Material handling apparatus for delivering or retrieving items

• US 9,010,517 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Opex Corporation
• Inventors: Hayduchok, George, DeWitt, Robert R
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidwell, James R
• Application Number:
  US14/149,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20140124332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 198/347.1, 198/468.6, 198/358, 198/349, 198/349.6, 198/468.1, 414/273
• US Class Current: 198/347.1
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/087 the objects being taken up in transport files or holders which are not part of the conveyor belts cable post B65G
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/005 Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/02 Compartmented furniture, e.g. pigeon-holes B07C7/005 takes precedence; furniture per se A47B; storage racks B65G
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 13/02 Rack railways
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 11/04 tractive effort applied to racks
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/04 mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/065 with self propelled cars
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 67/02 Loading or unloading land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for sorting or retrieving items to/from a plurality of destinations areas. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles follow a track that guides the delivery vehicles to/from the destination areas, which are positioned along the track. Once at the appropriate destination area, an item is transferred between the delivery vehicle and the destination area.

Claims

1. A material handling system, comprising:

a plurality of destination areas;

a plurality of delivery vehicles for delivering items;

a track for guiding the delivery vehicles vertically and horizontally, wherein the destination areas are positioned along the track so that items can be transferred between the delivery vehicles and the destination areas, wherein during operation, one or more of the delivery vehicles are located on the track;

a traffic controller for controlling the operation of the vehicles as the vehicles deliver items to the bins, wherein the traffic controller monitors the positions of the vehicles located on the track and calculates a safe distance for each vehicle and communicates the safe distance to the vehicles, wherein the safe distance for a vehicle corresponds to the distance that the vehicle can advance without interfering with another vehicle on the track;

wherein the delivery vehicles receive the safe distance signals from the traffic controller and advance along the track a distance corresponding to the safe distance; and

wherein the traffic controller iteratively calculates safe distances for each vehicle as the vehicles move along the track and the vehicles advance along the track a distance no further than the safe distance until receiving a subsequent safe distance from the traffic controller.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each vehicle comprises a transfer mechanism for transferring an item between the delivery vehicle and one of the destination areas.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the traffic controller calculates a travel route for each vehicle and each vehicle moves along the route.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the safe distance for a respective one of the vehicles is a distance along the route for the respective vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein each vehicle comprises a wireless receiver for receiving the safe distance signals wirelessly from the traffic controller.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicles continuously communicate a signal indicative of their positions wirelessly with the traffic controller.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the track comprises a plurality of gates for directing the vehicles from a vertical path to a horizontal or from a horizontal path to a vertical path.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the traffic controller also bases the safe distance calculation for a respective vehicle based on the distance between the respective vehicle and an intersection that the vehicle is directed toward.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the traffic controller also bases the safe distance calculation on a characteristic of the track on which the respective vehicle is to travel.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the characteristic of the tracks include one or more of horizontal, upward or downward.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the track comprises a plurality of columns and adjacent columns share a portion of the track, wherein the traffic controller calculates the safe distance for a vehicle in one column based on the position of a different care in an adjacent column.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the vehicles comprise drive elements having a plurality of teeth that mesh with teeth in the track.

13. A method system for transferring items between delivery vehicles and a plurality of destination areas positioned along a track having horizontal and vertical sections, comprising the steps of:

calculating a route for the one of the vehicles to travel along the track to one of the destination areas;

driving the one vehicle along the route to the one destination area, wherein the step of driving the one vehicle comprises the steps of;

monitoring the positions of the vehicles on the track;

determining a safe distance for the one vehicle based on the positions of the vehicles on the track, wherein the safe distance is the distance that the one vehicle can travel along the calculated route without interfering with another vehicle on the track;

communicating the safe distance with the vehicle;

advancing the vehicle along the route no further than the safe distance; and

as the vehicles move along the track, iteratively performing the steps of determining the safe distance, communicating the safe distance, and advancing the vehicle; and

transferring an item between the one vehicle and the one destination area.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the one vehicle comprises an onboard transfer mechanism and the step of transferring an item comprises using the onboard transfer mechanism.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of communicating the safe distance comprises wirelessly sending a signal to the one vehicle.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of monitoring comprises the step of continuously communicating a position signal from the one vehicle indicative of the position of the one vehicle.

17. The method of claim 13 comprising the step of manipulating a gate to change the direction of travel of the vehicle along the calculated route.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the step of calculating a safe distance is also based on the distance between the one vehicle and an intersection that the vehicle is directed toward.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the track comprises a plurality of columns and adjacent columns share a portion of the track, wherein the step of calculating a safe distance comprises calculating the safe distance for the one vehicle in one column based on the position of a different vehicle in an adjacent column.