Storage and retrieval system case unit detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10029850-B2
Application number	US-201715722936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2011
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

An automated storage and retrieval system including a storage structure with storage racks having a seating surface configured to support case units where a position of each case unit is non-deterministic for each storage location on the storage racks, each case unit has a predetermined storage position and a controller is configured to determine the predetermined storage position, a picking aisle configured to provide access to the case units within the storage structure, and a seismic disturbance restorative system including seismic disturbance motions sensors disposed on the storage racks, a seismic disturbance control module in communication with the seismic disturbance sensors and configured to identify a seismic disturbance, and an automated case mapper configured to traverse the picking aisle, the automated case mapper being in communication with and initialized by the seismic disturbance control module to identify a seated position of at least one case unit within the storage structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated storage and retrieval system for cases in a case storage room, the automated storage and retrieval system comprising:
a storage structure with storage racks configured to support case units;
a controller, where each case unit has a predetermined storage position in which a case unit is seated on the storage racks and the controller is configured to determine the predetermined storage position;
a picking aisle configured to provide access to the case units within the storage structure; and
an automated case mapper configured to traverse the picking aisle, the automated case mapper being configured to identify a seated position of at least one case unit within the storage structure;
wherein the controller is further configured to
compare an identified seated position of the at least one case unit received from the case mapper with the predetermined storage position of the at least one case unit and identify a variance between the identified seated position and the predetermined storage position of the at least one case unit, and
generate a command with information for case unit position correction based on a variance type, where the controller is configured to generate different case unit position correction commands corresponding to different variance types.

2. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , where the controller is further configured to dynamically allocate the predetermined storage position of each case unit within the storage structure.

3. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , where the controller is further configured to effect correction of a position of the at least one case unit by dynamically updating the predetermined storage position of the at least one case unit with a respective identified seated position of each case unit.

4. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , where the case mapper comprises an automated guided vehicle configured to pick and place case units at storage locations within the storage structure.

5. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , where the controller is further configured to effect correction of a position of the at least one case unit by providing a location of the at least one case unit to an operator of the storage and retrieval system for manual removal or repositioning of the at least one case unit.

6. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , further comprising an automated guided vehicle and the controller is further configured to effect correction of a position of the at least one case unit by commanding the automated guided vehicle to pick and reposition the at least one case unit at a respective storage location or move the at least one case unit to a respective different storage location.

7. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 6 , where the controller is configured to dynamically update a case position database where the at least one case unit is moved to a respective different storage location.

8. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , further comprising an automated guided vehicle and the controller is configured to effect correction of a position of the at least one case unit by commanding the automated guided vehicle to perform a gross pick operation for picking the at least one case unit from the storage structure for transport out of the storage structure.

9. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one movement detection device disposed in the storage structure and configured to detect movement of a respective portion of the storage structure and the controller is further configured to receive movement detection signals from the at least one movement detection device and issue a command to the automated case mapper to identify a position of the case units within the storage structure.

10. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein at least one variance type is a case position within a path of an automated guided vehicle.

11. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 10 , wherein a case unit position correction command from the controller in response to the case position within a path of the automated guided vehicle is to signal an operator.

12. A warehouse automated storage and retrieval system for transport and storage of cases of wares in a ware case storage room, the warehouse automated storage and retrieval system comprising:
a storage structure with an array of storage locations distributed on at least one storage shelf having a seating surface configured to support ware case units where a position of each ware case unit is non-deterministic for each storage location on the at least one storage shelf;
a controller, where each ware case unit has a predetermined storage position in which a ware case unit is seated on the at least one storage shelf and the controller is configured to determine the predetermined storage position, where the controller is configured to generate different ware case unit position correction commands corresponding to different variance types; and
a disturbance restorative system including
at least one disturbance detection sensor disposed on the at least one storage shelf,
a disturbance control module in communication with the at least one disturbance detection sensor and configured to identify a disturbance, and
wherein the disturbance restorative system is configured so that the disturbance restorative system initializes a case mapper of the disturbance restorative system in response to the disturbance control module, wherein an automated guided vehicle within the storage structure traverses the storage structure relative to the at least one storage shelf to identify a ware case unit seated position type of at least one ware case unit within the storage structure from different ware case unit seated position types.

13. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 12 , wherein the disturbance control module is further configured to compare an identified ware case unit seated position type of the at least one ware case unit, determined with the case mapper and the predetermined storage position of the at least one ware case unit, and identify a variance between the identified ware case unit seated position type of the at least one ware case unit and the predetermined storage position of the at least one ware case unit.

14. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 13 wherein, the case mapper is resident in the automated guided vehicle.

15. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 12 , wherein the ware case units are positioned in the at least one storage shelf in a close packed spacing.

16. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to dynamically allocate each ware case unit into a respective predetermined dynamically allocated storage position.

17. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to effect correction of a position of the at least one ware case unit by dynamically updating the predetermined dynamically allocated storage position of the at least one ware case unit with a respective identified ware case unit seated position type of each ware case unit.

18. The warehouse automated storage and retrieval system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is further configured to effect correction of a position of the at least one ware case unit by commanding t

Assignees

• Symbotic Llc

Inventors

• Sullivan Robert
• Toebes Stephen C

Classifications

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• B65G1/0492 Primary

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title

• G06Q10/08

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title

• B65G1/1371

  with data records · CPC title

• B65G2207/20

  Earthquake protection · CPC title