Object location in a delivery vehicle

Abstract

An asset identifier for an asset located within a physical environment is obtained based on received scanning information. The asset identifier is associated with a delivery destination defined for the asset. Asset location data that is associated with the obtained asset identifier and defines a position of the asset within the physical environment is generated based on the received scanning information. A current location of the physical environment is determined based on received asset location data. One or more lights of a plurality of lights are selectively activated to indicate the position of the asset within the physical environment based on the asset location data and a determination that the determined current location is within a threshold distance of the defined delivery destination.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for identifying locations of assets, the system comprising:
 a delivery vehicle having a storage area;   a first shelf within the storage area, the first shelf having a first shelf edge;   a first plurality of lights positioned along the first shelf edge of the first shelf, the first plurality of lights communicatively coupled to a control system; and   a scanning device communicatively coupled to the control system and configured to identify a first location of a first asset within the storage area, wherein the control system is configured to selectively activate one or more of the first plurality of lights proximate to the first location of the first asset within the storage area.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the scanning device is mounted within the storage area. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of lights emit a plurality of light colors, and wherein the control system is configured to selectively activate a light color based on the first location of the first asset relative to a second location of a second asset within the storage area. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the scanning device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) device. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a second plurality of lights positioned along a second shelf edge of a second shelf within the storage area. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the second shelf is on an opposite side of the storage area relative to the first shelf. 
     
     
         7 . A system for identifying locations of assets within a delivery vehicle, the system comprising:
 a plurality of lights positioned along a shelf edge of a shelf within a storage area of a delivery vehicle;   a scanning device secured within the storage area of the delivery vehicle; and   a control system communicatively coupled to the plurality of lights and the scanning device, the control system comprising a processor and computer-readable storage media that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:
 determine a first location of a first asset positioned on the shelf within the storage area using the scanning device; and 
 selectively activate one or more of the plurality of lights proximate the first location of the first asset. 
   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor further determines a geographic location of the delivery vehicle, and wherein the processor activates the one or more of the plurality of lights based on a proximity of the geographic location of the delivery vehicle to a delivery destination associated with the first asset. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor further determines a second location of a second asset within the storage area, and wherein the one or more of the plurality of lights being activated are caused to emit a particular color or to blink based on the first location of the first asset relative to the second location of the second asset. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the scanning device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, and wherein the first location is determined from the scanning device detecting an RFID tag associated with the first asset. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor further determines a door of the storage area is being opened, and wherein the one or more of the plurality of lights are activated based on the door being opened. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor further determines the delivery vehicle has stopped, and wherein the one or more of the plurality of lights are activated based on the delivery vehicle being stopped. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor further:
 captures asset characteristics of the first asset using the scanning device; and   determines the first location of the first asset based on the asset characteristics.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the processor further updates the first location of the first asset after the first asset has been loaded within the storage area of the delivery vehicle, and stores updated position information for the first asset in an asset location database. 
     
     
         15 . Non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of identifying locations of assets within a delivery vehicle, the method comprising:
 receiving scanning information from a scanning device, the scanning information indicating a first location of a first asset within a storage area of a delivery vehicle; and   selectively activating one or more lights from among a plurality of lights distributed within the storage area of the delivery vehicle, the one or more lights being selectively activated based on proximity to the first location of the first asset.   
     
     
         16 . The media of  claim 15 , further comprising determining that the delivery vehicle is stopped, wherein the one or more lights are selectively activated based on the vehicle being stopped. 
     
     
         17 . The media of  claim 15 , further comprising determining that a door to the storage area of the delivery vehicle is being opened, wherein the one or more lights are selectively activated based on the door being opened. 
     
     
         18 . The media of  claim 15 , further comprising receiving geographic location information for the delivery vehicle, wherein the one or more lights are selectively activated based on a proximity of a geographic location of the delivery vehicle to a delivery destination associated with the first asset. 
     
     
         19 . The media of  claim 15 , wherein the scanning information from the scanning device indicates a second location of a second asset within the storage area, and wherein the method further comprises causing the one or more of the plurality of lights being activated to emit a particular color or to blink based on the first location of the first asset relative to the second location of the second asset. 
     
     
         20 . The media of  claim 15 , wherein the scanning information includes asset characteristics captured from the scanning device, and wherein the method further includes determining the first location of the first asset using the asset characteristics.