CH719181A1 - Station for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system. - Google Patents

Abstract

A station (3) for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system comprises a first conveyor (21) and a second conveyor (25) with a plurality of transport units (4', 4"); at least one transfer station (31), set up to receive units of goods (9), wherein the at least one transfer station (31) has a third conveyor (32) for conveying units of goods (9); a removal station (36) for removing units of goods from a transport unit (4") of the first conveyor (21) and for transferring the removed units of goods to said transfer station; and a transfer station (37') for transferring units of goods from said transfer station to a transport unit (4') of the second conveyor.

Description

technical field

The invention relates to stations for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system, conveyor systems and storage systems with such loading management stations, and methods for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system.

Technological background

In automated warehouses, extensive production facilities and more generally in the promotion and transport of goods overhead conveyor systems have proven to be an efficient means of transport, intermediate buffering, but also the long-term storage of different types of goods. In the case of overhead conveyor systems, the goods are either hung directly on individual conveyor elements of a conveyor system in a suitable manner, or are introduced into corresponding transport elements such as transport bags, which in turn are suspended from the conveyor elements.

[0003] Overhead conveyor systems can be implemented as transport chain systems in which a large number of conveying elements form links in a chain that is moved along a conveying path. Also known are gravity-fed conveyor systems in which individual conveyor elements move on corresponding rails. Such gravity-fed, rail-guided conveyor systems are known, for example, from US 2017/275826 A1, US 2018/215547 A1 and US 2017/282317 A1.

In particular, the ever-increasing volumes in online trading require dealers, suppliers and logistics companies to handle the goods to be processed efficiently, especially with regard to the manufacture, provision and storage of the items, as well as the picking and transport of the items to the Customers. Overhead conveyor systems with transport elements are particularly suitable for the efficient conveyance of heterogeneous units of goods, such as workpieces in production processes, spare parts, consumer goods such as books, clothes, shoes, etc. For example, overhead conveyor systems can be used in logistics centers of mail order companies to transport a large number of goods -To store units of different sizes and weights, and to pick groups of articles according to the respective customer orders, i.e. to put them together according to the specifications for product groups, and to prepare them for dispatch.

In this description, the term goods units or goods is used synonymously, and can in particular include individual piece goods, but also packaged goods such as packages, and generally individually handleable items.

WO 2018/162123 A1 shows an exemplary method for picking units of goods in an overhead conveyor system, in which the individual goods are removed from a collection of goods and picked into groups of goods and are made available in the form of these groups of goods for further processing. The product groups are put together by placing the corresponding product units in an overhead conveyor bag of an overhead conveyor system.

An aspect relevant to an overhead conveyor system is the simple, smooth and efficient introduction of units of goods into the empty transport elements, for example transport bags, and the simple, smooth and efficient removal of the units of goods from the transport elements. Manually introducing the units of goods into the transport elements or removing the units of goods from the transport elements allows flexible handling of different units of goods, but is slow and expensive. Accordingly, partially automated or fully automated systems have been developed.

Examples of such automated loading systems and/or unloading systems for transport bags transported in an overhead conveyor system are shown, for example, in EP 2130968 A1, US 2018/072511 A1, US 2018/0208407 A1, EP 2418160 A1, US 2019/0367282 A1, US 2021/ 0171292 A1, WO 2018/078098 A1, US 2017/0369250 A1 and US 2021/0053763 A1.

Conventional automated picking systems typically consist of at least one long-term store, one short-term store, possibly a sorting system and a goods issue. In long-term storage, the various types of goods are stored and kept ready for later processing. In the short-term storage, the units of goods taken from the long-term storage of one or more picking orders are buffered. If necessary, the goods units of a picking order are sorted and fed to the goods issue, where the goods units of the completed picking order can be packed and shipped.

[0010] Long-term storage can be realized, for example, as a high-bay warehouse that allows a high storage volume utilization and for which highly automated access systems exist. Smaller units of goods are generally stored sorted in larger storage containers, from which the necessary units of goods are taken as required.

Short-term storage can be implemented in an overhead conveyor system with conveyor units, in particular as a fast buffer store in the form of buffer zones or rotary storage. In particular, this makes it possible to implement feed, discharge and, if necessary, sorting processes within the overhead conveyor system.

The access times to conventional long-term storage are typically long, which can lead to a logistical bottleneck at high throughput rates. A system interface is also required between the long-term storage facility and the short-term storage facility. In the simplest case, for example, an operator removes a unit of goods from a storage container of the long-term storage facility and transfers it to a transport unit of the overhead conveyor system.

US 2018/0251303 A1 and US 2018/0244473 A1 show a picking station for picking goods from storage containers into order containers. Box-shaped storage containers with the goods to be picked are supplied from a warehouse and made available in a row of bays. An operator or a robot takes the necessary goods from the storage bins provided and picks them according to the order either directly into hanging bags of a hanging bag conveyor system (single-stage picking) or into box-shaped storage bins, which in turn can be conveyed to a picking station (two-step picking).

WO 2014/009138 A1 describes a system for loading trolleys with packages without damaging them. The packages are fed on a horizontal conveyor and diverted to a plurality of sorting exits aligned transversely to the horizontal conveyor, each comprising horizontal belt conveyors. A first group of sorting exits, intended for heavy packages, leads to a height-adjustable work table. A heavy package is conveyed onto the work table, which is then raised in such a way that the package on the work table can be pushed horizontally onto packages already placed in the trolley. A second group of sorting exits, intended for light packages, conveys the packages overhead to a trolley to be loaded, where the packages can fall into the trolley from above. After a trolley has been loaded with heavy packages, it can still be completely filled with light packages. The work table can be moved parallel to the main conveyor so that it can be used for several trolleys. Completely filled trolleys are removed and replaced with empty trolleys.

Long-term storage and short-term storage can also be implemented as subsystems of an overhead conveyor system. There is no system interface between long-term storage and short-term storage, which means shorter access times are possible. In such a system, a unit of goods is brought into a transport unit of the overhead conveyor system and stored in a long-term storage facility. Such a long-term storage facility can be implemented, for example, with one or more very long round-trip storage facilities or a large number of storage sections, and can include several hundred thousand hanging conveyor pockets.

The necessary capacity and load capacity of a transport unit of a conveyor system results from the largest or heaviest unit of goods to be stored therein. If only one type of transport unit is used, the volume efficiency and also the cost efficiency of a corresponding long-term storage decreases with a large proportion of small goods units compared to a few large goods units, since the transport units for a large part of the goods units are oversized or built unnecessarily stable. This leads to a lower number of stored goods units per storage volume, and due to the generally higher procurement costs for larger or more stable transport units, to a considerable increase in the overall costs of the storage system. Alternatively, different types of transport units can be used, but this makes the overall system more complex and less flexible.

There is a general need for advances in this area of technology.

Presentation of the invention

An object of the invention is to provide a station for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system which does not have the above-mentioned and other disadvantages.

[0019] In particular, such a load management station should have a small construction volume and a small footprint. It should be energy-efficient, have a low probability of failure, be less error-prone and require little maintenance. Manufacturing, operation and maintenance should be cost-effective.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system, which does not have the above-mentioned and other disadvantages.

These and other objects are solved by the elements of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments also emerge from the dependent claims and the description.

The solution according to the invention can be further improved by various configurations that are advantageous in and of themselves and, unless stated otherwise, can be combined with one another as desired. These embodiments and the advantages associated with them are discussed below.

The terms article and unit of goods are used synonymously in this description and denote physical objects that can be separated. Containers with objects packed in them can also be units of goods.

A first aspect of the invention relates to advantageous stations for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system.

A station according to the invention for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system comprises a first conveyor and a second conveyor with a plurality of transport units; at least one transfer station set up to receive units of goods, wherein the at least one transfer station has a third conveyor for conveying units of goods; a removal station for removing units of goods from a transport unit of the first conveyor and transferring the removed units of goods to said transfer station; and a transfer station for transferring units of goods from said transfer station to a transport unit of the second conveyor.

In a loading management station according to the invention, the transfer station advantageously comprises at least one actuator for the targeted movement of individual goods units.

[0027] Such an actuator can, for example, comprise a handling device, for example a robot arm. Such a handling device has the advantage that units of goods can be manipulated as desired without further complex devices. For example, the third conveyor can be designed as a simple linear or circular horizontal conveyor, on which the units of goods removed in the removal station can be deposited without further preparatory work. An actuator can also include movable elements which can move units of goods on the third conveyor, for example pushers, flipper arms, switches and the like.

In an advantageous embodiment of a loading management station according to the invention, the transport units can be conveyed on the second conveyor along a conveying route, in particular along a conveying path. The movement of the transport units of the second conveyor is thus path-bound, which enables efficient loading of the transport unit in the loading management station.

The promotion of the transport units in the conveyors can be done actively, by means of a drive, and / or passively, for example driven by gravity.

A loading management station according to the invention can advantageously be used in a conveyor system or a storage system, for example to optimize the volumetric efficiency of the warehouse or the loading density of the transport units by controlling the loading of the transport units accordingly.

The first conveyor and the second conveyor are advantageously part of a common conveyor system, in particular a conveyor system of a storage system. For example, the first conveyor and the second conveyor can be a section of a higher-level conveyor device, in particular an overhead conveyor system.

The third conveyor of the transfer station makes it possible, in particular, to efficiently sort the goods units introduced into the transfer station, to convert them into transport units, to combine them into picking order groups, to reorganize them or to manipulate them in some other way.

A loading management station according to the invention makes it possible, among other things, to remove units of goods from a transport unit with a low degree of loading and to transfer them together with other units of goods to another transport unit, which then has a higher degree of loading. Likewise, units of goods can be transferred into already loaded transport units in the transfer station in order to improve the degree of loading of the transport unit.

A loading management station according to the invention can also be used to relocate units of goods from transport units with a different composition to other transport units. In this way, for example, access times to a storage system of a picking system can be optimized by frequently requested combinations of items in orders already being stored in the same transport unit.

[0035] It is also possible, with a loading management station according to the invention, to provide a frequently ordered article in a transport unit essentially unmixed. After the removal of the transport unit from the temporary storage system, the goods units are gradually removed from the transport unit for the compilation of picking orders, and it can then be partially or completely emptied and loaded again in another way. Since the corresponding removal processes take place at short intervals on average due to the high turnover of the corresponding article, the transport unit can remain in the short-term storage system for this period of time. This increases the access time to frequently requested item types without unnecessarily blocking the capacity of the short-term storage system.

Article types that are rarely in demand can in turn be placed together in one transport unit. The corresponding transport unit can then be stored with a high degree of loading in the long-term storage system until the next item is required.

[0037] A loading management station according to the invention also allows new goods units to be fed into a storage system more simply and flexibly. When goods are received, articles can be brought into provided transport units without taking special rules into account. The feeding of the goods units into a storage system can be done very quickly. The loading management of the transport units then takes place by means of a loading management station according to the invention.

A loading management station according to the invention can also be used to convert the goods units of a picking order, or a subset thereof, into a transport unit. This can then be conveyed to a separate goods issue station. With such a system, the compilation of picking orders can be decoupled from the goods issue without having to collect large quantities of transport units assigned to the picking order, each with only one article, in dedicated buffer stores, as is known from the prior art. The first conveyor and/or the second conveyor of a loading management station according to the invention is advantageously designed as a belt conveyor, tray conveyor, tilting tray conveyor, plate chain conveyor, modular belt conveyor, cam chain conveyor or cross belt conveyor, or as an overhead conveyor system, in particular as a rail-guided conveyor system or as a conveyor chain system, with which transport units are suspended along a Conveyor or a conveyor path are transportable.

Belt conveyors, bowl conveyors, tilting bowl conveyors, plate chain conveyors, modular belt conveyors, cam chain conveyors and cross belt conveyors are particularly advantageous for transport units in the form of containers as are described in the following embodiment variant. Overhead conveyor systems, in turn, are particularly advantageous for transport units in the form of overhead conveyor bags.

Alternatively or additionally, in a load management station according to the invention, the first conveyor and/or the second conveyor can have a container that is open at the top when filled for receiving units of goods, for example a bag, a tray, a transport box, a basket, a box or carton.

In this way, for example, an order-picking system can be implemented with a crate-based high-bay storage system that is connected to a belt conveyor system that interacts with a load management station according to the invention.

In an advantageous variant of a load management station, the first conveyor and/or the second conveyor can comprise an actively driven conveyor device.

In a loading management station according to the invention, the third conveyor advantageously includes a device for horizontally conveying units of goods, for example a belt conveyor, tray conveyor, tilting tray conveyor, plate chain conveyor, modular belt conveyor, cross belt conveyor, vibrating conveyor, cam chain conveyor, drop flap conveyor and/or a carousel conveyor.

A horizontal conveyor device has the advantage, among other things, that the units of goods conveyed on it are accessible from above, for example for manipulators or detection devices.

In such a loading management station, the transfer station particularly advantageously includes a device for deflecting product units on the horizontal conveyor device of the third conveyor.

[0046] Deflection devices allow units of goods to be moved in a targeted manner while being conveyed through the horizontal conveyor device in such a way that they can, for example, get into the desired transport unit, or can be collected for the compilation of an order-picking order.

In a further advantageous embodiment of a loading management station according to the invention, the third conveyor comprises a device for vertically conveying units of goods, for example a circulating paternoster conveyor.

Such a vertical conveyor has the advantage of a smaller footprint.

In another advantageous embodiment of a load management station according to the invention, the transfer station has one or more transfer locations.

[0050] Groups of goods units can, for example, be collected at such transfer points before they are transferred together to a transport unit. Alternatively, transport units can be temporarily kept static at such transfer points so that the goods units can be continuously transferred to the transport units.

[0051] A load management station according to the invention can comprise a device which is set up to sort and/or group and/or separate units of goods in the transfer station.

[0052] A load management station according to the invention can comprise one or more further conveying devices, in particular passive conveying devices, for example slides and chutes. Transport units or units of goods can be conveyed on such passive conveying devices without an active drive, for example driven by gravity.

[0053] A loading management station according to the invention can further comprise a detection device for determining the position of units of goods in the transfer station.

[0054] Such a detection device allows simpler and more efficient manipulation of the units of goods at the transfer station, since a control of the loading management station according to the invention can take into account the current position of the units of goods for the operation of the station.

[0055] A loading management station according to the invention can also include an identification device for determining the identity of units of goods in the transfer station.

[0056] Such an identification device makes it possible to identify units of goods at the transfer station or to verify their identity in order to avoid or correct erroneous processes, for example. Identification can be done optically, for example, or by reading information carriers such as one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcodes, or RFID tags.

A loading management station according to the invention can also include a marking device for marking the position of units of goods in the transfer station.

Such a marking device can be realized, for example, with a projector or with a steerable laser beam, with which a certain unit of goods on the third conveyor is optically marked, for example by the projected image of a circle or cross. Also conceivable is the arrangement of a large number of lighting elements, for example LEDs arranged in a grid pattern, on the third conveyor, which can be controlled in a targeted manner in such a way that only the lighting elements immediately around the object to be marked light up. It is also conceivable to have a plurality of lighting elements with a narrow light cone, with which the third conveyor is covered in the form of a grid.

An operator can then pick up a correspondingly marked unit of goods and place it, for example, in a collection container for a picking order, without having to read the instructions or know the relevant articles. This increases the possible throughput speed. An operator also needs only minimal training.

A loading management station according to the invention can include a weighing device for determining the weight of one or more units of goods.

Such a weighing device can be used, for example, to verify the identity of units of goods. For example, a weighing device can be placed under a section of the third conveyor, or elements such as transport trays of a tray conveyor can be placed on weighing elements.

In a loading management station according to the invention, the transfer station can include a device for temporarily storing units of goods.

Such intermediate storage devices increase the capacity of the transfer station and can be implemented in various ways, for example as a loop of a horizontal conveyor of the third conveyor. A buffer can be permanently active, or as a buffer that can be switched on if required.

A further advantageous embodiment of a loading management station according to the invention comprises at least one delivery station for temporarily receiving and preparing a group of product units for subsequent use, for example the packaging of the group of product units in a container.

In such an embodiment, a load management station according to the invention can also be used in particular as part of an order-picking system. Goods units that are required for one or more picking orders can be removed from the transfer station at the delivery station. For example, the units of goods can be packed directly into shipping containers, or they are conveyed to a separate goods issue station.

A load management station according to the invention advantageously comprises a conveyor system which functionally connects the first conveyor and the second conveyor.

For example, the first conveyor and the second conveyor can be part of a common conveyor system. In particular, this makes it possible to dispense with corresponding interfaces between different conveyor systems.

A loading management station can be integrated into a storage system in particular in that the first conveyor and the second conveyor are part of a higher-level conveyor system of the storage system.

A second aspect of the invention relates to an advantageous conveyor system. A conveyor system according to the invention comprises a load management station according to the invention.

A third aspect of the invention relates to an advantageous storage system. A storage system according to the invention includes a load management station according to the invention.

A fourth aspect of the invention relates to advantageous methods for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system.

[0072] A method according to the invention for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system comprises the steps: removing at least one unit of goods from at least one transport unit of a first conveyor; - Transfer of the removed at least one unit of goods to a transfer station (31) which comprises a third conveyor (32); - conveying at least one unit of goods in the transfer station with the third conveyor along a conveying path; and - transferring at least one unit of goods from said transfer station into at least one transport unit of a second conveyor.

In an advantageous variant of such a method, a subset of the product units is removed from the transfer station and not transferred to a transport unit of the second conveyor.

Alternatively or additionally, groups of product units can be transferred to a transport unit of the second conveyor in such a method.

In particular, with a loading management station according to the invention, picking orders can be compiled by removing the corresponding goods units from the transfer station and collecting them in a corresponding delivery station, or alternatively storing them temporarily in a specific transport unit of the second conveyor for this purpose. The corresponding transport unit can then be conveyed within a storage system according to the invention to a goods issue.

It is known, in particular from the mail order business, that the statistical distribution of the size (number of elements) of picking orders decreases disproportionately with increasing size. For example, 60% of all picking orders can only contain one unit of goods. In such a case, the efficiency for this case can be greatly increased with a method according to the invention or a loading management station according to the invention, in that goods units for such picking orders with quantity size m=1 are collected in one transport unit. In this way, the number of transport units required for the majority of picking orders can be greatly reduced. If, for example, an average of ten goods units can be conveyed in one transport unit, the number of transport units to be conveyed within the storage system drops to 10% for m=1, or to 46% for all picking orders together.

A transport unit loaded with several units of goods from picking orders with m=1 can then be conveyed within a storage system to a packaging station of a goods issue, at which an operator removes one unit of goods after the other from the transport unit, identifies them (for example by scanning a barcode) and appropriately packaged and addressed ready for dispatch. Since all relevant picking orders contain only one unit of goods, no units of goods have to be brought together in one shipping container, or the separation of the different picking orders is possible without further information.

This advantageous procedure can be generalized for smaller order sizes in that, for example, the elements of picking orders with m=2 and m=3 are also collected in a common transport unit. As a result, the number of transport units required can be further reduced. At the same time, the subsequent effort in the packaging station for separating the picking orders increases. If the number of picking orders is kept small with m>1 per transport unit, manual separation in a packaging station is still possible without any problems.

Brief description of the drawings

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the drawings below. These merely show exemplary embodiments of the subject matter of the invention and are not suitable for restricting the invention to the features disclosed herein. The same or similar reference symbols are used in the following figures and the associated description for parts that are the same or have the same effect. FIG. 1 schematically shows a storage system with loading management stations according to the invention in connection with various subsystems. FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of a possible embodiment of a load management station according to the invention. FIG. 3 shows a schematic front view of a further embodiment of a load management station according to the invention, with a detection device. FIG. 4 shows a schematic front view of yet another embodiment of a load management station according to the invention with a second conveyor with transport boxes. FIG. 5 shows a schematic plan view of another embodiment of a load management station according to the invention, with a robot arm as the handling device. FIG. 6 schematically shows another embodiment of a load management station according to the invention, with a number of transfer locations, (a) in top view and (b) as a cross section, viewed from the right. FIG. 7 schematically shows a further embodiment of a loading management station according to the invention, with several transfer points, (a) in top view and in a side view from the right, with a collecting trough of a transfer point (b) in the collecting position and (c) in the emptying position. FIG. 8 shows a schematic top view of another embodiment of a load management station according to the invention, with a number of transfer locations and a revolving third conveyor.

Ways to carry out the invention

A storage system 1 according to the invention with load management stations according to the invention is shown schematically in FIG. A long-term store 11 is set up to accommodate a larger number of units of goods over a longer period of time, while a short-term store is intended to store units of goods over shorter periods of time. Units of goods are fed into the storage system 1 via a goods receipt 13 and removed from the storage system 1 via a goods issue 14 . An empty container store 15 is provided to store empty, unloaded transport units and to keep them ready for use. A conveyor system 10 connects these different subsystems of the storage system and enables the transport of units of goods between the subsystems 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 of the storage system 1.

Such a storage system 1 can be used in particular in connection with an order-picking system with which groups of goods units are put together according to an order and then delivered. A storage system 1 for such an application can also contain additional subsystems, for example a sorting system.

A load management station 3, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d according to the invention is integrated into the conveyor system 10. The loading management station can be assigned to a specific subsystem (loading management stations 3a-3d), or can be operatively connected to two or more subsystems via the higher-level conveyor system 10 (loading management station 3).

An example of a load management station 3 according to the invention is shown in FIG. The loading management station 3 shown is set up to compile picking orders in addition to loading management.

A transport unit 4" is fed in with a first conveyor 21. This can, for example, have reached the first conveyor from a short-term warehouse of a higher-level storage system, can have been retrieved from a long-term warehouse 11, or can have been conveyed here directly from a goods receipt The first conveyor 21 is only indicated by its system boundary. The first conveyor can be, for example, an overhead conveyor system with which overhead conveyor bags 41 can be conveyed suspended as transport units. In the example shown, the transport unit 4" includes four goods units 9 (marked as a, b, c, d), whereby the goods units can be identical or different.

At a removal station 36, which is also shown only symbolically as a system boundary, the product units 9 are removed from the transport unit 4" and transferred to a transfer station 31. The transfer station 31 includes a third conveyor device 32, with which a plurality of product units 9 can be conveyed along a conveying direction 321. The conveying device can be designed, for example, as a belt conveying device with a horizontal conveyor belt 322, as shown in the figure.

The removal process in the removal station 36 can take place in various ways. For example, a hanging conveyor bag 41 can be emptied onto the conveyor belt 322, or the goods units 9 are taken out of the transport unit and placed on the conveyor belt 322 of the transfer station, for example by a robot arm. The removal process preferably takes place automatically. The now empty, unoccupied transport units can be conveyed away for further use. For example, they can be reloaded at a goods receipt of the storage system, or they are fed to the second conveyor of the loading management station for loading. Unoccupied transport units can also be temporarily stored in an empty container store until they are used again.

After the goods units a, b, c, d have been deposited on the conveyor belt 322, they are conveyed along the conveying direction 321. An operator 8 can now pick up one or more of the product units on the belt conveyor 32, 322 and hand them over to a delivery station 141 of a goods issue 14 (in the example shown, the product units a and d) for the compilation of a picking order. For example, the goods units of an order can be temporarily stored in a container and packed in a shipping carton after the order has been assembled.

Goods units that are not required for a picking order (b and c in the example shown) are transferred at the end of the third conveyor 32 at a transfer station 37' (shown symbolically) into a transport unit 4' of a second conveyor 25 (shown symbolically) transferred. The transport unit 4' can in turn be an overhead conveyor bag 41 of an overhead conveyor system. The goods units are advantageously transferred automatically.

It is possible to bring unneeded units of goods into a ready-held transport unit 4' until its maximum loading capacity is reached. The maximum loading capacity can refer, for example, to the weight of the total load, or to the number or volume of the goods units stored. Combinations of such parameters are also possible. If further storage is not possible, the completely loaded transport unit 4' is conveyed on in the second conveyor 25 and replaced by a new transport unit for receiving units of goods in the transfer station 37'.

It is also conceivable that, based on the specific combination of the goods units already stored in the transport unit 4', a control unit of the loading management station decides whether the next goods unit can still be stored in the same transport unit or not. For example, four voluminous but light goods units can occupy a transport unit as much as possible, or such a first goods unit and a heavy, but smaller, second goods unit, with the maximum loading volume being reached in the first case and the maximum loading weight in the second case.

[0091] If different types of transport units are used in the second conveyor, for example with different maximum loads or loading volumes, this is advantageously taken into account in the loading management.

It is conceivable that a transport unit 4' held ready in the transfer station 37' is respectively occupied up to the maximum capacity before it is replaced. Likewise, a transport unit 4' that is kept ready can also be enclosed up to a lower loading level before it is replaced by a new transport unit. For example, only one new unit of goods can be stored in a ready-held transport unit 4'. The first variant is particularly advantageous if the transport unit 4' of the second conveyor 25 is provided statically. The number of transport unit changes in the transfer station is minimal, and occupied transport units are optimally filled. The last variant, in turn, is particularly advantageous in the case of a dynamically designed second conveyor, in which, for example, an empty or already partially occupied transport unit is only to be kept ready for a short time, during which time it may or may not be filled with a unit of goods, and is then conveyed further in the second conveyor. In this way, the transport units can be loaded evenly within the conveyor system.

The first conveyor 21 and the second conveyor 25 are advantageously implemented as part of a common higher-level conveyor system, for example as corresponding sections of an overall conveyor of a storage system. In a particularly advantageous embodiment of a load management station according to the invention, the first conveyor 21 and the second conveyor are sections of an overhead conveyor system of a storage system, the subsystem of which is the load management station. Transport units 4" are conveyed by the overhead conveyor system into a first section (which corresponds to the first conveyor 21), in which the units of goods removed from the transport units are transferred to the transfer station 31. The emptied transport units are then removed from the first conveyor 21 in the overhead conveyor system for further use Similarly, transport units 4' are transported by the overhead conveyor system into a second section 25, in which product units can be introduced from the transfer station 31 into the transport units 4'.

The loading management station in FIG. 2 additionally has an optional marking device 33 which is intended to optically mark one or more goods units on the third conveyor 32 of the transfer station 31 . For example, the marking device can comprise a projector device with which a circular marking 331 is projected onto the conveyor belt 322, in the center of which is a unit of goods d, and/or a cross-shaped marking on the unit of goods itself. The marking advantageously moves with the third Conveyor 32 moving unit of goods with.

Such an optical marking 331 can be used, for example, to indicate to a human operator 8 which unit of goods has to be removed from the transfer station 31 and made available in the delivery station 141 for a picking order. In this way, for example, an instruction by means of a display on a screen can be omitted. The operator does not have to switch focus of attention between an instruction screen and the conveyor, which is more convenient and increases throughput.

A controllable laser beam can also be used instead of a projector. A plurality of statistical light sources with a narrow beam of light (e.g. spotlights with a narrow focus) can also be arranged above the third conveyor 25, each of which illuminates a region of the conveyor in a grid-like manner. A unit of goods can be marked dynamically by suitably controlling the light sources. It is also conceivable to integrate lighting elements in the third conveyor. For example, the surface of a conveyor belt can be equipped with a matrix of lighting elements (e.g. LEDs), with the individual lighting elements being controlled in such a way that a specific unit of goods is optically marked for the viewer.

An optical marking can also be applied with oscillating or pulsed intensity in order to make it easier for the operator 8 to find the marking with a large number of moving elements.

A specific further embodiment of a load management station 3 according to the invention is shown in FIG. A transfer station 31 comprises a third conveyor 32 in the form of a belt conveyor 322 with a horizontal endless conveyor belt.

At a removal station 36, units of goods 9 arrive from a first conveyor 21 with a plurality of transport units, for example in the form of a section of an overhead conveyor system with overhead conveyor pockets, via a chute 361 to the start of the conveyor belt 322. Around overhead conveyor pockets of an overhead conveyor system onto a ramp 361 for example, a system as disclosed in US 2021/0171292 A1 can be used for emptying.

The product units 9 are conveyed along the conveying direction 321 on the conveyor belt 322 of the third conveyor 32 of the transfer station 31 . During this transport on the transfer station 31, the product units 9 can be manipulated as desired. For example, units of goods can be removed from the transfer station 31 and used to compile picking orders. Likewise, for example, the order of the goods units in the conveying direction 321 on the third conveyor 32 can be changed in order to be able to load a transport unit 4′ in the form of a hanging conveyor bag 41 with goods units as desired.

In a transfer station 37', the goods units 9 are transferred to a transport unit 4' in the form of an overhead conveyor bag 41, with a loading space 410, which is suspended via a support structure 412 with a free-running carriage on a rail 252 of an overhead conveyor system or second conveyor 25 connected is. In the example shown, the goods units are transferred in that the end of the belt conveyor 322 is arranged so that it projects slightly above an opening 411 of the waiting hanging conveyor bag 41, so that a goods unit falls into the loading space 410 after it has reached the end of the third conveyor 32. If a new transport unit 4' is to be filled, the hanging transport pocket 41 is carried away on the running rail 252 of the second conveyor 25 and replaced by a new transport unit.

In the exemplary embodiment shown of a loading management station 3 according to the invention, an optional detection device 35 is arranged above the third conveyor 32 in order to detect the goods units 9 on the belt conveyor 322. The detection device 35 can be designed, for example, as a camera that takes pictures of the top of the conveyor 35, which can then be evaluated by an evaluation unit (not shown) of the loading management station in order to determine the position, alignment and/or identity of the goods units.

A control device of a loading management station can be designed in such a way that it can detect, for example, incorrect removal of a unit of goods from the transfer station (for example, if the wrong unit of goods was transferred to a goods issue or the intended removal did not take place at all). In such a case, for example, a visual or audible alarm may be given to the operator, or the third conveyor may be slowed down or stopped. Such an embodiment variant has the advantage that human operating errors and malfunctions, for example of actuators, can be detected early and, if necessary, corrected before a state is reached in which the correction of the error becomes complex and difficult.

A camera of the detection device can also have a TOF (time-of-flight) 3D functionality in order to obtain data in the third dimension in addition to the two-dimensional image. A detection device 35 can also use a 3D laser scanner to create a three-dimensional image, or two cameras spaced apart from one another. This additional 3D information can be used, for example, to determine the position of the product unit in space even more precisely, which makes it easier to pick it up with a robot arm, for example. The three-dimensional information can also be used to check or check the identity of a unit of goods for plausibility.

[0105] A loading management station according to the invention can also include an identification device, for example an RFID sensor for reading out RFID tags on the units of goods for the purpose of identifying the units of goods. It is also conceivable for three-dimensional QR codes or two-dimensional barcodes on the goods units to be read using a camera or a laser scanner. The evaluation of images of printed data, illustrations, logos, etc. on the units of goods can also be used to identify units of goods.

Another embodiment of a load management station 3 according to the invention is shown in FIG. The removal station 36 and the transfer station 31 essentially correspond to those from FIG. 3, and reference is made to the corresponding previous statements. The first conveyor 21 is advantageously a box-based conveyor system analogous to the second conveyor 25 in order to avoid complex interfaces between different conveyor systems. During the conveyance of the units of goods 9 on the conveyor belt 322 of the third conveyor, the units of goods can again be manipulated as desired.

A second conveyor 25 comprises a sequence of belt conveyors 254', 254, 254" which are arranged below the third conveyor parallel to it, and on which a plurality of transport units 4, 4' in the form of transport boxes 42 along a conveying direction 251 can be conveyed from right to left. The second conveyor can also be implemented as a one-piece belt conveyor. However, the subdivision shown into several sections 254', 254, 254" has the advantage that the conveying speeds can be controlled differently.

In the example shown, empty transport units 4 in the form of transport boxes 42 are conveyed from the right on the belt conveyor 254′, for example from an empty container store 15. The empty transport boxes 42 are kept ready with minimal spacing on the belt conveyor 254 connected downstream. The belt conveyor 254 thus acts as a local intermediate store for empty transport units.

When a unit of goods reaches the end of the conveying path of the third conveyor 32, the unit of goods arrives via a chute 371′ of a transfer station 37′ in a transport unit 4′ waiting on the belt conveyor 254 when the planned filling of this transport unit 4′ has been reached , it is conveyed to the left onto the following belt conveyor 254". At the same time, a new, empty transport unit is moved to the intended location at the transfer station 37'.

The conveying direction 251 of the second conveyor can also easily run in the opposite direction. In such a case, the transport boxes are conveyed from left to right. Instead of underneath the third conveyor, the second conveyor can also be arranged transversely to the third conveyor. It is also conceivable that the second conveyor is designed as a dead end. In such a variant, for example, the second conveyor can be filled from the left with empty, unoccupied transport boxes. The transport boxes are then filled one after the other at the transfer station 37' and the filled transport boxes are conveyed away to the left until the second conveyor is unoccupied.

The load management station 3 shown also has an identification device 38 . The identification device 38 shown only schematically in the exemplary embodiment shown is implemented as an RFID reading device which can read the RFID tags of the goods units in the transport unit 4' placed in the transfer station 37'. In this way, the identity of the goods units stored in the transport unit can be continuously tracked and compared with the target state. In this way, faulty loads can be identified immediately and corrected if necessary.

A further exemplary embodiment of a loading management station 3 according to the invention, shown schematically, with order-picking functionality is given in FIG. Removal station 21, transfer station 31 and transfer station 25 essentially correspond to the exemplary embodiment in FIG.

Instead of a human operator, two handling devices 34 are provided in the form of robotic arms with grippers. These can, for example, specifically pick up specific goods units 9 on the horizontal third conveyor 32 and deposit them in a plurality of delivery stations 141 of a goods issue 14 in order to compile corresponding picking orders. In the example shown, the delivery stations are designed as chutes 142, onto which the units of goods placed thereon are fed, driven by gravity, for further processing, in particular for loading a shipping container.

An advantageous embodiment of a loading management station 3 according to the invention, which enables the parallel loading of several transport units, is shown in FIG. Transport units 4" are supplied by a first conveyor 21 and unloaded at a removal station 36. The product units 9 are transferred to the transfer station 31. The transfer station 31 includes a third conveyor 32 in the form of a horizontal belt conveyor 322, which transports the product units along a conveying direction 321 from of the removal station 36. The second conveyor 25 is designed as a section of the conveyor path 251 of an overhead conveyor system.

Six transfer stations 37 are arranged along the third conveyor 36, and at the end of the third conveyor a final transfer station 37'. The transfer station 37' is equipped with a chute 371', via which all units of goods which reach the end of the third conveyor 32 reach the transport unit 4' of the second conveyor 25, driven by gravity. The transfer stations 37 located upstream in relation to the third conveyor each have a chute 371, with a fall line transverse to the conveying direction 321. Each transfer station 37 is assigned an actuator 372 in the form of a slide, with which a unit of goods passing on the belt conveyor is pushed onto the chute 371 can be pushed, on which it then slides, driven by gravity, into the transport unit 4 assigned to the transfer station 37 .

Such a loading management station 3 is suitable for loading a number of transport units in parallel. The change cycle of the transport units in the transfer stations can be reduced in this way. The change can also be synchronized by exchanging two or more transport units at the transfer stations at the same time. For example, in the exemplary embodiment shown, all transport units 4, 4' can be conveyed on at the same time in the conveying direction (a conveying direction to the left or to the right being possible here), and replaced by a new group of transport units. It is also possible to convey away only one or more transport units downstream and to push the remaining transport units further by a corresponding number of places.

[0117] The conveying speed of the third conveyor can optionally be varied in order, for example, to be able to push a specific unit of goods securely into a transport unit. The third conveyor can also be divided into different sections, for example as a series of two or more belt conveyors. By controlling the speed of the individual belt conveyors accordingly, the distance between the product units can be adjusted along the conveying path.

The first conveyor 21 is advantageously part of the same overall conveyor system as the second conveyor 25. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the first conveyor 21 is therefore advantageously also part of the same overhead conveyor system as the second conveyor 25, and the transport units 4" are the same overhead conveyor pockets 41

The loading management station 3 shown is also suitable for carrying out the automated loading management of the transport units in parallel with an automated compilation of picking orders with the same device. For example, one or more of the transport units kept ready in the transfer stations can be assigned to one or more picking orders and used to collect the corresponding goods units. Units of goods are transferred to other transport units that are kept ready as part of the loading management of the storage system. Transport units from picking orders can then, for example, be conveyed to a shipping station for outgoing goods. Newly loaded transport units are transported to the short-term storage facility to be available there for short-term further use, or they are stored in a long-term storage facility.

A similar embodiment of a load management station 3 according to the invention is shown in FIG. In a removal station 21, units of goods 9 are removed from a transport unit 4" of the first conveyor 21 and transferred to a transfer station 31. The units of goods 9 are conveyed along the conveying direction 321 on the belt conveyor 322 of the transfer station 31. At each of the four transfer stations 37 shown, actuators 372 divert certain units of goods onto a chute 371 in the form of pivotable deflection elements (pinball machines), which lead into a pivoted collection trough 373.

In a collection position of the collection trough 373 (shown in FIG. 7(b)), the units of goods are collected in the collection trough 373. If the goods units in the collecting trough 373 are to be transferred to a transport unit 4, the collecting trough 373 is pivoted into the emptying position (shown in FIG. 7(c)) and the goods units slide into the loading space 410 of a hanging conveyor bag 4, 41. The deflection element 372' at the end of the belt conveyor 322 does not have to be pivotable, but can remain permanently in the deflection position. All remaining units of goods are directed via the chute 371' into the pivoted collection trough 373'. Such an embodiment variant of a load management station 3 according to the invention has the additional advantage that the composition of the load on a transport unit can be decoupled from the presence of a transport unit. Transport units of a second conveyor can, for example, be conveyed slowly past the collection troughs 373, 373'. If a transport unit to be loaded passes a transfer station 37, 37' whose product units are to be transferred into the transport unit, the collecting trough 373 is tilted into the emptying position and the product units slide into the loading space 410 of the transport unit. The transport unit only has to be stopped briefly or not at all.

Another embodiment of a load management station 3 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 8, in which the first conveyor 21 and the second conveyor 25 are designed as part of a crate-based conveyor system.

A transport unit 4" in the form of a transport box 42 is conveyed in with a first conveyor 21, and its contents are transferred to a removal station 36 in the transfer station 31. The transport boxes 42 can be conveyed in the first conveyor on a modular belt conveyor, analogously to the second conveyor discussed below but also with another suitable conveyor, for example a cam chain conveyor. With a suitable actuator device (not shown), for example, the transport box 4", 42 can then be emptied onto a chute 361, on which the goods units 9 are gravity-driven onto the third conveyor 32 of the transfer station 31 slide.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the second conveyor 25 is designed as a modular belt conveyor 253, on which the transport boxes 4, 42 can be moved within the loading management station 3. Transport boxes can, if necessary via suitable interfaces, be supplied from a higher-level, crate-based storage system or transferred back to the storage system.

The third conveyor 32 is designed as a circulating modular belt conveyor 323, which promotes the units of goods in the transfer station 31 in the conveying direction 321 clockwise along a closed conveying path. The modular belt conveyor transports the goods units 9 past an optional goods exit 14 with a plurality of delivery stations, at which certain goods units can be pushed from the third conveyor onto a conveyor device 142 of a delivery station 141 by means of actuators in the form of pusher devices 272 . The third conveyor 32 then conveys the product units 9 past nine transfer stations 37, at each of which a transport unit 4 in the form of a transport box 42 is provided. By means of actuators in the form of slide devices 372, goods units 9 can be moved from the modular belt 322 via a chute 371 into the transport units 4, 42 provided.

Transport units 4, 42 that have been filled can be transferred to the second conveyor 25 by means of a suitable actuator device (not shown), such as a gripper, a pusher or a horizontal conveyor. Similarly, at unoccupied transfer stations 37, transport units 4, 42 are removed from the second conveyor 25 with a suitable actuator device (not shown) and made available for loading.

Alternatively, the second conveyor 25 can be implemented as a cross-belt conveyor, for example.

[0128] A third conveyor of a transfer station can alternatively be realized in various other ways instead of as a belt conveyor or modular belt conveyor, which allow units of goods to be transferred in a targeted manner into a specific transport unit. For example, a robotic arm can be used to pick up a unit of goods and deposit it in a specific transport unit. A tilt tray conveyor, a cross belt conveyor or a drop flap conveyor can also be used as the third conveyor in the transfer station, for example, in which case the corresponding modules of the conveyor each also contain an actuator device.

[0129] A third conveyor, in particular a third conveyor with a closed conveyor path, can also serve as a buffer for short-term intermediate storage of units of goods in the loading management station. This can be used, for example, to stabilize the operation of a storage system. It is also possible that goods units that will be needed in the future to fill transport units but cannot yet be filled into transport units, for example because the transfer stations are still occupied elsewhere, are left in the transfer station for a certain period of time until the corresponding Transport units ready for filling.

A load management station according to the invention can also have two or more removal stations instead of one removal station, as was shown in the previous examples.

The third conveyor of the transfer station of a load management station according to the invention can also consist of several sub-conveyor systems. For example, product units that reach the end of a linear sub-conveyor system, for example a horizontal belt conveyor, and are not transferred to a transport unit of a second conveyor can be transferred to a further belt conveyor, for example via a transfer chute.

The third conveyor in a load management station according to the invention can also be aligned vertically instead of horizontally as described above. For example, the third conveyor can be designed in the manner of a circulating paternoster, in which horizontal cross-belt conveyor modules are conveyed vertically in a circulating manner. Such an embodiment variant can be advantageous if the floor space requirement of a load management station according to the invention is to be as small as possible.

[0133] The first and/or the second conveyor of a load management station according to the invention can also be configured as a vertical conveyor. For example, hanging conveyor pockets to be loaded on a second conveyor can be conveyed vertically or with a large incline.

The present invention is not limited in scope to the specific embodiments described herein. Rather, for the person skilled in the art, from the description and the associated figures, various further modifications of the present invention, which also fall within the scope of protection of the claims, result in addition to the examples disclosed here. In addition, various references are cited in the description, the disclosure content of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference into the description.

reference character list

1 storage system 10 conveyor system 11 long-term storage 12 short-term storage 13 incoming goods 14 outgoing goods 141 delivery station 142 conveyor device, chute 15 empty container storage 21 first conveyor 25 second conveyor 251 conveyor path of the second conveyor 252 running rail 253 modular belt conveyor 254, 254', 254 belt conveyor 3, 3a-3d Station for loading management of transport units 31 transfer station 32 third conveyor 320 conveying path of the third conveyor 321 conveying direction of the third conveyor 322 belt conveyor 323 modular belt conveyor 33 marking device 331 marking 34 handling device, robot arm 35 detection device 36 removal station 361 chute 37, 37' transfer station 371, 371' transfer point, chute 372, 372' actuator, slide, flipper, deflection element 373, 373' collecting trough 38 identification device 4, 4', 4" transport unit 41 hanging conveyor bag 410 loading space 411 opening 412 supporting structure 42 transport box 420 loading space 421 opening 8 operator 9 goods unit

Claims (24)

1. Station (3) for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system, comprising a first conveyor (21) and a second conveyor (25) having a plurality of transport units (4, 4', 4"); at least one transfer station (31) set up to receive units of goods (9), the at least one transfer station (31) having a third conveyor (32) for conveying units of goods (9); a removal station (36) for removing units of goods from a transport unit (4") of the first conveyor (21) and transferring the removed units of goods to said transfer station; and a transfer station (37, 37') for transferring units of goods from said transfer station into a transport unit (4, 4') of the second conveyor. 2. Station according to claim 1, wherein the transfer station (31) comprises at least one actuator (34, 372, 372', 373, 373') for the targeted movement of individual goods units (9). 3. Station according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transport units (4, 4') can be conveyed on the second conveyor (25) along a conveying path, in particular along a conveying path (251). 4. Station according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first conveyor (21) and/or the second conveyor (25) is designed as a belt conveyor, tray conveyor, tilting tray conveyor, plate chain conveyor, modular belt conveyor, cam chain conveyor or cross belt conveyor, or as an overhead conveyor system, in particular as a rail-guided conveyor system or as a conveyor chain system with which transport units (41) can be transported hanging along a conveyor route or a conveyor path. 5. Station according to one of the preceding claims, in which the transport units (4, 4', 4") of the first conveyor (21) and/or the second conveyor (25) have a container, which is open at the top when filled, for receiving units of goods (9 ) have, for example a hanging conveyor bag (41), a bag, a bowl, a transport box, a basket, a box or a carton. 6. Station according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first conveyor (21) and/or the second conveyor (25) comprises an actively driven conveyor device. 7. Station according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the third conveyor (32) comprises a device for horizontally conveying units of goods (9), for example a belt conveyor, tray conveyor, tilting tray conveyor, plate chain conveyor, modular belt conveyor, cross belt conveyor, vibratory conveyor, cam chain conveyor, drop flap conveyor and/or a carousel conveyor. Station according to claim 4, wherein the transfer station (37) comprises a device (372, 372') for diverting units of goods (9) on the horizontal conveyor of the third conveyor (32). 9. Station according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the third conveyor (32) comprises a device for vertically conveying units of goods (9), for example a circulating paternoster conveyor. 10. Station according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transfer station (37, 37') has one or more transfer locations (371, 371', 373). 11. Station according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a device which is set up to sort and/or group and/or separate product units (9) in the transfer station (31). 12. Station according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the loading management station (3) comprises one or more further conveyor devices, in particular passive conveyor devices, for example slides and chutes. 13. Station according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a detection device (35) for determining the position of goods units (9) in the transfer station (31). 14. Station according to one of the preceding claims, comprising an identification device (38) for determining the identity of goods units (9) in the transfer station (31). 15. Station according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a marking device (33) for marking the position of goods units (9) in the transfer station (31). 16. Station according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a weighing device for determining the weight of one or more units of goods (9). 17. Station according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transfer station (31) comprises a device for temporarily storing goods units (9). 18. Station according to one of the preceding claims, comprising at least one delivery station (141) for temporarily receiving and providing a group of product units (9) for subsequent use, for example the packaging of the group of product units in a container. 19. Station according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a conveyor system (10) which operatively connects the first conveyor (21) and the second conveyor (25). 20. Conveyor system (10) with a load management station (3) according to any one of claims 1 to 19. 21. Storage system (1) with a load management station (3, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d) according to one of claims 1 to 19. 22. Method for loading management of transport units of a conveyor system, comprising the steps: - removal of at least one unit of goods (9) from at least one transport unit (4") of a first conveyor (21); - Transfer of the removed at least one unit of goods to a transfer station (31) which comprises a third conveyor (32); - conveying at least one unit of goods in the transfer station with the third conveyor along a conveying path; and - transferring at least one unit of goods from said transfer station to at least one transport unit (4, 4') of a second conveyor (25). 23. The method according to claim 22, wherein a subset of the product units (9) is removed from the transfer station (31) and not transferred to a transport unit (4, 4') of the second conveyor (25). 24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, wherein a group of goods units (9) are transferred to a transport unit (4, 4') of the second conveyor (25).