Patent Application
20250229985
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/193,377, filed Mar. 5, 2021, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/986,406 filed Mar. 6, 2020, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
The present invention relates to order fulfillment systems, and relates in particular to systems for providing aggregation of objects (e.g., products, packages, bags, items, goods, etc.) for preparation for shipment to destination locations, such as in Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems.
Order fulfillment systems typically involve the processing of a wide variety of objects for distribution to a large number of distribution locations, such as intermediate distribution stations, mail order stations, geographic group locations and address specific locations. Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) generally include computer controlled systems of automatically storing (placing) and retrieving items from defined storage locations. Traditional AS/RS typically employ totes (or bins), which are the smallest unit of load for the system. In these systems, the totes are brought to people who pick individual items out of the totes. When a person has picked the required number of items out of the tote, the tote is then re-inducted back into the AS/RS.
In these traditional systems, the totes are brought to a person, and the person may either remove an item from the tote or add an item to the tote. The tote is then returned to the storage location. Such systems, for example, may be used in libraries and warehouse storage facilities. The AS/RS involves no processing of the items in the tote, as a person processes the objects when the tote is brought to the person. This separation of jobs allows any automated transport system to do what it is good at-moving totes-and the person to do what the person is better at-picking items out of cluttered totes. It also means the person may stand in one place while the transport system brings the person totes, which increases the rate at which the person can pick goods.
There are limits however, on such conventional systems in terms of the time and resources required to move totes toward and then away from each person, as well as how quickly a person can process totes in this fashion in applications where each person may be required to process a large number of totes. There remains a need therefore, for an AS/RS that stores and retrieves objects more efficiently and cost effectively, yet also assists in the processing of a wide variety of objects.
In accordance with an aspect, the invention provides a storage, retrieval and processing system for processing objects including: a plurality of bins including objects to be distributed, the plurality of bins being provided on an input conveyance system, an articulated arm that includes an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects, the articulated arm being capable of reaching any of the objects within at least one of the plurality of bins in an input area of the conveyance system, a drop perception unit for providing perception data regarding a selected object that is presented to the drop perception unit by the articulated arm, and a routing conveyance system for receiving the selected object, and for moving the selected object in each of horizontal and vertical directions toward a selected destination container responsive to the perception data, the routing conveyance system including at least one object conveyor for urging the selected object toward the selected destination container in a third direction that is generally orthogonal to the horizontal and vertical directions.
In accordance with another aspect, the invention provides a storage, retrieval and processing system for processing objects that includes: a plurality of bins including objects to be distributed, the plurality of bins being provided on an input conveyance system, an articulated arm that includes an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects, the articulated arm being capable of reaching any of the objects within at least one of the plurality of bins in an input area of the input conveyance system, and a routing conveyance system including an object conveyor for receiving the selected object, and for moving the selected object from the input area in each of routing horizontal and vertical directions toward a destination container using one of at least two grid conveyances, the grid conveyances being adapted to travel along the horizontal and vertical directions and to avoid colliding with one another by generally traveling in similar circuits, one of which is time delayed with respect to the other.
In accordance with a further aspect, the invention provides a method of providing storage, retrieval and processing of objects including: providing on a conveyance system a plurality of bins including objects to be distributed, grasping and moving objects within at least one of the plurality of bins in an input area of the conveyance system using an articulated arm that includes an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects, the articulated arm being capable of reaching any of the objects within at least one of the plurality of bins in an input area of the conveyance system, providing perception data regarding a selected object that is presented to the drop perception unit by the articulated arm; routing the selected object in each of horizontal and vertical directions toward a selected destination container responsive to the perception data using a first object conveyor, and urging the selected object toward the selected conveyor in a third direction that is generally orthogonal to the horizontal and vertical directions.
The following description may be further understood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The drawings are shown for illustrative purposes only.
In accordance with an aspect, the invention provides an ASRS system 10 in which objects are provided in a plurality of bins 12 at an input area 14 of an input conveyance system 16. Objects are processed at a processing station 18, then routed via a routing conveyance system 20 to any of a plurality of destination containers at a destination area 22. The processing station 18 may include an articulated arm 24, a bin perception unit 50 and drop perception unit 26. Generally, objects are provided to the input area 14 in bins 12, are moved by an articulated arm 24 to the drop perception unit 26, fall to an object feed conveyor 48, and are routed to any of a plurality of destination containers any of one or more container arrays 44A, 44B. Empty containers are provided to each container array 44A, 44B, and completed containers are removed from each container array, by a container movement system adjacent either of output conveyors 34, 36. With reference to
The operations of the system are coordinated with a central control system 100 as shown in
In particular, the system of an aspect includes a bin perception unit 50 that is mounted above a bin of objects to be processed next to the articulated arm 24, looking down into a bin 12. The bin perception unit 50, for example and as shown in
With reference to
An important aspect of systems of certain embodiments of the present invention, is the ability to identify via barcode or other visual markings of objects, unique indicia associated with the object by employing a drop perception unit into which objects may be dropped. Automated scanning systems would be unable to see barcodes on objects that are presented in a way that their barcodes are not exposed or visible. The drop perception unit may be used in certain embodiments, with a robotic system that may include a robotic arm equipped with sensors and computing, that when combined is assumed herein to exhibit the following capabilities: (a) it is able to pick objects up from a specified class of objects, and separate them from a stream of heterogeneous objects, whether they are jumbled in a bin, or are singulated on a motorized or gravity conveyor system; (b) it is able to move the object to arbitrary places within its workspace; (c) it is able to place objects in an outgoing bin or shelf location in its workspace; and, (d) it is able to generate a map of objects that it is able to pick, represented as a candidate set of grasp points in the workcell, and as a list of polytopes enclosing the object in space.
The allowable objects are determined by the capabilities of the robotic system. Their size, weight and geometry are assumed to be such that the robotic system is able to pick, move and place them. These may be any kind of ordered goods, packages, parcels, or other articles that benefit from automated sorting. Each object is associated with unique indicia such as a unique code (e.g., barcode) or a unique destination (e.g., address) of the object.
The manner in which inbound objects arrive may be for example, in one of two configurations: (a) inbound objects arrive piled in bins of heterogeneous objects; or (b) inbound articles arrive by a moving conveyor. The collection of objects includes some that have exposed bar codes and other objects that do not have exposed bar codes. The robotic system is assumed to be able to pick items from the bin or conveyor. The stream of inbound objects is the sequence of objects as they are unloaded either from the bin or the conveyor. With reference to
The manner in which outbound objects are organized is such that objects are placed in a bin, shelf location or container, into which all objects corresponding to a given order are consolidated. These outbound destinations may be arranged in vertical arrays, horizontal arrays, grids, or some other regular or irregular manner, but which arrangement is known to the system. The robotic pick and place system is assumed to be able to place objects into all of the outbound destinations, and the correct outbound destination is determined from unique identifying indicia (identify or destination, such as a bar code or a unique address), which identifies the object or its destination.
It is assumed that the objects are marked in one or more places on their exterior with a visually distinctive mark such as a barcode or radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag so that they may be identified with a scanner. The type of marking depends on the type of scanning system used, but may include 1D or 2D barcode symbologies. Multiple symbologies or labeling approaches may be employed. The types of scanners employed are assumed to be compatible with the marking approach. The marking, either by barcode, RFID tag, or other means, encodes a symbol string, which is typically a string of letters and numbers. The symbol string uniquely associates the object with unique identifying indicia (identity or destination).
The operations of the systems described herein are coordinated by the central control system 100 as shown in
With reference to
Each routing conveyor unit 38A, 38B is adapted to receive a selected object on its object conveyor 37, which is mounted on the frame 39 that travels along the track system 43, 45 in both vertical and horizontal directions between the at least two vertically stacked arrays 44A, 44B of destination containers 46 (e.g., bins, totes, boxes, etc.). The selected object (e.g., 41) is received by the object conveyor 37 from the object feed conveyor 48 of the conveyance system, and brings the object toward a selected destination container among the vertically stacked arrays 44A, 44B. After routing the selected object to the selected destination location, the routing conveyor unit is returned to the object feed conveyor 48 to receive a new object 49. Routing conveyor units 38A, 38B are programmed to avoid each other, for example, by generally moving at different elevations when passing one another.
In particular, with reference to
With reference to
The system therefore provides objects to either of two adjacent vertically stacked arrays of destination containers, wherein at least two routing conveyor units are used to move objects from a loading location (at conveyor 48) to any destination container in either of the arrays 44. The routing conveyor units are moved such that one returns to the loading location while the other is delivering an object, and the returning unit moves vertically opposite the delivering unit. For example, if the delivering unit is moving to a location in the upper half of either of the arrays 44, then the returning unit is moved in the lower half of the area between the arrays. Conversely if the delivering unit is moving to a location in the lower half of either of the arrays 44, then the returning unit is moved in the upper half of the area between the arrays. In this way, the routing conveyor units 38A, 38B avoid colliding. Each of the objects is therefore moved vertically and horizontally by a routing conveyor unit, and then moved in a third direction by the container conveyor wherein the third direction is generally orthogonal to the first and second directions. The container may later be removed from the open storage location also along the third direction when completed as discussed in more detail below, and then moved horizontally and vertically for removal to an output conveyor.
When a destination container is full or otherwise finished being processed, the completed destination container 52 may be drawn from the outside of the respective vertically stacked array 44A, 44B, and moved to an associated output conveyor 34, 36. The outside of each array is opposite the inside adjacent the routing conveyor units. Each of the destination bins 46 in the arrays 44A, 44B is positioned within an open storage location 54, and each open storage location 54 includes a storage conveyor 56 that supports (and may move) each associated destination conveyor. A container movement system associated with each array 44A, 44B cooperates with each storage conveyor 56 to move containers to and from each array. The container movement system includes a container movement unit 90 that includes a container conveyor 92 mounted on a structure 94 that is movable vertically along container movement vertical rails 96. The ends of the container movement vertical rails 96 are mounted on and horizontally along container movement horizontal rails 98 (shown in
The container movement unit 90 is brought to the completed destination container 52 along the container movement vertical rails 96 and the container movement horizontal rails 98, and the storage conveyor 56 then urges the container 52 onto the container conveyor 92 of the container movement unit 90 as shown in
Empty containers may also be provided to the vertically stacked arrays using the container movement system. In particular, empty containers may be provided (e.g., at an input end of each conveyor 34, 36 and may be retained until needed by gates 110 as shown in
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications and variations may be made to the above disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claim.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62986406 | Mar 2020 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17193377 | Mar 2021 | US |
| Child | 19069764 | US |
