Distributed autonomous robot systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10625941-B2
Application number	US-201815880706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2018
Priority date	Jan 30, 2017
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

Described in detail herein is an automated fulfillment system including a computing system programmed to receive requests from disparate sources for physical objects disposed at one or more locations in a facility. The computing system can combine the requests, and group the physical objects in the requests based on object types or expected object locations. Autonomous robot devices can receive instructions from the computing system to retrieve a group of the physical objects and deposit the physical objects in storage containers.

First claim

We claim:

1. An automated fulfillment system, the system comprising:
a computing system programmed to receive requests from disparate sources for physical objects disposed at one or more locations in a facility, combine the requests, and group the physical objects in the requests based on object types or expected object locations;
a database communicatively coupled to the computing system, storing information associated with the physical objects;
a plurality of autonomous robot devices in selective communication with the computing system and the database via a communications network, at least one of the plurality of autonomous robot devices including a controller, a drive motor, an articulated arm, a reader and an image capturing device,
the at least one of the autonomous robot devices is configured to:
(i) receive instructions from the computing system to retrieve a first group of the physical objects based on one or more identifiers associated with the physical objects in the first group of physical objects,
(ii) query the database using the one or more identifiers associated with the physical objects in the first group to retrieve information associated with the first group of the physical objects,
(iii) determine a first set of object locations of the physical objects in the first group based on the retrieved information,
(iv) navigate autonomously through the facility to the first set of object locations in response to operation of the drive motor by the controller,
(v) locate and scan one or more machine readable elements at the first set of object locations, the one or more machine-readable elements being encoded with the one or more identifiers,
(vi) detect, via at least one image captured by the image capture device, that the first group of physical objects are disposed at the first set of locations,
(vii) pick up a first quantity of physical objects in the first group using the articulated arm, and
(viii) deposit the physical objects in the first group in storage containers, wherein each of the storage containers corresponds to one of the requests and the at least one of the autonomous robot devices deposits the physical objects in the first group in the storage containers based on the requests to which the physical objects are associated;

a first plurality of sensors disposed at the first set of object locations, the first plurality of sensors configured to determine that the at least one autonomous robot devices retrieved the physical objects in the first group; and
a second plurality of sensors disposed in the storage containers, the second plurality of sensors configured to determine that the at least one of the autonomous robot devices correctly deposited the physical objects in the storage containers.

2. The system in claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the autonomous robot further devices configured to:
carry the first quantity of the first quantity of physical objects in the first group;
navigate to the storage containers located at a second location in the facility;
deposit a first subset of the first quantity of physical objects in the first group in a first one of the storage containers; and
deposit a second subset of the first quantity of physical objects in the first group in a second one of the storage containers.

3. The system in claim 2 , wherein the at least one of the autonomous robot devices is further configured to transport the first one of the storage containers and the second one of the storage containers to a specified location in the facility.

4. The system in claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of shelving units disposed in the facility and wherein the first quantity of physical objects in the first group is disposed on the plurality of shelving units.

5. The system in claim 4 , wherein the first plurality of sensors is disposed in or about the plurality of shelving units.

6. The system in claim 4 , wherein the first plurality of sensors are configured to detect a change in a first set of attributes associated with the shelving units when the first quantity of physical objects in the first group is removed from the plurality of shelving units, and transmit the first set of attributes to the computing system.

7. The system in claim 6 , wherein the computing system updates the database in response to receiving the first set of attributes.

8. The system in claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of sensors is disposed in a bottom surface of the storage containers.

9. The system in claim 8 , wherein the second plurality of sensors is configured to detect a first set of attributes associated with a first subset of the first quantity of physical objects in the first group in a first one of the storage containers, detect a second set of attributes associated with a second subset of the first quantity of physical objects in the first group in a second one of the storage containers, and transmit the first set of attributes to the computing system.

10. The system in claim 9 , wherein the computing system is further programmed to update the database in response to receiving the first and second set of attributes.

11. An automated fulfillment method, the method comprising:
receiving, via a computing system, requests from disparate sources for physical objects disposed at one or more locations in a facility;
combining, via the computing system, the requests;
grouping, via the computing system, the physical objects in the requests based on object types or expected object locations;
receiving instructions from the computing system to retrieve a first group of the physical objects based on one or more identifiers associated with the physical objects in the first group of physical objects via at least one autonomous robot device of a plurality of autonomous robot devices, the at least one autonomous robot device is in selective communication with the computing system via a communications network, and the at least one autonomous robot device includes a controller, a drive motor, an articulated arm, a reader and an image capturing device;
querying, via the at least one autonomous robot device, a database operatively coupled to the computing system and the plurality of autonomous robot devices, using the one or more identifiers associated with the physical objects in the first group to retrieve information associated with the first group of physical objects;
determining, via the at least one autonomous robot device, a first set of object locations of the physical objects in the first group based on the retrieved information;
navigating, via the at least one autonomous robot device, autonomously through the facility to the first set of object locations in response to operation of the drive motor by the controller;
locating and scanning, via the at least one autonomous robot device, one or more machine readable elements disposed at the first set of object locations, the machine-readable elements being encoded with the one or more identifiers;
detecting, via at least one image captured by the image capture device of the at least one autonomous robot device, that the first group of physical objects is disposed at the first set of locations;
picking up, via the at least one autonomous robot device, a first quantity of physical objects in the first group using the articulated arm;
depositing, via the at least one autonomous robot device, the physical objects in the first group in storage containers, wherein each of the storage containers corresponds to one of the requests, and the at least one autonomous robot device deposits the physical objects in the first group in the storage containers based on the requests to which the physical objects are associate

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• High Donald
• Winkle David
• Mchale Brian Gerard
• Mattingly Todd Davenport

Classifications

• Y10S901/47

  Optical · CPC title

• B65G1/1371

  with data records · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• B25J9/1697

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• B25J9/163 Primary

  learning, adaptive, model based, rule based expert control · CPC title