US 12,434,911 B2
Method, and associated system, of providing an operator access to a target storage position in an automated storage and retrieval system
Ivar Fjeldheim, Haugesund (NO); and Trond Austrheim, Etne (NO)
Assigned to AutoStore Technology AS, Nedre Vats (NO)
Appl. No. 17/634,376
Filed by Autostore Technology AS, Nedre Vats (NO)
PCT Filed Aug. 21, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/073453
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 10, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/043597, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 11, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 20191053 (NO), filed on Sep. 2, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0281684 A1, Sep. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. B65G 1/137 (2006.01); A62C 3/00 (2006.01); B65G 1/04 (2006.01); G06Q 10/08 (2024.01)
CPC B65G 1/1373 (2013.01) [A62C 3/002 (2013.01); B65G 1/0464 (2013.01); G06Q 10/08 (2013.01); B65G 2201/0235 (2013.01); B65G 2207/22 (2013.01); B65G 2207/40 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of providing an operator access to a target storage position in an automated storage and retrieval system, the automated storage and retrieval system comprising:
a rail system for guiding a plurality of container handling vehicles, the rail system comprising a first set of parallel rails arranged in a horizontal plane and extending in a first direction, and a second set of parallel rails arranged in the horizontal plane and extending in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, wherein the first and second sets of rails form a grid pattern in the horizontal plane comprising a plurality of adjacent grid cells, each grid cell comprising a grid opening defined by a pair of neighboring rails of the first set of rails and a pair of neighboring rails of the second set of rails; the automated storage and retrieval system further comprising a storage volume beneath the rail system, wherein the storage volume comprises storage columns for storing storage containers and the container handling vehicles are operable to retrieve a storage container from a stack of storage containers within the storage volume,
wherein the method comprises:
operating a master control system to allocate and instruct at least one container handling vehicle to remove storage containers along a first path between a position at a side edge or a top surface of the storage volume and the target storage position such that an operator can access the target storage position through the first path when the at least one container handling vehicle has removed the storage containers along the first path.