METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STACKABLE TOTES WITH CONDITIONING FEATURES

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a Non-Provisional Application U.S. Application Ser. No. 63/651,421, filed May 24, 2024, the content of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to stackable totes or other holders, e.g., that can heat and/or cool or otherwise condition contents in the tote.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The inventors have appreciated that systems and facilities for storing and handling items, including items that are to be maintained at temperatures above and/or below ambient temperatures, have drawbacks particularly when the items are handled by robotic or other automated handling systems. For example, items that must be maintained in a frozen or otherwise cooled conditions (e.g., temperatures below 0 degrees C.) are typically stored in boxes or crates that are stacked in a cooled space in a warehouse. While these conditions may be suitable to keep the items at a suitably low temperature, the cooled warehouse space can be damaging to equipment operating in the cooled space and/or uncomfortable to people in the cooled space. For example, equipment operating in the cooled space may be exposed to temperatures that are below ideal operating temperatures (e.g., temperatures low enough to cause lubricants to be less effective) and/or that cause condensate to form on portions of the equipment (e.g., water may condense on electronics or other components that are sensitive to moisture). Thus, systems, apparatus and methods that permit items to be stored and/or handled at temperatures above and/or below ambient temperatures without requiring the use of a heated or cooled warehouse space are desirable.

In some embodiments described herein, items may be stored in non-ambient conditions (e.g., temperatures above and/or below ambient temperatures, at humidity levels above and/or below ambient, etc.) within totes or other containers that are located in a warehouse or other space that has ambient conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity and/or other aspects) that are not controlled at all or not controlled in a way suitable for the stored items. Such systems and methods may also allow for items to be stored and/or manipulated in a warehouse or other space while the items in different totes are maintained in different temperatures or other conditions. Thus, items stored in a frozen state may be stored within totes located in a same warehouse space as items that are refrigerated but maintained at temperatures well above freezing in other totes. This arrangement may also allow equipment, such as robots or other automated manipulation equipment, that move or otherwise manipulate the totes to operate in ambient or other conditions that are best suited, or at least more suitable, for the equipment. As an example, robotic manipulating equipment may operate to move totes in conditions that reduce the likelihood of condensate forming in or on the equipment and/or that do not inhibit the proper operation of lubricants or other equipment components. Human operators may also be permitted to work in the warehouse or other space where totes are stored in an environment more suited to human habitation.

In some embodiments, totes may be configured to receive conditioned gas from a separate source, e.g., a gas conditioning system such as a refrigeration system or heater, and multiple totes may receive conditioned gas from a common gas conditioning system. Thus, some embodiments may provide for conditioning of the interior space of totes (and items in the interior space), including the internal space of multiple totes, without requiring the totes to include individual heating, cooling or other systems. Rather, the totes may include no or few moving parts and/or complicated and expensive systems to control the environment within the internal space of the tote. The totes may therefore be made relatively inexpensively, lighter in weight, have a larger interior space and/or require little or no power for storing items in a desired environment in the tote.

In some embodiments, a tote for holding items may include a container body having a bottom wall and at least one sidewall (e.g., three or four sidewalls) extending upwardly from the bottom wall to an upper end that defines an interior space configured to hold items. For example, a tote may have a rectangular bottom and four sidewalls that together define a cuboid volume, or may have three sidewalls and a top wall configured so the interior space of the tote can be accessed from the side rather than the top. A lid or door may be provided to cover an opening to the interior space, e.g., to enclose the interior space in an airtight or other manner, and the lid or door may be attached via a hinge or other mechanism, e.g., so the lid or door can be moved between open and closed positions while remaining attached to the tote. The bottom wall and/or sidewalls and/or door or lid may be insulated or otherwise configured to reduce heat transfer and/or gas transfer between the interior space and an exterior environment. A duct may be supported by one or more sidewalls, e.g., a duct may extend within a sidewall from the bottom wall to the upper end of the sidewall, and be configured to conduct flow of gas through the duct, e.g., from the bottom wall to the upper end. A tote may include only one duct, or may include two or more ducts, whether in one sidewall or in two or more sidewalls if the tote includes more than one sidewall. In some cases, a tote may have two ducts, e.g., on opposite sides of the interior space, to support flow of conditioned gas into the interior space from one duct and out of the interior space to another duct. A conditioning feature may be configured to use air in the duct to condition the interior space relative to an exterior environment. For example, the conditioning feature may be configured to exchange heat and/or other conditions between the duct and the interior space to heat, cool or otherwise condition the interior space relative to an exterior environment. For example, chilled, dried, humidified, heated or otherwise conditioned air may be caused to flow through the duct and conditioning feature may use the conditioned air to operate on conditions in the interior space. In some cases, the conditioning feature may fluidly couple the interior space and the duct, e.g., so air can flow from the duct into the interior space and/or from the interior space into the duct. In some cases, the conditioning feature may not permit fluid flow between the interior space and the duct, e.g., a heat sink or other component may exchange heat between the duct and the interior space without air exchange between the duct and interior space. A conditioning feature that conditions the interior space without air or other exchange with the interior space may permit a particular environment, such as an oxygen-reduced, low humidity, etc. environment, to be maintained in the interior space.

In some cases, a tote may be configured to be stacked on another tote and/or to have other totes stacked on it. For example, the bottom wall of the tote may include a locating recess in the bottom wall configured to engage with a locating protrusion of a second tote, e.g., on which the tote is stacked, to position the second tote relative to the bottom wall. In some embodiments, the bottom wall may include a bottom opening to the duct, and the bottom opening may be positioned within the locating recess.

In some embodiments, the upper end of the at least one sidewall may include a locating protrusion extending from the upper end and configured to engage with a locating recess of a second tote, e.g., that is stacked on the tote, to position the second tote relative to the at least one sidewall. In some cases, the upper end may include an upper opening to the duct, and the upper opening may be positioned at an uppermost portion of the locating protrusion.

A conditioning feature may be arranged in different ways, may include one or more different components and may be provided for each duct a tote has. In some cases, a conditioning feature may include one or more openings in the at least one sidewall configured to permit gas flow between the duct and the interior space, e.g., so conditioned gas in the duct can flow into the interior space and/or so gas in the interior space can flow into the duct. In some embodiments, a tote may have a first sidewall with a first duct and a second sidewall and a second duct defined by the second sidewall. The second duct may extend from the bottom wall to the upper end of the second one sidewall and be configured to conduct flow of gas through the second duct. In some cases, a conditioning feature may be provided for the second duct, e.g., one or more openings in the second sidewall configured to permit gas flow between the duct and the interior space. The first and second sidewalls may be at opposite ends of the interior space, e.g., to support conditioned gas flow across the interior space from the first sidewall to the second sidewall.

In some embodiments, a conditioning feature may include an air mover, such as a fan, to move air through the one or more openings and/or to resist air movement through one or more openings.

In some cases, a conditioning feature may include a heat exchanger, e.g., a finned heat sink, having a first portion positioned in the duct to exchange heat with gas in the duct, and second portion positioned in the interior space to exchange heat with gas in the interior space.

In some embodiments, a lid or top wall may be provided to engage with the upper end of the at least one sidewall to enclose the interior space, and the lid or top wall may include a lid duct in fluid communication with the duct. In some cases, a tote may include two ducts and the lid may be configured to fluidly couple the lid duct with both ducts of the tote, e.g., so conditioned gas can flow from one duct, through the lid duct and to the other duct of the tote. In some cases, a lid may close one or more ducts of a tote, e.g., so that air flow from an upper opening of the duct is prevented by the lid. Such an arrangement may force air flow from a duct into an interior space and/or out of an interior space into a duct.

As noted above, totes may be configured to be stacked on each other, and thus a second tote may be provided that is configured similarly to a first tote (e.g., having any of the features described herein), and both totes may be configured for stacking on each other. For example, a second tote may be positioned over a first tote such that the bottom wall of the second tote is on the upper end of the at least one sidewall of the first tote, and such that the duct of the first tote is in fluid communication with the duct of the second tote. Totes in a stack may have the same, or different features, e.g., different interior space sizes, different conditioning features, etc. In some cases, a tote may include a damper, e.g., at the bottom wall and/or at the upper end, configured to open and close a respective duct. The damper may be configured to closed when a tote is not mated with another tote or a base unit and to open the duct when a tote is mated with another tote or base unit, e.g., so that the ducts of the two totes can communicate with each other. Thus, if a tote is not mated with another tote, the damper may close the duct. In some cases, the damper may be configured to open passively, e.g., with contact of a second tote with the damper. For example, when a second tote is placed over a tote, a damper at the upper end may be contacted by a portion of the second tote to move the damper to an open position.

In some embodiments, a base unit may be provided with an upper surface configured to engage with the bottom wall of a tote and support the tote on the base unit, e.g., the tote may be stacked on the base unit, and additional totes may be stacked on the tote. The base unit may include a gas supply opening in fluid communication with the duct of the tote and configured to provide heated, cooled or otherwise conditioned gas to the duct. In some cases, the base unit may include a gas return opening in fluid communication with a second duct of the tote and configured to receive gas from the second duct. For example, conditioned gas provided to a first duct of the tote by the gas supply opening may flow through the tote (or other totes in a stack) and return to the gas return opening of the base unit via the second duct of the tote. In some embodiments, the base unit may include a heating and/or cooling unit configured to heat and/or cool gas received from the second duct at the gas return opening and provide heated and/or cooled gas to the first duct via the gas supply opening. A base unit may include a locating protrusion on an upper surface to interact with the tote stacked on the base unit, e.g., the bottom wall of the tote may include a locating recess configured to receive and engage with the locating protrusion to position the tote relative to the base unit. Various exemplary embodiments of the device are further depicted and described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention are described with reference to various embodiments, and to the figures, which include:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stack of totes and a base unit in an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows the FIG. 1 embodiment with a lid of an uppermost tote removed;

FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of a tote along the line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the base unit and a lowermost tote of the FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows a bottom perspective view of the FIG. 5 tote;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a tote along the direction of line 4-4 in FIG. 3 having openings in the tote sidewall for fluid communication with a duct;

FIG. 8 shows a top perspective view of the base unit of the FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows a bottom perspective view of the lid of the FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a stack of totes in which the totes include a door configured to open and close a side-oriented opening to the interior space of the tote;

FIGS. 11A and 11B show a cross sectional view of a tote having a damper configured to open and close a duct;

FIG. 12 shows a base unit including a stack size determining tool; and

FIG. 13 shows an exploded view of a two tote stack and base unit illustrating air flow in ducts and interior spaces of the totes in an illustrative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Inventive features are described below with reference to illustrative embodiments, but it should be understood that inventive features are not to be construed narrowly in view of the specific embodiments described. Thus, aspects of the invention are not limited to the embodiments described herein. It should also be understood that various inventive features may be used alone and/or in any suitable combination with each other, and thus various embodiments should not be interpreted as requiring any particular combination or combinations of features. Instead, one or more features of the embodiments described may be combined with any other suitable features of other embodiments. For example, one embodiment is described in which totes include at least one duct to permit gas flow through a portion of the duct (e.g., for heating or cooling) and include a locating feature adjacent an opening to the duct. These features may be used together as in the embodiments below, or independently of each other. For example, a tote may include a duct with various features described herein, but not include a locating feature at all, or include a locating feature that is not adjacent to an opening to the duct. Similarly, a tote may include a locating feature configured as described herein, but not include a duct at all for gas flow through a portion of the tote. These are merely two examples, but the point is that aspects described below can be used in any suitable combination, at least to the extent not mutually exclusive.

In some aspects, two or more totes may hold items in a non-ambient environment and may share a common a common source of conditioned gas (e.g., heated and/or cooled air, humidified and/or dehumidified air, and so on). As an example, a single refrigeration system may be used to provide conditioned gas to two or more totes, e.g., to cool items held in all of the totes. In some cases, the common source of conditioned gas may have only one conditioned gas outlet, and all of the totes may be connected to the single conditioned gas outlet. For example, a first tote may be connected to the conditioned gas outlet, and other totes may be connected directly or indirectly to the first tote to receive conditioned air. This is in contrast to systems that require each tote to be individually connected to a conditioned gas supply.

In some aspects, a first tote may include a duct configured with an inlet to receive conditioned gas and an outlet to output conditioned gas. A second tote may include a duct configured with an inlet to receive conditioned gas, and the inlet of the second tote may be fluidly coupled to the outlet of the first tote, e.g., so the second tote can receive conditioned gas from a source of conditioned gas that is fluidly coupled to the inlet of the first tote. This can permit both totes to receive conditioned gas from a single source and without requiring all of the totes to be directly coupled to the source of conditioned gas. Rather, the second tote can be indirectly coupled to the source of conditioned gas via the first tote. This arrangement can allow for an expandable and scalable storage arrangement, e.g., where 3, 5, 10 or more totes are all coupled to a single source of conditioned gas via a single one of the totes. In some cases, the totes may be stacked, one on the other and so that conditioned gas may flow through the stack to each of the totes. In some cases, flow of conditioned gas through the totes may be in a closed loop such that gas provided at the conditioned gas supply is provided to one or more totes and then returns to the source of conditioned gas, e.g., to be cooled and returned to the totes as needed. As a result, the environment in the interior space of the totes can be controlled in a desired way that is different, including potentially drastically different, from a warehouse or other ambient environment in which the totes are located.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative embodiment of an item handling system 100 that includes a plurality of totes 1 that may each include an interior space to hold one or more items, such as food items, machine parts, consumer goods, etc. The totes I may be stacked on top of each other as shown and each stack may include any suitable number of totes, including one or more. Thus, although FIG. 1 shows four totes 1 in a stack, a stack may include any number of totes. In some cases, the totes 1 may be stacked on a base unit 2, which may provide physical support to the totes 1 and/or function as a source of conditioned gas that is provided to the totes 1 (e.g., to heat, cool, humidify, dry, etc. items in the totes 1). In some cases, the base unit 2 may include a gas conditioning system 21, such as a refrigeration unit configured to chill air, a heater to heat air, a dehumidifier unit to remove moisture from air, a gas source to provide a reduced oxygen gas to totes, and/or other components to otherwise condition air. The base unit 2 may itself include all components of a gas conditioning system 21, such as one or more controllers, pumps, refrigerant compressors, heating elements, evaporator coils, condenser coils, gas supplies, etc., or may include less than all components of a gas conditioning system 21, such as only an evaporator coil that is fluidly coupled to receive refrigerant from a remotely positioned compressor, condenser, controller, etc. and is configured to provide chilled air to a stack of totes. Thus, multiple base units 2 may be coupled to common components of a gas conditioning system 21, such as a compressor and condenser that provide compressed and cooled liquid refrigerant to evaporator coils at each of multiple base units 2, since a base unit 2 need not include all components required of a gas conditioning system 21. Electrical and other power may be provided to a base unit 2 as required.

As shown in FIG. 1, an uppermost tote 1 in a stack may have a lid 3 that engages with the upper portion of the tote 1 and closes an interior space of the tote 1 where items may be held. Totes 1 lower in the stack may have their respective interior space enclosed by a tote 1 that is immediately above, e.g., a bottom wall of an upper tote 1 may engage with the upper portion of a lower tote 1 to enclose the interior space of the lower tote 1. Alternately, totes 1 lower in the stack may have their interior spaces closed by a lid 3, and the lid 3 may provide a fluid connection between ducts as needed. Suitable sealing elements such as gaskets, etc. may be provided at the interface between totes 1 as desired. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the lid 3 on an uppermost tote 1 may be removed, e.g., to allow for access to the interior space 11 of the tote 1 and/or to permit another tote 1 to be placed on top of the stack. Each of the totes 1 and/or the lid 3 may be configured to be manipulated by any suitable robotic or other handling system, and/or may be configured to be manipulated by hand by human operators. Totes 1 may include a manipulation feature 5 suitable for engagement with a robotic or other machine manipulator and/or by a human operator. A manipulation feature 5 may include a handle, groove, lip, magnetic element, hook, opening, or any other suitable feature, and may be located in any suitable place or places on a tote 1 (i.e., is not limited to the location shown as an example in FIG. 2).

FIG. 3 illustrates how multiple totes 1 in a stack can receive conditioned gas from a single base unit 2 or other source of conditioned gas. In some embodiments, the base unit 2 includes an outlet for conditioned gas 22 and an inlet for conditioned gas 23, e.g., so the base unit 2 can provide cooled or otherwise conditioned gas to an inlet 13 of a duct 12 of a tote 1 immediately above the base unit 2 and can receive conditioned gas from the tote 1 via another duct 12 that is fluidly coupled to the inlet for conditioned gas 23. Conditioned gas provided to the inlet 13 of the lowermost tote 1 can flow upwardly through the ducts 12 of each of the totes 1 in the stack which are fluidly coupled together. Optionally, the conditioned gas may flow through a duct 31 of the lid 3 and then flow downwardly to the inlet for conditioned gas 23 via ducts 12 of the stacked totes 1. (Note that a lid 3 need not include a duct 31 and may simply enclose an uppermost tote 1.) As a result, cooled or otherwise conditioned gas may flow across at least portions of totes 1 in the stack, e.g., along portions of a duct 12 to cool the interior space 1 of the totes 1. Walls of the totes 1 (including lids and/or doors) may be insulated and/or otherwise configured to minimize heat transfer and/or gas exchange between the interior space 11 and an exterior environment. However, portions of a sidewall between a duct 12 and the interior space 11 may be configured to maximize (or minimize or otherwise control) heat exchange and/or gas exchange with the interior space 11 and the duct 12.

In some cases, one or more totes 1 may include a conditioning feature 15 configured to exchange heat between the duct and the interior space to heat or cool or otherwise condition the interior space 11 relative to an exterior environment, e.g., an environment in which the totes 1 are stored. The conditioning feature 15 may be configured in any suitable way and include any suitable component or components. For example, a conditioning feature 15 may include one or more openings in a sidewall of the tote 1 to permit fluid communication between the duct 12 and interior space 11 of the tote 1. That is, conditioned gas in the duct 12 may flow through the openings of the conditioning feature 15 and into the interior space 11. Gas in the interior space 11 may exit via openings of another conditioning feature 15 on an opposite or other sidewall of the tote 1, e.g., to enter a duct 12 and return the gas to the inlet for conditioned gas 23 at the base unit 2. Alternately, gas may be simply vented from the interior space 11 after being used to suitably condition the interior space 11 of a tote 1, e.g., via openings or other pathways that permit air in the interior space 11 to exit to a surrounding environment. Thus, totes 1 need not necessarily have two or more ducts 12, but may have only one duct 12, e.g., that provides conditioned air into the interior space 11 of a tote 1 which vents air from the interior space 11. In some cases, a conditioning feature 15 may include an air mover, such as a fan, to assist or otherwise control gas flow from a duct 12 into and/or out of an interior space 11 of a tote 1. In some embodiments, a conditioning feature 15 may include a flow control device, such as a damper, valve, etc., to control flow of gas into and/or out of an interior space 11 of a tote 1. Such conditioning features 15 may be controlled by an electronic controller (e.g., a computer-based controller including one or more sensors, actuators, power supplies, etc. to effect control operations), a thermo-mechanical controller (e.g., a bimetallic actuator and baffle or valve) and/or manually (e.g., by a human operator). In some cases, a conditioning feature 15 may be configured to exchange heat between a duct 12 and an interior space 11 of a tote 1 without gas exchange between the duct 12 and interior space 11. For example, a conditioning feature 15 may include a finned heat sink, heat pipe, or other component configured to move heat between the duct 12 and the interior space 11 without gas exchange between the duct 12 and interior space 11. For example, a finned heat sink may have fins exposed to gas in a duct 12 and fins exposed to gas in the interior space so that heat can be moved between the duct 12 and the interior space 11 without gas exchange. Such an arrangement may be useful when it is desired to not exchange air with the interior space 11 of a tote, e.g., to maintain a low oxygen environment, to help prevent drying of items in the interior space 11 by chilled air, etc. Thus, a conditioning feature 15 may include passive and/or active elements to exchange heat between a duct 12 and interior space 11, and may permit, or not, gas exchange between the duct 12 and interior space 11. As needed, power may be provided to a conditioning feature 15 by a battery or other supply, such as an electrical connection to the base unit 2 (whether through one or more intervening totes 1 or by direct connection to the base unit 2). As an example, electrical contacts at top and bottom surfaces of totes 11 can make electrical contact with totes 1 above and below so as to conduct electric power and/or communications between totes 1 and/or a base unit 2.

As noted above, where a conditioning feature 15 provides for gas exchange between a duct 12 and an interior space 11 of a tote 1, a flow rate and/or volume of gas flow into and/or out of the interior space 11 may be controlled actively and/or passively. For example, one or more openings of a conditioning feature 15 may be sized and/or otherwise arranged to provide a desired flow of gas into and/or out or the interior space 11 of a tote 1, and/or a fan may be operated to provide desired flow, e.g., to achieve a desired temperature in the interior space 11 as detected and controlled by a controller of the conditioning feature 15 and/or a gas conditioning system 21. Flow control elements, such as baffles, louvers, dampers, valves, etc. may be provided in one or more ducts 12 and/or in an interior space 11 to provide desired flow characteristics, such as pressure drop, flow rate, flow volume, turbulence, etc. in various portions of the gas flow system. In some cases, a duct 31 of a lid 3 may include one or more flow control elements, whether actively controlled or passive in operation, to provide a desired pressure drop or other flow characteristic across the interior spaces 11 of totes 1 in a stack. In some cases, flow through one or more totes 1 may be different from that through one or more other totes 1, e.g., so that different storage temperatures are provided in different totes 1 of a stack.

In some cases, a base unit 2 and/or gas conditioning system 21 may include the ability to detect a number of totes that are coupled to the gas conditioning system 21 and adjust its operation accordingly. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 a gas conditioning system 21 may include a refrigeration system having a condenser 211, compressor 212 and evaporator 213 configured to cool air that is circulated with respect to totes 1 stacked on the base unit 2. As will be understood, operation of the gas conditioning system 21 may need to be adjusted based on a number of totes 1 requiring conditioned gas, e.g., a gas flow rate, heat removal rate, and/or other characteristics of the gas conditioning system 21 may need to be adjusted to accommodate different numbers of totes 1 or varying requirements of totes 1. For example, if contents in the totes 1 must remain at freezing temperatures, the gas conditioning system 21 may need to operate differently than if the contents are to be maintained at chilled but above freezing temperatures. In some cases, a gas conditioning system 21 may include one or more sensors to detect a number of totes coupled to the gas conditioning system 21 and control its operation accordingly. For example, totes 1 may include an RFID tag or other wireless or wired communication device to communicate with a controller of the base unit 2 and/or the gas conditioning system 21 to indicate the tote's 1 presence and/or conditioning requirements for the tote's contents (e.g., gas flow rate, internal temperature, humidity level, etc.). For wired communication, totes may include electrical contacts at top and bottom surfaces of the tote and suitable wiring to establish electrical connections with totes above and/or below and a base unit 2, e.g., so a controller of the base unit 2 can communicate with all totes in a stack. In some cases, a gas conditioning system 21 may be configured to detect a number of totes in a stack based on gas flow or other characteristics of gas moved with respect to a stack of totes. For example, the gas conditioning system 21 may include a pressure sensor 214 positioned downstream of the evaporator 213, e.g., downstream of an evaporator fan that is positioned downstream of the evaporator 213, to measure the pressure at the exit of the evaporator fan. The pressure at this location may relate to the pressure drop of the entire air circulation system including flowpaths through the totes 1 and the number of totes 1 in the stack. From this measured pressure, the gas conditioning system 21 may infer the number of totes 1 in the stack and allow improved control of the conditioning system and the air flow rate around the circulation loop. In some cases, a temperature sensor may be positioned in the return air duct, e.g., near the inlet for conditioned gas 23, to indicate whether the conditioned gas circulation loop is sealed or whether ambient air is entering the circulation loop due to a mis-positioned tote or a missing tote 1 or lid 3. For example, a higher than expected temperature or unexpected pressure drop for the circulation flowpath may indicate a leak caused by a misaligned tote, lid or other problem. Information from these and/or other sensors may be used to control various aspects of the gas conditioning system 21, such as circulating fan speed, heater current, refrigerant compressor operation, etc. Alternately or in addition, a controller of the gas conditioning system 21 may provide alerts or other information to a user or other system components regarding a detected problem, e.g., a robotic manipulator may be alerted to replace or position a tote 1 that is suspected to be mispositioned.

As can be appreciated from FIG. 3 and seen in FIG. 4, in some cases a tote 1 may include a container body having a bottom wall 16 and at least one sidewall 17 (e.g., four sidewalls in a rectangular configuration) extending upwardly from the bottom wall to an upper end. (Note that a tote 1 can have any number of sidewalls, such as one circular sidewall, three sidewalls that define a side opening to the interior space, etc.) The bottom wall 16 and the sidewalls 17 define the interior space 11, and the ducts 12 are each supported by a sidewall 17 with the duct extending from the bottom wall 16 to the upper end of the sidewall 17. In some cases, a sidewall 17 may define a duct 12, e.g., a duct 12 may extend through an inner space of a sidewall 17. In some cases, a duct 12 is not defined by a sidewall 17 and instead may extend along an inner and/or outer surface of a sidewall 17, e.g., a tube defining the duct may be attached to a sidewall portion. Openings at the bottom wall 16 define an inlet or outlet to a duct 12 and openings at the upper end of the sidewall 17 define an inlet or outlet to a duct 12. This configuration allows totes 1 to be stacked one on top of another while fluidly coupling the ducts 12 of the totes 1 together. Where a tote 1 has two or more ducts 12, the ducts 12 may be used for different purposes. For example, one duct 12 may be used for air exchange with an interior space 11 of a tote 1, e.g., for humidifying or drying, and another duct 12 may be used non-air exchange chilling or other conditioning.

In some cases, totes 1 may include locating features at upper and lower surfaces to aid in locating totes 1 relative to each other when the totes 1 are stacked and/or to help keep totes 1 in a desired position relative to each other after stacking is complete. As an example, a tote 1 may include a locating recess formed in a portion of a bottom wall 16 and a locating protrusion formed on a portion of an upper surface of a sidewall 17. When such totes 1 are stacked, the locating protrusion on a lower tote 1 may engage with the locating recess on the upper tote 1, and thereby position the totes 1 relative to each other. In some cases, locating features may be useful in positioning totes 1 when stacked by a robot or other automated handling system. For example, if a robot is required to position a tote 1 very accurately when stacking the tote 1 on another tote 1, the robot may need to move relatively slowly and/or have highly capable (and expensive) control systems to achieve highly accurate tote placement. In some cases, locating features on totes I may relieve at least some of the accuracy requirements placed on automated handling systems when stacking totes, e.g., because the locating features may engage with each other during tote 1 placement so that the locating features guide movement of the totes I relative to each other. As a result, automated handling systems may need only place totes 1 in a generally accurate, but not highly precise way when stacking.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show example arrangements for locating features that may be employed with totes 1. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the upper end of the at least one sidewall 17 may include a locating protrusion 18 extending from the upper end. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the bottom wall 16 may include a locating recess 19 configured to engage with a locating protrusion 1 of a second tote 1, e.g., on which the tote 1 is stacked, to position the totes relative to each other. While the locating protrusion 18 and locating recess 19 can be configured in various ways, the locating protrusion 18 may be configured to have a tapered or other shape that generally widens in at least one dimension in a top-down direction. As an example, a locating protrusion 18 may have a generally pyramid or other conic solid shape. Such a shape may help move totes in horizontal directions as the totes 1 are engaged with each other. Similarly, a locating recess 19 may have a shape that is complementary to the shape of a locating protrusion 18 with which the locating recess 19 is to cooperate, e.g., a recess with a conic solid shape. Although FIGS. 5 and 6 show an arrangement in which a locating protrusion 18 is positioned on an upper end of a sidewall 17 and a locating recess 18 is positioned at a bottom wall 16, the positioned of the locating features may be reversed. However, providing a locating recess 18 on a bottom wall 16 may permit the tote 1 to be placed on a solid, flat surface while spreading the weight of the tote 1 across the entire bottom wall 16 rather than focusing the weight on one or more locating protrusions 18. Regardless, any suitable position for locating features can be employed.

In some cases, a duct 12 may extend between a locating recess 19 and a locating protrusion 18. For example, the bottom wall 16 may include a bottom opening to a duct 12, and the bottom opening may be positioned within a locating recess 19 as shown in FIG. 6. Likewise, an upper end of a sidewall 17 may include an upper opening to a duct 12, and the upper opening may be positioned at an uppermost portion of a locating protrusion 18. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 7. This arrangement may help properly locate totes 1 relative to each other while ensuring that ducts 12 of stacked totes 1 are in proper fluid communication with each other. As can be seen in FIG. 8, a base unit 2 or other support for a stack of totes 1 may similarly include one or more locating features such as a locating protrusion 18 to help position a tote 1 on the base unit 2. Openings for the outlet for conditioned gas 22 and an inlet for conditioned gas 23 may be provided through the locating protrusions 18, e.g., to fluidly couple the openings to ducts 12 of a tote 1. Similarly, a lid 3 may include a locating feature such as a locating recess 19 as shown in FIG. 9 to help properly locate a lid 3 on a tote 1 and fluidly communicate a duct 31 of the lid 3 with ducts of a tote 1. Note that a lid 3 may include locating protrusions and/or recesses, e.g., to aid in alignment of the lid with a tote 1, but the lid 3 need not include a duct 31. Instead, the lid 3 may function to close one or more ducts 12 of a tote 1 on which the lid 3 is placed. Not as well that ducts 12 may be separate from locating protrusions 18 and/or recesses 19, although engagement of such locating features may help align ducts of two totes relative to each other for suitable fluid coupling.

In some cases, totes may have one or more openings by which to access the interior space of a tote. In some of the embodiments above, totes have one or more sidewalls that extend upwardly from a bottom wall to define a top opening by which the interior space is accessed. However, other, or additional, configurations are possible for providing an access opening for totes. For example, a sidewall can be omitted and/or one or more openings may be provided in a top wall and/or sidewall through which the interior space may be accessed. For example, FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which totes 1 include a bottom wall 16, three sidewalls 17 and a top wall 32 that define a side opening to access the interior space 11. In some cases, a top wall 32 may include locating features like those discussed herein, e.g., one or more locating protrusions 18 and/or recesses 19. An opening to a duct 12 may be provided at the upper end of the sidewall so the opening is exposed at the top wall 32. Thus, the ducts 12 of stacked totes 1 may fluidly communicate in the same way as in FIGS. 1-3. One or more doors 4 may be provided to open and close the opening to the interior space 11 of totes 1. In some cases, a door 4 may be mounted to a tote 1 by a hinge or other mechanism 41 that allows the door 4 to be moved between an open position, as shown in FIG. 10, and a closed position in which the side opening to the interior space 11 is closed. Such an arrangement may allow totes 1 in a stack to have their interior space 11 accessed without requiring that the tote 1 be removed from a stack. That is, a door 4 may be opened and closed while a tote 1 is positioned in a stack. A door 4 of a tote 1 may be moved independently of other doors of totes 1 in a stack, or doors 4 of totes 1 in a stack may be moved together, e.g., to access all of the interior spaces of totes in a stack at a same time. Suitable seals, gaskets or other sealing arrangements may be provided to allow the door 4 to close the interior space 11 in a desired way, e.g., a magnetic seal like that found in refrigerators may be provided with a door 4. A latch or other mechanism 42 may be provided to lock the door in a closed and/or open position. A door 4 may be provided for a tote 1 in any suitable location and in any suitable way. For example, if totes have sidewalls that define a rectangular interior space, a door 4 may be provided on a long side of the tote as in FIG. 10 and/or on a short side of the tote and/or at a top wall and/or in other locations.

In some cases, a tote may include a damper to open and/or close a duct, e.g., at a bottom wall and/or at an upper end of a sidewall. This may permit a duct to be closed, e.g., to prevent air flow from the duct, to prevent dirt or other contaminants from entering the duct, and/or to avoid the need for a lid 3 like that shown in FIG. 1. For example, FIGS. 11A and 11B show an embodiment in which a tote includes a damper 121 that can selectively open and close a duct 12. In this embodiment, the damper 121 is located at an upper end of a sidewall at a top wall 32 of a tote, but such a damper can be positioned in any suitable location, such as an upper end of a sidewall of a tote having no top wall, at a bottom wall, etc. In some cases, the damper 121 may be configured to open in response to mating of a tote with another tote and/or a lid, e.g., so that the ducts of the two totes 1 or lid 3 communicate with each other. FIGS. 11A and 11B show such an arrangement in which the damper 121 may move from a closed position shown in FIG. 11A to an open position shown in FIG. 11B to allow communication with the duct 12. In some cases, a portion of a mating tote 1 may cause a damper 121 to move between open and closed positions. For example, a protrusion 122 on a mating tote 1 or lid 3 may contact the damper 121 and move the damper 121 to an open position. A protrusion 122 may extend downwardly from a bottom wall of a tote, e.g., the protrusion 122 may be located in a duct 12 of a mating tote, and may be configured to contact a damper 121 and move the damper 121 so as to open the duct 12. In some cases, a damper 121 may be resiliently biased to move to a closed position, and contact of a protrusion 122 or other portion of a mating tote 1 may move the damper 121 against the resilient bias. For example, a damper 121 may include a plate, e.g., of metal or other material, that is mounted by a hinge to a tote sidewall 17, top wall 32 and/or bottom wall 16, and the plate may be biased by a spring to move to the closed position. In some cases, a damper 121 may be moved by a powered mechanism, such as a drive motor or other actuator.

As described above, a gas conditioning system 21 may be configured to detect a number of totes or other characteristic of a stack of totes. FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of a base unit 2 that includes a stack size sensor 215 configured to determine a number of totes in a stack or other size characteristic of a stack. Based on such information, the gas conditioning system 21 may adjust its operation as discussed above. In some cases, the stack size sensor 215 may include a distance measuring device, such as a laser distance measuring device that uses a time of flight of a laser signal to determine distance, that can measure a length of a pathway defined by one or more ducts of a stack of totes 1. As an example, the stack size sensor 215 may direct a measuring laser upwardly into ducts of totes stacked on the base unit 2. The measuring laser may be reflected by a damper 121, lid 3 or other component located at an upper end of a series of ducts 12 and allow the stack size sensor 215 to determine a length of the duct or combined ducts. Based on the duct pathway length, the gas conditioning system 21 can determine a number of totes in the stack, a total volume of interior space of the stack to be conditioned and/or other size characteristics of the stack. Based on this information the gas conditioning system 21 can make suitable adjustments to operation. A distance measuring device may be useful with totes 1 that include a damper 121 at an upper end of a sidewall and/or at a top wall that open in response to mating with another tote. That is, only a damper 121 at an upper most position in a stack will remain closed because others will be opened by mating totes, and the distance measuring device can measure the distance to the upper most damper 121, thereby determining the size of the stack. Although the stack size sensor 215 is shows outside of an expansion plenum 17, e.g., so as to emit a measuring laser through a window and into the ducts 12, the stack size sensor 215 could be located inside of the plenum 17 or other ductwork of the gas conditioning system 21.

FIG. 12 also shows an exemplary air flow through the gas conditioning system 21, although other arrangements are possible. Air from a duct of a tote 1 over the base unit 2 can enter in a generally downward direction through an inlet for conditioned gas 23, and travel through an evaporator 213, e.g., for chilling and/or dehumidifying air. Moisture removed from the air may be removed from the flowpath via one or more condensate drains 216, e.g., in the evaporator 213 and/or in an expansion plenum 217 (which may allow chilled air to expand and therefore further cool, releasing further moisture in the process). The chilled and/or dehumidified air may exit the base unit 2 via the outlet for conditioned gas 22 and flow into the duct 12 of an overlying tote 1. This is just one example of how gas may be conditioned by the base unit 2 and it should be understood that any suitable conditioning may be employed.

FIG. 13 shows how air flow may occur in a stack of totes 1 including two totes 1 and a base unit 2 in an illustrative embodiment. In some embodiments, totes 1 may include conditioning features 15 in the form of one or more openings that permit air exchange between a duct 12 and the interior space 11 of the tote 1. In FIG. 13, both totes 1 have such conditioning features 15. A lid 3 is provided to enclose the interior space 11 of the uppermost tote 1, and may optionally close the ducts 12 of the uppermost tote 1, e.g., if the tote 1 does not have a damper 121 to close the ducts 12. Closing of the ducts 12 by the lid 3 may help encourage air flow from a supply flow 221 provided by the base unit 2 into ducts 12 of the totes 1, into and across the interior space 11 of both totes 1, and into a return flow 231 that flows through ducts 12 of the totes 1 back to the base unit 2. As noted above, flow through the interior spaces 11 may be controlled in any suitable way, such as by dampers, etc. Control of any system components, such as a conditioning feature, gas conditioning system, etc., may be performed by any suitable control circuitry of one or more controllers, which may include a programmed general purpose computer and/or other data processing device along with suitable software or other operating instructions, one or more memories (including non-transient storage media that may store software and/or other operating instructions), a power supply for the control circuitry and/or other system components, temperature and liquid level sensors, pressure sensors, RFID interrogation devices or other machine readable indicia readers (such as those used to read and recognize alphanumeric text, barcodes, security inks, etc.), input/output interfaces (e.g., such as the user interface to display information to a user and/or receive input from a user), communication buses or other links, a display, switches, relays, triacs, motors, mechanical linkages and/or actuators, or other components necessary to perform desired input/output or other functions.

While aspects of the invention have been shown and described with reference to illustrative embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.