AGV traffic management system

• US 10,255,582 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shydo, Jr., Robert Michael, Kaufman, Seth, Alagic, Fahrudin, Tierney, Gregory, Caldara, Stephen, Pu, Jianfeng, Shah, Ashish
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/240,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20180053141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes

Abstract

Techniques for providing an entity monitoring safety feature in an inventory management system are described herein. For example, instructions may be received by a computer system of an autonomous vehicle that identify a path to move inventory within a materials handling facility. Further, the computer system of the autonomous vehicle may reduce a current traveling speed of the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving a first signal that is provided by a transmitter coupled with an entity moving with the materials handling facility. The first signal may be provided up to a first distance from the entity. In embodiments, the computer system of the autonomous vehicle may stop movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving a second signal provided by the transmitter coupled with the entity. The second signal may be provided up to a second distance from the entity that is less than the first distance.

Claims

1. An inventory management system, comprising:

a plurality of autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) configured to move within a materials handling facility according to generated paths, an AGV of the plurality of AGVs comprising;

a receiver configured to receive radio signals; and

a transmitter configured to communicate with a management system; and

a first area in the materials handling facility comprising;

a first radio located at a first distance from the first area, the first radio configured to transmit a first signal at a first frequency that causes the AGV to reduce a current traveling speed; and

a second radio located at a second distance from the first area, the second radio configured to transmit a second signal at a second frequency that causes the AGV to stop moving,

the management system configured to;

receive, from a particular AGV of the plurality of AGVs, information identifying a location of the particular AGV within the materials handling facility and an indication of the particular AGV receiving the first signal or the second signal via an associated receiver;

generate new paths for the plurality of AGVs within the materials handling facility thereby avoiding the first area; and

provide the new paths to one or more AGVs of the plurality of AGVs.

2. The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the first area in the materials handling facility further comprises an obstacle detection system configured to identify a presence of an entity within a certain distance around the first area.

3. The inventory management system of claim 2, wherein the first radio transmits the first signal and the second radio transmits the second signal to the particular AGV based in part on information obtained by the obstacle detection system identifying the presence of the entity.

4. The inventory management system of claim 2, wherein the obstacle detection system utilizes one or more of a three dimensional (3D) time of flight sensor, a laser curtain detection sensor, an optical interrupter sensor, or a two dimensional (2D) grey scale imaging and intensity plot detection system.

5. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computer system of an autonomous vehicle, first instructions identifying a path to move within a workspace;

reducing, by the computer system, a current speed of the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving, via a receiver associated with the autonomous vehicle, a first signal that is provided by a transmitter module within the workspace, the first signal provided up to a first distance;

providing, by the computer system to a management system, an indication that the first signal has been received; and

stopping movement, by the computer system, of the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving, via the receiver, a second signal that is provided by the transmitter module, the second signal provided up to a second distance that is less than the first distance.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising stopping movement, by the computer system, of the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving, via the receiver, a third signal that is provided by the management system, the third signal generated in response to an entity interacting with an emergency stop mechanism.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising communicating, via an auditory component or visual component associated with the autonomous vehicle, first information that the autonomous vehicle is in a slow mode in response to receiving the first signal or second information that the autonomous vehicle is in a stop mode in response to receiving the second signal.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising displaying, via a user interface associated with the autonomous vehicle, a representation of being in a slow mode or stop mode and information identifying an origination location of the received first signal or the received second signal.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein an entity is further coupled with the transmitter module and a receiver module, the receiver module configured to receive and process instrument test instructions from the management system, and wherein the transmitter module is operable by the entity moving within the workspace and further configured to provide the second signal to the autonomous vehicle in response to an error detected when processing the instrument test instructions.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the entity is further coupled with a battery module, the battery module configured to communicate information identifying low power of the battery module to the entity, and wherein the transmitter module is further configured to provide the second signal to the autonomous vehicle based in part on the information from the battery module.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the battery module is further configured to determine the first distance to provide the first signal and the second distance to provide the second signal based in part on location information that identifies a location for each autonomous vehicle of a plurality of autonomous vehicles within the workspace.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising in response to providing the indication that the first signal has been received:

receiving, via the receiver, second instructions identifying a new path to move within the workspace, the second instructions generated by the management system utilizing an origination location of an entity within the workspace.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising receiving, via the receiver, second instructions identifying a new path to move within the workspace in response to receiving the second signal, the second instructions generated by the management system based in part on a third distance between a current location of the autonomous vehicle, an origination location of an entity and a threshold.

14. An inventory management system, comprising:

a plurality of autonomous vehicles configured to move within a workspace according to generated paths, an autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles comprising;

a receiver configured to receive signals; and

a transmitter configured to communicate with a management computer system,

the management computer system configured to;

identify an area within the workspace to associate with a cross walk based at least in part on information provided by a communication component associated with an entity moving within the workspace;

receive a first indication, from a particular autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles, that identifies reception of a first signal via a corresponding receiver, reception of the first signal causing the particular autonomous vehicle to reduce a current traveling speed within the workspace, the first signal provided by the communication component associated with the entity in the identified area; and

receive a second indication, from the particular autonomous vehicle, that identifies reception of a second signal via the corresponding receiver, reception of the second signal causing the particular autonomous vehicle to stop moving within the workspace, the second signal provided by the communication component associated with the entity in the identified area.

15. The inventory management system of claim 14, wherein the management computer system is further configured to maintain location information about a plurality of areas identified within the workspace that are each associated with a cross walk.

16. The inventory management system of claim 15, further comprising generating new paths for the plurality of autonomous vehicles based in part on the location information.

17. The inventory management system of claim 15, wherein the signals received by the receiver include wireless network signals.

18. The inventory management system of claim 16, wherein generating the new paths for the plurality of autonomous vehicles is further based in part on a threshold distance between each autonomous vehicle and the identified area within the workspace.

19. The inventory management system of claim 18, wherein the threshold distance is determined by the management computer system based in part on a type of each autonomous vehicle.

20. The inventory management system of claim 18, wherein the threshold distance is determined by the management computer system based in part on a number of entities located within the identified area of the workspace.