Order fulfilment system and method

An order fulfilment system comprising:

• a. at least one order fulfilment workstation;
• b. a first set of automatically guided vehicles able to roll along the ground and to convey storage containers containing at least one item to said at least one order fulfilment workstation;
• c. a second set of automatically guided vehicles able to roll along the ground and to convey collecting containers for collecting at least one item to said at least one order fulfilment workstation;
• said at least one order fulfilment workstation comprises:
• i. an inclined access ramp allowing said vehicles to access said at least one order fulfilment workstation, comprising at least:
• a vehicle-circulation zone in which said vehicles circulate, and
• a vehicle temporary-storage zone for temporarily storing said vehicles,
• ii. a parking zone, accessible from said inclined ramp and comprising at least two adjacent parking places which are intended to receive a vehicle from said first set and a vehicle from said second set, respectively,
• said vehicles are able to roll freely along said inclined ramp in at least two mutually-perpendicular directions in order to move from said circulation zone to any one of either said temporary-storage zone or said parking zone, and vice versa.

An order fulfilment method comprising:

• i. conveying at least one storage container containing at least one item, by means of at least one vehicle from a first set of automatically guided vehicles able to roll along the ground, to an order fulfilment workstation;
• ii. conveying at least one collecting container for collecting at least one item, by means of at least one vehicle from a second set of automatically guided vehicles able to roll along the ground, to said order fulfilment workstation;
• iii. picking at least one item from one of said storage containers and placing said at least one picked item in one of said collecting containers;
• said conveying operations are implemented by the movement of said vehicles in a circulation zone formed on an inclined access ramp for accessing said order fulfilment workstation, said picking is performed in a parking zone accessible from said inclined ramp and comprising at least two adjacent parking places intended to receive a vehicle from said first set and a vehicle from said second set, respectively,
• wherein in the event of an order in which to fulfil the order inventories being modified, said method comprises free movement of at least one of said vehicles of the first and/or of the second set of vehicles in at least two mutually-perpendicular directions in order to move from said parking zone or from said circulation zone to a vehicle temporary-storage zone formed on said inclined ramp, and vice versa.