Autonomous Delivery Units With Mothership Return Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Personnel expenses are a significant cost for item distribution networks, and there is a need to automate tasks to reduce costs, increase reliability, and improve quality, as computer automation can perform routine activities more reliably and at a lower cost than human operators.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of autonomous delivery units (ADUs) and a 'mothership' system that can deliver and recharge ADUs, allowing them to perform item delivery and pick-up tasks autonomously, with the mothership managing ADU deployment, routing, and charging while continuing along delivery routes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If human operators perform item delivery tasks, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but personnel expenses increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery system is segmented into a mothership vehicle and multiple detachable autonomous delivery units (ADUs). The mothership handles high-level navigation and carries multiple ADUs, while individual ADUs perform local delivery tasks. This segmentation allows automation of delivery tasks while keeping each component relatively simple and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The ADUs serve as intermediaries between the mothership and the final delivery locations. The mothership transports ADUs to near the delivery points, then ADUs independently complete the final delivery leg. This intermediary approach enables automation while distributing system complexity across multiple levels.
2Productivity
If autonomous delivery units are deployed to perform deliveries, then personnel costs are reduced, but the system requires complex infrastructure including motherships and charging facilities
Solution Approach 1:
The mothership serves multiple functions: it transports ADUs to delivery locations, provides charging facilities for ADUs, and can continue its route while ADUs are deployed. The ADUs themselves are multi-functional, capable of both delivery and returning to mothership for recharging. This multi-functionality increases productivity while managing system complexity through versatile components.
Solution Approach 2:
ADUs are designed to autonomously navigate to delivery locations, perform deliveries, and return to motherships for recharging without human intervention. The system uses automated scheduling and control computers to manage ADU deployment and routing. This self-service capability drives productivity while the modular design keeps individual unit complexity manageable.
3Ease of operation
If ADUs return to the same location on the mothership, then operational simplicity is maintained, but the mothership must stop and reposition frequently, reducing delivery efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines ADU return locations based on the mothership's current position and route. Rather than requiring the mothership to stop and reposition to fixed docking points, the ADU can return to any location along the mothership's route. This dynamic approach maintains operational simplicity for ADUs while significantly improving mothership productivity by eliminating unnecessary stops.
Solution Approach 2:
The scheduling and control computer continuously monitors the mothership's position and route, and uses this feedback to determine optimal ADU return locations. The system adjusts return points dynamically based on real-time conditions, allowing ADUs to return efficiently without requiring the mothership to stop or reposition, thereby maintaining both operational simplicity and high productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for autonomous item delivery and/or pick up are provided. IN some aspects, a mothership travels along an item route. One or more autonomous delivery vehicles may be dispatched from the mothership as the mothership progresses along the route. Each of the autonomous delivery vehicles may deliver and/or pick-up one or more items at one or more item locations. In addition, as the mothership progresses along its route, it may also stop to facilitate the manual delivery and/or pick-up of additional items via a human operator. Upon completing their delivery and/or pick up tasks, the autonomous delivery vehicles return to the mothership, either at the point at which they dispatched from the mothership, or at a different location along the item delivery route.