MULTI-MODAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS USING VENDING KIOSKS AND AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY VEHICLES
Vehicles, components, and methods are disclosed for distributing hot or cold food items from a vending kiosk, a locker system, or a self-propelled delivery vehicle. The vending kiosk may have multiple doors, at least one of which is unlocked responsive to confirming a purchase transaction or authenticating the presence of a person or device associated with the purchase transaction. The multiple doors provide access to respective compartments that may be selectively heated and refrigerated. Such temperature changes may be based upon a temperature control schedule. The locker system may include one or more configurable compartments that may be accessible via a set of set of doors that can be selectively coupled into larger doors. The self-propelled delivery vehicle may have a plurality of thermally insulated compartments that may be used to carry multiple items at different temperatures.
1 . A locker system, comprising:
a plurality of compartments, each of the compartments having a respective interior and a respective opening via which items are retrievable or dispensable from the interior to an exterior of the vending kiosk, the interiors of the compartments delineated from one another;
a plurality of doors, the doors respectively moveable between a closed configuration in which the door prevents access to the interior of at least one of the compartments and an open configuration in which the door provides access to the interior of at least one of the compartments;
a plurality of actuators responsive to at least one actuator control signal to selectively uncouple two or more of the doors from each other to move independently from one another in an uncoupled configuration and to couple two or more of the doors together to move as one in a coupled configuration, and responsive to at least one actuator control signal to lock the doors in the closed configuration and selectively unlock one or more of the doors to move to the open configuration; and
at least one processor communicatively coupled to the actuators to provides the at least one actuator control signal.
2 . The vending kiosk of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of actuators is comprised of at least one of a solenoid, a piston and associated cylinder, a pair of magnets including at least one electromagnet, and a pair of an electromagnet and a ferrous metal.
3 . The locker system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of actuators includes:
a first set of the actuators which are responsive to at least one actuator control signal to selectively uncouple two or more of the doors from each other to move independently from one another in an uncoupled configuration and to couple two or more of the doors together to move as one in a coupled configuration; and
a second set of the actuators which are responsive to at least one actuator control signal to lock the doors in the closed configuration and selectively unlock one or more of the doors to move to the open configuration.
4 . The locker system of claim 3 wherein the actuators of the second set are not in the first set and the actuators of the first set are not in the second set.
5 . The locker system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of actuators includes:
a third set of the actuators which are responsive to at least one actuator control signal to selectively hinge one or more of the doors to pivot about a first axis, and to alternatively selectively hinge the one or more doors to pivot about a second axis, the second axis opposed across a dimension of the door from the first axis.
6 . The locker system of claim 5 wherein the actuators of the first set of actuators cause one or more doors to pivot about a right side axis on a right edge of the one or more doors in a first configuration and cause one or more doors to pivot about a left side axis on a left edge of the one or more doors in a second configuration.
7 . The locker system of claim 5 wherein the actuators of the first set of actuators cause one or more doors to pivot about a top axis on a top edge of the one or more doors in a first configuration and cause one or more doors to pivot about a bottom axis on a bottom edge of the one or more doors in a second configuration.
8 . The locker system of claim 6 wherein the at least one processor determines an end user physical trait and selects the first or the second configurations based on the determined end user physical trait.
9 . The locker system of claim 6 wherein the at least one processor determines the end user physical trait from a set of stored user specific information.
10 . The locker system of claim 6 wherein the at least one processor determines the end user physical trait from at least one image of an end user who is proximate the locker system.
11 . The locker system of claim 7 wherein the at least one processor determines an end user physical trait and selects the first or the second configurations based on the determined end user physical trait.
12 . The locker system of claim 7 wherein the at least one processor determines the end user physical trait from a set of stored user specific information.
13 . The locker system of claim 7 wherein the at least one processor determines the end user physical trait from at least one image of an end user who is proximate the locker system.