DE202023106747U1 - Material transport system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for material transport for production, comprising at least one autonomous material transport robot and at least one table for material, each robot comprising a drive part (1) and a transport area (2) arranged on the drive part (1), characterized in that the Transport area (2) of each robot comprises two conveyor systems (3) arranged parallel to one another with a parallel transport direction and the table contains a transport area (2) which is divided into four quadrants (4), each quadrant (4) having a conveyor system (3). comprises, wherein the conveyors (3) of the quadrants (4) of each table are arranged in two pairs, the conveyors (3) of each pair being arranged in parallel, and wherein the conveyors (3) of each quadrant (4) of each table have a parallel transport direction have.

Description

Technical subject area

The solution presented concerns a logistics system for material transport in production plants. The system consists of autonomous robots with conveyor systems and acceptance tables with conveyor systems.

State of the art

In today's state of the art, systems for intralogistics are known that include autonomous vehicles - transport robots - that transport materials, e.g. B. transport in transport containers or on pallets within a company, especially between warehouses and workplaces. An example of such a vehicle is in the document CN113859831A described.

The biggest disadvantage of the existing systems is their insufficient efficiency. The time spent delivering the material, driving away the empty containers or boxes and waiting for loading or unloading creates operational costs, which is why it would be advisable to find a solution that makes the distribution of material and containers more efficient might.

Nature of the technical solution

The shortcomings of the solutions known in the prior art are overcome to a certain extent by a system for transporting material for production, which includes at least one autonomous transport robot and at least one material table. Preferably several tables and/or robots are included. Each robot consists of a drive part and a transport area located on the drive part. The drive part can z. B. include an electric motor, a battery, wheels, etc. The transport area of each robot includes two conveyor systems arranged parallel to each other with a mutually parallel transport direction. These conveyors may be supported by a common frame, which may also support other components such as grids, sensors or controls, as described below. The table includes a transport area divided into four quadrants, each quadrant having a conveyor system. The conveyors from the quadrants of each table are arranged in two pairs, with the conveyors in each pair arranged in parallel. The conveyor systems from all quadrants of each table have a transport direction that is parallel to one another. A pair of table conveyors define the front end of the table conveying area for material exchange with the robot. The second pair defines the rear end for operation - e.g. B. removing material from one conveyor system and placing empty packaging on the other.

The robot's conveyors are preferably independent of each other, so that it is possible to load one and unload the other, i.e. H. they can move in opposite directions, but it is also possible to load or unload both, or to use only one while the other remains stationary. Likewise, all table conveyor systems are preferably independent. The advantage of this conveyor system on the robot and the table is the time saving when loading and unloading between the table and the robot. By default, the robot can arrive at the table during operation, unload full transport containers with material for the operator, load empty transport containers for transport from the workstation, and then drive away. Loading and unloading takes place at the same time, which can ideally reduce the time for these processes by up to half. For example, during the first loading cycle at the start of production, the robot can arrive at the table with full transport containers on both conveyors and unload them twice on the corresponding side of the table, i.e. H. with a run over between discharges. For the rest of the production, loading and unloading can then take place simultaneously.

In connection with the above-mentioned increase in efficiency in loading and unloading, another major advantage of the presented system is the creation of quadrants with conveyors on tables, which allows the workplace with a specific table to have an operational inventory of full transport containers, without the operator having to move this inventory, while allowing the import of new full shipping containers to avoid the risk of operator downtime due to material shortages. The conveyor at the rear of one side of the table can still carry full totes of material, and the conveyor at the front of the same side can unload the next load of full totes. Accordingly, on the other hand, for transporting items from the operator to the robot, whether they are empty transport containers, transport containers with packaging, transport containers with products, etc., it is possible to provide transport containers at the front end that can be loaded onto the robot , and to have space at the rear end for placing empty shipping containers, placing products in empty shipping containers, etc. This increases the efficiency of production even more, both temporal as well as spatial, energetic and financial efficiency.

The distance between the conveyors of each robot is preferably equal to the distance between the conveyors in each pair of conveyors of each table. Furthermore, the height of the robot conveyor system is preferably the same as the height of the table conveyor systems in order to enable easy reloading between these conveyor systems.

The transport area of each robot can be rectangular in plan and provided with a protective grille on three sides. Each conveyor system of the robot can then have one of its ends arranged along the fourth side of the transport area. Both conveyor systems are therefore accessible from one side of the robot and the robot is secured on the other sides against falling or touching the load. It is also possible to use the grid only on the sides, allowing loading and unloading from the front and back of the robot. This makes it easier to move the robot when loading, as it does not have to turn around, for example. B. to reach the warehouse or the table. If necessary, a temporary table with four quadrants can then be created by two robots in a row to create a temporary workstation. The grid can be detachably attached to the robot, so that e.g. B. one side of the transport area can be exposed for the transport of bulky material.

Preferably, each robot also includes sensors. The sensors can be used, for example, to detect the exceeding of the maximum height of the load, whereby the control unit of the robot can block the movement of the robot and / or issue an acoustic or visual warning, if such an exceedance is detected, a warning to the operator's computer, etc. Additional or different sensors may be used to detect the load on the conveyor. The sensors can also include a table, e.g. B. to detect the excess height of a load or the presence of a load. The control can then z. B. Ensure that the load is moved from the front conveyor to the rear conveyor or vice versa when a load on one conveyor and an empty second conveyor are detected. In a similar way, e.g. For example, a conveyor on a table can be started when a sensor detects the presence of a new load on the edge of the conveyor, indicating that a robot has arrived and started unloading the load onto the table using its conveyor.

The robot and/or the table can also, for example, B. Include emergency switches that are easily accessible from all sides of the robot/table. In addition, they can e.g. B. Include warning lights, especially with a robot an indicator light can be advantageous to visually inform the environment about the movement of the robot.

Explanation of drawings

• 1 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht eines autonomen Transportroboters in einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform des Materialtransportsystems gemäß der vorgestellten technischen Lösung, die die Anordnung von Förderanlagen, Sensoren und Schutzgitter im Transportbereich des Roboters zeigt,
• 2 zeigt die Vorderansicht des Roboters in 1,
• 3 zeigt die Seitenansicht des Roboters in 1,
• 4 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht des Tisches für das Material des Systems gemäß der technischen Lösung, wobei die Anordnung der vier Förderanlagen und der im Transportbereich befindlichen Sensoren ersichtlich ist,
• 5 zeigt die Vorderansicht des Roboters in 4,
• 6 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht des Systems gemäß der vorgestellten Lösung, wobei sich der Roboter am Tisch in der Position zum Be- und Entladen von Material befindet, wobei die entsprechenden Förderanlagen aufeinander ausgerichtet sind,
• 7 zeigt die Draufsicht auf den Zustand in 6,
• 8 zeigt die Seitenansicht auf den Zustand in 6,
• 9 zeigt schematisch die Aufteilung des Tischförderbereichs in Quadranten, die jeweils eine Förderanlage enthalten, und die Ausrichtung der Roboterförderanlage mit den Tischförderanlagen, und die Verbindung der beiden Reihen von Tischförderanlagen ist angegeben, wobei eine Reihe für den Materialaustausch mit dem Roboter und die andere für die Entnahme von Material und die Ablage leerer Transportbehälter aus dem Bereich des Bedieners verwendet wird.

The essence of the invention is further explained by means of exemplary embodiments, which are described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, which show:

• 1 shows a perspective view of an autonomous transport robot in an exemplary embodiment of the material transport system according to the technical solution presented, which shows the arrangement of conveyor systems, sensors and protective grilles in the transport area of the robot,
• 2 shows the front view of the robot in 1 ,
• 3 shows the side view of the robot in 1 ,
• 4 shows a perspective view of the table for the material of the system according to the technical solution, showing the arrangement of the four conveyors and the sensors located in the transport area,
• 5 shows the front view of the robot in 4 ,
• 6 shows a perspective view of the system according to the presented solution, with the robot on the table in the position for loading and unloading material, with the corresponding conveyors aligned with each other,
• 7 shows the top view of the state in 6 ,
• 8th shows the side view of the state in 6 ,
• 9 shows schematically the division of the table conveyor area into quadrants, each containing a conveyor, and the alignment of the robot conveyor with the table conveyors, and the connection of the two rows of table conveyors is indicated, one row for material exchange with the robot and the other for removal of material and the storage of empty transport containers from the operator's area.

Examples of technical solutions

The technical solution is explained in more detail using exemplary embodiments with reference to the corresponding drawings. An exemplary embodiment of a system for material transport for production is shown in the shown, with a more detailed view of the robot in the and the table in the . 9 shows a schematic representation of a possible operation of the system if the robot can bring full transport containers 11 onto the table and at the same time remove empty transport containers 10 from the table.

The system includes at least one autonomous robot, i.e. H. a device that independently processes the material, e.g. B. can be transported in containers, in a production hall or another industrial area according to given instructions. Advantageously, several of these robots are in use to ensure efficient material transport between different locations such as warehouses, shelves and workstations with material tables. Each robot includes a drive part 1 and a transport area 2. The drive part 1 includes, for example. B. an electric motor, an accumulator, the control and communication electronics, wheels, a gearbox, a housing and controls, e.g. B. are arranged on a control panel 8. To ensure safety in the workplace, the speed of the robot can be limited, for example to 1 m/s. The transport area 2 comprises a pair of conveyor systems 3 arranged in parallel, i.e. conveyor systems 3 which are arranged so that they transport the material in parallel, in particular opposite directions, but which are arranged next to one another. Therefore, it may not be possible to automatically transport the material from one conveyor 3 of the robot to another. The conveyor systems 3 can each have their own drive or a common drive; the energy for them can be provided from the same source as that for driving the robot movement. In addition, the transport area 2 includes a protective grid 5 to ensure operational safety, i.e. in particular to prevent the material from falling out or hitting surrounding objects during transport. The grid 5 is, for example, mounted 2 on three of the four sides of the transport area, with the fourth side making access to the two conveyor systems 3 possible. However, in some embodiments, the grid can also be 5 z. B. only be on opposite sides, with the conveyor systems 3 being accessible from both ends. The grid 5 can also be placed between the conveyors 3 or through another type of barrier, e.g. B. a bar structure or a solid wall can be replaced.

Advantageously, the robot also includes an indicator light 6 for better visibility of the robot, to indicate whether it is moving or standing, or to indicate a change in direction, a possible malfunction, etc. In the embodiment shown, the indicator light 6 is mounted on a column, so that it protrudes over the grid 5 and other parts of the robot so that it is clearly visible from all sides. In addition, the robot can contain sensors 7 to detect, for example, the presence of material on the conveyor system 3, whether the maximum height of the load has been exceeded, etc. In the embodiment shown, these are laser sensors 7 with a displayed beam direction, but in general, e.g. B. cameras with image processing control, infrared or inductive sensors, etc. can also be used. The robot can e.g. B. other control or display elements, such as easily accessible safety switches, and other standard elements of autonomous robots, such as. B. Obstacle and distance sensors, buffers, positioning systems, etc. included.

Another part of the system is a table for the material. The table also contains a transport area 2. This area is divided into four quadrants 4, each of which is equipped with at least one conveyor system 3, all of these conveyor systems 3 having the same transport direction. The movement of conveyor systems 3 can be realized by a common drive, but preferably their movement is independent of one another, which can be ensured by separate drives or by countershafts or optional transmission of the movement from the common drive. The table preferably has a front end for contact with the robot, although this need not be physical contact; this end is e.g. B. only accessible for the arrival of the robot and the exchange of material or transport containers between the robot and the table. The opposite rear end is for operator access from operator area 9. The transport direction of the conveyor systems 3 is from front to back or vice versa, ie for transport between the front and rear ends of the conveyor system 3 or the front and rear halves of the conveyor system 3. A side that connects the front and rear ends is to Example for the transport of empty transport containers 10, and the other side for the transport of full transport containers 11. This function is in shown schematically. Instead of empty transport containers 10, the robot can of course also transport away transport containers filled with packaging, assembled parts, leftovers, etc. As in shown, the conveyor systems 3 of both the table and the robot can be used alongside individual transport containers also transport stacks of transport containers, which is more advantageous in terms of transport capacity. The maximum number of transport containers that are stable enough for transport can then be monitored by the sensors 7 as described above. To ensure easy material transfer between the conveyor systems 3 of the table and the robot, the width and the distance of the conveyor systems 3 of the robot are preferably the same or at least approximately the same (e.g. ± 25%) as the width and the distance of the conveyor systems 3 front end of the table (see ). At the same time, the height of the table and the robot are identical, especially the surfaces of their conveyor systems 3 (see ), at least at the point where the reloading takes place, i.e. at the front end. In some versions, the table can also contain an inclined conveyor system 3 so that, for example, quadrants 4 at the rear end, from which the operator removes objects, are at a more ergonomically comfortable height without the robots having to be too high for stability reasons. One of the quadrants 4 can then include more than one conveyor system 3.

As in 4 shown as an example, the table can comprise columns which are provided with sensors 7 for detecting the maximum height of the load. Sensors 7 can be installed near the conveyor systems 3 in order to detect the presence of the load on the conveyor system 3. Thanks to these sensors 7, e.g. B. to ensure that the load from one end of the table is automatically transferred to the other end after the other end has been emptied. In the embodiment shown, the transport area 2 is supported by a metal frame and includes emergency switches. In some embodiments, for example, it may additionally include a protective grille 5 and a control panel 8, etc. The conveyor systems 3 of both the robot and the table are belt conveyor systems in the version shown, but in general other conveyor systems 3 can also be used, for example roller conveyors.

Thanks to the use of tables with four quadrants 4, the corresponding conveyors 3 of the table can maintain a constant supply of (partially) filled transport containers 11 on the first side of the other end, so that the material is constantly available to the operator and at the same time on the Table space for new full transport containers 11 is on the first side of the first end, so that the robot can bring in new transport containers before the old transport containers are completely emptied, thereby reducing downtime for the robot or the operator. On the other side of the other end there is space, for example, for storing empty transport containers 10 and at the same time empty transport containers 10 can be prepared for removal at the first end. Thanks to the use of two parallel conveyor systems 3, the robot can deliver full transport containers 11, bring them to the table in parallel and at the same time remove empty transport containers 10 from the table and then take them away again. In addition to eliminating downtime as described above, the time for material transfer between the robot and the table is reduced because the robot can simultaneously remove the material from the table and place it on the table. The control electronics of the robot, the table or the entire system preferably monitor whether the robot should feed the material for a specific task, remove the material/transport containers or do both and, depending on this, it controls the conveyor systems 3 of the robot and the table . At the same time, the control electronics of the system, e.g. B. a central control computer plans when and where each robot is sent to ensure the most efficient distribution of materials throughout the factory. This central optimization can be particularly effective in companies with several tables, some of which may be tables without a four-quadrant arrangement of the conveyor system 3 and/or several robots, some of which may be robots without a pair of conveyor systems 3 be advantageous. With the help of the control panel 8 on the robot or another implemented control device, such as. B. a tablet PC that communicates with the system, the operator can simultaneously or alternatively order the delivery of new material or the removal of transport containers, so that distribution planning can be done automatically or non-automatically. With such a distribution system, the robots can be better utilized because each robot can be sent to the workplace where it is needed at the moment, regardless of the regularity of the activities at the individual workplaces, for example. For example, situations in which a robot is idle waiting for commands due to the slowdown and interruption of its assigned workstation can be avoided if the robot can respond to a summon or transport requirement from another workstation. At the same time, transport efficiency can reduce the necessary operational inventories at the individual workplaces, so that the ratio of the use of production space to production resources and materials is improved. The solution presented thus enables a so-called Kanban approach in production.

The system can e.g. B. also include charging stations, central sensors or control units that are shared by several tables or robots, as well as conveyor systems 3 include warehouses equipped for loading material onto or removing material from the robots, etc.

• Fall Nr. 1: Hätten sowohl der mobile Roboter als auch der Tisch nur eine Förderanlage 3, würde die Logistikaufgabe wie folgt ablaufen:
  • 1) Der Roboter würde auf den Tisch entladen und leer wieder abfahren.
  • 2) Das Material muss zunächst vollständig vom Tisch abgenommen werden, damit der Tisch für eine eventuelle Beladung des Roboters mit leeren Transportbehältern 10 genutzt werden kann.
  • 3) Wenn der letzte leere Transportbehälter 10 auf den Tisch abgestellt ist, wartet der Produktionsmitarbeiter darauf, bis der Roboter die leeren Transportbehälter 10 wegbringt und dann eine neue Ladung einbringt.
• Fall Nr. 2: Es ist nicht wünschenswert, dass ein Fließband in der Produktion auf den mobilen Versorgungsroboter wartet. Dies kann mit zwei Tischen gelöst werden, wobei der Roboter das Material auf den ersten Tisch ablegt und die leeren Transportbehälter 10 vom zweiten Tisch lädt. Die logistische Aufgabe würde dann wie folgt ablaufen:
  • 1) Der Roboter lädt das Material auf den Tisch und fährt leer zum anderen Tisch.
  • 2) Der Roboter lädt die leeren Transportbehälter, nachdem er am zweiten Tisch 10 geparkt hat und fährt weg.

Compared to the state of the art, increasing the efficiency of logistics in operations can look like this:

• Case No. 1: If both the mobile robot and the table only had one conveyor system 3, the logistics task would proceed as follows:
  • 1) The robot would unload onto the table and leave empty.
  • 2) The material must first be completely removed from the table so that the table can be used to possibly load the robot with empty transport containers 10.
  • 3) When the last empty transport container 10 is placed on the table, the production employee waits until the robot takes away the empty transport containers 10 and then brings in a new load.
• Case #2: It is not desirable to have a production assembly line waiting for the mobile supply robot. This can be solved with two tables, with the robot placing the material on the first table and loading the empty transport containers 10 from the second table. The logistical task would then proceed as follows:
  • 1) The robot loads the material onto the table and moves to the other table empty.
  • 2) The robot loads the empty transport containers after parking at the second table 10 and drives away.

So case #2 is more efficient than case #1, but the efficiency is reduced by the crossing (and second parking) of the robot at the second table.

For example, if the average length of the transport route of a mobile robot is about 100 meters (depending on the size of the hall and the distance of the warehouse from the production line) and the robot travels at a speed of 1 m/s for safety reasons.

• 1) Der Roboter wird das Material bringen: Fahrt 100 s + 20 s Entladen = 120 s
• 2) Der Roboter holt leere Transportbehälter 10 ab: Fahrt 100 s + 20 s Entladen = 120 s
• 3) Die Verzögerung auf der Linie ist dadurch verursacht, dass kein Material verfügbar ist = Roboter bringt Material = min. 120 s

In the first case the time of operation would take:

• 1) The robot will bring the material: travel 100 s + 20 s unloading = 120 s
• 2) The robot picks up empty transport containers 10: travel 100 s + 20 s unloading = 120 s
• 3) The delay on the line is caused by no material available = robot brings material = min. 120 s

• 4) Der Roboter wird das Material bringen: Fahrt 100 s + 20 s Entladen = 120 s
• 5) Der Roboter lädt am anderen Tisch: Fahrt 5 s + 20 s Entladen = 25 s

In the second case, the operation time would take:

• 4) The robot will bring the material: travel 100 s + 20 s unloading = 120 s
• 5) The robot loads at the other table: travel 5 s + 20 s unload = 25 s

The present invention in this situation will place the material, unload full transport containers 11 and load empty transport containers in 120 seconds.

Reference symbol list

1

Drive part

2

Transportation area

3

conveyor system

4

quadrant

5

Grid

6

Indicator light

7

sensor

8th

Control panel

9

Area for the operator

10

Empty transport container

11

Full transport container

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• CN 113859831 A [0002]

Claims (3)

A system for material transport for production, comprising at least one autonomous material transport robot and at least one table for material, each robot comprising a drive part (1) and a transport area (2) arranged on the drive part (1), characterized in that the Transport area (2) of each robot comprises two conveyor systems (3) arranged parallel to one another with a parallel transport direction and the table contains a transport area (2) which is divided into four quadrants (4), each quadrant (4) having a conveyor system (3). comprises, wherein the conveyors (3) of the quadrants (4) of each table are arranged in two pairs, the conveyors (3) of each pair being arranged in parallel, and wherein the conveyors (3) of each quadrant (4) of each table have a parallel transport direction have. A system for material transport Claim 1 , characterized in that the distance between the conveyors (3) of each robot is equal to the distance between the conveyors (3) in each pair of conveyors (3) of each table. A system for material transport Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the transport area (2) of each robot has a rectangular plan, being provided with a protective grille (5) on three sides and each conveyor system (3) of the robot with one end along the fourth side of the transport area (2) is arranged.

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