Alert Alphabot, Руководство пользователя

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Alphabot User Manual
Operation
1000004-MN-01 - Rev C Page 63 of 77
4.2 Theory of Operation
The Alphabot constitutes one part of the larger Alphabot System, whose overall
operation entails the fulfillment of customer product orders, or “eaches”.
The Alphabot System consists of four major systems:
1. Bot Subsystem: Comprised of a fleet of mobile vehicles called “Alphabots” (or simply
"bots"), which perform all storage/retrieval and transport tasks required to assemble
and ship customer orders and replenish the inventory of picking stock.
2. Structure Subsystem: Provides the physical/structural support for the storage of
totes, the movement of bots, and the operation of process stations.
3. Workstation Subsystem: Comprised of process stations, including order-assembly
(“picking”) workstations, replenishment (“decanting”) workstations, and order-
transfer stations.
4. System-Control Subsystem: Comprised of the software that orchestrates all activities
within the system, along with the necessary computing and communications-
network infrastructure.
The order-assembly process is accomplished by creating a flow of bots, some of which
carry product containers (“P-totes”) containing eaches from inventory and others of which
carry order containers (or “O-totes”) through an array of picking workstations, where a
human picker (or an automated picker in future embodiments) transfers ordered
“eaches” from P-totes to O-totes. P-totes and O-totes are held in storage when not being
used during this process, and the bots perform all storage/retrieval and transport moves
required by the process. At the workstations, human pickers (or automated pickers in the
future) transfer ordered eaches from the product containers to the order containers.
The physical interface of the system to the environment consists of an input where
replenished product totes are provided into the system and an output where assembled
order totes are handed over to their receivers (customer, delivery truck, etc.). Every bot
has full access to all tote-storage locations, all workstations, the input, and output.
Alphabots can move in all three dimensions on their own power, i.e., with no mechanical
assistance, and so all vertical space from floor to ceiling is used for both product storage
and picking workstations, and the only handling mechanism is the bot fleet.