Item retrieval using a robotic drive unit

• US 9,676,552 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2016
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Rishabh, Subramanian, Venkataramanan, Hussain, Mustafa Mustansir, Shareef, Ahmed, Vishwanatham, Vikas
• Primary Examiner(s): LOGAN, KYLE O
• Application Number:
  US15/163,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20160264357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 700216
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments that may facilitate retrieval of items from a storage location. A robotic drive unit transports a carrier storage unit to be proximate to a target storage unit that comprises a container in which an item is located. The robotic drive unit moves a container mover to transfer the container from the target storage unit to the carrier storage unit. The robotic drive unit transports the carrier storage unit with the container to a destination.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a carrier rack comprising a receptacle;

a target rack comprising an item located in a container; and

a robotic drive unit comprising a computing device, the computing device being configured to cause the robotic drive unit to at least;

transport the carrier rack along a travel path to be proximate to the target rack;

transfer the container to the receptacle in the carrier rack by moving a container mover; and

transport the carrier rack with the container to a shipping preparation station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the robotic drive unit is further configured to at least engage a lock for the receptacle subsequent to transferring the container to the receptacle in the carrier rack.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the container mover comprises an arm configured to at least push or pull the container into the receptacle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the robotic drive unit further comprises at least one of:

an on-board battery or an internal combustion engine.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the carrier rack is electrically coupled to the robotic drive unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the robotic drive unit further comprises a body, a plurality of wheels, a platform, and an elevator.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the elevator is configured to raise and lower the platform with respect to a floor.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, via a computing device of a robotic drive unit, instructions to transport a carrier storage unit to be proximate to a target storage unit;

transporting, via the robotic drive unit, the carrier storage unit to be proximate to the target storage unit;

transferring a container from the target storage unit to a receptacle in the carrier storage unit by moving at least one container mover; and

transporting, via the robotic drive unit, the carrier storage unit with the container to a destination.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, via the computing device of the robotic drive unit, instructions to transfer the container to the receptacle.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, via the computing device of the robotic drive unit, instructions to transport the carrier storage unit with the container to the destination.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising avoiding, via the robotic drive unit, an obstruction in an environment where the robotic drive unit operates based at least in part on the instructions to transport the carrier storage unit to be proximate to the target storage unit.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising adjusting, via the computing device of the robotic drive unit, a receptacle dimension based at least in part on a dimension of the container prior to transferring the container from the target storage unit to the receptacle in the carrier storage unit by moving the at least one container mover.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the instructions to transport the carrier storage unit to be proximate to the target storage unit include a location of the target storage unit.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the instructions to transport the carrier storage unit to be proximate to the target storage unit include routing information between a current location of the robotic drive unit and the location of the target storage unit.

15. A system, comprising:

a power source; and

at least one mobile computing device electrically coupled to the power source, the at least one mobile computing device being configured to at least;

transport a carrier storage unit to be proximate to a target storage unit, the target storage unit comprising an item stored within a container;

transfer the container from the target storage unit to a receptacle in the carrier storage unit using a container mover; and

transport the carrier storage unit with the item to a shipping preparation station.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one mobile computing device is further configured to at least determine that the receptacle in the carrier storage unit is aligned with the container that contains the item, wherein the item is transferred from the target storage unit to the receptacle in the carrier storage unit in response to determining that the receptacle in the carrier storage unit is aligned.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the container mover is coupled to at least one of:

a motor or an actuator.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the container mover moves the container from the target storage unit to the receptacle by pushing the container into the receptacle.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the container mover moves the container from the target storage unit to the receptacle by pulling the container into the receptacle.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one mobile computing device is further configured to at least detect that the container is located within the receptacle in the carrier storage unit, wherein the carrier storage unit is transported to the shipping preparation station subsequent to detecting that the container is located within the receptacle.