INVENTORY STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH GUIDANCE FOR LOAD-HANDLING VEHICLE

• US 20080154752A1
• Filed: 03/03/2008
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mi-Jack Products Incorporated (Lanco International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mi-Jack Products Incorporated (Lanco International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zakula, Daniel Brian, Schmidt, Harvey E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/46 Position indicators for suspended loads or for crane elements
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/48 Automatic control of crane drives for producing a single or repeated working cycle; Programme control
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 19/007 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0655 with a telescopic boom
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

An inventory storage and retrieval system and method are provided for a shipping or storage facility. In an embodiment, the system includes: (a) a mobile computer and radio on a load-handing vehicle; (b) sensors on the vehicle to determine the ground location and orientation of the vehicle; (c) encoders that determine the position of a lifting mechanism relative to a chassis of the vehicle; and (d) a base computer and radio that communicates with the vehicle. The system maintains an inventory database of items and their respective storage locations in three dimensions as a result of the loading activity of the vehicle. The data can be used to guide the vehicle for ground movement generally to a storage location, appropriately orient the vehicle, and then to move the lifting mechanism of the vehicle to deposit or retrieve the item at a particular storage location.

Claims

1. A system for maintaining an inventory of multiple items in a facility in which a load-handling vehicle has a chassis maneuverable on the ground and a lifting device that is movable relative to the chassis, the vehicle being operable to move a selected one or more of the items from one storage location to another storage location, the system comprising:

means for storing a database reflecting a storage location relative to three-dimensional coordinates and item identification information for each of the items;

means for determining a desired position and orientation of the vehicle to provide access to the storage location corresponding to a selected one of the items;

means for detecting a present orientation and location of the chassis of the vehicle relative to the three dimensional coordinates;

means for maneuvering the vehicle so that the present position and orientation matches the desired position and orientation information;

means for detecting a position of the lifting device relative to the chassis;

means for determining a position of the lifting device relative to the three-dimensional coordinates based on the three-dimensional position of the chassis and the position of the lifting device relative to the chassis; and

means for updating the database to set the three-dimensional storage location of the item as the three-dimensional location of the lifting device when the lifting device unlatches the item.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for storing a database is a personal computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the personal computer is located at a base station.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the present location of the chassis of the vehicle includes a GPS system.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the GPS system includes:

a GPS receiver and corresponding antenna located at a base station; and

a mobile GPS receiver and corresponding antenna located on the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle is equipped with at least one encoder to detect a position of a lifting device relative to the chassis of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one encoder is comprised of an encoder selected from a group of mechanical, magnetic, or optical encoders.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the orientation of the vehicle is a gyroscope.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the orientation of the vehicle is a compass.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for maneuvering the vehicle involves a human operator steering the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for updating the database includes a mobile computer located on the vehicle in communication with a computer located at a base station.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the mobile computer communicates with the base computer via radio frequency technology.