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.

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.

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.

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.

Abstract: A processing device is configured to obtain a sequence of images of a scene captured by an image sensor, determine an analysis area for an object in a respective image in the sequence of images, and process the respective image within the analysis area for detection of predefined features of the object. The processing device is further configured to receive pose prediction data, PPD, which represents predicted poses of the object as a function of time, and to determine the analysis area based on the PPD. The PPD may be given by three-dimensional poses of the object that have been determined in the system based on images from a plurality of image sensors in the system. The PPD facilitates detection of features of individual objects in the images even if the objects are occluded and/or crowded.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Abstract: A control system performs a method for configuring a delivery system that includes first storages with predefined positions, second storages with variable positions, and unmanned aerial vehicles which are operable to transport goods between destination points and the first and second storages. The method includes obtaining position data for the destination points, operating a clustering algorithm on the position data to determine clusters of destination points, and evaluating the clusters in relation to the predefined positions of the first storages to determine a set of stopping positions for at least one of the second storages. The stopping position(s) may thereby be adapted in a resource efficient way to improve the overall capabilities of the delivery system.

Abstract: A device includes a memory to store a plurality of instructions and a processor to execute instructions in the memory to determine a location of a mobile communication device, determine a direction of movement of the mobile communication device, identify other mobile communication devices within a particular distance of the mobile communication device, identify other mobile communication devices moving in a particular direction with respect to the mobile communication device, and store, in the memory, a list of the identified other mobile communication devices.