Goods-to-man warehousing comprising multilevel racking, mobile storage units, storage unit transporters, and pick-place vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10351346-B2
Application number	US-201715405886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2017
Priority date	Jan 14, 2016
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A goods-to-man warehousing system comprises a multilevel racking system, a plurality of mobile storage units, a storage unit transporter, a pick-place vehicle, a mobile storage unit transfer node, and a warehouse management computing hub. The multilevel racking system comprises a vertically and horizontally distributed array of storage bays. One or more of the mobile storage units are positioned in respective ones of the storage bays of the multilevel racking system. The pick-place vehicle comprises pick-place hardware that enables the pick-place vehicle to transfer mobile storage units between a plurality of different, vertically displaced storage bays of the multilevel racking system and the mobile storage unit transfer node of the goods-to-man warehousing system. The storage unit transporter comprises storage unit engagement hardware that enables the storage unit transporter to transport mobile storage units to or from the mobile storage unit transfer node of the goods-to-man warehousing system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A goods-to-man warehousing system comprising:
a multilevel racking system;
a plurality of mobile storage units structurally configured to stand on a warehouse floor;
a storage unit transporter;
a pick-place vehicle;
a mobile storage unit transfer node accessible by the storage unit transporter and the pick-place vehicle;
a goods receiving station;
a mobile storage unit travel path extending from the mobile storage unit transfer node to the goods receiving station; and
a warehouse management computing hub, wherein
the multilevel racking system comprises a vertically and horizontally distributed array of storage bays and a plurality of racking system aisles,
the storage unit transporter and the pick-place vehicle are configured to travel in the racking system aisles,
one or more of the mobile storage units are positioned in respective ones of the storage bays of the multilevel racking system,
the pick-place vehicle comprises pick-place hardware that enables the pick-place vehicle to transfer mobile storage units between a plurality of different, vertically displaced storage bays of the multilevel racking system and the mobile storage unit transfer node of the goods-to-man warehousing system,
the storage unit transporter comprises storage unit engagement hardware that enables the storage unit transporter to transport mobile storage units to and from the mobile storage unit transfer node of the goods-to-man warehousing system,
the goods receiving station comprises a goods selection terminal outfitted for removal of goods from the mobile storage unit, and
the warehouse management computing hub is programmed to instruct the storage unit transporter and the pick-place vehicle to coordinate movement of the mobile storage units in the goods-to-man warehousing system such that a mobile storage unit is
placed onto the warehouse floor by the storage unit transporter and subsequently retrieved by the pick-place vehicle, and
placed onto the warehouse floor by the pick-place vehicle and subsequently retrieved by the storage unit transporter.

2. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the warehouse management computing hub and the pick-place vehicle are collectively configured to access mobile storage unit transfer nodes in locations in the warehouse aisles and outside of the warehouse aisles.

3. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:
the goods-to-man warehousing system comprises mobile storage unit transfer nodes in the racking system aisles and outside of the racking system aisles; and
the warehouse management computing hub, the storage unit transporters, and the pick-place vehicle are collectively configured for accessing mobile storage unit transfer nodes in the warehouse aisles and outside of the warehouse aisles.

4. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the goods-to-man warehousing system comprises mobile storage unit transfer nodes in the racking system aisles.

5. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the goods-to-man warehousing system comprises mobile storage unit transfer nodes that are vertically aligned with a stocked storage bay, at an end of an aisle in which the stocked storage bay resides, or at a location within the aisle in which the stocked storage bay resides that is neither vertically aligned with the stocked storage bay nor at an end of the aisle.

6. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mobile storage units are structurally configured to stand at a mobile storage unit transfer node on the warehouse floor and to permit storage unit transporter travel beneath the mobile storage units when the mobile storage units are standing at a mobile storage unit transfer node on the warehouse floor.

7. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate transfer station, wherein the intermediate transfer station is positioned along the mobile storage unit travel path extending from the mobile storage unit transfer node to the goods receiving station.

8. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the warehouse management computing hub and the pick-place vehicle are collectively configured to execute a pick operation comprising:
selection of a vertically displaced stocked storage bay of the multilevel racking system, wherein the vertically displaced stocked storage bay is not accessible by the storage unit transporter and comprises a mobile storage unit;
retrieval of the target mobile storage unit from the vertically displaced stocked storage bay by engaging the target mobile unit with a lifting mechanism of the pick-place vehicle; and
placement of the target mobile storage unit at a mobile storage unit transfer node using the lifting mechanism of the pick-place vehicle.

9. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the mobile storage unit transfer node is vertically aligned with the stocked storage bay, at an end of an aisle in which the stocked storage bay resides, or at a location within the aisle in which the stocked storage bay resides that is neither vertically aligned with the stocked storage bay nor at an end of the aisle.

10. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the mobile storage unit transfer node is at a location outside of the aisle in which the stocked storage bay resides.

11. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the warehouse management computing hub and the pick-place vehicle are collectively configured to execute a place operation comprising:
selection of a mobile storage unit transfer node that is accessible by a storage unit transporter and the pick-place vehicle;
retrieval of the target mobile storage unit from the mobile storage unit transfer node by engaging the target mobile storage unit with a lifting mechanism of the pick-place vehicle; and
placement of the target mobile storage unit into a vertically displaced unstocked or partially stocked storage bay of the multilevel racking system using the lifting mechanism of the pick-place vehicle.

12. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the warehouse management computing hub and the pick-place vehicle are further configured to execute the place operation by selecting the vertically displaced unstocked or partially stocked storage bay based at least partially on a utilization frequency associated with the target mobile storage unit.

13. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the place operation designates higher velocity storage bays for target mobile storage units with utilization frequencies exceeding utilization frequencies of low velocity storage bays for target mobile storage units.

14. The goods-to-man warehousing system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the warehouse management computing hub and the pick-place vehicle are collectively configured to execute pick and place operations comprising:
selection of a vertically displaced stocked storage bay of the multilevel racking system, wherein the vertically displaced stocked storage bay is not accessible by the storage unit transporter and comprises a mobile storage unit;
retrieval of the target mobile storage unit from the vertically displaced stocked storage bay by engaging the target mobile unit with a lifting mechanism of the pick-place vehicle;
placement of the target mobile storage unit at a mobile storage unit transfer node using the lifting mechanism of the pick-place vehicle;
selection of a mobile storage u

Assignees

• Crown Equip Corp

Inventors

• Otto Matthew J
• Garmann Gregory S
• Addison Mark E

Classifications

• B65G1/1378

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

• B66F9/0755

  Position control; Position detectors · CPC title

• B66F9/24

  Electrical devices or systems · CPC title

• B65G1/10

  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 title

• B65G1/0492 Primary

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title