Patent ID: 11873014
Assignee: AUTOSTORE TECHNOLOGY AS
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 6:
7. A method of operating a remotely operated delivery vehicle into and out of an access point of a delivery rail system, the access point being a location on the delivery rail system for a robotic or human operator to access an item held in a storage container that has been delivered to the access point,
wherein the delivery system comprises:
a delivery rail system comprising at least a first set of parallel rails arranged in a horizontal plane (P1) and extending in a first direction (X), and at feast a second set of parallel rails arranged in the horizontal plane (P1) and extending in a second direction (Y) which is orthogonal to the first direction (X), the first and second sets of rails together defining a delivery grid of delivery grid cells,
the access point,
a remotely operated delivery vehicle comprising a motorized vehicle body and a container carrier provided above the motorized vehicle body and adapted to carry the storage container, and wherein the delivery vehicle is moveable on the delivery grid of the delivery rail system,
wherein the delivery grid provides one or more delivery grid cells for the remotely operated delivery vehicle at the access point as well as a plurality of delivery grid cells adjacent the delivery grid cells of the access point, such that there is more than one path to and/or from the access point for the remotely operated delivery vehicle via the plurality of delivery grid cells,
wherein the access point is provided in a container accessing station said station being arranged for separating the robotic or human operator from the delivery rail system and the remotely operated delivery vehicle,
wherein the container accessing station comprises a cabinet comprising walls and a top cover supported thereon, wherein the items held in the storage container carried by a remotely operated delivery vehicle at the access point is reachable through an opening in the top cover, and
wherein the method comprises:
a) operating the delivery vehicle to direct the delivery vehicle to one of the plurality of delivery grid cells adjacent the one or more delivery grid cells of the access point,
b) operating the delivery vehicle to enter the delivery grid cell of the one or more grid cells at the access point from one of the plurality of delivery grid cells adjacent the one or more delivery grid cells of the access point,
c) allowing the robotic or human operator access to the item held in the storage container at the access point,
d) operating the delivery vehicle to exit the one or more delivery grid cells of the access point to one of the plurality of delivery grid cells adjacent the one or more delivery grid cells of the access point.