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-2019213541-A1
Application number	US-201916244999-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 10, 2019
Priority date	Jan 10, 2018
Publication date	Jul 11, 2019
Grant date	—

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

1 ) A delivery vehicle comprising:
a consignment store for receiving, storing and reissuing consignments, a handover device for handing over consignments from the consignment store to a displacing device, and a control device for controlling at least the displacing device, wherein 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 wherein the displacing device is designed to be height-adjustable for delivering consignments at different height levels outside the delivery vehicle.

2 ) A delivery vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is designed for controlling the consignment store and/or the handover device and/or wherein the delivery vehicle is designed as an autonomous delivery vehicle for the autonomous delivery of consignments to a delivery location, and/or wherein the autonomous delivery vehicle is designed to autonomously drive to a delivery location from a loading location of the delivery vehicle.

3 ) A delivery vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the displacing device is, in a retracted position, arranged entirely in the delivery vehicle, and/or wherein the displacing device has a plunger unit which, in the deployed position, is arranged at least partially outside the delivery vehicle and which serves for displacing the consignments.

4 ) A delivery vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the displacing device has, in particular below a plunger unit, a ramp which is adjustable, in particular pivotable or displaceable, from a non-use position into a use position and back, and wherein the ramp is designed for supporting a consignment, displaced by the displacing device, at least in portions outside the delivery vehicle.

5 ) A delivery vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the displacing device, in particular a plunger unit, is designed for at least substantially linearly displacing a consignment, and/or wherein a ramp is designed to be height-adjustable for delivering consignments at different height levels outside the delivery vehicle.

6 ) A delivery vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the displacing device has a plunger unit which, in the deployed position, is arranged at least partially outside the delivery vehicle and which serves for displacing the consignments, wherein the plunger unit is designed to be telescopable between the non-use position and the use position, and wherein preferably the plunger unit comprises at least two, preferably cylindrical, telescopic elements which are collapsible and extendable relative to one another.

7 ) A delivery vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the handover device has at least one, in particular height-adjustable, conveyor belt, at least one robot arm and/or at least one portal robot for conveying the consignments in the direction of the displacing device, and/or wherein the handover device has a separating device, preferably in the form of an accelerating conveyor belt and/or of a separating blade, which is adjustable from a non-use position into a use position in contact with at least one consignment and back, for feeding consignments in a separated manner to the displacing device.

8 ) A delivery vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein at least one sensor for detecting a consignment cabinet for the delivery of consignments in the consignment cabinet is provided, and/or wherein at least one sensor for detecting a height level for the delivery of consignments by means of the displacing device is provided, and/or wherein at least one sensor for detecting the position of the displacing device, in particular of the plunger unit, during the delivery of the consignments is provided, and/or wherein at least one receiver device for receiving a piece of information relating to the location of the delivery of at least one consignment, in particular relating to a height level and/or a displacement distance, is provided, and/or wherein a transmitter device for transmitting a piece of information relating to the delivery of a consignment is provided.

9 ) 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 consignment to be displaced in laterally, and wherein the lateral closure means are at least substantially electrically driven.

10 ) The consignment cabinet according to claim 9 , wherein the front closure means are at least substantially each designed as a pivotable flap, and/or wherein the front closure means are at least substantially assigned to in each case exactly one consignment compartment.

11 ) The consignment cabinet according to claim 9 , wherein the lateral closure means are at least substantially each designed to be adjustable at least substantially in a direction perpendicular to the at least one row of consignment compartments between the closure position and the displacement position, and/or wherein the lateral closure means of at least substantially each consignment compartment of a row of consignment compartments are designed as a roller door, which in particular at least substantially forms a side wall of the consignment compartment.

12 ) The consignment cabinet according to claim 9 , wherein the consignment compartments are arranged in at least two rows, arranged one above the other, of consignment compartments arranged adjacent to one another, and wherein, preferably, at least in one case, two consignment compartments arranged one above the other are assigned a common lateral closure means, in particular in the form of a roller door.

13 ) The consignment cabinet according to claim 9 , wherein the consignment compartments of a common row of consignment compartments arranged adjacent to one another are designed to be of equal height, equal width and/or equal depth, and/or wherein the consignment compartments of different rows of consignment compartments arranged adjacent to one another are designed to be of different height, different width and/or different depth.

14 ) The consignment cabinet according to claim 9 , wherein a control device for adjusting the lateral closure means from the closure position into the displacement position and back is provided, and/or wherein a control device for detecting and/or storing a loading situation is provided, and/or wherein a transmitter device for transmitting a piece of information relating to a loading situation of the consignment cabinet and/or relating to the position of at least particular lateral closure means is provided, and/or wherein a receiver device for receiving control commands and/or pieces of information relating to the delive

Assignees

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

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G06Q10/0836 Primary

  Recipient pick-ups · CPC title

• B65G67/04

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

• B60P3/007

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

• B60P1/02

  with parallel up-and-down movement of load supporting or containing element (in combination with tipping B60P1/34; devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes, movable on wheels or the like, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/06 {; suspensions with electronic levelling control during loading or unloading B60G17/0157}) · CPC title

• B65G67/24

  Unloading land vehicles · CPC title