Package delivery using drones integrated with vehicle elevator unit
OwnerSmruti Panigrahi, Kurt Michael Lundeen +3inventors
InventorsSmruti Panigrahi, Kurt Michael Lundeen, Sam Hoff, Timothy Mark Feldkamp, Yifan Chen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A delivery vehicle is disclosed. The delivery vehicle may include a vehicle elevator unit configured to move a bin to a bin pickup zone in a vehicle interior portion. The delivery vehicle may further include a vehicle drone unit disposed on a top portion of the vehicle elevator unit. The vehicle drone unit may be removably coupled to the vehicle elevator unit. The vehicle drone unit may include a landing platform for a drone. The landing platform may include an opening to enable the drone to engage with the bin for a bin last-mile delivery. The opening may be in proximity to the bin pickup zone.
Claims20
A vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle elevator unit configured to move a bin to a bin pickup zone in a vehicle interior portion;
- and
- a vehicle drone unit disposed on a top portion of the vehicle elevator unit, wherein the vehicle drone unit comprises a landing platform for a drone, wherein the landing platform comprises an opening to enable the drone to engage with the bin for a bin last-mile delivery, and wherein the opening is in proximity to the bin pickup zone.
A method comprising:
- obtaining, by a processor, a delivery information associated with a bin, wherein the delivery information comprises a delivery location;
- causing, by the processor, a vehicle elevator unit of a vehicle to move the bin to a bin pickup zone in a vehicle interior portion responsive to obtaining the delivery information;
- generating, by the processor, an instruction for a drone to engage with the bin in the bin pickup zone and perform a bin last-mile delivery, wherein the drone is disposed in a vehicle drone unit disposed on a top portion of the vehicle elevator unit, wherein the vehicle drone unit comprises a landing platform for the drone, and wherein the landing platform comprises an opening to enable the drone to engage with the bin for the bin last-mile delivery;
- and
- transmitting, by the processor, the instruction to the drone, wherein the drone is configured to receive the instruction and engage with the bin to perform the bin last-mile delivery responsive to receiving the instruction.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- obtain a delivery information associated with a bin, wherein the delivery information comprises a delivery location;
- cause a vehicle elevator unit of a vehicle to move the bin to a bin pickup zone in a vehicle interior portion responsive to obtaining the delivery information;
- generate an instruction for a drone to engage with the bin in the bin pickup zone and perform a bin last-mile delivery, wherein the drone is disposed in a vehicle drone unit disposed on a top portion of the vehicle elevator unit, wherein the vehicle drone unit comprises a landing platform for the drone, and wherein the landing platform comprises an opening to enable the drone to engage with the bin for the bin last-mile delivery;
- and
- transmit the instruction to the drone, wherein the drone is configured to receive the instruction and engage with the bin to perform the bin last-mile delivery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.