Systems and methods for providing order fulfillment using a conveyor belt takeout system

Abstract

A storage, retrieval and processing system for handling objects includes: a plurality of boxes, the plurality of boxes including objects to be distributed, the plurality of boxes being disposed on an input conveyor system; a programmable motion device, the programmable motion device including an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects; a perception system, the perception system for providing perception data about a selected object presented to the perception system by the programmable motion device; and a routing conveyor system for receiving the selected object and for moving the selected object in each of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction toward a selected destination container in response to the perception data, the routing conveyor system including at least one object conveyor belt for pushing the selected object in a third direction substantially orthogonal to the horizontal direction and the vertical direction toward the selected destination container.

Description

[0001] priority

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 986,406, filed on March 6, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] The present invention relates to order fulfillment systems, and more particularly to systems for providing aggregation of objects (e.g., products, packages, bags, items, freight, etc.) ready for shipment to a destination location, such as in an automated putaway and retrieval system.

[0004] Order fulfillment systems typically involve handling 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) typically include a computer-controlled system that automatically deposits (places) items into and retrieves items from defined storage locations. Traditional AS / RS typically use totes (or boxes), which are the system's smallest loading unit. In these systems, the tote is brought to a person who picks each item from the tote. When the person has picked the required number of items from the tote, the tote is reintroduced back into the AS / RS.

[0005] In these traditional systems, a tote is brought to a person, who can remove items from the tote or add items to the tote. The tote is then returned to its storage location. For example, such systems can be used in libraries and warehouse storage facilities. AS / RS does not involve handling the items in the tote because the person handles the objects when the tote is brought to the person. This separation of work allows any automated transport system to do what it does best, namely moving totes, and allows people to do what they are better at, namely picking items from the clutter of totes. It also means that people can stand in one place while the transport system brings the tote to them, which increases the speed at which people can pick items.

[0006] However, such conventional systems are limited in terms of the time and resources required to move the totes to and from each person, as well as how quickly people can process the totes in this manner in applications where each person may be required to process a large number of totes. Therefore, a need remains for an AS / RS that can more efficiently and economically store and retrieve objects while also facilitating the processing of a wide variety of objects. Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect, the present invention provides a storage, retrieval and processing system for handling objects, the system comprising: a plurality of boxes comprising objects to be distributed, the plurality of boxes being arranged on an input conveyor system; a programmable motion device comprising an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects, the programmable motion device being capable of reaching any of the objects within at least one of a plurality of boxes in an input area of ​​the conveyor system; a perception system for providing perception data about a selected object presented to the perception system by the programmable motion device; and a routing conveyor system for receiving the selected object and for moving the selected object in each of a horizontal and a vertical direction toward a selected destination container in response to the perception data, the routing conveyor system comprising at least one object conveyor belt for pushing the selected object toward the selected destination container in a third direction that is substantially orthogonal to the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0008] According to another aspect, the present invention provides a storage, retrieval and processing system for handling objects, the system comprising a plurality of boxes comprising objects to be distributed, the plurality of boxes being arranged on an input conveyor system; a programmable motion device comprising an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects, the programmable motion device being capable of reaching any of the objects within at least one of a plurality of boxes in an input area of ​​the input conveyor system; and a routing conveyor system comprising an object conveyor belt for receiving a selected object and for moving the selected object from the input area in each of a horizontal and a vertical direction toward a destination container using one of at least two grid conveying tools, the grid conveying tools being adapted to travel in the horizontal and vertical directions and to avoid collisions with each other by generally traveling in similar loops, wherein one loop is time delayed relative to the other loop.

[0009] According to another aspect, the present invention provides a method for providing storage, retrieval and processing of objects, the method comprising: providing a plurality of boxes on a conveyor system, the plurality of boxes comprising objects to be distributed; using a programmable motion device comprising an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects to grasp and move objects within at least one of the plurality of boxes in an input area of ​​the conveyor system, the programmable motion device being capable of reaching any of the objects within at least one of the plurality of boxes in the input area of ​​the conveyor system; providing perception data about a selected object presented to a perception system by the programmable motion device; and in response to the perception data, using a first object conveyor belt to route the selected object in each of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction toward a selected destination container; and pushing the selected object toward the selected conveyor belt in a third direction that is substantially orthogonal to the horizontal and vertical directions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The following description may be further understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] Figure 1 showing an illustrative diagrammatic front isometric view of a storage, retrieval and handling system according to one aspect of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 2 Shown Figure 1 An illustrative diagrammatic enlarged view of an inlet portion of a system;

[0013] Figure 3 Shown Figure 1 and Figure 2 An illustrative diagram bottom view of a box sensing unit;

[0014] Figure 4 Shown from Figure 3 an illustrative diagrammatic view of a bin sensing unit pointing to a bin and contents of the bin;

[0015] Figure 5 Shown Figure 1 An illustrative diagrammatic enlarged view of the object perception unit of the system;

[0016] Figure 6 Shown Figure 1 and Figure 5 An illustrative front elevation view of the object perception unit;

[0017] Figure 7 Shown Figure 1 and Figure 5 An illustrative diagrammatic rear elevation view of the object perception unit;

[0018] Figures 8A to 8D Shows the object in Figure 1Illustrative diagrammatic views of movement of objects in a routing and conveying system;

[0019] Figures 9A to 9C Shown in Figure 1 An illustrative diagrammatic view of movement of an object conveyor belt in an object routing conveyor system;

[0020] 10A to 10C shows the object moving to Figure 1 an illustrative diagrammatic view of a destination container in a system of;

[0021] Figure 11A and Figure 11B an illustrative diagrammatic view showing a completed destination container being removed from a container array to a destination container movement system;

[0022] Figure 12A and Figure 12B Shown Figure 11A and Figure 11B an illustrative diagrammatic view of a completed destination container being moved from a destination container moving system to an output conveyor;

[0023] 13A to 13C An illustrative diagrammatic view of an empty container provided to a destination container movement system is shown;

[0024] Figure 14 Shown Figure 11A and Figure 11B An illustrative diagrammatic view of an empty container provided to a container array from a destination container movement system; and

[0025] Figure 15 Shown Figure 1 Illustrative diagram rear isometric view of the storage, retrieval and handling system.

[0026] The drawings are shown for illustration purposes only. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] According to one aspect, the present 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 conveyor system 16. The objects are processed at a processing station 18 and then routed to any of a plurality of destination containers at a destination area 22 via a routing input system 20. The processing station 18 may include a programmable motion device 24, a bin sensing unit 50, and an object sensing unit 26. Typically, objects are provided in a bin 12 at the input area 14, moved by the programmable motion device 24 to an object scanner 26, dropped onto an object conveyor system 48, and routed to any of a plurality of destination containers in 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 to any of the output conveyors 34, 36. Reference Figure 2 The input conveyor 16 may include a plurality of detectors 15 that monitor the movement of the conveyor and may confirm the identity and location of the conveyor at the input area 14 for processing at a processing station 18 .

[0028] System operation and Figure 1 The central control system 100 is shown coordinating wireless communication with the conveyor belts and conveyor belt sensors, the programmable motion device 24, the sensing units 50 and 26, and all components (all parts and systems) of the routing conveyor system, the container array, the container movement system, and the output conveyor system. The sensing unit 50 utilizes the programmable motion device's end effector to assist in grasping objects from the bin 12. Once grasped by the programmable motion device, the object falls into the drop sensing unit 26, and the system thereby determines the UPC associated with the object and the outbound destination of each object from the symbol string. The central control system 100 is composed of one or more workstations or central processing units (CPUs). The correspondence between, for example, UPCs or mailing labels and outbound destinations is maintained by the central control system in a database called a manifest. The central control system maintains the manifest by communicating with the warehouse management system (WMS). The manifest provides the outbound destination for each inbound object.

[0029] Specifically, one aspect of the system includes a sensing system 50 mounted above a bin of objects to be processed, adjacent to the articulated arm 24 and facing downwardly toward the bin 12. For example, Figure 3As shown, the system 50 can be attached to the perception unit bracket 40 via the mounting member 41 and can include (on its underside) a camera 72, a depth sensor 74 and a light 76. A combination of 2D and 3D (depth) data is acquired. The depth sensor 74 can provide depth information that can be used with the camera image data to determine depth information about various objects in the view. The lights 76 can be used to remove shadows and facilitate identifying the edges of objects and can be turned on all during use or can be illuminated in a desired order to help identify objects. The system uses images and various algorithms to generate a set of candidate grasping locations for objects in the box, as discussed in more detail below.

[0030] Figure 4 1 . An image view from the perception unit 50 is shown. The image view shows a box 12 in the input area 14 (conveyor belt), and the box 12 contains objects 78, 80, 82, 84, and 86. In this embodiment, the objects are homogeneous and are intended to be distributed into different sub-packages. Superimposed on objects 78, 80, 82, 84, 86 (for illustrative purposes) are the expected grasping positions 79, 81, 83, and 85 of the objects. It should be noted that although candidate grasping positions 79, 83, and 85 appear to be good grasping positions, grasping positions 79 and 85 are not good grasping positions because each associated object is at least partially located under another object. The system may not even have attempted to identify the grasping position of object 84 because object 84 is too much obscured by other objects. The candidate grasping positions can be indicated using a 3D model of the robot end effector, which is placed at the position where the actual end effector will be used as the grasping position. Grab positions may be considered good, for example, if they are close to the object's center of mass to provide greater stability during grasping and transport, and / or if they avoid placement on objects where a good vacuum seal may not be obtained (such as lids, seams, etc.).

[0031] refer to Figure 5 , the programmable motion device 24 includes an end effector 28 coupled to a vacuum hose attached to a vacuum source via a hose mount 30. Further reference Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the sensing unit 26 includes a structure 170 having a top opening 172 and a bottom opening 174, and the walls may be covered by an enclosing material 176 (e.g., a colored covering such as orange plastic) to protect humans from potentially dangerous bright lights within the sensing unit 36, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown. Structure 170 includes multiple rows of sources (e.g., lighting sources, such as LEDs) 178 and multiple image sensing units (e.g., cameras) 180. The sources 178 are arranged in rows, and each row is pointed at the center of the opening. The sensing units 180 are also generally pointed at the opening, although some cameras are pointed horizontally, while others are pointed upward, and some are pointed downward. The system also includes an entry source (e.g., an infrared source) 182 and an entry detector (e.g., an infrared detector) 184 for detecting when an object has entered the sensing unit 36. The LEDs and cameras thus surround the interior of structure 170, and the cameras are positioned to view the interior through windows that may include glass or plastic coverings (e.g., 186).

[0032] An important aspect of the system of certain embodiments of the present invention is the ability to identify a unique tag associated with an object via a barcode or other visual tag on the object by employing a perception system into which the object may fall. An automated scanning system will not be able to see a barcode on an object that is not exposed or visible in such a way that its barcode is not exposed. The perception system can be used in certain embodiments with a robotic system that can include a robotic arm equipped with sensors and computing devices, which when combined are herein assumed to exhibit the following capabilities: (a) it is able to pick objects from a specified class of objects and separate them from a stream of heterogeneous objects, whether they are haphazardly placed in a bin or individually separated on a motorized or gravity conveyor system; (b) it is able to move objects to arbitrary locations within its workspace; (c) it is able to place objects in outbound bins or shelf locations within its workspace; and (d) it is able to generate a map of the objects it is able to pick, said map being represented as a set of candidate grip points in the workcell and a list of polyhedrons that enclose the objects in space.

[0033] The objects allowed are determined by the capabilities of the robotic system. The objects are assumed to be of a size, weight, and geometry that enables the robotic system to pick, move, and place them. These can be any kind of ordered goods, packages, parcels, or other items that would benefit from automated sorting. Each object is associated with a unique identifier, such as a unique code (e.g., a barcode) or a unique destination (e.g., an address).

[0034] For example, inbound objects may arrive in one of two configurations: (a) inbound objects arrive and are deposited in a heterogeneous object bin; or (b) inbound objects arrive via a moving conveyor. The collection of objects includes some objects with exposed barcodes and other objects without exposed barcodes. Assume that the robotic system is capable of picking objects from the bin or conveyor. The inbound object flow is the sequence of objects as they are unloaded from the bin or conveyor. Reference Figure 7After the object has fallen through the sensing unit 26 , the object is guided by the guide chute 32 to the routing conveying system 20 .

[0035] Outbound objects are organized so that they are placed in bins, shelf locations, or containers into which all objects corresponding to a given order are consolidated. These outbound destinations can be arranged in a vertical array, horizontal array, grid, or some other regular or irregular pattern, but the arrangement is known to the system. It is assumed that the robotic pick and place system is able to place objects at all outbound destinations, and that the correct outbound destination is determined by a unique identification tag (identity or destination, such as a barcode or unique address) that identifies the object or destination.

[0036] It is assumed that objects are marked with a visually unique marker, such as a barcode or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, at one or more locations on their exterior so that they can be identified by a scanner. The type of marker depends on the type of scanning system used, but may include a 1D or 2D barcode symbol. A variety of symbology or marking methods can be used. It is assumed that the type of scanner used is compatible with the marking method. Marking 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 a unique identification (identity or destination).

[0037] The operation of the system described herein is determined by Figure 1 The central control system 100 is shown as coordinating the process. The system determines the unique identifier associated with the object and the object's outbound destination from the symbol string. The central control system consists of one or more workstations or central processing units (CPUs). The correspondence between the unique identifier and the outbound destination is maintained by the central control system in a database called a manifest. The central control system maintains the manifest by communicating with a warehouse management system (WMS).

[0038] refer to Figures 8A to 8D The routing conveyor system receives objects (e.g., a single stream of objects) from an object feed conveyor 48. The routing conveyor system includes one or more routing conveyor units 38A, 38B, each of which includes an object conveyor 37 mounted on a frame 39. Each frame 39 is movably coupled to a vertical rail system 43, wherein the upper and lower ends of each frame are movably coupled to a horizontal rail system 45 (also at Figure 1 According to various aspects, the rail system can be reversed to provide a horizontal rail system mounted to a vertical rail system.

[0039] Each routing conveyor unit 38A, 38B is adapted to receive a selected object on its object conveyor belt 37, which is mounted on a frame 39 that travels in both vertical and horizontal directions along a track system 43, 45 between at least two vertically stacked arrays 44A, 44B of destination containers 46 (e.g., boxes, totes, boxes, etc.). A selected object (e.g., 41) is received by the object conveyor belt 37 from an object feed conveyor belt 48 of the conveyor system and brought to a selected destination container in the vertically stacked arrays 44A, 44B. After routing the selected object to the selected destination location, the routing conveyor unit returns to the object feed conveyor belt 48 to receive a new object. The routing conveyor units 38A, 38B are programmed to avoid each other, for example, by generally moving at different heights when passing each other.

[0040] Specifically, reference Figure 8A When the routing conveyor unit 38B approaches the object feeding conveyor 48 from a height below the object feeding conveyor 48, the destination of the routing conveyor 38B may be a container at a relatively higher height or located at the container. Figure 8B If the destination container is at a higher elevation, routing conveyor unit 38B will begin to rise and move away from object feed conveyor belt 48, while also moving routing conveyor unit 38A downward and toward object feed conveyor belt 48 (as shown). Figure 8C When the routing conveyor unit 38B reaches the selected destination container, the routing conveyor unit 38A approaches the object feed conveyor belt from below (as shown in FIG. Figure 8D ). If the assigned destination container is relatively low in one or the other of the stacked arrays 44A, 44B, the return routing conveyor unit will travel a relatively higher path back to the object infeed conveyor belt. Each routing conveyor unit 38A, 38B is coupled to one of the two vertically stacked arrays via vertical and horizontal guide rails, but they avoid collisions by having the return unit follow a vertical path opposite to the path that the other routing conveyor unit would take to bring the new object to the selected destination bin. Each routing conveyor unit 38A, 38B can move an object to a destination bin located in either vertically stacked array 44A, 44B (to either side of the routing conveyor unit 38A, 38B).

[0041] refer to Figure 9AWhen a newly loaded routing conveyor unit (e.g., 38B) carrying an object 41 is assigned a selected destination container, the system determines whether the selected destination container is located at a high position or a low position (all positions are assigned to one of them). If the destination position is located at a high position, the return routing conveyor unit 38A moves back to the object feed conveyor belt 48 at a low position (e.g., Figure 9B On the other hand, if the destination location is located at a low position, the return routing conveyor unit 38A moves back to the object feed conveyor belt 48 at a high position (as shown). Figure 9C shown).

[0042] Thus, the system provides objects to either of two adjacent vertically stacked arrays of destination container rows, wherein at least two routing conveyor units are used to move objects from a loading position (at conveyor belt 48) to any destination container in either of the arrays 44. The routing conveyor units are moved so that one routing conveyor unit returns to the loading position while the other routing conveyor unit delivers the object, and the return unit moves vertically relative to the routing conveyor unit. For example, if the routing conveyor unit is moving to a position in the upper half of either of the arrays 44, the return unit moves in the lower half of the area between the arrays. Conversely, if the routing conveyor unit is moving to a position in the lower half of either of the arrays 44, the return unit moves in the upper half of the area between the arrays. In this way, the routing conveyor units 38A, 38B avoid collisions. Thus, each object is moved vertically and horizontally by a routing conveyor unit and then moved in a third direction by the container conveyor belt, where the third direction is generally orthogonal to the first and second directions. The container can then be removed from the open storage position when complete, also along the third direction, as discussed in more detail below, and then moved horizontally and vertically for removal to an output conveyor.

[0043] Figure 10A The routing conveyor unit 38B is shown at a destination location with a selected object 41 positioned on its object conveyor belt 37. If the selected destination container is within the vertically stacked array 44B, the conveyor belt 37 moves to push the object into the destination container therein (e.g., Figure 10B ), and if the selected destination container is within the vertically stacked array 44A, the conveyor belt 37 moves to push the object into the destination container therein (as shown). Figure 10C Each routing conveyor unit 38A, 38B can thereby provide objects thereon to any destination container within the vertically stacked arrays 44A, 44B. The destination containers 46 in the vertically stacked arrays of destination containers 44A, 44B are thereby filled with objects from the input bin 12 via the routing conveyor system at the processing station 18 and the destination area 22.

[0044] When the destination container is full or otherwise completed, the completed destination container 52 can be pulled from the outside of the corresponding vertically stacked array 44A, 44B and moved to the associated output conveyor belt 34, 36. The outside of each array is opposite the inside adjacent to the routing conveyor unit. Each destination box 46 in the array 44A, 44B is positioned in an open storage location 54, and each open storage location 54 includes a storage conveyor belt 56 that supports (and can move) each associated destination conveyor belt. The container movement system associated with each array 44A, 44B cooperates with each storage conveyor belt 56 to move containers into and out of each array. The container movement system includes a container movement unit 90, which includes a container conveyor belt 92 mounted on a structure 94, which is movable vertically along vertical guide rails 96. The ends of the vertical guide rails 96 are mounted on horizontal guide rails 98 and are mounted horizontally along the horizontal guide rails (such as Figure 1 and Figure 15 ). Further, according to various aspects, the rail system can be reversed, including a horizontal rail system mounted to a vertical rail system.

[0045] The container moving unit 90 is brought to the completed destination container 52 along the vertical guide rails 96 and the horizontal guide rails 98, and then the storage conveyor belt 56 pushes the container 52 onto the container conveyor belt 92 of the container moving unit 90, as shown in FIG. Figure 11A and Figure 11B (Container conveyor 92 may also be moved to assist in the transfer). The container moving unit 90 then moves toward the associated output conveyor 34 ( Figure 12A ) moves downward and the container conveyor 92 engages to move the completed destination conveyor 52 onto the output conveyor 34 ( Figure 12B In this way, completed destination containers are removed from the vertically stacked array as needed and moved onto the output conveyor. Objects are moved into the destination container on a first side of the destination container and completed destination containers are removed from an opposite second side, allowing the object conveying system to continue operating while the destination container is being replenished.

[0046] Alternatively, a container moving system may be used to provide empty containers to the vertically stacked array. Specifically, an empty container may be provided, for example, at the input end of each conveyor belt 34, 36, and may be retained until the empty container is removed. Figure 1 When an empty container is needed, the door 110 is opened and the empty container moves toward a loading station including a sensor 112 and a bi-directional conveyor belt section 114, as shown. Figure 13A At the same time, the container moving unit 90 moves toward the loading station where the bidirectional conveying section 114 engages the elevated belt (e.g. Figure 13B) to move the empty container to the container conveyor belt 92 of the container moving unit 90. Then, the container moving unit 90 moves along the vertical and horizontal rail systems (as shown in FIG. Figure 13C ) to position the empty container adjacent to the empty open storage location. Figure 14 As shown, in the open storage position 54, the container conveyor 92 is engaged to move the empty containers onto the storage conveyor 56 in the position 54. The storage conveyor 56 can facilitate this transfer by pulling the empty containers into the position 54 and further pushing the empty containers against the inner support 120 so as to position each container as close as possible to the routing conveyor system.

[0047] Figure 15 A rear isometric view from the output end of the system is shown, showing a vertically stacked container array 44B adjacent to the output conveyor 36, which also includes an empty container supply system, including a door 110, a sensor 112, and a bi-directional conveyor 114. Array 44B also includes the container movement system discussed above, including a container movement unit 90 and a vertical rail system 96 and a horizontal rail system 98. Again, the system is controlled by one or more computer processing systems 100, and sensors on the conveyor can be used to monitor the position of boxes and containers on the conveyor.

[0048] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations can be made to the above-disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A storage, retrieval and processing system for processing objects, the storage, retrieval and processing system comprising: a plurality of bins, the plurality of bins comprising objects to be dispensed, the plurality of bins being disposed on an input conveyor system; a programmable motion device including an end effector for grasping and moving any of said objects, said programmable motion device being capable of reaching any of said objects within at least one of said plurality of bins in an input area of ​​said input conveyor system; a perception system for providing perception data regarding a selected object presented to the perception system by the programmable motion device; a routing conveyor system, the routing conveyor system comprising at least one object conveyor belt, each object conveyor belt being provided for receiving the selected object and for moving the selected object in each of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction in a space between two vertically stacked arrays of destination containers in response to the sensing data and directly to a selected destination container in either of the two vertically stacked arrays of destination containers; as well as a container movement system for moving empty destination containers to and moving completed destination containers from the two vertically stacked arrays of destination containers in each of the horizontal and vertical directions, wherein the at least one object conveyor pushes the selected object into the selected destination container in a third direction orthogonal to the horizontal and vertical directions, and Wherein for each vertically stacked array of destination containers, objects are moved into destination containers at a first side of the vertically stacked array of destination containers, and the empty destination containers and the completed destination containers are moved at a second side opposite the first side.

2. The storage, retrieval and handling system of claim 1 wherein the object conveyor is mounted to a routing vertical rail system.

3. The storage, retrieval and handling system of claim 2, wherein the routing vertical rail system is mounted on a routing horizontal rail system.

4. The storage, retrieval and handling system of claim 1, wherein the container movement system includes a container conveyor system for moving the completed destination container in each of a removal horizontal direction and a vertical direction toward an output station.

5. The storage, retrieval and handling system of claim 1 wherein the container movement system comprises a container conveyor belt mounted to a container movement vertical rail system.

6. The storage, retrieval and handling system of claim 5, wherein the container movement vertical rail system is mounted on a container movement horizontal rail system.

7. A storage, retrieval and processing system for processing objects, the storage, retrieval and processing system comprising: a plurality of bins, the plurality of bins comprising objects to be dispensed, the plurality of bins being disposed on an input conveyor system; a programmable motion device including an end effector for grasping and moving any of said objects, said programmable motion device being capable of reaching any of said objects within at least one of said plurality of bins in an input area of ​​said input conveyor system; a routing conveyor system, the routing conveyor system comprising a first object conveyor belt and a second object conveyor belt, each object conveyor belt being provided for receiving a selected object and for moving the selected object from the input area in a space between two vertically stacked arrays of destination containers, in each of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction and directly to a selected destination container in either of the two vertically stacked arrays of destination containers; as well as a container movement system for moving empty destination containers to and moving completed destination containers from the two vertically stacked arrays of destination containers in each of the horizontal and vertical directions, wherein each object conveyor pushes the selected object into the selected destination container in a third direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, wherein the first object conveyor belt and the second object conveyor belt are adapted to travel in the horizontal and vertical directions and avoid collision with each other by traveling in loops, one of the loops being time delayed with respect to the other loop, and Wherein for each vertically stacked array of destination containers, objects are moved into destination containers at a first side of the vertically stacked array of destination containers, and the empty destination containers and the completed destination containers are moved at a second side opposite the first side.

8. The storage, retrieval and handling system of claim 7 wherein the object conveyor is mounted to a routing vertical rail system.

9. The storage, retrieval and handling system of claim 8, wherein the routing vertical rail system is mounted on a routing horizontal rail system.

10. A storage, retrieval and processing system as described in claim 8, wherein the storage, retrieval and processing system also includes a sensing system, which is used to provide sensing data about selected objects presented to the sensing system by the programmable motion device, and the container movement system further includes a container conveying system, which moves the completed destination container in each of the removal horizontal direction and the vertical direction toward the output conveyor belt in response to the sensing data.

11. The storage, retrieval and handling system of claim 7 wherein the container movement system comprises a container conveyor belt mounted to a container movement vertical rail system.

12. The storage, retrieval and handling system of claim 11, wherein the container movement vertical rail system is mounted on a container movement horizontal rail system.

13. A method of providing storage, retrieval and processing of an object, the method comprising: providing a plurality of bins on a conveyor system, the plurality of bins comprising objects to be dispensed; grasping and moving objects within at least one of the plurality of bins in an input area of ​​the conveyor system using a programmable motion device including an end effector for grasping and moving any of the objects, the programmable motion device being capable of reaching any of the objects within at least one of the plurality of bins in an input area of ​​the conveyor system; providing sensory data regarding a selected object presented to a sensory system by the programmable motion device; routing the selected object on a first object conveyor, the first object conveyor routing the selected object in each of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction in a space between two vertically stacked arrays of destination containers using the first object conveyor in response to the sensed data so as to directly reach a selected destination container in either of the two vertically stacked arrays of destination containers; as well as pushing the selected object from the first object conveyor belt into the selected destination container in a third direction orthogonal to the horizontal and vertical directions, wherein the method further comprises moving empty destination containers to and moving completed destination containers from the two vertically stacked arrays of destination containers in each of the horizontal and vertical directions using a container movement system, and Wherein for each vertically stacked array of destination containers, objects are moved into destination containers at a first side of the vertically stacked array of destination containers, and the empty destination containers and the completed destination containers are moved at a second side opposite the first side.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein routing the selected object in each of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction comprises moving the first object conveyor in a loop along the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises, in response to the sensed data, routing another selected object in each of the horizontal and vertical directions toward another selected destination container using a second object conveyor; The other selected object is pushed from the second object conveyor belt into the other selected destination container, each of the first object conveyor belt and the second object conveyor belt being adapted to travel along the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and avoid collision with each other by traveling in loops, wherein one loop is time delayed relative to the other loop.

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