# US 10,245,993 B1 · Modular autonomous ground vehicles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,245,993 B1 - Document ID: US10245993B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/280,504 - Filed: 2016-09-29 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-29 - Assignees: Amazon Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Amazon Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Tye Michael Brady; Darren Ernest Canavor; Ethan Zane Evans; Pragyana K. Mishra; Hilliard Bruce Siegel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10245993B1 ## CPC - B60P 1/6418: {the load-transporting element being a container or similar} - B60H 1/00014: {for load cargos on load transporting vehicles} - B60H 1/00771: {the input being a vehicle position or surrounding, e.g. GPS-based position or tunnel} - B60P 7/13: Securing freight containers or forwarding containers on vehicles - B60W 60/00256: {Delivery operations} - G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) - G06Q 10/083: Shipping - B60P: VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS (vehicles with special provisions for transporting patients or disabled persons, or their personal conveyances A61G3/00) - B60H: ARRANGEMENTS OF HEATING, COOLING, VENTILATING OR OTHER AIR-TREATING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR PASSENGER OR GOODS SPACES OF VEHICLES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Autonomous ground vehicles (“AGVs”) are utilized to transport items to delivery locations and may be modular in that a storage compartment portion (e.g., which may hold an ordered item) may be removable (i.e., separable) from a propulsion portion. In various implementations, the storage compartment portion may be securely attached to the propulsion portion during transport (e.g., requiring an access code to remove and/or open), and the storage compartment portion may similarly be securely attached to the delivery location (e.g., at a docking station) when delivered. In various implementations, the storage compartment portion may be refrigerated, heated, etc., and may include various sensors on the inside and outside of the storage compartment portion (e.g., temperature sensors, motion sensors, image sensors to determine the presence and condition of items and/or to assist with navigation and other operations of the propulsion portion, etc.). ## Claims ### Claim 1 An autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) comprising: a propulsion portion comprising an upper surface; a coupling portion that couples a storage compartment portion to the propulsion portion, wherein the storage compartment portion comprises a lower surface that is proximate to the upper surface of the propulsion portion when the storage compartment portion is coupled to the propulsion portion; a movement mechanism comprising at least one of a roller, a mechanical actuator or a robotic arm configured to move the storage compartment portion off of the propulsion portion after the storage compartment portion is decoupled from the propulsion portion; 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 navigate the AGV along a travel path to a delivery location, wherein an item for delivery is contained in the storage compartment portion that is coupled to the propulsion portion; receive an input of an access code at the delivery location; in response to the receipt of the access code, control the coupling portion to decouple the storage compartment portion from the propulsion portion; and after the storage compartment portion is decoupled from the propulsion portion, control the movement mechanism to move the storage compartment portion off of the propulsion portion at the delivery location to deliver the storage compartment portion to the delivery location and to enable the propulsion portion to depart from the delivery location without the storage compartment portion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The AGV of claim 1, wherein the movement mechanism comprises rollers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The AGV of claim 1, further comprising a user interface configured to receive input of the access code. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The AGV of claim 1, wherein the coupling portion is configured to provide electronic coupling between the storage compartment portion and the control system. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The AGV of claim 4, wherein the at least one electronic component of the storage compartment portion comprises at least one of a sensor or a user interface of the storage compartment portion. ### Claim 6 A delivery system, comprising: an autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) comprising: a propulsion portion; a coupling portion configured to couple the propulsion portion to a storage compartment portion; a movement mechanism comprising at least one of a roller, a mechanical actuator or a robotic arm configured to move a storage compartment portion off of the propulsion portion; a storage compartment portion comprising a door with a locking mechanism; and a computing 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: instruct the AGV to travel along a travel path to a delivery location with an item in the storage compartment portion; instruct the movement mechanism to move the storage compartment off of the propulsion portion; and instruct the AGV to depart from the delivery location after the storage compartment portion has been decoupled from the propulsion portion and has been delivered to the delivery location. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, further comprising a docking station at the delivery location with a coupling portion configured to couple the storage compartment portion to the docking station when the storage compartment portion is delivered to the delivery location. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the coupling portion of the docking station is configured to provide electricity to the storage compartment portion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the coupling portion of the docking station is configured to lock the storage compartment portion to the docking station and require an access code to remove the storage compartment portion from the docking station. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the storage compartment portion further comprises a sensor and the AGV is configured to utilize the sensor for navigation along the travel path to the delivery location. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the storage compartment portion further comprises a cooling mechanism configured to refrigerate the storage compartment portion. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the storage compartment portion further comprises at least one of: a presence detection sensor configured to detect the presence of the item in the storage compartment portion; a motion sensor configured to detect movement when the item is placed in the storage compartment portion; an image capture sensor configured to capture an image of the item in the storage compartment portion; or a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature in the storage compartment portion. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the movement mechanism comprises a roller configured to move the storage compartment portion off of the propulsion portion. ### Claim 14 A transportation method, comprising: directing a coupling portion to couple a storage compartment portion to a propulsion portion of an autonomous ground vehicle (AGV); instructing the AGV to travel to a location where the storage compartment portion is to be delivered; instructing the coupling portion to decouple the storage compartment portion from the propulsion portion; instructing a movement mechanism comprising at least one of a roller, a mechanical actuator or a robotic arm to move the storage compartment portion off of the propulsion portion to deliver the storage compartment portion at the location; and instructing the AGV to depart from the location. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the location is a delivery location that is at a user's residence and the method further comprises sending a notification to the user when the storage compartment portion has been delivered to the delivery location. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the location is a delivery location that is inside a user's residence and the method further includes instructing the AGV to travel inside the user's residence to deliver the storage compartment portion. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the AGV includes an access mechanism and the method further comprises instructing the AGV to utilize the access mechanism to navigate past an access barrier to deliver the storage compartment portion to the location. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the access barrier comprises at least one of a door or a gate and the access mechanism is utilized to wirelessly transmit a signal that causes the access barrier to open. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising instructing the AGV to position the storage compartment portion at the location to be coupled to a coupling portion of a docking station at the location that locks the storage compartment portion to the docking station. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising instructing the AGV to travel from the location to at least one of: a meeting area for meeting a transportation vehicle that will further transport the AGV; a home base location for the AGV; an AGV facility; a materials handling facility; or a location where another storage compartment portion is to be coupled to the propulsion portion. ### Claim 21 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the coupling portion is a first coupling portion and the location is a first location, the method further comprising: directing a second coupling portion to couple the storage compartment portion to a propulsion portion of a second AGV at the first location; and instructing the second AGV to travel from the first location to a second location where the storage compartment portion is to be delivered.