Advanced Technologies in Logistics Engineering: Automated Storage Systems with Shuttles integrated with Hoisted Carriage

Abstract

This paper presents automated storage systems with shuttles integrated with hoisted carriage for successful application in intralogistics. The first part of the paper presents classic and advanced AVS/RS along with specific intralogistics automation systems known as AutoStore from Swisslog and Skypod from Exotec. The second part of the paper focuses on an advanced system with shuttle vehicles capable of serving multiple tiers of the storage rack. An analytical model for the shuttle vehicles capable of serving multiple tiers of the storage rack is presented, which is based on (i) the sequences of acceleration, constant velocity and deceleration, and (ii) randomised assignment policy. Based on the presented model, the expected Single Command (SC) and Dual Command (DC) travel (cycle) time as well as the throughput performance of the shuttle vehicles capable of serving several tiers of warehouse, could be calculated. A programme code in MATLAB has been presented for the computation of throughput performances of automated storage systems with shuttles integrated with hoisted carriage capable of serving several tiers of the storage rack.

Keywords

• analytical and numerical model
• automated vehicle-storage and retrieval systems AVS/RS
• automated warehouses
• cycle time and throughput performance
• shuttles integrated with hoisted carriage