ROBOTIC EACH PICKING IN A MICRO-FULFILLMENT CENTER
A workstation receives bots carrying order totes and bots carrying product totes for transfer of goods from the product totes to the order totes. The workstation comprises a robot for automated transfer of goods between the product and order totes, but may also have a station for an operator to perform manual transfer. Cameras may be provided to capture images of the product and/or order totes to identify contents of totes and to identify positions where goods are to be picked from the product totes and placed into the order totes.
1 . A workstation for an automated goods-to-person system, comprising:
a first entry port configured to allow a first group of one or more mobile robots to enter the workstation, the first group of mobile robots comprising first totes configured to contain goods therein,
a first access port configured to present the first totes, and
a first exit port configured to allow the first group of mobile robots to exit the workstation;
a second entry port configured to allow a second group of one or more mobile robots to enter the workstation, the second group of mobile robots comprising second totes configured to contain the goods therein,
a second access port configured to present the second totes, and
a second exit port configured to allow the second group of mobile robots to exit the workstation; and
a robot configured to access the goods of the first totes at the first access port and access the goods of the second totes at the second access port;
wherein the workstation is configured to allow the first and second groups of mobile robots to cycle into the workstation through the first and second entry ports at a first level and up to a second level above the first level to present the first and second groups of mobile robots to the first and second access ports, and to cycle out of the workstation through the first and second exit ports.
2 . The workstation of claim 1 , further comprising a material control system configured to coordinate transfer of selected ones of the first totes to the workstation together with selected ones of the second totes.
3 . The workstation of claim 2 , further comprising one or more cameras configured to capture images of the first totes to enable the material control system to determine locations of the goods to be picked from the first totes.
4 . The workstation of claim 3 , further comprising one or more cameras configured to capture images of the second totes to enable the material control system to determine locations of where the goods are to be placed into the second totes.
5 . The workstation of claim 4 , wherein the one or more cameras configured to capture images of the first totes are the same cameras as the one or more cameras configured to capture images of the second totes.
6 . The workstation of claim 4 , wherein the one or more cameras configured to capture images of the first totes are different than the one or more cameras configured to capture images of the second totes.
7 . The workstation of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third entry port configured to allow a third group of one or more mobile robots to enter the workstation, the third group of mobile robots comprising a group of the first totes,
a third access port configured to present the group of the first totes, and
a third exit port configured to allow the third group of mobile robots to exit the workstation.
8 . The workstation of claim 7 , wherein each of the second entry port, second access port, and second exit port is positioned between the first entry port, first access port, and first exit port and the third entry port, third access port, and third exit port, respectively.
9 . The workstation of claim 7 , further comprising a second robot configured to access the goods from the group of the first totes through the third access port.
10 . The workstation of claim 9 , further comprising a material control system configured to coordinate transfer of the group of the first totes to the workstation.
11 . The workstation of claim 10 , the material control system further configured to:
coordinate travel of the first group of one or more mobile robots to the workstation while the third group of one or more mobile robots is positioned at the third access port, and
coordinate travel of the third group of one or more mobile robots to the workstation while the first group of one or more mobile robots is positioned at the first access port.
12 . The workstation of claim 1 , further comprising a human picking platform configured to support a human operator for manual access to the first totes positioned at the first access port and to the second totes positioned at the second access port.
13 . A workstation for an automated goods-to-person system, comprising:
a first entry port configured to allow a first group of one or more mobile robots to enter the workstation, the first group of mobile robots comprising first totes configured to contain goods therein,
a first access port configured to present the first totes, and
a first exit port configured to allow the first group of mobile robots to exit the workstation;
a second entry port configured to allow a second group of one or more mobile robots to enter the workstation, the second group of mobile robots comprising second totes configured to contain the goods therein,
a second access port configured to present the second totes, and
a second exit port configured to allow the second group of mobile robots to exit the workstation; and
a robot configured to access the goods of the first totes at the first access port and access the goods of the second totes at the second access port;
wherein the workstation is configured to the first and second groups of mobile robots to cycle into the workstation through the first and second access ports at a first side of the workstation, and to cycle out of the workstation through the first and second exit ports positioned at a second side of the workstation opposed to the first side of the workstation.
14 . The workstation of claim 13 , further comprising a material control system configured to coordinate transfer of selected ones of the first totes to the workstation together with selected ones of the second totes.
15 . The workstation of claim 14 , further comprising one or more cameras configured to capture images of the first totes and second totes within the workstation to enable the material control system to determine locations of the goods to be picked from the first totes and placed into the second totes.
16 . The workstation of claim 13 , further comprising:
a third entry port configured to allow a third group of one or more mobile robots to enter the workstation, the third group of mobile robots comprising a group of the first totes,
a third access port configured to present the group of the first totes, and
a third exit port configured to allow the third group of mobile robots to exit the workstation.
17 . The workstation of claim 16 , further comprising a second robot configured to access the goods from the group of the first totes through the third access port.
18 . A workstation for an automated goods-to-person system, comprising:
a first entry port configured to allow a first group of one or more mobile robots to enter the workstation, the first group of mobile robots comprising first totes configured to contain goods therein,
a first access port configured to present the first totes, and
a first exit port configured to allow the first group of mobile robots to exit the workstation;
a second entry port configured to allow a second group of one or more mobile robots to enter the workstation, the second group of mobile robots comprising second totes configured to contain the goods therein,
a second access port configured to present the second totes, and
a second exit port configured to allow the second group of mobile robots to exit the workstation; and
a third entry port configured to allow a third group of one or more mobile robots to enter the workstation, the third group of mobile robots comprising a group of the first totes,
a third access port configured to present the group of the first totes, and
a third exit port configured to allow the third group of mobile robots to exit the workstation; and
a robot configured to access the goods of the first totes at the first access port and access the goods of the second totes at the second access port;
wherein:
the second entry port is positioned between the first entry port and the third entry port;
the second access port is positioned between the first access port and the third access port; and
the second exit port is positioned between the first exit port and the third exit port.
19 . The workstation of claim 18 , further comprising a material control system configured to:
coordinate travel of the first group of one or more mobile robots to the workstation while the third group of one or more mobile robots are positioned at the third access port; and
coordinate travel of the third group of one or more mobile robots to the workstation while the first group of one or more mobile robots are positioned at the first access port.
20 . The workstation of claim 19 , further comprising one or more cameras configured to capture images of the first totes and second totes within the workstation to enable the material control system to determine locations of the goods to be picked from the first totes and placed into the second totes.