# US 10,865,043 B1 · Robotic transport system for an inventory storage module

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- Number: US 10,865,043 B1
- Document ID: US10865043B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 15/947,434
- Filed: 2018-04-06
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2018-04-06
- Assignees: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
- Applicants: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Benjamin Douglas Garcia; Martin Peter Aalund; Jon Stuart Battles; William Kalm
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865043B1

## CPC

- B65G 1/1378: {the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas}
- B25J 5/02: travelling along a guideway
- B25J 9/0096: {co-operating with a working support, e.g. work-table}
- B25J 9/162: {Mobile manipulator, movable base with manipulator arm mounted on it}
- B25J 9/1664: {characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning}
- B65G 1/06: with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level (B65G1/12 takes precedence)
- G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
- G06Q 10/0874: {Inventory fulfillment (shipping G06Q10/083)}
- G06Q 10/08: Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- 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)
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})
- 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

## Abstract

In one embodiment, a trolley for an inventory storage module has a trolley frame and first and second track engagement features on opposed sides of the trolley frame that engage first and second rails of a track, respectively, such that the trolley frame is translatable along the track. The trolley has a power collector that is supported by the trolley frame, and that electrically couples to an electrical rail that is disposed above the trolley frame so as to collect power from the electrical rail as the trolley frame is translated along the track. The trolley has a robotic manipulator having a robotic arm and an end effector. The robotic arm extends below the trolley frame with respect to the vertical direction, and the end effector removeably couples inventory items to the robotic arm.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for an inventory storage module, the system comprising a trolley that comprises:
a trolley frame having first and second frame ends that are spaced from one another along a longitudinal direction, first and second frame sides that are spaced from one another along a lateral direction, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and upper frame end and an underside that are spaced from one another along a vertical direction, perpendicular to both the longitudinal and lateral directions, the upper frame end and the underside extending between the first and second frame sides and between the first and second frame ends;
first and second pairs of wheels that are spaced from one another along the longitudinal direction, each pair including first and second wheels coupled to the trolley frame at the first and second frame sides, respectively, the first and second wheels of each pair configured to engage first and second rails of a track, respectively, such that the trolley frame is translatable along the track along the longitudinal direction;
a plurality of power collectors that are supported by the trolley frame, each including a projection that extends above the upper frame end such that each power collector is configured to electrically couple to a corresponding electrical rail that is disposed above the trolley frame so as to collect power from the electrical rail as the trolley frame is translated along the track; and
a robotic manipulator having:
a robotic arm having first and second arm ends that are spaced from one another, the first arm end being attached to the trolley frame at the underside of the trolley frame at a location that is between the first and second frame sides and between the first and second frame ends such that the robotic arm extends from the underside of the trolley frame and beneath the underside of the trolley frame with respect to the vertical direction; and
a vacuum end effector coupled to the second arm end, the vacuum end effector configured to apply suction to an inventory item to removably couple the inventory item to the second arm end,
wherein the robotic manipulator is powered by the power collected from the plurality of power collectors and is configured to move the end effector to an inventory item that is disposed outwardly of one of the first and second frame sides with respect to the lateral direction and couple the inventory item to the second arm end.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, comprising the electrical rails, and a conveyor disposed above the trolley along the vertical direction, wherein the system defines a gap between the conveyor and the upper frame end of the trolley frame, the gap having a height along the vertical direction that is substantially equal to a combined height of the at least one electrical rail and the at least one power collector when they are mated to one another.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the trolley comprises at least one clamp that is configured to move between a clamped position, wherein the clamp applies a pressure to at least one of the first and second rails so as to fix a position of the trolley with respect to movement along at least one of the vertical and longitudinal directions, and a released position, wherein the pressure is at least partially released such that the trolley is permitted to move along the track along the longitudinal direction.

### Claim 4

A trolley for an inventory storage module, the trolley comprising:
a trolley frame having first and second frame ends that are spaced from one another along a longitudinal direction, first and second frame sides that are spaced from one another along a lateral direction, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and upper frame end and an underside that are spaced from one another along a vertical direction, perpendicular to both the longitudinal and lateral directions, the upper frame end and the underside extending between the first and second frame sides and between the first and second frame ends;
first and second track engagement features coupled to the trolley frame at the first and second frame sides, respectively, the first and second track engagement features configured to engage first and second rails of a track, respectively, such that the trolley frame is translatable along the track along the longitudinal direction;
at least one power collector that is supported by the trolley frame, each configured to electrically couple to an electrical rail that is disposed above the trolley frame so as to collect power from the electrical rail as the trolley frame is translated along the track; and
a robotic manipulator having a robotic arm that has a first arm end that is attached to the trolley frame at the underside of the trolley frame such that the first arm end extends from the underside of the trolley frame and beneath the underside of the trolley frame with respect to the vertical direction, and an end effector coupled to robotic arm and configured to removably couple an inventory item to the robotic arm,
wherein the robotic manipulator is powered by the power collected from the at least one power collector and is configured to move the end effector to an inventory item that is disposed outwardly of one of the first and second frame sides with respect to the lateral direction and couple the inventory item to the robotic arm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, wherein each of the first and second track engagement features includes a wheel configured to rotate around an axis that extends along the lateral direction and to engage a horizontal guide surface of a respective one of the first and second rails.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The trolley of claim 5, wherein the trolley includes at least one motor supported by the trolley frame that is configured to cause at least one of the wheels to rotate so as to cause the trolley to move along the track along the longitudinal direction.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, wherein the first and second track engagement features each include first and second wheels that are each configured to rotate around an axis that extends along the vertical direction, the first and second wheels configured to engage vertical guide surfaces of the first and second rails, respectively, so as to maintain positioning of the trolley frame between the first and second rails.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, wherein each track engagement feature includes a clamp that is configured to move between a clamped position, wherein a position of the trolley is fixed on the track with respect to movement along at least one of the vertical and longitudinal directions, and a released position, wherein the trolley is permitted to move along the track along the longitudinal direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The trolley of claim 8, wherein the clamp includes an arm, and the clamp is configured to move the arm such that the arm applies pressure to the track, thereby squeezing the track between the arm and a respective one of the engagement features when the clamp is in the clamped position.

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, wherein the at least one power collector includes at least two power collectors configured to receive power and at least one power collector configured to couple to ground.

### Claim 11 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, wherein the at least one power collector is configured to supply the collected power that it receives to at least one of (i) a controller that controls movement of the trolley, (ii) a motor that controls movement of at least one track engagement features, (iii) the robotic arm, and (iv) the end effector of the trolley.

### Claim 12 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, wherein each power collector includes at least one projection that extends above the upper frame end of the trolley frame and that is configured to engage a respective electrical rail.

### Claim 13 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, wherein the projection of each power collector is configured to be received in a recess of a corresponding one of the electrical rails.

### Claim 14 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, wherein the trolley includes a second pair of track engagement features that are spaced from the first and second track engagement features along the longitudinal direction, the second pair including first and second track engagement features that are coupled to the trolley frame at the first and second frame sides, respectively, and that are configured to engage the first and second rails of the track, respectively.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The trolley of claim 14, wherein the first and second pairs of track engagement features are disposed outwardly of a first arm end of the robotic arm with respect to the longitudinal direction, the first arm end being attached to the trolley frame.

### Claim 16 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, comprising a controller supported by the trolley frame, the controller configured to control the robotic manipulator so as to move the end effector to an inventory item that is disposed outwardly of one of the first and second frame sides with respect to the lateral direction and to couple the inventory item to the robotic arm.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The trolley of claim 16, wherein the controller is disposed outwardly from a first arm end of the robotic arm with respect to the longitudinal direction, the first arm end being attached to the trolley frame.

### Claim 18 (depends on 4)

The trolley of claim 4, wherein the end effector is configured as a vacuum end effector that grasps objects using suction, and the trolley includes a vacuum generator that is supported by the trolley frame and is configured to apply suction to the end effector.

### Claim 19 (depends on 4)

A system comprising the trolley of claim 4, the system comprising the at least one electrical rail, and a conveyor disposed above the trolley along the vertical direction, wherein the system defines a gap between the conveyor and the upper frame end of the trolley frame, the gap having a height along the vertical direction that is substantially equal to a combined height of the at least one electrical rail and the at least one power collector when they are mated to one another.

### Claim 20 (depends on 4)

A system comprising the trolley of claim 4, the system comprising a conveyor disposed spaced below the trolley along the vertical direction so as to define a space between the conveyor and the trolley, wherein the robotic manipulator is configured to place inventory items onto the conveyor.