Container holder utilization and selection

摘要

An inventory system includes inventory holders, container holders, containers carried by the container holders, mobile drive units, stations, and a management module. The management module instructs the mobile drive units to move the inventory holders and container holders to stations. Container holders are loaded with containers of inbound inventory items at a first station. Inbound inventory items are transferred from containers to inventory holders at a second station. Outbound inventory items are transferred from inventory holders to containers at a third station. Containers of outbound inventory items are removed from container holders at a fourth station.

主权项

1. An inventory system comprising:
a workspace within a facility; a plurality of inventory holders configured to store inventory items within the workspace; a plurality of container holders configured to move inventory items within the workspace; a plurality of containers that are each i) configured to be carried by, and removable from, at least one of the container holders; and ii) configured for receiving one or more inventory items; a plurality of stations within the workspace, each station in the plurality of stations configured to receive at least one of an inventory holder or a container holder, each of the plurality of stations configured as one of an induct station, a stow station, a pick station, or a discharge station; a plurality of unmanned mobile drive units, at least some of the unmanned mobile drive units configured for moving the inventory holders to and from the stations, and at least some of the unmanned mobile drive units configured for moving the container holders to and from the stations; and a management module configured to: instruct at least one of the unmanned mobile drive units to move a container holder to the induct station; instruct, at the induct station, loading the container holder with a first container containing an inbound inventory item; instruct at least one of the unmanned mobile drive units to move the container holder, including the first container, to the pick station; instruct, at the pick station, transferring an outbound inventory item from an inventory holder to a second container of the container holder; instruct at least one of the unmanned mobile drive units to move the container holder, including the first and second containers, to the discharge station; and instruct, at the discharge station, unloading the second container containing the outbound inventory item from the container holder.