US 12,012,283 B1
Robotic fulfillment system carton release logic
Matthew Robert Douglas, Orlando, FL (US); Yizhi Wang, Natick, MA (US); Stephen Nilsen, Clayton, NC (US); Paolo Gerli Amador, Framingham, MA (US); Gregory Patrick Cox, Sleepy Hollow, NY (US); Deepak Sharma, Shrewsbury, MA (US); Daniel Jarvis, Windermere, FL (US); Amit Kalra, Acton, MA (US); and Kehang Han, Cambridge, MA (US)
Assigned to Staples, Inc., Framingham, MA (US)
Filed by Staples, Inc., Framingham, MA (US)
Filed on Jun. 30, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/917,648.
Int. Cl. B65G 1/06 (2006.01); B65G 1/04 (2006.01); B65G 1/137 (2006.01); G05D 1/00 (2006.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01)
CPC B65G 1/065 (2013.01) [B65G 1/0492 (2013.01); B65G 1/1378 (2013.01); G05D 1/0212 (2013.01); G06Q 10/087 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, by a processor, carton data representing a set of cartons, the carton data indicating one or more picks for each carton of the set of cartons;
determining, by the processor, a score for a first carton of the set of cartons based on a first location of a first pick of the one or more picks for the first carton in a pick-to-cart area of a fulfillment center, the score for the first carton being based on whether the first location of the first pick is on a path previously assigned to a cart, the path previously assigned to the cart extending at least partially into a first aisle and back out of the first aisle, determining the score including determining that the first location is farther into the first aisle than a previously-assigned location of a previously-assigned pick assigned to the cart, the previously-assigned location being on a first side of the first aisle and the first location being on a return path on a second side of the first aisle;
assigning, by the processor, the first carton to the cart based on the score determined for the first carton, the cart being adapted to transport cartons to the pick-to-cart area of the fulfillment center; and
instructing, by the processor, an automated guided vehicle (AGV) to transport the cart based on the first location for the first carton.