KR20190125362A - Robot-assisted case picking - Google Patents

Abstract

A robot assisted method of picking cases in a warehouse is provided. The robotic vehicle includes a loading platform and a robot order selector and can access models of electronically stored warehouses. The model includes a map that defines corridors that store items placed on the starting surfaces in the warehouse. A selection list is created from the order; The selection list provides identification of items to be selected to satisfy the order. A plurality of stop points at the starting surfaces with which the items are associated are determined. A route in the map is created that includes a plurality of stops. The robotic vehicle repeatedly guides itself along this path to stop at each of the plurality of stops, thereby loading at least some items from the starter list on the loading platform.

Description

Robot-assisted case picking

Cross Reference to Related Applications

This application claims priority to US patent application Ser. No. 15 / 458,112, which is filed March 14, 2017, and claims priority to US patent application Ser. No. 62 / 471,316, filed March 14, 2017. They are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

The concept of the present invention relates to the field of systems and methods in the field of storage facility management, and more particularly to systems and methods related to case picking or selection.

A storage facility is a facility used primarily for the storage of goods for commercial purposes, such as warehouses. This storage will generally be temporary since such a product would ultimately be intended for a retailer, consumer or customer, distributor, transporter, or other subsequent recipient. The warehouse may be a standalone facility or part of a multipurpose facility. Typically thousands of items can be stored in a warehouse. Items can be large or small, independent or bulk. It is common to load items on pallets for transportation, and warehouses can use these pallets as a means of transporting and storing items internally.

Well-run warehouses are well organized to maintain accurate stock of goods. Goods enter and leave the warehouse frequently throughout the day. Indeed, some large and very busy warehouses work in three shifts and move goods continuously throughout the warehouse as they are received and required to meet orders. The shipping and receiving areas, which can be the same area, are the place (s) in the warehouse where large trucks pick up and drop off goods. The warehouse may also include a staging area as an intermediate area between the shipping and receiving area and the storage aisle in the warehouse where the goods will be stored. The staging area can be used, for example, to verify that all items on the shipping manifest have been received as acceptable conditions. The staging area may also be used to build orders and pallets that will satisfy the order to be shipped.

Goods in the warehouse are usually moved in either way on pallets or carts (or trailers). Pallets require pallet transport devices for movement of pallet jacks, pallet trucks, forklifts, or stackers. Stackers are similar devices to forklifts but are facilities that allow pallets to be raised to a significantly higher level, for example loading pallets on a shelf in a warehouse. The cart requires a tugger (or "tow tractor") that allows the user to drag the cart around.

The pallet transporter can be manual or powered. The traditional pallet jack is a manual operation like a traditional stacker. When pallet transport is motorized, it may take the form of a powered pallet jack, pallet truck, or forklift (or lift truck). Motorized stackers are referred to as power stackers. Motorized pallet jacks are referred to as motorized pallet jacks, where the operator cannot ride and walks by the side. Pallet trucks are similar to power pallet jacks but contain seats for the operator to stand on.

Like motorized pallet transporters, the tuggers may be in the form of a driveable vehicle or in the form of a powered vehicle on which the operator walks by. In either form, the tugger includes a hitch, such as a sturdy and rigid ring or loop that engages the corresponding part of the cart.

There are automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) in the form of pallet trucks and power tuggers. AGVs are mobile robots that follow markers or wires on the floor or use vision or lasers to drive without direct or remote control by the operator. They are most commonly used in industrial applications, such as in the case of AGV forklifts and AGV tuggers, to move materials around a manufacturing facility or warehouse.

1 is a schematic diagram of a storage facility 100 in the form of a warehouse. Warehouses can vary in size, for example a large warehouse is more than 100,000 square feet. The warehouse 100 includes a shipping & receiving area 110 and a staging area 112. A loading dock may be included in which goods may be loaded and unloaded into the trucks 116. Pallet 114 is shown in the staging area where goods from a warehouse to satisfy the order may be loaded onto it. Once the goods are loaded on the pallet 114, they may remain in the preparation area 112 until ready to be loaded into the truck. In this case, the pallet 114 is moved to the shipping and receiving area 110 and then loaded onto the truck 116.

The warehouse 100 includes a plurality of aisles and storage spaces (collectively, the corridors 120) in which goods are stored in an orderly manner. Zones may also be defined within a warehouse as a means of classifying areas within the warehouse. An area may be defined as a corridor, a group of corridors, a portion of a corridor, or various combinations thereof. In Fig. 1 several areas are defined, including areas A-E.

When one or more orders must be satisfied, a "pick list" is created that instructs the order selector or picker to go to which corridor to pick which product. Pallet conveying devices or tuggers and carts (collectively pallet conveying devices 130) are used to store cases, totes, boxes, or other forms of commodity containers (herein referred to as " cases " are sent together with the order selector to "pick" the cases). A "tote" is a container used when meeting an order on a piece-by-piece basis, which is an individual product or a group of relatively small goods. The goods are arranged in the corridor 120 and the same goods are arranged in a "pick face". A "pick face" is a place that is configured for the storage of one or more products and is usually a two-dimensional facing or area within a warehouse or storage area that is proximate by an order selector for order fulfillment. Cases are loaded onto pallet transporting device 130 and transported to either preparation area 112 or shipping and receiving area 110.

2 is a front view of the corridor and detailing surface that may exist within the corridor 120. In this figure, four detailing surfaces, namely, the selection surface 0, 1, 5, and 6 are shown. Selecting surfaces 0 and 1 are on the shelf and selecting surfaces 5 and 6 are at ground level. Each selection surface is defined for a certain product. For example, the starting surface 0 in FIG. 2 shows six cases of the same product.

There is another approach to arranging goods in a warehouse, which is referred to as "slotting". Slotting is considered by many to be the key to the efficiency of warehouse operations, where the highest possible "pick rate" is sought. Generally tell me. "Pick rate" means cases or units that are selected in unit time, such as, for example, hourly cases.

One common approach to slotting commodities is to use item velocity. In general, the more popular the commodity, the faster the item speed-entering and leaving the warehouse faster or more frequently. When slotting at item speed, it is typical to store the goods with the fastest item speed in the area closest to the shipping and receiving area 110 (or staging area 112). On the other hand, products with the lowest item speed are usually kept in the farthest areas. Slotting by item speed can reduce travel time in the warehouse when satisfying orders. Reduction of travel time is an important factor for increasing the starting speed, so slotting by item speed is considered very useful.

Another way of slotting commodities in a warehouse is by commodity categories, and grocery stores often use this approach. For example, paper commodities can be a commodity category. To improve efficiency with product slotting in this manner, it would be useful to pick all the products needed to meet multiple orders in one category, and then place the orders together in the staging area 112.

There are many different ways to satisfy an order. The methods chosen typically depend on how the products are slotted and whether the cases are selected for an individual product, for example whether the aspirin case 12 is picked for a bottle of aspirin. Some of the most common order selection methods are:

Single order picking -Each order selector selects one customer order and selects it to completion.

Batch picking -An order selector meets several orders simultaneously to reduce the amount of time spent driving.

Pick and pass —Each order selector focuses on its own region or territory and passes orders (mechanically or manually) from one order selector to the next.

Zone picking with aggregation on the shipping dock -Other zones send one or more cases to be shipped for each order, and cases from each zone are loaded onto a pallet on the shipping dock.

Zone picking with aggregation at packing --each zone sends one or more totes together with that part of the order to a packing area (e.g., staging area 112, etc.) . In the packaging area all the tote bags of an order are integrated so that goods from the tote bags for a particular order are packaged in an outbound carton (such as a box, for example).

Zone picking without aggregation -Each zone fills a box for the order, which is sent directly to the shipping trailer.

Unit sortation —The order selector retrieves batches of product from the area and then sorts the order by tilt tray or cross-belt sorter.

The adequacy of a particular order fulfillment method will also depend on its impact on the speed of selection. The higher the overall selection speed, the more efficient and cost-effective the warehouse will be.

Again in FIG. 1, a warehouse management system (WMS) 140 is a key part of the supply chain, primarily aimed at controlling the movement and storage of goods within the warehouse 100. The WMS can handle transactions related to the movement of goods into, out of, and in the warehouse, including goods issues, goods receipt, putaway, picking, and the like. "Putaway" generally refers to moving goods to a designated storage location, such as an area and a selection surface, of a warehouse or storage area.

WMS provides a set of computerized processes for manipulating the tracking and management of goods in a warehouse, modeling the logical representation of physical storage facilities (eg, racking, etc.) Management, enabling a seamless link to order processing and logistics management to select, package and ship goods out of the warehouse. The warehouse management system may be a standalone system or a module of an enterprise resource management system or a supply chain execution suite. Orders may be received electronically by WMS or entered manually. The selection list may be generated automatically or manually from the order, which may include route optimization performed by the WMS.

When picking cases to meet orders, it is typical to use a pallet transporter 130 that navigates within warehouse 100 to select faces in areas to retrieve the necessary product cases. to be. In doing so the pallet transporter 130 navigates under the control of the order selector. That is, the order selector examines the first / next item in the selection list representing the shelf, the selection surface, and (optionally) the area in which the product is located. The order selector drives the pallet transporter to the starting surface to load the appropriate number of cases onto the pallet (or cart). This is done for each product on the selection list until the order selector has fully worked on the selection list.

If the order selector picks only in a specific area, the order selector can move the pallet transporter to the next area and take over the next order selector to work on the selection list. Once the order selector has completely picked the selection list, the order selector can drive the pallet transporter to the shipping and receiving area 110 or the preparation area 112 when the order is completed.

In accordance with various aspects of the present invention, a robot-enabled method of picking cases at a storage facility is provided. The method includes providing a robotic vehicle having a processor and a load platform configured to access memory. The robotic vehicle has access to an electronically stored representation of the storage facility; This model includes locations in a storage facility for storing items as pick faces. A pick list is generated from the order, which provides identification of items to be selected to satisfy the order. From the selection list, a plurality of selection surfaces associated with the item are determined. Routes in a map including a plurality of starting surfaces are generated electronically. The robotic vehicle itself navigates repeatedly along the path and automatically stops or decelerates at each of the plurality of starting surfaces to allow loading of items from the starting list onto the loading platform. In some embodiments, the robotic vehicle includes a robotic order selector configured to select at least some items from the selection list and load them into the robotic vehicle.

The representation of the storage facility may be a two-dimensional map.

The method may further comprise manually inputting a reputation into the robot vehicle via a user input device.

The method may further comprise electronically communicating the command to the robotic vehicle. In this case, the commands can be electronically communicated to the robotic vehicle via the storage facility management system.

The method may further comprise manually inputting the selection list to the robot vehicle through the user input device.

The method may further comprise electronically communicating the selection list to the robotic vehicle. In this case, the selection list may be electronically communicated to the robotic vehicle through the storage facility management system.

The method may further comprise automatically generating a selection list from the electronically stored order.

The method may further comprise manually entering a route into the robot vehicle via a user input device.

The method may further comprise electronically communicating the route to the robotic vehicle. In this case, the route may be electronically communicated to the robotic vehicle via the storage facility management system.

The method may further comprise automatically generating a route from the electronically stored selection list.

The method may further comprise tracking the robotic vehicle using a wireless network. In this case, the wireless communication network may include access points distributed over the storage facility. The method may also include determining the position of the robot vehicle from the strength of one or more wireless signals transmitted from the robot vehicle and received at the connection points of the one garment.

The method may further comprise the robot vehicle initiating travel to a next one of the plurality of starting surfaces in accordance with a user input. In this case, the user input may be a gesture.

In other cases, the user input may be an actuation of a physical instrument that provides an electronic signal to the robotic vehicle. The physical device may be one or more buttons, an RF gun, or a touch screen.

The method further includes providing an output device such that the robotic vehicle can communicate with the user via the output device.

The method may further comprise the robot vehicle at each starting surface outputting a message identifying a set of items to be selected from that starting surface to satisfy the order.

In this case, the message may further comprise identifying an amount of each item in the set of items to be selected from the selection surface to satisfy the order.

The message may further comprise identifying a particular location on the loading platform on which the selected item was placed.

The message may comprise an audio voice message.

The message may include text output.

The output of the message may include the output of one or more lights or symbols.

The output device may be a wireless Bluetooth device. The wireless Bluetooth device can communicate with a wireless headset or handset.

The output device may comprise a display.

The output device may include one or more lights.

The selection surfaces are associated with predetermined regions, and the path may be determined on a zone-by-zone basis.

The robotic vehicle is one of a plurality of robotic vehicles, and the method may include electronically optimizing the paths of the plurality of vehicles to avoid congestion in the storage facility.

The method may further comprise electronically optimizing the path of the robotic vehicle to minimize the travel distance of the robotic vehicle in the storage facility.

The method may further comprise electronically optimizing the path of the robotic vehicle to minimize order distance within the storage facility.

The method may further comprise electronically optimizing the path of the robotic vehicle to maximize the starting speed.

The method further includes the robot vehicle repeatedly navigating itself along the path using an evidence grid populated with data representing the probability of the location of objects in the storage facility. The evidence grid may be a three-dimensional (3-D) evidence grid.

The method may further comprise collecting sensor data to be used to update the evidence grid while the robot vehicle repeatedly navigates along the path itself.

The representation of the storage facility may include a list of route segments.

The robotic vehicle can be a forklift.

The robotic vehicle may be a high lift.

The storage facility may be a warehouse.

The robotic vehicle can be a pallet truck and the loading platform can be a pallet.

The robotic vehicle can be a tugger and the loading platform can be a cart.

In accordance with some aspects of the inventive concept, a robot-enabled method of picking cases in a storage facility is provided. The method includes providing a robotic vehicle having a processor configured to access memory, a loading platform, and a robotic arm, and accessing a representation of a storage facility in which the robotic vehicle is electronically stored. The model includes locations in a storage facility that stores items arranged in detailing surfaces, each detailing surface being designated to store one or more commodities. The method comprises generating a pick list from an order, the selection list providing identification of an item to be selected from a plurality of different selection surfaces to satisfy the order, and Determining from the list a plurality of different detailing surfaces associated with the items. The method also includes electronically generating a path in the storage facility that includes a plurality of different detailing surfaces. The robotic vehicle also repeats itself along the path, automatically stopping or decelerating at a plurality of different starting surfaces and using the robot arm to load at least some of the items from the starting list onto the loading platform.

In accordance with some aspects of the inventive concept, a robot vehicle is provided that includes a loading platform configured to hold goods and a robot arm configured to load / unload items to and from the loading platform. The robotic vehicle includes: a processor configured to generate a selection list from an order comprising a plurality of different products and to generate an electronic map of a storage facility comprising navigation instructions from the selection list and a plurality of product selection surfaces. It further includes, wherein the selection surface is a designated location for storing a product, and the navigation indication includes a plurality of locations of the plurality of selection surfaces corresponding to the plurality of different products of the order. The robot vehicle also includes, in accordance with the navigation instructions, stopping or decelerating at each of the plurality of different starting surfaces represented in the navigation instructions and using the robot arm to load at least some of the plurality of other goods from the order. Thus, the vehicle includes a vehicle control system configured to self-navigate within the storage facility.

In accordance with some aspects of the inventive concept, a method of picking a case by a robot performed by a robot vehicle having a loading platform and a robot ordering selector is provided. The method involves a robotic vehicle autonomously navigating around a warehouse along a path that identifies one or more stops, each having one or more items to be selected and automatically stopping at a stop among one or more stops. And robotically selecting an item from the stop point, and loading the selected item on a loading platform.

In some embodiments, the one or more stops are a plurality of stops, and the method includes autonomous navigation to each stop from the plurality of stops.

In some embodiments, the method further includes selecting at least one item from one or more of the plurality of stop points with the robot to load on the loading platform.

In some embodiments, the method further includes automatically stopping at one of the one or more stops, manually selecting another item from the stop, and loading the selected item on the loading platform.

The present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. The embodiments described herein are provided by way of example and not of limitation, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar members. In the drawing:
1 is a block diagram of a simplified warehouse.
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the front of the corridor and the starting surface.
3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a robotic vehicle module supporting case picking, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention;
4A and 4B are front views of one embodiment of a detailing list display, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.
5 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a case picking method supported by a robotic vehicle in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.
6 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a case picking method, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.
7 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a case picking method using areas and robotic vehicle assistance, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.
8A illustrates an embodiment of a robotic vehicle including a robot order selector, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.
8B-8G illustrate another embodiment of a robotic vehicle including a robot order selector, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.
9 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a robot case picking method, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

It is to be understood that although terms such as first, second, etc. are used to describe the various members herein, these members will not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one member from another and do not imply the sequence required for the members. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first member may be referred to as the second member, and the second member may likewise be referred to as the first member. As used herein, "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the listed items in association.

When a member is referred to as being "on" or "connected" or "coupled" to another member, it should be understood that there may be an intermediate member directly or connected or coupled to the other member. will be. In contrast, no intermediary member exists when one member is referred to as "directly on" or "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another member. Other words used to describe relationships between members should be interpreted in the same way (eg, "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "Directly adjacent," etc.).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, when the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and / or “including” are used herein, the features, steps, acts described. It should also be understood that the presence of elements, members, and / or components is defined, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, members, components, and / or groups thereof. .

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the term "order selector" may refer to, mean, or include human users, robot users, and / or semi-automated users.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a robotic vehicle 330 and various robotic vehicle modules 300 that may be used to support case picking in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in this embodiment, the modules 300 may be provided in other modules than those shown in FIG. 3. For example, the modules 300 may take the form of computer program code stored in non-transitory memory and executed by the at least one processor 320.

3 also illustrates a user device 340 that functions as a device that supports order selectors (eg, users, etc.) to interact with the robotic vehicle, such as to provide input. The user device 340 may be part of or onboard the robot vehicle 330, or may be a separate device, or some combination thereof. For example, user device 340 may be part of a control system on robotic vehicle 330 or may be a handheld wireless device. In other embodiments, the user device may be a device fixed to a zone or an aisle or pick face. In other embodiments, the user device may be distributed across two or more robotic vehicles, handheld devices, areas or fixed devices in a corridor or area, and a storage facility management system.

The communication module 302 may be external systems such as a robotic vehicle 330 and a storage facility management system 140 '(e.g., a warehouse management system (WMS) 140'). , And communication between the user device 340. Communication between these other systems, subsystems, and / or entities will be described below, but may be different in other embodiments. The communication module 302 may support one or more existing or future types of communications, whether wired or wireless, to implement the necessary protocols and message formats associated with them. This kind of communication may include, but is not limited to, Ethernet, Bluetooth, wireless modem / router, high speed wired, radio frequency, and the like.

Order module 304 may be used to receive orders from WMS 140 ′ or user device 340 in this embodiment. That is, the WMS 140 'receives an order from an external source through, for example, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), and the like, and sends the order to the communication module 302. The robot vehicle module 300 may communicate with the through. In addition, the order module 304 may receive an order from a nonvolatile memory, such as a flash drive, CD-ROM, or similar storage device.

In some embodiments, user device 340 may be used to send an order to robotic vehicle module 300 via communication module 302. In FIG. 3, various input and output mechanisms for the user device 340 are shown. This includes in this embodiment a keypad or keyboard 349, an input display 342 (such as a touchscreen, for example), and a voice input 344 (such as a microphone, for example). User device 340 may be, for example, a mobile phone, personal digital assistance, or similar network assisted handheld device. The display can be any wireless display such as, for example, a radio frequency (RF) display.

Once the order is received or otherwise stored electronically in the robotic vehicle 300, the selection list module 306 may process the order to generate a pick list. The selection list is therefore a list of items to be selected in the warehouse to satisfy at least one order. In addition to the order, the selection list module 306 may generate the selection list using various kinds of information such as product inventory. The selection list may also be generated using information related to the pick zones associated with the product and the pick faces within the selection area where the products are physically located. Alternatively, the selection list may be manually defined on a robot vehicle such as a user interactive screen shown in FIGS. 4A-4B or through an on or off interface. This information can be stored in storage 316 or made available from WMS 140 '.

With the generated start list, a route module 308 generates a route in the warehouse to be followed by the robot vehicle 330 while the robot vehicle works its way to collect goods. Can be used. In addition to the selection list, the route module 308 may generate a route using various information, such as an electronic map representing a warehouse including selection areas and selection surfaces within the selection area. As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, a route module, for example, minimizes the distance to travel, minimizes congestion (in view of the routes of other robots), minimizes time, It may include the ability to order stacking considerations (eg, placing the heaviest item on the floor). The path can be stored in storage 316 or made available from WMS 140 '.

Although the ordering module 304, the selection list module 306, and the route module 308 are shown as part of the robotic vehicle 330, in other embodiments one or more of the above-described modules may be WMS 140 ′. Or one or more other systems in communication with the WMS 140 ′, and / or the robot vehicle 330. In some embodiments one or more of these modules may be located in the user device 340.

Vehicle control system 135 is typically the system that allows robotic vehicle 330 to travel within a facility. It may receive instructions and automatically route itself to a destination in a facility, such as a warehouse, for example. The robot vehicle may use an electronic map, a marker, a vision system, or the like as a guide. However, a typical robotic vehicle is not capable of repeating itself in an environment (such as a facility).

The vehicle control module 310 communicates with the vehicle control system 135 to achieve iterative robotic navigation within the environment, in this case warehouse 100. The vehicle control system 310 can use the route generated by the route module 308, which includes the selection area and surface information required to meet the initial order. As will be described in more detail later, the vehicle control module 310 can cause the vehicle control system 135 to navigate robotically to the starting surface within the selection area.

An order selector system 137 may be included to control or facilitate selecting items from the picking surfaces and loading them into the robotic vehicle. The order selector system, along with its own processor (s) and memory, allows the robot order selector (850 in FIG. 8) to select and transfer items between selection surfaces (or other storage facilities) and the loading platform of the robotic vehicle. ), And may include functional logic useful for supporting loading.

In some embodiments, the vehicle control module 310 communicates with the order selector system 137 to provide necessary data, information and information useful for enabling the robot order selector to transfer items between the starting surfaces and the robot vehicle. It can be configured to provide instructions. Such information may include, but is not limited to, a starting list, starting surfaces, and / or information identifying when the robot vehicle is on the starting surface and which starting surface.

In some embodiments, an input / output (I / O) manager 312 has picked information picked up, for example, walking or walking on a robot vehicle or stationed on an area or starting surface. Communicate to order selectors such as users. The display in module 342 and the display out module 346 may be the same device such as a touch screen. The output at the user device 340 may take the form of a screen and / or audio output through an audio out module 348. The output may also include a light pattern, symbol, or other graphical or visual effects.

Once the items have been selected, the user can instruct the robot vehicle 330 via the I / O manager 312 by operating a user device, such as the user device 340. For example, the user may simply say “Go” or “Next” via the voice input module 344, and the vehicle control module 310 then tells the vehicle control system the next stop point in the path. It can be made to navigate. Additionally or alternatively, a user may be allowed to use a keypad 349 or touchscreen (display input module) 342 entry to perform the same operation.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 4A and 4B, an approach method for manually generating a selection list by hand is shown. Here, Up, Down, Left, and Right keys are provided to allow the user to select specific selection surfaces to include in the selection list, which can be displayed via the display output module 346. Each starting number represents a different starting side-the selection of the starting side adds that starting side to the starting list.

In other embodiments, the selection list may be generated in other ways. For example, a selection list may be generated automatically when an order is entered. The present invention is not limited to the manual access method of FIGS. 4A and 4B or limited to the screen or function thereof.

5 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of picking cases supported by a robotic vehicle in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. This method may be performed by the robot vehicle module 300 or similar systems of FIG. 3. The method 500 may take at least two forms:

Follow-Model with Button -Workers (i.e. users or order selectors) team up with robotic vehicles to drive through warehouses and demonstrate the ability to select orders without getting on and off the pallet jack. . The order selector can command or control the flow of the robotic vehicle.

Follow-Model with Voice Option -Full hands-free operation of a robot vehicle that pairs the order selector to select cases can be provided. In this case, the order selector can be freed from hands-on interaction with the robotic vehicle. The spell selector uses a voice system to command robot start / stop / deceleration. The spell selector can command or control the flow of the robotic vehicle, and the voice system tells the spell selector what to do. In other embodiments, the order selector may interact with the robotic vehicle using, for example, a gesture such as a hand signal.

As shown in FIG. 5, the selection list may be entered into the robot vehicle at step 510, and the order selector may initiate driving of the robot vehicle to the first starting surface at step 512. The robotic vehicle may be initiated by voice, gesture, button or other user interactive instrument. In step 514, the robot vehicle navigates to its starting surface. In step 516, the order selector selects a product from the selection surface. When the path is completed in step 518, the load selected in step 520 is delivered. The loaded goods may be shipped to the shipping and receiving area, an area within the warehouse, or some other target location. If the path is not complete at step 518, the method returns to step 512 where the user initiates robot travel to the next starting surface.

6 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for picking a case, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. This method may be performed by the robot vehicle module 300 or similar systems of FIG. 3. Method 600 may take at least two forms:

Auto-Location Case Picking The pre-programmed map of the warehouse can set each location to a distance grid and set to pause or deceleration positions for the robotic vehicle. . For each order, stops or decelerations are "selected" based on the position of the product on that order. The robot vehicle travels in the warehouse by a predetermined path and stops or slows down where the order requires the goods. The spell selector walks along the robot vehicle and tells him what and when the voice system will select him. Voice commands instruct the robot vehicle to travel to the next position.

WMS-Directed Location Case Picking -An order is sent from the WMS 140 'to the robotic vehicle. Based on the positions in the order, the robot vehicle will travel the "Smart Path" where stop and deceleration points are generated based on the order. The robot vehicle will drive each position, stop and deceleration points for the task. This may be due to the order selector following the robotic vehicle, waiting in pre-allocated areas for the robotic vehicle to reach for work, or subsequent selections by a centralized system such as, for example, WMS 140 '. This creates the flexibility to be dispatched dynamically to the server.

As shown in FIG. 6, in step 610 the robot vehicle may include a map representing a warehouse. In step 612, a selection list is generated from the order. The selection list may be manually generated, computer generated, or any combination thereof. Selecting surfaces may be determined in step 614 and guarding may be determined from these selecting surfaces in step 616. Step 618 initiates iterative guidance in the warehouse. In step 618, navigation may begin with a command input for a user's robot vehicle. The robot vehicle travels to the next starting surface based on the route and map.

In step 620, the goods are selected from the starting surface and loaded on a robotic vehicle, such as a pallet transporter or a cart with a trolley, for example. If the route is completed in step 622, the loaded goods may be delivered as described above. If the path is not complete, however, the process returns to step 618 and the robot navigates to the next starting surface. Once the load has been delivered, the robot vehicle may navigate to the preparation area at step 626.

7 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method 700 for picking a case using areas and supported by a robotic vehicle, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention. This method may be performed by the robot vehicle module 300 or similar systems of FIG. 3. The method 700 may take at least the following form:

Zone Case Picking -Dynamic strategic zones ("pick zones") that are sufficient to allow order selectors to be altered to balance order selectors 'productivity / capacity with robotic vehicles' capabilities / utilization. Are assigned to). Cases / Hour rates per hour can be set per region to minimize the distance traveled by other region / order selectors based on the density of a region. The robotic vehicle will allow the Ops Manager to set areas for day / time-period and robotic vehicles based on the volume of the day. The WMS 140 'can assign orders to the robotic vehicles (or the operator can scan the orders when pallets are loaded in the robotic vehicle) and the order positions tell where the robotic vehicle needs to go. Will be used. In some embodiments, the robotic vehicle module 300 will optimize the route determination by place where the robotic vehicle is described herein. The order selector interacts with each robot vehicle that reaches each area by logging on to a "Robot Order" or by automatic logon based on the area where the robot vehicle is located, so that the order selector can access that area via voice or other signals. It may be directed to select a plurality of cases from the selection surfaces of. The robotic vehicle may be instructed to aggregate voice signals or other signals to move to the next area. For example, such a signal may be a physical human gesture, hands-on or remote order selector input, or some other signal.

As shown in FIG. 7, regions are defined within warehouse 100 at step 710, and order selectors are assigned to the regions at step 712. In step 714, the order, start list, and / or route is loaded into the robotic vehicle. In step 716, the robot vehicle navigates to one area. In step 718, the order selector logs on to the order either directly to the robotic vehicle or via an electronic device in communication with the robotic vehicle or via WMS 140. In step 720, the robotic vehicle navigates to the first starting surface of the area. In step 722 the order selector loads the items. If the picking in that area has not been completed, the robot vehicle navigates to the next starting surface in the same area in step 726.

If picking in that area is completed in step 724, a determination is made in step 718 whether the next area exists. If so, the robot vehicle moves to the next area in step 730. If not, the robot vehicle delivers the loaded goods in step 732. After the load has been delivered, the robotic vehicle may move to the staging area as in step 734. For example, when an order is completed, the robot vehicle may move to, for example, a shipping and receiving area.

In various embodiments described in this specification, a robotic vehicle has one or more orders, selection lists, and routes stored locally. However, in other embodiments, one or more of the foregoing may be stored external to, for example, a WMS or the like, and communicated to the robot vehicle as needed—perhaps just in time. For example, when an order selector is ready to load goods at the starting surface and begin robotic autonomous navigation to the next location, voice or other input may be received by the robot vehicle from the WMS or other external system to receive the next starting surface position. May cause.

In accordance with various aspects of the present invention, various case picking solutions are made possible by forming a robot vehicle including a robot control system in facility facilities such as pallet transporters, forklifts, high lifts, and tuggers. The resulting flexibility can be enhanced by interfacing the robotic vehicle with the storage facility management system to maximize the utilization of the robotic vehicle to support a combination of critical tolerances for each customer / facility at varying levels. Balancing hourly cases / hours with labor cost and hours / hours / hours has different implications for efficiency, such as put-away and release. It may affect other areas. It is of great value for each facility to balance its own workforce, processes and robots to achieve its own purpose.

At the same time, the robot control system is flexible enough to be integrated into other technologies used in the factory. Robots that receive orders from WMS orders, for example, spells are printed to pickers, can track the path of the foe, and display what the operator would choose on a display mounted on the robot. Can be. The robot can reach the area and the operator can read the screen to choose what to choose. Additionally or alternatively, the voice system can tell the operator what to choose. Regardless of the infrastructure, the day and the goal of the warehouse, the robot control system can be adjusted in real time to support the needs. For example, the warehouse may use label picking for perishables, voice for dry goods, and / or RF displays for bulk goods. Robots travel from place to place and workers can be prompted through the methods they use.

8A illustrates one embodiment of a robotic vehicle 800 that includes a robot order selector 850, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

The robot vehicle 800 is almost similar to the robot vehicle 300 described above including the various robot vehicle modules 300 described above. The robotic vehicle 800 may also include a user device 840, which is almost similar to the user device 340. In this embodiment, the robot vehicle 800 is a pallet truck configured for manual driving and also robotic autonomous driving. For purposes of the inventive concept, the user device 840 and manual driving capability are optional and not essential.

Robotic vehicle 800 may include a loading platform 820 configured to receive and hold items or goods, such as, for example, transportation goods. The term "load platform" as used herein constitutes, supports, tow or propels or attaches to, or is a part of a pallet, bin, cart, or other structure or robotic vehicle. It may be or include a vehicle to be combined.

In this embodiment, robotic vehicle 800 includes a robot order selector comprising a robotic arm 852 configured to hold items or goods from a starting surface and load them into a robotic vehicle or other vehicle or structure. And / or include 850. The remote end of the robot arm is an item engager 854, which forms part of the order selector 850. The item gripper 854 is configured to sufficiently grasp an item or goods for lifting, carrying, and moving. Item gripper 854 may include a suction system for gripping and securing an item or article, or any other gripping mechanism known in the art.

Referring also to FIG. 2, FIG. 8A shows items 802 and 804 taken from, for example, starting surface 0 of FIG. 2. Item 802 has already been transferred from starting surface 0 to the loading platform 820 by the robot order selector 850. However, item 804 is gripped by item gripper 854 while robot arm 852 transfers item 804 to loading platform 820 in a previous procedure.

Referring also to FIG. 3, control of the robot order selector 850 may be provided by the vehicle control module 310, or any other functional module included in the various robot vehicle modules 300 described with reference to FIG. 3. . In still other embodiments, the robot order selector 850 may include its own processor, memory, and functional modules for its own control, collectively "order selector system" of FIG. 3. Could be. In this case, the selection surface and selection list information may be in electronic communication with the order selector system to assist the robot order selector 850 to select items from the selection surfaces.

If the robot order selector 850 is included in a vehicle, the human order selector may not be needed. However, in some embodiments some items of the starter list may be loaded by the robot order selector, while other items of the starter list may be loaded manually. For example, some starters may be electronically designated as manual loading and others as robot loading. Such designation may for example constitute part of a route or part of a series of electronic instructions or information provided therewith, or may be another navigation instruction.

For example, robotic vehicle 800 may use robotic arm 852 to automatically yield or load goods onto loading platform 820 of robotic vehicle 800. For example, the robot vehicle 800 autonomously navigates to the starting surface, the robot order selector 850 selects yield from the starting surface, places it in or on the loading platform 820, and then autonomously to the next starting surface. The same operation may be performed by navigation. This may continue until all items in the selection list have been selected.

In various embodiments, the robotic vehicle may include a stereo camera head 810 useful for collecting data useful for the autonomous navigation functions of the robotic vehicle 800. In some embodiments, camera head 810 may provide 360 degrees of stereo image data. In some embodiments, the camera head 810 identifies the starting surface, identifies the item or product to be selected at the starting surface, grips the item or product to transfer from the starting surface to the loading platform, and / or Image data useful for loading an item on a loading platform can be provided. The aforementioned robot vehicle 330 may also include such a stereo camera head.

In other embodiments, order selector 850 may include one or more sensors 856, which may include any number of cameras, stereo cameras, sonar sensors, pressure sensors, and the like. Other types of sensors may be included. Such sensors 856 may be disposed on or within item gripper 854, robot arm 852, and / or other portion of robot order selector 850. In various embodiments, sensor 856 is at least one camera that constitutes or is disposed on at least a portion of robot order selector 850. In various embodiments, sensor 856 may be used in conjunction with image data from stereo camera head 810 prior to entry between the starting surface and the loading platform.

8B-8G show another embodiment of a robotic vehicle 800'incorporating a robot order selector 860, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the robot order selector 860 differs from the robot order selector of FIG. 8A in that the robot order selector 860 can reach the storage space to grasp and secure the item 802. Alternatively, the robot order selector 850 is typically equipped in a direction to grip and secure the item 802 from the top or part of the item. That is, the robot arm 852 of FIG. 8A includes a rather standard hinge arrangement that allows itself to approach the storage volume and items stored therefrom from above. Thus, when items are stored in shelf-shelfed pallets as shown in FIG. 2, the items on the top shelf may be approached and gripped by the robot order selector 850 of FIG. 8A. However, the robot arm 852 is not configured to, for example, reach further down the shelf to grasp and secure the item under the top pallet. Order selector 860 solves this problem.

In FIG. 8B, the robot vehicle 800 ′ is shown positioned or stopped next to a series of pallets including a plurality of starting surfaces, as shown in FIG. 2. Item 802 is selected by order selector 860. In this embodiment, the robot order selector 860 includes a robot arm 862, an item gripper 864, and a nearly vertical arm guide 866. The robot arm 862 can adjust the height by translating the arm guide 866 up and down. A motor or other translational mechanism may be configured such that the robot arm 862 selectively translates the arm guide 866 up and down. The robot arm 862 can be nearly level while translating the arm guide 866 up and down. In various embodiments, item gripper 864 may use any of a variety of gripping mechanisms, such as suction.

However, the robot arm 862 differs from the robot arm 852 of FIG. 8A in that the robot arm 862 is configured to reach the storage space from, for example, rather than from above, by hinged and rotating over itself. . Accordingly, the robot arm 862 does not have a "generic elbow" design of the robot arm 852 so that it can reach the starting surface without obstruction.

8C shows a robot arm 862 on top of or adjacent to arm guide 866 and in which item gripper 864 partially extends to grip item 802. 8D shows robot arm 862 of order selector 860 pulling item 802 from the starting surface. FIG. 8E shows the robot arm 862 of the order selector 860 grasping and securing item 802 while translating item 802 from the starting surface to the platform 820 of the robotic vehicle 800 ′.

FIG. 8F shows the robot arm 862 of the order selector 860 that grips and locks item 802 and further translates item 802 from the starting surface to the loading platform 820 of the robotic vehicle 800 ′. Robotic arm 862 rotates item 802 while keeping it nearly horizontal. Item 802 is rotated and mounted on loading platform 820. 8G shows robot arm 862 partially translates arm guide 866 downward and robot arm 862 extends to mount item 802 on a pallet in loading platform 820.

While the foregoing has described the transfer of items and / or goods from starters to a loading platform of a robotic vehicle, those skilled in the art will recognize that the same device may transfer items or goods from the loading platform to one or more starters. It will be appreciated that it may be configured to migrate.

9 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a robot case picking method 900, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

According to this method 900, an autonomous navigation robot vehicle is provided in step 902. The robotic vehicle includes a loading platform and a robot order selector. For example, the robot vehicle may be the robot vehicle 800 of FIG. 8 that includes an order selector 850.

In step 904, a selection list, for example as described above, is generated from an order that includes one or more items to be selected. In step 906, the set of detailing surfaces corresponding to the items to be selected is determined as described above, for example. In step 908, a path in the warehouse containing these detailing surfaces is determined, for example, as described above.

In step 910, the robot vehicle autonomously navigates to a starting surface using a route, the robot order selector selects an item to be selected from the starting surface and physically selects the item, and transfers the selected item to the platform of the robot vehicle. In step 912, a determination is made as to whether all items have been selected. If all surrenders have not yet been selected, the robot vehicle repeats step 910 to autonomously navigate to the next starting surface and load the next item. This is repeated until all items have been selected.

Others may be designated for automated robot loading, while some cases and some starting surfaces may be designated for manual loading. Thus, in one alternative embodiment, the goods may be loaded by robot or manually according to the selection surface in step 910. According to this method, at least some detailing surfaces are selected and loaded with a robot.

While the foregoing has described embodiments and / or other preferred embodiments that are considered optimal modes, various changes may be made therein and the invention or inventions may be embodied in various forms and embodiments, some of which are Although described in the specification, it should be understood that the present invention can be applied to various fields. The following claims are intended to claim all such equivalents, including all literal forms and all such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of each claim.

Claims (6)

As a robot assisted method of picking cases in a storage facility:
Providing a robotic vehicle having a processor and a loading platform and a robot arm configured to access a memory, the robotic vehicle having access to an electronically stored model of the storage facility, the model being selected from within the storage facility A location for storing items placed into the device, wherein each starting surface is a designated location for storing one or more goods;
Generating a selection list from an order, the selection list providing identification information of the items to be selected from a plurality of other selection surfaces to satisfy the order;
Determining a plurality of other selection surfaces associated with the items from the selection list;
Electronically generating a path in the storage facility comprising the plurality of different detailing surfaces; And
The robot vehicle automatically repeats itself along the path, and is automatically applied to each of the plurality of different starting surfaces so that at least some of the items from the starting item can be loaded onto the loading platform using the robot arm. Stopping or decelerating with
Robot-supported case picking method. A loading platform configured to hold goods;
A robot arm configured to load items to and / or from the loading platform;
As a processor,
Generate a selection list from an order containing a plurality of different products, and
Generate navigation instructions from a map of a storage facility comprising the selection list and a plurality of selection surfaces, wherein each selection surface is a location designated for storage of the product, the navigation instructions corresponding to a plurality of different products of the order. A processor including a plurality of positions of the plurality of detailing surfaces; And
A vehicle control system configured to autonomously navigate the storage facility in accordance with the navigation instructions,
Stopping or decelerating at each of the plurality of different starting surfaces represented in the navigation instructions to enable loading of at least some of the plurality of other goods from the order onto the loading platform using the robot arm. Including a vehicle control system, including
Robotic vehicle. A robot case picking method performed by a robot vehicle having a loading platform and a robot ordering selector:
The robot vehicle autonomously navigates the warehouse according to a path identifying one or more stops, each having one or more items to be selected;
Automatically stopping at a stop from one or more stops, selecting an item from the stop with a robot, and loading the selected item onto the platform;
Robot-supported case picking method. The method of claim 3, wherein
The one or more stop points are a plurality of stop points,
And the robot vehicle autonomously navigates to each stop point of the plurality of stop points. The method of claim 4, wherein
And picking at least one of the items from the one or more of the plurality of stop points with the robot and loading the items onto the loading platform. The method of claim 3, wherein
Robotic supporting case picking further comprising automatically stopping at one of the one or more stops, manually selecting another item from the stop, and loading the selected item on the loading platform. Way.

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