Anticipatory dispatch of UAVs to pre-staging locations

US11256271B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Wing Aviation LLC · US

Inventors

• Jesse Blake · Sunnyvale, US
• James Schmalzried · San Jose, US
• Scott Velez · Mountain View, US
• Andre Prager · Sunnyvale, US
• Eric Teller · Palo Alto, US
• Matthew Nubbe · Sunnyvale, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 12, 2020
• Grant date: Feb 22, 2022
• Expiry date: Jul 24, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B64U2201/20
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An example method involves determining an expected demand level for a first type of a plurality of types of transport tasks for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the first type of transport tasks associated with a first payload type. Each of the UAVs is physically reconfigurable between at least a first and a second configuration corresponding to the first payload type and a second payload type, respectively. The method also involves determining based on the expected demand level for the first type of transport tasks, (i) a first number of UAVs having the first configuration and (ii) a second number of UAVs having the second configuration. The method further involves, at or near a time corresponding to the expected demand level, providing one or more UAVs to perform the transport tasks, including at least the first number of UAVs.