Pickface builder for storage and retrieval systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11724890-B2
Application number	US-202217657007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2022
Priority date	Dec 15, 2010
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A pickface builder for a storage and retrieval system for storing goods units and having an in-feed conveyor and a picking device, each goods unit holding at least one product package therein, the pickface builder including a frame, a pusher member movably coupled to the frame, and a snugger member movably coupled to the frame, wherein the pickface builder is configured to receive goods units from the in-feed conveyor and the pusher member and snugger member are movable at least in a direction transverse to a direction of goods unit travel on the in-feed conveyor and configured to form the goods units into a pickface picked by the picking device as a unit and having a predetermined reference datum relating the pickface to a placement position of goods units forming the pickface along a storage surface of the storage and retrieval system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A case pose orientating apparatus for a storage and retrieval system with an array of storage shelves for storing cases and having an in-feed conveyor and a picking device, each case holding at least one product package therein, the case pose orientating apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a pusher member movably coupled to the frame; and
a snugger member movably coupled to the frame, wherein
the case pose orientating apparatus is configured to receive a case from the in-feed conveyor, and
the pusher member and snugger member are movable at least in a direction transverse to a direction of case travel on the in-feed conveyor, and
the pusher member and the snugger member are configured to both orientate the case from a first pose, which first pose is substantially undetermined with respect to the direction of travel, to a second pose that is selectably controlled by the pusher member and snugger member with respect to the direction of travel, and substantially coincident with orientating the case, snug the case so as to form the case from a substantially unconstrained case shape into a substantially controlled case shape form picked by the picking device as a unit, where the substantially controlled case shape form is formed, by the pusher and snugger member, so as to define a structural positioning feature of the case picked by the picking device.

2. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substantially controlled case shape form is formed by the pusher and snugger member so as to have a predetermined reference datum that is formed by the substantially controlled case shape form of the case picked by the picking device.

3. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the structural positioning feature defined by the predetermined reference datum relates a placement position of the case, picked by the picking device, placed along a storage surface from other placement positions of other cases, picked by the picking device, placed on the storage surface alongside the case.

4. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the pusher member is movable in at least two orthogonal directions for pushing the cases towards the snugger member.

5. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the snugger member is positioned to create the predetermined reference datum as the pusher member pushes cases towards the snugger member.

6. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the case pose orientating apparatus further comprises a resolver member configured to obtain case data as cases are transferred to the case pose orientating apparatus from the in-feed conveyor.

7. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the case pose orientating apparatus is configured to form pickfaces based on at least the case data obtained from the resolver member.

8. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the resolver member is configured to confirm an identity of the cases being transferred to the case pose orientating apparatus from the in-feed conveyor.

9. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the case pose orientating apparatus is configured to modify motion profiles of at least one of the pusher member and snugger member based on the case data from the resolver member.

10. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the case pose orientating apparatus includes a controller configured to create motion profiles for the pusher member and snugger member based at least on predetermined case data accessible by the controller.

11. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the controller includes a memory configured to store the predetermined case data.

12. The case pose orientating apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the storage and retrieval system includes a system controller wherein the case pose orientating apparatus is in direct or indirect communication with the system controller and the predetermined case data is stored in a memory of the system controller.

13. A storage and retrieval system with an array of storage shelves comprising:
an in-feed conveyor;
an in-feed station;
a case pose orienting apparatus disposed between the in-feed conveyor and in-feed station; and
a picking device connected to the in-feed station, the in-feed station being configured to transfer cases to the picking device where each case holds at least one product package therein;
wherein, the case pose orienting apparatus includes:
a frame,
a pusher member movably coupled to the frame, and
a snugger member movably coupled to the frame, wherein the case pose orienting apparatus is configured to receive a case from the in-feed conveyor, and at least one of the pusher member and snugger member are movable at least in a direction transverse to a direction of case travel onto the case pose orienting apparatus from the in-feed conveyor, the pusher member and the snugger member are configured to both orientate the case from a first pose, which first pose is substantially undetermined with respect to the direction of travel, to a second pose that is selectably controlled by the pusher member and snugger member with respect to the direction of travel, and substantially coincident with orientating the case, snug the case so as to form the case from a substantially unconstrained case shape into a substantially controlled case shape form picked by the picking device as a unit, where the substantially controlled case shape form is formed, by the pusher and snugger member so as to define a structural positioning feature of the case picked by the picking device.

14. The storage and retrieval system of claim 13 , wherein the substantially controlled case shape form is formed by the pusher and snugger member so as to have a predetermined reference datum that is formed by the substantially controlled case shape form of the case picked by the picking device.

15. The storage and retrieval system of claim 14 , wherein the structural positioning feature defined by the predetermined reference datum relates a placement position of the case, picked by the picking device, placed along a storage surface from other placement positions of other cases, picked by the picking device, placed on the storage surface alongside the case.

16. The storage and retrieval system of claim 13 , wherein the case pose orienting apparatus further includes a controller configured to create motion profiles for the pusher member and snugger member based at least on predetermined case data accessible by the controller.

17. The storage and retrieval system of claim 16 , wherein the controller includes a memory configured to store the predetermined case data.

18. The storage and retrieval system of claim 17 , wherein the storage and retrieval system includes a system controller wherein the case pose orienting apparatus is in direct or indirect communication with the system controller and the predetermined case data is stored in a memory of the system controller.

Assignees

• Symbotic Llc

Inventors

• Sullivan Robert
• Toebes Stephen C

Classifications

• B65G47/086 Primary

  cubiform articles · CPC title

• B65G1/0485

  Check-in, check-out devices · CPC title

• B65G1/06

  with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level (B65G1/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65G1/12

  with {separate} article supports or holders movable in a closed circuit to facilitate insertion or removal of articles {the articles being books, documents, forms or the like} · CPC title

• B65G1/127

  the circuit being confined in a vertical plane · CPC title