AUTOMATED STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM

• US 20140277692A1
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Original Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Inventors: Buzan, Forrest, Cyrulik, Michael, Toebes, Stephen C., Reynolds, Aria, Sirois, Jason S., Sweet, Larry, MacDonald, Edward A., Apgar, Taylor A., Perrault, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 9,802,761 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/216
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0492 with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses

Abstract

An autonomous rover including a frame having a first end and a second end longitudinally spaced from the first end and forming a payload bay, the payload bay being sized to support a pickface, a common active registration surface configured to engage the pickface, and a drive section connected to the common active registration surface, the drive section being configured to variably position the common active registration surface relative to at least one storage shelf of an automated storage and retrieval system to effect placement of the pickface on the storage shelf so that pickfaces are substantially continuously arranged along the at least one storage shelf with a predetermined storage spacing between the pickfaces.

Claims

1. A method for building a pickface comprising:

providing at least two case units in an automated storage and retrieval system having an array of storage spaces;

providing an autonomous rover configured to transfer case units between the rover and the array of storage spaces;

picking, with the rover, a first case unit from a predetermined storage space; and

picking, with the rover, at least a second case unit from a different predetermined storage space;

wherein the first case unit and the at least second case unit form the pickface and are transported as a unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined storage space and the different predetermined storage space are disposed on shelves that are stacked one above the other.

3. An autonomous rover comprising:

a frame having a first end and a second end longitudinally spaced from the first end and forming a payload bay, the payload bay being sized to support a pickface;

a common active registration surface configured to engage the pickface; and

a drive section connected to the common active registration surface, the drive section being configured to variably position the common active registration surface relative to at least one storage shelf of an automated storage and retrieval system to effect placement of the pickface on the at least one storage shelf so that pickfaces are substantially continuously arranged along the at least one shelf with a predetermined storage spacing between the pickfaces.

4. The autonomous rover of claim 3, wherein the predetermined storage spacing comprises only a sufficient clearance between adjacent pickfaces to allow contactless insertion or removal of the pickfaces to and from an allocated storage space.

5. The autonomous rover of claim 3, wherein the autonomous rover is configured to pick one or more items from one or more storage location of the at least one storage shelf to build a pickface.

6. The autonomous rover of claim 5, wherein the at least one storage shelf comprises stacked storage shelves and the autonomous rover is configured to pick one or more items from the one or more storage location of the stacked storage shelves to build a pickface.

7. An autonomous rover comprising:

a frame having a first end and a second end longitudinally spaced from the first end and forming a payload bay, the payload bay being sized to support a pickface;

a common active registration surface configured to engage the pickface; and

a drive section connected to the common active registration surface, the drive section being configured to variably position the common active registration surface relative to at least the frame.

8. The autonomous rover of claim 7, wherein the variable positioning of the common active registration surface effects placement of the pickface on a storage shelf so that pickfaces are substantially continuously arranged along the shelf with a predetermined storage spacing between the pickfaces.

9. The autonomous rover of claim 7, wherein the autonomous rover is configured to pick one or more items from one or more storage locations of a storage shelf for building a pickface.

10. The autonomous rover of claim 7, further comprising a controller connected to the drive section to effect movement of the common active registration surface so that an average position of the common active registration surface relative to the payload bay is substantially coincident with a predetermined position of the pickface within the payload bay.

11. The autonomous rover of claim 7, further comprising a controller connected to the drive section to effect movement of the common active registration surface for engagement with the pickface, the controller being configured to monitor at least a current value of the drive section to control an engagement force of the common active registration surface with the pickface. In another aspect, the controller includes a Kalman filter configured to determine the engagement force.

12. The autonomous rover of claim 7, wherein:

the common active registration surface includes a first movable member disposed at least partly within the payload bay; and

a second movable member disposed at least partly within the payload bay, the second movable member being opposingly positioned relative to the first movable member;

wherein the drive section is configured to move the first and second movable members towards and away from each other and together longitudinally as a unit.

13. The autonomous rover of claim 7, wherein the drive section is configured to variably position the common active registration surface relative to a global automated storage and retrieval reference frame.

14. The autonomous rover of claim 7, wherein the variable positioning of the common active registration surface decouples placement of the pickface from the frame.

15. The autonomous rover of claim 7, wherein the pickface includes at least one case unit that is moved together as a unit.

16. An automated storage and retrieval system comprises:

an array of storage locations; and

at least one autonomous rover in communication with the array of storage locations, the at least one autonomous rover including

a frame having a first end and a second end longitudinally spaced from the first end and forming a payload bay, the payload bay being sized to support a pickface;

a common active registration surface configured to engage the pickface; and

a drive section connected to the common active registration surface, the drive section being configured to variably position the common active registration surface relative to at least the frame.

17. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the variable positioning of the common active registration surface effects placement of the pickface on a storage shelf of the array of storage locations so that pickfaces are substantially continuously arranged along the shelf with a predetermined storage spacing between the pickfaces.

18. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the autonomous rover is configured to pick one or more items from one or more storage locations to build a pickface.

19. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 18, wherein the one or more storage location are disposed on storage shelves that are stacked one above the other.

20. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the at least one autonomous rover further includes a controller connected to the drive section to effect movement of the common active registration surface so that an average position of the common active registration surface relative to the payload bay is substantially coincident with a predetermined position of the pickface within the payload bay.

21. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the at least one autonomous rover further includes a controller connected to the drive section to effect movement of the common active registration surface for engagement with the pickface, the controller being configured to monitor at least a current value of the drive section to control an engagement force of the common active registration surface with the pickface. In another aspect, the controller includes a Kalman filter configured to determine the engagement force.

22. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the common active registration surface comprises:

a first movable member disposed at least partly within the payload bay; and

a second movable member disposed at least partly within the payload bay, the second movable member being opposingly positioned relative to the first movable member;

wherein the drive section is configured to move the first and second movable members towards and away from each other and together longitudinally as a unit.

23. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the drive section is configured to variably position the common active registration surface relative to a global automated storage and retrieval reference frame.

24. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the variable positioning of the common active registration surface decouples placement of the pickface from the frame.

25. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16, wherein the pickface includes at least one case unit that is moved together as a unit.