Dynamic robot scheduler
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorViktor Amelkin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In various examples, a first robot assigned to carry a first load may be determined. An estimated queuing time at a work station may be determined. A processing time associated with processing the first load at the work station may be determined. An arrival time for the first robot may be determined by: combining the estimated queuing time and the processing time to determine a total amount of time for the first robot; determining a first time period that is after an earliest arrival time and which is associated with available occupancy at the work station for at least the total amount of time; and determining the arrival time for the first robot as the beginning of the first time period. The first robot may be controlled to cause the first robot to arrive at the work station at the arrival time.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- determining first data comprising a queue occupancy table for robot occupancy at a first work station, the queue occupancy table comprising a first plurality of rows and a first plurality of columns, wherein each row of the first plurality of rows represents a respective queue position of robots and each column of the first plurality of columns represents a respective time step;
- determining a first robot assigned to carry a first load;
- determining an estimated earliest arrival time for the first robot at the first work station;
- determining an estimated queuing time at the first work station;
- determining an estimated processing time associated with processing the first load at the first work station;
- determining a target arrival time for the first robot in the queue occupancy table by:
- combining the estimated queuing time and the processing time to determine a total time for the first robot;
- determining a first number of cells of the queue occupancy table associated with the total time;
- determining a first column in the queue occupancy table that is associated with a first time that is after the estimated earliest arrival time and which is associated with a second number of consecutive columns having unoccupied cells, wherein the second number is greater than or equal to the first number of cells;
- and
- determining the first time as the target arrival time for the first robot;
- and
- sending first control instructions to the first robot, the first control instructions configured to cause the first robot to arrive at the first work station at the first time.
A method comprising:
- determining a first robot assigned to carry a first load;
- determining an estimated earliest arrival time for the first robot at a first work station;
- determining an estimated queuing time at the first work station;
- determining an estimated processing time associated with processing the first load at the first work station;
- determining an arrival time for the first robot by:
- combining the estimated queuing time and the estimated processing time to determine a total amount of time for the first robot;
- determining a first time period that is after the estimated earliest arrival time and which is associated with available occupancy at the first work station for at least the total amount of time;
- and
- determining the arrival time for the first robot as a beginning of the first time period;
- and
- sending first control instructions to the first robot, the first control instructions configured to cause the first robot to arrive at the first work station at the arrival time.
A system comprising:
- at least one processor;
- and
- non-transitory computer-readable memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, are effective to:
- determine a first robot assigned to carry a first load;
- determine an estimated earliest arrival time for the first robot at a first work station;
- determine an estimated queuing time at the first work station;
- determine an estimated processing time associated with processing the first load at the first work station;
- determine an arrival time for the first robot by:
- combining the estimated queuing time and the estimated processing time to determine a total amount of time for the first robot;
- determining a first time period that is after the estimated earliest arrival time and which is associated with available occupancy at the first work station for at least the total amount of time;
- and
- determining the arrival time for the first robot as a beginning of the first time period;
- and
- wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, are further effective to:
- send first control instructions to the first robot, the first control instructions configured to cause the first robot to arrive at the first work station at the arrival time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.