Systems and methods for delivering products via autonomous ground vehicles to vehicles designated by customers

• US 10,120,384 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2017
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Bruce W., McHale, Brian G., High, Donald R., Mattingly, Todd D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Application Number:
  US15/837,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20180164818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/01 Satellite radio beacon positioning systems transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/625 License plates

Abstract

In some embodiments, methods and systems are provided that provide for facilitating delivery, via autonomous ground vehicles, of products ordered by customers of a retailer to physical locations of vehicles designated by the customers.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating delivery of products ordered by a customer of a retailer to a delivery destination including a physical location of a vehicle designated by the customer via an autonomous ground vehicle, the system comprising:

an order processing server of the retailer configured to process an order for a product placed by a customer, wherein the order for the product placed by the customer specifies that the product be delivered via the autonomous ground vehicle to the delivery destination including the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer;

a computing device of the retailer including a processor-based control circuit, the computing device configured to obtain global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer;

wherein the control circuit is configured to analyze the obtained GPS coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer, determine a route for an autonomous ground vehicle to the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer, and transmit a first electronic notification to the autonomous ground vehicle including route instructions to guide the autonomous ground vehicle to the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer along the determined route; and

wherein the autonomous ground vehicle, after receipt of the first electronic notification from the computing device, is configured to navigate, based on the route instructions, to the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer while retaining the products ordered by the customer therein, to remain proximate the vehicle designated by the customer while retaining the products ordered by the customer therein, to transmit an electronic confirmation that the products ordered by the customer have been delivered by the autonomous ground vehicle to the delivery destination including the vehicle designated by the customer, to obtain identity detection data from a person attempting to retrieve the products from the autonomous ground vehicle at the delivery destination, and to permit the person attempting to retrieve the products from the autonomous ground vehicle at the delivery destination to retrieve the products ordered by the customer from the autonomous ground vehicle when an identity of the person attempting to retrieve the products from the autonomous ground vehicle at the delivery destination matches one of an identity of the customer who placed the order and an identity of a person authorized by the customer to pick up the products at the delivery destination from the autonomous ground vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle designated by the customer includes one of an installed transmitter and a mobile communication device configured to transmit the GPS coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer to the control circuit of the computing device, and wherein the computing device is configured to obtain GPS coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer based on the GPS coordinates transmitted to the computing device from the one of the installed transmitter and the mobile communication device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the autonomous ground vehicle includes a transceiver configured to receive the route instructions transmitted in the first electronic notification from the computing device, the transceiver configured to send one or more signals to the computing device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the vehicle designated by the customer includes a transceiver, and wherein the transceiver of the autonomous ground vehicle is configured to communicate directly with the transceiver of the vehicle designated by the customer when the autonomous ground vehicle is within a predetermined distance of the vehicle designated by the customer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the autonomous ground vehicle includes at least one sensor configured to detect at least one obstacle between the autonomous ground vehicle and the vehicle designated by the consumer along the route determined by the control circuit of the computing device for the autonomous ground vehicle, and wherein the autonomous ground vehicle is configured to avoid the at least one obstacle based on detection of the at least one obstacle by the at least one sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the autonomous ground vehicle includes a sensor configured to detect a combination of letters and numbers on a license plate of the vehicle designated by the customer.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the autonomous ground vehicle is configured to transmit sensor data including the combination of letters and numbers detected by the sensor on the license plate of the vehicle designated by the customer to the computing device, and wherein the control circuit of the computing device is configured to authenticate the vehicle designated by the customer based on the sensor data received from the autonomous ground vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit of the computing devices is further configured to receive, from the autonomous ground vehicle, the electronic confirmation that the product ordered by the customer has been delivered by the autonomous ground vehicle to the delivery destination including the vehicle designated by the customer, and wherein, in response to receipt, from the autonomous ground vehicle, of the electronic confirmation that the product ordered by the customer has been delivered to the vehicle designated by the customer, the control circuit of the computing device is further configured to transmit, to a mobile computing device of the customer, an electronic alert that the product ordered by the customer has been delivered to the vehicle designated by the customer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit of the computing devices is further configured to receive, from the autonomous ground vehicle, an electronic confirmation that the product ordered by the customer has been retrieved by the customer from the autonomous ground vehicle at the vehicle designated by the customer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein in response to receipt, from the autonomous ground vehicle, of the electronic confirmation that that the product ordered by the customer has been retrieved by the customer from the autonomous ground vehicle at the vehicle designated by the customer, the control circuit of the computing device is further configured to transmit, to the autonomous ground vehicle, return route information to guide the autonomous ground vehicle to a deployment station of the autonomous ground vehicle.

11. A method for facilitating delivery of products ordered by a customer of a retailer to a delivery destination including a physical location of a vehicle designated by the customer via an autonomous ground vehicle, the method comprising:

providing an order processing server of the retailer configured to process an order for a product placed by a customer, the order for the product placed by the customer specifying that the product be delivered via the autonomous ground vehicle to the delivery destination including the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer;

providing a computing device of the retailer including a processor-based control circuit, the computing device configured to obtain global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer;

analyzing, via the control circuit of the computing device, the obtained GPS coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer;

determining a route for an autonomous ground vehicle to the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer; and

transmitting a first electronic notification to the autonomous ground vehicle including route instructions to guide the autonomous ground vehicle to the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer along the determined route, the autonomous ground vehicle, after receipt of the first electronic notification from the computing device, navigating, based on the route instructions, to the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer while retaining the products ordered by the customer therein, remaining proximate the vehicle designated by the customer while retaining the products ordered by the customer therein, transmitting an electronic confirmation that the products ordered by the customer have been delivered by the autonomous ground vehicle to the delivery destination including the vehicle designated by the customer, obtaining identity detection data from a person attempting to retrieve the products from the autonomous ground vehicle at the delivery destination, and permitting the person attempting to retrieve the products from the autonomous ground vehicle at the delivery destination to retrieve the products ordered by the customer from the autonomous ground vehicle when an identity of the person attempting to retrieve the products from the autonomous ground vehicle at the delivery destination matches one of an identity of the customer who placed the order and an identity of a person authorized by the customer to pick up the products at the delivery destination from the autonomous ground vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle designated by the customer includes one of an installed transmitter and a mobile communication device configured to transmit the GPS coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer to the control circuit of the computing device, and further comprising obtaining, via the computing device, GPS coordinates of the physical location of the vehicle designated by the customer based on the GPS coordinates transmitted to the computing device from the one of the installed transmitter and the mobile communication device.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing the autonomous ground vehicle with a transceiver configured to receive the route instructions transmitted in the first electronic notification from the computing device and receiving from the transceiver, one or more signals sent by the transceiver at the computing device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing the vehicle designated by the customer with a transceiver, and communicating, via the transceiver of the autonomous ground vehicle, directly with the transceiver of the vehicle designated by the customer when the autonomous ground vehicle is within a predetermined distance of the vehicle designated by the customer.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing the autonomous ground vehicle with at least one sensor configured to detect at least one obstacle between the autonomous ground vehicle and the vehicle designated by the consumer along the route determined by the control circuit of the computing device for the autonomous ground vehicle, and avoiding the at least one obstacle by the autonomous ground vehicle based on detection of the at least one obstacle by the at least one sensor.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing the autonomous ground vehicle with a sensor configured to detect a combination of letters and numbers on a license plate of the vehicle designated by the customer.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting, via the autonomous ground vehicle, sensor data including the combination of letters and numbers detected by the sensor on the license plate of the vehicle designated by the customer to the computing device, and authenticating, via the control circuit of the computing device, the vehicle designated by the customer based on the sensor data received from the autonomous ground vehicle.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, via the control circuit of the computing devices of the retailer, from the autonomous ground vehicle, the electronic confirmation that the product ordered by the customer has been delivered by the autonomous ground vehicle to the vehicle designated by the customer, and wherein, in response to the receiving, from the autonomous ground vehicle, of the electronic confirmation that the product ordered by the customer has been delivered to the delivery destination including the vehicle designated by the customer, transmitting, via the control circuit of the computing device, to a mobile computing device of the customer, an electronic alert that the product ordered by the customer has been delivered to the vehicle designated by the customer.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, via the control circuit of the computing devices of the retailer, from the autonomous ground vehicle, an electronic confirmation that the product ordered by the customer has been retrieved by the customer from the autonomous ground vehicle at the vehicle designated by the customer.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, in response to the receiving, from the autonomous ground vehicle, of the electronic confirmation that that the product ordered by the customer has been retrieved by the customer from the autonomous ground vehicle at the vehicle designated by the customer, transmitting, via the control circuit of the computing device, to the autonomous ground vehicle, return route information to guide the autonomous ground vehicle to a deployment station of the autonomous ground vehicle.