Method and system for warehouse inventory management using drones

Abstract

A system that employs aerial drones for inventory management is disclosed. The system includes at least one aerial drone with an optical sensor, an indoor positioning system, and a controller on the aerial drone. The controller is communicatively coupled to the optical sensor and the indoor positioning system. The controller is configured to localize and navigate the aerial drone within a facility based on one or more signals from the indoor positioning system. The controller is further configured to detect identifiers attached to respective inventory items via the optical sensor and to store information associated with the detected identifiers in an onboard memory. The controller may be further configured to transmit the information associated with the detected identifiers to a warehouse management system.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method, comprising:
 capturing a first image by a camera on an aerial drone while navigating the aerial drone within a facility along a first flight path;   analyzing the first image to detect a reference point of a physical structure within the facility using a computer vision algorithm;   generating a second flight path upon detection of the reference point; and   navigating the aerial drone along the second flight path.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising determining a position of the aerial drone where the first image is captured, based on one or more signals emitted respectively from one or more transmitters in the facility. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising determining a location of the reference point based on the position of the aerial drone that captures the first image. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising recording information associated with the location of the reference point in a data storage on the aerial drone. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the physical structure comprises a shelf and wherein the reference point comprises a recognizable portion of the shelf. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising capturing a second image by the camera while navigating the aerial drone within the facility and analyzing the second image to detect a first identifier on an inventory item disposed on the shelf. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising determining a location of the first identifier based on the position of the aerial drone that captures the second image. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising recording information associated with the location of the first identifier in a data storage on the aerial drone. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein generating the second flight path comprises generating the second flight path upon detection of the reference point and the first identifier. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising detecting a marker disposed proximate the recognizable portion of the shelf. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the marker comprises one of a mobile electronic device, a recognizable object, a visual indicator, and a wireless transmitter. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , further comprising determining a position of the aerial drone relative to the marker. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein generating the second flight path comprises generating the second flight path upon detection of the marker. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising transmitting information associated with the detected first identifier to a warehouse management system. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein determining the position of the aerial drone comprises determining the position of the aerial drone using one or more of a camera-based positioning system, a triangulation based positioning system, a light detection and ranging positioning system, a camera-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) positioning system, and an inertial tracking system. 
     
     
         36 . An aerial drone, comprising:
 a frame;   a propulsor mechanically coupled to the frame;   a landing gear attached to the frame;   a camera on the frame;   a data storage on the frame; and   a controller on the frame;   wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the camera and the data storage to:
 capture an image using the camera while navigating the aerial drone within a facility along a first flight path; 
 analyze the image to detect a reference point of a physical structure within the facility using a computer vision algorithm; 
 generate a second flight path upon detection of the reference point; and 
 navigate the aerial drone along the second flight path. 
   
     
     
         37 . The aerial drone of  claim 36 , further comprising an indoor positioning sensor to receive one or more signals emitted respectively from one or more transmitters in the facility, wherein the controller to determine a position of the aerial drone where the image is captured based on the received signals. 
     
     
         38 . The aerial drone of  claim 37 , the controller to determine a location of the reference point based on the position of the aerial drone that captures the image. 
     
     
         39 . The aerial drone of  claim 38 , the controller to record information associated with the location of the reference point in the data storage. 
     
     
         40 . The aerial drone of  claim 37 , the controller to determine the position of the aerial drone using one or more of a camera-based positioning system, a triangulation based positioning system, a light detection and ranging positioning system, a camera-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) positioning system, and an inertial tracking system. 
     
     
         41 . A computer program product for controlling an aerial drone, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, and when executed by a processor of the aerial drone, causing the processor to:
 capture an image using a camera on the aerial drone while navigating the aerial drone within a facility along a first flight path;   analyze the image to detect a reference point of a physical structure within the facility using a computer vision algorithm;   generate a second flight path upon detection of the reference point; and   navigate the aerial drone along the second flight path.