A fleet management system has a communication and positioning module associated with each fleet vehicle, and a backend monitoring and control system located at a fleet data center in communication with each vehicle. The system monitors each trip automatically and generates time stamps at the start of a trip, a pick up location, a drop off location, and return of the vehicle to a garage at the end of a trip. Vehicle status information is collected and stored along with timestamps. The information is used to generate billing and payroll accounts, and also in monitoring conditions of fleet vehicles and generating alerts as needed. Tum-by-tum route instructions are provided to each vehicle.

A check-in system for an dispensing items includes a computing device having an application installed thereon. The computing device is configured to check in a customer to notify the kiosk of a time range during which an order of the customer is picked up. The kiosk is configured to receive a check-in message from the computing device, receive the location of the computing device, receive a message indicative of the arrival of the customer at the automated tower, retrieve information of the order from an order database stored on a remote server, assemble the order based on the check-in message and the information of the order, and move the assembled order close to a pick-up location of the automated tower to facilitate pick-up of the assembled order.

A method and system for generating a location identifier using a location code and a grid coordinate. The location code corresponds to a defined geographical area, such as a postal code or an area code. A grid coordinate can be determined based on destination location information, such as an address, a GPS-determined position, or other reference to a specific physical location. The location identifier is combined with the location code to generate a location identifier, which can be encoded in a computer readable format and placed on items for use in a distribution network. The location identifier can be used to facilitate domestic or international distribution of items using a common format or addressing scheme. The domestic and foreign distribution networks read and interpret location identifiers in order to deliver items.

A control device (100) includes an acquirer (110) that, when an order is accepted, acquires vehicle location information indicating a location of a vehicle capable of storing a target of the order, start location information indicating a start location at which transportation of the target is started, and preparation information indicating preparation time required for preparation to bring a state of the target into a state where the transportation is startable or a preparation completion time at which the preparation is completed and a generator (120) that generates movement control information for causing the vehicle to move from the location of the vehicle to the start location, based on (i) an amount of energy that the vehicle is estimated to consume to move from the location indicated by the acquired vehicle location information to the start location indicated by the acquired start location information, and (ii) the preparation time or the preparation completion time indicated by the acquired preparation information.

A system for shipping an object is disclosed. The system can include a routing unit to obtain a set of data associated with the object, generate a first shipping route for the object, and determine a first set of transshipping locations for the shipping route. Each of the first set of transshipping locations can include a location that the object is transferred from a first courier to a second courier. The system can include a scheduling unit to determine an availability for each of the first set of transshipping locations, communicate with parties involved in shipping the object, initiate a shipping process, and orchestrate the shipping process until the object is delivered. Upon a determination that the shipping route does not meet criteria, the scheduling unit can direct the routing unit to generate another shipping route for the object, and determine another set of transshipping locations.

Systems and methods can enhance efficiencies of order fulfillment processes. For example, this document describes systems and methods for efficiently processing direct-to-customer shipments at a last mile delivery (“LMD”) facility. The systems and methods are focused on rapid loading, unloading and cycling of LMD delivery vehicles through the operation in a space-efficient manner. In some embodiments, the delivery vehicles are cycled through the LMD facility in organized batches to allow high throughput with fast cycle time.

A method of sensing a loaded state of articles in a storage bin and a robot implementing the method are provided. The robot senses a loaded state of articles received in the storage bin in real time or at regular intervals and includes the storage bin and storage bin sensors disposed outside the storage bin. The storage bin sensors are arranged at a non-parallel angle relative to a side surface of the storage bin.

A delivery system in which the vehicles themselves coordinate their movements. Vehicles are assigned to groups based on proximity. Each vehicle communicates its location and route information to the other vehicles in the group. The vehicles in the group then know the positions and routes of the other vehicles in the group. When a delivery is requested, the vehicles in the group use this information to determine which vehicle should be assigned to make that delivery. As the vehicles move around, their proximity to each other changes. When a vehicle has moved away from a group, that vehicle may be removed from the group and assigned to a different group. In this manner, the vehicle coordination mechanism is a distributed task performed by all the vehicles.

There is described a method of operating a distribution system. The distribution system comprises a number of carriers wherein the carriers are adapted to carry one or more goods. A transport plane of the distribution system supports the carriers. A control device controls the drive means. During an initialization of the distribution system the control device pre-defines a pattern of safe points on the transport plane, wherein on the safe points a carrier can be placed. After the initialization of the distribution system the control device calculates partial routes for the carriers so that the end position of each partial route is either one of the safe points or has a free path to one of the safe points to be reachable in the next partial route.

A system for allocating jobs and/or targets to robots in an automated storage and retrieval system includes a plurality of robots and a framework structure forming a three-dimensional storage grid structure for storing storage containers. The framework structure includes a rail system. The rail system provides available routes for the robots handling and transferring the storage containers to and from the storage columns. At least one robot includes a first set of wheels configured to move the robot along a first horizontal direction of the grid-based rail system and a second set of wheels configured to move the robot along a second horizontal direction of the grid-based rail system. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. The movement of the robots is controlled by a central computer system including a warehouse management system that includes a router and an assigner. The router decides which routes the robots travel and the assigner has control over which jobs are to be done and which targets to reach. The assigner is configured to create a list of job options of jobs to be done and a list of target options of targets to be reached by each robot, which lists of job options and target options are made accessible to the router. The router is configured to decide which job and target to be assigned to the robot using a multi-position search algorithm. The decision is based on the location of the robot in question and the route it has to travel to reach the job and the target.