Delivery system and method for low visibilty conditions

• US 20050043886A1
• Filed: 06/06/2002
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Visible Assets Incorporated (NOV, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visible Assets Incorporated (NOV, Inc.)
• Inventors: Waterhouse, Paul, Vandenberg, Mike, Stevens, John
• Application Number:
  US10/479,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20050043886A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096894 where input is assisted by the navigation device, i.e. the user does not type the complete name of the destination, e.g. using zip codes, telephone numbers, progressively selecting from initial letters
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

An inventive system for delivering a package (e.g., plurality of packages) includes a transport vehicle for transporting the package to a destination, the transport vehicle including a first transceiver and a computer system, and an electronic positioning system for navigating the transport vehicle to the destination under a low-visibility condition.

Claims

1. A system for delivering a package, comprising

a transport vehicle for transporting said package to a destination, said transport vehicle comprising a first transceiver and a computer system;

and

an electronic positioning system for navigating said transport vehicle to said destination under a low-visibility condition.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a drop-box comprising a second transceiver for wirelessly communicating with said first transceiver, and a signaling device for locating said drop-box under a low-visibility condition.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein during a low visibility condition, said first transciever wirelessly communicates with the said second transceiver, causing said drop-box to activate said signaling device.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said signaling device is activated when said transport vehicle is within a predetermined distance of said drop-box.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic tag associated with said package, said electronic tag comprising;

a signaling device which activates when said transport vehicle is within a predetermined distance of said destination; and

a third transceiver, for wirelessly communicating with said first and second transceivers.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein a low-visibility condition comprises at least one of a nighttime condition and an adverse weather condition.

7. The system according to claim 2, wherein said low-visibility condition comprises a condition under which said drop-box is obscured from a view of a person delivering said package.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detecting device for detecting a low-visibility condition.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said detecting device comprises a photodiode.

10. The system according to claim 2, wherein said signaling device is manually activated using said computer system to regulate a signal transmitted from said first transceiver to said second transceiver.

11. The system according to claim 2, wherein a magnitude of a signal emitted by said signaling device is regulated by using said computer system to regulate a signal transmitted from said first transceiver to said second transceiver.

12. The system according to claim 2, wherein said computer system comprises a locator database for storing detailed location data for said drop-box.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein data from said electronic positioning system is refined using said detailed location data.

14. A system for delivering packages, comprising:

a transport vehicle comprising;

a first transceiver; and

a computer system;

an electronic tag associated with at least one of said packages, comprising;

a signaling device which activates when a package arrives at a destination; and

a second transceiver, for wirelessly communicating with said transport vehicle; and

an electronic positioning system for navigating said transport vehicle to said destination according to an optimum delivery route.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said electronic positioning system comprises a satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) comprising:

at least one satellite for wirelessly transmitting signals;

a ground based control station for uploading data to and receiving signals from said at least one satellite; and

a user receiver located on said transport vehicle for receiving signals from said at least one satellite.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein said electronic positioning system comprises a dead reckoning (DR) system which measures compass direction and a speed of said transport vehicle.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said electronic positioning system comprises a solid state gyroscope.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein said global positioning system further comprises:

a reference station which compares predicted pseudoranges to actually measured pseudoranges, computes correction data for each said satellite and broadcasts said correction data over a separate data link to said user receiver,

wherein said user receiver applies said correction data to a pseudorange measurement to compute a position.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein said electronic positioning system further comprises a dead reckoning (DR) system which measures compass direction and a speed of said transport vehicle, and

wherein said dead reckoning system is used to augment said satellite-based global positioning system.

20. The system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a base station comprising a third transceiver for wirelessly communicating with said transport vehicle and said electronic tag.

21. The system according to claim 20, further comprising:

a drop-box located at said destination, comprising a fourth transceiver for wirelessly communicating with said transport vehicle, said electronic tag and said base station.

22. The system according to claim 14, wherein said signaling device is activated when said package arrives at said destination, and wherein said first and second transceivers wirelessly communicate with each other to minimize a delivery time.

23. A system for low-visibility package delivery, comprising:

a transport vehicle comprising;

a first transceiver; and

a computer system; and

an electronic positioning system for navigating said transport vehicle to said destination according to an optimum delivery route,

wherein a low-visibility condition causes a location of said destination to be hardly visible to a person making a delivery.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein said low-visibility condition comprises one of an adverse weather condition and a nighttime condition.

25. The system according to claim 23, further comprising:

a drop-box located at said destination for receiving a package,

wherein a low-visibility condition causes a drop-box located at said destination to be hardly visible to a person making a delivery.

26. A method for delivering packages, comprising:

transporting said package to a destination using a transport vehicle; and

navigating said transport vehicle to said destination under a low-visibility condition, using an electronic positioning system.

27. A method for delivering packages, comprising:

associating said packages with electronic tags;

inputting a destination address to a computer system to determine an optimum delivery route;

placing said packages on a transport vehicle; and

navigating said transport vehicle to a destination using an electronic positioning system.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising:

activating a signaling device on a particular electronic tag when said transport vehicle arrives at a destination of a package associated with said particular electronic tag.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein said electronic tag is temporarily affixed to one of said container and said package.

30. The method according to claim 27, wherein said packages are temporarily stored in a container and said electronic tag is affixed to said container.

31. A programmable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method for delivering packages, said method comprising:

transporting said package to a destination using a transport vehicle; and

navigating said transport vehicle to said destination under a low-visibility condition, using an electronic positioning system.