Integrating VRCs and AMRs for Automated Storage & Retrieval

VRCs and advanced control integration delivered through close collaboration with AMR and automated storage system partners.

Autoquip partnered with Box Logix, AI Storage Solutions, and a leading end user to deliver a highly automated storage and retrieval solution that leverages Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors (VRCs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). The project demonstrates Autoquip’s deep experience working alongside integrators and end users to solve complex automation challenges and launch a successful, scalable system.

The shared goal of the project was to safely and efficiently transport pallets throughout a multi-level storage racking system using AMRs, with VRCs serving as the vertical transport backbone.

In this system, pallets move dynamically between inbound, storage, and outbound processes:

• A pallet is scanned into the system and delivered to a designated transfer point.
• An AMR picks up the pallet and transports it to its assigned storage location within the racking system.
• The pallet remains in storage until retrieval is required.
• When needed, the AMR retrieves the pallet and delivers it to a designated pick point.
• After goods are removed, the AMR returns the pallet to its original storage location.

To enable this workflow across multiple levels, AMRs must ride on Autoquip VRCs to move vertically within the facility.

Key Challenge: AMR Positioning & Signal Loss

One of the most critical challenges during vertical transport of the AMRs traveling on the VRC, is to prevent temporary signal loss which could cause the AMR to lose positional awareness, or the AMR attempting to exit the VRC prematurely—before reaching the correct storage level.

This created both a safety risk and a system reliability concern, requiring a robust, automation-friendly solution.

Intelligent VRC Integration with Shot Pin Control

Autoquip worked closely with Box Logix and the end user to engineer a solution that ensured safe, precise AMR movement while maintaining system throughput.

Shot Pin Integration

The solution involved installing shot pins on the VRCs to physically secure the AMR during vertical travel, while coordinating closely with AI Storage Solutions’ storage system design and automation requirements.

• Shot pins were installed at every transition point where an AMR enters or exits a VRC.
• While the VRC is in motion, the shot pins hold the AMR firmly in place.
• The AMR is only released once it receives a confirmation signal indicating it is safe to proceed.

This approach ensures:

• AMRs remain securely positioned during vertical movement
• No premature exits from the VRC
• Seamless handoff between the VRC, storage system, and AMR fleet

Collaborative Controls & Software Coordination

A critical component of the project’s success was Autoquip’s controls division, OSCO Controls, which served as the integration layer between the VRC equipment and the higher-level automation software.

The lift control system interfaced directly with the larger Box Logix control architecture, with OSCO responsible for developing the control logic that allowed the upstream system to command lift movements to specific levels and coordinate all load and unload events. Autoquip’s and OSCO’s role focused on ensuring clear handshaking, defined system ownership, and reliable state feedback between the VRCs and the broader automation system.

OSCO applied its controls expertise to manage the safe transition of AMRs on and off the VRCs, including the logic governing shot pin actuation to positively restrain the AMR until all conditions were verified as safe to proceed. The solution also addressed known challenges such as signal loss while AMRs were on the lift by incorporating robust interlocks and fault handling to prevent premature movement or loss of position.

In effect, OSCO translated system-level commands into safe, coordinated lift motion—allowing the overall material handling solution to function as a single, integrated system rather than a collection of independent subsystems.

AQ Project#

167534

This project reinforces Autoquip’s role as more than a lift manufacturer—it highlights Autoquip as a system-level automation partner with deep expertise in both mechanical equipment and controls.

• Demonstrates Autoquip’s ability to deliver fully integrated VRC solutions, not standalone equipment
• Showcases the strength of Autoquip’s controls division, OSCO Controls, as the integration layer between VRC equipment and higher-level automation software
• Confirms proven experience interfacing directly with system integrator larger software architectures
• Highlights advanced safety and motion control capabilities, including shot pin logic, interlocks, and robust fault handling for AMR transport
• Underscores the value of close collaboration between Autoquip, Box Logix, AI Storage Solutions, and the end user to deliver a unified, reliable automation system