System comprising a multilevel warehouse racking system comprising tote transfer zones, materials handling vehicles, and transporters, and methods of use thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11465839-B2
Application number	US-202016800623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2020
Priority date	Feb 25, 2020
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

Goods storage and retrieval systems and materials handling vehicles are provided. The goods storage and retrieval system includes a multilevel warehouse racking system; a materials handling vehicle comprising a mast assembly, a picking attachment, and vehicle-based cart engagement hardware; a mobile storage cart; and a transporter comprising transporter-based engagement hardware. The transporter-based engagement hardware enables the transporter to engage, transport, and disengage the mobile storage cart. The vehicle-based cart engagement hardware is coupled to the mast assembly to (i) engage and disengage the mobile storage cart and (ii) transport the mobile storage cart to multiple levels of the multilevel warehouse racking system. The mast assembly and the picking attachment are configured to access multiple levels of the multilevel warehouse racking system. The picking attachment is configured to transfer totes between the multilevel warehouse racking system and the mobile storage cart.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A goods storage and retrieval system, comprising a multilevel warehouse racking system comprising a mobile storage cart, a tote transfer zone forming a bottom level of the multilevel warehouse racking system, a materials handling vehicle comprising a mast assembly, a picking attachment, and vehicle-based cart engagement hardware, a target tote, and a transporter comprising transporter-based engagement hardware, wherein:
the transporter-based engagement hardware enables the transporter to engage, transport, and disengage the target tote at the tote transfer zone independent of movement of the materials handling vehicle within the goods storage and retrieval system;
the transporter-based engagement hardware enables the transporter to engage, transport, and disengage the mobile storage cart at a variety of locations along an inventory transit surface of the goods storage and retrieval system independent of movement of the materials handling vehicle within the goods storage and retrieval system;
the picking attachment is coupled to the mast assembly for movement along a lifting dimension of the mast assembly to
(i) engage and disengage the target tote at the tote transfer zone and at multiple levels of the multilevel warehouse racking system independent of movement of the transporter within the goods storage and retrieval system and
(ii) transport the target tote to the tote transfer zone and to multiple levels of the multilevel warehouse racking system independent of movement of the transporter within the goods storage and retrieval system; and

the mast assembly and the picking attachment are configured to access multiple levels of the multilevel warehouse racking system,
the picking attachment of the materials handling vehicle is configured to (i) transfer totes between the multilevel warehouse racking system and the mobile storage cart at multiple levels of the multilevel warehouse racking system when the mobile storage cart is engaged by the materials handling vehicle, (ii) transfer totes between the tote transfer zone and the mobile storage cart when the mobile storage cart is engaged by the materials handling vehicle, (iii) transfer totes between the multilevel warehouse racking system and the transporter, and (iv) transfer totes between the tote transfer zone and the transporter;
the vehicle-based cart engagement hardware is coupled to the mast assembly for movement along a lifting dimension of the mast assembly to (i) engage and disengage the mobile storage cart at a variety of locations along the inventory transit surface of the goods storage and retrieval system independent of movement of the transporter within the goods storage and retrieval system and (ii) transport the mobile storage cart to multiple levels of the multilevel warehouse racking system independent of movement of the transporter within the goods storage and retrieval system; and
the mobile storage cart comprises a transporter access opening that is sized and configured to permit the transporter to enter and exit through the transporter access opening along the inventory transit surface.

2. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein:
the target tote has a tote width t;
the target tote comprises a pair of protruding rims positioned on opposite sides of the target tote, defining a target tote rimmed width r;
the tote transfer zone comprises a plurality of tote suspension tracks defined by a track spacing b; and
t<b<r.

3. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the tote transfer zone is elevated above the inventory transit surface of the goods storage and retrieval system.

4. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein:
the multilevel warehouse racking system comprises a first rack and a second rack arranged on opposite sides of a racking system aisle;
the first and second racks define end points of the racking system aisle; and
the tote transfer zone extends past the end points of the racking system aisle.

5. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the transporter comprises a transporter lifting surface and is structurally configured to lift the target tote relative to a tote supporting surface of the tote transfer zone by elevating the transporter lifting surface from a traveling height to a transporting height.

6. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 5 , further comprising a goods receiving station comprising a goods selection terminal outfitted for removal of the target tote from the transporter lifting surface.

7. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 6 , wherein:
the goods selection terminal comprises an operator platform above an inventory transit surface of the goods storage and retrieval system; and
the operator platform comprises a goods access portal that is accessible by an operator from above the operator platform and by the transporter from below the operator platform.

8. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 7 , wherein the transporter is further configured to elevate the transporter lifting surface to a height of the operator platform.

9. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 7 , wherein the goods selection terminal comprises a transporter raising surface that is flush with the inventory transit surface, aligned with the goods access portal, and configured to elevate the transporter from the inventory transit surface of the goods storage and retrieval system to the operator platform.

10. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein:
the materials handling vehicle further comprises one or more vehicular controllers;
the picking attachment comprises an X-Y-Z-Ψ positioner; and
the one or more vehicular controllers executes vehicle functions to use the X-Y-Z-Ψ positioner of the picking attachment to engage and disengage the target tote positioned in the multilevel warehouse racking system with the picking attachment.

11. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein:
the materials handling vehicle further comprises one or more vehicular controllers;
the picking attachment comprises an X-Y-Z-Ψ positioner; and
the one or more vehicular controllers executes vehicle functions to use the X-Y-Z-Ψ positioner of the picking attachment to engage and disengage the target tote positioned on the transporter with the picking attachment.

12. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein:
the materials handling vehicle further comprises a navigation subsystem comprising a vision system;
the multilevel warehouse racking system comprises a target fiducial associated with the target tote to guide engagement of the target tote with the picking attachment;
the navigation subsystem is configured to position the materials handling vehicle such that the target fiducial is within a field of view of the vision system;
the materials handling vehicle further comprises one or more vehicular controllers and a picking attachment subsystem comprising the picking attachment and a time-of-flight (TOF) system;
the picking attachment comprises an X-Y-Z-Ψ positioner;
the picking attachment subsystem is configured to generate a target TOF depth map of the target tote; and
the one or more vehicular controllers of the materials handling vehicle executes vehicle functions to use the X-Y-Z-Ψ positioner of the picking attachment subsystem to engage the target tote with the picking attachment based on the target TOF depth map.

13. The goods storage and retrieval system of claim 12 , wherein:
the materials handling vehicle further comprises a navigation subsystem; and
the navigation subsystem is configu

Assignees

• Crown Equip Corp

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B65G2201/0258

  Trays, totes or bins · CPC title

• B65G1/1375

  the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck · CPC title

• B65G1/0492 Primary

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title

• B65G1/0471

  with access from beneath · CPC title

• B65G1/137

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