A control unit that controls a transport apparatus executes selection control to select one accommodation portion as a selected accommodation portion, movement control to control the transport apparatus so as to move a transport support portion to a corresponding position, determination control to determine whether or not a detection target portion is detected by a detecting portion, transfer control to control the transport apparatus so as to transfer an article from the transport support portion to an accommodation support member, and update setting control to set the selected accommodation portion and related accommodation portions as prohibited accommodation portions if it is determined, in the determination control, that the detection target portion is not detected, and after the update setting control, the control unit again executes the selection control to newly select a selected accommodation portion, and executes the movement control so as to move the transport support portion to a corresponding position corresponding to the newly selected accommodation portion.

A system and method for controlling movement of transporting devices arranged to transport containers, the containers being stored in stacks arranged in a facility. A facility having pathways arranged in a grid-like structure above stacks, the transporting devices being configured to operate on the grid-like structure. A control unit configured to determine at least one task to be performed by at least one transporting device, wherein the at least one task is determined based on at least one of: transporting device battery condition, transporting device damage, transporting device maintenance issues, and transporting device service issues.

The disclosure relates to a method for controlling a warehouse robot to store and fetch inventory materials. The method includes: instructing a material handling device to fetch a second inventory material located in the front row, and placing the second inventory material on a first tray; instructing the material handling device to fetch a first inventory material located in the back row, and placing the first inventory material on a second tray; and instructing the material handling device to return the second inventory material to the front row. By instructing the material handling device to fetch the inventory materials and storing the inventory materials in the trays, the inventory materials can be extracted from a designated shelf and stored in a warehouse, navigation is realized in a crowded warehouse filled with obstacles, and the inventory materials whose positions have been transferred can be processed.

An autonomous mobile robot includes a placement part, an arm configured to extend from and retract into the placement part in a horizontal direction, and a control unit configured to control a movement of the arm. The control unit moves a tip of the arm into a groove formed in a bottom surface of an object supported from underneath thereof, and then the control unit returns the tip of the arm hooked in the groove to the placement part, or the control unit moves the tip of the arm hooked in a groove formed in a bottom surface of an object placed on the placement part toward a rack configured to support the object from underneath thereof.

This application relates to the technical field of intelligent logistics, and discloses an intelligent sorting system and method, a warehouse robot, and a processing terminal. The system includes a warehouse robot. The warehouse robot includes a box storage unit and a handling assembly. The warehouse robot may receive a box replacement instruction, where the box replacement instruction includes information of a to-be-replaced first box, and instruct, according to the box replacement instruction, the handling assembly to replace the first box with a second box stored in the box storage unit. Therefore, box replacement is realized by a robot. In this way, the efficiency of cargo sorting is enhanced.

A method for operating an automated storage and retrieval system includes transferring a first item storage container from an aisle to a first region of a first storage location, positioning a second item storage container in the aisle proximate the first item storage container, interlocking the second item storage container to the first item storage container by engaging a releasable coupling structure extending there between, and applying, in a first direction transverse to the aisle, a force to the second item storage container sufficient in magnitude and duration to cause the first item storage container to occupy the second region of the first storage location and the second item storage container to occupy the first region of the first storage location, whereby the first and second item storage containers remain interlocked while in the first storage location.

A storage and retrieval unit having a carriage which can be moved along a linear guide arranged on a floor in a shelf aisle in the direction of an X axis and which supports a vertical mast which extends perpendicular to the X axis in the direction of a vertical Y axis. A load receiver is mounted by one end only on a support device and can be moved vertically to a shelf compartment along the mast together with the support device, and inserted in the direction of a Z axis running perpendicular to the X axis and perpendicular to the Y axis into a shelf compartment, and the pulled back out of the same. The load receiver is additionally pivotable about a pivot axis X.sub.1 running parallel to the X axis, such that it can be brought into a position inclined downward towards the floor.

An article transport vehicle includes: a transfer device (24) that transfers an article (W) to a housing rack (1) by moving, along a protruding/retracting direction (A), a contact portion (46) that comes into contact with an article (W); a pair of first guide portions (28) that are located on opposite sides in a width direction (B) relative to an article (W) being transferred by the transfer device (24) and guide the article (W) in the protruding/retracting direction (A); a guide driving device (29) that changes a distance (D) between the two first guide portions (28) in the width direction (B); and a control unit (H) that controls the guide driving device (29).

A control device is capable of executing a first abnormality control, a retraction control, and a second abnormality control. The first abnormality control is a control in which a transferable range in which the normal unit is capable of transferring the article to and from the storage section without interfering with the abnormal unit is set to a partial range of the article storage rack, and the normal unit is operated using one or more of the storage sections included in the transferable range as the transfer target location. The second abnormality control is a state in which the abnormal unit is retracted to the retracted position, the transferable range is set to a range wider than the transferable range set in the first abnormality control, and the normal unit is operated using a plurality of the storage sections included in the transferable range as the transfer target location.

An Automated Guided Robot (AGV) system designed for carrying, storing and retrieving inventory items to and from storage shelves. The AGV (100) can move between warehouse shelves and reach to the inside of a shelf without turning. The AGV (100) is equipped with a material handling device (130). The material handling device (130) comprises a lateral device that is configured to move in a lateral direction either to the right side or to the left side. The movement of the lateral device can be either rotational or translational. The material handling device (130) further comprises a retractable device that retracts or extends in a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction. The retractable device allows the material handling device (130) to extend into the storage shelf to fetch or place an inventory item.