Robotic ad hoc network

• US 10,528,061 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2016
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brazeau, Jeremiah David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kira
• Application Number:
  US15/333,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20180113475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0289 with means for avoiding collisions between vehicles vehicle fittings for automatically controlling speed including means for detecting potential obstacles B60K31/0008; avoiding obstacles by action on the steering system B62D; radar, sonar, lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93
• 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: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Described herein is system in which separate networks are operated on behalf of system components associated within an inventory system. Mobile drive units may receive initial instructions from a central authority and may identify a number of system components relevant to the provided instructions. The mobile drive unit may be configured to traverse to locations associated with the identified system components. As the mobile drive unit traverses the inventory floor, it may connect to the separate networks that it comes into contact with. Upon connecting to a network associated with a system component relevant to its set of instructions, the mobile drive unit may provide instructions to the system component to cause it to execute an action. In some embodiments, the mobile drive unit may connect to a system component in order to perform a route guidance algorithm and/or collision avoidance algorithm.

Claims

1. An inventory system, comprising:

a workstation of a workspace, the workstation being configured with at least one processor configured to perform a task related to one or more inventory items associated with an inventory holder when the inventory holder is positioned at the workstation;

a local area network associated with the workstation and configured to connect the workstation with one or more mobile drive units within a connectivity range from the workstation;

a management system configured to provide instructions to the one or more mobile drive units in relation to the one or more inventory items;

a mobile drive unit configured to convey the inventory holder within the workspace, the mobile drive unit comprising;

a processor; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed with the processor, cause the mobile drive unit to, at least;

receive, from the management system, a set of instructions that comprises an indication of the workstation and a subset of instructions to be executed by the at least one processor of the workstation with respect to the one or more inventory items;

traverse along a route determined based on the set of instructions;

connect to the local area network associated with the workstation as the mobile drive unit enters a proximity of the workstation associated with the local area network;

identify an identifier for the workstation based at least in part on a parameter associated with the local area network associated with the workstation;

determine that the identifier of the workstation corresponds to the subset of instructions received from the management system; and

in response to determining that the identifier of the workstation corresponds to the subset of the instructions received from the management system, transmit, via the local area network, the subset of instructions received from the management system to the workstation, wherein transmitting the subset of instructions causes the at least one processor of the workstation to execute the subset of instructions to perform the task.

2. The inventory system of claim 1, wherein the instructions stored in the memory of the mobile drive unit further cause the mobile drive unit to:

connect to a second mobile drive unit;

receive route information from the second mobile drive unit; and

adjust a current route of the mobile drive unit to avoid collision with the second mobile drive unit based on the received route information.

3. The inventory system of claim 1, wherein the instructions stored in the memory of the mobile drive unit further cause the mobile drive unit to:

upon connecting to the local area network associated with an input sensor, receive input from the input sensor; and

adjust a current route of the mobile drive unit based on the received input.

4. The inventory system of claim 1, wherein the task related to one or more inventory items comprises displaying an instruction to collect the one or more inventory items on a display device.

5. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile drive unit, a set of instructions that includes an indication of a system component different from the mobile drive unit and one or more component instructions to be executed by a processor of the system component, the one or more component instructions configured to cause the processor of the system component to perform at least one action;

traversing, by the mobile drive unit, to the system component;

while traversing, by the mobile drive unit, establishing a connection between the mobile drive unit and a local area network operated by the mobile drive unit or the system component as the mobile drive unit enters a proximity of the system component;

identifying that the one or more component instructions are intended for the system component corresponding to the connection established; and

in response to establishing the connection and identifying that the one or more component instructions are intended for the system component, transmitting the one or more component instructions to be executed by the processor system component over the local area network to cause the processor of the system component to execute the component instruction to perform the at least one action.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the system component is one of a plurality of system components that comprises a combination of robotic devices, input sensors, inventory holders, and workstations.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising upon receiving a response via the local area network, updating a status associated with an inventory item.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the status is updated to indicate a failure upon determining that the at least one action is unable to be performed.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising upon determining that the status indicates a failure, transmitting a status alert to a second mobile drive unit within wireless transmission range of the mobile drive unit, the transmitting of the status alert being repeated by the second mobile drive unit.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the system component comprises a workstation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the traversing to the system component comprises collecting an inventory holder and delivering the inventory holder to the workstation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one action comprises a command to present instructions to an operator of the workstation to remove at least one item from the inventory holder.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the system component comprises an inventory loader and providing the one or more component instructions causes the inventory loader to load an inventory holder onto the mobile drive unit through execution of the one or more component instructions.

14. A mobile drive unit apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed with the processor, cause the mobile drive unit apparatus to, at least;

receive a set of instructions that comprises an indication of at least one system component and an action to be executed by a processor of the at least one system component, the set of instructions comprising a first subset of instructions to be executed by the mobile drive unit and a second subset of instructions to be executed by the processor of the system component to perform the action;

traverse to the at least one system component in accordance with the first subset of instructions received;

detect that the mobile drive unit is within transmission range of a local area network of a plurality of local area networks;

connect to the local area network to determine a system component with which the local area network is associated; and

in response to determining that the system component that the local area network is associated with comprises the at least one system component with which the second subset of instructions are to be executed, transmit the second subset of instructions to the at least one system component, wherein the second subset of instructions causes the processor of the at least one system component to execute the second subset of instructions to perform the action with respect to at least one inventory item.

15. The mobile drive unit apparatus of claim 14, further comprising upon determining that the system component that the local area network is associated with is not the at least one system component, recording information related to the system component.

16. The mobile drive unit apparatus of claim 15, wherein the recorded information is transmitted to a central authority.

17. The mobile drive unit apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the mobile drive unit apparatus to:

detect that the mobile drive unit is within transmission range of a second local area network of the plurality of local area networks;

connect to the second local area network to determine a second system component with which the local area network is associated; and

upon determining that the second system component is relevant to the set of instructions, execute a second action.

18. The mobile drive unit apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the mobile drive unit apparatus to generate a route to each of the at least one system component based on the received set of instructions.

19. The mobile drive unit apparatus of claim 18, wherein a status associated with the set of instructions is set to complete once the mobile drive unit has traversed to each of the at least one system component.

20. The mobile drive unit apparatus of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the mobile drive unit apparatus to return to a central authority once the status associated with the set of instructions is set to complete.