System and method for loading and unloading a box containing items

Abstract

The present disclosure provides "systems and methods for loading and unloading bins containing articles". A system including a conveyor belt, a transceiver, and a processor is disclosed. The transfer channel may be configured to move the bin from a first position to a second position. The second position may be proximate a motorized block disposed in the interior portion of the vehicle. A motorized block may be configured to receive a bin from a transfer channel and move the bin to a predefined location in the vehicle interior portion. A transceiver may be configured to receive a wheel speed associated with the motorized block. The processor may be configured to obtain the trigger signal and obtain a wheel speed from the transceiver in response to obtaining the trigger signal. The processor may also be configured to activate the transfer channel to move a bin from the first position to the second position at a predefined speed in response to obtaining the wheel speed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for loading and unloading boxes containing items such as packages, groceries, parts, etc. Background Art

[0002] As Internet-based commerce continues to grow, package delivery is increasingly used to deliver goods to customers. In the United States in particular, it is expected that e-commerce business will continue to grow in the coming years.

[0003] Unprecedented growth has been a boon to e-commerce companies; however, rapid growth has also led to operational challenges in the supply chain. E-commerce companies and their delivery partners deliver an ever-increasing number of packages every day while trying to limit spending on resources (e.g., labor, etc.) and reduce delivery times.

[0004] Various methods are currently used to optimize the process of loading / unloading delivery packages onto / from a delivery vehicle. For example, e-commerce companies load packages with similar delivery addresses that are close to each other into a delivery vehicle to improve the efficiency of unloading the packages. In addition, e-commerce companies optimize the delivery routes of their delivery vehicles to reduce energy consumption and package delivery time.

[0005] Although conventional methods performed by e-commerce companies are effective in improving efficiency, there are still challenges that cause inconvenience to vehicle drivers and / or e-commerce companies. For example, loading / unloading delivery packages onto / from delivery vehicles at warehouses is still a manual process and thus requires resources that may be unavailable or expensive.

[0006]

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods that facilitate autonomous loading / unloading of packages into / from a delivery vehicle.

[0007] It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure herein is presented. Summary of the invention

[0008] The present disclosure describes a warehouse management system and method for loading boxes into a delivery vehicle in a warehouse or facility and unloading boxes from the delivery vehicle. Each box can store one or more delivery packages that can be delivered by a delivery vehicle to a corresponding delivery location. In some aspects, the system may include a first conveyor belt configured to move boxes from a boxing area to a delivery vehicle. Specifically, the first conveyor belt can be configured to load boxes including delivery packages into a delivery vehicle. The system may also include a second conveyor belt configured to unload empty boxes from a delivery vehicle.

[0009] In an exemplary aspect, when a delivery vehicle arrives at the warehouse and can be provided with access to the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt, the system can activate the second conveyor belt to enable unloading of the empty boxes from the delivery vehicle. In some aspects, the delivery vehicle can include a plurality of motorized blocks on which the boxes can be stored / secured. In some aspects, in addition to activating the second conveyor belt, the system can also move the motorized blocks in the delivery vehicle to move the empty boxes toward the second conveyor belt. In response to receiving the empty boxes from the motorized blocks, the second conveyor belt can unload or remove the empty boxes from the delivery vehicle and move the empty boxes toward a boxing area or an empty box storage area in the warehouse.

[0010] In response to unloading the empty box from the delivery vehicle, the system can activate the first conveyor belt to move the box containing the delivery package from the box packing area toward the delivery vehicle to load the box into the delivery vehicle. In some aspects, when the box arrives at the delivery vehicle, the motorized block can receive the box from the first conveyor belt and can move the box to a corresponding predefined storage location in the interior portion of the vehicle.

[0011] In some aspects, the system may activate the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt based on the wheel speed of the wheels included in the motorized block. In an exemplary aspect, the system may activate the first conveyor belt at a speed that may be less than or equal to the wheel speed, and may activate the second conveyor belt at a speed that may be greater than or equal to the wheel speed. The system may activate the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt at their respective speeds to ensure that empty boxes or boxes containing delivery packages do not accumulate on the conveyor belts and / or the motorized blocks included in the delivery vehicle.

[0012] In other aspects, the system may include a box staging area and a loading platform or loader, which may be arranged close to the delivery vehicle and a conveyor belt (e.g., a bidirectional conveyor belt). The system may pre-store boxes containing delivery packages in the box staging area. In some aspects, the box staging area and the loader may include one or more motorized blocks that may enable the movement of boxes within the box staging area and the loader. In this case, when the delivery vehicle arrives close to the loader, the system may activate multiple motorized blocks included in the delivery vehicle to unload / unload empty boxes from the delivery vehicle by using the loader and the conveyor belt. The system may also activate motorized blocks included in the box staging area and the loader to move boxes containing delivery packages from the box staging area to the delivery vehicle.

[0013] In an additional aspect, the system may include one or more accumulators that can pre-store boxes to be loaded in a delivery vehicle before the delivery vehicle arrives at the warehouse or is set up close to a loader. In this case, when the system determines that the delivery vehicle may have arrived at the warehouse for box loading, or when the system determines that the box storage area may be empty, the system may move the boxes stored in the accumulator toward the box storage area.

[0014] The present disclosure discloses a warehouse management system and method. The system enables autonomous loading and unloading of boxes / delivery packages to and from delivery vehicles, thereby saving manual work. In addition, the system enables rapid loading and unloading of boxes / packages by using box staging areas and loaders, thereby improving warehouse operation efficiency.

[0015] These and other advantages of the present disclosure are provided in detail herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals may indicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilize elements and / or components other than those shown in the accompanying drawings, and some elements and / or components may not be present in various embodiments. The elements and / or components in the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, singular and plural terms may be used interchangeably, depending on the context.

[0017] Figure 1 An exemplary environment is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented.

[0018] Figure 2 A first exemplary arrangement of warehouse management system components in a warehouse according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0019] Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 3C and Figure 3D A first exemplary stage of loading / unloading boxes into / from a delivery vehicle according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0020] Figure 4 A second exemplary arrangement of warehouse management system components in a warehouse according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0021] Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 5C and Figure 5D A second exemplary stage of loading / unloading boxes into / from a delivery vehicle in accordance with the present disclosure is depicted.

[0022] Fig. 6A, Figure 6B , Figure 6C and Fig.6D A third exemplary stage of loading / unloading boxes into / from a delivery vehicle in accordance with the present disclosure is depicted.

[0023] Figure 7 A third exemplary arrangement of warehouse management system components in a warehouse according to the present disclosure is depicted.

[0024] Figure 8 Depicted is a flow chart of an exemplary method for facilitating loading and unloading of boxes according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the disclosure are shown and which are not intended to be limiting.

[0026] Figure 1 An exemplary environment 100 is depicted in which techniques and structures for providing the systems and methods disclosed herein may be implemented. Environment 100 may include a delivery vehicle 102 (or vehicle 102), which may be a truck, a van (including a walk-in van), a truck trailer, etc. In some aspects, vehicle 102 may be an autonomous vehicle. In other aspects, a driver (not shown) may operate vehicle 102. In addition, vehicle 102 may include any powertrain, such as, for example, a gasoline engine, one or more electric actuation motors, a hybrid powertrain, etc.

[0027] The vehicle 102 may include one or more layers or arrays of a plurality of motorized blocks 104 disposed within an interior portion of the vehicle. Figure 1 In the exemplary aspect depicted in FIG. 1 , the vehicle 102 includes three arrays of a plurality of motorized blocks 104, the three arrays being arranged one above the other in an interior portion of the vehicle. The present disclosure is not limited to the following. Figure 1 The vehicle 102 is shown with aspects of three arrays of the plurality of motorized blocks 104. The vehicle 102 may include more or less than three arrays without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0028] In an exemplary aspect, each motorized block 104 may be rectangular or square in shape (eg, Figure 1104a-104d. Each edge 104a-104d may include one or more doors 106 that may be configured to move / slide along the length of the corresponding edge 104a-104d. Each motorized block 104 may also include a first set of wheels 108 that may be configured to rotate in one direction (e.g., a first direction) and a second set of wheels 110 that may be configured to rotate in another direction (e.g., a second direction). In some aspects, the first direction may be perpendicular to the second direction. In addition, in exemplary aspects, the rotational speed ("wheel speed") of each wheel 108, 110 may be the same.

[0029] Each motorized block 104 can be configured to hold / store a box 112, and / or move the box 112 from one location to another location in the interior portion of the vehicle based on a command signal obtained from a vehicle processor (not shown) using wheels 108 or 110. Specifically, in response to receiving a command signal from the vehicle processor, a set of wheels from the first set of wheels 108 and the second set of wheels 110 can rotate at a preset wheel speed, and the doors 106 on the corresponding edges 104a-104d can "slide away" from each other to be positioned at the corners of the motorized block 104. In this arrangement, when the box 112 is placed on the motorized block 104 or in contact with the moving wheels 108 or 110, the box 112 can move on the motorized block 104. For example, if the second wheel 110 rotates in a clockwise direction and the box 112 is in contact with the rotating second wheel 110, the box 112 can slide or move from edge 104a toward edge 104c. In this manner, the motorized block 104 may enable box movement on the motorized block 104 in response to receiving a command signal from the vehicle processor.

[0030] In further aspects, in response to receiving another command signal from the vehicle processor, the motorized block 104 can stop wheel movement (e.g., of the second wheel 110) and slide the doors 106 on the respective edges 104a-104d toward each other. In this arrangement, the box 112 can be stored on the motorized block 104. In some aspects, in this arrangement, the doors 106 slide toward each other to prevent the box from slipping from the motorized block 104. This arrangement can be used when it may be necessary to transport or securely hold the box 112 in the vehicle 102.

[0031] In some aspects, each bin 112 can be configured to hold one or more packages (in Figure 3D 306). In an exemplary aspect, the location of each box 112 in the vehicle 102 and the allocation of each package in each box 112 can be optimally pre-planned or preset so that unloading each package from the vehicle 102 can be convenient (e.g., when the vehicle 102 arrives at the package delivery location).

[0032] The environment 100 may also include a warehouse management system including a warehouse inventory unit 114 and one or more conveyor belts or lanes 116a, 116b, 116c, 116d, 116n that are communicatively coupled to each other via one or more networks 118. The network 118 illustrates an exemplary communication infrastructure in which the connected devices discussed in various embodiments of the present disclosure may communicate. The network 118 may be and / or include the Internet, a private network, a public network, or other configurations that operate using any one or more known communication protocols, such as, for example, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Wi-Fi, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.11, and cellular technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPDA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and Fifth Generation (5G), to name a few examples.

[0033] In some aspects, one set of conveyor belts (e.g., conveyor belts 116a, 116d, and 116n) may be configured to transport / move boxes 112 toward the plurality of motorized blocks 104, and another set of conveyor belts (e.g., conveyor belts 116b and 116c) may be configured to transport / move boxes 112 away from the plurality of motorized blocks 104. Each conveyor belt 116a-116n may include a fence (made of a low-friction material) or a roller border to ensure stable and secure placement of the boxes on the conveyor belts 116a-116n.

[0034] In some aspects, the count of conveyor belts in a warehouse management system may be based on the count of arrays / layers of multiple motorized blocks 104 in vehicle 102, and the count of columns of motorized blocks in each array. Figure 1 As shown, if the vehicle 102 includes three arrays and each array includes three columns of motorized blocks 104 (in Figure 1 , C1, C2, and C3), the warehouse management system may include nine conveyor belts. Specifically, in this case, each column of each array may have an associated conveyor belt that may be configured to enable boxes to be loaded to or unloaded from the motorized blocks 104 included in the column. For example, conveyor belt 116a may be configured to transport boxes and enable boxes to be loaded to the motorized blocks 104 included in column C3, and conveyor belts 116b and 116c may be configured to transport boxes and enable boxes to be unloaded from the motorized blocks 104 included in columns C1 and C2.

[0035] Although the above description describes aspects in which the vehicle 102 includes three arrays / layers of motorized blocks 104 and each array includes three columns, the present disclosure is not limited to this arrangement of motorized blocks 104. In other aspects, the vehicle 102 may include more or fewer arrays / layers and each array may include more or less than three columns without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In this case, the warehouse management system may include more or less than the nine conveyor belts described above.

[0036] The warehouse inventory unit 114 may be configured to control the activation and movement of each conveyor belt 116a-116n. In some aspects, the warehouse inventory unit 114 may be communicatively coupled with the vehicle 102 and the server 120 via a network 118. The warehouse inventory unit 114 may control the conveyor belt activation and movement based on input received from the server 120 and / or the vehicle 102, as described in detail later in the description below.

[0037] In some aspects, the server 120 may be part of a warehouse management system. In other aspects, the server 120 may be separate from the warehouse management system. The server 120 may be associated with an e-commerce company and / or a delivery partner of the company and may store information associated with the vehicle 102 (and other vehicles that may be part of a fleet of vehicles), the boxes 112, and the packages that may be stored in each box 112. In an exemplary aspect, the information may include, but is not limited to, a count of the array / layer of multiple motorized blocks 104 in the vehicle 102, a count of the columns in each array / layer in the vehicle 102, a wheel speed associated with each wheel 108, 110, a planned delivery route for the vehicle 102, an identifier and information (e.g., size, weight, etc.) associated with each box 112 loaded or to be loaded into the vehicle 102, an identifier and information (e.g., size, weight, etc.) associated with each delivery package stored in each box 112 loaded or to be loaded into the vehicle 102, an optimized allocation of each delivery package in each box 112, an optimized position of each box 112 in the array of multiple motorized blocks 104 in the vehicle 102, and the like. Server 120 may be configured to transmit the above information to warehouse inventory unit 114 via network 118 at a predefined frequency.

[0038] In some aspects, the warehouse inventory unit 114 may include one or more units, including but not limited to a transceiver 122, a memory 124, a processor 126, and a sensor 128. The transceiver 122 may be configured to receive information, data, notifications, signals, etc. from one or more devices or systems external to the warehouse inventory unit 114. For example, the transceiver 122 may be configured to receive the above information from the server 120, receive information / data from the vehicle 102, etc. The transceiver 122 may also be configured to transmit information, data, notifications, command signals, etc. to one or more devices or systems external to the warehouse inventory unit 114 (e.g., to the server 120, the conveyor belts 116a-116n, and / or the vehicle 102).

[0039] The processor 126 may be configured to communicate with one or more memory devices (eg, memory 124 and / or memory 126) configured to communicate with a corresponding computing system. Figure 1 The processor 126 may utilize the memory 124 to store programs and / or store data in code to perform various aspects of the present disclosure. The memory 124 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or memory that stores delivery package management program code or instructions. The memory 124 may include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), etc.), and may include any one or more non-volatile memory elements (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), etc.). In some aspects, the memory 124 may be further configured to store information / data received by the transceiver 122 from the server 120 and / or the vehicle 102.

[0040] The sensor 128 may be disposed at one or more locations of the warehouse / facility where the conveyor belts 116a-116n may be located. The sensor 128 may include one or more proximity sensors that may be configured to detect the presence of an object (e.g., a vehicle 102, a box 112, etc.) proximate to the sensor 128. In some aspects, the sensor 128 may be disposed proximate to the conveyor belts 116a-116n and may be configured to transmit a first trigger signal when the vehicle 102 may be disposed at or arrives proximate to the conveyor belts 116a-116n. In additional aspects, the sensor 128 may be configured to transmit a second trigger signal when a box (e.g., box 112) may be on the conveyor belt 116a and disposed proximate to a motorized block in the plurality of motorized blocks 104.

[0041] The processor 126 may be configured to control the activation and movement of each conveyor belt 116a-116n based on signals obtained from the sensor 128 and information / data obtained from the server 120 and / or the vehicle 102, as follows: Figure 2-Figure 7 described.

[0042] The vehicle 102 and warehouse inventory unit 114 implement and / or perform operations as described herein in the present disclosure in accordance with the vehicle owner's manual and safety guidelines.

[0043] Figure 2 A first exemplary arrangement of warehouse management system components in a warehouse 200 according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 2 When you can refer to Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 3C and Figure 3D .

[0044] As described above, the warehouse management system may include a warehouse inventory unit 114 ( Figure 2 102 and 104. The conveyor belts 202a-202c may be configured to transport boxes 112 toward or from a plurality of motorized blocks 104 of a vehicle 204, which may be the same as the vehicle 102. In an exemplary aspect, the conveyor belt 202c may be configured to transport boxes 112 toward a plurality of motorized blocks 104 (i.e., toward the vehicle 204), and the conveyor belts 202a, 202b may be configured to transport boxes 112 from a plurality of motorized blocks 104 (i.e., from the vehicle 204). Figure 2 As depicted, warehouse 200 may be configured to use multiple "groups" of conveyor belts to simultaneously load / unload boxes 112 into / from multiple vehicles. Figure 2 In the exemplary aspect shown, each set of conveyor belts may include three conveyor belts (eg, conveyor belts 202a - 202c ), and each set of conveyor belts may be disposed proximate to a vehicle (eg, proximate to a loading and unloading area of ​​each vehicle).

[0045] Although Figure 2 Three conveyors are depicted proximate to each vehicle (ie, three conveyors in each set of conveyors), but the disclosure is not limited to this arrangement. In some aspects, a set of conveyors may include more or less than three conveyors.

[0046] The warehouse management system may also include one or more packing stations or areas 206 where delivery packages may be loaded into each box 112. In some aspects, delivery packages may be autonomously loaded into each box 112 at packing stations 206 based on command signals received from warehouse inventory units 114 using a robot (not shown). Specifically, processor 126 may use a command signal received from server 120 (described above in conjunction with Figure 1 The robot may determine the allocation of each delivery package in each box 112 based on the information obtained by the robot 112 (described above), and the robot may be commanded to load the delivery packages into the boxes 112 based on the allocation.

[0047] The warehouse management system may further include a main conveyor belt 208 that can transport boxes 112 (to which delivery packages can be loaded) from the packing station 206 to the vehicles 204 (and other vehicles located in the warehouse 200), and transport empty boxes from the vehicles 204 to the packing station 206. Specifically, when a box 112 for the vehicle 204 can be loaded with a delivery package at the packing station 206, the processor 126 can command the packing station belt 210 to move the box 112 from the packing station 206 to the main conveyor belt 208. In response to the main conveyor belt 208 receiving the box 112 from the packing station belt 210, the processor 126 can command the main conveyor belt 208 to move the box 112 toward the conveyor belt 202c, which can transport the box 112 toward the vehicle 204. In some aspects, main conveyor 208 may include a diverter (not shown) that may be used to steer boxes 112 to an appropriate destination vehicle (eg, vehicle 204) or conveyor (eg, conveyor 202c).

[0048] In operation, when a vehicle 204 arrives at the warehouse 200 to unload an empty container 302 (e.g. Figure 3A When loading and delivering packages to the box 112, the vehicle 204 can be parked close to the conveyor belts 202a-202c. Specifically, the vehicle 204 can be arranged so that the loading / unloading area of ​​the vehicle can be adjacent to or contact the conveyor belts 202a-202c, such as Figure 3A As shown. Figure 3A In the exemplary aspect depicted in FIG. 2 , the vehicle 204 can partially unload or load the box via the rear of the vehicle. In other aspects (not shown), the vehicle 204 can partially unload or load the box via the side of the vehicle.

[0049] In response to vehicle 204 arriving at or approaching conveyor belts 202a-202c, as Figure 3AAs shown, the sensor 128 can detect the presence of a vehicle near the conveyor belts 202a-202c and transmit a first trigger signal to the server 120 or directly to the processor 126. The processor 126 can obtain the first trigger signal from the server 120 (or directly from the sensor 128), and can obtain the wheel speed of each wheel 108, 110 of the plurality of motorized blocks 104 disposed in the vehicle 204 in response to obtaining the first trigger signal. The processor 126 can obtain the wheel speed from information stored in the memory 124 or the server 120, or can obtain the wheel speed directly from the vehicle 204 (e.g., via the transceiver 122).

[0050] In response to obtaining the wheel speed, the processor 126 may activate the conveyor belts 202a and 202b. The processor 126 may also transmit a command signal (e.g., a first command signal) to the vehicle 204 via the transceiver 122 to activate and move the motorized blocks 104 included in the columns C1 and C2. The motorized blocks 104 included in the columns C1 and C2 may be activated in a manner such that the empty boxes 302 included in the columns C1 and C2 may move toward the conveyor belts 202a and 202b, as shown in FIG. Figure 3B Specifically, the wheels 108 or 110 may be activated to move the empty boxes 302 included in the columns C1 and C2 toward the conveyor belts 202a and 202b.

[0051] When conveyor belts 202a and 202b receive empty boxes 302 included in columns C1 and C2 at the intersection (or "first location") of conveyor belts 202a, 202b (and 202c) and motorized blocks 104, conveyor belts 202a and 202b can begin transporting empty boxes 302 toward a second location. In some aspects, the second location can be a packing station 206, where empty boxes 302 can be stored and reloaded (e.g., for delivery to another vehicle). In other aspects, the second location can be any other location in the warehouse 200 where empty boxes 302 can be stored.

[0052] In some aspects, the processor 126 can activate the conveyor belts 202a and 202b to move at a first speed, which can be based on the wheel speed obtained from the server 120 or the vehicle 204. In an exemplary aspect, the first speed can be greater than or equal to the wheel speed. The processor 126 activates the conveyor belts 202a and 202b to move at a speed greater than or equal to the wheel speed to ensure that the rate at which the empty boxes 302 are transported away from the conveyor belts 202a and 202b is greater than or equal to the rate at which the empty boxes 302 can be received from the motorized block 104 at the intersection or the first location. This can ensure that the empty boxes 302 do not accumulate at the intersection or the first location.

[0053] When the empty boxes 302 included in columns C1 and C2 can be completely unloaded or unloaded from the vehicle 204, the processor 126 can transmit another command signal (e.g., via the transceiver 122, a second command signal) to the vehicle 204 to activate and move the motorized blocks 104 included in column C3. The motorized blocks 104 included in column C3 can be activated in a manner such that the empty boxes 302 included in column C3 can move toward the motorized blocks 104 included in columns C1 or C2, such as Figure 3C shown.

[0054] In response to an empty box 302 included in column C3 being moved to a motorized block 104 included in column C1 or C2, the empty box 302 may be unloaded onto conveyor belts 202a and 202b, such as Figure 3D shown.

[0055] In further aspects, in response to all empty boxes 302 in the vehicle 204 being unloaded, the processor 126 can activate the conveyor belt 202c to move the box 304 loaded with the delivery package 306 from the second location toward the first location (i.e., the intersection of the conveyor belts 202a, 202b, 202c and the motorized block 104). In some aspects, the second location can be a packing station 206, where the box 304 can be loaded with the delivery package 306. The conveyor belt 202c can be configured to move the box 304 from the packing station 206 toward the first location (e.g., via the main conveyor belt 208 and the packing station belt 210, as described above).

[0056] In response to the box 304 approaching the first position, the sensor 128 can detect the presence of the box 304. In this case, the sensor 128 can be disposed on the conveyor belt 202c near the first position. In response to detecting the presence of the box near the first position, the sensor 128 can transmit a second trigger signal to the server 120 or directly to the processor 126. The processor 126 can obtain the second trigger signal from the server 120 or directly from the sensor 128, and determine the presence of the box near the first position based on the second trigger signal.

[0057] In response to determining that a box exists near the first position, the processor 126 may transmit a command signal to the vehicle 204 via the transceiver 122 to activate the motorized blocks 104 included in the column C3. The motorized blocks 104 included in the column C3 may be activated so that the motorized blocks 104 included in the column C3 may receive the box 304 from the conveyor belt 202c. In response to receiving the box 304, the motorized blocks 104 included in the column C3 may be configured to move the box 304 to a predetermined position on one of the motorized blocks 104 included in the columns C1, C2, or C3 based on the command signal obtained from the processor 126. Specifically, when the box 304 arrives at the first position or when the box 304 is on the motorized blocks 104 included in the column C3, the processor 126 may use the information obtained from the server 120 to determine the predefined optimal position of the box 304 in the interior portion of the vehicle. In response to determining the predefined optimal position, the processor 126 may transmit another command signal to the vehicle 204 via the transceiver 122 to move the motorized blocks 104 included in the columns C1, C2, and / or C3 to move the boxes 304 to the predefined optimal position. In a similar manner, a plurality of boxes including delivery packages may be autonomously loaded into the vehicle 204 by using a warehouse management system. In some aspects, in response to the plurality of boxes being loaded into the vehicle 204, the processor 126 may transmit information obtained from the server 120 (specifically, information associated with the boxes loaded into the vehicle 204 and the delivery packages stored in each box) to the vehicle 204 for local storage purposes.

[0058] In some aspects, the processor 126 can activate the conveyor belt 202c to move the box 304 from the second position toward the first position at a second speed. The second speed can be based on the wheel speed. In an exemplary aspect, the second speed can be less than or equal to the wheel speed. The processor 126 activates the conveyor belt 202c to move at a speed less than or equal to the wheel speed to ensure that the rate at which the packed boxes (e.g., boxes 304) are transported to the first position is less than or equal to the rate at which the motorized blocks 104 included in the column C3 can "pick up" the packed boxes. This can ensure that the packed boxes do not accumulate at the first position.

[0059] Figure 4 A second exemplary arrangement of warehouse management system components in a warehouse 400 according to the present disclosure is depicted. Warehouse 400 may be the same as or similar to warehouse 200 described above. Figure 4 When you can refer to Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 5C and Figure 5D .

[0060] The warehouse 400 may include one or more conveyor belts 402a, 402b, 402c, etc., which may be configured to transport boxes 112 toward or from multiple motorized blocks 104 of a vehicle 404. The conveyor belts 402a-402c may be similar to the conveyor belts 202a-202c, and the vehicle 404 may be the same as the vehicle 204. In some aspects, the conveyor belts 402a-402c may be bidirectional. In other words, each conveyor belt 402a-402c may be configured to transport boxes 112 to and from the vehicle 404. The warehouse 400 may also include one or more packing stations or areas 406, a main conveyor belt 408, and a packing station belt 409. The packing station 406 may be the same as the packing station 206, the main conveyor belt 408 may be the same as the main conveyor belt 208, and the packing station belt 409 may be the same as the packing station belt 210.

[0061] The warehouse 400 may also include one or more loaders 410. Each loader 410 may be disposed between the conveyor belts 402a-402c and the loading and unloading areas of each vehicle 404. In some aspects, the loader 410 may be part of the conveyor belts 402a-402c. In other aspects, the loader 410 may be separate from the conveyor belts 402a-402c. In an exemplary aspect, each loader 410 may include a plurality of motorized blocks (same as the motorized blocks 104 described above) that may be configured to move the boxes 112 on the loader 410 in a first direction (e.g., along the loader length "L" toward the vehicle 204) or in a second direction (e.g., along the loader width "W"). The loader dimensions (e.g., length "L" and width "W") may depend on the warehouse dimensions.

[0062] The warehouse 400 may also include one or more box staging areas 412, which may be located adjacent to the loader 410 and near the first position described above. In an exemplary aspect, the size of each box staging area 412 may be similar to the size of the loader. Each box staging area 412 may be configured to pre-store a plurality of pre-packaged boxes 502 (e.g., Figure 5A 404). Each box 502 may include one or more delivery packages 504 for the vehicle 404. In some aspects, the boxes 502 may be stored at the box staging area 412 before or when the vehicle 404 arrives at the warehouse 400 for loading / unloading to optimize the time required to load the boxes 502 into the vehicle 404. In some aspects, similar to the loader 410, each box staging area 412 may also include a plurality of motorized blocks that may enable the boxes 502 to be moved across the box staging area 412.

[0063] Although the above description describes that the cases 502 may be stored in the case staging area 412 in a predetermined arrangement, in some aspects, case storage may be optimized by using motorized blocks to sort or move the cases 502 within the case staging area 412 .

[0064] In operation, when the vehicle 404 arrives at the warehouse 400 to unload the empty box 302 and load the box 502, the vehicle 404 can park close to the loader 410, such as Figure 5A As shown. In response to the vehicle 404 approaching the loader 410, the sensor 128 can detect the presence of the vehicle and can transmit a first trigger signal to the processor 126. In response to obtaining the first trigger signal, the processor 126 can transmit a command signal to the loader 410 via the transceiver 122 to activate the motorized block included in the loader 410, and transmit another command signal to the conveyor belts 402a-402c to activate the conveyor belts to move. The motorized blocks included in the loader 410 and the conveyor belts 402a-402c can be activated so that any box that can be placed on the loader 410 or the conveyor belts 402a-402c can be moved away from the vehicle 404. In addition, the processor 126 can transmit a command signal to the vehicle 404 via the transceiver 122 to activate and move the motorized block 104. The motorized block 104 can be activated so that the box 302 can move toward the loader 410.

[0065] In response to activating the loader 410, conveyor belts 402a-402c, and motorized block 104 as described above, the box 302 may be unloaded or removed from the vehicle 404, such as Figure 5B In this case, the conveyor belts 402a-402c can transport the box 302 to the packing station 406 via the main conveyor belt 408 and the packing station belt 409.

[0066] When all of the boxes 302 can be unloaded from the vehicle 404, the processor 126 can transmit another command signal to the loader 410 and the box staging area 412 via the transceiver 122 to cause the motorized blocks included in the loader 410 and the box staging area 412 to activate. In some aspects, the motorized blocks included in the loader 410 and the box staging area 412 can be activated so that the boxes 502 can be moved from the box staging area 412 to the loader 410, such as Figure 5C Specifically, the motorized blocks included in the box staging area 412 may be transported to the motorized block transport box 502 included in the loader 410 .

[0067] When all boxes 502 can be received by the motorized block included in the loader 410, the processor 126 can transmit another command signal to the loader 410 via the transceiver 122 to enable the box to move toward the motorized block 104 (or the above combination). Figure 2Specifically, in response to receiving the command signal from the processor 126, the loader 410 can activate the movement of the motorized block included in the loader 410 so that the box 502 can move toward the vehicle 404, such as Figure 5D shown.

[0068] In this manner, by pre-storing packed boxes 502 in box staging area 412 , the warehouse management system enables boxes to be quickly loaded into vehicles 404 .

[0069] Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 6C and Fig.6D Depicted are exemplary stages of loading and unloading boxes into and from a delivery vehicle 602 in accordance with the present disclosure. Figure 6A-6D Specifically depicted are exemplary scenarios for loading and unloading boxes when the warehouse 400 may not include a loader 410 and / or a box staging area 412 .

[0070] exist Fig. 6A In the exemplary aspect depicted in FIG. 6 , when a vehicle 602 arrives at a warehouse (e.g., warehouse 400) to unload an empty box 302 and load a box 502, the vehicle 602 can be parked close to conveyor belts 604a-604c. The conveyor belts 604a-604c can be the same as the conveyor belts 202a-202c. In some aspects, the conveyor belt 604c can be configured to transport the box 502 toward the vehicle 602. In addition, the conveyor belt 604c can pre-store the box 502 before or when the vehicle 602 arrives at the warehouse 400.

[0071] In response to the vehicle 602 arriving close to the conveyor belts 604a-604c, the sensor 128 can detect the presence of the vehicle and can transmit a first trigger signal to the processor 126. In response to obtaining the first trigger signal, the processor 126 can transmit a command signal to the conveyor belts 604a, 604b via the transceiver 122 to activate the conveyor belts to move. The conveyor belts 604a, 604b can be activated so that any boxes that can be placed on the conveyor belts 604a, 604b can move away from the vehicle 602. In addition, the processor 126 can transmit another command signal to the vehicle 602 via the transceiver 122 to activate the motorized blocks 104 included in the columns C1 and C2. The motorized blocks 104 included in the columns C1 and C2 can be activated so that the boxes 302 can move toward the conveyor belts 604a, 604b.

[0072] In response to activation of the conveyor belts 604a, 604b and the motorized blocks 104 included in columns C1 and C2, the box 302 can be moved away from the vehicle 404 on the conveyor belts 604a, 604b, as shown in FIG. Figure 6BWhen the boxes 302 disposed on the columns C1 and C2 can be completely removed or unloaded from the vehicle 602, the processor 126 can transmit a command signal to the vehicle 602 via the transceiver 122 to activate the motorized block 104 included in the column C3. The motorized block 104 included in the column C3 can be activated so that the boxes 302 disposed on the column C3 can move toward the column C1 or C2, as shown. Figure 6C When the box 302 may be disposed on the column C1 or C2, the processor 126 may cause the motorized block 104 included in the column C1 or C2 to move the box 302 away from the vehicle 602 toward the conveyor belts 604a, 604b, as shown. Fig.6D In addition, the processor 126 may transmit a command signal to the conveyor belt 604c via the transceiver 122 for activation. In response to being activated, the conveyor belt 604c may move the box 502 toward the vehicle 602. The motorized blocks 104 included in the columns C1, C2, and C3 may move the box 502 to the corresponding predetermined optimal position in the interior portion of the vehicle, as described above.

[0073] It can be understood by those skilled in the art that Figure 6A-6D The aspects depicted in enable rapid loading of boxes into vehicle 602 without requiring loader 410 and / or box staging area 412 .

[0074] Figure 7 A third exemplary arrangement of warehouse management system components in a warehouse 700 according to the present disclosure is depicted. Warehouse 700 may be similar to warehouse 200 or 400.

[0075] Warehouse 700 may include one or more conveyor belts 702a, 702b, 702c, etc., which may be configured to transport boxes 112 toward or from a plurality of motorized blocks 104 of vehicle 704. Conveyor belts 702a-702c may be the same as conveyor belts 402a-402c, and vehicle 704 may be the same as vehicle 404. Warehouse 700 may also include one or more packing stations or areas 706, a main conveyor belt 708, a packing station belt 709, a loader 710, and a box staging area 712. Packing station 706 may be the same as packing station 406, main conveyor belt 708 may be the same as main conveyor belt 408, and packing station belt 709 may be the same as packing station belt 409, loader 710 may be the same as loader 410, and box staging area 712 may be the same as box staging area 412. In some aspects, the count of loaders 710 and case staging areas 712 included in warehouse 700 may be less than the count of loaders 410 and case staging areas 412 included in warehouse 400 .

[0076] In some aspects, the warehouse 700 may also include one or more accumulators 714, which may be configured to pre-store boxes to be loaded into the vehicle 704 (and other vehicles in the warehouse 700) before or when the vehicle 704 arrives at the warehouse 700. Each accumulator 714 may include a plurality of motorized blocks that may enable the accumulator 714 to move boxes (e.g., boxes 112) stored on the accumulator 714 based on command signals received from the processor 126. In operation, when the vehicle 704 arrives at the warehouse 700, the processor 126 may transmit a command signal to the accumulator 714 (and the main conveyor belt 708, conveyor belts 702a-702c, loader 710, and box staging area 712) via the transceiver 122 to move the box from the accumulator 714 to the box staging area 712. When the vehicle 704 arrives near the loader 710, the boxes 112 stored in the box temporary storage area 712 can be loaded into the vehicle 704 via the loader 710, as described above in conjunction with Figure 4 and Figure 5A-5D as described.

[0077] In some aspects, when the processor 126 determines that the loader 710 may have loaded the boxes 112 onto the vehicle 704, the processor 126 may cause the accumulator 714 to send another set of boxes to the box staging area 712 / loader 710 for another vehicle queued at the box staging area 712 / loader 710 for loading.

[0078] By pre-storing the boxes 112 in the accumulator before the vehicle 704 arrives at the loader 710 , the warehouse management system enables the loading and unloading of boxes to and from the vehicle 704 to be quick and seamless.

[0079] Figure 8 A flow chart of an exemplary method 800 for facilitating loading and unloading of a box according to the present disclosure is depicted. Figure 8 The following process is exemplary and is not limited to the steps described below. Furthermore, alternative embodiments may include more or fewer steps than shown or described herein, and may include the steps in an order different from the order described in the following exemplary embodiments.

[0080] The method 800 starts at 802. At step 804, the method 800 may include obtaining, by the processor 126, a first trigger signal from the server 120 or the sensor 128. As described above, the processor 126 obtains the first trigger signal when the vehicle 204 may approach the conveyor belts 202a-202c. At step 806, the method 800 may include obtaining, by the processor 126, a wheel speed of each wheel 108, 110 of a plurality of motorized blocks 104 disposed in the vehicle 204 in response to obtaining the first trigger signal. In some aspects, the processor 126 may obtain the wheel speed from the server 120 or the vehicle 204.

[0081] At step 808, the method 800 may include activating, by the processor 126, the conveyor belt 202c to load the box 304 into the vehicle 204. As described above, the processor 126 may activate the conveyor belt 202c at a second speed, which may be less than or equal to the wheel speed.

[0082] Method 800 ends at step 810 .

[0083] In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part of the above disclosure, which illustrate specific implementations in which the present disclosure can be practiced. It should be understood that other implementations can be utilized and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. References to "one embodiment", "embodiment", "example embodiment" and the like in this specification indicate that the described embodiment may include specific features, structures or characteristics, but each embodiment may not necessarily include the specific features, structures or characteristics. In addition, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when features, structures or characteristics are described in conjunction with an embodiment, whether or not explicitly described, those skilled in the art will recognize such features, structures or characteristics in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0084] In addition, where appropriate, the functions described herein may be performed in one or more of the following: hardware, software, firmware, digital components, or analog components. For example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) may be programmed to perform one or more of the systems and programs described herein. Certain terms are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to specific system components. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, components may be referred to by different names. This document is not intended to distinguish between components that have different names but the same function.

[0085] It should also be understood that the word "example" as used herein is intended to be non-exclusive and non-limiting in nature. More specifically, the word "example" used herein indicates one of several examples, and it should be understood that no undue emphasis or preference is placed on the specific example described.

[0086] Computer-readable media (also referred to as processor-readable media) include any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) media that participate in providing data (e.g., instructions) that can be read by a computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. A computing device may include computer-executable instructions, where the instructions may be executable by one or more computing devices (such as those listed above) and stored on a computer-readable medium.

[0087] With respect to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc. described herein, it should be understood that although the steps of such processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to a certain ordered sequence, such processes may be practiced by performing the described steps in an order different from the order described herein. It should also be understood that certain steps may be performed simultaneously, other steps may be added, or certain steps described herein may be omitted. In other words, the descriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose of illustrating various embodiments and should in no way be construed as limiting the claims.

[0088] Therefore, it should be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Upon reading the above description, many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided will be apparent. The scope should not be determined with reference to the above description, but should be determined with reference to the entire scope of the appended claims and equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is expected and anticipated that the technology discussed herein will develop in the future, and the disclosed systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. In short, it should be understood that the present application is capable of modification and change.

[0089] Unless explicitly indicated to the contrary in this article, all terms used in the claims are intended to be given their ordinary meanings as understood by the technicians described herein. Specifically, unless the claims state an explicit limitation to the contrary, the use of singular articles such as "one", "the", "said" and the like should be interpreted as describing one or more of the indicated elements. Unless otherwise specifically stated or understood in other ways within the context when used, conditional language such as, in particular, "can", "may", "may" or "can" is generally intended to express that certain embodiments may include certain features, elements and / or steps, while other embodiments may not include certain features, elements and / or steps. Therefore, such conditional language is generally not intended to imply that one or more embodiments require each feature, element and / or step in any case.

[0090] In one aspect of the invention, the first speed is less than or equal to the wheel speed.

[0091] In one aspect of the invention, the first box is configured to store a delivery package, and wherein the first location is a boxing area where the delivery package is placed in the first box.

[0092] In one aspect of the invention, the method includes activating a second conveying channel in response to obtaining the wheel speed, wherein the second conveying channel is configured to move a second box from the second position to the first position at a second speed, and wherein the second speed is greater than or equal to the wheel speed.

[0093] In one aspect of the present invention, obtaining the trigger signal includes obtaining the trigger signal when the vehicle is disposed close to the first delivery channel.

[0094] According to the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: obtain a trigger signal; obtain a wheel speed associated with a first motorized block disposed in an interior portion of a vehicle, wherein: the first motorized block is configured to receive a first box from a first conveying channel and move the first box to a predefined position in the interior portion, the first conveying channel is configured to move the first box from a first position to a second position, and the second position is proximate to the first motorized block; and in response to obtaining the wheel speed, activate the first conveying channel to move the first box from the first position to the second position at a first speed, wherein the first speed is based on the wheel speed.

Claims

1. A system comprising: a first delivery passage configured to move a first box from a first position to a second position, wherein the second position is proximate to a first motorized block disposed in an interior portion of a vehicle, and wherein the first motorized block is configured to receive the first box from the first delivery passage and move the first box to a predefined position in the interior portion; a transceiver configured to receive a wheel speed associated with the first motorized mass; as well as a processor communicatively coupled to the first delivery channel and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: Get a trigger signal; obtaining the wheel speed from the transceiver in response to obtaining the trigger signal; as well as The first transfer passage is activated in response to obtaining the wheel speed to move the first tank from the first position to the second position at a first speed, wherein the first speed is based on the wheel speed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver receives the wheel speed from the vehicle or a server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first speed is less than or equal to the wheel speed.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first box is configured to store delivery packages, and wherein the first location is a boxing area where the delivery packages are placed in the first box.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtaining, from a server, information associated with the first box and the delivery package; and The information is transmitted to the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to detect the presence of the first bin proximate the second location.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the sensor is disposed on the first delivery path proximate to the second location.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to: obtaining input from said sensor; determining, based on the input, that the first bin is present proximate to the second location; and In response to determining that the first box is present, a command signal is transmitted to the vehicle to cause the first motorized block to activate.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second conveying channel configured to move a second box from the second position to the first position at a second speed, wherein the second speed is greater than or equal to the wheel speed.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first location is a box staging area configured to store the first box to be loaded into the vehicle, and wherein the box staging area includes a second motorized block.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the case staging area is disposed proximate to the second location.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first delivery channel comprises a third motorized block.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second motorized block is configured to transport the first box from the box staging area to the third motorized block, and wherein the third motorized block is configured to receive the first box from the second motorized block and transport the first box to the second location.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor obtains the trigger signal when the vehicle is disposed in proximity to the first delivery channel.

15. A method of facilitating loading and unloading of a box, the method comprising: A trigger signal is obtained by the processor; A wheel speed associated with a first motorized mass disposed in an interior portion of a vehicle is obtained by the processor, wherein: The first motorized block is configured to receive a first box from a first delivery channel and move the first box to a predefined position in the interior portion, The first transport channel is configured to move the first box from a first position to a second position, and the second position being proximate to the first motorized block; as well as The first transfer channel is activated by the processor in response to obtaining the wheel speed to move the first box from the first position to the second position at a first speed, wherein the first speed is based on the wheel speed.

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