A method for monitoring a conveyor system transporting separated piece goods is disclosed. The conveyor system has a display device extending in sections along a transport path for the piece goods. The display device is designed to display at least one optical signal at different points of the transport path, and the display device is coupled to a control device. The control device determines information relating to the relationship of the actual conveyance of the piece good along the transport path with respect to the predetermined conveyance of the piece good along the transport path. An optical signal running along parallel to a piece good transported along the at least one transport path is displayed by the display device. The optical signal indicates the relationship of the actual conveyance of the piece good with respect to the predetermined conveyance of the piece good.

With respect to a transfer facility configured to optimize package transfers therethrough, a container housing packages may be delivered to a first floor of the transfer facility. The packages may be transported to consolidation stations based on destinations associated therewith. In some examples, the packages may be bound for a single destination and thus transported to a single consolidation station. In some examples, the packages may be bound for multiple destinations and thus transported to a second floor of the transfer facility for sortation. A destination and mode of transportation associated with the package may be determined at an induction station on the second floor, as well as a consolidation station associated therewith. A drive unit may insert the package into a chute for transit down a slide to the consolidation station, where it may be placed into another container for shipment to the destination via the mode of transportation.

A stack assist system includes a stacking surface, such as a pallet, configured to receive a plurality of packages thereon. A graphical display is configured to display a visual representation of an optimized stack of packages on the staking surface. A package position indicator may indicate the location of a package to be placed on package stack. The system may receive package data from a warehouse management system and determine an optimized stack based on numerous considered and weighted parameters related to the packages. The stack assist system may further optionally include a mobile unit to travel through a warehouse, over an optimized path, to retrieve packages intended for a stack.

A pack wall carton selection and replenishment system comprising: a delivery cart with a delivery cart controller configured to receive information representing a replenishment shipping carton to be retrieved from a shipping carton supply area and delivered to a pack wall, provide for retrieving one or more shipping cartons from the shipping carton supply area, actuate a cart indicator assembly to identify a cart partition where to place the retrieved shipping cartons on the delivery cart, actuate a delivery cart indicator assembly to identify the replenishment shipping carton to be placed on the pack wall; and, a pack wall controller in communication with the delivery cart controller configured to receive an order item information, actuate a first pack wall indicator assembly to indicate a desired shipping carton to be used for packing an items represented by the order item information.

A mobile manipulator robot for retrieving inventory items from a storage system. The robot includes a body, a wheel assembly, a sensor to locate a position of the robot within the storage system, an interface configured to send processor readable data to a remote processor and to an operator interface, and receive processor executable instructions from the remote processor and from the operator interface, an imaging device to capture images of the inventory items, a picking manipulator, first and second pneumatic gripping elements for grasping the inventory items, and a coupler configured to mate with a valve to access a pneumatic supply for operating at least one of the first or second pneumatic gripping elements. The robot is configured to transition the valve from a closed condition to an open condition and selectively place one of the first or the second pneumatic gripping elements in communication with the pneumatic supply.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for a load handling system such that direction change of a transporting device is more easily and quickly realised. A transporting device includes an omnidirectional driving unit, and is arranged to transport a container, the container being stored in a facility. The facility is arranged to store the container in a plurality of stacks, a plurality of pathways being arranged in cells so as to form a grid-like structure above the stacks, the transporting device being arranged to operate on the grid-like structure and to be driven in a first direction and/or second direction.

A method for picking orders (22a . . . 22e) in a storage and order-picking system (1a, 1b) is provided, which comprises an article storage (2), a loading station (3), a sorting unit (4), a packing station (5), an overhead conveyor system (7a . . . 7f) and a control system (8). At the loading station (3), articles (22a . . . 22e) are transferred from a loading aid (23, 24, 25a . . . 25c) into a transport means (28a, 28b) and at the packing station (5) from a transport means (28a, 28b) into a shipping loading aid (30). In this regard, transporting an article (22a . . . 22e) out of the article storage (2) to the loading station (3) takes place individually and independently of the other picking orders for each picking order. Furthermore, transporting the transport means (28a, 28b) from the loading station (3) into the sorting unit (4) also takes place individually and independently of the other picking order and directly for each picking order. Furthermore, a storage and order-picking system (1a, 1b) for performing the method is provided.

A mobile lighted pick or put cart includes a frame and transport members on the frame that facilitate movement of the frame. The frame defines a plurality of vertically spaced shelves. An electronic system supported with the frame includes a portable computing device and a plurality of lamp strips, one mounted to each of the shelves. An application program that is operated by the portable computing device is adapted to determine a quantity of items to be picked from or put to a physical location and illuminate a number of individual lamps on one of the strips at a particular location on one of said shelves. The number of individual lamps illuminated is equal to the quantity of items to be picked from or put to the physical location.

Embodiments of the disclosure include a computer implemented system including at least one processor and memory storing instructions. In one embodiment, a system receives a batch identifier, determines a number of containers, sends the number of containers to a user device, and receives a first container identifier from a user device. The system retrieves a location identifier of a first item, sends the location identifier to the user device, and receives a physical location identifier from the user device. The system sends to the user device the first item when the physical location identifier matches the location identifier. The system receives a physical item identifier of the first item and sends a destination to the user device to bring the container.

A mobile manipulator robot for retrieving inventory items from a storage system. The robot includes a body, a wheel assembly, a sensor to locate a position of the robot within the storage system, an interface configured to send processor readable data to a remote processor and to an operator interface, and receive processor executable instructions from the remote processor and from the operator interface, an imaging device to capture images of the inventory items, a picking manipulator, first and second pneumatic gripping elements for grasping the inventory items, and a coupler configured to mate with a valve to access a pneumatic supply for operating at least one of the first or second pneumatic gripping elements. The robot is configured to transition the valve from a closed condition to an open condition and selectively place one of the first or the second pneumatic gripping elements in communication with the pneumatic supply.