CONTROL SYSTEM FOR STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS

• US 20140088758A1
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Original Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Inventors: Lert, John, Toebes, Stephen, Sullivan, Robert, Hinshaw, Foster D., Ulrich, Nathan, Peters, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 9,051,120 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/216
• 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 method for storing loads in a storage and retrieval system having at least one transfer deck, picking aisles and an array of multilevel storage rack modules with variably sized storage areas disposed along the picking aisles, 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.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising varying, with the controller, a position of the storage areas within the array of multilevel storage rack modules.

3. The method of claim 1, 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.

4. The method of claim 1, 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.

5. The method of claim 1, 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 aisles at predetermined times, and at least one bot is disposed on each level of the stacked floors for transporting the loads.

6. The method of claim 1, 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.

7. A storage and retrieval system comprising:

at least one storage rack having storage areas configured to hold differing loads; and

a controller configured to variably size the storage areas and assign each of the variably sized storage areas to a corresponding one of differing loads.

8. The storage and retrieval system of claim 7, wherein the storage and retrieval system is configured to transport the differing loads for placement in the variably sized storage areas assigned by the controller.

9. The storage and retrieval system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to vary a dimension of each of the variably sized storage areas.

10. The storage and retrieval system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to vary a position of the variably sized storage areas within the storage rack.

11. The storage and retrieval system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to combine adjacent variably sized storage areas.

12. The storage and retrieval system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configure to size or resize at least one of the variably sized storage areas depending on a size of a predetermined load.

13. The storage and retrieval system of claim 7, wherein the controller further includes an inventory planning 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.

14. The storage and retrieval system of claim 7, 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 plurality of storage areas.

15. The storage and retrieval system of claim 14, wherein the order managing module is configured to determine the storage areas from which the differing loads are to be picked and reserve resources of the storage and retrieval system for effecting transfer of at least one differing load from the storage areas.

16. A storage and retrieval system comprising:

at least one storage rack having storage spaces disposed in storage areas, each storage space being configured to hold a load; and

a controller configured to

analyze unoccupied storage areas,

dynamically re-allocate the unoccupied storage areas into one or more re-allocated storage spaces according to a changed size of a respective unoccupied storage area, and

effect transport of a predetermined load to a predetermined re-allocated storage space.

17. The storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined load has a size substantially equal to or less than the predetermined re-allocated storage space.

18. The storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to analyze the unoccupied storage areas after each load placement in the predetermined re-allocated storage space.

19. The storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to vary a position of the one or more re-allocated storage spaces.

20. The storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to combine adjacent unoccupied storage areas into one or more re-allocated storage spaces.