US 11,905,114 B2
Assembly material logistics system and methods
Velibor Kilibarda, Southfield, MI (US); Freddie Tappo, Sterling Heights, MI (US); William Frazer, Wixom, MI (US); and Alessandro Puccioni, Solihull (GB)
Assigned to Comau LLC, Southfield, MI (US)
Filed by Comau LLC, Southfield, MI (US)
Filed on Jun. 7, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/340,509.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/036,172, filed on Jun. 8, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0009712 A1, Jan. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. B65G 1/04 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 1/0492 (2013.01) [B65G 1/0407 (2013.01); B65G 2201/0294 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An assembly material logistics system comprising:
a marketplace component storage area operable to temporarily store a plurality of component containers each supporting at least one component, the storage area having a rack aisle extending in a x-direction;
an assembly area positioned downstream of the storage area comprising:
at least one assembly line operable to assemble at least one product including the at least one component; and
a rack aisle extending in the x-direction positioned downstream of the storage area rack aisle along the x-direction and in alignment with the storage area rack aisle;
a material aisle positioned directly adjacent to and parallel with the aligned storage area rack aisle and the assembly area rack aisle; and
a plurality of transfer vehicles selectively and reciprocally movable along the material aisle between the storage area and the assembly area, the plurality of transfer vehicles each independently operable to selectively engage at least one of a full or an empty component container in the storage area rack aisle or the assembly area rack aisle, transfer the engaged at least one of the full or empty component containers between the storage area and the assembly area, and selectively disengage the at least one of the full or empty component containers in the storage area rack aisle or the assembly area rack aisle to support assembly of the at least one product.