Materials-handling system using autonomous transfer and transport vehicles
First Claim
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1. A method for combining a selection of different products in a distribution facility, said method comprising:
- providing a storage having stacked levels of storage locations, each of said storage locations being located immediately adjacent to a vehicle support roadway in a network of roadways with more than one roadway level so that each roadway level is at a different one of the stacked levels of storage locations, at least one roadway of said network including a branching location at which the at least one roadway divides into different branching roadways which lead to different ones of said storage locations;
providing a source transfer station connected to one of said roadways in said network of roadways;
providing a destination order assembly station connected to one of said roadways in said network of roadways;
providing a plurality of wheeled transport vehicles, each given one of said vehicles being movable from its current location in said network of roadways to a specified target location in said network of roadways via a selected one of said branching roadways at each branching location that said given one said vehicles encounters through said network from said current location to said target location;
unpalletizing shipping cases where each of said vehicles further includes a transfer mechanism for transferring at least one unpalletized shipping case, forming a not palletized case payload, to and from said vehicle;
storing a multiplicity of different products in said storage by repeatedly;
moving said vehicle to said source transfer station,individually transferring, with said transfer mechanism on said selected vehicle, the not palletized case payload of the at least one unpalletized shipping case holding a plurality of individual packages where each of the packages, of each of the at least one shipping case, contains the same kind of product, the not palletized case payload being individually transferred to said selected vehicle at said source transfer station,moving said selected vehicle along said network carrying said not palletized case payload from said source transfer station to a designated one of said storage locations, andindividually transferring, with said transfer mechanism on said selected vehicle, the not palletized case payload of the at least one unpalletized shipping case from said selected vehicle to said designated storage location; and
retrieving and combining a selection of different products stored in said storage by repeatedly;
moving said specified vehicle to a specified one of the storage locations, where a given one of said different products is stored,individually transferring, with said transfer mechanism on said specified vehicle, an unpalletized shipping case stored at said specified storage location to said specified vehicle to form a not palletized case payload of at least one stored shipping case,moving said specified vehicle along said network carrying said at least one stored shipping case from said specified storage location to said destination order assembly station, andtransferring the at least one stored shipping case from said specified vehicle to said destination order assembly station.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for selecting and combining items in an outbound container through the use of autonomous vehicles, each of which includes means for automatically loading and unloading a payload, to perform both transfer and transport functions in moving containers of items within a workspace via a network of roadways. Under computer control, said autonomous vehicles transfer and transport case containers of item units between incoming receiving stations, intermediate storage locations, and outgoing order-assembly stations where entire containers or individual item units are combined in the outbound container.
94 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method for combining a selection of different products in a distribution facility, said method comprising:
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providing a storage having stacked levels of storage locations, each of said storage locations being located immediately adjacent to a vehicle support roadway in a network of roadways with more than one roadway level so that each roadway level is at a different one of the stacked levels of storage locations, at least one roadway of said network including a branching location at which the at least one roadway divides into different branching roadways which lead to different ones of said storage locations; providing a source transfer station connected to one of said roadways in said network of roadways; providing a destination order assembly station connected to one of said roadways in said network of roadways; providing a plurality of wheeled transport vehicles, each given one of said vehicles being movable from its current location in said network of roadways to a specified target location in said network of roadways via a selected one of said branching roadways at each branching location that said given one said vehicles encounters through said network from said current location to said target location; unpalletizing shipping cases where each of said vehicles further includes a transfer mechanism for transferring at least one unpalletized shipping case, forming a not palletized case payload, to and from said vehicle; storing a multiplicity of different products in said storage by repeatedly; moving said vehicle to said source transfer station, individually transferring, with said transfer mechanism on said selected vehicle, the not palletized case payload of the at least one unpalletized shipping case holding a plurality of individual packages where each of the packages, of each of the at least one shipping case, contains the same kind of product, the not palletized case payload being individually transferred to said selected vehicle at said source transfer station, moving said selected vehicle along said network carrying said not palletized case payload from said source transfer station to a designated one of said storage locations, and individually transferring, with said transfer mechanism on said selected vehicle, the not palletized case payload of the at least one unpalletized shipping case from said selected vehicle to said designated storage location; and retrieving and combining a selection of different products stored in said storage by repeatedly; moving said specified vehicle to a specified one of the storage locations, where a given one of said different products is stored, individually transferring, with said transfer mechanism on said specified vehicle, an unpalletized shipping case stored at said specified storage location to said specified vehicle to form a not palletized case payload of at least one stored shipping case, moving said specified vehicle along said network carrying said at least one stored shipping case from said specified storage location to said destination order assembly station, and transferring the at least one stored shipping case from said specified vehicle to said destination order assembly station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An automated product selection system for combining a selection of different products in a distribution facility comprising:
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a storage having stacked levels of storage locations, each of said storage locations being located immediately adjacent to a vehicle support roadway in a network of roadways with more than one roadway level so that each roadway level is at a different one of the stacked levels of storage locations, at least one roadway of said network including a branching location at which the at least one roadway divides into different branching roadways which lead to different ones of said storage locations; a source transfer station connected to one of said roadways in said network of roadways; a destination order assembly station connected to one of said roadways in said network of roadways; and a plurality of wheeled transport vehicles, each given one of said vehicles being movable from its current location in said network of roadways to a specified target location in said network of roadways via a selected one of said branching roadways at each branching location that said given one said vehicles encounters through said network from said current location to said target location, where each of said vehicles further includes a transfer mechanism for transferring at least one unpalletized shipping case, forming a not palletized case payload, to and from said vehicle; wherein each of said wheeled transport vehicles is configured to; traverse the network of roadways to said source transfer station, individually transfer, with said transfer mechanism on said selected vehicle, the not palletized case payload of at least one unpalletized shipping case holding a plurality of individual packages where each of the packages, of each of the at least one shipping case, contains the same kind of product, the not palletized case payload being individually transferred to said selected vehicle at said source transfer station, traverse said network of roadways carrying said not palletized case payload from said source transfer station to a designated one of said storage locations, individually transfer, with said transfer mechanism on said selected vehicle, the not palletized case payload of the at least one unpalletized shipping case from said selected vehicle to said designated storage location, so that a multiplicity of different products are stored in said storage; and wherein each of said wheeled transport vehicles is further configured to; traverse the network of roadways to a specified one of the storage locations, where a given one of said different products is stored, individually transfer, with said transfer mechanism on said specified vehicle, an unpalletized shipping case stored at said specified storage location to said specified vehicle to form a not palletized case payload of at least one stored shipping case, traverse along said network of roadways carrying said at least one stored shipping case from said specified storage location to said destination order assembly station, and transfer the at least one stored shipping case from said specified vehicle to said destination order assembly station, so that a selection of different products stored are retrieved and combined. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification