Robotic pick up and delivery system

• US 20030165373A1
• Filed: 03/10/2003
• Published: 09/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chris Estey, Randy Turner, Robin Felder, William Holman
• Original Assignee: Chris Estey, Randy Turner, Robin Felder, William Holman
• Inventors: Turner, Randy, Felder, Robin, Holman, William, Estey, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 7,261,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/331.07
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/10 by means of magazines
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/1442 using carts carrying work holders

Abstract

A pick up and delivery system for use with mobile robots which have a body with a horizontal upper surface and at least one vertical side. The robot has at least one shelf, each of which contains a stop bar containing a retaining device. The system further uses multiple stations, each of which contain at least one pallet retaining surface to contain at least two pallets. The pallet retaining surfaces are provided with a holding device at the pick up area and a holding device at the delivery area. Pallets are used to retain the items being transferred with each of the pallets having a securing device that interacts with the holding device and retaining device. The strength of the holding device at the pick up area is less than the holding device at the delivery area, with the robot'"'"'s retaining device having a strength between the strength of the holding devices. The mobile robot picks up a pallet from a first station, and delivers the pallet to a second station.

Claims

1. A pick up and delivery system for use with mobile robots traveling on a base surface, said mobile robot having a body with a horizontal upper surface and at least one vertical side and multiple fixed stations, each of said fixed stations having a pick up position and a delivery position, said pick up position having:

at least one pallet retaining surface;

a holding member, said holding member being affixed to said pick up position proximate said at least one pallet retaining surface and having a first retaining strength;

said delivery position having;

at least one pallet retaining surface;

a delivery member, said delivery member being affixed to said delivery position proximate said at least one pallet retaining surface and having a second retaining strength;

a mobile robot, said mobile robot having;

at least one shelf,

at least one retaining member, said retaining member having a third retaining strength,

at least one pallet, each of said at least one pallet having a pair of ends and a length, each of said ends having securing means, said securing means interacting with said holding member, said delivery member and said retaining member;

said third retaining strength being greater than said first retaining strength and said second retaining strength being greater than said third retaining strength;

wherein said retaining member interacts with said securing member to maintain said at least one pallet on said at least one shelf on said robot to delivery said pallet from a first of said multiple fixed stations to a second of said multiple fixed stations and said delivery member interacts with said securing member to maintain said at least one pallet on said delivery pallet retaining surface.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said multiple fixed stations further comprise a body, each of said pallet retaining positions being at right angles to said body and parallel to said base surface.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said at least one shelf is parallel to said base surface and further comprises at least one stop bar, said at least one stop bar being secured to said at least one shelf.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said at least one shelf has a height from said base surface slightly greater than the height of said at least one pallet retaining surface from said base surface, thereby allowing each of said at least one shelf to overlap each of said at least one pallet retaining surface a distance sufficient to allow said retaining means to come in contact with said pallet securing means.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein said at least one stop bar further comprises a spring member, said spring member moving horizontally to absorb shock when said robot docks with said fixed station to prevent damage to said fixed station, said pallet and said robot.

6. The system of claim 2 further comprising guide bars, said guide bars being affixed to said shelf and directing the direction of said pallet to enable said securing member to contact said retaining member.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said at least one shelf is a different height from other shelves, thereby enabling said robot to carry multiple pallets and dock with fixed stations having pallet retaining stations at multiple heights.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein the height from said base surface of each of said at least one pallet retaining surface is adjustable along said body.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said station further comprises receiving notches, said receiving notches being position at various distances from said base surface and said at least one pallet retaining surface further comprises flanges, said flanges inter acting with said receiving notches to affix said pallet receiving surface along said fixed station.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said at least one pallet retaining surfaces is at a different height from other pallet retaining surfaces along a vertical support surface, one end of said pallet retaining surfaces being attached to said vertical support surface.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein each of said at least one pallet retaining surfaces is at an angle from said vertical support surface, said attached end being closer to said base surface than an unattached end.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein each of said at least one shelf is at a different height from other shelves along said vertical wall of said robot, one end of said shelf being attached to said vertical wall, thereby enabling said robot to pick up and delivery multiple pallets to said fixed stations simultaneously.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein each of said at least one shelf is at an angle from said robot body, said attached end being farther from said base surface than an unattached end.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said unattached each of said at least one pallet retaining surface and said unattached end of said at least one shelf abut one another, thereby allowing said pallet to slide from said at least one shelf to said at least one retaining surface.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein said at least one pallet retaining surface is hinged to said support surface and releasing said hinge places said unattached end closer to said base surface than said attached end, thereby permitting said pallet to said onto said shelf.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said holding member, said delivery member and said retaining member are magnets.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said holding member, said delivery member and said retaining member are electromagnets.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said robot approaches said fixed station at right angles to said pallet retaining surface.

19. The device of claim 17 wherein said multiple stations and said robot further contain multiple sensors, each of said multiple sensors being positioned to register the presence or absence of a pallet.

20. The device of claim 12 wherein each of said multiple sensor transmits the absence or presence of a pallet to a processing unit, whereby said robot knows the location of pallets to pick up and said processing unit can track the location of each of said at least one pallet.

21. The device of claim 13 further comprising piston means, said piston means being within said vertical support surface proximate said pallet retaining, said piston moving said pallet to said shelf to come in contact with said retaining member.

22. The device of claim 1 wherein said multiple fixed stations further comprise a comprising locking member, said locking member locking said pallet within said multiple fixed station to prevent access to said pallet until released by said robot or a user.

23. The device of claim 22 wherein said robot further comprises a pallet release member, said release member releasing said locking member to permit removal of said pallet from said fixed station.

24. The device of claim 1 wherein a first of said ends of said pallet contains a sensor and has height from a base portion of said length greater a second end, whereby said robot reading said sensor indicates said pallet is empty and said robot not reading said sensor indicates said pallet is full.

25. The device of claim 1 wherein said pallet is configured to mate and interact with a deliver area of a machine, said robot delivering full pallets to said machine and removing empty pallets from said machine.

26. A pick up and delivery system for use with mobile robots traveling on a base surface, said mobile robot having a body with a horizontal upper surface and at least one vertical side and multiple fixed stations, each of said fixed stations having a pick up position and a delivery position, said pick up position having:

at least one pallet holding member, said holding member being affixed to said pick up position;

said delivery position having;

at least one pallet delivery member, said delivery member being affixed to said delivery position;

a mobile robot, said mobile robot having;

at least one shelf,

at least one retaining member

at least one pallet, each of said at least one pallet having a pair of ends and a length, each of said ends having securing means, said securing means interacting with said holding member, said delivery member and said retaining member;

wherein said retaining member interacts with said securing member to remove said at least one pallet from said holding member and retain said at least one pallet on said retaining member, and said delivery member interacts with said securing member to remove said at least one pallet from said retaining member and retain said at lest one pallet on said delivery member,

thereby permitting said robot to pick up and deliver pallets to each of said fixed stations simultaneously.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein said holding member, said securing member and said retaining member are magnets.

28. The device of claim 26 wherein said holding member and said securing member are hooks and said retaining member is a hook receiving member.

29. The device of claim 26 wherein said holding member, said securing member and said retaining member are hook and loop material.

30. The device of claim 26 wherein said at least one pallet length is horizontal to said base surface.

31. The device of claim 26 wherein said at least one pallet length is vertical to said base surface.

32. The device of claim 29 wherein fixed station further comprises a locking member, said locking member locking said pallet onto said hooks until unlocked by said robot or a user.

33. The device of claim 31 wherein said robot further comprises a lock releasing member, said lock releasing member unlocking said locking member to permit said robot to remove said pallet.

34. A method of picking up and delivering articles, without user intervention, between multiple fixed stations using at least one mobile robot moving along a base surface,

each of said multiple fixed stations each having:

at least one pallet-retaining surface, said pallet surface holding at least one pallet;

at least one holding means, said holding means being affixed to said fixed station approximate each of said at least one pallet retaining surface and positioned to releasably retain a pallet on said retaining surface;

a pallet, said pallet having a pair of ends and a length, at least one of said ends having a securing means;

each of said mobile robot having;

at least one shelf, each of said at least one shelf having at least one retaining means, said retaining means being positioned to releasably retain said pallet;

each of said at least one pallet retaining surface having a height from said base surface less than the height of said at least one shelf from said base surface, allowing each of said at least one shelf to pass over said at least one pallet-retaining surface, comprising the steps of;

determining the length of said pallet,

programming said mobile robot to follow a predetermined course from a first fixed station to said multiple fixed stations,

programming said mobile robot to approach each of said fixed stations until said at least one holding means and said at least one retaining means are a distance apart which equals said length of said pallet;

placing said pallet on said pallet-retaining surface at at least one of said fixed station,

positioning said securing means of said pallet in contact with said fixed station holding means,

leaving said pallet for said mobile robot,

initializing said robot to travel along a preprogrammed route;

said robot approaching a first of said at least one fixed station;

causing each of said at least one shelf to over lap each of said at least one pallet retaining surface;

sliding each of said at least one shelf under each of said pallet until each of said retaining means is in contact with each of said pallet securing means,

continuing the programmed route of said robot to the next of said multiple fixed stations,

retaining each of said pallets on each of said shelves through said retaining means having a greater holding strength than said first fixed station holding means,

traveling to a second fixed station along a preprogrammed route,

approaching said pallet-retaining surface;

causing each of said at least one shelf to over lap each said at least one pallet-retaining surface,

sliding each of said at least one shelf over said second fixed station pallet retaining surface until said second station retaining means is in contact with said securing means,

continuing the programmed route of said robot to the next of said multiple fixed stations,

retaining said pallet on said second fixed station pallet retaining surface through said second station-holding means having a greater holding strength than said mobile robot retaining means.

35. The method of claim 34 comprising the steps of simultaneously picking up and delivering at least two pallets on each of said at least one pallet retaining surface wherein each of said pallet-retaining surface contains a pallet delivery position, each of said pallet delivery position containing retaining means to receive said at least one pallet, and each of said at least one shelf contains a pallet delivery position, each of said robot pallet delivery position containing holding means, said holding means releasing said pallet to said retaining means.