Containerized Storage Layout With Robotic Transfer for Higher Throughput
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inventory systems face inefficiencies in space utilization, equipment, and manpower, leading to lower throughput, long response times, and high costs for expanding storage capacity.
Innovation Solution
A transfer apparatus with independently rotatable and translatable heads is used to simultaneously induce and deliver items to and from inventory holders, optimized by a mobile drive unit system that minimizes human intervention, allowing for efficient item transfer and storage within an inventory field.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional storage systems are used to accommodate growing inventory, then storage capacity increases, but space utilization efficiency deteriorates and system resources become inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional two-dimensional floor-based storage to three-dimensional vertical storage by deploying inventory holders suspended from overhead structures. This dimensional change allows充分利用 of vertical space, dramatically increasing storage capacity without occupying additional floor area, thereby maintaining high space utilization efficiency while accommodating growing inventory quantities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical handling systems with an automated robotic system consisting of mobile robotic devices that navigate to inventory holders and transfer items using robotic arms. This substitution eliminates inefficient manual operations, optimizes resource utilization, and maintains high productivity while managing increased storage capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If storage location is filled to capacity with items and equipment, then maximum storage is achieved, but the cost of adding additional space or moving items becomes prohibitively expensive
Solution Approach 1:
By utilizing vertical space through overhead suspension of inventory holders, the system achieves expansion of storage capacity without requiring additional physical facility space. This eliminates the need for costly construction expansions or relocation to secondary locations, as the same footprint can accommodate growing inventory by extending vertically rather than horizontally.
Solution Approach 2:
The overhead structure serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the building while simultaneously serving as a suspension system for inventory holders. This multi-functionality maximizes the utility of existing infrastructure, avoiding the need for additional specialized structures and reducing expansion costs as storage needs grow.
3Quantity of substance
If more inventory is stored at a single location, then storage capacity increases, but response time increases and throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the inventory storage into multiple discrete, independently accessible inventory holders suspended at different locations. The robotic system can selectively access specific holders based on demand, avoiding the need to search through or move large quantities of inventory. This segmentation maintains fast response times even as total inventory volume increases at the location.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated robotic system replaces manual inventory retrieval operations, providing faster and more consistent access to stored items. The robotic devices can quickly navigate to and retrieve items from any inventory holder without the time constraints of manual operations, maintaining efficient throughput even with increased inventory volumes at the single location.
Data Source
AI summary
An inventory system may include an inventory field, a transfer apparatus, and an induction station and/or a receiving station. The inventory field may include a plurality of inventory holders. The induction station may include an input area, and a transfer apparatus disposed at a boundary of the inventory field to transfer items between the input area and an inventory holder of the inventory field. The receiving station may include a receiving area and a transfer apparatus disposed at the boundary of the inventory field to transfer items between the receiving area and another inventory holder of the inventory field. The receiving area may be arranged such that an operator receives an item from the second inventory holder at a specified receiving level for comfortable handling of the items.