System for executing order and its method

Abstract

To provide a system and a method for executing an order by which robot loading handlers on the system can be reduced.SOLUTION: A system comprises a storage and take-out system, a transfer system and at least one picking station 35. The transfer system further includes conveyance means 51, 53 arranged between the storage and take-out system and the picking station 35. An item delivered from the storage and take-out system to the transfer system may be conveyed to the picking station 35 independently of a normal operation of the picking station 35.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3a

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ORDER FULFILLMENT FIELD OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates to systems and methods for and method of order fulfillment of items for fulfilling customer orders in an online retail environment. More specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention relates to systems and methods for order fulfillment of items for fulfilling customer orders in an online retail environment. [Background technology]

[0002] Some commercial and industrial operations require systems that allow for the storage of a large number of different inventory items and allow such items to be retrieved and picked to form customer orders.

[0003] In one known type of system for the storage and retrieval of items of multiple product lines, the items are located in storage bins or containers. The bins or containers are arranged in a stack on top of each other and the stacks are arranged in rows. The storage bins or containers are accessed from above and removed from the stacks by load handling equipment. EP 3030,504 B1 (Ocado Innovation Limited) describes such a robotic picking system in which a stack of containers is arranged within a frame structure. A system of this type is illustrated diagrammatically in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings. The robotic load handling equipment is controllably moved on a system of tracks which form a grid located above the stack of containers.

[0004] In the robotic storage and retrieval system described in EP 3030,504 B1, the grid comprises a series of grid spaces defined by a track, with each stack of containers being positioned within the footprint of a single grid space. In use, the robotic load handler travels on the track above the stack and is controllably positioned above a predefined stack of containers. At the appropriate position, a lifting mechanism is lowered from the robotic load handling apparatus, whereby a gripper device which is part of it engages the container and lifts said receptacle or container from the stack into a cavity within the load handling apparatus. In this particular system, the cross section of the robotic load handling apparatus substantially matches the area of ​​a single grid space. Furthermore, the track and the robotic load handling apparatus are configured such that two load handling apparatus occupy adjacent grid spaces and pass each other in either direction during operation.

[0005] Another form of robotic load handling equipment is described, for example, in Norwegian Patent No. NO 317366 B1 (Autostore AS), in which a cantilever-type load handling equipment is disclosed which occupies two grid spaces in operation. The present invention can be applied to storage and retrieval systems using such a cantilever-type load handling equipment. Furthermore, it will be understood that in the context of the present invention, which will be described in more detail below with reference to specific embodiments, any form or configuration of load handling equipment can be used instead of the two examples mentioned above.

[0006] In known grid-based storage and retrieval systems, such as those described above with reference to EP 3030,504 B1, a storage receptacle or container is lifted from the stack, the storage receptacle or container containing the inventory items required to fulfill a customer order. Once lifted by the load handling equipment, the storage receptacle or container is delivered by the load handling equipment to an output port above or adjacent to the pick station, or to the pick station itself. In this manner, the storage receptacle or container is moved from the storage and retrieval area of ​​the system to a point where the items can be removed from the storage container or receptacle and transferred to a delivery container containing the customer order.

[0007] In a further form of known storage and retrieval system as described in detail in EP 2,530,035 B1 (Dematic GmbH), items or objects are stored in storage bins or containers on shelves or racks, and the storage bins or containers are retrieved by a shuttle. The shuttle moves the storage containers or containers to a lifting system, which moves the storage containers or containers to a series of conveyors, which transport the storage containers or containers to a pick station, where the items or objects are removed from the storage bins or containers or containers to a delivery container containing the customer order. Such a rack and shuttle system of the storage and retrieval part is structurally different from the grid-based storage and retrieval system described in EP 3030,504 B1, but both result in a bin or container containing the items to be picked being transported to the pick station.

[0008] The above-mentioned storage and retrieval systems are commonly referred to as "goods to people" picking systems. A storage container or receptacle is provided to a location, a pick station, and is positioned temporarily in close proximity to a shipping container containing a customer order for the required item to be moved from the storage container or receptacle to the customer container or receptacle. The structural arrangement of such a "goods to people" pick station is the most efficient and productive way to move the required item from the storage container or receptacle to the customer order container or receptacle, and the structural arrangement of the pick station is such that the worker positioned at the pick station does not have to walk during the picking process, so the item is simply moved from one container to another. In this way, all available operating time can be devoted to picking items.

[0009] It will be appreciated that such a structural arrangement of the pick station also more readily lends itself to robotic picking of items from a storage bin or container into a customer order. At the pick station in the above described system, one or more required inventory items may be manually or robotically removed from a storage bin or container and placed into a shipping container which forms, or is part of, a customer order and is filled for dispatch at the appropriate time.

[0010] It will be further appreciated that such an order may include multiple shipping containers, with the number of shipping containers required being dictated by the number of items or products ordered. Thus, multiple storage containers or receptacles may need to be moved from storage positions within the storage and retrieval location to the pick station.

[0011] The number of pick stations in any order picking system is limited by the space available for the pick station footprint and the overall storage and retrieval system in the chosen building. As a result, frequently needed items and products may need to be transported multiple times to and from the pick stations by robotic load handlers or shuttles and conveyors as needed, thereby increasing the number of trips required by the handlers or shuttles.

[0012] However, such "goods to people" systems tend to be expensive. Often, especially in grocery order picking, a relatively small number of item types (stock keeping units or SKUs) make up a large proportion of the total items being picked. Thus, the same storage container or bin must be brought to the pick station multiple times.

[0013] Methods and systems have been proposed to reduce the number of storage container or receptacle movements to a given pick station, one such method and system being described in GB 2,524383B1 (Ocado Innovation Ltd). In the described system and method, a holding facility is provided at each pick station to enable an operator to pick multiple commonly required items at the pick station's temporary storage location. While this system and method provides significant benefits, these are limited by the size of the pick station, the size of the temporary holding facility, and the number of orders that can be processed at one pick station during a planning period.

[0014] The present invention is directed to overcoming the problem of the same container or receptacle or SKU being required to be repeatedly presented to a given pick station, thereby reducing the movement of load handling equipment above the pick station or at the output port of a grid-based or other storage and retrieval system, or crowding of storage receptacles or containers at the pick station. Advantageously, this can both lower the cost per transaction and increase the throughput of a given storage and retrieval system, where a transaction is defined as, for example, the movement of an item from a storage receptacle to a shipping container.

[0015] It will be appreciated that the known storage and picking systems described above operate under the control of a computer utility which acts to control the movement and location of storage or containers and shipping containers, the movement and location of inventory, and the location and number of workers required at any given point in the system. Additionally, in a grid-based system, the computer utility may control the movement and location of the load handling equipment and control communications between the load handling equipment and the order picking system. Summary of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, there is provided a fulfillment system comprising a storage and retrieval system and a pick station, the pick station comprising a storage item side and an item side to be picked, the fulfillment system further comprising a transport system positioned between the storage and retrieval system and the pick station, the transport system comprising the transfer station and a conveying means linking the transfer station to the storage side of the pick station, and a portion of the items to be picked at the pick station into a delivery container DT are supplied to the pick station by the conveying means.

[0017] According to the invention, there is further provided a method for handling items in a fulfillment system comprising a storage and retrieval system, a transport system and a pick station, comprising retrieving a container with required items from the storage and retrieval system, transferring the items from the retrieved container to a transport station in the transport system, transferring at least one item from the transfer station to a transport means, transporting the transferred items to the pick station and picking the items from the transport means at the pick station.

[0018] In this manner, the present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art and provides a system and method for temporarily increasing the possible throughput of a given system without having to increase the number of output ports and pick stations or increase the number of robotic load handlers on the system. In fact, the present invention may allow for a reduction in the number of robotic load handlers on the system, thus reducing the capital costs of the system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. [Figure 1a] FIG. 1a is a schematic perspective view of one form of grid-based storage and retrieval system showing containers in stacks within a framework, with load handling equipment operable on tracks above the framework to retrieve the containers and deliver them to output ports above a pick station. [Figure 1b] FIG. 1b is a schematic side view of the storage and retrieval system of FIG. 1a, showing a site worker in a pick station of the storage and retrieval system of FIG. 1a. [Figure 1c] FIG. 1c is a schematic plan view of the storage and retrieval system of FIGS. 1b and 1c, showing the output ports of the storage and retrieval system. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of one form of load handling equipment operable on the storage and retrieval system of FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1c. [Figure 3a] FIG. 3a is a schematic perspective view of a series of pick stations forming part of a storage, retrieval and picking system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the pick stations comprising intermediate holding equipment supplied with items for picking by a plurality of item transport devices, which are supplied with items from the storage and retrieval system via a robotic picking system at a transfer station. [Figure 3b] FIG. 3b is a schematic plan view of the pick station and pick station intermediate holding arrangement of FIG. 3a. [Figure 3c] FIG. 3c is a schematic block diagram illustrating features of the system shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b. [Figure 4a] Figure 4a is a schematic plan view of a further form of the invention of Figures 3a, 3b and 3c, in which item transport devices are fed from a number of transfer stations before being transported to any intermediate holding facility at any pick station. [Figure 4b] FIG. 4b is a schematic plan view of the system of FIG. 4a. [Figure 4c] FIG. 4c is a schematic block diagram illustrating features of the systems of FIGS. 4a and 4b. [Figure 5a] Figure 5a is a schematic perspective view of another form of the invention in which the item transport device comprises a series of trays moving between intermediate holding facilities at various pick stations on the conveyor. [Figure 5b] Figure 5b is a schematic plan view of the pick station and transport arrangement of Figure 5a. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] In the following description, "storage container 10" is used to denote a container, receptacle, or tote intended for storage of inventory items, "delivery container DT" is used to denote a container, receptacle, or tote intended to be filled to fulfill an order placed by a customer, and "tray" is used to denote a container, receptacle, or tote for transporting items or SKUs in an online retail environment or otherwise. It will be understood that this terminology is used within this document for ease of reference and description. However, it should be noted that storage containers 10, trays, and delivery containers DT may be of the same shape and configuration. Furthermore, delivery containers DT may be stored within receptacles 10 (known as nested containers) within a storage system or any portion thereof. It is the function of the receptacle, receptacle, tray, or tote that defines the category of container, rather than any variation in actual size, shape, or configuration.

[0021] Further, the present invention will be described in a first embodiment as applied to a grid-based storage and retrieval system, such as that shown diagrammatically in Figures 1 and 2 and described more fully in EP 3030,504 B1, which is incorporated herein by reference and described in detail therein. For purposes of this description, the detailed operation of the grid-based storage and retrieval system will not be repeated here, and only the basic operational requirements for interfacing with the present invention will be described. Further, it will be understood that the present invention may be applied to and integrated with other forms of storage and retrieval systems, both of the grid-based variety and having other arrangements and configurations.

[0022] One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the storage system of FIGS.

[0023] In the system shown in FIG. 1, stackable storage containers 10 are stacked on top of each other to form a stack 12. The stack 12 may be of variable height and may include a varying number of storage containers 10 and is arranged within a frame structure 14 in a warehouse or manufacturing environment. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a frame structure 14 including a stack 12 of containers 10. Each storage container 10 typically holds multiple products or inventory items 28, and the product inventory items 28 within a container 10 may be identical or may be of different product types depending on the use to which the storage, retrieval, and picking system is put. For example, the items may be parcels or letters, or other items requiring storage, retrieval, or picking. Additionally, the storage containers 10 may be physically subdivided to accommodate multiple different inventory items 28.

[0024] The storage system frame structure 14 includes a plurality of upright members 16 supporting horizontal members 18, 20. A first set of parallel horizontal members 18 are 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. The members 16, 18, 20 are typically fabricated from metal, although any suitable material having the required structural characteristics may be used. The storage containers 10 are stacked between the members 16, 18, 20 of the frame structure 14 such that the frame structure 14 prevents horizontal movement of the stack 12 of storage containers 10 and guides vertical movement of the storage containers 10.

[0025] The top level of the frame structure 14 includes rails 22 arranged in a grid pattern across the top of the stacks 12. Referring to FIG. 1, the rails 22 support a plurality of robotic load handling devices 30. A first set 22a of parallel rails 22 guides movement of the load handling devices 30 in a first direction (X) across the top of the frame structure 14, and a second set 22b of parallel rails 22 arranged perpendicular to the first set 22a guides movement of the load handling devices 30 in a second direction (Y) perpendicular to the first direction. In this manner, the rails 22 allow movement of the load handling devices 30 in two dimensions, in the XY plane, so that the load handling devices 30 can be moved to a position anywhere on the stacks 12.

[0026] One form of load handling apparatus is shown in more detail in Figure 2. Each load handling apparatus 30 comprises a vehicle 32 arranged to move in the X and Y directions on the rails 22 of the frame structure 14 above the stack 12. A first set of wheels 34, consisting of a pair of wheels 34 at the front of the vehicle 32 and a pair of wheels 34 at the rear of the vehicle 32, are arranged to engage two adjacent rails of the first set 22a of the rails 22. Similarly, a second set of wheels 36, consisting of a pair of wheels 36 on each side of the vehicle 32, are arranged to engage two adjacent rails of the second set 22b of the rails 22. Each set of wheels 34, 36 can be raised and lowered so that either the first set of wheels 34 or the second set of wheels 36 is engaged with the respective set of rails 22a, 22b at any one time.

[0027] When the first set of wheels 34 is engaged with the first set of rails 22a and the second set of wheels 36 is fully lifted off the rails 22, the wheels 34 can be driven to move the load handling apparatus 30 in the X direction via a drive mechanism (not shown) housed in the vehicle 32. To move the load handling apparatus 30 in the Y direction, the first set of wheels 34 is lifted fully off the rails 22 and the second set of wheels 36 is lowered into engagement with the second set of rails 22b. The drive mechanism can then be used to drive the second set of wheels 36 to achieve movement in the Y direction.

[0028] In this manner, one or more robotic load handling devices 30 can move around the upper layers of the stack 12 on the frame structure 14 as shown in Figure 1 under the control of a centralized control utility (not shown). Each robotic load handling device 30 is provided with lifting means 38 for lifting one or more storage containers 10 from the stack 12 to access the containers 10 with the required items or products 28.

[0029] The body of the vehicle 32 includes a cavity 40 that is sized to hold a storage container 10. The lifting means 38 preferably includes a winch means and storage container 10 gripper assembly 39. In use, the lifting means 38 is lowered to engage a storage container 10 in the stack 12 and, upon engagement with the storage container 10, is hoisted upwardly, lifting the storage container 10 from the stack 12 and into the cavity 40 in the body of the vehicle 32.

[0030] In this manner, multiple robotic load handling devices 30 can be used on a grid-based storage system to allow multiple containers 10 of products, items or goods to be removed from multiple locations in the stack 12 at any one time.

[0031] Once retrieved, the container 10 positioned within the cavity 40 of the body 32 of the load-handling apparatus 30 may be transported to any point on the grid by the load-handling apparatus 30. As discussed above and with reference to EP 3,030,504 B1, the retrieved container 30 is transported to an output port 33 of the storage and retrieval system from where it is transferred to a pick station 35.

[0032] At the pick station 35, the storage container 10 is automatically positioned adjacent or near the shipping container DT in front of the worker. The worker can then pick the required number of items from the storage container 10 and transfer the picked items to the shipping container DT. The shipping container DT is then routed to a shipping area and from there loaded onto an appropriate transport for delivery to the customer. In the particular embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, the shipping container DT is routed (dispatched) to the shipping area via the storage and retrieval system. This is advantageous in the case of orders that have been picked some time before the desired time for dispatch. However, it should be understood that this need not be the case and the shipping container may be routed for dispatch directly from the pick station 35 if a different design or implementation of the storage and retrieval system is used. The storage container 10 is returned to the storage and retrieval system 400.

[0033] From the above description, it will be appreciated that storage containers 10 containing products or items 28 and storage containers 10 comprising delivery containers DT are all routed through pick station 35 .

[0034] Figures 3a, 3b and 3c show a first embodiment of the invention. In Figures 3a and 3b, for ease of reference, the storage and retrieval system 400 is not shown. In this embodiment of the invention, the output port 33 of the storage and retrieval system 400 comprises an empty column of the framework 14 of the storage and retrieval system 400, forming an output chute 37. The output chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system is located in the vicinity of, but spaced apart from, the pick station 35.

[0035] The pick station 35 comprises two sections, a shipping container DT side 39 and a storage container 10 side 41. The two sides 39, 41 of the pick station 35 are positioned such that the two sides 39, 41 are in contact so that items 28 in the storage container 10 can be moved to the shipping container DT by a worker positioned at the pick station 35.

[0036] The shipping container DT side 39 of the pick station 35 comprises a shipping container DT input 39' and a shipping container DT output 39''. The shipping container DT input 39' of the pick station 35 comprises an output chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system 400, below which the shipping container DT is lowered by the lifting means 38 of the robotic load handling equipment 30 when positioned at the port 33 above the output chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system 400.

[0037] The shipping container DT output 39'' of the pick station 35 is provided with an input chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system 400, upon which the shipping container DT is lifted by the lifting means 38 of the robotic load handling equipment 30 when positioned at the port 33 above the input chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system 400.

[0038] The input 39 ′ and output 39 ″ of the shipping container DT are linked by a suitable form of transport means 43 adapted to move the shipping container DT from the input 39 ′ to the output 39 ″ of the shipping container DT side 39 of the pick station 35 .

[0039] The transport means 43 on the delivery container DT side of the pick station 35 may be adapted to provide multiple presentation positions at which the delivery container DT is displayed to the worker at the pick station 35 .

[0040] The storage container 10 side 41 of the pick station 35 includes a storage container 10 input 41' and a storage container 10 output 41''. The input 41' of the storage container 10 at the pick station 35 is provided with an output chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system 400 below which the storage container 10 is lowered by the lifting means 38 of the robotic load handling apparatus 30 when it is positioned at the output port 33 above the output chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system 400.

[0041] The output 41'' of the storage container 10 of the pick station 35 is provided with an input chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system 400, and the storage container 10 is lifted thereon by the lifting means 38 of the robotic load handling apparatus 30 when positioned at the port 33 above the input chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system 400.

[0042] The input 41 ′ and output 41 ″ of the storage container 10 are linked by a suitable form of conveying means 43 adapted to move the storage container 10 from the input 41 ′ to the output 41 ″ of the storage container 10 side 41 of the pick station 35 .

[0043] The transport means 43 on the side of the storage container 10 at the pick station 35 may be adapted to provide multiple presentation positions at which the storage container 10 is displayed to the worker at the pick station 35 .

[0044] It will be appreciated that it is not necessary for there to be an input chute 37 and an output chute 37 on each side 39, 41 of the pick station 35, but rather a single chute 37 could serve each side of the pick station 35. In this case, the lowering and lifting of the storage and distribution containers 10, DT, requires synchronisation by a control means (not shown).

[0045] Moreover, it will be understood that the format and structure of pick station 35 is shown by way of example only, and that many other configurations and arrangements of pick station 35 may be envisioned by one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, shipping container DT may be presented above storage container 10, or shipping container DT may be presented below storage container 10 at the location of a worker within pick station 35.

[0046] In use, the shipping container DT is lowered under the output chute 37 of the storage and retrieval system 400 on the lifting means 38 of the load handling apparatus 30 and the load handling apparatus 30 is positioned above the output port 33 of the storage and retrieval system 400.

[0047] The shipping container DT enters the shipping container DT side 39 of the pick station 35 and moves via conveying means 43 towards the output of the shipping container DT side 39 of the pick station.

[0048] At the same time, storage containers 10 containing items 28 that need to be picked into delivery containers DT containing customer orders enter storage container 10 side 41 of pick station 35 and move via conveying means 43 towards the output of storage container 10 side 41 of the pick station.

[0049] As the shipping container DT and storage container 10 move in their respective directions, workers located at pick station 35 move items from the storage container 10 to the shipping container DT as directed by instructions on an appropriate graphical user interface (not shown).

[0050] It will be appreciated that such coordination of the shipping container DT and storage container 10 is under the control of a suitable computer control utility (not shown).

[0051] While it is desirable to coordinate the delivery container DT and storage container 10 in the appropriate presentation position in front of the worker, there are situations in which it is not possible to precisely match the appropriate delivery container DT with the associated storage container 10 in front of the worker. For example, if there is a delay in the load handling equipment 30 transporting either the required container DT, 10 to the output port 33 of the storage and retrieval system 400, the delivery container DT may arrive at the worker out of sync with the required storage container 10.

[0052] Additionally, multiple items 28 may be required from a single storage container 10 apart from picking multiple shipping containers DT, including shipping containers 10 that have not yet arrived at the pick station 35.

[0053] In instances where this occurs, the pick station 35 is further provided with a temporary holding location 47 where an operator can place an item 28 from a presented storage container 10 in front of the associated presented delivery container DT. Such a temporary holding location 47 is often small and can only accommodate one or two items 28.

[0054] As will be appreciated from the above description, storage containers 10 are continually transported to pick stations 35 so that items contained therein are picked into customer containers DT. This results in the movement of a significant number of robotic load handlers 30 on tracks above the storage and retrieval system 400. This can then lead to congested output ports 33 leading to synchronization issues within the system as a whole. This can be particularly problematic in robotic picking systems used to store and pick large numbers of fast moving consumer items, such as might be required in an online grocery fulfillment system. However, this particular problem need not be limited to such use cases.

[0055] As shown in Fig. 3a, the object storage handling and retrieval system of the first embodiment of the invention further comprises a transfer system, which comprises a transfer station 49 where items 28 frequently required to be picked into a delivery container DT may be placed. The transfer station 49 may comprise any form of table structure or receiving surface, and the items 28 may be transferred from successive storage containers 10 output from the storage and retrieval system 400 via an additional output chute 37. The transfer station 49 is located below the storage and retrieval system 400, and the output port 33 of the storage and retrieval system 400 is positioned such that a robotic load handling device 30 operating on the storage and retrieval system 400 can lower the required storage container 10 to a holding position adjacent the transfer station 49, from where the items 28 contained therein can be picked onto the transfer station 49, either robotically or manually.

[0056] Whilst the transfer station 49 of the first embodiment of the present invention is described above as a table type structure or surface, it will be appreciated that the transfer station 49 may comprise a VLM-like shelf structure as fully described in patent publication number GB2,524,383B1 (Ocado Innovation Limited).

[0057] As shown in Figures 3a and 3b, a track 51 is positioned between the transfer station 49 and the pick station 35 on which a series of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) 53 travel. The track 51 links the transfer station 49 to an AGV position 55 positioned at the, or each, pick station 35 and within reach of an operator at the pick station 35. The AGVs 53 comprise a vehicle having an item carrying portion disposed thereon. The AGVs 53 can move between the transfer station 49 and the pick station 35, or each, pick station 35, under the control of a storage and retrieval system control utility. As shown in Figures 3a and 3b, multiple AGVs 53 may be used at any one time.

[0058] In use, as shown with reference to the schematic block diagram of the system shown in FIG. 3c, the storage containers 10 are output from the storage and retrieval system 400 via the output port 33 and output chute 37. The storage containers 10 contain items 28 required to fulfil customer orders in a planned order range. The items 28 are transferred onto the transfer station 49 by suitable picking means, either robot 57 or manual. It will be appreciated that a number of items 28 are picked from the storage containers 10 onto the transfer station and the items 28 remain on the transfer station 49 until required at the, or each, pick station 35 where an order requiring at least one of said transferred items 28 is picked.

[0059] When the storage container 10 is emptied or when a predetermined number of items 28 have been picked, the storage container 10 is returned to the storage system 400 via the chute 37. It will be appreciated that the storage container 10 may be collected by a load handling device 30 operating on the storage and retrieval system 400. However, the storage container 10 could be returned to the storage system 400 via some other suitable means (not shown). Additionally, if the storage container 10 does not contain additional items 28 to be stored, the empty storage container 10 may be returned to a storage container filling station (not shown) for filling with items 28.

[0060] Items 28 positioned on transfer station 49 may be robotically or manually removed from transfer station 49 and placed on AGV 53. The AGV containing the picked items 28 travels on track 51 under the control of an appropriately programmed utility to the pick station 35 requiring such items 28, or to an AGV position 55 located at each pick station 35.

[0061] As seen in FIG. 3c, the items required in the delivery container DT may be moved from the storage and retrieval system 400 to the pick station via a number of means. First, the storage container containing the items 28 may be moved to the storage container side 41 of the pick station 35 via the load handling equipment 30 and the input chute 41′ of the storage container side 41 of the pick station. Alternatively, as mentioned above, the storage container 10 containing the required items 28 may be output from the storage and retrieval system 400 via the chute 37 to a point adjacent the transfer station 49, where the items 28 are transferred to the transfer station 49 and placed on an individual AGV. The individual items 28 are then transferred on the AGV 53 via the track 51 to the pick station AGV location 55, from where they can be picked by a worker into the delivery container DT on the delivery container side 41 of the pick station 35.

[0062] It will be appreciated that each pick station 35 may further comprise a temporary holding facility 47 in which workers place individual items 28 to be delivered to the pick station via any of the means described above that are required at some point within the item planning period but are not required for a given shipping container DT located at the pick station 35 at that time.

[0063] Once the shipping container DT contains all items required for a given customer order or portion thereof, the shipping container DT is returned to the storage and retrieval system 400 for dispatch to the customer at the required time. It will be appreciated that the shipping container DT may be returned to a storage position within the storage and retrieval system 400 or may be transported directly to a shipping area. In either case, the shipping container may be transported by load handling equipment operating on the storage and retrieval system 400.

[0064] As discussed above with reference to FIG. 3c, the pick station may be supplied with individual items for a customer order via storage containers 10 routed to the storage side of the pick station 35, or via AGVs 53, or via a combination of both of these routing methods, with additional storage space being provided at the pick station in a temporary holding location 49.

[0065] In FIG. 3c, different possible routes for the items 28 and the storage container 10 and the delivery container DT are represented by different shaped arrows.

[0066] It will be appreciated that not all pick stations 35 in a given facility may have all of the options described above. For example, only half of the pick stations in any given facility may have AGV locations 55, and thus some pick stations 35 may only be served via load handling equipment 30 that serves storage containers 10 to the storage container side 41 of the pick stations 35. Furthermore, not all pick stations 35 may be provided with temporary holding locations 47. However, it will also be appreciated that all pick stations 35 in a given facility may be provided with all of the options described above and represented diagrammatically in Figures 3a, 3b, and 3c.

[0067] Figures 4a, 4b and 4c show an installation in which a pick station 35 associated with a given storage and retrieval system 400 comprises all of the above mentioned feeding mechanisms. As can be seen in Figure 4b, a number of transfer stations 49 are provided and linked by a common track 51 which links all pick stations 35 in the installation.

[0068] In this manner, an item 28 required at a pick station 35 may be brought to any one of the transfer stations 49 as described above and robotically or manually picked onto the AGV 53 for onward transmission to the AGV location 55 of any pick station 35. It will be appreciated that when items are robotically picked, each transfer station may be provided with a robotic picking device capable of picking a particular type of item 28. For example, one transfer station 49 may be provided with a robotic picking arm capable of picking heavy items, one transfer station 49 may be provided with a robotic picking arm capable of picking bottles and a further transfer station 49 may be provided with a robotic picking arm capable of picking boxes. However, it will be appreciated that each robotic picking arm may be provided with means for picking any item of any weight, size or configuration.

[0069] It will further be appreciated that AGVs 53 may include any suitable form of AGV capable of transporting any of the items 28 required at pick station 35. Each AGV may be provided with means for transporting one or more items as needed at any given pick station 35.

[0070] In this manner, it will be appreciated that items 28 delivered to the transport system from the storage and retrieval system 400 may be transported to the pick station 35 independent of the normal operation of the pick station 35, thereby providing an additional supply of items 28 to the pick station without requiring the movement of multiple additional load handling devices 30 through the storage and retrieval system 400.

[0071] 5a and 5b show an alternative embodiment of the invention in which the AGV 53 and track 51 combination is replaced by a series of conveyors 57 carrying trays 59. The transfer station 49 of the previous embodiment of the invention remains, and the manner in which items are moved from storage receptacles 10 in the storage and retrieval system 400 onto the transfer station 49 is as previously described. However, once placed on the transfer station 49, the individual items 28 are transferred to trays 59 positioned on the conveyor 57. The trays 59 are moved on the conveyor 57 to tray locations 55 located at the pick station 35.

[0072] The conveyor 57 may include any suitable form of conveying means, including, but not limited to, a suitable conveying means such as a driven roller conveyor, a high speed driven conveyor means, or an ACOPOStrak® conveyor, or any other suitable conveying means capable of transporting items 28 on trays 59 from the transfer station 49 to the pick station 35.

[0073] It will be understood that any given facility may include a combination of all of the above systems. Additionally, the facility may be adapted to be fully automated using only robotic picking devices to transfer items from storage containers 10 to transfer stations 49 to secondary transport means such as a combination of trays 59 and conveyors 57 or AGVs 53 on and off for transfer to a delivery container DT, or to transfer items directly from storage containers 10 to a delivery container DT at pick station 35 with or without the use of temporary storage locations 47.

[0074] It will further be appreciated that by using a secondary transport means to move items from the storage and retrieval system 400 to the pick stations 35 for picking in the delivery containers DT, a single storage container 10 can be retrieved by a single load handling apparatus 30, thereby reducing the number of load handling apparatus movements on the storage and retrieval system, yet the storage container can retrieve all of the items 28 contained therein and be accessible to all pick stations 35 in the facility for the movement of a single load handling apparatus.

[0075] It will be appreciated that the conveyance of the present invention may comprise other forms or conveyance devices, such as, but not limited to, drones, hovercraft, and other manual conveyance methods, such as coolies or other manual conveyances, etc. Additionally, the AGV or other forms of conveyance may be of different types depending on the type of product being conveyed.

[0076] In this manner, multiple methods of transporting items 28 into shipping containers DT allow items 28 distributed across a given facility pareto to be delivered to pick stations 35 in an efficient and timely manner, with the selected method of transport for any given item being managed according to the frequency and number of items 28 needed for a given order at a given pick station 35.

[0077] Although the above embodiments are described with reference to a single-spaced grid-based storage and retrieval system, it will be appreciated that the present invention may be used in connection with any other form of grid-based storage and retrieval system, such as an Autostore® or Knapp® OSR shuttle and rack based system in which load handling equipment occupies multiple grid spaces on the storage and retrieval system, or any other form of storage and retrieval system having an output port through which items 28 may be output.

[0078] Additionally, while embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to items 28 being picked for an order containing multiple items, for example, in an online grocery order fulfillment environment, it will be appreciated that the present invention may be used in other forms of online retail and supply, such as general goods fulfillment. Additionally, the present invention may be applied to other fulfillment and sortation environments, such as parcel sorting and delivery, as well as storage and retrieval systems used in other logistics fulfillment scenarios, such as spare parts supply in a manufacturing or assembly situation, with the term fulfillment being interpreted broadly to include the fulfillment of any item requirements.

Claims

1. A fulfillment system comprising a storage and retrieval system 400 and a pick station 35, The pick station 35 includes a storage item side 41 and a picked item side 39; The fulfillment system further comprises a transport system located between the storage and retrieval system 400 and the pick station 35; The transport system comprises a transfer station 49 and conveying means 51, 53, 57, 59 linking the transfer station 49 to the storage item side 41 of the pick station 35, and a portion of a plurality of items 28 to be picked into a delivery container DT at the pick station 35 is supplied to the pick station 35 by the conveying means 51, 53, 57, 59, a fulfillment system.

2. The conveying means 51, 53 comprises a plurality of item transport devices 53 operable on a track 51; The fulfillment system of claim 1 , wherein the track is adapted to link the pick station (35) to the transfer station (49).

3. The fulfillment system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the item transport device (53) comprises an automated guided vehicle (53).

4. 2. The fulfillment system of claim 1, wherein the transport means (57, 59) comprises a plurality of item shipping containers (59) carried on a conveyor (57), the conveyor being adapted to link the pick station to the transfer station (49).

5. The fulfillment system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transfer system further comprises a robotic picking means adapted to pick a plurality of items 28 from a storage container 10 output from the storage and retrieval system 400 onto the transfer station 49.

6. The fulfillment system of claim 5 , wherein the robotic picking means is further adapted to pick a plurality of items 28 from the transfer station 49 onto the transport means 51 , 53 , 57 , 59 .

7. The fulfillment system of claim 1 , wherein the pick station further comprises a temporary holding location for temporarily storing a plurality of items 28 to be delivered to the pick station 35 .

8. The storage and retrieval system 400 comprises a grid-based storage system with at least one load handling device operating on a series of tracks located on top of a framework 14 of uprights 16; The fulfillment system of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the storage and retrieval system 400 further comprises a plurality of containers 10 stacked in a stack 12 within the framework 14, accessible from above by the, or each, load handling device 30.

9. The plurality of containers 10 include a storage container 10 and a shipping container DT nested in the storage container 10; The storage containers 10 are stored in stacks within the framework 14 of uprights; The load handling device is adapted to remove the storage container 10, the delivery container DT from above, 9. The fulfillment system of claim 8, wherein the, or each, load handling device 30 has a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the container 10 only to the extent that the load handling device can operate on track above the stack 12 and remove a given container.

10. The fulfillment system of claim 9 , wherein the load handling device 30 occupies a single space in the track grid 22 disposed above the stack 12 .

11. The fulfillment system of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the storage and retrieval system 400 comprises a shuttle and rack system.

12. The fulfillment system of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the items 28 to be picked comprise items 28 required to fulfill a customer order in an online retail environment.

13. The fulfillment system of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the items 28 to be picked comprise items such as parcels or letters in an online parcel and mail delivery environment.

14. A method of handling items 28 in a fulfillment system comprising a storage and retrieval system 400, a transport system, and a pick station 35, comprising: Removing a container 10 with a required item 28 from said storage and retrieval system; transferring said items from said removed containers 10 to a transfer station 49 in said transfer system; transferring at least one item 28 from said transfer station 49 to a conveying means 51, 53, 57, 59; conveying the transferred item or items 28 to the pick station 35; picking the item from the conveyance (53, 59) at the pick station (35).

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of picking the item (28) at the pick station (35) from the transport (53, 59) to a temporary storage location located at the pick station (35).

16. 16. The method of claim 14 or 15, further comprising the step of picking the items into a shipping container DT for onward transfer of the items to a shipping portion of the fulfillment system.

17. 17. The method of any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the picking and / or transferring step comprises robotically picking or transferring the items 28.

18. 18. The method of any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the retrieving step comprises delivering a container 10 from the storage and retrieval system to the transport system using a load handling device 30 operating on the storage and retrieval system.

19. 19. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the step of transporting comprises transporting the, or each, item 28 via an automated guided vehicle.

20. 19. A method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the conveying step comprises conveying the, or each, item 28 via a conveyor.

Images