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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
First Claim
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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.

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