APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING UNMANNED DELIVERY VEHICLES WITH EXPRESSIONS

• US 20180005169A1
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Published: 01/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal Mart Stores Inc (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: High, Donald R., Kapner, Noah Ryan
• Application Number:
  US15/638,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20180005169A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/5035 electronic displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/507 specific to autonomous vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/549 for expressing greetings, gratitude or emotions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2800/20 Utility vehicles, e.g. for agriculture, construction work
• 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: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for an unmanned delivery vehicle system. A delivery vehicle system comprises a locomotion system of an unmanned ground vehicle configured to transport items to customer locations for deliveries, a context sensor configured to collect data of a surrounding of the unmanned ground vehicle, an indicator system on an exterior of the unmanned ground vehicle, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to retrieve a task profile for a delivery trip, determine a context based on data from the context sensor during the delivery trip, select an expression based on the task profile and the context, and cause the indicator system to convey the expression.

Claims

1. An unmanned delivery vehicle system for delivering products to customers comprising:

a locomotion system of an unmanned ground vehicle configured to transport items to customer locations for deliveries;

a context sensor configured to collect data of a surrounding of the unmanned ground vehicle, the context sensor comprises a location sensor, an image sensor, and a sound sensor;

an indicator system on an exterior of the unmanned ground vehicle comprising a speaker and indicator lights; and

a control circuit coupled to the locomotion system, the context sensor, and the indicator system, the control circuit being configured to;

retrieve a task profile for a delivery trip the task profile comprises one or more route neighborhood profiles;

determine a context based on data from the context sensor during the delivery trip;

select a personality profile from a plurality of personality profiles based on a route neighborhood profile in the task profile associated with a current location of the unmanned ground vehicle;

detect, via the context sensor, a trigger condition of an expression associated with the personality profile; and

cause the speaker and the indicator lights of the indicator system to convey the expression.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the context sensor further comprises one or more of a range sensor, a light sensor, a weather sensor, and a data receiver.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicator system further comprises one or more of a light system, a color changing light system, a display screen, a hydraulics system, and a motored movable part.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the task profile further comprises one or more of recipient profile, delivery content information, delivery trip date, delivery trip purpose, and special delivery message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the context comprises characteristics relating to one or more of location, weather, detected persons, detected animals, detected objects, and neighborhood demographics.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the expression comprises one or more of light color, light pattern, audio, music, sound pattern, machine synthesized speech, image, video, and movement pattern.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the expression is further selected based on a language profile selected based on at least one of the task profile and the context.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

receive an inquiry from a person during the delivery trip;

determine a response to the inquiry based on at least one of the task profile and the context; and

cause the indicator system to provide the response to the person.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

detect a warning condition; and

cause the indicator system to generate an alarm.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the task profile and the expression is retrieved from a central computer system communicating with the unmanned ground vehicle via a wireless transceiver.

11. A method for operating a delivery vehicle system for delivering products to customers, comprising:

retrieving, at a control circuit on an unmanned ground vehicle, a task profile for a delivery trip to be performed by an unmanned locomotion system configured to transport items to customer locations for deliveries, the task profile comprises one or more route neighborhood profiles;

determining a context of based on a context sensor during the delivery trip, the context sensor being configured to collect data of a surrounding of the unmanned ground vehicle and comprises a location sensor, an image sensor, and a sound sensor;

selecting, with the control circuit, a personality profile from a plurality of personality profiles based on a route neighborhood profile in the task profile associated with a current location of the unmanned ground vehicle;

detecting, via the context sensor, a trigger condition of an expression associated with the personality profile; and

causing an indicator system on an exterior of the unmanned ground vehicle to convey the expression, the indicator system comprises a speaker and indicator lights.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the context sensor further comprises one or more of a range sensor, a light sensor, a weather sensor, and a data receiver.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the indicator system comprises one or more of a light system, a color changing light system, a display screen, a hydraulics system, and a motored movable part.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the task profile further comprises one or more of route neighborhood profile, recipient profile, delivery content information, delivery trip date, delivery trip purpose, and special delivery message.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the context comprises characteristics relating to one or more of location, weather, detected persons, detected animals, detected objects, and neighborhood demographics.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the expression comprises one or more of light color, light pattern, audio, music, sound pattern, machine synthesized speech, image, video, and movement pattern.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the expression is further selected based a language profile selected based on at least one of the task profile and the context.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an inquiry from a person during the delivery trip;

determining a response to the inquiry based on at least one of the task profile and the context; and

causing the indicator system to provide the response to the person.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a warning condition; and

causing the indicator system to generate an alarm.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the task profile and the expression is retrieved from a central computer system communicating with the unmanned ground vehicle via a wireless transceiver.

21. An apparatus for operating a delivery vehicle comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium storing a set of computer readable instructions; and

a control circuit configured to execute the set of computer readable instructions which cause to the control circuit to;

determine a task profile for an unmanned ground vehicle configured to transport items to customer locations for deliveries, the task profile comprises one or more route neighborhood profiles;

determine a context of the unmanned ground vehicle based on data from a context sensor on the unmanned ground vehicle, the context sensor comprises a location sensor, an image sensor, and a sound sensor;

select a personality profile from a plurality of personality profiles based on a route neighborhood profile in the task profile associated with a current location of the unmanned ground vehicle;

detecting, via the context sensor, a trigger condition of an expression associated with the personality profile; and

cause an indicator system on the unmanned ground vehicle to convey the expression, the indicator system comprises a speaker and indicator lights.