Method and system for transporting inventory items
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsPeter R. Wurman, Raffaello D'Andrea, Michael T. Barbehenn, Andrew Edward Hoffman, Michael Cordell Mountz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims11
A system, comprising:
- a drive module of a mobile drive unit, the drive module operable to actuate a plurality of wheels;
- a position sensor of the mobile drive unit, wherein:
- the position sensor comprises a camera and an image-processing component;
- the image-processing component is configured to:
- detect a fiducial marker within a field of view of the camera, wherein the fiducial marker indicates a location within a two-dimensional grid of a workspace;
- and
- determine a first location of the mobile drive unit within the two-dimensional grid of the workspace based on the detected fiducial marker;
- a control module of the mobile drive unit, the control module operable to, in response to determining the first location of the mobile drive unit within the two-dimensional grid, cause the drive module to actuate the plurality of wheels such that the mobile drive unit moves from the first location toward a second location within the two-dimensional grid.
An apparatus comprising:
- a device housing for a drive module, a position sensor, and an obstacle sensor, wherein:
- the drive module comprises at least two motorized wheels;
- the position sensor comprises a camera and an image-processing component, wherein the image-processing component is configured to:
- detect a fiducial marker within a field of view of the camera wherein the fiducial marker indicates a location within a two-dimensional grid of a workspace;
- and
- determine a first location within the two-dimensional grid in the workspace based on the detected fiducial marker;
- and
- the obstacle sensor is operable to detect one or more objects located laterally to the device housing;
- a control module operable to:
- control operation of the drive module in response to wireless commands received from a remote management module;
- utilize the first location to instruct the control module to actuate the drive module to traverse a path from the first location toward a second location in the two-dimensional grid;
- and
- in response to a detection, by the obstacle sensor, of an object in the path, cause the device housing to slow or stop its movement toward the second location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.