Managing robots in workflows

Abstract

The robotic system and method include one or more humanoid robots configured to move within a commercial environment containing a plurality of commercial products supported by a plurality of donor pallets; one or more autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) configured to move within the commercial environment; and a control system communicatively coupled to one or more humanoid robots and one or more AMRs. The control system is configured to perform actions, which include instructing a particular AMR to move an order pallet within the commercial environment to a particular donor pallet; and instructing a particular humanoid robot adjacent to a particular donor pallet to move at least one commercial product from a particular donor pallet to an order pallet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure describes a system and method associated with managing one or more robots in a workflow, such as a workflow involving integrating one or more humanoid robots with other autonomous mobile robots in a warehouse workflow.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, workflows involving human workers, such as warehouse workflows, can often use certain autonomous robots to replace one, several, or all of the human workers. For example, in a conventional case pick process from humans to cases on a pallet, a human utilizes a pallet jack, a walkie lift, or equivalent pallet transportation equipment to move an order pallet through the aisle of a pallet rack containing a donor pallet, pick full cases from the donor pallet, and build the order pallet. This process requires an endless amount of walking, lifting heavy objects, and potentially a significant amount of pulling as the complete order pallet is built by humans. An autonomous mobile robot (AMR) can be used in place of a pallet jack, a walkie lift, or equivalent pallet transportation equipment, and a human can here stay within one area and wait until the AMR brings the pallet to that area, thus eliminating the need for that human to walk long distances or pull equipment containing pallets, but this does not eliminate the lifting of heavy objects required by humans to build the pallet. Additionally, a warehouse management system (WMS) or a warehouse execution management system (WES) can send the AMR to the donor pallet in the appropriate order and stack the cases correctly (as an example, with heavy cases at the bottom), but each human cannot recognize the cases picked and stacked on the pallet by humans before the AMR comes to their area, or the cases that will be picked and stacked by humans after the AMR leaves their area, and thus the pallet can be built inaccurately.

[0003] Furthermore, traditional workflows involving human workers, such as warehouse workflows, can often utilize autonomous robots to replace one, several, or all of the human workers. For example, in a traditional human-to-object high-altitude case picking process, a human utilizes an order picker lift truck or equivalent high-altitude case picking equipment to move through aisles of pallet racks containing donor pallets at different heights, picking cases or boxes from the donor pallets and constructing either an order pallet or a receiving pallet for cases or boxes that will be shipped individually or in quantities less than an order pallet. An autonomous order picker lift truck can be used in place of a traditional human-operated order picker lift truck, eliminating the need for a human to drive the traditional order picker lift truck up and down the aisle to reach donor pallets at any height in the aisle, but this does not eliminate the need for a human to construct pallets on the autonomous order picker, whether it is an order pallet or a pallet for cases or boxes that will be shipped individually or in quantities less than an order pallet. [Overview of the project] [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In an exemplary implementation, the robotic system and method includes one or more humanoid robots configured to move within a commercial environment containing a plurality of commercial products supported by a plurality of donor pallets; one or more autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) configured to move within the commercial environment; and a control system communicatively coupled to one or more humanoid robots and one or more AMRs. The control system is configured to perform actions, which include instructing a particular AMR to move an order pallet within the commercial environment to a particular donor pallet; and instructing a particular humanoid robot adjacent to a particular donor pallet to move at least one commercial product from a particular donor pallet to an order pallet.

[0005] In one aspect that can be combined with the exemplary implementation, the operation further includes instructing a specific AMR to move an order pallet in a commercial environment to another specific donor pallet, and instructing another specific humanoid robot adjacent to that other specific donor pallet to move at least one additional commercial product from that other specific donor pallet to the order pallet.

[0006] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, at least one commercial product and at least one additional commercial product are different.

[0007] In another aspect, which may be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the operation further includes instructing a specific AMR to move an order pallet away from multiple donor pallets, following the transfer of at least one additional commercial product from another specific donor pallet to an order pallet.

[0008] Another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, is that at least a part of the control system is part of a particular humanoid robot.

[0009] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the entire control system is part of a particular humanoid robot.

[0010] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, at least part of the control system is located inside the head of a particular humanoid robot.

[0011] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, one or more humanoid robots each comprise a torso and a lower body.

[0012] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the torso comprises two arm appendages, two hand appendages, and a head, and the lower body comprises two leg appendages and two foot appendages.

[0013] Another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, further involves instructing a specific humanoid robot to remain within an area adjacent to a specific donor pallet in order to avoid the safety area of ​​a particular AMR.

[0014] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the operation further includes instructing another specific AMR to move another order pallet in a commercial environment to a specific donor pallet; instructing a specific humanoid robot adjacent to a specific donor pallet to move at least one commercial product from a specific donor pallet to another order pallet; instructing another specific AMR to move another order pallet in a commercial environment to another specific donor pallet; and instructing another specific humanoid robot adjacent to another specific donor pallet to move at least one additional commercial product from another specific donor pallet to another order pallet.

[0015] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the operation further includes determining the route of a particular AMR through the commercial environment based on the combination of commercial products specified with respect to the order pallet.

[0016] In another aspect that can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the path-determining operation includes determining a first commercial product of a commercial product combination based on the weight or size of the first commercial product, and determining a second commercial product of a commercial product combination based on the weight or size of the second commercial product which is less than the weight or size of the first commercial product.

[0017] In another aspect, which may be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the operation further includes (i) instructing a specific AMR to move an order pallet along a route within a commercial environment to a donor pallet supporting a first commercial product.

[0018] In another aspect, which may be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the operation further includes (ii) instructing a humanoid robot adjacent to a donor pallet supporting the first commercial product to move at least one of the first commercial products to an order pallet.

[0019] In another aspect, which may be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the operation further includes, following (iii)(ii), instructing a specific AMR to move the order pallet along a route within a commercial environment to a donor pallet supporting a second commercial product.

[0020] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the operation further includes (iv) instructing a humanoid robot adjacent to a donor pallet supporting a second commercial product to move at least one second commercial product to an order pallet.

[0021] In another exemplary implementation, the robotic system includes one or more humanoid robots configured to move within a commercial environment containing multiple commercial products supported by multiple donor pallets; at least one autonomous order picker lift truck configured to move within a commercial embodiment; and a control system communicatively coupled to one or more humanoid robots and one or more autonomous order picker lift trucks. The control system is configured to perform actions, which include instructing the autonomous order picker lift truck to move a particular humanoid robot adjacent to a particular donor pallet mounted on a support surface of the commercial environment or on a rack assembly above the support surface of the commercial environment; instructing the autonomous order picker lift truck to move a particular humanoid robot to a vertical height on or near a particular donor pallet; and instructing a particular humanoid robot to pick up a commercial product or case from a particular donor pallet and place the picked commercial product or case on an order pallet or receiving pallet.

[0022] In one aspect that can be combined with the exemplary implementation, at least one autonomous order picker lift truck is at least one of either an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) or an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV).

[0023] Another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, further involves instructing a specific humanoid robot to position itself on an autonomous order picker lift truck.

[0024] Another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, further involves instructing a specific humanoid robot to position itself on the platform of an autonomous order picker lift truck on which order pallets are placed.

[0025] In another aspect that can be combined with one, several, or all of the foregoing aspects, the operation further commands the autonomous order picker lift truck to move a specific humanoid robot adjacent to another specific donor pallet mounted on a support surface of a commercial environment or on a rack assembly above the support surface of the commercial environment, and commands the autonomous order picker lift truck to move the specific humanoid robot to another vertical height different from the vertical height at or near the specific donor pallet to another vertical height at or near another specific donor pallet, and commands the specific humanoid robot to pick another commercial product or another case from another specific donor pallet and place the picked another commercial product or case on an order pallet or a receiving pallet.

[0026] In another aspect that can be combined with one, several, or all of the foregoing aspects, at least one commercial product is different from another commercial product.

[0027] In another aspect that can be combined with one, several, or all of the foregoing aspects, at least a part of the control system is part of at least one of one or more humanoid robots.

[0028] In another aspect that can be combined with one, several, or all of the foregoing aspects, all of the control system is part of at least one of one or more humanoid robots.

[0029] In another aspect that can be combined with one, several, or all of the foregoing aspects, at least a part of the control system is inside the head of at least one of one or more humanoid robots.

[0030] In another aspect that can be combined with one, several, or all of the foregoing aspects, each of one or more humanoid robots includes a torso and a lower body.

[0031] In another aspect that can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the torso includes two arm appendages, two hand appendages, and a head, and the lower body includes two leg appendages and two foot appendages.

[0032] In another aspect, which may be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the operation further includes instructing a second autonomous order picker lift truck to move another specific humanoid robot adjacent to a second specific donor pallet mounted on a support surface of a commercial environment or on a rack assembly above a support surface of a commercial environment; instructing a second autonomous order picker lift truck to move another specific humanoid robot to a second vertical height on or near the second specific donor pallet; and instructing another specific humanoid robot to pick up a second commercial product or case from the second specific donor pallet and place the picked second commercial product or case on a second order pallet or receiving pallet.

[0033] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the operation further includes determining the route of an autonomous order picker lift truck through the commercial environment based on a combination of commercial products defined with respect to an order pallet or receiving pallet, and determining the picking order of commercial products defined on the order pallet based on one or more heights within the rack assembly in which the commercial products are located.

[0034] In another aspect that can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the path-determining operation includes determining a first commercial product of a commercial product combination based on at least one of the heights, weights, or sizes of a first commercial product, and determining a second commercial product of a commercial product combination based on at least one of the heights, weights, or sizes of a second commercial product.

[0035] In another exemplary implementation, a computer implementation method includes using a control system to register one or more humanoid robots in a commercial environment containing multiple commercial products supported by multiple donor pallets; using a control system to register at least one autonomous order picker lift truck configured to move within the commercial environment; using a control system to instruct the autonomous order picker lift truck to move a specific humanoid robot adjacent to a specific donor pallet mounted on a support surface of the commercial environment or on a rack assembly above the support surface of the commercial environment; using a control system to instruct the autonomous order picker lift truck to move a specific humanoid robot to a vertical height on a specific donor pallet or in the vicinity of a specific donor pallet; and using a control system to instruct a specific humanoid robot to pick up a commercial product or case from a specific donor pallet and place the picked commercial product or case on an order pallet or receiving pallet.

[0036] One aspect that can be combined with the exemplary implementation further involves using a control system to instruct a specific humanoid robot to position itself on an autonomous order picker lift truck.

[0037] Another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, further includes using a control system to instruct a specific humanoid robot to position itself on the platform of an autonomous order picker lift truck on which order pallets are placed.

[0038] Another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, further includes using a control system to instruct an autonomous order picker lift truck to move a particular humanoid robot adjacent to another particular donor pallet mounted on a support surface of a commercial environment or on a rack assembly above a support surface of a commercial environment; using a control system to instruct an autonomous order picker lift truck to move a particular humanoid robot to another particular donor pallet or to a different vertical height near another particular donor pallet, which is different from the vertical height at or near the particular donor pallet; and using a control system to instruct a particular humanoid robot to pick up another commercial product or another case from another particular donor pallet and to place the picked commercial product or case on an order pallet or receiving pallet.

[0039] In another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, at least one commercial product differs from another commercial product.

[0040] In another aspect that can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, one or more humanoid robots each include a torso and a lower body.

[0041] In another aspect that can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, the torso includes two arm appendages, two hand appendages, and a head, and the lower body includes two leg appendages and two foot appendages.

[0042] Another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, further includes using a control system to instruct a second autonomous order picker lift truck to move another specific humanoid robot adjacent to a second specific donor pallet mounted on a support surface of a commercial environment or on a rack assembly above a support surface of a commercial environment; using a control system to instruct a second autonomous order picker lift truck to move another specific humanoid robot to a second vertical height on or near the second specific donor pallet; and using a control system to instruct another specific humanoid robot to pick up a second commercial product or case from the second specific donor pallet and place the picked second commercial product or case on a second order pallet or receiving pallet.

[0043] Another aspect, which can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, further includes using a control system to determine the route of an autonomous order picker lift truck through a commercial environment based on a combination of commercial products defined with respect to an order pallet, and using a control system to determine the picking order of commercial products defined on an order pallet based on one or more heights within the rack assembly in which the commercial products are located.

[0044] In another aspect that can be combined with one, some, or all of the aforementioned aspects, determining the route includes using a control system to determine a first commercial product of a commercial product combination based on at least one of the heights, weights, or sizes of one or more first commercial products, and using a control system to determine a second commercial product of a commercial product combination based on at least one of the heights, weights, or sizes of one or more second commercial products.

[0045] Implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include one, some, or all of the following features. For example, an implementation of the herein may eliminate or reduce the need for humans to board lift trucks to reach and lift products at height in a warehouse workflow. An implementation of the herein may also help prevent or avoid injuries to humans working at height in a case picking process. In another embodiment, an implementation utilizing a humanoid robot for a case picking workflow onto pallets may help reduce labor turnover and overall labor costs, and result in reduced worker compensation claims and time away from work due to injuries sustained while picking heavy cases from donor pallets, placing these heavy cases onto order pallets, and picking cases at a height above a finished floor.

[0046] Implementations of the systems and methods described herein may also include one, some, or all of the following features. For example, an implementation of the herein may eliminate or reduce the need for humans to walk long distances, lift and move heavy cases or commercial products, and pull pallet transport equipment in warehouse workflows. In another embodiment, an implementation of the herein may ensure that cases or commercial products are stacked in the correct order on order pallets to ensure that heavier cases are beneath lighter cases, or that pallets are constructed in a “store-conscious” manner. In another embodiment, an implementation utilizing humanoid robots for a case picking workflow onto pallets may help reduce worker turnover and overall labor costs, and result in reduced worker compensation claims and time away from work due to injuries sustained while picking heavy cases from donor pallets and placing these heavy cases onto order pallets.

[0047] Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described herein are provided in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will be evident from the description, drawings, and claims. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0048] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of a workflow in a commercial environment, including autonomous mobile robots and humanoid robots, as described in this disclosure.

[0049] [Figure 2] Figures 2A and 2B show exemplary implementations of the humanoid robot according to this disclosure.

[0050] [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a view from a workflow control system in a commercial environment, including autonomous mobile robots and humanoid robots, as described in this disclosure.

[0051] [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of the view from a humanoid robot in a workflow within a commercial environment as described in this disclosure.

[0052] [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of a workflow in a commercial environment, including autonomous mobile robots and humanoid robots, as described in this disclosure.

[0053] [Figure 6] Figures 6 and 7 provide schematic diagrams of a commercial environment view including an autonomous mobile robot and a vertical lifting humanoid robot in the case-picking workflow described herein. [Figure 7] Figures 6 and 7 provide schematic diagrams of a commercial environment view including an autonomous mobile robot and a vertical lifting humanoid robot in the case-picking workflow described herein.

[0054] [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of a control system that may be used in the workflows of Figures 1 and 5 according to this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0055] Detailed explanation Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of a workflow in a commercial environment 100 including autonomous mobile robots (including autonomous guided vehicles) and humanoid robots according to the present disclosure. For example, the commercial environment 100 could be a warehouse or other facility (in any industry) (construction warehouse, shipping center, packaging center, warehouse, distribution center or fulfillment center, manufacturing facility, or others) where one or more commercial products (i.e., products to be sold or otherwise transferred in the commercial) are collected, stored (at least temporarily), and arranged in combination for sale, shipment, further distribution channels, or packaging. The workflows illustrated and described in Figure 1 can represent a case-picking process to a pallet that integrates humanoid robots 112a-n and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) 108a-n to solve existing problems relating to existing case-picking processes to pallets, whether those processes utilize humans with pallet jacks, walkie lifts or other pallet handling equipment, or with AMRs. Exemplary workflows integrating humanoid robots 112a-n and AMR108a-n can eliminate or reduce the need for humans to walk long distances, lift and move heavy cases, and pull pallet transport equipment, while also ensuring that cases are stacked in the correct order on order pallets.

[0056] As shown in Figure 1, a commercial environment 100 (such as a warehouse) includes or encloses an occupable volume 104 within a building structure 102. The volume 104 can store donor pallets 106a-n (where "n" represents a variable number as disclosed herein) on, for example, the ground, pallet racks, or shelves. Each donor pallet 106a-n can enclose, contain, or otherwise support one or more commercial products. In some aspects, each donor pallet 106a-n supports a particular unique commercial product (e.g., in large quantities). For example, as shown, donor pallet 106a supports commercial product 105, while donor pallet 106n supports commercial product 107. A number of donor pallets 106a-n and commercial products may be present as desired or required.

[0057] As shown in this embodiment, one or more humanoid robots 112a-n are positioned within volume 104 in close proximity to donor pallets 106a-n, etc. (for example, within 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5-10 feet, or other distances). In some aspects, there can be a 1:1 ratio of humanoid robots 112a-n to donor pallets 106a-n. Alternatively, there can be more humanoid robots 112a-n than donor pallets 106a-n (for example, multiple humanoid robots 112a-n can be positioned adjacent to or assigned to a particular donor pallet 106a-n). Alternatively, fewer humanoid robots 112a-n than donor pallets 106a-n may be present (for example, a particular humanoid robot 112a-n may be positioned adjacent to multiple donor pallets 106a-n, or assigned to multiple donor pallets 106a-n). Generally, each humanoid robot 112a-n is operable to remove one or more commercial products from a particular donor pallet 106a-n (or multiple donor pallets) and move the removed commercial products to be placed on an order pallet, as described herein.

[0058] Briefly looking at Figures 2A and 2B, these figures illustrate exemplary implementations of the humanoid robot 112a (and humanoid robot 512a) according to the present disclosure. As shown, the humanoid robot 112a may include a torso with appendages (e.g., legs, feet, arms, hands, head) that mimic or, otherwise, resemble and function similarly to the appendages of a corresponding human body. The humanoid robot 112a may include multifunctional locomotion such as walking, squatting, flexion at the waist, kneeling, torso rotation, head rotation, lifting (from the ground to torso height, above the head), carrying (e.g., a commercial product 105 as shown in Figure 2B), and other locomotions that mimic the natural movement of a human. In addition, in some aspects, the humanoid robot 112a may include visual image sensing and recognition (e.g., built into the head or elsewhere), radar, or lidar to detect objects in its path. Therefore, humanoid robots 112a can be distinguished from AMRs 108a-n that may have mobility (e.g., through wheels, tracks, rollers, or other non-human devices) but do not have humanoid appendages. Exemplary AMRs 108a-n may be robots manufactured by, for example, Fetch Robotics, Mobile Industrial Robots, OTTO Robotics, or others.

[0059] In this embodiment, one or more AMRs 108a-n are also positioned within volume 104 and are operable to move throughout volume 104 to receive commercial products (105, 107, or others) onto order pallets 114a-n. In this embodiment, each AMR 108a-n may have order pallets 114a-n that include order pallets or are placed on the AMR in a different manner (either by its own action or by a human operator). Each order pallet 114a-n may have a specified or predetermined quantity and type of commercial products to be placed on the order pallet in accordance with a completed (or to be completed) transaction. As shown in this embodiment, each AMR 108a-n includes a safety area 110 representing the volume surrounding a particular AMR, and other objects (such as humanoid robots 112a-n) should not enter the safety area 110 (for example, for safety or other reasons).

[0060] In this exemplary workflow, the commercial environment 100 may include a Warehouse Management System (WMS) 999, which may interface with or incorporate a Warehouse Operations Management System (WES), Warehouse Control System (WCS), and / or WES (or Pick Route Optimization) functionality, including, in some aspects, a Warehouse Operations Management System (WES), a Warehouse Control System (WCS), and / or WES (or Pick Route Optimization) functionality. Other functionality, such as cubing (or so-called "Tetris") functionality, may be included with or interface with the WMS 999, enabling the WMS 999 to instruct humanoid robots 112a-n on how and in what order to place products on one or more pallets (for example, based on product size and / or weight, order of removal of products from pallets such as last-in, first-out, arrangement of unloaded products in a store or other commercial business, or a combination thereof).

[0061] WMS999, WES, or WCS may be a microprocessor-based control system that controls the operation of humanoid robots 112a-n and AMR108a-n according to software instructions executable by WMS999, WES, or WCS. In some aspects, WMS999, WES, or WCS controls the operation of humanoid robots 112a-n and AMR108a-n to move commercial products (105, 107, and others) from donor pallets 106a-n to order pallets 114a-n (for example, in a specified quantity and specified picking order) to perform a trade or otherwise. In some aspects, WMS999, WES, or WCS may be a physically separate control system that communicates with humanoid robots 112a-n and AMR108a-n (for example, wired or wirelessly). Alternatively, some or all of the functionalities (e.g., processing power, memory storage, communication, software instructions) can be located within one or more of the humanoid robots 112a-n (e.g., within the head or torso of the humanoid robot). Thus, in some respects, one or more of the humanoid robots 112a-n can act as a WMS999 to control the humanoid robots 112a-n and AMR108a-n.

[0062] In some aspects of an exemplary workflow in a commercial environment 100, the WMS999, WES, or WCS can identify or register all of the humanoid robots 112a-n and AMRs 109a-n within volume 104 (for example, to determine which of the robots are activated or operational). The WMS999, WES, or WCS can then communicate with the AMR 108c (for example, following in some cases picking up empty order pallets 114a-n) to load commercial products (105, 107, or others) onto empty order pallets 114c in order to fulfill a defined transaction, and direct the AMR 108c toward the donor pallet 106a. In some respects, WMS999, WES, or WCS directs the AMR108c toward a particular donor pallet 106a-n (and subsequently toward other donor pallets 106a-n in a specific order) based on the size or weight (or both) of the commercial product supported on that particular donor pallet 106a-n.

[0063] For example, when loading an empty order pallet 114c, it may be beneficial or advantageous to load the heaviest (or largest) commercial products first, followed by the lightest (or smallest) commercial products, according to the cubing functionality built into or interfaced with the WMS999, WES, or WCS. In such aspects, lighter commercial products will not be crushed or damaged by heavier commercial products loaded later. In some cases, the WMS can provide one or more tasks to one or more AMR108a-n and / or one or more humanoid robots 112a-n. In some aspects involving the inclusion of cubing functionality, the WMS999, WES, or WCS can, for example, instruct a humanoid robot 112a-n to pick up multiple cases and place them on a pallet, with location specificity of placement on the pallet varying according to the aforementioned criteria.

[0064] After the AMR108c is directed to a specific donor pallet, such as a donor pallet 106a, to pick up commercial products 105, the WMS999 controls the humanoid robot 112a at the donor pallet 106a to pick up a specific number of commercial products 105 from the donor pallet 106a and place the picked commercial products 105 onto the order pallet 114c. In some aspects, the WMS999 instructs the humanoid robot 112a to remain close to the donor pallet 106a until the AMR108c stops at a specific location, in order to ensure that the humanoid robot 112a does not trigger the safety area 110 of the AMR108c. In some aspects, the WMS999 or the humanoid robot 112a's controller (e.g., inside the head or torso of the humanoid robot 112a) instructs the proper placement of each commercial product 105 on the order pallet 114c in order to create the correct layer of products on the order pallet 114c. After the humanoid robot 112a picks and places the appropriate number of commercial products 105 in the correct locations on the order pallet 114c, it repositions itself (for example, on a pallet rack or shelf) closer to the donor pallet 106a so that the AMR 108c can leave the area around the donor pallet 106a without its safety zone 110 being triggered.

[0065] The operations described above can be repeated on one or more additional donor pallets 106a-n. For example, AMR 108c can then be directed toward donor pallet 106n to pick up commercial products 107. After picking and placing the appropriate number of commercial products 107 in the correct locations on order pallet 114c, the humanoid robot 112n repositions itself (e.g., on a pallet rack or shelf) in close proximity to donor pallet 106n so that AMR 108c can leave the area around donor pallet 106n without its safety zone 110 being triggered. When order pallet 114c is complete, AMR 108c can move order pallet 114c toward a location within volume 104 where order pallet 114c can be shipped or otherwise packaged (for example, as shown when AMR 108b is moving the completed order pallet 114b).

[0066] Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a view 300 from a workflow control system in a commercial environment including autonomous mobile robots and humanoid robots according to this disclosure. For example, view 300 can be generated by WMS999 when a workflow (as described above) for loading commercial products from donor pallets 106a-n onto order pallets 114a-n is completed by humanoid robots 112a-n and AMRs 108a-n. In some aspects, view 300 can be generated by WMS999 on a display (which is part of WMS999 or separate from WMS999) that is viewable by a human operator to ensure that the workflow is completed correctly. For example, view 400 can show the location and movement of humanoid robots 112a-n and AMRs 108a-n during the workflow, as well as the status of order pallets 114a-n and donor pallets 106a-n. In some respects, WMS999 can provide visual inspection and counting of the quantities of commercial products supported by each donor pallet 106a-n to ensure that sufficient quantities are available for each product (and, if necessary, to order additional products). Furthermore, in some respects, WMS999 can provide visual inspection and counting of the quantities of commercial products loaded on each order pallet 114a-n to ensure that specified orders are completed (with the correct quantities and types of commercial products).

[0067] Figure 4 is a schematic illustration of a view 400 from a humanoid robot in a workflow in a commercial environment as described herein. For example, as described, each humanoid robot 112a-n may include a visual receptor (e.g., camera, video link) that can record the surrounding environment (e.g., in real time). Here, view 400 shows the surrounding environment of the humanoid robot, as well as an object ("box") and commanded tasks ("pick up" and "move").

[0068] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of a workflow within a commercial environment 500 including an autonomous order picker lift truck (based on either an autonomous mobile robot or an autonomous guided vehicle) and a humanoid robot according to the present disclosure. For example, the commercial environment 500 could be a warehouse (in any industry) or other facility (a construction warehouse, shipping center, packaging center, warehouse, distribution center or fulfillment center, manufacturing facility, or others) where one or more commercial products (i.e., products sold or otherwise transferred in the commercial) are collected, stored (at least temporarily), and arranged in combination for sale, shipment, further distribution channels, or packaging. The workflows illustrated and described in Figure 5 can represent a case-picking process at height that integrates humanoid robots 512a-n and autonomous order picker lift trucks 508a-n to solve existing problems relating to existing case-picking processes at height, regardless of whether those processes utilize humans together with conventional order picker lift trucks. An exemplary workflow integrating the humanoid robot 512a-n and the autonomous order picker lift truck 508a-n can eliminate or reduce the need for humans to pick cases at height.

[0069] In particular, in exemplary implementations, the case picking process may involve actions performed at different heights (or distances) above supporting surfaces in a commercial environment (e.g., floor, mezzanine, or other). Therefore, cases may need to be picked from pallet racks at different vertical levels. In conventional case picking workflows where humans perform the case picking action, humans utilize order picker lift trucks, moving through aisles of pallet racks containing donor pallets at different heights, picking cases or boxes from the donor pallets, and constructing either order pallets or receiving pallets for cases or boxes that will be shipped individually or in quantities less than the order pallet. However, such conventional systems also suffer from problems associated with the use of human case pickers, including injury (or worse) to human pickers operating at (hazardous, or otherwise) heights above supporting surfaces.

[0070] Autonomous order picker lift trucks, which may be an extension or development of autonomous reach trucks or autonomous VNA (very narrow aisle) trucks, can be used as a replacement for human-controlled order picker lift trucks, eliminating the need for humans to drive the order picker into and out of aisles and to control both the horizontal and vertical movement of the order picker. However, this does not eliminate the need for humans to pick up cases (at height) and place them on donor or receiving pallets.

[0071] The exemplary implementation provided in this disclosure provides a case-picking process at height that integrates a humanoid robot (e.g., a fully bipedal humanoid robot or the torso of a humanoid robot) with an autonomous non-humanoid robot such as an autonomous order picker lift truck, in order to provide a better solution than existing human-to-object case-picking processes at height.

[0072] For example, in a case picking process at height that integrates a humanoid robot and an autonomous order picker lift truck, the humanoid robot (e.g., either a fully bipedal humanoid robot or the torso of a humanoid robot mounted on an autonomous order picker lift truck, or a combination thereof) is autonomously transported by the autonomous order picker lift truck to the correct donor pallet. In some aspects, a warehouse management system (WMS) or warehouse operations management system (WES) instructs the autonomous order picker lift truck on the correct sequence of donor pallets in order to pick the cases in the correct order so that the cases can be properly stacked on the pallet (e.g., heavy cases at the bottom, or department-based loading).

[0073] The WMS or WES instructs a humanoid robot to pick a specific number of cases from a donor pallet and place them on a pallet on an autonomous order picker lift truck. Either the WMS or WES software, or a software platform associated with the humanoid robot, will instruct the proper placement of each case on the order pallet to create the correct layer on the order pallet or receiving pallet. After picking and placing the correct number of cases in the correct location on the order pallet or receiving pallet, the autonomous order picker lift truck and the humanoid robot reposition themselves and the humanoid robot to the next pick location, and the process is repeated across several pick locations until the order pallet or receiving pallet is complete. An exemplary implementation of the high-altitude picking process integrating a humanoid robot with an autonomous order picker lift truck fully automates the high-altitude case picking process, eliminating the hazardous work of humans picking at heights, while also ensuring that cases are stacked in the correct order on the order pallet or receiving pallet.

[0074] As shown in Figure 5, a commercial environment 500 (such as a warehouse) includes or encloses an occupable volume 504 within a building structure 502. The volume 504 can store, for example, donor pallets 506a-n (where "n" represents a variable number as disclosed herein) on the ground, pallet racks, or shelves. Each donor pallet 506a-n can enclose, contain, or otherwise support one or more commercial products. In some aspects, each donor pallet 506a-n supports a particular unique commercial product (e.g., in large quantities). For example, as shown, donor pallet 506a supports commercial product 505, while donor pallet 506n supports commercial product 507. A number of donor pallets 506a-n and commercial products may be present as desired or required.

[0075] As shown in this embodiment, one or more humanoid robots 512a-n are positioned within volume 504 in close proximity to donor pallets 506a-n, etc. (for example, within 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5-10 feet, or other distances). In some aspects, a one-to-one ratio of humanoid robots 512a-n to donor pallets 506a-n can exist. Alternatively, there can be more humanoid robots 512a-n than donor pallets 506a-n (for example, multiple humanoid robots 512a-n can be positioned adjacent to or assigned to a particular donor pallet 506a-n). Alternatively, fewer humanoid robots 512a-n than donor pallets 506a-n may be present (for example, a particular humanoid robot 512a-n may be positioned adjacent to or assigned to multiple donor pallets 506a-n). Generally, each humanoid robot 512a-n is operable to remove one or more commercial products from a particular donor pallet 506a-n (or multiple donor pallets) and move the removed commercial products to be placed on an order pallet, as described herein.

[0076] In this embodiment, one or more autonomous order picker lift trucks 508a-n are also positioned within volume 504 and are operable to move throughout volume 504 to receive commercial products (505, 507, or others) onto order pallets 514a-n. In this embodiment, one or more of the autonomous order picker lift trucks 508a-n have order pallets 514a-n that include order pallets or are otherwise placed on the autonomous order picker lift truck (either by its own action or by a human operator). Each order pallet 514a-n may have a specified or predetermined quantity and type of commercial products to be placed on the order pallet in accordance with a completed (or to be completed) transaction. As shown in this embodiment, each autonomous order picker lift truck 508a-n includes a safety area 510 representing the volume surrounding a particular autonomous order picker lift truck, and other objects (such as humanoid robots 512a-n) should not enter the safety area 510 (for example, for safety or other reasons).

[0077] In this disclosure, one or more of the autonomous order picker lift trucks 508a-n may be autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). In another embodiment, one or more of the autonomous robots 508a-n may be autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs). Most likely, the autonomous order picker lift trucks would be variations of autonomous reach trucks or autonomous VNA reach trucks. In some aspects, AMRs can be distinguished from AGVs based on, for example, the level of autonomy of movement within volume 504. For example, an AMR may be capable of fully autonomous movement through volume 504 by mapping volume 504 and moving freely through volume 504 based on the mapping. However, in some aspects, an AGV may move through volume 504 on guide wires positioned within volume 504 (e.g., in the floor). Thus, an AGV may follow guide wires through passages in volume 504, but when not in a passage, it will wait for any object in its vicinity to move instead of navigating a different path.

[0078] One or more of the autonomous robots 508a-508n are autonomous order picker lift trucks that can operate autonomously (at least partially) to move through volume 504. In some aspects, as fully described herein, the humanoid robot 512n can autonomously position itself on the platform of the autonomous order picker lift truck 508d, be raised above a support surface (such as the floor of a building structure 502), and pick commercial products 507 from cases or multiple cases (or specific products within cases) on the raised donor pallets 506n (e.g., positioned on a rack structure above the floor). Once picked, the lift truck 508d can return the humanoid robot 512n to the support surface, autonomously move the humanoid robot 512n to another vertical level (e.g., a higher level) within volume 504 to pick additional cases, autonomously move the humanoid robot 512n to another location within volume 504 (e.g., on the same vertical level), or perform other actions.

[0079] In this exemplary workflow, the commercial environment 500 may include a Warehouse Management System (WMS) 999, which may interface with or incorporate a Warehouse Operations Management System (WES), Warehouse Control System (WCS), and / or WES (or Pick Route Optimization) functionality, including, in some aspects, a Warehouse Operations Management System (WES), a Warehouse Control System (WCS), and / or WES (or Pick Route Optimization) functionality. Other functionality, such as cubing (or so-called "Tetris") functionality, may be included with or interface with the WMS 999, enabling the WMS 999 to instruct humanoid robots 512a-n on how and in what order to place products on one or more pallets (for example, based on product size and / or weight, order of removal of products from pallets such as last-in, first-out, arrangement of unloaded products in a store or other commercial business, or a combination thereof).

[0080] WMS999, WES, or WCS may be a microprocessor-based control system that controls the operation of humanoid robots 512a-n and autonomous robots 508a-n according to software instructions executable by WMS999, WES, or WCS. In some aspects, WMS999, WES, or WCS controls the operation of humanoid robots 512a-n and autonomous robots 508a-n to move commercial products (505, 507, and others) from donor pallets 506a-n to order pallets 514a-n (for example, in specified quantities and in specified loading order) to perform a trade or otherwise. In some aspects, WMS999, WES, or WCS may be a physically separate control system that communicates with humanoid robots 512a-n and autonomous robots 508a-n (for example, wired or wirelessly). Alternatively, some or all of the functionalities (e.g., processing power, memory storage, communication, software instructions) can be located within one or more of the humanoid robots 512a-n (e.g., within the head or torso of the humanoid robot). Thus, in some respects, one or more of the humanoid robots 512a-n can act as a WMS999 to control the humanoid robots 512a-n and the autonomous robots 508a-n.

[0081] In some aspects of the exemplary workflow in the commercial environment 500, the WMS999, WES, or WCS can identify or register all of the humanoid robots 512a-n and autonomous robots 509a-n within volume 504 (for example, to determine which of the robots are activated or operational). The WMS999, WES, or WCS can then communicate with the autonomous robot 508c (for example, following in some cases picking up the empty order pallets 514a-n) to load commercial products (505, 507, or others) onto the empty order pallets 514c in order to fulfill a defined transaction, and can direct the autonomous robot 508c toward the donor pallet 506a. In some respects, WMS999, WES, or WCS directs the autonomous robot 508c toward a particular donor pallet 506a-n (and subsequently toward other donor pallets 506a-n in a specific order) based on the size or weight (or both) of the commercial product supported on that particular donor pallet 506a-n.

[0082] For example, when loading an empty order pallet 514c, it may be beneficial or advantageous to load the heaviest (or largest) commercial products first, followed by the lightest (or smallest) commercial products, according to the cubing functionality built into or interfaced with the WMS999, WES, or WCS. In such aspects, lighter commercial products will not be crushed or damaged by heavier commercial products loaded later. In some cases, the WMS can provide one or more tasks to one or more autonomous robots 508a-n and / or one or more humanoid robots 512a-n. In some aspects, including the inclusion of cubing functionality, the WMS999, WES, or WCS can, for example, instruct a humanoid robot 512a-n to pick up multiple cases and place them on a pallet, with location specificity of placement on the pallet varying according to the aforementioned criteria.

[0083] After the autonomous robot 508c is directed towards a specific donor pallet, such as a donor pallet 506a, to pick up commercial products 505, the WMS999 controls the humanoid robot 512a at the donor pallet 506a to pick up a specific number of commercial products 505 from the donor pallet 506a and place the picked commercial products 505 onto the order pallet 514c. In some aspects, the WMS999 instructs the humanoid robot 512a to remain close to the donor pallet 506a until the autonomous robot 508c stops at a specific location, in order to ensure that the humanoid robot 512a does not trigger the safety area 510 of the autonomous robot 508c. In some aspects, the WMS999 or the humanoid robot 512a's controller (e.g., inside the head or torso of the humanoid robot 512a) instructs the proper placement of each commercial product 505 on the order pallet 514c in order to create the correct layer of products on the order pallet 514c. After the humanoid robot 512a has picked and placed the appropriate number of commercial products 505 in the correct locations on the order pallet 514c, it repositions itself (for example, on a pallet rack or shelf) closer to the donor pallet 506a so that the autonomous robot 508c can leave the area around the donor pallet 506a without its safety zone 510 being triggered.

[0084] The operations described above can be repeated on one or more additional donor pallets 506a-n. For example, the autonomous robot 508c can then be directed towards the donor pallet 506n to pick up the commercial product 507. Once the order pallet 514c is complete, the autonomous robot 508c can move the order pallet 514c toward a location within volume 504 where the order pallet 514c can be shipped or otherwise packaged (for example, as shown in the state where the autonomous robot 508b moves the completed order pallet 514b).

[0085] Figures 6 and 7 are schematic illustrations of views 600 and 700 of a commercial environment 601 including an autonomous mobile robot and a vertically lifting humanoid robot in the case picking workflow according to this disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, a humanoid robot 650 (which may be a full humanoid robot or a torso humanoid robot) is positioned on platform 608 of an autonomous order picker lift truck 604 that moves through the environment 601 to adjust the vertical position of the humanoid robot 650 and is operable to adjust the vertical height of platform 608. In this view 600, the autonomous order picker lift truck 604 positions the humanoid robot 650 adjacent to a multi-level rack 602, and multiple donor pallets 610 are supported within the multi-level rack 602. Each donor pallet 610 supports a commercial product 612. As shown in this view 600, an order pallet 614 is also supported on platform 608 with a case 616 picked on the pallet 614. Here, the humanoid robot 650 is positioned at a certain height and location on the rack 602 by an autonomous order picker lift truck 604 to pick up the case 620 and place it on the assembled order pallet 614.

[0086] As shown in Figure 7, the humanoid robot 650 is positioned on the platform 608 of the autonomous order picker lift truck 604 at different vertical heights near the rack 602 compared to view 600. In this view 700, the autonomous order picker lift truck 604 positions the humanoid robot 650 adjacent to the multi-level rack 602 to pick a case 640 from a donor pallet 610. Once picked, the case 640 will be placed on the order pallet 614 being assembled by the humanoid robot 650.

[0087] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of a control system 800 that may be used in the exemplary workflows of Figures 1 and 5 of this disclosure. For example, all or part of the control system (or controller) 800 may be used, for example, as a warehouse management system (WMS) 999, or as part of a warehouse management system (WMS) 999, for the operations described above. All or part of the exemplary control system 800 (or WMS 900 in general) may be implemented as a cloud-based system and / or service, either alone or in combination with other parts of the exemplary control system 800 that may be implemented in a commercial environment 100. The controller 800 is intended to include various forms of digital computers, such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), processors, digital networks, or others. In addition, the system may include portable storage media such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive. For example, the USB flash drive may store an operating system and other applications. The USB flash drive may include input / output components such as a wireless transmitter or USB connector that can be inserted into a USB port of another computing device.

[0088] The controller 800 includes a processor 810, memory 820, storage device 830, and input / output device 840. Components 810, 820, 830, and 840 are interconnected using a system bus 850. The processor 810 is capable of processing instructions for execution within the controller 800. The processor may be designed using one of several architectures. For example, the processor 810 may be a CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) processor, a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) processor, or a MISC (Minimum Instruction Set Computer) processor.

[0089] In one implementation, processor 810 is a single-threaded processor. In another implementation, processor 810 is a multi-threaded processor. Processor 810 is capable of processing instructions stored in memory 820 or on storage device 830 to display graphic information for the user interface on input / output device 840.

[0090] Memory 820 stores information within the control system 800. In one implementation, memory 820 is a computer-readable medium. In another implementation, memory 820 is a volatile memory unit. In yet another implementation, memory 820 is a non-volatile memory unit.

[0091] The storage device 830 can provide large-capacity storage for the controller 800. In one implementation, the storage device 830 is a computer-readable medium. In various different implementations, the storage device 830 may be a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, a tape device, flash memory, a solid-state device (SSD), or a combination thereof.

[0092] The input / output device 840 provides input / output operations for the controller 800. In one implementation, the input / output device 840 includes a keyboard and / or a pointing device. In another implementation, the input / output device 840 includes a display unit for displaying a graphical user interface.

[0093] The described features can be implemented within a digital electronic network, or within computer hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. The device can be implemented within a computer program product, which is tangibly embodied within an information carrier, for example, a machine-readable storage device for execution by a programmable processor, and the method steps can be carried out by a programmable processor, which performs the functions of the described implementation by executing a program of instructions, acting on input data, and producing an output. Advantageously, the described features can be implemented within one or more computer programs, which are executable on a programmable system, which includes at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from a data storage system and to transmit data and instructions to the data storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. A computer program is a set of instructions used directly or indirectly within a computer to perform an activity or produce a result. Computer programs can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and can be deployed in any form, including as standalone programs or as modules, components, subroutines, or other units suitable for use within a computing environment.

[0094] Processors suitable for executing instruction programs include, in examples, one of both general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors and one or more processors of any type of computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from read-only memory or random-access memory or both. Essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer also includes one or more mass storage devices for storing data files, or is operationally coupled to communicate with one or more mass storage devices, such devices include magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and optical disks. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include, in examples, semiconductor memory devices such as EPROMs, EEPROMs, solid-state drives (SSDs), and flash memory devices, magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, and all forms of non-volatile memory, including CD-ROMs and DVD-ROM disks. Processors and memory can be complemented by or incorporated into ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits).

[0095] To provide user interaction, the feature can be implemented on a computer having a display device such as a CRT (cathode ray tube), LCD (liquid crystal display), or LED (light-emitting diode) monitor for displaying information to the user, and a pointing device such as a keyboard and mouse or trackball, where the user can provide input to the computer via the pointing device. In addition, such activities can be implemented via a touchscreen flat panel display and other suitable mechanisms.

[0096] The system can be implemented in a control system that includes backend components such as data servers, middleware components such as application servers or internet servers, or frontend components such as client computers with a graphical user interface or internet browser, or any combination thereof. The components of this system can be connected by digital data communication in any form or medium, such as a communication network. Examples of communication networks include local area networks ("LANs"), wide area networks ("WANs"), peer-to-peer networks (with ad-hoc or static components), grid computing infrastructure, and the internet.

[0097] This specification contains many specific implementation details, which should be interpreted not as limitations on the scope of any invention or claim, but rather as descriptions of features specific to a particular implementation of a particular invention. Certain features described herein in the context of a separate implementation may also be implemented in a single implementation or in combination. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented in multiple implementations, individually or in any preferred secondary combination. Furthermore, even if a feature is described above as acting in a combination and may be initially claimed as such, one or more features from the claimed combination may, in some cases, be removed from the combination, and the claimed combination may be subject to secondary combinations or variations of secondary combinations.

[0098] Similarly, while actions are depicted in a specific order within the diagrams, this should not be understood as requiring that such actions be performed in a specific or sequential order shown, or that all illustrated actions be performed, in order to achieve the desired result. In some situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Furthermore, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

[0099] Several implementations are described. Nevertheless, it should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. For example, the exemplary operations, methods, or processes described herein may include more or fewer steps than those described. Furthermore, the steps in such exemplary operations, methods, or processes may be performed in a different order than those illustrated in the description or figures. Thus, other implementations are also within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. It is a robotic system, One or more humanoid robots configured to move within a commercial environment containing multiple commercial products supported by multiple donor pallets, One or more autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) configured to move within the aforementioned commercial environment, A control system that is communicatively coupled to one or more humanoid robots and one or more AMRs, wherein the control system is configured to perform an action, and the action is To instruct a specific AMR to move an order pallet within the aforementioned commercial environment to a specific donor pallet, To instruct a specific humanoid robot adjacent to the specific donor pallet to move at least one commercial product from the specific donor pallet to the order pallet. Control systems including A robotic system equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned operation further, To instruct the specific AMR to move the order pallet in the commercial environment to another specific donor pallet, To instruct another specific humanoid robot adjacent to the other specific donor pallet to move at least one additional commercial product from the other specific donor pallet to the order pallet. The robot system according to claim 1, including the above.

3. The robotic system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one commercial product and the at least one additional commercial product are different.

4. The robotic system according to any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein the operation further includes instructing the specific AMR to move the order pallet away from the plurality of donor pallets, following the movement of the other specific humanoid robot to move the at least one additional commercial product from the other specific donor pallet to the order pallet.

5. The robot system according to any one of the claims, wherein at least a part of the control system is part of the specific humanoid robot.

6. The robot system according to claim 5, wherein all of the control systems are part of the specific humanoid robot.

7. The robotic system according to any one of claims 5 or 6, wherein at least a portion of the control system is located inside the head of the particular humanoid robot.

8. The robot system according to any one of the claims, wherein each of the one or more humanoid robots comprises a torso and a lower body.

9. The robot system according to claim 8, wherein the torso comprises two arm attachments, two hand attachments, and a head, and the lower body comprises two leg attachments and two foot attachments.

10. The aforementioned operation further, The robotic system according to any one of the claims, comprising instructing the specific humanoid robot to remain in an area adjacent to the specific donor pallet in order to avoid the safety area of ​​the specific AMR.

11. The aforementioned operation further, To instruct another specific AMR to move another order pallet within the aforementioned commercial environment to the aforementioned specific donor pallet, Commanding a specific humanoid robot adjacent to the specific donor pallet to move at least one commercial product from the specific donor pallet to the other order pallet, To instruct the other specific AMR to move the other order pallet in the commercial environment to the other specific donor pallet, To instruct the other specific humanoid robot adjacent to the other specific donor pallet to move at least one additional commercial product from the other specific donor pallet to the other specific order pallet. A robot system according to any one of the claims, including the above.

12. The aforementioned operation further, The robotic system according to any one of the claims, comprising determining the route of the particular AMR through the commercial environment based on the combination of commercial products defined with respect to the order pallet.

13. The operation that determines the aforementioned path is, Determining a first commercial product of the aforementioned combination of commercial products, wherein the determination of the first commercial product is based on the weight or size of the first commercial product. Determining a second commercial product of the aforementioned combination of commercial products, wherein the determination of the second commercial product is based on the weight or size of the second commercial product being less than the weight or size of the first commercial product. The robot system according to claim 12, including the above.

14. The aforementioned operation further, (i) Instructing the specific AMR to move the order pallet along the route within the commercial environment to the donor pallet supporting the first commercial product, (ii) Instructing the humanoid robot adjacent to the donor pallet supporting the first commercial product to move at least one first commercial product to the order pallet, (iii) (iii) followed by instructing the specific AMR to move the order pallet along the route in the commercial environment to the donor pallet supporting the second commercial product, (iv) Instructing the humanoid robot adjacent to the donor pallet supporting the second commercial product to move at least one second commercial product to the order pallet; The robot system according to claim 13, including the above.

15. A computer implementation method, Using a control system, register one or more humanoid robots in a commercial environment containing multiple commercial products supported by multiple donor pallets, Using the control system, register one or more autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in the commercial environment, Using the aforementioned control system, a specific AMR is instructed to move an order pallet within the commercial environment to a specific donor pallet. Using the control system, a specific humanoid robot adjacent to the specific donor pallet is instructed to move at least one commercial product from the specific donor pallet to the order pallet. Computer implementation methods, including those mentioned above.

16. Using the control system, instruct the specific AMR to move the order pallet in the commercial environment to another specific donor pallet. Using the control system, instruct another specific humanoid robot adjacent to the other specific donor pallet to move at least one additional commercial product from the other specific donor pallet to the order pallet. The computer implementation method according to claim 15, further comprising:

17. The computer implementation method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one commercial product and the at least one additional commercial product are different.

18. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 16 or 17, further comprising using the control system to instruct the specific AMR to move the order pallet away from the plurality of donor pallets, following the transfer of the at least one additional commercial product from the other specific donor pallet to the order pallet.

19. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 15-18, wherein at least a part of the control system is part of the specific humanoid robot.

20. The computer implementation method according to claim 19, wherein the entire control system is part of the specific humanoid robot.

21. The computer implementation method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein at least a portion of the control system is located inside the head of the particular humanoid robot.

22. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 15-21, wherein each of the one or more humanoid robots comprises a torso and a lower body.

23. The computer implementation method according to claim 22, wherein the torso comprises two arm attachments, two hand attachments, and a head, and the lower body comprises two leg attachments and two foot attachments.

24. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 15-23, further comprising using the control system to instruct the particular humanoid robot to remain in an area adjacent to the particular donor pallet in order to avoid the safety area of ​​the particular AMR.

25. Using the control system, instruct another specific AMR to move another order pallet within the commercial environment to the specific donor pallet, Using the control system, a specific humanoid robot adjacent to the specific donor pallet is instructed to move at least one commercial product from the specific donor pallet to the other order pallet, Using the control system, instruct the other specific AMR to move the other order pallet in the commercial environment to the other specific donor pallet, Using the control system, instruct the other specific humanoid robot adjacent to the other specific donor pallet to move at least one additional commercial product from the other specific donor pallet to the other order pallet. A computer implementation method according to any one of claims 15-24, further comprising:

26. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 15-25, further comprising using the control system to determine the route of the particular AMR through the commercial environment based on a combination of commercial products defined with respect to the order pallet.

27. The operation that determines the aforementioned path is, The control system is used to determine a first commercial product of the combination of commercial products, wherein the determination of the first commercial product is based on the weight or size of the first commercial product. The control system is used to determine a second commercial product of the combination of commercial products, wherein the determination of the second commercial product is based on the weight or size of the second commercial product being less than the weight or size of the first commercial product. The computer implementation method according to claim 26, including the method described in claim 26.

28. (i) Using the control system, instruct the specific AMR to move the order pallet along the route in the commercial environment to the donor pallet supporting the first commercial product, (ii) Using the control system, instructing the humanoid robot adjacent to the donor pallet supporting the first commercial product to move at least one first commercial product to the order pallet, (iii) Following (iii), the control system is used to instruct the specific AMR to move the order pallet along the path in the commercial environment to the donor pallet supporting the second commercial product, (iv) Using the control system, instruct the humanoid robot adjacent to the donor pallet supporting the second commercial product to move at least one second commercial product to the order pallet. The computer implementation method according to claim 27, further comprising:

29. It is a robotic system, One or more humanoid robots configured to move within a commercial environment containing multiple commercial products supported by multiple donor pallets, At least one autonomous order picker lift truck configured to move within the aforementioned commercial embodiment, A control system that is communicatively coupled to one or more humanoid robots and one or more autonomous order picker lift trucks, wherein the control system is configured to perform an action, and the action is Commanding the autonomous order picker lift truck to move a specific humanoid robot adjacent to a specific donor pallet mounted on a support surface of the commercial environment or on a rack assembly above the support surface of the commercial environment, Commanding the autonomous order picker lift truck to move the specific humanoid robot to a certain vertical height on or near the specific donor pallet, To instruct the specific humanoid robot to pick up commercial products or cases from the specific donor pallet and to place the picked commercial products or cases on the order pallet or receiving pallet. Control systems including A robotic system equipped with the following features.

30. The robotic system according to claim 29, wherein the at least one autonomous order picker lift truck is at least one of an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) or an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV).

31. The robotic system according to any one of claims 29 or 30, further comprising instructing the particular humanoid robot to position itself on the autonomous order picker lift truck.

32. The robotic system according to claim 31, further comprising instructing the particular humanoid robot to position itself on the platform of the autonomous order picker lift truck on which the order pallet is positioned.

33. The aforementioned operation further, Commanding the autonomous order picker lift truck to move the particular humanoid robot adjacent to another particular donor pallet mounted on the support surface of the commercial environment or on the rack assembly above the support surface of the commercial environment, Commanding the autonomous order picker lift truck to move the specific humanoid robot to a different vertical height in the vicinity of another specific donor pallet, or to a different vertical height in the vicinity of that other specific donor pallet, which is different from the vertical height in the vicinity of the specific donor pallet, To instruct the specific humanoid robot to pick up another commercial product or another case from the other specific donor pallet, and to place the picked commercial product or case on the order pallet or receiving pallet. A robot system according to any one of claims 29-32, including the above.

34. The robotic system according to claim 33, wherein the at least one commercial product and the other commercial product are different.

35. The robot system according to any one of claims 29-34, wherein at least a part of the control system is part of at least one of the one or more humanoid robots.

36. The robot system according to claim 35, wherein all of the control systems are part of at least one of the one or more humanoid robots.

37. The robot system according to claim 35 or 36, wherein at least a portion of the control system is located in the head of at least one of the one or more humanoid robots.

38. The robot system according to any one of claims 29-37, wherein each of the one or more humanoid robots comprises a torso and a lower body.

39. The robot system according to claim 38, wherein the torso comprises two arm attachments, two hand attachments, and a head, and the lower body comprises two leg attachments and two foot attachments.

40. The aforementioned operation further, Commanding a second autonomous order picker lift truck to move another specific humanoid robot adjacent to a second specific donor pallet mounted on the support surface of the commercial environment or on the rack assembly above the support surface of the commercial environment, Commanding the second autonomous order picker lift truck to move the other specific humanoid robot to a second vertical height on or near the second specific donor pallet, The process involves instructing another specific humanoid robot to pick up a second commercial product or case from the second specific donor pallet and to place the picked second commercial product or case on a second order pallet or receiving pallet. A robot system according to any one of claims 29-39, including the above.

41. The aforementioned operation further, Determining the route of the autonomous order picker lift truck through the commercial environment based on the combination of commercial products defined with respect to the order pallet or receiving pallet, The picking order of the commercial products as defined on the order pallet is determined based on one or more heights within the rack assembly in which the commercial products are located. A robotic system according to any one of claims 29-40, including the above.

42. The operation that determines the aforementioned path is, Determining a first commercial product of the aforementioned combination of commercial products, wherein the determination of the first commercial product is based on at least one of the one or more heights, weights, or sizes of the first commercial product. Determining a second commercial product of the combination of the aforementioned commercial products, wherein the determination of the second commercial product is based on at least one of the one or more heights, weights, or sizes of the second commercial product. The robot system according to claim 41, including the above.

43. A computer implementation method, Using a control system, register one or more humanoid robots in a commercial environment containing multiple commercial products supported by multiple donor pallets, Using the control system, register at least one autonomous order picker lift truck configured to move within the commercial environment, Using the control system, the autonomous order picker lift truck is instructed to move a specific humanoid robot adjacent to a specific donor pallet mounted on a support surface of the commercial environment or on a rack assembly above the support surface of the commercial environment. Using the control system, the autonomous order picker lift truck is instructed to move the specific humanoid robot to a certain vertical height on or near the specific donor pallet. Using the control system, the system instructs the specific humanoid robot to pick up a commercial product or case from the specific donor pallet and to place the picked commercial product or case on the order pallet or receiving pallet. Computer implementation methods, including those mentioned above.

44. The computer implementation method according to claim 43, further comprising using the control system to instruct the particular humanoid robot to position itself on the autonomous order picker lift truck.

45. The computer implementation method according to claim 44, further comprising using the control system to instruct a particular humanoid robot to position itself on the platform of the autonomous order picker lift truck on which the order pallets are positioned.

46. Using the control system, the autonomous order picker lift truck is instructed to move the specific humanoid robot adjacent to another specific donor pallet mounted on the support surface of the commercial environment or on the rack assembly above the support surface of the commercial environment. Using the control system, the autonomous order picker lift truck is instructed to move the specific humanoid robot to another specific donor pallet, or to a different vertical height near that other specific donor pallet, which is different from the vertical height at or near the specific donor pallet. Using the control system, the specific humanoid robot is instructed to pick up another commercial product or another case from another specific donor pallet and to place the picked commercial product or case on the order pallet or receiving pallet. A computer implementation method according to any one of claims 43-45, further comprising:

47. The computer implementation method according to claim 47, wherein the at least one commercial product and the other commercial product are different.

48. The computer implementation method according to any one of claims 43-47, wherein each of the one or more humanoid robots comprises a torso and a lower body.

49. The computer implementation method according to claim 48, wherein the torso comprises two arm attachments, two hand attachments, and a head, and the lower body comprises two leg attachments and two foot attachments.

50. Using the control system, a second autonomous order picker lift truck is commanded to move another specific humanoid robot adjacent to a second specific donor pallet mounted on the support surface of the commercial environment or on the rack assembly above the support surface of the commercial environment. Using the control system, the second autonomous order picker lift truck is instructed to move the other specific humanoid robot to a second vertical height on or near the second specific donor pallet. Using the control system, the system instructs another specific humanoid robot to pick up a second commercial product or case from the second specific donor pallet and to place the picked second commercial product or case on the second order pallet or receiving pallet. A computer implementation method according to any one of claims 43-49, further comprising:

51. Using the control system, the route of the autonomous order picker lift truck through the commercial environment is determined based on the combination of commercial products defined for the order pallet, Using the control system, the picking order of the commercial products defined on the order pallet is determined based on one or more heights within the rack assembly where the commercial products are located. A computer implementation method according to any one of claims 43-50, further comprising:

52. Determining the aforementioned route is The control system is used to determine a first commercial product of the combination of commercial products, wherein the determination of the first commercial product is based on at least one of the one or more heights, weights, or sizes of the first commercial product. The control system is used to determine a second commercial product of the combination of commercial products, wherein the determination of the second commercial product is based on at least one of the one or more heights, weights, or sizes of the second commercial product. The computer implementation method according to claim 51, including the method described in claim 51.

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