Warehouse Management System for Human-Robot Order Picking

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current warehouse management systems struggle to optimize order-picking operations in collaborative human-robot systems, leading to inefficiencies and increased labor costs due to limitations in robotic grasping and navigation in dynamic environments.

Innovation Solution

A computerized warehouse management system that uses a processor to determine the optimal number of items for each tour by autonomous mobile robots, assign batches, and coordinate routing between robots and human pickers to minimize picking time and optimize efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If autonomous mobile robots are used for item retrieval, then transport efficiency and safety are improved, but robotic grasping ability deteriorates due to limitations in current technology

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransport efficiencyVSAvoidrobotic grasping ability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the order picking task into two separate functions: human pickers perform item retrieval and placement on robots, while autonomous mobile robots handle transport to the packing station. This segmentation allows each component to excel at its specialized task, overcoming the limitation of robotic grasping while maintaining high transport efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If a collaborative human-robot system is implemented, then labor dependence is reduced and fulfillment speed is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefulfillment speedVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces a centralized warehouse management system that acts as an intermediary, coordinating between human pickers and autonomous mobile robots. This mediator assigns items to pickers, manages robot routing, and optimizes batch assignments, thereby managing system complexity centrally while enabling efficient collaborative operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of time

If optimized routing and batch assignment are implemented, then picking time is reduced and efficiency is improved, but computational requirements and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepicking timeVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The warehouse management system performs preliminary optimization of routing and batch assignment before picking operations begin. By pre-calculating optimal routes and batch assignments based on warehouse layout and order requirements, the system minimizes picking time without adding real-time computational complexity during actual operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250066124A1Warehouse database management system for managing a warehouse with a human-autonomous mobile robot order picking system and associated method of use

Publication Date: 2025.02.27 THE CURATORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

AI summary

A computerized warehouse management system and method of use are disclosed that generates a plan for optimizing the order-picking operations for a collaborative human-robot order-picking system. Specifically, the computerized warehouse management system is flexible and scalable to handle any facility layout, swarm of robots, multiple pickers, and logistical/operational constraints. The platform optimizes four key decisions to improve warehouse operations efficiency, including order batching, batch assignment to robots and pickers, batch sequencing, and collaborative human-robot routing.