EP4069609A2

EP4069609A2 - Storage system

Info

Publication number: EP4069609A2
Application number: EP20819725.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Maurizio Davolio; Rudolf Hansl
Original assignee: LOA Srl
Current assignee: LOA Srl
Priority date: 2019-12-04
Filing date: 2020-11-26
Publication date: 2022-10-12
Also published as: WO2021110836A2; DE102019133074A1; US20230002158A1; WO2021110836A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a storage system, which comprises at least one station, such as a station for receiving goods, for re-shelving goods, picking goods and/or supplying goods from the store, and a high-bay warehouse. The high-bay warehouse comprises a plurality of storage places arranged adjacent to and on top of each other for the storage of goods, wherein the storage system further comprises at least one displaceable goods transport vehicle which is designed to transport at least one item from the station to any storage place or vice versa, without reloading the goods onto a different goods transport vehicle or another means of transport. The invention further relates to a goods transport vehicle for a corresponding storage system.

Description

Storage system

The invention relates to a storage system which comprises at least one station, such as a goods storage, goods relocation, goods picking and / or goods retrieval station and a high-bay warehouse. The high-bay warehouse has a large number of storage spaces for the storage of goods arranged next to one another and on top of one another, the storage system further comprising at least one movable goods transport vehicle which is directed to at least one goods from the station to any storage space or vice versa without one Reloading the goods to another goods transport vehicle or another means of transport. The invention also relates to a goods transport vehicle for a corresponding storage system.

Generic storage systems are set up together with their goods transport vehicles to enable the most efficient possible flow of material between a high-bay warehouse and, if necessary, a large number of stations such as goods storage, goods relocation, goods picking and / or goods retrieval stations. The stations themselves can be set up as work stations for people and / or robots at which at least one person and / or at least one robot manipulate goods that have been removed from the high-bay warehouse or that are to be stored in the high-bay warehouse.

The problem with the storage systems and goods transport vehicles known from the prior art is that they are not optimized to make the work processes at the stations, i.e. the work steps carried out by the people and / or robots, such as the picking of individual shipping packages, as efficient as possible.

Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide an improved storage system or an improved goods transport vehicle, by means of which the transport of the goods can be optimized and, in particular, the work processes at the station can be made more efficient.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a storage system according to claim 1 and by a goods transport vehicle according to claim 14. Advantageous refinements are the subject of the subclaims.

According to the invention, a storage system is provided which comprises at least one station, such as a goods storage, goods relocation, goods picking and / or goods retrieval station and a high-bay warehouse. The high-bay warehouse has a large number of storage spaces arranged next to one another and one above the other for the storage of goods, the storage system further comprising at least one movable goods transport vehicle which is set up to transport at least one goods from the station to any storage location or vice versa without reloading the goods to be transported on another goods transport vehicle or other means of transport.

According to the invention it is further provided that the goods transport vehicle is set up to move for the transport of the goods both in the horizontally oriented area between the station and the high-bay warehouse and horizontally and vertically in the high-bay warehouse. The goods transport vehicle and the travel paths assigned to the goods transport vehicle are designed in such a way that the most flexible possible transport of goods between the high-bay warehouse and the station and also between individual storage locations of the high-bay warehouse is achieved. In particular, it is thus possible that more than one goods transport vehicle can be positioned in the area of the station for receiving and / or delivering goods. The goods transport vehicles and the station can be set up in such a way that two or more goods transport vehicles can also be at the station at the same time Receipt and / or delivery of goods can be positioned. The goods transport vehicle can also be set up to carry out all transport activities independently or autonomously. It can thus be a robot vehicle with a corresponding control / regulation, sensor system and drive device.

In the present case, the acceptance of goods means that one or more goods are removed from the goods transport vehicle, for example from a storage space or from the station, in order to be able to be transported by the goods transport vehicle. Conversely, the delivery of goods means that one or more goods are deposited by the goods transport vehicle at the station or at a storage location.

The picking up or delivery of the goods can be carried out or supported by the goods transport vehicle itself or by other aids; the picking up or delivery of goods can also be referred to as the inward or outward conveyance of the goods provided or foreseeable on the goods transport vehicle.

In a preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that at least some of the storage spaces of the high-bay warehouse comprise vertical girders and horizontal girders, the horizontal girders each comprising at least one horizontal travel area on which the goods transport vehicle can be moved horizontally and the vertical girders each include at least one vertical travel area on which the goods transport vehicle can move vertically is movable. The movement areas are those areas along which the goods transport vehicle can be moved and with which the warning transport vehicle is in contact. The movement areas can therefore be an integral part of the storage locations, at least in sections, which simplifies the production and construction of the system. Of course, the travel range of the goods transport vehicle can include other areas in addition to the carriers of the storage areas, such as special sections between the high-bay warehouse and the station. These sections can be simple, in particular flat floor areas on which the goods transport vehicle can be moved and on which the high-bay warehouse and / or the station is positioned. Alternatively or additionally, the movement area of the goods transport vehicle can comprise more complex structures such as rails and / or connecting shelves, via which the goods transport vehicle can be moved between the high-bay warehouse and the station. The goods transport vehicle is set up to carry out all movements independently, i.e. without external electromechanical drives or other components. The goods transport vehicle can also be moved independently of any other existing goods transport vehicles in the area of the storage system, whereby it is of course set up to prevent collisions with these other goods transport vehicles. change. The high-bay warehouse can be designed in such a way that the goods transport vehicle can approach different rows of the high-bay warehouse without having to move on the underground of the high-bay warehouse in between.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the horizontal movement areas of two adjacent storage locations are separated by a vertical movement area and / or that the vertical movement areas comprise a rack, a chain and / or a perforated plate. Such constructive configurations offer a particularly simple and inexpensive possibility of using a goods transport vehicle which can autonomously approach different levels of a high-bay warehouse.

In a further particularly preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that direction change areas are provided between horizontal travel areas and vertical travel areas, which enable a change in direction of the movement of the goods transport vehicle between a horizontal and a vertical direction. The direction change areas can include, for example, recesses in the horizontal movement areas and / or the vertical movement areas.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the goods transport vehicle is mechanically set up to be movable either only horizontally or only vertically at a given point in time. This provides a safeguard that prevents the goods transport vehicle from moving incorrectly and thus increases the availability of the goods transport vehicle and of the storage system as a whole.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the vertical travel areas are arranged offset from the horizontal travel areas, so that the vertical travel areas are arranged further than the horizontal travel areas of a travel space of the goods transport vehicle in which the goods transport vehicle is during the process. The staggered arrangement of the vertical movement areas and the horizontal movement areas can be understood to mean that the vertical movement areas are positioned deeper within the structure of the high-bay warehouse than the horizontal movement areas. An embodiment is also conceivable in which both movement areas are arranged at the same depth in relation to the high-bay warehouse or in which the horizontal movement areas are positioned deeper within the structure of the high-bay warehouse than the vertical movement areas.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the high-bay warehouse has at least two high-bay bay rows arranged in parallel and spaced apart from one another, each with at least comprises a horizontal travel area, wherein the goods transport vehicle can be moved horizontally on the horizontal travel areas, and / or that the horizontal travel area has an egg-shaped and / or an L-shaped profile. Such designs further simplify the structural design of the storage system with its goods transport vehicle. In particular, the flexible transport of goods is further simplified by means of the goods transport vehicle. This proposal allows the goods transport vehicles to be moved horizontally on top of one another and thus avoid a possible jam in the aisle between the two high-bay warehouses.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the goods transport vehicle can be moved independently, and / or that the goods transport vehicle can be moved independently over at least one vertical travel range from one horizontal travel range to another horizontal travel range vertically spaced therefrom, and / or that the goods transport vehicle can be moved in or out Conveying out the goods provided or foreseeable on the goods transport vehicle comprises a conveying means, such as a conveyor belt that can be driven by a drive or a roller conveyor that can be driven by a drive. The conveying means can alternatively or additionally be a gripping device or some other device which is set up to move goods between the goods transport vehicle and a storage location spaced therefrom.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the station comprises a conveyor belt and / or a roller conveyor, the conveyor belt and / or the roller conveyor being set up to deliver at least one product from the goods transport vehicle to a workstation on the conveyor belt and / or on the roller conveyor transport. The conveyor belt or the roller conveyor is explicitly understood as part of the station in the present case.

The conveyor belt or roller conveyor enables the goods to be held and transported in a certain order. If the goods are to be picked by a person or a robot, for example, then the goods can be made available in exactly the order in which they are to be added to an individual parcel, for example. The conveyor belt or the roller conveyor also enable the goods to be made available to the person or the robot at the smallest possible spatial or temporal intervals. The person or the robot does not have to wait in a time-consuming manner for a subsequent provision of subsequent goods by a subsequent goods transport vehicle, as is known from the prior art. According to the prior art, goods are sent directly from a goods transport vehicle, that is to say without an interposed conveyor belt or without an interposed roller conveyor, to a robot or a person further manipulation of the goods provided. If the following goods must then also be provided to the robot or the person, the currently used goods transport vehicle must first clear its place on the robot or on the person so that the following goods transport vehicle with the following goods can approach the robot or the person.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the station comprises at least one order-picking rack that is set up to be used both horizontally and vertically by the goods transport vehicle. The order picking rack facilitates the flexible placement of the goods on the conveyor belt or on the roller conveyor. Of course, the order picking rack can be dimensioned in such a way that more than one single goods transport vehicle can be moved in it at the same time. This makes it easier to position goods on the conveyor belt or on the roller conveyor in a desired sequence.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the order-picking rack comprises vertical beams and horizontal beams, like the storage spaces of the high-bay warehouse. The carriers of the order-picking rack can be constructed identically to the carriers of the high-bay warehouse, so that the mobility of the goods transport vehicle is made possible both in the high-bay warehouse and in the order-picking rack. In particular, it is conceivable that the carriers of the order-picking rack and the high rack have the same cross-sections.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the order-picking rack is designed to be more tiered and / or that at least one order-picking rack is arranged on both longitudinal sides of the conveyor belt and / or the roller conveyor and / or that the goods transport vehicle is set up to independently close the order-picking rack drive and / or that the order-picking rack is set up directly on or in the high-bay warehouse, as part of the high-bay warehouse or at a distance therefrom.

Depending on the specific design of the order-picking rack, it is therefore conceivable, in the case of a separate order-picking rack, which is spaced from the high-bay warehouse, to provide movement loops or other connecting devices between the order-picking rack and the high-bay warehouse, which allow aisles to be changed so that the goods transport vehicle can move from all high-bay aisles can move to all picking areas or places of the station or the picking rack. In the present case, travel paths for the goods transport vehicle that are arranged between individual shelves of the high-bay warehouse can be viewed as high-bay aisles. In an embodiment of the invention with two order picking racks arranged along the conveyor belt or the roller conveyor, it is more easily possible that several goods transport vehicles, if necessary, also from both longitudinal sides of the conveyor belt or the roller conveyor, in particular at the same time or at short intervals, colli or goods onto the conveyor belt or onto the roller conveyor can give up. This simplifies the creation of a desired sequence of goods or a sequence of packages, which in turn increases the efficiency of the person manipulating the goods or of the robot manipulating the goods.

It is therefore advantageously provided that the storage system has a sequencing device which is set up to process the goods stored in the order picking shelf, on the goods transport vehicle moving in the order picking shelf and / or in the storage locations of the order picking shelf in a predetermined or predeterminable manner (e.g. from a Storage or packaging control program) sequence to output on the conveyor belt or roller conveyor.

In an alternative embodiment of the proposal, it is provided that the order-picking rack is set up as part of the high-bay warehouse. Such a configuration is space-saving.

In a further preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the order-picking rack is designed lower and / or shorter than the high-bay warehouse. The size of the order picking shelf can be adapted in particular to the size of the station and / or to how many goods transport vehicles are to have access to the trans port belt or to the roller conveyor of the station at the same time or within a short time. The order picking rack can be integrated within a high rack, for example the transport belt or the roller conveyor of the station is at least partially positioned between two rows of the high rack and the sections of the high rack storage adjacent to the conveyor belt or the roller track are designed as order picking racks or function as such .

The order picking rack can alternatively or additionally be arranged above the conveyor belt or above the roller conveyor, wherein the goods transport vehicles can be designed to be able to deposit goods from above onto the conveyor belt or onto the roller conveyor. Furthermore, the proposal advantageously provides that the storage space is designed as an actively or passively drivable belt conveyor. Alternatively, it is provided that the storage area is equipped with a goods pushing or goods pulling device. The possibility that the goods can be moved in the storage area opens up a multitude of possibilities. First of all, it is possible that the storage space can be filled more efficiently with goods, for example smaller items of goods can be stored more efficiently in a storage space. However, it is also provided that the storage location also takes on a transport task for the goods, with the respective storage location preferably being connected to the front and rear of an aisle in which, for example, the goods can be taken over with the goods transport vehicle or from where the goods can be stored . In the case of wider high-bay warehouses, it is of course possible that the adjacent storage spaces are each equipped with corresponding, adjacent storage spaces and corresponding conveying means and thus also allow the goods to move independently of the goods transport vehicle.

It is of course possible to use a combined device that is used both as a goods pushing device and as a goods pulling device, depending on the direction of movement of the actuator. Alternatively, it is also provided that the goods transport vehicle, possibly each goods transport vehicle of the storage system, is equipped with a corresponding goods pushing and / or goods pulling device.

An actively driven belt conveyor is preferably equipped with its own electric motor, which is controlled and controlled by the control of the storage system.

In the case of a passively driven belt conveyor, the conveying capacity or conveyor energy is derived from another element of the storage system. For example, the goods transport vehicle is equipped with a corresponding drive that can be coupled to the storage location and thus supplies the passive belt conveyor with drive energy. This can be done, for example, by means of a corresponding PTO shaft approach or similar.

In a preferred embodiment of the proposal, it is provided that the storage space has a telescopic storage space section and the goods stored in the storage space can be moved through the telescopic storage space section, in particular can be conveyed into or out of the aisle between the individual high-bay warehouses. A movement of the goods in the storage area can also be realized with this means. The proposal also allows the goods to be conveyed across the aisle from one high-bay warehouse to the next, neighboring high-bay warehouse without (temporarily) a goods transport vehicle in the aisle. tool or another bridge element. In this case, a self-sufficient drive for the storage space, for example with an electric motor, and a corresponding mechanical drive and guide for the telescopic storage space section are advantageously provided.

Furthermore, it is provided that the storage space itself moves the at least one goods during storage, in particular transversely to the longitudinal extent of the high-bay warehouse. Up until now, it has been customary for the high-bay warehouse to hold the goods to be stored statically and for the goods to be stored and retrieved either by the stacker crane or the goods transport vehicle, especially when the goods are to be packaged and shipped. For optimization purposes, it has already been provided that the goods are stored in the rack storage system in an optimized way, for example often used and required goods are stored quickly accessible and goods that are less handled are more likely to be stored in the distant areas of the high-bay warehouse. Corresponding algorithms are also well known for the flexible allocation of the storage locations to the size or quantity of the goods to be stored. For fully automatic storage and retrieval of the goods, it is advantageous that the storage locations are equipped with appropriate (actively or passively) driven conveying means, such as belt conveyors, telescopic storage area sections or the like, i.e. the storage areas are upgraded with a corresponding conveying means.

However, this funding now allows an additional, surprising advantage, since it turns the static warehouse into a dynamic warehouse, in which the storage location moves the goods according to the algorithm. In an advantageous embodiment, it is therefore provided that the storage space, the storage system, in particular the high-bay warehouse, has a buffer store consisting of several storage spaces, in which the goods to be stored are at least moved through the storage spaces, pre-grouped or pre-picked. With this proposal, the storage system can be replaced much more flexibly, as this buffer store or buffer belt (consisting of several individual, each drivable storage spaces) as a separate station or pre-station for goods picking supports this considerably and allows more efficient processing. It should be pointed out at this point that the above-described idea can also be implemented independently of the design of the storage system described at the beginning, i.e. this buffer store or buffer belt arranged in the high-bay warehouse can also be implemented if the goods between the storage space and the station are on other conveying means, such as For example, a storage and retrieval machine or other goods transport vehicles can be relocated several times.

The invention also relates to a goods transport vehicle for a storage system as described. The goods transport vehicle can be designed to carry some or all of the further to realize the features or functions mentioned above in connection with the storage system.

In a preferred embodiment, it is conceivable that the goods transport vehicle is set up to transport individual goods between a storage space of a high-bay warehouse and a transport belt and / or a roller conveyor of a station. Accordingly, the goods transport vehicle can not only pick up and transport containers with a large number of goods or colli, but can also transport a number of goods precisely required, for example, for a picking order, that is to say also individual goods. This has a number of advantages. Thus, after carrying out a goods transport, the goods transport vehicle can carry out a subsequent goods transport directly and does not have to first transport excess goods back to their storage location in the high-bay warehouse. It is also simplified to transport different goods together by means of the goods transport vehicle. This is because only those goods that are currently required for a current order-picking order, for example, and no other goods are transported, which leaves more transport capacity in the goods transport vehicle for other goods, in particular those required subsequently. The goods required subsequently can, for example, be assigned to the current picking order or a subsequent picking order.

Further details and advantages of the invention are described with reference to the figures. Show:

FIG. 1: a schematic plan view of part of the storage system;

FIG. 2: a schematic plan view of the storage system with a picking station including a picking rack;

FIG. 3: a schematic side view of the storage system with a picking station including picking rack; and FIG. 4: a schematic plan view of a storage area of the storage system.

FIG. 1 shows part of a storage system 1 for storing goods or packages. The storage system 1 is shown in a plan view. The storage system 1 comprises at least one station 2, which is explained in more detail in the following FIGS. 2 and 3. The station 2 can be a goods storage, goods relocation, goods picking and / or goods retrieval station. The storage system 1 further comprises a high-bay warehouse 3, with a multiplicity of storage spaces 31 arranged next to one another and / or one above the other for the storage of goods. The high-bay warehouse 3 can include a plurality of rows of shelves, which can in particular be arranged parallel to one another. The storage system 1 also includes at least one movable goods transport vehicle 4, which is set up to transport at least one goods from station 2 to any storage location 31 or vice versa without reloading the goods onto another goods transport vehicle 4 or another means of transport. The goods transport vehicle 4 is set up to move for the transport of the goods both in the horizontally oriented area between the station 2 and the high-bay warehouse 3 and horizontally and vertically in the high-bay warehouse 3. In the top view of FIG. 1, the goods transport vehicle 4 can move between two rows of shelves of the high-bay warehouse 3 in a horizontal plane, or in the figure in a vertical direction.

At least some of the storage spaces 31 of the high-bay warehouse 3 can include vertical supports 32 and horizontal supports 33, the horizontal supports 33 each comprising at least one horizontal travel area on which the goods transport vehicle 4 can be moved horizontally and the vertical supports 32 each comprise at least one vertical travel range on which the goods transport vehicle 4 can be moved vertically. The movement areas of the carriers 32, 33 can be manufactured in one piece with the carriers. In the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1, five storage spaces 31 are shown in the upper area, to which two horizontal supports 33 are assigned. The number of storage spaces 31 which is assigned to the horizontal supports 33 and the vertical supports 32 can, however, be greater or smaller than is shown in FIG.

The vertical girders 32 can be designed as supports of the high-bay warehouse 3, which extend upward from a substrate of the high reg allagers 3 and on which the horizontal girders 33 are arranged.

In the left area of FIG. 1 it can be seen that the horizontal supports 33 of two adjacent storage spaces 31 can be separated by a vertical support 32. The two Horizon talträger 33 of the upper five storage bins 31 are separated from the lower two horizontal supports 33 by a vertical support 32 each. The two vertical girders 32 identified with the reference numeral 32 thereby spacing them apart from the horizontal girders 33 adjacent to them. The horizontal girders 33 can be screwed and / or welded and / or otherwise coupled to the vertical girders 32 adjacent to them.

The vertical supports 32 can comprise at least one toothed rack, a chain and / or a perforated plate, which can be designed so that the goods transport vehicle 4 can move thereon in the vertical direction along the high-bay warehouse 3. Between the horizontal travel areas of the horizontal girders 33 and the vertical travel areas of the vertical girders 32, direction change areas can also be provided which enable the direction of the movement of the goods transport vehicle 4 to be changed between a horizontal and a vertical direction. The areas of change of direction can be cutouts act on the supports 32, 33 or on one of the supports 32, 33 in each case. The direction change areas can include guide and / or support sections which enable the direction of the goods transport vehicle to be changed.

The storage system 1 comprises, in particular in the area of the high-bay warehouse 3, travel areas for the goods transport vehicle 4, in which the goods transport vehicle 4 can travel either in the horizontal direction or in the vertical direction. In order to prevent malfunctions occurring when the goods transport vehicle is moving, it can be provided that the goods transport vehicle 4 is mechanically set up to be movable either only horizontally or only vertically at a given point in time.

It can also be provided that the vertical travel areas are arranged offset from the horizontal travel areas, so that the vertical travel areas are arranged further than the horizontal travel areas of a travel space of the goods transport vehicle 4 in which the goods transport vehicle 4 is located during the process. Since the vertical movement areas can be assigned to the vertical supports 32 and the horizontal movement areas can be assigned to the horizontal supports 33, the supports 32, 33 themselves can be arranged correspondingly offset from one another.

On the right in FIG. 1, part of a row of high-bay warehouse 3 is shown, which is arranged parallel to the row of high-bay warehouse 3 shown on the left in FIG. Each of the two rows of high-bay racks comprises at least one horizontal travel area, the goods transport vehicle 4 being able to be moved horizontally on the two horizontal travel areas. The two horizontal travel areas of the two high rack rows are accordingly parallel to each other and are spaced such that the goods transport vehicle 4 rests with its left side on the left horizontal travel area and with its right side rests on the right horizontal travel area. The horizontal travel area can have a C-shaped and / or an L-shaped profile which is part of the horizontal beam 33 and the goods transport vehicle 4 moves on its horizontally aligned leg.

The goods transport vehicle 4 can be moved independently, that is to say it can be a robot vehicle. For this purpose, it can include all necessary devices such as a drive, regulation / control, energy supply, sensor devices, communication interfaces and the like.

The storage system 1 can be designed in such a way that the goods transport vehicle 4 is vertical over at least one vertical travel range from one horizontal travel range to one of them spaced other horizontal travel range is independently movable. This vertical direction of movement of the goods transport vehicle 4 corresponds to the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in FIG. 1. In particular, it is conceivable that the goods transport vehicle 4 can be moved in a vertical direction over a total of four vertical movement areas or vertical carriers 32. For this purpose, the goods transport vehicle 4 can, for example, be dimensioned so large that it can be coupled to a total of four vertical supports 32 at the same time and can be moved along these in the vertical direction.

The goods transport vehicle 4 can comprise a conveying means for the inward or outward conveyance of the goods provided or foreseeable on the goods transport vehicle 4, such as a conveyor belt drivable by a drive or a roller conveyor drivable by a drive.

FIG. 2 shows the storage system 1 in a plan view, the high-bay warehouse 3 being visible in the upper area and a station 2 in the lower area of FIG. The station 2 can be, for example, a picking station at which a person 20 loads goods from a conveyor belt 21 into a shipping container such as a shipping box.

Alternatively or additionally, station 2 can comprise a roller conveyor. The conveyor belt 21 and / or the roller conveyor can be set up to transport at least one product from the goods transport vehicle 4 to a workstation on the conveyor belt 21 and / or to the roller conveyor.

The station 2 can furthermore comprise at least one order-picking rack 22, which is designed to be driven on by the goods transport vehicle 4 both horizontally and vertically. The carriers of the order picking rack 22 can be of the same construction as the carriers of the high-bay warehouse 3, so that the goods transport vehicle 4 can drive onto the commissioning rack 22 and the high-bay warehouse 3 in the same way.

As can be seen from FIG. 3, the order-picking shelf 22 can be designed with multiple levels. In the exemplary embodiment, up to five floors of the order picking rack 22 can be seen. Of course, a different number of floors can also be provided. FIG. 3 further shows that two goods transport vehicles 4 are located simultaneously and one above the other in the order picking rack 22. The goods transport vehicles 4 can drive on the order picking rack 22 in order to place goods on the conveyor belt 21 or to pick them up from the conveyor belt 21. Depending on the size of the order-picking rack 22, a correspondingly large or small number of goods transport vehicles 4 can be moved simultaneously in the order-picking rack 22. A picking rack 22 can be provided on each longitudinal side of the conveyor belt 21. As a result, goods transport vehicles 4 can approach them from both longitudinal sides of the conveyor belt 21 and / or the roller conveyor to transfer goods. The terms of the conveyor belt 21 and the roller conveyor are to be understood broadly in the present case and can include any devices by means of which goods can be brought from the goods transport vehicles 4 to the person 20.

In particular, it can be provided that the goods transport vehicles 4 are set up to drive on the order-picking rack 22 independently. The order-picking rack 22 can be used by the goods transport vehicles in the same way as the high-bay warehouse 3. FIG. 3 shows that the order-picking rack 22 can be arranged directly on the high-bay warehouse 3. Here, the height of the individual floors of the order-picking rack 22 can correspond to the height of the storage spaces 31 or the floors of the high-bay warehouse 3. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the order-picking rack 22 is set up at a distance from the high-bay warehouse 3. A corresponding connection device can be provided between the order-picking rack 22 and the high-bay warehouse 3. FIG. 3 also shows that the order-picking rack 22 can be designed lower and / or shorter than the high-bay warehouse 3.

The presently described invention thus offers a previously unknown possibility of storing a wide variety of goods in a highly automated warehouse, picking them up and making them ready for dispatch.

The goods transport vehicle 4 can be a simple, light and inexpensive vehicle which comprises a very light frame with wheels. The vehicle can furthermore comprise a conveyor belt by means of which goods can be picked up or deposited from the vehicle. The vehicle can furthermore comprise a simple mechanism for driving goods transport devices, wherein the goods transport devices can be provided at storage locations 31 and / or at station 2 and can be set up to transport goods between storage locations 31 and / or station 2 on the one hand and to transport the goods transport vehicle 4 on the other hand. The vehicle can furthermore comprise a drive device which can be introduced into the carriers of the high-bay warehouse 3 or of the order-picking rack 22 for driving the vehicle. The goods transport vehicle 4 can furthermore comprise a simple mechanism for changing the direction of travel of the goods transport vehicle 4. A power supply of the goods transport vehicle 4 can, for example, via, in particular, metallic travel areas of the goods transport vehicle witness 4 take place. A low-voltage busbar or a corresponding system can be used here. Alternatively or additionally, the goods transport vehicle 4 can comprise a battery.

The goods transport vehicle 4 can be controlled by means of a central control software or a decentralized regulation / control with corresponding regulation / control software can be provided on the goods transport vehicle 4. The control software can in any case be designed to calculate or drive an optimal route through the high-bay warehouse 3 or to the station 2 for a given transport order. The control software or the regulation / control can also be set up to recognize other goods transport vehicles 4 in order to avoid collisions or stalling.

The goods transport vehicle 4 can furthermore comprise a WLAN device and / or Bluetooth device in order to communicate, for example, with a central server and / or with other goods transport vehicles 4 and / or with service devices. The goods transport vehicle 4 can furthermore comprise a device for collision prevention and / or bumpers, by means of which damage to the goods transport vehicle 4 can be prevented or minimized.

The goods transport vehicle 4 can be set up to move forwards and backwards at a speed of approx. 10 m / s. The wheels of the goods transport vehicle 4 can have a diameter of 50-300 mm. The operating voltage or power supply of the goods transport vehicle 4 can have a voltage of 24-48 V aufwei sen.

The goods transport vehicle 4 can furthermore comprise castors and / or can be moved along rails, so that the goods transport vehicle 4 can be steered independently. The goods transport vehicle 4 can comprise a drive for driving along an X direction and two drives for driving along a Y direction. A conveyor belt can also be provided that is set up to transport goods in a Z direction.

The components of the storage system 1 such as the carriers 32, 33 can be made of steel, aluminum and / or plastic. These can be profile elements. Such profile elements can be very easy to assemble, adapt and replace. The carriers 32, 33 or travel areas of the goods transport vehicle 4 can be angled to the horizontal and thus form ramps on which the goods transport vehicle can overcome 4 height differences.

In the case of angled travel areas, these structures can include, for example, transverse strips or other means that prevent the goods transport vehicle 4 from slipping when driving on the ramp. It is conceivable here that the ramp has a surface which has a high frictional resistance. It is also conceivable that teeth or projections or recesses are provided on the ramp, which enable even steep ramps to be driven on without the goods transport vehicle 4 slipping. The goods transport vehicle 4 can comprise corresponding counter-structures that can interact with the structures of the ramp.

The goods transport vehicle 4 can in particular be movable outside of the high rack 3 along a rail system. The rail system can comprise two essentially parallel rails for guiding the goods transport vehicle 4 or a single, space-saving rail. An embodiment with a single rail also makes it possible to guide the goods transport vehicle 4 along tighter curve radii. The vertical girders 32 and horizontal girders 33 of the high-bay warehouse 3 can be part of the rail system.

The rail system can be made up of individual modules that include a barcode and / or an RFID transponder. This makes it possible to program the goods transport vehicle particularly quickly for autonomous travel on the rail system. The installation and subsequent modifications or expansions of the storage system are thereby simplified or accelerated.

The modules of the rail system can include WLAN or Bluetooth devices with which the installation, commissioning and expansion of the system can be simplified and errors, malfunctions and damage to the system can be detected during the operation of the system.

The vertical supports 32 can include bushings with which the goods transport vehicle 4 can interact to move the goods transport vehicle 4 vertically. This also applies to the area of the order-picking rack 22 and thus the station 2.

Each goods transport vehicle 4 can comprise a simple IPC (industrial PC) as regulation / control, which can be arranged on the goods transport vehicle 4 and connected to a main server via WLAN. The main server can be assigned to the storage system. The goods transport vehicle 4 can be controlled by means of the IPC and can, for example, proceed according to an order or according to a commissioning order become. The IPC can access, in particular, external software or have a corresponding interface to external systems and receive information about how the goods transport vehicle 4 is to be moved in the high-bay warehouse 3 or in the context of the storage system 1. The IPC can also manage the exact dimensions of the goods and, if necessary, exchange information on this with the main server.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic top view of a storage space 31 of the storage system 1. The storage space 31 and its properties described below are representative of any number of corresponding or similar storage spaces 31 of a storage system 1. The storage space 31 can comprise movable sections which are set up to to receive goods stored in or on storage space 31, that is to say to store them and / or to move them at least in sections.

It is conceivable, for example, that the storage space 31 is designed as a belt conveyor 34 or comprises a belt conveyor 34. The belt conveyor 34 can be arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the row of shelves in which the storage space 31 is located. As a result, goods stored on the belt conveyor 34 can be moved from an inner area of the storage location 31 to an outer area of the storage location 31 and vice versa. In an embodiment in which the storage space 31 is delimited on two sides by storage aisles or high-bay aisles or in which storage aisles are arranged on two sides of the storage space 31, goods can be moved from one of the storage aisles to the other storage aisle by means of the belt conveyor 34, without a goods transport vehicle 4 being required for this.

It is also conceivable that differently oriented belt conveyors 34 are provided in the high-bay warehouse 3. These belt conveyors 34 can be set up to take over goods from one another or to hand them over to one another and to transport them. It can thus be provided that at least one belt conveyor 34 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of a row of shelves, while a plurality of belt conveyors 34 is arranged transversely thereto. As a result, goods can be moved at least partially independently of goods transport vehicles 4 in the high-bay warehouse or between individual storage spaces 31 of the high-bay warehouse. A storage space 31 can essentially correspond to a belt conveyor 34 arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the shelf rows.

The term belt conveyor 34 is not used in a restrictive manner in the present case. All devices by means of which goods can be arranged movably within the storage space 31 are therefore possible. The belt conveyor 34 can include its own drive and / or its own power supply for the drive. It is also conceivable that the belt conveyor 34 with the Goods transport vehicle 4 for driving the belt conveyor 34 can be coupled. The belt conveyor 34 can be designed to pick up goods from a goods transport vehicle 34 or to transfer them to a goods transport vehicle 34. It can also be provided that at least one conveyor element 35 is provided at the end of a high-bay aisle, by means of which goods can be transported or exchanged across several aisles without a goods transport vehicle 4 being required for this. The conveying element 35 can be set up to accept goods from a goods transport vehicle 4 or to transfer goods to the goods transport vehicle 4.

The lower of the two belt conveyors 34 marked with the reference numeral 34 in FIG. 4 is shown in a telescoped or otherwise adjusted state in which the corresponding storage location 31 has automatically approached an adjacent storage location 31 of another row of shelves. A belt conveyor 34 is not absolutely necessary for this. The design of a storage space 31 is also conceivable, which does not include a belt conveyor 34, but is nevertheless arranged in a telescopic or otherwise movable manner relative to the shelf in which it is located. Correspondingly movable storage spaces 31 can advantageously make it possible to move goods across aisles or high-bay aisles from a storage space 31 to an adjacent storage space 31 without the need for a goods transport vehicle 4.

Reference number

1 storage system 2 station

3 high-bay warehouses

4 goods transport vehicle

21 Conveyor Belt

22 order picking rack 31 storage locations

32 vertical beams

33 horizontal beams

34 Belt Conveyors

35 conveyor element

Claims

1. Storage system, comprising at least one station (2), such as a goods storage, goods relocation, goods picking and / or goods retrieval station and a high-bay warehouse (3), with a plurality of storage spaces (31) arranged next to one another and one above the other for the storage of goods , wherein the storage system (1) comprises at least one movable goods transport vehicle (4) which is set up to transport at least one goods from the station (2) to any storage location (31) or vice versa without reloading the goods onto another goods transport vehicle (4 ) or another means of transport, characterized in that the goods transport vehicle (4) is set up to transport the goods both in the horizontally oriented area between the station (2) and the high-bay warehouse (3), as well as horizontally and vertically to move in the high-bay warehouse (3).

2. Storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least some of the storage bins (31) of the high-bay warehouse (3) comprises vertical supports (32) and horizontal supports (33), the horizontal supports (33) each comprising at least one horizontal travel area on which the The goods transport vehicle (4) can be moved horizontally and the vertical supports (32) each comprise at least one vertical movement area on which the goods transport vehicle (4) can be moved vertically and / or the goods transport vehicle (4) is mechanically set up either horizontally or at a given point in time to be movable only vertically and / or the station (2) comprises a conveyor belt (21) and / or a roller conveyor, the conveyor belt (21) and / or the roller conveyor being set up to transport at least one product from the goods transport vehicle (4) to be transported to a workstation on the conveyor belt (21) and / or on the roller conveyor.

3. Storage system according to claim 2, characterized in that the horizontal travel areas of two adjacent storage bins (31) are separated by a vertical travel area and / or that the vertical travel areas comprise a rack, a chain and / or a perforated plate and / or direction change areas between horizontal travel areas and vertical travel areas are provided that allow a change in direction of the movement of the goods transport vehicle (4) between a horizontal and a vertical direction.

4. Storage system at least according to claim 2, characterized in that the vertical travel areas are arranged offset from the horizontal travel areas, so that the vertical movement areas are arranged further than the horizontal movement areas of a movement space of the goods transport vehicle (4) in which the goods transport vehicle (4) is located and / or the high-bay warehouse (3) comprises at least two parallel and spaced-apart high-bay rows, each with at least one horizontal movement area , wherein the goods transport vehicle (4) can be moved horizontally in the horizontal movement areas, and / or that the horizontal movement area has a C-shaped and / or an L-shaped profile and / or the goods transport vehicle (4) can be moved independently, and / or that the Goods transport vehicle (4) can be moved independently over at least one vertical travel range from a horizontal travel range to another horizontal travel range vertically spaced therefrom, and / or that the goods transport vehicle (4) is intended for the inward or outward conveyance of the goods provided on or in front of the goods transport vehicle (4) Visible goods include a conveyor, such as a conveyor belt that can be driven by a drive or a roller conveyor that can be driven by a drive.

5. Storage system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the station comprises at least one order picking rack (22) which is set up to be driven on by the goods transport vehicle (4) both horizontally and vertically.

6. Storage system at least according to claim 5, characterized in that the order-picking rack (22) comprises vertical beams and horizontal beams, such as the storage bins (31) of the high-bay warehouse (3) and / or the order-picking rack (22) is multi-level and / or that on both Long sides of the conveyor belt (21) and / or the roller conveyor at least one order picking rack (22) is arranged and / or that the goods transport vehicle (4) is set up to drive on the order picking rack (22) independently and / or that the order picking rack (22) is set up directly on the high-bay warehouse (3) as part of the high-bay warehouse or at a distance therefrom.

7. Storage system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage system has a sequencing device which is set up to process the goods stored in the order picking shelf, on the goods transport vehicle moving in the order picking shelf and / or in the storage locations of the order picking shelf in a predetermined or output a predeterminable sequence on the conveyor belt or roller conveyor and / or the order-picking rack (22) is lower and / or shorter than the high-bay warehouse (3).

8. Storage system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage space (31) is designed as an actively or passively driven belt conveyor or the storage space is equipped with a goods pushing or pulling device and / or the storage space (31) has a telescopic storage space section and the goods stored in the storage space (31) can be moved through the telescopic storage space section, especially in the alley between the individual Hochregalla like (3) can be conveyed in or out.

9. Storage system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage space (31) itself moves the at least one goods during storage, in particular transversely to the longitudinal extension of the high-bay warehouse (3) and / or the storage space (31) the storage system (1 ), in particular the high-bay warehouse (3) has a buffer store consisting of several storage spaces (31) in which the goods to be stored are at least moved through the storage spaces, pre-grouped or pre-commissioned.

10. Goods transport vehicle for a storage system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9.