Automated warehouse improvements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10815058-B2
Application number	US-201916354647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2019
Priority date	Apr 6, 2017
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

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. A system for conveying storage items between a docking area of a warehouse and a storage area of the warehouse, the system comprising:
a plurality of first conveyor subsystems located in the docking area of the warehouse, each first conveyor subsystem including:
(i) a set of inbound conveyor lanes configured to carry inbound storage items from the docking area of the warehouse towards the storage area of the warehouse, and
(ii) a set of outbound conveyor lanes configured to carry outbound storage items that have been removed and transported from the storage area of the warehouse for shipment from the warehouse,
wherein, for each particular subsystem of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems, a total number of outbound conveyor lanes in the particular subsystem is greater than a total number of inbound conveyor lanes in the particular subsystem; and
a second conveyor subsystem that includes conveyors configured (i) to receive inbound storage items from inbound conveyor lanes of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems and to transport the received inbound storage items to multiple rack shuttling subsystems located in the storage area of the warehouse and (ii) to transport outbound storage items from the multiple rack shuttling subsystems located in the storage area of the warehouse to outbound conveyor lanes of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems in the docking area of the warehouse,

wherein the second conveyor subsystem includes conveyors that connect to each of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems such that (i) outbound storage items are able to be transported from any of the multiple rack shuttling subsystems located in the storage area of the warehouse to outbound conveyor lanes of any of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems and (ii) inbound storage items are able to be transported from inbound conveyor lanes of any of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems to any of the multiple rack shuttling subsystems in the storage area of the warehouse.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein for each first conveyor subsystem of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems, 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.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein, for at least one of the first conveyor subsystems of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems, 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.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein, for each first conveyor subsystem of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems:
the set of inbound conveyor lanes of the first conveyor subsystem and the set of outbound conveyor lanes of the first conveyor subsystem are configured to run parallel to each other when constructed in the docking area of the warehouse, and
a pair of inbound conveyor lanes are configured to be arranged at outermost positions of the first conveyor subsystem to flank all outbound conveyer lanes in the set of outbound conveyor lanes of the first conveyor subsystem.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein, for each first conveyor subsystem of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems, the respective inbound conveyor lanes in the set of inbound conveyor lanes of the first conveyor subsystem and the respective outbound conveyor lanes in the set of outbound conveyor lanes of the first conveyor subsystem have substantially a same length.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the warehouse is a cold-storage facility;
the storage area of the warehouse is a refrigerated storage area that maintains a first temperature profile that is sufficient to keep storage items stored in the refrigerated storage area frozen; and
the docking area of the warehouse is maintained at a second temperature profile that is different from and warmer than the first temperature profile.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the multiple shuttling subsystems in the storage area of the warehouse comprises an elevator or crane that is configured to move storage items to and from different levels of storage positions.

8. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
a first rack shuttling subsystem of the multiple rack shuttling subsystems, the first rack shuttling subsystem configured to transport inbound storage items and outbound storage items between a first endpoint of the second conveyor subsystem and storage positions in a first portion of the storage area of the warehouse, the storage positions in the first portion of the storage area including storage positions dispersed both laterally and vertically; and
a second rack shuttling subsystem of the multiple rack shuttling subsystems, the second rack shuttling subsystem configured to transport inbound storage items and outbound storage items between a second endpoint of the second conveyor subsystem and storage positions in a second portion of the storage area of the warehouse, the storage positions in the second portion of the storage area including storage positions dispersed both laterally and vertically.

9. The 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 from the warehouse or inbound storage item deliveries to the warehouse; and
a total number of outbound conveyor lanes among the plurality of first conveyor subsystems is greater than a total number of transport bays in the plurality of transport bays of the docking area.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein a ratio of the total number of outbound conveyor lanes among the plurality of first conveyor subsystems to the total number of transport bays in the docking area of the warehouse is at least 2:1.

11. The system of claim 1 , comprising one or more inbound storage item profiling stations configured to receive identification information of inbound storage items that are delivered to the warehouse and to register the received inbound storage items with a warehouse management computing system.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the system includes a plurality of inbound storage item profiling stations, including a respective profiling station for each first conveyor subsystem of the plurality of first conveyor subsystems.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the docking area of the warehouse is separated from the storage area of the warehouse by a wall that substantially isolates the docking area from the storage area;
the wall includes a plurality of passages to permit transport of storage items via the plurality of passages between the docking area of the warehouse and the storage area of the warehouse, the plurality of passages including at least one passage for each first conveyor subsystem; and
the second conveyor subsystem includes a plurality of connecting conveyor lanes corresponding to the plurality of passages in the wall, each connecting conveyor lane configured to pass through a corresponding one of the plurality of passages in the wall, and each connecting conveyor lane configured to transport storage items between the storage area and a corresponding first conveyor subsystem in the docking area from among the plurality of first conveyer subsystems.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein:
the warehouse is a cold-storage facility;
the storage area of the warehouse is a refrigerated storage area that maintains a first temperature profile that is sufficient to keep storage items stored in the refrigera

Assignees

• Lineage Logistics Llc

Inventors

• Wolf Elliott Gerard
• Eckman Christopher
• Gutschow Brian

Classifications

• F25D13/06

  with conveyors carrying articles to be cooled through the cooling space · CPC title

• B65G1/1378

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

• G06Q10/08

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

• B65G2203/0233

  Position of the article · CPC title

• B65G1/0485 Primary

  Check-in, check-out devices · CPC title