WO1996002444A1

WO1996002444A1 - Commissioning storage system

Info

Publication number: WO1996002444A1
Application number: PCT/EP1995/002675
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erich Dreier; Joseph Broquet
Original assignee: Aft Automatisierungs- Und Fördertechnik Gmbh
Priority date: 1994-07-15
Filing date: 1995-07-08
Publication date: 1996-02-01
Also published as: DE4425127A1

Abstract

A storage system for commissioning a plurality of objects stored on pallets in rack storage spaces has at least one rack servicing appliance for placing the stored objects in the access area of a commissioning device that puts shipping units together. The commissioning device has (1.a) one commissioning robot capable of moving into the access area of the rack servicing appliance (11) and provided with a gripper for removing stored objects (7) from the racks and transferring them onto a commissioning pallet. The commissioning robot has (1.b) a liftable and lowerable platform (14), (1.c) surface-distributed suction nozzles (15) in which a negative pressure can be generated for holding stored objects (7), and (1.d) at least two mutually spaced, opposite openable and closable gripping arms (16) for clamping from both sides and holding objects (7) lying on a pallet.

Description

description

Storage system for order picking

The invention relates to a storage system for picking storage objects stored on a plurality of rack parking spaces on storage pallets, which can be stored or removed by means of movable rack operating devices.

Such storage systems are known in many designs, which are generally designed as high-bay storage with rack operating devices that can be moved between the aisles.

EP 0 559 604 AI describes a device in which the storage and order-picking system expediently form a structural and operational unit. The storage and retrieval machine that can be moved between the aisles of a high-bay warehouse transports the storage items required to put together a shipment on the shipping pallets from the item-free storage pallets in a main warehouse to a picking cell, which can be provided in a part of the main warehouse or in its area. Empty pallets are also provided in the picking area for loading. These are loaded by means of a picking robot with storage objects to be removed from the storage pallets and made available as shipping pallets for removal.

For this purpose, the storage pallets with the required storage items are advantageously placed in the picking cell, and the storage items can be picked up by the picking robot there and placed on an empty pallet until they are completely stored together with the storage items forming a shipping unit Shipping lette is finished and ready for dispatch.

The picking robot can be an area gantry robot, a swivel arm robot or a similar remote-controllable device, and it is equipped with at least one gripper. This should be suitable for taking from the item-pure storage pallets stored in the issuing cell the storage objects which are required for the formation or for fitting the shipping pallet with the storage objects provided for handling the commission.

High demands are placed on the gripper of the order picking robot, which is the core of the order picking system, because it should be suitable for reliably detecting objects of different sizes, shapes, packagings or wrappings and also weights. The gripper devices used to date have very different designs. Grippers with suction nozzles placed under vacuum on a lifting plate can use suction to grasp a number of article-free storage objects resting in layers on a storage pallet. The picking robot can use the gripper to place these storage items on an empty plate that serves as shipping pallets.

The object of the invention is to equip storage facilities of this type with an improved picking robot, which should be more universal and should offer greater security and reliability.

Starting from such a storage system for order picking of storage objects stored on a plurality of rack parking spaces on pallets, with at least one rack operating device for providing the storage objects in the access area of a picking device for forming shipping units, the training according to the invention consists in a) a picking robot that can be moved into the access area of the storage and retrieval device with a gripper for removing storage items and transferring them to a commission range, which

b) has a lifting and lowering lifting plate and

c) with surface-distributed suction nozzles which can be subjected to vacuum for detecting storage objects and

d) is equipped with at least two spaced, opposing, openable and closable gripper arms for bilaterally clamping gripping of objects lying on a pallet.

The order picking robot according to the invention makes it possible to carry out a fully automatic order picking of shipping units in a storage system of the type mentioned with little effort and improved reliability and thus largely trouble-free.

The combined arrangement of area-distributed suction nozzles with opposing, openable and closable gripper arms for clamping holding of the storage objects to be detected expands the area of application of the commissioning robot, and in particular its working method is enlarged by one dimension. Clamping the storage objects on both sides ensures greater safety and reliability against falling, in particular if the operation of the suction nozzles is not ensured due to unevenness in the surface of the storage objects. The picking robot equipped according to the invention is also not limited to gripping and holding storage objects which have an essentially flat surface for being grasped by the suction nozzles, but can be storage objects whose surface is uneven if only the the opposite side surfaces allow jamming. It is also not necessary for these side surfaces to run exactly parallel to one another; Even to a small extent, side surfaces at an oblique angle to one another can still be reliably detected if, according to the further features of the invention, the gripper arms are provided with gripper bars which can be bent from their parallel position in the horizontal plane.

The detection range of the gripper arms according to the further invention is even more universal if the gripper arms lying opposite one another in the horizontal plane are divided into two or more partial grippers which can be operated simultaneously or independently of one another. According to a further feature, a further improvement of the gripper system can consist in the fact that the gripper arms lying opposite in one or in both horizontal axes are divided into two or more partial gripper arms that can be actuated independently of one another in the horizontal direction. This embodiment makes it possible to use a picking device according to the invention to carry out and process two - or more - smaller picking orders independently of one another or at different times.

According to preferred further features of the invention, the gripper arms are rigidly connected to gripper arm slides and are displaceably guided on horizontal parallel guides fastened to the four-legged base frame of the order-picking device and can be moved by means of pressure medium drives or threaded spindles. The partial gripper arms are also displaceable on associated parallel guides and can be moved separately by means of pressure medium drives or threaded spindles.

According to further advantageous features, the thread spindles of all or of two opposite gripper arms are connected to one or more drive motors via toothed belt drives; instead of timing belts also kick chains. It is also possible to establish shaft connections to the drive motors via gearwheels or angular gears.

Further essential features of the invention provide that the suction nozzles arranged in the lifting plate can be adjusted individually or in groups in their vertical operative position to the surface of the storage objects to be detected, so that they can still exert sufficient suction forces on extremely uneven surfaces of storage objects. The suction nozzles, which can be lowered in groups and can be pressurized independently of one another, can also be used to detect individual items of this type independently of the others from an allocation of a storage pallet with several identical or different storage objects and to remove them from the storage pallet.

According to further advantageous features, it is provided that the lifting and lowering, one-part or multi-part lifting plate with the suction nozzles can be stroke-adjusted by means of pressure medium drives or vertical threaded spindles. It can be provided that the vertical threaded spindles are mounted in nuts rotatably arranged on housings on a common mounting plate, and that the nuts are driven by at least one motor by means of toothed belt drives.

In order to increase the operational safety even when the system is being operated unattended, automatically, it is also provided that the lifting plate is provided on one or both sides with sensors for monitoring the respective loading quantity, this according to an infrared principle or a light ¬ barrier or a laser arrangement and / or can work according to inductive or capacitive principles of action.

If, for example, the storage objects are stored as multi-layer packages on a pallet, the difficulty - particularly with low package weights - give that when lifting the top package layer the packages of the layer below are lifted because they "stick" to the packages above. This interferes with the execution of the programmed issuing and must be stopped. The "adhesive" packages must be released by hand and put back in their stacking position on the pallet.

The subtask of such storage objects which tend to "stick" in this way is therefore to separate the second uppermost layer lying under the layer of storage objects to be lifted off from the uppermost layer simultaneously with the clamping and lifting off. For this reason, it is therefore proposed that at least two opposing gripper arms or partial gripper arms are each assigned an auxiliary gripper arm which can be moved independently of the other gripper arms and whose clamping strips are lowered by a distance from the other clamping strips. Since the movements of the auxiliary grippers are independent of the operative grippers, they can be completely deactivated if there is no risk of "sticking". The auxiliary grippers are designed in such a way that they can push the second uppermost layer of storage objects away from the uppermost layer by at least 5 mm during their lifting movement.

In order to make this possible, it is provided that each auxiliary gripper arm is articulated in a pivot point on a guide shoe which can be raised and lowered on the associated gripper arm or partial gripper arm and that its auxiliary clamping strips counteract by means of a pressing device acting on the free upper end of the auxiliary gripper arm the storage objects can be pressed on, and it is advantageous if, according to a further feature, the guide shoe is articulated to the sliding lever of a toggle lever arrangement, the steering lever of which gripper arm slide is pivotable in a bearing point and the knee point of which is angled by means of an adjusting device. or is stretchable.

A particular advantage can also be that the auxiliary gripper arm with the guide shoe, the pressing device and the toggle lever arrangement can be attached to the gripper arm or auxiliary gripper arm provided with a prepared guide as an accessory or retrofit device. If the guide for the liftable and lowerable guide shoe is either prepared on the associated gripper arm or can be retrofitted, then this add-on retrofit device can be retrofitted by easy assembly; only the pressure medium connection or the power supply line is still to be attached if the adjusting device for the toggle lever arrangement is a pressure medium drive or a linear motor.

Further special features and advantageous features of the invention are described and explained below on the basis of the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing. Show it:

Figure 1 shows the storage facility in cal atic representation.

2 the picking device in a perspective partial view;

Fig. 3 shows the device. Fig. 2 in side view;

Fig. 4 shows the device. 3 shows a side view in another functional position;

Fig. 5 shows the device. 2 in another perspective partial view;

Fig. 6 shows the device. Fig. 5 in side view;

7 shows the device in a side view in a different delten version;

8 shows a detail at "A '

Fig. 9 is a partial view of the device in another modified embodiment.

The storage system A shown in Fig. 1 consists of two rack frames B, which are arranged parallel to each other. The rack frames B have storage spaces for pallets C. Between the rack frames B, a remote-controlled storage and retrieval unit 11 can be moved in parallel, with which the pallets C are loaded and unloaded.

The storage facility A is designed to receive pallets C with items in each case and contains a picking store KL for receiving the pallets C, the items of which are selected for issuing orders.

The picking warehouse KL is provided with a picking robot K in the form of a portal device with a gripper, with which the parking spaces 10, which are also located in the working area of the storage and retrieval machine 11, can be detected. Inside the picking warehouse KL there are parking spaces 10 provided for one picking pallet 9 each. The order picking device K has the task of using the rack operating device 11 to remove the rack frames B storage objects 7, 7a and to collect them on the picking pallets 9 to form shipping units.

In Fig. 2, the gripper arms 16 can be seen with the terminal strips 18, by means of which the storage objects 7 are captured and held by clamps. 1 is there ^* S vier¬ legged base frame referred, which is closed at the top by the cover plate 12th On the lifting and lowering Lifting plate 14, the suction nozzles 15 are attached, and the lifting top plate 13, to which the vertical threaded spindles 40 are fastened, is firmly connected to the lifting plate 14; these each pass through a housing 41 in which a nut (not shown) is rotatably mounted and is connected to a toothed belt drive wheel 42. Each two threaded spindle drives 41, 42 are connected by means of a toothed belt 47 via deflection wheels 43 to the toothed belt driven wheels 44, which sit on a motor shaft and are connected to the motor 45, which is mounted on the cover plate 12.

In addition, on the four-legged base frame 1, the sensors 17 arranged on the frame legs can be recognized, which serve to control the proper and complete transfer of the layer of storage objects 7.

The above-mentioned elements are provided with the same reference numerals in FIGS. 3 and 4; These representations each show a side view of the picking robot K in two different lifting positions of the lifting plate 12 with the suction nozzles 15, specifically in FIG. 3 for a high stack of storage items in an upper position and in FIG. 4 for a low stack in a lower position .

5 and 6 show the picking robot K in two representations, from which the drive of the gripper arms 16 can be seen by way of example. These are rigidly connected to gripper arm slides 21 which are displaceable in parallel guides 6 and are driven by means of threaded spindles 5. With 22 the fixed threaded nuts are designated, which are fastened to the gripper arms 16. By means of toothed belts 4, the threaded spindles 5 are connected to the motor output shafts 23 and the drive motors 3 via toothed belt pulleys 24, 25.

Further details are shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. As can be seen from Fig. 7, the arrangement can be such be taken that the gripper device is divided into two (or more) partial gripper arms 20 with the partial clamping strips 19; the partial gripper arm pairs can be driven and moved independently of one another.

The lifting plate 14 (and the lifting upper plate 13) can be in two or more parts and can be raised and lowered independently of one another in order to carry out more than one picking at the same time, or in order to be able to detect different stratification heights of the storage objects. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the suction nozzles 15 can also be raised and lowered by an amount "d".

2, 5 and 6 indicate the sensors denoted by 17, which serve to control the correct and complete detection of the layer of storage objects 7 to be lifted off, and which operate inductively or capacitively or as light barriers or laser beams could be.

The illustration in FIG. 9 shows an essential detail, which consists in the fact that at least two opposite gripper arms 16 or partial gripper arms 20 are each assigned an auxiliary gripper arm 26 which can be moved independently of the other gripper arms and whose clamping strips 19 are spaced a distance a are lowered compared to the other terminal strips 18. It is provided that each auxiliary gripper arm 26 is articulated on a guide shoe 27 which can be raised and lowered on the associated gripper arm 16 or partial gripper arm 20 at a pivot point 28 and that its auxiliary adhesive strips 29 are attached to the free upper end 30 of the auxiliary gripper arm 16 acting pressing device 31 can be pressed against the bearing objects 7a and also that the guide shoe 27 is articulated to the slide lever 32 of a toggle lever arrangement, the steering lever 33 of which gripper arm slide 21 can be pivoted in a bearing point 34 and the knee point 35 by means of an adjusting device 36 is angled or stretchable. This embodiment makes it possible, when the upper layer of the storage objects 7 is lifted, to separate the lower layer of the storage objects 7a, which is "stuck" to the underside thereof, by at least the amount "d" from the upper layer by means of the auxiliary gripper arms 16 that are pressed on.

This design variant can also be designed as a retrofit or add-on unit and retrofitted if the guide 37 on the gripper arm 16 is prepared or can be attached.

As can be seen from FIG. 9, an eccentric lockable in two positions is provided as the pressing device 31, and a piston engine acting at the knee point 35 is arranged as the adjusting device 36 for the toggle lever arrangement 32-36.

Claims

Expectations

1. Storage system for picking storage objects stored on a plurality of rack parking spaces on pallets, with at least one rack operating device for providing the storage objects in the access area of a picking device for forming shipping units,

marked by

l.a a picking robot that can be moved into the access area of the rack operating device (11) with a gripper for removing storage items (7) and transferring it to a commission range, which

l.b has a lifting and lowering lifting plate (14) and

l.c with suction nozzles (15) which are distributed over a surface and can be pressurized, for detecting storage objects (7) and

l.d is equipped with at least two spaced-apart, opposite and openable and closable gripper arms (16) for the clamping on both sides of gripping storage objects (7) lying on a pallet.

2. Storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction nozzles (15) which can be pressurized are divided into groups in terms of area and the suction nozzles of the individual groups can be pressurized independently of one another.

3. Storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the lifting plate (14) is in two or more parts and the suction nozzles (15) individually or in groups in their vertical The active position relative to the surface of the storage objects to be detected can be adjusted.

4. Storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the picking robot (K) is equipped in the intersecting horizontal axes with two mutually opposite gripper arms (16).

5. Storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripper arms (16) are provided in the clamping area with horizontally extending terminal strips (18).

6. Storage system according to claim 5, characterized in that the clamping strips (18) are articulated in a horizontal plane with the gripper arms (16).

7. Storage system according to claim 5, characterized in that the ge in one or in both horizontal axes opposite the gripper arms (16) are divided into two or more individual and independently of each other operable partial gripper arms (20) in the horizontal direction.

8. Storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the gripper arms (16) rigidly connected to gripper arm slides (21) and on horizontal, on a Montage¬ plate (2) on the four-legged base frame (1) of the picking robot (K) attached parallel guides (6) are slidably guided and can be moved by means of pressure medium drives or threaded spindles (5).

9. Bearing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the threaded spindles (5) of all or two opposite gripper arms (16, 20) via toothed belts (4) are connected to one or more drive motors (3).

10. Storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the liftable and lowerable, one- or multi-part lifting plate (14) by means of pressure medium drives or motor-driven driven vertical threaded spindles (40) are stroke-adjustable.

11. Storage system according to claim 10, characterized in that the vertical threaded spindles (40) are mounted in a common mounting plate (2) in housings (41) rotatably arranged nuts, and that the nuts by means of toothed belt drives (42, 43, 44) are driven by at least one motor (45).

12. Storage system according to claim 1, characterized in that the lifting plate (14) is provided on one or both sides with sensors (17) for monitoring the respective loading quantity.

13. Storage facility according to claim 12, characterized in that the sensors operate according to an inductive or capacitive effect principle.

14 storage facility according to claim 7, characterized in that the sensors (17) are designed as a light barrier,

15. Storage system according to claim 7, characterized in that the sensors (17) are designed as laser emitters.

16. Storage system according to claims 1 and 7, characterized in that at least two opposing gripper arms (16) or partial gripper arms (20) are each assigned an auxiliary gripper arm (26) which can be moved independently of the other gripper arms, whose clamping strips (19) are lowered by a distance (a) from the other clamping strips (18).

17. Storage facility according to claim 16, characterized in that each auxiliary gripper arm (26) on an on the associated gripper arm (16) or partial gripper arm (20) is raised and lowered. bar-guided guide shoe (27) is articulated in a pivot point (28) and that its auxiliary clamping strips (29) are pressed against the stored objects (31) by means of a pressing device (31) acting on the free upper end (30) of the auxiliary gripper arm (16). 7a) can be pressed.

18. Bearing system according to claim 17, characterized in that the guide shoe (27) is articulated to the slide lever (32) of a toggle lever arrangement, the steering lever (33) on the gripper arm slide (21) in a bearing point (34) pivotable and the knee point (35) can be angled or stretched by means of an adjusting device (36).

19. Storage system according to claims 16 to 19, characterized in that the auxiliary gripper arm (26) with the

Guide shoe (27), the pressing device (31) and the toggle lever arrangement (33 to 36) can be attached to the gripper arm (16) or auxiliary gripper arm (20) provided with a prepared guide (37) as an accessory or retrofit.

20. Storage system according to claim 17, characterized in that the pressing device (21) is an eccentric lockable in two positions.

21. Bearing system according to claim 18, characterized in that the adjusting device (36) is a piston engine or a linear motor.