Self-Guided Hanging Vehicle Delivery for Retail Order Fulfillment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Brick and mortar stores lack the infrastructure to efficiently operate as online order fulfillment centers, necessitating a solution that allows them to reliably and cost-effectively fill online orders while minimizing safety hazards and maintenance requirements.
Innovation Solution
An overhead rail network system with self-guided hanging vehicles and a control system that directs the transport and delivery of articles to designated locations within a retail store, using identifiers to determine destinations and interact with a controller to manage delivery routes and sorting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If brick and mortar stores use conventional retail infrastructure to fulfill online orders, then store locations can serve as pickup locations, but the stores are not formatted or equipped for efficient online order fulfillment
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the store into distinct functional zones: an order fulfillment area with automated equipment and a retail customer area. This allows the store to simultaneously serve both online order fulfillment and traditional retail customers without interference, resolving the contradiction between fulfillment efficiency and store infrastructure requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
An automated mobile transport robot serves as an intermediary between the order fulfillment area and the retail customer area. The robot transports completed orders from the fulfillment zone to customer pickup locations, enabling efficient online order fulfillment without requiring the entire store to be reconfigured for automated operations.
2Productivity
If brick and mortar stores implement automated order fulfillment systems, then online order fulfillment efficiency improves, but safety hazards and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The automated mobile transport robot is extracted from the main retail customer area and operated within a dedicated order fulfillment zone. This separation ensures that automated equipment and its associated safety risks are isolated from customers, while still providing efficient order fulfillment service.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated mobile transport robot performs self-navigation and self-transport of orders without requiring human intervention in the automated zones. The robot autonomously navigates between the fulfillment area and customer pickup locations, reducing the need for staff to interact with automated equipment and thereby minimizing safety hazards.
3Productivity
If brick and mortar stores install overhead rail networks and automated vehicles, then delivery efficiency improves, but construction costs and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The overhead rail network and automated mobile transport system serve multiple functions: transporting articles within the fulfillment area, delivering completed orders to customer pickup locations, and potentially restocking shelves. This multi-functionality justifies the construction investment by maximizing the utility of the infrastructure across different operational needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the vertical dimension by installing the overhead rail network above the store floor, thereby preserving valuable floor space for customer traffic and retail displays. This dimensional approach allows automated transport infrastructure to be added without compromising the store's retail functionality or requiring extensive construction on the ground level.
Data Source
AI summary
System includes an article supply location including a plurality of articles, and an overhead rail network with a plurality of rail sections. A self-guided and self-propelled hanging vehicle travels in both directions along the plurality of rail sections. The hanging vehicle has a first position in which a carrier containing at least one selected article is engaged with the hanging vehicle and a second position in which the carrier is detached from the hanging vehicle. The system further includes a controller. The controller determines a first delivery location among a plurality of delivery locations to deliver, with the hanging vehicle, the selected article based on a destination determined for the selected article. The controller further directs delivery of the carrier at the first delivery location by manipulation of the hanging vehicle from the first position to the second position.