Patent · US Active

Autonomous shuffling of pallets of items in a warehouse

US11157841B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
14References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 10, 2020
Grant dateOct 26, 2021
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 10, 2040

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06Q10/087
  • WIPO fieldIT methods for management
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Examples described may enable rearrangement of pallets of items in a warehouse to an optimal layout. An example method includes receiving real-time item information including pallet locations in a warehouse and real-time inventory of items arranged on the pallets; determining a likelihood of demand for future access to the pallets based on a pallet relocation history and item receiving/shipment expectations; based on the real-time item information and the likelihood of demand, determining an optimal controlled-access dense grid layout in which distances of the pallets from a center of the layout are related to the likelihood of demand; receiving real-time robotics information and using the real-time robotics information to determine an amount of time to rearrange the pallets to the optimal layout; and, based on the amount of time to rearrange the pallets being less than a threshold, causing the robotic devices to rearrange the pallets to the optimal layout.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.