AT15061U1 - System for picking in intralogistics - Google Patents

Abstract

System (1) for picking products (2) into a order container (11) associated with a picking order with a storage shelf (3) provided in a building for storing the products (2) and with product conveying means (4) for removing the products (2) to a transfer point (5) provided in or on the storage shelf (3). The system (1) has a control computer for controlling at least one airworthy object, in particular a drone (13), on which an airworthy object for picking the paged product (2) into the order container (11) is formed. The transfer point (5) has transfer means for transferring the outsourced product (2) in order to enable picking up of the outsourced product (2) with load-bearing means of the flyable object.

Description

description

SYSTEM FOR COMMISSIONING IN INTRALOGISTICS

The invention relates to a system for picking products in an order picking the intralogistics associated order container with a provided in a building storage rack for storing the products and product delivery means for outsourcing of the products to a provided in or on the storage shelf transfer point.

There are known systems for order picking of products in which a variety of conveyor units and sorting devices, especially treadmills, roller conveyors and distribution systems, products are brought from a storage rack and assigned to individual order picking. Such a method for picking is known for example from the patent application DE 103 06 356 A1.

In the system known from the patent application DE 103 06 356 A1, however, proves to be disadvantageous that due to the transport of products via conveyors, the transport of the products can only be done via previously determined by the conveyors ways, so on the one planning effort so A plant is very high and on the other hand a very precise and sequence-oriented control of the entire picking system is necessary. Furthermore, changes in the system, for example due to an expansion of the system, are very difficult to implement due to the fixed installation of the conveyor units. Furthermore, it has proven to be disadvantageous that the entire picking of products can come to a standstill, if only one of the conveyors is defective and must be repaired.

The invention has the object of providing a system for picking in a building form, in which an outsourced at the transfer point product is flexible and reliable commissable in a job container with any position in the building.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in that the system comprises a control computer for controlling at least one airworthy object, in particular a drone, which is capable of flying object for receiving at least one outsourced product and picking the recorded product in the associated order container and in that the transfer point comprises transfer means for transferring the outsourced product to enable picking up of the outsourced product with load-bearing means of the airworthy object.

By providing airworthy objects as a means of transport of products between the delivery point and a picking order associated order container has the advantage that the order container can be positioned anywhere in the building, whereby the system for picking very flexible to change, for example a Extension of the system, is customizable. Furthermore, the required footprint of the building can be reduced by the arbitrary positioning in the building, since a room of the building can be used much better. Furthermore, the advantage is obtained that the picking is not limited by the structural design of funding and that a transport path between the delivery point and order container can be reduced, whereby the picking of an order runs faster.

Particularly advantageous is the use of drones for the transport of products in intralogistics, if a conveyor or a lift of a shelf has failed and substitute, very flexible drones to take over the transport of these products for a limited time. Likewise, there may be occurrences that just missing a product to complete a picking order, which then with a drone particularly quickly, the usual transport of the remaining products with the conveyor overtaking in the order container can be picked. Also, to produce a sequence of products to be picked, a single product located on a conveyor on the way to a picking station may be picked up by a drone and dropped off at another position on the conveyor. All these measures, which can now be carried out for the first time by the system for picking with drones in intralogistics, make picking more flexible and thus faster and more reliable.

By providing the transfer point with transfer means directly to or in the storage rack has the advantage that outsourced from a shelf level products do not have to be transported via the elevator to the conveyor level, since the outsourced products can be absorbed by the drone in the same shelf level in which these outsourced products were stored. As a result, a rack warehouse could be realized entirely without lifts. According to a preferred embodiment, individual lifts are provided in the rack storage and the control computer decides depending on urgency or for producing a sequence of outsourced products to be picked, whether a outsourced from the storage space product is transported via the lift and the conveyor to a picking or essential faster picking with a threat is chosen.

By the transfer means at the transfer point the advantage is obtained that the drone itself does not have to spend energy for receiving the product. For example, to pick up a product from the transfer point, the drone may fly relative to the transfer point such that transfer means formed by an inclined slideway or by pneumatically or hydraulically controlled slips convey the product into the load handling means. In a further embodiment variant, the transfer means is formed by a controllable gripping arm which transfers the product or by a V-shaped slide rail.

Contact surfaces are advantageously formed at the transfer points, which serve the drone as Aufstandsmöglichkeit before and / or at and / or after receiving a product.

Further advantageous embodiments of the inventive system for order picking are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a system according to the invention for commissioning mission in a perspective view.

FIG. 2 shows a detail of a shelf storage of the system according to the invention according to FIG. 1 in a side view.

FIG. 3 shows a section of the shelf storage according to FIG. 2 in a front view.

FIG. 4 shows a picking area of the system according to the invention

Figure 1 in a front view.

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a system 1 according to the invention for picking products 2 in intralogistics with a provided in a building storage rack 3 for storing the products 2 and with product conveying means for retrieving the products 2 at several transfer points 5. Furthermore, the system 1, an order container conveying means, which is designed for supplying and removing order containers 11 in picking regions 12. The order container conveyor is formed by a conveyor belt 10 and side conveyors, not shown, which distribute the order container 11 of the conveyor belt 10 on the order picking 12 or ready-picked order container 11 carry back on the conveyor belt 10.

FIG. 2 shows a shelf storage 3 of the system 1 according to the invention according to FIG. 1 in a side view. The product conveying means are formed by OSR shuttles 4, which pick up the products 2 from storage spaces 7 formed in the storage rack 3 and transfer them to the transfer points 5. The transfer points 5 are each formed by a transfer means in the form of a V-shaped slide rail 6, which protrudes from the storage rack 3 and is inclined. The inclination is chosen so that a product 2 is conveyed after being deposited by the OSR shuttle 4 on the V-shaped slide 6 by the weight of the product 2 to the outside and remains there on a cover rail 8 of the slide. In addition, each transfer point 5 each have two contact surfaces 9, in which first charging means are formed. The first charging means are not shown in detail in the figures and are formed by exposed contacts, which contacts are connected to the poles of a power source.

The system 1 has for picking the products 2 in order container 11 more airworthy objects that are designed as drones 13 and are controlled by an external control computer not shown in the figures. Each drone 13 has a passive load-carrying means, which is formed by V-shaped folding support surfaces 14 which are mounted fixed to a lower side of the drone 13. The folding support surfaces 14 are mounted on the drone 13 so that they are displaced back and forth between a folded transport position and an unfolded open position. In the folded transport position, the folding support surfaces 14 form a triangular-shaped trough, which is closed at their ends by trained on her not shown in the figures tabs. The folding support surfaces 14 are held in the folded transport state by a locking element in the form of magnets, which are formed in the support surfaces 14. The triangular-shaped trough is used during a flight phase of the transfer point 5 for order picking area 12 as a transport container for a product 2. The products 2 may include single or multiple articles, wherein stored in the storage rack 3 according to this embodiment drugs. In one flight, a drone 13 thus transports one or more packaged medications.

FIG. 3 shows the shelf storage 3 according to FIG. 2 in a front view. In the upper transfer point 5 depicted in FIG. 3, a drone 13 is currently approaching the transfer point 5. A product 2 to be picked up by the drone 13 has already been provided on the closing rail 8. The support surfaces 14 are located in the landing approach to the transfer point 5 drone 13 in the unfolded open position. In the lower transfer point 5 depicted in FIG. 3, the drone 13 has already received the product 2 and the carrying surfaces 14 are in the transport position folded together. This drone 13 is ready to take off.

FIG. 4 shows a picking area 12 of the system 1 according to the invention according to FIG. 1 in a front view. In the order-picking region 12, a plurality of contact surfaces 16 are formed, which contact surfaces 16 enclose picking stations 17 in which the order containers 11 are positioned for picking. The contact surfaces 16 serve as Aufstandsmöglichkeit for the drones 13 during picking.

Per order picking 17 a trigger mechanism 18 is mounted in the order picking area 12. The trigger mechanism 18 is shaped so that when placing the drone 13 on the contact surfaces 16 by the weight of the drone 13, the folding support surfaces 14 are pressed apart, whereby they are displaced from the folded transport position to the open position and the drone through the thirteenth transported product 2 slipped into the order container 11. FIG. 4 shows a drone 13 which has already been placed on the contact surfaces 16 and has delivered the product 2 carried by it into the order container 11 and another drone 13 which is just approaching the contact surfaces 16 when approaching, wherein the support surfaces 14 are still are in the folded transport position and the product 2 is still held by the drone 13.

In a subsequent to the picking of a product 2 in a contract container 11 return flight back to a transfer point 5 for receiving a further or another picking assigned product 2 the drone 13 flies with located in the open position carrying surfaces 14. The drone 13th In this case, only such transfer points 5 fly, in which a product 2 has already been removed or has been removed before the drone 13 has arrived at the transfer point 5. When placing the drone 13 on the contact surfaces 9 of the transfer point 5, the support surfaces 14 contact the end rail 8, wherein due to the weight of the drone 13 and due to the V-shaped shape of the

Cover rail 8, the support surfaces 14 push under the product 2 and fold together. In folded transport condition, the folding support surfaces 14 again form a triangular-shaped trough, whereby the product 2 is locked locked. Once the drone 13 rests on the footprints 9 contact trained on the drone 13 charging contacts the exposed contacts of the first charging means, whereby an energy storage of the drone 13 is loaded. The charging contacts are either connected via an electronic control unit with the energy storage or directly to the energy storage of the drone 13. Preferably, the energy storage of the drone 13 is formed by PowerCaps and the drone 13 is beneficial after the product 2 was recorded so long on the footprint 9 until the PowerCaps are loaded.

In a further embodiment, 17 second charging means are formed in the contact surfaces 16 of the respective picking station, whereby the power cap of the drone 13 is also loaded when placed on the contact surfaces 16.

In a further embodiment, the footprints 9 guide means that support the drone 13 when landing on the contact surfaces 9. The guide means may be formed, for example, by conical recesses in the contact surfaces 9, with corresponding counter-cones on the drone 13, in particular on landing feet of the drone 13, are formed. When placing the drone 13 on the footprints 9, the drone 13 slips due to the cone automatically in the correct position for receiving the outsourced products 2. In a further embodiment, the guide means are funnel-shaped and padded to dampen a harder landing of the drone 13 ,

In a further embodiment, the transfer points have 5 sensors and the transfer means is formed by a hydraulically or pneumatically actuated sliding mechanism which convey the outsourced by the OSR shuttles products 2 on the end rail 8 and further into the load-carrying means of the drone 13th As sensors, for example, photoelectric sensors, contact sensors or weight sensors could be provided. The sensors detect if a drone has landed on a transfer point. If this is the case, a signal is sent to the control computer, which controls the sliding mechanism, to push the product into the formed by the folded support surface 14 triangular trough.

In a further embodiment, each drone 13 is controlled by the control electronics provided in it. Among other things, this control electronics can also have proximity collision avoidance means, which comprise at least one motion detector and are designed to monitor a near field around the airworthy object, by means of which a flight path of the drone 13 can be changed in the presence of a possible collision to avoid the collision. This has the advantage that a collision of the drones 13 with each other and the drones 13 with other objects can be avoided even more reliable.

In a further embodiment, an electronic control unit of the drone 13 and the control computer is designed so that the drone 13 is formed for discharging the transported product 2 in a moving order container 11. In this case, a triggering mechanism is advantageously formed by a trained in the drone by the control electronics electromagnet which holds together in the energized state by landing the drone 13 at a transfer point 5 supporting surfaces 14 and in the non-energized state, the support surfaces 14 are free, making them due to the weight of the support surfaces 14 and due to the weight of the product 2 fold apart and whereby the product is picked in a order container 11.

Based on the above disclosure of a system according to the invention, those skilled in the art will understand that a plurality of differently designed load-carrying means and in particular passive load-carrying means are possible for airworthy objects. Also, a variety of differently shaped transfer points are within the scope of this disclosure, the skilled person feasible and to be understood within the scope of this disclosure.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the storage rack could be formed by a described in EP 2 301 864 B1 single product storage for example medicines. It is therefore not a container storage rack, in which the products are stored in containers in storage shelves, but a single product storage in the individual drug packages or multiple drug packages or similar products directly in storage shelves. These articles could be stored on a conveyor, such as a conveyor belt, from the storage rack, wherein the conveyor belt forms transfer means for transferring paged products.

Claims (10)

claims A system (1) for picking products (2) into an order container (11) associated with a picking order for intralogistics, the system (1) comprising a storage rack (3) provided in a building for storing the products (2) and product conveyors ( 4) for retrieving the products (2) from the storage rack (3) to a transfer point (5) provided in or on the storage rack (3), characterized in that the system (1) comprises a control computer for controlling at least one airworthy object, in particular a drone (13) comprising which flyable object is designed for receiving at least one outsourced product (2) and for picking the picked product (2) into the associated order container (11) and that the transfer point (5) comprises transfer means for transferring the outsourced product (2) to enable picking up of the outsourced product (2) with load-bearing means of the airworthy object. 2. System (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the transfer means by V-shaped slide rails (6) are formed. 3. System (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the load-receiving means are designed as passive load-receiving means. 4. System (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the transfer point (5) has at least one support surface (9), which at least one support surface (9) as Aufstandsmöglichkeit for the airworthy object before and / or during and / or after Recordings of the outsourced product (2) is formed. 5. System (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the load-receiving means after landing or when landing the airworthy object on the support surfaces (9) or when lowering the airworthy object above the transfer point (5) by contact with the transfer point ( 5), in particular the transfer means, the product lock (2) lock. 6. System (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the load-receiving means have V-shaped folding out support surfaces (14) which are mounted on the airworthy object that they between a folded transport position, for carrying the outsourced product (2), and an unfolded open position, for dispensing the product (2), are displaced back and forth. 7. System (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the transfer point (5) has first charging means for charging an energy store of the airworthy object. 8. System (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the transfer point (5) has mechanically formed guiding means for guiding the flyable object, which are formed in particular padded. 9. System (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the transfer point (5) comprises sensors which are triggered by the flyable object and which trigger the transfer means in the triggered state, the at least one outsourced product (2) to hand over to the airworthy object. 10. System (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that in each shelf level of the storage rack (3) a transfer point (5) with transfer means for outsourced products (2) is provided. For this 3 sheets of drawings