An automated storage and retrieval system for storing product items includes a framework structure with upright members and horizontal members and a storage volume including storage columns between the members. The framework structure includes a rail system arranged above the members. The automated storage and retrieval system further includes storage containers in which the product items are stored and container handling vehicles moving along the rail system for transporting the storage containers. The storage containers are stackable in stacks within the storage columns. The rail system includes rails and each rail includes tracks. Adjacent tracks of at least one rail of the rail system are separated by a ventilation slot extending in a vertical plane between two adjacent storage columns.

Conventionally, loading and unloading pallets occurred in a factory like environment, wherein traditional systems were used for stacking pallets vertically for retrieval thereof. However, these pallets arrive from a roller conveyer and such set-ups are purely based on the concept of storage purpose and lack in palletizing and depalletizing in effective manner. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide pallet loading and unloading apparatus for automated objects manipulation, wherein pallet(s) from a forklift jack arrives on a linear slider assembly for movement of pallet from loading area to manipulating area using two double-sided cylinders associated thereof. Rollers comprised in apparatus provide flexibility to linear slider to slide freely on top. Manipulator performs palletizing and depalletizing as applicable. During depalletizing, empty pallet is slide down using actuator(s) and guided pins and pushed back to bottom rollers which is below a L-channel and is pushed out towards bottom ramp at pallet exit area.

A system and method for providing proxy picking of non-fungible goods within an automated storage and retrieval system is provided, which repurposes one or more automated mobile robots operating within the automated inventory management system to perform a plurality of tasks across multiple different areas of an automated store. The proxy picking system and method are configured to pick individually identified non-fungible goods according to a customer selection on an ordering screen based on measured attributes and images of the goods, the attributes selected by the customer.

An automated storage and retrieval system includes a grid-based rail structure and a plurality of remotely operated vehicles arranged to operate on the grid-based rail structure. The automated storage and retrieval system includes a locking device arranged in a zone of the grid-based rail structure where a human and/or a robotic operator is permitted to interact with the remotely operated vehicle or contents of a storage container that the remotely operated vehicle is carrying. The locking device is arranged to lock the remotely operated vehicle against accidental displacement prior to interaction with the human and/or robotic operator, and wherein the locking device being arranged to unlock the remotely operated vehicle once interaction with the human and/or robotic operator is no longer required.

There is provided a cargo transport system including: a management device; and a plurality of automated guided vehicles. Each of the automated guided vehicles includes: a movement instruction receiving unit that receives, from the management device, a movement instruction for moving to at least one loading operation place where a loading operation of loading a cargo to be transported into the automated guided vehicle is performed or a specified position near the loading operation place; an information transmitting unit that transmits, to the management device, load information concerning a load state of the cargo loaded into the automated guided vehicle; and a traveling unit that performs automated traveling in accordance with the received movement instruction. The management device includes: a movement instruction management unit that transmits the movement instruction to each of the automated guided vehicles; a load information receiving unit; and a load amount management unit.

An article transport vehicle (3) includes: a travel portion (11) that travels to set positions (P1) that are set in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of storage sections (1) that store articles; a supporting portion (12) that supports an article; an illumination portion (13) that emits light; and a control portion that controls the travel portion (11) and the illumination portion (13). Using, as a target storage section (1A), the storage section (1) in which an article to be supported by the supporting portion (12) is stored, the control portion executes travel control to control the travel portion (11) so as to cause the travel portion (11) to travel to the set position (P1) that is set in correspondence with the target storage section (1A); and illumination control to control the illumination portion (13) so as to emit light to an illuminating position (P2) that is located above the plurality of storage sections (1) and that corresponds to the article transport vehicle in a state in which the travel portion (11) is at the set position (P1).

A control method performed by a controller includes calculating times required for a worker to load, on an automated guided vehicle, multiple articles placed in multiple locations regarding multiple cases among which a stop situation of the automated guided vehicle where the worker loads the articles varies and determining a position in which the automated guided vehicle is to be stopped, based on the calculated times.

A vertical support for a transport robot includes a column assembly and a driving assembly. The vertical support includes a fixed column frame and a movable column frame movably arranged on the fixed column frame. The driving assembly includes a traction assembly and a retractable assembly connected to the traction assembly. The traction assembly is connected to the carrying device and configured to drive a carrying device of the transport robot to move relative to the movable column frame. The traction assembly includes two sets of traction assemblies located at two opposed sides of the carrying device respectively, the retractable assembly is configured to drive the two sets of the traction assemblies to synchronously drive the carrying device to ascend or descend.

A method includes: obtaining a batch of item group definitions, each item group definition having one or more item identifiers and corresponding quantities; for each item identifier, retrieving (i) a location of a corresponding item in a facility, and (ii) a dimensional attribute of the corresponding item; based on the locations and dimensional attributes, assigning sets of the item group definitions to respective receptacle configurations, each receptacle configuration including, for each item group definition in the set, a receptacle type with a predefined capacity; monitoring availability of a plurality of transporters in the facility, each transporter having a chassis configured to support a selectable set of receptacles; and responsive to detecting that a transporter is available, selecting one of the receptacle configurations, and presenting the selected receptacle configuration via an output device, to initiate placement of receptacles onto the chassis of the transporter according to the selected receptacle configuration.

An autonomous robotic system, and method for automatically monitoring the state of shelves in stores, like retail stores or supermarkets are based on a mobile The mobile robot is capable of autonomously navigating the aisles of a store, with the ability to monitor the condition of product shelves. Specifically, the robotic system solves problems associated with the operation of the shelves, mainly with respect to the detection of incorrect or missing price signs, verification of offer signs, detection of product stock, estimation of product layout, and identification of products misplaced or with errors in the spatial extent assigned to the supplier on a shelf.