Tray handling autonomous robot

US11745956B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Dexterity, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Zhouwen Sun · Redwood City, US
• Cyril Nader · Palo Alto, US
• Varun Uday Nayak · Palo Alto, US
• Alberto Leyva Arvayo · Palo Alto, US
• Michael R. Root · Edmond, US
• Andrew Lovett · Burlingame, US
• Kevin Jose Chavez · Redwood City, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 29, 2021
• Grant date: Sep 5, 2023
• Expiry date: Aug 11, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B65G2203/041
• WIPO field: Handling
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

An autonomous tray handling robotic system is disclosed. In various embodiments, data indicating a set of output stacks to be assembled is stored, each output stack including an associated set of trays each of a corresponding tray type. Operation of one or more robots is controlled, each robot being configured to grasp, move, and place one or more trays at a time, according to a plan, to iteratively pick trays from source stacks of trays and assemble the set of output stacks, including by building each output stack by successively placing on the output stack trays picked from one or more corresponding source stacks. Each of the robots comprises a robotic arm and a tray handling end effector configured to grasp, move, and place one or more trays without assistance from another robot.