公开(公告)号：US11851180B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-26

申请号：US17176410

申请日：2021-02-16

Applicant: SONY CORPORATION ,  SONY EUROPE B.V.

Inventor： Hannes Bergkvist ,  Pär Spjuth ,  Anders Isberg ,  Peter Exner ,  Shaun Lee

IPC: B64C39/02 ,  G08G5/00 ,  G05D1/10 ,  G06Q50/28 ,  G06Q10/0631 ,  B64U101/60

CPC classification number: B64C39/024 ,  G05D1/104 ,  G06Q10/06315 ,  G06Q50/28 ,  G08G5/0008 ,  G08G5/0039 ,  G08G5/0069 ,  B64U2101/60 ,  B64U2201/102

Abstract: A control system in a delivery system performs a method of controlling unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, which are organized in a group or swarm to perform one or more missions to deliver and/or pick up goods. The method includes obtaining drag data indicative of air resistance for one or more UAVs in the group, determining, as a function of the drag data, a respective relative position of at least the one or more UAVs within the group, and controlling at least the one or more UAVs to attain the respective relative position. Such adjustment in the relative position of one or more UAVs enables improved energy efficiency and may be made to reduce energy consumption, increase reach or decrease travel time of at least one UAV in the group.

公开(公告)号：US11697498B2

公开(公告)日：2023-07-11

申请号：US17176301

申请日：2021-02-16

Applicant: SONY CORPORATION ,  SONY EUROPE B.V.

Inventor： Anders Isberg ,  Pär Spjuth ,  Hannes Bergkvist ,  Peter Exner ,  Shaun Lee

IPC: B64C39/02 ,  B64F1/36 ,  B64F1/10 ,  G06Q50/28 ,  G06Q10/0631 ,  B64U70/80 ,  B64U101/30 ,  B64U101/60

CPC classification number: B64C39/024 ,  B64F1/10 ,  B64F1/364 ,  G06Q10/06315 ,  G06Q50/28 ,  B64U70/80 ,  B64U2101/30 ,  B64U2101/60 ,  B64U2201/10

Abstract: A system performs a control method to launch an unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV. The control method includes calculating a selected altitude, relative to a reference level, for launching the UAV, operating a lifting arrangement to vertically elevate the UAV to the selected altitude, and causing the UAV to be launched from the selected altitude. Elevating the UAV may improve the performance of the UAV in terms of range, power consumption, ability to carry payload, transit time to destination, etc. The selected altitude may be calculated as a function of parameter data representing any of the UAV, the lifting arrangement, or surrounding conditions. An apparatus is further provided to determine an optimal location of the system in relation to a plurality of destinations of UAVs to be elevated by the system.

公开(公告)号：US11854109B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-26

申请号：US17176433

申请日：2021-02-16

Applicant: SONY CORPORATION ,  SONY EUROPE B.V.

Inventor： Pär Spjuth ,  Anders Isberg ,  Hannes Bergkvist ,  Peter Exner ,  Shaun Lee

IPC: G06Q10/08 ,  B64C39/02 ,  G06Q50/28 ,  G06Q10/0631 ,  G08G5/00 ,  G06Q10/0835 ,  B64U101/60

CPC classification number: G06Q50/28 ,  B64C39/024 ,  G06Q10/06314 ,  G06Q10/0835 ,  G06Q10/08355 ,  G08G5/0043 ,  B64U2101/60 ,  B64U2201/102

Abstract: A scheduling device performs a method of scheduling transports by a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, to enable improved utilization of the fleet. The method includes computing, for the fleet, aggregated cost data, ACM, that associates utilization cost with distributed sub-regions within a geographic region, the utilization cost of a respective sub-region representing an estimated cost for directing at least one of the UAVs to the respective sub-region. The method further includes receiving a query indicative of one or more potential locations for pick-up or delivery of a payload, determining, based on the ACM, a transportation price for at least one potential location, and presenting the transportation price for the at least one potential location. The scheduling device thereby provides an interactive ordering system that enables utilization of the fleet to be automatically optimized by swarm intelligence.

公开(公告)号：US11711710B2

公开(公告)日：2023-07-25

申请号：US17149494

申请日：2021-01-14

Applicant: Sony Corporation

Inventor： Peter Exner ,  Anders Isberg

IPC: H04W24/10 ,  H04W52/02 ,  H04W88/08 ,  H04W72/20 ,  H04W72/23

CPC classification number: H04W24/10 ,  H04W52/0216 ,  H04W72/20 ,  H04W72/23 ,  H04W88/08

Abstract: A coordinator electronic device includes a memory circuitry, a processor circuitry, and an interface circuitry. The processor circuitry is configured to obtain sensor data from a first sensor device. The processor circuitry is configured to provide to the first sensor device, based on the sensor data obtained, a first configuration parameter indicative of scheduling of reporting from the first sensor device.

公开(公告)号：US11820400B2

公开(公告)日：2023-11-21

申请号：US16846738

申请日：2020-04-13

Applicant: SONY CORPORATION ,  SONY EUROPE B.V.

Inventor： Ola Thörn ,  Peter Exner ,  Shaun Lee

IPC: B60W60/00 ,  B64C39/02 ,  G06V20/56 ,  B64U101/00

CPC classification number: B60W60/0011 ,  B64C39/024 ,  G06V20/56 ,  B64U2101/00

Abstract: A monitoring system detects and mitigates traffic risks among a group of vehicles. The group of vehicles includes a ground-based vehicle (GBV), e.g. an automotive vehicle, and an air-based vehicle (ABV), e.g. a drone, which is operated to track a ground-based object (GBO), e.g. an unprotected road user or an animal. The monitoring system performs a method comprising: obtaining (301) predicted navigation data for the ground-based vehicle and the air-based vehicle, processing (302) the predicted navigation data to obtain one or more future locations of the ground based-object and to detect an upcoming spatial proximity between the ground-based object and the ground-based vehicle, and causing (305), upon detection of the upcoming spatial proximity, an alert signal to be provided to at least one of the ground-based object and the ground-based vehicle.

公开(公告)号：US11787541B2

公开(公告)日：2023-10-17

申请号：US17176351

申请日：2021-02-16

Applicant: SONY CORPORATION ,  SONY EUROPE B.V.

Inventor： Peter Exner ,  Pär Spjuth ,  Anders Isberg ,  Hannes Bergkvist ,  Shaun Lee

IPC: G06Q10/08 ,  B64C39/02 ,  G06Q10/0832 ,  B64U101/30 ,  B64U101/60

CPC classification number: B64C39/024 ,  G06Q10/0832 ,  B64U2101/30 ,  B64U2101/60 ,  B64U2201/10

Abstract: A control system in a delivery system performs a method to deliver a payload by an unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV, without requiring presence of the recipient even if the payload comprises sensitive or vulnerable goods. The method comprises obtaining a designated location for delivery of the payload, obtaining at least one payload vulnerability index for the payload, and obtaining a pick-up time indicative of a time point when the payload is expected to be retrieved by the recipient. The method further comprises selecting a final delivery area at or near the designated location as a function of the at least one payload vulnerability index and the pick-up time, and operating the UAV to deliver the payload to the final delivery area.

公开(公告)号：US11488038B2

公开(公告)日：2022-11-01

申请号：US16825828

申请日：2020-03-20

Applicant: SONY CORPORATION

Inventor： Peter Exner ,  Anders Isberg

IPC: G06Q10/04 ,  A61B5/00 ,  G05B13/04 ,  G06N5/04 ,  G16H40/67 ,  G06N20/00 ,  A61B5/145 ,  G01R21/133 ,  G06Q50/06 ,  H04Q1/02

Abstract: A method for monitoring a primary variable is carried out in a device having access to a set of sensors. The method includes the steps of receiving, from a network service, a series of forecasted values for the primary variable, each forecasted value being associated with one of a series of future time points; for at least one of the future time points, predicting a value for the primary variable using data of at least one secondary variable captured by a subset of the set of sensors, comparing the predicted value to the forecasted value associated with the future time point, and switching to a different subset of the set of sensors, if the predicted value deviates from the forecasted value with more than a specified threshold value.

公开(公告)号：US20200311577A1

公开(公告)日：2020-10-01

申请号：US16825828

申请日：2020-03-20

Applicant: SONY CORPORATION

Inventor： Peter Exner ,  Anders Isberg

IPC: G06N5/04 ,  G06N20/00 ,  G06Q50/06 ,  G06Q10/04 ,  G16H40/67 ,  A61B5/145 ,  A61B5/00 ,  G01R21/133

Abstract: A method for monitoring a primary variable is carried out in a device having access to a set of sensors. The method includes the steps of receiving, from a network service, a series of forecasted values for the primary variable, each forecasted value being associated with one of a series of future time points; for at least one of the future time points, predicting a value for the primary variable using data of at least one secondary variable captured by a subset of the set of sensors, comparing the predicted value to the forecasted value associated with the future time point, and switching to a different subset of the set of sensors, if the predicted value deviates from the forecasted value with more than a specified threshold value.