In one form, the gantry facilitates the robotic arm having seven (7) or more degrees of freedom. Generally, the robotic arm has a large number of degrees of freedom that facilitate batch picking/putting of items with the AGV which in turn enhances efficiency because the AGV has to make less return trips in order to load or unload items. In other examples, the gantry holding the robotic arm is able move horizontally along the AGV so that the robotic arm is able to service multiple cartons on the AGV. For instance, the robotic arm is configured to retrieve SKUs close to or on the floor. The gantry in one form is configured to move vertically so that the robotic arm is able to retrieve or place SKUs at various storage locations. The gantry in certain examples is configured to allow the robotic arm to move in one, two, or three spatial dimensions (e.g., x, y, z directions). The robotic arm in one form is mounted to a gantry. In one example, the AGV includes a robotic arm mounted in an inverted position above a loading table on which the cartons or totes are supported, but in other examples, the robotic arm is mounted in other orientations. SUMMARYĪn AGV system has been developed to batch process SKUs by having the AGV configured to carry more than one carton or tote into the working envelope of the robotic arm. Thus, there is a need for improvement in this field. In general there are too many people, employee turnover is high because it is a repetitive monotonous job, and pick accuracy and rates vary. The current “Fast Velocity Eaches” and “Medium Velocity Eaches” processes utilize manual “Pick to Light” techniques and are fairly inefficient in pick rates and carton material flow. This growth is driven by eCommerce orders, retail demand, and the desire to introduce new product SKUs more efficiently into the market place. For example, in order fulfillment and warehousing, “Eaches” orders are expected to grow in total cases over the next few years and SKU counts are also expected to grow. Under these and other types of conditions, human personnel are still a better and more cost efficient option as compared to AGV systems. While there have been many benefits by using these types of systems, there are still issues with the AGV's inability to be flexible and efficiently handle multiple different stock keeping units (SKUs) in high throughput situations. ![]() AGVs are commonly used to improve safety and reduce overhead by limiting the number of employees required to complete specific material handling tasks. ![]() BACKGROUNDĪutomated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are typically used in warehousing and manufacturing environments to automatically perform various material handling functions with no or little human involvement. 9, 2015, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. ![]() This application claims the benefit of U.S.
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