Robotic System Having Shuttle
AssigneeNimble Robotics, Inc.
InventorsSimon Kalouche, Kevin Kruempelstaedter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A robotic system includes a robot having a picking arm to grasp an inventory item and a shuttle. The shuttle includes a platform adapted to receive the inventory item from the picking arm of the robot. The platform is moveable in at least a two-dimensional horizontal plane between a pick-up location located substantially adjacent to the robot and an end location spaced a distance apart from the pick-up location. The system improves efficiency as transportation of the item from the pick-up location to the end location is divided between the robot and the shuttle.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a set of first tracks extending in a first horizontal direction;
- a second track provided between the set of first tracks, the second track being slidable along the set of first tracks in the first horizontal direction;
- and
- a platform coupled to the second track and moveable along the second track in a second horizontal direction transverse to the first horizontal direction, the platform being pivotable between a transport position and a delivery position to displace an item into a select one of a plurality of containers.
A sorting system, comprising:
- a robot including a picking arm arranged to pick an item from a picking area;
- an intermediate delivery mechanism arranged to receive the item from the picking arm of the robot;
- and
- a shuttle device, comprising:
- a set of first tracks extending in a first horizontal direction;
- a second track provided between the set of first tracks, the second track being slidable along the set of first tracks in the first horizontal direction;
- and
- a platform coupled to the second track and arranged to receive the item from the intermediate delivery mechanism, the platform being moveable along the second track in a second horizontal direction transverse to the first horizontal direction, and the platform being pivotable between a transport position and a delivery position to displace the item into a select one of a plurality of containers.
A method of sorting items, comprising:
- picking a first item from a picking area using a picking arm of a robot;
- transferring the first item onto a platform of a shuttle device, the shuttle device including a set of first tracks extending in a first horizontal direction, a second track provided between the set of first tracks, and the platform;
- sliding the second track along the set of first tracks in the first horizontal direction and moving the platform along the second track in a second horizontal direction transverse to the first horizontal direction;
- and
- actuating at least a portion of the platform from a transport position, in which the first item is disposed on the platform, to a delivery position, in which the first item is displaced into a first container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.