AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORT VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEM

摘要

A charging system for autonomous transport vehicles including at least one charging contact disposed on each pick floor level of a storage and retrieval system, each of the at least one charging contact being located at a transfer station, at least one power supply configured to supply power to the at least one charging contact, and a controller in communication with the transfer station and being configured to communicate information relating to a transfer of items between the transfer station and a predetermined one of the autonomous transport vehicles and to apply power from the power supply to the at least one charging contact for charging the predetermined autonomous transport vehicle corresponding to the transfer and located at the transfer station, wherein the controller is configured to supply power to the charging contacts simultaneously with the predetermined autonomous transport vehicle exchanging items related to the transfer at the transfer station.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
providing at least one autonomous transport vehicle; providing at least one transfer station having an allocated and unallocated state where in the allocated state the at least one transfer station allows transfer of items from and to the at least one autonomous transport vehicle; providing at least one charging station on each pick floor level of a storage and retrieval system, each of the at least one charging station being located at a respective one of the at least one transfer station; providing at least one power supply configured to supply power to the at least one charging station; communicating, with a controller in communication with at least one of the at least one charging station or the at least one autonomous transport vehicle, information related to a transfer of items between a predetermined at least one transfer station and a predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle; and with the controller, applying power from the at least one power supply to the at least one charging station for charging the at least one autonomous transport vehicle located at the at least one transfer station, wherein the controller supplies power to the at least one charging station for charging the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle corresponding to the transfer of items with the predetermined one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle transferring the items at the predetermined at least one transfer station with the predetermined at least one transfer station in the allocated state and communicating with another of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle and identifying an unallocated time period with the predetermined at least ore transfer station in the unallocated state for charging the other one of the at least one autonomous transport vehicle at the at least one charging station of the predetermined at least one transfer station in the unallocated state.