Trailer with Code-Activated Closures for Unmanned Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing delivery systems for products, such as grocery lockers, face challenges in scalability, reliance on mains electric power, and difficulties in transporting totes from delivery vehicles to delivery sites without additional infrastructure, leading to inefficiencies and increased manual labor.
Innovation Solution
A trailer system equipped with wheels, a wall, and secure repositories that can be attached to a road vehicle, allowing for unmanned delivery and operation independent of mains power, with a cart design that eliminates the need for totes to be moved manually, using a code-activated locking system for customer access and a battery-powered cooling system for temperature control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If products are transported from delivery vehicle to delivery site using traditional carts, then delivery capacity can be maintained, but manual labor increases and unloading becomes difficult without infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the delivery vehicle and the cart into a single integrated unit. The cart is positioned inside the vehicle's cargo area and can be directly accessed through the vehicle's opening, eliminating the need for separate unloading operations. This combination allows products to be delivered directly from the vehicle to the delivery site without manual handling or external infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cart serves multiple functions: it acts as both a storage container within the vehicle and a delivery platform at the destination. The cart can be maneuvered independently once outside the vehicle, allowing it to function as a mobile delivery station that can be positioned anywhere without requiring fixed infrastructure like loading bridges.
2Adaptability or versatility
If automaton networks are expanded to more delivery sites, then delivery coverage increases, but dependency on mains power reduces scalability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the power source from the external mains infrastructure and places it within the vehicle itself. The vehicle's power system directly operates the cart and any automated components, eliminating the need for external power connections at delivery sites. This allows the automaton network to be deployed anywhere without requiring local power infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle provides its own power supply for all operational needs, including cart operation and automated delivery functions. This self-sufficient power system allows the automaton to operate independently at any location, removing the constraint of mains power dependency and enabling scalable expansion to remote or infrastructure-limited areas.
3Productivity
If tail lift is used to move carts from delivery vehicle, then unloading efficiency improves, but space requirement increases and delivery time extends
Solution Approach 1:
The cart and vehicle are designed as an integrated unit where the cart fits within the vehicle's cargo space and can be directly accessed through the vehicle's opening. This merging eliminates the need for separate lifting mechanisms, as the cart can be maneuvered out using the vehicle's existing opening and the cart's own mobility capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a tail lift to actively push the cart out, the system allows the cart to be passively extracted through the vehicle's opening and then actively maneuvered by its own propulsion system. This inversion of the unloading process— from active lifting to passive extraction followed by active self-movement—reduces the need for additional space and equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
An invention relates to picking, storing, and transporting of products. One objective is to reduce or eliminate manual work, or unnecessary process stages. The invention concerns a trailer (100) for a delivery of the products, wherein the trailer comprises an attachment point (101) for attaching the trailer to a road vehicle, a body with wheels, and a wall (104) attached to the body. The wall includes openings (105, 106) to a trunk that is limited by at least the body and the wall. The trailer comprises closures (109, 110) to cover and disclose the openings, and the trailer is configured to open a first closure (109) in response to a correct identifier. The trailer is further configured to receive a cart to a storing place so that, at the storing place (111), the cart holds a first repository (107) beside the first opening and a second repository (108) beside the second opening.