Storage and retrieval system case unit detection

• US 10,252,859 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2018
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Original Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Inventors: Sullivan, Robert, Toebes, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Logan, Kyle O
• Application Number:
  US16/043,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20180327185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 259 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0492 with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1371 with data records
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2207/20 Earthquake protection
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An automated storage and retrieval system including a storage structure with storage racks having a seating surface configured to support case units where a position of each case unit is non-deterministic for each storage location on the storage racks, each case unit has a predetermined storage position and a controller is configured to determine the predetermined storage position, a picking aisle configured to provide access to the case units within the storage structure, and a seismic disturbance restorative system including seismic disturbance motions sensors disposed on the storage racks, a seismic disturbance control module in communication with the seismic disturbance sensors and configured to identify a seismic disturbance, and an automated case mapper configured to traverse the picking aisle, the automated case mapper being in communication with and initialized by the seismic disturbance control module to identify a seated position of at least one case unit within the storage structure.

Claims

1. A warehouse automated storage and retrieval system for transport and storage of cases of wares in a ware case storage room, the warehouse automated storage and retrieval system comprising:

a storage structure with an array of storage locations distributed on at least one storage shelf having a seating surface configured to support ware case units freely throughout the seating surface on the at least one storage shelf;

a controller, where each ware case unit has a predetermined storage position in which the ware case unit is seated on the at least one storage shelf and the controller is configured to determine the predetermined storage position; and

a disturbance restorative system including

at least one disturbance detection sensor disposed on the at least one storage shelf,

a disturbance control module in communication with the at least one disturbance detection sensor and configured to identify a disturbance and determine a disturbance type causing the disturbance from different disturbance types, and

wherein the disturbance restorative system is configured so that the disturbance restorative system generates different case mapping commands based on the different disturbance types and initializes an automated guided vehicle with case mapping commands from the different case mapping commands corresponding to the determined disturbance type.

2. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the automated guided vehicle traverses the storage structure relative to the at least one storage shelf to identify a seated position of at least one ware case unit within the storage structure and the disturbance control module is further configured to compare the identified seated position of the at least one ware case unit, determined with the automated guided vehicle and the predetermined position of the at least one ware case unit, and identify a variance between the identified seated position of the at least one ware case unit and the predetermined position of the at least one ware case unit.

3. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 2, wherein the disturbance control module is further configured to generate a command with information for ware case unit position correction based on a variance type.

4. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the ware case units are positioned in the at least one storage shelf in a close packed spacing.

5. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically allocate each ware case unit into a respective predetermined dynamically allocated storage position.

6. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to effect correction of a position of the at least one ware case unit by dynamically updating the predetermined dynamically allocated storage position of the at least one ware case unit with a respective identified seated position of each ware case unit.

7. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to effect correction of a position of the at least one ware case unit by commanding the automated guided vehicle to pick and reposition the at least one ware case unit at a respective dynamically allocated storage position or move the at least one ware case unit to a respective different dynamically allocated storage position.

8. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 5, wherein the automated guided vehicle traverses the storage structure relative to the at least one storage shelf to identify a seated position of at least one ware case unit within the storage structure and the disturbance control module is further configured to compare the identified seated position of the at least one ware case unit, determined with the automated guided vehicle and the predetermined dynamically allocated storage position of the at least one ware case unit, and identify a variance between the identified seated position of the at least one ware case unit and the predetermined dynamically allocated storage position of the at least one ware case unit.

9. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the automated guided vehicle is configured to pick and place ware case units at storage locations within the storage structure.

10. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to effect correction of a position of the at least one ware case unit by providing the location of the at least one ware case unit to an operator of the warehouse automated storage and retrieval system for manual removal or repositioning of the at least one ware case unit.

11. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the automated guided vehicle traverses the storage structure to identify a seated position of the at least one ware case unit coincident with the automated guided vehicle traversing the storage structure relative to the at least one storage shelf for picking and/or placing of another ware case unit at another storage location.

12. A method for transporting and storing cases of wares in a ware case storage room with a warehouse automated storage and retrieval system, the method comprising:

providing a storage structure with an array of storage locations distributed on at least storage shelf having a seating surface configured to support ware case units where a position of each ware case unit is non-deterministic for each storage location on the at least one storage shelf;

determining, with a controller, a predetermined storage position of each ware case unit, freely throughout the seating surface on the at least one storage shelf;

identifying a disturbance, with a disturbance control module of a disturbance restorative system, and determining a disturbance type causing the disturbance from different disturbance types;

providing at least one disturbance detection sensor disposed on the at least one storage shelf, where the disturbance control module is in communication with the at least one disturbance detection sensor; and

generating different case mapping commands based on the different disturbance types and initializing an automated guided vehicle with case mapping commands from the different case mapping commands corresponding to the determined type disturbance.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising identifying a seated position of at least one ware case unit within the storage structure with an automated guided vehicle traversing the storage structure relative to the at least one storage shelf and comparing, with the disturbance control module, the identified seated position of the at least one ware case unit, determined with automated guided vehicle and the predetermined position of the at least one ware case unit, and identifying a variance between the identified seated position and the predetermined position of the at least one ware case unit.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating, with the disturbance control module, a command with information for ware case unit position correction based on a variance type.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the ware case units are positioned in the at least one storage shelf in a close packed spacing.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising dynamically allocating, with the controller, each ware case unit into a respective predetermined dynamically allocated storage position.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising effecting, with the controller, correction of a position of the at least one ware case unit by dynamically updating the predetermined dynamically allocated storage position of the at least one ware case unit with a respective identified seated position of each ware case unit.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising effecting, with the controller, correction of a position of the at least one ware case unit by commanding the automated guided vehicle to pick and reposition the at least one ware case unit at a respective dynamically allocated storage position or move the at least one ware case unit to a respective different dynamically allocated storage position.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising identifying a seated position of at least one ware case unit within the storage structure with an automated guided vehicle traversing the storage structure relative to the at least one storage shelf and comparing, with the disturbance control module, the identified seated position of the at least one ware case unit, determined with automated guided vehicle and the predetermined dynamically allocated storage position of the at least one ware case unit, and identify a variance between the identified seated position and the predetermined dynamically allocated storage position of the at least one ware case unit.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the automated guided vehicle is configured to pick and place ware case units at storage locations within the storage structure.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising effecting, with the controller, correction of a position of the at least one ware case unit by providing the location of the at least one ware case unit to an operator of the warehouse automated storage and retrieval system for manual removal or repositioning of the at least one ware case unit.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the automated guided vehicle traverses the storage structure to identify a seated position of the at least one ware case unit coincident with the automated guided vehicle traversing the storage structure relative to the at least one storage shelf for picking and/or placing of another ware case unit at another storage location.