US 11,851,180 B2
Controlling a group of unmanned aerial vehicles for delivery of goods
Hannes Bergkvist, Rydebäck (SE); Pär Spjuth, Södra Sandby (SE); Anders Isberg, Åkarp (SE); Peter Exner, Malmö (SE); and Shaun Lee, Winchester (GB)
Assigned to Sony Europe B.V., Weybridge (GB); and Sony Group Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SONY CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP); and SONY EUROPE B.V., Weybridge (GB)
Filed on Feb. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/176,410.
Claims priority of application No. 2050345-4 (SE), filed on Mar. 27, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0300554 A1, Sep. 30, 2021
Int. Cl. B64C 39/02 (2023.01); G08G 5/00 (2006.01); G05D 1/10 (2006.01); G06Q 50/28 (2012.01); G06Q 10/0631 (2023.01); B64U 101/60 (2023.01)
CPC B64C 39/024 (2013.01) [G05D 1/104 (2013.01); G06Q 10/06315 (2013.01); G06Q 50/28 (2013.01); G08G 5/0008 (2013.01); G08G 5/0039 (2013.01); G08G 5/0069 (2013.01); B64U 2101/60 (2023.01); B64U 2201/102 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which are organized in a group to perform one or more missions to deliver and/or pick up goods, said method comprising:
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,
wherein energy efficiency of the one or more UAVs in the group is based on determining the respective relative position as a function of a predicted time point in the future of at least one UAV leaving or joining the group, and as a function of the drag data in conjunction with the total weight of the respective one of the UAVs.