RANDOM-ACCESS ROBOTIC INVENTORY DISPENSARY: MULTI-PICK FULFILLMENT

• US 20160327941A1
• Filed: 05/04/2015
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Stiernagle, Chad, Kraetsch, Glendon T., LaValle, Dean R., Sheikholeslami, Cameron P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,563,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/102 for input of programme steps, i.e. setting up sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4155 characterised by programme execution, i.e. part programme or machine function execution, e.g. selection of a programme
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4182 manipulators and conveyor only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39102 Manipulator cooperating with conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39106 Conveyor, pick up article, object from conveyor, bring to test unit, place it
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45054 Handling, conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45083 Manipulators, robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The present invention is a robotic system for maintaining product inventory and dispensing products upon request from a customer or other user. Product items are stored in an inventory storage unit (ISU), one item per bin. Controller logic allows items to be stored in, and retrieved from, arbitrarily-assigned storage locations. The bins hang on rails within drawers. Upon a request from a consumer (or other user) for a plurality of product items, the robot retrieves a bin holding the first item from the ISU, and places the bin onto a shelf that moves with the robot. The additional items are handled similarly. Once all the items are on the shelf, the robot transfers them to a dispensing chute to the consumer.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A robotic inventory dispensary, comprising:

a storage unit to store a plurality of storage bins for respective product items; and

robotics to operate on the storage unit, the robotics under control of a computerized controller, wherein the robotics is configured to randomly access locations in the storage unit for placement and retrieval of the plurality of storage bins;

wherein the robotics is operable to retrieve multiple selected storage bins with a multi-pick selection operation, the multiple selected storage bins including two or more storage bins respectively holding product items, and wherein the multiple selected storage bins are selected to satisfy a request for specified items with the multi-pick selection operation.

17. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 16, the robotics including:

a bin-holding unit, the bin-holding unit including a shelf that moves with the robotics, wherein in response to the multi-pick selection operation having placed the multiple selected storage bins for all product items on the shelf that are selected to satisfy the request for the specified items, the robotics transfers the product items from the multiple selected storage bins to a dispensing location.

18. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 16, the robotic inventory dispensary comprising:

a set of drawers in the storage unit, the set of drawers including a first drawer hosting a first storage bin containing a first product item and a second storage bin containing a second product item, and a second drawer hosting a third storage bin containing a third product item; and

a dispensing chute to receive selected product items retrieved by the robotics;

wherein the robotics operates to place the first product item and the third product item in the dispensing chute, in response to retrieval of both of the first product item front the first drawer and the third product item from the second drawer.

19. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 16, the robotics including:

an arm that is articulated, so that the arm can tilt and swivel;

a hand on the arm that can couple to, lift, and translate storage bins in the storage unit and can open drawers of the storage unit; and

a bin-holding unit that moves with the arm, the bin-holding unit adapted to hold the multiple selected storage bins during the multi-pick selection operation.

20. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 19, wherein using the hand, the robotics further:

couples to a first drawer of the storage unit, opens the first drawer, couples to a first storage bin held by the first drawer, lifts the first storage bin, and places the first storage bin onto the bin-holding unit;

while the first storage bin is on the bin-holding unit and the first drawer is open, couples to a second storage bin held by the first drawer, lifts the second storage bin, and places the second storage bin onto the bin-holding unit;

couples to the first storage bin, and transfers a first product item from the first storage bin into a dispensing chute; and

couples to the second storage bin, and transfers a second product item from the second storage bin into the dispensing chute.

21. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 20, wherein using the hand, the robotics further:

closes the first drawer;

moves horizontally or vertically to a second drawer;

while the first and second storage bins are on the bin-holding unit, couples to the second drawer, opens the second drawer, couples to a third storage bin, lifts the third storage bin, and places the third storage bin onto the bin-holding unit, and

couples to the third storage bin and transfers a third product item from the third storage bin into the dispensing chute.

22. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 16, wherein the request for specified items indicates multiple product items to retrieve of:

a particular model, a particular functionality, or a particular manufacturer or vendor.

23. A system, comprising:

a storage unit to store a plurality of storage bins for respective product items;

robotics to operate on the storage unit;

a controller operably coupled to the robotics, the controller to operate the robotics to retrieve multiple selected storage bins with a multi-pick selection operation, the multiple selected storage bins including two or more storage bins respectively holding product items, and the multiple selected storage bins selected during the multi-pick selection operation to satisfy a request specifying the respective product items; and

a bin-holding unit accessible by the robotics, the bin-holding unit to hold at least one of the multiple selected storage bins during the multi-pick selection operation.

24. The system of claim 23, comprising:

a computing device in communication with the controller, the computing device including a user interface to generate an electronic command that includes the request and that the controller receives to retrieve the respective product items from the multiple selected storage bins, the respective product items including a first product item and a second product item.

25. The system of claim 24, comprising:

a dispensing apparatus, the dispensing apparatus including a space to receive the first product item and the second product item in response to the robotics transferring the respective product items from the bin-holding unit, wherein the bin-holding unit is a shelf.

26. The system of claim 25, comprising:

a point of sale system in communication with the controller, the point of sale system to receive payment for the first product item and the second product item before the robotics is controlled to place the first product item and the second product item into the dispensing apparatus.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the request indicates multiple product items to retrieve of:

a particular model, a particular functionality, or a particular manufacturer or vendor.

28. A method, performed with electronic operations in a processing system of a robotic inventory dispensary, the robotic inventory dispensary adapted to store and retrieve a plurality of product items in a storage unit using robotics, and the electronic operations including:

receiving, by a computerized controller of the processing system, a request to retrieve two or more requested product items of the plurality of product items stored in the storage unit, the request indicating a product specification used to select the two or more requested product items from among the plurality of product items;

determining, by the computerized controller using a database system, a set of unique storage bins corresponding to the respective product items of the two or more requested product items, and respective locations of the set of unique storage bins in the storage unit;

operating the robotics in response to a command from the computerized controller, to retrieve respective storage bins for each item of the two or more requested product items and transfer at least a first storage bin holding a first product item of the two or more requested product items onto a holding area; and

operating the robotics to remove the first storage bin from the holding area and place the first product item of the first storage bin into a dispensing apparatus, in response to retrieval of all of the respective storage bins from the storage unit for each item of the two or more requested product items.

29. The method of claim 28,

wherein operations performed by the robotics to retrieve a respective storage bin include opening, by an arm of the robotics, a first drawer of the storage unit to be proximate to a tray that moves with the arm, the tray providing the holding area, and

wherein operations performed by the robotics to transfer the respective storage bin onto the holding area include coupling to and lifting the respective storage bin by a hand attached to the arm, onto the tray.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the dispensing apparatus is an operator access drawer, the operator access drawer adapted to receive a plurality of storage bins.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the dispensing apparatus is a conveyor that transports a plurality of storage bins between the storage unit and an operator access area.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the dispensing apparatus is a dispensing chute.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the product specification indicates multiple product items to retrieve of:

a particular model, a particular functionality, or a particular manufacturer or vendor.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the request to retrieve the two or more requested product items is generated through a user interface of a computing device operated by a customer.

35. The method of claim 28, the electronic operations further including:

receiving, through a point-of-sale payment system, an indication of payment for the two or more requested product items, the indication of payment received before the robotics places any of the two or more requested product items into the dispensing apparatus.

36. The method of claim 28, wherein the holding area is provided by a bin-holding unit, and wherein to retrieve and transfer respective storage bins for the two or more requested product items with the robotics, operations are performed including:

translating a base section of an arm of the robotics horizontally in a plane parallel to a face of the storage unit;

translating the bin-holding unit, which is attached to the base section, horizontally together with the base section;

translating the base section vertically in the plane; and

translating the bin-holding unit, vertically together with the base section, causing the bin-holding unit to receive the respective storage bins on the bin-holding unit.