A pre-sorting system for performing robot-assisted storage tasks

Abstract

A system and method for performing pre-sorting and robot-assisted storage tasks in a guided space includes the steps of assigning each of a plurality of item storage arrays to one of a plurality of zones defined within the guided space; scanning an item identifier of at least one of a plurality of unsorted items to be stored at locations throughout the warehouse; obtaining item data representing a storage location for storing each of the at least one scanned item within the warehouse in response to receiving identification information corresponding to the at least one scanned unsorted item; determining from the storage location a corresponding zone of a plurality of zones of the warehouse in which the storage location is located; and placing each scanned unsorted item in an interconnected container of one of the item storage arrays assigned to the corresponding zone of the plurality of zones.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 017,833, filed September 11, 2020, and is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to robot assisted putaway tasks, and more particularly to a pre-sorting system for performing robot assisted putaway tasks. [Background technology]

[0003] Ordering products over the Internet and having them delivered to your home is a very popular shopping technique. Fulfilling such orders in a timely, accurate, and efficient manner is logistically challenging, to say the least. When a user clicks the "checkout" button on a virtual shopping cart, an "order" is created. The order contains a list of items to be shipped to a specific address. The "fulfillment" process involves physically retrieving, or "picking," these items from large warehouses, packing the items, and shipping the items to the specified address. Thus, a key goal of the order fulfillment process is to ship as many items as possible in the shortest time possible.

[0004] The order fulfillment process typically takes place in large warehouses that house many products, including those listed in the order. Thus, among the tasks of order fulfillment is traveling through the warehouse to locate and collect the various items listed in the order. In addition, the products that will ultimately be shipped must first be received at the warehouse and stored or "placed" in bins in an orderly manner throughout the warehouse so that the products can be easily retrieved for shipping.

[0005] In large warehouses, items being delivered and ordered may be stored in warehouses far away from one another and spread among many other items. An order fulfillment process that uses only human workers to place ("put away") and pick items may require the workers to walk for long periods of time, which can be inefficient and time consuming. Since the efficiency of the fulfillment process is a function of the number of items shipped per unit of time, increasing time reduces efficiency.

[0006] To increase efficiency and productivity, robot-assisted order fulfillment systems are being used. In some systems, multiple individual containers are placed on a mobile robot base for the robot base to fulfill multiple orders. Such a system is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0073589. However, this system is inefficient and improvements are needed to further increase the efficiency and throughput of such robot-assisted order fulfillment systems.

[0007] One such inefficiency is associated with the putaway of unsorted items. For example, when online orders are returned to a warehouse, large volumes of mixed, unsorted items can be piled up at a receiving dock for later putaway. Traditional putaway methods generally require the unsorted items to be put away on a first-come, first-served basis, where carts or totes are simply loaded with a series of geographically unrelated items and human pickers are then sent following highly disorganized and inefficient travel routing to perform the putaway tasks. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0073589 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 807,672 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15 / 254,321 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Provided herein are systems and methods for pre-sorting to perform robot-assisted putaway tasks.

[0010] In one aspect, a method for performing pre-sorting and robot-assisted putaway tasks in a guided space is provided. The method includes assigning each of a plurality of storage arrays to one of a plurality of zones defined in the guided space, each storage array comprising a plurality of interconnected containers, each interconnected container for storing an item associated with a putaway task. The method also includes scanning, by a scanning device, an item identifier of at least one of a plurality of unsorted items to be stored at locations throughout the warehouse. The method also includes obtaining, in response to receiving, by a centralized server, identification information corresponding to the at least one scanned unsorted item, item data representative of a storage location for storing each of the at least one scanned item within the warehouse. The method also includes determining, from the storage location, a corresponding zone of a plurality of zones of the warehouse in which the storage location is located. The method also includes placing each scanned unsorted item in an interconnected container of one of the storage arrays assigned to the corresponding zone of the plurality of zones.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method also includes introducing the article storage array containing the scanned unsorted articles to a robot. In some embodiments, the method also includes transmitting from the centralized server to the at least one robot a putaway task assignment associated with each of a plurality of interconnected containers of the introduced article storage array. In some embodiments, the method also includes, in response to receiving the putaway task assignment at the robot, directing, by a processor of the robot, the robot to a location throughout the warehouse to perform the putaway task assignment. In some embodiments, the method also includes displaying, on at least one of the scanning device or the computer processing device, an identification of a corresponding one of the plurality of zones.

[0012] In some embodiments, each article storage array comprises an array identifier associated with the article storage array itself, rather than with individual containers. In some embodiments, each article storage array comprises a container identifier associated with each of the individual containers of the article storage array. In some embodiments, the method also includes scanning an array identifier of the article storage array with a scanning device. In some embodiments, the method also includes assigning the article storage array to one of the plurality of zones in response to user input at a user interface of at least one of the scanning device or the computing device. In some embodiments, the method also includes associating, at the centralized server, an array identifier of the article storage array into which a first of the at least one scanned unsorted article is placed, with a corresponding zone of the plurality of zones.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method also includes scanning, by the scanning device, an item identifier of the additional unsorted item to be stored. In some embodiments, the method also includes obtaining, by the centralized server, additional item data representative of an additional storage location for storing the additional scanned item within the warehouse in response to receiving, by the centralized server, the identification information corresponding to the additional scanned unsorted item. In some embodiments, the method also includes determining, from the additional storage location of the additional scanned item, that the additional scanned item corresponds to the same corresponding area. In some embodiments, the method also includes placing the additional scanned unsorted item into an empty one of the interconnected containers of the item storage array that is assigned to the same corresponding area. In some embodiments, the method also includes displaying, by at least one of the scanning device or the computer processing device, an identification of the empty one of the interconnected containers of the item storage array. In some embodiments, the item storage array is mounted to an armature that is fixed to the robot, and the item storage array is located above a surface of the robot. In some embodiments, the guiding step includes displaying at least one of a container identification number and a container color to inform the worker which of the interconnected containers of the item storage array introduced by the robot are relevant to the performance of each storage task assignment.

[0014] In another aspect, a pre-sorting system is provided for performing a robot-assisted putaway task within a guided space. The pre-sorting system includes a plurality of item storage arrays, each including a plurality of interconnected containers, each of the interconnected containers for storing an item associated with the putaway task. The pre-sorting system also includes at least one scanning device configured to scan an item identifier of at least one of the plurality of unsorted items, the item identifier being associated with item data stored in the centralized server, the item data representing a storage location for putaway within the warehouse. The pre-sorting system also includes a centralized server, the centralized server including a memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the system to assign each of the plurality of item storage arrays to one of a plurality of zones defined within the guided space. The instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to scan an item identifier of at least one of the plurality of unsorted items to be put away at locations throughout the warehouse. The instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to retrieve the item data in response to receiving identification information corresponding to the at least one scanned unsorted item. The instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to determine, from the storage location, a corresponding one of a plurality of zones of the warehouse that the storage location is located in. The instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to associate each scanned unsorted item with an interconnected container in one of the array of item storage devices that is assigned to the corresponding one of the plurality of zones.

[0015] In some embodiments, the pre-sorting system also includes at least one robot. In some embodiments, the robot includes a mobile base for introducing the article storage array loaded with scanned, unsorted articles. In some embodiments, the robot includes a transceiver for receiving at the robot an assignment of a putaway task from a centralized server associated with each of the plurality of containers of the article storage array. In some embodiments, the robot includes a processor configured to guide the robot to locations throughout the warehouse to execute the assignment of the putaway task associated with each of the plurality of containers of the article storage array in response to receiving the assignment of the putaway task by the transceiver. In some embodiments, the pre-sorting system also includes a display of at least one of a scanning device or a computer processing device configured to display an identification of at least one of a corresponding zone of the plurality of zones or associated interconnected containers. In some embodiments, each article storage array includes an array identifier associated with the article storage array itself rather than with individual containers. In some embodiments, each article storage array includes a container identifier associated with each of the individual containers of the article storage array. In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to scan an array identifier of the item storage array. In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to assign the item storage array to one of the multiple zones in response to user input at a user interface of at least one of the scanning device or the computing device. In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to associate, at the centralized server, an array identifier of the item storage array into which a first of the at least one scanned unsorted item is placed with a corresponding zone of the multiple zones. In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to scan item identifiers of additional unsorted items to be stored.In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to obtain additional item data indicative of an additional storage location for storing the additional scanned item in the warehouse in response to receiving identification information corresponding to the additional scanned, unsorted item. In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to determine from the additional storage location of the additional scanned item that the additional scanned item corresponds to the same corresponding area. In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to display instructions to a user to place the additional scanned, unsorted item into an empty one of the interconnected containers of the item store array assigned to the same corresponding area. In some embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the system to display, on at least one of the scanning device or the computing device, an identification of an associated empty one of the interconnected containers of the item store array. In some embodiments, the item store array is mounted on an armature fixed to the robot, and the item store array is located above a surface of the robot. In some embodiments, the item store array is disposed above a surface of at least one robot.

[0016] These and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view of an order fulfillment warehouse. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is a front view of the base of one of the robots used in the warehouse shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base of one of the robots used in the warehouse shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2C is a perspective view of the robot of FIGS. 2A and 2B equipped with an armature and parked in front of the shelf shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a partial map of the warehouse of Figure 1, created using the robot's laser radar. [Diagram 5] 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for locating fiducial markers distributed throughout a warehouse and storing the poses of the fiducial markers. [Figure 6] 1 is a table mapping reference identities to poses. [Figure 7] 1 is a table mapping box locations to reference identifiers. [Figure 8] 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for mapping product SKUs to poses. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an order fulfillment warehouse with a staging area and multiple storage zones, according to various embodiments. [Figure 10A] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a robot equipped with an armature and a storage array according to the present invention. [Figure 10B] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a storage array according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the robot and storage array of FIG. 10A parked in front of a shelf. [Figure 12] 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a robot introduction process for a robot carrying an array of storage containers in accordance with the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 is a table of data relating to the characteristics of a storage array used in accordance with the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 12 is a diagram of the display of the tablet of the robot shown in FIGS. 10A and 11. [Figure 15A] 1 is a perspective view of a sorting area according to various embodiments. [Figure 15B] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a four container storage array, according to various embodiments. [Figure 15C] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a two container storage array according to various embodiments. [Figure 16] 1 is a perspective view of a pre-sorting and sorting area according to various embodiments. [Figure 17]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer processing system. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a network diagram of an example distributed network. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The details of the present disclosure and its various features and advantages will be more fully described with reference to the non-limiting examples and examples described and / or illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. It should be noted that the features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and that features of one embodiment may be used with other embodiments that would be recognized by those skilled in the art even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the present disclosure. The examples used herein are merely intended to facilitate an understanding of how the present disclosure may be implemented and to further enable those skilled in the art to implement the embodiments of the present disclosure. Thus, the examples and examples herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, it should be noted that like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

[0019] The present invention relates to a pre-sorting system for performing robot-assisted putaway tasks. Although not limited to any particular robot application, one preferred application in which the present invention may be used is the putting away of items in a warehouse. The use of the robot in this application will be described and presented in the context of robot-assisted putaway tasks, without being limited to that application.

[0020] With reference to FIG. 1, a typical order fulfillment warehouse 10 includes shelves 12 filled with various items that may be included in an order. During operation, an incoming stream of orders 16 arrive at the order server 14 from a warehouse management server 15. The order server 14 may, among other things, prioritize and group the orders for assignment to a robot 18 during the induction process. As the robot is induced by an operator at a processing station (e.g., station 100), the orders 16 are assigned to the robot 18 and wirelessly communicated for execution. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the order server 14 may be a separate server with a separate software system configured to interoperate with the warehouse management system server 15 and warehouse management software, or the functionality of the order server may be integrated into the warehouse management software and run on the warehouse management server 15.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the robot 18 shown in Figures 2A and 2B comprises an autonomous wheeled base 20 equipped with a laser radar 22. The base 20 also features a transceiver (not shown) that allows the robot 18 to receive commands and transmit data from the order server 14 and / or other robots, and a pair of digital optical cameras 24a and 24b. The robot base also includes a charging port 26 for recharging the batteries that power the autonomous wheeled base 20. The base 20 further features a processor (not shown) that receives data from the laser radar and cameras 24a and 24b to capture information representative of the robot's environment. As shown in Figure 3, there is a memory (not shown) that operates with the processor to perform various tasks related to navigation within the warehouse 10 as well as to navigate to fiducial markers 30 located on the shelves 12. The fiducial markers 30 (e.g., two-dimensional bar codes) correspond to the bins / locations of the ordered items. The navigation techniques of the present invention are described in more detail below in conjunction with Figures 4-8. The fiducial markers are also used to identify the charging station in accordance with an aspect of the invention, and navigation to such a charging station is the same as navigation to the bin / location of the ordered item. Once the robot moves to the charging station, a more accurate navigation technique is used to dock the robot to the charging station, as described below.

[0022] Referring again to FIG. 2B, the base 20 includes a top surface 32 on which a tote or bin may be stored for carrying items. Also shown is a coupling 34 that engages any one of a number of interchangeable armatures 40, one of which is shown in FIG. 3. The particular armature 40 of FIG. 3 features a tote holder 42 (in this case a shelf) for carrying a tote 44 containing items, and a tablet holder 46 for supporting a tablet 48 (or laptop / other user input device). In some embodiments, the armature 40 supports one or more totes for carrying items. In other embodiments, the base 20 supports one or more totes for carrying stored items. As used herein, the term "tote" includes, but is not limited to, cargo holders, bins, baskets, shelves, poles from which items may be hung, cans, crates, shelves, pedestals, racks, containers, boxes, canisters, receptacles, and storage.

[0023] While the robot 18 is good at moving around the warehouse 10 with current robotics technology, it is not so good at quickly and efficiently picking items from shelves and placing the items in totes 44 due to the technical difficulties associated with having a robot manipulate objects. A more efficient way of picking items is to use an on-site operator 50, typically a human, who performs the task of physically removing the ordered items from the shelves 12 and placing the items on the robot 18, e.g., in a tote 44. The robot 18 communicates the order to the on-site operator 50 via a tablet 48 (or laptop / other user input device) that can be read by the on-site operator 50, or by sending the order to a handheld device used by the on-site operator 50.

[0024] When the robot 18 receives an order 16 from the order server 14, it navigates to an initial location in the warehouse, for example as shown in Figure 3. The robot navigates based on guidance software stored in memory and executed by a processor. The guidance software relies on data about the environment collected by the laser radar 22, internal tables in memory that identify fiducial identifications ("IDs") of fiducial markers 30 that correspond to locations in the warehouse 10 where a particular item can be found, and cameras 24a and 24b for guidance.

[0025] Upon arriving at the correct location (pose), the robot 18 parks itself in front of the shelf 12 where the item is stored and waits for a yard operator 50 to remove the item from the shelf 12 and place it in a tote 44. If the robot 18 has other items to remove, it proceeds to that location. The items removed by the robot 18 are then sent to the processing station 100 of FIG. 1 where they are packaged and shipped. Although the processing station 100 has been described with respect to this figure as being capable of guiding and unloading / packing the robot, the robot may be configured to either guide or unload / pack at the station; that is, the robot may be limited to performing a single function.

[0026] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that each robot may be fulfilling one or more orders, and each order may consist of one or more items. Typically some form of route optimization software will be included to increase efficiency, but this is beyond the scope of this invention and therefore will not be described herein.

[0027] To simplify the description of the invention, a single robot 18 and operator 50 will be described. However, as is evident from Figure 1, a typical fulfillment operation will include many robots and operators working together in a warehouse to fulfill a continuous stream of orders.

[0028] The basic guidance technique of the present invention as well as the semantic mapping of the SKU of the item to be retrieved to a reference ID / pose associated with a reference marker in the warehouse where the item is located are described in detail below with reference to Figures 4-8.

[0029] A map of the warehouse 10 needs to be created using one or more robots 18, and the locations of various fiducial markers distributed throughout the warehouse need to be determined. To do this, one or more of the robots 18 move through the warehouse and build / update a map 10a, FIG. 4, using the robot's laser radar 22 and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), which is a computational problem of building or updating a map of an unknown environment. Common approximation methods for solving SLAM include particle filters and extended Kalman filters. The SLAM GMapping method is a preferred method, but any suitable SLAM method can be used.

[0030] The robot 18 utilizes the robot's laser radar 22 to move throughout the space and create a map 10a of the warehouse 10 based on reflections received as the laser radar scans the environment, identifying open spaces 112, walls 114, objects 116, and other static obstacles within the space, such as shelves 12.

[0031] While constructing map 10a (or subsequently updating map 10a), one or more robots 18 move throughout warehouse 10 using cameras 26 to scan the environment and locate fiducial markers (2D bar codes) distributed throughout the warehouse and on shelves proximate to bins, such as 32 and 34 in FIG. 3, where items are stored. Robot 18 uses a known starting point or origin, such as origin 110, as a reference. Once robot 18 has located a fiducial marker, such as fiducial marker 30 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, using its cameras 26, its location within the warehouse relative to origin 110 is determined.

[0032] Using the wheel encoders and the orientation sensor, the vector 120 and the position of the robot within the warehouse 10 can be determined. Using the captured image of the fiducial marker / 2D bar code and its known size, the robot 18 can determine the orientation and distance of the fiducial marker / 2D bar code relative to the robot, i.e., vector 130. With the vectors 120 and 130 known, the vector 140 between the origin 110 and the fiducial marker 30 can be determined. From the vector 140 and the determined orientation of the fiducial marker / 2D bar code relative to the robot 18, the pose (position and orientation) of the fiducial marker 30, defined by its quaternion (x, y, z, ω), can be determined.

[0033] 5 illustrates a flow chart 200 of FIG. 5 that describes the fiducial marker location process. This is performed when the robot 18 encounters a new fiducial marker in the warehouse while in an initial mapping mode and performing picking, placing, and / or other tasks. In step 202, the robot 18 using the camera 26 captures an image and searches for the fiducial marker in the captured image in step 204. If the fiducial marker is found in the image (step 204), then in step 206 it is determined whether the fiducial marker is already stored in the fiducial table 300 of FIG. 6 in the memory 34 of the robot 18. If the fiducial information is already stored in memory, then the flow chart returns to step 202 to capture another image. If the fiducial information is not in memory, then the pose is determined according to the process described above and added to the fiducial-to-pose lookup table 300 in step 208.

[0034] A lookup table 300, which may be stored in the memory of each robot, includes for each fiducial marker a fiducial identification 1, 2, 3, etc., and a pose for the fiducial marker / bar code associated with each fiducial identification. The pose consists of x, y, z coordinates in the warehouse, including orientation, or a quaternion (x, y, z, ω).

[0035] Another lookup table 400 in FIG. 7, which may also be stored in each robot's memory, lists bin locations (e.g., 402a-f) within the warehouse 10 that are associated with a particular reference ID 404, e.g., the number "11." In this example, the bin location is made up of seven alphanumeric characters. The first six characters (e.g., L01001) relate to a shelf location within the warehouse, and the last character (e.g., A-F) identifies an individual bin at a shelf location. In this example, there are six distinct bin locations associated with the reference ID "11." There may be one or more bins associated with each reference ID / marker.

[0036] The location of the alphanumeric bin corresponds to a physical location within the warehouse 10 where the items are stored and is therefore understandable to a human, such as the operator 50 of FIG. 3, but is meaningless to the robot 18. By mapping the location to a reference ID, the robot 18 can use the information in table 300 of FIG. 6 to determine a pose for the reference ID and then navigate to the pose as described herein.

[0037] An order fulfillment process according to the present invention is shown in flow diagram 500 of FIG. 8. In step 502, the order server 14 retrieves an order from the warehouse management system 15, which may consist of one or more items to be picked. It is noted that the order allocation process is fairly complex and beyond the scope of this disclosure. One such order allocation process is described in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 807,672, entitled "Order Grouping in Warehouse Order Fulfillment Operations," filed Sep. 1, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. It is also noted that a robot may have tote arrays, one per bin or compartment, such that a single robot may fulfill multiple orders. An example of such a tote array is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 254,321, entitled "Item Storage Array for Mobile Base in Robot Assisted Order-Fulfillment Operations," filed Sep. 1, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0038] 8, in step 504, the SKU numbers of the items are determined by the warehouse management system 15, and in step 506, the bin locations are determined from the SKU numbers. The list of bin locations for the order is then sent to the robot 18. In step 508, the robot 18 associates the bin locations with reference IDs and, in step 510, obtains a pose for each reference ID from the reference IDs. In step 512, the robot 18 moves to a pose as shown in FIG. 3 where an operator can pick the item to be removed from the appropriate bin and place it on the robot.

[0039] Item specific information, such as SKU number and bin location obtained by the warehouse management system 15 / order server 14, may be sent to the tablet 48 of the robot 18 so that the operator 50 knows the specific item to be picked when the robot arrives at each reference marker location.

[0040] With the SLAM map and known poses of the fiducial IDs, the robot 18 can easily navigate to any one of the fiducial IDs using a variety of robot navigation techniques. A preferred approach involves setting an initial route to the fiducial marker pose given knowledge of the open space 112 within the warehouse 10, as well as walls 114, shelves (such as shelves 12), and other obstacles 116. As the robot begins to navigate the warehouse using the robot's laser radar 26, it determines whether any fixed or dynamic obstacles, such as other robots 18 and / or operators 50, are in the robot's path and iteratively updates the robot's path to the fiducial marker pose. The robot re-plans its route approximately once every 50 milliseconds, constantly searching for the most efficient and effective path while still avoiding obstacles.

[0041] Using product SKU / reference ID to reference pose mapping techniques combined with SLAM guidance techniques, both of which are described herein, the robot 18 can navigate the warehouse space very efficiently and effectively without having to use the more complex guidance techniques typically used that require grid lines and intermediate reference markers to determine location within the warehouse.

[0042] Item Storage Array As explained above, a storage array with two or more totes or containers secured together, or a single unit with multiple compartments, can be used to increase efficiency. The terms tote, container, and compartment (among other terms explained above) may be used interchangeably herein. One embodiment of a storage array according to the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 10A. A robot 18a is shown including a top surface 36a of a wheeled base 20a. An armature 40a is connected at a first end to the wheeled base 20a (connection not visible in this view) and at the other end to a tablet holder 46a supporting a tablet 48a. The armature 40a, unlike the armature 40 of FIG. 3, does not include a tote holder 42 for carrying a tote 44 containing items. A storage array 44a is instead disposed on the top surface 36a of the wheeled base 20a.

[0043] In this embodiment, the storage array 44a includes three storage containers 602, 604, and 606 that are vertically stacked on one another and fixedly interconnected to form an integrated array. Each container 602, 604, and 606 in the storage array 44a has a bar code disposed on bar code labels 612, 614, and 616, respectively. Also, on each bar code label, there is a number associated with each container that can be read by a human worker, such as worker 50a in FIG. 11, to identify different containers. The numbers in this example are "T81001," "T81002," and "T81003," associated with containers 602, 604, and 606, respectively. The containers can be variously colored to make it easier to distinguish between the containers. For example, container 602 can be colored all or partly blue. Container 604 may be colored, in whole or in part, yellow, and vessel 606 may be colored, in whole or in part, green.

[0044] In addition, there is a bar code label 620 associated with the storage array 44a. The bar code label 620 also includes a storage array identification number, in this case "001", that allows the operator 50a to identify the storage array among the various storage arrays. Although the bar code label 620 is located on the side of the container 602, the label may be located in various locations on the storage array.

[0045] Alternatively, a holder may be provided on the armature 40a to support the storage array 44a. Note that any other storage array configuration may be used, including one that hangs from the armature above the surface 36a of the robot 18a, such as the storage array 44a' shown in FIG. 10B. Components in FIG. 10B that correspond to components in FIG. 10A are shown with a prime (') symbol. In either case, the storage arrays are removable so that the various types of storage arrays can be used with all of the robots 18a utilized in the warehouse.

[0046] An operator can initiate the robotic "picking" process by introducing the robot into the system and notifying a warehouse management system ("WMS") 15 that the robot 18a is available to receive and fulfill orders. The operator can interact with and activate the robot 18a during the introduction process via the touch screen of the robot's tablet 48a or via a handheld wireless device. The robot then communicates to the WMS 15 that it is ready to receive order activity. The operator also prepares a storage array, such as storage array 44a, for the robot 18a.

[0047] Rather than individually introducing each container 602, 604, and 606 and sequentially obtaining an order for each by scanning the bar code labels 612, 614, and 616 for each container, an operator can scan only the bar code label 620 associated with the storage array 44a to efficiently generate an order for all three individual containers. This process is described in connection with flow chart 650 of FIG. 12.

[0048] The process of flow chart 650 begins when an operator scans the bar code 620 of an item storage array, in this example a bar code label 620 having an identification number 001, at step 652. The identification is transmitted to WMS 15, which then obtains one or more characteristics of the particular storage array that are used to allocate the order.

[0049] Table 660 of FIG. 13 includes characteristics of all of the storage arrays available in the warehouse, as well as characteristics of storage array 44a, which are stored in WMS 15 and indicated by array identification 662. The characteristics may include, for example, the number of bays in the storage array, the bay ID number, the bay color, and the bay size. For storage array 44a, the bay number, i.e., 3, is found in location 664 of table 660, and the bay ID numbers "T81001," "T81002," and "T81003," which are associated with containers 602, 604, and 606, respectively, are found in location 666. The bay colors (e.g., blue, yellow, and green) may be found in location 668. The bay sizes (e.g., dimensions A inches by B inches by C inches) may be found in location 670. Rather than storing the actual dimensions, a code indicating the bay size may be stored. The bays in the individual storage arrays may all be the same size or may be different sizes.

[0050] Referring again to flow chart 650 of FIG. 12, at step 656, at least one characteristic of the storage array is used to sort the orders O1, O2, . . . Nis determined and in step 658 the orders are sent to the robot 18a. In the simplest implementation, the characteristic used to determine the orders may be just the number of containers in the array. For the storage array 44a, the WMS 15 may see from table 660 in FIG. 13 that there are three containers, and then select the next three orders O1, O2, and O3 from the "picking" queue (i.e., a queue for picking orders that has been assigned a priority by the WMS 15 based on some predefined criteria) and assign the orders to compartments T81001, T81002, and T81003 associated with containers 602, 604, and 606, respectively. Also, the color coding and ID number associated with each container / compartment are sent (or previously stored). The orders to be assigned may also be aggregated based on the location of the items in the warehouse or using other criteria. This means that the orders may be picked in a different order than they are picked sequentially from the queue.

[0051] Of course, other characteristics can be used along with the number of containers to allocate the orders. For example, the bay size can also be used to combine the size of the items in the order with the size of the available containers. Orders may not be selected sequentially from the "pick" queue in this case, but may be picked out of order to better match items to bays based on size. Table 660 in FIG. 13 is shown with a curved line adjacent to the container size column to show that additional columns may be included that represent additional characteristics of the storage array.

[0052] When the robot 18a receives an order for the bin array, it moves to a location in the warehouse and begins picking the order. The robot 18a can use route optimization techniques to determine the picking order from the three orders received. This may result in the picking of different orders being interleaved between dwells rather than picking O1, then O2, and finally O3 in that order. For the item to be picked, the order from the WMS 15 will include the product SKU. As explained above, the robot 18a determines from the SKU the bin number / location where the product will be placed in the warehouse, such as location 630 in FIG. 11. The robot 18a then associates the bin location with a reference ID (see FIG. 7), determines from the reference ID the pose associated with the product SKU, and the robot moves to the pose.

[0053] Once the robot 18a is at a location such as that shown in FIG. 11, it can communicate the picking task to the worker 50a via the tablet 48a. As shown in FIG. 14, the display 680 of the tablet 48a shows the container number "T81001" in a location 682 that corresponds to the container 602 in the storage array 44a. This informs the worker that the item to be picked should be placed in this container. Additionally, although not visible in this black and white drawing, the color of the area 684 surrounding the container number matches the color of the container, so that the worker 50 can more easily know where the item should be placed. In this example, the area 684 is colored blue to indicate that the container 602 ("T8001") is also colored blue.

[0054] At location 690 on display 680, the worker 50a is shown to read the bin location, in this case "L-01-047-B," which corresponds to bin location 630 proximate to the robot 18a in FIG. 11. Also shown on display 680 is the item, in this case a "shirt," the size "medium," the color "blue," and the quantity "1." The UPC code may also be presented to the worker to verify that the item is an exact match. From this information, the worker can easily locate the item in the identified bin location and place the item in the appropriate container in storage array 44a.

[0055] The above described storage array 44a with interconnected containers forming an integrated array not only makes the induction and order allocation process more efficient and streamlined, but also makes it easier and more straightforward to correct operator errors. A common error that can occur is placing an item in the wrong container. In contrast to multiple individual containers, an item placed in the wrong container becomes more difficult to reconnect to the correct container as the containers move and become separated throughout the process, as opposed to an interconnected / integrated storage array. In the storage array 44a according to the present invention, the interconnected containers remain together throughout the process, making it easier to correct errors between the interconnected containers.

[0056] Implementing robot-assisted storage In some embodiments, if an order includes a "place" ("put away") task for each container, as long as the items to be put away have been previously identified and placed in the "put away" queue of the WMS 15, the worker can load the items into the storage array 44a rather than performing a series of "picking" orders, container by container, of the storage array. When the worker scans the bar code of the item storage array 44a in step 652 of FIG. 12, the identification is sent to the WMS 15, which then obtains one or more characteristics of the particular storage array 44a and assigns the order. However, in this case, the generated order is for items to be placed (put away), and the WMS 15 removes the order from the "put away" queue and assigns it to the individual containers 602, 604, and 606 based on one or more characteristics of the storage array 44a in the same manner as described above. This order information is presented to the worker via a tablet display, and the worker loads the containers 602, 604, and 606 according to the generated order. Putting of an order is performed in a manner consistent with picking of an order described above.

[0057] However, as explained above, for example, when online orders are returned to the warehouse or mixed new inventory is delivered, large amounts of mixed, unsorted items can pile up at the receiving dock for later putaway. Traditional putaway methods require the unsorted items to be put away on a first-come, first-served basis, where carts or totes are simply loaded with a set of locationally dispersed items and human pickers are then sent following highly disorganized and inefficient travel routing to perform the putaway tasks. Thus, traditional putaway is a time-consuming, cost-ineffective, and physically demanding operation.

[0058] 9 and 15A-15C, in some embodiments, a plurality of unsorted articles 1501 for storage can be placed in a sorting area 901 (e.g., a loading dock, a delivery area, a storage area, an area dedicated to pre-sorting, or any other suitable location). An operator can scan each of the unsorted articles 1501 using a scanning device 1503 and place them on a first-come, first-served basis into containers 1502, 1504, 1506, 1508, 1510, 1512 in storage arrays 1544a, 1544b. In such an embodiment, loading may be performed by a user scanning an item identifier of the item to be stored and a container identifier associated with one of the containers 1502, 1504, 1506, 1508, 1510, 1512 to associate the item with the container and place the item in the associated container 1502, 1504, 1506, 1508, 1510, 1512.

[0059] Identifier, whether an "article identifier," "container identifier," or "array identifier" as used herein, refers to any scannable (interchangeably "readable") marking, label, or device associated with identifying information corresponding to an article, container, or array. Identifiers can take the form of, for example, a one- or two-dimensional bar code marking printed, etched, engraved, etc., on the article (or the article's packaging), container, or array. Such identifiers can take the form of a label, including a one- or two-dimensional bar code or an RFID chip, attached to the article (or the article's packaging), container, or array. Such identifiers can also or alternatively include an RFID chip embedded in the article (or the article's packaging), container, or array itself.

[0060] The identifier may be associated with identifying information, in some embodiments, as simple as a UPC code or SKU, although the identifier may include more complex identifying information in a warehouse environment. The identifier may be, for example, a "number tag" that stores unique information corresponding to the individual item, container, or array scanned / read by the scanner in some embodiments. The number tag may be a serialized identifier that is associated with information such as, for example, part number, UPC or SKU number, name, quantity, revision, serial number, manufacturing date, expiration date, lot number, geographic location and location history, where this product is stored within the current warehouse or facility, inventory status, storage location, history of which organizations / companies have been involved with the item, container, or array, history of which employees of each organization have handled the item, container, or array, or combinations thereof, and any other desired product information, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of this disclosure.

[0061] If the identifier used is a number tag, the mapping process of determining a pose in the warehouse to place the item may be simplified by mapping from the warehouse storage location (rather than the SKU) contained in the number tag information to the pose. In the case of mapping from the SKU, as described above with respect to FIG. 8 in connection with a picking process or the like, in step 504 the SKU number of the item is determined by the warehouse management system 15 and in step 506 a bin location is determined from the SKU number. This process can start directly from the bin location rather than mapping from the SKU to the bin location. The robot 18 can determine the reference ID from the bin location and obtain a pose for each reference ID from the reference ID.

[0062] Once an item has been assigned to at least one of the containers 1502, 1504, 1506, 1508, 1510, 1512 of the storage arrays 1544a, 1544b, the operator (or another operator) can then scan the associated array identifier across the storage arrays 1544a, 1544b, as described above, and introduce the array onto the robot 918. The robot 918 can then be dispatched to the warehouse and can perform the putaway of the order in a manner consistent with the picking of the order described above. In this manner, the robot 918 eliminates downtime by being free to perform other picking or putaway operations while the storage arrays 1544a, 1544b are being loaded, and is only occupied during the putaway operation that is active. Additionally, implementing robot-assisted putaway tasks reduces inefficiencies in personnel and equipment usage by enabling putaway execution that minimizes pre-handling of items, minimizes robot downtime, and allows the robot, rather than a human picker, to traverse the route required to perform the putaway tasks associated with the storage arrays 1544a, 1544b. In this manner, human pickers can remain on the warehouse floor and continue to man the robot as normal, without having to walk to the sorting area 901 (e.g., a loading dock, a delivery area, a storage area, a dedicated pre-sorting area, or any other suitable location), and without the need for a human worker to traverse specialized, inefficient routes to perform the putaway tasks.

[0063] Pre-sorting for robot-assisted storage tasks The pre-sorting system provided herein for performing robot-assisted putaway tasks (also referred to as "place" tasks) further reduces inefficiencies in routing, equipment, and personnel usage by pre-sorting unsorted items during loading of the items into containers. Specifically, further efficiencies can be gained by more efficiently pre-sorting items for putaway by grouping by location in the warehouse. Referring now to FIG. 16, in some implementations, each pre-sorted item or group of items can be assigned to a container in a corresponding area-specific bin array 1644a-d. Each bin array can be assigned to a robot 18a, and when the bin arrays 1644a-d are full or otherwise ready for placement, the robot 18a can be dispatched to the warehouse where the robot and human workers can perform the putaway tasks assigned to each container in the manner described above for pick and place operations.

[0064] Although the storage arrays 44a, 1544a, 1544b, 1644a-d are shown and described herein as horizontally oriented, stacked totes 44a, 1544b, and / or stacked, binned, and configured for top-loading 1544a, 1644a-d, it will be apparent in light of this disclosure that any style or configuration of storage arrays, or combinations thereof, can be used in accordance with various embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, a vertically oriented "cube" style array having openings in its vertical sides for front / back / side loading can be disposed, suspended, or otherwise removably attached to the robot 18a. In some embodiments, such an array can be similar to the storage array 44a' shown in FIG. 10B, for example. In some embodiments, the robot 18a can include a shelf or other horizontal surface disposed above a top surface of the wheeled base 20 of the robot 18a. In some embodiments, such a shelf can be binned into multiple containers.

[0065] 9 and 16, unsorted items 1601 may be placed in a sorting area 901 in a warehouse 900 for pre-sorting the unsorted items 1601. A plurality of zone-specific bin arrays 1644a-d, each comprising a plurality of containers, may be placed in or adjacent to the sorting area 901 for allocating the unsorted items 1601 to the bin arrays. The zones 910, 920, 930, 940 of the warehouse 900 may be stored in memory of a centralized server, such as the WMS 15, the order server 14, or any other server 902 that stores warehouse information, and may represent a localized subset of all storage locations (e.g., bin locations) in the warehouse, such that each of the subsets of storage locations is associated in memory of the WMS 15, the order server 14, or any other server 902 with a respective zone 910, 920, 930, 940 of the warehouse. To facilitate pre-sorting, unsorted items 1601 can be scanned using a scanner 1603, which can cause the scanner 1603 and / or workstation computer 1606 to display the zones 910, 920, 930, 940 corresponding to the storage location of the scanned item. An operator can then load the item into a container in one of the zone-specific storage arrays 1644a-d associated with the displayed zone, as described above with reference to FIG.

[0066] As mentioned above, each of the zone-specific storage arrays 1644a-d may be assigned to a particular one of the zones 910, 920, 930, 940 in the sorting area 901. In some embodiments, the assignment of zones may be as simple as placing each zone-specific storage array 1644a-d in a loading location 1650a-d labeled for the particular zone, as shown in FIG. 16. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the zone-specific storage array 1644a is placed in the loading location 1650a designated for zone 910. Similarly, the zone-specific storage array 1644b is placed in the loading location 1650b designated for zone 920, the zone-specific storage array 1644c is placed in the loading location 1650c designated for zone 930, and the zone-specific storage array 1644d is placed in the loading location 1650d designated for zone 940.

[0067] To the extent it is desired for the WMS 15, order server 14, or any other server 902 to determine the area assignment for each storage array 1644a-d, an operator can use a scanning device 1603 to scan the array identifiers associated with the entire storage array 1644a-d and assign the storage array 1644a-d to a particular area 910, 920, 930, 940 via the scanning device 1603 and / or workstation computer 1606.

[0068] Alternatively, in some embodiments, upon loading of a first item into a first container of one of the storage arrays 1644a-d, at least one of the scanning device 1603, workstation computer 1606, WMS 15, order server 14, or any other server 902 may associate in its memory that particular storage array 1644a-d with the zone 910, 920, 930, 940 associated with the storage location of the first item. Thus, the storage array 1644a-d into which the item is placed will be automatically assigned to the zone 910, 920, 930, 940 that corresponds to the item's storage location. The scanner 1603 and / or workstation computer 1606 may then, for any subsequently scanned items associated with the assigned area 910, 920, 930, 940, display an identification of that particular storage array and / or a particular recommended container, rather than or in addition to displaying the area 910, 920, 930, 940 itself.

[0069] 15, once each one of the containers in one of the storage arrays 1644a-d has been loaded with at least one item, the storage arrays 1644a-d can then be deployed onto the robot 918. The robot 918 can then be dispatched to the warehouse and can perform the storage of the order in a manner consistent with the picking of the order described above.

[0070] Because the putaway tasks are pre-sorted by zone, the robot 918 can follow relatively efficient, localized travel paths rather than potential routing to a variety of different locations throughout the warehouse. Thus, the pre-sorting system for performing robot-assisted putaway tasks in this application reduces inefficient, wasted travel time, which in turn reduces wasted battery charging time for the robot 918. The pre-sorting system for performing robot-assisted putaway tasks also eliminates any need for the human worker 50 to interrupt normal picking and placing operations.

[0071] Non-Limiting Exemplary Computer Processing Devices FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an example computing device 1710, or a portion of a computing device, that may be used in accordance with various embodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 1-14. The computing device 1710 includes one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that store one or more computer-executable instructions or software for performing the example embodiments. The non-transitory computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, one or more types of hardware memory, non-transitory tangible media (e.g., one or more magnetic storage disks, one or more optical disks, one or more flash drives), and the like. The memory 1716 included in the computing device 1710 may store, for example, computer-readable and computer-executable instructions or software for performing the operations disclosed herein. The memory may store, for example, a software application 1740 that is programmed to perform the various disclosed operations discussed in connection with FIGS. 1-14. The computing device 1710 may also include a configurable and / or programmable processor 1712 and associated cores 1714, and optionally one or more additional configurable and / or programmable processing devices, such as processor 1712' and associated cores 1714' (e.g., in the case of a computing device having multiple processors / cores), to execute computer-readable and computer-executable instructions or software stored in memory 1716 and other programs to control the system hardware. Processor 1712 and processor 1712' may each be a single-core processor or a multi-core (1714 and 1714') processor.

[0072] Virtualization can be used in the computing device 1710 to allow dynamic sharing of infrastructure and resources within the computing device. Virtual machines 1724 can be provided to handle processes running on multiple processors so that the processes appear to be using only one computing resource rather than multiple computing resources. Multiple virtual machines can also be used on a single processor.

[0073] The memory 1716 may include computational device memory or random access memory, such as, but not limited to, DRAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, etc. The memory 1716 may also include other types of memory or combinations thereof.

[0074] A user may interact with the computer processing device 1710 via a visual display device 1701, 111A-D, such as a computer monitor, capable of displaying one or more user interfaces 1702, which may be implemented according to an exemplary embodiment. The computer processing device 1710 may include other I / O devices for receiving input from a user, such as a keyboard or any suitable multi-point touch interface 1718, a pointing device 1720 (e.g., a mouse). The keyboard 1718 and the pointing device 1720 may be coupled to the visual display device 1701. The computer processing device 1710 may include other suitable conventional I / O peripheral devices.

[0075] The computing device 1710 may also include one or more storage devices 1734, such as, but not limited to, a hard drive, CD-ROM, or other computer readable medium for storing data, as well as computer readable instructions and / or software for performing the operations disclosed herein. The exemplary storage device 1734 may also store one or more databases that store any suitable information needed to perform the exemplary embodiments. The databases may be updated manually or automatically at any suitable time to add, delete, and / or update one or more items in the databases.

[0076] The computing device 1710 may include a network interface 1722 configured to interface with one or more networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the Internet via various connections, including, but not limited to, standard telephone lines, LAN or WAN links (e.g., 802.11, T1, T3, 56kb, X.25), broadband connections (e.g., ISDN, frame relay, ATM), wireless connections, controller area networks (CAN), or any combination of any or all of the above, via one or more network devices 1732. The network interface 1722 may include an embedded network adapter, a network interface card, a PCMCIA network card, a card bus network adapter, a wireless network adapter, a USB network adapter, a modem, or any other device suitable for interfacing with any type of network with which the computing device 1710 can communicate and perform the operations described herein. Furthermore, the computing device 1710 may be any computing device, such as a workstation, desktop computer, server, laptop, handheld computer, tablet computer, or other form of computing or telecommunications device capable of communications and having sufficient processor power and memory capacity to perform the operations described herein.

[0077] The computing device 1710 may run any operating system 1726, such as any version of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system (Microsoft, Redmond, Wash.), various releases of the Unix and Linux® operating systems, any version of the MAC OS® operating system for Macintosh computers (Apple, Inc., Cupertino, Calif.), any embedded operating system, any real-time operating system, any open source operating system, any proprietary operating system, or any other operating system capable of running on the computing device and performing the operations described herein. In an exemplary embodiment, the operating system 1726 may run in native mode or in emulation mode. In an exemplary embodiment, the operating system 1726 may run on one or more cloud machine instances.

[0078] FIG. 18 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing device of one distributed embodiment. Although FIGS. 1-14 and some of the exemplary discussion above refer to the warehouse management system 15, the order server 14, or other servers 902 each running on a separate or common computing device, it will be appreciated that any of the warehouse management system 15, the order server 14, or other servers 902 may instead be distributed across separate server systems 1801a-d and possibly across user systems such as kiosks, desktop computing devices 1802, or handheld computing devices 1803 via a network 1805. For example, the order server 14 may be distributed among the tablets 48 of the robots 18. In some distributed systems, either or both modules of the warehouse management system software and / or the order server software may be located separately on the server systems 1801a-d and may communicate with each other via the network 1805.

[0079] While the foregoing description of the invention will enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use what is presently believed to be the best mode thereof, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand and recognize the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiments and examples herein. The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be illustrative only. Those of ordinary skill in the art may make changes, modifications, and variations to the particular embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto. Thus, the invention is not limited by the embodiments and examples described above.

[0080] Having described the invention and its preferred embodiments, what is claimed as new and protected by Letters Patent is the following.

Claims

1. 1. A method for performing pre-sorting and robot-assisted putaway tasks in a guided space, the method comprising: assigning, by a centralized server, each of a plurality of item storage arrays to one of a plurality of zones defined within the guidance space, each item storage array comprising a plurality of interconnected containers, each of the interconnected containers for storing an item associated with a storage task; scanning, by a human worker or a robot having a scanning device, an item identifier of at least one of a plurality of unsorted items to be stored at locations throughout the warehouse; retrieving, by the centralized server, item data representative of a storage location for storing each of the at least one scanned unsorted item within the warehouse in response to receiving, by the centralized server, identification information corresponding to the at least one scanned unsorted item; determining, by the centralized server, from the storage location, a corresponding zone of the plurality of zones of the warehouse in which the storage location is located; placing, by the human worker or robot, each scanned unsorted article into one interconnected container in the array of article storage devices that is assigned to the corresponding one of the plurality of zones; A method comprising:

2. A method of carrying out the method, comprising: introducing, by a human operator or a robot, the array of article storage containers containing the scanned, unsorted articles to a robot; transmitting from the centralized server to at least one robot an assignment of a putaway task associated with each of the plurality of interconnected containers of the introduced article storage array; responsive to receiving, by a processor of the robot, an assignment of the putaway task at the robot, directing the robot to locations throughout the warehouse to perform the putaway task assignment; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. displaying, on at least one of the scanning device or the computer processing device, an identification of the corresponding one of the plurality of zones. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

4. each storage array includes an array identifier that is associated with the storage array itself and not with the individual containers; and each storage array includes a container identifier associated with each of the individual containers of the storage array; The method of claim 1.

5. The step of allocating comprises: scanning the array identifier of the item storage array by the human worker or robot with a scanning device; assigning, by the centralized server, the array of item storage containers to one of the plurality of zones in response to user input at a user interface of at least one of the scanning device or the computer processing device; The method of claim 4 further comprising:

6. The step of allocating comprises: at the centralized server, associating the array identifier of the item storage array into which a first item of the at least one scanned unsorted item is placed with the corresponding area of ​​the plurality of areas. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

7. A step of scanning, by the human worker or robot having a scanning device, item identifiers of additional unsorted items to be stored; responsive to receiving, by the centralized server, identification information corresponding to the additional scanned unsorted items, obtaining additional item data representative of additional storage locations within the warehouse for storing the additional scanned items; determining, by the centralized server, from the additional storage locations of the additional scanned items that the additional scanned items correspond to the same corresponding area; placing, by the human worker or robot, the additional scanned, unsorted articles into empty ones of the interconnected containers of the article storage array that are assigned to the same corresponding zone; The method of claim 6 further comprising:

8. displaying, by at least one of the scanning device or the computer processing device, an identification of the empty containers among the interconnected containers of the article storage array. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the item storage array is mounted to an armature fixed to the robot, the item storage array being positioned above a surface of the robot.

10. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the guiding step includes the step of displaying at least one of a container identification number and a container color by the robot to inform an operator which of the interconnected containers of the introduced article storage array are relevant to the performance of each storage task assignment.

11. 1. A pre-sorting system for performing robot-assisted putaway tasks within a guided space, the system comprising: a plurality of item storage arrays, each array comprising a plurality of interconnected containers, each of the interconnected containers for storing an item associated with a storage task; at least one scanning device configured to scan an item identifier of at least one of a plurality of unsorted items, the item identifier being associated with item data stored in a centralized server, the item data representing a storage location for storage within a warehouse; the centralized server having a memory for storing instructions; the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the system to: causing the centralized server to assign each of the plurality of item storage arrays to one of a plurality of zones defined within the guiding space; having a human worker or a robot scan an item identifier of at least one of the plurality of unsorted items to be stored at locations throughout the warehouse; obtaining, by the centralized server, the item data in response to receiving identification information corresponding to the at least one scanned unsorted item; having the centralized server determine, from the storage location, a corresponding zone of the plurality of zones of the warehouse in which the storage location is located; causing the centralized server to associate each scanned unsorted article with an interconnected container in one of the article storage arrays that is assigned to the corresponding one of the plurality of zones. system.

12. The system further includes at least one robot, the robot comprising: a mobile base for introducing the array of article storage containers containing the scanned, unsorted articles; a transceiver, on the robot, for receiving a putaway task assignment from the centralized server associated with each of the plurality of containers in the article storage array; a processor configured to, in response to receiving the putaway task assignments by the transceiver, direct the robot to locations throughout the warehouse to execute the putaway task assignments associated with each of the plurality of containers in the article storage array; The system of claim 11 , comprising:

13. 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a display of at least one of the scanning device or the computer processing device configured to display an identification of at least one of the corresponding area of ​​the plurality of areas or the associated interconnected containers.

14. Each of the storage arrays comprises: an array identifier associated with the item storage array itself rather than with the individual containers; and a container identifier associated with each of the individual containers in the array of containers; The system of claim 11 , comprising:

15. The memory, when executed by the processor, provides the system with: having the human worker or robot scan the array identifier of the item storage array; and causing the centralized server to assign the array of article storage containers to one of the plurality of zones in response to user input at a user interface of at least one of the scanning device or the computer processing device. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions.

16. The memory, when executed by the processor, provides the system with: Associating, at the centralized server, the array identifier of the item storage array into which a first item of the at least one scanned unsorted item is placed with the corresponding area of ​​the plurality of areas. The system of claim 14, further comprising instructions.

17. The memory, when executed by the processor, provides the system with: having the human worker or robot scan an item identifier of an additional unsorted item to be stored; obtaining, by the centralized server, in response to receiving identification information corresponding to the additional scanned unsorted items, additional item data representative of additional storage locations for storing the additional scanned items within the warehouse; having the centralized server determine, from the additional storage locations of the additional scanned items, that the additional scanned items correspond to the same corresponding area; causing the centralized server to associate the additional scanned unsorted items with empty containers among the interconnected containers of the item storage array that are assigned to the same corresponding zone.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising instructions.

18. The memory, when executed by the processor, provides the system with: causing at least one of the scanning device or computer processing device to display an identification of the associated empty container among the interconnected containers of the article storage array.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising instructions.

19. The system of claim 12 , wherein the item storage array is mounted to an armature fixed to the robot, the item storage array being positioned above a surface of the robot.

20. The system of claim 12 , wherein the array of item storage containers is disposed on a surface of the at least one robot.

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