Robot transport method with transportation container

• US 10,345,818 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2017
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autonomy Squared LLC
• Original Assignee: Autonomy Squared LLC
• Inventors: Sibley, Gabriel T
• Primary Examiner(s): Patton, Spencer D
• Application Number:
  US15/707,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20180326886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 2029/149 with central server link
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 29/141 comprising electronically controlled locking means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 1/04 with a tipping movement of load-transporting element dredgers or soil-shifting machines E02F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/007 for delivery of small articles, e.g. milk, frozen articles
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41895 using automatic guided vehicles [AGV] control of position or course of AGV's G05D1/00
• 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 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/661 Docking at a base station delivering or retrieving payloads G05D1/667
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/667 Delivering or retrieving payloads
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0837 Return transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00 Franking apparatus printing aspects B41
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0092 for cargo, freight or shipping containers and applications therefore in general
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A method for transporting a plurality of articles with a transportation container that can be carried in a transport container of one of a plurality of robots. The plurality of articles is placed in the transportation container. The transportation container is placed in a pickup location at a first location. A robot is navigated to the first location and the transportation container is autonomously moved from the pickup location to the transport container of the robot. The robot is navigated over an outdoor transportation network to a second location and the transportation container is autonomously moved from the transport container to a recipient location at the second location.

Claims

1. A method for transporting a plurality of articles from a first location to a second location, comprising:

receiving a transportation container of a standardized size and shape and free of a top for being carried within a transport container of any of a plurality of robots from a fleet of robots, each of the plurality of robots being configured to travel along roads, bike paths and sidewalks and being free of a human driver compartment,

placing the plurality of articles in the transportation container,

placing the transportation container at a pickup location at the first location,

navigating a first robot from the fleet of robots to the first location,

autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup location to the transport container of the first robot at the first location,

navigating the first robot over an outdoor transportation network from the first location to the second location,

and autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container to a recipient location at the second location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transportation container is made from a material selected from the group consisting of cardboard, paperboard, fiberboard, plastic and metal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transportation container has the shape of a parallelepiped.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transportation container has four interconnected side walls joined to a bottom wall.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup location to the transport container includes autonomously picking the transportation container up off the ground at the first location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pickup location is inside a pickup container and wherein the step of autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup location to the transport container includes autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup container to the transport container.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container to the recipient location includes autonomously placing the transportation container on the ground at the second location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the recipient location is inside a recipient container and wherein the step of autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container to the recipient location includes autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container to the recipient container.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport container is a closeable transport container and wherein each of the autonomous moving steps includes autonomously opening the transport container.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport container has a transport mechanism for moving the transportation container into and out from the transport container.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving payment for the purchase of the plurality of articles.

12. A method for transporting a plurality of articles from a first location to a second location, comprising:

receiving an open transportation container of a standardized size and shape for being carried within a transport container of any of a plurality of robots from a fleet of robots, each of the plurality of robots being configured to travel along roads, bike paths and sidewalks and being free of a human driver compartment,

placing the plurality of articles in the transportation container,

placing the transportation container in a pickup container at the first location,

navigating a first robot from the fleet of robots to the first location,

autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup container to the transport container of the first robot at the first location,

navigating the first robot over an outdoor transportation network from the first location to the second location,

and autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container to a recipient container at the second location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the recipient container is a closeable recipient container and wherein the step of autonomously moving the open transportation container from the transport container to the recipient container includes autonomously opening the recipient container.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising removing the plurality of articles from the open transportation container.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving the open transportation container at a third location,

placing a second plurality of articles in the transportation container at the third location,

placing the transportation container in a pickup container at the third location,

navigating a second robot from the fleet of robots to the third location,

autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup container to the transport container of the second robot at the third location,

navigating the second robot over the outdoor transportation network from the third location to a fourth location,

and autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container of the second robot to a recipient container at the fourth location.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising removing the plurality of articles from the open transportation container at the fourth location.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

placing an additional article in the transportation container at the second location,

placing the transportation container in a pickup container at the second location,

navigating a second robot from the fleet of robots to the second location,

autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup container at the second location to the transport container of the second robot,

navigating the second robot over the outdoor transportation network from the second location to a third location,

and autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container of the second robot to a recipient container at the third location.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the removing step includes:

removing the plurality of articles from the open transportation container to create an empty transportation container,

placing the empty transportation container in the recipient container at the second location,

navigating a second robot from the fleet of robots to the second location,

autonomously moving the empty transportation container from the recipient container to the transport container of the second robot at the second location,

navigating the second robot over the outdoor transportation network from the second location to a third location,

and removing the empty transportation container from the transport container of the second robot at the third location for later reuse.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of removing the empty transportation container from the transport container of the second robot at the third location includes autonomously removing the empty transportation container from the transport container of the second robot at the third location.

20. A method for transporting a plurality of articles from a first location to a second location, comprising:

receiving one of a plurality of open transportation containers of a standardized size and shape for being carried within a transport container of any of a plurality of robots from a fleet of robots, each of the plurality of robots being configured to travel along roads, bike paths and sidewalks and being free of a human driver compartment,

placing the plurality of articles in the transportation container,

placing the transportation container at a pickup location at the first location,

navigating a first robot from the fleet of robots to the first location,

autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup location to the transport container of the first robot at the first location,

navigating the first robot over an outdoor transportation network from the first location to the second location,

autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container to a recipient location at the second location,

removing the plurality of articles from the transportation container,

placing an additional plurality of articles in the transportation container,

placing the transportation container at a pickup location at a third location,

navigating a second robot from the fleet of robots to the third location,

autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup location to the transport container of the second robot at the third location,

navigating the second robot over the outdoor transportation network from the third location to a fourth location,

autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container to a recipient location at the fourth location.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising removing the additional plurality of articles from the open transportation container at the fourth location.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of autonomously moving the open transportation container from the pickup location to the transport container of the second robot at the third location includes autonomously picking the transportation container up off the ground at the third location.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the pickup location at the third location is inside a pickup container and wherein the step of autonomously moving the open transportation container from the pickup location to the transport container of the second robot at the third location includes autonomously moving the transportation container from the pickup container to the transport container at the third location.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of autonomously moving the open transportation container from the transport container to the recipient location at the fourth location includes autonomously placing the transportation container on the ground at the fourth location.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the recipient location at the fourth location is inside a recipient container and wherein the step of autonomously moving the open transportation container from the transport container to the recipient location at the fourth location includes autonomously moving the transportation container from the transport container to the recipient container at the fourth location.