867 B2Granted
Drone routing combining autonomous flight and assist vehicle travel
OwnerRonan Xavier Ehasoo, Stuart Leslie Wilkinsoninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system comprises a drone having autonomous drive capability and an assist vehicle (AV) for transporting the drone in an assisted drive mode in which the drone is held at, and transported by, the assist vehicle. Control hardware and software are programmed to determine drone travel over a route having a first route section in which the drone travels autonomously and a second route section in which the drone travels in the assisted drive mode.
Claims21
A system comprising
- a drone having autonomous flight capability,
- a package loaded on the drone,
- a start location,
- a customer location,
- an assist vehicle (AV), and
- control hardware and software configured
- to control flying of the drone with the loaded package over a first section of a route from the start location to the AV,
- to control carriage of the drone with the loaded package on the AV in an assisted drive mode over a second section of the route contiguous with the first section of the route;
- and to control flying of the drone with the loaded package over a third section of the route from the AV to the customer location, the third section of the route is contiguous with the second section of the route.
6 more elements
A system comprising
- a drone with a package loaded thereon, the drone having autonomous drive capability,
- an assist vehicle (AV) for transporting the drone with the loaded package in an assisted drive mode, and
- control hardware and software for setting a route to autonomously fly the drone with the loaded package over a first mile section of a route and over a last mile section of the route, and to carry the drone with the loaded package in the assisted drive mode over a third section of the route intermediate the first mile section and the last mile section.
A method comprising
- autonomously flying a drone with a package loaded thereon over a first mile section of a route,
- autonomously flying the drone with the loaded package over a last mile section of the route,
- at an end of the first mile section, landing the drone with the loaded package at an AV,
- at a beginning of the last mile section, launching the drone with the loaded package from the AV, and
- the AV transporting the drone with the loaded package over a third section of the route, intermediate the first mile section and the last mile section.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.