Delivery vehicle for delivering consignments to a consignment cabinet, and consignment cabinet for receiving, storing and reissuing consignments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11468397-B2
Application number	US-201916244999-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2019
Priority date	Jan 10, 2018
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

Described and presented is a delivery vehicle having a consignment store for receiving, storing and reissuing consignments, having a handover device for handing over consignments from the consignment store to a displacing device, and having a control device for controlling at least the displacing device. The displacing device is designed for delivering consignments to a location outside the delivery vehicle by displacing the consignments and so as to be adjustable from a retracted position into a deployed position and back, and the displacing device is designed to be height-adjustable for delivering consignments at different height levels outside the delivery vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for delivering consignments by means of a delivery vehicle into a consignment cabinet, wherein the consignment cabinet has at least one row of consignment compartments which are arranged adjacent to one another and which serve for receiving at least one consignment, the method comprising the steps of:
stopping the delivery vehicle laterally adjacent to the consignment cabinet;
activating, via a control device, at least one lateral closure means assigned to at least one consignment compartment,
performing the activation of the lateral closure means in a manner dependent on the distribution of the consignment compartments occupied with consignments and in order to adjust the lateral closure means from a closure position, in which it closes off a lateral opening of the at least one consignment compartment, into a displacement position, in which it opens up the lateral opening, and
activating, via a control device of the delivery vehicle, at least one displacing device in order to displace a consignment into a consignment compartment with opened lateral opening;
wherein the consignment compartments of the at least one row of consignment compartments are separated from one another via the lateral closure means and the lateral closure means are adjustable from the closure position closing the lateral openings of the consignment compartments to the displacement position exposing lateral openings of the consignment compartments in such a way that, in the displacement position, there is a direct connection between adjacent consignment compartments for displacing a mail item from one consignment compartment into an adjacent consignment compartment; and
wherein the lateral closure means are actuated automatically by the consignment cabinet.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
detecting, via a control device of the consignment cabinet, which consignment compartments are occupied with consignments.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
transmitting, via the control device of the consignment cabinet, a piece of information relating to at least one consignment compartment with opened lateral opening for the transfer of a consignment from the delivery vehicle and/or a piece of information relating to the occupancy of consignment compartments with consignments.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
handing over a multiplicity of consignments in succession by means of the displacing device of the delivery vehicle to a corresponding multiplicity of consignment compartments arranged adjacent to one another in a row.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising the step of:
transmitting, via the control device of the delivery vehicle, a piece of information relating to the assignment of the handed-over consignments to the consignment compartments receiving the consignments being handed over, in particular to a control device of the consignment cabinet.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the delivery vehicle comes to a stop laterally adjacent to a particular one of at least two opposite sides of the consignment cabinet in a manner dependent on the distribution of the consignment compartments occupied with consignments.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
driving the delivery vehicle from one side of the consignment cabinet to the opposite side of the consignment cabinet and comes to a stop there laterally adjacent to the consignment cabinet,
activating, via the control device at the opposite side of the consignment cabinet, at least one lateral closure means assigned to at least one consignment compartment,
performing the activation of the closure means via the control device at the opposite side of the consignment cabinet in a manner dependent on the distribution of the consignment compartments occupied with consignments and in order to adjust the closure means from a closure position, in which it closes off a lateral opening of the at least one consignment compartment, into a displacement position, in which it opens up the lateral opening, and
activating, via the control device of the delivery vehicle, the at least one displacing device in order to displace a consignment into a consignment compartment with opened lateral opening.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
transmitting, via at least one detecting device for detecting the completion of the displacement of the consignment into the consignment compartment, a piece of information associated with the completion of the displacement of the consignment into the consignment compartment to a control device, in particular of the delivery vehicle and/or of the consignment cabinet.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
for the handover of a consignment, adjusting a ramp of the delivery vehicle from a non-use position into a use position,
issuing the at least one consignment to be handed over from a consignment store via a handover device to the ramp situated in the use position, and
displacing, via the displacing device, the consignment to be handed over via the ramp into a consignment compartment of the consignment cabinet.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
adjusting the displacing device, a plunger unit and/or the ramp in height in order to adapt to the height level of a consignment compartment for receiving a consignment.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step(s) of:
detecting, via the control device of the consignment cabinet, the removal of a consignment from at least one consignment compartment, in particular on the basis of a piece of information relating to the command for opening and/or relating to the adjustment of a front closure means assigned to the consignment compartment into the removal position, and/or
directly detecting, via at least one sensor device, a consignment in a consignment compartment.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
activating, via the control device of the consignment cabinet, at least two lateral closure means to both sides of a consignment compartment which has a consignment for the purposes of adjusting from the closure position into the displacement position, and
displacing, via the displacing device, in particular a plunger unit, the consignment in the respective consignment compartment through a lateral opening into a laterally adjacent consignment compartment.

13. A consignment cabinet for receiving and holding consignments for the separate retrieval thereof, the consignment cabinet comprising:
a multiplicity of consignment compartments which are arranged adjacent to one another at least in one row and which each serve for receiving at least one consignment,
wherein at least substantially each consignment compartment has a front opening,
wherein at least substantially each consignment compartment is assigned a front closure means which is adjustable between a removal position, in which it opens up the front opening for the removal of the consignment from the consignment compartment, and a closed position, in which it closes the front opening,
wherein at least substantially each consignment compartment has at least one lateral opening,
wherein at least substantially each consignment compartment is assigned at least one lateral closure means which is adjustable between a closure position, in which it laterally closes the at least one consignment compartment, and a displacement position, in which it enables a consi

Assignees

• Dautz Christoph
• Von Gostomski Markus
• Markert Florian
• Quill Jasmin
• Deutsche Post Ag

Inventors

• Dautz Christoph
• Von Gostomski Markus
• Markert Florian
• Quill Jasmin

Classifications

• G06Q10/083

  Shipping · CPC title

• B60P3/007

  for delivery of small articles, e.g. milk, frozen articles · CPC title

• B65G67/04

  Loading land vehicles {(loading or unloading boats to or from land vehicles B60P3/10)} · CPC title

• G06Q10/0836 Primary

  Recipient pick-ups · CPC title

• B60P7/10

  the load being plates, cases, or boxes · CPC title