Control system for storage and retrieval systems

• US 10,035,649 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Original Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Inventors: Lert, John, Toebes, Stephen, Sullivan, Robert, Hinshaw, Foster D., Ulrich, Nathan, Peters, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): CUMBESS, YOLANDA RENEE
• Application Number:
  US15/716,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20180016098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 308 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/045 in a circular arrangement, e.g. towers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0485 Check-in, check-out devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0492 with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/065 with self propelled cars
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/10 with relatively movable racks to facilitate insertion or removal of articles cabinets with means for moving compartments up and down A47B51/00; cabinet system, e.g. consisting of cabinets arranged in a row with means to open or close passages between adjacent cabinets A47B53/02
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/127 the circuit being confined in a vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1371 with data records
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/57 for articles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A warehouse storage and retrieval system including an array of multilevel storage racks having at least one transfer deck, picking isles and storage areas disposed along picking isles, the storage areas being configured to hold differing loads, and a controller including a management module configured to variably size the storage areas of the array of multilevel storage rack modules and assign each of the variably sized storage areas to a corresponding one of the differing loads, wherein the storage and retrieval system is arranged to transport the differing loads for placement in the variably sized storage areas assigned by the controller.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a storage and retrieval system having an array of multilevel storage racks, each level of the multilevel level storage racks having storage spaces configured to hold a respective load;

providing at least one vertical lift at a fixed planform location within the array of multilevel storage racks;

at least transporting, with the at least one vertical lift, loads from each level of the multilevel storage racks, each level having a vertical lift transfer location corresponding to each fixed planform location of the at least one vertical lift; and

selecting, with a controller, a vertical lift transfer location for transport of loads from a respective level of the multilevel storage racks based on a predetermined characteristic of load fill sequencing of a first load in a load fill sequence with respect to another load in the load fill sequence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined characteristic is a scarcity of levels on which a predetermined load in the load fill sequence is located.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, with the controller,

looking ahead a predetermined number of order lines in the load fill sequence;

determining if the other load in one of the predetermined number of order lines exists on fewer than a predetermined number of levels; and

selecting a vertical lift transfer location, for transferring the first load to a corresponding vertical lift, from a level that is different from a level on which the other load is located.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined characteristic is a ratio of a number of levels on which a stock keeping unit corresponding to the first load is located and a number of levels on which a stock keeping unit corresponding to the other load is located where the other load is downstream from the first load in the load fill sequence.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring loads between the storage spaces on a respective level and the vertical lift with at least one autonomous vehicle disposed on the respective level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first load and the other load are differing loads, the method further comprising variably sizing, with the controller, the storage spaces of the multilevel level storage racks so that the storage spaces are sized to hold the differing loads.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising assigning, with the controller, each of the variably sized storage spaces to a corresponding differing load.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transporting the differing loads for placement in the variably sized storage spaces assigned by the controller.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, with the controller, inventory levels at the end of at least one predetermined order fulfillment time period and scheduling inventory replenishment orders based on the determined inventory levels.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, with the controller, inventory levels at the end of at least one predetermined order fulfillment time period and scheduling inventory replenishment orders based on the determined inventory levels.

11. A method comprising:

providing a storage and retrieval system having an array of multilevel storage racks, each level of the multilevel level storage racks having storage spaces configured to hold a respective load;

providing at least one vertical lift at a fixed planform location within the array of multilevel storage racks;

at least transporting, with the at least one vertical lift, loads from each level of the multilevel storage racks, each level having a vertical lift transfer location corresponding to each fixed planform location of the at least one vertical lift; and

selecting, with a controller, a vertical lift transfer location for transport of loads from a respective level of the multilevel storage racks based on

looking ahead a predetermined number of order lines in the load fill sequence, and

determining if the other load in one of the predetermined number of order lines exists on fewer than a predetermined number of levels,

wherein the first load is transferred to a corresponding vertical lift, from a level that is different from a level on which the other load is located.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising transferring loads between the storage spaces on a respective level and the vertical lift with at least one autonomous vehicle disposed on the respective level.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first load and the other load are differing loads, the method further comprising variably sizing, with the controller, the storage spaces of the multilevel level storage racks so that the storage spaces are sized to hold the differing loads.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising assigning, with the controller, each of the variably sized storage spaces to a corresponding differing load.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising transporting the differing loads for placement in the variably sized storage spaces assigned by the controller.

16. A storage and retrieval system comprising:

an array of multilevel storage racks, each level of the multilevel level storage racks having storage spaces configured to hold a respective load;

at least one vertical lift at a fixed planform location within the array of multilevel storage racks, the at least one vertical lift being configured to at least transport loads from each level of the multilevel storage racks, each level having a vertical lift transfer location corresponding to each fixed planform location of the at least one vertical lift; and

a controller configured to select a vertical lift transfer location for transport of loads from a respective level of the multilevel storage racks based on at least one predetermined characteristic of load fill sequencing of a first load in a load fill sequence with respect to another load in the load fill sequence so that the at least one vertical lift outputs the first load and the other load in a predetermined sequence corresponding to a pallet building order.

17. The storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the at least one predetermined characteristic is a scarcity of levels on which a predetermined load in the load fill sequence is located.

18. The storage and retrieval system of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to

look ahead a predetermined number of order lines in the load fill sequence;

determine if the other load in one of the predetermined number of order lines exists on fewer than a predetermined number of levels; and

select a vertical lift transfer location, for transferring the first load to a corresponding vertical lift, from a level that is different from a level on which the other load is located.

19. The storage and retrieval system of claim 17, wherein the at least one predetermined characteristic is a ratio of a number of levels on which a stock keeping unit corresponding to the first load is located and a number of levels on which a stock keeping unit corresponding to the other load is located where the other load is downstream from the first load in the load fill sequence.

20. The storage and retrieval system of claim 17, further comprising at least one autonomous vehicle disposed on each level where the at least one autonomous vehicle is configured to transfer loads between the storage spaces on a respective level and the vertical lift.