Robotic object handling system, device and method
A robotic object handling system and robotic load handling device for operation thereon is disclosed. The object handling system includes a number of robotic load handling devices operational on a grid-like structure, the structure having sets of parallel tracks, disposed above a hive of stacked bins. The bins contain inventory items to be picked by the system. Load handling devices capable of carrying multiple bins of a single grid-spacing size or single bins of a multiple grid spacings are operational on the grid and retrieve and transport bins under the control of a computerised order picking utility.
1 . An object handling system comprising:
a frame structure having a plurality of upright members supporting a first set of parallel horizontal members, and a second set of parallel horizontal members substantially perpendicular to the first set of parallel horizontal members;
a first set of rails and a second set of rails substantially perpendicular to the first set of rails, the first and second sets of rails forming a grid, defining a grid spacing, and defining openings on a top level of the frame structure configured for positioning above a plurality of containers arranged in a plurality of stacks;
a first portion of the plurality of stacks of containers including one or more first containers having a first cross-sectional area in the horizontal plane corresponding to a single grid spacing size, with a first portion of the openings being above the first portion of the plurality of stacks of containers;
a second portion of the plurality of stacks of containers including one or more second containers having a second cross-sectional area in the horizontal plane corresponding to two or more single grid spacing sizes, with a second portion of the openings being above the second portion of the plurality of stacks of containers and having a cross-sectional area that is larger than the first portion of the openings, wherein the second portion of the openings is arranged for the one or more second containers to be retrieved;
the first and second sets of rails configured to support a plurality of robotic load handling devices operating with movement in an X-direction and in a Y-direction on the grid on the top level of the frame structure so that any of the plurality of stacks of containers can be retrieved through the openings by one or more of the plurality of robotic load handling devices;
the plurality of robotic load handling devices including at least one first robotic load handling device including a body having a cavity sized to accept one or more first containers, and at least one second robotic load handling device including a body having a cavity sized to accept one or more second containers and configured to lift the one or more second containers into the cavity within the body such that the one or more second containers are lifted clear of the grid above the plurality of stacks,
wherein the at least one first robotic load handling device and the at least one second robotic load handling device are operable on a same portion of the grid at a same time, the at least one first robotic handling device being arranged to traverse only the first portion of the openings and the at least one second robotic handling device being arranged to traverse the first portion of the openings and the second portion of the openings.
2 . The object handling system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first portion of the openings has a grid spacing size of 1×1, and each of the second portion of the openings spans 2×2 grid spacings.
3 . The object handling system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the first set of rails is configured to engage with a first set of wheels on at least one of the plurality of robotic load handling devices; and wherein at least a portion of the second set of rails is configured to engage with a second set of wheels on the at least one of the plurality of robotic load handling devices.