Autonomous transport vehicle charging system

1. A method comprising:

providing at least one autonomous transport vehicle;

providing at least one transfer station having an allocated and unallocated state where in the allocated state the at least one transfer station allows transfer of items from and to the at least one autonomous transport vehicle;

providing at least one charging station on a pick floor level of a storage and retrieval system, the at least one charging station being located in communication with a respective one of the at least one transfer station;

providing at least one power supply configured to supply power to the at least one charging station;

communicating, with a controller in communication with at least one of the at least one charging station or the at least one autonomous transport vehicle, information related to interface between a predetermined at least one transfer station and a predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle; and

with the controller, applying power from the at least one power supply to the at least one charging station for charging the at least one autonomous transport vehicle, wherein the controller supplies power to the at least one charging station for charging the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle corresponding to the interface with the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle interfacing at the predetermined at least one transfer station with the predetermined at least one transfer station in the allocated state and identifying an unallocated time period with the predetermined at least one transfer station in the unallocated state and continuous charging of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle or initiating charging of a different another one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle in the unallocated state.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying, with the controller, a next allocated time period for the different another one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle at the at least one charging station of the predetermined at least one transfer station.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising effecting, with the controller, at least one of a quick charge and a full charge to both

the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle corresponding to the transfer of items with the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle transferring the items at the predetermined at least one transfer station when the predetermined transfer station is in the allocated state, and

an idle autonomous transport vehicle at the at least one charging station when the predetermined at least one transfer station is in the unallocated state

wherein the full charge is effected with the at least one autonomous transport vehicle at the at least one charging station during the allocated state and remaining at least part of the unallocated state and the quick charge is effected on determination by the controller that a time period of the allocated state and unallocated state of the predetermined at least one transfer station is less than a charge period for full charge.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one power supply is commonly connected to the at least one charging station of vertically adjacent ones of the at least one pick floor level.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one charging station is commonly connected to the at least one power supply comprising a two by two array of charging stations where a first two of the charging stations in the array are located on a first pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level and a second two of the charging stations in the array are located on a second pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level, the first two of the charging stations and the second two of the charging stations being vertically stacked one above the other.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reserving, with the controller, access to one or more of the at least one charging station by one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicles.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising re-routing, with the controller, one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicles destined for a first charging station, of the at least one charging station, to a second charging station, of the at least one charging station, when the first charging station is inoperable.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one transfer station includes a lift and operation of the at least one charging station and an associated lift are linked such that when the at least one charging station is inoperable the controller deems the associated lift inoperable at least for the pick floor level on which the at least one charging station is located.

9. A method comprising:

providing at least one autonomous transport vehicle;

providing at least one transfer station having an allocated and unallocated state where in the allocated state the at least one transfer station allows transfer of items from and to the at least one autonomous transport vehicle;

providing at least one charging station on each of at least one pick floor level of a storage and retrieval system, each of the at least one charging station being linked to a respective one of the at least one transfer station;

providing at least one power supply configured to supply power to the at least one charging station;

communicating, with a controller in communication with at least one of the at least one charging station and the at least one autonomous transport vehicle, information related to a transfer of items between the at least one transfer station and a predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle; and

applying power, with the controller, from the power supply to the at least one charging station for charging the at least one autonomous transport vehicle arriving and departing the at least one transfer station, wherein the controller is configured to supply power to the at least one charging station to effect at least one of a quick charge and a full charge depending on identification of an unallocated time period of the at least one transfer station in the unallocated state.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the at least one pick floor level includes a transfer deck and a picking aisle in communication with the at least one charging station.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising communicating with an idle autonomous transport vehicle on one of the transfer deck and the picking aisle, with the controller, and identifying a nearest available transfer station, of the at least one transfer station, in the unallocated state for charging the idle autonomous transport vehicle at the at least one charging station of the nearest available transfer station, of the predetermined at least one charging station, in the unallocated state.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one power supply is commonly connected to the at least one charging station of vertically adjacent ones of the at least one pick floor level.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one charging station is commonly connected to the at least one power supply comprising a two by two array of charging stations where a first two of the charging stations in the array are located on a first pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level and a second two of the charging stations in the array are located on a second pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level, the first two of the charging stations and the second two of the charging stations being vertically stacked one above the other.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising reserving, with the controller, access to at least one of the at least one charging station by one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicles.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising re-routing, with the controller, one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicles destined for a first charging station, of the at least one charging station, to a second charging station, of the at least one charging station, when the first charging station is inoperable.

16. A warehouse storage and retrieval system comprising:

at least one autonomous transport vehicle;

at least one transfer station having an allocated and unallocated state where in the allocated state the at least one transfer station allows transfer of items from and to the at least one autonomous transport vehicle;

at least one charging station disposed on each of at least one pick floor level of the warehouse storage and retrieval system, the at least one charging station being located in communication with each respective one of the at least one transfer station and each of the at least one pick floor level including a transfer deck and a picking aisle in communication with the at least one charging station;

at least one power supply configured to supply power to the at least one charging station; and

a controller in communication with at least one of the at least one charging station and the at least one autonomous transport vehicle, where the controller is configured to

communicate information related to interface between a predetermined at least one transfer station, of the at least one transfer station, and a predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle,

apply power from the at least one power supply to the at least one charging station for charging the at least one autonomous transport vehicle, wherein the controller supplies power to the at least one charging station to effect at least one of a quick charge and a full charge depending on identification of an unallocated time period of the at least one transfer station in the unallocated state.

17. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to effect at least one of a quick charge and a full charge to both

the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle corresponding to the transfer of items with the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle transferring the items at the predetermined at least one transfer station when the predetermined at least one transfer station is in the allocated state, and

an idle automated transport vehicle at the at least one charging station when the predetermined at least one transfer station is in the unallocated state.

18. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one power supply is commonly connected to the at least one charging station of vertically adjacent ones of the at least one pick floor level.

19. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 18 , wherein the at least one charging station is commonly connected to the at least one power supply comprising a two by two array of charging stations where a first two of the charging stations in the array are located on a first pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level and a second two of the charging stations in the array are located on a second pick floor level of the at least one pick floor level, the first two of the charging stations and the second two of the charging stations being vertically stacked one above the other.

20. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to access one or more of the at least one charging station by one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicles.

21. The warehouse storage and retrieval system of claim 16 , wherein the controller is configured to re-route one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle destined for a first charging station, of the at least one charging station, to a second charging station, of the at least one charging station, when the first charging station is inoperable.