198results about "Small article transportation" patented technology

An order fulfillment and delivery system for autonomously fulfilling orders while en route to a delivery location. The system includes a delivery vehicle having a storage area, a robotic system at least partially disposed within the storage area and one or more processors. The one or more processors being configured to receive an order of one or more inventory items, generate container retrieval instructions for the robotic system to perform based on the received order and transmit to the robotic system the container retrieval instructions to perform. The robot system includes a container retrieval device movable in at least two dimensions to engage and move a container, based upon the container retrieval instructions, from a first location within the delivery vehicle to a second location within the delivery vehicle.

An example system includes a vehicle having a platform, a linear slide configured on the platform, a robotic retrieval system configured on the linear slide, a shelf configured adjacent to the linear slide and a control system that controls a reception of a first item and a second item by the robotic retrieval system and a placement of the first item and the second item, by the robotic retrieval system, on the shelf. A drone can be configured to retrieve the first item or the second item from the robotic retrieval system on the vehicle and deliver the first item or the second item to a destination location. The vehicle can thereby enable delivery of many items without the vehicle stopping or even driving to a specific destination location.

A cargo device, cargo management system and method of managing cargo are provided. A cargo device includes a platform having a top side configured to support cargo thereon; a cassette attached to the platform, the cassette configured to engage with at least one corresponding rail in a surface, and electrically communicate with the at least one corresponding rail to receive power and / or data related to the cargo from a controller to actuate the wheels, the cassette, or both; and wheels attached to the platform, the cassette, or both, the wheels being configured to move the platform along the surface. One or both of the cassette and the wheels are retractable based on the data such that the cassettes are moved between an engaged position with the corresponding rail and a disengaged position with the corresponding rail.

System and method for providing vehicle-based services. Hailed vehicles are arranged to provide cooking, massage, medical, and parcel-delivery services. Using a ship-to-vehicle method, a parcel is delivered to an occupant of a hailed vehicle. In one aspect, a ship-to-vehicle option is presented in a purchasing interface. In another aspect, methods are provided to transfer a parcel from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a vehicle. In other aspects, methods are provided to transfer a parcel from a vehicle to another vehicle.

Automated mobile sortation and delivery systems may include a track or rail system positioned within a cargo area of a vehicle, a plurality of carrier robots that move along the track system, and a plurality of package or item racks that are engaged and moved by the carrier robots. The carrier robots may load and unload package racks relative to the cargo area, may sort or shuffle the package racks among a plurality of positions, and may position or place package racks at an access position to enable access to packages loaded within the package racks by associates for delivery. The automated mobile sortation and delivery systems may facilitate faster, more reliable, and more efficient delivery of packages using automated and highly organized sortation and retrieval processes, thereby reducing the time and effort associated with finding, identifying, and delivering correct packages to delivery destinations according to a delivery route or schedule.

A transfer device for unloading a transport loading aid with stacked article carriers and for loading a target loading aid with the carriers includes a base frame, loading tongues independently movable by first drives between retracted initial and extended receiving positions, clamping jaws for gripping at least one carrier relatively movable by a second drive between retracted opened and abutting clamping positions, and a lifting frame movable by a third drive. The jaws are mounted on the lifting frame and are movable between lower and upper height positions such that for unloading the transport loading aid the at least one carrier is liftable by the jaws placed against the at least one carrier, and at least one tongue is at least partially slidable under the lifted at least one carrier to receive it in the receiving position. Further, an order fulfillment facility for picking carriers includes this transfer device.

The invention relates to an automatic goods delivery device and a delivery vehicle, the automatic goods delivery device comprises a container and a mechanical arm, the container comprises a goods shelf and a container arranged on the goods shelf, the container is provided with a bottom wall used for bearing goods, and the bottom wall is a retractable movable part; the mechanical arm is used for moving the container between the designated position and the container, the mechanical arm comprises a mechanical arm body and a tail end executor installed at the end of the mechanical arm body, and the tail end executor is used for grabbing the container and driving the movable part to be folded to release goods when the container moves to the designated position. The cargo box can contain different types of cargoes, one cargo box is used for achieving standardized design and retractable movable part design in the circulation process, after the roller shutter is retracted, the cargoes automatically fall to the delivery position, only the cargoes are thrown at the tail end, the asset management problem caused by throwing of the container is avoided, and the utilization rate of the container is increased. A power source of the roller shutter comes from a chain wheel on the end effector, and the roller shutter can be driven to be folded only when the end effector is connected with the container.

Disclosed is a square-shaped service serving robot with an excellent service provision space utilization and, more specifically, to a square shaped service serving robot with an excellent service provision space utilization that it serves various services to be provided to customers, 5 provides a tableware return function depending on the situation, and maximizes driving safety and stability of the service serving robot by including sensors capable of detecting and recognizing obstacles and flow status information in real time, thereby promoting the usability and effectiveness of the service serving robot and the safety of the store.

A vehicle includes a chassis, a body, and a door assembly. The body is supported by the chassis, and defines a driver compartment and a cargo compartment. The driver compartment has a cab opening and the cargo compartment has a cargo opening. The door assembly is coupled to the body and provides selective access into the driver compartment and into the cargo compartment through the cab opening and cargo opening, respectively. The door assembly includes a first door and a second door. The first door is movable between a first position extending across the cab opening and a second position extending at least partially across a portion of the cab opening. The second door is movable between a third position extending across the cargo opening and a fourth position extending at least partially across a portion of the cab opening.

Among other things, a connection assembly for motion along a rail is disclosed. The connection assembly can include a first plate assembly, a second plate assembly, and a release assembly. The first plate assembly can include a first stop mounted to a first base. The second plate assembly can include a second stop mounted to a second base and a post mounted to the second base. The release assembly can include a rod and a spring. The rod can include an outward extension. The spring can be disposed between the extension and the second stop. The release assembly can be configured to occupy: a first state such that the spring pushes the extension against the first stop and thereby biases the first base away from the second base; and a second state such that the spring pushes the extension against the post.

A self-propelled robot includes a travel cart, a base part provided to an upper part of the travel cart and swivelable on a first rotation axis extending vertically, and a pair of robotic arms coupled to the base part at base-end parts, respectively. Each of the pair of robotic arms has a first link and a second link coupled at a base-end part to a tip-end part of the first link via a joint part. Base-end parts of the pair of first links are coupled to the base part so that the base-end parts are coaxially pivotable on a second rotation axis extending horizontally, and the base-end parts oppose to each other via the base part. The base-end parts of the pair of second links are coupled to side parts of the tip-end parts of the corresponding first links, on the opposing sides of the pair of first links.

Detecting, locating, identifying, engaging, and / or shifting objects in automated or semi-automated fashion as well as methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer-program products therefor. Embodiments used for shifting objects in automated or semi-automated fashion may be implemented in stationary environments, and / or in moving, e.g., in-transit, environments, and may be used to transfer, route, and / or organize objects based on their designated destinations. The embodiments may further be implemented in a logistics network, thereby increasing the efficiency and capacity of the logistics network, among other benefits.

A delivery robot includes a body housing including a storage defined therein and a body opening defined in a front surface thereof, a door that operates in a closed state to cover the body opening or an open state to open the body opening, a sliding shelf located at a bottom of the storage and slidable in a front and rear direction, and a controller that operates the door and the sliding shelf. The controller operates the sliding shelf when the door is opened.

A mobile robot has a body having at least one item space; a lid constructed and adapted to assume at least an open position and a closed position, wherein the lid is to fit on top of the body in the closed position, so as to cover the item space, and the lid is to be lifted to the open position, so as to allow access to the item space; at least four wheels; and a plurality of light sources arranged as at least one row of lights.

An accessory mounting system is easily coupled to an inner portion of a pick-up bed, thus allowing a user to easily mount and hold equipment. The mounting system includes a number of panels which can be mounted to existing structures within the pick-up box, and which have a pattern of openings to accommodate straps, brackets, tie-downs, and other holding mechanisms.

A selective retention system may have at least one side retention rail with an attachment portion and a retention portion. The retention portion may have a plurality of teeth. The system may also have an end retention rail with an attachment portion and a retention portion, where the retention portion at least one aperture.

A vehicle delivery box for delivering content to a location using a transport vehicle is provided. The vehicle delivery box can include a main body having a first mode and a second mode. The main body can also include a cavity formed in the main body. The main body in the first mode can be removably coupled to the transport vehicle. The main body in the second mode can be uncoupled from the transport vehicle and adapted to deliver a product. Further, a vehicle delivery box system is provided including a vehicle delivery box and a transport vehicle. A method for delivering a product is also provided.

A delivery robot includes a body housing including a storage defined therein and a body opening defined in a front surface thereof, and a door that operates in a closed state to cover the body opening or an open state to open the body opening. The door includes a door panel that covers the body opening at the front surface of the body housing in the closed state and slides in a lateral direction of the body housing in the open state, a first door link having a first end pivotably coupled to the door panel and a second end pivotably coupled to the body housing, and a motor that provides a pivoting force to the first door link. The door panel has different angles in the open state and the closed state. The delivery robot safely opens and closes the door in a limited space by moving a pivoting range of the door along an outer surface of a body when the door is opened.

A delivery vehicle is described. The vehicle may include a holding mechanism configured to hold a plurality of containers within the delivery vehicle. The plurality of containers may be configured to store a plurality of packages. The vehicle may further include a memory configured to store a first information including package attributes of each package and a mapping of each package with a container of the plurality of containers. The vehicle may further include a processor configured to obtain the first information from the memory. The processor may be further configured to determine a target location to load a target package or a target container in the delivery vehicle based on the first information. The processor may further activate a vehicle interior visual or audio component to indicate the target location in the delivery vehicle to load the target package or the target container.

A delivery robot includes a body housing including a storage defined therein and a body opening defined in a front surface thereof, a door that operates in a closed state or an open state, a controller that operates the door in response to a control command, a middle shelf detachable from the body housing and partitioning the storage into an upper storage section and a lower storage section, shelf supports protruding from a left side surface and a right side surface of the storage, respectively, shelf rails respectively formed at a left side and a right side of the middle shelf, each shelf support being inserted into a corresponding shelf rail, and a first elastic sensor in one of the shelf supports to detect mounting of the middle shelf by being retracted when the middle shelf is mounted.

A system including: a self-contained module configured to install within a cargo vehicle; and a controller. The self-contained module includes: a shelf assembly; and a robotic assembly. The shelf assembly includes: shelves configured to store packages; and a chute extending between the shelves and configured to locate proximal a driver cab of the cargo vehicle. The robotic assembly includes: an end effector configured to manipulate the packages; a robotic arm configured to manipulate the end effector across the shelves; and an elevator configured to maneuver the robotic arm between the shelves. The controller is configured to: identify a shelf occupied by a package associated with a delivery location; trigger the elevator to maneuver the robotic arm to the shelf; and trigger the robotic arm to withdraw the package, via the end effector, toward the chute prior to arrival of the cargo vehicle at the delivery location.

An autonomous vehicle transient warehouse system is disclosed. The system includes a vehicle for accessing a plurality of items from a first location and then delivering to a second location, a plurality of storage racks placed within a container of the vehicle in order to store the items, a processor is configured to receive a plurality of orders from a plurality of customer, select a delivery path, move the vehicle from the first location to the second location, sends real-time notification to a delivery agent through a user terminal, a lifting unit attached with the storage racks for moving items from the at least one rack to the at least one other rack, and a solar powered charging unit fixed within the vehicle for providing power to the vehicle.

An in-vehicle cargo handling system includes a storage conveyor configured to circularly convey a cargo along a one-stroke conveyance route, and a stacker fixedly installed in a vehicle and configured to rotate the cargo at least around an axis parallel to a vehicle vertical direction, the stacker transferring the cargo between a first transfer position provided in the middle of the conveyance route and a second transfer position separated from the first transfer position in a horizontal direction, in which the stacker allows the cargo to be transferred to and from the storage conveyor at the first transfer position.

A transportation system controls a fleet of autonomous vehicles to implement passenger transportation and coordinate delivery of baggage or other associated items using separate vehicles. The transportation system receives passenger data and associated item data via a user interface, and determines the number and type of autonomous vehicles to transport the passengers and items from selected pick-up locations to a destination. In various implementations, the transportation system may support different pick-up locations, pick-up times and / or delivery times for the passengers and associated items. The transportation system also may determine delayed item delivery options for different delivery times and modes of transportation. Based on the passenger and item data, along with input received via the user interface, the transportation system determines the vehicles to deploy and the delivery routes, and transmits instructions to the autonomous vehicles to provide the passenger transportation and perform the item delivery.

A system including: a self-contained module configured to install within a cargo vehicle; and a controller. The self-contained module includes: a shelf assembly; and a robotic assembly. The shelf assembly includes: shelves configured to store packages; and a chute extending between the shelves and configured to locate proximal a driver cab of the cargo vehicle. The robotic assembly includes: an end effector configured to manipulate the packages; a robotic arm configured to manipulate the end effector across the shelves; and an elevator configured to maneuver the robotic arm between the shelves. The controller is configured to: identify a shelf occupied by a package associated with a delivery location; trigger the elevator to maneuver the robotic arm to the shelf; and trigger the robotic arm to withdraw the package, via the end effector, toward the chute prior to arrival of the cargo vehicle at the delivery location.

A shelving system includes first and second side members. A cross member is coupled to the side members. A guide member is coupled to the cross member such that the guide member is movable relative to the cross member. A container including a rail is coupled to the guide member. The rail includes a first locking element and a second locking element that is connected to the first locking element. The container includes a handle having a third locking element that engages the first locking element. The locking elements are configured to move the container between a first orientation in which the container is provisionally fixed to the guide member and a second orientation in which the container can translate relative to the guide member.

The present invention relates to a method comprising a data processing device determining whether a mobile robot road crossing is performed automatically and autonomously by the mobile robot or operator-based. The present invention also relates to a method comprising indicating that the mobile robot will cross a road. The present invention also relates to corresponding mobile robots, systems and uses.

An autonomous vehicle transient warehouse system (100) is disclosed. The system (100) includes a vehicle (104) for accessing a plurality of items from a first location (202) and then delivering to a second location (204), a plurality of storage racks (108) placed within a container (110) of the vehicle (104) in order to store the items, a processor (102) is configured to receive a plurality of orders from a plurality of customer, select a delivery path, move the vehicle (104) from the first location (202) to the second location (204), sends real-time notification to a delivery agent through a user terminal (106), a lifting unit (112) attached with the storage racks (108) for moving items from the at least one rack (108) to the at least one other rack (108), and a solar powered charging unit (114) fixed within the vehicle (104) for providing power to the vehicle (104).