Storage and retrieval system

• US 10,239,691 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2015
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Original Assignee: Symbotic, Llc
• Inventors: Lert, John, Toebes, Stephen C., Sullivan, Robert, Hinshaw, Foster, Ulrich, Nathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Snelting, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US14/816,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20160185526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 414275, 414279, 414281, 414284
• 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 storage and retrieval system including a vertical array of storage levels, each storage level having, picking aisles, storage locations, disposed within the picking aisles, and at least one transfer deck providing access to the picking aisles, a multilevel vertical conveyor system configured to transport the uncontained case units to and from the vertical array of storage levels, each storage level being configured to receive uncontained case units from the multilevel vertical conveyor system, at least one autonomous transport located on each storage level for transporting the uncontained case units between respective storage locations and the multilevel vertical conveyor system, and a controller configured to create a primary access path through the transfer decks and picking aisles to a predetermined one of the storage locations and at least one secondary access path to the predetermined one of the storage locations when the primary path is impassable.

Claims

1. A storage and retrieval system comprising:

a vertical array of storage levels, each storage level having at least one transfer deck, picking aisles and storage locations disposed within the picking aisles, the at least one transfer deck defining an unconstrained planar transport surface providing access to the picking aisles via multiple axes along which autonomous transports traverse, the multiple axes being oriented in different directions angled relative to each other, and each picking aisle fixedly connected to and projecting laterally from the transfer deck and including guide surfaces that extend along the picking aisle;

a vertical lift system configured to transport uncontained case units to and from the vertical array of storage levels, each storage level being configured to receive the uncontained case units picked from the vertical lift system;

at least one steerable autonomous transport with steerable wheels effecting bot steering located on each storage level and configured to transport the uncontained case units between respective storage locations and the vertical lift system, where the guide surfaces are configured to allow the at least one steerable autonomous transport to traverse a respective picking aisle; and

a controller, where the at least one transfer deck and the picking aisles are configured to define more than one access path of the at least one steerable autonomous transport as a unit, between a predetermined one of the storage locations and the vertical lift system and the controller is configured to identify the predetermined one of the storage locations and create a primary access path from the more than one access path through the transfer decks and picking aisles to the predetermined one of the storage locations for placement of a predetermined uncontained case unit at the predetermined storage location and at least one secondary access path from the more than one access path to the predetermined one of the storage locations when the primary access path is impassable.

2. The storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein each storage level includes picking aisles having a first end and a second end, a first transfer deck disposed at the first end providing access to each of the picking aisles and a second transfer deck disposed at the second end providing access to each of the picking aisles.

3. An automated case unit storage system for handling case units that are adapted for being palletized for shipping to or from a storage facility, the automated case unit storage system comprising:

a multilevel storage structure, each level of the multilevel storage structure comprising a transport area and a storage area, the storage area including an array of storage shelves adapted to hold case units thereon, the transport area including a transfer deck, defining an unconstrained planar transport surface, and picking aisles fixedly connected to and projecting laterally from the transfer deck, each picking aisle having guide surfaces extending along the picking aisle, where the transport area and the storage area are configured to define more than one access path between a predetermined storage location of the storage shelves holding a predetermined one of the case units and at least one vertical lift;

a controller configured to identify the predetermined storage location of the storage shelves and create at least one alternate access path from the more than one access path through the transport area and storage area to the predetermined storage location of the storage shelves holding the predetermined one of the case units when a predetermined access path from the more than one access path is unavailable;

the at least one vertical lift for transporting at least one uncontained case unit to and from a predetermined level of the multilevel storage structure; and

at least one steerable autonomous transport vehicle with steerable wheels effecting bot steering being assigned to each level of the multilevel storage structure and being steerable along the unconstrained planar transport surface, where the guide surfaces are configured to allow the at least one steerable autonomous transport vehicle to traverse a respective picking aisle, for transporting the at least one uncontained case unit between the at least one vertical lift and the predetermined storage location of the storage shelves on the respective level.

4. The automated case unit storage system of claim 3, wherein a frame of the at least one steerable autonomous transport vehicle is configured to traverse as a unit, the unconstrained planar transport surface of the transfer deck along multiple direction axes angled relative to each other and each picking aisle of the transport area of the respective level.

5. The automated case unit storage system of claim 3, wherein the at least one steerable autonomous transport vehicle comprises a case unit transfer system movably mounted to the frame and being arranged to support the at least one uncontained case unit thereon so that the case unit transfer system is moveable relative to the frame between extended and retracted positions, the case unit transfer system being extended for picking and placing the at least one uncontained case unit on the storage shelves and for picking and placing the at least one uncontained case unit for transfer to the at least one vertical lift.

6. The automated case unit storage system of claim 3, wherein the at least one vertical lift comprises at least one vertical conveyor having support shelves for bi-directionally transporting the at least one uncontained case unit to and from the predetermined level of the multilevel storage structure.

7. The automated case unit storage system of claim 3, wherein when the at least one steerable autonomous transport vehicle is configured to directly or indirectly transfer the at least one uncontained case unit to or from the at least one vertical lift, each level of the multilevel storage structure further comprises an interface device configured for transferring the at least one uncontained case unit between the at least one vertical lift and the at least one steerable autonomous transport vehicle.

8. The automated case unit storage system of claim 7, wherein the at least one vertical lift comprises slatted transport shelves and the interface device comprises fingers configured to pass through the slatted transport shelves for transferring the at least one uncontained case unit to or from the at least one vertical lift.

9. The automated case unit storage system of claim 8, wherein the fingers of the interface device form a slatted transfer shelf, the at least one steerable autonomous transport vehicle comprising vehicle fingers configured to pass through the slatted transport shelves for transferring the at least one uncontained case unit to or from the interface device.