Automated locker system for delivery and collection of inventory items

Abstract

Provided is a locker system that includes a plurality of lockable doors, a security lock mechanism, and a plurality of compartments. Opening of each lockable door is controlled based on a corresponding security parameter. The security lock mechanism controls opening and closing of each lockable door based on the corresponding security parameter. Each compartment is accessible from a front side and a rear side of the locker system. An access to each compartment from the front side is controlled by a corresponding lockable door. Each compartment is open from the rear side. When a robotic apparatus, transporting one or more items associated with a process at a storage facility, aligns with the locker system from the rear side, the one or more items are accessible from the front side based on opening of one or more corresponding lockable doors of one or more compartments of the plurality of compartments.

1 . An automated locker management system, comprising:
 a locker system including a plurality of compartments and a plurality of lockable doors, wherein each compartment of the plurality of compartments is accessible from a front side and a rear side of the locker system, wherein an access to each compartment of the plurality of compartments from the front side is controlled by a corresponding lockable door of the plurality of lockable doors, and wherein each compartment of the plurality of compartments is open from the rear side;   a plurality of robotic apparatuses, wherein a first robotic apparatus of the plurality of robotic apparatuses is configured to transport one or more first items associated with a first process at a storage facility; and   a control server configured to:   allocate one or more first compartments of the plurality of compartments to the first process; and   communicate a first set of instructions to the first robotic apparatus to cause the first robotic apparatus to align with the locker system from the rear side, wherein based on the alignment of the first robotic apparatus with the locker system at the rear side, the one or more first items transported by the first robotic apparatus are accessible from the front side of the one or more first compartments upon opening of corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments.   
     
     
         2 . The automated locker management system of  claim 1 , wherein a second robotic apparatus of the plurality of robotic apparatuses is configured to transport one or more second items associated with a second process at the storage facility, and wherein the control server is further configured to:
 allocate the one or more first compartments to the second process; and   communicate a second set of instructions to the second robotic apparatus to cause the second robotic apparatus to align with the locker system from the rear side, wherein the second robotic apparatus is configured to align with the locker system from the rear side based on the second set of instructions when the one or more first items are successfully collected from the one or more first compartments, and wherein based on the alignment of the second robotic apparatus with the locker system at the rear side, the one or more second items transported by the second robotic apparatus are accessible from the front side of the one or more first compartments based on opening of the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments.   
     
     
         3 . The automated locker management system of  claim 1 , wherein a second robotic apparatus of the plurality of robotic apparatuses is configured to transport one or more second items associated with a second process at the storage facility, and wherein the control server is further configured to:
 allocate one or more second compartments of the plurality of compartments to the second process, wherein the one or more second compartments are different from the one or more first compartments; and   communicate a second set of instructions to the second robotic apparatus to cause the second robotic apparatus to align with the locker system from the rear side concurrently with the first robotic apparatus, wherein based on the alignment of the second robotic apparatus with the locker system at the rear side, the one or more second items transported by the second robotic apparatus are accessible from the front side of the one or more second compartments based on opening of corresponding lockable doors of the one or more second compartments.   
     
     
         4 . The automated locker management system of  claim 1 , wherein the control server is further configured to control opening of each lockable door of the plurality of lockable doors based on a corresponding security parameter. 
     
     
         5 . The automated locker management system of  claim 4 , wherein the corresponding security parameter is at least one of a password, a machine-readable optical code, or biometric information of a user. 
     
     
         6 . The automated locker management system of  claim 1 , wherein the control server is further configured to control the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments to open concurrently based on one security parameter. 
     
     
         7 . The automated locker management system of  claim 1 , wherein the control server is further configured to:
 receive, from the locker system, one or more security parameters provided by a user to open the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments;   compare the one or more security parameters provided by the user with one or more stored security parameters of the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments; and   control the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments to open based on the comparison of the one or more security parameters provided by the user with the one or more stored security parameters of the corresponding lockable doors.   
     
     
         8 . The automated locker management system of  claim 1 , further comprising a set of storage systems such that a first storage system of the set of storage systems is configured to store the one or more first items on one or more shelves thereof, and wherein the first robotic apparatus is configured to transport the one or more first items by lifting and transporting the first storage system. 
     
     
         9 . The automated locker management system of  claim 8 , wherein when the first robotic apparatus aligns with the locker system based on the first set of instructions, the one or more shelves storing the one or more first items are aligned with the one or more first compartments. 
     
     
         10 . The automated locker management system of  claim 1 , wherein the first robotic apparatus includes one or more conveyors such that the one or more first items are placed on the one or more conveyers, and wherein when the first robotic apparatus aligns with the locker system based on the first set of instructions, the one or more conveyors having the one or more first items thereon are aligned with the one or more first compartments. 
     
     
         11 . The automated locker management system of  claim 10 , wherein the first robotic apparatus is further configured to actuate the one or more conveyors based on the first set of instructions to transfer the one or more first items from the one or more conveyers to the one or more first compartments. 
     
     
         12 . The automated locker management system of  claim 1 , wherein the first robotic apparatus includes one or more levels such that the one or more first items are placed on the one or more levels, and wherein when the first robotic apparatus aligns with the locker system based on the first set of instructions, the one or more levels of the first robotic apparatus are aligned with the one or more first compartments. 
     
     
         13 . An automated locker management method, comprising:
 allocating, by a control server, one or more first compartments of a plurality of compartments in a locker system to a first process in a storage facility, wherein each compartment of the plurality of compartments is accessible from a front side and a rear side of the locker system, wherein an access to each compartment of the plurality of compartments from the front side is controlled by a corresponding lockable door of a plurality of lockable doors of the locker system, and wherein each compartment of the plurality of compartments is open from the rear side; and   communicating, by the control server, a first set of instructions to a first robotic apparatus to cause the first robotic apparatus to align with the locker system from the rear side, wherein based on the alignment of the first robotic apparatus with the locker system at the rear side, one or more first items transported by the first robotic apparatus are accessible from the front side of the one or more first compartments based on opening of corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments; and wherein the one or more first items are associated with the first process allocated to the one or more first compartments.   
     
     
         14 . The automated locker management method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 allocating, by the control server, one or more first compartments to a second process; and   communicating, by the control server, a second set of instructions to a second robotic apparatus configured to transport one or more second items associated with the second process at the storage facility, wherein the second set of instructions cause the second robotic apparatus to align with the locker system from the rear side, and wherein the second robotic apparatus aligns with the locker system from the rear side based on the second set of instructions when the one or more first items are successfully collected from the one or more first compartments, and wherein based on the alignment of the second robotic apparatus with the locker system at the rear side, the one or more second items transported by the second robotic apparatus are accessible from the front side of the one or more first compartments based on opening of the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments.   
     
     
         15 . The automated locker management method of  claim 13 , further comprising controlling, by the control server, opening of each lockable door of the plurality of lockable doors based on a corresponding security parameter. 
     
     
         16 . The automated locker management method of  claim 15 , wherein the corresponding security parameter is at least one of a password, a machine-readable optical code, or biometric information of a user. 
     
     
         17 . The automated locker management method of  claim 13 , further comprising controlling, by the control server, the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments to open concurrently based on one security parameter. 
     
     
         18 . The automated locker management method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the control server, from the locker system, one or more security parameters provided by a user to open the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments;   comparing, by the control server, the one or more security parameters provided by the user with one or more stored security parameters of the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments; and   controlling, by the control server, corresponding lockable doors of the one or more first compartments to open based on the comparison of the one or more security parameters provided by the user with the one or more stored security parameters of the corresponding lockable doors.   
     
     
         19 . An automated locker system, comprising:
 a plurality of lockable doors, wherein opening of each lockable door of the plurality of lockable doors is controlled based on a corresponding security parameter of each lockable door;   a security lock mechanism configured to control opening and closing of each lockable door based on the corresponding security parameter; and   a plurality of compartments, wherein each compartment of the plurality of compartments is accessible from a front side and a rear side of the locker system, wherein an access to each compartment of the plurality of compartments from the front side is controlled by a corresponding lockable door of the plurality of lockable doors, wherein each compartment of the plurality of compartments is open from the rear side, wherein when a robotic apparatus, transporting one or more items associated with a process at a storage facility, aligns with the locker system from the rear side, the one or more items are accessible from the front side of the locker system based on opening of one or more corresponding lockable doors of one or more compartments of the plurality of compartments.   
     
     
         20 . The automated locker system of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 an input/output interface configured to receive one or more security parameters provided by a user to open the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more compartments, wherein the security lock mechanism is further configured to open the corresponding lockable doors of the one or more compartments when the one or more security parameters provided by the user matches one or more stored security parameters of the corresponding lockable doors.