A wafer stocker capable of further improving an environment around wafers is provided. The wafer stocker includes a housing, a loading device provided on a front surface of the housing, a wafer cassette shelf arranged in the housing, a wafer transfer robot configured to move the wafers from a transfer container mounted on the loading device to a wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf, a wafer cassette delivery device configured to move the wafer cassette in the wafer cassette shelf to a stage having a different height, and a fan filter unit configured to generate a laminar flow in a wafer transfer space and in a wafer cassette transfer space.

An elevator for a rack system for load carriers having a load-receiver, wherein the load-receiver comprises a displacement unit, and wherein the load-receiver comprises rollers. Further a rack system equipped with a corresponding elevator is also provided.

An automated storage and retrieval system comprising an automated storage and retrieval grid and a delivery system. The automated storage and retrieval grid includes a container handling vehicle rail system for guiding a plurality of container handling vehicles and a delivery column adapted for transport of a storage container arranged in a stack of storage containers beneath the container handling vehicle rail system between a container handling vehicle and a delivery port situated at a lower end of the delivery column. The container handling vehicle rail system includes a first set of parallel rails arranged in a horizontal plane and extending in a first direction, and a second set of parallel rails arranged in the horizontal plane and extending in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, which first and second sets of rails form a grid pattern in the horizontal plane including a plurality of adjacent container handling vehicle grid cells. Each container handling vehicle grid cell includes a container handling vehicle grid opening defined by a pair of neighboring rails of the first set of rails and a pair of neighboring rails of the second set of rails. The delivery system includes a remotely operated delivery vehicle including a container carrier adapted to support the storage container. The delivery vehicle is further adapted to transport the storage container between the delivery port and a second location for handling of the storage container by at least one of a robotic operator and a human operator.

A goods to operator workstation is attachable to an input and a discharge conveyor system. The goods to operator workstation comprises a container staging platform that receives a product container from the input conveyor system and linearly moves the product container to an order pick position for an operator to pick articles from. A holding platform is pivotally movable between the order pick position and a discharge position to discharge a picked order container onto the discharge conveyor system after picking. Wherein when the holding platform moves back to the order pick position, the holding platform passes through the staging platform to transfer the order container from the staging platform to the holding platform so that the staging platform can retract and receive a new order container from the input conveyor system while the operator is picking.

Systems, methods, and machine-executable coded instruction sets are disclosed for fully- and/or partly automated handling of goods. For example, the disclosure provides improvements in storage and retrieval of containers in systems such as order processing systems.

An automated kiosk includes a front panel positioned in front of a conveyor with conveyor slots sized to receive clothing hangers. Dividers separate each conveyor slot from the adjacent conveyor slots, forming a compartment for each conveyor slot. Two doors are positioned in the front panel. An electronic controller moves a conveyor in order to reposition a desired compartment in front of the doors. The doors open inwardly, and are of sufficient length that the extended edge of the doors engages with and overlaps the outer edge of each of the dividers. With each door engaging the divider on each side of the compartment, a user is blocked from being able to access items that are in adjacent compartments.

An automated storage system for receiving, storing, and dispensing items is herein proposed. The system has an enclosure, which defines a storage volume, and a port which selectively connects the storage volume to the ambient space for deposit and retrieval of items. The system also includes a plurality of containers for containing at least one item being stored as well as a support structure for supporting the plurality of containers in the storage volume. The containers feature a base, an envelope extending from the base, and an opening opposing the base and providing access to an inner volume defined by the base and envelope for containing at least one item. The system includes a manipulator for transporting the containers between an access position at the port and a storage position at the support structure. Finally, the system includes a one-sided attachment interface between the container and the support structure for removably attach the container to the support structure in the storage position, in which the opening of the container is above the base.

Various embodiments are directed to a shuttle configured for use in an AS/RS. In various embodiments, the shuttle comprises: a first load arm and a second load arm configured to retractably extend away from a shuttle body in parallel directions, the first and second load arms each being extendable between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration; a load bed including a load area configured to receive the object; and a retractable mechanical finger provided at a distal portion of the first load arm and configured to facilitate handling of the object, the mechanical finger being hingedly connected to the first load arm using a one-way hinge component that defines a portion of the range of rotational movement of the mechanical finger relative to the first load arm and comprising a spring element that facilitates rotational movement of the finger between an expanded finger position and a retracted finger position.

A system for processing picking orders each having a plurality of articles, includes a replenishing storage, at least one reloading station connected to the replenishing storage for reloading of articles for hanging transportation, and a buffer storage connected to the reloading station with parallel circulating storages for hanging transports. A controller allocates orders to be picked to each circulating storage and generates a list and quantity of all articles per circulating storage, and supplies the articles present therein to the respective circulating storage. The controller checks each circulating storage to determine whether a) articles for the fulfilment of an original order are present, and/or b) articles for the fulfilment of another order to be treated preferentially are present, and/or c) articles for the fulfilment of another order to be treated preferentially are present in two or more circulating storages. Thereupon the articles are discharged from the respective circulating storage.

A goods-to-man warehousing system comprises a multilevel racking system, a plurality of mobile storage units, a storage unit transporter, a pick-place vehicle, a mobile storage unit transfer node, and a warehouse management computing hub. The multilevel racking system comprises a vertically and horizontally distributed array of storage bays. One or more of the mobile storage units are positioned in respective ones of the storage bays of the multilevel racking system. The pick-place vehicle comprises pick-place hardware that enables the pick-place vehicle to transfer mobile storage units between a plurality of different, vertically displaced storage bays of the multilevel racking system and the mobile storage unit transfer node of the goods-to-man warehousing system. The storage unit transporter comprises storage unit engagement hardware that enables the storage unit transporter to transport mobile storage units to or from the mobile storage unit transfer node of the goods-to-man warehousing system.