Methods, systems and apparatus for controlling movement of transporting devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11079770-B2
Application number	US-202117149426-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2021
Priority date	Jun 3, 2014
Publication date	Aug 3, 2021
Grant date	Aug 3, 2021

Abstract

A system and method for controlling movement of transporting devices arranged to transport containers, the containers being stored in stacks arranged in a facility. A facility having pathways arranged in a grid-like structure above stacks, the transporting devices being configured to operate on the grid-like structure. A control unit configured to determine at least one task to be performed by at least one transporting device, wherein the at least one task is determined based on at least one of: transporting device battery condition, transporting device damage, transporting device maintenance issues, and transporting device service issues.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for controlling movement of at least one transporting device arranged to transport at least one container, the system comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
determine a plurality of paths for a plurality of transporting devices to travel on pathways of a facility so that no two of the plurality of transporting devices have locations while traveling along the plurality of paths that would cause the plurality of transporting devices to overlap at a same time, the plurality of paths comprising a first path for traveling by a first transporting device of the plurality of transporting devices and a second path for traveling by a second transporting device of the plurality of transporting devices,
wherein the pathways form a grid-like structure above a plurality of containers arranged within the facility, the pathways comprising a first set of parallel rails extending in a first direction and a second set of parallel rails extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction in a substantially horizontal plane, at least some of the plurality of containers being stored in stacks,
wherein the plurality of transporting devices are configured to selectively move laterally in the first direction and the second direction on the pathways, at least some of the plurality of transporting devices being configured to transport the plurality of containers,
generate a plurality of clearance commands for the plurality of transporting devices to cause the plurality of transporting devices to travel on the pathways along portions of the plurality of paths, the plurality of clearance commands comprising a first clearance command for the first transporting device,
determine there is a potential for a collision between the first transporting device traveling along the first path and the second transporting device traveling along the second path, and
responsive to a determination that there is the potential for the collision;
withhold a second clearance command for the first transporting device that would cause the first transporting device to travel on the pathways along a portion of the first path,
determine a revised path different from the first path for the first transporting device to travel on the pathways, and
generate a third clearance command for the first transporting device to cause the first transporting device to travel on the pathways along a portion of the revised path; and

a memory device configured to store the plurality of clearance commands and the third clearance command.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of clearance commands indicate a permission for the plurality of transporting devices to travel on the pathways only along the portions of the plurality of paths.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate one of the plurality of clearance commands to cause the first transporting device to travel on the pathways along a first portion of the first path and another of the plurality of clearance commands to cause the first transporting device to travel on the pathways along a second portion of the first path different from the first portion.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first clearance command is configured to cause the first transporting device to travel from a first location to a second location along the first path, and the third clearance command is configured to cause the first transporting device to travel from the second location to a third location along the revised path.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first path and the revised path have a common end location on the grid-like structure.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the third clearance command is configured to cause the first transporting device to transition from traveling along the first path to traveling along the revised path while the first transporting device remains in motion.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a control interface configured to communicate with the plurality of transporting devices via an application programmable interface, the one or more processors being configured to cause the control interface to transmit the plurality of clearance commands and the third clearance command via the application programmable interface.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine from a position of the first transporting device on the grid-like structure or a position of the second transporting device on the grid-like structure that there is the potential for the collision.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine from an attribute of the first transporting device that there is the potential for the collision.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine from one or more of (i) a missed message, (ii) a processing time, (iii) a clock sync, or (iv) a transporting device discrepancy with a physics model, that there is the potential for the collision.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine from dimensions of the grid-like structure that there is the potential for the collision.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine from a status report received from one of the plurality of transporting devices that there is the potential for the collision.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate one of the plurality of first clearance commands responsive to a status report received from one of the plurality of transporting devices.

14. The system of claim 1 , in combination with the facility, the plurality of containers, and the plurality of transporting devices.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory device is in electrical communication with the one or more processors and configured to store the plurality of paths.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine from a position and a speed of at least one of the first transporting device or the second transporting device on the pathways that there is the potential for the collision.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the plurality of paths so that all of the plurality of transporting devices may simultaneously travel on the pathways.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the plurality of paths using an optimization algorithm.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the plurality of paths so that the plurality of paths begin at starting points at which the plurality of transporting devices are located, each of the starting points being different from the other of the starting points.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of transporting devices comprise 15 transporting devices.

21. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to control operations of the plurality of transporting devices in real time.

22. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to fully automatically control operations of the plurality of transporting devices so that the plurality of transporting devices retrieve of a set of the plurality of containers arranged within the facility.

Assignees

• Ocado Innovation Ltd

Inventors

• Stadie Robert
• Whelan Matthew
• Brett Christopher

Classifications

• G05D1/692

  involving a plurality of disparate vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/693

  for avoiding collisions between vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/247

  using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons · CPC title

• G05D2111/20

  Acoustic signals, e.g. ultrasonic signals · CPC title

• G05D1/223

  Command input arrangements on the remote controller, e.g. joysticks or touch screens · CPC title