Systems and methods for high-speed warehouse order sortation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12077385-B2
Application number	US-202117332147-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2021
Priority date	May 26, 2020
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

Warehouse automation and methods of automatically sorting and sequencing items can be implemented to streamline and expedite order fulfillment and store replenishment processes in a cost-effective manner. Some embodiments described herein include: (i) picking or retrieving items from an inventory storage area, (ii) decanting individual items and placing them on carriers of a high-speed sorting and conveyance system, and (iii) final sortation as per customer orders. In some embodiments, the high-speed sorting and conveyance system includes multiple shuttles that each carry an individual item to a designated final order sortation system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A warehouse system for sorting items to fulfill orders, the system comprising:
a conveyance system comprising:
a plurality of shuttles configured to receive and transport individual items of the items;
a plurality of manual decantation stations, each manual decantation station being configured for a worker to manually load the individual items directly onto individual shuttles of the plurality of shuttles; and
a surface having a plurality of pathways along which the plurality of shuttles controllably travel by magnetic levitation, wherein each shuttle of the plurality of shuttles controllably travels along the pathways independently of all other shuttles of the plurality of shuttles;

a first automated order sortation system arranged to receive at least some of the individual items and configured to aggregate the at least some of the individual items into one or more groups in accordance with the orders; and
a control system in data communication with the conveyance system and the first automated order sortation system, wherein the control system is configured to send control signals to the conveyance system to cause each shuttle of the plurality of shuttles to travel along the plurality of pathways in a manner based on a type of individual item of the items that each shuttle of the plurality of shuttles is transporting,
wherein two or more shuttles of the plurality of shuttles can be ganged together to operate jointly in a unified manner to transport large or heavy individual items of the items.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second automated order sortation system arranged to receive at least some of the individual items and configured to aggregate the at least some of the individual items into one or more groups in accordance with the orders.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the control system is configured to send control signals to the conveyance system to cause a first shuttle of the plurality of shuttles to travel along the pathways to the first automated order sortation system because the first shuttle is transporting a first item that is allocated for a first order that the first automated order sortation system is assigned to fulfill.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the control system is configured to send control signals to the conveyance system to cause a second shuttle of the plurality of shuttles to travel along the pathways to the second automated order sortation system because the second shuttle is transporting a second item that is allocated for a second order that the second automated order sortation system is assigned to fulfill.

5. The system of claim 4 , further comprising a manual order sortation system arranged to receive at least some of the individual items and configured for manual aggregation of the at least some of the individual items into one or more groups in accordance with the orders.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the control system is configured to send control signals to the conveyance system to cause a third shuttle of the plurality of shuttles to travel along the pathways to the manual order sortation system because the third shuttle is transporting a third item that is allocated for a third order that the manual order sortation system is assigned to fulfill.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control system comprises: (i) an order fulfillment control system and (ii) a control system of the conveyance system.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the manner based on the type of individual item of the items that each shuttle of the plurality of shuttles is transporting comprises a particular pathway of the plurality of pathways.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the manner based on the type of individual item of the items that each shuttle of the plurality of shuttles is transporting further comprises a temporary stoppage of travel in order to sequence the items based on the orders.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the surface comprises multiple electromagnetic field generators.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the conveyance system further comprises sensors arranged along the pathway and configured to detect respective positions along the pathway of each shuttle of the plurality of shuttles.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the control system is configured to receive signals output from the sensors or encoders and to determine the respective positions along the pathway of each shuttle of the plurality of shuttles based on the signals.

13. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an automated system for automatically transferring the least some of the individual items to the first automated order sortation system from the conveyance system.

14. A method of sorting items to fulfill orders, the method comprising:
picking or retrieving, from inventory storage, a plurality of items that are allocated for a plurality of orders; and
decanting, by a plurality of workers at a plurality of manual decantation stations, the plurality of items and placing individual items of the plurality of items directly onto individual shuttles of a conveyance system that includes a plurality of shuttles,
wherein the individual items are individually assigned a priority,
wherein the individual shuttles that are transporting lower priority items of the plurality of items are held in a temporary buffer storage portion of the conveyance system until the individual shuttles that are transporting higher priority items of the plurality of items are moved ahead of the individual shuttles that are transporting the lower priority items, and
wherein the conveyance system uses magnetic levitation to transport the individual shuttles carrying respective individual items to a particular final order sortation system of a plurality of final order sortation systems because the particular final order sortation system is processing one or more orders that include the respective individual items.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the respective individual items are automatically transferred to the particular final order sortation system.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the individual shuttles controllably travel along the pathways independently of all other shuttles of the plurality of shuttles.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the individual shuttles controllably travel along the pathways in accordance with a unique pattern of motion in comparison to all other shuttles of the plurality of shuttles.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the unique pattern of motion comprises a pattern of starting and stopping motion.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the unique pattern of motion comprises an acceleration and deceleration profile.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of final order sortation systems comprises at least one automated order sortation system and at least one manual order sortation system.

Assignees

• Target Brands Inc

Inventors

• Mutarelli Gervasio
• Loza Carlos
• Saldana Pena Ernesto

Classifications

• B65G2811/095

  Speed variation control means · CPC title

• B65G2209/04

  Indication location means · CPC title

• B65G1/1373

  for fulfilling orders in warehouses · CPC title

• B65G1/0492

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title

• B65G1/0407

  using stacker cranes (constructional features of stacker cranes B66F9/06) · CPC title