Storage and retrieval system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9856083-B2
Application number	US-201614997920-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2016
Priority date	Jan 16, 2015
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

An automated storage and retrieval system including at least one autonomous transport vehicle, a transfer deck that defines a transport surface for the vehicle, at least one reciprocating lift, a first and second pickface interface station connected to the deck and spaced apart from each other, each station forming a pickface transfer interfacing between the vehicle on the deck and the lift at each station so that a pickface is transferred between the lift and the vehicle at each station, wherein the vehicle is configured to pick a first pickface at the first station, traverse the deck and buffer the first pickface, or at least a portion thereof, at the second station so that the second station has multiple pickfaces buffered on a common support in an order sequence of pickfaces according to a predetermined case out order sequence of mixed case pickfaces.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated storage and retrieval system comprising:
at least one autonomous transport vehicle;
a transfer deck that defines a transport surface for the at least one autonomous transport vehicle;
at least one reciprocating lift;
a first pickface interface station and a second pickface interface station connected to the transfer deck and spaced apart from each other, each pickface interface station forming a pickface transfer interfacing between the at least one autonomous transport vehicle on the transfer deck and the at least one reciprocating lift at each pickface interface station so that a pickface is transferred between the at least one reciprocating lift and the at least one autonomous transport vehicle at each pickface interface station;
wherein the at least one autonomous transport vehicle is configured to pick a first pickface at the first pickface interface station, traverse the transfer deck and buffer the first pickface, or at least a portion thereof, at the second pickface interface station so that the second pickface interface station has multiple pickfaces buffered on a common support in an order sequence of pickfaces that defines a successive structured sequence, of ordered multiple pickfaces, dependent from and embodying a predetermined case out order sequence of mixed case pickfaces having a predetermined successive structured sequence of ordered mixed case pickfaces.

2. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the multiple pickfaces at the second pickface interface station is different from the first pickface and includes a case that is from the first pickface.

3. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the autonomous transport vehicle builds at least one of the multiple pickfaces at the second pickface interface station on the fly during transport of the first pickface between the first pickface interface station and the second pickface interface station.

4. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 3 , wherein the autonomous transport vehicle builds the at least one of the multiple pickfaces onboard of the autonomous transport vehicle.

5. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 3 , wherein the autonomous transport vehicle builds the at least one of the multiple pickfaces at the second pickface interface station or at a buffer portion of the common support of the second pickface interface station buffer.

6. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the first pickface is at least one of the multiple pickfaces at the second pickface interface station.

7. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , further comprising:
autonomous transport vehicle access aisles connected to the deck; and
a storage array having storage racks arranged in multilevel shelves and distributed along the autonomous transport vehicle access aisles.

8. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 7 , wherein the autonomous transport vehicle is arranged so that at least another portion of the first pickface picked from the first pickface interface station is placed on a storage rack of the storage array before transport to the second pickface interface station.

9. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the second pickface interface station forms a common pickface transfer interface for the at least one reciprocating lift so that the commonly supported pickfaces are picked in common with the at least one reciprocating lift.

10. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the transfer deck is undeterministic and has multiple travel lanes.

11. An automated storage and retrieval system comprising:
at least one autonomous transport vehicle;
a transfer deck that defines a transport surface for the at least one autonomous transport vehicle;
at least one inbound pickface transport system disposed between an unload cell and a load fill section;
at least one outbound pickface transport system disposed between the unload cell and the load fill section;
a first pickface interface station, and a second pickface interface station connected to the transfer deck and spaced apart from each other, each pickface interface station forming a pickface transfer interfacing between the at least one autonomous transport vehicle on the transfer deck and a respective one of the inbound pickface transport system and the outbound pickface transport system at each pickface interface station so that a pickface is transferred between the respective one of the inbound pickface transport system and the outbound pickface transport system and the at least one autonomous transport vehicle at each pickface interface station;
wherein the at least one autonomous transport vehicle is configured to pick a first pickface at the first pickface interface station, traverse the deck and buffer the first pickface, or at least a portion thereof, at the second pickface interface station so that so that the at least a portion of the first pickface is buffered at the second pickface interface station for transport with the outbound pickface transport system in an order sequence of pickfaces that defines a successive structured sequence, of ordered multiple pickfaces, dependent from and embodying a predetermined case out order sequence of mixed case pickfaces having a predetermined successive structured sequence of ordered mixed case pickfaces.

12. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the multiple pickfaces at the second pickface interface station is different from the first pickface and includes a case that is from the first pickface.

13. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the autonomous transport vehicle builds at least one of the multiple pickfaces at the second pickface interface station on the fly during transport of the first pickface between the first pickface interface station and the second pickface interface station.

14. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 3 , wherein the autonomous transport vehicle builds the at least one of the multiple pickfaces onboard of the autonomous transport vehicle.

15. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 3 , wherein the autonomous transport vehicle builds the at least one of the multiple pickfaces at the second pickface interface station or at a buffer portion of the common support of the second pickface interface station buffer.

16. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the first pickface is at least one of the multiple pickfaces at the second pickface interface station.

17. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , further comprising:
autonomous transport vehicle access aisles connected to the deck; and
a storage array having storage racks arranged in multilevel shelves and distributed along the autonomous transport vehicle access aisles.

18. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 7 , wherein the autonomous transport vehicle is arranged so that at least another portion of the first pickface picked from the first pickface interface station is placed on a storage rack of the storage array before transport to the second pickface interface station.

19. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 , wherein the second pickface interface station forms a common pickface transfer interface for the respective one of the inbound pickface transport system and the outbound pickface transport system so that the co

Assignees

• Symbotic Llc
• Symbotic Llc

Inventors

• Conrad Juergen D
• Hsiung Robert
• Pankratov Kirill K
• Sullivan Robert
• Sweet Larry M

Classifications

• B65G1/0492 Primary

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title

• B65G1/0485

  Check-in, check-out devices · CPC title

• B65G1/0435

  with pulling or pushing means on either stacking crane or stacking area · CPC title

• B65G1/1376

  the orders being assembled on a commissioning conveyor · CPC title

• B65G1/1373

  for fulfilling orders in warehouses · CPC title