Automatic transportation of pallets of goods
A layer pick system optimizes usage of a layer picker gantry or robotic arm by arranging and/or displacing the gantry or arm in optimal locations with respect to one or more groups of pallets, and/or by grouping pallets by their attributes and arranging the same group of pallets close to each other. In some implementations, a plurality of pallets is categorized into multiple groups by different velocities.
1 . A warehouse comprising:
a plurality of dedicated pallet working areas, the plurality of pallet working areas comprising:
a staging area configured for staging pallets to be moved in and received out of trucks docked at the warehouse;
a storage area comprising a plurality of storage racks configured to store the pallets; and
a pick area configured to receive at least one pallet to which at least one case or layer picking operation is performed, wherein the pick area comprises a plurality of cells;
a pool of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) each configured to automatically move the pallets among and within the staging area, the storage area, and the pick area of the warehouse, each of the AGVs including an indoor positioning system, a warehouse navigation system, a controller, motors, and a pallet retention component to retain the pallet as it is moved throughout the warehouse among and within the staging area, the storage area, and the pick area; and
an AGV controller system that is configured to (i) dynamically determine a positioning of pallets within the plurality of cells such that at least one pathway of unoccupied cells is maintained through the pick area, wherein the at least one pathway provides an unobstructed route for the AGVs to directly access every pallet positioned in the pick area; (ii) assign and direct a first portion of the pool of AGVs to move pallets between or within a first subset of the plurality of dedicated pallet working areas, and (iii) assign and direct a second portion of the pool of AGVs to move pallets between or within a second subset of the plurality of dedicated pallet working areas, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the pool of AGVs are different from each other, and wherein the first subset and the second subset of the plurality of dedicated pallet working areas are different from each other.
2 . The warehouse of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of storage racks comprise a plurality of different levels configured to store the pallets.
3 . The warehouse of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of storage racks are arranged in rows and columns to store the pallets across the plurality of different levels.
4 . The warehouse of claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of rack conveyor belts configured to move the pallets to the storage locations in each of the plurality of different levels defined by the plurality of storage racks.
5 . The warehouse of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dedicated pallet working areas further comprises a plurality of elevators configured to move the pallets to storage locations in a plurality of different levels defined by the storage racks.
6 . The warehouse of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the AGVs is configured to move a pallet between a first location and a second location within the warehouse, wherein the warehouse includes a plurality of levels accessible by elevators.
7 . The warehouse of claim 6 , wherein the at least one of the AGVs is configured to move the pallet into an elevator amongst the plurality of elevators at one of the plurality of levels.
8 . The warehouse of claim 7 , wherein a second AGV is configured to retrieve the pallet from the elevator at another of the plurality of levels.
9 . The warehouse of claim 1 , wherein the AGV controller system is further configured to assign and direct the first portion of the pool of AGVs to (i) move pallets to the pick area and (ii) retain and support the pallets while the case or layer picking operations are performed by a warehouse device in the pick area, wherein the pallets are warehouse pallets.
10 . The warehouse of claim 9 , wherein the AGV controller system is further configured to assign and direct the first portion of the pool of AGVs to move the pallets to destination locations in the warehouse after the case or layer picking operations are performed by the warehouse device.
11 . The warehouse of claim 9 , wherein the AGV controller system is further configured to assign and direct the second portion of the pool of AGVs to place the pallets in particular positions in the pick area for case or layer picking operations to be performed on the pallets by the warehouse device.
12 . The warehouse of claim 11 , wherein the AGV controller system is further configured to assign and direct a third portion of the pool of AGVs to move the pallets from the staging area to at least one of the storage area and the pick area.
13 . The warehouse of claim 9 , wherein the warehouse device is at least one of a gantry head, a robotic arm, and another AGV.
14 . The warehouse of claim 12 , wherein the third portion of the pool of AGVs is different from the first and second portions of the pool of AGVs.
15 . The warehouse of claim 1 , the plurality of pallet working areas further comprising a pallet transportation area positioned between the staging area and the storage area.
16 . The warehouse of claim 1 , wherein the AGV controller system is further configured to determine a shortest route for moving at least one AGV in the first and second portions of the pool of AGVs.
17 . The warehouse of claim 1 , wherein the AGV controller system is further configured to determine routes for at least one AGV in the first and second portions of the pool of AGVs that minimizes a quantity of route cross-overs with other AGVs in the pool of AGVS.
18 . The warehouse of claim 1 , wherein the AGV controller system is further configured to determine timing of operations performed by at least one AGV in the first and second portions of the pool of AGVs to minimize a likelihood of collisions when the at least one AGV is moving in the warehouse.
19 . The warehouse of claim 1 , wherein the AGV controller system is further configured to determine instructions for moving the AGVs in the first and second portions of the pool of AGVs based on minimizing an amount of time required to complete a particular pallet-movement task assigned to at least one of the AGVs in the first and second portions of the pool of AGVs.
20 . The warehouse of claim 1 , wherein the case or layer picking operations performed on the at least one pallet comprise at least one of accessing, processing, assembling, and disassembling the at least one pallet.