Order fulfillment system
AssigneeAlert Innovation Inc.
InventorsJohn G. Lert, JR., William J. Fosnight
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An order fulfillment system is disclosed including a multi-level tote storage structure, one or more autonomous mobile robots configured to pick, transport and place one or more tote; one or more workstations configured to accommodate a picker that transports one or more eaches from a tote on one of the autonomous mobile robots to a “put” location, wherein the autonomous mobile robots are configured to move from level to level in the order fulfillment apparatus.
Claims24
A mobile robot for travelling within an order fulfillment center including a deck and one or more vertical storage racks, a vertical storage rack of the one or more storage racks including a plurality of horizontal rails, spaced apart from each other on respective levels of the vertical storage rack, and a pair of vertical tracks, spaced apart from each other and extending between the plurality of levels of the vertical storage rack, the mobile robot comprising:
- a motor;
- a shaft configured to be driven by the motor;
- first and second pairs of wheels, one pair on each of opposed sides of the mobile robot, the first and second pairs of wheels configured to advance the mobile robot along a pair of spaced apart horizontal rails on a level of the vertical storage rack, wherein the pair of horizontal rails each include a gap aligned with the pair of vertical tracks, a first wheel of each of the first and second pairs of wheels configured to remain on the pair of horizontal rails while a second wheel of each of the first and second pairs of wheels is configured to pass over the gap;
- a pair of drive gears, one on each of opposed sides of the mobile robot, at least one drive gear configured to rotate with the shaft, the pair of drive gears each configured to engage a first surface on each of the pair of vertical tracks to advance the mobile robot along the pair of vertical tracks.
A mobile robot for travelling within an order fulfillment center including one or more vertical storage racks, a vertical storage rack of the one or more storage racks including a plurality of horizontal rails, spaced apart from each other on respective levels of the vertical storage rack, and a pair of tracks, spaced apart from each other and extending between the plurality of levels of the vertical storage rack, the mobile robot comprising:
- a plurality of horizontal traction drives configured to be driven to rotate to advance the mobile robot along a pair of spaced apart horizontal rails on a level of the vertical storage rack, the plurality of horizontal traction drives comprising:
- a pair of drive wheels comprising a first drive wheel, on a first side of the mobile robot, configured to engage a first rail of the pair of spaced apart rails, and a second drive wheel, on a second side of the mobile robot opposed to the first, configured to engage a second rail of the pair of spaced apart rails, the pair of drive wheels having a common axis with each other;
- and
- a pair of vertical traction drives configured to be driven to rotate to advance the mobile robot along the pair of tracks, the pair of vertical traction drives comprising:
- a pair of drive gears comprising a first drive gear, on the first side of the mobile robot, configured to engage a first track of the pair of tracks, and a second drive gear, on the second side of the mobile robot opposed to the first, configured to engage a second track of the pair of tracks, the pair of drive gears having a common axis with each other;
- wherein the pair of drive gears are further configured to move between extended positions where the pair of drive gears engage with the pair of tracks to enable vertical movement of the mobile robot while the mobile robot is cantilevered off the pair of tracks, and retracted positions where the pair of drive gears do not obstruct travel of the mobile robot along the pair of horizontal rails past the pair of tracks;
- and
- wherein the pair of drive wheels are coaxial with the pair of drive gears.
A mobile robot for travelling within an order fulfillment center including one or more vertical storage racks, a vertical storage rack of the one or more storage racks including a plurality of horizontal rails, spaced apart from each other on respective levels of the vertical storage rack, and a pair of tracks, spaced apart from each other and extending between the plurality of levels of the vertical storage rack, the mobile robot comprising:
- a pair of drive wheels comprising a first drive wheel, on a first side of the mobile robot, configured to engage a first rail of the pair of spaced apart rails, and a second drive wheel, on a second side of the mobile robot opposed to the first, configured to engage a second rail of the pair of spaced apart rails, the pair of drive wheels having a common axis with each other;
- and
- a pair of drive gears comprising a first drive gear, on the first side of the mobile robot, configured to engage a first track of the pair of tracks, and a second drive gear, on the second side of the mobile robot opposed to the first, configured to engage a second track of the pair of tracks, the pair of drive gears having a common axis with each other;
- wherein the pair of drive gears are further configured to move between extended positions where the pair of drive gears engage with the pair of tracks to enable vertical movement of the mobile robot while the mobile robot is cantilevered off the pair of tracks, and retracted positions where the pair of drive gears do not obstruct travel of the mobile robot along the pair of horizontal rails past the pair of tracks;
- and
- wherein the pair of drive wheels are coaxial with the pair of drive gears.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.