Delivery method, information processing device, and delivery system

An information processing device in an automated delivery system including an unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, a plurality of unmanned ground delivery vehicles disposed within a predefined delivery area, and the information processing device, the information processing device comprising:

• at least one memory configured to store program code;
• and
• at least one processor configured to access the program code and operate as instructed by the program code, the program code including:
• condition code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to, while the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle is transporting a package having a delivery destination located within the delivery area, detect an arrival of the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the delivery area, based on a current position of the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, the current position determined based on a navigation signal received by the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, each of the plurality of unmanned ground delivery vehicles being disposed within the delivery area;
• selection code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to, based on detecting the arrival of the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the delivery area, select an unmanned ground delivery vehicle available for use from among the plurality of unmanned ground delivery vehicles;
• first transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to automatically transmit, to the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, transfer position information indicating a transfer position at which the package transported by the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle is to be transferred to the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, the transmission being responsive to detecting the arrival by the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the predefined delivery area, the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle thereby controlled to autonomously move to the transfer position according to a flight control program executing on a processor of the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle;
• and
• second transmission code configured to cause at least one of the at least one processor to transmit, to the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, delivery destination information from the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle indicating the delivery destination for the package, the transmission being responsive to receipt by the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle of the package from the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle,
• wherein, based on a presence of another unmanned aerial delivery vehicle that is scheduled to arrive in the delivery area within a predetermined period of time from a time of the arrival by the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the delivery area, a same unmanned ground delivery vehicle is selected from the plurality of unmanned ground delivery vehicles disposed within the delivery area for both the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle and the another unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, the delivery area including both the delivery destination of the package transported by the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle and a second delivery destination of a second package transported by the another unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, the second delivery destination being separate from the delivery destination of the package transported by the unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, the second package transported transferred by the another unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle.

An automated delivery method executed by a delivery system including an information processing unit executing on a processor, a plurality of unmanned aerial delivery vehicles, and a plurality of unmanned ground delivery vehicles, the delivery method comprising:

• determining, by a first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, a current position of the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, based on receipt, by a signal receiver of the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, of a navigation signal;
• detecting, by one of the information processing unit and a processor of the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, an arrival of the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to a delivery area, based on the current position of the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, the delivery area including a first delivery destination of a first package transported by the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, each of the plurality of unmanned ground delivery vehicles being disposed within the delivery area, each of the plurality of unmanned ground delivery vehicles being disposed within the delivery area;
• selecting an unmanned ground delivery vehicle from the plurality of unmanned ground delivery vehicles disposed within the delivery area in response to detecting the arrival of the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the delivery area;
• automatically acquiring, by the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, a transfer position where the first package is to be transferred from the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, based on a location information of the first delivery destination, the acquisition of the transfer position being responsive to detecting the arrival by the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the delivery area;
• autonomously moving, by the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, toward the acquired transfer position according to a flight control program executing on the processor of the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle;
• autonomously moving, by the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, toward the acquired transfer position according to a movement control program executing on a processor of the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle;
• transmitting, to the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle and the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, control information to transfer the first package from the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, at the transfer position;
• when acquiring schedule information indicating that a second unmanned aerial delivery vehicle, which transports a second package having a second delivery destination included in the delivery area and separate from the first delivery destination, is scheduled to arrive in the delivery area within a predetermined period of time from a time of the arrival by the first unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the delivery area:
• selecting the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle as an unmanned ground delivery vehicle which transfers the second package from the second unmanned aerial delivery vehicle,
• having the second unmanned aerial delivery vehicle move toward the transfer position, and
• transmitting, to the second unmanned aerial delivery vehicle and the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, control information to transfer the second package from the second unmanned aerial delivery vehicle to the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, at the transfer position;
• automatically acquiring the location information of the first delivery destination, by the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, the acquisition of the location information being responsive to a sensor provided in the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle detecting that the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle has received the first package;
• and
• autonomously moving, by the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle, to the first delivery destination based on the location information of the first delivery destination which is acquired, according to the movement control program executing on the processor of the selected unmanned ground delivery vehicle.