Cargo Delivery Apparatus And Method

• US 20170236092A1
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: High, Donald R., Unahalekhaka, Atikhun
• Application Number:
  US15/431,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20170236092A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00256 Delivery operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods

Abstract

A control circuit dynamically controls the routing of an autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle configured to simultaneously carry a plurality of packages be variously delivered to a plurality of different address to accommodate a disrupted delivery of at least one of the plurality of packages. The disruption of a delivery can be detected, for example, as a function of a passage of time and/or a message from an intended recipient of at least one of the plurality of packages. Per these teachings, the control circuit can route the vehicle to a different one of the plurality of different addresses to effect delivery of a second one of the plurality of packages followed by routing the vehicle back to the first delivery address to complete the delivery that had been previously disrupted.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle configured to simultaneously carry a plurality of packages to be variously delivered to a plurality of different addresses;

a control circuit configured to dynamically control routing of the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle to accommodate a disrupted delivery of at least one of the plurality of packages.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is contained in part, but not entirely, in the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the disrupted delivery of the at least one of the plurality of packages.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to detect the disrupted delivery as a function, at least in part, of at least one of:

a passage of time;

a message from an intended recipient of the at least one of the plurality of packages.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured to dynamically control routing of the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle in response to detecting a disrupted delivery of a first one of the plurality of packages while en route to a first delivery address for the first one of the plurality of packages.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the control circuit is configured to dynamically control routing of the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle in response to detecting the disrupted delivery of the first one of the plurality of packages while en route to the first delivery address by rerouting the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle to a different one of the plurality of different addresses to effect delivery of a second one of the plurality of packages followed by routing the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle to the first delivery address to effect delivery of the first one of the plurality of packages.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle includes a plurality of selectively lockable lockers to hold various ones of the plurality of packages.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein at least some of the plurality of selectively lockable lockers are selectively movable with respect to the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle to control which of the plurality of selectively lockable lockers is presented to a delivered-package recipient.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the selectively lockable lockers that are selectively movable with respect to the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle are configured to rotate about a shared point of rotation.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the selectively lockable lockers that are selectively movable with respect to the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle are configured to move automatically with respect to the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle.

11. A method comprising:

providing an autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle configured to simultaneously carry a plurality of packages to be variously delivered to a plurality of different addresses;

using a control circuit to dynamically control routing of the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle to accommodate a disrupted delivery of at least one of the plurality of packages.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the control circuit is contained in part, but not entirely, in the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

using the control circuit to detect the disrupted delivery of the at least one of the plurality of packages.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein using the control circuit to detect the disrupted delivery of the at least one of the plurality of packages comprises using the control circuit to detect the disrupted delivery as a function, at least in part, of at least one of:

a passage of time;

a message from an intended recipient of the at least one of the plurality of packages.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein using a control circuit to dynamically control routing of the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle to accommodate a disrupted delivery of at least one of the plurality of packages comprises using the control circuit to dynamically control routing of the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle in response to detecting a disrupted delivery of a first one of the plurality of packages while en route to a first delivery address for the first one of the plurality of packages.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein using the control circuit to dynamically control routing of the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle in response to detecting the disrupted delivery of the first one of the plurality of packages while en route to the first delivery address comprises rerouting the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle to a different one of the plurality of different addresses to effect delivery of a second one of the plurality of packages followed by routing the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle to the first delivery address to effect delivery of the first one of the plurality of packages.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle includes a plurality of selectively lockable lockers to hold various ones of the plurality of packages.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising selectively moving at least some of the plurality of selectively lockable lockers with respect to the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle to control which of the plurality of selectively lockable lockers is presented to a delivered-package recipient.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein selectively moving at least some of the plurality of selectively lockable lockers with respect to the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle comprises rotating the at least some of the plurality of selectively lockable lockers around a shared point of rotation.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein selectively moving at least some of the plurality of selectively lockable lockers with respect to the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle comprises automatically selectively moving the at least some of the plurality of selectively lockable lockers with respect to the autonomous package-delivery terrestrial vehicle.