A container-handling vehicle picks up storage containers from a three-dimensional grid of an underlying storage system. The container-handling vehicle has a vehicle body and wheels for moving the vehicle in two perpendicular directions on the grid. The vehicle body surrounds a cavity within which at least a first lifting device and a second lifting device are positioned adjacent to each other. Each lifting device is independently controlled and arranged to lift a storage container from the grid and into the cavity. The vehicle includes at least one vertical frame guiding element arranged inside the cavity. The frame guiding element extends between the lifting devices.

A load handling device is disclosed for lifting and moving one or more containers stacked in a storage system having a grid framework supporting a pathway arranged in a grid pattern above the stacks of containers, the load handling device including a vehicle body housing a driving; a lifting device having a lifting drive assembly and a grabber device, wherein the lifting drive assembly and/or the driving mechanism includes at least one motor forming electrical loads; a rechargeable power source; and an assembly of one or more supercapacitor modules; wherein the electrical loads are connected across the supercapacitor modules, and the rechargeable power source is connected in parallel to the supercapacitor modules to provide power to re supercapacitor modules.

A container handling vehicle for picking up storage containers from a three-dimensional grid of an underlying storage system includes: a first set of wheels arranged at opposite portions of a vehicle body of the container handling vehicle, for moving the vehicle along a first direction on a rail system of the grid; and a second set of wheels arranged at opposite portions of the vehicle body, for moving the vehicle along a second direction on the rail system of the grid, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction. The vehicle body includes walls on all sides forming a footprint defined by horizontal peripheries in the X and Y directions of the vehicle body. The container handling vehicle further includes: a first section and a second section arranged side-by-side such that a centre point of a footprint of the first section is arranged off centre relative a centre point of the footprint of the vehicle body, wherein a size ratio of the footprint F1 of the first section relative a footprint of the second section is at least 2:1, the first section is configured to accommodate a storage container, and the second section includes an assembly of motors for driving at least one wheel of each of the sets of wheels.

An order fulfillment system is disclosed including a multi-level tote storage structure, one or more autonomous mobile robots configured to pick, transport and place one or more tote; one or more workstations configured to accommodate a picker that transports one or more eaches from a tote on one of the autonomous mobile robots to a “put” location, wherein the autonomous mobile robots are configured to move from level to level in the order fulfillment apparatus.

An unloading arrangement, an unloading station, and a method of unloading an item (5) from a storage container (6), comprising: a delivery vehicle (30); a storage container (6) carried by the delivery vehicle (30); and an unloading station (10) for unloading an item (5) from the storage container (6) while it is being carried by the delivery vehicle (30) in an automatic storage and retrieval system (1), the unloading station (10) comprising: an unloading device (40); and a destination conveyor (60) configured to convey the item (5) to a target destination (TD), wherein the unloading device (40) is configured to move the item (5) through a side opening of the storage container (6) to the destination conveyor (60).

A high-efficiency storage system includes: a warehouse area, having grid spaces arranged closely with each other into an a×b matrix, and a and b being positive integers greater than 1; plural containing members disposed in the grid spaces for containing objects respectively; plural moving members for moving the containing members in the warehouse area; and a control device, telecommunicatively coupled to the moving members, for controlling the movement of the moving members. The effect of managing a warehouse automatically can be achieved by connecting the control device to the moving members telecommunicatively, so as to reduces the walkway space originally used for transporting goods and increase the storage space, and the warehouse area come with a matrix design, so that the storage space is utilized effectively, and the remaining usable spaces in the warehouse area can be fully used.

A multi-dimensional automated storage and retrieval system is provided herein that enables the space-efficient storage of containers within a three-dimensional lattice structure. Each container includes one or more drivers to engage with rails of the three-dimensional lattice structure, enabling the container to slide along the rails based on a propulsion system. A control device is provided to selectively engage each container to a desired rail of the lattice structure, and to provide power to the propulsion system, thereby moving the container to a desired location within the lattice structure. Due to the high storage efficiency of the disclosed automated storage and retrieval system, the system may be utilized in space-sensitive applications, such as vending machines for physical goods or in cargo vehicles such as trailers.

The present disclosure relates to a warehouse system (100) comprising a three-dimensional arrangement of storage spaces including a plurality of lanes extending in a longitudinal direction (X), a plurality of rows extending in a transverse direction (Z), and one or more levels in a vertical direction (Y). One or more cars (104) for carrying goods (106) are arranged in at least one of the plurality of rows, wherein the one or more cars (104) in a respective row are drivable along the respective row in the transverse direction (Z), and wherein the number of the one or more cars (104) in the respective row is less than the number of the plurality of lanes. The warehouse system (108) comprises at least one shuttle (108) drivable to shift goods (106) along at least one of the plurality of lanes in the longitudinal direction (X).

Disclosed is a sorting and distribution system for sorting a number of different types of articles to a number of different clients depending on types and amounts of articles ordered by the different clients. The system comprises a plurality of article tracks and a plurality of order tracks arranged substantially transverse to the plurality of article tracks. Each order track is divided into m order track parts. The system further comprises a control unit controlling movement of the plurality of order tracks and movement of articles arranged on the plurality of article tracks to the plurality of order tracks such that an article positioned on a first article track is moved to a first order track part of a first order track when a first client to which the first order track part is associated has ordered a first article type.

An overhead guide track system for automated material handling and storage facilities wherein at least one transfer unit is suspended from carriages that travel along the track system, the track system including a plurality of first and second support beams being assembled in an X-Y manner such that the first and second support beams intersect with one another in perpendicular relationship and wherein each of the first and second support beams includes a horizontal flange connected to a central vertical web, each of the vertical webs of the first and second beams having opposite ends connected to vertically oriented pedestals at a plurality of intersections of the first and second support beams and which pedestals support transfer plates over which the carriages are supported as the carriages pass over open gaps between the horizontal flanges at the intersections of the first and second support beams.