Hybrid modular storage fetching system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11893535-B2
Application number	US-202016940138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2020
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A hybrid modular storage fetching system is described. In an example implementation, the system may include a warehouse execution system adapted to generate a picking schedule for picking pick-to-cart and high-density storage items, and an AGV dispatching system adapted to dispatch a cart automated guided vehicle and a modular storage fetching automated guided vehicle based on the picking schedule. The cart automated guided vehicle may be adapted autonomously transport a carton through a pick-to-cart area and to a pick-cell station. The modular storage fetching automated guided vehicle may be adapted to synchronously autonomously transport a modular storage unit containing items to be placed in the cartons from a high-density storage area to the pick-cell station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
dispatching, by one or more computing devices, a storage fetching automated guided vehicle (AGV) including a drive unit adapted to provide motive force to the storage fetching AGV, a guidance system adapted to locate the storage fetching AGV in an operating environment, and an item holder adapted to hold a plurality of storage units, the storage fetching AGV adapted to retrieve the plurality of storage units from a storage area of the operating environment and transport the plurality of storage units to a first end point;
determining, by the one or more computing devices, a first item and a second item in a one or more orders;
determining, by the one or more computing device, a first storage unit holding a first plurality of items, the first storage unit being selected based on the first plurality of items including a quantity of the first item in the one or more orders;
determining, by the one or more computing devices, a second storage unit holding a second plurality of items, the second storage unit being selected based on the second plurality of items including a quantity of the second item in the one or more orders;
navigating, by the one or more computing devices, the storage fetching AGV to one or more locations of the plurality of storage units in the storage area, the plurality of storage units at the one or more locations including the first storage unit at a first location and the second storage unit at a second location;
retrieving, by the storage fetching AGV, the plurality storage units from the storage area including the first storage unit and the second storage unit, the item holder holding the first storage unit during navigation from the first location to the second location in the storage area; and
navigating, by the one or more computing devices, the storage fetching AGV from the one or more locations of the plurality of storage units in the storage area to the first end point.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the item holder holds the first storage unit simultaneously with the second storage unit during navigation of the storage fetching AGV from the one or more locations in the storage area to the first end point.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
navigating the storage fetching AGV to the one or more locations of the plurality of storage units in the storage area includes:
navigating the storage fetching AGV to the first location of the first storage unit in the storage area, and
navigating the storage fetching AGV to the second location of the second storage unit in the storage area; and

retrieving the plurality of storage units from the storage area includes:
retrieving, by a retrieval mechanism of the storage fetching AGV, the first storage unit from the first location and placing the first storage unit on the item holder using the retrieval mechanism, the storage fetching AGV transporting the first storage unit from the first location to the second location, and
retrieving, by the retrieval mechanism of the storage fetching AGV, the second storage unit from the second location.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein retrieving the plurality of storage units from the storage area includes:
moving, by a retrieval mechanism of the storage fetching AGV, the first storage unit vertically to a shelf of the item holder;
placing the first storage unit on the shelf; and
holding the first storage unit on the shelf during navigation from the first location to the second location.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the one or more computing devices, that one or more of the first plurality of items is assigned to a second end point;
responsive to determining that the one or more of the first plurality of items is assigned to the second end point, retrieving, by the storage fetching AGV, the first storage unit from the first end point; and
navigating the storage fetching AGV to the second end point.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of storage units include the first storage unit and a third storage unit; and
the method further comprises:
transporting, by the storage fetching AGV, the first storage unit and the third storage unit to the first end point;
placing, by the storage fetching AGV, the first storage unit at the first end point; and
after placing the first storage unit at the first end point by the storage fetching AGV, transporting, by the storage fetching AGV, the third storage unit to a second end point.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the first storage unit is stored at the first location in the storage area and the third storage unit is stored at a third location in the storage area, the one or more locations including the first location and the third location.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating, by the one or more computing devices, storage fetching routing based on order data, the storage fetching routing identifying the one or more locations of the plurality of storage units in the storage area of the operating environment;
dispatching, by the one or more computing devices, the storage fetching AGV according to the storage fetching routing;
navigating, by the one or more computing devices, the storage fetching AGV to the one or more locations in the storage area based on the storage fetching routing; and
navigating, by the one or more computing devices, the storage fetching AGV from the one or more locations of the plurality of storage units in the storage area to the first end point according to the storage fetching routing.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of storage units are adapted to interface with a retrieval mechanism of the storage fetching AGV; and
the retrieval mechanism is coupled with the storage fetching AGV, the retrieval mechanism being adapted to retrieve a certain storage unit from a storage unit support structure and place the certain storage unit on the item holder of the storage fetching AGV.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the item holder of the storage fetching AGV includes a plurality of bays, each bay being adapted to hold a storage unit of the plurality of storage units; and
the retrieval mechanism is adapted to place the certain storage unit on any of the plurality of bays.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
retrieving, by the storage fetching AGV, the first storage unit from the first end point;
navigating, by the one or more computing devices, the storage fetching AGV from the first end point to the one or more locations in the storage area; and
placing, by the storage fetching AGV, the first storage unit at the one or more locations in the storage area.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
retrieving, by the storage fetching AGV, the first storage unit from the first end point, the storage unit holding the first item, the first end point including a first picking station; and
navigating, by the one or more computing devices, the storage fetching AGV from the first end point to a second end point including transporting the first storage unit to the second end point, the second end point including a second picking station.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, by the one or more computing devices, the first storage unit from the plurality of storage units based on the first storage unit having a determined quantity of the first item, the determined quantity satisfying an order quantity of the first item;
determining, by the one or more computing devices, the one or more locations based on a location of the first storage unit; and
retrieving, by the stora

Assignees

• Staples Inc

Inventors

• Jarvis Daniel
• Amador Paolo Gerli
• Bhaskaran Michael
• Gopalakrishnan Vikranth
• Gallaway Rodney

Classifications

• G06Q10/0875 Primary

  Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials · CPC title

• G01C21/206

  specially adapted for indoor navigation · CPC title

• G05D1/0225

  involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay (parking aids B62D15/027) · CPC title

• G05D1/0274

  using mapping information stored in a memory device (navigation using map-matching G01C21/30) · CPC title

• G05D1/0285

  using signals transmitted via a public communication network, e.g. GSM network · CPC title