Autonomous order fulfillment and inventory control robots

• US 9,731,896 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InVia Robotics Inc.
• Original Assignee: InVia Robotics Inc.
• Inventors: Parks, II, Daniel Frank, Elazary, Lior, Voorhies, Randolph Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMBESS, YOLANDA RENEE
• Application Number:
  US14/950,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20160304281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0028 with movable, e.g. pivoting gripping jaw surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/06 with vacuum or magnetic holding means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0608 with magnetic holding means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0616 with vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/022 using lasers
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/04 Viewing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0492 with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2209/10 Partial order forming
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/065 non-masted mobile jacks of the garage type mounted on wheels or rollers B66F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/07 Floor-to-roof stacking devices, e.g. "stacker cranes", "retrievers"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a system for fully autonomous order fulfillment and inventory management within a distribution site or warehouse. The system operates by autonomous robots directly pulling customer order items from distribution site shelves or pulling individual bins from distribution site shelves and dispensing appropriate quantities of items from the bins until all items of a customer order are retrieved without human involvement. The system further involves the robots autonomously monitoring item quantities within the distribution site, identifying and autonomously responding to shortages, and organizing the items within the distribution site for most efficient order fulfillment.

Claims

1. A robot comprising:

a free moving base comprising wheels, at least a first motor driving the wheels, and batteries powering said first motor;

an extendible lift coupled to the base, the extendible lift rising to any of a plurality of heights above said base;

a platform mounted and affixed directly atop and over said extendible lift and elevated to any of the plurality of heights by said extendible lift, the platform comprising a flat surface upon which retrieved items are placed; and

a robotic arm mounted at a back end of the flat surface of said platform and rising over said platform, the robotic arm comprising a retriever at a distal end of said robotic arm, wherein said extendible lift aligns a height of the platform approximate to a height of an item about a first location, and wherein the robotic arm retrieves said item from the first location by positioning the retriever against a front or top side of said item, engaging the item from said front or top side with the retriever, and repositioning the retriever away from said first location and onto said platform aligned at the height of the first location.

2. The robot of claim 1 further comprising at least a second motor powering movement of the robotic arm and the retriever.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the retriever comprises an electromagnet or a vacuum engaging the item using suction.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the retriever is a gripper engaging the item by opening and closing around the item.

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein the robotic arm comprises a plurality of links and at least a second motor rotating and extending the plurality of links in three dimensions.

6. The robot of claim 1 further comprising at least one first camera guiding movement of the robot within an enclosed space and identifying a shelf containing the item from a plurality of shelves within the enclosed space based on at least one identifier identifying said shelf from the other plurality of shelves or said item within said shelf.

7. The robot of claim 6 further comprising at least one second camera positioned approximate to the robotic arm atop the extendible lift, wherein the second camera identifies a position of said item about said shelf and guides movement of the robotic arm in retrieving said item from said shelf.

8. The robot of claim 6 further comprising at least one second camera positioned approximate to the robotic arm atop the extendible lift, wherein the second camera further verifies retrieval of a correct item from said shelf.

9. A robot comprising:

a motorized base comprising free moving wheels and at least a first motor driving the wheels;

a vertically extending and collapsing lift coupled to the base, the vertically extending and collapsing lift rising to any of a plurality of heights;

an item retention platform with an item retriever, said item retention platform mounted and affixed directly atop and over the vertically extending and collapsing lift; and

a sensory array directing movement of said motorized base to a position of a particular shelf within a distribution site comprising a plurality of shelves, further directing raising of said item retention platform by said lift to a particular height about the particular shelf, and further directing movement of the item retriever in retrieval of a particular item from the particular shelf onto the item retention platform.

10. The robot of claim 9, wherein the sensory array comprises a LIDAR navigation system, the LIDAR navigational system emitting laser or light in directing movement of the motorized base within the distribution site while avoiding collisions with the plurality of shelves, other robots moving within the distribution site, and other obstructions.

11. The robot of claim 9, wherein the sensory array comprises a radio frequency (RF) receiver, the RF receiver directing movements of the motorized base according to at least one of phase or time of flight signals received from a plurality of RF beacons distributed across the distribution site.

12. The robot of claim 9, wherein the sensory array comprises a first set of cameras directing movements of the item retriever in retrieval of the particular item from the particular shelf through identification of a first unique identifier identifying the particular item from a plurality of items stored about the particular shelf, wherein each item of the plurality of items is marked with a different first unique identifier.

13. The robot of claim 12, wherein the sensory array further comprises a second set of cameras directing movements of the motorized base to the particular shelf through identification of a second unique identifier identifying the particular shelf from the plurality of shelves, wherein each shelf of the plurality of shelves is marked with a different second unique identifier.

14. The robot of claim 9, wherein the item retriever is one of a robotic arm with a picker, an electromagnet, or a vacuum.

15. A robot comprising:

a motorized base comprising wheels and at least a motor driving the wheels;

an item retention platform rising to any of a plurality of heights, the item retention platform comprising a flat surface;

a retriever mounted atop and about a back end of the item retention platform and rising over the item retention platform, the retriever comprising an engaging element coupled to a retractable element adapted to extend said engaging element from the back end across a front end of the item retention platform, the retriever operating in conjunction with the item retention platform in retrieving an item with the item retention platform rising to a particular height of a shelf or stack containing the item, the retractable element extending the engaging element across the front end of the item retention platform until contacting said item from a side or above, the engaging element engaging said item from the side or above, and the retractable element retracting the engaging element towards said back end while engaging said item until said item rests atop the item retention platform.