Patent ID: 7912574
Filing Date: 2011-03-22
Classification: C07B,C07C,G05B,G06Q,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method for transporting inventory items, comprising: calculating, for each of a plurality of cells in a workspace, a cost associated with a mobile drive unit moving through that cell; calculating a cost associated with transporting a mobile drive unit between a first point and a second point using particular conveyance equipment; calculating a first path cost associated with a first path between an initial location and a destination location based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the first path traverses; calculating a second path cost associated with a second path between the initial location and the destination location, the second path traversing the first point and the second point, based, at least in part, on a sum of the cost associated with each of the cells the second path traverses and the cost associated with transporting the mobile drive unit using the conveyance equipment; selecting one of the first path and the second path based on the first path cost and the second path cost; and transmitting information identifying the selected path to a mobile drive unit.