Automated order-picking station for the manual picking of articles from storage containers into an order container

An order-picking system comprising:

• an order-picking station for manual picking of articles from storage containers into at least one order container in accordance with a picking order, which picking order includes a plurality of different article types, the order-picking station comprising:
• a rack having a first longitudinal side and a second longitudinal side being arranged oppositely to the first longitudinal rack side;
• a plurality of channels comprising a plurality of feeding channels and at least one discharging channel, wherein each of the feeding channels comprises a transfer end and a provision end;
• a supply device arranged for transporting the storage containers from a warehouse to the transfer ends of the feeding channels and for transferring the storage containers to the transfer ends, wherein each of the transfer ends is arranged and configured such that the storage containers are transferable in an automated manner by the supply device;
• a material-flow control device, wherein the material-flow control device is configured to control a material flow of the storage containers within the channels exclusively unidirectionally, wherein the storage containers in the feeding channels are moved oppositely to the storage containers in the discharging channels;
• an order-picking region in which a picking person manually picks the articles from the storage container and manually puts the articles into the at least one order container;
• and
• a transfer region in which the storage containers are transferred between the supply device and the channels, and vice versa;
• wherein each of the discharging channels comprises a receipt end and a delivery end, wherein each of the delivery ends is arranged and configured to receive the storage containers by the supply device in an automated manner;
• wherein the plurality of channels are arranged in the rack and extend substantially in parallel to each other;
• wherein the order-picking region is arranged along the first longitudinal rack side at the provision ends of respective feeding channels, and the transfer region is arranged along the second longitudinal rack side;
• wherein each of the feeding channels has assigned at least one of the discharging channels in terms of the material flow;
• and
• wherein the provision ends and the delivery ends of the channels, which are assigned to each other, are either spatially arranged directly adjacent, or are connected, to each other via at least one push-away location so that the storage containers can be pushed, or conveyed, without lifting by the picking person, from the provision ends to the receipt end of the respectively assigned at least one discharging channel.

A method for the manual picking of at least one article from storage containers in accordance with a picking order into an order container at an order-picking station which includes a plurality of channels comprising a plurality of feeding channels and at least one discharging channel, wherein each of the feeding channels has assigned at least one of the discharging channels in terms of the material flow, wherein the channels are arranged in a rack and extend in a transverse direction substantially in parallel to each other between first and second longitudinal sides of the rack, and wherein an order-picking region is arranged along the first longitudinal rack side and a transfer region is arranged along the second longitudinal rack side, the method comprising the steps of:

• feeding the storage containers in a preset sequence to provision ends of the feeding channels;
• removing the at least one article from at least one of the storage containers at the provision end of a respective feeding channel;
• delivering the at least one article to the order container;
• pushing, or transporting, the storage container at the provision end of the respective feeding channel, from which the at least one article has been removed, in a longitudinal direction from the feeding channel to the discharging channel;
• discharging the storage container, from which the at least one article has been removed, via the assigned discharging channel;
• wherein the feeding channel and the assigned discharging channel are operated oppositely in a respectively unidirectional manner.