System and method for thermal control during delivery of a medication package

Abstract

A method for controlling an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle for delivery of a medication package includes determining a thermal control period for the medication package. The method also includes identifying a delivery location corresponding to the medication package. The method also includes identifying at least one environmental characteristic of an environment that includes a delivery three-dimensional flight path between a starting location and the delivery location, wherein the at least one environmental characteristic indicates an actual weather value at the delivery location. The method also includes determining whether to deliver the medication package based on the thermal control period and the at least one environmental characteristic, using the unmanned aerial vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising for delivery of a perishable:
 a body;   a lift provider coupled with the body;   a carrier coupled with the body, the carrier operable between a hold configuration and a release configuration;   a plurality of sensors coupled with the body;   a controller in communication with the body, the lift provider, the plurality of sensors, and the carrier, the controller being configured to:
 identify a thermal budget of the perishable; 
 identify a destination for the perishable; 
 identify a plurality of environmental characteristics along a three-dimensional flight path between pick-up location and the destination; 
 determine whether the perishable can be delivered at the destination without expending the thermal budget of the perishable; 
 in response to delivery of the perishable, generate a first adjusted thermal control period based on:
 the thermal budget; 
 the plurality of environmental characteristics; and 
 a measured amount of sun exposure, measured by the plurality of sensors, at the destination; and 
 
 instruct the unmanned aerial vehicle to retrieve and return the perishable to the pick-up location by a first time the first adjusted thermal control period expends. 
   
     
     
         2 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least one of a temperature sensor, an image sensor, a global positioning system sensor, and a wind speed sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 2 , wherein the controller generates a second adjusted control period based on the first adjusted thermal control period and at least one of a measured wind speed and a measured temperature along the three-dimensional flight path and at the destination. 
     
     
         4 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 3 , wherein the controller instructs the unmanned aerial vehicle to retrieve and return the perishable to the pick-up location by a second time the second adjusted thermal control period expends. 
     
     
         5 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal budget is at least partially defined as a temperature range the perishable tolerates without degradation past a degradation threshold. 
     
     
         6 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 5 , wherein the destination includes a plurality of potential deposit locations, and wherein the controller determines an actual deposit location based on:
 a temperature of the perishable;   the temperature range; and   a respective plurality of shade levels of the plurality of potential deposit locations.   
     
     
         7 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the instruction for the unmanned aerial vehicle to retrieve and return the perishable is canceled in response to the controller receiving a communication from a recipient device that a recipient of the perishable claims the perishable. 
     
     
         8 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the perishable includes an accompanying thermal control mechanism. 
     
     
         9 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the accompanying thermal control mechanism resist an increase of temperature of the perishable. 
     
     
         10 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the accompanying thermal control mechanism resist a decrease of temperature of the perishable. 
     
     
         11 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the controller determines a volume of the thermal control mechanism based on the first adjusted thermal control period. 
     
     
         12 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the perishable includes a medication, wherein the pick-up location corresponds with a pharmacy, and wherein the destination corresponds with a patient. 
     
     
         13 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of environmental characteristics include a current weather measurement communicated with the controller from a weather database. 
     
     
         14 . A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle for delivery of a perishable, the method comprising:
 identifying a thermal budget of the perishable;   identifying a destination for the perishable;   identifying a plurality of environmental characteristics along a three-dimensional flight path between pick-up location and the destination;   determining, at a processor, whether the perishable can be delivered at the destination without expending the thermal budget of the perishable;   measuring, by a plurality of sensors, an amount of sun exposure at the destination;   in response to delivery of the perishable, generating a first adjusted thermal control period based on:
 the thermal budget; 
 the plurality of environmental characteristics; and 
 the measured amount of sun exposure; 
   instructing, by the processor, the unmanned aerial vehicle to selectively retrieve and return the perishable to the pick-up location by a first time the first adjusted thermal control period expends; and   canceling, selectively, the instructing of the unmanned aerial vehicle to retrieve and return the perishable based on a recipient of the perishable receiving a communication from a recipient device that a recipient of the perishable claims the perishable.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  further including:
 generating a second adjusted control period based on the first adjusted thermal control period and at least one of a measured wind speed and a measured temperature along the flight path and at the destination; and 
 instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to retrieve and return the perishable to the pick-up location by a second time the second adjusted thermal control period expends. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  further including:
 measuring a temperature of the perishable; 
 identifying a temperature range the perishable tolerates without degradation past a degradation threshold based on the thermal budget; and 
 determining an actual deposit location chosen from a plurality of potential deposit locations at the destination based on the temperature of the perishable, the temperature range, and a respective plurality of shade levels of the plurality of potential deposit locations. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the perishable includes an accompanying thermal control mechanism to resist a change in temperature of the perishable. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further including:
 calculating a volume of the accompanying thermal control mechanism based on the first adjusted thermal control period. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the step of identifying a plurality of environmental characteristics includes receiving weather measurements from a weather database. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the perishable includes a pharmaceutical, the pick-up location corresponds with a pharmacy, and the recipient of the perishable is a patient.