Transporting inventory items using mobile drive units and conveyance equipment

• US 9,519,284 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kiva Systems, Inc (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Andrew Edward, Wurman, Peter R., D'Andrea, Raffaello, Barbehenn, Michael T., Mountz, Michael Cordell
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumbess, Yolanda
• Application Number:
  US14/095,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20140100690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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. A method for transporting inventory items, comprising:

moving a mobile drive unit to a first point within a workspace, wherein the first mobile drive unit comprises an independent, self-powered device and 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, wherein the conveyance equipment represents a powered device that moves the inventory holder in response to instructions received from a management module and at least a component of the conveyance equipment is fixed to a portion of the workspace; and

wherein moving the mobile drive unit and the inventory holder to the second point comprises;

transmitting a reservation request to the management module, the reservation request identifying a cell within a grid-based workspace; and

in response to receiving the reservation request, reserving, by the management module, a plurality of cells associated with the conveyance equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the inventory holder to the third point using the conveyance equipment comprises moving the inventory holder and the mobile drive unit to the third point using the conveyance equipment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the inventory holder to the third point comprises transferring the inventory holder from the mobile drive unit to the conveyance equipment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveyance equipment comprises an elevator operable to move the inventory holder between a first floor and a second floor of the workspace.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the inventory holder to the third point comprises moving multiple inventory holders simultaneously using a drive lift.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveyance equipment comprises an escalator operable to move the inventory bolder between a first floor and a second floor of the workspace.

7. A system for transporting inventory items, comprising:

a plurality of inventory holders operable to store inventory items; and

a plurality of mobile drive units, including a first mobile drive unit wherein the first mobile drive unit comprises an independent, self-powered device and is operable to;

move to a first point within a workspace, wherein the first point comprises a location of an inventory holder;

dock with the inventory holder; and

move the inventory holder to a second point within the workspace, wherein the second point is associated with conveyance equipment;

the conveyance equipment operable to move the inventory holder to a third point within the workspace, wherein the conveyance equipment represents a powered device that moves the inventory holder in response to instructions received from a management module and at least a component of the conveyance equipment is fixed to a portion of the workspace; and

wherein moving the inventory holder to the second point comprises;

transmitting a reservation request to the management module, the reservation request identifying a cell within a grid-based workspace; and

in response to receiving the reservation request, reserving, by the management module, a plurality of cells associated with the conveyance equipment.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the conveyance equipment is operable to move the inventory holder to the third point by moving the inventory holder and the mobile drive unit to the third point.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein moving the inventory holder to the third point comprises transferring the inventory holder from the mobile drive unit to the conveyance equipment.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the conveyance equipment comprises an elevator operable to move the inventory holder between a first floor and a second floor of the workspace.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein moving the inventory holder to the third point comprises moving multiple inventory holders simultaneously using a drive lift.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the conveyance equipment comprises an escalator operable to move the inventory holder between a first floor and a second floor of the workspace.

13. A method for transporting inventory items, comprising:

moving a mobile drive unit to a first point within a workspace, wherein the mobile drive unit comprises an independent, self-powered device and 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, wherein at least a component of the conveyance equipment is fixed to a portion of the workspace;

wherein the conveyance equipment comprises a docking platform and motorized vehicle, the docking platform connectable to the motorized vehicle; and

wherein moving the mobile drive unit and the inventory holder to the second point comprises;

transmitting a reservation request to a management module, the reservation request identifying a cell within a grid-based workspace; and

in response to receiving the reservation request, reserving, by the management module, a plurality of cells associated with the conveyance equipment.

14. A method for transporting inventory items, comprising:

moving a mobile drive unit to a first point within a workspace, wherein the mobile drive unit comprises an independent, self-powered device and 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;

moving the inventory holder to a third point within the workspace using the conveyance equipment, wherein at least a component of the conveyance equipment is fixed to a portion of the workspace; and

wherein moving the mobile drive unit and the inventory holder to the second point comprises;

transmitting a reservation request to a management module, the reservation request identifying a cell within a grid-based workspace; and

in response to receiving the reservation request, reserving, by the management module, a plurality of cells associated with the conveyance equipment.

15. A system for transporting inventory items, comprising:

a plurality of inventory holders operable to store inventory items; and

a plurality of mobile drive units, including a first mobile drive unit wherein the first mobile drive unit comprises an independent, self-powered device and is operable to;

move to a first point within a workspace, wherein the first point comprises a location of an inventory holder;

dock with the inventory holder; and

move the inventory holder to a second point within the workspace, wherein the second point is associated with conveyance equipment;

the conveyance equipment operable to move the inventory holder to a third point, wherein at least a component of the conveyance equipment is fixed to a portion of the workspace;

wherein the conveyance equipment comprises a docking platform and motorized vehicle, the docking platform connectable to the motorized vehicle; and

wherein moving the inventory holder to the second point comprises;

transmitting a reservation request to a management module, the reservation request identifying a cell within a grid-based workspace; and

in response to receiving the reservation request, reserving, by the management module, a plurality of cells associated with the conveyance equipment.

16. A system for transporting inventory items, comprising:

a plurality of inventory holders operable to store inventory items; and

a plurality of mobile drive units, including a first mobile drive unit wherein the first mobile drive unit comprises an independent, self-powered device and is operable to;

move to a first point, wherein the first point comprises a location of an inventory holder;

dock with the inventory holder; and

move the inventory holder to a second point, wherein the second point is associated with conveyance equipment;

the conveyance equipment operable to move the inventory holder to a third point, wherein at least a component of the conveyance equipment is fixed to a portion of a workspace;

wherein moving the mobile drive unit and the inventory holder to the second point comprises;

transmitting a reservation request to a management module, the reservation request identifying a cell within a grid-based workspace; and

in response to receiving the reservation request, reserving, by the management module, a plurality of cells associated with the conveyance equipment.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code, the code operable, when executed, to:

instruct a mobile drive unit to move to a first point within a workspace, wherein the mobile drive unit comprises an independent, self-powered device and wherein the first point comprises a location of an inventory holder;

facilitate docking of the mobile drive unit with the inventory holder;

instruct the mobile drive unit to move the inventory holder to a second point within the workspace, wherein the second point is associated with conveyance equipment; and

facilitate movement of the inventory holder to a third point within the workspace using the conveyance equipment, wherein the conveyance equipment represents a powered device that moves the inventory holder in response to instructions received from a management module and at least a component of the conveyance equipment is fixed to a portion of the workspace;

wherein instructing the mobile drive unit to move the inventory holder to the second point comprises;

transmitting a reservation request to the management module, the reservation request identifying a cell within a grid-based workspace; and

in response to receiving the reservation request, reserving, by the management module, a plurality of cells associated with the conveyance equipment.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein facilitating movement of the inventory holder to a third point comprises an instruction to move the inventory holder and the mobile drive unit to the third point using the conveyance equipment.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein facilitating movement of the inventory holder to a third point comprises an instruction to transfer the inventory holder from the mobile drive unit to the conveyance equipment.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the conveyance equipment comprises an elevator operable to move the inventory holder between a first floor and a second floor of the workspace.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein facilitating movement of the inventory holder to a third point comprises an instruction to move multiple inventory holders simultaneously using a drive lift.