Unloading device
AssigneeDeutsche Post AG
InventorRedland Sanders
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An unloading device for unloading a tote from a shelf in a warehouse includes at least two arms for grabbing the tote in the shelf, whereby the arms essentially each extend in a horizontal direction and are arranged distant and parallel to each other. The arms are movable in a vertical and/or horizontal direction in respect to a position of the tote in the shelf and in their horizontal distance to each other in respect to the shape of the tote. Additionally, each arm includes a motorized conveyer belt extending along the essential horizontal direction on the arm up to touching a tip of the respective arm for unloading the tote from the shelf.
Claims11
An unloading arrangement comprising an unloading device and a shelf configured for storing a plurality of totes horizontally and/or vertically besides each other, wherein the shelf is further configured as a robotic shelf for autonomously moving towards the unloading device for unloading the plurality of totes from the shelf,
- wherein the unloading device comprises at least two arms for grabbing the tote in the shelf and
- a roller belt adjoining the at least two arms for dispatching the tote unloaded from the shelf, whereby
- the arms each extend in a horizontal direction and are arranged parallel to each other,
- the arms are movable in a vertical and/or horizontal direction in respect to a position of the tote in the shelf and the arms are movable relative to each other to change a horizontal distance between the arms,
- each arm comprises a motorized conveyer belt extending along the horizontal direction on the arm for unloading the tote from the shelf onto the roller belt, and
- wherein the roller belt adjoins the at least two arms such that a transporting direction of the roller belt is parallel to the at least two arms.
A method for unloading a tote, the method being performed with an unloading arrangement comprising an unloading device and a shelf configured for storing a plurality of totes horizontally and/or vertically besides each other, wherein the shelf is further configured as a robotic shelf for autonomously moving towards the unloading device for unloading the plurality of totes from the shelf, wherein the unloading device comprises at least two arms for grabbing the tote in the shelf and a roller belt adjoining the at least two arms for dispatching the tote unloaded from the shelf, whereby the arms each extend in a horizontal direction and are arranged parallel to each other, the arms are movable in a vertical and/or horizontal direction in respect to a position of the tote in the shelf and the arms are movable relative to each other to change a horizontal distance between the arms, each arm comprises a motorized conveyer belt extending along the horizontal direction on the arm for unloading the tote from the shelf onto the roller belt, and wherein the roller belt adjoins the at least two arms such that a transporting direction of the roller belt is parallel to the at least two arms, the method comprising the following steps:
- autonomously moving the shelf towards the unloading device;
- depending on the tote to be unloaded, moving the arms in a vertical direction in respect to the position of the tote in the shelf and/or moving the arms relative to each other to change a horizontal distance between the arms;
- moving the arms in the horizontal direction underneath the tote;
- unloading the tote from the shelf with the motorized conveyer belt and/or retracting the arms away from the shelf.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.