US 11,681,293 B2
System and method for distributed utility service execution
Dirk A. van der Merwe, Canterbury, NH (US); Dean Kamen, Bedford, NH (US); Derek G. Kane, Manchester, NH (US); Gregory J. Buitkus, Dracut, MA (US); Emily A. Carrigg, Weare, NH (US); Raphael I. Zack, Manchester, NH (US); Daniel F. Pawlowski, Raymond, NH (US); Matthew B. Kinberger, Manchester, NH (US); Stewart M. Coulter, Bedford, NH (US); and Christopher C. Langenfeld, Nashua, NH (US)
Assigned to DEKA Products Limited Partnership, Manchester, NH (US)
Filed by DEKA Products Limited Partnership, Manchester, NH (US)
Filed on Jun. 7, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/435,007.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/682,129, filed on Jun. 7, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2019/0377349 A1, Dec. 12, 2019
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); G06Q 10/0835 (2023.01); B60L 53/80 (2019.01)
CPC G05D 1/0212 (2013.01) [G05D 1/0231 (2013.01); G05D 1/0255 (2013.01); G05D 1/0257 (2013.01); G05D 1/0276 (2013.01); G06Q 10/08355 (2013.01); B60L 53/80 (2019.02); G05D 2201/0213 (2013.01)] 34 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A utility execution system delivering goods from at least one starting point to at least one utility execution point, the utility execution system comprising:
a plurality of system collectors, the system collectors forming a communications network, the system collectors accessing historic data associated with a proposed path between the at least one starting point and the at least one utility execution point, the plurality of system collectors including at least one utility vehicle, the at least one utility vehicle including at least one sensor and at least one storage container, the at least one storage container housing the goods, the historic data including vehicle data previously collected along the proposed path, the plurality of system collectors collecting real time data about the proposed path before and while the at least one utility vehicle navigates the proposed path, at least one of the plurality of system collectors updating the proposed path based at least on the vehicle data, the historic data, and the real time data; and
a processor continually updating, based at least on the historic data, the real time data, and the at least one sensor, the updated proposed path as the at least one utility vehicle navigates the updated proposed path from the at least one starting point to the at least one utility execution point, the processor configured to locate at least one obstacle in the updated proposed path, the processor updating the updated proposed path when the at least one obstacle is discovered, the processor configured to access image information, the processor configured to classify the at least one obstacle in the image information, the processor configured to draw bounding boxes around the classified at least one obstacle, the processor configured to segment the classified at least one obstacle into static obstacles and moving obstacles, the processor configured to track the bounding boxes of the moving obstacles over time, the processor configured to combine the tracked bounding boxes with sensor data from the at least one sensor to estimate parameters associated with the moving obstacles, the processor configured to predict movement of the moving obstacles based at least on the parameters and models associated with the moving obstacles forming an obstacle movement prediction, the processor configured to estimate uncertainty associated with the obstacle movement prediction, the processor configured to predict if the moving obstacles will end up in the updated proposed path of the at least one utility vehicle based at least on the obstacle movement prediction forming a collision prediction, the processor configured to modify the updated proposed path based at least on the collision prediction.