# US 10,481,612 B2 · Apparatus and method for handling goods

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- Number: US 10,481,612 B2
- Document ID: US10481612B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/549,324
- Filed: 2016-02-03
- Published: 2018-02-08
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2015-02-05
- Assignees: Grey Orange Pte. Ltd.
- Applicants: Grey Orange Pte. Ltd.
- Inventors: Akash Gupta; Wolfgang Kurt Hoeltgen; Samay Kohli; Gaurav Kejriwal; Srijan Choudhary; Tushar Agrawal; Swarnik
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481612B2

## CPC

- G05D 1/0274: {using mapping information stored in a memory device (navigation using map-matching G01C21/30)}
- B66F 9/063: {Automatically guided}
- G01C 21/206: {specially adapted for indoor navigation}
- G05B 19/41895: {using automatic guided vehicles [AGV] (control of position or course of AGV's G05D1/00)}
- G05D 1/00: Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00)
- G05D 1/0234: {using optical markers or beacons (optical beacons per se G01S1/70)}
- G05D 1/0236: {in combination with a laser (lasers per se H01S)}
- G05D 1/0261: {using magnetic plots}
- G05D 1/0291: {Fleet control (monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127)}
- G05D 1/0297: {by controlling means in a control room}
- G06Q 10/04: Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" (market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202)
- G06Q 10/0631: Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
- G06Q 10/08: Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- G06Q 10/0833: Tracking
- G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
- B65G 43/00: Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting
- B66F 9/0755: {Position control; Position detectors}
- G01G 19/08: for incorporation in vehicles
- G05B 2219/50393: Floor conveyor, AGV automatic guided vehicle
- G05D 1/0272: {comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels (measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00)}
- G06K 19/06: characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
- G06K 19/06028: {using bar codes}
- G06K 19/06037: {multi-dimensional coding}
- G06K 19/0723: {the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs}
- Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
- Y02P 90/60: Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- B66F: HOISTING, LIFTING, HAULING OR PUSHING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, e.g. DEVICES WHICH APPLY A LIFTING OR PUSHING FORCE DIRECTLY TO THE SURFACE OF A LOAD ({invalid lifting devices A61G7/10; } mounting artificial islands on piles or like supports E02B17/00; scaffolding combined with lifting devices E04G1/22; lifting devices for sliding forms E04G11/24; lifting of buildings E04G23/06; shores or struts E04G25/00; lifts or other hoisting devices on ladders E06C7/12; props for mining E21D15/00)
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D)
- G01G: WEIGHING (sorting by weighing B07C5/16)
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Described herein are an apparatus and a method of fulfilling an order. The method includes: determining, by circuitry of an information processing apparatus, the order to be processed; selecting an operator station where the order will be fulfilled, a rack that includes an item required to fulfill the order, and a vehicle to transport the rack to the operator station; transmitting at least a portion of a transportation path to the selected vehicle; and monitoring locations of the selected vehicle along the transportation path based on marker information received for each marker of a plurality of markers that is detected by the selected vehicle, wherein the plurality of markers is located at predetermined positions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of fulfilling an inventory order, the method comprising:
determining, by circuitry of an information processing apparatus, the inventory order to be processed;
selecting, by the circuitry of the information processing apparatus, an operator station where the inventory order will be fulfilled, a rack that includes an item required to fulfill the inventory order, and a vehicle to transport the rack to the operator station;
transmitting, by the circuitry of the information processing apparatus, at least a portion of a transportation path to the selected vehicle;
monitoring, by the circuitry of the information processing apparatus, locations of the selected vehicle along the transportation path based on marker information received for each marker of a plurality of markers that is detected by the selected vehicle, wherein each of the plurality of markers are located at predetermined positions; and
transferring, by the circuitry of the information processing apparatus, control of movement of the vehicle to the operator station when the vehicle is in a station queue of the operation station, wherein
an end point of the transportation path is the operator station.

### Claim 2

An information processing apparatus, comprising:
circuitry configured to:
determine an inventory order to be processed,
select an operator station where the inventory order will be fulfilled, a rack that includes an item required to fulfill the inventory order, and a vehicle to transport the rack to the operator station,
transmit at least a portion of a transportation path to the selected vehicle,
monitor locations of the selected vehicle along the transportation path based on marker information received for each marker of a plurality of markers that is detected by the selected vehicle, wherein the plurality of markers are located at predetermined positions, and
transfer control of movement of the vehicle to the operator station when the vehicle is in a station queue of the operator station, wherein
an end point of the transportation path is the operator station.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the inventory order to be processed is determined based on one or a combination of an estimate of effort required to fulfill the inventory order, a priority of the inventory order, and a time the inventory order has been pending.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the station queue includes a queue entry marker and a queue exit marker, wherein the control of movement of the vehicle is transferred to the operator station when the vehicle is disposed over the queue entry marker, and wherein the operator station transfers the control of movement of the vehicle back to the information processing apparatus when the vehicle is disposed over the queue exit marker.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
generate, at least one order-fulfilling-information (OFI) for the determined inventory order, each OFI including a different combination of a candidate operator station where the inventory order will be completed, at least one rack grouping that includes all items required to complete the inventory order, and at least one vehicle to transport each rack included in the at least one rack grouping to the candidate operator station; and
select an OFI from the generated at least one OFI to complete the inventory order.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
compute, for each OFI, a cost (H) for the at least one rack grouping that includes all items required to complete the inventory order as: H=Distance/(1+No. of Common Racks), wherein Distance is the combined distance of all racks in the rack grouping from the candidate operator station, and No. of Common Racks is the number of racks included in the rack grouping that include at least two items of the inventory order.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle includes a contact member and a lifting device arranged to controllably raise or lower the contact member relative to the ground, and wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate the transportation path based on a lift state of the contact member of the vehicle.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive rack marker information that is generated based on a rack marker detected by the vehicle, the rack marker being disposed on the rack to be transported by the vehicle.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
compute an offset between one of the monitored locations of the vehicle and an orientation of the marker;
calculate a compensation path for the vehicle based on the computed offset, and
monitor locations of each a plurality of vehicles based on marker information received for each marker of the plurality of markers that is detected by the respective vehicle.

### Claim 10

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a program that when executed by a computer in an information processing apparatus, causes the computer to execute a method of fulfilling an inventory order, the method comprising:
determining the inventory order to be processed;
selecting an operator station where the inventory order will be fulfilled, a rack that includes an item required to fulfill the inventory order, and a vehicle to transport the rack to the operator station;
transmitting at least a portion of a transportation path to the selected vehicle;
monitoring locations of the selected vehicle along the transportation path based on marker information received for each marker of a plurality of markers that is detected by the selected vehicle, wherein the plurality of markers are located at predetermined positions; and
transferring control of movement of the vehicle to the operator station when the vehicle is in the station queue, wherein
an end point of the transportation path is the operator station.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the inventory order to be processed is determined based on one or a combination of an estimate of effort required to fulfill the inventory order, a priority of the inventory order, and a time the inventory order has been pending.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the station queue includes a queue entry marker and a queue exit marker, wherein the control of movement of the vehicle is transferred to the operator station when the vehicle is disposed over the queue entry marker, and wherein the operator station transfers the control of movement of the vehicle back to the information processing apparatus when the vehicle is disposed over the queue exit marker.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10, the method further comprising:
generating at least one order-fulfilling-information (OFI) for the determined inventory order, each OFI including a different combination of a candidate operator station where the inventory order will be completed, at least one rack grouping that includes all items required to complete the inventory order, and at least one vehicle to transport each rack included in the at least one rack grouping to the candidate operator station; and
selecting an OFI from the generated at least one OFI to complete the inventory order.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the step of selecting further comprises:
computing for each OFI, a cost (H) for the at least one rack grouping that includes all items required to complete the inventory order as: H=Distance/(1+No. of Common Racks), wherein Distance is the combined distance of all racks in the rack grouping from the candidate operator station, and No. of Common Racks is the number of racks included in the rack grouping that include at least two items of the inventory order.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the vehicle includes a contact member and a lifting device arranged to controllably raise or lower the contact member relative to the ground, and
the method further comprises:
calculating the transportation path based on a lift state of the contact member of the vehicle.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10, further comprising:
receiving rack marker information that is generated based on a rack marker detected by the vehicle, the rack marker being disposed on the rack to be transported by the vehicle.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 10, the method comprising:
computing an offset between one of the monitored locations of the vehicle and an orientation of the marker;
calculating a compensation path for the vehicle based on the computed offset; and
monitoring locations of each of a plurality of vehicles based on marker information received for each marker of the plurality of markers that is detected by the respective vehicle.

### Claim 18 (depends on 2)

The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transportation path is calculated based on a lift state of a contact member of the vehicle, locations of racks that include the item required to fulfill the inventory order, a current location of the selected vehicle, locations of other vehicles, and predefined obstacles.

### Claim 19 (depends on 10)

The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the transportation path is calculated based on a lift state of a contact member of the vehicle, locations of racks that include the item required to fulfill the inventory order, a current location of the selected vehicle, locations of other vehicles, and predefined obstacles.