IN-VEHICLE PACKAGE LOCATION IDENTIFICATION AT LOAD AND DELIVERY TIMES

• US 20170140329A1
• Filed: 11/18/2015
• Published: 05/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Bernhardt, Keith L., Agrawal, Sameer, Poole, Mark, Gansen, Sherri
• Granted Patent: US 10,192,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/007 for delivery of small articles, e.g. milk, frozen articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1371 with data records
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2209/04 Indication location means
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A shelving and package locating system for delivery vehicles includes one or more shelves for storing packages within a delivery vehicle during delivery. Each package is associated with both a geographic delivery address and an assigned location on a particular shelf within the delivery vehicle. A GPS unit determines the location of the delivery vehicle during delivery, and a computer provides the shelf location of a particular package when that package'"'"'s delivery-location information substantially corresponds to vehicle location information. Several embodiments exist for registering the location of the package in the vehicle at load time, such as scanned location indicia, light sensors on shelves, pressure sensors on shelves, pressure sensors on the floor of the vehicle, and light spot. Several embodiments exist for locating the package in the vehicle at delivery time, such as a pick-to-light system that employs variable length lighting and a light pointer system that generates a light spot.

Claims

1. A delivery vehicle package locating system, the system comprising:

one or more shelves for storing a plurality of packages, wherein each shelf comprises;

a shelf communication interface;

a plurality of indicator lights in a row;

a plurality of emitting lights in a row along a first edge of the shelf;

a plurality of light sensors in a row on a second edge of the shelf, wherein each light sensor on the second edge of the shelf corresponds to an emitting light on the first edge of the shelf;

a shelf control system communicatively coupled to the shelf communication interface, plurality of indicator lights, plurality of emitting lights, and plurality of light sensors, and comprising a shelf processor and a shelf memory storing program codes wherein the shelf is operable to;

determine the width and shelf-location of a package loaded on a shelf; and

send the width and shelf-location information for the package to a computer system; and

the computer system comprising;

a computer communication interface;

a computer control system communicatively coupled to the computer communication interface and comprising a computer processor and a computer memory storing program codes wherein the computer is operable to;

receive delivery-location information for the package;

receive package identification information for the package;

receive width and shelf-location information for the package; and

correlate and store the delivery-location information, the package identification information, and the width and shelf-location information for the package.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further operable to:

determine vehicle-location information for the current location of the delivery vehicle; and

responsive to the vehicle-location information corresponding with delivery-location information, send the corresponding shelf-location information for the package to the one or more shelves; and

each of the one or more shelves is further operable to;

receive shelf-location information from the computer system for the package; and

activate the indicator lights corresponding to the width and shelf-location of the package to be delivered.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicator lights are light emitting diodes (LEDs).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the emitting lights are infrared emitting LEDs.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the light sensors detect light from infrared LEDs.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein activating the indicator lights comprises causing the indicator lights to blink.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein activating the indicator lights comprises causing the indicator lights to light up.

8. A delivery vehicle package locating system, the system comprising:

one or more shelves for storing a plurality of packages, wherein each shelf comprises;

a shelf communication interface;

a plurality of indicator lights in a row;

a pressure sensor associated with the surface area of the shelf;

a shelf control system communicatively coupled to the shelf communication interface, plurality of indicator lights and the pressure sensor and comprising a shelf processor and a shelf memory storing program codes wherein the shelf is operable to;

determine the width and shelf-location of a package loaded on a shelf; and

send the width and shelf-location information for the package to a computer system; and

the computer system comprising;

a computer communication interface;

a computer control system communicatively coupled to the computer communication interface and comprising a computer processor and a computer memory storing program codes wherein the computer is operable to;

receive delivery-location information for the package;

receive package identification information for the package;

receive width and shelf-location information for the package; and

correlate and store the delivery-location information, the package identification information, and the width and shelf-location information for the package.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer system is further operable to:

determine vehicle-location information for the current location of the delivery vehicle; and

responsive to the vehicle-location information corresponding with delivery-location information, send the corresponding shelf-location information for the package to the one or more shelves; and

each of the one or more shelves is further operable to;

receive shelf-location information from the computer system for the package; and

activate the indicator lights corresponding to the width and shelf-location of the package to be delivered.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the indicator lights are light emitting diodes (LEDs).

11. The system of claim 8, wherein activating the indicator lights comprises causing the indicator lights to blink.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein activating the indicator lights comprises causing the indicator lights to light up.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more shelves comprise one or more floor areas of the delivery vehicle.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer system is further operable to:

receive a request for the available space in the delivery vehicle;

send a request to each of the one or more shelves for the available shelf space on each of the one or more shelves;

receive the available shelf space from each of the one or more shelves;

aggregate the available shelf space from each of the one or more shelves to create the available shelf space in the delivery vehicle; and

report the available shelf space in the delivery vehicle to a dashboard; and

each of the one or more shelves is further operable to;

receive a request for the available shelf space from the computer system; and

send the available shelf space to the computer system.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the request for available shelf space in the delivery vehicle is received from the computer system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the dashboard is displayed on the computer system.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the request for available shelf space in the delivery vehicle is received from a computer system associated with a dispatcher.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the dashboard is displayed on the computer system associated with a dispatcher.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein each shelf further comprises grid lights.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer system is further operable to:

determine vehicle-location information for the current location of the delivery vehicle; and

responsive to the vehicle-location information corresponding with delivery-location information, send the corresponding shelf-location information for the package to the one or more shelves; and

each of the one or more shelves is further operable to;

receive shelf-location information from the computer system for the package; and

activate the grid lights corresponding to the shelf-location of the package to be delivered.

21. A delivery vehicle package locating system, the system comprising:

one or more shelves for storing a plurality of packages;

one or light pointers, wherein each light pointer comprises;

a light pointer communication interface;

a light source;

a light pointer control system communicatively coupled to the light pointer communication interface and the light source and comprising a light pointer processor and a light pointer memory storing program codes wherein the light pointer is operable to;

identify a shelf-location for a package, wherein the shelf-location is identified using a light spot generated by the light source; and

send the shelf-location information for the package to a computer system; and

the computer system comprising;

a computer communication interface;

a computer control system communicatively coupled to the computer communication interface and comprising a computer processor and a computer memory storing program codes wherein the computer is operable to;

receive delivery-location information for the package;

receive package identification information for the package;

receive shelf-location information for the package; and

correlate and store the delivery-location information, the package identification information, and the shelf-location information for the package.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the computer system is further operable to:

determine vehicle-location information for the current location of the delivery vehicle; and

responsive to the vehicle-location information corresponding with delivery-location information, send the corresponding shelf-location information for the package to the one or more shelves; and

each of the one or more light pointers is further operable to;

receive shelf-location information from the computer system for the package; and

identify the shelf-location of the package to be delivered, wherein the shelf-location is identified using a light spot generated by the light source.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the light source is adjustable.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the light pointer comprises a plurality of light sources.