An automatic hatch assembly for bulk material containers includes a hatch cover which covers a fill opening of the container, and may be retrofitted to existing containers equipped with a conventional hatch cover. A drive unit is operable to open and close the hatch cover, and a locking assembly actuates an extendable lock member. Optionally, a pneumatic seal is provided within the cover for sealing the container from the outside environment. The locking assembly is adapted to resist opening forces applied to the cover, such as when the container is pressurized, and a sequencing controller may be provided to facilitate automated operation of the opening/closing, locking/unlocking, and/or sealing/unsealing of the hatch cover.

The present disclosure provides a method, apparatus and storage medium for autonomous operation of an unmanned logistics vehicle. The method comprises: an unmanned logistics vehicle obtains a user's cargo transport task; the unmanned logistics vehicle plans a travel route according to the cargo transport task, and automatically travels to a destination according to the travel route; after reaching the destination, the unmanned logistics vehicle controls a cargo compartment door to open. The solution of the present disclosure may be applied to save man power costs and improve the cargo transport efficiency.

An apparatus for preventing inadvertent actuation of a door release handle of a motor vehicle includes a cover with a lip that engages with an edge of an opening in an inner body panel, and at least one rib attached to the cover, the at least one rib being positioned relative to the door release handle to prevent actuation of the handle when the cover is positioned in the opening of the inner body panel.

A vehicle sharing system for use with a vehicle. The vehicle sharing system comprises: i) a lockbox mounted on an exterior of the vehicle, the lockbox including a vehicle key that opens a door of the vehicle; and ii) a vehicle sharing control module disposed in the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle sharing control module communicates with the lockbox in order to open a door associated with the lockbox in response to a first command message received from a mobile device associated with a user. The lockbox is mounted on a license plate holder of the vehicle and the license plate is mounted on the door of the lockbox.

The present invention provides a truck bed system with a plurality of powered actuators which can raise a raisable platform above the truck bed floor to create a second platform in addition to the truck bed floor surface. The additional or second truck bed platform allows the truck user to use the upper platform for carrying tools and other goods or materials, with the space between the truck bed floor and platform for storing or moving large flat items like lumber and plywood or drywall sheets without displacing or disturbing the contents stowed on the upper platform. The present invention also allows the upper platform to be used for stowing large items like lumber and plywood or drywall sheets, with the space between the truck bed floor and upper platform for carrying tools and other goods or materials. The present invention allows the space between the truck bed floor and the upper platform, when in a raised position, to be used as secure storage when the tailgate is locked. The plurality of actuators can be attached to the truck bed floor, the truck bed walls or integrated into the space within the truck bed side walls.

A truck is provided that includes a bed section located rear of a cab section. The bed section is bounded on each side by opposing first and second upward-extending sidewalls, respectively. The truck also includes a truck bed cover that sits over the bed section on at least the first and second upward-extending sidewalls, and includes a door portion to create selective accessibility to the bed section of the pickup truck. The door portion is movable with respect to the first and second upward-extending sidewalls between open and closed positions via an automatic bed cover drive assembly that moves the door portion between open and closed positions according to a plurality of velocities within a predetermined variance.

In embodiments, Bluetooth® proximity sensors installed in a vehicle are configured to pair with a user mobile device and estimate distances to the user mobile device based on signal strength of the Bluetooth® emissions of the user mobile device. Each sensor, communicates its distance estimates to a vehicle control system (VCS) of the vehicle, using Bluetooth® communications. In response to the distance acre tying above a predetermined distance departure limit, the VCS causes predetermined departure actions to be performed, for example, locking the doors, turning off headlights, and activating the vehicle's security system. In response to the distance decreasing below a predetermined distance arrival limit, the VCS causes predetermined arrival actions to be performed, for example, unlocking the doors, flashing the headlights, beeping the horn, and deactivating the security system.

A striker assembly comprising: (a) a latch that releasably engages a tonneau cover or a truck cap; and (b) an actuator in communication with the latch to actuate the latch between an open position and a closed position, wherein the actuation causes the tonneau cover or the truck cap to move between the open position and the closed position; wherein actuation is initiated wirelessly based on an input signal received by the actuator.

A device for controlling a vehicle is provided. The device includes an input device for receiving a user input, a state sensing device for sensing a vehicle state change in response to the user input, and a controller configured to determine whether to apply a driving current of an actuator to a switching device based on the vehicle state change.

A truck bed cover integrated in a vehicle (e.g., a truck), configured to move through an opening formed between a cab and a truck bed, and along a set of channels on the truck bed. The vehicle includes a motor engaged with the truck bed cover and configured to enable an automated movement of the truck bed cover along the set of channels. The vehicle in one embodiment is an electric truck configured to run off a battery pack stored within the electric truck. The truck bed cover includes a plurality of movable portions, the plurality of movable portions linked together in a flexible format.