Autonomous ground vehicles deployed from facilities

• US 10,241,516 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brady, Tye Michael, Canavor, Darren Ernest, Evans, Ethan Zane, Mishra, Pragyana K., Siegel, Hilliard Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Testardi, David A
• Application Number:
  US15/280,479
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• 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 1/0225 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: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods

Abstract

Autonomous ground vehicles (“AGVs”) may be deployed from facilities (e.g., materials handling facilities, etc.) to deliver items to specified locations (e.g., user residences). In various implementations, AGVs may utilize various techniques for long-range travel between materials handling facilities and delivery locations (e.g., solar charging, strategically placed charging stations, energy efficient travel paths, etc.). In various implementations, AGV facilities (e.g., smaller types of materials handling facilities) may be sized to be more easily located in compressed urban areas (e.g., to be closer to various delivery locations, etc.) and may function as home base locations where AGVs are stationed and/or where items are received (e.g., from transportation vehicles) for delivery to local delivery locations.

Claims

1. A system to transport an ordered item, the system comprising:

a materials handling facility containing an ordered item to be delivered by an autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) to a delivery location in a delivery area;

an AGV facility that is mobile and is configured to be temporarily located at a stopping location in the delivery area;

a transportation vehicle configured to transport the ordered item from the materials handling facility to the AGV facility at the stopping location in the delivery area;

an AGV to be deployed from the AGV facility to deliver the ordered item from the AGV facility to the delivery location, the AGV comprising;

a propulsion portion;

a power module for supplying power to the propulsion portion;

a storage compartment having a locking mechanism; and

a control system, comprising;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least;

control the propulsion portion to deploy the AGV from the AGV facility that is at the stopping location in the delivery area with the ordered item contained in the storage compartment of the AGV;

control the propulsion portion to navigate the AGV along a travel path from the AGV facility to the delivery location; and

control the locking mechanism after the AGV has arrived at the delivery location to unlock the storage compartment to enable the ordered item to be removed from the storage compartment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the AGV facility that is mobile is of a size that fits within a 9 foot by 18 foot parking space.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the AGV facility comprises an item engagement mechanism that is configured to place the item in the storage compartment of the AGV.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the item engagement mechanism comprises a mechanical arm.

5. A transportation system, comprising:

a first autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) comprising;

a first storage compartment having a first locking mechanism;

a first control system configured to control the first locking mechanism; and

a first propulsion portion;

an AGV facility that the first AGV is configured to deploy from and that is mobile and is configured to be temporarily located at a stopping location in a delivery area; and

a computing system, comprising;

one or more processors; and

a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least;

provide instructions for an item to be to be transported by a transportation vehicle from a materials handling facility to the AGV facility at the stopping location in the delivery area;

provide instructions for the first AGV to deploy from the AGV facility with the item in the first storage compartment;

provide instructions for the first AGV to follow a travel path to deliver the item to a first delivery location that is in the delivery area; and

provide instructions for the first AGV to follow the travel path to return to the AGV facility after completing the delivery of the item to the first delivery location.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the AGV facility comprises a door that requires an access code to open, and the first AGV further comprises an access mechanism that wirelessly transmits the access code to open the door to enable the first AGV to at least one of enter or exit the AGV facility.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the AGV facility comprises an item engagement mechanism that is configured to place the item in the first storage compartment of the first AGV.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the item engagement mechanism comprises a mechanical arm.

9. The system of claim 5, whereon the travel path is a first travel path, the system further comprising:

a second AGV comprising;

a second storage compartment having a second locking mechanism;

a second control system configured to control the second locking mechanism; and

a second propulsion portion; and

wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to;

instruct the second AGV to deploy from the AGV facility;

instruct the second AGV to follow a second travel path to deliver an item to a second delivery location; and

instruct the second AGV to follow the second travel path to return to the AGV facility after completing the delivery of the item to the second delivery location.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the AGV facility is large enough to contain the first and second AGVs at the same time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the AGV facility is of a size that fits within a 9 foot by 18 foot parking space.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the AGV facility is configured to store the first and second AGVs when the first and second AGVs are not performing deliveries or other activities.

13. A computer implemented method to transport an item, the computer implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,

providing instructions for an AGV facility that is mobile to be temporarily located at a stopping location in a delivery area;

receiving an order for a first item that is to be delivered by a first autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) to a first delivery location that is in the delivery area;

providing instructions for the first item to be transported by a transportation vehicle from a materials handling facility to the AGV facility;

providing instructions for the first AGV to receive the first item in a storage compartment of the first AGV at the AGV facility; and

providing instructions for the first AGV to follow a travel path from the AGV facility to the first delivery location to deliver the first item.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13, wherein the travel path is a first travel path, the method further comprising:

receiving an order for a second item that is to be delivered by a second AGV to a second delivery location;

providing instructions for the second item to be transported by the transportation vehicle from the materials handling facility to the AGV facility at the same time that the first item is transported by the transportation vehicle to the AGV facility;

providing instructions for the second AGV to receive the second item in a storage compartment of the second AGV at the AGV facility; and

providing instructions for the second AGV to follow a second travel path from the AGV facility to the second delivery location to deliver the second item.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14, wherein the AGV facility is a home base location for the first and second AGVs, and the method further comprises providing instructions for the first and second AGVs to follow respective travel paths to return to the AGV facility after completing the deliveries to the respective first and second delivery locations.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 14, further comprising providing instructions for the first and second items to be removed from the transportation vehicle and placed in the respective first and second storage compartments while the first and second AGVs are inside the AGV facility.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 13, further comprising providing instructions for the first AGV and a second AGV to utilize respective coupling portions to couple to respective docking stations inside the AGV facility.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the AGV facility that is mobile is of a size that fits within a 9 foot by 18 foot parking space, and the instructions for the AGV facility to be positioned at the stopping location include instructions for searching for an available parking space in the delivery area where the AGV facility may be parked.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the AGV facility comprises an item engagement mechanism and the computer-implemented method further comprises providing instructions for the item engagement mechanism to place the item in the storage compartment of the AGV.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein the item engagement mechanism comprises a mechanical arm and the instructions for the item engagement mechanism comprise instructions for the mechanical arm to place the item in the storage compartment of the AGV.