KR20130084597A - System for storing and transporting transporting containers - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system (1) for storing and transporting a shipping container (7). The system has at least one vehicle 3 having a rail movement mechanism and a separate floor movement mechanism, and a rail-mounted movement path and a floor-floor movement path 5, 4 through which the vehicle 3 can move. A rack system 2. The vehicle 3 is equipped with a sensor and a control device so that the vehicle can autonomously move on the rail-mounted movement paths and the floor-floor movement paths 5 and 4 and change the movement path.

Description

System for storing and transporting shipping containers {SYSTEM FOR STORING AND TRANSPORTING TRANSPORTING CONTAINERS}

The present invention relates to a system for storing and transporting shipping containers and the like of the general type specified in the preamble of claim 1.

There are a wide variety of designs and configurations of storage and transport systems. For example, a facility is known in which a rail is provided at each storage level in a passage of a high rack storage facility, so that a container transport vehicle can move horizontally on the rail. This approach is disclosed in DE 39 07 623 A or DE 102 54 647 A, for example.

Warehouse systems for shipping containers from warehouses using satellite vehicles are disclosed, for example, in DE 10 2007 010 191 A1 or DE 20 2007 051 238 A1.

According to the above reference, in this type of warehouse system, the order in which containers are received or shipped should be determined in advance. In particular, certain buffers or collecting or sorting lines may be used. The delivery and receiving device should be provided on top of the rack system to provide. This is a disadvantage of some of the known systems. When it is necessary to determine the transverse and longitudinal paths of the containers to be shipped or discharged from the system, a specific mechanical element (eg platform rotator) capable of delivering the containers to the transfer point of each path zone is required. Etc.).

Requirements in automatic picking storage facilities have some conflicts. Since the efficiency of the container should be as high as possible, the workers who enter and exit the container are not only required to continue working to meet this efficiency, but also to have a short response time in the system. Number of containers shipped / received per unit time). In other words, upon receiving a work order, the indicated work should be processed in the shortest possible time. It is also desirable if the containers taken from the cargo storage location can be moved to the pre-zone in exactly the desired order. Otherwise, the cargo from the storage facility must be finally sorted by manpower or machine.

On the one hand, in the low efficiency range, standard loading devices with one or several cargo receiving means are used. However, if a single device is used but a system with multiple aisles and corresponding complex conveyances are installed in the preliminary section of the loading rack, the efficiency of the device is largely insufficient. On the other hand, high performance container warehouse systems are known which operate according to the principle that a plurality of moving parts operate in parallel with each other (see eg Sistore (DE 39 07 623) or Rotastore). In such a system, it is necessary to select the goods issue / receipt action from the longest work order list to optimize the system's travel path and stop, which is in conflict with requiring a short response time. It would not be possible to determine the desired order directly at the container picking station. In conventional high performance warehouse systems, a relatively complex pre-zone is required to perform the required distribution function. This pre-zone is expensive and requires extra space, and it is not easy to change the boundary conditions at all if additional preliminary zones are applied after the warehouse operation commences. In addition, as a frequently occurring problem, there is a problem in that such a complicated transfer device must be accessible in case of failure or maintenance.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage and transport system that is very flexible and has additional cushioning lines, collection lines, etc., and structural elements that can change the container transport direction.

In the storage and transport system of the type described above, the object is to provide at least one vehicle equipped with a rail-compatible traveling mechanism and a floor-compatible traveling mechanism, and to which the vehicle is to be moved. It is achieved by the present invention including a racking system having a rail-mounted traveling path and a floor-level traveling path. In other words, the moving mechanism of the vehicle is provided separately for the rail-mounted moving path and the bottom floor moving path.

Thus, in the storage and transport system of the present invention, both floor moving paths and rail moving paths can be used for each vehicle, which is an advantage of the present invention.

According to the present invention, the goods receipt and delivery efficiency is high and cargo loading and unloading can be performed without any equipment in the pre-zone of the storage facility, and at the same time, satisfying the requirement of short response time, It can be done with a significant level of accuracy. The transfer point can be placed in a resilient manner at any distance from the warehouse facility. In one embodiment of the present invention, since only a minimal amount of active machinery needs to be installed in a loading rack and the structure is very simple by using a flat transverse tunnel, a high performance picking warehouse is possible.

Embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims in the claims. As briefly described above, the racking system is equipped with, in particular, a tunnel-type bottom-floor path, which traverses the rail-mounted path. At this time, the rail-mounted movement path, in particular, forms a rack aisle (rack aisle) of the rack system. That is, the forward longitudinal beam of the multi-layer rack system supports or forms the rail mounted travel path.

This design allows the space above the path to be precisely located from the first floor of the rack, using a predetermined path that is generally set to access the rack path in the rack unit and arranged to traverse the rack path in the form of a tunnel. It becomes possible to use as a rack unit. As a result, a more compact structure can be obtained while keeping the storage capacity of the rack unit the same.

As can be seen by itself, in the present invention, each vehicle is provided with a dedicated load receiving means. In one embodiment, a control and drive unit coupled to the computer is provided in each vehicle so that the vehicle can move and drive fully automatically in both floor-floor travel and rail-mounted travel. Thus, the AGV function of the vehicle (Automated Guided Vehicle System) is provided.

For driving in a rack-rail system and on the surface (on the floor), the vehicle is equipped with two traveling mechanisms, the driving side of which is driven by two motors and associated power circuits. It is composed. The two motors are connected to the left and right drive wheels of the two moving mechanisms via respective transmission devices. Both motors can rotate independently at the same or different speeds. In the case of rail movements, both motors always rotate at the same rotational speed, in the case of floor movements, they rotate at the same speed when traveling on a straight line, but at different speeds when turning a corner (ie, "differential steering" differential steering) ").

According to the invention, at least one sensor is also provided in each vehicle for detecting an obstacle and / or for detecting a position marker. The detection of the obstacle can be performed using a so-called laser scanner that detects the angle and distance of the obstacle, for example.

Such a sensor device allows the control procedure to be carried out completely automatically. Using a fixed position marker, for example, it is possible to detect the center of the lane or the preferred lane path using, for example, a reflection in the marker so that it can automatically turn from bottom floor movement to rail movement. .

The current position of the vehicle can be determined based on the known starting position using a coupled navigation algorithm. Information relating to the distance traveled and the direction traveled, which is required for the purposes of the present invention, is obtained by measuring the rotation speed of the two motors.

Since the current position of the vehicle calculated as such increases the deviation from the actual position as the travel distance increases due to the influence of various errors, using this method alone, the rail system of the rack unit is passed over the free surface area. It is not possible to measure with sufficient accuracy the long travel to the entry point of or to the container picking station. "Enough" here means that the vehicle enters the center between the left and right rails within an accuracy of about ± 2 cm. Lateral deviations (position errors) in this accuracy can be compensated for by a mechanical lead-in chamfer at the tip of the vehicle. Larger deviations, on the other hand, can cause the vehicle to hit the entry point or cause mechanical damage. For this reason, the switch is switched to another, more accurate relative locating method at the end of the run, i.e. approximately 3 m before the target point (e.g. the entry of the rail system). That is, by means of a laser scanner provided at the tip of the vehicle, two reflective markers installed right and left next to the rail entry point are detected, and the relative position of the marker with respect to the vehicle is measured. Based on these measurements (these values keep changing as the vehicle continues to approach the entry point), by using an appropriate evaluation algorithm, the vehicle always moves to the center of the entry point with sufficient accuracy.

A feature of the method is that error-prone vehicle movement information obtained through skilled filtering of measurements and by measuring wheel revolutions, even if the measurements of the laser sensor do not have the level of accuracy required for the job. It is in the fact that the position can be determined with sufficient accuracy by fusing with the sensor measurement.

Thus, from a general point of view, as the vehicle rides on the rail, that is, as the floor movement mechanism is changed to the rail movement mechanism, in principle, from the error-prone measurement values of the path measuring and distance measuring devices With appropriate filter algorithms, location information can be obtained with sufficient accuracy for the task. This means that the vehicle can get on the rails without being damaged.

According to the present invention, it is clearly possible to ensure that the final release and / or sorting order of the shipped shipping containers can be done randomly. This is because the order change can be made without any problem by the floor-floor moving and rail moving vehicles (ie by overtaking forward of the vehicle in the rear position of the sorting system).

Further, according to the present invention, the same drive unit is included, and the drive unit operates to have a higher speed at the rail movement than at the bottom floor movement. Steering kinematics is achieved by differential steering. Of course, according to the present invention other options can be used.

The power supply is via a contact line when moving in a rack unit or via accumulated power charged in a contactless manner (eg inductive power transmission), but other ways are also possible (e.g. at each start position). Boost-charging, or accumulator-change system).

The rail movement mechanism of the present invention is not only related to the operation of the rack system. Rail installation in order to be able to move at any distance (e.g. at high speed), or to move between spatially separated rack sections and rack sections (i.e. via suspended rails) Rail-mounted sections can be included in the path of travel. This means that this rail system can be operated at a certain height above the shop floor located above the floor. Thus, in order to utilize the unused space in the upper part of the production plant, or to connect the spatially separated rack zones to each other by suspension rails, it is possible to create a traffic system, for example, without intersections. This type of rail system can also be operated at a certain height above the shop floor, which is situated above the floor.

In order to move the vehicle to a different position, a racking serving unit or a lift / distribution carrage may be installed in the rack aisle or in a corresponding position. Thus, in each case, the vehicle comes through the rails and only covers one floor or each individual racking bay in the rack unit. If necessary, the vehicle can be moved between floors using the elevator, which can be located on any floor. Such vehicles are also known as satellite vehicles.

As a convenience, at least two tunnel areas are provided inside the rack unit, which allows circular movements rather than bidirectional passages. These tunnels are designed to be very flat depending on the structural height of the vehicle, and the width is also designed to allow a buffer section in front of and behind the elevator. This means that the elevator is used in a double cycle by using the flow in a predetermined direction of the vehicle. In other words, while the vehicle from the upper floor rack leaves the elevator at the position where the elevator descends, the vehicle to go upstairs may ride on the platform on the other side. This increases the processing efficiency of the elevator.

The tunnel can also be designed to allow vehicle overtaking, as described above, to simultaneously perform a certain amount of classification.

A cargo transfer device can be provided for loading onto and off of the vehicle. This cargo delivery device is specifically included in the rail moving mechanism of the vehicle and can be applied at the time of rail moving. That is, the load receiving means of the vehicle is used at the time of rail movement, so that it is possible to accurately position the vehicle at the cargo delivery position.

According to the present invention, the goods receipt and delivery efficiency is high, and cargo loading and unloading can be performed without installing any equipment in the pre-zone of the warehouse facility, and at the same time, satisfying the requirement of short response time, It can be done with a significant level of accuracy.

In addition, by providing a buffer zone in the elevator, it is possible to use the elevator as a double cycle to increase the processing efficiency of the elevator, it is possible to carry out a certain amount of classification at the same time by designing the tunnel to be able to pass the vehicle.

Further features, contents, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.
1 is a plan view showing a part of a warehouse facility together with a vehicle moving from the floor.
FIG. 2 is a side view as seen from line II-II of FIG. 1. FIG.
3 is an enlarged three-dimensional view of the transport vehicle before the transport vehicle filters to the rail movement system.
4 is a three-dimensional bottom view of the transport vehicle.
5 is an enlarged view of a zone in which the vehicle enters by turning from the bottom floor movement to the rail movement.
Fig. 6 shows a cargo delivery device in which cargo loading to and from the vehicle is carried out.
7 illustrates another embodiment of performing a redirection procedure.

The storage and transport system (generally designated by reference number 1), in fact, consists of a racking unit (such as a high-rise rack unit) (generally designated by reference number 2), and a vehicle (generally referred to by reference number). Cargo is loaded into the rack unit. In the top view of FIG. 1, the vehicle designated by reference numeral 3 moves on the bottom floor and the vehicle designated by reference numeral 3a is positioned to move in the rail system of the rack unit 2.

Thus, the vehicle 3 can move itself through the rails on each floor in the rack unit 2 to load cargo to and withdraw cargo from a racking bay located on that floor, while For example, when moving the floor, it moves on the ground. For this purpose, a separate movement mechanism is provided.

It is clear that vehicles on the floor can overtake each other (see vehicles 3b and 3c in FIG. 1 above). The racking system 2 is equipped with, in particular, a tunnel-type floor-floor movement route (generally designated by reference number 4) and a rail-mounted movement route (generally designated by reference number 5), where Through this rail-mounted movement route 5, a container (generally designated by reference numeral 7) carried by the vehicle can access a racking location 6 configured in the rack unit.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tunnel-type movement path 4 in the bottom layer allows the container 7 to be placed in a space with another loading position 6 thereon.

In some preferred locations where rail-mounted travel paths are installed, lifts (designated by reference numeral 8) are located to allow vehicles to move between floors.

The vehicle 3 is shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4. For example, the wheels 9 are for movement on the rails and the wheels 10, 10a, which are separate from them, are for floor-floor movement, and will not be described in detail herein for the general driving thereof.

3 and 4 are shown symbolically the cargo container 11, which holds the container 7 in an empty or filled state and places it in a stowed position 6 or elsewhere. Load it.

3 also shows a rail 5a mounted on a rail-mounted movement path, and a side guide wheel 12 which allows to change direction and move along the rail.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1, in which a sensor 13 capable of detecting (eg, reflecting off a marker) of fixed control markers 14, 14a is fixed to the vehicle 3. And associated computing operations allow the vehicle to enter the central portion between these markers (designated by reference numeral 15 in FIG. 5) of the rail-mounted travel route lane.

A control computer, which serves to output data for redirection of the vehicle 3 in which the sensor 13 is installed, may also be used for other control. This means that the movement on the floor of the vehicle can be set up via a virtual calculated route of travel (lane). By this sensor, it is possible to determine the distance between each vehicle next to each other and each vehicle in front of each other (shown in dashed lines in FIG. 5). Herein, the beam used for determining the target point is designated by reference numeral 16.

In the variant embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the current position of the vehicle 3 ′ is determined based on the known starting position S (see the direction of the moving arrow in FIG. 7) using a coupled navigation algorithm. do. Information relating to the distance traveled (see the direction of the movement arrow in FIG. 7) and the direction traveled, required for the purposes of the present invention, measures the number of revolutions of the two motors or the two wheels 10, 10a of the bottom movement mechanism. Obtained.

Since the current position of the vehicle calculated in this manner increases from the actual position as the travel distance increases due to the influence of various errors, using the above method only, the rack unit ( It is not possible to measure with long accuracy the long travel to the entry point of the rail system 5 of 2) or to the container picking station or the cargo delivery site (see FIG. 6). “Enough” here means that the vehicle enters the center between the left and right rails with an accuracy within about ± 2 cm. Lateral deviations (position errors) in this accuracy can be compensated for by a mechanical lead-in chamfer at the tip (see FIG. 3). Larger deviations, on the other hand, could be caught or mechanically damaged at the point of entry while the vehicle is turning into the rack passage 15 or when moving from this position to the rail end 5a.

For this reason, the switch is moved to another, more accurate relative positioning method at the last part of the run, i.e. approximately 3 m position before entering the rail system 5 or rack aisle 15 (or other corresponding target point). switch to the locating method.

That is, the reflective markers provided at the front end of the vehicle 3 'and installed to the left and right right next to the rail entry point by the laser scanner 21 for "monitoring" the front region (hatched in FIG. 7) of the vehicle. 14 and 14a, and measure the relative position of the marker with respect to the vehicle 3 '.

The laser scanner 21 provides the control computer of the vehicle with the angle and distance of the obstacle (in this case, the reflective markers 14 and 14a). Based on these measurements (the value continues to change as the vehicle 3 'continues to approach the entry point of the rack aisle 15), always using the appropriate evaluation algorithm, the center of the entry point (dashed line) The vehicle moves with sufficient accuracy.

The laser scanner 21 can also be used to drive while sensing circular obstacles. Obstacles may appear unexpectedly, especially while moving the bottom layer. For example, people or other vehicles may be moving on the ground.

6 shows a possible example of the cargo delivery site 20. The cargo delivery place 20 is a place where the container 7 'is loaded onto the vehicle 3 or the container 7 is unloaded from the vehicle.

In the frame 18 there are double lifts 17, 17a. In the example shown, the right part of the double elevator is designated with reference number 17 and the left part with reference number 17a. The roller conveyors 19 and 19a are connected to the upper lifting part of the double elevator 17 or 17a. Here, the front of the roller conveyor 19 on the right side of FIG. 6 is inclined to descend toward the elevator 17, and the rear roller conveyor 19a installed slightly higher than this is inclined to descend toward the sorting and loading zone 21. Thus, in the illustrated example, the container designated by reference numeral 7 'may be discharged to the left, and the container designated by reference numeral 7 may be released to the right.

The lower part of each lift 17, 17a is aligned with the loading surface of the vehicle 3, so as to discharge the container 7 and receive the container 7 ′, respectively.

Here, the above illustrated configuration of the present invention can also be designed in other ways. In the illustrated example, a rail passage is formed by coupling the rail 5a for the vehicle 3 to an existing rail system.

Of course, the embodiments of the present invention described above are exemplary, and various modifications may be made without departing from the basic spirit of the present invention.

1 ... storage and transport system
2 ... rack unit
3, 3 ', 3b, 3c ... vehicles
4 ... floor routing
5 ... Rail mounting path
5a ... rail
6 ... loading position
7, 7 '... container
8 ... lifts
9 ... wheel
10, 10a ... wheels
11 ... cargo hold
12 ... side guide wheel
13 ... sensor
14, 14a ... marker
15 ... Rack Aisle
16 ... beam
17, 17a ... double lift
18 ... frame
19, 19a ... roller conveyor
20 ... freight forwarding place
21 ... sorting and loading area
21 ... laser scanner

Claims (12)

As a system (1) for storing and transporting a container (7), etc.
At least one vehicle 3 having a rail moving mechanism and a separate bottom moving mechanism, and
Including a rack system (2) having a rail-mounted movement path and floor-floor movement path (5, 4) that the vehicle (3) can move,
The vehicle 3 is equipped with a sensor and a control device so that the vehicle can autonomously move on the rail-mounted and floor-floor movement paths 5 and 4 and change the movement path. Conveying system. The method of claim 1,
The rack system (2) is provided with a tunnel-shaped floor-floor movement path (4) traversing the rail mounted movement path (5)
The rail mounted movement path 5 forms a rack passage of the multi-layer rack system 2, and the rails installed in the rail mounted movement path 5 are formed next to the rack unit 2 on each floor. Container storage and transport system. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Container storage and transportation system, characterized in that each vehicle (3) is provided with a dedicated cargo receiving means (11). 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Each vehicle (3) is provided with a control and drive unit connected to the computer, container storage and transport system. 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Each vehicle (3) is characterized in that it is equipped with at least one sensor (13, 21) for detecting obstacles and / or for detecting position markers (14). 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
A drive is included for bottom floor movement or rail movement, wherein the drive portion is operative to operate at a higher speed during rail movement than during floor movement. 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
A steering storage and transport system, characterized in that the steering action is made in a differential steering manner. 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
The power supply is characterized in that the storage and transport system of the container is characterized in that it is made through accumulated power charged through, for example, a contact line when moving on the rail (5a). 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Container storage and transportation system, characterized in that a rack unit or lifting / distributing moving device (8) is provided in the rack passageway or at a corresponding position. 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Container storage and transport system, characterized in that at least two tunnel areas (4, 4a) are provided inside the rack unit (2). 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims,
Container storage and transport system, characterized in that the cargo delivery device for loading and unloading cargo from the vehicle (3) is provided. 12. The method of claim 11,
The cargo delivery device is characterized in that it is included in the rail moving mechanism of the vehicle (3) and applied at the time of rail movement.

Images