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US 2019/0193937 A1Published application
Bot position sensing
AssigneeSymbotic LLC
InventorsRobert SULLIVAN, Michael CYRULIK, Stephen C. TOEBES
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A storage and retrieval system including a storage structure having storage shelves, each storage shelf having slats for supporting stored items where the slats are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, an autonomous transport vehicle including at least one sensor configured to sense each of the slats and output a signal indicating when a slat is sensed, and a controller for verifying a location of the autonomous transport vehicle within the storage structure based on at least the output signal.
Claims20
A storage and retrieval system comprising:
- a storage structure having storage shelves, each storage shelf having reference datums integrally formed with the storage shelves and being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance;
- an autonomous transport vehicle including at least one sensor configured to sense each of the reference datums and output a signal indicating when a reference datum is sensed and a case unit detection sensor configured to detect case units located on the storage shelf;
- and
- a controller for verifying a location of the autonomous transport vehicle within the storage structure based on at least the output signal and configured to compare a location of the autonomous transport vehicle at a time the reference datum is sensed with a predetermined location of the reference datum and updating a verified location of the autonomous transport vehicle if the locations substantially coincide, wherein the controller is further configured to dynamically update a map of case unit positions of case units located on the storage shelf from the verified location of the autonomous transport vehicle.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- providing a storage structure having storage shelves;
- providing each storage shelf with reference datums that are integrally formed with the storage shelves and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance;
- sensing each of the reference datums with at least one sensor of an autonomous transport vehicle and outputting a signal indicating when a reference datum is sensed;
- verifying, with a controller, a location of the autonomous transport vehicle within the storage structure based on at least the output signal and comparing a location of the autonomous transport vehicle at a time the reference datum is sensed with a predetermined location of the reference datum and updating a verified location of the autonomous transport vehicle if the locations substantially coincide;
- detecting, with a case unit detection sensor of the autonomous transport vehicle, case units located on the storage shelf;
- and
- dynamically updating, with the controller, a map of case unit positions of case units located on the storage shelf from the verified location of the autonomous transport vehicle.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.