System and method for transporting personnel within an active workspace

• US 9,280,157 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wurman, Peter R., Barbehenn, Michael T., Verminski, Matthew David, Mountz, Michael Cordell, Polic, Dennis, Hoffman, Andrew Edward, Allard, James Raymond, Nice, Eryk Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBERSON, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US14/018,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20150066283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/00 Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops B65G37/00; stacking of articles B65G57/00; removing articles from stacks B65G59/00; loading machines B65G65/02
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2207/40 Safety features of loads, equipment or persons
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a human transport device and associated system to transport a user within an active workspace. The human transport device may include a platform to support a user, an enclosure coupled to the platform to surround the user, a drive subsystem to power the human transport device, and a control unit to control the movement of the human transport device in coordination with active mobile drive units moving within the workspace. A system implementing one or more human transport devices may include a management module to direct the movement of the one or more human transport devices and designate one or more areas within the workspace as protected areas. Unauthorized objects may be prohibited from entering the protected areas while the human transport device may be allowed within the protected areas.

Claims

1. An inventory-handling system to transport a user within a workspace of the inventory-handling system, the inventory-handling system comprising:

a first device to transport users within the workspace;

a second device to transport the users within the workspace; and

a management module to;

receive a first request relating to a first task to be completed by a user;

receive a second request relating to a second task to be completed by a qualified user;

prioritize the first request and the second request based at least in part on an availability of qualified users capable of handling the second task;

generate a first task assignment corresponding to the first request;

generate a second task assignment corresponding to the second request, wherein the first task assignment and the second task assignment are to be completed according to a prioritization of the first request and the second request;

transmit the first task assignment to the first device;

transmit the second task assignment to the second device;

direct movement of the first device with the user therein to a first destination location within the workspace along a first route; and

direct movement of the second device with the qualified user therein to a second destination location within the workspace along a second route, wherein the first route and the second route are planned in relation to known routes of one or more active drive units within the workspace to avoid collisions between the first device, the second device, and the one or more active drive units within the workspace.

2. The inventory-handling system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one device of the first device or the second device comprises a user identification (ID) component to receive a user ID of an associated user of the at least one device, the at least one device being further configured to determine, based at least in part on receiving the user ID, that the associated user has entered the at least one device before transporting the associated user to the first destination location or the second destination location.

3. The inventory-handling system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one device of the first device or the second device comprises an extendable physical barrier to at least partially surround the at least one device when the extendable physical barrier is extended from a collapsed state where the extendable physical barrier is relatively closer to the at least one device to an extended state where the extendable physical barrier is relatively further away from the at least one device such that the extendable physical barrier defines an area around the at least one device when in the extended state.

4. The inventory-handling system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a protected area manager to:

designate an area around at least one of the first destination location or the second destination location as a protected area;

receive an indication that an unauthorized object has entered the protected area; and

take remedial action in response to receiving the indication.

5. The inventory-handling system as recited in claim 4, further comprising a plurality of sentinel drive units configured to be positioned at a perimeter of the protected area and to detect unauthorized objects that enter the protected area.

6. The inventory-handling system as recited in claim 5, wherein each sentinel drive unit is configured to project a light beam toward another sentinel drive unit to detect the unauthorized objects that enter the protected area.

7. The inventory-handling system as recited in claim 4, wherein the management module is further configured to:

determine that a portable object is within the protected area; and

direct a drive unit to clear the portable object from the protected area before arrival of the first device or the second device at the at least one destination location of the first destination location or the second destination location.

8. The inventory-handling system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one device of the first device or the second device comprises:

a portable cabin having a platform to support an associated user of the at least one device and an enclosure to at least partially surround the associated user during movement of the at least one device; and

a drive unit sized to be positioned underneath the platform and to dock with the portable cabin from underneath the platform, lift the portable cabin, and power the at least one device for movement.

9. The inventory-handling system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one device of the first device or the second device comprises a tether to determine whether a distance between the at least one device and an associated user of the at least one device exceeds a threshold distance, and wherein the management module is further configured to receive a notification from the at least one device that the associated user is beyond the threshold distance based on the tether, and to take remedial action in response to the notification.

10. The inventory-handling system as recited in claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to:

receive a notification of a user-requested pickup location from a computing device associated with the user or the qualified user, and

instruct at least one device of the first device or the second device to move to the user-requested pickup location.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a first request relating to a first task to be completed by a user;

receiving a second request relating to a second task to be completed by a qualified user;

based at least in part on an availability of qualified users capable of handling the second task, prioritizing the first request and the second request to obtain a prioritized order of requests;

generating a first task assignment corresponding to the first request;

generating a second task assignment corresponding to the second request, wherein the first task assignment and the second task assignment are to be completed according to the prioritized order of requests;

transmitting, via a communication interface of one or more computing devices, the first task assignment to a first device configured to transport users within a workspace of an inventory-handling system;

transmitting, via the communication interface, the second task assignment to a second device configured to transport the users within the workspace;

planning a first route associated with the first device in relation to known routes of one or more active drive units within the workspace to avoid collisions between the first device and the one or more active drive units within the workspace;

planning a second route associated with the second device in relation to the known routes of the one or more active drive units within the workspace to avoid collisions between the second device and the one or more active drive units within the workspace;

directing movement of the first device with the user therein to a first destination location within the workspace along the first route; and

directing movement of the second device with the qualified user therein to a second destination location within the workspace along the second route.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising receiving a confirmation that the user has entered the first device before moving the first device.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

designating an area around at least one of the first destination location or the second destination location as a protected area;

receiving an indication that an unauthorized object has entered the protected area; and

taking remedial action in response to receiving the indication.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising detecting the unauthorized object using a plurality of sentinel drive units positioned at a perimeter of the protected area.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising projecting a light beam from a first sentinel drive unit of the plurality of sentinel drive units toward a second sentinel drive unit of the plurality of sentinel drive units, wherein detecting the unauthorized object is based on detecting a break in the light beam.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

determining that a portable object is within the protected area; and

directing a drive unit to clear the portable object from the protected area before arrival of the first device or the second device at the at least one destination location of the first destination location or the second destination location.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

providing a portable cabin to support, and at least partially surround, the user of the first device during the movement of the first device;

positioning a drive unit underneath a platform of the portable cabin;

docking the drive unit to the portable cabin from underneath the platform;

lifting the portable cabin using the drive unit; and

moving the portable cabin using the drive unit during the movement of the first device within the workspace.