Palletizing mobile drive units

• US 9,422,084 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2016
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hess, Peter Martin, Davis, Scot Douglas, Aquilino, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Randazzo, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US15/001,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20160130033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 217 Days
• Field of Search: 414/334
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/00 Pallets or like platforms, with or without side walls, for supporting loads to be lifted or lowered in devices for lifting or lowering bulky or heavy goods for loading or unloading purposes B66F9/12
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0004 Rigid pallets without side walls
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/38 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/44 Elements or devices for locating articles on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00805 Means for facilitating the removal of the load
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/0081 Elements or devices for locating articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/68 for machines, engines or vehicles in assembled or dismantled form
• 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 2201/0267 Pallets
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41895 using automatic guided vehicles [AGV] control of position or course of AGV's G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/021 specially adapted to land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An inventory system includes a pallet and a base for palletizing or unpalletizing a mobile drive unit. The pallet has a set of openings corresponding with features of the mobile drive unit. The mobile drive unit features may extend into the pallet openings. The base includes protrusions corresponding to the pallet openings. Engaging the pallet and base can position the base protrusions in the pallet openings. Positioning the base protrusions in the pallet openings can displace the mobile drive unit features from the pallet openings and/or provide a surface upon which the mobile drive unit can navigate.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a pallet comprising a support surface and one or more openings extending through the support surface,

a base comprising one or more protrusions, the one or more protrusions arranged to correspond with the one or more openings such that the base and the pallet are configurable between (1) an engaged configuration in which the one or more protrusions of the base are positioned within the one or more openings of the pallet, and (2) a separate configuration in which the one or more protrusions of the base are positioned at least partially removed from the one or more openings of the pallet;

wherein the one or more protrusions and the one or more openings are arranged such that at least one of;

movement from the engaged configuration to the separate configuration, when a feature of a mobile drive unit is positioned over a protrusion that is positioned in a corresponding opening of the pallet in the engaged configuration, results in the feature of the mobile drive unit being positioned within the opening;

or

movement from the separate configuration to the engaged configuration, when a mobile drive unit is supported on the support surface of the pallet in the separate configuration such that a feature of the mobile drive unit is positioned within an opening of the pallet, results in the feature of the mobile drive unit being positioned at least partially removed from the opening by a corresponding protrusion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein in the engaged configuration, the support surface of the pallet and the one or more protrusions of the base form a combined surface navigable by the mobile drive unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the support surface is configured to support a bottom of the mobile drive unit so that at least one feature of the mobile drive unit beneath a bottom of the mobile drive unit extends into an opening of the pallet in the separate configuration.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one protrusion of the base is coupled with an actuator or other mechanism operable to raise or lower said at least one protrusion relative to the base.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one protrusion of the base includes a fiducial marker readable by the mobile drive unit.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a ramp configured to provide a path from a floor upon which the base is installed to the support surface when the pallet is in the engaged configuration.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an obstruction configured to block a path of the mobile drive unit to the base when the base is not engaged with the pallet.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a management module configured to provide instructions configured to cause a mobile drive unit to navigate on a combined surface formed by the support surface of the pallet and the one or more protrusions of the base positioned in the one or more openings extending through the support surface of the pallet.

9. A pallet comprising:

a support surface; and

one or more openings extending through the support surface, the one or more openings arranged to correspond with one or more protrusions of a base such that the pallet and the base are configurable between (1) an engaged configuration in which the one or more openings of the pallet receive the one or more protrusions of the base, and (2) a separate configuration in which the one or more openings of the pallet do not receive the one or more protrusions of the base;

wherein the one or more openings are arranged such that at least one of;

movement from the engaged configuration to the separate configuration, when a feature of a mobile drive unit is positioned over a protrusion that is received in a corresponding opening of the pallet in the engaged configuration, results in the feature of the mobile drive unit being positioned within the opening;

or

movement from the separate configuration to the engaged configuration, when a mobile drive unit is supported on the support surface of the pallet in the separate configuration such that a feature of the mobile drive unit is positioned within an opening of the pallet, results in the feature of the mobile drive unit being positioned at least partially removed from the opening by a corresponding protrusion received in the opening.

10. The pallet of claim 9, wherein the pallet further comprises a metal frame, and wherein the support surface of the pallet comprises a wooden layer coupled with the metal frame.

11. The pallet of claim 9, wherein in the engaged configuration, the support surface of the pallet and the one or more protrusions of the base form a combined surface navigable by the mobile drive unit.

12. The pallet of claim 9, wherein the support surface is configured to support a bottom of the mobile drive unit so that at least one feature of the mobile drive unit beneath a bottom of the mobile drive unit extends into an opening of the pallet in the separate configuration.

13. The pallet of claim 9, wherein the pallet further comprises one or more restraints arranged to secure the mobile drive unit to the pallet in the separate configuration.

14. The pallet of claim 9, wherein the pallet comprises a first pallet having a set of posts arranged for supporting a second pallet relative to the first pallet when the first pallet is in the separate configuration.

15. The pallet of claim 14, wherein the set of posts are foldable such that the first pallet occupies a smaller volume in an empty configuration in which the first pallet is not supporting a mobile drive unit than in a loaded configuration in which the first pallet is supporting a mobile drive unit.

16. A base comprising:

one or more protrusions, the one or more protrusions arranged to correspond with one or more openings extending through a support surface of a pallet such that the base and the pallet are configurable between (1) an engaged configuration in which the one or more protrusions of the base are positioned within the one or more openings of the pallet, and (2) a separate configuration in which the one or more protrusions of the base are positioned at least partially removed from the one or more openings of the pallet;

wherein the one or more protrusions are arranged such that at least one of;

movement from the engaged configuration to the separate configuration, when a feature of a mobile drive unit is positioned over a protrusion that is positioned in a corresponding opening of the pallet in the engaged configuration, results in the feature of the mobile drive unit being positioned within the opening;

or

movement from the separate configuration to the engaged configuration, when a mobile drive unit is supported on the support surface of the pallet in the separate configuration such that a feature of the mobile drive unit is positioned within an opening of the pallet, results in the feature of the mobile drive unit being positioned at least partially removed from the opening by a corresponding protrusion.

17. The base of claim 16, wherein in the engaged configuration, the support surface of the pallet and the one or more protrusions of the base form a combined surface navigable by the mobile drive unit.

18. The base of claim 16, wherein at least one protrusion of the base is coupled with an actuator or other mechanism operable to raise or lower said at least one protrusion relative to the base.

19. The base of claim 16, wherein at least one protrusion of the base includes a fiducial marker readable by the mobile drive unit.

20. The base of claim 16, wherein the base is associated with at least one of:

a ramp configured to provide a path from a floor upon which the base is installed to the support surface when the pallet is in the engaged configuration;

or

an obstruction configured to block a path of the mobile drive unit to the base when the base is not engaged with the pallet.