US 10,241,516 B1Granted

Autonomous ground vehicles deployed from facilities

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsTye Michael Brady, Darren Ernest Canavor, Ethan Zane Evans, Pragyana K. Mishra, Hilliard Bruce Siegel

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Abstract

Autonomous ground vehicles (“AGVs”) may be deployed from facilities (e.g., materials handling facilities, etc.) to deliver items to specified locations (e.g., user residences). In various implementations, AGVs may utilize various techniques for long-range travel between materials handling facilities and delivery locations (e.g., solar charging, strategically placed charging stations, energy efficient travel paths, etc.). In various implementations, AGV facilities (e.g., smaller types of materials handling facilities) may be sized to be more easily located in compressed urban areas (e.g., to be closer to various delivery locations, etc.) and may function as home base locations where AGVs are stationed and/or where items are received (e.g., from transportation vehicles) for delivery to local delivery locations.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system to transport an ordered item, the system comprising:

a materials handling facility containing an ordered item to be delivered by an autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) to a delivery location in a delivery area;
an AGV facility that is mobile and is configured to be temporarily located at a stopping location in the delivery area;
a transportation vehicle configured to transport the ordered item from the materials handling facility to the AGV facility at the stopping location in the delivery area;
an AGV to be deployed from the AGV facility to deliver the ordered item from the AGV facility to the delivery location, the AGV comprising:
a propulsion portion;
a power module for supplying power to the propulsion portion;
a storage compartment having a locking mechanism;
and
a control system, comprising:
one or more processors;
and
a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least:
control the propulsion portion to deploy the AGV from the AGV facility that is at the stopping location in the delivery area with the ordered item contained in the storage compartment of the AGV;
control the propulsion portion to navigate the AGV along a travel path from the AGV facility to the delivery location;
and
control the locking mechanism after the AGV has arrived at the delivery location to unlock the storage compartment to enable the ordered item to be removed from the storage compartment.

13 more elements

A computer implemented method to transport an item, the computer implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,
providing instructions for an AGV facility that is mobile to be temporarily located at a stopping location in a delivery area;
receiving an order for a first item that is to be delivered by a first autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) to a first delivery location that is in the delivery area;
providing instructions for the first item to be transported by a transportation vehicle from a materials handling facility to the AGV facility;
providing instructions for the first AGV to receive the first item in a storage compartment of the first AGV at the AGV facility;
and
providing instructions for the first AGV to follow a travel path from the AGV facility to the first delivery location to deliver the first item.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.