Autonomous transport vehicle charging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10449872-B2
Application number	US-201916275542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2019
Priority date	Dec 15, 2010
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A charging system for autonomous transport vehicles including at least one charging contact disposed on each pick floor level of a storage and retrieval system, each of the at least one charging contact being located at a transfer station, at least one power supply configured to supply power to the at least one charging contact, and a controller in communication with the transfer station and being configured to communicate information relating to a transfer of items between the transfer station and a predetermined one of the autonomous transport vehicles and to apply power from the power supply to the at least one charging contact for charging the predetermined autonomous transport vehicle corresponding to the transfer and located at the transfer station, wherein the controller is configured to supply power to the charging contacts simultaneously with the predetermined autonomous transport vehicle exchanging items related to the transfer at the transfer station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing at least one autonomous transport vehicle;
providing at least one transfer station having an allocated and unallocated state where in the allocated state the at least one transfer station allows transfer of items from and to the at least one autonomous transport vehicle;
providing at least one charging station on each pick floor level of a storage and retrieval system, each of the at least one charging station being located at a respective one of the at least one transfer station;
providing at least one power supply configured to supply power to the at least one charging station;
communicating, with a controller in communication with at least one of the at least one charging station or the at least one autonomous transport vehicle, information related to a transfer of items between a predetermined at least one transfer station and a predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle; and
with the controller, applying power from the at least one power supply to the at least one charging station for charging the at least one autonomous transport vehicle located at the at least one transfer station, wherein the controller supplies power to the at least one charging station for charging the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle corresponding to the transfer of items with the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle transferring the items at the predetermined at least one transfer station with the predetermined at least one transfer station in the allocated state and identifying an unallocated time period with the predetermined at least one transfer station in the unallocated state and a next allocated time period for another one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle at the at least one charging station of the predetermined at least one transfer station and continuous charging of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle in the unallocated state.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising effecting, with the controller, at least one of a quick charge and a full charge to both
the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle corresponding to the transfer of items with the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle transferring the items at the predetermined at least one transfer station when the predetermined transfer station is in the allocated state, and
an idle autonomous transport vehicle at the at least one charging station when the predetermined at least one transfer station is in the unallocated state

wherein the full charge is effected with the at least one autonomous transport vehicle at the at least one charging station during the allocated state and remaining at least part of the unallocated state and the quick charge is effected on determination by the controller that a time period of the allocated state and unallocated state of the predetermined at least one transfer station is less than a charge period for full charge.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one power supply is commonly connected to the at least one charging station of vertically adjacent ones of the at least one pick floor level.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one charging station is commonly connected to the at least one power supply comprising a two by two array of charging stations where a first two of the charging stations in the array are located on a first pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level and a second two of the charging stations in the array are located on a second pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level, the first two of the charging stations and the second two of the charging stations being vertically stacked one above the other.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reserving, with the controller, access to one or more of the at least one charging station by one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicles.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising re-routing, with the controller, one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicles destined for a first charging station, of the at least one charging station, to a second charging station, of the at least one charging station, when the first charging station is inoperable.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one transfer station includes a lift and operation of the at least one charging station and an associated lift are linked such that when the at least one charging station is inoperable the controller deems the associated lift inoperable at least for the pick floor level on which the at least one charging station is located.

8. A method comprising:
providing at least one autonomous transport vehicle;
providing at least one transfer station having an allocated and unallocated state where in the allocated state the at least one transfer station allows transfer of items from and to the at least one autonomous transport vehicle;
providing at least one charging station on each of at least one pick floor level of a storage and retrieval system, each of the at least one charging station being located at a respective one of the at least one transfer station;
providing at least one power supply configured to supply power to the at least one charging station;
communicating, with a controller in communication with at least one of the at least one charging station and the at least one autonomous transport vehicle, information related to a transfer of items between the at least one transfer station and a predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle; and
applying power, with the controller, from the power supply to the at least one charging station for charging the at least one autonomous transport vehicle located at the at least one transfer station, wherein the controller is configured to supply power to the at least one charging station to effect at least one of a quick charge and a full charge depending on identification of an unallocated time period of the at least one transfer station in the unallocated state.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein each of the at least one pick floor level includes a transfer deck and a picking aisle in communication with the at least one charging station.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising communicating with an idle autonomous transport vehicle on one of the transfer deck and the picking aisle, with the controller, and identifying a nearest available transfer station, of the at least one transfer station, in the unallocated state for charging the idle autonomous transport vehicle at the at least one charging station of the nearest available transfer station, of the predetermined at least one charging station, in the unallocated state.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the at least one power supply is commonly connected to the at least one charging station of vertically adjacent ones of the at least one pick floor level.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one charging station is commonly connected to the at least one power supply comprising a two by two array of charging stations where a first two of the charging stations in the array are located on a first pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level and a second two of the charging stations in the array are located on a second pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level, the first two of the charging stations and the second two of the charging stations being vertically stacked one above the other.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising reserving, with the controller, access to at least one

Assignees

• Symbotic Llc

Inventors

• Sullivan Robert
• Vasilyev Dmitry

Classifications

• B60L53/66

  Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

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

• G06Q20/105

  involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses" · CPC title

• G06Q40/00

  Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes · CPC title

• B60G5/00

  Resilient suspensions for a set of tandem wheels or axles having interrelated movements · CPC title