Exchange of containers

• US 9,378,482 B1
• Filed: 03/13/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pikler, Tamas, Lee, Fei Hoai, Brazeau, Jeremiah, Battles, Jon Stuart, Aalund, Martin Peter, Lisso, Gregory Karl, Uhlman, Samuel Christopher, Jochim, Jayson Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Alharbi, Adam
• Application Number:
  US14/657,690
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0492 with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/10 with relatively movable racks to facilitate insertion or removal of articles cabinets with means for moving compartments up and down A47B51/00; cabinet system, e.g. consisting of cabinets arranged in a row with means to open or close passages between adjacent cabinets A47B53/02
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

A container exchange station is provided in connection with a workspace of an inventory system. At the container exchange station, containers are exchanged between container holders and container shuttles. The container holders are configured to hold one or more containers having consolidated inventory items in high density storage. The container shuttles are also configured to hold one or more containers for performing other operations with respect to inventory items in the one or more containers. The containers are configured to hold inventory items while the inventory items move for various operations throughout the workspace and while the inventory items are stowed in high density storage in the workspace.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing inventory, the method comprising:

receiving a customer order for an inventory item;

identifying, by a processor, a first container stowed in a container holder, the first container holding at least the inventory item;

instructing, by the processor, a first unmanned mobile drive unit to move the container holder from a storage area of a workspace to an inventory queue of a container exchange station of the workspace, the container holder configured to removably receive one or more containers of a plurality of containers, and each of the plurality of containers configured to receive one or more inventory items;

instructing, by the processor, a second unmanned mobile drive unit to move a container shuttle from an inventory processing area of the workspace to a shuttle queue of the container exchange station, the container shuttle configured to removably receive one or more other containers of the plurality of containers, the container shuttle configured to receive at least one of;

a container holding at least one inbound inventory item identified to be stowed within the storage area of the workspace, or a container holding at least one outbound inventory item identified to be picked at a pick station;

instructing, by the processor, removal of the first container from the container holder and placement of the first container on the container shuttle at the container exchange station prior to the container shuttle being moved to the pick station; and

instructing, by the processor, removal of a second container from the container shuttle and placement of the second container on the container holder at the container exchange station prior to the container holder being moved to the storage area, the second container holding at least one inbound inventory item identified to be stowed within the storage area of the workspace.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein instructing removal of the first container from the container holder and placement of the first container on the container shuttle at the container exchange station and instructing removal of the second container from the container shuttle and placement of the second container on the container holder at the container exchange station comprises:

generating instructions identifying at least the first container and the second container, at least a portion of the instructions being human-readable instructions; and

providing at least the human-readable instructions to a user device associated with a human operator at the container exchange station.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein instructing removal of the first container from the container holder and placement of the first container on the container shuttle at the container exchange station and instructing removal of the second container from the container shuttle and placement of the second container on the container holder at the container exchange station comprises:

generating instructions identifying at least the first container and the second container, at least a portion of the instructions being machine-readable instructions; and

providing at least the machine-readable instructions to an automated operator at the container exchange station, the automated operator configured to remove containers and place containers in accordance with the machine-readable instructions.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising instructing removal of a third container from the container shuttle and placement of the third container on the container holder at the container exchange station prior to the container holder being moved to the storage area, the third container comprising a transship container placed on the container shuttle at a receiving station, the transship container holding a plurality of inbound inventory items to be stowed within the storage area of the workspace.

5. A computer-implemented method of managing inventory, the method comprising:

instructing, by the processor, a first mobile drive unit to move a container holder from a storage area of a workspace to an inventory queue of a container exchange station of the workspace, the container holder configured to removably receive one or more containers of a plurality of containers, each of the plurality of containers configured to receive one or more inventory items;

instructing, by the processor, a second mobile drive unit to move a container shuttle from an inventory processing area of the workspace to a shuttle queue of the container exchange station, the container shuttle configured to removably receive one or more other containers of the plurality of containers;

instructing, by the processor, removal of a first container from the container holder and placement of the first container on the container shuttle at the container exchange station, the first container holding at least one outbound inventory item; and

instructing, by the processor, removal of a second container from the container shuttle and placement of the second container on the container holder at the container exchange station, the second container holding at least one inbound inventory item identified to be stowed within the storage area of the workspace.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

prior to instructing the first mobile drive unit, receiving a customer order for an inventory item; and

identifying the inventory item as the at least one outbound inventory item stowed in the first container.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first container holds at least one stowed inventory item, the at least one stowed inventory item identified to remain stowed within the storage area of the workspace.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

instructing the second unmanned drive unit to move the container shuttle to an inventory processing station;

instructing removal of the at least one outbound inventory item from the first container at the inventory processing station;

instructing the second unmanned drive unit to move the container shuttle to a receiving station after the at least one outbound inventory item is removed from the first container at the inventory processing station;

instructing placement of at least one inbound inventory item in the first container at the receiving station; and

instructing the second unmanned drive unit to move the container shuttle to the shuttle queue of the container exchange station.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the container shuttle further comprises a third container holding one or more outbound inventory items, the method further comprising:

instructing removal of at least one of the one or more outbound inventory items from the third container at the inventory processing station; and

instructing placement of at least one inbound inventory item in the third container at the receiving station.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

prior to the second mobile drive unit moving the container shuttle to the shuttle queue of the container exchange station, instructing the second unmanned drive unit to move the container shuttle to a receiving station; and

instructing removal of the at least one inbound inventory item from at least one of a third container or a transship container and placement of the at least one inbound inventory item in the second container.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the storage area comprises a plurality of container holders holding a plurality of containers filled with inventory items, such that the storage area is a high density storage area.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the container shuttle holds a third container comprising a transship container placed on the container shuttle at a receiving station and holding a plurality of outbound inventory items identified to be picked at a pick station, and the method further comprises instructing the second mobile drive unit to move the container shuttle to the pick station after the first container is placed on the container shuttle at the container exchange station.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein instructing removal of the first container from the container holder and placement of the first container on the container shuttle at the container exchange station comprises:

instructing removal of the first container from the container holder and placement of the first container on an inventory conveyance system of the container exchange station;

instructing an operator to perform a consolidation operation with respect to the at least one outbound inventory item held within the first container; and

instructing removal of the first container from the inventory conveyance system and placement of the first container on the container shuttle.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein instructing removal of the first container from the container holder and placement of the first container on the container shuttle at the container exchange station and instructing removal of the second container from the container shuttle and placement of the second container on the container holder at the container exchange station comprises:

generating instructions identifying at least the first container and the second container, at least a portion of the instructions being machine-readable instructions; and

providing at least the machine-readable instructions to an automated operator at the container exchange station, the automated operator configured to remove containers and place containers in accordance with the machine-readable instructions.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the container exchange station comprises an inventory movement device, and wherein at least one of the first container or the second container is placed on the inventory movement device prior to being placed on at least one of the container holder or the container shuttle.

16. A system of managing inventory, the system comprising:

a plurality of container holders arranged within a storage area of a workspace, individual container holders of the plurality of container holders configured to removably receive one or more containers of a plurality of containers, and each of the plurality of containers configured to receive one or more inventory items;

a plurality of container shuttles configured to removably receive one or more other containers of the plurality of containers;

a plurality of unmanned mobile drive units, at least some of the unmanned mobile drive units configured to move the plurality of container holders and to move the plurality of container shuttles;

a container exchange station within the workspace, the container exchange station

comprising;

a first queue and a second queue, each queue configured to receive at least;

container holders of the plurality of container holders coupled to unmanned mobile drive units of the plurality of unmanned mobile drive units; and

container shuttles of the plurality of container shuttles coupled to other unmanned mobile drive units of the plurality of unmanned mobile drive units; and

an exchange area configured for exchanging containers of the plurality of containers; and

a management module configured to;

instruct movement, by a first unmanned mobile drive unit, of a container holder from the storage area of the workspace to the first queue of the container exchange station;

instruct movement, by a second unmanned mobile drive unit, of a container shuttle from an inventory processing area of the workspace to the second queue of the container exchange station;

instruct removal of the first container from the container holder and placement of the first container on the container shuttle; and

instruct removal of a second container from the container shuttle and placement of the second container on the container holder.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the management module is further configured to:

receive an order for a first inventory item;

determine a location of the first inventory item, the location identifying the first container and the container holder in which the first inventory item is stowed; and

after placement of the first container on the container shuttle, instruct movement, by the second unmanned mobile drive unit, of the container shuttle to a pick station.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the container exchange station further comprises a third queue, and the management module is further configured to:

instruct removal of a third container from the container shuttle and placement of the third container at a temporary receiving location;

instruct movement, by a third unmanned mobile drive unit, of a second container holder to the third queue of the container exchange station; and

instruct removal of the third container from the temporary receiving location and placement of the third container on the second container holder.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the first queue of the container exchange station is located on a first floor of the workspace and the second queue of the container exchange station is located on a second floor of the workspace, and the exchange area is configured for exchanging the containers between the first floor and the second floor.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the exchange area is configured for exchanging containers by at least one of a human operator or an automated operator.