UAV Rendezvous Delivery to Moving Vehicles Without Route Diversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional UAV delivery services are inadequate for dynamic delivery locations, forcing individuals with restricted schedules to choose between diverting from their route to pick up a product or going without it, as they cannot receive products while traveling between locations.
Innovation Solution
The system enables UAVs to deliver products to receiving vehicles en route to a destination by dynamically updating their flight paths based on real-time vehicle locations, allowing the UAV to rendezvous and transfer the product while the vehicle is in motion, eliminating the need for individuals to divert their route.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional UAV delivery services deliver to static delivery addresses, then delivery can be performed reliably, but delivery cannot be performed at dynamic locations where individuals are traveling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning from static delivery addresses to dynamic delivery locations. The system tracks the receiving vehicle's real-time location and dynamically adjusts the UAV's flight path to intercept the vehicle along its route, enabling delivery at moving targets rather than fixed points.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the receiving vehicle's location and using this information to adjust the UAV's flight path in real-time. The flight path is dynamically updated based on the vehicle's progress, ensuring the UAV can reliably intercept and deliver the product at the optimal location along the vehicle's route.
2Ease of operation
If individuals divert from their route to pick up products, then they can obtain the product, but they arrive later at their destination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary delivery system where the UAV acts as a mediator between the product source and the receiving vehicle. Instead of the vehicle stopping at the product source, the UAV intercepts the vehicle along its route and transfers the product, eliminating the need for route deviation while maintaining product acquisition convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by having the UAV prepare and position the product for delivery before the vehicle reaches the optimal interception point. The flight path is planned in advance to converge with the vehicle's route, and the product is readied for transfer, enabling seamless delivery without disrupting the vehicle's schedule.
3Productivity
If UAVs follow predetermined flight paths, then flight planning is simplified, but the flight path cannot be optimized based on real-time vehicle locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback by continuously receiving location data from the receiving vehicle and using this information to dynamically update the UAV's flight path. This real-time feedback loop enables the flight path to be optimized based on the vehicle's actual progress, improving delivery efficiency while managing complexity through automated path recalculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the flight path adaptable and changeable in real-time. Instead of following a rigid predetermined path, the UAV's flight path is dynamically adjusted based on the receiving vehicle's location and progress, allowing the system to optimize delivery efficiency while responding to changing conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) rendezvous with and transfers a product to a receiving vehicle that is en route to a destination-location. The UAV is dispatched with the product along a flight path that intercepts with a predetermined route that the receiving vehicle is expected to travel along toward the destination-location. Once the UAV is within the vicinity of the receiving vehicle, the UAV approaches the receiving vehicle and utilizes cargo release equipment to transfer the product to the receiving vehicle. In one example, the UAV flies above the receiving vehicle at a synchronized velocity and drops the product through an opening in the roof of the receiving vehicle. In another example, the UAV flies above the receiving vehicle and suspends the product adjacent to a side-window opening of the receiving vehicle to enable an occupant of the receiving vehicle to reach out and retrieve the product.