Automated storage and retrieval system and control system thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10120370-B2
Application number	US-201715677309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2017
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

An automated storage and retrieval system includes a storage space with storage locations defined therein, an automated transport system connected to the storage space and configured to transport store units for storage in the storage locations and retrieval from the storage locations, and a control system disposed for managing throughput performance of the automated storage and retrieval system, the control system being operably coupled to the automated transport system and having more than one separate and distinct control sections each configured for managing throughput performance with respect to a common group of the storage locations, wherein at least one of the control sections manages aspects of throughput performance of the common group independent of another of the control sections.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for managing throughput performance of an automated storage and retrieval system, the method comprising:
providing a storage space with storage locations defined therein;
transporting store units for storage in the storage locations and retrieving the store units from the storage locations with an automated transport system connected to the storage space; and
managing throughput performance of the automated storage and retrieval system, with a control system operably coupled to the automated transport system and having more than one separate and distinct control sections each configured to, in response to and distinct from requests to input or output store units from the storage locations, manage throughput performance with respect to a common group of the storage locations, wherein at least one of the control sections independently manages request response aspects of throughput performance of the common group independent of another of the control sections, the request response aspects of the throughput performance being responsive separately from each of the requests to input or output store units from the storage locations but distinct from each of the requests to input or output store units from the storage locations, and a portion, determined by the independently managed aspects, of the throughput performance, with respect to the common group, managed by the at least one of the control sections is decoupled from another portion of the throughput performance, with respect to the common group, managed by the other control section.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising managing, with the other control section, other aspects of throughput performance of the common group of storage locations that are different than the aspects managed by the at least one of the control sections.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the control sections is communicably coupled to the other control section, the method further comprising communicating information regarding aspects of throughput performance managed by the at least one of the control sections, to the other control section.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the control sections is communicably coupled to the other control section, the method further comprising receiving information, with the other control section, from the at least one of the control sections, and incorporating information, with the other control section, from the at least one of the control sections into throughput performance managing determinations performed by the other control section.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the information from the at least one of the control sections incorporated into throughput performance managing determinations of the other control section is related to aspects of throughput performance managed independently by the at least one of the control sections.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising holding and transporting store units to and from the storage locations with at least one independent automated vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising traversing a transport space disposed in the storage space, with the at least one independent automated vehicle, where the transport space is arranged to define access for the at least one independent automated vehicle to each storage location of the storage space.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one independent automated vehicle traverses the transport space to at least one of the storage locations via un-deterministic paths.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising raising and lowering store units, with at least a lift of the automated transport system, between levels of the storage locations.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising transporting store units between storage levels at different heights of the storage space, with a lifting and lowering transport section of the automated transport system, and transporting store units to and from storage locations of at least one of the storage levels, with a horizontal transport section of the automated transport system connected to the lifting and lowering transport section.

11. A method for managing throughput performance of an automated storage and retrieval system, the method comprising:
providing a storage space with storage locations distributed therein;
transporting, storing and retrieving store units from storage locations of the storage space with an automated storage and retrieval engine coupled to the storage space; and
managing storage and retrieval throughput performance of a common group of the storage locations of the storage space, with a control system communicably coupled to the automated storage and retrieval engine, the control system having more than one separate and distinct controllers configured to, in response to and distinct from requests to input or output store units from the storage locations, manage throughput performance wherein,
a first controller of the more than one distinct controllers independently controls the automated storage and retrieval engine and managing request aspects of throughput performance to effect transport of store units to and from storage locations of the common group, and
a second controller of the more than one distinct controllers controls the disposition of store units in the storage locations of the common group,
the request response aspects of the throughput performance being responsive separately from each of the requests to input or output store units from the storage locations, but distinct from each of the requests to input or output store units from the storage locations and a portion, determined by the independent control of the automated storage and retrieval engine to effect transport of store units, of the throughput performance, with respect to the common group, managed by the first controller is decoupled from another portion of the throughput performance managed by the second controller.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first and second controllers is operably independent from the other so that a control portion effected by the at least one of the first and second controllers and related to the throughput performance is decoupled from another control portion effected by another of the first and second controllers and related to the throughput performance.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first and second controllers are communicably connected to each other, the method further comprising receiving information, with the other controller, from the operably independent controller and incorporating the information, with the other controller, in effecting the other control portion.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first controller or second controller defines an independent controller, the method further comprising providing the control system independent information, with the independent controller, effecting storage and retrieval and throughput performance independent of another of the first controller or second controller.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising providing the control system, with the other controller, other information effecting storage and retrieval and throughput performance, the other information being based on the independent information from the independent controller.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the independent information is related to determination of storage location for a predetermined one of the store units, and is based on predetermined characteristics of the storage location and predetermined cha

Assignees

• Symbotic Llc

Inventors

• Ziegler Melanie
• Barbour Russell G
• Earl Matt

Classifications

• G06Q10/08 Primary

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

• G06Q10/087

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

• G05B19/4185

  characterised by the network communication · CPC title

• B65G1/137 Primary

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

• G05B19/4148 Primary

  characterised by using several processors for different functions, distributed (real-time) systems (G05B19/4141 takes precedence) · CPC title