Staples, Inc.

A hybrid modular storage fetching system is described. In an example implementation, the system may include a warehouse execution system adapted to generate a picking schedule for picking pick-to-cart and high-density storage items, and an AGV dispatching system adapted to dispatch a cart automated guided vehicle and a modular storage fetching automated guided vehicle based on the picking schedule. The cart automated guided vehicle may be adapted autonomously transport a carton through a pick-to-cart area and to a pick-cell station. The modular storage fetching automated guided vehicle may be adapted to synchronously autonomously transport a modular storage unit containing items to be placed in the cartons from a high-density storage area to the pick-cell station.

A hybrid modular storage fetching system is described. In an example implementation, an automated guided vehicle of the hybrid modular storage fetching system includes a drive unit that provides motive force to propel the automated guided vehicle within an operating environment. The automated guided vehicle may also include a container handling mechanism including an extender and a carrying surface, the container handling mechanism having three or more degrees of freedom to move the carrying surface along three or more axes. The container handling mechanism may retrieve an item from a first target shelving unit using the carrying surface and the three or more degrees of freedom and place the item on a second target shelving unit. The automated guided vehicle may also include a power source coupled to provide power to the drive unit and the container handling mechanism.

An automated robotic replenishment system is described. In an example implementation, the system may include containers adapted to hold items; container transportation devices adapted to transport the containers to a replenishment station; and the replenishment station. The replenishment station may include a container receiving area, a mobile storage unit receiving space, and a robotic arm, which may pick up items from the container in the container receiving area and place the item into a mobile storage unit in the mobile storage unit receiving space. The system may also include an automated guided vehicle that transports the mobile storage unit between the replenishment station and a storage area of a fulfillment center.

A hybrid modular storage fetching system with a robot execution system (REX) is described. In an example implementation, a REX may induct, into the hybrid modular storage fetching system, an order identifying items to be fulfilled by automated guided vehicles (AGVs) at an order fulfillment facility. The REX may generate at task list including tasks for a first and second AGV, instruct the first AGV to retrieve a first item in the order from a first storage area based on the task list and deliver the first item to a pick-cell station. The REX may also instruct the second AGV to retrieve a second item of the order from a second storage area and deliver the second item to the pick-cell station. The REX may communicate with other components of the hybrid modular storage fetching system to coordinate the paths of the AGVs to fulfill the order.

An automated sorting and packing system is described. A system may include a mobile vehicle body including a first mobile conveyor that moves with the mobile vehicle body. A system may include an item handling mechanism coupled with the mobile vehicle body and including one or more extendable members that move between a retracted position and an extended position to retrieve one or more items from one or more external shelves and move the one or more items onto the first mobile conveyor. A system may include one or more driving wheels coupled with a drive motor that cause the mobile vehicle body, mobile conveyor, and the item handling mechanism to move in an aisle.

A restocking hub with interchangeable buttons mapped to item identifiers is described herein. In some instances, a local hub may receive an actuation signal from a particular interchangeable button communicatively coupled with the local hub. The actuation signal may include a button ID that identifies the particular interchangeable button and may indicating an actuation of the particular interchangeable button. The local hub may generate an order signal identifying the button ID based on the actuation signal, and may transmit the order signal instructing a remote server to perform a defined operation using the button ID. In some instances, the local hub may output a confirmation notification based on data received from the remote server based on the defined operation.

A system may include a set of buffer shelves holding one or more mobile storage units, each of the one or more mobile storage units holding at least one item. A system may include a mobile robot including a body structure supporting a handling mechanism and a translation motor, the translation motor moving the body structure to a first buffer shelf of the set of buffer shelves, the handling mechanism moving a first mobile storage unit of the one or more mobile storage units from the first buffer shelf to a staging area. A system may include a picking station including the staging area at which the first mobile storage unit is held, a picking location at which a carton is held, and a picking mechanism for moving a first item from the first mobile storage unit to the carton.

A system and method for intelligent item reordering using an adaptable mobile graphical user interface is described herein. In some instances, the system may generate a graphical user interface including a first set of graphical elements representing a first set of items, and receive a first input selecting a particular item of the first set of items, the first set of graphical elements including a graphical element representing the particular item. The system may generate a graphical list of quantities and render the graphical list of quantities at a first position in the graphical user interface based on the graphical element representing the particular item in the graphical user interface. In some instances, the system may receive a second input identifying a selected quantity from the graphical list of quantities and modify the graphical element representing the particular item to indicate the selected quantity.

A system may include a plurality of consolidation stations and a carousel moving the plurality of consolidation stations past a picking location, one or more consolidation stations of the plurality of consolidation stations receiving one or more items at the picking location. The system may include a first transportation mechanism adapted to bring one or more cartons to the picking location at the carousel. The system may include a robotic arm articulating to move the one or more items from one or more mobile storage units into the one or more consolidation stations at the picking location. The system may include a transfer mechanism adapted to transfer items from the one or more consolidation stations into the one or more cartons.

A system may provide, by a graphical user interface, a first instruction to a user to perform a first scan of one or more first items at a first location. The system may receive the first scan of the one or more first items and identify, based on the first scan, the one or more first items. The system may update the graphical user interface based on the identified one or more first items and may update a computer file associated with the first instruction to indicate a scan of the one or more first items. Various process or workflows may be determined and proceeded through using scans on a client picking device in an efficient and rapid manner.