US 12,030,519 B2
System and method for operating and managing an autonomous vehicle interchange zone
Andrew F. Smith, Bend, OR (US); Joseph A. Welsh, Golden, CO (US); William N. Klarquist, Littleton, CO (US); Peter James, Denver, CO (US); Geoffrey W. Johnson, Golden, CO (US); Kayla M. Holcomb, Denver, CO (US); Lawrence S. Klein, Bend, OR (US); Jason L. Williams, Bloomingdale, IL (US); Floyd C. Henning, Arvada, CO (US); and Jeremy M. Nett, Littleton, CO (US)
Assigned to Outrider Technologies, Inc., Brighton, CO (US)
Filed by Outrider Technologies, Inc., Brighton, CO (US)
Filed on May 27, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/332,474.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/031,552, filed on May 28, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0017110 A1, Jan. 20, 2022
Int. Cl. B60W 60/00 (2020.01); H04W 4/44 (2018.01)
CPC B60W 60/001 (2020.02) [H04W 4/44 (2018.02); B60W 2300/12 (2013.01); B60W 2300/14 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for handling the interchange of trailers between an over the road (OTR) truck and an autonomous vehicle (AV) yard truck in a facility yard comprising:
an interchange zone (IZ) that separates an OTR zone from an AV yard truck zone of the facility yard and is bounded by a predetermined boundary structure, having an OTR entry gate and an OTR exit gate on an OTR zone side and an AV entry gate and an AV exit gate on an AV yard truck zone side; and
a management process that selectively opens and closes each of the OTR entry gate, the OTR exit gate, the AV entry gate and the AV exit gate according to a predetermined set of rules, wherein the management process includes a GateComms process that communicates with a plurality of AV gate controllers and other peripherals associated with the facility yard using RF and wired communications links, wherein the GateComms process is arranged to facilitate standard and emergency procedures associated with the facility yard, wherein the OTR entry gate, the OTR exit gate, and the AV exit gate are opened and closed by one or more of a gate personnel via a gate control device (GCD), a plurality of gate sensors and a software management system, wherein the OTR entry gate, the OTR exit gate, and the AV exit gate are opened and closed by one or more of a gate personnel via a gate control device (GCD), a plurality of gate sensors and a software management system, wherein the GateComms process counts the OTR trucks and the AV yard trucks entering and leaving the IZ to ensure the OTR trucks and the AV trucks are not in the IZ of the facility yard at a same time.