AutoStore Technology AS

A container handling vehicle for picking up storage containers from a three-dimensional grid of an underlying storage system includes a first set of wheels arranged at opposite portions of a vehicle body, for moving the vehicle along a first direction on a rail system in the grid; a second set of wheels arranged at opposite portions of the vehicle body, for moving the vehicle along a second direction on the rail system in the grid. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. The vehicle body includes walls on all sides and forms a quadrilateral footprint. A first section and a second section arranged side-by-side such that a centre point of the first section is arranged off centre relative a centre point of the footprint formed by the vehicle body. A size ratio of a footprint of the first section relative a footprint of the second section is at least 2:1. The first section is configured to accommodate a storage container, and the second section includes at least a first battery.

The present invention relates to automated storage and retrieval system comprising: a track system comprising a first set of parallel tracks arranged in a horizontal plane and extending in a first direction, and a second set of parallel tracks arranged in the horizontal plane and extending in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, which first and second sets of tracks form a grid pattern in the horizontal plane comprising a plurality of adjacent grid cells, each comprising a grid opening defined by a pair of adjacent tracks of the first set of tracks and a pair of adjacent tracks of the second set of tracks; a plurality of stacks of storage containers arranged in storage columns located beneath the track system, wherein each storage column is located vertically below a grid opening; a plurality of container handling vehicles for lifting and moving storage containers stacked in the stacks, the container handling vehicles being configured to move laterally on the track system above the storage columns to access the storage containers via the grid openings, wherein each of the plurality of container handling vehicles comprises: a wheel assembly for guiding the container handling vehicle along the track system; wherein the container handling vehicle has a footprint with a horizontal extension which is equal to or less than the horizontal extension of a grid cell. Each container handling vehicle comprises: a protruding section which extends horizontally beyond the footprint of the load handling vehicle and, when the container handling vehicle is positioned above a grid cell, into a neighbouring grid cell; and a recessed section arranged to accommodate the protruding sections of other container handling vehicles when it operates over a neighbouring grid cell. The present invention also relates to a container handling vehicle for such an automated storage and retrieval system and a method of operating such an automated storage and retrieval system.

A container-handling vehicle for picking up storage containers from a three-dimensional grid of an underlying storage system includes a vehicle body and at least one lifting device. The lifting device includes a lifting shaft assembly including a lifting shaft and at least one motor for rotating the lifting shaft, a lifting frame for releasably connecting a storage container, and a first pair of lifting bands and a second pair of lifting bands connecting the lifting shaft to the lifting frame. The lifting shaft includes a first end section and a second end section. Each lifting band has a first end and a second end connected to the lifting shaft and a corresponding lifting band connector on the lifting frame, respectively. Each pair of lifting bands has a first lifting band connected at the first end section of the lifting shaft and a second lifting band connected at the second end section of the lifting shaft. The first pair of lifting bands extends in a substantially horizontal direction from the lifting shaft towards a band guiding assembly, the band guiding assembly is arranged to change the direction of the first pair of lifting bands to extend in a vertical direction. The second pair of lifting bands extends in a vertical direction from the lifting shaft at the side of the lifting shaft facing away from the band guiding assembly, and the connections between the first ends of the first pair of lifting bands and the lifting shaft is staggered by 75-105 degrees relative the connections between the first ends of the second pair of lifting bands and the lifting shaft.

A container handling vehicle for picking up storage containers from a three-dimensional grid of an underlying storage system includes a first set of wheels, arranged at opposite portions of a vehicle body of the container handling vehicle, for moving the vehicle along a first direction on a rail system of the grid; and a second set of wheels, arranged at opposite portions of the vehicle body, for moving the vehicle along a second direction on the rail system of the grid. The second direction is being perpendicular to the first direction. The vehicle body includes walls on all sides forming a footprint defined by horizontal peripheries in the first and second directions of the vehicle body. The container handling vehicle further includes a first section and a second section arranged side-by-side such that a centre point of a footprint of the first section is arranged off centre relative a centre point of the footprint of the vehicle body, and a size ratio of the footprint of the first section relative a footprint of the second section is at least 2:1. The first section is configured to accommodate a storage container, and the second section includes an assembly of motors for driving at least one wheel of each of the sets of wheels.

The present invention provides a container-handling vehicle ( 9′ ) for picking up storage containers ( 6 ) from a three-dimensional grid ( 4 ) of an underlying storage system ( 1 ), comprising a vehicle body ( 13 ) and at least one lifting device ( 18 ) for lifting a storage container ( 6 ) from the grid ( 4 ), the lifting device ( 18′ ) comprises a lifting band drive assembly ( 47, 47′,31 ), a horizontal lifting frame ( 17 ) and a plurality of lifting bands ( 16 a, 16 b ); the lifting band drive assembly ( 47, 47′,31 ) is connected to the vehicle body ( 13 ) and comprises at least one rotatable lifting shaft ( 22.22′ ); the lifting frame ( 17,17 ) comprises four corner sections ( 36 ), gripper elements ( 24 ) for releasable connection to a storage container ( 6 ), and a lifting band connector ( 32,32′ ) arranged at each of the corner sections; the lifting bands ( 16 a, 16 b ) are connected to the lifting band drive assembly ( 47, 47′,31 ) and the lifting band connectors ( 32,32′ ), such that the lifting frame ( 17, 17 ) may move in a vertical direction relative to the lifting band drive assembly by rotation of the lifting shaft ( 22,22 ); wherein at least three of the lifting band connectors ( 32,32′ ) are adjustable, such that the vertical distance between the respective corner sections and the lifting band drive assembly may be adjusted.

A remotely operated delivery vehicle for transport of a storage container between an automated storage and retrieval grid configured to store a plurality of stacks of storage containers, and a second location for handling of the storage container by at least one of a robotic operator and a human operator, the remotely operated delivery vehicle comprising: rolling devices configured to move the remotely operated delivery vehicle in a horizontal plane along tracks of a delivery rail system comprising a first set of parallel rails arranged in a first direction and a second set of parallel rails arranged in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, rolling device motors for driving the rolling devices, and a power source configured to provide propulsion power to the rolling device motors. The remotely operated delivery vehicle further comprises a container carrier configured to receive the storage container from above and onto or at least partly into the container carrier so that contents of the storage container are accessible by the at least one of the robotic operator and the human operator.

The operation of container handling vehicles and remotely operated specialized container handling vehicles are controlled by a method such that total elapsed time or waiting time cost for transferring specified storage containers between them is minimal or optimal. The specialized container handling vehicles are operating at a level below an automated storage and retrieval system having a framework structure defining a storage grid for storing storage containers in grid cells. The storage containers are stored and retrieved by container handling vehicles running on top of the storage grid. At least one operational controller, which is in communication with a first type of controller in each container handling vehicle and a second type of controller in each specialized container handling vehicle, performs the followings steps: when a specified storage container is to be transferred from a storage column and its corresponding grid cell to a specialized container handling vehicle: assigning and instructing a container handling vehicle to pick up the storage container from the grid cell and lower it to a selected port, located at the lower end of an identified free delivery column by transmitting instructions to the first type of controller of the assigned container handling vehicle, where the port selected is included as a variable in a weighting function together with time and waiting cost to derive a trade-off of the container handling vehicle and the specialized container handling vehicle having the best matching travel time to the port; moving the container handling vehicle to the grid cell, picking up the storage container and transporting it to a grid cell of the delivery column where the port is; transmitting a signal to the specialized container handling vehicles comprising information of the selected port at a first location and when the storage container will be available at the port; based on responses from the specialized container handling vehicles, assigning and instructing a specialized container handling vehicle to retrieve the specified storage container at the selected port; moving the assigned specialized container handling vehicle to the selected port at the first location, picking up the storage container and bringing it to a second location; and/or, when a specified storage container is to be transferred to a grid cell, for storage in its corresponding storage column, by a specialized container handling vehicle: determining which port at a first location that is to be used, where the port selected is included as a variable in a weighting function together with time and waiting cost to derive a trade-off of the container handling vehicle and the specialized container handling vehicle having the best matching travel time to the port; transmitting instructions to the second type of controller of the specialized container handling vehicle, to transport the storage container from its current location representing the second location, to said determined port at the first location; moving the specialized container handling vehicle from the second location to the determined port at the first location; transmitting a signal to the container handling vehicles comprising information of the determined port to retrieve the storage container from; based on responses from the container handling vehicles, assigning and instructing a container handling vehicle to lift and retrieve the specified storage container from the determined port to be used at the first location; lifting the storage container from the determined port through the delivery column and moving the container handling vehicle for transporting the storage container to a grid cell corresponding to the storage column the specified storage container is to be transferred to.

The present invention provides a container-handling vehicle ( 9 ′) for picking up storage containers ( 6 ) from a three-dimensional grid ( 4 ) of an underlying storage system ( 1 ), comprising a vehicle body ( 13 ) and at least one lifting device ( 18 ′) for lifting a storage container ( 6 ) from the grid ( 4 ), the lifting device ( 18 ′) comprises a lifting band drive assembly ( 47, 47,31 ) connected to the vehicle body ( 13 ), a horizontal lifting frame ( 17 ) for releasable connection to a storage container ( 6 ), and four lifting bands ( 6 a, 16 b ) connecting the lifting band drive assembly ( 47, 47′, 31 ) to the lifting frame ( 17 ); the lifting band drive assembly ( 47, 47′, 31 ) comprises a lifting shaft assembly ( 47, 47 ′) having a lifting shaft ( 22, 22 ′) and at least one motor ( 23 ) for rotating the lifting shaft ( 22, 22 ′); and the lifting shaft ( 22 ) comprises a first end section ( 27 a ) and a second end section ( 27 b ); two of the lifting bands ( 16 a, 16 b ) are connected at each of the first and second end sections of the lifting shaft; and the lifting shaft assembly comprises at least one electrical insulating element ( 35, 54 ) arranged such that the lifting bands connected at the first end section is electrically insulated from the lifting bands connected at the second end section.

A storage system for storing product items includes a grid structure and a number of first storage bins configured to be stored in vertical stacks in the grid structure. Each first storage bin is configured to contain at least one product item. A vehicle is arranged to move horizontally at the top level of the grid structure, and further arranged to pick up, carry, and place the first storage bins at desired locations within the grid structure. The storage system further includes a robot device that includes a movable arm with a picking mechanism in one end thereof. The robot device is configured to move a storage item between a first location and a second location by means of its picking mechanism. The first location is the location of a first storage bin stored in the storage grid.