# US 2019/0172005 A1 · Agv traffic management system

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- Number: US 2019/0172005 A1
- Document ID: US20190172005A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/268,445
- Filed: 2019-02-05
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-18
- Assignees: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
- Applicants: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Robert Michael Shydo, JR.; Seth Kaufman; Fahrudin Alagic; Gregory Tierney; Stephen Caldara; Jianfeng Pu; Ashish Shah
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190172005A1

## CPC

- G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
- G05D 1/0291: {Fleet control (monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127)}
- G05D 1/104: {involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying (traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00)}
- G06K 17/0022: {arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device ("transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L)}
- G06Q 10/0874: {Inventory fulfillment (shipping G06Q10/083)}
- G06Q 10/0877: {by inventory control or reporting using inventory tracking or counting}
- G05D 1/0297: {by controlling means in a control room}
- G06Q 10/08726: {for replenishment processing, procedures, or recommendations using forecasting or optimisation}
- G07C 5/008: {communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C)}
- Y02P 90/60: Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
- 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
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

Techniques for providing a signal processing feature in an inventory management system are described herein. For example, instructions may be received by a computer system of an autonomous vehicle that identify a path to move inventory within a materials handling facility. Further, the computer system of the autonomous vehicle may reduce a current traveling speed of the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving a first signal that is provided by a transmitter coupled with an entity moving within the materials handling facility. The first signal may be span a first distance. In embodiments, the computer system of the autonomous vehicle may stop movement of the autonomous vehicle in response to receiving a second signal provided by the transmitter coupled with the entity. The second signal may span a second distance from the entity that is less than the first distance.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An inventory management system, comprising:
a transmitter device configured to transmit a first signal at a first frequency and a second signal at a second frequency; and
an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) configured to move within a workspace, the AGV comprising one or more processors configured to:
receive the first signal at the first frequency from the transmitter device;
execute a first operation at the AGV to reduce a speed of the AGV based at least in part on receiving the first signal at the first frequency;
receive the second signal at the second frequency from the transmitter device; and
execute a second operation at the AGV to halt motion of the AGV based at least in part on receiving the second signal at the second frequency.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The inventory management system of claim 1, wherein the inventory management system further comprises a management system computer configured to manage a plurality of AGVs within the inventory management system, and wherein the one or more processors of the AGV are further configured to:
transmit, to the management system computer, an indication that the first signal was received or a second indication that the second signal was received, wherein the management system generates a new path for at least one AGV within the inventory management system based at least in part on receiving the first indication or the second indication.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The inventory management system of claim 2, wherein the transmitter device is a wearable device.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The inventory management system of claim 2, wherein the first signal is associated with a first signal range, wherein the second signal is associated with a second signal range, and wherein the first signal range is greater than the second signal range.

### Claim 5

A computer-implemented method performed by a computing system of an autonomous vehicle operating within a workspace, comprising:
receiving first instructions identifying a path to move within the workspace;
during execution of the first instructions, receiving a first signal from a transmitter device of the workspace, the first signal having a first transmission range of a first distance from the transmitter device;
executing a first operation at the autonomous vehicle to reduce a speed of the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on receiving the first signal;
while operating at a reduced speed, receiving a second signal from the transmitter device of the workspace, the second signal having a second transmission range of a second distance from the transmitter device, the first distance being greater than the second distance; and
executing a second operation at the autonomous vehicle to halt motion based at least in part on receiving the second signal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first signal corresponds to a first frequency and the second signal corresponds to a second frequency that differs from the first frequency.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the transmitter device is affixed to a wearable article of clothing.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:
altering a path of execution associated with the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on receiving the first signal or the second signal.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:
causing another path of execution associated with another autonomous vehicle within the workspace to be altered based at least in part on receiving the first signal or the second signal.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:
identifying a zone of the workspace based at least in part on receiving the first signal or the second signal; and
transmitting data to a management system that causes the management system to generate paths for other autonomous vehicles within the workspace based at least in part on avoiding the zone.

### Claim 11 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the transmitter device is portable.

### Claim 12 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:
presenting an audible notification that the autonomous vehicle is operating in a slow mode based at least in part on receiving the first signal.

### Claim 13 (depends on 5)

The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:
presenting a visual indication that the autonomous vehicle is operating in a slow mode based at least in part on receiving the first signal.

### Claim 14

An inventory management system, comprising:
a plurality of autonomous vehicles configured to move within a workspace according to generated paths, an autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles comprising:
a receiver configured to receive a first signal of a first frequency and a second signal of a second frequency; and
a transmitter configured to communicate with a management computer system,
the management computer system configured to:
receive a first indication from a particular autonomous vehicle of the plurality of autonomous vehicles, the first indication indicating reception of the first signal by the receiver;
based at least in part on receiving the first indication, instruct the particular autonomous vehicle to reduce a travelling speed;
receive a second indication from the particular autonomous vehicle, the second indication indicating reception of the second signal by the receiver; and
based at least in part on receiving the second indication, instruct the particular autonomous vehicle to stop moving within the workspace.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The inventory management system of claim 14, wherein the management computer system is further configured to:
generate location information defining an area of the workspace associated with the first signal; and
modify a path of at least one autonomous vehicle of the inventory management system based at least in part on the location information .

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The inventory management system of claim 15, further comprising:
generating new paths for the plurality of autonomous vehicles based in part on receiving the first indication or the second indication.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The inventory management system of claim 15, wherein the signals received by the receiver include wireless network signals.

### Claim 18 (depends on 14)

The inventory management system of claim 14, further comprising:
a wearable device comprising a first transmitter configured to generate the first signal;
a second transmitter configured to generate the second signal; and
a communications transmitter configured to communicate with the management computer system,
wherein the management computer system is further configured to:
receive, from the communications transmitter, an immediate stop indication, wherein receiving the immediate stop indication causes the management computer system to halt all autonomous vehicles within the workspace.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The inventory management system of claim 18, wherein the first transmitter transmits the first signal at the first frequency having a first range of a first distance, and wherein the second transmitter transmits the second signal at the second frequency having a second range of a second distance.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The inventory management system of claim 19, wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance.