Automated Guided Vehicle Retrieval in Delivery Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Human workers in delivery vehicles face physical and mental fatigue, leading to inefficiencies and errors due to the need to manually search and retrieve items, which wastes space and increases delivery time.
Innovation Solution
An automated guided vehicle (AGV) system that navigates within a delivery vehicle to retrieve and deliver items, using a computing system to determine storage locations and secure itself during transit, thereby reducing human intervention and optimizing space usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If human workers manually search and retrieve items in delivery vehicles, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but productivity decreases and delivery time increases due to physical and mental fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service through automated guided vehicles that autonomously navigate delivery vehicles, locate items using sensors and computing systems, and retrieve them without human intervention. The AGV determines its own path, identifies item storage locations, and executes retrieval operations independently, eliminating the need for human workers to manually search and transport items throughout the delivery process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical human worker system with an automated guided vehicle system equipped with sensors, computing systems, and automated navigation capabilities. The AGV uses optical sensors, RFID readers, and computer vision systems to detect and locate items, substituting human visual search and manual retrieval with automated detection and mechanical transport mechanisms
2Volume of stationary object
If space is allocated for human workers to move and carry items, then operational flexibility is maintained, but the volume available for item storage decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The AGV system eliminates the need for human workers to occupy space within the delivery vehicle. The automated vehicle navigates autonomously through the storage area, using sensors to locate items and compute optimal paths without requiring dedicated human workspaces, hand trucks, or safety zones that would reduce storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional human movement through storage aisles to three-dimensional automated navigation, allowing the AGV to access items from multiple directions and optimize its path through the storage volume without being constrained by human ergonomic requirements or safety clearances
3Reliability
If delivery vehicles stop for human workers to safely retrieve items, then worker safety is ensured, but additional time is required for item retrieval
Solution Approach 1:
The AGV system maintains continuous operation throughout the delivery process. The automated vehicle can navigate and retrieve items during vehicle transit without requiring stops, ensuring that the useful action of item retrieval continues uninterrupted. The system only pauses when the delivery vehicle itself stops, eliminating additional retrieval time while maintaining safety through automated operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the human worker retrieval system with an automated guided vehicle that can operate continuously during delivery. The AGV uses automated navigation, sensor-based item detection, and mechanical retrieval mechanisms to eliminate the need for stopping the delivery vehicle to ensure worker safety, maintaining both safety and continuous operation
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for automated preparation of deliveries in delivery vehicles using automated guided vehicles is described. In an example implementation, the method may determine a future delivery in a set of deliveries assigned to a delivery vehicle, the future delivery including a first item and determine a storage location in the delivery vehicle of the first item. In some implementations, an AGV may, during transit of the delivery vehicle along a route for delivering the set of deliveries, navigate to a point proximate to the storage location of the first item in the delivery vehicle, and retrieve the first item from the storage location in the delivery vehicle. The AGV may then deliver the first item to a delivery point.