Bin

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Bin details on our webpage.

Each Bin has a unique identifier assigned by AutoStore, which the WMS should use to identify storage locations.

The WMS is responsible for maintaining the inventory of each Bin, as AutoStore does not store detailed information about Bin contents such as products or quantities.

Each Bin has an actual state that includes its physical location, preparation state, and mode in mode. The WMS can receive this state information through the Log Publisher interface.

Bin Properties

Each bin registered in the AutoStore system is defined by the following properties:

Bin Types

The bin_type property should be specified when Bins are inserted into the Grid via the insertbin method.

Bin Physical Location

The current physical location of a Bin includes xpos, ypos, depth, and grid_id. If the Bin is being moved by a robot, then only the grid_id is set.

Bin Content Code

Each Bin is assigned a content code, which is an integer between CONTENT_MIN and CONTENT_MAX_2_7_0. This property is assigned and maintained by the WMS.

The WMS may define its own set of content codes. A common convention is to construct the content code based on the number of compartments in the Bin and the number of compartments currently in use. If the installation supports different Bin types (e.g. ESD and non-ESD), the content code typically also reflects the Bin type.

The content code may be used to let AutoStore select an actual Bin. This is intended for scenarios where multiple bins are equivalent from the WMS’s perspective and are generally available without prior preparation. A typical use case is the putaway process, where the WMS simply requires an empty bin.

The WMS can define its own set of content codes and semantics.

Content Code Example

The content code can be used to indicate whether a Bin is empty or not. By convention, the code represents both the total number of compartments in the Bin and the number of compartments that currently contain goods.

See the table below for examples:

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More details about content codes, ranges and sets can be found here.

Automatic Preparation Of Empty Bins

AutoStore provides automatic preparation of empty Bins. This background process operates through both the Task Interface and the Bin Interface.

The purpose of this preparation process is to ensure that a sufficient number of empty Bins are available (prepared) for the putaway process. When the WMS uses content codes to control putaway, it does not need to explicitly request Bin preparation in advance.

By default, AutoStore prepares Bins with content code CONTENT_MIN. If the WMS requires a different content code, or multiple content codes, this can be configured using the AutoStore Console. When multiple content codes are configured, the relative distribution between them can also be defined.

The WMS may also control the putaway process without using content codes. In this case, the putaway process is handled similarly to the picking process. The WMS uses the standard preparation queue to ensure that empty Bins are available, or—if the Task Interface is used—creates task groups for putaway operations. When the WMS controls putaway without content codes, automatic preparation of empty Bins should be disabled.

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During the initial ramp-up phase (initial inventory insertion), empty Bins are consumed at a higher rate. Therefore, it is recommended to configure a higher target for empty Bin preparation during this phase and restore the normal configuration afterward.

A set of configuration parameters can be defined in the AutoStore Console to optimize the empty bin preparation process.

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More details about automatic preparation of empty bins configuration can be found here.

Bin Offset

This offset specifies the difference between the AutoStore bin_id and the WMS internal bin_id. For example:

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The Bin Offset is configured for both the AutoStore Interface and the AutoStore Log Publisher modules. Ensure that the same value is used for both. For details, refer to AS-55127-STD-en - Software - Operation Manual.