Landing of unmanned aerial vehicles on transportation vehicles for transport
US9809305B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 2, 2015 |
| Grant date | Nov 7, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 2, 2035 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG08G5/34
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAVs”) which fly to destinations (e.g., for delivering items) may land on transportation vehicles (e.g., delivery trucks, etc.) for temporary transport. An agreement with the owner of the transportation vehicles (e.g., a shipping carrier) may be made for obtaining consent and determining compensation for landings, and the associated transportation vehicles that are available for landings may be identified by markers on the roof or other identification techniques. The routes of the transportation vehicles may be known and utilized to determine locations where UAVs will land on and take off from the transportation vehicles, and in cases of emergencies (e.g., due to low batteries, mechanical issues, etc.) the UAVs may land on the transportation vehicles for later retrieval.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.