SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING INVENTORY ITEMS
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for transporting inventory items, comprising:
- moving a mobile drive unit to a first point within a workspace, wherein the first point comprises a location of an inventory holder;
docking the mobile drive unit with the inventory holder;
moving the mobile drive unit and the inventory holder to a second point within the workspace, wherein the second point is associated with conveyance equipment; and
moving the inventory holder to a third point within the workspace using the conveyance equipment.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for transporting inventory items includes moving a mobile drive unit to a first point within a workspace. The first point is a location of an inventory holder. The method further includes docking the mobile drive unit with the inventory holder and moving the mobile drive unit and the inventory holder to a second point within the workspace. The second point is associated with conveyance equipment. The method further includes moving the inventory holder to a third point within the workspace using the conveyance equipment.
277 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method for transporting inventory items, comprising:
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moving a mobile drive unit to a first point within a workspace, wherein the first point comprises a location of an inventory holder; docking the mobile drive unit with the inventory holder; moving the mobile drive unit and the inventory holder to a second point within the workspace, wherein the second point is associated with conveyance equipment; and moving the inventory holder to a third point within the workspace using the conveyance equipment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for transporting inventory items, comprising:
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a plurality of inventory holders operable to store inventory items; and a plurality of mobile drive units, including a first mobile drive unit operable to; move to a first point, wherein the first point comprises a location of an inventory holder; dock with the inventory holder; move the inventory holder to a second point, wherein the second point is associated with conveyance equipment; and conveyance equipment operable to move the inventory holder to a third point. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for transporting inventory items, comprising:
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calculating, for each of a plurality of cells in a workspace, a cost associated with a mobile drive unit moving through that cell; calculating a cost associated with transporting a mobile drive unit between a first point and a second point using particular conveyance equipment; calculating a first path cost associated with a first path between an initial location and a destination location based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the first path traverses; calculating a second path cost associated with a second path between the initial location and the destination location, the second path traversing the first point and the second point, based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the second path traverses and the cost associated with transporting the mobile drive unit using the conveyance equipment; selecting one of the first path and the second path based on the first path cost and the second path cost; and transmitting information identifying the selected path to a mobile drive unit. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A system for transporting inventory items, comprising:
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a mobile drive unit; a plurality of inventory holders; a workspace comprising a plurality of workspace cells; conveyance equipment operable to transport the mobile drive unit between a first point and a second point; and a management module operable to; calculate, for each of a plurality of cells in a workspace, a cost associated with a mobile drive unit moving through that cell; calculate a cost associated with transporting a mobile drive unit between a first point and a second point using the conveyance equipment; calculate a first path cost associated with a first path between an initial location and a destination location based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the first path traverses; calculate a second path cost associated with a second path between the initial location and the destination location, the second path traversing the first point and the second point, based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the second path traverses and the cost associated with transporting the mobile drive unit using the conveyance equipment; select one of the first path and the second path based on the first path cost and the second path cost; and transmit information identifying the selected path to a mobile drive unit. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A management module for managing mobile drive units, the management module operable to:
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calculate, for each of a plurality of cells in a workspace, a cost associated with a mobile drive unit moving through that cell; calculate a cost associated with transporting a mobile drive unit between a first point and a second point using particular conveyance equipment; calculate a first path cost associated with a first path between an initial location and a destination location based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the first path traverses; calculate a second path cost associated with a second path between the initial location and the destination location, the second path traversing the first point and the second point, based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the second path traverses and the cost associated with transporting the mobile drive unit using the conveyance equipment; select one of the first path and the second path based on the first path cost and the second path cost; and transmit information identifying the selected path to a mobile drive unit.
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34. A system for managing mobile drive units, comprising:
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means for calculating, for each of a plurality of cells in a workspace, a cost associated with a mobile drive unit moving through that cell; means for calculating a cost associated with transporting a mobile drive unit between a first point and a second point using particular conveyance equipment; means for calculating a first path cost associated with a first path between an initial location and a destination location based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the first path traverses; means for calculating a second path cost associated with a second path between the initial location and the destination location, the second path traversing the first point and the second point, based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the second path traverses and the cost associated with transporting the mobile drive unit using the conveyance equipment; means for selecting one of the first path and the second path based on the first path cost and the second path cost; and means for transmitting information identifying the selected path to a mobile drive unit.
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Specification