Method and apparatus for sensing correct item placement for multi-destination picking

• US 8,301,294 B1
• Filed: 09/20/2011
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rouaix, Francois M., Shakes, Jonathan J
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones, Yolanda
• Application Number:
  US13/237,493
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/216
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/38 Collecting or arranging articles in groups

Abstract

Method and apparatus for multi-destination pick using motes. In embodiments, each receptacle may be assigned to a destination and may have a sensor that detects when an item is placed in the receptacle to deactivate the indicator and/or to verify that the item was placed in the correct receptacle. The sensor may be coupled via a wired or wireless connection to a mote that may include a communication interface for communicating with a control system and with other motes in an ad-hoc network. In some embodiments, each mote may also include an indicator that may be activated by a control system to indicate to the agent that the receptacle is the destination receptacle for a picked item. The agent may then place the item in the indicated destination receptacle. In one embodiment, the mote on the destination receptacle may be activated when the picked item is scanned by the agent.

Claims

1. An apparatus for receiving and transporting items picked from a materials handling facility to one of a plurality of destinations in the materials handling facility, the apparatus comprising:

a receptacle for holding one or more of said items;

a mote coupled to the receptacle, the mote comprising;

a processor;

a memory; and

;

a communications interface; and

a sensor coupled to the receptacle, wherein the sensor is operable to detect placement of items in the receptacle;

wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable by the processor to;

receive, from the sensor, an indication that the sensor has detected placement of an item in the receptacle; and

in response to said indication that the sensor has detected placement of an item in the receptacle, send, to a materials handling facility control system via the communications interface, an indication that an item has been placed in the receptacle.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising an indicator coupled to the receptacle, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to, prior to the sensor detecting placement of the item in the receptacle:

receive, from the control system via the communications interface, an indication that the indicator is to be activated; and

activate the indicator in response to the indication received from the control system to indicate that the item is to be placed in the receptacle.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to deactivate the activated indicator in response to said indication that the sensor has detected placement of the item in the receptacle.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein the indicator comprises one or more lights, and wherein said activating the indicator comprises activating at least one of the lights.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising an indicator coupled to the receptacle, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to, subsequent to sending to the control system the indication that the sensor has detected placement of the item in the receptacle:

receive, from the control system via the communications interface, an indication that the receptacle is the destination receptacle for the item; and

activate the indicator in response to the indication received from the control system, wherein said activation indicates that the item has been placed in the correct receptacle.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising an indicator coupled to the receptacle, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to, subsequent to sending to the control system the indication that the sensor has detected placement of the item in the receptacle:

receive, from the control system via the communications interface, an indication that the receptacle is not the destination receptacle for the item; and

activate the indicator in response to the indication received from the control system, wherein said activation indicates that the receptacle is not the correct receptacle for the item.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to communicate, via the communications interface, with one or more other motes in the materials handling facility to exchange information including information received from the control system.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the mote comprises the sensor.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a wireless communications interface, and wherein the sensor is further operable to transmit, via the wireless communications interface, the indication that the sensor has detected placement of the item in the receptacle.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor is further operable to obtain information identifying the item placed in the receptacle, and wherein the indication that the sensor has detected placement of the item in the receptacle received from the sensor includes the information identifying the item.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to include the information identifying the item in the indication that an item has been placed in the receptacle sent to the control system.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the apparatus further includes one or more other sensors coupled to the receptacle, each of the one or more other sensors operable to detect placement of items in the receptacle and to send indications of said detecting to the mote.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor includes motion detector technology operable to detect placement of an item in the receptacle.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor includes technology operable to detect radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on items placed in the receptacle.

15. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a sensor, placement of an item in a receptacle for holding one or more items picked from inventory in a materials handling facility, wherein the sensor is coupled to the receptacle;

receiving, by a mote from the sensor, an indication that the sensor has detected placement of the item in the receptacle, wherein the mote is coupled to the receptacle; and

in response to said indication that the sensor has detected placement of an item in the receptacle, sending, by the mote to a control system of the materials handling facility, an indication that an item has been placed in the receptacle, wherein the mote comprises a processor and memory storing program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the mote to perform said receiving and said sending.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising obtaining, by the sensor, information identifying the item placed in the receptacle, wherein the indication that the sensor has detected placement of the item in the receptacle includes the information identifying the item.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising including the information identifying the item in the indication that an item has been placed in the receptacle sent to the control system.

18. A mote comprising a processor and memory storing program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the mote to implement:

receiving, by the mote from a sensor, an indication that the sensor has detected placement of an item in a receptacle for holding one or more items picked from inventory in a materials handling facility, wherein the mote and the sensor are coupled to the receptacle; and

in response to said indication that the sensor has detected placement of an item in the receptacle, sending, by the mote to a control system of the materials handling facility, an indication that an item has been placed in the receptacle.

19. The mote as recited in claim 18, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement, prior to the sensor detecting placement of the item in the receptacle:

receiving, by the mote from the control system, an indication that an indicator coupled to the receptacle is to be activated; and

activating the indicator in response to the indication received from the control system to indicate that the item is to be placed in the receptacle;

wherein the activated indicator is deactivated in response to said indication that the sensor has detected placement of the item in the receptacle.

20. The mote as recited in claim 18, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to implement, subsequent to sending to the control system the indication that the sensor has detected placement of the item in the receptacle:

receiving, by the mote from the control system, an indication that the receptacle is not the destination receptacle for the item; and

activating an indicator coupled to the receptacle in response to the indication received from the control system, wherein said activation indicates that the receptacle is not the correct receptacle for the item.

21. An apparatus for receiving and transporting items picked from a materials handling facility to one of a plurality of destinations in the materials handling facility, the apparatus comprising:

a receptacle for holding one or more of said items;

a mote coupled to the receptacle, the mote comprising;

a processor; and

a memory; and

;

a communications interface; and

a sensor coupled to the receptacle, the sensor comprising a separate communications interface, wherein the sensor is operable to;

detect placement of an item in the receptacle; and

send, to a materials handling facility control system via the communications interface of the sensor, an indication that the item has been placed in the receptacle;

wherein the memory comprises program instructions executable by the processor to receive, from the control system via the communications interface of the mote, an indication related to said placement of the item in the receptacle.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, further comprising an indicator coupled to the receptacle, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to, prior to the sensor detecting placement of the item in the receptacle:

receive, from the control system via the communications interface of the mote, an indication that the indicator is to be activated; and

activate the indicator in response to the indication received from the control system to indicate that the item is to be placed in the receptacle.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein the sensor is further operable to obtain information identifying the item placed in the receptacle, and wherein the indication that the item has been placed in the receptacle sent to the control system includes the information identifying the item.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, further comprising an indicator coupled to the receptacle, wherein the indication related to said placement of the item in the receptacle indicates that that the receptacle is not the correct destination receptacle for the item, and wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to activate the indicator in response to the indication received from the control system, wherein said activation indicates that the receptacle is not the correct receptacle for the item.