Article management system and transport robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9643779-B2
Application number	US-201514660069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2014
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

An article management system includes a transport robot and a rack robot. The transport robot has an input interface that receives a transport request from a user, the transport request having a first request to transport a first article stored in the rack robot to the user, a first communication circuit that transmits the first request to the rack robot, and a movement that causes the transport robot to move toward the rack robot. The rack robot has a second communication circuit that receives the first request, and a conveyor that moves the first article on the first request between the rack robot and the transport robot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article management system, comprising:
a rack robot that stores a first article; and
a transport robot that transports the first article,
wherein the transport robot includes:
an input interface that receives a first request from a user, the first request including a request to transport the first article stored in the rack robot to the user;
a first communication circuit that transmits the first request to the rack robot;
a movement that causes the transport robot to move toward the rack robot; and
a first control circuit,
wherein the rack robot includes:
a second communication circuit that receives the first request transmitted from the first communication circuit;
a conveyor that moves the first article on the first request from a storage location of the first article to a hand-over location for the transport robot, the hand-over location being used for moving the first article from the rack robot to the transport robot; and
a second control circuit,
wherein the first control circuit controls the movement to move the transport robot to the rack robot, and then to move the transport robot to the user after the first article on the first request is handed over to the transport robot from the rack robot, and
wherein the second control circuit controls the conveyor to move the first article on the first request from the storage location to the hand-over location,
wherein the second control circuit calculates a hand-over time which is required to move the first article on the transport request from the storage location to the hand-over location,
wherein the first control circuit (i) calculates a movement time which is required for the transport robot to arrive at the rack robot, (ii) compares the movement time with the hand-over time, and (iii) when the movement time is shorter than the hand-over time, controls the movement to delay start of movement of the transport robot to the rack robot by a time period corresponding to a difference between the movement time and the hand-over time.

2. The article management system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second control circuit (i) compares the movement time with the hand-over time, and (ii) when the hand-over time is shorter than the movement time, controls the conveyor to delay start of movement of the first article by a time period corresponding to a difference between the movement time and the hand-over time.

3. The article management system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the rack robot includes at least one rack that has a device that processes the first article, and
when the first article on the first request is stored in the rack, the second control circuit calculates the hand-over time including a time required to process the first article using the device.

4. The article management system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first control circuit determines a movement path to the rack robot and a movement speed of the transport robot based on map information that records i) roughness of a floor surface, and ii) presence of a person other than the user, an animal or other robot on the floor surface.

5. An article management system, comprising:
a rack robot that stores a first article; and
a transport robot that transports the first article,
wherein the transport robot includes:
an input interface that receives a first request from a user, the first request including a request to transport the first article stored in the rack robot to the user;
a first communication circuit that transmits the first request to the rack robot;
a movement that causes the transport robot to move toward the rack robot; and
a first control circuit,
wherein the rack robot includes:
a second communication circuit that receives the first request transmitted from the first communication circuit;
a conveyor that moves the first article on the first request from a storage location of the first article to a hand-over location for the transport robot, the hand-over location being used for moving the first article from the rack robot to the transport robot; and
a second control circuit,
wherein the first control circuit controls the movement to move the transport robot to the rack robot, and then to move the transport robot to the user after the first article on the first request is handed over to the transport robot from the rack robot, and
wherein the second control circuit controls the conveyor to move the first article on the first request from the storage location to the hand-over location,
wherein the first control circuit predicts, before the input interface receives the first request, the first article to be requested based on a first state of the user detected by a sensor and on history information that records correspondence relationship between a second article on a second request in past and a second state of the user when the second request is made, and
wherein the second control circuit controls the conveyor to move the first article from the storage location to a location nearer to the hand-over location in advance.

6. The article management system according to claim 5 ,
wherein when the input interface receives the first request, the first control circuit adds the first article on the first request and the first state of the user to the history information.

7. The article management system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the sensor is provided externally of the transport robot and transmits the detection information to the transport robot.

8. The article management system according to claim 5 ,
wherein the transport robot has the sensor.

9. An article management system, comprising:
a rack robot that stores a first article; and
a transport robot that transports the first article,
wherein the transport robot includes:
an input interface that receives a first request from a user, the first request including a request to transport the first article stored in the rack robot to the user;
a first communication circuit that transmits the first request to the rack robot; and
a movement that causes the transport robot to move toward the rack robot,
wherein the rack robot includes:
a second communication circuit that receives the first request transmitted from the first communication circuit; and
a conveyor that moves the first article on the first request from a storage location of the first article to a hand-over location for the transport robot, the hand-over location being used for moving the first article from the rack robot to the transport robot,
wherein the rack robot includes a plurality of racks, at least one of the plurality of the racks having a structure that allows a delivery company to take in and out the first article,
the conveyor moves the first article to the at least one of the plurality of the racks, when a frequency of the first request on the first article is lower than a predetermined frequency, and
the second communication circuit transmits to a server of the delivery company, a delivery request for delivering on the first article to an external warehouse.

10. An article management system, comprising:
a rack robot that stores a first article; and
a transport robot that transports the first article,
wherein the transport robot includes:
an input interface that receives a first request from a user, the first request including a request to transport the first article stored in the rack robot to the user;
a first communication circuit that transmits the first request to the rack robot;
a movement that causes the transport robot to move toward the rack robot; and
a first control circuit,
wherein the rack robot includes:
a second communication circuit that receive

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Yamada Kazunori

Classifications

• B25J11/0005

  Manipulators having means for high-level communication with users, e.g. speech generator, face recognition means · CPC title

• B25J11/008

  Manipulators for service tasks · CPC title

• B25J9/0003

  Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use · CPC title

• B25J5/007

  mounted on wheels · CPC title

• B25J19/023

  including video camera means · CPC title