Inventory taking system for an automatic warehouse
First Claim
1. An inventory taking system for an automatic warehouse, comprising:
- a storage framework defining a plurality of spaced load supports, each load support being identifiable by an address;
a load carrier movable along a travel zone adjacent the storage framework and including a transfer device extendable to deposit on and withdraw from the load support a load, each load being marked with an inventory indicia;
an inventory scanner on the load carrier for reading the inventory indicia as the load carrier is moved past the loads stored in the storage framework;
an inventory pallet carried by the transfer device as the load carrier is movable along the travel zone, the inventory scanner being mounted to the inventory pallet and having cable means for connecting the scanner to the load carrier;
address means for identifying the address at which the transfer device is located; and
and for recording the inventory indicia read by the inventory scanner with the address identified by the address means as the load carrier is driven past each load support.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A stacker crane is movable along horizontally spaced and vertically stacked bins to deposit and retrieve palletized loads comprised of stacked articles, at least some of which contain an inventory label. To take a physical inventory, an inventory pallet is carried on the transfer forks of the stacker crane. The inventory pallet contains a laser beam scanner which directs a scanning beam toward the rear of the palletized load. The stacker crane is automatically driven through a sequence which causes it to pass each bin in the warehouse. When the crane reverses direction, the laser beam scanner is driven along guides to an end location, and rotated 180°, to scan bins on the opposite side of the aisle. The scanned inventory data is remotely transmitted with the bin address data to an off-crane data recorder.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. An inventory taking system for an automatic warehouse, comprising:
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a storage framework defining a plurality of spaced load supports, each load support being identifiable by an address; a load carrier movable along a travel zone adjacent the storage framework and including a transfer device extendable to deposit on and withdraw from the load support a load, each load being marked with an inventory indicia; an inventory scanner on the load carrier for reading the inventory indicia as the load carrier is moved past the loads stored in the storage framework; an inventory pallet carried by the transfer device as the load carrier is movable along the travel zone, the inventory scanner being mounted to the inventory pallet and having cable means for connecting the scanner to the load carrier; address means for identifying the address at which the transfer device is located; and
and for recording the inventory indicia read by the inventory scanner with the address identified by the address means as the load carrier is driven past each load support. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An inventory taking system for an automatic warehouse, comprising:
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a storage framework containing a plurality of horizontally spaced and vertically stacked bins for supporting loads therein, each bin being at least partly identified by a separate address marker associated therewith; a stacker crane movable horizontally along a travel zone adjacent the storage framework and having a hoist carriage movable vertically to the vertically stacked bins, and the hoist carriage mounts a transfer device extendable into and retractable out of a bin to deposit in or withdraw from the bin a load; an inventory code carried by each load for identifying the load, the inventory code facing the travel zone when the load is deposited in the bin by the transfer device; an inventory scanner on the hoist carriage and aligned with one end of a load supported in a bin when the transfer device is centrally aligned for extension into or retraction out of the associated bin for reading the inventory code of the load in the bin adjacent the carriage to develop an inventory signal; an address scanner on the stacker crane for sensing the separate address markers to develop an address signal which identifies the bin at which the hoist carriage is adjacent; and means for correlating the inventory signal with the address signal in order to record the contents of each bin in the warehouse. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. An inventory taking system for an automatic warehouse, comprising:
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a storage framework containing a plurality of horizontally spaced and vertically stacked bins for supporting loads therein, each bin being at least partly identified by a separate address marked associated therewith; a second storage framework containing a plurality of horizontally spaced and vertically stacked bins spaced from the first storage framework to define therebetween a travel aisle; a stacker crane movable in forward and reverse directions along the travel aisle to service bins located on either side of the travel aisle and having a hoist carriage movable vertically to the vertically stacked bins, and the hoist carriage mounts a transfer device extendable into and retractable out of bins on either side of the travel aisle, a traverse guide on the hoist carriage extending parallel with the travel guide, and a platform rotatably mounted to the traverse guide; an inventory code carried by each load for identifying the load, the inventory code facing the travel aisle when the load is deposited in the bin by the transfer device; an inventory scanner for reading the inventory code of the load in the bin adjacent the hoist carriage to develop an inventory signal, the inventory scanner being fixedly mounted to the platform, a first motor for rotating the platform when the stacker crane changes direction, and a second motor for moving the platform along the traverse guide when the stacker crane changes direction; an address scanner on the stacker crane for sensing the separate address markers to develop an address signal which identifies the bin at which the hoist carriage is adjacent; and means for correlating the inventory signal with the address signal in order to record the contents of each bin in the warehouse. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. In an automatic warehouse having a storage framework containing a plurality of spaced pallet supports for each supporting a pallet load consisting of a pallet with one or more articles locatable thereon, and a load carrier movable along a travel zone adjacent the storage framework and including a pallet transfer device extendable to deposit a pallet on and withdraw a pallet from the pallet support, an inventory taking system, comprising:
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at least one inventory code carried on each pallet load for identifying the one or more articles located on the pallet, the one inventory code being oriented to face the travel zone when the pallet is deposited on the pallet support by the pallet transfer device, and a portable inventory pallet locatable on the pallet transfer device to take an inventory of the articles in the storage framework, including an inventory scanner mounted on the inventory pallet and having a code sensing means facing the storage framework for reading the inventory codes when the pallet transfer device is adjacent the pallet supports, and cable means for connecting the inventory pallet to the load carrier to supply control and power signals between the load carrier and the inventory pallet. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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Specification