Robotic tossing of items in inventory system

• US 10,023,393 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brazeau, Jeremiah David, Sweeney, Andrew M., Garcia, Henry David, Chen, Fred, Lusignan, Brian Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMBESS, YOLANDA RENEE
• Application Number:
  US14/869,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20170088360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/12 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1375 the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 31/00 Mechanical throwing machines for articles or solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41895 using automatic guided vehicles [AGV] control of position or course of AGV's G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40025 Dynamic manipulation, throwing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller

Abstract

Robotic arms or manipulators can be used to toss inventory items within an inventory system. Tossing strategies for the robotic arms may include information about how a grasped item is to be moved and released by a robotic arm to achieve a trajectory for moving the item to a receiving location. A tossing strategy may also use a trajectory that avoids time and/or space reserved for a trajectory of another tossed item. The receiving location can include surfaces and/or other features that can be manipulated for receiving the item based on one or more characteristics of the tossed item and/or a trajectory of the tossed item.

Claims

1. An inventory management system, comprising:

a robotic manipulator configured to grasp any item of a plurality of items, the plurality of items including at least some items that differ from one another;

one or more receiving locations; and

a management module configured to;

receive information about a particular item of the plurality of items;

utilize the information to identify a set of characteristics of the particular item;

determine, from among the one or more receiving locations, a designated receiving location designated for receiving the particular item, the designated receiving location having a known position relative to the robotic manipulator; and

determine, based at least in part on the set of characteristics of the particular item and the known position of the designated receiving location, a tossing strategy for operating the robotic manipulator to move the particular item while grasped by the robotic manipulator to a release point and to release the particular item at the release point so as to cause the identified item to move along a trajectory from the release point to the known position of the designated receiving location, the trajectory having a vertical component and a horizontal component.

2. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to:

generate instructions to cause the robotic manipulator to grasp the particular item so that the particular item becomes a grasped particular item;

generate instructions to cause the robotic manipulator to move the grasped particular item to the release point based on the tossing strategy; and

generate instructions to cause the robotic manipulator to release the grasped particular item at the release point based on the tossing strategy.

3. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to:

determine a grasping strategy for grasping the particular item with the robotic manipulator so as to form a determined grasping strategy; and

determine the tossing strategy based at least in part on the determined grasping strategy.

4. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to:

determine a grasping strategy for grasping the particular item with the robotic manipulator based on the tossing strategy.

5. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the set of characteristics includes at least one of:

a mass of the particular item;

a geometric characteristic of the particular item;

a surface characteristic of the particular item;

a deformability of the particular item;

a structural integrity of the particular item;

a variability of the particular item;

a characteristic determined based on information received about the particular item from one or more sensors;

or

a characteristic determined based on stored information about the particular item.

6. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to determine the tossing strategy based at least in part on one or more characteristics of the robotic manipulator that include at least one of:

an end effector associated with the robotic manipulator;

degrees of freedom of the robotic manipulator;

types of motion possible with the robotic manipulator;

a range of motion of the robotic manipulator;

velocity attainable by the robotic manipulator;

or

space occupied by the robotic manipulator when performing particular movements.

7. An inventory management system, comprising:

a first robotic manipulator configured for tossing items to at least one receiving location of a set of receiving locations comprising one or more receiving locations;

a second robotic manipulator configured for tossing items to at least one receiving location of the set of receiving locations; and

a management module configured to;

determine a first trajectory of tossing a first item by the first robotic manipulator to a first receiving location in the set of receiving locations;

generate a reservation including a space range associated with the first trajectory during a certain time range; and

generate instructions to cause the second robotic manipulator to toss a second item to the first receiving location or to another receiving location in the set of receiving locations along a second trajectory that avoids the space range associated with the first trajectory during the certain time range of the reservation.

8. The inventory management system of claim 7, wherein the second trajectory includes at least one of:

a path travelling over the space range associated with the first trajectory during the certain time range of the reservation;

a path travelling under the space range associated with the first trajectory during the certain time range of the reservation;

or

a path travelling through the space range associated with the first trajectory during a time outside of the certain time range of the reservation.

9. The inventory management system of claim 7, wherein the management module is configured to determine the first trajectory based at least in part on information about a tossing environment in which the first item is to be tossed, the information about the tossing environment including at least one of:

air currents present in the tossing environment;

or

physical obstacles present in the tossing environment.

10. The inventory management system of claim 7, wherein the space range associated with the first trajectory during the certain time range further includes a space range in which the first robotic manipulator moves to cause the first trajectory.

11. The inventory management system of claim 7, wherein the second trajectory includes a path that does not cross the space range associated with the first trajectory during the certain time range of the reservation.

12. The inventory management system of claim 7, wherein the space range associated with the first trajectory is based at least in part on a geometric characteristic of the first item.

13. The inventory management system of claim 7, wherein the management module is further configured to:

receive information about the first item, wherein the first item is included in a plurality of items including at least some items that differ from one another;

utilize the information to identify a set of characteristics of the first item;

determine, from among the set of receiving locations, a designated receiving location designated for receiving the first item, the designated receiving location comprising the first receiving location and having a known position relative to the first robotic manipulator;

determine, based at least in part on the set of characteristics of the first item and the known position of the first receiving location, a tossing strategy for operating the first robotic manipulator to move the first item while grasped by the first robotic manipulator to a release point and to release the first item at the release point so as to cause the first item to move along the first trajectory from the release point to the known position of the first receiving location, the first trajectory having a vertical component and a horizontal component; and

generate instructions to cause the first robotic manipulator to toss the first item along the first trajectory;

determine a second set of characteristics of at least one of the first item or the first trajectory; and

generate instructions, based at least in part on the second set of characteristics, to manipulate the first receiving location for receiving the first item.

14. An inventory management system, comprising:

a robotic manipulator configured for tossing any item of a plurality of items to a receiving location, the plurality of items including at least some items that differ from one another; and

a management module configured to;

generate instructions to cause the robotic manipulator to toss a particular item of the plurality of items along a trajectory toward the receiving location;

determine a set of characteristics of at least one of the particular item or the trajectory; and

generate instructions, based at least in part on the set of characteristics, to manipulate a structure at the receiving location to be configured for receiving the particular item.

15. The inventory management system of claim 14, wherein the instructions to manipulate the receiving location include instructions to change an angle of a surface of the receiving location that is in a path of the trajectory.

16. The inventory management system of claim 14, wherein the instructions to manipulate the receiving location include instructions to change a location of at least a portion of the receiving location that is in a path of the trajectory.

17. The inventory management system of claim 14, wherein the instructions to manipulate the receiving location include instructions to change a resilience of a portion of the receiving location that is in a path of the trajectory.

18. The inventory management system of claim 14, wherein the instructions to manipulate the receiving location include instructions to change a material of the receiving location that is in a path of the trajectory.

19. The inventory management system of claim 14, wherein the instructions to manipulate the receiving location include instructions to change a friction characteristic of a portion of the receiving location that is in a path of the trajectory.

20. The inventory management system of claim 14, wherein the set of characteristics includes at least one of:

a velocity of the particular item during the trajectory;

a mass of the particular item;

a geometric characteristic of the particular item;

a surface characteristic of the particular item;

a deformability of the particular item;

a temperature of the particular item;

a temperature of a space associated with the trajectory;

a structural integrity of the particular item;

or

a variability of the particular item.