Robot Logistics System
OwnerGeorge G. Moser, Carol M. Moserinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated delivery system includes an electric vehicle equipped with an overhead Cartesian Robot in the cargo area, enabling it to extract packages from the cargo area while the vehicle is traveling to its next destination, and deposit them in a staging area in the cabin, so that the driver and/or the optional robotic assistants can drop them off immediately upon arrival. Drivers need not be involved in loading the vehicles, which can be done automatically at a warehouse Load Cell, which may be available continuously, so the vehicle will not be delayed waiting for packages to be loaded into it. Packages may be loaded by the Load Cell before the drivers arrive at the vehicle, so vehicles are ready to go.
Claims31
An automated package delivery vehicle comprising:
- an electric, hybrid or otherwise propelled vehicle;
- at least one robotic system on board the vehicle, configured to search for, identify, pick, reorganize and transfer packages from one location to another location within the vehicle, and to collect the package (s) needed for the next route stop and transfer them to a staging area in the vehicle with access by a crew, all of these functions performed without assistance from the crew and performed during drive time between stops;
- a vehicle cargo area directly accessible to a crew or service personnel aboard or adjacent the vehicle.
An automated package delivery system comprising:
- a package delivery vehicle comprising a vehicle cargo area accessible to a crew or service personnel aboard the vehicle, the vehicle configured to transport cargo comprising packages according to a delivery route comprising one or more stops at which a subset of the packages are to be delivered;
- an automated system that, during vehicle transit to a route stop, picks up one or more of the packages to be dropped off at said route stop out of the vehicle cargo area and transfers said packages to a staging area accessible from within the vehicle, without a need for the crew to search for packages and extract them from the cargo area;
- and
- a vehicle loading system (Load Cell) that allows the loading of cribs into the vehicle, said cribs having been previously loaded outside the vehicle with one or more route-sorted packages.
A biped robot with two feet comprising a plurality of rollers for each foot, said rollers being switchable between propelled and locked modes of operation;
- thus enabling at least two modes of locomotion:
- rolling locomotion on said rollers in a propelled mode, or walking locomotion on said rollers while locked, whereby the rolling locomotion may be utilized for rapid movement on flat surfaces while the walking locomotion enables climbing of stairs and overcoming of obstacles.
A quadruped robot with feet that each include a plurality of rollers, said rollers being switchable between propelled and locked modes of operation;
- thus enabling at least two modes of locomotion:
- rolling locomotion on said rollers in a propelled mode, or walking locomotion on said rollers while locked, whereby the rolling locomotion may be utilized for rapid movement on flat surfaces while the walking locomotion enables climbing of stairs and overcoming of obstacles.
A Tractive robot configured to pass under a wheeled crib in an automated package delivery system, engage a deployable mechanical pin into mating holes in an underside of said crib, and then move the crib by applying traction to a ground surface on which the tractive robot and crib rest, without lifting the crib, whereby the crib rolls on its own wheels so that the Tractive robot only needs to overcome rolling resistance to transport the crib without a need to lift the crib.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.