Overhead Rail Article Delivery for In-Store 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 handle online orders while maintaining safety and minimizing disruption to in-store operations.
Innovation Solution
An overhead rail network system with self-guided hanging vehicles and a control system that directs the transport and delivery of articles within a retail store, utilizing identifiers to determine destinations and interact with a controller for automated delivery to designated locations, including customer-accessible areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional retail stores are used for online order fulfillment, then existing infrastructure is utilized, but the stores lack the necessary equipment and formatting for efficient fulfillment
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the fulfillment process into separate functional zones within the store: an automated fulfillment area with conveyors and sortation equipment, and a separate customer-facing retail area. This segmentation allows the store to maintain its retail function while adding specialized fulfillment capabilities in a dedicated zone, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and fulfillment efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
An automated conveyor system acts as an intermediary between the fulfillment area and the retail floor, transporting articles from the automated sortation system to customer locations or pickup points. This intermediary mechanism enables efficient automated fulfillment while keeping the retail store infrastructure intact and operational.
2Productivity
If automated delivery systems are implemented in retail stores, then delivery efficiency improves, but safety hazards and disruption to in-store operations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The automated delivery system is confined to a dedicated fulfillment zone separated from the main retail floor by physical barriers such as glass walls or railings. This segmentation allows high-speed automated conveyors to operate without disrupting customer shopping experiences or creating safety hazards in the open retail area, while still achieving efficient article transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated delivery infrastructure is extracted from the main retail space and placed in a dedicated backroom or fulfillment zone. This extraction removes the potential harmful effects of automated systems (safety hazards, disruption) from the customer-visible areas while preserving the productivity benefits in the restricted fulfillment zone.
3Extent of automation
If extensive construction and infrastructure are added to enable automated delivery, then delivery capability improves, but cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as an internal fulfillment transport mechanism and as a potential customer experience feature when viewed from the retail floor. The same infrastructure supports automated article movement and can be configured to display promotional content or provide wayfinding information, reducing the need for separate dedicated structures and lowering overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses modular, reconfigurable conveyor components that can be adjusted based on fulfillment needs rather than fixed permanent installations. This dynamic configuration allows the automated delivery capability to be scaled up or down without extensive construction, reducing infrastructure complexity while maintaining automation capability.
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.