Smart postal box in support of autonomous delivery nodes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing volume of parcel deliveries due to e-commerce has led to increased road traffic, energy consumption, and labor costs, with existing delivery systems relying on centralized hubs and manual delivery methods, which can result in failed deliveries and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
An intelligent postal box system that uses autonomous delivery vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to deliver packages to secured, temperature-regulated compartments, with a controller managing access and compartment sizing to accommodate various package sizes, and enabling secure, efficient, and automated delivery and retrieval processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If centralized hubs and manual delivery methods are used, then delivery coordination is achieved, but road traffic and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the final delivery leg from the centralized hub system by implementing autonomous delivery nodes at local locations. Packages are transported to nearby nodes and then autonomously delivered to recipients, removing the need for continuous fleet vehicle operations and reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining delivery coordination efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Autonomous delivery nodes serve as intermediary facilities between centralized hubs and final recipients. These nodes receive packages from hubs and autonomously complete the final delivery, acting as a mediating layer that reduces the need for frequent hub-recipient trips and lowers energy consumption.
2Ease of operation
If manual delivery by fleet vehicles is used, then door-to-door delivery is achieved, but labor expenses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous delivery nodes perform self-service deliveries without human intervention. The nodes autonomously navigate to recipients, deliver packages, and return to base, eliminating the need for human delivery personnel while maintaining door-to-door delivery capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human-driven delivery vehicles with autonomous delivery nodes. This substitution eliminates labor expenses while maintaining the ability to deliver packages directly to recipients' locations.
3Reliability
If multiple delivery attempts are made, then signature confirmation is achieved, but delivery time and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous delivery nodes are pre-programmed with recipient information and authorization protocols. They can autonomously attempt deliveries and handle signature confirmations without requiring human intervention, allowing multiple attempts to be made efficiently without reducing overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where delivery nodes receive real-time information about delivery status, recipient availability, and authorization. This enables automated decision-making for multiple delivery attempts, ensuring reliable signature confirmation while maintaining high productivity through efficient retry logic.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a controller determines a particular compartment of a smart postal box in which a package is to be delivered. The controller associates the particular compartment with an authorized entity. The controller provides the authorized entity access to the particular compartment by aligning rolling doors of the smart postal box with the particular compartment.