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US 12,673,823 B2Granted
Method and order-picking storage facility for storing and order-picking goods
AssigneeTGW Logistics GmbH
InventorFlorian Forster
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a method for storing and picking stackable article carriers in a picking warehouse, transport loading aids are transported between a loading station with an automatically operated loading device, a storage zone and a removing station with an automatically operated unloading device using autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles. The transport loading aids are loaded with article carrier stack groups in the loading station and the article carriers are discharged from the transport loading aids in the unloading station. Subsequently, the article carriers for a picking order are reloaded onto one or multiple target loading aids. A picking warehouse stores and picks stackable article carriers.
Claims25
A method for storing and picking article carriers that contain articles and are stackable in a picking warehouse, comprising the steps
- providing a plurality of autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles in the picking warehouse, each of the autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles having a chassis with a drive unit and a loading platform arranged on the chassis for receiving a mobile transport loading aid,
- providing article carrier stack groups comprising multiple article carriers arranged next to one another and on top of one another in a delivery zone of the picking warehouse,
- providing mobile transport loading aids, each of the mobile transport loading aids being configured for receiving an article carrier stack group of the article carrier stack groups in the picking warehouse, wherein the mobile transport loading aids comprise a plurality of empty transport loading aids,
- wherein each of the mobile transport loading aids comprises
- a transport rack having a transport frame against which the loading platform of a transport vehicle can be positioned, and
- a base having a base wall part on which the article carrier stack group can be placed,
- providing on at least some of the autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles, or on at least some of the mobile transport loading aids, a transport safeguard configured for stabilizing a position of an article carrier stack group of the article carrier stack groups,
- wherein each of the at least some of the autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles comprises
- the loading platform, and
- first and second side walls, the first side wall and the second side wall being arranged adjacently to the loading platform and forming the transport safeguard,
- or
- wherein each of the at least some of the mobile transport loading aids comprises
- first and second side walls, the first side wall and the second side wall forming the transport safeguard,
- and
- wherein the base wall part is both inclined downwardly at a first inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane spanned between the first side wall and the second side wall in a first direction towards the first side wall, and inclined downwardly at a second inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane spanned between the first side wall and the second side wall in a second direction towards the second side wall, wherein the first side wall and the second side wall enclose an angle and are aligned perpendicularly to the base wall part,
- transporting empty transport loading aids of the plurality of empty transport loading aids using autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles of the plurality of autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles to a loading station and providing at least one of the empty transport loading aids at an automatically operated first loading device or on a buffer surface close to the automatically operated first loading device,
- loading the at least one empty transport loading aid provided at the automatically operated first loading device with at least one of the article carrier stack groups from the delivery zone using the automatically operated first loading device in order to provide at least one loaded transport aid,
- transporting the at least one loaded transport loading aid containing the at least one article carrier stack group from the loading station to a storage zone using an autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicle of the autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles and stabilizing the position of the at least one article carrier stack group by the transport safeguard during the transport movement of the at least one loaded transport loading aid,
- placing the at least one loaded transport loading aid containing the at least one article carrier stack group on a storage surface in the storage zone,
- storing the at least one loaded transport loading aid containing the at least one article carrier stack group in the storage zone,
- processing a picking order comprising the following steps
- transporting the at least one loaded transport loading aid containing the article carriers required for the picking order from the storage zone to an unloading station and providing the at least one loaded transport loading aid at an automatically operated unloading device or on a buffer surface close to the automatically operated unloading using an autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicle of the autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles and stabilizing the position of the article carrier stack group by the transport safeguard during the transport movement of the loaded transport loading aid,
- unloading the at least one loaded transport loading aid provided at the automatically operated unloading device by removing the article carriers required for processing the picking order, and
- assembling the article carriers on at least one target loading aid for the picking order in an order processing zone of the picking warehouse.
21 more elements
A picking warehouse for storing and picking article carriers which contain articles and are stackable, the picking warehouse comprising
- an order-processing computer for acquiring a picking order and for determining articles which are required for the picking order,
- a delivery zone for providing article carrier stack groups comprising multiple article carriers arranged next to one another and on top of one another,
- a loading station,
- a storage zone,
- an unloading station,
- a plurality of autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles, and
- a plurality of mobile transport loading aids, each of the mobile transport loading aids of the plurality of mobile transport aids being configured for receiving an article carrier stack group,
- wherein each of the plurality of mobile transport loading aids comprises
- a transport rack having a transport frame against which the loading platform of a transport vehicle can be positioned, and
- a base having a base wall part on which the article carrier stack group can be placed,
- wherein the mobile transport loading aids comprise empty transport loading aids,
- wherein the loading station has at least one automatically operated loading device or at least one automatically operated loading device and a buffer surface close to the automatically operated loading device, wherein the automatically operated loading device is configured for loading one of the empty transport loading aids with at least one article carrier stack group in order to provide at least one loaded transport loading aid, wherein the empty transport loading aid is provided for loading at the automatically operated first loading device,
- wherein the storage zone is configured for storing the at least one loaded transport loading aid containing the at least one article carrier stack group on a storage surface,
- wherein the unloading station has at least one automatically operated unloading device for unloading at least one of the loaded transport loading aids by removing the article carriers required for processing the picking order from the article carrier stack group, wherein the loaded transport loading aids are provided for unloading at the automatically operated unloading device,
- wherein each of the plurality of autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles has a chassis with a drive unit and a loading platform arranged on the chassis for receiving a mobile transport loading aid, and is controlled by a control system to transport empty transport loading aids to the loading station and to provide one of the empty transport loading aids at the automatically operated first loading device or on the buffer surface close to the automatically operated first loading device;
- to transport the at least one loaded transport loading aid containing the article carrier stack group from the loading station to the storage zone;
- and to transport the at least one loaded transport loading aid containing the article carriers required for the picking order from the storage zone to an unloading station and to provide the at least one loaded transport loading aid at the automatically operated unloading device or on a buffer surface close to the automatically operated unloading device,
- wherein at least some of the autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles or at least some of the mobile transport loading aids provide a transport safeguard, the transport safeguard being configured for stabilizing a position of an article carrier stack group when the article carrier stack group is received on the mobile transport loading aid,
- wherein each of the at least some of the autonomously movable, driverless transport vehicles comprises
- the loading platform, and
- first and second side walls, the first side wall and the second side wall being arranged adjacently to the loading platform and forming the transport safeguard,
- or
- wherein each of the at least some of the mobile transport loading aids comprises
- first and second side walls, the first side wall and the second side wall forming the transport safeguard,
- and
- wherein the base wall part is both inclined downwardly at a first inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane spanned between the first side wall and the second side wall in a first direction towards the first side wall, and inclined downwardly at a second inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane spanned between the first side wall and the second side wall in a second direction towards the second side wall, wherein the first side wall and the second side wall enclose an angle and are aligned perpendicularly to the base wall part.
23 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.