Abstract: Each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles defines a support surface for receiving an item to be sorted, and including a power source, a plurality of rotatable drive elements, a transfer mechanism, and at least one motor. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a controller to: assign available destination areas to respective orders to be fulfilled, acquire item characterizing data for items transferred to a vehicle, determine based on acquired item characterizing data that an item corresponds to an order, transmit an assigned destination area to the sortation system for each item determined to correspond to an order, and determine that an item transferred to a destination area is a final item of a group of items needed to complete an order. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a second controller to manage starting, stopping, and movement of each vehicle and operation of the transfer mechanism.

Abstract: Each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles defines a support surface for receiving an item to be sorted, and including a power source, a plurality of rotatable drive elements, a transfer mechanism, and at least one motor. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a controller to: assign available destination areas to respective orders to be fulfilled, acquire item characterizing data for items transferred to a vehicle, determine based on acquired item characterizing data that an item corresponds to an order, transmit an assigned destination area to the sortation system for each item determined to correspond to an order, and determine that an item transferred to a destination area is a final item of a group of items needed to complete an order. Stored instructions are executable by the processor of a second controller to manage starting, stopping, and movement of each vehicle and operation of the transfer mechanism.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to form groups at respective sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to form groups at respective sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to form groups at respective sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to form groups at respective sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to a plurality of sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to a plurality of sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to a plurality of sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for sorting items to a plurality of sort destinations. A scanning station evaluates one or more characteristics of each item fed into the apparatus. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles are individually driven to sort destinations. Once at the appropriate sort destination, the delivery vehicle ejects the item to the sort destination and returns to receive another item to be delivered. A re-induction conveyor may be provided for receiving select items from the vehicles and conveying the items back to the input station for re-processing. Additionally, a controller is provided to control the movement of the vehicles based on a characteristic each item being delivered by each vehicle. When an item to be manually sorted is encountered, a visual alert aligned with a selected destination is activated until manual transfer is confirmed.

Abstract: Autonomous link discovery specifies a method and associated procedures that automatically discover various levels of transmission links and paths between transport network elements residing in the transport plane of communications networks. Unlike more traditional centralized polling techniques rooted in a management plane, autonomous link discovery procedures are rooted in and triggered by network elements composing the transport plane. As such, autonomous link discovery procedures may be event driven and execute in a coordinated, distributed fashion to automatically detect new link connectivity associations and correlate link endpoint attributes between these network elements. Once successful link correlations have been determined, autonomous notifications of these correlated link associations are sent to management elements and/or control elements residing in their respective management and control plane domains.