Robotic system having shuttle
A robotic system includes a robot having a picking arm to grasp an inventory item and a shuttle. The shuttle includes a platform adapted to receive the inventory item from the picking arm of the robot. The platform is moveable in at least a two-dimensional horizontal plane between a pick-up location located substantially adjacent to the robot and an end location spaced a distance apart from the pick-up location. The system improves efficiency as transportation of the item from the pick-up location to the end location is divided between the robot and the shuttle.
1. A system, comprising:
a set of first tracks extending in a first horizontal direction;
a second track provided between the set of first tracks, the second track being slidable along the set of first tracks in the first horizontal direction; and
a platform coupled to the second track and moveable along the second track in a second horizontal direction transverse to the first horizontal direction, the platform being pivotable between a transport position and a delivery position to displace an item into a select one of a plurality of containers.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second horizontal direction is orthogonal to the first horizontal direction.
3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising the plurality of containers, the plurality of containers being arranged in a first horizontal row of containers and a second horizontal row of containers.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the platform is elevated above the first horizontal row of containers and the second horizontal row of containers.
5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a robot including a picking arm arranged to pick the item from a picking area.
6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising a scanner.
7. The system of claim 5 , further comprising an intermediate delivery mechanism arranged to receive the item from the picking arm of the robot and transfer the item to the platform.
8. A sorting system, comprising:
a robot including a picking arm arranged to pick an item from a picking area;
an intermediate delivery mechanism arranged to receive the item from the picking arm of the robot; and
a shuttle device, comprising:
a set of first tracks extending in a first horizontal direction;
a second track provided between the set of first tracks, the second track being slidable along the set of first tracks in the first horizontal direction; and
a platform coupled to the second track and arranged to receive the item from the intermediate delivery mechanism, the platform being moveable along the second track in a second horizontal direction transverse to the first horizontal direction, and the platform being pivotable between a transport position and a delivery position to displace the item into a select one of a plurality of containers.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the second horizontal direction is orthogonal to the first horizontal direction.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the intermediate delivery mechanism includes a surface for receiving the item, and the intermediate delivery mechanism is configured to guide the item onto a location of the platform.
11. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a scanner.
12. The system of claim 8 , further comprising the plurality of containers, the plurality of containers being arranged in a first horizontal row of containers and a second horizontal row of containers.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the platform is elevated above the first horizontal row of containers and the second horizontal row of containers.
14. A method of sorting items, comprising:
picking a first item from a picking area using a picking arm of a robot;
transferring the first item onto a platform of a shuttle device, the shuttle device including a set of first tracks extending in a first horizontal direction, a second track provided between the set of first tracks, and the platform;
sliding the second track along the set of first tracks in the first horizontal direction and moving the platform along the second track in a second horizontal direction transverse to the first horizontal direction; and
actuating at least a portion of the platform from a transport position, in which the first item is disposed on the platform, to a delivery position, in which the first item is displaced into a first container.
15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
depositing the item, using the picking arm of the robot, onto a surface of an intermediate delivery device, the intermediate delivery device being configured to perform the transferring step.
16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising scanning the first item to determine the first container.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein a base of the robot is immovable relative to the picking area.
18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
picking a second item from the picking area using the picking arm of the robot; transferring the second item onto the platform;
sliding the second track along the set of first tracks in the first horizontal direction and moving the platform along the second track in the second horizontal direction; and
actuating the at least a portion of the platform from the transport position to the delivery position to displace the second item into a second container.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first container corresponds to a first order and the second container corresponds to a second order.
20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising batch picking inventory including the first item and the second item from a storage location and transporting the inventory to the picking area.