Automated storage and retrieval system and control system thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9733638-B2
Application number	US-201414229004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

An automated storage and retrieval system includes a storage space with storage locations defined therein, an automated transport system connected to the storage space and configured to transport store units for storage in the storage locations and retrieval from the storage locations, and a control system disposed for managing throughput performance of the automated storage and retrieval system, the control system being operably coupled to the automated transport system and having more than one separate and distinct control sections each configured for managing throughput performance with respect to a common group of the storage locations, wherein at least one of the control sections manages aspects of throughput performance of the common group independent of another of the control sections.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated storage and retrieval system. comprising:
a storage space with storage locations defined therein;
an automated transport system connected to the storage space and configured to transport store units for storage in the storage locations and retrieval from the storage locations; and
a control system disposed for managing throughput performance of the automated storage and retrieval system, the control system being operably coupled to the automated transport system and having more than one separate and distinct control sections each configured to, in response to and distinct from requests to input or output store, units from the storage locations, manage throughput performance with respect to a common group of the storage locations, wherein at least one of the control sections independently manages request response aspects of throughput performance of the common group independent of another of the control sections, the request response aspects of the throughput performance being responsive separately from each of the requests to input or output store units from the storage locations but distinct from each of the requests to input or output store units from the storage locations and a portion, determined by the independently managed aspects, of the throughput performance, with respect to the common group, managed by the at least one of the control sections is decoupled from another portion of the throughput performance, with respect to the common group, managed by the other control section.

2. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the other control section is configured for managing other aspects of throughput performance of the common group of storage locations that are different than the aspects managed by the at least one of the control sections.

3. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the control sections is communicably coupled to the other control section and wherein the at least one of the control sections is arranged to communicate information regarding the aspects of throughput performance managed thereby to the other control section.

4. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the control sections is communicably coupled to the other control section and wherein the other control section is arranged to receive information from the at least one of the control sections and incorporate the information from the at least one of the control sections into throughput performance managing determinations performed by the other control section.

5. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 4 , wherein the information from the at least one of the control sections incorporated into throughput performance managing determinations of the other control section is related to aspects of throughput performance managed independently by the at least one of the control sections.

6. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one independent automated vehicle configured for holding and transporting store units to and from the storage locations.

7. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one independent automated vehicle is configured to traverse a transport space disposed in the storage space, the transport space being arranged to define access for the at least one independent automated vehicle to each storage location of the storage space.

8. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one independent automated vehicle is configured so that it traverses the transport space to at least one of the storage locations via un-deterministic paths.

9. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 7 , wherein. the automated. transport system comprises at least a lift configured for raising and lowering store units between levels of the storage locations.

10. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 7 , wherein the automated transport system comprises a lifting and lowering transport section for transporting store units between storage levels at different heights of the storage space, and comprises a horizontal transport section for transporting store units to and from storage locations of at least one of the storage levels, wherein the lifting and lower transport section and the horizontal transport section are connected to each other.

11. An automated storage and retrieval system comprising:
a storage space with storage locations distributed therein;
an automated storage and retrieval engine coupled to the storage space and arranged to transport, store and retrieve store units from storage locations of the storage space; and
a control system communicably coupled to the automated storage and retrieval engine and configured, for managing storage and retrieval throughput performance of a common group of the storage locations of the storage space, the control system having more than one separate and distinct controllers configured to, in response to and distinct from requests to input or output store units from the storage locations, manage throughput performance wherein, a first controller of the more than one distinct controllers is configured for independently controlling the engine and managing request aspects of throughput performance to effect transport of store units to and from storage locations of the common group, and a second controller of the more than one distinct controllers is configured for controlling the disposition of store units in the storage locations of the common group, the request response aspects of the throughput performance being responsive separately from each of the requests to input or output store units from the storage locations, but distinct from each of the requests to input or output store units from the storage locations and a portion, determined by the independent control of the engine to effect transport of store units, of the throughput performance, with respect to the common group, managed by the first controller is decoupled from another portion of the throughput performance managed by the second controller.

12. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the first and second controllers is operably independent from the other so that a control portion effected by the at least one of the first and second controllers and related to the throughput performance is decoupled from another control portion effected by another of the first and second controllers and related to the throughput performance.

13. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 12 , wherein the first and second controllers are communicably connected to each other, the other controller being configured to receive information from the operably independent controller and incorporate the information in effecting the other control portion.

14. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 11 , wherein the first controller or second controller defines an independent controller that provides the control system independent information effecting storage and retrieval and throughput performance independent of another of the first controller or second controller.

15. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 14 , wherein the other controller provides the control system other information effecting storage and retrieval and throughput performance, the other information being based on the independent information from the independent controller.

16. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 15 , wher

Assignees

• Symbotic Llc

Inventors

• Ziegler Melanie
• Barbour Russell G
• Earl Matt

Classifications

• G05B19/4148 Primary

  characterised by using several processors for different functions, distributed (real-time) systems (G05B19/4141 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q10/08 Primary

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title

• B65G1/137 Primary

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

• G05B19/4185

  characterised by the network communication · CPC title