System and method using robots to assist humans in order fulfillment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10691109-B2
Application number	US-201916549637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2019
Priority date	Feb 12, 2015
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A system using one or more robots to assist a human in order fulfillment includes: a server configured to receive an order comprising an order item; inventory storage operationally connected to the server, the inventory storage comprising inventory items; an order robot operationally connected to the server, the order robot configured to assist a human to pick an order item from the inventory items; and a human-operated device operably connected to one or more of the server, the inventory storage, and the order robot, the human-operated device configured to assist the human to pick the order item.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method using one or more robots to assist a human in order fulfillment, comprising:
receiving, by a server, an order comprising an order item;
receiving, by the server, a selection by the human of the order robot;
sending the order, by the server, to one or more of an order robot and a human-operated device available to the human;
sending, by the server, to the order robot, a direction to assist the human to pick the order item;
determining, by the server, that the order is nearly complete;
determining, by the server, that an order robot replacement suitable for fulfilling a next order has not yet been sent;
sending a dispatch instruction, by the server, to the order robot replacement instructing its dispatch;
determining, by the server, that the order is complete; and
instructing the order robot, by the server, to carry the order item to a final destination.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of sending the direction comprises sending a direction to assist the human to pick the order item from inventory items comprised in inventory storage.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving the selection comprises receiving the selection from the order robot.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving the selection comprises receiving the selection from the human-operated device.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising a step, performed after the step of receiving the selection and before the step of sending the order, of sending the selection, by the server, to the order robot.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step, performed after the step of sending the order and before the step of determining that the order is nearly complete, of:
receiving, by the server, from the order robot, a pick list comprising one or more order items to be picked.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of instructing comprises a sub-step of:
determining one or more of the order item and a location of the order item.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step, performed after the step of sending the order and before the step of determining that the order is complete, of:
sending, by the server, to the order robot, an assist trigger configured to trigger the order robot to assist the human to pick the order item.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the human-operated device is configured to assist the human to perform one or more of locating the order item, grasping the order item, and placing the order item so as to be accessible to the order robot.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the order robot is mobile.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein assisting comprises leading the human.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein assisting comprises following the human.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the order robot comprises an information capture device configured to make an information capture.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the information capture is usable to perform one or more of detecting a human location and tracking motion of the human.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the information capture comprises a pick list comprising one or more order items to be picked.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the order robot is configured to provide data to the server.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the data comprises one or more of an order item pick time, an order item pick location, an image, a point cloud, two-dimensional data, three-dimensional data, a metric, and other data.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the metric comprises one or more of a human moving speed, a human picking speed, and human health data.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the human health data comprises one or more of human exhaustion, elevated human body temperature, and another human health datum.

20. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step, performed before the step of instructing the order robot, of receiving, by the server, from the order robot, an order fulfillment confirmation.

Assignees

• Wise Melonee
• Ferguson Michael
• Fetch Robotics Inc

Inventors

• Wise Melonee
• Ferguson Michael

Classifications

• B65G1/1378 Primary

  the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas · CPC title

• G05B2219/50391

  Robot · CPC title

• B65G67/04

  Loading land vehicles {(loading or unloading boats to or from land vehicles B60P3/10)} · CPC title

• B65G61/00

  Use of pick-up or transfer devices or of manipulators for stacking or de-stacking articles not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B65G1/1373

  for fulfilling orders in warehouses · CPC title