RAIL-MOUNTED ROBOTIC INVENTORY SYSTEM

• US 20140361077A1
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Published: 12/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RFID Resolution Team Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BAR Code Specialties, Inc. (OMNIQ Corp.)
• Inventors: Davidson, William Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,129,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Examples of a rail-mounted robotic inventory system are provided. The system includes a rail-mounted robot having an electronic tag reader configured to receive electronic tag data from electronic tags associated with inventory items. The system can include a navigation module configured to direct the rail-mounted robot along a rail through an inventory area, detect obstacles, and determine a position of the rail-mounted robot within the inventory area. The system can include an inventory identification module configured to receive the electronic tag data from the rail-mounted robot and identify and/or locate the inventory items in the inventory area based at least partly on the electronic tag data.

Claims

1. A rail-mounted robotic inventory system, the system comprising:

a rail-mounted robot having an electronic tag reader configured to receive electronic tag data from electronic tags associated with inventory items;

a navigation module configured to;

direct the rail-mounted robot along a rail through an inventory area;

detect an obstacle; and

determine a position of the rail-mounted robot within the inventory area;

an inventory identification module configured to receive the electronic tag data from the rail-mounted robot and identify the inventory items in the inventory area based at least partly on the electronic tag data;

wherein the rail-mounted robot is configured to collect multiple readings from one or more of the electronic tags associated with the inventory items, the multiple readings taken at multiple locations along the rail.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation module is further configured to direct the rail-mounted robot to avoid the detected obstacle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation module comprises a three-axis accelerometer used to detect a collision with the detected obstacle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation module is configured to detect the obstacle with the electronic tag reader.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the inventory module is further configured to determine locations of the inventory items within the inventory area based at least partly on the electronic tag data and the position of the rail-mounted robot.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the inventory module is configured to determine the locations of the inventory items by trilateration.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the inventory module is configured to determine the locations of the inventory items by triangulation.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the inventory module is configured to determine the locations of the inventory items based on positions of the inventory items along the rail, ranges of the inventory items from the rail-mounted robot, and angles of the inventory items from the rail-mounted robot.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic tags are passive RFID tags.

10. A rail-mounted robot for inventorying items, the rail-mounted robot comprising:

a navigation module configured to;

direct the rail-mounted robot along a rail through an inventory area;

detect an obstacle; and

determine a position of the rail-mounted robot within the inventory area;

a propulsion module configured to receive directions from the navigation module and to move the rail-mounted robot along the rail;

a RFID reader configured to receive multiple RFID readings from RFID tags associated with inventory items, the multiple RFID readings received along multiple locations along the search route; and

a locater module, the locater module configured to identify the location of inventory items within the inventory area based at least in part on the multiple RFID readings from the multiple locations.

11. The robot of claim 10, the robot further comprising a sensor on the robot configured to communicate sensor data to the navigation module.

12. The robot of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises a three-axis accelerometer.

13. The robot of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises a magnetometer.

14. The robot of claim 10, wherein the navigation module determines the position of the robot based at least in part on dead reckoning.

15. The robot of claim 10, wherein the navigation module determines the position of the robot based at least in part on a wireless locating system.

16. The robot of claim 10, wherein the navigation module determines the position of the robot based at least in part on a path of the rail and a distance traveled along the rail.

17. The robot of claim 10, wherein the RFID reader is coupled to a steerable antenna.

18. The robot of claim 17, wherein the steerable antenna comprises a linear phased array.

19. The robot of claim 17, wherein the steerable antenna comprises a phased array antenna with a matrix of antenna elements.

20. The robot of claim 10, wherein the locater module is configured to identify the location of inventory items based at least in part on the position of the robot.