Stackable Container With Rack and Side-Access Doors for Diverse Items
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated storage and retrieval systems struggle to accommodate a diverse range of items efficiently, leading to increased complexity, space inefficiency, and longer retrieval times due to the need for separate processes for in-grid and off-grid storage of items with varying sizes and shapes.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a container design that allows for vertically discriminating storage through the use of racks and side-access doors, enabling the storage of items at different heights within the container, which can be stacked in a column, and facilitating easier and quicker retrieval without damaging the items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If all containers are made the same size and shape to enable automation and efficiency, then the automated storage and retrieval system operates efficiently, but space is wasted inside containers storing smaller goods and the system cannot accommodate items with special storage requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple compartments separated by partition walls. Each compartment can independently store different items, allowing the container to accommodate diverse items with varying sizes and shapes while maintaining the standardized external dimensions needed for automated handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized container design with internal partitions serves multiple functions: it maintains uniform external dimensions for automated robot handling while internally providing customized storage spaces for diverse items including bulky goods, heavy items, and items requiring special positioning, eliminating the need for separate off-grid storage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If bulky, heavy or irregularly shaped goods are accommodated by making containers particularly large, then these items can be stored, but space is wasted in containers storing smaller goods
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple compartments separated by partition walls. Each compartment can be optimized for specific item types (e.g., one compartment for bulky items, another for smaller goods), allowing efficient space utilization across all containers while maintaining the ability to accommodate diverse item sizes.
3Device complexity
If items are stored in typical containers without internal structures, then the system is simple, but it is difficult to retrieve an individual item from a plurality of items stored within these containers
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple compartments that physically separate different items or groups of items. This segmentation allows the robotic system to retrieve specific items by accessing only the relevant compartment, significantly improving retrieval efficiency compared to searching through a single undivided space.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition walls act as intermediaries that organize items within the container. This intermediate structure enables the robotic retrieval system to efficiently locate and access specific items without having to search the entire container volume, improving operation ease while maintaining relatively simple container construction.
4Adaptability or versatility
If large, bulky or otherwise unwieldy items are stored outside the storage grid, then these items can be accommodated, but additional complexity is introduced requiring at least two separate retrieval processes
Solution Approach 1:
The container integrates multiple storage compartments for different item types (including bulky items) into a single standardized unit that can be handled by the automated retrieval system. This merging of previously separate storage locations (in-grid and off-grid) into one container allows all items to be retrieved through the same automated process, eliminating the need for multiple retrieval systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized container serves as a universal storage unit that can accommodate diverse items including bulky goods through internal partitions. This multi-functional container design eliminates the need for separate off-grid storage areas and their associated retrieval processes, simplifying the overall system to a single unified retrieval operation.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a container configured to be stacked in an automated storage and retrieval system and to an automated storage and retrieval system. The container comprises a rack and a door. The rack is configured to support an item within an interior of the container. The door is on a first side of the container and is configured to provide access to the interior of the container.