Abstract: Embodiments provide shelves, bracket systems, automated picker robots, totes, and other features that may be used with delivery vehicle configurations that have automated cargo areas. A delivery vehicle may include a picking robot that selectively retrieves packages for delivery without requiring substantial human intervention for locating those packages. The cargo area of the delivery vehicle may further comprise a plurality of customizable shelving units that generate custom-sized shelves for packages. The shelves may include a plurality of individually movable shelf brackets having retaining members that pivot between an extended and retracted position to hold the package in place and to enable the picking robot to retrieve the package from the shelf. Another embodiment provides for a tote having a drive mechanism to hold letters so that a letter may be automatically retrieved from the cargo arear and provided at a delivery location.

Abstract: A method for analyzing malfunctions in an operation of a handling system configured to handle mail items includes identifying at least one characteristic of a mail item to be fed to the handling system to obtain mail item information, detecting a malfunction in an operation of the handling system to obtain malfunction information, determining at least one malfunction mail item or group of malfunction mail items that triggered the malfunction, and assigning the malfunction information with the mail item information of the malfunction mail item or malfunction mail item group.

Abstract: A robot cell including a structure delimiting a cell with a closed section, typically polygonal, in particular rectangular, with metallic corner posts, extending vertically to the edges of the cell, the corner posts being preferably equipped at the lower ends of the posts with underframes intended to bear on the ground, metallic upper crossbars linking, in pairs, the upper ends of the posts over a periphery of the section cell, a central support formed by the assembly of metallic elements, extending over the cell between the upper crossbars resting locally at fastening supports on the upper crossbars, at intermediate areas of the upper crossbars, and a parallel-kinematics robot, housed within the volume of the cell.

Abstract: An apparatus for mounting a component includes an articulated robot mounting a component on a replacement target where the component is provided at a mounting position, a first sensor unit provided in the articulated robot and sensing the mounting position or whether or not the component is provided, a second sensor unit provided in the articulated robot and sensing spaced distances between the articulated robot and the mounting position at a plurality of points, and a control unit controlling the articulated robot to mount the component on the replacement target and controlling a position of the articulated robot so that a difference between spaced distance values between the articulated robot and the plurality of points sensed by the second sensor unit converges to zero, when the component is not sensed or a surface of the mounting position is sensed by the first sensor unit.

Abstract: A robotic system comprising a mobile chassis, a conveyor oriented substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the chassis, one or more robotic arms disposed adjacent to the conveyor, and one or more cameras positioned to view at least a portion of a top surface of the conveyor is disclosed. The system uses the mobile chassis, the conveyor, and the robotic arms to load items into a truck or other container, including by using image data generated by the one or more cameras to assess a state of items on the top surface of the conveyor; determine based at least in part on the image data that an additional item is to be added to the top surface of the conveyor; and operate a robotically controlled structure to cause an item to be added to the top surface of the conveyor.

Abstract: A block stacking arrangement that includes a plurality of container receiving slots, a loading space arranged in the direction of gravity below the container receiving slots and at least one loading vehicle conFIGUREd to be moved in the loading space and that can be positioned the container in the container receiving slots and removed from the container receiving slots. The intention is to be able to reliably design the operation of a block stacking arrangement. For this purpose, the block stacking arrangement includes a loading vehicle maintenance area that is connected to the loading space via a travel path.

Abstract: A material transferring method includes: controlling a first robot transferring materials to move to a first entrance of the M entrances; and controlling the first robot to place a first quantity of materials at the first entrance, the first quantity being less than or equal to a second quantity. The first entrance is one of the M entrances that is in an idle state. The second quantity is a total quantity of materials to be placed on the conveyor line by the first robot.

Abstract: A robotic system that includes a storage structure, a container handling robot, and a manipulator robot is provided herein. The storage structure includes vertical members supporting a grid having a first set of rails and a second set of rails that collectively define grid spaces, and a plurality of storage containers arranged in vertical stacks within a respective one of the grid spaces. The container handling robot is arranged to move along the first and second set of rails and includes a lifting device to extract one or more storage containers from the vertical stacks and to transport the one or more storage containers about the grid. The manipulator robot is installed within a footprint of a single grid space and includes one or more vacuum generators, and a picking arm provided with a pneumatic gripping tool for picking an inventory item from the one or more storage containers.

Abstract: An inventory management method includes: scheduling, according to task information, a first autonomous mobile robot and a second autonomous mobile robot to travel to a same target workstation to perform tasks; controlling the first autonomous mobile robot to take one or more inventory containers from an inventory area and transport same to a first work point in the target workstation according to an instruction; and controlling the second autonomous mobile robot to take one or more inventory containers from the inventory area and transport same to a second work point in the target workstation according to an instruction.

Abstract: An unloading device for unloading a tote from a shelf in a warehouse includes at least two arms for grabbing the tote in the shelf, whereby the arms essentially each extend in a horizontal direction and are arranged distant and parallel to each other. The arms are movable in a vertical and/or horizontal direction in respect to a position of the tote in the shelf and in their horizontal distance to each other in respect to the shape of the tote. Additionally, each arm includes a motorized conveyer belt extending along the essential horizontal direction on the arm up to touching a tip of the respective arm for unloading the tote from the shelf.

Abstract: The present application discloses a method, system, and computer system for partitioning a set of objects among a set of transport containers. The method includes (i) receiving an indication of the set of objects to be loaded into the set of transport containers, (ii) determining, based at least in part on object information corresponding to the set of objects and resources available to load the set of objects, an plan to partition the set of objects across the set of transport containers, the plan including an indication of a subset of the objects allocated to a corresponding subset of the containers, and (iii) providing the plan as an output to be used in connection with loading various subsets of objects to corresponding subsets of containers.

Abstract: A system includes an article supply location, wherein the article supply location includes a plurality of articles to be sorted, first and second transport vehicles, each having a first position in which an article is stowed about the vehicle and a second position in which the article is deposited into a proximal container. And a control system. The control system is configured to receive an order for a plurality of disparate articles, determine one destination container of a plurality of destination containers to direct the transport vehicle to deposit a selected article, direct the first transport vehicle to transport a selected article to the destination container and deposit the article by manipulation of the first transport vehicle from the first position to the second position for deposit of the selected article in the destination container.

Abstract: A robot and a robot-based container storage and removal method.

Abstract: A system for condition-based maintenance of an automated storage and retrieval system includes a framework structure with a rail system forming a three-dimensional storage grid structure for storing storage containers for storing items. The grid structure forms vertical storage columns each having a horizontal area defined by the size of an access opening between rails of the rail system that are arranged on the framework structure. The rail system provides available routes for container handling vehicles handling and transferring the storage containers to and from the storage columns. At least one container handling vehicle which has a container handling platform with a set of grippers for handling the storage containers. The grid structure includes one or more ports for extracting containers from the storage grid so that the storage containers can be picked and a service station for performing maintenance on the components of the storage and retrieval system.

Abstract: Conventional automated fulfillment systems require complex technology, such as robots and autonomous guided vehicles. Accordingly, embodiments are disclosed for a conveyor system that can perform automated fulfillment with the simplicity of conveyor technologies. The conveyor system may comprise a plurality of concentric, circular, nested conveyors or parallel linear conveyors that each comprises a plurality of segments. The conveyor system may also comprise a chute along a radial or orthogonal axis. Each conveyor is configured to move, such that each segment of the conveyor is movable into the chute. A chute mechanism may be configured to move items in and/or out of a chute. Thus, for example, a control system may move items, stowed on the conveyors, into the chute, and utilize the chute mechanism to move all of these items out of the chute and off of the conveyor system with a single sweep operation.

Abstract: An order fulfillment system includes a storage structure for storing totes, workstations for processing customer orders and a staging and sequencing buffer having staging locations for storing the totes. The staging and sequencing buffer provides a buffer for totes as mobile robots transfer totes from the storage structure and to the one or more workstations.

Abstract: A container handling vehicle with a cantilever solution operates on an automated storage and retrieval system. The automated storage and retrieval system includes a framework structure forming a three-dimensional storage grid structure for storing storage containers for storing items. The grid structure forms vertical storage columns each having a horizontal area defined by the size of an access opening of the vertical storage columns. A rail system is arranged on the framework structure, rails of the rail system extending in an X-direction and a Y-direction to define a grid and to define a perimeter of each access opening on top of each storage column. The rail system provides available routes for container handling vehicles handling and transferring the storage containers to and from the storage columns. Each rail has a first track and a parallel second track allowing two container handling vehicles to pass each other using the same rail.

Abstract: A load-handling device for lifting and moving containers, the load-handling device including a body configured to house one or more operation components; a container-receiving space configured to accommodate at least part of a container; a container-engaging assembly configured to releasably engage a container; and a raising and lowering assembly configured to raise and lower the container-engaging assembly.

Abstract: A storage, retrieval and processing system for processing objects is disclosed. The storage, retrieval and processing system includes a plurality of storage bins, a plurality of destination bins, and a processing programmable motion device. The plurality of storage bins provides storage of a plurality of objects, where the plurality of storage bins are in communication with a gantry retrieval conveyance system for moving selected bins to a bin processing location. The plurality of destination bins are in communication with the gantry retrieval conveyance system for moving a selected destination bin to the processing location. The processing programmable motion device is at the processing location and is in communication with the gantry retrieval conveyance system. The processing programmable motion device includes an end effector for grasping and moving a selected object out of a selected storage bin and depositing the selected object in the selected destination bin.

Abstract: A system includes one or more movers configured to move along a track of an industrial automation system and a computing device. The computing device receives data associated with the movers as the movers move around the track. The data includes a first amount of time for at least one of the movers to move between two stations disposed along the track, a second amount of time for the at least one mover to settle at a station, a third amount of time for a respective robot at the station to prepare to perform a process, and a fourth amount of time for the respective robot to perform the process. The computing device identifies throughput degradation based on the first amount of time, the second amount of time, the third amount of time, or the fourth amount of time, or any combination thereof.