Automated warehouse improvements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10259648-B2
Application number	US-201815947073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2018
Priority date	Apr 6, 2017
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

This document generally describes warehousing systems that can, in certain instances, improve the efficiency of warehousing operations and improve utilization of available space in a warehousing facility. The warehousing system may be implemented in an automated warehouse, such as an automated cold-storage facility, that uses programmable equipment to automate tasks associated with warehousing operations, such as transporting inbound storage items to specified storage positions of storage racks in the warehouse and removing outbound storage items from storage so that they may be loaded onto trucks for delivery away from the warehouse.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated warehousing system for transporting storage items between a docking area of a warehouse and a storage area of the warehouse, the warehousing system comprising:
one or more inbound-outbound conveyor modules configured to be located in the docking area of the warehouse, each inbound-outbound conveyor module including:
(i) a set of inbound conveyor lanes configured to carry inbound storage items for delivery to the storage area of the warehouse, and
(ii) a set of outbound conveyor lanes configured to carry outbound storage items that have been delivered from the docking area of the warehouse to pick-up positions in the docking area of the warehouse,
wherein, for each inbound-outbound conveyor module, a total number of outbound conveyor lanes in the set of outbound conveyor lanes is greater than a total number of inbound conveyor lanes in the set of inbound conveyor lanes;

a routing conveyor module that includes conveyors configured to transport inbound storage items from inbound conveyor lanes to a rack shuttling subsystem located in the storage area of the warehouse and to direct outbound storage items from the storage area of the warehouse to outbound conveyor lanes in the docking area of the warehouse;
the rack shuttling subsystem configured to transport inbound storage items and outbound storage items between the routing conveyor module and specified storage positions of storage racks located in the storage area of the warehouse; and
a warehouse management computing system configured to:
obtain a storage item profile that indicates a distribution of different types of storage items that are anticipated to be stored in the warehouse over a period of time;
determine, based at least on the storage item profile, a configuration of the one or more inbound-outbound conveyor modules that optimizes one or more criteria; and
generate information for presentation to a user of the warehouse management computing system that represents the determined configuration of the one or more inbound-outbound conveyor modules.

2. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , comprising multiple inbound-outbound conveyor modules located in the docking area of the warehouse.

3. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein for each inbound-outbound conveyor module, the total number of outbound conveyor lanes in the set of outbound conveyor lanes is at least twice the total number of inbound conveyor lanes in the set of inbound conveyor lanes.

4. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein, for at least one of the inbound-outbound conveyor modules, a ratio of the total number of outbound conveyor lanes in the set of outbound conveyor lanes to the total number of inbound conveyor lanes in the set of inbound conveyor lanes is 9:2.

5. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , comprising a total of three inbound-outbound conveyor modules, each inbound-outbound conveyor module having a total of nine outbound conveyor lanes and a total of two inbound conveyor lanes.

6. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein:
the system includes a plurality of inbound-outbound conveyor modules; and
the routing conveyor module includes one or more conveyors that connect the plurality of inbound-outbound conveyor modules such that a given storage item can be continuously transferred within the storage area from any of the plurality of inbound-outbound conveyor modules to another of the plurality of inbound-outbound conveyor modules.

7. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein:
the docking area of the warehouse is separated from the storage area of the warehouse by a wall to substantially isolate the docking area from the storage area;
the wall includes a plurality of passages to permit transfer of storage items between the docking area and the storage area, including at least one passage for each inbound-outbound conveyor module; and
conveyors in the routing conveyor module are configured to pass through the plurality of passages such that outbound storage items carried by a conveyor in the routing conveyor module can be directed to outbound lanes in a corresponding inbound-outbound conveyor module or can be re-directed to outbound lanes in other inbound-outbound conveyor modules.

8. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein, for each inbound-outbound conveyor module, the respective inbound conveyor lanes in the set of inbound conveyor lanes and the respective outbound conveyor lanes in the set of outbound conveyor lanes have substantially a same length.

9. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein at least one inbound-outbound conveyor module is re-configurable so that inbound conveyor lanes or outbound conveyor lanes can be added or removed from the set of inbound conveyor lanes or outbound conveyor lanes, respectively.

10. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the one or more inbound-outbound conveyor modules indicates, for each inbound-outbound conveyor module, at least one of a total number of inbound conveyor lanes, a total number of outbound conveyor lanes, a length of the inbound conveyor lanes, a length of the outbound conveyor lanes, or a ratio of the total number of outbound conveyor lanes to the total number of inbound conveyor lanes.

11. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more criteria that are optimized in determining the configuration of the one or more inbound-outbound conveyor modules include at least one of a throughput of inbound storage items or a throughput of outbound storage items.

12. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein the routing conveyor module includes at least two conveyor lanes that are configured to be located in the storage area of the warehouse and oriented substantially parallel to a wall that separates the docking area of the warehouse from the storage area of the warehouse, the at least two conveyor lanes each configured to transport storage items to conveyor exchange locations or storage items pick-up locations.

13. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein the storage racks include a plurality of rows that are each arranged to hold storage items in a plurality of storage positions that are dispersed in both a lateral direction and a vertical direction, wherein the automated shuttle subsystem is configured to transport storage items to or from each of the plurality of storage positions in at least one row of the plurality of rows of the storage racks.

14. The automated warehousing system of claim 1 , wherein:
the docking area includes a plurality of transport bays, each transport bay configured to receive a respective cargo trailer for outbound storage item deliveries or inbound storage item deliveries; and
a total number of outbound conveyor lanes among the sets of outbound conveyor lanes in the one or more inbound-outbound conveyor modules is greater than a total number of transport bays in the plurality of transport bays of the docking area.

15. The automated warehousing system of claim 14 , wherein a ratio of the total number of outbound conveyor lanes among the set of outbound conveyor lanes in the one or more inbound-outbound conveyor modules to the total number of transport bays in the plurality of transport bays of the docket area is at least 2:1.

16. The automated warehousing system of claim 15 , wherein, for each inbound-outbound conveyor module:
the set of inbound conveyor lanes and the set of outbound conveyor lanes are configured to be arranged in parallel to each other in running ac

Assignees

• Lineage Logistics Llc

Inventors

• Wolf Elliott Gerard
• Eckman Christopher
• Gutschow Brian

Classifications

• G06Q50/28

  Physics · mapped topic

• B65G1/1378

  the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas · CPC title

• B65G2203/0233

  Position of the article · CPC title

• B65G1/0485 Primary

  Check-in, check-out devices · CPC title

• G06Q10/08

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