Granted Patent B1

US 12,735,263 · App. 18/431,736 · Granted Sep 15, 2026

Inventors: Ken McCormack (Albany, OR); Jay Jasper (Albany, OR); Jonathan Hurst (Albany, OR); Prasanna Velagapudi (Pittsburgh, PA); Bradley Hamner (Pittsburgh, PA)

Assignee: Agility Robotics, Inc.

B65G1/1378B25J15/04G06Q10/087B25J15/0616B65G2203/0241

Abstract

Claims (92)

1 . A method comprising:

executing, during a first time period, first operations of a first operation type in an order-fulfillment workflow via a plurality of first mobile robots respectively equipped with first end-effector sets of a first set type corresponding to the first operation type, wherein the plurality of first mobile robots is included in an order-fulfillment system;

executing, during the first time period, second operations of a second operation type in the order-fulfillment workflow via a plurality of second mobile robots respectively equipped with second end-effector sets of a second set type corresponding to the second operation type, wherein the plurality of second mobile robots is included in the order-fulfillment system, wherein the first and second operation types are different, and wherein the first and second set types are different;

swapping, during a second time period after the first time period, a given one of the first end-effector sets for an additional second end-effector set of the second set type, wherein swapping the given one of the first end-effector sets includes:

unequipping the given one of the first end-effector sets from a given one of the first mobile robots, and

equipping the additional second end-effector set to the given one of the first mobile robots after unequipping the given one of the first end-effector sets; and

executing, during a third time period after the second time period, third operations of the second operation type in the order-fulfillment workflow via the plurality of second mobile robots respectively equipped with the second end-effector sets and via the given one of the first mobile robots equipped with the additional second end-effector set.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the order-fulfillment system includes an inventory system having:

an inlet port,

an outlet port,

an inventory area between the inlet port and the outlet port, and

a shuttle robot configured to move inventory totes between the inlet port, the inventory area, and the outlet port;

the first operations occur within the order-fulfillment workflow upstream from the inventory system; and

the second and third operations occur within the order-fulfillment workflow downstream from the inventory system.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the order-fulfillment system includes a sorting system having:

a tote area,

a conveyor configured to to receive items and to convey the items toward the tote area, and

a sorting robot configured to sort items from the conveyor into totes at the tote area;

the first operations occur within the order-fulfillment workflow upstream from the sorting system; and

the second operations occur within the order-fulfillment workflow downstream from the sorting system.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first set type is a first bimanual set type including a first end-effector type and a second end-effector type complementary with one another for execution of operations of the first operation type;

the first and second end-effector types are the same or different;

the second set type is a second bimanual set type including a third end-effector type and a fourth end-effector type that work together for execution of operations of the second operation type; and

the third and fourth end-effector types are the same or different.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein:

the first and second end-effector types are non-suction end-effector types; and

at least one of the third and fourth end-effector types is a suction end-effector type.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

executing the first operations occurs at a first area of an order-fulfillment center;

executing the second and third operations occurs at a second area of the order-fulfillment center different than the first area; and

the method further comprises causing, via a computer system of the order-fulfillment system, the given one of the first mobile robots to move from the first area to the second area during the second time period.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein:

equipping the additional second end-effector set includes equipping the additional second end-effector set at a third area of the order-fulfillment center different than the first and second areas; and

causing the given one of the first mobile robots to move from the first area to the second area includes causing the given one of the first mobile robots to move from the first area to the second area via the third area.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein:

the method further comprises generating, via the given one of the first mobile robots, an instruction to equip the additional second end-effector set; and

equipping the additional second end-effector set includes manually equipping the additional second end-effector set at least partially in response to the instruction.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein:

the order-fulfillment system includes a station at the third area;

the method further comprises docking the given one of the first mobile robots at the station during the second time period; and

equipping the additional second end-effector set includes equipping the additional second end-effector set while the given one of the first mobile robots is docked at the station.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the method further comprises receiving, at a computer system of the order-fulfillment system, an indication of a robot-allocation imbalance; and

swapping the given one of the first end-effector sets includes swapping the given one of the first end-effector sets at least partially in response to the indication.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein:

the order-fulfillment workflow includes a plurality of queues;

the order-fulfillment system includes a plurality of queue sensors operably associated with respective queues of the plurality of queues; and

the method further comprises:

receiving, at the computer system, queue information from the queue sensors, and

determining, via the computer system, the robot-allocation imbalance based at least partially on the queue information.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein:

the robot-allocation imbalance is a predicted robot-allocation imbalance; and

the method further comprises:

receiving, at the computer system, order information for orders to be fulfilled via the order-fulfillment system,

processing, via a machine-learning model of the computer system, the order information, and

determining, via the computer system, the predicted robot-allocation imbalance based at least partially on a result of processing the order information via the machine-learning model.

13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining, via the computer system, a first utilization for the plurality of first mobile robots;

determining, via the computer system, a second utilization for the plurality of second mobile robots; and

determining, via the computer system, the robot-allocation imbalance based at least partially on the first and second utilizations.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein:

the method further comprises:

determining, via the computer system, idle time, non-idle time, or both for the plurality of first mobile robots, and

determining, via the computer system, idle time, non-idle time, or both for the plurality of second mobile robots;

determining the first utilization includes determining, via the computer system, the first utilization based at least partially on a result of measuring idle time, non-idle time, or both for the plurality of first mobile robots; and

determining the second utilization includes determining, via the computer system, the second utilization based at least partially on a result of measuring idle time, non-idle time, or both for the plurality of second mobile robots.

15 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining, via the computer system, a first throughput for the first operation type;

determining, via the computer system, a second throughput for the second operation type; and

determining, via the computer system, the robot-allocation imbalance based at least partially on the first and second throughputs.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:

the method further comprises:

determining, via the computer system, a first backlog for the first operation type, and

determining, via the computer system, a second backlog for the second operation type; and

determining the robot-allocation imbalance includes determining, via the computer system, the robot-allocation imbalance based at least partially on the first and second throughputs and the first and second backlogs.

17 . The method of claim 10 , wherein:

executing the first, second, and third operations occurs at an order-fulfillment center; and

the method further comprises:

receiving, at the computer system, an indication of a change in a human-worker allocation at the order-fulfillment center, and

determining, via the computer system, the robot-allocation imbalance based at least partially on the change in the human-worker allocation.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:

the change in the human-worker allocation is a predicted change in the human-worker allocation; and

the robot-allocation imbalance is a predicted robot-allocation imbalance.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

receiving, at the computer system, schedule information for human workers at the order-fulfillment center; and

determining the predicted change in the human-worker allocation based at least partially on the schedule information.

20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first operation type is tote moving; and

the second operation type is item moving.

Assignments (5)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (30)