Container holder utilization and selection

• US 9,389,609 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cotter, Gavin, Mukherjee, Ishan, Mountz, Michael Cordell, Wurman, Peter R., Enright, John Joseph, Brazeau, Jeremiah David, Decker, Michael Harrison
• Primary Examiner(s): Randazzo, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/503,023
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0471 with access from beneath
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• 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 2219/31319 Use data groups as inventory control value, adapt inventory need to new data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An inventory system includes inventory holders, container holders, containers carried by the container holders, mobile drive units, stations, and a management module. The management module instructs the mobile drive units to move the inventory holders and container holders to stations. Container holders are loaded with containers of inbound inventory items at a first station. Inbound inventory items are transferred from containers to inventory holders at a second station. Outbound inventory items are transferred from inventory holders to containers at a third station. Containers of outbound inventory items are removed from container holders at a fourth station.

Claims

1. An inventory system comprising:

a workspace within a facility;

a plurality of inventory holders configured to store inventory items within the workspace;

a plurality of container holders configured to move inventory items within the workspace;

a plurality of containers that are each i) configured to be carried by, and removable from, at least one of the container holders; and

ii) configured for receiving one or more inventory items;

a plurality of stations within the workspace, each station in the plurality of stations configured to receive at least one of an inventory holder or a container holder, each of the plurality of stations configured as one of an induct station, a stow station, a pick station, or a discharge station;

a plurality of unmanned mobile drive units, at least some of the unmanned mobile drive units configured for moving the inventory holders to and from the stations, and at least some of the unmanned mobile drive units configured for moving the container holders to and from the stations; and

a management module configured to;

instruct at least one of the unmanned mobile drive units to move a container holder to the induct station;

instruct, at the induct station, loading the container holder with a first container containing an inbound inventory item;

instruct at least one of the unmanned mobile drive units to move the container holder, including the first container, to the pick station;

instruct, at the pick station, transferring an outbound inventory item from an inventory holder to a second container of the container holder;

instruct at least one of the unmanned mobile drive units to move the container holder, including the first and second containers, to the discharge station; and

instruct, at the discharge station, unloading the second container containing the outbound inventory item from the container holder.

2. The inventory system of claim 1, further comprising a mixed storage area within the workspace and configured to store at least some container holders of the plurality of container holders when not received at the stations,

wherein the management module is further configured to instruct at least one of the unmanned mobile drive units to move the container holder to the mixed storage area when a station is not available for an operation involving the container holder.

3. The inventory system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to:

instruct at least one of the unmanned mobile drive units to move the container holder with the first container containing the inbound inventory item to the stow station; and

instruct, at the stow station, transferring the inbound inventory item to an inventory holder from the first container of the container holder.

4. The inventory system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to instruct, at a station, unloading an empty container from the container holder or loading the container holder with an empty container.

5. The inventory system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to instruct, at the discharge station, removing the outbound inventory item from the second container, and leaving the second container empty and loaded on the container holder.

6. The inventory system of claim 1, wherein the management module is further configured to instruct, at the discharge station, removing the second container, including the outbound inventory item, from the container holder, leaving a space unoccupied by a container in the container holder.

7. A method of managing inventory comprising:

instructing, by a management module, an unmanned mobile drive unit to move a container holder to an induct station of a workspace within a facility, wherein the container holder is configured to removably receive a plurality of containers, each of the plurality of containers configured for receiving one or more inventory items;

instructing, by the management module, loading of the container holder with a first container containing an inbound inventory item at the induct station;

instructing, by the management module, an unmanned mobile drive unit to move the container holder, including the first container, to a pick station of the workspace; and

instructing, by the management module, transfer of an outbound inventory item from an inventory holder to a second container of the container holder at the pick station, wherein the inventory holder is configured to store inventory items within the workspace;

wherein the inbound inventory item contained in the first container of the container holder is received into the workspace, and the outbound inventory item contained in the second container of the container holder is designated for transfer out of the workspace.

8. The method of managing inventory of claim 7, further comprising selecting the container holder to be moved to the induct station of the workspace within the facility based at least in part on at least one of a proximity of the selected container holder to the induct station, or a utility of a storage space occupied by the selected container holder.

9. The method of managing inventory of claim 7, further comprising:

instructing, by the management module, an unmanned mobile drive unit to move the container holder, including at least the first container, to a stow station of the workspace; and

instructing, by the management module, transfer of the inbound inventory item from the first container of the container holder to an inventory holder at the stow station, wherein the inventory holder is configured to store inventory items within the workspace.

10. The method of managing inventory of claim 9, further comprising selecting the container holder to be moved to the stow station of the workspace within the facility based at least in part on an amount of time elapsed since the selected container holder was loaded with at least the first container including the inbound inventory item.

11. The method of managing inventory of claim 9, further comprising selecting an inventory holder to be moved to the stow station of the workspace within the facility based at least in part on a proximity of the selected inventory holder to the stow station and an amount of space in the selected inventory holder for storing one or more inventory item in at least the first container carried by the container holder.

12. The method of managing inventory of claim 7, further comprising selecting the container holder to be moved to the pick station of the workspace within the facility based at least in part on a proximity of the selected container holder to the pick station.

13. The method of managing inventory of claim 7, further comprising selecting the inventory holder to be moved to the pick station of the workspace within the facility based at least in part on at least one of requests for one or more inventory items stored in the selected inventory holder, a proximity of the selected inventory holder to the pick station, or designated destinations of the one or more inventory items of the selected inventory holder.

14. The method of managing inventory of claim 7, further comprising:

instructing, by the management module, an unmanned mobile drive unit to move the container holder, including at least the second container, to a discharge station of the workspace; and

instructing, by the management module, unloading of the second container containing the outbound inventory item from the container holder at the discharge station.

15. The method of managing inventory of claim 14, further comprising selecting the container holder to be moved to the discharge station of the workspace within the facility based at least in part on a proximity of the selected container holder to the discharge station.

16. The method of managing inventory of claim 14, further comprising selecting the container holder to be moved to the discharge station of the workspace within the facility based at least in part on an estimated amount of time until at least the second container including the outbound inventory item will be unloaded from the selected container holder at the discharge station,

wherein the estimated amount of time is based at least in part on a travel time of the selected container holder to reach the discharge station and a wait time until the discharge station is available to unload the selected container holder.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon,

wherein the instructions, when executed, cause a computer system having at least one computer processor to perform a method comprising:

instructing an unmanned mobile drive unit to move a container holder to an induct station of a workspace within a facility, wherein the container holder is configured to removably receive a plurality of containers, each of the plurality of containers configured for receiving one or more inventory items;

instructing loading of the container holder with an inbound container containing an inbound inventory item at the induct station;

instructing an unmanned mobile drive unit to move the container holder, including the inbound container, to a pick station of the workspace; and

instructing transfer of an outbound inventory item from an inventory holder to an outbound container of the container holder at the pick station, wherein the inventory holder is configured to store inventory items within the workspace.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

instructing, when a station is not available for an operation involving the container holder, an unmanned mobile drive unit to move the container holder to a mixed storage area configured to store, within the workspace, at least some container holders when not received at stations.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

instructing an unmanned mobile drive unit to move the container holder, including at least the inbound container containing the inbound inventory item, to a stow station of the workspace;

instructing transfer of the inbound inventory item from the inbound container of the container holder to an inventory holder at the stow station, wherein the inventory holder is configured to store inventory items within the workspace.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

instructing an unmanned mobile drive unit to move the container holder, including at least the outbound container containing the outbound inventory item, to a discharge station of the workspace;

instructing unloading of the outbound inventory item from the outbound container of the container holder at the discharge station.