SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DELIVERING AUTONOMOUS RETAIL LOCKERS TO DOCKING STATIONS

• US 20180336751A1
• Filed: 04/27/2018
• Published: 11/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Bruce W., Jones, Nathan G., Mattingly, Todd D.
• Application Number:
  US15/964,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20180336751A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 1/028 using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08355 Routing methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 Recipient pick-ups
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/0092 for cargo, freight or shipping containers and applications therefore in general
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses

Abstract

In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to deliver autonomous retail lockers to docking stations. In some embodiments, there is provided a system for delivering autonomous retail lockers to docking stations including an unmanned ground vehicle comprising a UGV control circuit; a first autonomous retail locker of a plurality of autonomous retail lockers each comprising: a product storage area; a transport system; a beacon receiver; and a retail locker control circuit configured to control the transport system to follow a homing signal and transport the first autonomous retail locker to couple with a docking station based on the homing signal received from the docking station, wherein the UGV control circuit is configured to identify when the UGV is at least within a threshold of a way point, and trigger a release of the first autonomous retail locker.

Claims

1. A system for delivering autonomous retail lockers to docking stations associated with a plurality of customers comprising:

an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) comprising a UGV control circuit;

a first autonomous retail locker of a plurality of autonomous retail lockers, the plurality of autonomous retail lockers serially and releasably secured with the UGV in a train configuration, wherein each of the plurality of autonomous retail lockers comprises;

a product storage area to store one or more retail products for delivery;

a transport system configured to transport the first autonomous retail locker across a distance;

a beacon receiver configured to detect a homing signal emitted by a docking station; and

a retail locker control circuit communicatively coupled with the transport system and the beacon receiver, wherein the retail locker control circuit is configured to control the transport system to follow the homing signal and autonomously transport the first autonomous retail locker to couple with the docking station based on the homing signal received from the docking station; and

the UGV is configured to pull the plurality of autonomous retail lockers that are sequentially coupled in the train configuration along a delivery route, wherein the UGV control circuit is configured to;

identify when the UGV is at least within a threshold of a way point corresponding to a drop-off location of the first autonomous retail locker; and

trigger a release of the first autonomous retail locker from the train configuration when the UGV is at least within the threshold of the way point.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the homing signal comprises a wireless data signal including an identifier associated with the docking station, and wherein the retail locker control circuit is further configured to:

determine whether the identifier in the homing signal corresponds to an identifier associated with the one or more retail products; and

in response to the determination that the identifier in the homing signal corresponds to the identifier associated with the one or more retail products, lock-in to the homing signal and control the transport system to transport the first autonomous retail locker towards the homing signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the homing signal comprises a particular frequency associated with a transmitter of the docking station, and wherein the retail locker control circuit is further configured to lock-in to the particular frequency of the homing signal and control the transport system to transport the first autonomous retail locker towards the homing signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the way point comprises a radial distance that is within a receiving range of the beacon receiver.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the UGV further comprises a transmitter communicatively coupled with the UGV control circuit, wherein the UGV control circuit is further configured to transmit, via the transmitter, a release confirmation signal to the docking station after the release of the first autonomous retail locker from the train configuration, wherein the release confirmation signal triggers the docking station to emit the homing signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the UGV further comprises a transmitter communicatively coupled with the UGV control circuit, wherein the UGV control circuit is further configured to transmit a homing activation signal to the docking station prior to the trigger releasing the first autonomous retail locker from the train configuration, and wherein the homing activation signal triggers the docking station to transmit the homing signal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the UGV control circuit is further configured to receive a homing-lock signal from the retail locker control circuit in response to the retail locker control circuit receiving and acquiring a signal lock of the homing signal, and wherein the release of the first autonomous retail locker is further triggered by the UGV control circuit receiving the homing-lock signal.

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

provide an in-range query signal to the docking station when the UGV is at least within the threshold of the way point;

receive an in-range response signal from the docking station; and

provide a release signal to the first autonomous retail locker in response to the receipt of the in-range response signal, wherein the release signal triggers the release of the first autonomous retail locker.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of autonomous retail lockers is magnetically daisy-chained to other one of the plurality of autonomous retail lockers via one or more magnets, and wherein the release of the first autonomous retail locker is triggered by a release signal from the UGV control circuit, the release signal causes application of voltage signal that induces the one or more magnets to decouple the first autonomous retail locker from one or more autonomous retail lockers of the plurality of autonomous retail lockers.

10. A method for delivering autonomous retail lockers to docking stations associated with a plurality of customers comprising:

identifying when an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is at least within a threshold of a way point corresponding to a drop-off location of a first autonomous retail locker of a plurality of autonomous retail lockers, the plurality of autonomous retail lockers serially and releasably secured with the UGV in a train configuration; and

triggering release of the first autonomous retail locker from the train configuration when the UGV is at least within the threshold of the way point, wherein, subsequent to the release, the first autonomous retail locker couples with a docking station based on a homing signal received from the docking station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the homing signal comprises a wireless data signal including an identifier associated with the docking station, and further comprising:

determining whether the identifier in the homing signal corresponds to an identifier associated with one or more retail products stored in the first autonomous retail locker; and

in response to the determining that the identifier in the homing signal corresponds to the identifier associated with the one or more retail products, locking-in the homing signal to transport the first autonomous retail locker towards the homing signal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the homing signal comprises a particular frequency associated with a transmitter of the docking station, and further comprising locking-in the particular frequency of the homing signal to transport the first autonomous retail locker towards the homing signal.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the way point comprises a radial distance that is within a receiving range of a beacon receiver of the first autonomous retail locker.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising, subsequent to the release of the first autonomous retail locker from the train configuration, transmitting a release confirmation signal to the docking station, wherein the release confirmation signal triggers the docking station to emit the homing signal.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a homing activation signal to the docking station to trigger the docking station to emit the homing signal prior to the triggering of release of the first autonomous retail locker from the train configuration.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving a homing-lock signal from a retail locker control circuit of the first autonomous retail locker in response to the retail locker control circuit receiving and acquiring a signal lock of the homing signal from the docking station, wherein the release of the first autonomous retail locker is further triggered by the receiving of the homing-lock signal.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing an in-range query signal to the docking station when the UGV is at least within the threshold of the way point;

receiving an in-range response signal from the docking station; and

providing a release signal to the first autonomous retail locker in response to the receiving of the in-range response signal, wherein the release signal triggers the release of the first autonomous retail locker.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a release signal to the first autonomous retail locker, the release signal triggers application of voltage signal inducing one or more magnets to decouple the first autonomous retail locker from one or more autonomous retail lockers of the plurality of autonomous retail lockers, thereby releasing the first autonomous retail locker from the train configuration.