Storage systems and methods for retrieving units from a storage system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10035651-B2
Application number	US-201715595360-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2017
Priority date	May 11, 2012
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A system and method suitable for storing multiple product lines in an automated warehouse environment are disclosed. The storage system includes a frame containing a plurality of stacks of containers, a first handling device capable of lifting a plurality of containers from a stack in a single operation, and a second independently moveable handling device capable of lifting a single container and moving the container laterally. The first and second handling devices can work together to remove a target container quickly and with minimum use of resources.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A storage system comprising:
a frame containing a plurality of stacks of containers, wherein a top of the frame includes rails arranged in a grid pattern, the rails having a first set of parallel tracks and a second set of parallel tracks the second set of tracks being substantially perpendicular to the first set of tracks;
at least one handling device configured for lifting at least one container from a stack in a single operation and moving said container or containers laterally on top of the rails, the handling device including a body mounted on two sets of wheels, a first set of wheels being arranged to engage with at least two tracks of the first set of tracks, a second set of wheels being arranged to engage with at least two tracks of the second set of tracks;
wherein:
the body of the handling device includes a substantially centrally located container receiving space, the container receiving space having container lifting means, the lifting means being adapted so as to releasably engage any container to be lifted, the container receiving space being sized so as to retain at least one container therein, said container remaining engaged with the lifting device therein whilst lateral movement of the handling device occurs.

2. The storage system according to claim 1 in which the storage system comprises:
at least one port from which the at least one container delivered by the handling device is transported away from the storage system.

3. The storage system according to claim 1 in which the storage system comprises:
at least one port at which the at least one container is introduced in to the storage system.

4. The storage system according to claim 1 , wherein the load handling device is a robotic load handling device.

5. A robotic load handling device for retrieving at least one target container in a storage system having a frame containing a plurality of stacks of containers, wherein a top of the frame including rails arranged in a grid pattern, and the rails having a first set of parallel tracks and a second set of parallel tracks the second set of tracks being substantially perpendicular to the first set of tracks, the robotic load handling device comprising:
a body and container receiving space located substantially centrally within the body of the load handling device, the container receiving space including lifting means, the lifting means being configured to releasably engage a container to be lifted, the container receiving space being sized so as to retain at least one container therein, said container being configured to remain engaged with the lifting device therein while lateral movement of the load handling device on top of the rails of the storage system occurs.

6. The robotic load handling device according to claim 5 , in which the lifting device is configured to lift a plurality of containers said plurality of containers comprising:
a portion of a stack of containers within a storage system.

7. A method of retrieving at least one target container from a storage system, the storage system including a frame containing a plurality of stacks of containers, wherein a top of the frame includes rails arranged in a grid pattern, the rails having a first set of parallel tracks and a second set of parallel tracks the second set of tracks being substantially perpendicular to the first set of tracks; at least one handling device configured for lifting at least one target container from a stack in a single operation and moving said at least container or containers laterally on top of the rails, the handling device including a body mounted on two sets of wheels, a first set of wheels being arranged to engage with at least two tracks of the first set of tracks, and a second set of wheels being arranged to engage with at least two tracks of the second set of tracks; wherein the body of the handling device includes a substantially centrally located container receiving space, the container receiving space having container lifting means, the lifting means being adapted so as to releasably engage any container to be lifted, the container receiving space being sized so as to retain at least one container therein, said container remaining engaged with the lifting device therein whilst lateral movement of the handling device occurs, and wherein the target container is located in a target stack beneath at least one non-target container, the method comprising:
moving a first load handling device to the target stack on top of at least one of the first and second set of tracks;
lifting the at least one non-target container from the target stack in a single lifting operation;
locating the at least one non-target container within a container receiving space of the first load handling device;
transporting the first load handling device with the at least one non-target container located within the container receiving space of the first load handling device in a lateral direction away from the target stack via at least one of the first and second set of tracks;
moving a second load handling device to the target stack, lifting the at least one target container from the target stack; and
locating the at least one target container in a container receiving space of the second load handling device and moving the second load handling device including the target container in a lateral direction on top of at least one of the first and second set of tracks.

8. The storage system according to claim 2 in which the storage system comprises:
at least one port at which the at least one container is introduced into the storage system.

Assignees

• Ocado Innovation Ltd

Inventors

• Lindbo Lars Sverker Ture
• Stadie Robert Rolf
• Brett Christopher Richard James
• Whelan Matthew Robert

Classifications

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• B65G1/137 Primary

  with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed · CPC title

• B65G1/0464 Primary

  with access from above · CPC title