Parcel Map Screening for Aerial Delivery Landing Availability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) face challenges in efficiently determining clear and accessible landing and takeoff spaces, as existing methods using 2D imagery or 3D models are computationally expensive and data-intensive, consuming valuable flight time.
Innovation Solution
The method processes publicly available 2D parcel maps to determine deliverable area shapes within parcels, excluding structure footprints, and ranks areas based on availability for aerial item delivery without requiring image data processing, thereby reducing computational load and identifying suitable landing sites.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If 2D imagery or 3D models are used to determine clear and accessible landing spaces, then measurement precision is improved, but computational cost and data requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the analysis process into two phases: pre-flight planning using simplified 2D parcel maps to identify potential landing zones, and on-site verification using 3D point clouds only for those specific candidate areas. This segmentation reduces overall computational cost while maintaining precision where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary analysis using 2D imagery and parcel maps before the actual flight to pre-identify potential landing zones. This preliminary action filters out unsuitable areas in advance, so that computationally expensive 3D processing is only applied to a small subset of candidate locations during the actual mission.
2Measurement precision
If 3D point-clouds or mesh models are used to ascertain potential landing locations, then measurement precision is improved, but flight time is consumed due to imaging and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary analysis using 2D imagery and parcel maps before the actual flight to pre-identify potential landing zones. This preliminary action filters out unsuitable areas in advance, so that computationally expensive 3D processing is only applied to a small subset of candidate locations during the actual mission, significantly reducing flight time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies full 3D processing only partially - specifically, only to candidate landing zones that were pre-identified through 2D analysis. This partial application of the more expensive 3D methodology is excessive only where necessary, achieving high precision for landing site selection without requiring complete 3D processing of the entire area.
3Reliability
If comprehensive area imaging is performed to ensure safe landing zones, then reliability is improved, but productivity decreases due to extended processing time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the verification process into 2D preliminary screening and 3D detailed verification. The 2D segmentation filters out obviously unsuitable areas using parcel maps and orthomosaics, while 3D verification is segmented to apply only to the remaining candidate zones, maintaining reliability while improving productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary filtering using 2D data to eliminate unsuitable landing zones before conducting detailed 3D analysis. This preliminary action ensures that reliability is maintained through thorough 3D verification of candidates, while productivity improves by avoiding unnecessary 3D processing of areas that would fail anyway.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are systems and methods to determine and rank large areas encompassing many parcels (e.g., neighborhoods, cities, towns) for aerial item delivery availability, without the use of image data of the areas. In some implementations, publicly available two-dimensional parcel maps that indicate parcel boundaries and outlines of structures on those parcels may be obtained and processed. For example, parcels within the area may be processed to determine deliverable area shapes, such as rectangles, within the parcel, excluding the area of the structure. A determination is then made as to whether one or more of the deliverable area shapes exceed a deliverable area threshold. If one or more of the deliverable area shapes of the parcel exceed the threshold, the parcel is considered to be available for aerial item delivery. This processing may be done for all parcels within an area or all customer parcels of customers of a service within the area (or any other selection criteria). Likewise, this processing may be done for multiple different areas and the areas may be ranked based on the overall determined availability of aerial item delivery to parcels within those areas.