AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTS FOR STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS

• US 20100316469A1
• Filed: 04/09/2010
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Original Assignee: Casepick Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Sullivan, Robert, Ulrich, Nathan, Hinshaw, Foster D., Toebes, Stephen, Lert, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,425,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/273
• 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

An autonomous transport vehicle for transferring case units to and from predefined storage areas in an automated case unit storage system, the automated case unit storage system including an array of multilevel storage racks with picking aisles passing therebetween and at least one multilevel vertical conveyor having movable shelves, the autonomous transport vehicle including a frame configured to traverse the picking aisles and a transfer deck connecting the picking aisles to the at least one multilevel vertical conveyor for transferring case units between the predefined storage areas and the at least one multilevel vertical conveyor, and a controller connected to the frame, the controller being configured to effect movement of the autonomous transport vehicle through the picking aisles for accessing each storage area within a respective level of the array of multilevel storage racks and each shelf of the at least one multilevel vertical conveyor.

Claims

1. An autonomous transport vehicle for transferring case units to and from predefined storage areas in an automated case unit storage system, the automated case unit storage system including an array of multilevel storage racks with picking aisles passing therebetween and at least one multilevel vertical conveyor having movable shelves, the autonomous transport vehicle comprising:

a frame configured to traverse the picking aisles and a transfer deck connecting the picking aisles to the at least one multilevel vertical conveyor for transferring case units between the predefined storage areas and the at least one multilevel vertical conveyor; and

a controller connected to the frame, the controller being configured to effect movement of the autonomous transport vehicle through the picking aisles for accessing each storage area within a respective level of the array of multilevel storage racks and each shelf of the at least one multilevel vertical conveyor.

2. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1, further comprising an effector integral to and dependent from the frame, the effector defining case a case unit seating surface contacting the case unit being held by the effector, the effector being configured to hold the case units and being configured to transfer the case units between the autonomous transport vehicle and each storage area and between the autonomous transport vehicle and the at least one multilevel vertical conveyor.

3. The autonomous transport vehicle of claim 1, wherein the autonomous transport vehicle is configured to transfer case units between each storage area of a respective level of the array of multilevel storage racks and the at least one multilevel vertical conveyor with one pick.

4. An automated case unit storage system for handling case units that are adapted for being palletized for shipping to or from a storage facility, the automated case unit storage system comprising:

an array of multilevel storage racks having predefined storage areas; and

an autonomous transport vehicle for transferring the case units to or from the predefined storage areas, the autonomous transport vehicle including

a frame,

a support shelf adapted for holding at least one case unit thereon, the support shelf being movably connected to the frame so that the support shelf is movable between extended and retracted positions,

a drive system mounted to the frame, and

guiding devices mounted to the frame;

where the autonomous transport vehicle is configured to effect dynamic allocation of case units of dissimilar sizes into dynamically allocated storage areas.

5. The automated case unit storage system of claim 4, wherein the dynamic allocation of case units comprises the autonomous transport vehicle being configured to stop at a dynamically determined position along picking aisles of the array of multilevel storage racks for aligning at least a portion of the support shelf with a case unit or empty space located in the array of multilevel storage racks for effecting a transfer of at least one case unit between the support shelf and a storage area corresponding to one of the case unit or empty space.

6. The automated case unit storage system of claim 4, wherein the array of multilevel storage racks comprise a floor having tracked transport areas for guiding the autonomous transport vehicle through tracked and un-tracked transport areas, the autonomous transport vehicle being configured to transition between the tracked transport areas and the un-tracked transport areas, the guiding devices including at least one sensor configured to sense at least one feature of the un-tracked transport areas for contactlessly guiding the autonomous transport vehicle in the un-tracked transport areas.

7. The automated case unit storage system of claim 4, wherein the predefined storage areas include slatted storage shelves having raised support surfaces separated by open channels, the guiding devices including sensors for detecting the raised support surfaces for locating the autonomous transport vehicle within the array of multilevel storage racks and effecting dynamic allocation of the case units in the predefined storage areas.

8. The automated case unit storage system of claim 7, wherein the support shelf includes extendable fingers configured to pass into the open channels for removing and placing case units on the slatted storage shelves.

9. The automated case unit storage system of claim 8, wherein the support shelf includes a movable pusher bar where each of the extendable fingers are selectively latched to either the pusher bar or the frame, such that when latched to the pusher bar the respective fingers are extended and retracted through movement of the pusher bar.

10. The automated case unit storage system of claim 9, wherein the support shelf further includes a movable fence that cooperates with the pusher bar for securing case units on the support shelf.

11. The automated case unit storage system of claim 7, wherein the autonomous transport vehicle includes a lifting device for lifting and lowering the support shelf for transferring case units to or from the slatted storage shelves.

12. The automated case unit storage system of claim 4, wherein the frame has a first end and a second end, the autonomous transport vehicle further include a pair of individually operable drive wheels disposed at the first end and driven by the drive system and a pair of idler wheels disposed at the second end.

13. The automated case unit storage system of claim 12, wherein the autonomous transport vehicle further includes at least one caster disposed on the second end, the at least one caster being configured for extension and retraction, where extension of the caster raises the idler wheels off of a floor surface for allowing the autonomous transport vehicle to pivot about the drive wheels on the at least one caster.

14. The automated case unit storage system of claim 4, further comprising:

a substantially continuous lift configured to transport case units to predetermined levels of the array of multilevel storage racks, the substantially continuous lift comprising slatted transport shelves adapted for holding case units thereon, the autonomous transport vehicle being configured to directly or indirectly place or remove case units from the transport shelves of the substantially continuous lift.

15. A transport system for a storage and retrieval system having an array of storage levels, each storage level having respective storage areas, the transport system comprising:

a vertical conveyor having a frame and support shelves movably coupled to the frame, each support shelf being configured to hold one or more uncontained case units in predetermined areas of the support shelf; and

transfer vehicles disposed on respective ones of the storage levels, the transfer vehicles being configured to transfer the uncontained case units substantially directly between each support shelf and the storage areas in substantially one transfer vehicle picking operation.

16. The transport system of claim 15, wherein the support shelves include first elongated fingers and the transfer vehicles include second elongated fingers, the first and second elongated fingers being configured to pass between one another for transferring uncontained case units between each support shelf and the transfer vehicles.

17. A method for handling case units that are adapted for being palletized for shipping to or from a storage facility, the method comprising:

providing an array of multilevel storage racks having predefined storage areas; and

positioning an autonomous transport vehicle within the array of multilevel storage racks for dynamically allocating case units of dissimilar sizes into dynamically allocated storage areas.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein dynamically allocating case units comprises stopping the autonomous transport vehicle at a dynamically determined position along picking aisles of the array of multilevel storage racks and aligning at least a portion of a support shelf of the autonomous transport vehicle with a case unit or empty space located in the array of multilevel storage racks for effecting a transfer of at least one case unit between the support shelf and a storage area corresponding to one of the case unit or empty space.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein positioning the autonomous transport vehicle is effected by the autonomous transport vehicle determining its position within the automated case unit storage system through one or more of bot odometry, slat counting, index counting and bar code reading.