US 11,939,169 B2
Robotic payload transport system
Eric Diehr, San Jose, CA (US); and Andrew Zeller, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Zebra Technologies Corporation, Lincolnshire, IL (US)
Filed by Fetch Robotics, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/236,953.
Application 17/236,953 is a continuation of application No. 16/816,096, filed on Mar. 11, 2020, granted, now 11,034,524.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/817,437, filed on Mar. 12, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0261350 A1, Aug. 26, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B65G 41/00 (2006.01); B65G 13/04 (2006.01); B65G 13/07 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 41/008 (2013.01) [B65G 13/04 (2013.01); B65G 13/07 (2013.01); B65G 41/003 (2013.01); B65G 2205/04 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A roller conveyor system configured for installation on top of a mobile robot to provide robotic transport of a payload, comprising:
a roller conveyor, the roller conveyor comprising:
a roller assembly, the roller assembly comprising a plurality of rollers, the rollers configured to move a payload, each of the rollers being configured to rotate, the roller assembly comprising a leading roller disposed adjacent to a secondary roller, a motorized roller disposed adjacent to the secondary roller and one or more auxiliary rollers, the motorized roller comprising a motor configured to cause the motorized roller to rotate, wherein the secondary roller, the motorized roller and the one or more auxiliary rollers each have a first length that is longer than a second length of the leading roller so that the roller assembly fits within a circular profile defined by the second length of the leading roller; and
a hybrid power transmission configured to drive the rollers, the hybrid power transmission coupling the motorized roller to at least one of the one or more auxiliary rollers, the hybrid power transmission using at least two power transmission methods.