Ranking system and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to sequencing systems and methods. In particular, the present invention relates to a storage and retrieval system and a method of dispatching containers from the storage and retrieval system. The storage system comprises a plurality of containers arranged in stacks (10) beneath a grid (22) of racks comprising a first set of rails and a second set of rails arranged substantially perpendicular to each other. The storage system (1) comprises a plurality of load handling devices operable on the grid, the load handling devices (30) lifting containers from and depositing containers to the stacks. A portion of the grid (22) extends over a series of conveyor belts (42). The load handling devices are capable of depositing containers to predetermined locations on the conveyor belts, the locations can be filled in any random order and a plurality of locations can be filled at any time.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of patent application No. 201680076745.3 (PCT application No. PCT / EP2016 / 079805), filed on December 6, 2016, entitled "Sorting System and Method". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to sorting systems and methods. More specifically, but not exclusively, this invention relates to sorting systems and methods for robotic storage and retrieval systems having boxes in a stack located within a grid structure.

[0003] This application claims priority to UK Patent No. GB1521488.5, filed on 6 December 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0004] Some commercial and industrial activities require systems capable of storing and retrieving large quantities of different products. One known type of system for storing and retrieving items from multiple product lines involves arranging storage boxes or containers on top of each other in a stack arranged in rows. Storage boxes are removed from the stack and loaded into processing equipment for access from above, thus eliminating the need for aisles between rows and allowing more containers to be stored in a given space.

[0005] Methods for handling rows of stacked containers have been known for decades. Some systems, such as those described in Bertel's US2,701,065, involve individual stacks of containers arranged in rows to reduce the storage volume associated with storing such containers, while still providing access to specific containers if needed. Access to a given container is possible by providing a relatively complex lifting mechanism that can be used to stack and remove that container from the stack. However, the cost of such systems is impractical in many cases, and they are primarily commercialized for the storage and handling of large shipping containers.

[0006] The idea of ​​using independent stacks of containers and providing a mechanism for retrieving and storing specific containers has been further developed, for example, as described in Cimcorp's EP 0 767 113B. '113 discloses a mechanism for removing multiple stacked containers using a robotic loading processor in the form of a rectangular tube that descends around the stack of containers and is configured to grip containers at any horizontal height within the stack. In this way, multiple containers can be immediately lifted from the stack. Movable tubes can be used to move multiple containers from the top of one stack to the top of another, or to move containers from the stack to an external location and vice versa. Such a system is particularly useful when all containers in a single stack contain the same product (referred to as a single-product stack).

[0007] In the system described in '113, the height of the tube must be at least as high as the maximum stack height of the containers in order to extract the highest stack of containers in a single operation. Therefore, when used in enclosed spaces such as storage silos, the maximum stack height is limited due to the need to accommodate the tubes that hold the processor.

[0008] EP 1037828 B1 (Autostore) describes a system in which stacks of containers are arranged within a frame structure, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This type of system is schematically illustrated in Figures 1 through 4. A robotic loading and handling device can be controllably moved around the stack via a guide rail system on the uppermost surface of the stack.

[0009] Other forms of robotic loading and handling equipment are further described, for example, in Norwegian Patent No. 317366, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are schematic perspective views of the loading and handling equipment viewed from the rear and front, respectively, and Figure 3(c) is a schematic front perspective view of the loading and handling equipment for raising the box.

[0010] A further development of loading processing equipment is described in UK patent application GB1314313.6 by Ocado Innovation Limited, in which each robotic loading processor covers only one grid space, thereby allowing for a higher density of loading processors and consequently a higher total processing capacity for a system of a given size. However, any suitable form of loading processing equipment can be used.

[0011] In the known robotic picking system described above, a robotic loading and handling device is controllably moved across multiple stacks on top of each other on a guide rail system forming a grid. A given loading and handling device lifts a box from the stack; this container is a lift holding the inventory items required to fulfill a customer order. The container is transported to a picking station, where the required inventory items can be manually removed from the box and placed into a delivery container, which forms part of the customer order and is manually filled at the appropriate time for dispatch. At the picking station, items can also be picked by industrial robots suitable for this task, for example, as described in UK Patent Application GB1502123.1 by Ocado Innovation Limited.

[0012] In the systems described above, the ultimate goal is to fulfill customer orders. These containers will be filled with customer orders individually or in bulk, and these containers need to be loaded onto delivery vehicles and dispatched. All the systems described above result in containers being located in different locations within the storage system, but needing to be grouped together to form coherent delivery routes for loading into delivery vehicles. Summary of the Invention

[0013] This invention aims to overcome the problems associated with the aforementioned systems by combining different containers into coherent groups categorized according to customer orders or delivery routes. Furthermore, the sorting method described below allows containers to be sorted for any other reason, such as: transfer between two separate parts of a storage system, or movement across a large storage system or from a large fulfillment center to a small fulfillment center or vice versa.

[0014] According to the present invention, a sorting system for a storage and picking system is provided, the sorting system comprising a portion of a storage system comprising: a first set of generally parallel rails or guides and a second set of generally parallel rails or guides, the second set extending generally perpendicular to the first set in a generally horizontal plane to form a grid pattern of guides, the grid pattern comprising a plurality of grid spaces; a set of uprights supporting the guides, the uprights and guides together defining a frame; a plurality of containers located below the guides, the containers being stacked and within the frame, a portion of the containers occupying space below the grid spaces; and a plurality of loading and handling devices operating on the grid, the loading and handling devices including means for lifting containers from below the grid and means for storing containers below the grid;

[0015] The sorting system is characterized by comprising: a grid arranged above a portion of a conveying device, the conveying device including a series of positions defined by the grid space above the conveying device, the positions on the conveying device being able to be assigned in a predetermined order to containers to be stored thereon and to containers to be stored thereon entering.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the invention, a method is provided for sorting containers from a storage and order picking system, the system comprising: a first set of generally parallel tracks or rails and a second set of generally parallel tracks or rails, the second set extending generally perpendicular to the first set in a generally horizontal plane to form a grid pattern of rails, the grid pattern including a plurality of grid spaces; a group of uprights supporting the rails, the uprights and rails together defining a frame; a plurality of containers located below the rails, the containers being stacked and within the frame, a portion of the containers occupying space below the grid spaces; and a plurality of loading processing devices operating on the grids, the loading processing devices including methods for removing containers from the grids. The method comprises the following steps: (a) placing a first container in a first position on the conveyor; (b) placing a second container in a second position on the conveyor; and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until all required positions on the conveyor are filled. The method is characterized in that the position is allocated to a container to be stored thereon according to a predetermined schedule and is entered by the container to be stored thereon.

[0017] In this way, containers can be grouped and sorted as required. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The invention will now be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the frame structure used to accommodate multiple stacks of boxes in the storage system;

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a portion of the frame structure in Figure 1;

[0021] Figures 3(a) and 3(b) are schematic perspective views of a form of robotic loading and handling device viewed from the rear and front, respectively, which is used in the frame structure of Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 3(c) is a schematic perspective view of a known loading and handling device that raises the box during use.

[0022] Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a known storage system, which includes multiple loading and processing devices of the type shown in Figures 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c) mounted on the frame structure of Figures 1 and 2, and a robotic loading and processing device together with the frame, which includes the main components of the storage system for storing and processing items to be stored.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic perspective view of a storage system according to a first aspect of the invention, showing the storage system of Figures 1 to 4, which further includes dispatch portions positioned along both sides of the storage system.

[0024] Figure 6 Figures 1 to 4 are schematic perspective views of the distribution portion of a storage system according to a first aspect of the invention, showing a belt on which a box containing items to be distributed is placed before being transferred to a delivery vehicle.

[0025] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 A schematic perspective view of a dispatch portion of a storage system according to a first aspect of the invention, the dispatch portion comprising a plurality of boxes containing delivery containers, the containers containing items to be delivered;

[0026] Figure 8a yes Figures 5 to 7 A schematic perspective view of one form of a dispatching section according to the invention, showing a loading processing device operating on a storage system and a dispatching section having an alternative form of a conveyor system for moving boxes ready to be moved to a vehicle loading area; and

[0027] Figure 8b yes Figure 8a A schematic perspective view of the dispatch section, showing boxes including delivery containers on the dispatch belt, waiting to store unreached boxes in empty positions on the dispatch belt before moving the boxes to the vehicle loading area. Detailed Implementation

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, stackable storage containers, referred to as boxes 10, are stacked on top of each other to form a stack 12. The stack 12 is arranged within a frame structure 14 in a storage or manufacturing environment. Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the frame structure 14, and Figure 2 is a top-down view showing a single stack 12 of boxes 10 arranged within the frame structure 14. Each box 10 typically holds multiple products or inventory items 28, and the inventory items within the box 10 may be identical or may have different product types depending on the application. Furthermore, the box 10 may be structurally subdivided to accommodate multiple different inventory items 28.

[0029] In the following description, "box 10" will be used to refer to a container intended for storing inventory items 28, while "delivery container DT" will be used to refer to a container intended to be filled with items 28 to fulfill an order placed by a customer. It should be understood that this terminology is used in this document for convenience of reference and explanation. However, it should be noted that box 10 and container DT may have the same shape and construction. Furthermore, the delivery container DT may be stored in box 10 within the storage system or in any part of the storage system.

[0030] The frame structure 14 includes a plurality of upright members 16 supporting the horizontal members 18, 20. A first set of parallel horizontal members 18 is arranged perpendicular to a second set of parallel horizontal members 20 to form a plurality of horizontal lattice structures supported by the upright members 16. Members 16, 18, 20 are typically made of metal. Boxes 10 are stacked between members 16, 18, 20 of the frame structure 14, such that the frame structure 14 prevents horizontal movement of the stack 12 of boxes 10 and guides vertical movement of boxes 10.

[0031] The top layer of the frame structure 14 includes tracks 22 arranged in a lattice pattern spanning the top of the stacks 12. Referring also to Figures 3(a) to 3(c) and Figure 4, the tracks 22 support multiple robotic loading and handling devices 30. A first set 22a of parallel tracks 22, spanning the top of the frame structure 14, guides the loading and handling devices 30 to move along a first direction (X). A second set 22b of parallel tracks 22, arranged perpendicular to the first set 22a, guides the loading and handling devices 30 to move along a second direction (Y) perpendicular to the first direction. In this way, the tracks 22 allow the loading and handling devices 30 to move in two dimensions in the XY plane, enabling them to be moved to positions above any of the stacks 12.

[0032] Each loading and handling device 30 includes a carrier 32 arranged to travel along tracks 22 of the frame structure 14 in the X and Y directions above the stack 12. A first set of wheels 34, consisting of a pair of wheels 34 at the front and a pair of wheels 34 at the rear of the carrier 32, is arranged to engage with two adjacent tracks in a first set 22a of the tracks 22. Similarly, a second set of wheels 36, consisting of a pair of wheels 36 on each side of the carrier 32, is arranged to engage with two adjacent tracks in a second set 22b of the tracks 22. Each set of wheels 34, 36 can be raised and lowered such that either the first set of wheels 34 or the second set of wheels 36 is engaged with the corresponding set 22a, 22b of the tracks at any given time.

[0033] When the first set of wheels 34 engages with the first set 22a of the track and the second set of wheels 36 is lifted from the track 22, the wheels 34 can be driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) housed in the carrier 32 to move the loading and handling device 30 in the X direction. To move the loading and handling device 30 in the Y direction, the first set of wheels 34 is lifted from the track 22, and the second set of wheels 36 is lowered to engage with the second set 22a of the track. The drive mechanism can then be used to drive the second set of wheels 36 to achieve movement in the Y direction.

[0034] In this manner, as shown in Figure 4, under the control of a central control tool (not shown), one or more robotic loading and handling devices 30 can move around the top surface of multiple stacks 12 on the frame structure 14. Each robotic loading and handling device 30 is equipped with a lifting device 38 for lifting one or more boxes 10 from the stacks 12 to access the desired products.

[0035] The carrier 32 includes a cavity 40, which is sized to accommodate the box 10. The lifting device 38 includes a winding device and a box gripping assembly 39. The lifting device lifts the box 10 from the stack 12 into the cavity 40 within the carrier 32.

[0036] In this way, multiple products can be accessed from multiple locations, and the loading and processing equipment can access containers from any stack.

[0037] The robot loading and handling device 30 removes a box 10 containing inventory items 28 (not shown) and transports the box 10 to a picking station (not shown). At the picking station, the desired inventory items 28 are removed from the box 10 and placed into the box 10, which includes a delivery container DT. Importantly, it should be noted that the delivery container DT may be housed within the box 10. The box 10 may include inventory items 28 or may include the delivery container DT. Furthermore, the delivery container DT may include at least one bag 52 into which the inventory items 28 are directly picked at the picking station (not shown).

[0038] Empty boxes 10, boxes containing delivery containers DT, or boxes containing delivery containers DT and bags 52 can all be stored in the stack 12. It should be understood that all boxes 10 have substantially the same external shape and construction.

[0039] Figure 4 illustrates a typical storage system as described above, which has multiple loading and processing devices 30 operating on racks above the stack 12.

[0040] Figures 1 and 4 illustrate boxes 10 in stacks 12 within a storage system. It should be understood that a large number of boxes 10 can exist in any given storage system, and many different items 28 can be stored in boxes 10 in stacks 12, each box 10 containing different categories of inventory items 28 within a single stack 12.

[0041] In a system described above and further in Ocado Innovation Limited’s UK Patent Application GB1410441.8 (which is incorporated herein by reference), the storage system includes a series of boxes 10, which may further include delivery containers DT containing customer orders, or boxes 10 containing inventory items 28 awaiting picking. These different boxes 10 and combinations thereof can be housed in the storage system and accessed via a robotic loading and handling device 30 as described above.

[0042] It should be understood that the loading and handling equipment 30 is a robotic device for picking boxes 10 from the stack 12. However, it should be understood that the modified loading and handling equipment can be used to pick inventory items 28 directly from boxes 10 or delivery containers DT (if the items are to be returned to boxes 10). In this respect, the robotic picking mentioned above is not limited to equipment for picking boxes 10 from the stack 12, but also includes equipment for picking items 28 directly from boxes 10. However, it should be understood that all of the above combinations can exist in any storage system 1, and picking can also be performed manually.

[0043] like Figure 5 As shown, according to a first aspect of the invention, the storage system 1 described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4 may further include a distribution section 40. These distribution sections 40 may include the area of ​​the grid 22 above the storage system extending above the conveying device 42.

[0044] Conveying device 42 includes a section of conveyor. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the loading processing device 30 removes a box 10 containing a delivery container DT from the storage system 1 and fills the conveyor with the box 10 at multiple locations below the grid spacing. The conveyor is stationary when the box 10 is placed by the loading processing device 30.

[0045] It should be understood that the box 10, including the customer order, may be temporarily stored in the storage system 1, or it may be manually picked up via a picking station (not shown) as previously described, or the box 10 may be picked up on the rack 22 by the picking device of the UK patents filed on November 11, 2015, with applications GB1519929.2 and GB1519930.0 of Ocado Innovation Limited (which are incorporated herein by reference).

[0046] Furthermore, it should be understood that the delivery container DT can be directly filled with the items 28 in the box 10 of the storage system 1 by a picking device that operates on the storage system 1.

[0047] The number of positions on the dispatch conveyor 42 can be determined by the number of delivery containers DT that can be loaded into a vehicle for a single delivery route. Furthermore, the boxes 10, including the delivery containers DT, can be arranged such that once delivered to the vehicle loading area, the boxes 10 are loaded into the vehicle in the appropriate order for optimal positioning within the vehicle for the predetermined delivery route.

[0048] When using, such as Figure 7 As shown, the positions on conveyor 42 are filled with boxes 10, including delivery containers DT, via loading and handling device 30. The positions on conveyor 42 are in a predetermined order to facilitate loading into the optimal location within the delivery vehicle. However, it should be understood that the boxes 10 do not need to be stored in a predetermined order, but can be stored in appropriate locations via loading and handling device 30.

[0049] For example, in a delivery scenario involving 20 boxes 10, the positions assigned to conveyor 42 would be numbered 1 through 20. Since the loading processing device 30 can enter the positions above conveyor 42 in any order, it is not necessary to store the box required for position 1 in position 1, then store the box 10 required for position 2 in position 2, then store the box 10 required for position 3 in position 3, and so on, until the box 10 required for position 20 is stored in position 20. The boxes 10 can be stored by the loading processing device 30 in any order. Therefore, for example, the box 10 required for position 7 can be stored in position 1, then the box 10 required for position 17 can be stored in position 2, and so on, until all positions are filled.

[0050] It should be understood that, for a given predetermined delivery route, not all locations on the conveyor need to be filled.

[0051] The conveying device may include a pair of conveyors 42, which can move independently under the control of a central control tool. Advantageously, the positions on the first belt of the pair can be filled first, and the first conveyor 42 can be activated by the control tool to move the container 10 on it forward. Then, the positions on the second conveyor 42 can be filled as needed, and the second conveyor can be activated by the control tool to move the container 10 forward. This alternating use of the conveyors 42 allows for continuous dispatch of the container 10. In addition, in the event of a failure of one conveyor 42, the second can continue to operate.

[0052] It will be further noted that all positions on the conveyor 42 can be accessed simultaneously by the loading and handling equipment 30, thereby accelerating the merging of routes or groups on the conveyor.

[0053] Groups on the conveyor can be arranged to form delivery routes for vehicles. However, other grouping is possible, such as a set of delivery containers DT that can be grouped for delivery to customer collection points, such as click locations and pickup locations.

[0054] Once all required locations have been filled, the conveyor 42 can be moved under the control of the central control tool, so that the box 10, including the delivery container DT, is moved from the dispatch section 40 of the system 1 to the vehicle loading area (not shown).

[0055] In the example above, it should be understood that the delivery container DT will be removed from container 10 before being loaded onto the vehicle. This may happen immediately before the vehicle loading area. However, it should be further understood that the storage system may include the delivery container DT not housed in container 10, and therefore it may not be required to remove the delivery container DT from storage container 10 before loading it onto the vehicle.

[0056] References above Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the example described, conveyor 42 is adjacent to an additional conveyor 44, which transports the groups of boxes 10 to the loading area. Figure 6 and Figure 7 In the middle, the dispatch conveyor 42 and the additional conveyor belt system extend parallel to the length of the storage system 1, such as... Figure 7 As shown in the image.

[0057] Figure 8a and Figure 8bAn alternative embodiment of the invention is shown, in which the dispatch belt 142 and additional conveyors 144, 146 extend substantially perpendicular to the storage system 1. It should be understood that, in this way, the conveyors 142, 146 can serve as accumulation storage sections for boxes 10 being moved to the loading area. This advantageously reduces congestion at the picking station (not shown) relative to the dispatch area 40. Furthermore, this arrangement organizes and facilitates the backlog work of the vehicle loader. Figure 8a and Figure 8b In the illustrated embodiment, each vehicle loader can access at least two additional conveyors 144, 146. Thus, while the contents of conveyor 144 are being loaded, conveyor 146 can be filled in preparation for loading. Therefore, a vehicle loader can move from one conveyor 142 to the next conveyor 144, and loading can be continuous if desired.

[0058] The first form of the invention, as described above, is disclosed with reference to a storage system, which, as described, outputs a sequence of containers for loading into a vehicle and proceeding to delivery to a customer. However, it should be understood that there are other situations where sorting containers within the storage and picking system would be advantageous, and the invention is not limited to dispatching containers from the system.

[0059] For example, in a second embodiment of the invention, a sorting system can be used to sort boxes 10 containing inventory items 28 during transport or before transport to a picking station (not shown) to ensure that items 28 can be picked from boxes 10 into delivery containers DT in the correct or predetermined order. For example, it would be advantageous to pick heavy items awaiting pickup for customer orders into delivery containers DT before fragile or breakable items.

[0060] In a third embodiment of the invention, a sorting system can be used to sort the bins 10 containing inventory items 28 so that the items 28 can be robotically picked into the delivery container DT. It should be understood that this robotic picking can occur at a picking station, storage system 1, or the previously described dispatch section 40. Furthermore, if it is necessary to return the items, the sorting system can be used to sort the delivery container DT to return previously picked items to the bins 10.

[0061] In a fourth embodiment of the invention, if the box 10 or container DT needs to be transferred between two parts of the storage system 1, for example, when the box 10 or container 28 is transferred between the environmental part or the refrigerated part of the storage system 1, a sorting system can be used to sort the boxes 10 containing the inventory items 28 or the delivery containers 10. It should be understood that in the case of numerous shelf-to-shelf transfers, sorting the containers DT or boxes 10, or the boxes 10 containing DT or the boxes 10 containing inventory items 28, would be advantageous.

[0062] In a fifth embodiment of the invention, the sorting system can be used to sort boxes from multiple storage systems, wherein the multiple storage systems can be used to complete a single order by sequentially picking goods from each storage system and combining them for delivery. Such individual shelves can include products with common characteristics, such as all heavy goods in a first system, frozen goods in a second system, and environmental goods in a third system, and the sorting system is used to combine and sort the items picked for delivery.

[0063] It should be understood that there are many situations in which it would be advantageous to sort the delivery container DT containing a customer order or a portion thereof, the box 10 containing inventory items 28, and the box 10 containing the delivery box DT, and the invention is not limited to the examples described above.

[0064] For example, multiple robotic processing devices 30, as described above and in Ocado Innovation Limited’s UK Patent Application No. GB1413155.1 (which is incorporated herein by reference), can operate on the grid 22 system and under the control of a separate central control tool, as described in Ocado Innovation Limited’s UK Patent Application No. GB1509613.4 (which is incorporated herein by reference).

[0065] In addition to the robotic loading and handling unit 30, there may be multiple additional robotic picking units 130 capable of handling boxes 10 of different sizes that are operated on the racks 22. The robotic loading processor can be envisioned to be used, for example, in the manner described in the UK patent application GB1410127.3 of Ocado Innovation Limited, and such loading and handling unit is incorporated herein by reference.

[0066] Furthermore, it should be understood that the above exemplary embodiments are described with reference to storage system 1, which includes loading and processing equipment 30 that raises the box 10 from under the rack 22 and moves the box to a picking station (not shown) so that the item 28 is removed and stored in a delivery container DT, which can be stored in the storage system for dispatch. However, it should be understood that the delivery container can be moved directly from the picking station to the dispatch section 40 of the rack 22. Furthermore, it should be understood that the delivery container 10 can be temporarily stored in a stack 12 within the frame 14 of the storage system.

[0067] Furthermore, it should be understood that the loading and processing equipment 30 does not require transporting the box 10 to the picking station to pick the items 28 into the delivery container DT. The delivery container 10 can be filled by directly picking the items 28 from the boxes within the storage system via the loading and processing equipment including the picking device. In addition, the loading and processing equipment 30 including the picking device can directly pick the items into the delivery container 10 located on the conveyors 42, 142.

[0068] It should be noted that the delivery container DT can be an actual delivery container intended for delivery to a customer, or a box 10 intended for "mail picking" and delivery elsewhere (e.g., to an alternative logistics center). The term delivery container DT is used to distinguish box 10 from delivery container DT. However, it should be understood that boxes and DTs can have similar or substantially the same shape and construction; the function of the box defines the definition, not any variation in the actual shape or size of the box.

[0069] It should also be understood that the delivery container DT can be housed within box 10 to ensure that the robotic loading and handling equipment can handle the movement of all boxes, whether in the stacks 12 of the main storage system or in the nominal robotic picking area.

[0070] It should be understood that the storage and picking system described above is intended for the storage and picking of grocery orders for online order fulfillment services. However, many other uses are envisioned, and it should be noted that item 28 may include any item that can be stored, contained, or located in container 10, such as parcels or spare parts.

Claims

1. A storage and retrieval system, the storage and retrieval system comprising a storage section and a dispatch section, the storage section comprising: A first set of generally parallel tracks or rails and a second set of generally parallel tracks or rails, the second set extending approximately perpendicular to the first set in a generally horizontal plane to form a grid pattern of rails and multiple grid spaces. An assembly of upright members, the upright members supporting the guide rail, the upright members and the guide rail together defining a frame; Multiple containers located in a stack below the guide rail and within the frame, the stack of containers occupying space below the grid space; and multiple loading and handling devices operable on the grid, the loading and handling devices including means for lifting containers from the stack below the guide rail and means for storing containers on top of the stack below the guide rail. The assignment component includes a sorting system, which includes: A conveying device, wherein a section of a guide rail is disposed above the conveying device, the conveying device is arranged to hold containers delivered by the loading processing equipment in a series of positions, the positions on the conveying device being defined to correspond to grid spaces on the section of the guide rail above the conveying device, the positions on the conveying device being able to be assigned in a predetermined order to containers to be stored thereon and to containers to be stored thereon entering, the predetermined order being independent of the order in which the loading processing equipment extracts containers from stacks in the storage section; The dispatching section further includes at least one additional conveying device arranged to transfer containers from the conveying device to the vehicle loading area, wherein the additional conveying device is arranged to provide an accumulation storage section for the containers transferred to the vehicle loading area.

2. The storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein, The additional conveying device extends approximately parallel to the length of the frame.

3. The storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein, The additional conveying device extends at approximately an angle to the frame.

4. The storage and retrieval system according to claim 3, wherein, The additional conveying device extends approximately perpendicular to the frame.

5. The storage and retrieval system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The additional conveying device includes at least two conveyor belts arranged to transfer the container to a vehicle loader.

6. The storage and retrieval system according to claim 5, wherein, The at least two conveyor belts can be entered and moved independently.

7. The storage and retrieval system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The container contains items for delivery to customers.

8. The storage and retrieval system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The container contains items used to fulfill customer orders and move them to the order loading area.

9. The storage and retrieval system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The container includes packages destined for multiple separate locations.

10. A method for dispatching containers from a storage and retrieval system, the storage and retrieval system comprising a storage portion and a dispatch portion, the storage portion comprising: A first set of generally parallel tracks or rails and a second set of generally parallel tracks or rails, the second set extending generally perpendicular to the first set in a generally horizontal plane to form a lattice pattern of rails, the lattice pattern comprising a plurality of lattice spaces. An assembly of upright members, the upright members supporting the guide rail, the upright members and the guide rail together defining a frame; Multiple containers located in a stack below the guide rail and within the frame, the stack of containers occupying space below the grid space; and multiple loading and handling devices operable on the grid, the loading and handling devices including means for lifting containers from the stack below the guide rail and means for storing containers on top of the stack below the guide rail. The assignment component includes a sorting system, wherein the sorting system comprises: A conveying device, wherein a section of a guide rail is disposed above the conveying device, the conveying device is arranged to hold containers delivered by the loading processing equipment in a series of positions, the positions on the conveying device being defined to correspond to grid spaces on the section of the guide rail above the conveying device, the positions on the conveying device being able to be assigned to and entered by containers to be stored thereon in a predetermined order, the predetermined order being independent of the order in which the loading processing equipment extracts containers from stacks in the storage section; The dispatching section further includes at least one additional conveying device arranged to transfer containers from the conveying device to the vehicle loading area. The method includes the following steps: (a) Retrieve the container from the storage portion of the storage and retrieval system, and retrieve the container using a loading processing device; (b) Using the loading and processing equipment, the container retrieved from the storage section is transported to the dispatch section of the storage and retrieval system; (c) Place the container at a first position on the conveying device; (d) Repeat steps (a), (b) and (c) until all required positions on the conveyor are filled, and place the containers delivered by the loading and processing equipment onto the conveyor for dispatch in a predetermined order; (e) Once all required locations on the conveyor have been filled with containers delivered by the loading handling equipment, at least some of the sorted containers are conveyed to the additional conveyor, which transports the sorted containers away from the dispatch section and to the vehicle loading area; and (f) Before transferring the sorted containers to the vehicle loading area, the sorted containers are gathered and held on the additional conveyor.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The additional conveying device includes at least two conveyor belts, and the method includes the following steps: (a) The sorted containers are conveyed to the first conveyor belt; (b) Once all the required containers have been conveyed to the first conveyor belt, the sorted containers are conveyed to the second conveyor belt.

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