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EP-4288255-B1 - HOME DIALYSIS SUPPLIES DELIVERY ROBOT, NETWORK, AND METHOD

EP4288255B1EP 4288255 B1EP4288255 B1EP 4288255B1EP-4288255-B1

Inventors

  • BERGMAN, ERIC
  • STEUBER, Jessica
  • YUDS, David
  • LECLERC, Jonathan

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220125

Claims (15)

  1. A delivery robot (100), preferably autonomous delivery robot, comprising: a drive train (132) configured for moving the delivery robot (100) and for transforming the delivery robot (100) into an outdoor configuration and into an indoor configuration; a control unit (110) configured to control the drive train (132), at least based on signals received; a sensor system (171, 172, 173) configured to sense objects and send signals to the control unit (110); a supplies holder (948) configured to hold supplies (956) and connected to the drive train (132) for movement with movement of the drive train (132); an outdoor motive traction device (121) for traversing an outdoor surface; an indoor motive traction device (123) for traversing an indoor surface; and an outdoor motive traction device shield (142); wherein the drive train (132) is configured to be controlled by the control unit (110) to (a) maintain the indoor motive traction device (123) in a lifted position while the outdoor motive traction device (121) traverses an outdoor surface in the outdoor configuration, (b) transform the delivery robot (100) from the outdoor configuration to the indoor configuration, and (c) maintain the outdoor motive traction device (121) in the lifted position while the indoor motive traction device (123) traverses an indoor surface in the indoor configuration; and wherein the control unit (110) is further configured to control the drive train (132) to move the outdoor motive traction device shield (142) into a position to shield the outdoor motive traction device (121) after the outdoor motive traction device (121) has been lifted at a threshold to a home (308) and before the autonomous delivery robot (100) moves past the threshold and into the home (308).
  2. The delivery robot of claim 1, wherein the outdoor motive traction device (121) and the indoor motive traction device (123) together comprise sets of wheels, each set of wheels comprising an indoor wheel (125), preferably a mecanum wheel, mounted for rotation on a respective pivoting bracket (108), and an outdoor wheel (122) mounted for rotation on the respective pivoting bracket (108), wherein preferably each pivoting bracket (108) comprises a motorized drive (132) configured to pivot the pivoting bracket (108) between (1) the outdoor configuration wherein the outdoor wheel (122) of the respective set of wheels is in a lower position relative to the indoor wheel (125) of the respective set of wheels, and (2) the indoor configuration wherein the indoor wheel (125) of the respective set of wheels is in a lower position relative to the outdoor wheel (122) of the respective set of wheels.
  3. The delivery robot of claim 1, wherein the delivery robot (100) has a first maximum height in the outdoor configuration and has a second maximum height in the indoor configuration, wherein the second maximum height is greater than the first maximum height; and/or wherein the delivery robot has a first maximum width in the outdoor configuration and has a second maximum width in the indoor configuration, wherein the first maximum width is greater than the second maximum width.
  4. The delivery robot of claim 1, further comprising a lift (744), wherein the lift (744) is configured to lift the delivery robot (100) into an elevated position such that the outdoor motive traction device (121) and the indoor motive traction device (123) are both lifted off of an outdoor surface, off of an indoor surface, or off of an outdoor surface and an indoor surface, and the delivery robot (100) is configured to transition between the outdoor configuration and the indoor configuration while in the elevated position.
  5. The delivery robot of claim 1, further comprising an indoor motive traction device shield (140), wherein the control unit (110) is configured to control the drive train (132) to move the indoor motive traction device shield (140) into a position to shield the indoor motive traction device (123) before the indoor motive traction device (123) has been lowered into a home (308) at a threshold into the home (308).
  6. The delivery robot of claim 5, wherein the control unit (110) is further configured to unshield the indoor motive traction device (123) at the threshold so that the indoor motive traction device (123) can be lowered onto and make contact with an inside surface inside the home (308).
  7. The delivery robot of claim 1, wherein the delivery robot (100) is an autonomous delivery robot, and the autonomous delivery robot (100) further comprises a package of home dialysis supplies (956), wherein the package of home dialysis supplies (956) is held by the supplies holder (948).
  8. A home dialysis supplies delivery network comprising: the autonomous delivery robot (100) of claim 7; and a remote network computer (306) configured to send information, instructions, or both, to the autonomous delivery robot (100), wherein the autonomous delivery robot (100) is configured to autonomously react to information, instructions, or both, received from the remote network computer (306).
  9. The home dialysis supplies delivery network of claim 8, further comprising a preferably autonomous robot carrier vehicle (332), wherein the remote network computer (306) is inside or on the robot carrier vehicle (332), and the robot carrier vehicle (332) comprises a lift (744) to load, unload, or load and unload, the autonomous delivery robot (100).
  10. The home dialysis supplies delivery network of claim 9, wherein the robot carrier vehicle (332) comprises an autonomous truck, the autonomous truck has a truck bed, the autonomous delivery robot (100) is stored on the truck bed, one or more additional autonomous delivery robots (100) are also stored on the truck bed, wherein preferably the autonomous truck comprises a battery charger (335), and the autonomous delivery robot (100) comprises a rechargeable battery configured to be charged by the battery charger (335).
  11. The home dialysis supplies delivery network of claim 9, wherein: the remote network computer (306) is configured to send prescription information pertaining to a home dialysis patient living at a home (308); and the autonomous delivery robot (100) is configured to receive prescription information from the remote network computer (306), autonomously react to prescription information received, load itself with prescribed home dialysis supplies (956) based on prescription information received, and deliver the prescribed home dialysis supplies (956) to the home dialysis patient at the home (308); wherein preferably: the robot carrier vehicle (332) comprises a store of home dialysis supplies (956) configured to be used by the autonomous delivery robot (100) to load itself with prescribed home dialysis supplies (956).
  12. A home dialysis supplies delivery network comprising: the autonomous delivery robot (100) of claim 7; a warehouse (330) comprising a store of home dialysis supplies (956), a lift (744), and a programming computer (326), the programming computer (326) comprising a computer interface; and a robot carrier vehicle (332), wherein the control unit (110) of the autonomous delivery robot (100) comprises a memory, the autonomous delivery robot comprises a robot interface configured to interface with the computer interface to receive a program of instructions from the programming computer (326), the control unit (110) is configured to store a program of instructions received through the robot interface, in the memory, and the lift (744) is configured to lift the autonomous delivery robot (100), while the autonomous delivery robot (100) is holding a load of prescribed home dialysis supplies (956), into the robot carrier vehicle (332).
  13. The home dialysis supplies delivery network of claim 12, wherein the warehouse (330) further comprises an autonomous supplies lift (744), wherein the autonomous supplies lift (744) is configured to (a) receive prescription information pertaining to a home dialysis treatment, (b) retrieve prescribed home dialysis supplies (956) from the store of the warehouse (330) in fulfillment of the prescription information, and (c) load the prescribed home dialysis supplies (956) onto the autonomous delivery robot (100).
  14. A home dialysis supplies delivery method, comprising: loading a first autonomous delivery robot (100) according to claim 1 with prescribed home dialysis supplies (956), to form a first loaded autonomous delivery robot (100); loading a second autonomous delivery robot (100) according to claim 1 with prescribed home dialysis supplies (956), to form a second loaded autonomous delivery robot (100); loading the first and second loaded autonomous delivery robots (100) into a robot carrier vehicle (332); unloading the first loaded autonomous delivery robot (100), from the robot carrier vehicle (332), at a first location; leaving the first loaded autonomous delivery robot (100) at the first location while moving the robot carrier vehicle (332) to a second location; unloading the second loaded autonomous delivery robot (100), from the robot carrier vehicle (332), at the second location; autonomously delivering the prescribed home dialysis supplies (956) from the first loaded autonomous delivery robot (100) to a first home (308); unloading the first loaded autonomous delivery robot (100) at the first home, to form a first unloaded autonomous delivery robot (100); returning the robot carrier vehicle (332) to the first location from the second location; loading the first unloaded autonomous delivery robot (100) into the robot carrier vehicle (332) at the first location; autonomously delivering the prescribed home dialysis supplies (956) from the second loaded autonomous delivery robot (100) to a second home (308); unloading the second loaded autonomous delivery robot (100) at the second home (308), to form a second unloaded autonomous delivery robot (100); returning the robot carrier vehicle (332) to the second location from the first location; and loading the second unloaded autonomous delivery robot (100) into the robot carrier vehicle (332) at the second location.
  15. The home dialysis supplies delivery method of claim 14, further comprising: transporting the robot carrier vehicle (332) to a warehouse (330) having a store of home dialysis supplies (956); unloading the first unloaded autonomous delivery robot (100) and the second unloaded autonomous delivery robot (100) from the robot carrier vehicle (332) at the warehouse (330); and reloading each of the first autonomous delivery robot (100) and the second autonomous delivery robot (100) with prescribed home dialysis supplies (956) at the warehouse (330); wherein preferably each of the first autonomous delivery robot (100) and the second autonomous delivery robot (100) comprises a rechargeable battery, the warehouse (330) comprises a battery charger (335), and the method further comprises charging the rechargeable batteries at the warehouse (330).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the delivery of supplies using a robot. The present invention also relates to a delivery network for delivering supplies to a home BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Home dialysis is often a preferred dialysis treatment modality due to patients being able to dialyze more often, on their own schedule, and in the comfort of their home. Home dialysis is also typically more cost effective because it does not require the physical infrastructure costs of a clinic, transportation costs, and the accompanying costs of medical professionals to deliver treatment. One of the challenges, however, of home dialysis, is the distribution of dialysis supplies to a patient's home. Current methods of delivering home dialysis supplies involve the use of large delivery trucks that require drivers to use a motorized pallet jack and an electric hand truck to pack, load, deliver, unload, and unpack the dialysis supplies. Sometimes, as many as six pallets worth of dialysis supplies are delivered. The delivery can include up to a month's worth of dialysis supplies, including, for example, dialysis solution bags, disposable tubing sets, bags of saline, other chemicals, cleaning supplies, masks, gloves, wipes, and related supplies. Six to ten individual deliveries from the truck to different home dialysis patients may take place during a regular workday. Home dialysis supplies, once delivered to a patient's home, and then must be stored. Delivering large amounts of supplies all at once places a storage burden on the dialysis patients. Additionally, when moving the dialysis supplies from the truck into the house, the drivers can track mud, rain, snow, dirt, sand, grass, leaves, pet feces, and other lawn and yard debris into the patient's home. Another difficulty includes reaching isolated patients at remote locations, or reaching patients that live in dwellings having obstacles to an entrance, for example, curbs, steps, steep slopes, rough driveways, landings, porches, gates, fences, and the like. Some of such obstacles have heretofore precluded an option of home dialysis altogether. Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2017-0127592 describes a health care nursing robot for assisting an aged or disabled person. The health care nursing robot includes a drive unit and a control unit. The aged or disabled person wears a smart band that measures bio-signals and transmits the measurement signals to the control unit of the robot. U.S. Patent No. US 10,308,430 B1 describes an autonomous vehicle that may be deployed to areas where an item is in demand and is configured to fulfill orders for the item received from the areas. The autonomous vehicle is loaded with the item and dispatched to the area under their own power or in a carrier. When an order for the item is received, an autonomous vehicle delivers the item to a location in the area. The autonomous vehicle may also be configured to automatically access locations in the area, e.g., using wireless access codes. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A feature of the present invention is to provide greater flexibility and convenience to dialysis patients, particularly home dialysis patients. Another feature of the present invention is to provide a delivery robot, network, and method to increase the frequency of delivery of dialysis supplies, to a dwelling, such as to the home of a dialysis patient, and therefore reduce storage space requirements at the dwelling. A further feature of the present invention is to provide a delivery robot, network, and method that enable the delivery of dialysis supplies to a dwelling, such as the home of a dialysis patient, in a remote location. A further feature of the present invention is to provide a delivery robot, network, and method that enable the delivery of dialysis supplies to a dwelling that has various obstacles along a pathway to the dwelling. An additional feature of the present invention is to provide a delivery robot, network, and method that enable an autonomous delivery and access into a dwelling to drop off dialysis supplies in a safe and secure manner. An additional feature of the present invention is to provide a delivery robot, network, and method that enable an autonomous delivery robot to gain access to the inside of a dwelling, to drop off home dialysis goods, without tracking debris into the dwelling, such as grass, mud, water, snow, slush, dirt, leaves, rocks, clay, sand, animal waste, and the like. Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be set-forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present invention. The objectives and other advantages of the present invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the description and appended claims. To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purposes of