Modular hanging lasers to provide easy installation in a distribution center

• US 9,157,617 B1
• Filed: 04/01/2015
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Codeshelf Inc.
• Original Assignee: Codeshelf Inc.
• Inventors: Williams, Jeff, Bhaskaran, Ravi, Martin, Charlie
• Primary Examiner(s): HAN, JASON
• Application Number:
  US14/675,774
• Time in Patent Office: 195 Days
• Field of Search: 362/259, 362/391, 362457-458, 235/385, 705 28- 29
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/02 by movement of light sources in vehicle head lamps F21S41/657
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/0832 Hook and loop-type fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/20 for imaging minute objects, e.g. light-pointer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/32 Holograms used as optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Disclosed are a system, device and/or an apparatus of modular hanging lasers to enable real-time control in a distribution center. In one embodiment, a laser assembly, includes a first support member having a curved upper hook, a second support member having the curved upper hook, and a printed circuit board in between the first support member and the second support member: (1) that is physically coupled with the first support member at a first rotation point of the printed circuit board, and which is physically coupled with the second support member at a second rotation point of the printed circuit board. The laser assembly is attached to a first wire of a distribution center above at least one row of the distribution center having at least one of a shelving, an inventory, and storage compartments along at least one row.

Claims

1. A laser assembly, comprising:

a first support member having a curved upper hook;

a second support member having the curved upper hook;

a printed circuit board in between the first support member and the second support member;

that is physically coupled with the first support member at a first rotation point of the printed circuit board, and

which is physically coupled with the second support member at a second rotation point of the printed circuit board, and

wherein the laser assembly is attached to a first wire of a distribution center above at least one row of the distribution center having at least one of a shelving, an inventory, and storage compartments along at least one row.

2. The laser assembly of claim 1

wherein the printed circuit board has at least one laser whose orientation is adjustable when at least one protrusion of the printed circuit board that extends from a curved guide of at least one of the first support member and the second support member is manually adjusted by a user of the laser assembly by shifting at least one protrusion along the curved guide based on a graduation indicator adjacent to the curved guide and on at least one of the first support member and the second support member, and

wherein a laser is mounted straight up on a set of leads and an entire printed circuit board rotates directly when at least one of the first support member and the second support member is manually adjusted by the user of the laser assembly.

3. The laser assembly of claim 2

wherein the laser assembly is attached to a second wire of the distribution center above at least one area of the distribution center having at least one of a walkway, a pallet, and a stock cart of the distribution center.

4. The laser assembly of claim 3:

wherein the laser assembly is attachable to at least one of the first wire and the second wire using a grappling hook from a floor of the distribution center by the user who attaches at least one of the laser assembly to a rod of the grappling hook that extends perpendicularly from an end closest to at least one of the first wire and the second wire above the floor using the grappling hook having attached through the rod of the grappling hook to at least one laser assembly, and

wherein the grappling hook attaches from a side entry of the laser assembly formed by curved hooks of the laser assembly.

5. The laser assembly of claim 4

wherein the laser assembly to produce a test spot usable for at least one of a testing operation and an aiming operation during installation of the laser assembly, and

wherein a holographic lens is used to create a shape that is beamed using the at least one laser to a location on a ground,

wherein a hologram shape is projected on a wide angle reflective tape on the floor.

6. The laser assembly of claim 4:

wherein multiple laser assemblies are attachable with each other in a daisy chain through a shift-register mechanism in which the multiple laser assemblies are communicatively coupled together in a manner such that the curved upper hooks of each laser assembly remains unblocked from communication cables extending below the curved upper hooks from each of the multiple laser assemblies in the daisy chain.

7. The laser assembly of claim 6

wherein a single radio access point is attached to one end of the daisy chain and is able to communicate wirelessly using a server device through a network to receive commands to direct each of the multiple laser assemblies in the daisy chain.

8. The laser assembly of claim 6 wherein each of the multiple laser assemblies in the daisy chain are slidable together along at least one of the first wire and the second wire until affixed by stoppers attached to a wire on opposite ends of the daisy chain.

9. The laser assembly of claim 6

wherein the multiple laser assemblies are adjusted on the floor prior to placement on at least one of the first wire and the second wire by adjustment of the graduation indicator such that a beam of each of the multiple laser assembles is optimally aligned on the floor prior to placement on the multiple laser assemblies on at least one of the first wire and the second wire using the grappling hook.

10. The laser assembly of claim 9 wherein the beam of each of the multiple laser assemblies is adjustable over at least 80 degree angle in either a distance from a base angle of the printed circuit board.

11. The laser assembly of claim 10 wherein there are multiple ones of the at least one laser, such that the multiple ones of the at least one laser produce beams in different colors such that different colors indicate a particular worker to at least one pick and put an item at the distribution center.

12. The laser assembly of claim 11

wherein there are multiple ones of the at least one laser, such that the multiple ones of the at least one laser each produce beams in different flashing patterns such that different patterns indicate which user is to pick and place the item at the distribution center, wherein the patterns are based on a timing pattern, a frequency pattern, an intensity pattern, and a moving light pattern, and

wherein the laser assembly also has a diffused LED to make an active device visible from a distance of at least 50 meters.

13. The laser assembly of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first rotation point and the second rotation point is fixed using a screw.

14. The laser assembly of claim 1 wherein the laser assembly rotatable on a single-axis gimbals, and includes twelve lasers to produce a set of two-digit numbers from 1 to 29 using a digit-forming holographic lens (pattern) in front of each of the twelve lasers.

15. A laser assembly, comprising:

a first support member having a curved upper hook;

a second support member having the curved upper hook;

a printed circuit board in between the first support member and the second support member;

that is physically coupled with the first support member at a first rotation point of the printed circuit board, and

which is physically coupled with the second support member at a second rotation point of the printed circuit board,

wherein the printed circuit board has at least one laser whose orientation is adjustable,

wherein the laser assembly is attached to a first wire of a distribution center above at least one row of the distribution center having at least one of a shelving, an inventory, and storage compartments along at least one row, and

wherein the printed circuit board having at least one laser whose orientation is adjustable when at least one protrusion of the printed circuit board that extends from a curved guide of at least one of the first support member and the second support member is manually adjusted by a user of the laser assembly by shifting the at least one protrusion along the curved guide based on a graduation indicator adjacent to the curved guide and on at least one of the first support member and the second support member.

16. The laser assembly of claim 15

wherein the laser assembly is attached to a second wire of the distribution center above at least one area of the distribution center having at least one of a walkway, a pallet, and a stock cart of the distribution center.

17. The laser assembly of claim 16

wherein the laser assembly is attached to a second wire of the distribution center above at least one area of the distribution center having at least one of a walkway, a pallet, and a stock cart of the distribution center.

18. A laser assembly, comprising:

a first support member having a curved upper hook;

a second support member having the curved upper hook;

a printed circuit board in between the first support member and the second support member;

that is physically coupled with the first support member at a first rotation point of the printed circuit board, and

which is physically coupled with the second support member at a second rotation point of the printed circuit board,

wherein the printed circuit board has at least one laser whose orientation is adjustable, and

wherein the laser assembly is attached to a first wire of a distribution center above at least one row of the distribution center having at least one of a shelving, an inventory, and storage compartments along at least one row, and

wherein the laser assembly is attachable to at least one of the first wire and a second wire using a grappling hook from a floor of the distribution center by a user who attaches at least one of the laser assembly to a rod of the grappling hook that extends perpendicularly from an end closest to at least one of the first wire and the second wire above the floor using the grappling hook having attached through the rod of the grappling hook the at least one laser assembly.

19. The laser assembly of claim 18:

wherein the grappling hook attaches from a side entry of the laser assembly formed by the curved hooks of the laser assembly, and

wherein the printed circuit board having at least one laser whose orientation is adjustable when at least one protrusion of the printed circuit board that extends from a curved guide of at least one of the first support member and the second support member is manually adjusted by the user of the laser assembly by shifting the at least one protrusion along the curved guide based on a graduation indicator adjacent to the curved guide and on at least one of the first support member and the second support member.

20. The laser assembly of claim 19:

wherein the laser assembly is attached to the second wire of the distribution center above at least one area of the distribution center having at least one of a walkway, a pallet, and a stock cart of the distribution center.