Storage and retrieval system rover interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12116205-B2
Application number	US-202318446173-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2023
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

An automated storage and retrieval system including at least one autonomous rover for transferring payload within the system and including a communicator, a multilevel storage structure, each level allowing traversal of the at least one autonomous rover, at least one registration station disposed at predetermined locations on each level and being configured to communicate with the communicator to at least receive rover identification information, and a controller in communication with the at least one registration station and configured to receive the at least rover identification information and at least one of register the at least one autonomous rover as being on a level corresponding to a respective one of the at least one registration station or deregister the at least one autonomous rover from the system, where the controller effects induction of the at least one autonomous rover into a predetermined rover space on the level.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating an automated storage and retrieval system having more than one storage levels and at least one autonomous rover, the method comprising:
providing at least one rover entry or exit station, the at least one rover entry or exit station being in communication with at least one storage level of the more than one storage levels;
effecting, with a controller, insertion or removal of the at least one autonomous rover via the at least one rover entry or exit station to at least one of introduce and remove the at least one autonomous rover at a predetermined storage level, and
maintaining, with the controller, via the insertion and removal at the predetermined storage level, a predetermined number of one or more of the at least one of rover engaged in task allocation effecting rover work load free of interference with the one of more rovers engaged in task allocation effecting rover work load on the predetermined storage level.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one autonomous rover is introduced into the predetermined storage level from one or more of:
the another one of the more than one storage levels, and
outside of the automated storage and retrieval system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one autonomous rover is removed from the predetermined storage level and transferred with the at least one rover entry or exit station to the another one of the more than one storage levels or transferred with the at least one rover entry or exit station outside of the automated storage and retrieval system, where transfer of the at least one autonomous rover with the at least one rover entry or exit station is decoupled from case unit input and output from the storage and retrieval system.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of registering and deregistering the at least one autonomous rover upon a respective introduction and removal of each autonomous rover at the predetermined storage level.

5. An automated storage and retrieval system having more than one storage levels and at least one autonomous rover, the system comprising:
at least one rover entry or exit station, the at least one rover entry or exit station being in communication with at least one storage level of the more than one storage levels; and
a controller configured to:
insert or remove an idle autonomous rover of the at least one autonomous rover via the at least one rover entry or exit station to at least one of introduce and remove the idle autonomous rover at the at least one storage level, and the controller is configured to effect at least one of introduce and removal of the idle autonomous rover; and
maintain via the insertion and removal at the predetermined storage level, a predetermined number of one or more of the at least one of rover engaged in task allocation effecting rover work load independent of and non-interfering with other of the at least one autonomous rover engaged in task allocation effecting rover work load at a predetermined storage level upon a respective introduction and removal of each autonomous rover at the predetermined storage level.

6. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 5 , wherein the idle autonomous rover is introduced into the predetermined storage level from one or more of:
another one of the multiple storage levels, and
outside of the automated storage and retrieval system.

7. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 5 , wherein the idle autonomous rover is removed from the predetermined storage level and transferred with the at least one rover entry or exit station to another one of the multiple storage levels or transferred with the at least one rover entry or exit station outside of the automated storage and retrieval system, where transfer of the idle autonomous rover with the at least one rover entry or exit station is decoupled from case unit input and output from the storage and retrieval system.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising at least one of registering and deregistering the at least one autonomous rover upon a respective introduction and removal of each autonomous rover at the predetermined storage level.

9. A method of operating an automated storage and retrieval system having more than one storage levels and at least one autonomous rover, the method comprising:
providing at least one rover entry or exit station, the at least one rover entry or exit station being in communication with at least one storage level of the more than one storage levels; and
effecting, with a controller:
inserting or removing of an idle autonomous rover of the at least one autonomous rover via the at least one rover entry or exit station to at least one of introduce and remove the idle autonomous rover at the at least one storage level, and effecting at least one of introduce and removal of the idle autonomous rover; and
maintaining via the insertion and removal at the predetermined storage level, a predetermined number of one or more of the at least one of rover engaged in task allocation effecting rover work load independent of and non-interfering with other of the at least one autonomous rover engaged in task allocation effecting rover work load at a predetermined storage level upon a respective introduction and removal of each autonomous rover at the predetermined storage level.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the idle autonomous rover is introduced into the predetermined storage level from one or more of:
another one of the multiple storage levels, and
outside of the automated storage and retrieval system.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the idle autonomous rover is removed from the predetermined storage level and transferred with the at least one rover entry or exit station to another one of the multiple storage levels or transferred with the at least one rover entry or exit station outside of the automated storage and retrieval system, where transfer of the idle autonomous rover with the at least one rover entry or exit station is decoupled from case unit input and output from the storage and retrieval system.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising at least one of registering and deregistering the at least one autonomous rover upon a respective introduction and removal of each autonomous rover at the predetermined storage level.

Assignees

• Symbotic Llc

Inventors

• Buzan Forrest
• Macdonald Edward A
• Apgar Taylor A
• Schaefer Thomas A
• Ziegler Melanie
• Barbour Russell G

Classifications

• B60L58/12

  responding to state of charge [SoC] · CPC title

• B60L2200/44

  Industrial trucks or floor conveyors · CPC title

• B60L2240/549

  Current · CPC title

• B60L2240/547

  Voltage · CPC title

• B60L3/12

  Recording operating variables {; Monitoring of operating variables} · CPC title