AU2009212907A1 - Combined storage system - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (ORIGINAL) Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: Name of Applicant: Gebr. Willach GmbH Actual Inventor(s): Jens Willach, Werner Schmitt Address for Service and Correspondence: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA Invention Title: COMBINED STORAGE SYSTEM Our Ref: 863787 POF Code: 468407/495414 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): 6006q 2 Gebr. Willach GmbH Sg/Dt TITLE OF THE INVENTION Combined storage system This application claims priority from German Application No.10 2008 012 070.5 filed on 11 September 2008, the contents of which are to be taken as incorporated herein by this reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a combined storage system for goods, comprising a first channel-type storage area for accommodating a plurality of objects serially in respectively one channel, said channel having an inser tion end and a discharge end, and further comprising a first manipulator servicing the first channel-type storage area and operative to feed the ob jects to the insertion ends of the channels, and a second manipulator opera tive to fetch the objects from the discharge ends of the channels and to convey the objects away from the system. A combined storage system of the above type is described in DE 20 2007 009 399 U. In this known system, a channel-type storage automat wherein a plurality of objects are serially arranged in a channel, is provided with a manipulator arranged for controlled movement along the rear side of the channels in order to store objects, and with a further manipulator arranged for controlled movement along the front side of the channels in order to re move objects. Further provided is a single-place storage automat having a manipulator of its own to store objects and remove objects from storage. Insertion of the objects can be performed by means of a manually fed goods insertion apparatus, or by means of a goods reception automat pro vided with a pour-in device for bulk material and operative to separate and identify randomly fed objects. Removal of objects from each of said storage 3 automats is carried out by the respective manipulator which will feed the objects to a discharge conveyer. EP 1 409 376 B1 describes a storage system for goods comprising a single place storage area without defined storage bins, and a channel-type storage area, wherein the storage bins and the channel-type storage area are ser viced by the same manipulator. For the single-place storage room, the ma nipulator has to be provided with a suction device and respectively a gripper so as to be able to store goods and remove goods from storage. For the single-place storage area, a discharge module is provided, and for the channel-type storage areas, dedicated discharge manipulators are provided as removal devices. A channel-type storage area is particularly suited for fast-moving items. These are products which are demanded frequently. Within a channel, products can be kept available in larger numbers. For slow-moving items, i.e. those which are demanded relatively rarely, use is normally made of single-place storage automats wherein each item is stored in a storage bin (place) of its own. Normally, both types of storage automats are autono mous. This is to say that each storage automat is provided with its own ma nipulators which are operative only for the respective storage automat. The manipulators are controlled in a fully automated manner by the storage management computer of the storage facility. They will approach the ap propriate channels and respectively the storage bins in order to store and respectively remove goods from storage and will convey the goods fully automatically to a discharge device. The manipulators require high technical expenditure in terms of the control units and the moving mechanics alike. It is an object of the invention to provide a combined storage system which can be operated with reduced expenditure for the manipulators.

4 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The combined storage system according to the present invention is defined by claim 1. The system of the invention is characterized in that the first manipulator is additionally operative to service a second channel-type stor age area whose channels comprise a combined insertion and discharge end. In the combined storage system of the invention, the first manipulator will service the insertion side of the first channel-type storage area and the combined insertion and discharge side of the second channel-type storage area. While the first channel-type storage area is provided for fast-moving items, the second channel-type storage area is provided for slow-moving items. In the second channel-type storage area, the channels are generally of a larger width because they are not precisely adapted to the width of the objects which are to be stored. This means that the second channel-type storage area allows for storage of objects of different widths, while a given channel can also serially store objects of different types. Discharge is per formed according to the "first-in, last-out" principle, if no rearrangement has been performed prior to discharge. The manipulator has to be provided neither with a suction cup nor with a gripper. By use of a slider, the ma nipulator will shift the objects into the channel where it has stopped. Thus, the manipulator does not require a controlled retaining function for holding items. Preferably, the first channel-type storage area and the second channel-type storage area are arranged on opposite sides of a moving path of the first manipulator. It is of particular advantage that the load-bearing surface of the first manipulator is an inclined surface having the same direction of in clination as the bearing surfaces of the channel-type storage areas which can be configured as shelves of the type with inclined bins. In case of 5 shelves with inclined bins, the load-bearing surface of the manipulator can be inclined and be adapted to the inclination of the channel. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention which, however, is of independent importance, there is provided a transfer device bridging the first channel-type storage area. Said transfer device will receive objects with the aid of the first manipulator and pass them over to the second ma nipulator. The transfer device serves as a bypass route for the removal of objects from the second storage area and does not necessarily have to be a storage area of the channel type. The transfer device offers the advantage that the entire combined storage system can be provided with a sole re moval device to which the second manipulator will transport all objects which have been removed from any one of the storage areas. The transfer device is a device adapted for conveyance of goods of a variety of configurations, geometries, weights and sizes from the insertion side of the first channel-type storage area to the discharge side thereof. The trans fer device can take the form of a chute or a b conveyer. A brake means or, at the discharge end, a controllably actuated stopper element can be pro vided in the transfer route. A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in greater detail hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a combined storage system for goods according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a partial view as viewed in the direction of arrow II in Figure 1.

6 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION As illustrated in Fig. 1, there is provided an insertion station 10 comprising a goods reception automat 11 and a goods insertion apparatus 12. Said goods reception automat and said goods insertion apparatus correspond to those described in EP 1 902 983 A2 which is herewith incorporated into the present application by reference. Goods reception automat 11 includes an entry site 13 for random drop-in of goods which thereafter will be sepa rated, identified and successively fed to a transfer station. Goods insertion apparatus 12 serves for manual insertion of goods so that these goods will be stored in the various storage areas. Arranged in a storage region 15 is a first channel-type storage area Li con sisting of a shelf of the type with inclined bins. Said shelf comprises a plu rality of mutually superposed shelf boards whose surfaces are subdivided into channels 18 by shelf dividers 17. Said channels 18 comprise channel bottoms 16 and extend from an insertion end 19 to a discharge end 20 of channel 18. Due to the inclination of the channel bottoms 16, objects which have been inserted into insertion end 19 will slide under the influence of gravity to the discharge end 20. At the discharge end 20, a stopper 21 is provided, causing the lowermost object in the respective channel to be stopped until removal of said object by the appertaining manipulator. The following object will then slide on to fill the gap. The channels 18 can have different widths. By repositioning the shelf dividers 17, the cannel width can be adjusted to the respective objects which are to be stored. The central computer of the storage facility safeguards that each channel will receive identical types of objects.

7 Near the insertion ends 19 of channels 18, the moving path 22 of the first manipulator M1 is arranged. Said moving path 22 extends transversely to the direction of channels 18 along the whole length of the first storage area Li and, beyond said length, on to a position within insertion station 10. Thus, manipulator M1 can be moved as far as into the insertion station 10 and therein receive goods from the goods insertion apparatus and/or the goods reception automat. Manipulator M1 comprises an inclined load-bearing surface 23 which has the same direction of inclination as channels 18. Along the length of its moving path 22, manipulator M1 is movable in length direction as well as in height direction and thus can be positioned in front of the insertion end 19 of any one of the channels 18 in order to insert an object from manipulator M1 into channel 18. At the load-bearing surface 23 of manipulator Mi, a controllable slider 24 is arranged for displacement in the direction represented by the arrows, so as to move the object on the load-bearing surface 23 upwards or downwards. A further slider is provided to advance the object beyond the upper end of load-bearing surface 23. Manipulator M1 services the insertion side of first channel-type storage area L1. On the side of the moving path 22 opposite channel-type storage area L1, a second channel-type storage area L2 is arranged, being likewise formed as a multi-level shelf with inclined bins. Said second storage area L2 comprises a plurality of channels 28 delimited by partition walls 27. The channels 28 are wider and shorter than the channels 18 of the first storage area L1. They are not provided for a specific packing size but serve for ac commodation of different packings. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the channel bot toms of the channels 28 have the same direction of inclination as well as the same angle of inclination as the channel bottoms of the channels 18. Channel-type storage area L2 is operated by the same manipulator M1 which is also provided to fill channel-type storage area L1. Whereas the manipulator M1 will fill the channel-type storage area Li from above, it will fill and evacuate the channel-type storage area L2 from below. By means of 8 slider 24, an object carried by load-bearing surface 23 will be pushed up wards onto the channel bottom of channel-type storage area L2. Said object will then be supported and retained by the stopper 32 at the lower end of the channel bottom. For retrieving the object from channel-type storage area L2, a finger, arranged to be extended from out of manipulator M1, will be advanced through a slot in the bottom of the respective channel 28. In this state, manipulator M1 will be moved upwards, while the object is lifted by said finger and will slide beyond stopper 32 onto the load-bearing sur face 23 of manipulator M1. The lower end of channel 28 forms the insertion and discharge end 33. The lower discharge end 20 of the channels of the first channel-type storage area Li is arranged adjacent to the moving path 35 of the second manipula tor M2. Said second manipulator M2 has the same inclined orientation as the channel bottoms 16 of the first channel-type storage area L1. Second manipulator M2 serves for taking up the objects leaving the channels 18. Subsequent to taking up an object, manipulator M2 will be moved along moving path 35 to a discharge station 36. There, the objects can be taken over by a conveyer or another device. Along the moving path 22 of the first manipulator M1, a transfer station 40 is provided which can be accessed by manipulator M1. This transfer station 40 is arranged in alignment with a transfer device 41 leading from the transfer station to the moving path 35 of second manipulator M2. Transfer device 41 is a chute, a conveyer belt or another type of conveyer suited to convey the objects removed by manipulator M1 from second channel-type storage area L2 to the second manipulator M2 for discharge. Located at the discharge end of transfer device 41 is a controlled stopper device 42 for stopping the objects. Only when manipulator M2 is arranged in the take over position, stopper device 42 will clear the way for transfer of the objects to manipulator M2.

9 For storing objects, the objects are inserted into the goods insertion appara tus 12 or the goods reception automat 11. The objects will be identified on the basis of a bar code applied to them and will be measured for detection of size, length, width and height. Then, the computer will determine the channel-type storage area to be used for storage, and also the respective channel therein. When objects are to be removed from the combined stor age system, the computer will detect the channel where the requested ob ject has been stored, and will control the manipulators to the effect that the object will be removed and presented to the discharge station 36.

Claims (8)

1. A combined storage system for goods, comprising a first channel-type storage area for accommodating objects serially in respectively one channel, said channel being adapted to accommodate a series of ob jects, mutually supporting themselves one on the other, and having an insertion end and a discharge end, said storage system further com prising a first manipulator servicing the first channel-type storage area and operative to feed the objects to the insertion ends of the channels, and a second manipulator operative to fetch the objects from the dis charge ends of the channels and to convey the objects away from the storage system, wherein said first manipulator is provided to additionally service a second channel-type storage area, the channels of said second channel-type storage area comprising a combined insertion and discharge end.

2. The combined storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first manipulator is movable along a moving path, and wherein the first channel-type storage area is arranged on one side and the second channel-type storage area is arranged on the other side of said moving path.

3. The combined storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first channel-type storage area is a shelf with inclined bins.

4. The combined storage system according to claim 1, wherein the sec ond channel-type storage area is a shelf with inclined bins.

5. The combined storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second channel-type storage areas are oriented at identical incli nations. 11

6. The combined storage system according to the precharacterizing part of claim 1, wherein a transfer device bridging the first channel-type storage area is provided, said transfer device being adapted to be fed with objects by the first manipulator and to pass them over to the sec ond manipulator.

7. The combined storage system according to claim 6, wherein said trans fer device is a chute for receiving objects of different sizes and is pro vided with a brake device or a movable stopper device.

8. The combined storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first manipulator is operative to connect a goods insertion apparatus and/or a goods reception automat to the first channel-type storage area and the second channel-type storage area.