Generating a path for a mobile drive unit

• US 8,930,133 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US13/942,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 700/200, 700/214, 700/217, 700/228, 701/22, 701/23, 701/24, 701/25, 701/26, 701/27, 701/28, 701/117, 701/300, 701/301, 701/302, 701400-541, 340/988, 414/788.7, 414/227, 414/240, 414/334, 414/467
• US Class Current: 701/422
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 3/00 Control of position or direction G05D1/00 takes precedence; numerical control to execute positioning G05B19/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

A system for transporting inventory items includes an inventory holder and a mobile drive unit. The inventory holder has a frame with device openings. The mobile drive unit is operable to dock with an inventory holder and undock with an inventory holder. When undocked from an inventory holder, the mobile drive unit is further operable to traverse a path from a first location to a second location. The path passes through at least a first device opening of the inventory holder such that the mobile drive unit passes beneath the inventory holder while moving along the path.

Claims

1. A system for transporting inventory items, comprising:

an inventory holder that includes a frame and one or more device openings formed in the frame; and

a mobile drive unit operable to;

dock with one of a plurality of inventory holders;

undock from one of the plurality of inventory holders; and

traverse a path from a first location to a second location while undocked, wherein the path passes through at least a first device opening of the one or more device openings such that the mobile drive unit passes beneath the inventory holder while moving along the path from the first location to the second location, wherein the inventory holder remains stationary while the mobile drive unit passes from a first side of the inventory holder to beyond a second side of the inventory holder.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the path comprises a first path and the mobile drive unit is further operable to traverse a second path from the first location to the second location while docked, wherein the second path avoids the plurality of inventory holders.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile drive unit traverses the first path from the first location to the second location based at least in part upon a determination that the mobile drive unit is undocked and the mobile drive unit traverses the second path from the first location to the second location based at least in part upon a determination that the mobile drive unit is docked.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a management module operable to:

receive a route request from a mobile drive unit, the route request identifying a destination location;

determine a state of the mobile drive unit, the state comprising docked or undocked;

in response to determining that the state of the mobile drive unit is undocked, generate the first path to the destination; and

in response to determining that the state of the mobile drive unit is docked, generate the second path to the destination.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the inventory holder comprises a first inventory holder, the second location comprises a storage location, and the system further comprises a second inventory holder at the storage location, and the mobile drive unit is further operable to:

traverse the first path to the storage location in response to a determination that the second inventory holder is to be transported to an inventory station;

dock with the second inventory holder at the second location; and

traverse a second path from the storage location to the inventory station, wherein the second path avoids the plurality of inventory holders while moving to the inventory station.

6. A method of transporting inventory items, comprising:

undocking, by a mobile drive unit, from a first inventory holder at a first location;

receiving, from a management module, instructions to move to a second inventory holder at a second location, the instructions generated by the management module in response to determining that the mobile drive unit is undocked;

passing, by the mobile drive unit, beneath a plurality of inventory holders while moving to the second location, wherein each of the plurality of inventory holders remains stationary while the mobile drive unit passes from a first side of each of the plurality of inventory holders to beyond a second side of each of the plurality of inventory holders; and

docking with the second inventory holder at the second location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the mobile drive unit is disposed within a workspace comprising a plurality of cells and the instructions comprise a path that crosses a plurality of first cells;

and

wherein the plurality of first cells are selected by the management module to be included in the path based at least in part upon one or more attributes of the first cells and a state of the mobile drive unit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the state of the mobile drive unit is indicative of one or more dimensions associated with the mobile drive unit.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting, by the mobile drive unit, first information identifying a state of the mobile drive unit to the management module;

transmitting, by the mobile drive unit, second information comprising a route request to the management module; and

receiving a path, the path generated based at least in part upon the state of the mobile drive unit.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein docking with the second inventory holder comprises:

positioning the mobile drive unit beneath the second inventory holder; and

raising a docking head of the mobile drive unit towards the second inventory holder.

9. A method of transporting inventory items, comprising:

undocking, by a mobile drive unit, from a first inventory holder at a first location;

receiving, from a management module, instructions to move to a second inventory holder at a second location, the instructions generated by the management module in response to determining that the mobile drive unit is undocked;

passing, by the mobile drive unit, beneath a plurality of inventory holders while moving to the second location, wherein each of the plurality of inventory holders remains stationary while the mobile drive unit passes from a first side of each of the plurality of inventory holders to beyond a second side of each of the plurality of inventory holders;

docking with the second inventory holder at the second location; and

wherein;

the mobile drive unit is disposed within a workspace comprising a plurality of cells and the instructions comprise a path that crosses a plurality of first cells;

the plurality of first cells are selected by the management module to be included in the path based at least in part upon one or more attributes of the first cells and a state of the mobile drive unit; and

the one or more attributes of the first cells comprises a dimension restriction and the state of the mobile drive unit indicates a dimension required by the mobile drive unit to move through the plurality of cells.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the dimension restriction comprises one or more of a height limit and a width limit and the dimension required by the mobile drive unit comprises one or more of a height and width required by the mobile drive unit to move through the plurality of cells.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the dimension required by the mobile drive unit to move through the plurality of cells depends on whether the mobile drive unit is transporting an inventory holder.

14. A management module, operable to:

receive, by a processor, a route request from a mobile drive unit, wherein the mobile drive unit is located at a first location and the route request comprises a second location;

determine, by the processor, a state associated with the mobile drive unit, wherein the state comprises one or more first dimensions associated with the mobile drive unit, wherein the one or more first dimensions comprises a height associated with the mobile drive unit and a width associated with the mobile drive unit;

access attributes associated with one or more cells of a workspace, wherein the attributes comprise one or more second dimensions, wherein the one or more second dimensions comprises a height restriction and a width restriction associated with the one or more cells;

determine, by the processor, a path from the first location to the second location based at least upon the one or more first dimensions and the one or more second dimensions; and

transmit, by an interface, the path to the mobile drive unit.

15. The management module of claim 14, wherein determining the path further comprises:

comparing the height associated with the mobile drive unit with a height restriction of one or more cells;

comparing the width associated with the mobile drive unit with a width restriction of the one or more cells; and

generating the path based at least upon the comparison of the height associated with the mobile drive unit with the height restriction of one or more cells and the comparison of the width associated with the mobile drive unit with the width restriction of the one or more cells.

16. The management module of claim 14, wherein determining the state associated with the mobile drive unit further comprises:

receiving information from the mobile drive unit identifying the state of the mobile drive unit;

storing the received information; and

identifying the state of the mobile drive unit based on the stored information.

17. The management module of claim 14, wherein the second location comprises one of the following:

a location associated with one of a plurality of inventory holders;

a location associated with an inventory station;

a storage location; and

a rotation area.

18. A management module, operable to:

receive, by a processor, a route request from a mobile drive unit, wherein the mobile drive unit is located at a first location and the route request comprises a second location;

determine, by the processor, a state associated with the mobile drive unit, wherein the state comprises one or more first dimensions associated with the mobile drive unit;

access attributes associated with one or more cells of a workspace, wherein the attributes comprise one or more second dimensions, wherein the attributes associated with the one or more cells further comprise a traffic measurement;

determine, by the processor, a path from the first location to the second location based at least upon the one or more first dimensions and the one or more second dimensions, wherein determining the path further comprises;

comparing the traffic measurement of the one or more cells with a traffic threshold; and

based upon the comparison of the traffic measurement of the one or more cells with the traffic threshold, generating the path; and

transmit, by an interface, the path to the mobile drive unit.

19. The management module of claim 18, wherein the path avoids one or more of the one or more cells based at least upon a determination that the traffic measurement of the one or more of the one or more cells exceeds the traffic threshold.