System and method for processing waste material
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsPeter R. Wurman, Michael Barbehenn, Aron Klair Insinga, Eric Leventhal Arthen, Joshua B. Chaitin-Pollak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for processing waste in a material handling system includes detecting an occurrence of a trigger event associated with a waste holder located at a first location and, in response to detecting the trigger event, moving a mobile drive unit to the first location. The method also includes loading waste material onto the mobile drive unit at the first location and transporting the waste material to a waste station using the mobile drive unit.
Claims73
A method for processing waste in a material handling system, comprising:
- detecting, by a management module, an occurrence of a trigger event associated with a waste holder located at a first location, wherein the first location is located adjacent to a workstation;
- in response to detecting the trigger event, selecting, by the management module, one of a plurality of mobile drive units;
- instructing, by the management module, the selected mobile drive unit to move to the first location;
- instructing, by the management module, the selected mobile drive unit to load waste material onto the selected mobile drive unit at the first location;
- and
- instructing, by the management module, the selected mobile drive unit to transport the waste material from the first location to a waste station, wherein the waste station is operable to perform a waste processing task.
A material handling system, comprising:
- a plurality of waste holders operable to store waste material;
- a waste station operable to perform a waste processing task;
- a plurality of mobile drive units operable to transport waste material stored by the waste holders;
- and
- a management module operable to:
- detect an occurrence of a trigger event associated with a waste holder located at a first location, wherein the first location is located adjacent to a workstation;
- in response to detecting the trigger event, select one of the plurality of mobile drive units;
- instruct the selected mobile drive unit to move to the first location;
- instruct the selected mobile drive unit to load waste material onto the mobile drive unit at the first location;
- and
- instruct the selected mobile drive unit to transport waste material from the first location to the waste station.
A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code, the code operable, when executed by a management module, to:
- detect an occurrence of a trigger event associated with a waste holder located at a first location, wherein the first location is located adjacent to a workstation;
- in response to detecting the trigger event, select one of a plurality of mobile drive units;
- instruct the selected mobile drive unit to move to the first location;
- instruct the selected mobile drive unit to load waste material onto the mobile drive unit at the first location;
- and
- instruct the selected mobile drive unit to transport waste material stored by the waste holder from the first location to a waste station, wherein the waste station is operable to perform a waste processing task.
A material handling system, comprising:
- means for detecting an occurrence of a trigger event associated with a waste holder located at a first location, wherein the first location is located adjacent to a workstation;
- means for selecting a mobile drive unit in response to detecting the trigger event;
- means for moving the mobile drive unit to the first location;
- means for loading waste material onto the mobile drive unit at the first location;
- and
- means for transporting the waste material from the first location to a waste station using the mobile drive unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.