Item retrieval using a robotic drive unit
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsRishabh Agarwal, Venkataramanan Subramanian, Mustafa Mustansir Hussain, Ahmed Shareef, Vikas Vishwanatham
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Abstract
Disclosed are various embodiments that may facilitate items being retrieved from a storage location. A robotic drive unit transports a carrier storage unit to be proximate to a target storage unit that comprises a container in which an item is located. The robotic drive unit aligns a receptacle in the carrier storage unit with the container in the target storage unit. The container is transferred from the target storage unit to the carrier storage unit. The robotic drive unit transports the carrier storage unit with the container to a destination.
Claims20
A system, comprising:
- a carrier rack comprising a first receptacle;
- a robotic drive unit configured to transport the carrier rack;
- a target rack comprising a container located in a second receptacle, the container comprising a plurality of items that are available for purchase through an electronic commerce system;
- and
- at least one computing device configured to execute an item retrieval application, the item retrieval application comprising logic that receives a request from the electronic commerce system to retrieve a particular one of the plurality of items, the item retrieval application further comprising logic that, in response to receiving the request to retrieve the particular one of the plurality of items, transmits at least one instruction such that:
- the robotic drive unit transports the carrier rack to be proximate to the target rack;
- the robotic drive unit aligns the first receptacle in the carrier rack with the container located in the second receptacle in the target rack;
- the container transfers from the second receptacle in the target rack to the first receptacle in the carrier rack;
- and
- the robotic drive unit transports the carrier rack with the container to a shipping preparation station where the particular one of the plurality of items is to be prepared for shipping.
A method, comprising:
- transporting, using at least one robotic drive unit, a carrier storage unit to be proximate to a target storage unit, the target storage unit comprising a container in which an item is located;
- aligning, using the at least one robotic drive unit, a receptacle in the carrier storage unit with the container;
- transferring the container from the target storage unit to the carrier storage unit;
- and
- transporting, using the at least one robotic drive unit, the carrier storage unit with the container to a destination.
A system, comprising:
- at least one computing device;
- and
- an item retrieval application executed in the at least one computing device, the item retrieval application comprising:
- logic that instructs a robotic drive unit to transport a carrier storage unit to be proximate to a target storage unit that comprises a container in which an item is located;
- logic that instructs that the container be transferred from the target storage unit to a receptacle in the carrier storage unit;
- and
- logic that instructs the robotic drive unit to transport the carrier storage unit with the container to a destination.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.