公开(公告)号：US11851180B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-26

申请号：US17176410

申请日：2021-02-16

申请人： SONY CORPORATION ,  SONY EUROPE B.V.

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

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

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

摘要： 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

申请人： SONY CORPORATION ,  SONY EUROPE B.V.

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

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

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

摘要： 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：US11787541B2

公开(公告)日：2023-10-17

申请号：US17176351

申请日：2021-02-16

申请人： SONY CORPORATION ,  SONY EUROPE B.V.

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

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

CPC分类号： B64C39/024 ,  G06Q10/0832 ,  B64U2101/30 ,  B64U2101/60 ,  B64U2201/10

摘要： 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：US11854109B2

公开(公告)日：2023-12-26

申请号：US17176433

申请日：2021-02-16

申请人： SONY CORPORATION ,  SONY EUROPE B.V.

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

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

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

摘要： 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：US11554491B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-17

申请号：US16328158

申请日：2016-10-26

申请人： Sony Corporation

发明人： Peter C. Karlsson ,  Mattias Falk ,  Hannes Bergkvist

IPC分类号： B25J9/16 ,  B25J13/08 ,  G05B19/4155 ,  G01S13/10 ,  B25J9/06

摘要： A system includes a moveable element adapted to move relative to a coordinate system defined for a robot, an object detection transceiver unit adapted to be mounted on the moveable element, and a controller. The controller controls the object detection transceiver unit to emit a signal and obtain a return signal for an operational cell of the robot at each of a series of predetermined positions to emulate a transceiver aperture larger than an aperture of the object detection transceiver unit. A location corresponding to a marker present in the operational cell is determined from the return signals. A predetermined operation is carried out where the predetermined operation includes using the determined location to guide movement of the robot.

公开(公告)号：US11187777B2

公开(公告)日：2021-11-30

申请号：US16610943

申请日：2017-06-20

申请人： Sony Corporation

发明人： Thomas Fänge ,  Mattias Falk ,  Hannes Bergkvist ,  Ivar Bergkvist

IPC分类号： G01S5/02 ,  B25J9/16 ,  G01S5/00 ,  G01S5/18

摘要： A method of determining the location of the first object (10) may include receiving signals at a second object (20) from a plurality of measurement points (11) on the first object (10), estimating locations of the plurality of measurement points (11) on the first object (10), determining an estimate of a location of the first object (10), determining a first measurement of an orientation of the first object (10) based on the estimating of the locations of the plurality of measurement points (11) on the first object (10), and determining a second measurement of the orientation of the first object (10) based on measurements by an orientation sensor (12) on the first object (10). The method may include estimating an error of the estimate of the location of the first object (10) based on a difference between the first and second orientation measurements and adjusting a movement of the second object (20) based on the estimated error.

公开(公告)号：US20200057134A1

公开(公告)日：2020-02-20

申请号：US16610943

申请日：2017-06-20

申请人： Sony Corporation

发明人： Thomas Fänge ,  Mattias Falk ,  Hannes Bergkvist ,  Ivar Bergkvist

IPC分类号： G01S5/02 ,  G01S5/18 ,  B25J9/16 ,  G01S5/00

摘要： A method of determining the location of the first object (10) may include receiving signals at a second object (20) from a plurality of measurement points (11) on the first object (10), estimating locations of the plurality of measurement points (11) on the first object (10), determining an estimate of a location of the first object (10), determining a first measurement of an orientation of the first object (10) based on the estimating of the locations of the plurality of measurement points (11) on the first object (10), and determining a second measurement of the orientation of the first object (10) based on measurements by an orientation sensor (12) on the first object (10). The method may include estimating an error of the estimate of the location of the first object (10) based on a difference between the first and second orientation measurements and adjusting a movement of the second object (20) based on the estimated error.