Materials-handling system using autonomous transfer and transport vehicles

• US 20050047895A1
• Filed: 08/28/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Original Assignee: Casepick Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Lert, John G. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,591,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/273
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0492 with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for selecting and combining items in an outbound container through the use of autonomous vehicles, each of which includes means for automatically loading and unloading a payload, to perform both transfer and transport functions in moving containers of items within a workspace via a network of roadways. Under computer control, said autonomous vehicles transfer and transport case containers of item units between incoming receiving stations, intermediate storage locations, and outgoing order-assembly stations where entire containers or individual item units are combined in the outbound container.

Claims

1. A method for selecting and combining packages in an outbound container comprising, in combination, the steps of:

providing a warehouse of temporary storage locations, each of said storage locations being located immediately adjacent to a vehicle support roadway in a network of roadways,

providing a source transfer station adjacent to one of said roadways in said network of roadways,

providing a destination transfer station adjacent to one of said roadways in said network of roadways,

providing a plurality of wheeled transport vehicles each of which is movable from its current location in said network of roadways to a specified target location in said network of roadways in response to a movement command,

providing a programmed processor for issuing movement commands to said wheeled transport vehicles,

storing a multiplicity of different products in said warehouse by repeatedly performing the substeps of;

placing a plurality of individual packages each containing the same kind of product in a container,

issuing a movement command from said processor to a selected wheeled transport vehicle to move said first wheeled transport vehicle to said source transfer station,

transferring said container to said selected wheeled transport vehicle at a source transfer station,

issuing a movement command from said processor to said selected wheeled transport vehicle to move said selected wheeled transport vehicle carrying said container from said source transfer station to a designated one of said storage locations, and

transferring said container from said selected wheeled transport vehicle to said designated storage location, and

retrieving and combining a selection of different products stored in said warehouse by repeatedly performing the substeps of;

issuing a movement command from said processor to a specified wheeled transport vehicle to move said specified wheeled transport vehicle to a specified storage location where a given one of said different products is stored,

transferring the container at said specified storage location to said specified wheeled transport vehicle,

issuing a movement command from said processor to said specified wheeled transport vehicle to move said specified transport vehicle from said specified storage location to said destination transfer station, and

at said destination transfer station, transferring all or part of the contents of the container on said specified transport container to said outbound container.

2. A method for selecting and combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 1 wherein said warehouse of storage locations comprises a plurality of vertically stacked storage levels and wherein each of said storage levels which comprises multiple storage locations positioned on the same horizontal level adjacent to a substantially level subnetwork of roadways.

3. A method for selecting and combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 2 wherein each subnetwork of roadways is joined to a subnetwork on a vertically adjacent one of said levels by an inclined ramp roadway for transporting said wheeled transport vehicles between vertically adjacent storage levels.

4. A method for selecting and combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said wheeled transport vehicles is self propelled by a drive motor mounted on said vehicle and coupled to least one of its wheels.

5. A method for selecting and combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 4 wherein said motor is responsive to commands from said programmed processor for controlling the vehicle'"'"'s velocity.

6. A method for selecting and combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said wheeled transport vehicles includes a steering mechanism responsive to steering commands issued by said programmed processor for controlling the vehicle'"'"'s direction of movement on said network of roadways.

7. A method for selecting and combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 1 further including the step of determining and storing data accessible to said programmed processor indicating the current position of each of said wheeled transport vehicles on said on said network of roadways.

8. A method for selecting and combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of transferring said container from said selected wheeled vehicle to said designated storage location is performed by a transfer mechanism carried by said selected wheeled transfer vehicle.

9. A method for selecting and combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 8 wherein said step of transferring the container at said specified storage location to said specified wheeled vehicle by a transfer mechanism carried by said specified wheeled transfer vehicle.

10. An automated product selection system for combining packages containing different products in an outbound container comprising, in combination,

a warehouse of temporary storage locations, each of said storage locations being located immediately adjacent to a vehicle support roadway in a network of roadways,

a source transfer station adjacent to one of said roadways in said network of roadways,

a destination transfer station adjacent to one of said roadways in said network of roadways,

a plurality of wheeled transport vehicles each of which is movable from its current location in said network of roadways to a specified target location in said network of roadways in response to a movement command,

a plurality of product containers,

means located at said source transfer station for placing a plurality of individual packages each containing the same kind of product in a given one of said containers and mounting said given one of said containers onto a selected wheeled transport vehicle,

a first control process executed on said programmed processor for transmitting a movement command to said selected wheeled transport vehicle to move said selected wheeled transport vehicle to a designated one of said storage locations, and

a container transport mechanism on said selected wheeled transport vehicle for transferring the container mounted on said selected wheeled transport vehicle to said designated storage location when said selected vehicle arrives at said designated storage location,

a second control process executed by said programmed processor for issuing one or more movement commands to a specified wheeled transport vehicle to move said specified wheeled transport vehicle to a specified storage location where a given one of said different products is stored,

a container transport mechanism on said specified wheeled transport vehicle for transferring the container stored at said specified storage location to said specified wheeled transport vehicle, and

a third control process executed by said programmed processor for issuing one or movement commands to said specified wheeled transport vehicle to move said specified wheeled transport vehicle to said destination transfer station, and

means at said destination transfer station for transferring all or part of the contents of the container on said specified transport container to said outbound container.

11. An automated product selection system for combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 10 wherein said warehouse of temporary storage locations comprises a plurality of vertically stacked storage levels each consisting of multiple storage locations positioned on the same horizontal level adjacent to a substantially level subnetwork of roadways.

12. An automated product selection system for combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 11 wherein each subnetwork of roadways is joined to a subnetwork on a vertically adjacent one of said levels by an inclined ramp roadway for transporting said wheeled transport vehicles between said storage levels.

13. An automated product selection system for combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 10 wherein each of said wheeled transport vehicles is self propelled by a drive motor coupled to least one of its wheels.

14. An automated product selection system for combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 13 wherein said motor is responsive to commands from said programmed processor for controlling the vehicle'"'"'s velocity.

15. An automated product selection system for combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 10 wherein each of said wheeled transport vehicles includes a steering mechanism responsive to steering commands issued by said programmed processor for controlling the vehicle'"'"'s direction of movement on said network of roadways.

16. An automated product selection system for combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 10

17. An automated product selection system for combining packages in an outbound container as set forth in claim 10 further including position sensing means for determining and storing data accessible to said programmed processor indicating the current position of each of said wheeled transport vehicles on said on said network of roadways.