Random-access robotic inventory dispensary: operation prioritization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9821464-B2
Application number	US-201615012525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2016
Priority date	May 4, 2015
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

The present application is directed to a robotic system for maintaining product inventory and dispensing products upon request from a customer or other user. Product items are stored in an inventory storage unit (ISU), one item per bin. Controller logic allows items to be stored in, and retrieved from, arbitrarily-assigned storage locations. The bins hang on rails within drawers. Upon a request from a consumer (or other user) in a fulfillment operation, the robot retrieves a bin holding the first item from the ISU. Upon a request from an operator (or other user) in a replenishment operation, the robot transfers an empty bin to an operator station (such as a replenishing unit). The controller logic allows the fulfillment operations to be prioritized over the replenishment operations, in addition to the implementation of other prioritizations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robotic inventory dispensary, comprising:
a storage unit that provides a plurality of storage locations, the storage unit to store a plurality of products using a respective plurality of storage bins placed among respective locations of the plurality of storage locations;
a replenishing unit to receive a plurality of additional products in a respective plurality of additional storage bins;
robotics to operate upon the storage unit and the replenishing unit, wherein the robotics, when in operation:
performs fulfillment operations from the storage unit, to retrieve a respective storage bin of the plurality of storage bins placed among the storage locations, wherein the fulfillment operations include a first fulfillment operation to fulfill a first request from a consumer received at a customer user interface, and a second fulfillment operation to fulfill a second request from an operator received at an operator user interface; and
performs replenishment operations from the replenishing unit to stock the additional storage bins among the storage locations; and

a controller to prioritize operations of the robotics, the controller to prioritize the fulfillment operations over the replenishment operations, and wherein the controller is further to prioritize the first fulfillment operation over the second fulfillment operation.

2. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 1 ,
wherein the robotics performs inventory management operations on at least one of the storage bins placed among the storage locations, the inventory management operations including movement of the at least one of the storage bins within the storage unit from a first storage location to a second storage location; and
wherein the controller prioritizes the fulfillment operations and the replenishment operations over the inventory management operations.

3. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 1 ,
wherein the robotics performs purge operations on at least one of the storage bins placed among the storage locations, wherein the purge operations include removal of the at least one of the storage bins, and
wherein the controller prioritizes the fulfillment operations and the replenishment operations over the purge operations.

4. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 1 ,
wherein the robotics performs service operations, the service operations including a command initiated by an operator or service technician to move the robotics from a first position to a second position, and
wherein the controller prioritizes the service operations over the fulfillment operations.

5. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 1 ,
wherein the fulfillment operations from the storage unit includes a retrieval operation of a first product in a first storage bin from a first storage location in the plurality of the storage locations, and a retrieval operation of a second product in a second storage bin from a second storage location in the plurality of storage locations, and wherein the controller prioritizes the retrieval operation of the first product from the first storage location over the retrieval operation of the second product from the second storage location, in response to a determination that an estimated amount of time to obtain the first product from the first storage location with the robotics is less than an estimated amount of time to obtain the second product from the second storage location.

6. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 1 ,
wherein the fulfillment operations from the storage unit includes a retrieval operation of a first product in a first storage bin from a first storage location in the plurality of the storage locations, and a retrieval operation of a second product in a second storage bin from a second storage location in the plurality of the storage locations, and
wherein the controller prioritizes the retrieval operation of the first product from the first storage location over the retrieval operation of the second product from the second storage location, in response to a determination that a first consumer request for first product occurred at a time prior to a second consumer request for the second product.

7. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 1 , wherein the fulfillment operations from the storage unit includes a retrieval operation of a first product in a first storage bin from a first storage location of the plurality of storage locations and a delivery operation of the first product to a dispenser, wherein the first storage location is included in a first storage shelf adapted to host a first plurality of storage bins.

8. The robotic inventory dispensary of claim 7 , wherein the controller prioritizes service operations upon the first plurality of storage bins stored at the first storage shelf over the delivery operation, wherein the service operations include compacting storage locations of remaining bins of the first plurality of storage bins stored at the first storage location, in response to removal of the first storage bin from the first storage shelf.

9. A method for operating an electronic robotic control system using a plurality of electronic operations to be performed on a robotic inventory dispensary, the robotic inventory dispensary including a storage unit, a replenishing unit, and robotics, the plurality of electronic operations including:
performing fulfillment operations from the storage unit, to retrieve a storage bin placed among storage locations in the storage unit, wherein the storage unit stores a plurality of products using respective storage bins placed among respective locations of the storage locations, wherein the fulfillment operations include a first fulfillment operation to fulfill a first request from a consumer received at a customer user interface, and a second fulfillment operation to fulfill a second request from an operator received at an operator user interface;
performing replenishment operations from the replenishing unit, to stock additional storage bins among the storage locations in the storage unit, wherein the replenishing unit receives a plurality of additional products in the additional storage bins;
controlling the robotics to prioritize the fulfillment operations over the replenishment operations; and
controlling the robotics to prioritize the first fulfillment operation over the second fulfillment operation.

10. The method of claim 9 , the plurality of electronic operations further including:
identifying a first product in a first storage bin from a first storage location and identifying a second product in a second storage bin from a second storage location, wherein the fulfillment operations from the storage unit include a retrieval operation of the first product from the first storage location and a retrieval operation of the second product from the second storage location; and
controlling the robotics to:
prioritize the retrieval operation of the first product from the first storage location over the retrieval operation of the second product from the second storage location, in response to a determination that an estimated amount of time to obtain the first product from the first storage location with the robotics is less than an estimated amount of time to obtain the second product from the second storage location.

11. The method of claim 9 , the plurality of electronic operations further including:
performing purge operations on at least one of the respective storage bins placed among the storage locations, wherein the purge operations include removal of the at least one of the respective storage bins; and
controlling the robotics to prioritize the fulfillment operations and the replenishment operati

Assignees

• Bby Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Stiernagle Chad
• Kraetsch Glendon T
• Lavalle Dean R
• Sheikholeslami Cameron P

Classifications

• Y10S901/30

  End effector · CPC title

• B25J9/1679 Primary

  characterised by the tasks executed · CPC title

• G05B2219/31036

  Load component into corresponding compartment, bin, storage before assembly · CPC title

• Y10S901/02

  Arm motion controller · CPC title

• G05B2219/31043

  Bin, storage identifier and workstation identifier · CPC title