Entity monitoring for kiva robotic floors

摘要

Techniques for providing an entity monitoring safety feature in an inventory management system may be described. For example, information that indicates respective locations for a plurality of mobile drive units within an inventory management system may be received. Tracking information may be received from a mobile location unit that is moving within a bounded area around a signal transmitter that is coupled to an entity. The tracking information may include an approximate location of the signal transmitter relative to the mobile location unit. Pathway information may be generated that indicates to the plurality of mobile drive units within the inventory management system to stay outside of a radius distance of the mobile location unit based on the received tracking information. The generated pathway information may be provided to the plurality of mobile drive units to enable safe passage for the entity within the inventory management system.

主权项

1. An inventory management system, comprising:
a plurality of access points situated in a materials handling facility; a plurality of mobile drive units configured to move within the materials handling facility according to generated paths and configured to communicate respective location data of the plurality of mobile drive units within the materials handling facility via at least one of the plurality of access points; a mobile location unit configured to communicate tracking data of a working entity within the materials handling facility via at least one of the plurality of access points, the tracking data including an approximate location of the working entity within the materials handling facility relative to the mobile location unit; and a computing device configured to:
receive the location data for the plurality of mobile drive units;receive a request from the working entity to access the materials handling facility;assign the mobile location unit to follow the working entity within the materials handling facility as the working entity moves within the materials handling facility based at least in part on the request;receive the tracking data from the mobile location unit assigned to the working entity;generate a bounded area around the working entity based at least in part on the tracking data;generate a new path for at least one of the plurality of mobile drive units within the materials handling facility, the new path instructing the at least one of the plurality of mobile drive units to avoid the bounded area;provide, via at least one of the plurality of access points, the new path to the at least one of the plurality of mobile drive units; andinstruct an associated propulsion component of the at least one mobile drive unit to alter a current path within the materials handling facility based at least in part on the new path.