ROBOTIC LOGISTICS SYSTEM

• US 20150375398A1
• Filed: 06/24/2015
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guoxinruibo Technology Company Limited
• Original Assignee: RoboteX, Inc.
• Inventors: PENN, Taylor J., STEVENS, Andrew G., SEAL, Gabriella L., IVERS, Eric D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,636,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/08 by means of sensing devices, e.g. viewing or touching devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/089 Determining the position of the robot with reference to its environment
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/021 Optical sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/005 mounted on endless tracks or belts
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0084 comprising a plurality of manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1375 the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck
• 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 2219/32037 Order picking
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40099 Graphical user interface for robotics, visual robot user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40123 Indicate, select features on display, remote manipulator will execute
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40153 Teleassistance, operator assists, controls autonomous robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45045 Maintenance, automatic storage and retrieval system
• 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: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A robotic logistics system is disclosed. The system includes multiple robots each having an image capture unit and a server communicatively coupled to the multiple robots. The server is configured to transmit a location of a first item to a first robot and the location of a second item to a second robot; track the positions of the first robot and the second robot; transmit a first image of the first item captured by the first robot to an operator device; receive first verification signal from the operator device in response to the first image; transmit a second image of the second item captured by the second robot to the operator device; and receive a second verification signal from the operator device in response to the second image.

Claims

1. A robotic logistics system, comprising:

a first robot comprising a first image capture unit;

a second robot comprising a second image capture unit;

a server comprising a control unit coupled to a communication unit, wherein the server is configured to;

transmit, through the communication unit, a location of a first item to the first robot and the location of a second item to the second robot;

track, using the control unit, a position of the first robot relative to the first item and the position of the second robot relative to the second item;

transmit, through the communication unit, a first image of the first item captured by the first image capture unit to an operator device when the first robot arrives at the location of the first item;

receive, through the communication unit, a first verification signal from the operator device in response to the first image;

transmit, through the communication unit, a second image of the second item captured by the second image capture unit to the operator device when the second robot arrives at the location of the second item; and

receive, through the communication unit, a second verification signal from the operator device in response to the second image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first robot further comprises a reader configured to read an identification code in a storage environment;

the server is further configured to;

receive, through the communication unit, a reading of the identification code from the first robot, and

track, using the control unit, the position of the first robot based on the reading of the identification code relative to other instances of the identification code in the storage environment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first robot further comprises a beacon receiver configured to detect a beacon signal emitted by a beacon transmitter in a storage environment;

the server is further configured;

receive, through the communication unit, the beacon signal detected by the first robot; and

track, using the control unit, the position of the first robot based on the beacon signal relative to other beacon signals emitted by other beacon transmitters in the storage environment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the first verification signal from the operator device is a rejection signal; and

the server is further configured to transmit;

through the communication unit, the first image of the first item to another operator device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to:

transmit, through the communication unit, an approved image of the first item to the operator device, and

receive, through the communication unit, a verification signal from the operator device based on a comparison of the approved image and the first image of the first item.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to:

determine, using the control unit, a priority level of at least one of the first item and the second item;

calculate, using the control unit, a proximity of the first robot to at least one of the first item and the second item and the proximity of the second robot to at least one of the first item and the second item; and

transmit, through the communication unit, the location of at least one of the first item and the second item to at least one of the first robot and the second robot based on the calculation of the proximity.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the priority level of at least one of the first item and the second item is determined from a shipping cutoff deadline.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the shipping cutoff deadline for the first item is after the shipping cutoff deadline for the second item, and wherein the second item is assigned a higher priority than the first item.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the priority level of at least one of the first item and the second item is determined from the relative profitability of a transaction for the purchase of the first item and the relative profitability of a transaction for the purchase of the second item.

10. The system, of claim 5, wherein the priority level of at least one of the first item and the second item is determined from the membership status of a purchaser of the first item and the membership status of the purchaser of the second item.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first item and the first robot are located in a first storage environment and the second item and the second robot are located in a second storage environment geographically separated from the first storage environment.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is located in a server location and the operator device is located in an operator location geographically separated from the server location.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the server is located in a server location, the first item and the first robot are located in a first storage environment, the second item and the second robot are located in a second storage environment, and the operator device is located in an operator location, and

the server location, the first storage environment, the second storage environment, and the operator location are geographically separated from one another.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first robot further comprises an end effector configured to retrieve the first item and wherein the first image capture unit is positioned on the end effector.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first robot further comprises an end effector configured to retrieve the first item and wherein the first image capture unit is positioned on the robot to provide a view of the end effector and the first item.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first image capture unit provides an image input to the control unit, and wherein the control unit uses the image input to determine a location of the first robot.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator device is a point of sale terminal.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator device is a consumer mobile communication device.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator device is a video game terminal.

20. A robotic logistics system, comprising:

a first robot comprising;

a first image capture unit;

a second robot comprising a second image capture unit;

wherein the first robot and the second robot each include a server, and wherein each server is configured to;

transmit, through the communication unit, a location of a first item to the first robot and the location of a second item to the second robot;

track, using the control unit, a position of the first robot relative to the first item and the position of the second robot relative to the second item;

transmit, through the communication unit, a first image of the first item captured by the first image capture unit to an operator device when the first robot arrives at the location of the first item;

receive, through the communication unit, a first verification signal from the operator device in response to the first image;

transmit, through the communication unit, a second image of the second item captured by the second image capture unit to the operator device when the second robot arrives at the location of the second item; and

receive, through the communication unit, a second verification signal from the operator device in response to the second image.