CONTROL SYSTEM FOR STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS

• US 20100316470A1
• 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: Peters, Eric, Sullivan, Robert, Ulrich, Nathan, Hinshaw, Foster D., Toebes, Stephen, Lert, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,594,835 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

A warehouse storage and retrieval system including an array of multilevel storage racks having at least one transfer deck, picking isles and storage areas disposed along picking isles, the storage areas being configured to hold differing loads, and a controller including a management module configured to variably size the storage areas of the array of multilevel storage rack modules and assign each of the variably sized storage areas to a corresponding one of the differing loads, wherein the storage and retrieval system is arranged to transport the differing loads for placement in the variably sized storage areas assigned by the controller.

Claims

1. A warehouse storage and retrieval system comprising:

an array of multilevel storage racks having at least one transfer deck, picking isles and storage areas disposed along picking isles, the storage areas being configured to hold differing loads; and

a controller including a management module configured to variably size the storage areas of the array of multilevel storage rack modules and assign each of the variably sized storage areas to a corresponding one of the differing loads;

wherein the storage and retrieval system is arranged to transport the differing loads for placement in the variably sized storage areas assigned by the controller.

2. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to vary a position of the storage areas within the array of multilevel storage rack modules.

3. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to vary a dimension of each of the variably sized storage areas.

4. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to combine adjacent variably sized storage areas.

5. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to size or resize at least one variably sized storage area depending on a size of a predetermined load.

6. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the controller further includes an inventory planing module configured to determine inventory levels at the end of at least one predetermined order fulfillment time period and schedule inventory replenishment orders based on the determined inventory levels.

7. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the controller further includes an order managing module configured to generate at least one pick transaction for removing at least one load from the storage areas.

8. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 7, wherein the order managing unit is configured to determine the storage areas from which the loads are to be picked and reserve resources of the storage and retrieval system for effecting transfer of the at least one load from the storage areas.

9. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 1, further comprising at least one bot disposed on each level of the stacked floors, each of the at least one bot being configured to transport the loads, wherein the controller further includes at least one level managing unit, each of the level managing units corresponds to a respective level of the stacked floors and is configured to manage bot activities for ingress and egress of loads on the respective level.

10. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 1, further comprising at least one bot disposed on each level of the stacked floors, each of the at least one bot being configured to transport the loads, wherein the controller is configured to manage bot activities so that each bot enters a respective one of the at least one transfer deck and picking isles at predetermined times.

11. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes at least one managing unit for managing at least one continuous lift connecting one or more levels of the storage areas with a storage load interface.

12. A warehouse storage and retrieval system comprising:

an array of multilevel storage rack modules having at least one transfer deck, the picking aisles and variable storage areas disposed along picking aisles, the variable storage areas being configured to hold at least one load;

a transport system configured to transport independent loads to the variable storage areas, each of the loads having differing dimensions; and

a controller configured to establish each of the variable storage areas depending on the dimensions of a corresponding load, where the controller causes the transport system to place each independent load in a respectively established storage area.

13. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 12, wherein a position of the variable storage areas within the array of multilevel storage rack modules is variable.

14. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 12, wherein a dimension of the variable storage areas is variable depending on dimensions of the corresponding load.

15. A method for storing loads in a storage and retrieval system having at least one transfer deck, the picking isles and an array of multilevel storage rack modules with variably sized storage areas disposed along the picking isles, the variably sized storage areas being configured to hold differing loads, the method comprising:

providing a controller including a management module configured to variably size the storage areas of the array of multilevel storage rack modules;

assigning, with the controller, each of the variably sized storage areas to a corresponding one of the differing loads; and

providing a transport for transporting the differing loads for placement in the variably sized storage areas assigned by the controller.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising varying, with the controller, a dimension of each of the variably sized storage areas depending on a dimension of the corresponding one of the differing loads.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining, with the controller, storage areas from which loads are to be picked and reserving resources of the storage and retrieval system for effecting transfer of the loads from respective storage areas.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the transport includes bots for transporting the loads, the method further comprising managing bot activities so that each bot enters a respective one of the at least one transfer deck and picking isles at predetermined times, and at least one bot is disposed on each level of the stacked floors for transporting the loads.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising planning the ingress and egress of loads to and from the storage and retrieval system by emulating, with the controller, functions of one or more components of the storage and retrieval system.

16. The method of claim 16, further comprising varying, with the controller, a position of the storage areas within the array of multilevel storage rack modules.