US 2022/0366357 A1 · METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DELIVERING ITEMS

Abstract

A method for delivering a plurality of items to a plurality of delivery locations uses a mobile transport vehicle to transport a plurality of delivery robots to a first robot drop location. The robots are released at the first robot drop location and travel to assigned, respective delivery locations, which are in the vicinity of the first robot drop location. After completing delivery, each of the robots may proceed to a first robot pick-up location which may be different from the first drop off location. The robots are collected by a mobile transport vehicle and are transported to a second robot drop off location. While being transported, the robots can be reloaded with items for delivery in the vicinity of the second drop off location. A system may include one or more such mobile transport vehicles and a plurality of such robots, under the control of a server.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for delivering a plurality of items to a plurality of delivery locations (20, 22, 24), the method comprising

providing a first mobile transport apparatus (10) configured to transport a plurality of robots (30, 32, 34, 36, 38), each robot configured to deliver at least one first item to a respective first delivery location,
the first mobile transport apparatus (10) travelling to a first robot drop location (4),
at the first robot drop location (4), the first mobile transport apparatus (10) releasing a first robot set comprising at least one robot (30, 32, 34),
after being released, each robot (30, 32, 34) of the first robot set travelling from the first robot drop location (4) to its respective first delivery location (20, 22, 24) and delivering a respective first item at said respective first delivery location (20, 22, 24),
after delivering its respective first item, at least one robot (30, 32, 34) of the first robot set travelling to a first robot pick-up location,
collecting said at least one robot (30, 32, 34) of the first robot set at the first robot pick-up location;
wherein the first robot drop location (4) and the first robot pick-up location, are different locations.

4 more elements

A method for delivering a plurality of items loaded onto a first mobile transport apparatus (10) to a plurality of delivery locations (20, 22, 24), the method comprising

the first mobile transport apparatus (10) travelling to a first robot loading location (14),
a first robot set comprising at least one robot (30, 32, 34), travelling to the first robot loading location (14) to meet the first mobile transport apparatus (10),
at the first robot loading location (14), loading each robot (30, 32, 34) of the first robot set with a respective first item for delivery,
after being loaded with its respective first item, each robot (30, 32, 34) of the first robot set travelling from the first robot loading location (14) to a respective first delivery location (20, 22, 24) and delivering its respective first item at its respective first delivery location (20, 22, 24), and
after delivering its respective first item, each robot (30, 32, 34) of the first robot set travelling by itself to a second robot loading location (14′) for reloading with one or more additional items for delivery.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for delivering items

Life of this patent

Method and system for delivering items

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20