A charging system for autonomous transport vehicles including at least one charging contact disposed on each pick floor level of a storage and retrieval system, each of the at least one charging contact being located at a transfer station, at least one power supply configured to supply power to the at least one charging contact, and a controller in communication with the transfer station and being configured to communicate information relating to a transfer of items between the transfer station and a predetermined one of the autonomous transport vehicles and to apply power from the power supply to the at least one charging contact for charging the predetermined autonomous transport vehicle corresponding to the transfer and located at the transfer station, wherein the controller is configured to supply power to the charging contacts simultaneously with the predetermined autonomous transport vehicle exchanging items related to the transfer at the transfer station.

Autonomous mobile robots include transfer systems that may receive multiple items for delivery to one or more destinations. The transfer systems may be specifically configured to detect and identify items that are placed on loading surfaces, and to independently discharge specific items at selected destinations or to selected recipients. The transfer systems feature loading surfaces that may be defined by a plurality of independently operable conveyors to receive or discharge items, by independently operable floors that allow items to pass therethrough, or by independently operable diverters for detecting and expelling items therefrom. The transfer systems may receive items from, or discharge items to, one or more humans, other robots, or other systems such as conveyors, chutes, robotic arms or other mechanical implements or effectors, and be aligned at any angle or provided at any height, as desired.

A securement system for restricting rolling of a rollable cart residing on a ground surface includes a first mechanism including a first mechanism base defining a first cavity structured to receive a rolling element of the rollable cart therein while the rolling element is in direct contact with the ground surface. The first mechanism may also include a first mechanism blocking member operably coupled to the first mechanism base so as to be adjustably positionable to a closing position in which the first mechanism blocking member blocks a path of the rolling element out of the first cavity, and also to an opening position in which the first mechanism blocking member does not block the path of the rolling element out of the first cavity.

A system includes an article supply location, wherein the article supply location includes a plurality of articles to be sorted, first and second transport vehicles, each having a first position in which an article is stowed about the vehicle and a second position in which the article is deposited into a proximal container. And a control system. The control system is configured to receive an order for a plurality of disparate articles, determine one destination container of a plurality of destination containers to direct the transport vehicle to deposit a selected article, direct the first transport vehicle to transport a selected article to the destination container and deposit the article by manipulation of the first transport vehicle from the first position to the second position for deposit of the selected article in the destination container.

This disclosure is directed to automated warehouse facilities that are configured to assemble mixed pallets. The warehouse facilities can include one or more layer handling devices that are configured to remove layers from pallets in a delayering operational mode, and to add layers to pallets in a palletizing operation mode. The warehouse facilities also may include one or more item retrieval devices that are configured to retrieve individual items from storage racks. The warehouse facilities can include other automated devices as well.

A product order fulfillment system includes multiple decks arrayed at different levels and defining multilevel decks, at least one autonomous transport vehicle on each of the decks, and configured for holding and transporting a pickface on each deck, at least one lift, traversing and connecting more than one level of the decks, and arranged for lifting and lowering the pickface from the decks, and at least one pickface transfer station on each deck interfacing between the transport vehicle and the at least one lift to effect transfer of the pickface between the transport vehicle and the at least one lift, the at least one lift defines a fulfillment stream of mixed case pickfaces outbound from the multilevel decks to a load fill, at least one stream of the fulfillment stream has an ordered sequence of streaming pickfaces wherein the ordered sequence of streaming pickfaces is based on another fulfilment stream.

A hybrid modular storage fetching system is described. In an example implementation, an automated guided vehicle of the hybrid modular storage fetching system includes a drive unit that provides motive force to propel the automated guided vehicle within an operating environment. The automated guided vehicle may also include a container handling mechanism including an extender and a carrying surface, the container handling mechanism having three or more degrees of freedom to move the carrying surface along three or more axes. The container handling mechanism may retrieve an item from a first target shelving unit using the carrying surface and the three or more degrees of freedom and place the item on a second target shelving unit. The automated guided vehicle may also include a power source coupled to provide power to the drive unit and the container handling mechanism.

A sensor-based item transport system, and a method therefore are described. The system includes, for example, a cart station, within a restricted area including a plurality of automated drive. A light curtain is adjacent to the cart station. A first sensor and a second sensor are spaced apart from the first sensor within the cart station. A first mode associated with the light curtain is maintained causing an alarm system associated with the light curtain to remain armed. The first mode is caused to change to a second mode associated with the light curtain, the second mode causing the alarm system to be muted, based at least in part on the identity of the cart. The identity is determined based at least in part on one or more signals received from the first sensor and the second sensor.

Vehicle (S), provided with a loading space (L), which comprises a movement device (M1), comprising: a support body (F); a barrier (1), associated with the support body (F) and movable between an active position, in which it protrudes from the support body (F) to interact with an object to be displaced, and an inactive position, in which it is not able to interact with an object to be displaced: a first connecting rod (10), associated with the support body (1) rotatably about a first axis of rotation (X1): a second connecting rod (20), associated with the support body (1) rotatably about a second axis of rotation (X2) parallel to the first axis of rotation (X1); an arm (30), rotatably connected to the first connecting rod (10) and the second connecting rod (20) at a third axis of rotation (X3) and at a fourth axis of rotation (X4) rotatably parallel to the first and the second axis of rotation (X1,×2); wherein the distance between the first axis of rotation (X1) and the third axis of rotation (X3) is equal to the distance between the second axis of rotation (X2) and the fourth axis of rotation (X4).

A service vehicle provides a platform for servicing a container handling vehicle while on a grid-based rail system of a three-dimensional storage grid of an automated storage system for storing storage containers. The service vehicle includes two or more wheel modules. Each module having a first set of wheels configured to move the vehicle along a first lateral direction of the grid-based rail system and a second set of wheels configured to move the vehicle along a second lateral direction of the grid-based rail system. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. A platform is mounted on the two or more wheel modules. The platform includes an enclosure that has at least one opening that can be closed by a barrier. The platform has a set of tracks matching the width of the tracks on the grid.