Autonomous ground vehicles having access mechanisms and receiving items from transportation vehicles for delivery

Abstract

Autonomous ground vehicles (“AGVs”) receive items from transportation vehicles (e.g., delivery trucks) for delivery to specified locations (e.g., user residences, etc.). The AGVs may travel along travel paths to and from the delivery locations to deliver the items, and may be equipped with access mechanisms (e.g., which transmit remote control signals) to open and close access barriers (e.g., garage doors, etc.) that are encountered along the travel paths. Transportation vehicles may transport items from materials handling facilities, and the AGVs may travel to meeting locations to meet the transportation vehicles to receive the items for delivery.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A transportation system, comprising:
 a transportation vehicle to transport items from a materials handling facility;   an autonomous ground vehicle (AGV), comprising:
 a propulsion system; 
 a storage compartment having a locking mechanism; and 
 an access mechanism for opening an access barrier; and 
   a computing system, comprising:
 one or more processors; and 
 a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least:
 instruct the AGV to travel along a travel path to deliver an item that is received from the transportation vehicle, wherein the item is received in the storage compartment of the AGV; 
 determine that an access barrier has been encountered along the travel path; 
 instruct the AGV to utilize the access mechanism to transmit a signal to open the access barrier; and 
 instruct the AGV to travel through the access barrier after the access barrier is opened. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the access barrier is a garage door and the transmitted signal is a remote control signal for the garage door. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to instruct the AGV to utilize the access mechanism to transmit a signal to close the access barrier. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the access barrier is closed after the item is delivered, and the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to instruct the AGV to travel back out through the access barrier before the access barrier is closed. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to:
 determine a meeting location at which the AGV will receive the item from the transportation vehicle; and   instruct the AGV to travel to the meeting location.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to instruct the AGV to utilize the access mechanism to transmit a signal to open the access barrier to enable the AGV to travel out to the meeting location. 
     
     
         7 . An autonomous ground vehicle (AGV), comprising:
 a propulsion system;   a storage compartment having a locking mechanism;   an access mechanism configured to open an access barrier; and   a control system, comprising:
 one or more processors; and 
 a memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing program instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to at least:
 determine that an item from a transportation vehicle has been placed in the storage compartment of the AGV; 
 control the propulsion system to navigate the AGV along a travel path to deliver the item; 
 determine that an access barrier has been encountered along the travel path; 
 utilize the access mechanism to transmit a signal to open the access barrier; and 
 control the propulsion system to navigate the AGV through the access barrier after the access barrier is opened. 
 
   
     
     
         8 . The AGV of  claim 7 , wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to utilize the access mechanism to transmit a signal to close the access barrier. 
     
     
         9 . The AGV of  claim 8 , wherein the access barrier is closed after the item is delivered, and the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to control the propulsion system to navigate the AGV back out through the access barrier before the access barrier is closed. 
     
     
         10 . The AGV of  claim 8 , wherein the access barrier is a garage door for a garage, and the access barrier is closed while the AGV is in the garage. 
     
     
         11 . The AGV of  claim 7 , wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to control the propulsion system to navigate the AGV to a meeting location where the AGV meets the transportation vehicle to receive the item. 
     
     
         12 . The AGV of  claim 11 , wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to utilize the access mechanism to transmit a signal to open the access barrier to enable the AGV to navigate out to the meeting location. 
     
     
         13 . The AGV of  claim 12 , wherein the program instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more processors to utilize the access mechanism to transmit a signal to close the access barrier after the AGV has navigated out through the access barrier. 
     
     
         14 . A computer-implemented method for transporting items, the computer-implemented method comprising:
 under control of one or more computing systems configured with executable instructions,
 determining that a first item from a transportation vehicle has been placed in a first storage compartment of a first AGV; 
 instructing the first AGV to travel along a first travel path to deliver the first item to a first delivery location; 
 determining that a first access barrier has been encountered along the first travel path; 
 instructing the first AGV to utilize a first access mechanism to transmit a first signal to open the first access barrier; and 
 instructing the first AGV to travel through the first access barrier after the first access barrier is opened. 
   
     
     
         15 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 determining that a second item from the transportation vehicle has been placed in a second storage compartment of a second AGV;   instructing the second AGV to travel along a second travel path to deliver the second item to a second delivery location;   determining that a second access barrier has been encountered along the second travel path;   instructing the second AGV to utilize a second access mechanism to transmit a second signal to open the second access barrier; and   instructing the second AGV to travel through the second access barrier after the second access barrier is opened.   
     
     
         16 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 15 , wherein the first and second delivery locations are at respective first and second user's residences. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the first access barrier is a first garage door at the first user's residence and the transmitted first signal is a first remote control signal for the first garage door; and   the second access barrier is a second garage door at the second user's residence and the transmitted second signal is a second remote control signal for the second garage door.   
     
     
         18 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 instructing the first AGV to travel to a meeting location to meet the transportation vehicle to receive the first item; and   instructing the second AGV to travel to the meeting location to meet the transportation vehicle to receive the second item.   
     
     
         19 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 instructing the first AGV to utilize the first access mechanism to transmit a signal to open the first access barrier to enable the first AGV to travel out to the meeting location; and   instructing the second AGV to utilize the second access mechanism to transmit a signal to open the second access barrier to enable the second AGV to travel out to the meeting location.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 instructing the first AGV to utilize the first access mechanism to transmit a signal to close the first access barrier after the first AGV has travelled out through the first access barrier; and   instructing the second AGV to utilize the second access mechanism to transmit a signal to close the second access barrier after the second AGV has travelled out through the second access barrier.