Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUTOMATIC STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM HAVING
STAGING AND SEQUENCING BUFFER LOCATIONS AND
SEGREGATED STORAGE
Inventors:
David B. Simpson
William J. Fosnight
John G. Lert, Jr.
PRIORITY DATA
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No.
17/957,227,
filed on September 30, 2022, entitled" AUTOMATIC STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL
SYSTEM HAVING STAGING AND SEQUENCING BUFFER LOCATIONS AND
SEGREGATED STORAGE", which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No.
63/250,887, filed on September 30, 2021, entitled "AUTOMATIC STORAGE AND
RETRIEVAL SYSTEM HAVING STAGING AND SEQUENCING BUFFER LOCATIONS
AND SEGREGATED STORAGE", which applications are incorporated by reference
herein
in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] An order fulfillment system for use in supply chains, for example in
retail supply
chains, may fulfill orders for individual product units or goods. Conventional
systems may
transfer totes including inventory using mobile robots between a storage
structure and one or
more workstations where orders are processed. Given the large volume of moving
mobile
robots, congestion can often occur as the mobile robots transfer totes between
the storage
structure and the one or more workstations. This congestion, if not managed,
may reduce the
overall efficiency of the order fulfillment facility.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] Embodiments of the present technology will now be described with
reference to the
figures which include the following.
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[0004] Figures 1A and 1B show perspective and schematics views of a
conventional order
fulfillment facility.
[0005] Figures 2A-2D are schematic illustrations and perspective views of an
order
fulfillment facility according to embodiments of the present technology.
[0006] Figures 3A-D are schematic illustrations and perspective views showing
further
aspects of an order fulfillment facility according to embodiments of the
present technology.
[0007] Figures 4A-B are schematic illustrations showing further aspects of an
order
fulfillment facility according to embodiments of the present technology.
[0008] Figure 5 shows schematic illustrations showing further aspects of an
order fulfillment
according to embodiments of the present technology.
[0009] Figure 6 shows schematic illustrations showing further aspects of an
order fulfillment
facility according to embodiments of the present technology.
[0010] Figures 7A-B are schematic illustrations showing further aspects of an
order
fulfillment facility according to embodiments of the present technology.
[0011] Figures 8A-B are schematic illustrations and perspective views showing
further
aspects of an order fulfillment facility according to embodiments of the
present technology.
[0012] Figures 9A-B are schematic illustrations and perspective views showing
further
aspects of an order fulfillment facility according to embodiments of the
present technology.
[0013] Figure 10 is a schematic illustration showing further aspects of an
order fulfillment
facility according to embodiments of the present technology.
[0014] Figure 11 is a schematic illustration showing further aspects of an
order fulfillment
facility according to embodiments of the present technology.
[0015] Figure 12 is a plan view of an order fulfillment facility according to
further
embodiments of the present technology.
[0016] Figures 13 and 14 are side section and side views of an alternate order
fulfillment
facility according to embodiments of the present technology.
[0017] Figures 15 and 16 are isometric views of an alternate order fulfillment
facility
according to embodiments of the present technology.
[0018] Figure 17 is a side view of workstation in an order fulfillment
facility according to
embodiments of the present technology.
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[0019] Figure 18 is a partial sectional view of the order fulfillment facility
of Fig. 13 showing
Bot flow.
[0020] Figures 19-21 are plan views, side views and partial isometric views of
an order
fulfillment facility according to alternative embodiments of the present
technology.
[0021] Figures 22A-23 are plan views, isometric views and side views of an
order fulfillment
facility according to further alternative embodiments of the present
technology.
[0022] Figure 24 is a top view of an order fulfillment facility according to
further
embodiments of the present technology.
[0023] Figure 25 is a top view of an order fulfillment facility according to
further
embodiments of the present technology.
[0024] Figure 26 is a top view of an order fulfillment facility according to
further
embodiments of the present technology.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] Embodiments of the present technology will now be described with
reference to the
figures, which in general relate to an automatic storage and retrieval system
having staging and
sequencing locations and further to an automatic storage and retrieval system
having dedicated
routing paths for mobile robots. The embodiments described enable simplifying
software
complexity, for example, by simplifying or limiting the need for traffic
management. Further
and as will be described, the embodiments are intended to enable efficient
transport of mobile
robots to and from storage locations with simplified sequence constraints,
scheduling
constraints and congestion points.
[0026] It is understood that the present embodiments may be embodied in many
different
forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set
forth herein. Rather,
these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and
complete and will
fully convey the invention to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the
embodiments are intended to
cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents of these embodiments, which
are included
within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended
claims. Furthermore,
in the following detailed description, specific details are set forth in order
to provide an
understanding of the present embodiments.
[0027] The terms "top" and "bottom," "upper" and "lower" and "vertical" and
"horizontal"
as may be used herein are by way of example and illustrative purposes only and
are not meant
to limit the description of the embodiments inasmuch as the referenced item
can be exchanged
in position and orientation. Also, as used herein, the terms "substantially"
and/or "about" mean
that the specified dimension or parameter may be varied within an acceptable
manufacturing
tolerance for a given application. In one non-limiting embodiment, the
acceptable
manufacturing tolerance is .25%.
[0028] For purposes of this disclosure, a connection may be a direct
connection or an indirect
connection (e.g., via one or more other parts). In some cases, when a first
element is referred
to as being connected, affixed or coupled to a second element, the first and
second elements
may be directly connected, affixed or coupled to each other or indirectly
connected, affixed or
coupled to each other. When a first element is referred to as being directly
connected, affixed
or coupled to a second element, then there are no intervening elements between
the first and
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second elements (other than possibly an adhesive or weld used to connect,
affix or couple the
first and second elements).
[0029] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a current order fulfillment
facility 100 showing
a storage structure 102 including a number of bays 104 of storage locations
106. The bays 104
each include a y-z array of storage locations 106 in horizontal rows and level
changing towers
along the rows which in embodiments may be vertical towers. Mobile robots 130
may travel
between storage levels in the z-direction within the level changing towers.
The pairs of bays
104 that are arranged to face each other, separated by aisles 108. An aisle
108 may have a width
such that a mobile robot 130 traveling within an aisle 108 may transfer
containers to the bays
104 on either side of the aisle 108.
[0030] The order fulfillment facility 100 includes decks 112 spaced apart at
different vertical
levels of the storage structure 102. The decks 112 may be arranged in pairs
and extend between
the aisles so that robots 130 can maneuver in the x-y plane of each deck to
travel between
different aisles. One of the decks 112 or suitable supporting structure may
also extend into the
respective aisles to allow technicians to walk into an aisle 108 to service
components within
the aisle. The order fulfillment facility 100 also includes an express deck
116 arranged to
extend between the aisles so that robots 130 can maneuver in the x-y plane to
travel between
different aisles. Decks 112 may be provided for transit of Bots 130 between
aisles or for transit
of Bots 130 between aisles and workstations (such as workstations 115). Here,
Express deck(s)
116 may be provided for x-direction movement, transit deck(s) 112 may be
provided for
workstation return and transit deck(s) 112 may be provided for staging and
sequencing
locations (buffer locations) feeding workstations.
[0031] FIG. 1A also shows examples of workstations 115. Each workstation is
equipped to
receive pairs of mobile robots. A first mobile robot at a station carries a
product tote, in
combination with successive mobile robots with items for fulfilling product
requests to make
up an order. A second mobile robot at the station carries an order tote, in
combination with
successive mobile robots as required, within which items from the product
totes are placed to
fulfill product requests to make up an order having one or more order totes.
Workers at a
workstation manually transfer items from a product tote to an order tote under
guidance of an
inventory control system at the workstation.
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[0032] As noted above, the order fulfillment facility 100 may further include
a number of
mobile robots 130 for transferring totes or other product or order containers
to and from
workstations 115 and storage locations 106 in the bays 104. The mobile robots
130 may be
self-guided and/or rail-guided so as to move horizontally and vertically
within aisles 108 to
transfer totes or other product containers between the mobile robots 130 and
storage locations
106. For example, a track system including horizontal rails may be affixed to
the bays 104 at
different vertical levels. The horizontal rails provide access to storage
shelves on either side of
an aisle 108 in the x-direction on a given level. The bays 104 include
vertical level changing
towers 122 within which the mobile robots may travel vertically in the z-
direction between
levels of storage locations 106.
[0033] FIG. 1B shows a partial view of a current order fulfillment facility
100 that includes a
storage structure 102 and workstations 115. The mobile robots 130 (not shown)
attempt to
traverse at a steady flow between any storage location within the storage
structure 102 and any
workstation 115. As noted in the Background section, the mobile robots 130 can
maneuver in
the x-y plane of each deck 112 resulting in congestion 121 of the mobile
robots at the
workstations 115. The congestion 121, if not managed, may reduce the overall
efficiency of
the current order fulfillment facility 100. A challenge in a discrete pick
design is the sequenced,
steady flow of product from any location in the storage block 102 to any
workstation 151 where
the flow of product must be efficiently sequenced with steady flow to and from
any location in
system 100. In the disclosed embodiment and as will be described, staging and
sequencing
towers are disclosed having preferred routing of mobile robots and storage
locations for staging
and sequencing of totes to facilitate management of congestion.
[0034] Further details of the workstations, storage structure and mobile robot
which may be
used are described for example in the following U.S. patents and patent
applications: U.S.
Patent No. 9,139,363, entitled "Automated System For Transporting Payloads,"
issued
September 22, 2015; U.S. Patent No. 10,435,241, entitled "Storage and
Retrieval System,"
issued October 8,2019; and U.S. Patent No. 11,142,398, entitled "Order
Fulfillment System,"
issued October 12, 2021. Each of these patents and applications are
incorporated by reference
herein in their entirety.
[0035] FIGS. 2A-2D are schematic illustrations and perspective views of an
order fulfillment
facility 100 in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Although
the aspects of
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the disclosed embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings, it
should be
understood that the aspects of the disclosed embodiment can be embodied in
many forms. In
addition, any suitable size, shape or type of elements or materials could be
used. It is also noted
that while X, Y and Z axis are referred to, reference of these axes may have
any suitable
directional identifiers. Referring to FIGS. 2A-2D, the order fulfillment
facility 100 may include
a storage structure 102, transit deck pairs 117, staging and sequencing towers
120 and
workstations 115. The storage structure 102 may include a number of bays 104
of storage
locations 106. The bays 104 each may include an y-z array of storage locations
106 and
horizontal rows and level changing towers 122 along the rows which in
embodiments may be
vertical towers. The transit deck pairs 117 may extend between the aisles 108
so that the mobile
robots 130 (not shown) can maneuver in the x-y plane providing one way transit
of the mobile
robots 130 between the storage structure 102 and the staging and sequencing
towers 120. Here,
decks 117 may be narrow, one-way transit decks to segment z-axis and x-axis
throughput
volumes yielding a compact design with maintenance access from a platform. The
staging and
sequencing towers 120 may have staging or storage shelves 124 similar to those
storage
locations 106 and vertical level changing towers 125. In one aspect, staging
or storage locations
124 may be located on both sides of the vertical level changing towers 125 and
in alternative
embodiments the staging locations 124 may be located on either side of the
vertical level
changing towers 125. The workstations 115 may be located at the ground level
of the staging
sequencing towers 120 and may be configured to receive the mobile robots 130
from the
staging and sequencing towers 120. In alternative embodiments, the
workstations 115 may be
interfaced with the staging and sequencing towers 120 at any level. The
workstations 115 may
be configured to receive the mobile robots 130 from the staging and sequencing
towers 120
and return the mobile robots 130 to the storage structure 102 via secondary
vertical level
changing towers 128 and the transit deck pairs 117. Here, the staging and
sequencing towers
120 are coupled to respective workstations 115 to remove sequencing
constraints from the
storage structure 102. In the embodiment shown, multiple transit planes 117
are provided to
spread throughput over multiple levels. Further, the buffer/sequencer 120 may
connect
workstations 115 to the transit planes 117 and allows the subsystems to work
substantially
independent of one another as will be described in greater detail.
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[0036] Referring now to FIG. 2B, the storage structure 102 of the order
fulfillment facility
100 may be divided into multiple zones 119. Dividing throughput across
multiple zones
removes I/O constraints from the storage system and increases throughput
capacity. Each zone
119 may be a three-dimensional array of storage locations 106. In one aspect,
the zone 119
may be a 13 x 6 x 16 array and in alternative embodiments the zone 119 may be
of any suitable
size. Each zone 119 may have one set of transit deck pairs 117 and in
alternative embodiments
each zone 119 may have any suitable number of transit deck pairs 117. Here, 2
X axis planes
are shown provided within a tier group of 6 levels. Further, within the same
cluster (8 aisles
with 6 levels), the decks provide redundancy as needed to go between clusters.
As the direction
of opposing x flows is dedicated by deck pair 117 as shown, there are no
sequence restrictions
or timing constraints within this subsystem providing a significant division
of throughput
resulting in single, bi-directional vertical towers.
[0037] Referring now to FIG. 2C, a path P1 or P2 may be established for a
mobile robot 130
(not shown) that flows from any location 106 in the storage structure 102 to
any workstation
115 or from any workstation 115 to any location 106 in the storage structure
102. For example,
path P1 begins at a location 106 within zone 119a, aisle 2, and then
progresses to vertical level
changing tower 122, then to the lower transit deck 117 of zone 119a, then to
vertical level
changing tower 125 and ending at the workstation 115. Path P2 begins at
workstation 115, and
then progresses to vertical level changing tower 125, then to lower transit
deck 117 of zone
119b, then to vertical level changing tower 122 and ending at a location 106
within zone 119b,
aisle 7. The paths P1 and P2 may be followed by a mobile robot 130 where the
mobile robot
130 may be carrying a product tote or an order tote. As discussed above and
shown by paths
P1 and P2, the mobile robot 130 may only traverse in one direction while on
the transit deck
117. The same paths P1 and P2 may be traversed by a single mobile robot at
different times,
or the paths P1 and P2 may be followed by two different mobile robots at the
same time.
[0038] Referring now to FIG. 2D, in one aspect, the mobile robot 130 may
transition from the
staging and sequencing towers 120 over a transit deck 117 and onto the
vertical level changing
tower 122 at any desired aisle 108 within the storage structure 102. The
vertical level changing
tower 122 may position the mobile robot 130 in the Z direction at any desired
level and the
mobile robot 130 may transition down the aisle 108 to any desired location 106
within the
storage structure 102.
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[0039] FIGS. 3A-D are schematic illustrations and perspective views of an
order fulfillment
facility 100 in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Referring
to FIG. 3A, in
one aspect, the storage structure 102 of the order fulfillment facility 100
may have two zones
119a and 119b and three sets of transit deck pairs 117a, 117b and 117c. FIG.
3A shows an
option having additional transit levels with logical boundaries between them.
For example, as
seen in FIG. 3A, each transit deck pair 117 covers 4 levels instead of 6
levels in contrast to
FIG. 2B where each transit deck pair 117 covers 6 levels. In alternative
embodiments the
storage structure 102 of the order fulfillment facility 100 may have any
suitable number of
zones 119 and sets of transit deck pairs 117. In one aspect, the transit deck
pairs 117 may
service one zone 119 and in alternative embodiments the transit deck pairs 117
may service
more than one zone 119. In one aspect, the vertical level changing tower 122
may traverse a
single zone and in other embodiments the vertical level changing tower 122 may
traverse more
than one zone 119 and in additional embodiments the vertical level changing
tower 122 may
traverse all zones 119. The selection of the number of transit deck pairs 117
to the number of
zones 119 may result in a desired throughput of mobile robots 130 within the
storage structure
102.
[0040] Referring now to FIGS. 3B-C, the flows Fl and F2 of mobile robots 130
(not shown)
on a transit deck 117 may be in one direction on the X-Y plane. The flows Fl
and F2 may each
have an inbound flow F li and F2i and an outbound flow Flo and F2o
respectively. Flow Fl
may have the inbound flow Fli that creates an open window for the outbound
flow Flo while
alternatively the flow F2 may have an inbound flow F2i that compromises the
outbound flow
F2o. The outbound flow F2o may have to wait until the inbound flow F2i has
transitioned off
of the transit deck 117 before it may proceed. FIGS. 3B-C show example
potential aisle
crossing I/O bottlenecks where with one-way transits, half of the 110's may be
each of these.
FIG. 3A shows a non-overlap flow where inbound traffic creates a window for
outbound traffic.
FIG. 3B shows an overlap flow where outbound traffic compounds the throughput
of inbound
traffic due to the overlap of the traffic patterns. With any tote to any
workstation, more volume
crosses the center territory decks where paired, one-way transit decks force
loop back (overlap)
of inbound / outbound loads may reduce system throughput.
[0041] Referring now to FIG. 3D certain locations 106 within the storage
structure 102 may
be designated as preferred zones PRz. The preferred zones PRz may be based
upon certain
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demand characteristics for the products located at the location 106. In one
aspect there may be
one preferred zone PRz and in alternative embodiments there may be any
suitable number of
preferred zones. As a mobile robot 130 completes work at the workstation 115,
the order
fulfillment facility 100 may analyze demand for products at locations 106
within each preferred
zone PRz. The mobile robot 130 may be deployed to a location 106 within the
first preferred
zone. Alternatively if there is no demand for products in the first preferred
zone PRz the mobile
robot 130 may be deployed to a location 106 within a lower preferred zone PRz.
Priority levels
PR1...n may be assigned to locations 106 within the storage structure 102. The
priority levels
PR1....n of the locations 106 may be based upon certain demand characteristics
for the
products located at the location 106 and whether there is an acceptable
service window. The
mobile robot 130 may be deployed to a location 106 with the highest priority
level and the next
mobile robot 130 may be deployed to a location 106 with the next highest
priority level
PR1...n.
[0042] An example sequence may be where a Bot completes work at a workstation,
the system
then seeks demand for source inventory in the closest preferred zone with the
highest demand
that is within and acceptable service window. If no work is found then the
system may seek
demand for source inventory in next preferred zone and so on to less preferred
zones. To reduce
sequence congestion downstream, the highest priority item within the preferred
zone may get
selected (highest priority = next in sequence within the subset).
[0043] FIGS. 4A-B are schematic illustrations of an order fulfillment facility
100 in
accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment having workstation buffers
utilizing bots
that swap loads. Here, initial delivery of totes by bots may be in any
sequence. As additional
totes arrive, the bot will deposit its current tote and pickup a nearby tote
that is next in sequence
to the workstation. This load swap sequencing allows optimization of the most
efficient moves
to and from storage. Referring to FIG. 4A, the staging and sequencing tower
120 may receive
product totes 140 from the storage structure 102. Mobile robot 130 may deliver
product totes
140 from the storage structure 102 in any sequenced order. Delivery of product
totes 140 to the
workstation 115 may be optimized by swapping newly arriving product totes 140
with
previously staged product totes 140. The mobile robot 130 may arrive to an
unoccupied staging
location and deposit the product tote 140 and then the mobile robot 130 may
move to an
occupied staging location and retrieve the product tote 140 (for example, the
next highest
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priority product tote). The product tote may then be delivered to the
workstation 115. In one
aspect the mobile robots 130 are transferring product totes 140 and in another
aspect the mobile
robots 130 are sequencing order totes 140. A mobile robot 130 carrying a
product tote 140 may
transition from a location 106 within the storage structure 102 to the
vertical level changing
tower 122, then transition to a transit deck 117, then transition to the
vertical level changing
tower 123 sb and then transition to a staging shelf 124. Referring now to FIG.
4B the staging
shelf 24 may have n locations where n-1 locations may be occupied at one time.
The staging
shelves 124 may have at least one location unoccupied in order to swap a
product tote 140. The
mobile robot 130 carrying a product tote 140 may arrive to the unoccupied
location on the
staging shelf 124 and deliver the product tote 140. The mobile robot 130 may
then transition
to an occupied location on the staging shelf 124, retrieve the product tote
140 and deliver the
product tote 140 to the workstation 115.
[0044] FIG. 5 is schematic illustrations of an order fulfillment facility 100
in accordance with
aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Referring now to FIG. 5 the workstation
115 may have
a first level input workstation 11511 and a second level output workstation
11512. The
workstation 115 may receive product totes 140pt and order totes 1400t from the
staging and
sequencing tower 120. In one aspect workers at the workstation 115 may
manually transfer
items from a product tote 140pt to an order tote 140ot under the guidance of
an inventory
control system at the workstation 115. In alternative embodiments any suitable
automated
method for transferring products from the product totes 140pt to the order
totes 1400t may be
used. The flow F3 of mobile robot 130 carrying product totes 140pt or order
totes 1400t may
transition from the staging shelf 124 to the vertical level changing tower
125, then the vertical
level changing tower may position the mobile robot 130 carrying product totes
140pt or order
totes 1400t to the first level input workstation 11511. The products may be
transferred from the
product tote 140pt to the order tote 1400t. The flow F4 of mobile robot 130
carrying product
totes 140pt or order totes 1400t may then transition from the first level
input workstation 11511
to the second level output workstation 11512 and back to the storage structure
102 via deck
structure adjacent to the sequencing tower.
[0045] FIG. 6 is schematic illustrations of an order fulfillment facility 100
in accordance with
aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Referring now to FIG. 6 the order
fulfillment facility 100
may include a modular and scalable storage structure 102, transit deck pairs
117, staging and
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sequencing towers 120, induction and removal workstations 115i and picking
workstations
115p. In one aspect the modular and scalable storage structure 102 may
increase in the Si or
S2 direction, in another aspect the modular and scalable storage structure 120
may increase in
the Si and S2 direction. The modular and scalable induction and removal
workstations 115i
may be added when the scalable storage structure 120 increases in the Si
direction and the
modular and scalable picking workstation 115p and the transit deck pairs 117
may be added
when scalable storage structure 120 increases in the S2 direction.
[0046] Referring now to FIGS. 7A-B there are shown schematic illustrations of
an order
fulfillment facility 100 in accordance with aspects of the disclosed
embodiment. In each case,
stage and sequence buffer (or tower) 120 is shown between storage 102 and
workstation 115.
Buffer 120 may be used between two asynchronous operations, or operations that
can ebb and
flow independent of one another. One asynchronous operation may be storage
operations in
storage array 102 where totes may be picked and placed by autonomous robots.
Another
asynchronous operation may be workstation operations where autonomous bots may
bring
product or order totes to workstation(s) 115 for picking orders. Asynchronous
operations may
include, for example any operation with potential disruption in a steady state
of flow (from
upstream source or at downstream destination) such as by contrast - a
conveyance assembly
line is a steady state whereas a decoupled work cell is not. The use of a
buffer weighs the
sequencing requirement vs. the ability to perform that sequencing upstream
without affecting
throughput. There are 3 variables for any buffer:
[0047] 1. Sequence-ability: FIFO (no sequencing) vs. Group Sequencing (soft)
vs. Strict
Sequencing (hard)
[0048] 2. Size: Driven by the level of imbalance between 2 systems and the
need for
sequencing
[0049] 3. Throughput: Driven by the steady state continuous flow
[0050] For sequencing buffers, software logic affects size and size affects
throughput. There
is a tradeoff, for example, the system requires strict sequencing of totes to
a workstation. By
way of further example, a bot has completed a task and needs a new assignment.
The "next
task in sequence" would be an inefficient move for the bot based on its
current location. Perhaps
it would be a better move for the next available bot, or the next, and total
time to delivery would
be better or perhaps not. Following are 3 exemplary options:
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[0051] Option A: The bot is assigned the most efficient work. This results in
higher bot
performance (fewer bots to do the same work) but larger buffer to deal with
the imbalance; OR
[0052] Option B: The bot is assigned the "next task in sequence" regardless of
how efficient
the move may or may not be;
[0053] Option C is a hybrid, with option A as the default up to a configurable
"aging
threshold" where you force option B regardless of how inefficient the move is.
[0054] FIGS. 7A-B illustrate two types of stage and sequence buffers. FIG. 7A
shows a
continuous flow buffer where, for example, the tote may stay on the bot, and
the bot "waits"
for its opportunity to engage the workstation. FIG. 7B shows a handover
exchange buffer where
bots working between storage 102 and stage 120 operate where a given bot drops
off a tote
going to the workstation and retrieves a tote going back to storage.
Similarly, bots working
between stage 120 and workstation 115 operate where a given bot drops off a
tote going to
storage and retrieves a tote going to the workstation. Here, the number of
bots serving the
workstation or the storage can flex per demand.
[0055] FIGS. 7A-B are schematic illustrations of an order fulfillment facility
100 in
accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Referring to FIG. 7A-B
the order
fulfillment facility 100 may include a storage structure 102, staging and
sequencing tower 120
and workstation 115. The flow F5 of mobile robot 130 carrying product totes
140pt or order
totes 1400t may transition from the storage structure 102 through the staging
and sequencing
tower 120 to the workstation 115. The product totes 140pt or order totes 1400t
may stay on the
mobile robot 130 while the mobile robot 130 waits for an opportunity to engage
the workstation
115. The flow F6 of mobile robot 130 carrying product totes 140pt or order
totes 1400t may
transition between the storage structure 102 and the staging and sequencing
tower 120 where
the mobile robot 130 delivers the product totes 140pt or order totes 1400t to
the staging and
sequencing tower 120 and retrieves a product totes 140pt or order totes 1400t
going back to the
storage structure 102. The flow F6 of mobile robot 130 carrying product totes
140pt or order
totes 1400t may also transition between the staging and sequencing tower 120
and the
workstation 115 where the mobile robot 130 delivers the product totes 140pt or
order totes
140ot to staging and sequencing tower 120 and retrieves a product totes 140pt
or order totes
1400t going to the workstation 115.
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[0056] FIGS. 8A-B are schematic illustrations and perspective views of an
order fulfillment
facility 100 in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. The
illustrations show
the system may be arranged such that there is always one preferred path from
any storage
location to any workstation, for example the bot may go to west bank 120' or
east bank 120",
but both banks feed the dynamic workstation 115. Here, one preferred path may
be provided
from workstation 115 to any storage location where the west bank 120' may
provide a path to
western storage locations and the east bank 120" to eastern storage locations.
The staging and
sequencing tower 120 may have a vertical level changing tower 130u where bots
travel in the
up direction and a second vertical level changing tower 130d where bots travel
in the down
direction located on each end of the staging shelves 124. Transit deck pairs
117 may interface
with one end of the staging and sequencing tower 120 and a dynamic workstation
115 may
interface with the other end of the staging and sequencing tower 120 (storage
structure 102 not
shown). A path P3 may be established for a mobile robot 130 (not shown) that
flows from the
dynamic workstation 115 through the staging and sequencing tower 120 to the
transit deck
pairs 117. More specifically, path P3 begins at dynamic workstation 115 and
progresses to the
vertical lift 130u, then transitions across the staging shelves 124 to a
vertical lift 130d and then
to the transit deck 117. A path P4 may be established for a mobile robot 130
(not shown) that
flows from the transit deck 117 to the vertical level changing tower 130d,
then to vertical level
changing tower 130u, then transitions across the staging shelves 124, then to
vertical level
changing tower 130d and then to the dynamic workstation 115.
[0057] FIGS. 9A-B are schematic illustrations and perspective views of an
order fulfillment
facility 100 in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Referring
to FIG. 9A-B
the staging and sequencing tower 120 may have a vertical level changing tower
130u where
bots travel in the up direction and a second vertical level changing tower
130d where bots travel
in the down direction located on each end of the staging shelves 124. Transit
deck pairs 117
may interface with one end of the staging and sequencing tower 120 and a
static workstation
115' may interface with the other end of the staging and sequencing tower 120
(storage
structure 102 not shown). A path P5 may be established for a mobile robot 130
(not shown)
that flows from the transit deck 117 to the vertical level changing tower
130u, then to vertical
level changing tower 130d, then transitions across the staging shelves 124,
then to vertical level
changing tower 130d then to the static workstation 115', then transitions
across the static
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workstations 115', then to vertical level changing tower130u and then to the
transit decks 117.
Here, one preferred path is shown from any storage location to any static
workstation location
with bi-directional i/o at the tower to deck interface.
[0058] FIG. 10 is schematic illustrations of an order fulfillment facility 100
in accordance
with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Referring now to FIG. 10, the order
fulfillment
facility 100 may include a storage structure 102 having variable sized bays
104a, 104c and
104f, transit deck pairs 117, staging and sequencing tower 120, induction and
removal
workstations 115i and picking workstations 115p. The size of the bays 104a,
104c and 104f
may be based on a balance of throughput of products and storage capacity. For
example, in
Fig. 10, a first set of bays of a first sized may be provided to store frozen
goods, a second set
of bays of a second size may be provided to store chilled goods, and a third
set of bays of a
third size may be provided to store goods at ambient temperature. Storage
locations in the first
and second set of bays may include refrigeration components (not shown). The
sizes shown in
Fig. 10 are by way of example only, and the frozen, chilled and ambient
storage bays may be
different sizes in different examples.
[0059] FIG. 11 is schematic illustrations of an order fulfillment facility 100
in accordance
with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Referring now to FIG. 11, the order
fulfillment
facility 100 may include a storage structure 102, where the storage structure
102 may have
individual clusters of bays 104a, 104b and 104c, where each cluster may have
transit deck pairs
117, staging and sequencing tower 120 and dynamic workstations 115. In one
aspect each bay
cluster 104a, 104b and 104c may process 75% of the volume VWa, VWb and VWc for
that
cluster and share 25% of the volume Vsh with the adjacent bay cluster. In
alternative
embodiments each bay cluster 104a, 104b and 104c may process any suitable
volume VWa,
VWb and VWc for that cluster and share any suitable volume Vsh with the
adjacent bay cluster.
[0060] Fig. 12 is a plan view of an alternate order fulfillment facility 200
in accordance with
aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Fig's. 13 and 14 are side section and
side views
respectively of an alternate order fulfillment facility 200 in accordance with
aspects of the
disclosed embodiment. Fig's. 15 and 16 are isometric views of an alternate
order fulfillment
facility 200 in accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Order
fulfillment facility
200 has storage array 210 where product and order totes may be stored and
retrieved by
automated mobile robots 214. Climbing towers 218 are positioned at either end
of storage
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structure 210 where automated mobile robots 214 can enter and climb in the
towers to different
levels of storage structure 210. Looping turning planes 222 are coupled to
every other level of
tower 218. Buffer storage 228 is coupled on the +Y end to looping turning
planes 222 and on
the -Y end to climbing towers 232, 234. Dynamic workstations or picking
workstations 240
are shown coupled to tower 234 at different locations in the X direction where
tower 234 feeds
Bots 214 having order and product totes to workstations 240 to consolidate
orders in order totes
from successive product totes where a picker picks different SKU from
successive product
totes and places them in order totes to make up a given order. Product totes
generally come
from storage structure 210. Upon completion, order totes generally may be
transported by Bots
214 to storage 210, buffer storage 228 or more typically for order tote
storage and dispense to
customer dispense modules 250 where dispense modules 250 provide customer
access to order
totes filled with the contents of a filled order. Here, bots 214 having order
totes may traverse
from workstation 240 to tower 234, transit rail 244, rail to dispense
structure 246 and ultimately
to local storage 248 within dispense module 250. Inventory may be inducted
into system 200
through static workstations or rack portals 258 where induction structure 262
may have towers
and rails that couple static workstations or rack portals 258 to looping
turning planes 222. Static
workstations or rack portals 258 allow totes to be inducted into system 200 or
taken out of
system 200 safely where inducted totes may be totes that have replenishment
inventory or
empty totes that have been cleaned, reconditioned or otherwise.
[0061] In operation, system 200 employs controller 272 to coordinate movement
of Bots 214
and the transport and storage of totes within system 200 by Bots 214. Here,
controller 272 may
be configured to have order storage separated from product storage wherever
possible.
Controller 272 may be used in any of the above-described embodiments as well.
Here, product
storage (product totes containing inventory suitable for picking) is
predominantly maintained
and stored in storage structure 210 portion of system 200 upstream of buffer
storage 228 and
picking workstations 240. By way of contrast, order storage (order tote(s)
containing multiple
SKUs picked from product totes at picking workstations 240 making up a given
order) of order
totes may be predominantly maintained and stored in rail to dispense structure
246 and/or local
storage 248 within dispense portal 250 waiting for customers to pick up the
respective order at
portal 250. By segregating storage in this manner, traffic overlaps may be
minimized within
product storage areas. Further, transit rails 244 connected to order storage
246, 248 enable
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direct connection of completed order tote traffic from workstations 240
without going onto in
rack transit planes 222. Controller 272 may be configured to control the flow
of Bots 214 to
minimize the potential for congestion. In one aspect, controller 272 may be
configured to
control traffic on looping turning planes 222 as shown in diagram 274 where
traffic on looping
turning planes 222 may be designated such that a unidirectional flow is
established to minimize
the potential for congestion. This flow may be reversed in whole or in part,
for example, by
level to provide for the efficient transport of product totes in and out of
storage structure 210
and / or buffer 222.
[0062] Fig. 17 is a side view of workstation 240 in an order fulfillment
facility 200 in
accordance with aspects of the disclosed embodiment. Workstations 240 are
shown connected
to towers / rails 234 instead of looping decks 222. By arranging the
workstation as shown, 2 or
more input levels 280 or output levels 282 may be provided for Bots 214 to
access and depart
workstation 240 as opposed to 1 input / 1 output. Alternately any suitable
combination may be
provided, for example, 2 input levels and 1 output level or otherwise.
[0063] Referring also to Fig. 18, there is shown a partial section view as
seen in Fig. 13 further
illustrating flow of Bots with full or empty order totes. As seen in Fig. 18,
controller 272 may
be configured to control the flow of Bots 214 to minimize the potential for
congestion of order
totes where Bots may be directed in a unidirectional fashion from the upper
rail of transit rails
244, through storage and dispense portal 250 and routed back to workstation
back through the
lower rail of transit rails 244. Accordingly, controller 272 may be configured
to coordinate
movement of Bots 214 and the transport and storage of totes within system 200
by Bots 214
where product totes may be segregated from order totes and where
interconnecting loops of
Bot traffic may be used in a unidirectional fashion or otherwise to minimize
the potential for
congestion. Here in system 200, by way of example, product totes may be
segregated to storage
210 with the exception of when they are utilized for order picking at picking
workstations 240
where they traverse from storage 210 via looping turning planes 222 to buffer
storage 228 to
workstations 240 and back via towers as explained. Similarly, order totes may
be segregated
to local storage 246 or 248 within dispense portal 250 after the order is
picked at workstations
240 where order totes depart workstations 240 via towers 234 and transit rail
244. Similarly,
controller 272 may be configured to control the flow of Bots where
interconnecting loops of
Bot traffic may be used in a unidirectional fashion or otherwise to minimize
the potential for
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congestion. By way of non-limiting example, 6 exemplary loops may be provided.
In alternate
aspects, more or less loops may be provided. The 6 exemplary loops may be:
[0064] 1. Product storage loop 290 (Fig. 13) in storage structure 210 to allow
given Bots for
product totes to get to the appropriate level for buffering or otherwise;
[0065] 2. Looping turning planes loop 274 (Fig. 12) where traffic on looping
turning planes
222 may be designated such that a unidirectional flow of Bots with products
totes is established;
[0066] 3. Product tote workstation loop 292 (Fig. 17) cycling Bots for product
totes from the
buffer through the workstation;
[0067] 4. Order tote workstation loop 294 (Fig. 18) which may be similar to
Product tote
workstation loop 292 cycling empty order totes from order tote storage through
the
workstation;
[0068] 5. Pre dispense order tote loop 276 (Fig. 17) where Bots for full order
totes are cycled
from the workstation 240 to local storage 246 or 248 within dispense portal
250; and
[0069] 6. Dispense order tote loop 294 where Bots for full order totes are
cycled from the
buffered order tote storage 246 or 248 within dispense portal 250 to the
dispense portals
themselves for access to the order tote contents by customers for customer
pickup at portal 250.
[0070] Accordingly, controller 272 may be configured to coordinate movement of
Bots 214
and the transport and storage of totes within any suitable system, further
examples of which
will be described, where product totes may be segregated from order totes and
where
interconnecting loops of Bot traffic may be used in a unidirectional fashion
or otherwise to
minimize the potential for congestion. Dispense portal 250 is shown as a drive
up dispense
portal, for example, where customers may drive up to portal 250 and remove
order contents as
disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 63/127,762 filed on December 18, 2020
and entitled
"micro-fulfillment center with automated dispense and return using mobile
robots and method
of operating same" incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In
alternate aspects and as
will be described, dispense portal 250 may be a rack based dispense where
order totes are
dispensed to removeable racks, the racks configured for transport by truck or
otherwise as
disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2022-0219904, entitled "TRANSPORT
RACK AND
TRANSPORT RACK DOCKING INTERFACE," published July 14, 2022 incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety.
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[0071] Referring now to Fig. 19, there is shown a top view of an alternate
embodiment system
330. Referring also to Fig. 20, there is shown a side view of system 330.
Referring also to
Fig. 21, there is shown a partial isometric view of system 330. System 330 has
product tote
storage 340, looping turning planes 346 connected to product tote storage 340
on one side and
product tote buffer 348 on the other. Inventory may be inducted into system
330 through static
workstations or rack portals 350 that are coupled to looping turning planes
346. Picking
workstations 356 are coupled to product tote buffer 348 via towers. Transit
rails 360 couple
towers from picking workstations 356 to looping turning planes 362 which may
be provided to
allow totes to be routed to order tote buffer storage 364 for dispense at rack
portals 368. Here,
racks with completed orders may be moved to trucks 370 for delivery. System
330 may utilize
a controller to coordinate movement of Bots and the transport and storage of
totes within the
system as disclosed or as applied by one skilled, where product totes may be
segregated from
order totes and where interconnecting loops of Bot traffic may be used in a
unidirectional
fashion or otherwise to minimize the potential for congestion.
[0072] Referring now to Fig. 22A, there is shown a top view of an alternate
embodiment
system 430. Referring also to Fig. 22B, there is shown an isometric view of
alternate
embodiment system 430. Referring also to Fig. 23, there is shown a side view
of system 430.
System 430 has product tote storage 440, looping turning planes 446 connected
to product tote
storage 440 on one side and product tote buffer 448 on the other. Inventory
may be inducted
into system 430 through static workstations or rack portals 450 that are
coupled to looping
turning planes 446. Picking workstations 456 are coupled to product tote
buffer 448 via towers.
Transit rails 460 couple towers from picking workstations 456 to looping
turning planes 462
which may be provided to allow totes to be routed to order tote buffer storage
464 buffered for
dispense. Tote buffer storage 464 may or may not have tower(s) for Bot
climbing and may be
further coupled to looping turning planes 470 which are in turn coupled to
rack portals 472
which may or may not have local storage and towers in addition to the rack
storage. Here, racks
476 with completed orders may be moved to trucks 478 for delivery. As compared
to system
330, system 430 has order tote storage 464 which may buffer order totes and
dispatch them to
racks via decks 470 and portals 472. System 430 may utilize a controller to
coordinate
movement of Bots and the transport and storage of totes within the system as
disclosed or as
applied by one skilled, where product totes may be segregated from order totes
and where
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interconnecting loops of Bot traffic may be used in a unidirectional fashion
or otherwise to
minimize the potential for congestion. As seen in Fig. 22B, high volume flow
492 of product
migrates from product totes in storage structure 440 to trucks 478 for
delivery where capacity
may be expanded 494, for example by adding tote storage locations to add SKU's
or
incremental inventory to the system or replicating 496 elements of the system
to add capacity.
[0073] In accordance with an example embodiment, an apparatus may be provided
with a
controller comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory
memory including
computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code
configured
to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to stage and sequence
mobile robots and
totes as disclosed through system 100.
[0074] Referring also to Fig. 24, there is shown a top view of system 500.
Here, system 430
may be provided with an additional system 430' similar to system 430 where
order capacity
needs to be increased. Here order tote storage and dispense capability is also
increased but
where the system 500 has the flexibility to share between systems 430, 430',
for example,
product totes from system 430 may be directed to system 430' and vice versa.
Similarly, order
totes from system 430 may be directed to system 430' and vice versa.
[0075] Referring also to Fig. 25 there is shown a top view of system 500'.
Here, system 430
may be provided with an additional system 430' similar to system 430 where
order capacity
needs to be increased. Further system 510 may be added having features similar
to system 430
but capable of handling chilled and / or frozen goods and where order capacity
needs to be
increased to include chilled or frozen goods. Here order tote storage 522 and
dispense
capability is also increased but where the system 500' has the flexibility to
share between
systems 430, 430', 510, for example, product totes from system 430 may be
directed to system
430' and / or 510 and vice versa. Similarly, order totes from system 430 may
be directed to
system 430' and / or 510 and vice versa. System 510 is shown coupled to system
430' via
extension of looping turning planes and addition of looping turning planes 520
which may be
overhead or otherwise. Similarly, system 500' may be extended 530 as capacity
is needed. By
way of example, Fig. 26 shows system 530 having substantially mirrored
inventory between
modules 540, 542 but with minimal crossover between modules 540, 542. Here,
the systems
540, 542 may operate substantially in parallel effectively doubling the order
fulfillment
capacity.
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[0076] In accordance with an example embodiment a non-transitory program
storage device
readable by a machine may be provided, such as memory, for example, tangibly
embodying a
program of instructions executable by the machine for performing operations,
the operations
comprising: calculating routing of mobile robots and totes to stage and
sequence mobile robots
and totes as disclosed through system 100.
[0077] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be
utilized as the
memory. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium
or a non-
transitory computer readable storage medium. A non-transitory computer
readable storage
medium does not include propagating signals and may be, for example, but not
limited to, an
electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor
system, apparatus,
or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific
examples (a non-
exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the
following: an
electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette,
a hard disk, a
random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable
read-
only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc
read-only
memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any
suitable
combination of the foregoing.
[0078] In summary, the present technology relates to an automated order
fulfillment system,
comprising mobile robots configured to transport totes carrying goods, the
automated order
fulfillment system comprising: a storage structure accessible by the mobile
robots and
comprising storage locations configured to store the totes received from the
mobile robots; one
or more workstations accessible by the mobile robots and configured to receive
totes from the
mobile robots for processing of orders for goods; and a staging and sequencing
buffer
contiguous with the storage structure, the staging and sequencing buffer
comprising staging
locations for storing the totes, the staging and sequencing buffer configured
to provide a buffer
for totes transferred from the storage structure to be processed at the one or
more workstations.
[0079] In another example, the present technology relates to a method of
fulfilling orders for
goods in an automated order fulfillment system, comprising: storing totes
including the goods
in a storage structure by mobile robots; transferring totes from the storage
structure to a staging
and sequencing buffer comprising staging locations by the mobile robots; and
transferring totes
from the staging and sequencing buffer to a workstation for fulfilling product
orders by the
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mobile robots, the staging and sequencing buffer buffering totes to be
transferred to the
workstation.
[0080] In a further example, the present technology relates to an automated
order fulfillment
system, comprising mobile robots configured to transport totes carrying goods,
the automated
order fulfillment system comprising: a storage structure accessible by the
mobile robots and
comprising storage locations configured to store product totes of the totes
received from the
mobile robots, the product totes storing inventory for fulfilling orders; a
dispensing module
comprising local storage locations configured to store order totes of the
totes received from the
mobile robots, the order totes storing inventory received from one or more
product totes; one
or more workstations accessible by the mobile robots and configured to receive
the product
totes and the order totes from the mobile robots for transfer of goods from
the product totes to
the order totes; and a staging and sequencing buffer comprising staging
locations for storing
the product totes from the storage structure enroute to the one or more
workstations; wherein
the product totes travel in a first unidirectional loop between the storage
structure, the staging
and sequencing buffer and the one or more workstations; and wherein the order
totes travel in
a second unidirectional loop between the local storage of the dispensing
module and the one or
more workstations.
[0081] In another example, the present technology relates to an automated
order fulfillment
system, comprising mobile robots configured to transport totes carrying goods,
the automated
order fulfillment system comprising: a storage structure accessible by the
mobile robots and
comprising storage locations configured to store the totes received from the
mobile robots; one
or more pairs of decks, mobile robots entering and exiting the storage
structure from the one
or more pairs of decks, mobile robots traveling in a first direction in a
first deck of a pair of the
one or more pairs of decks, and mobile robots traveling in a second direction
in a second deck
of the pair of decks; one or more workstations accessible by the mobile robots
and configured
to receive totes from the mobile robots for processing of orders for goods; a
staging and
sequencing buffer contiguous with the storage structure, the staging and
sequencing buffer
comprising staging locations for storing the totes, the staging and sequencing
buffer configured
to provide a buffer for totes transferred from the storage structure to be
processed at the one or
more workstations; and a controller for implementing unidirectional flow
through the one or
more pairs of decks and the staging and sequencing buffer.
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[0082] The foregoing detailed description has been presented for purposes of
illustration and
description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the description
to the precise form
disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the
above teaching. The
described embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the principles of
the claimed
system and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the
art to best utilize the
claimed system in various embodiments and with various modifications as are
suited to the
particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the method be
defined by the claims
appended hereto.
