US 11,634,279 B2 · Storage and retrieval system

Abstract

An automated storage and retrieval system including at least one autonomous transport vehicle, a transfer deck that defines an undeterministic transport surface for the at least one autonomous transport vehicle, the transfer deck having multiple travel lanes, at least one vertically reciprocating lift, and at least one pickface handoff station connected to the transfer deck and interfacing between the at least one autonomous transport vehicle on the transfer deck and the at least one vertically reciprocating lift so that a pickface is transferred between the at least one vertically reciprocating and the at least one autonomous transport vehicle.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

picking, with an autonomous transport vehicle, a first pickface from a storage shelf;
buffering, with the autonomous transport vehicle, the first pickface on a stationary shelf of a pickface handoff station;
forming a second pickface at the stationary shelf, the second pickface being different than the first pickface and comprising more than one case in ordered sequence corresponding to a predetermined case out order sequence of mixed cases where the first pickface and the second pickface have at least one case in common;
and
picking, with a vertically reciprocating lift, the second pickface from the stationary shelf.

2 more elements

A storage and retrieval system comprising:

an autonomous transport vehicle configured for picking a first pickface from a storage shelf;
a stationary shelf of a pickface handoff station, the stationary shelf having a static pickface support surface and being configured for buffering the first pickface;
wherein the autonomous transport vehicle is configured to form a second pickface at the stationary shelf, the second pickface being different than the first pickface and including more than one case in ordered sequence corresponding to a predetermined case out order sequence of mixed cases where the first pickface and the second pickface have at least one case in common;
and
a vertically reciprocating lift configured to pick the second pickface from the stationary shelf.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

17/229,424Filed 13 Apr 2021 · division

Priority

16 Jan 2015

Published

US 2021/0229914 A129 Jul 2021

Granted

25 Apr 2023

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

B65G 1/0492
Mechanical: with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles
B65G 1/1375
For fulfilling orders in warehouses: the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck
B65G
Transport or storage devices

Family

Application62/104,513Us provisional application · filed 16 Jan 2015

Application14/997,892Parent of this division · filed 18 Jan 2016

US 2021/0229914 A1Pre-grant publication · published 29 Jul 2021

US 10,974,897 B2Parent of this division

US 2016/0207709 A1Published application

US 11,634,279 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Storage and retrieval system

Life of this patent

Storage and retrieval system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14