In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to improve delivery vehicles with storage compartments for items and product containers. In some embodiments, the storage compartments have a plurality of horizontally-mounted support rails mounted on opposite sides of the storage compartment to receive the product containers and retractable retaining elements disposed adjacent ends of the support rails proximate storage compartment openings to help retain the product containers. In another configuration, the horizontally-mounted support rails are movable, such that the product containers supported by the support rails permit are movable. By one approach, the delivery vehicle includes a conveyor mechanism to move the horizontally-mounted support rails. In yet another embodiment, the delivery vehicle may include a temperature-controlled compartment for receiving product containers, a door providing access to the temperature-controlled compartment, and an insulating panel configured to retain air, such as chilled air, in the temperature-controlled compartment.

In some embodiments, systems, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to temperature-controlled delivery of items. A conveyor mechanism disposed within a temperature-controlled compartment of a delivery vehicle can provide easy access to items within the compartment. In some embodiments, the conveyor mechanism can be operated by a control circuit to convey items within the compartment to position the items adjacent to the access door according to various inputs.

An apparatus for attachment to a panel configured for partitioning a trailer cargo space includes a member having a cross-section with a concave receiver section including a laterally extending support section connected to sidewalls extending perpendicular to the support section, the receiver section dimensioned for attaching the member along a panel edge with sidewalls engaged against opposite sides of the panel and the support section contacting the panel edge, and first engagement feature(s) disposed opposite and extending along an edge surface of the panel assembly, and a first stacking plate including a first side having feature(s) complementary to the first engagement feature(s), such that the member and the first stacking plate engagingly mate, and an opposite side with second engagement feature(s) similar to the first engagement feature(s), such that the first stacking plate engagingly mates with a second stacking plate.

A dual redundant cooling system for a container is provided. The dual redundant cooling system includes a first cooling unit and a second cooling unit. The first cooling unit is positioned in a first cabinet attached to the container. The first cooling unit includes a first controller operating a first cooling loop to cool an interior of the container. The second cooling unit is positioned in a second cabinet attached to the container and adjacent the first cabinet. The second cooling unit includes a second controller operating a second cooling loop to cool the interior of the container. The first cooling unit and the first cooling loop are separate from the second cooling unit and the second cooling loop. The first controller and the second controller communicate a switch signal between each other so that either the first cooling unit is a primary cooling unit operating the first cooling loop or the second cooling unit is the primary cooling unit operating the second cooling loop. The switch signal switching the primary cooling unit.

A temperature adjustment apparatus configured to transfer heat in a first storage chamber to a second storage chamber, and adjust the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber to different temperatures is provided. The temperature adjustment apparatus includes a control unit configured to perform control in a first driving mode of causing heat to be exchanged between the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber without flowing air therebetween. For example, the control unit further performs control in a second driving mode of causing heat to be exchanged between the first storage chamber and the second storage chamber by flowing air therebetween. For example, the control unit performs control in the second driving mode in response to a rise in the concentration of carbon dioxide or ethylene in the first storage chamber or the second storage chamber.

A vehicle includes a trunk defining an enclosure for storing an object, a camera to capture an image of the object prior to being placed into the trunk and a processor to execute a machine-vision module to process image data to identify the object. The processor outputs a thermal control signal to a thermal controller to control a temperature of the trunk compartment by setting a setpoint temperature.

A device for subdividing vehicle cabs and/or storage spaces into a number of sub-portions, comprising a number of deformable walls and a drive unit for moving the walls between an open position, in which the walls do not subdivide the cab and/or the storage space, and a closure position, in which the walls subdivide the cab and/or the storage space into the sub-portions. The walls become deformed during movement between the closure position and the open position. Also included is a method for subdividing vehicle cabs and/or storage spaces into a number of sub-portions and a vehicle.

A transportable refrigerated container has an interior chamber sub-divided into separate compartments by movable partitions that allow free air circulation to maintain the compartments at the same temperature and a plurality of security doors in at least one of the sides of the container, each door affording access only to a selected respective compartment or group of compartments. A method of distributing perishable goods from a supply depot to a plurality of customers utilizes such a container. At the supply depot, goods for different customers are loaded into separate compartments and the container is then transported to a location convenient to all the customers. There, delivery drivers who can each only open a door leading to a compartment containing goods intended for a specific customer, transfer the goods from the compartment onto a smaller vehicle and deliver them to their respective customer.

A gull wing door-type hazardous material container system allowing for easy loading and unloading of intermediate bulk containers is provided. The container system minimizes a loss of cold air fully filling the inside for safe work when only some of a plurality of intermediate bulk containers is selectively loaded. The container system includes a body that has a loading space to load airtight containers containing hazardous material and is opened at both sides and a pair of gull wing doors independently operated to open/close both sides of the body. Additionally, the system includes a partition plate longitudinally disposed in the body and divides the loading space into independent spaces of first and second loading spaces respectively. Cooling units are disposed in the first and second loading spaces, respectively, to independently supply cold air, in which the first and second loading spaces can be independently sealed by the gull wing doors.

In an illustrative embodiment, a panel assembly for partitioning a trailer cargo space is provided including a first insulated panel and a second insulated panel, each insulated panel including a first side vertical edge having a connecting edge, and a second side vertical edge having a connecting edge. One of the insulated panels includes one or more spaced apart vertical cut lines proximate the first side vertical edge, where, when a given cut line is cleaved, the cleaved cut line is configured to form a new second side vertical edge having a connecting edge. A first mating extrusion may secure with a second side vertical edge of the first insulated panel, and a second mating extrusion may secure with a first side vertical edge of the second insulated panel where, upon mating the first and second mating extrusions, an insulated wall is formed.