Guided delivery vehicle

• US 10,239,544 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 888 Brands LLC
• Original Assignee: 888 Brands LLC
• Inventors: DeMartine, Daniel R., Douglas, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mott, Adam R
• Application Number:
  US15/262,296
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 13/00 Other railway systems
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 3/00 Electric locomotives or railcars characterised by power transmission B61C9/00; electrical features B60L; H02
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/40 Handling position reports or trackside vehicle data
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/70 Details of trackside communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• 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: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A guided delivery vehicle having one or more item support regions atop a carrier body; one or more drive wheels attached or coupled to one or more powered servo motors; a receiver for receiving one or more transmitted signals; at least one junction detection sensor, wherein the at least one junction detection sensor is capable of detecting a junction identifier associated with a determined position along a guide track; and a controller that receives and processes input from at least the receiver and the at least one junction detection sensor, and, in response to a received and processed input, executes an initial command step and sequentially executes subsequent command steps upon detection of a subsequent junction identifier.

Claims

1. A guided delivery vehicle, comprising:

one or more item support regions atop a carrier body;

one or more drive wheels attached or coupled to one or more powered servo motors;

a receiver for receiving one or more transmitted signals;

at least one junction detection sensor, wherein said at least one junction detection sensor is capable of detecting a discrete junction identifier associated with a determined position along a guide track, wherein said guided delivery vehicle is physically confined to said guide track; and

a controller, wherein said controller receives and processes input from at least said receiver and said at least one junction detection sensor, and wherein said controller, in response to a received and processed input, executes at least one command step and continues to execute said at least one command step until detection of a subsequent, discrete junction identifier and sequentially executes one or more subsequent command steps upon detection of said at least one subsequent, discrete junction identifier, wherein at least certain of said command steps includes actuation of said one or more powered servo motors to control said one or more drive wheels to cause said guided delivery vehicle to move in a desired direction along said guide track.

2. The guided delivery vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a mobile device or computer that establishes a wireless connection to said guided delivery vehicle to transmit said one or more transmitted signals to said receiver of said guided delivery vehicle.

3. The guided delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein said guided delivery vehicle is able to turn and move in any direction along said guide track.

4. The guided delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein said guided delivery vehicle is physically confined to said guide track via one or more sidewalls of said guide track, and wherein said guided delivery vehicle is capable of maneuvering within said guide track.

5. The guided delivery vehicle of claim 1, further comprising one or more selectable elements, wherein said one or more selectable elements provide additional input to said controller and allow said guided delivery vehicle to receive commands or input from a user.

6. The guided delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein each discrete junction identifier comprises at least one of a magnetic strip or an optically identifiable indicia or element.

7. The guided delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein said one or more transmitted signals includes said command steps to execute said task.

8. The guided delivery vehicle of claim 1, wherein said controller contains one or more tables of command steps, and wherein said input identifies a discreet table of command steps from said one or more tables of command steps.

9. A method for controlling a guided delivery vehicle to execute a task, said guided delivery vehicle comprising:

one or more item support regions atop a carrier body;

one or more drive wheels attached or coupled to one or more powered servo motors;

a receiver for receiving one or more transmitted signals;

at least one junction detection sensor, wherein said at least one junction detection sensor is capable of detecting a junction identifier associated with a determined position along a guide track, wherein said guided delivery vehicle is physically confined to said guide track via one or more sidewalls of said guide track; and

a controller, wherein said controller receives and processes input from at least said receiver and said at least one junction detection sensor, and wherein said controller is capable of actuating said one or more powered servo motors to rotate said one or more drive wheels to cause said guided delivery vehicle to move in a desired direction;

said method comprising;

receiving, via said receiver, a transmitted signal;

providing an input to said controller in response to receiving said transmitted signal;

processing, via said controller, said input to determine one or more command steps to execute said task;

performing a first command step until a junction identifier is detected by said at least one junction detection sensor; and

performing a subsequent command step until a subsequent junction identifier is detected by said at least one junction detection sensor.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said guided delivery vehicle further comprises a mobile device or computer that establishes a wireless connection to said guided delivery vehicle to transmit said one or more transmitted signals to said receiver of said guided delivery vehicle.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said guided delivery vehicle is able to turn and move in any direction along said guide track.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said guided delivery vehicle is capable of adjusting motion to maneuver along said guide track.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said guided delivery vehicle further comprises one or more selectable elements, wherein said one or more selectable elements provide additional input to said controller and allow said guided delivery vehicle to receive commands or input from a user.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein each junction identifier comprises at least one of a magnetic strip or an optically identifiable indicia or element.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of performing a subsequent command step until a subsequent junction identifier is detected by said at least one junction detection sensor comprises performing a subsequent command step at each of said subsequent junction identifiers along said guide track.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein said transmitted signal includes said command steps to execute said task.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein said controller contains one or more tables of command steps, and wherein said input identifies a discreet table of command steps from said one or more tables of command steps.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein at least certain of said command steps includes actuation of said one or more powered servo motors to rotate said one or more drive wheels to cause said guided delivery vehicle to move in a desired direction.

19. A method for controlling a guided delivery vehicle to deliver an item to a customer, said guided delivery vehicle comprising:

one or more item support regions atop a carrier body;

one or more drive wheels attached or coupled to one or more powered servo motors;

a receiver for receiving one or more transmitted signals;

at least one junction detection sensor, wherein said at least one junction detection sensor is capable of detecting a junction identifier associated with a determined position along a guide track, wherein said guided delivery vehicle is physically confined to said guide track via one or more sidewalls of said guide track; and

a controller, wherein said controller receives and processes input from at least said receiver and said at least one junction detection sensor;

said method comprising;

receiving, via said receiver, a transmitted signal, wherein said transmitted signal identifies a location proximate said customer for delivery of said item;

providing an input to said controller in response to receiving said transmitted signal;

processing, via said controller, said input to determine one or more command steps to retrieve said item and deliver said item to said location proximate said customer;

controlling said guided delivery vehicle to travel along a portion of said guide track until a junction identifier is detected by said at least one junction detection sensor;

determining whether said junction identifier identifies a location proximate said location of said customer; and

continuing to perform, if said junction identifier does not identify a present location as said location proximate said location of said customer, a subsequent command step until a subsequent junction identifier is detected by said at least one junction detection sensor, and if said junction identifier identifies a present location as said location proximate said location of said consumer, allowing said consumer to remove said item from said guided delivery vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising a mobile device or computer that establishes a wireless connection to said guided delivery vehicle to transmit said one or more transmitted signals to said receiver of said guided delivery vehicle.