Interoperable robotic system to load/unload trucks and other containers

A robotic system, comprising:

• a communication interface;
• and
• a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured to:
• receive via the communication interface an indication to establish a conveyance path to convey one or more items from a source location at an originating end of the conveyance path to a destination location at a terminating end of the conveyance path;
• determine programmatically a plan to arrange and configured one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path;
• and
• invoke one or more robots to position, couple as needed, and configure as needed the one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path;
• wherein the processor is further configured to receive via the communication interface an indication that the conveyance path is no longer needed and to use said one or more robots to break down the conveyance path and stow or redeploy the one or more conveyance structures.

A robotic system, comprising:

• a communication interface;
• and
• a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured to:
• receive via the communication interface an indication to establish a conveyance path to convey one or more items from a source location at an originating end of the conveyance path to a destination location at a terminating end of the conveyance path;
• determine programmatically a plan to arrange and configured one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path;
• and
• invoke one or more robots to position, couple as needed, and configure as needed the one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path;
• wherein the processor is further configured to observe one or more of the planning, positioning, coupling, configuring, and using of one or more of said one or more conveyance structures to provide one or more training conveyance paths and to learn based at least in part on said observing to determine programmatically the plan to arrange and configured said one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path;
• and invoke said one or more robots to position, couple as needed, and configure as needed said one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path.

A method, comprising:

• receiving via a communication interface an indication to establish a conveyance path to convey one or more items from a source location at an originating end of the conveyance path to a destination location at a terminating end of the conveyance path;
• determining programmatically a plan to arrange and configured one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path;
• and
• invoking one or more robots to position, couple as needed, and configure as needed the one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path;
• wherein a robot included in the one or more robots is configured to perform a conveyance path building task at least partly autonomously and the further comprises assigning to the robot an assignment to perform the conveyance path building task at least partly autonomously.

A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

• receiving via a communication interface an indication to establish a conveyance path to convey one or more items from a source location at an originating end of the conveyance path to a destination location at a terminating end of the conveyance path;
• determining programmatically a plan to arrange and configured one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path;
• and
• invoking one or more robots to position, couple as needed, and configure as needed the one or more conveyance structures to provide the conveyance path;
• wherein a robot included in the one or more robots is configured to perform a conveyance path building task at least partly autonomously and further comprising computer instructions to assign to the robot an assignment to perform the conveyance path building task at least partly autonomously.