US 11,939,158 B2
Storage and retrieval system
John Lert, Wakefield, MA (US); Stephen C Toebes, Chelmsford, MA (US); Robert Sullivan, Wilmington, MA (US); Foster Hinshaw, Cambridge, MA (US); and Nathan Ulrich, Lee, NH (US)
Assigned to Symbotic LLC, Wilmington, MA (US)
Filed by SYMBOTIC LLC, Wilmington, MA (US)
Filed on Sep. 15, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/476,232.
Application 17/476,232 is a continuation of application No. 16/364,711, filed on Mar. 26, 2019, granted, now 11,124,361.
Application 16/364,711 is a continuation of application No. 14/816,804, filed on Aug. 3, 2015, granted, now 10,239,691, issued on Mar. 26, 2019.
Application 14/816,804 is a continuation of application No. 12/757,220, filed on Apr. 9, 2010, granted, now 9,096,375, issued on Aug. 4, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/168,349, filed on Apr. 10, 2009.
Prior Publication US 2022/0002083 A1, Jan. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. B65G 1/04 (2006.01); B65G 1/06 (2006.01); B65G 1/137 (2006.01); B65G 1/10 (2006.01); B65G 1/127 (2006.01); B65G 47/57 (2006.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01)
CPC B65G 1/0492 (2013.01) [B65G 1/065 (2013.01); B65G 1/1373 (2013.01); B65G 1/1378 (2013.01); B65G 1/045 (2013.01); B65G 1/10 (2013.01); B65G 1/127 (2013.01); B65G 1/137 (2013.01); B65G 1/1371 (2013.01); B65G 47/57 (2013.01); G06Q 10/087 (2013.01); Y10S 901/01 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An autonomous transport vehicle for transporting case units to and from predefined storage areas in an automated case unit storage system, the automated case unit storage system including an array of storage racks with picking aisles passing therebetween and at least one input/output transfer station having a transfer shelf, the at least input/output transfer station being connected to the picking aisles by a transfer deck, the autonomous transport vehicle comprising:
a frame configured to traverse the picking aisles and an unconstrained transport surface of the transfer deck so as to pass between the storage racks and transfer deck for transporting case units between the predefined storage areas and the at least one input/output transfer station, where the picking aisles project from the transfer deck, and the frame has wheels so that the frame is steerable along multiple axes, angled relative to each other, of the unconstrained transport surface so that the frame traverses freely the unconstrained transfer surface to each respective picking aisle;
an underpick case unit support coupled to the frame and arranged to engage an underside of a case unit and pick up the case unit therefrom effecting transfer of the case unit, from at least one of, each predefined storage area of the storage racks and each transfer shelf of the input output station, to the vehicle; and
a controller connected to the frame, the controller being configured to effect movement of the autonomous transport vehicle through the picking aisles for accessing each storage area of the array of storage racks and each shelf of the input/output transfer station.