AUTOMATIC STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM HAVING CONTAINER BASED PICKING WORKSTATION

1 . An order fulfillment system for fulfilling orders for goods, the system comprising:

a storage structure configured to store totes;

mobile robots configured to transport the totes; and

a workstation, comprising:

a first station configured to receive product totes of the totes, the product totes having the goods for fulfilling the orders,

a second station configured to receive order totes of the totes, the order totes having the goods of fulfilled orders, and

a third station configured to receive containers, the containers configured to receive the goods from one or more of the product totes;

wherein a container of the containers is configured to be transferred from the third station to an order tote of the order totes at the second station when it is determined that the container has reached a predetermined capacity.

2 . The order fulfillment system of claim 1 , wherein the third station is configured to store multiple containers.

3 . The order fulfillment system of claim 1 , wherein the workstation is configured with multiple levels configured to transport multiple mobile robots with the product totes to the workstation.

4 . The order fulfillment system of claim 1 , wherein the workstation is configured with multiple levels configure to transport multiple mobile robots with order totes away from the workstation.

5 . The order fulfillment system of claim 1 , wherein the third station is configured to hold multiple containers stacked in one another in a nested configuration.

6 . The order fulfillment system of claim 5 , wherein the third station is configured to index vertically, and is configured to position an uppermost container of the multiple containers at a vertical height that is ergonomic for an operator to place goods into the uppermost container.

7 . The order fulfillment system of claim 1 , further comprising a vision verification system configured to sequentially guide pick operations of the goods from the product totes.

8 . The order fulfillment system of claim 7 , wherein the vision verification system is further configured to sequentially guide place operations the goods into at least one of the containers at the third station and the order totes at the second station.

9 . The order fulfillment system of claim 7 , further comprising a controller having a processor configured to control the operation of the vision verification system.

10 . The order fulfillment system of claim 1 , further comprising a container dispenser configured to load the containers into at least one of the third station and the order totes located at the second station.

11 . An order fulfillment system for fulfilling orders for goods, the system comprising:

a storage structure configured to store totes;

mobile robots configured to transport the totes; and

a workstation, comprising:

a first station configured to receive product totes of the totes, the product totes having the goods for fulfilling the orders,

a second station configured to receive order totes of the totes, the order totes having the goods of fulfilled orders, and

a third station configured to receive containers, the containers configured to receive the goods from one or more of the product totes;

wherein a container of the containers is configured to be transferred from the third station to at least one of:

an order tote of the order totes at the second station when it is determined that the container has reached a predetermined capacity; and

at least one shopping cart located at the workstation when it is determined that the container has reached the predetermined capacity.

12 . The order fulfillment system of claim 11 , further comprising a container dispenser configured to load the containers into at least one of the third station, the order totes located at the second station, and the at least one shopping cart located at the workstation.

13 . The order fulfillment system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one shopping cart stores at least one of the containers configured to receive the goods directly from the product totes or the order totes.

14 . A method of operating an order fulfillment system for fulfilling orders for goods, the method comprising:

(a) transporting product totes to a first station at a workstation;

(b) transporting order totes to a second station at the workstation;

(c) picking goods from the product totes into one or more containers at a third station;

(d) determining when a container of the one or more containers is at capacity; and

(e) transporting the container determined to be at capacity in said step (d) into an order tote at the second station.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein said step (d) comprises the step of determining when the container is filled to capacity.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein said step (d) comprises the step of determining when the container has reached a predetermined weight capacity.

17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising a step of transporting product totes to the second station and buffering an order tote at a fourth station at the workstation until the order tote is needed to receive the container in said step (e).

18 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising a step of replenishing a new container to the third station after said step (e) of transporting the container determined to be at capacity in said step (d) into the order tote at the second station.

19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of automatically opening a container at the third station to ensure the container is ready to receive the goods.

20 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising loading, via a container dispenser, the containers into at least one of the third station and the order totes located at the second station.

21 . A method of operating an order fulfillment system for fulfilling orders for goods, the method comprising:

transporting product totes to a first station at a workstation;

transporting order totes to a second station at the workstation;

picking goods from the product totes into one or more containers at a third station;

determining when a container of the one or more containers is at capacity; and

when the container is determined to be at the capacity, transporting the container into at least one of:

an order tote at the second station, and

at least one shopping cart located at the workstation.

22 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising loading, via a container dispenser, the containers into at least one of the third station, the order totes located at the second station, and the at least one shopping cart located at the workstation.

23 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising storing, in the at least one stopping cart, at least one of the containers configured to receive the goods directly from the product totes or the order totes.

24 . An order fulfillment system for fulfilling orders for goods, the system comprising:

a storage structure configured to store totes;

mobile robots configured to transport the totes; and

a workstation, comprising:

a first station configured to receive product totes of the totes, the product totes having the goods for fulfilling the orders,

a second station configured to receive order totes of the totes, the order totes having the goods of fulfilled orders, and

at least one shopping cart configured to receive and store containers, the containers configured to receive the goods from one or more of the product totes or one or more of the order totes.