Package Locating System for Delivery Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Delivery drivers face inefficiencies in locating packages on delivery vehicles, leading to unproductive time and increased fuel costs due to misplacement and reorganization of packages during transit.
Innovation Solution
A shelving and package locating system that associates each package with a geographic delivery address and a specific shelf location, using a GPS unit and indicia-reader to provide the shelf location of packages when the vehicle is near the delivery stop, and includes a modular shelving system with adjustable and secure storage to prevent shifting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If packages are manually sorted and loaded by delivery drivers without a tracking system, then the loading process is simple, but the time to locate packages during delivery increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically recording package locations on shelves during the loading process using indicia readers and GPS tracking. This pre-established data allows drivers to quickly locate packages during delivery without manual searching, resolving the contradiction between simple loading and fast package retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy of the physical package arrangement by scanning indicia on packages and recording their shelf positions. This digital representation enables rapid package location through computer queries without physically searching, improving productivity while keeping the physical shelving system simple.
2Reliability
If packages are left unmonitored during vehicle transit, then the system remains simple, but packages may shift or fall off shelves causing misplacement
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses GPS units on shelves to continuously monitor package positions during transit and provides feedback to the control computer. When packages shift or fall, the system detects the position change and can alert the driver, ensuring package stability without requiring complex active monitoring mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The shelving system performs self-monitoring through integrated GPS units that automatically track package positions. The system serves itself by detecting misplacement without external intervention, improving reliability while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
3Loss of energy
If delivery drivers manually search through packages at each delivery location, then no additional technology is needed, but fuel is wasted due to vehicle idling
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the mechanical manual searching process with an automated computer-based information system. The computer queries the database using delivery location information and provides precise shelf location data, eliminating the need for drivers to physically search through packages and reducing vehicle idling time and fuel consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary information layer between the driver and the physical packages. The computer acts as a mediator that translates delivery location data into shelf position information, allowing drivers to locate packages efficiently without direct manual inspection, thereby reducing energy loss from idle vehicles.
Data Source
AI summary
A shelving and package locating system for delivery vehicles includes one or more shelves for storing packages within a package-delivery vehicle during delivery. Each package is associated with both a geographic delivery address and an assigned location on a particular shelf within the package-delivery vehicle. A GPS unit determines the location of the package-delivery vehicle during delivery, and a computer provides the shelf location of a particular package when that package's delivery-location information substantially corresponds to vehicle-location information.