Method and System for Transporting Inventory Items

• US 20170038770A1
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wurman, Peter R., D'Andrea, Raffaello, Barbehenn, Michael T., Hoffman, Andrew Edward, Mountz, Michael Cordell
• Granted Patent: US 10,133,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C07B 2200/13 Crystalline forms, e.g. polymorphs
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 253/34 Separation; Purification
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 255/43 the carbon skeleton being further substituted by singly-bound oxygen atoms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4189 characterised by the transport system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41895 using automatic guided vehicles [AGV] control of position or course of AGV's G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31408 Cost calculation of use of certain machine types
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32328 Dynamic scheduling, resource allocation, multi agent negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

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.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. A system for navigation, comprising:

a mobile drive unit comprising;

a position sensor operable to detect first information associated with a fiducial mark, the fiducial mark arranged within a two-dimensional grid on a floor of a workspace;

a wireless transmission module operable to wirelessly transmit the first information detected by the position sensor to a remote management module, wherein the remote control module utilizes the detected first information to facilitate navigation within the workspace; and

a drive agent associated with the mobile drive unit, the drive agent operable to;

transmit second information to the remote management module, the second information indicating an availability of the mobile drive unit to perform a task;

receive third information from the remote management module, the third information comprising a task assigned by the remote management module to be performed by the mobile drive unit, the task assigned based at least in part upon the detected first information.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the drive agent resides in the mobile drive unit.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the drive agent resides in a server that is physically distinct from the mobile drive unit.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the remote management module derives a location of the mobile drive unit within the workspace based at least in part on the first information detected by the position sensor of the mobile drive unit.

37. The system of claim 33, the mobile drive unit further comprising a docking actuator operable to lift an inventory holder while the mobile drive unit is beneath the inventory holder.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the drive agent is responsive to instructions from the remote management module that cause the mobile drive unit to move from a first fiducial mark to a second fiducial mark within the two-dimensional grid.

39. The system of claim 33, wherein the mobile drive unit is operable to move an inventory holder along a curved arc and to present a particular face of an inventory holder to an operator stationed at an inventory station.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the mobile drive unit is operable to move the inventory holder along the curved arc by changing a relative rate of rotation of at least two motorized wheels that are in contact with the floor.

41. A mobile drive unit operable to:

detect first information associated with a first fiducial mark, the first fiducial mark arranged within a two-dimensional grid on a floor of a workspace;

transmit, via an interface, the first information detected by the position sensor to a drive agent associated with the mobile drive unit, wherein the drive agent communicates with a remote management module to facilitate navigation within the workspace using the first information; and

receive second information from the drive agent associated with the mobile drive unit, the second information configured to cause the mobile drive unit to move from the first fiducial mark to a second fiducial mark within the two-dimensional grid.

42. The mobile drive unit of claim 41, wherein the mobile drive unit comprises one or more actuators drive agent is operable to communicatively couple with the one or more actuators and is further operable to communicatively couple to a remote management module.

43. The mobile drive unit of claim 41, wherein the mobile drive unit further comprises a processor operable to execute the drive agent.

44. The mobile drive unit of claim 41, wherein the drive agent interacts with a remote management module on behalf of the mobile drive unit to request and receive a route from the first fiducial mark to the second fiducial mark.

45. The mobile drive unit of claim 41, wherein the mobile drive unit comprises a self-powered device comprising at least two wheels and a docking head, and the mobile drive unit is further operable to:

move beneath an inventory holder by coordinating the movement of the at least two wheels;

lift the inventory holder using the docking head; and

present a particular face of the inventory holder to an inventory station using the at least two wheels and the docking head.

46. The mobile drive unit of claim 45, wherein the docking head forms at least two spikes to facilitate docking with the inventory holder.

47. An apparatus comprising:

a device housing for a drive module, a docking head, and a position sensor, wherein;

the drive module comprises at least two motorized wheels and at least one stabilizing wheel;

the docking head is operable to raise to lift an inventory holder, the inventory holder comprising a plurality of shelves and at least two vertical legs; and

the position sensor is operable to detect a fiducial mark disposed on a floor of a workspace; and

a drive agent operable to;

control operation of the drive module and the docking head in response to wireless commands received from a remote management module;

transmit information associated with the fiducial mark to the remote management module; and

receive instructions from the remote management module to actuate one or more of the drive module and the docking head, wherein the instructions are based at least in part upon a location of the device housing, wherein the location is derived from the information associated with the fiducial mark.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the drive agent resides in a physically distinct housing from the device housing.

49. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the fiducial mark comprises a unique identifier that the remote management module associates with a particular location within the workspace, and the location of the device housing is determined based at least in part on the unique identifier.

50. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the position sensor comprises a camera and one or more digital signal processors operable to process images within a field of view of the camera to detect the fiducial mark.

51. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the drive agent is operable to, in response to the instructions from the remote management module, cause the drive module to move the device housing to a second fiducial mark.

52. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the drive agent is operable to transmit state information associated with the device housing to the remote management module.