WO2019014023A1 - CONFIGURABLE FOOD DELIVERY VEHICLE AND METHODS AND ARTICLES THEREOF - Google Patents

CONFIGURABLE FOOD DELIVERY VEHICLE AND METHODS AND ARTICLES THEREOF Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2019014023A1
WO2019014023A1 PCT/US2018/040730 US2018040730W WO2019014023A1 WO 2019014023 A1 WO2019014023 A1 WO 2019014023A1 US 2018040730 W US2018040730 W US 2018040730W WO 2019014023 A1 WO2019014023 A1 WO 2019014023A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
control system
board control
food
ovens
food item
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2018/040730
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Joshua Gouled GOLDBERG
Alexander John GARDEN
Vaibhav Goel
Original Assignee
Zume Pizza, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Zume Pizza, Inc. filed Critical Zume Pizza, Inc.
Publication of WO2019014023A1 publication Critical patent/WO2019014023A1/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
    • B60P3/00—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects
    • B60P3/025—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects the object being a shop, cafeteria or display the object being a theatre or stage
    • B60P3/0257—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects the object being a shop, cafeteria or display the object being a theatre or stage the object being a vending stall, restaurant or food kiosk
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J11/00—Manipulators not otherwise provided for
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B25—HAND TOOLS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; MANIPULATORS
    • B25J—MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES
    • B25J5/00—Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages
    • B25J5/02—Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages travelling along a guideway
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
    • B60P3/00—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects
    • B60P3/025—Vehicles adapted to transport, to carry or to comprise special loads or objects the object being a shop, cafeteria or display the object being a theatre or stage

Definitions

  • This description generally relates to a food delivery vehicle, for instance a vehicle in which food items are optionally prepared enroute or on- site.
  • the delivery of prepared foods traditionally occurs in several discrete acts.
  • a consumer places an order for a particular food item with a restaurant or similar food establishment.
  • the restaurant or food establishment prepares the food item or food product per the customer order.
  • the prepared food item is packaged and delivered to the consumer's location.
  • the inherent challenges in such a delivery method are numerous.
  • many foods may experience a commensurate breakdown in taste, texture, or consistency with the passage of time. For example, the French fries at the burger restaurant may be hot and crispy, but the same French fries will be cold, soggy, and limp by the time they make it home.
  • some food suppliers make use of "hot bags,” “thermal packaging,” or similar insulated packaging, carriers, and/or food containers to retain at least a portion of the existing heat in the prepared food while in transit to the consumer. While such measures may be at least somewhat effective in retaining heat in the food during transit, such measures do little, if anything, to address issues with changes in food taste, texture, or consistency associated with the delay between the time the food item is prepared and the time the food item is actually consumed.
  • a system to facilitate food item transit may be summarized as including a vehicle, the vehicle having a cargo area including a floor, a ceiling, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall, the floor, the ceiling, the side walls and the rear wall which delineate the cargo area; a loading door that is positionable to selectively provide access into the cargo area from an exterior of the vehicle via a loading doorway, the loading doorway sized and dimensioned to removably receive one or more sets of racks therethrough; at least a first set of a plurality of anchor rails, the anchor rails of the first set of anchor rails attached to a first one of the side walls and regularly spaced apart from one another along the first one of the side walls to which the anchor rails of the first set of anchor rails are attached, each of the anchor rails having a number of attachment locations therealong, the attachment locations spaced and dimensioned to secure food preparation or storage equipment thereto; at least a first set of power outlets, the power outlets of the first set of power outlets attached to the first
  • the system may further include at least a second set of power outlets, the power outlets of the second set of power outlets attached to the first one of the side walls and spaced apart from one another along the first one of the side walls to which the power outlets of the second set of power outlets are attached; and at least a second power supply electrically coupled to the power outlets of the second set of power outlets to deliver electrical power at a second voltage via the power outlets of the second set of power outlets, the second voltage at least approximately twice the first voltage.
  • the system may further include at least a first set of communications ports, the communications ports of the first set of
  • communications ports attached to the first one of the side walls and spaced apart from one another along the first one of the side walls to which the communications ports of the first set of communications ports are attached, the communications ports of the first set of communications ports communicatively coupled to at least one of a router, a bridge, or a server computer located on the vehicle.
  • the system may further include at least a first set of water ports, the first set of water ports attached to the first one of the side walls and spaced apart from one another along the first one of the side walls to which the water ports of the first set of water ports are attached; a pressurized source of water on the vehicle; a set of conduits that fluidly communicatively couple the water ports of the first set of water ports to the pressurized source of water on the vehicle; at least a first set of air ports, the first set of air ports attached to the first one of the side walls and spaced apart from one another along the first one of the side walls to which the air ports of the first set of air ports are attached; a pressurized source of air on the vehicle; and a set of conduits that fluidly communicatively couple the air ports of the first set of air ports to the
  • the vehicle may include a set of wheels, and the floor may be spaced above the wheels without any wheel protruding above the floor.
  • the system may further include a personnel door that is located in the loading door and is positionable to selectively provide access into the cargo area from the exterior of the vehicle via a personnel doorway, the personnel doorway sized and dimensioned to receive a human therethrough.
  • the system may further include at least a second set of a plurality of anchor rails, the anchor rails of the second set of anchor rails attached to a second one of the side walls and regularly spaced apart from one another along the second one of the side walls to which the anchor rails of the second set of anchor rails are attached, each of the anchor rails having a number of attachment locations therealong, the attachment locations spaced and dimensioned to secure food preparation or storage equipment thereto.
  • the attachment locations may be spaced to spatially align with complementary attachment points on the food preparation or storage equipment.
  • the vehicle may have a front and a rear, and the anchor rails of the first and the second sets of anchor rails may each extend vertically between the ceiling and the floor along respective ones of the first and the second one of the side walls, and may be regularly spaced apart from one another along an axis that extends between the front and the rear of the vehicle.
  • the anchor rails of the first and the second sets of anchor rails may be recessed with respect to a respective surface of the side walls.
  • the system may further include a number of covers sized and dimensioned to removably cover any of the recessed anchor rails to which no food preparation or storage equipment is attached.
  • the first and the second side walls may each include a stainless steel surface.
  • the attachment locations may be spaced and dimensioned to spatially align with
  • the system may further include a robotic arm that includes an end tool, the robotic arm located in the cargo area movable with respect to at least the first one of the side walls.
  • the system may further include a number of actuators coupled to move the robotic arm, the actuators responsive to signals from the on-board control system
  • the system may further include a first set of racks removably physically coupled to the first one of the side walls via at least two of the anchor rails.
  • the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to selectively interact with each of the ovens of the array of ovens.
  • the first set of racks may include a two-dimensional array of ovens, at least two of the ovens communicably coupled to control at least a respective temperature thereof independently from one another.
  • Each of the ovens may have a respective door, and the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to selectively interact with the respective door of each of the ovens of the array of ovens.
  • the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to withdraw a respective food item from each of the ovens of the array of ovens.
  • the first set of racks may include a speed rack, each speed rack which may include a two-dimensional array of interior cavities, and each interior cavity may be selectively maintained at temperature that is lower than a temperature of an ambient environment outside of the interior cavities.
  • the two-dimensional array of interior cavities may include a number of refrigerator coils that carry a coolant and fluidly coupled to a condenser, and the lowered temperature may be between 30° and 42° F.
  • the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to move a package to complete an order.
  • the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to move a packet to compete an order.
  • the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to attach a non-food item to packaging that contains a food item to complete an order.
  • the system may further include at least one dispenser that selectively dispenses a non-food item to complete an order.
  • the system may further include at least one of a display or a speaker, which provides a prompt to add a non-food item to a food item to complete an order.
  • the system may further include at least one of a display or a speaker, which provides a prompt to add a fresh food item to a cooked food item to complete an order.
  • the system may further include a number of cameras, each of the cameras having a respective field-of-view, the field-of-view of at least one of the cameras encompassing an interior portion of the cargo area of the vehicle; and at least one display visible from an exterior of the vehicle on which images of the interior portion of the cargo area captured by the at least one camera are displayed.
  • the at least one display visible from the exterior of the vehicle may display live images of the interior portion of the cargo area captured by the at least one camera.
  • a system to facilitate food item transit may be summarized as including a vehicle, the vehicle having a cargo area including a floor, a ceiling, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall, the floor, the ceiling, the side walls and the rear wall which delineate the cargo area; a number of ovens in the cargo area, each of the ovens having at least one heating element; at least one power storage device; a regenerative braking subsystem electrically coupled to store power to the at least one power storage device during generative braking of the vehicle; at least a first electrical power bus electrically coupled to the at least one power storage device and that provides electrical power at a first voltage; and at least a second electrical power bus electrically coupled to the at least one power storage device and that provides electrical power at a second voltage to the heating elements of the ovens, the second voltage higher than the first voltage.
  • the at least one power storage device may include one or more secondary chemical battery cells or one or more ultracapacitor cells, and may further include at least one power converter electrically coupled between the at least one power storage device and the second electrical power bus, and operable to adjust a voltage from the at least one power storage device to the second voltage.
  • the system may further include a number of relays electrically coupled between the at least one power converter and the heating elements of the ovens.
  • the system may further include at least another power converter electrically coupled between the at least one power storage device and the first electrical power bus, and operable to adjust the voltage from the at least one power storage device to the first voltage; and a first plurality of electrical outlets electrically coupled to the first electrical power bus and mounted to the first one of the side walls and spaced apart from one another along the first one of the side walls to which the electrical outlets are mounted.
  • the first voltage may be 1 10V AC and the second voltage is 240V AC.
  • the system may further include a plurality of kitchen appliances in the cargo area, in addition to the ovens, the kitchen appliances electrically coupled to respective ones of the electrical outlets of the first plurality of electrical outlets.
  • the system may further include an on-board control system including at least one processor and at least one processor-readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the on-board control system communicatively coupled to control the heating elements of the ovens.
  • an on-board control system including at least one processor and at least one processor-readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the on-board control system communicatively coupled to control the heating elements of the ovens.
  • the system may further include a number of cameras, each of the cameras having a respective field-of-view, the field of view of at least one of the cameras encompassing an interior portion of the cargo area of the vehicle; and at least one display visible from an exterior of the vehicle on which images of the interior portion of the cargo area captured by the at least one camera are displayed.
  • the at least one display visible from the exterior of the vehicle may display live images of the interior portion of the cargo area captured by the at least one camera.
  • a method for preparing a food item within a cargo area of a vehicle that is enroute to a delivery destination, the food item received as part of a new order of one or more food items to be delivered to the delivery destination may be summarized as including receiving an order to deliver the food item to the delivery destination; determining an estimated time to prepare the food item; determining an estimated time to travel to the delivery
  • Estimated time to prepare may be a fixed time or may account for a current or anticipated level of demand for the food item.
  • the estimated time to travel to the delivery destination may be based at least in part on an estimated or expected time to transport the new order to the delivery
  • the estimated time to travel may depend at least in part on anticipated or real-time traffic information.
  • the estimated time to travel may depend at least in part on transit time associated with intervening deliveries for other orders.
  • the estimated time to travel may be based at least in part on previous travel times to the delivery destination.
  • the method may further include expediting the new order for delivery. Expediting the new order may depend at least in part on the new order being received from at least one of a highly valued customer, a loyalty club member, a customer who has paid an expedited handling fee, celebrity customers, and influential customers.
  • the method may further include varying a delivery sequence for orders in the queue based on an increase in traffic.
  • the method may further include adding the food item to a position in the queue ahead of a food item received as part of an existing order.
  • a system to facilitate food item transit may be summarized as including a vehicle, the vehicle having a cargo area including a floor, a ceiling, a pair of side walls, and a rear wall, the floor, the ceiling, the side walls and the rear wall which delineate the cargo area; a number of interfaces to which a plurality of appliances are communicatively coupleable to communicate therebetween; at least one antenna; at least one radio communicatively coupled to the at least one antenna; and an on-board control system including at least one processor and at least one processor-readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, in a connected mode the on-board control system communicatively coupled to control the appliances via the number of interfaces responsive to communications received via the at least one radio an off-board control system, the off-board control system located off of the vehicle, and in a standalone mode the on-board control system communicatively coupled to control the appliances in the absence of any further communications via the at least one radio.
  • the on-board control system may store production information that represents at least one of supplies used and food product made during the standalone mode.
  • the on-board control system may be communicatively coupled to provide the production information to the off-board control system via the at least one radio.
  • the on-board control system may transition from the connected mode to the standalone mode in response to a loss of communications with the off- board control system via the at least one radio, and may enter a recovery mode between the transition from the connected mode to the standalone mode during which production information accumulated during the standalone mode is provided to the off-board control system via the at least one radio.
  • the onboard control system may transition from the connected mode to the
  • the system may further include a robotic arm that includes an end tool, the robotic arm located in the cargo area movable with respect to at least the first one of the side walls.
  • the system may further include a number of actuators coupled to move the robotic arm, the actuators responsive to signals from the on-board control system.
  • the system may further include a first set of racks removably physically coupled to a first one of the side walls.
  • the first set of racks may include an array of ovens, and the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to selectively interact with each of the ovens of the array of ovens.
  • the first set of racks may include a two-dimensional array of ovens, at least two of the ovens communicably coupled to control at least a respective temperature thereof independently from one another.
  • Each of the ovens may have a respective door, and the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to selectively interact with the respective door of each of the ovens of the array of ovens.
  • the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to withdraw a respective food item from each of the ovens of the array of ovens.
  • the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to move a package to complete an order.
  • the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to move a non-food item to complete an order.
  • the end tool of the robotic arm may be selectively positionable to attach a non-food item to packaging that contains a food item to complete an order.
  • the system may further include at least one dispenser that selectively dispenses a non-food item to complete an order.
  • the system may further include at least one of a display or a speaker, which provides a prompt to add a non-food item to a food item to complete an order.
  • the system may further include at least one of a display or a speaker, which provides a prompt to add a fresh food item to a cooked food item to complete an order.
  • a method for facilitating food item transit using a vehicle the vehicle having a cargo area, a number of interfaces to which a plurality of appliances are communicatively coupleable to communicate therebetween, an on-board control system, at least one antenna, and at least one radio
  • communicatively coupled to the at least one antenna may be summarized as including in a connected mode, communicatively coupling the on-board control system to control the appliances via the number of interfaces responsive to communications received via the at least one radio from an off-board control system, the off-board control system located off of the vehicle; and in a standalone mode, communicatively coupling the on-board control system to control the appliances in the absence of any further communications via the at least one radio.
  • the method may further include in the standalone mode, storing production information that represents at least one of supplies used and food product made during the standalone mode.
  • the method may further include returning to the connected mode from the standalone mode; and providing from the on-board control system the production information to the off-board control system via the at least one radio.
  • the method may further include entering a recovery mode between a return to the connected mode from the standalone mode during which production information accumulated during the standalone mode is provided to the off-board control system via the at least one radio.
  • the method may further include transitioning from the connected mode to the standalone mode in response to a loss of communications with the off-board control system via the at least one radio.
  • the method may further include transitioning from the connected mode to the standalone mode in response to a return of communications with the off-board control system via the at least one radio.
  • the cargo area may further include a robotic arm that may include an end tool, the robotic arm located in the cargo area, the robotic arm further including a number of actuators, and may further include transmitting signals to a number of the actuators, the actuators responsive to the signals to move at least a portion of the robotic arm.
  • the cargo area may further include a first set of racks removably physically coupled to a side wall.
  • the first set of racks may include an array of ovens, the signals transmitted to the number of actuators may selectively position the end tool of the robotic arm to selectively interact with each of the ovens of the array of ovens.
  • the first set of racks may include a two-dimensional array of ovens and may further include controlling at least a respective temperature of each of the ovens in the two-dimensional array of ovens independently from one another.
  • Each of the ovens may have a respective door and may further include transmitting signals to the robotic arm to selectively position the end tool of the robotic arm to selectively interact with the respective door of each of the ovens of the array of ovens.
  • the method may further include transmitting signals to the robotic arm to selectively position the end tool of the robotic arm to withdraw a respective food item from each of the ovens of the array of ovens.
  • the method may further include transmitting a signal to the robotic arm to selectively position the end tool of the robotic arm to move a package to complete an order.
  • the method may further include transmitting a signal to the robotic arm to selectively position the end tool of the robotic arm to move a non- food item to complete an order.
  • the method may further include transmitting a signal to the robotic arm to selectively position the end tool of the robotic arm to move a nonfood item to packaging that contains a food item to complete an order.
  • the method may further include dispensing a non-food item from at least one dispenser to complete an order.
  • the method may further include providing a prompt from at least one of a display or a speaker to add a non-food item to a food item to complete an order.
  • the system may further include providing a prompt from at least one of a display or a speaker to add a fresh food item to a cooked food item to complete an order.
  • Figure 1 is an isometric exterior view of a vehicle having a first configuration, that may be used to prepare hot food during delivery or at a remote location, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a vehicle having a second configuration that may be used to prepare hot food during delivery or at a remote location, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 3A is an isometric view of a portion of a cargo area having a first configuration that may be used to prepare hot food for delivery in which the right-hand interior side wall has been cut away, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 3B is an isometric view of a portion of a cargo area having a first configuration that may be used to prepare hot food for delivery in which the left-hand interior side wall has been cut away, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 4A is an isometric view of a portion of a cargo area having a second configuration that may be used to prepare hot food for delivery in which the right-hand interior side wall has been cut away, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 4B is an isometric view of a portion of a cargo area having a second configuration that may be used to prepare hot food for delivery in which the left-hand interior side wall has been cut away, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 5 is a side isometric view of an anchor point, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the lower portion of a vehicle that may be used to prepare hot food during delivery or at a remote location, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 7 A is a side isometric view of the front of a rack that may contain one or more ovens, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 7B is a side isometric view of the front of a speed rack that may refrigerate one or more partially baked food items, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 8 is a side isometric view of the back face of a rack, such as the rack shown in Figure 7 A or the speed rack shown in Figure 7B, in which the back face of the rack includes one or more separated anchor points, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 9 is a side isometric view of the back face of a rack, such as the rack shown in Figure 7A or the speed rack shown in Figure 7B, in which the back face of the rack includes one or more unitary anchor points, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 10A is an isometric view of a portion of a cargo area of a vehicle that may be used to prepare hot food during delivery in which the right- hand interior side wall has been cut away, the cargo area to include a number of cooking and preparation components secured to the side walls, and a transfer robot to transfer food items between the various cooking and
  • Figure 10B is an isometric view of a portion of a cargo area of a vehicle that may be used to prepare hot food during delivery in which the left- hand interior side wall has been cut away, the cargo area to include a number of cooking and preparation components secured to the side walls, and a transfer robot to transfer food items between the various cooking and
  • Figure 1 1 is a side elevational view of another type of transfer robot that may be used within the cargo area shown in Figures 10A and 10B to place and retrieve food items from an oven, according to at least one
  • Figure 12 is a top plan view of a cargo area of a vehicle that may be used to prepare hot food during delivery in which the interior includes a number of additional components, at least some of which differ from the components shown in Figures 10A and 10B.
  • Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of an on-board control system that may be used, for example, to implement cooking, preparation, and communication procedures to prepare hot food during a delivery or remote operation, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 14 is a logic flow diagram of receiving and adding new orders to a queue, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • Figure 15 is a logic flow diagram of updating routing and delivery times based on current conditions for delivering hot, prepared food to
  • Figure 16 is a logic flow diagram of control system of the vehicle transitioning between an online mode and an off-line mode, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • the terms "food item” and “food product” refer to any item or product intended for human consumption. Although illustrated and described herein in the context of pizza to provide a readily comprehensible and easily understood description of one illustrative embodiment, one of ordinary skill in the culinary arts and food preparation will readily appreciate the broad applicability of the systems, methods, and apparatuses described herein across any number of prepared food items or products, including cooked and uncooked food items or products, and ingredients or components of food items and products.
  • robot refers to any device, system, or combination of systems and devices that includes at least one appendage, typically with an end of arm tool or end effector, where the at least one appendage is selectively moveable to perform work or an operation useful in the preparation a food item or packaging of a food item or food product.
  • the robot may be autonomously controlled, for instance based at least in part on information from one or more sensors (e.g., optical sensors used with machine- vision algorithms, position encoders, temperature sensors, moisture or humidity sensors).
  • one or more robots can be remotely controlled by a human operator.
  • one or more robots can be partially remotely controlled by a human operator and partially autonomously controlled.
  • heating unit refers to any device, system, or combination of systems and devices useful in cooking or heating of a food product. While such preparation may include the heating of food products during preparation, such preparation may also include the partial or complete cooking of one or more food products. Additionally, while the term “oven” may be used interchangeably with the term “cooking unit” herein, such usage should not limit the applicability of the systems and methods described herein to only foods which can be prepared in an oven. For example, one or more burners, either gas or electric or inductive, a hot skillet surface, a deep fryer, a microwave oven, and/or toaster can be considered a "cooking unit” that is included within the scope of the systems, methods, and apparatuses described herein.
  • the cooking unit may be able to control more than temperature.
  • some cooking units may control pressure and/or humidity.
  • some cooking units may control airflow therein, thus able to operate in a convective cooking mode if desired, for instance to decrease cooking time.
  • delivery vehicle refers to any car, truck, van, or other vehicle useful in cooking and heating a food item during a delivery process to a customer.
  • the size and shape of the delivery vehicle may depend in part on licensing requirements of the locality in which the delivery vehicle is intended to operate. In some instances, the size and shape of the delivery vehicle may depend on the street layout and the surrounding environment of the locality in which the delivery vehicle is intended to operate. For example, small, tight city streets may require a delivery vehicle that is comparatively shorter and/or narrower than a delivery vehicle that can safely and conveniently navigate larger, suburban thoroughfares.
  • Figure 1 is an exterior view of a vehicle 100a that includes a cab portion 102 and a cargo portion 104, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • the vehicle 100a may include one or more wheels 103 that are in contact with the ground and support the vehicle 100a in a position above the ground.
  • the vehicle 100a may further include a wireless communications interface, such as one or more antenna 105 and one or more radios 1 13.
  • the one or more antenna 105 may, for example, be located on or above the roof of the cab portion 102.
  • the antenna(s) 105 and radio(s) 1 13 may be
  • the cab portion 102 typically includes one or more seats for a driver and passenger(s).
  • the cargo portion 104 may include a top side 106, a left exterior side wall 108a and a right exterior side wall 108b (collectively exterior side walls 108), a back wall 1 10, and a bottom side 1 12.
  • the cargo portion 104 may have a width 1 14, a length 1 15, and a height 1 16.
  • the dimensions of the width 1 14, length 1 15, and height 1 16 of the cargo portion 104 may be based on local or state ordinances regarding delivery, such as, for example, local or state ordinances governing food delivery vehicles.
  • the dimensions of the width 1 14, length 1 15, and height 1 16 of the cargo portion 104 may be smaller than the maximum dimensions allowed by local or state ordinances. Smaller cargo portions 104 may be advantageous, for example, when the vehicle 100a is to travel in or through neighborhoods or areas with narrow roads and/or tight turns.
  • the back wall 1 10 may include one or more loading doors 1 18 that are sized and dimensioned to provide access to a cargo area (discussed below) enclosed within the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100a.
  • the loading door(s) 1 18 may be a single door that stretches substantially across (i.e., >50%) the width 1 14 along the back wall 1 10.
  • the loading door 1 18 may include a single set of hinges 120 that may physically and rotationally couple the loading doors 1 18 to the vehicle 100a, and be used to open the loading door 1 18.
  • the loading door 1 18 may comprise multiple doors, such as a set of double doors, that together stretch substantially across (i.e., >50%) the width 1 14 along the back wall 1 10.
  • each door may be physically and rotationally coupled to the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100a by a respective set of hinges.
  • the back wall 1 10 may include a personnel door 122 located within the loading door 1 18.
  • the personnel door 122 may be physically, rotationally coupled to the loading door 1 18 by a set of one or more hinges 124.
  • the personnel door 122 may rotate in the same direction or in the opposite direction as the loading door 1 18 in which the personnel door 122 is located.
  • the dimensions, e.g. , width and height, of the personnel door 122 are smaller than the corresponding dimensions of the loading door 1 18, for instance ( ⁇ 33%) of the width 1 14 along the back wall 1 10.
  • the personnel door 122 may be set within the loading door 1 18 relatively closer to one or the other exterior side walls 108, or the personnel door 122 may be centered within the loading door 1 18 relative to the exterior side walls 108.
  • the personnel door 122 may be positioned to provide access between the exterior of the vehicle 100a to the cargo area, and sized and dimensioned to receive a human therethrough (e.g. , 36 inches or 42 inches wide, 60 or more inches tall).
  • the size, shape, dimensions, and/or location of the personnel door 122 may be set according to local or state ordinances, such as, for example, those ordinances regarding health and safety for operating food delivery and/or food serving vehicles.
  • the loading door 1 18 may include one or more additional small doors 125 that may be smaller than the personnel door 122.
  • the small doors 125 may enable food products to be passed from the cargo portion to a person or customer standing outside of the vehicle.
  • the cargo portion may further optionally include a ramp 126 that may be selectively deployed when the vehicle 100a is in a stationary, parked position to stretch from a ground-level location behind the back wall 1 10 of the vehicle 100a to the cargo area towards the bottom side 1 12 of the cargo portion 104.
  • the ramp 126 may be used to roll supplies, equipment, or other material into and out of the cargo area.
  • the ramp 126 may be used to roll supplies, equipment, or other material out of one vehicle 100a and into another vehicle 100a.
  • the ramp 126 When not deployed, the ramp 126 may be stowed within a cavity proximate the bottom side 1 12 of the cargo portion 104.
  • One or both of the exterior side walls 108 may include a display or monitor 128 oriented to display images, e.g., video images, towards the exterior of the vehicle 100a.
  • the display or monitor 128 may be any type of display or monitor, such as, for example, a thin profile LCD, OLED or similar type of screen.
  • the display or monitor 128 does not extend into the cargo area.
  • the display or monitor 128 may be one that uses a minimal amount of electrical power during operation.
  • the display or monitor 128 may display any type of programming, including still images or moving images.
  • the display or monitor 128 may display a video feed captured by one or more cameras located within the cargo area of the vehicle 100a. In some
  • such display or monitor 128 may provide advertisements and/or a menu for the products being sold by the vehicle 100a.
  • the vehicle 100a may make pizzas to order using one or more robots and/or assembly lines located within the cargo area of the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100a.
  • the cameras may capture live images, or alternatively pre-recorded images, from the cargo area of the movements and positioning of the various robots when assembling food items.
  • images may be displayed by the display or monitor 128 as a form of advertisement and/or entertainment for current and potential customers.
  • the display on the display or monitor 128 may progressively or randomly provide different displays (e.g., menu, interior shot, advertisement) for defined periods of time.
  • additional devices may be used to attract attention to and provide additional marketing related to the vehicle 100a.
  • the vehicle 100a may include lighting that runs around the edges and/or exterior side walls 108, a projector that may be used to project images onto the vehicle 100a and/or onto objects in the surrounding environment, and/or smart glass displays that may be used to create and/or optionally display advertisements along the exterior side walls 108 of the vehicle 100a.
  • One or both of the exterior side walls 108 may include a food slot
  • the size, dimension, and position of the food slot 130 may be based, for example, on the type of food item that is to be prepared and delivered. For example, a food slot 130 for pizza may be wider and shorter in height than a food slot 130 used for prepared and packaged hamburgers.
  • the food slot 130 may be used to deliver food items automatically after the food item has been prepared within the cargo area.
  • One or both of the exterior side walls 108 may include a delivery port 132 that provides access to one or more delivery robots, such as flying food delivery robots (e.g., flying drones) or terrestrial food delivery robots (e.g., ground drones), that may be used to carry and deliver prepared food to the final address.
  • the delivery pods may be used in lieu of delivery people.
  • the delivery robots may be manually controlled by a human who is located locally or remotely from the delivery robot, and/or controlled autonomously, for example using location input or coordinate from an on-board GPS or GLONASS positioning system and receiver for from one or more wireless service provider cellular towers.
  • location input and/or positioning may be provided using onboard telemetry to determine position, vision systems coupled with prerecorded photos of the surrounding environment, peer-to-peer relative positioning with other autonomous or non-autonomous vehicles, and/or triangulation with signals from other autonomous or non-autonomous vehicles.
  • the delivery robots may make deliveries during overlapping time periods.
  • FIG 2 is an exterior view of a second configuration of a vehicle 100b that includes a cab portion 102 and a cargo portion, according to at least one implementation.
  • the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100b may include a service window 201 that customers may use to place and receive delivery of orders.
  • the vehicle 100b may be similar to the vehicle 100a (collectively, "vehicle 100") discussed above in connection with Figure 1 .
  • the vehicle 100b includes a cab portion 102 and a cargo portion 104 along with one or more wheels 103 that are in contact with the ground.
  • the exterior side wall 108 may include a display or monitor 128 that may provide images of the interior of the cargo area during food preparation operations, a menu, and/or advertisements.
  • the service window 201 may be sized, dimensioned, and located to facilitate transactions between customers and operators of the vehicle 100b and/or robots thereof.
  • the location of the service window 201 may be modified based upon the layout of equipment within the cargo area.
  • the covering 201 a of the service window may be rotated upwards and outwards to form a canopy over the service window 201.
  • an additional canopy may be attached to the exterior side wall 108 above the service window 201 (or at other locations) and extended when the vehicle 100b is parked.
  • the lower edge of the service window 201 may be about four and one-half to five and one-half feet above the ground.
  • the service window 201 may be about four feet high, and between three feet to seven feet wide.
  • the service window 201 may be aligned with a counter and/or payment system (cash register, card reader, point-of-sale (POS) terminal, etc.) that may be controlled by an operator of the delivery vehicle 100b.
  • POS point-of-sale
  • a POS terminal may include a wireless access point, which allows orders to be placed and paid for by a customer via a mobile device (e.g. , smartphone, tablet computer). This may allow of customer to place and pay for an order before arriving at the vehicle 100b, so freshly prepared food is ready on the customer's arrival. This may also allow the customer to pick up and order with minimal or even no human interaction with a server, cook or other human.
  • a mobile device e.g. , smartphone, tablet computer
  • the service window 201 may be conveniently located at or close to the end of a food preparation assembly line or area at which hot, prepared food will be placed to be sold or conveyed to customers.
  • a customer may place an order using a kiosk or point of sale terminal that may be accessible by the customer.
  • a kiosk or terminal may be physically attached to the vehicle or a part thereof.
  • the kiosk or terminal may be detached and spaced from the vehicle, such as a kiosk or terminal that is wirelessly coupled to the vehicle for processing of the customer order.
  • the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100b may include one or more compartments 202 that are covered by one or more access covers 202a.
  • the access covers 202a may selectively, removably and/or rotationally couple to one of the exterior side walls 108 of the delivery vehicle 100b to selectively provide access to the respective compartment 202, for instance from an exterior of the vehicle 100b.
  • Each access cover 202a may be sized and dimensioned to completely cover the corresponding compartment 202.
  • Each access cover may be physically coupled to the exterior side wall 108 of the cargo portion 104 via one or more of hinges, hooks, fasteners, locks, locking devices, latches, or other devices or mechanisms that may be used to secure a panel to wall or other vertical surface to cover an aperture.
  • the compartments 202 may be used to store various tanks of liquids or gases that may be used to prepare and serve food items.
  • the compartments 202 may store a potable water tank 204 that carries potable water, a waste fluid tank 208 that carries waste fluids, and a pressurized gas tank 220 that may hold a supply of pressurized gas (e.g. , air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide).
  • pressurized gas e.g. , air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide
  • the water tank 204 may carry a supply of potable water for use during food preparation operations.
  • the potable water tank 204 may carry, for example, up to 40 gallons of potable water. In some implementations, the water tank 204 may carry more or less than 40 gallons of potable water.
  • the water tank 204 may include a fluid coupler 212, such as a one-half inch or three-quarter inch threaded water valve or spigot, by which the water tank 204 may be fluidly coupled to a potable-water source to replenish the supply of potable water being held by the water tank 204.
  • the access cover 202a that covers the water tank 204 may include an aperture 214 that aligns with the fluid coupler 212 when the access cover 202a is closed, enabling the fluid coupler 212 to be accessed to refill the water tank 204 when the access cover 202a is closed.
  • the water from the water tank 204 may be fed into a hot water heater 204a that may selectively provide hot water to a user and/or operator of the vehicle 100b.
  • the temperature of water exiting the hot water tank 204 may be between 130° F and 170° F, and may be, for example, specified by a local or state-wide health and/or work-place safety department.
  • the waste fluid tank 208 may carry the waste fluids that are generated during food preparation or other operations.
  • the waste fluid tank 208 may be at least as large as the potable water tank 204. In some
  • the waste fluid tank 208 may be larger, such as, for example, 10%, 15%, or 20% larger in volume than the potable water tank 204. In some situations, local or state ordinances may specify the absolute and/or relative sizes of the potable water tank 204 and the waste fluid tank 208.
  • the waste fluid tank 208 may include a fluid coupler 216, such as a threaded valve, by which the waste fluids held by the waste fluid tank 208 may be emptied.
  • the waste fluid tank 208 may be emptied using gravity to drain the waste fluids towards an appropriate container or containment system located relatively towards the ground when compared to the waste fluid tank 208.
  • the access cover 202a that covers the waste fluid tank 208 may include an aperture 218 that aligns with the fluid coupler 216 when the access cover 202a is closed, enabling the fluid coupler 216 to be accessed to drain the waste fluids from the waste fluid tank 208 when the access cover 202a is closed.
  • One or more pressurized gas tanks 220 may carry a supply of pressurized gas (e.g., air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide) for use during food preparation operations.
  • Air in the pressurized gas tank 220 may be comprised of air similar to that in the regular environment, although stored at a pressure that is higher than 1 atmosphere.
  • the gas in the pressurized gas tank 220 may be comprised of a stable, inert, non-combustible gas, such nitrogen.
  • the gas in the pressurized gas tank 220 may be comprised of carbon dioxide.
  • the pressurized gas tank 220 may have a volume of 10 gallons, 15 gallons, or more.
  • the pressurized gas tank 220 may include a coupler 222, such as a one-half inch or three-quarter inch threaded valve with one or more O-rings to provide an air tight seal when coupled to a corresponding connector.
  • the pressurized gas tank 220 may be fluidly coupled to a pressurized gas source to replenish the supply of pressurized gas being held by the pressurized gas tank 220.
  • the access cover 202a that covers the pressurized gas tank(s) 220 may include an aperture 224 that aligns with the coupler 222 when the access cover 202a is closed, enabling the coupler 222 to be accessed to replenish the pressurized gas tank 220 when the access cover 202a is closed.
  • the vehicle 100b may include one or more compressors, operable to selectively supply a flow of a pressurized gas, either from the ambient environment (e.g., air) or from a tank that stores the gas (e.g., nitrogen, carbon dioxide).
  • a pressurized gas either from the ambient environment (e.g., air) or from a tank that stores the gas (e.g., nitrogen, carbon dioxide).
  • One or more of the compartments 202 may be used to house a power supply 210, for example a battery, electrical power generator, or other energy storage/generation component.
  • the power supply 210 may provide power to the systems in the delivery vehicle 100b in general, as well as to the devices, robots, and other electrical equipment used to prepare food during food preparation operations.
  • the power supplies 210 (two shown, a power generator 210a and power storage 210b, collectively power supplies 210) may be electrically coupled to one or more electrical power busses that may provide power to the cargo area at one or more voltages, as discussed below.
  • the power supplies 210 may be one or more of: a battery or set of batteries, a gas generator, a propone generator, a chemical battery cell(s), an ultracapacitor cell(s), or some other form of power supply.
  • the power supplies 210 may include at least two different power supplies (e.g. , power generator 210a, and power storage 210b) that provide at least two separate voltages to the vehicle 100b.
  • the access cover 202a may enable fuel supply tanks, such as propone tanks, to be coupled to the appropriate power generator when food is being prepared within the cargo area of the delivery vehicle 100b.
  • FIG. 3A and 3B shows different angled views of a cargo area 300a of the vehicle 100a in which no equipment has been installed and no supplies have been loaded, the cargo area 300a having a first configuration, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • the cargo area 300a includes a floor 302, a ceiling 304, a pair of interior side walls 306a, 306b (collectively, interior side walls 306), and a rear wall 308, which together delineate the cargo area 300a.
  • the cargo area 300a may have a length 301 , a width 303, and a height 305.
  • the length 301 may run from a front portion 307 of the of the cargo area 300a towards a back portion 309 of the cargo area 300a.
  • the loading door 1 18 is rotationally coupled to the back wall 1 10 or one or both of the interior side walls 306 of the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100a, and may provide access into the cargo area 300a from the exterior of the vehicle 100a.
  • the loading door 1 18 may be sized and dimensioned to enable the loading of equipment and supplies into and the unloading of equipment and supplies from the cargo area 300a.
  • the loading door 1 18 may include a personnel door 122 that may be sized and dimensioned to selectively provide access to the cargo area 300a to receive a human therethrough.
  • the personnel door 122 may be smaller in dimension (e.g., width) than the dimensions of the loading door 1 18.
  • the rear wall 308 of the cargo area 300a may include a door 310 or other opening that is sized and dimensioned to provide access to a human between the cab portion 102 and the cargo area 300a of the vehicle 100a.
  • a smaller cargo door 31 1 may be incorporated into the rear wall 308 of the cargo area 300a to enable items to be passed from the cab portion 102 to the cargo area 300a.
  • the rear wall 308 or some other portion of the cargo area 300a may include a jump seat 350 having a back portion 350a that runs along the back wall 308 and a seat portion 350b that may extend outwards perpendicular to the back wall 308.
  • the seat portion 350b may be biased to rotate up towards and align with the back portion 350a when the jump seat 350 is not occupied and/or in use.
  • the interior side walls 306 may comprise or consist of aluminum, stainless steel, or other lightweight, hard, durable material which can be easily cleaned or sanitized.
  • the interior side walls 306 may be comprised of food safe materials that may be used in a food preparation or serving environment.
  • the interior side walls 306 may each be oriented to extend vertically between the floor 302 and the ceiling 304, and be spaced relatively apart from each other to provide space for food preparation and/or storage equipment to be secured within the cargo area 300a.
  • the interior side wall 306 may include one or more food slots 130 through which prepared food items may be provided to an operator or supplied to a customer located on the exterior of the vehicle 100a.
  • One or both of the interior side walls 306 may include a plurality of anchor tracks or rails 313 that extend from the floor 302 to the ceiling 304.
  • the anchor tracks or rails 313 may be evenly spaced along the interior side wall(s) 306 relative to the length 301 of the cargo area 300a.
  • the anchor tracks or rails may be spaced about four feet from each other along the length 301 of the cargo area 300a.
  • the anchor tracks or rails 313 may be contained within channels or grooves 315 that are recessed into the interior side wall(s) 306.
  • such anchor tracks or rails 313 may be sized and dimensioned to physically couple to insertable tabs on movable pieces of equipment.
  • the anchor tracks or rails 313 may have a number of attachment locations (e.g.
  • apertures through which pins, tabs, or bolts may be placed) spaced therealong that may be used to secure a plurality of food preparation and/or cooking equipment of an almost unlimited variety along the interior side wall(s) 306 of the cargo area 300a and configure such food preparation and/or cooking equipment in any number of ways.
  • a cover or cap 317 may be made of lightweight, durable material.
  • the cover or cap 317 may cover the channels or grooves 315, and may releasably securely engage peripheral edges of the channels or grooves 315 along the interior side wall 306 that delineate the respective channels or grooves 315 in which the tracks or rails 313 are recessed.
  • Using such a cover may enable the side wall(s) 306 to present a smooth, planar surface when one or more anchor tracks or rails 313 are not in use. Presenting a smooth, planar surface may advantageously enable easy cleaning of the interior side walls 306, and prevent food, grease, or other materials from becoming trapped within the anchor tracks or rails 313.
  • a number of retractable bolts 314 may be securely, releasably attached to the anchor tracks or rails 313 along the interior side wall 306.
  • the retractable bolts 314 may be spaced and dimensioned along the anchor tracks or rails 313 to secure food preparation and/or storage equipment.
  • the first interior side wall 306a includes a plurality of two retractable bolts 314 arranged in one column.
  • the second interior side wall 306b includes a plurality of six retractable bolts 314 arranged in two columns and three rows. Other configurations and layouts of the retractable bolts 314 may be possible.
  • the retractable bolts 314 may include a cylindrical portion 316 that extends horizontally along a central axis through one or more brackets 318 that extend outward from the interior side wall 306. As discussed below in connection with Figure 5, the cylindrical portion 316 may be movable along the central axis between an open position and a closed position.
  • Each of the brackets 318 may include an attachment location 320 that may be spaced along the cylindrical portion 316 of the retractable bolts 314.
  • the attachment location 320 may be spaced and dimensioned to spatially align with a corresponding attachment point ⁇ e.g., a bracket) on food preparation and/or storage equipment to thereby secure the various food preparation and/or storage equipment that may be loaded into the cargo area 300a of the vehicle 100a.
  • the attachment location 320 may form a different shape along the retractable bolt 314. For example, in some
  • the attachment locations 320 may be formed by sections along the retractable bolt 314 that have a square- or rectangular-shaped cross- sectional area.
  • a control handle 322 may extend outward from and at a perpendicular angle to the cylindrical portion 316 of the retractable bolt 314.
  • the control handle 322 may be used to selectively rotate the cylindrical portion 316 of the retractable bolt 314 to an open position at which the cylindrical portion 316 may move along the central axis to expose an attachment location 320 that may physically couple and thereby secure the food preparation and/or storage equipment.
  • One or both of the interior side walls 306 may include one or more power outlets 324a, 324b (collectively 324) that may be spaced along the interior side wall 306s.
  • the power outlets 324a, 324b may be regularly spaced on the interior side wall 306 relative to the length 301 and/or height 305 of the cargo area 300a.
  • the power outlets 324a, 324b may be regularly spaced every one and one-half feet, two feet, two and one-half feet, or more or less on the interior side wall 306 along the length 301 of the cargo area 300a.
  • the power outlets 324a, 324b may be electrically coupled to the power supplies 210 and be operable to supply power at a first voltage.
  • At least some of the power outlets 324a, 324b may include a first set of power outlets 324a that are electrically coupled to the first power supply, e.g. , power generator 210a, to supply a first voltage, and at least some of the power outlets 324 may include a second set of power outlets 324b that are electrically coupled to the second power supply, e.g., power storage 21 Ob, to supply a second voltage.
  • the power outlets of the first set of power outlets 324a may have a first configuration while the power outlets of the second set of power outlets 324b may have a second configuration, different from the first configuration, for example configurations compliant with various standards or protocols, for instance standards or protocols for electrical outlets or receptacles specified by the National Electrical Manufacturers
  • the first voltage and the second voltage may include one or more of: 12V, 1 10V, 120V, 220V and 240V.
  • the voltage supply at the second set of power outlets 324b may be about twice the voltage supplied at the first set of power outlets 425a.
  • the voltage at the second set of power outlets 425b may be about 240 V and the voltage at the first set of power outlets 425a may be about 1 10V or 120V.
  • one of the power supplies 210 may be operable to provide power, for example, to a USB connector or other such connectors that may electrically couple to one or more low voltage devices, such as custom electronics, embedded processors, sensors (e.g. , Internet-of-things devices), and other such devices.
  • One or both of the interior side walls 306 may include a set of water ports 326 that are fluidly communicatively coupled to the water tank 204 via one or more water conduits (not shown) that may be located behind the interior side walls 306 and/or below the floor 302.
  • the water ports 326 may be spaced regularly along the interior side walls 306.
  • the food preparation and/or storage equipment may physically couple to the water ports 326 to thereby provide fluid communication between the food preparation and/or storage equipment and the water tank 204.
  • the water tank 204 may be a pressurized water tank that stores the water (or other fluid) at a high pressure, i.e., above 1 atmosphere and/or may be gravity feed.
  • a water valve is physically coupled to the water port 326 and opened, water may thereby flow from the water tank 204 through the water port 326 and out of the fluidly communicative, physically coupled valve.
  • one or more pumps may be located with the cargo area 300a and may be fluidly communicatively coupled to the water tank 204. As such, the pumps may be operable to draw water from water tank 204 for use by equipment in the cargo area 300a.
  • One or both of the interior side walls 306 may include a set of waste fluid ports 328 that are fluidly communicatively coupled to the waste fluid tank 208 via one or more water conduits (not shown) that may be located behind the interior side walls 306 and/or below the floor 302.
  • the waste fluid ports 328 may be spaced regularly along the interior side walls 306.
  • the food preparation and/or storage equipment may physically couple to the waste fluid ports 328 to thereby provide fluid communication between the food preparation and/or storage equipment and the waste fluid tank 208.
  • waste fluid ⁇ e.g., gray water
  • One or both of the interior side walls 306 may include a set of pressurized gas ports 330 that are fluidly communicatively coupled to the pressurized gas tank 220 via one or more air conduits (not shown) that may be located behind the interior side walls 306 and/or below the floor 302.
  • the pressurized gas ports 330 may be spaced regularly along the interior side walls 306.
  • the food preparation and/or storage equipment may physically couple to the pressurized gas ports 330 to thereby provide fluid communication between the food preparation and/or storage equipment and the pressurized gas tank 220, or a compressor.
  • the pressurized gas tank 220 may be a pressurized air tank that stores the air at a high pressure, i.e., above 1 atmosphere.
  • pressurized air may thereby flow from the pressurized gas tank 220 through the pressurized gas port 330 and out of the fluidly communicative, physically coupled valve.
  • one or more compressors or pumps may be located with the cargo area 300a and/or within one or more of the compartments 202. As such, the compressors or pumps may be operable to create a source of pressurized gas without the need of the pressurized gas tank 220, or alternatively can be fluidly coupled to supply pressurized gas to the pressurized gas tank 220.
  • One or both of the interior side walls 306 may optionally include a set of communication ports 332 that are communicatively coupled to the on- board control system 312 via one or more communication connectors (not shown) that may be located behind the interior side walls 306 and/or the rear wall 308, and/or above the ceiling 304.
  • the communication ports 332 may be spaced regularly along the interior side walls 306.
  • the food preparation and/or storage equipment may physically couple to the communication port 332 to thereby complete a communications link between the food preparation and/or storage equipment and the on-board control system 312.
  • the communication connections may be one or more of parallel cables or serial cables capable of high speed communications, for instance, via one or more of FireWire®, Universal Serial Bus® (USB),
  • the communication port 332 may include optical fiber.
  • the communication port 332 may include a wireless transceiver that communicates wirelessly with the on-board control system 312 via a short-range wireless communications protocol (e.g., Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy, WIFI®, NFC).
  • a short-range wireless communications protocol e.g., Bluetooth®, Bluetooth® Low Energy, WIFI®, NFC.
  • the floor 302 may be a substantially flat surface that is parallel to the ground and forms a horizontal surface when the vehicle 100a is parked on a flat, even surface.
  • the floor 302 may be elevated above the set of wheels 103 and corresponding wheel wells of the vehicle 100a. As such, the wheels 103 and wheel wells may not interrupt or protrude above the floor 302.
  • the floor 302 may be comprised of aluminum, stainless steel, linoleum, or any other lightweight, hard, durable surface which can be easily and thoroughly cleaned. In some implementations, the cleaning of such surfaces may be performed according to or to meet various state, local, or other such health department requirement.
  • a fire barrier may be adjacent to and underneath the floor 302, ceiling 304 and/or sidewalls 306.
  • the uninterrupted, flat floor 302 may advantageously be used in connection with the regularly spaced anchor tracks or rails 313 to modularly design the cargo area 300a, thus providing flexibility in creating the necessary preparation and cooking space to prepare any number of different types of food items. Further, placing the anchor tracks or rails 313 at regular intervals along the length 301 and height 305 of the interior side walls 306 enables various types of food preparation and cooking equipment to be loaded into the cargo area 300a. Such modularity is further increased by providing regularly spaced power outlets, air ports, water and waste ports, etc., in the cargo area 300a.
  • the cooking equipment that may be loaded into the cargo area 300a may include ovens (convention, gas, or electric, for example), deep fryers, roasters, popcorn makers, grills, griddles, sandwich/tortilla presses, or any other type of cooking equipment.
  • ovens conventional, gas, or electric, for example
  • deep fryers roasters
  • roasters popcorn makers
  • grills griddles
  • sandwich/tortilla presses sandwich/tortilla presses
  • any other type of cooking equipment such as sinks, topping repositories, or even food preparation robots
  • Food preparation equipment related to cooled or chilled foods such as may be used to prepare smoothies, frozen yogurt, ice cream, and beverages (e.g., fountain beverages) may be securely attached to the interior side walls 306 of the cargo area 300.
  • the food preparation and/or cooking equipment may be arranged into any number of various different configurations and may be optimized for the particular type of food and for the particular types of food preparation flow that might be used for the food item(s) being sold by a particular vehicle 100.
  • the vehicle 100a may include an onboard control system 312, and may be located, for example, along the ceiling 304 proximate the rear wall 308 of the cargo area 300a.
  • the on-board control system 312 may be located within or proximate the cab portion 102 of the vehicle 100a and/or in a space between the cab portion 102 and the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100a, or elsewhere on board the vehicle 100a.
  • the on-board control system 312 may, for example, include one or more computers 312a, servers 312b, and/or routers 312c.
  • the on-board control system 312 may include one or more radios 1 13 communicatively coupled to one or more antenna 105.
  • the on-board control system 312 may be operable in a connected mode in which it is responsive to communications received via the antenna 105 from an off- board control system 107 located remotely from the vehicle 100a.
  • the off- board control system 107 may be located, for example, at a central facility at which customer orders may be received and/or at which the food items may be fully or partially prepared.
  • the off-board control system 107 may execute an order dispatch and enroute cooking control application to control the dispatch and routing of the vehicles 100a to various delivery locations, and to control the enroute cooking of food items.
  • the order dispatch and enroute cooking control application can be executed by one or more hardware circuits, for instance one or more processors and stored on one or more associated nontransitory storage media, e.g., memory (e.g., FLASH, RAM, ROM) and/or spinning media (e.g., spinning magnetic media, spinning optical media) that stores at least one of processor-executable instructions or data.
  • the one or more, order dispatch and enroute cooking control application may be executed by one or more hardware circuits, for instance one or more processors and stored on one or more associated nontransitory storage media, e.g., memory (e.g., FLASH, RAM, ROM) and/or spinning media (e.g., spinning magnetic media, spinning optical media) that stores at least one of processor-executable instructions or data.
  • Some communications can employ one or more proprietary communications channels, for instance a proprietary network communications channel like a proprietary Local Area Network (LAN) or proprietary Wide Area Network (WAN) such as one or more intranets.
  • Some communications can employ one or more non-proprietary communications channels, for instance one or more non-proprietary network communications channels like a Wide Area Network (WAN) such as the Internet and/or cellular provider communications networks including voice, data and short message service (SMS) networks or channels as part of communications network 109.
  • WAN Wide Area Network
  • SMS short message service
  • communications between the order dispatch and enroute cooking control application as implemented by the off-board control system 107 and the vehicles 100a or cooking units of the vehicles 100a can occur via one or more non-proprietary communications channels, e.g., cellular communications network system, radio communication systems (via, e.g., ultra-high frequency or very high frequency radio bands that may use analog and/or digital modes for communication).
  • non-proprietary communications channels e.g., cellular communications network system
  • radio communication systems via, e.g., ultra-high frequency or very high frequency radio bands that may use analog and/or digital modes for communication.
  • the off-board control system 107 may transmit routing, cooking (e.g., enroute cooking), and/or destination (e.g. , delivery location) instructions to the on-board control system 312 via the communications network 109.
  • the on-board control system 312 may store the transmitted routing, cooking, and/or destination instructions on one or more nontransitory storage media to be used during routing of the vehicle, cooking of food items (e.g., enroute cooking), and/or delivery of one or more food items.
  • the off-board control system 107 may transmit updated routing, cooking, and/or destination instructions to the on-board control system 312, which may thereby update the previously stored instructions.
  • the on-board control system 312 may transmit information back to the off-board control system 107.
  • Such information may include, for example, number and amount of sales of food items, remaining ingredients left in the vehicles 100a, current location of the vehicles 100a, and like information.
  • the routing, cooking, and/or destination instructions may be used by a human operator of the vehicles 100a and/or autonomously by the vehicles to travel between various locations.
  • the routing, cooking (e.g., enroute cooking), and/or destination (e.g., delivery location) instructions may optimize the order or sequence in which the locations (e.g. , delivery locations) are visited and/or the routes between locations to minimize the travel distance and/or time of travel of the vehicles 100a.
  • the routing, cooking, and/or destination instructions may optimize the routing to increase a time between successive destinations to allow sufficient time to properly prepare and cook a food item, enroute, where the most efficient routing to a destination (e.g. , delivery location) would not otherwise provide sufficient time.
  • navigation equipment in the cab portion 102 of the vehicle 100a may supply a human operator of the vehicle 100a with the routing and delivery instructions.
  • the routing and/or delivery instructions may be provided to an autonomous navigation component of the vehicle 100a.
  • the routing, cooking and/or destination instructions may be updated based upon current and/or expected or predicted travel conditions, and/or current and/or expected or predicted orders.
  • the routing, cooking, and/or destination instructions transmitted by the off-board control system 107 may be used by the on-board control system 312 to control the operation of one or more appliances and/or other pieces of equipment that may be installed or loaded into the cargo area 300a of the vehicle 100a.
  • one or more fixed computers, electronic displays, portably tablets, or other computing devices may be used to interact with the one or more appliances and/or other pieces of equipment installed or loaded into the cargo area 300a of the vehicle 100a.
  • Such computing devices may receive data transmitted from the one or more appliance and/or other pieces of equipment installed or loaded into the cargo area 300a, and display such received data on a computer monitor or other display.
  • the computing devices may provide a user interface that may enable a user or operator to interact with and control the operation of the one or more appliance and/or other pieces of equipment installed or loaded into the cargo area 300a of the vehicle 100a.
  • Such operation and control may be performed by a user or operator located proximate the vehicle 100a as well as by a user or operator located apart from the vehicle 100a. In a situation in which the user or operator is located apart from the vehicle 100a, such data and commands may be transmitted and received via the network 109.
  • the on-board control system 312 may operate in a standalone mode in which the on-board control system 312 is not communicatively coupled to the off-board control system 107, such as, for example, when the radio(s) 1 13 and antenna(s) 105 are no longer
  • the on-board control system 312 may continue to track one or more of the number of food and nonfood items sold, locations visited, deliveries made, and/or supplies used. On loss of communications with the off-board control system 107, the on-board control system 312 may continue to operate according to the routing, cooking, and/or destination instructions previously received from the off-board control system 107 during the connected mode and stored in the one or more nontransitory storage media.
  • the on-board control system 312 may include an order dispatch and enroute cooking control application, discussed below, that may provide routing, enroute cooking, and/or destination instructions for the vehicle 100a. In such an implementation, the order dispatch and enroute cooking control application may provide updates to the routing, cooking, and/or destination instructions to be implemented by the vehicle 100a.
  • the on-board control system 312 may regain the connection to the off-board control system 107 via the radio(s) 1 13 and antenna(s) 105. In such a situation, the on-board control system 312 may transition from the standalone mode to the connected mode, for example, when the on-board control system 312 regains a communication connection with the off-board control system 107 via the antenna 105 and the communications network 109.
  • the on-board control system 312 may enter a recovery mode during which the information accumulated by the on-board control system 312 (e.g., food and non-food items sold, ingredients used, deliveries made) during the standalone mode is transmitted and provided (e.g., downloaded) to the off-board control system 107 via the antenna(s) 105.
  • the information accumulated by the on-board control system 312 e.g., food and non-food items sold, ingredients used, deliveries made
  • the off-board control system 107 via the antenna(s) 105.
  • the cargo area 300a may include one or more cameras 340 that may be oriented to capture images of the cargo area 300a.
  • Each of the cameras 340 may have a field of view 342 in which the camera 340 may capture still or moving images.
  • the field of view 342 of each camera 340 may encompass substantially the entire cargo area 300a.
  • the cameras 340 may be used to capture and provide live images. Such live images may be transmitted via the radio 1 13 and antenna 105 to a remote location, such as to the off-board control system 107 so that the food preparation and delivery operations of the vehicle 100a may be monitored.
  • the live images from the cameras 340 may be supplied to the display or monitors 128 located along the exterior side wall(s) 108 of the vehicle 100a and visible from the exterior of the vehicle.
  • FIGS 4A and 4B show different angled views of a second configuration of the cargo area 300b of the vehicle 100b that includes a service window 201 and in which components along the interior side walls 306 are included within recessed compartments 450, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • the cargo area 300b may be similar to the cargo area 300a (collectively, "cargo area 300") discussed above in connection with Figures 3A and 3B.
  • the cargo area 300b includes a floor 302, a ceiling 304, a pair of interior side walls 306a, 306b (collectively, interior side walls 306), and a rear wall 408, which together delineate the cargo area 300b.
  • the cargo area 300b may have a length 301 , a width 303, and a height 305.
  • the length 301 may run from a front portion 307 of the cargo area 300b towards a back portion 409 of the cargo area 300b.
  • the loading door 1 18 is rotationally coupled to the back wall 1 10 of the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100b, and may provide access into the cargo area 300b from the exterior of the vehicle 100b.
  • the loading door 1 18 may be sized and dimensioned to enable the loading of equipment and supplies into and the unloading of equipment and supplies from the cargo area 300b.
  • the loading door 1 18 may include a personnel door 122 that may be sized and dimensioned to selectively provide access to the cargo area 300b to receive a human therethrough.
  • the personnel door 122 may be smaller in dimension ⁇ e.g., width) than the dimensions of the loading door 1 18.
  • the rear wall 408 of the cargo area 300b may include a door 410 or other opening that is sized and dimensioned to provide access to a human between the cab portion 102 and the cargo area 300b of the vehicle 100b.
  • the floor 302 may be a substantially flat surface that is parallel to the ground and forms a horizontal surface when the vehicle 100b is parked on a flat, even surface.
  • the floor 302 may be elevated above the set of wheels 103 and corresponding wheel wells, located within the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100b. As such, the wheels 103 and wheel wells may not interrupt or protrude above the floor 302.
  • the floor 302 may be comprised of aluminum, stainless steel, or any other lightweight, hard, durable surface, that is easily cleaned or sanitized.
  • a fire barrier may be adjacent to and underneath the floor 302.
  • the cargo area 300b may include an on-board control system 312 that may enable the vehicle 100b to operate in a connected mode in which the on-board control system 312 is communicatively coupled to an off-board control system 107, as discussed previously.
  • the off-board control system 107 may provide routing, delivery, and/or cooking instructions to components in the vehicle 100b.
  • the on-board control system 312 may be operable to function in a stand-alone mode in which the on-board control system 312 is not communicatively coupled to the off-board control system.
  • the on-board control system 312 may be operable to enter a recovery mode at a time when the on-board control system 312 regains a communication connection with the off-board control system 107 and is transitioning from a stand-alone mode to a connected mode.
  • the interior side walls 306 may comprise or consist of aluminum, stainless steel, or other lightweight, hard, durable material, which can be easily cleaned or sanitized.
  • the interior side walls 306 may be comprised of food safe materials that may be used in a food preparation or serving environment.
  • the interior side walls 306 may each be oriented to extend vertically between the floor 302 and the ceiling 304, and be spaced relatively apart from each other to provide space for food preparation and/or storage equipment to be secured within the cargo area 300b.
  • the interior side wall 306 may include one or more food slots 130 through which prepared food items may be provided to an operator or supplied to a customer located on the exterior of the vehicle 100b.
  • the interior side wall(s) 306 may include one or more anchor tracks or rails 313 that extend from the floor 302 to the ceiling 304 of the cargo area 300b.
  • the anchor tracks or rails 313 may be evenly spaced along the length 301 of the cargo area 300b and provide for loading of an almost unlimited variety of food preparation and cooking equipment in any number of configurations.
  • One or both of the interior side walls 306 may include a plurality of recessed cavities 450 arranged relative to the length 301 and/or height 305 of the cargo area 300b.
  • Each of the recessed cavities 450 may contain one or more of: a stationary post 414, a power outlet 324a, 324b, a water port 326, a waste fluid port 328, an air port 330, and a communication port 332.
  • the recessed cavities 450 may be sufficiently recessed into the interior side walls 306 such that the contained component or port does not intrude into the cargo area 300b.
  • the cavities 450 may be of various sizes, including a large recessed cavity 450a and a small recessed cavity 450b. In some
  • each cavity 450 may depend upon the component or port that is contained within the cavity 450.
  • a large cavity 450a may be used to contain a stationary post 414
  • a small cavity 450b may be used to contain a power outlet 324a, 324b or any of the water port 326, the waste fluid port 328, the air port 330, and/or the communication port 332.
  • a cover 452 may be used to cover a recessed cavity 450 containing a component that is not currently being used, for example, stationary posts 414 that have no attached food preparation and/or storage equipment.
  • the cover 452 may be comprised of aluminum, stainless steel, or some other light weight, durable material.
  • the cover 452 may be selectively removably physically coupled to the interior side wall 306 and may cover a recessed cavity 450 when the cover 452 is physically coupled to the interior side wall 306.
  • the each cover 452 may be sized and dimensioned based upon the corresponding recessed cavity 450 the cover 452 is to be placed over.
  • the covers 452 may be of different sizes, for example, with large covers 452a covering large recessed cavities 450a and with small covers 452b covering small recessed cavities 450b.
  • the interior side walls 306 may each include a set of stationary posts 414 that may be regularly spaced along the interior side wall 306 relative to the length 301 and/or height 305 of the cargo area 300b.
  • the stationary posts 414 may be accessed via on or more of the recessed cavities 450a.
  • the first interior side wall 306a includes a plurality of three stationary posts 414 (two shown).
  • the second interior side wall 306b may include a plurality of anchor access locations (three shown) arranged in two columns 415a, 415b and three rows 417a, 417b, 417c. In some implementations, the second interior side wall 306b may include six separate stationary posts 414.
  • the second wall 306b may contain two stationary posts 414 that extend between the floor 302 and the ceiling 304 of the cargo area 300b with each of the stationary posts 414 accessed via the three corresponding recessed cavities 450a that form one of the two columns 415a, 415b.
  • the stationary posts 414 may be regularly spaced apart from each other along an axis that extends between the front portion 307 of the cargo area 300b and the back portion 309 of the cargo area 300b. Other configurations and layouts of the stationary posts 414 may be possible.
  • the stationary posts 414 may be cylindrical in shape with a central axis that extends vertically from one end of a recessed cavity 450 to the opposing end of the recessed cavity 450.
  • One or more attachment locations 420 may be spaced axially along the stationary posts 414.
  • the attachment locations 420 may be spaced and dimensioned along the stationary posts 414 to spatially align with corresponding attachment points on food preparation and/or storage equipment to thereby secure the various food preparation and/or storage equipment that may be loaded into the cargo area 300b of the vehicle 100b.
  • the attachment locations 420 may include portions spaced axially along a stationary post 414 that have a smaller radius than the remaining portions of the stationary post 414. As such, the attachment locations 420 may secure the attached food preparation and/or storage equipment from moving along the length 301 , the width 303, and the height 305 of the cargo area 300b.
  • One or both of the interior side walls 306 may include one or more power outlets 324a, 324b, water ports 326, waste fluid ports 328, air ports 330, and/or communication ports 332, as discussed above.
  • Each of the power outlets 324a, 324b, water ports 326, waste fluid ports 328, air ports 330, and/or communication ports 332 may be contained within a recessed cavity 450b that may be selectively covered by a small cover 452b.
  • One of the interior side walls 306 may include an aperture for a service window 201 .
  • the service window 201 may be used, for example, to convey food items to customers located on the exterior of the vehicle 100b. As such, the service window 201 enables the vehicle 100b to operate as a stand-alone food truck that may sell food from a single stationary location.
  • the cargo area 300b may include one or more cameras 340 that may be oriented to capture images of the cargo area 300b.
  • Each of the cameras 340 may have a field of view 342 in which the camera 340 may capture still or moving images.
  • the field of view 342 of each camera 340 may encompass substantially the entire cargo area 300b.
  • the cameras 340 may be used to capture and provide live images. Such live images may be transmitted via the radio 1 13 and antenna 105 to a remote location, such as to the off-board control system 107 so that the food preparation and delivery operations of the vehicle 100b may be monitored.
  • the live images from the cameras 340 may be supplied to the display or monitors 128 located along the exterior side wall(s) 108 of the vehicle 100b and visible from the exterior of the vehicle 100.
  • the various cameras 340 and/or displays or monitors 128 may be attached to the ceiling 304 of the vehicle 100 or be attached to be flush against the interior side walls 306. As such, the cameras 340 and/or displays or monitors 128 may not intrude into the floor 302 or interfere with the modular design of the cargo area 300, discussed above.
  • Figure 5 shows a retractable bolt 314 that includes a cylindrical portion 316 and a square-shaped attachment location 320, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • a retractable bolt 314 may be used for the interior side walls 306 of the vehicle 100.
  • the cylindrical portion 316 and the attachment location 320 may extend horizontally along a central axis 500 between four brackets 318a - 318d from a proximal end 502 to a distal end 504.
  • the retractable bolt 314 may be selectively rotated around the central axis 500.
  • the attachment location 320 may be located at the distal end 504 of the retractable bolt 314 between the first bracket 318a and the second bracket 318b.
  • the retractable bolt 314 may include a control handle 322 that extends perpendicularly from the cylindrical portion 316 of the retractable bolt 314.
  • the control handle 322 may be located between the third bracket 318c and the fourth bracket 318d.
  • a locking weight 506 may be located at the end of the control handle 322 opposite the location at which the control handle 322 connects to the cylindrical portion 316 of the retractable bolt 314. The locking weight 506 may be used to orient the control handle 322 in a downward position.
  • the distance between the first bracket 318a and the second bracket 318b may be substantially similar to the distance between the second bracket 318b and the third bracket 318c.
  • the distance between the third bracket 318c and the fourth bracket 318d may be large enough for the control handle 322 to extend therebetween.
  • the brackets 318 may extend perpendicularly from the interior side walls 306 of the vehicle 100 when the retractable bolt 314 is secured to the anchor tracks or rails 313.
  • One or more of the brackets 318 may include an aperture 508 through which the retractable bolt 314 may pass.
  • Each aperture 508 may have a cross-sectional area that is substantially circular in shape, and each aperture 508 may be aligned with the central axis 500 of the retractable bolt 314.
  • the first three brackets 318a, 318b, 318c may include such an aperture 508.
  • the fourth bracket 318d proximate the control handle 322 may include a cut-out 510.
  • the cut-out may be sized and dimensioned such that the control handle 322 may pass through the cut-out when the retractable bolt 314 is rotated about the central axis 500 to align the control handle 322 with the cut-out 510.
  • the control handle 322 may be sized such that the locking weight 506 may pass above the fourth bracket 318d when the retractable bolt 314 is rotated to align the control handle 322 with the cut-out 510.
  • the retractable bolt 314 may be selectively movable along the central axis 500 between a locked position and an open position.
  • Figure 5 shows the retractable bolt 314 in a locked position in which the attachment location 320 is positioned and extends between the first bracket 318a and the second bracket 318b.
  • the attachment location 320 may be sized and dimensioned to spatially align with a corresponding anchor on the food preparation and/or storage equipment.
  • the control handle 322 may be located between the third bracket 318c and the fourth bracket 318d with the locking weight 506 oriented downward when the retractable bolt 314 is in the locked position. In such a position, the control handle 322 will engage the side of the third bracket 318c and/or the fourth bracket 318d to thereby minimize axially movement by the retractable bolt 314.
  • the retractable bolt 314 may be rotated relative to the central axis 500 to align the control handle 322 with the cut-out 510 of the fourth bracket 318d.
  • the retractable bolt 314 may be moved axially in the direction of the proximal end 502 by which the control handle 322 will pass through the cut-out 510 to an exterior side 514 of the fourth bracket 318 opposite the third bracket 318c.
  • the axially movement of the retractable bolt 314 may cause the distal end 504 of the retractable bolt 314, corresponding to the attachment location 320, to disengage from the first bracket 318a and move towards the second bracket 318b.
  • the square-shaped cross-sectional area of the attachment location 320 of the retractable bolt 314 may be sized and dimensioned such that the attachment location 320 may pass through the apertures 508 in the first bracket 318a and/or the second bracket 318b.
  • a corresponding anchor on the food preparation and/or storage equipment may include a protrusion that is sized and dimensioned to fit into the opening between the first bracket 318a and the second bracket 318b.
  • a protrusion may include an aperture that is sized and dimensioned to allow the attachment location 320 of the retractable bolt 314 to pass through when the retractable bolt 314 transitions from an open position to a closed position.
  • the retractable bolt 314 may be used to secure food preparation and/or storage equipment to the interior side walls 306 of the vehicle 100.
  • Figure 6 shows components located along the bottom of the vehicle 100, at least according to one illustrated implementation.
  • the components may include the water tank 204 and associated fluid coupler 212, the waste fluid tank 208 and associated fluid coupler 216, power supplies 210, the pressurized gas (e.g., air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide) tank 220, and an engine 600 and associated transmission 602 to transfer energy between the engine 600 and one or more sets of wheels 103 (the front set of wheels as shown in Figure 6 for a front-wheel drive configuration).
  • the pressurized gas e.g., air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide
  • the water tank 204 may carry a supply of potable water for use during food preparation operations.
  • the water tank 204 may be fluidly communicatively coupled to the water ports 326 in the cargo area 300 cargo area 300 via one or more water conduits 604 that may extend horizontally below the floor 302 of the cargo area 300 and extend vertically (not shown) behind one or both of the interior side walls 306 to the water ports 326.
  • the water conduits 604 may be used to carry potable water from the water tank 204 to the water ports 326.
  • the waste fluid tank 208 may carry the waste fluids that are generated during food preparation or other operations.
  • the waste fluid tank 208 may be fluidly, communicatively coupled to the waste fluid ports 328 in the cargo area 300 via one or more waste fluid conduits 606.
  • the waste fluid conduits 606 may extend horizontally below the floor 302 of the cargo area 300 and extend vertically (not shown) behind one or both of the interior side walls 306 to the waste fluid ports 328.
  • the pressurized gas tank 220 may provide compressed air or other gas to the one or more gas ports 330 located within the cargo area 300 of the vehicle 100.
  • the pressurized gas tank 220 may be coupled to one or more pressurized gas conduits 608 to provide a flow of pressurized gas ⁇ e.g., air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide) to the one or more pressurized gas ports 330 located within the cargo area 300.
  • the pressurized gas conduits 608 may extend horizontally below the floor 302 of the cargo area 300 and extend vertically (not shown) behind one or both of the interior side walls 306 to the pressurized gas ports 330.
  • the power supplies 210 may include a power generator 210a and power storage (e.g., one or more chemical battery cells, one or more
  • the power supplies 210 may be electrically coupled to the power outlets 324a, 324b located within the cargo area 300 of the vehicle 100 via the power buses 614a, 614b.
  • the power supplies 210 may provide power at one or more voltages, in which each power bus 614a, 614b may supply power at different voltages.
  • the power generator 210a may be one or more of a gas generator or a propane generator. In some implementations, the power generator 210a may be located within the cargo area 300. In some implementations, the power generator 210a may be one or more of a gas generator or a propane generator. In some implementations, the power generator 210a may be located within the cargo area 300. In some implementations, the power generator 210a may be one or more of a gas generator or a propane generator. In some implementations, the power generator 210a may be located within the cargo area 300. In some
  • the power storage 210b may be a chemical battery (e.g., a secondary battery) or an ultracapacitor.
  • the power storage 210b may be electrically coupled to a regenerative braking system 610 via the electrical connections 612.
  • the engine 600 may transfer power to the power storage 210b when the vehicle 100 is traveling and slows down or comes to a stop as part of the regenerative braking system 610. As such, the engine 600 may transfer power to the power storage 210b during generative braking of the vehicle 100.
  • the power storage 210b may be electrically coupled to a power converter 616 that may adjust the voltage supplied by the power storage 210b to the power bus 614b.
  • power generator 210a and/or power storage 210b may include one or more of a direct current (DC) power supply and an alternating current (AC) power supply.
  • an inverter may be used to produce AC power from a DC power supply.
  • a rectifier may be used to provide DC power from an AC power supply.
  • the DC power supply may be provided via one or more batteries, such as one or more chemical batteries.
  • the DC power supply that is battery based may be charged using, for example, an alternator and/or rectifier attached to the AC power supply.
  • one or both of the power generator 210a and/or the power storage 210b may be communicatively coupled to the onboard control system 312 and/or to the off-board control system 107 via the antenna 105. In some implementations, one or both of the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may be used to control the operation of the power generator 210a and/or the power storage 210b. In some implementations, the on-board control system 312 may enable a user or operator to manually input commands to control the power generator 210a and/or the power storage 210b. In such implementations, the on-board control system 312 may generate a user interface that may be displayed via an on- board screen or display that enables a user to input commands to control the power generator 210a and/or the power storage 210b. In some implementations
  • the off-board control system 107 may enable a user or operator to input commands to control the power generator 210a and/or the power storage 210b when located apart from the vehicle 100.
  • the off-board control system 107 may generate a user interface that may be displayed via a computer screen, tablet, or other electronic display that enables a user to input commands to control the power generator 210a and/or the power storage 210b. Such commands may be transmitted to the vehicle 100 via the network 109 and received at the antenna 105.
  • one or both of the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may execute programs that regularly receive data, measurements, or other information from the power generator 210a and/or the power storage 210b, and automatically transmit commands to control the operation of the power generator 210a and/or the power storage 210b without intervention by a user or operator.
  • FIG. 7A shows a rack 700 that may be used to transport one or more ovens 702 (one shown), according to at least one illustrated
  • the rack 700 may include a front face 704, an opposing back face 706, and one or more sides 708 extending therebetween. At least one of the sides 708 may include a handle 722 that may be used to push, pull, or otherwise maneuver the rack 700. In some implementations, the handle 722 may be located within a recessed area 724 so that the handle 722 does not extend beyond the side 708 of the rack 700.
  • the front face 704 of the rack 700 may include a plurality of slots 710 into which various food cooking or storage components may be loaded. The slots 710 may be regularly spaced in one or multiple dimensions along the front face 704 of the rack 700, which may include a plurality of columns and/or rows of slots 710.
  • the rack 700 may have wheels or casters 712, and may be loadable into the cargo area 300 of the vehicle 100 for dispatch to delivery destinations. As depicted and described, food items may be completely or partially prepared at a central location and loaded into the ovens 702, which can be placed in the rack 700.
  • the rack 700 which may contain one or more individual ovens 702, is loaded in the vehicle 100. While in transit to each of a number of consumer delivery locations, the cooking conditions within each of the ovens 702 may be controlled and adjusted by the control system 107 to complete the cooking process shortly before delivery of the food item(s) to the consumer.
  • Each of the ovens 702 may include a housing disposed at least partially about an interior of an oven compartment 714 formed by one or more surfaces. Food items are cooked under defined cooking conditions within the interior of the oven compartment 714. A hinged or otherwise displaceable door 716 is used to isolate the interior of the oven compartment 714 from the external environment. In at least some instances, the door 716 may be mechanically or electro-mechanically held closed while the cooking process is underway.
  • the oven 702 can include one or more heat sources or heat elements 726 that are used to provide heat to the interior cavity. In addition to the heating element 726, additional elements such as convection fan(s), humidifiers, gas burners, or similar (not shown in Figure for clarity) may be installed in place of or along with the heating element 726 in the cooking unit.
  • the interior of the compartment 714 of the oven 702 may include a bottom face that is oriented in a downward direction towards the back face 706 of the rack 700. Such an orientation may assist in keeping a food item in place within the interior of the oven compartment 714 when the vehicle 100 is in motion.
  • the interior of the oven compartment 714 may include an extension arm or pusher (not shown) to push the food item out of the interior cavity, such as, for example when the cooking time for the food item is complete.
  • the interior of the oven compartment 714 may include a conveyor that may be used to assist in loading and/or unloading a food item.
  • the ovens 702 may optionally include a stone floor or cast iron floor.
  • the ovens 702 include electrically radiant elements. In some implementations, the ovens 702 take the form of air impingement ovens, including one or more blowers that blow extremely hot air, and optionally a rack with a manifold. In some
  • the loadable units are refrigeration/oven units.
  • the refrigeration/oven units may include one or more Peltier thermoelectric heater/coolers.
  • the ovens 702 or refrigeration/oven units may include a thermally insulative barrier, preferably a Yttrium, Indium, Manganese, and Oxygen (YlnMn) barrier.
  • the rack 700 may include one or more indicators or display panel 720 that provide information about and/or the cook status of the food item in an oven 702.
  • each oven 702 may be associated with an individual indicator or display panel 720.
  • an individual indicator or display panel 720 may display information related to multiple ovens 702.
  • the display panel 720 may include a text display that provides information such as the type of food item in the oven 702; the consumer name and/or location information associated with the food item in the oven 702; the cook status of the food item in the oven 702 (e.g., "DONE,” "COMPLETE,” "2 MIN REMAINING”); or combinations thereof.
  • the data provided to the display panel 720 may be provided by the on-board control system 312.
  • the display panel 720 can include a controller capable of independently controlling the cooking conditions within the respective oven 702. In such instances, information indicative of the cooking conditions for the oven 702 may be provided to the display panel 720.
  • each oven 702 may be kept constantly ON (i.e., heated) or may be pre-heated on demand.
  • the displaceable door 716 may be locked for each oven 702 that is in use to cook or otherwise prepare a food item. Such a locked oven 702 may not be opened by a human operator during a cooking process.
  • the oven 702 may provide an emergency override to the operator to provide access to the interior of the compartment 714 of the oven 702 during an emergency, such as, for example, should a fire erupts in one of the oven compartments 714.
  • One or more power interfaces may be disposed in, on, or about each of the ovens 702.
  • the power interface is used to provide at least a portion of the power to the heating elements of the ovens 702.
  • Such power may be in the form of electrical power supplied by the power supplies 210 of the vehicle 100 via the one or more power bus(es) 614a, 614b.
  • the ovens 702 may include one or more relays 718 between the power supplies 210 and the ovens 702.
  • the relays 718 may be operable to selectively provide power to one oven 702 or to a set of ovens 702. Such relays 718 may be set in an OFF position when an oven 702 is not in use to thereby conserve energy.
  • the power provided to the ovens 702 may be in the form of a combustible gas (e.g. , hydrogen, propane, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas) supplied from a combustible gas reservoir carried by the vehicle 100.
  • a combustible gas e.g. , hydrogen, propane, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas
  • two or more power interfaces may be installed, for example one electrical power interface supplying power to the display panel 720 and a convection fan, and one combustible gas power interface supplying energy to the heating element (e.g., radiant element, gas jet, inductor) may be included on the oven 702.
  • the heating element e.g., radiant element, gas jet, inductor
  • One or more power distribution devices can be located in each rack 700 such that the corresponding cooking unit power interface is physically and/or electrically coupled to the appropriate power distribution device when the oven 702 is placed in the rack 700.
  • the power distribution devices can include an electrical bus for distributing electrical power to some or all of the ovens 702 inserted into the rack 700.
  • the power distribution devices can include a gas distribution header or manifold for distributing a combustible gas to some or all of the cooking units inserted into the rack.
  • the power distribution devices may include one or more quick connect or similar devices to physically and/or electrically couple the power distribution devices to the appropriate power distribution system ⁇ e.g., electrical, combustible gas, or other) onboard the vehicle 100.
  • the rack 700 may be communicatively coupled to the on-board control system 312 via the communication port 332.
  • One or more of the rack 700 may be communicatively coupled to the on-board control system 312 via the communication port 332.
  • the communications interfaces may be disposed in, on, or about each of the ovens 702.
  • the communications interface is used to bi-directionally communicate at least data indicative of the cooking conditions existent within the respective ovens 702.
  • the communications interface can include a wireless communications interface, a wired communications interface, or any combination thereof. Some or all of the power to operate the communications interface can be provided by the power distribution system. In at least some instances, the communications interface can provide bidirectional wired or wireless communication with the on-board control system 312. Instructions including data indicative of the cooking conditions within the cooking unit can be communicated to the display via the communications interfaces.
  • One or more wired or wireless communications buses can be located in each slot 710 in the rack 700 such that the corresponding oven 702 is communicably coupled to the communications bus when the oven 702 is placed in the slot 710.
  • the communications buses may be wiredly or wirelessly communicably coupled to the on-board control system 312.
  • Each of the racks 700 can accommodate the insertion of any number of ovens 702.
  • the cooking conditions within each of the ovens 702 inserted into a rack 700 can be individually adjusted to control the completion time of the particular food item within the oven 702.
  • the cooking conditions may depend on and/or be adjusted based on the type of food item being cooked.
  • each oven 702 may be programmable to cook food items containing a large number of wet ingredients and/or food items containing a large number of dry ingredients.
  • the rack 700 may accommodate the insertion of multiple ovens 702, the rack 700 need not be completely filled with ovens 702 during operation.
  • the cooking conditions within each of the ovens 702 may be established, controlled, or adjusted based at least in part on the available cooking time.
  • the instructions to establish, control, or adjust the cooking conditions may be received from the on-board control system 312.
  • Such cooking conditions may be determined by one or more applications executed by the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107, such that food items are advantageously delivered to the consumer destination location shortly after cooking has completed.
  • real time updating for example to reflect traffic conditions between the current location of the vehicle 100 and the destination (e.g., delivery destination) may cause the manifest or delivery itinerary to be autonomously dynamically updated.
  • Cooking conditions in each of the ovens 702 can be adjusted throughout the delivery process to reflect the newly estimated times of arrival using the dynamically updated manifest or delivery itinerary.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may control when to begin cooking a food item based, for example, upon an optimization of delivery time and/or labor for delivering food items for a plurality of received orders.
  • Figure 7B shows a speed rack 750 that may be used to store partially baked food items ⁇ e.g., par-baked pizzas) in a refrigerated
  • the speed rack 750 may include a front face 752, a back face 754, a top face 756, and one or more side walls 758.
  • the side wall may include a length 760, a width 762, and a height 764.
  • the width 762 of the speed rack 750 may be sized and dimensioned to be longer than the expected width and/or length of the food item to be stored within the speed rack 750.
  • the speed rack 750 may include one or more wheels or casters 712, to enable the speed rack 750 to be loaded into the cargo area 300 of the vehicle 100.
  • the speed rack 750 may include one or more handles 722 to maneuver the speed rack 750 onto and off of the vehicle 100. In some implementations, the one or more handles 722 may be contained within a recessed area 724 such that the handle 722 does not protrude above a plane formed by the side wall 458 of the speed rack 750.
  • the speed rack 750 may include a plurality of speed rack slots
  • the speed rack 750 may provide a refrigerated environment for each of the interior cavities 768.
  • the refrigerated environment may be kept at a temperature that prolongs the freshness and usability of the food items to be prepared within the cargo area 300 of the vehicle 100.
  • the refrigerated environment may be kept at about 40° F, 42° F, or some other appropriate temperature.
  • the temperature for each of the interior cavities 768 may be controlled by a single controller 770.
  • one or more controllers 770 may be included on a speed rack 750.
  • the speed rack 750 may be used to store chilled items (e.g., ice cream, frozen treats) that may be included directly with an order. In such a situation, the chilled items may be transferred to the final order without being transferred to an oven 702.
  • chilled items e.g., ice cream, frozen treats
  • one or more refrigerator, coolers, or freezer compartments may be located in the speed rack 750.
  • Each of the refrigerator, coolers, or freezer compartments may have one or more associated coils that carry a refrigerant that is supplied via one or more condensers which may be part of the vehicle 100 or part of the speed rack 750.
  • Figure 8 shows the back face 706 of the rack 700 shown in Figure 7A, along with a plurality of multi-piece anchors 800a, 800b, 800d (collectively 800) arranged in two vertical columns of anchors 800.
  • the multi-piece anchor 800 may be operable to physically, securely attach the rack 700 to the interior side walls 306.
  • the multi-piece anchor 800 may be sized and positioned to align with the stationary post 414 when positioning the rack 700 within the cargo area 300.
  • the rack 700 may be pushed against the interior side wall 306 to engage the multi-piece anchor 300 with the post 414, thereby securing the rack 700 within the cargo area 300.
  • Each column of multi-piece anchors 800 may be located proximate each outside edge of the back face 706 of the rack 700.
  • the two columns may be spaced apart such that each column of multi-piece anchors 800 may spatially align with two separate columns 415a of stationary posts 414 along the interior side walls 306 of the cargo area 300 of the vehicle 100.
  • the multi-piece anchor 800 comprises a bracket that is formed by movably, rotatable opposing protrusions 800a and 800b that meet at an interface 800c.
  • the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b may rotate between a closed position in which the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b are engaged and applying opposing forces against each other, and an open position in which a gap separates the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b.
  • the opposing protrusions 800a, 800b may form an aperture 800d along the back face 706 of the rack when the opposing protrusions 800a, 800b are pressed against each other in a closed position.
  • the interface 800c may be oriented in the same direction as the corresponding stationary post 414 to which the separated anchor 800 is to couple.
  • the interface 800c may be oriented in a horizontal direction to couple to an anchor rail oriented in the horizontal direction and in a vertical direction to couple to an anchor rail oriented in the vertical direction.
  • Each of the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b may be selectively rotationally coupled to the back face 706 along vertical axes that extend along the back face 706 of the rack 700.
  • the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b may each be physically coupled to one or more torsional springs that bias the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b to rotate towards each other until the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b physically engage and push against each other.
  • Each of the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b may be beveled along the respective edges that form the interface 800c such that the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b separate when pressed against a complementary anchor rail, such as the stationary post 414.
  • the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b may be spatially aligned with the corresponding attachment locations 420 on the stationary posts 414 in the cargo area 300.
  • the aperture 800d formed by the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b may be sized and dimensioned to surround the attachment locations 420 to secure the rack 700 to the interior side wall 306 when the opposing protrusions 800a, 800b are in the closed position.
  • the multi-piece anchors 800 are shown such that the aperture 800d is oriented in the vertical direction, such a disclosure should not be considered limiting.
  • the multi-piece anchors 800 may be positioned such that the aperture 800d is oriented horizontally, vertically, or any other angle to complement the
  • the multi-piece anchor 800 may be biased in an expandable configuration in which the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b may be biased to push away from each other (e.g., by using a biasing spring).
  • the multi-piece anchor 800 may be mechanically and physically coupled into one of the anchor rails 313.
  • each of the two opposing protrusions 800a, 800b may expand outwards to engage with opposing side walls of the anchor rail 313, thereby securing the multi-piece anchor 800 to the interior side wall 306.
  • Figure 9 shows the back face 706 of the rack 700 shown in Figure 7A, along with a unitary anchor 900.
  • a unitary anchor 900 may comprise a unitary bracket 902 with an aperture 904 that extends through the bracket 902.
  • the unitary anchor 900 may be a tab that can be securely inserted directly into the anchor tracks or rails 313, which anchor tracks or rails 313 may run vertically and/or horizontally along the interior side wall(s) 306 of the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100.
  • the locking of the unitary anchor 900 into the anchor rails 313 and/or the unlocking of the unitary anchor 900 from the anchor rails 313 may require the use of a locking/unlocking tool.
  • Such a unitary anchor 900 may be oriented to complement the orientation of the anchor tracks or rails 313 that run along the interior side wall(s) 306.
  • the unitary bracket 902 may be used, for example, with the retractable bolt 314 that moves between an open and a closed position (see Figure 5).
  • the aperture 904 may be oriented in the same direction as the bolt 314 and may receive the attachment locations 320 on the retractable bolt 314 as the retractable bolt 314 is moved from the open position to the closed position to secure the rack 700 to the interior side wall 306.
  • the unitary brackets 902 are shown with the apertures 904 oriented in the horizontal direction, such a disclosure should not be considered limiting.
  • the unitary brackets 902 may be positioned such that the aperture 904 is oriented horizontally, vertically, or any other angle to complement the orientation of the corresponding attachment locations 320 on the bolt 314.
  • FIGs 10A and 10B show different angled views of a cargo area 300 of a vehicle 100 into which food preparation and/or storage equipment and multiple robots have been loaded, according to at least one illustrated implementation.
  • the food preparation and/or storage equipment include the rack 700, a toppings holder 1000, and a food preparation/storage unit 1002.
  • a rack 700 with multiple ovens 702 is shown in Figure 10A, such disclosure should not be considered limiting.
  • Other cooking components may be loaded and secured into the cargo area 300.
  • Such cooking components may include, for example, a fryer, a griddle, a sandwich or tortilla press, and other like cooking components.
  • the cargo area 300 may include one or more robots that perform food preparation functions within the cargo area 300.
  • the robots may include, for example, a transfer robot 1004, a dispensing robot 1006, and a cutter 1008.
  • the rack 700 may be securely attached to one or more anchor rails 313 and/or retractable bolts 314 ( Figures 3A and 3B) spaced along the interior side wall 306b and oriented such that the ovens 702 may be accessible from the cargo area 300.
  • the rack 700 may be coupled to one or more of the power outlets 324a, 324b, the water ports 326, the waste fluid ports 328, the air ports 330, and/or the communications ports 332 located along the interior side wall 306b.
  • the rack 700 may be loaded into the cargo area 300 with each slot 710 loaded with a corresponding oven 702.
  • each oven 702 that is loaded into the rack 700 may further contain a food item to be completed.
  • Each oven 702 may include a handle 1010 located along the door 716.
  • the handle 1010 may be used to rotate or otherwise displace the door 716 to selectively expose or cover the opening to the interior compartment 714 of the oven 702.
  • the rack 700 and each oven 702 within the rack 700 may be communicatively coupled to the on-board control system 312 via the one or more communication ports 332 ( Figures 3A and 3B) located along the interior side wall 306b.
  • the on-board control system 312 may provide cooking commands that control the heating elements 726 within each of the ovens 702. Such cooking commands may be generated according to processor-executable instructions executed by one or some combination of the on-board control system 312, the off-board control system 107, or some other remote computer system.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may be used to selectively transfer food items into and out of the ovens 702.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may be used to selectively transfer food items into and out of the ovens 702.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may include one or more arms 1012 and an end tool 1014 as an end effector or end of arm tool.
  • One or more actuators 1005 may be used to linearly or rotationally move the one or more arms 1012 of the transfer robot 1004 with respect to the cargo area 300 in response to signals received from the on-board control system 312.
  • the one or more actuators 1005 of the transfer robot 1004 may be operable to move the end tool 1014 with 6 degrees of freedom with respect to the interior side walls 306, as illustrated, for example, by a coordinate system 1015.
  • the end tool 1014 may include a finger extension 1016 that is sized and shaped to approximate the dimensions of a human finger.
  • the finger extension 1016 may be used to engage with the handle 1010 on the door 716 of each oven 702 to thereby open or close the door 716 as necessary to transfer food items into and out of the compartment 714 of the oven 702.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may position the end tool 1014 proximate the door 716 of the oven 702 such that the finger extension 1016 engages with the top side of the handle 1010 to the door 716.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may move the finger extension 1016 in a downward direction to apply a downward force to the handle 1010 to cause the door 716 to rotate downward into an open. To close the door 716 to the oven 702, the transfer robot 1004 may move the finger extension 1016 to engage with the handle 1010 and/or the downward oriented face of the door 716. The transfer robot 1004 may move the finger extension 1016 in an upward direction to cause the door to rotate upward into a closed position.
  • the transfer robot 1004 can move the end tool 1014 to transfer a food item, such as a par-baked pizza, into the compartment 714 of the oven 702 for baking.
  • the end tool 1014 may include a pizza peel that is sized and dimensioned to enter into each of the compartments 714 of the ovens 702 contained within the rack 700.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may load the par-baked pizza to be baked onto the pizza peel portion of the end tool 1014, open the door 716 of the appropriate oven 702 with the finger extension 1016 as described above, and then place the pizza peel portion of the end tool 1014 into the oven compartment 714.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may tilt the pizza peel portion of the end tool 1014 to be at an angle directed downwards towards the back portion of the oven
  • the end tool 1014 may include a camera 1018 or some other sensor that can be used to confirm that the par-baked pizza, or other food item, has been deposited into the oven compartment 714. The end tool 1014 may then move the pizza peel portion of the end tool 1014 out of the oven compartment 714 and use the finger extension 1016 to close the door 716 to the oven 702.
  • the transfer robot 1004 can move the end tool 1014 to transfer a food item, such as a fully baked pizza, out of the oven compartment 714 of the oven 702.
  • a food item such as a fully baked pizza
  • the transfer robot 1004 may open the door 716 of the appropriate oven 702 with the finger extension 1016 as described above, and then maneuver the pizza peel portion of the end tool 1014 into the oven compartment 714 underneath the pizza or food item that was being cooked within the oven compartment 714.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may slide the pizza peel portion of the end tool 1014 into the oven compartment 714 proximate the bottom surface of the oven compartment 714, angled slightly downward toward a back of the oven compartment, to cause the pizza to slide onto the pizza peel.
  • the end tool 1014 may include a camera 1018 or some other sensor that can be used to confirm that the pizza, or other food item, has been onto the pizza peel. The end tool 1014 may then move the pizza peel portion of the end tool 1014, along with the retrieved pizza or food item, out of the oven compartment 714 and use the finger extension 1016 to close the door 716 to the oven 702.
  • the pizza peel portion of the transfer robot 1004 may include a conveyor that may be used to deposit a food item into and/or retrieve a food item from the interior of the oven compartment 714.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may be supported by a transfer robot platform 1020 that is moveably coupled to and contained in a frame 1022.
  • the frame 1022 may include at least two vertical posts 1024a, 1024b that extend from the floor 302 to the ceiling 304 of the cargo area and at least two horizontal posts 1026a and 1026b (collectively 1026) that extend from the rear wall 308 towards the opening for the loading door 1 18.
  • One vertical post 1024a may be located proximate the opening created by the loading door 1 18, and the other vertical post 1024b may be located proximate the rear wall 308.
  • One horizontal post 1026a may be located proximate the ceiling 304, and the other horizontal post 1026b may be located proximate the floor 302.
  • the two vertical posts 1024a, 1024b and the two horizontal posts 1026a, 1026b may form the exterior of the frame 1022.
  • the frame 1022 may include at least two interior vertical posts 1028a, 1028b that couple with and support the transfer robot platform 1020.
  • the two interior vertical posts 1028a, 1028b may extend between, and may be movably coupled to, the two horizontal posts 1026a, 1026b.
  • one or both of the horizontal posts 1026a, 1026b may include a set of tracks to which the two interior vertical posts 1024a, 1024b couple.
  • One or more motors or other actuators may be used to move the two interior vertical posts 1028a, 1028b along the length 301 of the cargo area 300.
  • the transfer robot platform 1020 may be selectively, movably coupled to the two interior vertical posts 1028a, 1028b using one or more motors or other actuators that enable the transfer robot platform 1020 to move up or down relative to the height 305 of the cargo area 300.
  • the onboard control system 312 may provide commands that control the length-wise movement of the two interior vertical posts 1028a, 1028b, as well as provide commands that control the vertical movement of the transfer robot platform
  • Such commands may be used, for example, to position the transfer robot 1004 such that the end tool 1014 can enter into each of the compartments 714 for each of the ovens 702 contained with the cargo area 300.
  • the end tool 1014 can be used to transfer a food item to a preparation surface 1030 on the food preparation/storage unit 1002.
  • the food preparation/storage unit 1002 may be secured to one or more anchor rails 313 and/or retractable bolts 314 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the food preparation/storage unit 1002 may be coupled to one or more of the power outlets 324a, 324b, the water ports 326, the waste fluid ports 328, the air ports 330, and/or the communications ports 332 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the preparation surface 1030 on the food preparation/storage unit may be a food-safe horizontal surface that is used to prepare the food item to be served.
  • the food preparation/storage unit 1002 may include a storage area 1046 that may be used to store additional food items to be baked within the ovens 702. As such, the delivery capacity of the vehicle 100 may be increased beyond the number of ovens 702 that may be loaded into the cargo area 300.
  • the storage area 1046 may be refrigerated to prolong the freshness of the additional food items.
  • the storage area 1046 may be sized and dimensioned to enable the end tool 1014 of the transfer robot 1004 to retrieve the food items contained within the storage area 1046.
  • the on-board control system 312 may provide one or more commands to retrieve a food item from the storage area 1046 and to place the food item into an appropriate oven 702. In some implementations, such commands may be provided when an oven 702 becomes available.
  • such commands may be provided according to a delivery schedule and expected delivery time (e.g., estimated time of arrival at a destination, for instance a delivery destination) for the food item retrieved from the storage area 1046.
  • the onboard control system 312 may provide commands to pre-heat the oven 702 to an appropriate temperature in advance of the food item being retrieved from the storage area 1046 and placed in the oven 702.
  • the robots, appendages, or portions thereof may be covered by one or more sleeves.
  • the sleeves are preferably formed of a food grade material (e.g., silicone) and may be single use items, or may be able to withstand multiple cleaning cycles using any one or more of a variety of cleaning protocols, including detergent, ultra-violet light, heat, steam, etc.
  • the use of sleeves not only protects the food being prepared, but also eliminates the need to clean the parts of the robots, appendages, or portions thereof, which might otherwise be time consuming and expensive.
  • the preparation surface 1030 may be located proximate the toppings holder 1000, the dispensing robot 1006, and the cutter 1008.
  • the toppings holder 1000 may include one or more repositories 1032 of toppings that may be placed onto the food item to complete the preparation.
  • the toppings holder 1000 may be secured to one or more anchor rails 313 and/or retractable bolts 314 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the toppings holder 1000 may be coupled to one or more of the power outlets 324a, 324b, the water ports 326, the waste fluid ports 328, the air ports 330, and/or the communications ports 332 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the repositories 1032 may store food items, for example, that are not baked, but instead, are placed into, onto, or along the food item after the baking process has been completed.
  • the repositories 1032 may store non-food items that may be placed along a prepared food item to complete an order.
  • Such non-food items may include, for example, a set of plastic utensils, napkins, or a disposable cup.
  • the toppings holder 1000 may include one or more sensors that may be used to track the amount of each topping still contained within the respective repository 1032.
  • the toppings holder 1000 may transmit an alert message or signal to the on-board control system 312.
  • the control unit may transmit an alert message to the operator of the vehicle 100 and/or to a central unit to provide notice that the low-topping threshold has been crossed.
  • the central unit may, in response, dispatch a supply truck with additional toppings to replenish the vehicle 100.
  • the central unit may send a replacement vehicle 100 to replace the existing vehicle 100.
  • the threshold may be adjusted based upon the current level and/or an expected level of demand for each of the food items.
  • the expected level may be based upon historical data and machine learning algorithms based on order histories involving similar times, locations, and/or other information.
  • the toppings holder 1000 may include a toppings storage area 1034 that may be used to store additional toppings.
  • the toppings storage area 1034 may be refrigerated to prolong the freshness and shelf-life of the stored toppings.
  • the toppings holder 1000 may be located below the dispensing robot 1006.
  • the dispensing robot 1006 may be secured to one or more anchor rails 313 and/or retractable bolts 314 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the dispensing robot 1006 may be coupled to one or more of the power outlets 324a, 324b, the water ports 326, the waste fluid ports 328, the air ports 330, and/or the communications ports 332 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the movements of the dispensing robot 1006 may be controlled via signals received from the on-board control system 312. In some implementations, the dispensing robot 1006 may be actuated via compressed air access via the air ports 330.
  • the dispensing robot 1006 can retrieve toppings from one or more repositories 1032 that hold toppings. As such, one dispensing robot 1006 can retrieve and dispense more than one type of toppings. In the example of pizza assembly, the dispensing robot 1006 may selectively retrieve and dispense meat toppings (e.g., pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon), and selectively retrieve and dispense non-meat toppings (e.g., mushrooms, olives, hot peppers). The dispensing robot 1006 can have various end effectors or end of arm tools designed to retrieve various toppings.
  • meat toppings e.g., pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon
  • non-meat toppings e.g., mushrooms, olives, hot peppers.
  • the dispensing robot 1006 can have various end effectors or end of arm tools designed to retrieve various toppings.
  • some end effectors or end of arm tools can include opposable digits, while others take the form of a scoop or ladle, and still others a rake or fork having tines.
  • the end effector may include a suction tool that may be able to pick and place large items.
  • topping dispensing may be implemented via a first conveyor and a second conveyor.
  • a portion of the first conveyor may be positioned over a portion of the second conveyor.
  • One conveyor may be indexed to follow the food item as it moves along an assembly conveyor.
  • Another conveyor positioned over the assembly conveyor, for example at an oblique or right angle thereto, may be controlled to space dispense toppings along one axis (e.g. , left/right) while the assembly conveyor can be controlled to cause dispense toppings along a second axis (e.g. , front/back).
  • Precise targeting can eliminate waste as compared to more conventional waterfall dispensers which do not adjust position of dispensed items along two different axes. This approach can be used to dispense one or more toppings accurately with respect to position and amount.
  • a weight sensor e.g. , strain gauge, load cell
  • a transit path for example
  • the weight sensor may sense the weight of an item carried by the conveyor or robotic appendage.
  • the weight sensor may have an adjustable tare to allow the weight of the associated structure (e.g. , transfer conveyor, robotic appendage or portion thereof) to be automatically subtracted, resulting in an signal that represents the weight of an item (e.g. , item of food, dough, dough with sauce, dough with sauce and cheese, dough with sauce, cheese and one or more toppings).
  • the sensed weight may be automatically, compared via a
  • the structure may automatically move the out of tolerance or out of range condition food item into a waste receptacle.
  • the system may automatically place another order in an order queue to replace the out of tolerance or out of range condition food item.
  • the cutter 1008 may be located above the preparation surface 1030.
  • the cutter 1008 may be secured to one or more anchor rails 313 and/or retractable bolts 314 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the cutter 1008 may be coupled to one or more of the power outlets 324a, 324b, the water ports 326, the waste fluid ports 328, the pressurized gas (e.g. , air) ports 330, and/or the communications ports 332 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the cutter 1008 may include a set of blades 1036, an actuator 1038 (e.g., solenoid, electric motor, pneumatic piston), and a drive shaft 1040.
  • the actuator 1038 moves the blades 1036 up and down, to cut the food item, while the food item sits on the preparation surface 1030.
  • the cutter 1008 may, for example, be a cutter such as that described in U.S. provisional patent application No.
  • a packaging dispensing door 1042 may be located along one of the edges of the preparation surface 1030.
  • a container or package 1044 may be dispensed or retrieved from the packaging dispensing door 1042 before or after the transfer robot 1004 places a food item onto the preparation surface 1030.
  • a package 1044 such as a pizza box may be obtained from the packaging dispensing door 1042 and arranged to receive from the end tool 1014 of the transfer robot 1004 an pizza that has been retrieved from an oven 702.
  • the dispensing robot 1006 may place one or more toppings onto the pizza, and the cutter 1008 may cut the pizza into slices.
  • the dispensing robot 1006 may place one or more non-food items (e.g. , utensils or napkins) or other non- topping food items ⁇ e.g., mints or fortune cookies) into the package 1044 before the package 1044 is provided to the operator or a customer.
  • the non-food item or the non-topping food item may have an adhesive edge by which it can be attached to the package 1044 before the package 1044 is provided to the operator or a customer.
  • the prepared, packaged food item may be conveyed out of the food slot 130 via a conveyor or an extendable shelf.
  • the operator of the vehicle 100 may not need to enter the cargo area 300 during the normal food preparation process. Instead, the operator may receive the hot, freshly prepared food item from the food slot 130 while stationed at the exterior of the vehicle 100.
  • the cooking and loading of the food item into the package 1044 is performed autonomously, without human intervention.
  • such automated cooking and delivery systems may subject the operator to fewer or less rigorous health inspections than other systems requiring human handling of food items.
  • the vehicle 100 may not be required to have all of the same equipment as a standard food preparation area (e.g., adequate hand washing facility).
  • delivery personnel may not be subject to the same regulations as food preparers (e.g., having training, passing testing, possessing a food workers' certificate or card). More beneficially, by cooking and packaging the food items in the vehicle 100, a higher quality food product may be provided to the consumer.
  • one or more components including one or more ovens 702, toppings holders 1000, storage areas 1046, and/or cutters 1008 may be included in a single, self-contained unit. Such a unit may be securely loaded onto or removed from the cargo area 300 of a vehicle 100.
  • the single, self-contained unit may optionally include one or more dispensing robots 1006, other robots, or conveyors that may be used to prepare and/or transport the food items.
  • one or more sensors or imagers (e.g., cameras) 340 may be positioned with a field-of-view that encompasses a front on of an assembly line, for instance prior to a sauce dispenser, to assess a size, shape, thickness and, or texture of dough prior to sauce being applied.
  • the acquired information can be used to reject unsuitable dough, and, or used to generate a tool path to spread sauce on the dough or to deposit toppings on the dough (either without sauce, after application of sauce, or before application of sauce).
  • one or more sensors or imagers (e.g., cameras) 340 may be positioned with a field-of-view that encompasses a toppings deposition area (e.g., one or more locations at which toppings are deposited on dough or sauced dough) or just following a toppings disposition area, for instance prior to a sauce dispenser, to assess a size, shape, thickness and, or texture of dough prior to sauce being applied.
  • a toppings deposition area e.g., one or more locations at which toppings are deposited on dough or sauced dough
  • toppings disposition area e.g., one or more locations at which toppings are deposited on dough or sauced dough
  • the acquired information can be used to assess the distribution of toppings (e.g., both quantity
  • the food item may be returned for distribution of additional toppings, or otherwise rejected with a replacement order placed. Performing such an inspection prior to par-baking or baking allows the toppings to be more easily discerned in contrast to performing such after cheese may have melted.
  • one or more sensors or imagers (e.g. , cameras) 340 may be positioned with a field-of-view that encompasses an interior of the food preparation units (e.g. , ovens 702 ( Figure 7), refrigerators, combination refrigerator/ovens), or a field-of-view that encompasses an exit of the food preparation units or just downstream of the food preparation units.
  • one or more sensors or imagers (e.g. , cameras) 340 may have a field-of-view that encompasses a top of the food items, a bottom of the food items, and/or a side of the food items either in the food preparation units or at the exit of the food preparation units or even downstream of the food
  • One or more machine-vision systems may be employed to determine whether the par-baked, or even fully baked, food items (e.g. , pizzas) are properly cooked based on images captured by the one or more sensors or imagers (e.g. , cameras) 340.
  • the machine-vision system may optionally employ machine-learning, being trained on a set of training data, to recognize when the food is properly par-baked or even fully cooked, based on captured images or image data. In some instances, this can be combined with a weight sensor (e.g. , strain gauge, load cell) to determine when the item of food is properly prepared, for example determining when an item is cooked based at least in part on a sensed weight where the desired weight is dependent on sufficient water having been evaporated or cooked off.
  • a weight sensor e.g. , strain gauge, load cell
  • the system may, for example, determine whether a top of the food item is a desired color or colors and, or consistency, for instance determining whether there is too little, too much or an adequate or desired amount of bubbling of melted cheese, too little, too much or an adequate or desired amount of blackening or charring, too little, too much or an adequate or desired amount of curling of a topping (e.g. , curling of pepperoni slices), too little, too much or an adequate or desired amount of shrinkage of a topping (e.g. , vegetables).
  • the system may, for example, determine whether a bottom of the food item is a desired color or colors, for instance determining whether there is too little, too much or an adequate or desired amount of blackening or charring.
  • one or more electronic noses may be distributed at various points to detect scents which may be indicative of a desired property of the food item or prepared food item.
  • one or more electronic noses can detect via scent when cheese bubbles and crust forms.
  • Electronic noses may employ one or more sensors (e.g. , MOSFET devices, conducting polymers, polymer composites, or surface acoustic wave (SAW) microelectronic systems (MEMS) to detect compounds, for example volatile compounds).
  • sensors e.g. , MOSFET devices, conducting polymers, polymer composites, or surface acoustic wave (SAW) microelectronic systems (MEMS) to detect compounds, for example volatile compounds).
  • SAW surface acoustic wave
  • MEMS microelectronic systems
  • one or more sensors or imagers (e.g. , cameras) 340 may be positioned with a field-of-view that encompasses a portion of an assembly line just prior to loading the food items in packaging, or transit refrigerators or transit ovens (refrigerators or ovens in which food items are transported in vehicles).
  • the acquired information can be used to assess whether the food item has been correctly prepared, has the correct toppings and a satisfactory distribution (e.g. , quantity and spatial distributions), does not contain foreign matter, has been correctly par-baked or evenly cooked.
  • the food item may rejected with a replacement order placed.
  • One or more machine-learning systems may be employed to learn when a food item, at one or more points of assembly, meet some expectation or standard. For example, a machine-learning system may learn what type of toppings are found on each of a set of defined pizzas that are available to order (e.g. , meat lovers pizza pie, bakery pizza pie, plain cheese pizza pie, pepperoni pizza pie), The machine-learning system may be adaptive, able to self-classify ingredients or toppings, for instance cheese versus pepperoni. The machine- learning system may be able to identify a new ingredient or topping, and over time associate such with a new pizza added to the set of defined pizzas.
  • the machine-learning system may be used to evaluate information (e.g., captured images or image data) captured via one or more machine-vision systems, for example determining what type of food item (e.g., what type of pizza) a given food item is, and assessing whether the food item belongs to a given order and, or matches the ordered food item. For example, the machine-learning system may determine whether the food item is correct (e.g., pizza has the correct toppings, has the correct curst ⁇ e.g., gluten versus gluten free), has the correct sauce). For instance, a gluten-free pizza can be visually discerned relative to one that includes gluten in the crust, for instance via a three-dimensional (3D) camera system.
  • 3D three-dimensional
  • the machine- learning system may determine whether the food item meets other desired criteria or properties (e.g. , pizza has an adequate distribution of toppings, is evenly cooked, has adequate amounts and not too much charring, desired shape, desired size, desired spices). For instance, height of cheese and, or toppings may be assessed via a three-dimensional (3D) camera system, and the machine-learning system may be used assure that the height is within a range of acceptable heights with an upper and a lower bound, which may have been learned over a training data set.
  • desired criteria or properties e.g. , pizza has an adequate distribution of toppings, is evenly cooked, has adequate amounts and not too much charring, desired shape, desired size, desired spices.
  • height of cheese and, or toppings may be assessed via a three-dimensional (3D) camera system, and the machine-learning system may be used assure that the height is within a range of acceptable heights with an upper and a lower bound, which may have been learned over a training data set.
  • the food item can either be diverted to be repaired, or can be sent to a waste receptacle and in response a replacement order placed in the queue, perhaps expedited to a point closer to actually being assembled than other orders in the queue, for instance to meet a desired time to delivery guarantee.
  • the cooking and/or conveyors and robots or other mechanisms can be automatically controlled based on any one or more of machine-vision based determinations, weight determinations, and, or detected scent based determinations, and some defined criteria or conditions. Additionally or alternatively, the ovens, conveyors and/or robots can be automatically controlled based on any one or more of machine-vision based determinations, weight determinations, and, or detected scent based determinations, and some defined criteria or conditions. Additionally or alternatively, one or more robotic appendages (e.g., mechanical fingers) or a turntable or other actuator can be automatically controlled based on any one or more of machine-vision based determinations, weight determinations, and, or detected scent based
  • FIG. 1 1 shows another type of transfer robot 1050 that may be used to transfer food items between various food preparation and cooking equipment located within the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100.
  • the transfer robot 1050 may include a transfer unit 1052, a vertical post 1054, and a set of horizontal tracks 1056a, 1056b (collectively horizontal racks 1056).
  • the transfer unit 1052 may include a side wall(s) 1058, a top cover 1060, and a bottom surface 1062.
  • the side wall(s) 1058 and/or top cover 1060 may advantageously be used to cover and protect food items being transferred within the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle 100.
  • the transfer unit 1052 may include an end effector 1064, such as a pizza peel or a set of opposable digits, located proximate the bottom surface 1062 of the transfer unit 1052.
  • the end effector 1064 may be used to transfer food items between the various food preparation and cooking equipment and stations.
  • the end effector 1058 may extendably physically couple to the side wall(s) 1058 of the transfer unit 1052 via an extendable arm 1066.
  • Such an extendable arm 1066 may be used, for example, to extend the end effector 1058 into the oven compartment 714 to place or retrieve a food item.
  • the transfer unit 1052 may selectively rotatably movably couple to the vertical post 1054 via a motor unit 1068 (e.g. , stepper motor with worm gear).
  • the vertical post 1054 may have a length 1070 that extends from a location proximate the floor 302 to a location proximate the ceiling 304 in the cargo area 104 of the vehicle 100.
  • the vertical post 1054 may include a set of screw threads that extend along the length 1070 of the vertical post 1054.
  • the motor unit 1068 may at least partially surround a portion of the vertical post 1054 and include a threaded component (not shown) that engages with the threaded portion of the vertical post ⁇ e.g., jackscrew) 1054.
  • the motor unit 1068 may effect vertical movement 1072 of the transfer unit 1052 along the length 1070 of the vertical post 1054. In some implementations, the motor unit 1068 may effect rotational movement 1074 of the transfer unit 1052 around a vertical axis formed by the vertical post 1054.
  • the vertical post 1054 may be selectively movably coupled to a set of horizontal tracks 1056 that, for example, extend at least partially along the floor 302 and the ceiling 304, for instance from the front portion 307 to the back portion 309 of the cargo area 300.
  • the vertical post 1054 may couple to a motor 1076 (e.g., stepper motor) that is movably coupled to one of the horizontal tracks 1056 (e.g., upper horizontal track 1056a in Figure 1 1 ) and may be used to selectively move the vertical post 1054 and transfer unit 1052 in a horizontal direction 1078 along the length 301 of the cargo portion 104 of the vehicle.
  • a motor 1076 e.g., stepper motor
  • the vertical post 1054 may securely, movably couple to the other horizontal track 1056 (e.g., lower horizontal track 1056b in Figure 1 1 ) via, for example, a set of rollers or wheels 1080 that may travel along the horizontal track 1056.
  • the transfer robot 1050 may communicatively couple to the on-board control system 312, and may receive one or more signals that actuate one or more components of the transfer robot 1050, resulting, for example, in vertical movement 1072 and/or horizontal movement 1078 of the transfer unit 1052, and extension and/or retraction of the
  • Figure 12 shows a layout of the cargo area 300 of a vehicle 100 that includes a service window 201.
  • the cargo area 300 includes a transfer robot 1004 that is selectively movable along the length 301 of the cargo area 300.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may be operable to place food items into and retrieve items from each of the ovens 702 (not shown) in the racks 700.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may be operable to place the food items onto a food conveyor 1 100 proximate the dispensing robot 1006.
  • the dispensing robot 1006 may be operable to dispense one or more toppings onto the food item, which may then be conveyed via the conveyor 1 100 towards and onto the cutting surface for the cutter 1008.
  • a human operator may be notified to transition the food item onto the cutting surface for the cutter 1008.
  • a robot such as the transfer robot 1004, may transition the food item onto the cutting surface for the cutter 1008.
  • the cutter 1008 may cut the food item, which may then be placed into a container.
  • the human operator may be notified to place a new food container base onto the cutting surface to receive the food item before the cutter 1008 is activated to cut the food item.
  • the operator may by notified to remove the food container base, and supported food item, to place a top onto the food container base, thereby preparing the food container for delivery to the customer.
  • a non-food dispenser 1 106 may be located proximate the cutter 1008, such as, for example, between the cutter 1008 and the service window 201 .
  • the non-food dispenser 1 106 may dispense one or more non-food items (e.g., utensils or napkins) into or onto the container before the container is provided to the operator or delivered to a customer.
  • the non-food dispenser 1 106 may include a printer that may be used to adhere one or more labels to the container identifying
  • information relevant to the enclosed order e.g. , food item, recipient, address and/or delivery destination, time order placed, time food item prepared).
  • one or more racks 700 that contain ovens 702 may be located between the two interior side walls 306.
  • each of the oven compartments 714 may include two doors or apertures on opposing sides of the rack 700.
  • the speed racks 750 may be located on one side of the rack 700, whereas one or more of the toppings holders 1000, cutter 1008, and dispensing robots 1006, may be located on the opposite side of the rack 700.
  • the food item may be retrieved from the speed rack 750 to be loaded via a first door to the oven 702, and then ejected and/or retrieved from the second side of the oven to be transferred to a food preparation and/or packaging device.
  • the cargo area 300 may be used to prepare food items on-demand. Such an implementation may be used, for example, when the vehicle 100 is to be used as a food truck to be positioned on the side of a road or in a parking lot (e.g., a parking lot of a sports stadium on game day) to sell food items to customers.
  • the cargo area 300 may include one or more speed racks 750 and a service counter 1 104.
  • the speed racks 750 may be secured to one or more anchor rails 313 and/or retractable bolts 314 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the speed racks 750 may be coupled to one or more of the power outlets 324a, 324b, the water ports 326, the waste fluid ports 328, the air ports 330, and/or the communications ports 332 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the speed racks 750 may include a plurality of slots arranged along multiple columns and rows, each of which is sized and shaped to hold a partially prepared food item (e.g., a par-baked shell for pizza).
  • a partially prepared food item e.g., a par-baked shell for pizza.
  • the speed rack 750 may be a refrigerated enclosure such that the partially prepared food items are kept refrigerated to thereby preserve the freshness and extend the shelf-life of the partially prepared food items.
  • the speed rack 750 may have wheels or casters, to enable the speed rack 750 to be loaded into the cargo area 300 of the vehicle 100 for further processing and dispatch to delivery destinations.
  • the wheels may optionally be driven by one or more electric motors via one or more drive trains.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may be operable to retrieve a partially prepared food item from one of the slots of the speed rack 750 and place the partially prepared food item onto the conveyor 1 100 proximate the dispensing robot 1006.
  • the dispensing robot 1006 may be operable to dispense one or more toppings onto the partially prepared food item.
  • the transfer robot 1004 may then retrieve the topped, partially prepared food item from the conveyor 1 100 to be placed into one of the ovens 702 in the rack 700 to be fully baked. After the item has been fully baked the transfer robot 1004 may retrieve the food item from the oven 702 to be processed as described above.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may track information related to the contents of each oven 702 and/or speed rack 750 that has been loaded into the vehicle 100.
  • on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may track for each oven 702 and/or slot in the speed rack 750 the type of food item (e.g., par-baked shell, pepperoni pizza, etc.), the size of the food item, and/or the time that the food item was placed in the speed rack 750 or oven 702.
  • the type of food item e.g., par-baked shell, pepperoni pizza, etc.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may communicate with one or more other systems to determine the overall time that a food item has been placed in the speed rack 750 or oven 702, including time before the speed rack 750 or oven 702 was loaded into the vehicle 100.
  • the on-board control system 312 may not load all of the ovens 702 with food items for preparation at any one time. Instead, the on-board control system 312 may keep at least some of the ovens 702 empty to process on-demand orders. In some implementations, at least some of the ovens 702 may be kept empty in order to process and prepare food items that are different, and have different cooking parameters, than food items currently being prepared.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may set a time limit for keeping each food item within the speed rack 750 or oven 702. If the time limit expires for one of the food items, the on- board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may alert the operator or customer to discard the food item.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may require that the user provide an input to confirm that the identified food item has been discarded. Such input may include, for example, pressing a switch associated with the oven 702 containing the food item to be discarded or acknowledging a prompt on a computer screen.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may have access to one or more sensors or imagers that may indicate that the user has removed the identified food item.
  • sensors may include, for example, one or more images (e.g., cameras) that may be used to visually confirm that the oven 702 is empty and/or that the food item has been placed in a waste basket.
  • sensors may include sensors on the oven door 716 that can detect when the door 716 to the oven 702 has been opened.
  • the cargo area 300 may include an operator area 1 108 where an operator can stand during an on-demand operation.
  • the operator area 1 108 may be separated from the area used by the transfer robot 1004 by a wall 1 1 18 that runs at least partially along the length 301 of the cargo area 300.
  • the operator area 1 108 may be around the service counter 1 104 and proximate the service window 201 .
  • the service counter 1 104 may be built into the cargo area 300.
  • the service counter may be selectively movable from the cargo area 300 and may therefore be secured to one or more anchor rails 313 and/or retractable bolts 314 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the service counter 1 104 may be coupled to one or more of the power outlets 324a, 324b, the water ports 326, the waste fluid ports 328, the air ports 330, and/or the communications ports 332 located along the interior side wall 306a.
  • the service counter 1 104 may include a sink 1 1 10 or other wash basin that is sized and dimensioned to provide a wash area for an operator in the operator area 1 108.
  • the sink may be fluidly coupled to the water tank 204 and the waste fluid tank 208 via one or more water ports 326 and waste fluid ports 328 included along the interior side wall 306.
  • the operator may place topping or provide non-food items after the fully baked and packaged food item has been placed onto the service counter 1 104.
  • one or more prompts or reminders may be provided to the operator to place the appropriate toppings and/or non-food items onto the order.
  • the operator area 1 108 may include a video monitor 1 1 12 that includes a video display 1 1 14 and one or more speakers 1 1 16.
  • the prompts to place the toppings and/or non-food items may be provided by a display on the video display 1 1 14 and/or by an audible signal provided over the speakers 1 1 16.
  • the video display 1 1 14 and/or speakers 1 1 16 may provide one or more signals to the operator to place one or more additional items for sale ⁇ e.g., drinks, salads, snacks, desserts, flowers) proximate a completed food item to complete an order.
  • additional items for sale e.g., drinks, salads, snacks, desserts, flowers
  • the video display 1 1 14 and/or speakers 1 1 16 may provide one or more signals to the operator to offer such additional items for sale to a customer.
  • the video display 1 1 14 and/or the one or more speakers 1 1 16 may provide prompts to the operator regarding tasks to be completed for preparing and/or cooking food items.
  • the tasks may include, for example, loading or unloading a food item into an oven compartment 714, placing topping onto the food item before or after cooking, and/or packaging the food item when the food item has been prepared.
  • the video display 1 1 14 and/or the one or more speakers 1 1 16 may provide prompts to the operator to complete or perform additional administrative or maintenance tasks.
  • FIG. 13 shows a schematic, block diagram of the on-board control system 312.
  • the on-board control system 312 may take the form of any current or future developed computing system capable of executing one or more instruction sets.
  • the on-board control system 312 includes a processing unit 1200, a system memory 1202 and a system bus 1204 that communicably couples various system components including the system memory 1202 to the processing unit 1200.
  • the on-board control system 312 will at times be referred to in the singular herein, but this is not intended to limit the
  • Non- limiting examples of commercially available systems include, but are not limited to, an Atom, Pentium, or 80x86 architecture microprocessor as offered by Intel Corporation, a Qualcomm processor as offered by Qualcomm, Inc., a
  • PowerPC microprocessor as offered by IBM, a Sparc microprocessor as offered by Sun Microsystems, Inc., a PA-RISC series microprocessor as offered by Hewlett-Packard Company, an A6 or A8 series processor as offered by Apple Inc., or a 68xxx series microprocessor as offered by Motorola Corporation.
  • the processing unit 1200 may be any logic processing unit, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), etc.
  • CPUs central processing units
  • DSPs digital signal processors
  • ASICs application-specific integrated circuits
  • FPGAs field programmable gate arrays
  • PLCs programmable logic controllers
  • the system bus 1204 can employ any known bus structures or architectures, including a memory bus with memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus.
  • the system memory 1202 includes read-only memory
  • ROM read only memory
  • RAM random access memory
  • BIOS basic input/output system
  • BIOS basic routines that help transfer information between elements within the on-board control system 312, such as during start-up. Some embodiments may employ separate buses for data, instructions and power.
  • the on-board control system 312 also includes one or more internal nontransitory storage systems 1212.
  • Such internal nontransitory storage systems 1212 may include, but are not limited to, any current or future developed persistent storage device 1214.
  • Such persistent storage devices 1214 may include, without limitation, magnetic storage devices such as hard disc drives, electromagnetic storage devices such as memristors, molecular storage devices, quantum storage devices, electrostatic storage devices such as solid state drives, and the like.
  • the on-board control system 312 may also include one or more optional removable nontransitory storage systems 1216.
  • Such removable nontransitory storage systems 1216 may include, but are not limited to, any current or future developed removable persistent storage device 1218.
  • Such removable persistent storage devices 1218 may include, without limitation, magnetic storage devices, electromagnetic storage devices such as memristors, molecular storage devices, quantum storage devices, and electrostatic storage devices such as secure digital (“SD”) drives, USB drives, memory sticks, or the like.
  • SD secure digital
  • the one or more internal nontransitory storage systems 1212 and the one or more optional removable nontransitory storage systems 1216 communicate with the processing unit 1200 via the system bus 1204.
  • the one or more internal nontransitory storage systems 1212 and the one or more optional removable nontransitory storage systems 1216 may include interfaces or device controllers (not shown) communicably coupled between nontransitory storage system and the system bus 1204, as is known by those skilled in the relevant art.
  • the nontransitory storage systems 1212, 1216, and their associated storage devices 1214, 1218 provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable
  • Program modules can be stored in the system memory 1202, such as an operating system 1220, one or more application programs 1222, other programs or modules 1224, drivers 1226 and program data 1228.
  • the application programs 1222 may include, for example, one or more machine executable instruction sets (i.e. , routing module 1222a) capable of providing provide routing instructions (e.g. , text, voice, and/or graphical routing instructions) to the navigation devices in some or all of the cab portions 102 of the delivery vehicle 100 and/or providing positional information or coordinates (e.g. , longitude and latitude coordinates) to other components of the on-board control system 312 and/or to the off-board control system 107.
  • the application programs 1222 may further include one or more machine executable instructions sets (i.e. , cooking module 1222b) capable of outputting queuing and cooking instructions to the components, e.g. , ovens 702, transfer robot 1004, and/or dispensing robot 1006 in the cargo area 300 of each vehicle 100.
  • an order dispatch and enroute cooking control application 1222c may provide navigation, queuing, and cooking instructions.
  • Such cooking instructions can be determined by the on-board control system 312 using any number of inputs including at least, the food type in a particular oven 702 and the available cooking time before each respective food item is delivered to a consumer destination location.
  • a cooking module machine executable instruction set may be executed in whole or in part by one or more controllers in the cooking module 1222b installed in the on- board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107.
  • the routing module 1222a and/or the cooking module 1222b may provide a backup controller in the event the on-board control system 312 becomes communicably decoupled from the off-board control system 107.
  • the routing module 1222a and/or the cooking module 1222b installed in each vehicle 100 may include nontransitory storage to store routing and delivery itinerary data and cooking data communicated to the respective module by the off-board control system 107.
  • the application programs 1222 may, for example, be stored as one or more executable instructions.
  • the on-board control system 312 operates in an environment using one or more of the network interfaces 1229 to optionally communicably couple to one or more remote computers, servers, display devices, such as the off-board control system 107 and/or other devices via one or more communications channels, for example, one or more networks such as the network 109.
  • These logical connections may facilitate any known method of permitting computers to communicate, such as through one or more LANs and/or WANs.
  • Such networking environments are well known in wired and wireless enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, extranets, and the Internet.
  • local communication interface 1230 may be used for establishing communications with other components in the cargo area 300 of the vehicle 100.
  • the local communication interface 1230 may be used to communicate cooking instructions to one or more ovens 702, as well as further processing instructions to the transfer robot 1004, dispensing robot 1006, and/or cutter 1008.
  • the local communication interface 1230 may be communicatively coupled to navigation equipment 1232.
  • the navigation equipment 1232 may be used, for example, to provide location and/or navigation information for upcoming deliveries by the vehicle 100.
  • the navigation equipment may include a display screen 1234 and/or location tracking equipment 1236 such as receivers that can receive and determine coordinate information from a GPS and/or GLONASS positioning system, and/or from cellular towers.
  • the display screen 1234 may be located in the cab portion 102 and may provide the driver of the vehicle 100 with routing information in the form of text directions, voice instructions, or a map. In addition, the display screen 1234 can also provide the driver of the vehicle 100 with a manifest or delivery itinerary that lists a number of consumer delivery destinations and provides a local estimated time of arrival at each respective consumer delivery destination.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 can schedule the preparation of food items by the components within the vehicle 100 in accordance with the received or generated orders, estimated assembly and estimated transit time to destination using real time or expected transit conditions.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 can generate and update a fulfillment queue to schedule the preparation based at least in part on the estimated cooking and estimated transit time to a destination and the time that the order was received.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may place some orders in a preparation queue in a different order than received, for example placing orders with relatively longer transit times behind orders that were received later but which have relatively shorter transit times.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 can dynamically revise the fulfillment queue based on real time or estimated conditions and based on demand and/or timing of receipt of various orders.
  • each oven 702, rack 700, and/or speed rack 750, or vehicle 100 may be monitored using geolocation information.
  • geolocation information may be determined using one or more global positioning technologies, for example the Global Positioning System (GPS) or similar.
  • GPS Global Positioning System
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may use the location information to statically or dynamically create and/or update delivery itinerary information and estimated time of arrival information for each consumer destination.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may use such information to control or otherwise adjust the cooking conditions in some or all of the cooking units, e.g., ovens 702.
  • all or a portion of the determined geolocation information associated with a consumer's food item(s) may be provided to the consumer, for example via a Website, computer program, or smartphone application.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 can dynamically update the itinerary for each vehicle 100, for example, based on real-time traffic conditions.
  • the approach described herein advantageously and significantly reduces the time required for delivery of prepared food items to consumer destinations by cooking or completing the cooking of food items within the ovens 702.
  • the cooking of food items can be completed using individually controllable cooking units, e.g., ovens 702, on the vehicle 100 instead of a more conventional stationary cooking unit such as a range or oven located in a "bricks and mortar" facility.
  • a more conventional stationary cooking unit such as a range or oven located in a "bricks and mortar" facility.
  • the time for delivery and quality of delivered food is improved over current systems in which food items are cooked in a central location and then loaded onto a delivery vehicle for delivery to the consumer location.
  • the delivery itinerary and controlling the cooking conditions within the cooking units to reflect the updated expected arrival times at the consumer locations the impact of unanticipated traffic and congestion on the quality of the delivered food items is beneficially reduced or even
  • a vehicle 100 may be forward deployed to await orders that may arrive from a particular area that is removed from the central processing facility. Such an implementation may be used, for example, to provide hot, freshly prepared food items to a college campus on a Friday or Saturday night. Accordingly, the vehicle 100 may receive and process incoming orders as it is making already scheduled deliveries. In some implementations, the vehicle 100 may remain parked at a remote area where it processes incoming orders. As such, the vehicle 100 may provide the processed orders to local delivery drivers or to autonomous vehicles (e.g., personal delivery robots that can travel on streets or sidewalks, and/or drones that can carry food items through the air) to make a local delivery. The vehicle 100 may be used in such a mode to expand a footprint of a central facility without having to build additional physical locations and to quickly respond to increased or decreased orders from various physical locations.
  • autonomous vehicles e.g., personal delivery robots that can travel on streets or sidewalks, and/or drones that can carry food items through the air
  • Figure 14 shows a method 1300 related to the routing and delivery of hot, prepared food by a vehicle 100.
  • the method 1300 starts at 1302, at which a processor-based device, for example the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107, receives a new order to deliver a food item to a delivery destination.
  • a processor-based device for example the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107
  • a processor-based device determines an estimated time to prepare and estimated time to deliver at delivery destination.
  • the estimated time to prepare may be a fixed time, or may account for a current or anticipated level of demand for production.
  • the estimated time to deliver at the delivery destination can take into account an estimated or expected time to transport the order from a production facility and/or the current location of the vehicle 100 to the delivery destination. Such can take into account anticipated or even real-time traffic information, including slowdowns, accidents and/or detours. Such can also take into account a manifest or itinerary associated with the vehicle 100.
  • the processor-based device may delay a scheduled delivery of an ordered food item.
  • the delay may be based on historical order data showing that additional orders may be expected from the same or similar geographical area as an existing order. As such, completion of the existing order may be delayed with the expectation that additional order may originate and can be filled by the vehicle 100 fulfilling the initial order.
  • a processor-based device determines or evaluates one or more other conditions for placing a food item order in the fulfilment queue in a different order than received (i.e. , order queue). For example, the processor-based device may expedite certain orders, for instance orders based on delivery locations which are geographically proximate to delivery locations for other food item orders. Thus, the processor- based device may expedite certain food orders to group based on efficiency of delivery. In executing such, the processor-based device may take into account an ability to timely deliver all grouped or bundled orders.
  • the processor-based device may determine whether a second order with delivery location that is geographically proximate a delivery locations of the first order will interfere with meeting the delivery time guarantee for the first order and while also meeting the delivery time guarantee for the second order.
  • the second order might delay the departure of the delivery vehicle by a first estimated amount of time (i.e., first time delay).
  • the second order might increase the transit time of the delivery vehicle by an estimated amount of time (i.e. , second time delay).
  • Such increase transit time can be the result of varying a route or manifest of the delivery vehicle and/or based on an increase in traffic due to the delay in departure and/or change in route or manifest.
  • the processor-based device determines a probability of whether the delays (e.g. , first and second time delays) would prevent the first order from being delivered within the delivery time guarantee and/or prevent the second order from being delivered within the delivery time guarantee.
  • the processor-based device can perform a similar comparison for all orders to be delivered by a given delivery vehicle.
  • the processor-based device may expedite orders from highly valued customers, loyalty club members, replacement orders where there was a misdelivery or mistake in an order, orders from customers willing to pay an expedited handling fee, or orders from celebrity customers or influential customers.
  • a processor-based device reviews an existing fulfillment queue.
  • the fulfillment queue is a list or queue of food orders in a sequence in which the food orders will be assembled.
  • the fulfillment queue will typically include various food orders in a sequence or order that is different from the sequence or order in which the food orders were received.
  • the processor- based device dynamically updates the fulfillment queue to queue new orders, and to remove completed or fulfilled orders (e.g. , assembled and placed in ovens, and/or dispatched). Consequently, at any given time the sequence or order of the fulfillment queue is likely different from the sequence or order of the order queue.
  • the on-board control system 312 and/or the off- board control system 107 may find a location in the fulfillment queue to add a new order while maintaining a respective estimated delivery time of each order in the fulfillment queue within some acceptable bounds (e.g. , 20 minutes).
  • a processor-based device for example the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107, adds the new order to the fulfillment queue, while maintaining a respective estimated delivery time of each order in the fulfillment queue within some acceptable bounds (e.g. , 20 minutes).
  • the method 1300 terminates at 1310, for example until invoked again.
  • the method 1300 may repeat continuously or repeatedly, or may execute as multiple instances of a multi-threaded process.
  • Figure 15 shows a method 1400 of controlling dispatch and/or enroute cooking of ordered food items, according to one illustrated
  • the dispatch and/or enroute cooking method 1400 can, for example, be executed by one or more processor-based devices, for instance the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107.
  • the dispatch and/or enroute cooking method 1400 can, for example, be executed as part of execution of the method 1300 ( Figure 14).
  • the method 1400 starts at 1402, for example by retrieving and/or receiving updated transit or traffic conditions.
  • Updated transit or traffic conditions can be received from one or more of various commercially available sources, for instance via electronic inquiries. Updated transit or traffic conditions can be received in real-time or almost real-time.
  • a processor-based device determines and/or transmits an updated manifest and/or itinerary.
  • a processor-based device determines and /or transmits updated routing instructions.
  • the routing instructions and manifest or delivery itinerary may be dynamically updated or adjusted during the delivery process to reflect the latest traffic, road conditions, road closures, etc.
  • traffic, road condition, and road closure information may be obtained via one or more of: a commercial source of traffic information, crowd-sourced traffic information, or some combination thereof.
  • the on-board control system 312 in each of the vehicles 100 can provide up-to-the-minute routing instructions and delivery itineraries.
  • on-board control system 312 in each of the vehicles 100 can dynamically adjust the cooking conditions within each of the cooking units carried by each vehicle 100 to reflect the available cooking time for each of the respective cooking units.
  • a processor-based device determines updated time to destination. For example, the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107 may generate an updated manifest for a set of food items or orders.
  • the updated manifest specifies an updated sequence or order of delivery destinations for the food items or food orders on the updated manifest, as compared to a previous version or instance of the manifest, as well as specifying which food items or food orders are to be delivered at which of the delivery destinations.
  • the updated manifest may, optionally, include a specification of a route to travel in transiting the various delivery destinations.
  • the updated manifest may, optionally, include an indication of transit travel times and or delivery times for each segment or leg of the route.
  • the updated manifest may, optionally, include identifying
  • the delivery destination e.g., behind main residence, upstairs
  • the delivery destination e.g., behind main residence, upstairs
  • a processor-based device for example the on-board control system 312 and/or the off-board control system 107, provides
  • the method 1400 terminates at 1412, for example until invoked again. Alternatively, the method 1400 may repeat continuously or repeatedly, or may execute as multiple instances of a multi-threaded process.
  • Figure 16 shows a method 1500 of transitioning between an online and off-line mode, accordingly to one illustrated implementation.
  • the method 1500 may be executed by one or more processor-based devices, for instance the on-board control system 312.
  • the on-board control system 312 may be maintaining a communications with the off-board control system 107 via the communications network 109.
  • a communications network 109 may include proprietary Local Area Network (LAN) or proprietary Wide Area Network (WAN) such as one or more intranets.
  • LAN Local Area Network
  • WAN Wide Area Network
  • Such a communications network 109 may employ one or more non-proprietary communications channels, for instance one or more non-proprietary network communications channels like a Wide Area Network (WAN) such as the Internet and/or cellular provider communications networks including voice, data and short message service (SMS) networks or channels.
  • WAN Wide Area Network
  • SMS short message service
  • the order dispatch and enroute cooking control application may provide updates to the routing, cooking, and/or destination instructions to be implemented by the vehicle 100.
  • the on-board control system 312 may lose the
  • the on-board control system 312 may transmit periodic messages via the communications network 109, such as, for example, periodic messages to the off-board control system 107.
  • the on-board control system 312 may receive a response to each of these periodic messages.
  • the on-board control system 312 may detect that it is no longer communicatively coupled to the off- board control system 107. In some implementations, the on-board control system 312 may attempt to transmit multiple messages to the off-board control system 107 without receiving a response before determining that it is no longer communicatively coupled to the off-board control system 107.
  • the on-board control system 312 may enter into a standalone mode. As part of standalone mode, the on-board control system 312 may execute instructions for the order dispatch and enroute cooking control application to control and provide updates to the routing, cooking, and/or destination instructions to be implemented by the vehicle 100. The on-board control system 312 may execute instructions that result in data and information being temporarily stored in the system memory 1202. Such data and
  • information may include, for example, sales information regarding the number and types of food items ordered and prepared while the on-board control system 312 operated in the standalone mode; the amount of ingredients, toppings, condiments, and other items used during the standalone mode; and sales information regarding payment and customer information obtained during the standalone mode.
  • the on-board control system 312 may regain the connection to the off-board control system 107 via the radio(s) 1 13 and antenna(s) 105.
  • the on-board control system 312 may transition from the standalone mode to a recovery mode during which the data and information accumulated by the on-board control system 312 (e.g., food and non-food items sold, ingredients used, deliveries made) during the standalone mode is transmitted and provided (e.g. , downloaded) to the off-board control system 107 via the antenna(s) 105.
  • the on-board control system 312 may have stored such data and information on the system memory 1202 when operating in the standalone mode.
  • the on-board control system 312 may transition to the connected mode after the communications and other processes for the recovery mode have been completed.
  • logic or information can be stored on any computer readable medium for use by or in connection with any computer and/or processor related system or method.
  • a memory is a computer readable medium that is an electronic, magnetic, optical, or other another physical device or means that contains or stores a computer and/or processor program.
  • Logic and/or the information can be embodied in any computer readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions associated with logic and/or information.
  • a "computer readable medium” can be any means that can store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program associated with logic and/or information for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, and/or device.
  • the computer readable medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium.
  • the computer readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette (magnetic, compact flash card, secure digital, or the like), a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM).
  • a portable computer diskette magnetic, compact flash card, secure digital, or the like
  • RAM random access memory
  • ROM read-only memory
  • EPROM erasable programmable read-only memory
  • CDROM portable compact disc read-only memory
  • the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program associated with logic and/or information is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in memory.
  • signal bearing media include, but are not limited to, the following: recordable type media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CD ROMs, digital tape, and computer memory; and transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links using TDM or IP based communication links (e.g., packet links).

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  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Robotics (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Electric Ovens (AREA)
PCT/US2018/040730 2017-07-11 2018-07-03 CONFIGURABLE FOOD DELIVERY VEHICLE AND METHODS AND ARTICLES THEREOF WO2019014023A1 (en)

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RU2787095C1 (ru) * 2022-06-15 2022-12-28 Игорь Сергеевич Лернер Роботизированный вездеходный комплекс для хранения и отпуска продукции
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WO2023244138A1 (ru) * 2022-06-15 2023-12-21 Игорь Сергеевич ЛЕРНЕР Роботизированный вездеходный комплекс для хранения и отпуска продукции
WO2023244139A1 (ru) * 2022-06-15 2023-12-21 Игорь Сергеевич ЛЕРНЕР Роботизированный мобильный курьерский комплекс
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CN110723055B (zh) * 2019-11-22 2024-04-26 中国人民解放军32181部队 一种分组加热保温餐车及其分组加热方法
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US10604055B2 (en) 2015-04-23 2020-03-31 Zume Pizza, Inc. Vehicle having a device for processing food
US20200238534A1 (en) * 2017-10-18 2020-07-30 Zume, Inc. On-demand robotic food assembly equipment, and related systems and methods
US11478090B2 (en) * 2018-06-20 2022-10-25 Podular Inc. Food stand system
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CN110696703A (zh) * 2019-09-29 2020-01-17 中国人民解放军32181部队 一种燃油型自动化半成品快餐加工车及其加工方法
CN110696703B (zh) * 2019-09-29 2023-12-01 中国人民解放军32181部队 一种燃油型自动化半成品快餐加工车及其加工方法
US20220145613A1 (en) * 2020-11-06 2022-05-12 Reef Global Ip Llc Reconfigurable mobile business unit having modularized utilities and configurable system of mobile business units for deployment at a site
US11730844B1 (en) * 2020-12-18 2023-08-22 Zoox, Inc. Method of disinfecting vehicle using UVC light emitters
US11931472B1 (en) 2020-12-18 2024-03-19 Zoox, Inc. Vehicle with UVC light emitters
EP4105080A1 (de) * 2021-06-14 2022-12-21 JATA GmbH Mobilkonvektomaten-system und verfahren zum betreiben eines mobilkonvektomaten
CN114735392A (zh) * 2022-06-07 2022-07-12 江苏亚尚物流科技有限公司 一种物流货架用防潮结构及其使用方法
RU2787547C1 (ru) * 2022-06-15 2023-01-10 Игорь Сергеевич Лернер Роботизированный мобильный курьерский комплекс
RU2787095C1 (ru) * 2022-06-15 2022-12-28 Игорь Сергеевич Лернер Роботизированный вездеходный комплекс для хранения и отпуска продукции
WO2023244138A1 (ru) * 2022-06-15 2023-12-21 Игорь Сергеевич ЛЕРНЕР Роботизированный вездеходный комплекс для хранения и отпуска продукции
WO2023244139A1 (ru) * 2022-06-15 2023-12-21 Игорь Сергеевич ЛЕРНЕР Роботизированный мобильный курьерский комплекс

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