Abstract: The present disclosure provides a sorting scheduling method, apparatus and matrix sorting system in the field of warehousing and logistics technology, wherein the matrix sorting system includes multiple branch lines and multiple ring sorters, each branch line spans multiple ring sorters, each ring sorter is spanned by multiple branch lines, each branch line is provided with multiple sorting stations at each ring sorter, each said branch line is used to convey a stock box to the corresponding sorting station, and the sorted goods to be packaged at said sorting station flow on the corresponding ring sorter. The present disclosure adopts the matrix sorting form, and the order quantity completed by a sorting station can be increased dozens of times compared to the existing sorting station layout, which alleviates the problem of conveyor line blockage and realizes large-scale sorting operations.

Abstract: There is provided an automated storage and retrieval system including: a rack storing a plurality of bins for containing items; a picking station for picking the item from the bin; and a transportation robot for transporting the bin between the rack and the picking station. The picking station defines a plurality of picking positions at which a plurality of the transportation robots transporting the bins are simultaneously aligned to enable picking work of the item from the bin.

Abstract: A robot for transporting cargo boxes includes a drive unit, a cargo box storing unit and a cargo box delivery unit. The drive unit carries the cargo box storing unit and the cargo box delivery unit and moves them jointly therewith. The cargo box storing unit includes a plurality of cargo box storing spaces. The cargo box delivery unit is coupled to the cargo box storing unit and configured to move along the cargo box storing unit in a vertical direction and transfer the cargo boxes between the cargo box storing spaces and a shelf.

Abstract: An automated storage and retrieval system stores multi-stock bins each holding different stock-keeping units (SKUs). Records dynamically track which SKUs are in each bin. A controller tracks a stock waitlist indicating quantities of SKUs still required to be delivered to a workstation in order to fulfil current orders assigned to the workstation. When a robot is available, the controller selects a multi-stock bin that has a highest number of unique ones of the required SKUs indicated on the stock waitlist and commands the robot to fetch and deliver the selected bin to the workstation. For new orders, the controller may determine if direct assignment can be done to a workstation without additional bins being scheduled. For other pending orders, the controller may assume each pending order is assigned to the workstation and then pick the order that would require a lowest number of bins to be delivered to the workstation.

Abstract: Various embodiments of loader assemblies are disclosed for controlling the translational and rotational movement of a workpiece. One or more pairs of offset compound wheels are configured to support and control a workpiece. In one configuration, a left-handed mecanum wheel is paired with an offset right-handed mecanum wheel. By rotating offset compound wheels independently of each other, the workpiece can be made to move forward or backward, and at the same time have an independently controlled clockwise or counterclockwise rotational motion.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a material conveying method and apparatus, a device, a system, and a storage medium, applicable to an intelligent warehousing system. The method includes: determining a first order, where the first order includes a target container and a first workstation; determining a second order, where the second order includes the target container and a second workstation; determining to convey the target container to the second workstation according to a relationship of transferability between the second workstation and the first workstation along a conveying line, where the conveying line is connected to the first workstation and the second workstation; and transmitting first indication information to a warehousing robot, transmitting second indication information to the first workstation, and transmitting third indication information to the second workstation.

Abstract: A storage system includes an entrance port, a storage rack, an exit port, transporters, and a determining controller. The entrance port is a place at which an item is carried in from the outside. The storage rack is structured to store the item. The exit port is a place at which the item is carried out to the outside. The transporter, by moving along a track, accesses the entrance port, the storage rack, or the exit port. The determining controller is configured or programmed to determine that the storage system is available, when first and second conditions are satisfied, the first condition being that a path extending from the entrance port to the exit port includes an available track, the second condition being that there is any transporter capable of transporting the item along the track that satisfies the first condition.

Abstract: An automated system for transferring articles from a container. An item transfer system includes a source tray assembly, a translatable and rotatable intermediate rotary assembly, and a translatable and rotatable output rotary assembly. The system is configured to transfer articles from the tray to processing equipment by an automated process including rotationally transferring the articles from the tray to the intermediate rotary assembly and rotationally transferring the articles from the intermediate rotary assembly to the output rotary assembly. The output rotary assembly can move to align with a shelf or other input of the processing equipment and a paddle assembly can slide the items from the output rotary assembly onto the shelf or other input of the processing equipment.

Abstract: System for packing and sorting comprises: a server comprising a memory, a processor, and a sortation engine, an automated packaging device, and a packaging sorting system. The automated packaging device is configured to: receive one or more sorted articles through an opening of a repository of the automated packaging device, and seal the repository to form a package. The package sorting system configured to: direct a package computer controlled vehicle to move to a receiving position about the automated packaging device for receiving the package from the automated packaging device, and direct the package computer controlled vehicle to transport and deposit the received package into a package receptacle.

Abstract: Provided are a three-dimensional unloading system capable of unloading goods into a container and a control method of the three-dimensional unloading system. The system comprises: soring platforms; self-navigation carts; parcel identification devices; and positioning devices. The three-dimensional unloading system further comprises more than one shelf, the shelf consisting of a plurality of containers, each container being capable of storing good, and the shelf being mounted at a position close to an unloading outlet; a conveying device, on which a conveying frame is fixed; an unloading device, fixed on the conveying frame, the unloading device being capable of moving to the unloading outlet under the driving of the conveying device so as to receive the goods unloaded from the self-navigation cart, then moving to close to a predetermined container, and unloading the goods in the container; and a server, being wirelessly connected to a controller of the self-navigation cart.

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.