WO2004074141A1

WO2004074141A1 - Buffer storage for placing on a roller conveyor

Info

Publication number: WO2004074141A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/001741
Authority: WO
Inventors: Günter Gebhardt
Original assignee: Gebhardt Fördertechnik AG
Priority date: 2003-02-21
Filing date: 2004-02-22
Publication date: 2004-09-02

Abstract

The invention relates to a buffer storage that, particularly for an order picking station, serves to intermediately store palettes or containers that are transported on a roller conveyor.

Description

Buffer memory for arrangement on a roller conveyor

Technical field:

The invention relates to a buffer store for containers and / or pallets for arrangement on a roller conveyor according to the preamble of claim 1.

State of the art:

It is known, for example, to compile shipping orders from mail order companies at so-called picking workplaces. Containers or pallets that can be transported and transported on roller conveyors are loaded with a wide variety of goods, which themselves have to be removed from warehouses and brought to the picking station. In order to ensure a smooth process, a wide variety of goods must be ready for an order in good time. However, since this is often not possible with a large number of assembly variants, either waiting times have to be accepted or the corresponding picking order has to be temporarily put aside so that the next order can be processed in the meantime.

DE 197 11 228 C2 discloses a buffer store for a distribution warehouse, which is designed as a flat roller conveyor provided with drivable rollers. If necessary, this buffer store is connected via switches to roller conveyors used to transport pallets from a receiving point to a shipping point. Pallets that cannot or should not be immediately forwarded to the shipping point are fed into the buffer memory and braked. The pallets are only transported out of the buffer storage by the drivable rollers when required. A disadvantage of this type of buffer storage is the large space requirement of the buffer storage due to the arrangement in one level, and due to the required switches. For this reason, it is difficult and only possible with considerable effort to integrate this buffer store into an existing transport system made up of roller conveyors, which is why such a buffer store is not suitable for order picking workplaces. From DE 44 13 762 A1, a buffer store, in particular for woods, according to the paternoster principle is also known. This buffer storage consists of two vertically spaced rollers, over which chains or belts circulate endlessly. On the chains or straps there are storage compartments open to the outside for horizontal storage of the objects. The objects are first lifted vertically by the circumferential belts or chains, then rotated at top dead center by 180 ° with respect to the vertical, in order to then be conveyed downwards again. A disadvantage of such a buffer store is that, due to the endless mode of operation, it cannot be used for the temporary storage of selected objects on containers or pallets carried on a roller conveyor, since the roller conveyor must be interrupted at the installation location of the buffer store in order to be able to insert the objects horizontally between the storage compartments , In addition, a rotation of 180 ° with respect to the vertical with a container or a pallet is not possible without losing or seriously damaging the goods inside or on it.

DE 100 11 205 A1 has furthermore disclosed a high-bay warehouse which comprises at least two storage areas of different temperatures which are arranged one above the other, lower temperatures being provided in a first, lower of the storage areas than in a second, upper of the storage areas, at least a coolant supply area is assigned to one of the storage areas. The at least one cooling medium supply area assigned to a storage area is arranged above a discharge area, a cooling medium supply area for supplying cooling medium for the first storage area being provided in or near a transition area between the first storage area and the second storage area. A discharge area is also provided in the area of the first storage area.

Technical object of the invention:

The invention is therefore based on the object of developing a buffer store which can also be retrofitted into an existing roller conveyor system without great effort and at any location in the roller conveyor system. can be integrated fairly and which also requires very little space to be used, in particular, at order picking workplaces.

Disclosure of the invention and presentation of its advantages:

According to the invention, such a buffer store for pallets and / or containers for arrangement on a roller conveyor is characterized by a lifting unit consisting of at least one vertical mast arranged next to the roller conveyor and a lifting device movably arranged on the mast in a vertical direction for lifting the container or the pallet from the roller conveyor and installation on the same, the lifting device being able to be lowered in a rest position next to or between the rollers below the conveyor plane formed by the roller conveyor and raised to a storage position that is at least vertically spaced from the conveyor plane by the height of a container or a fully packed pallet.

The advantage achieved by the invention is in particular that no additional space is required laterally from the roller conveyor. The goods to be transported, here the pallet or container, can be temporarily stored directly above the roller conveyor, whereby a sufficient passage height must remain between the pallet or container raised by the lifting unit and the roller conveyor, so that subsequent pallets or containers on the roller conveyor reach the place of installation of the buffer storage can pass unhindered, regardless of whether the lifting unit is in the working position or in the rest position. According to the need, several of the buffer stores according to the invention can be positioned one behind the other, so that the storage flexibility is further increased. The invention is not restricted to a single way of picking. The buffer store according to the invention can both store the containers or pallets in which or on which the goods of the picking order are located and also store those containers and pallets in which the individual goods still to be picked are kept. The arrangement of the buffer store can therefore be freely selected in the area of the picking work station. In a further advantageous embodiment of the buffer store, the lifting device has at least two fork arms which span a plane parallel to the conveying plane, the distance between two adjacent fork arms corresponding to an integer multiple of the center distance of two rollers of the roller conveyor arranged next to one another for lowering the fork arms between at least two adjacent roles of the roller conveyor below the conveyor level. In this way, the fork arms can rest in the rest position of the lifting device between two adjacent rollers without touching them. In this way, for example, the pallet can be safely passed underneath and raised by the lifting device or by the forks of the lifting device. In the rest position, the fork arms are lowered below the conveying level, so that the conveyed goods can pass the lifting device without problems.

An additional advantageous embodiment of the invention provides for the lifting mechanism to be designed via chains or belts which are connected to an actuating cylinder, e.g. a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder are in drive connection. The actuating cylinder can be arranged at the head of the lifting unit and thus extremely space-saving.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the lifting unit consists of masts arranged on both sides of the roller conveyor in the manner of a portal or in the form of a portal, which are connected to one another via at least one horizontal cross member, the actuating unit being arranged in the cross member. The lifting devices arranged vertically movably on the masts are moved synchronously by a common or by two separate actuating units, so that they can be connected to one another by fork arms reaching under the container or the pallet. Through the use of two masts arranged on both sides of the roller conveyor, the container or pallet to be lifted can be clamped and lifted very easily by means of stamps or the like acting in the vertical direction transversely to the conveying direction of the roller conveyor, so that the use of fork arms or the like is not absolutely necessary. A further advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that at least one lifting unit of the buffer store has a housing that at least partially surrounds the lifting unit. Furthermore, a heat exchanger, a heat sink or a heat source for supplying or removing heat can be arranged in the interior of the housing. To protect the operating personnel at the picking station, the housing can reach down to the floor on both sides of the roller conveyor, so that injuries caused by reaching into or reaching in between in the working area of the buffer store can be prevented.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that in the case of a plurality of buffer stores arranged along a roller conveyor, at least one lifting unit has a housing which at least partially surrounds the lifting unit, the housing preferably forming a space which can be closed from below by the container or the pallet and in which a space between - Stored container or a pallet is stored in the storage position of the buffer storage, wherein a heat exchanger, a heat sink or a heat source for supplying or removing heat can be arranged in the interior of the housing for cooling or heating the intermediate storage in the storage position of the lifting device the pallet or goods in the container. In this embodiment, too, the housing can extend down to the floor on both sides of the roller conveyor to protect the operating personnel at the order-picking station, so that injuries caused by reaching into or reaching into the working area of the buffer store can be prevented.

A further advantageous embodiment of the invention is that the lifting unit consists of at least one vertical mast arranged next to the roller conveyor and a lifting device movably arranged on the mast in the vertical direction for lifting the container or the pallet off the roller conveyor and placing it on the latter, the Lifting device can be lowered in a rest position next to or between the rollers below the conveyor plane formed by the roller conveyor and into an at least around the height of a container or a fully packed pallet from the conveyor plane vertically spaced storage position can be raised, the lifting device having at least two fork arms which span a plane parallel to the conveying plane, the distance between two adjacent fork arms corresponding to an integer multiple of the center distance of two rollers of the roller conveyor arranged next to one another for lowering the fork arms between at least two adjacent rollers below the funding level.

Further advantages and advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the following description, the drawing and the claims.

Brief description of the drawing, showing:

1 shows a side view of a roller conveyor with a plurality of buffer stores arranged one behind the other in the conveying direction, FIG. 2 shows a view of the roller conveyor with buffer store from the direction II indicated in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a roller conveyor with a plurality of buffer stores arranged one inside the other in the conveying direction h,

Figure 4 ee a detailed view of a lifting device in the rest position and

FIG. 5 an overall view of a picking station with several roller conveyors and several buffer stores from a bird's eye view.

Preferred embodiment of the invention:

1 and 2 show a roller conveyor 1, on the rollers 2 of which a container 3 is conveyed in the direction “F”. A plurality of portal-like buffer stores 4 are arranged along a roller conveyor 1 in the conveying direction. Each buffer store 4 is designed as a lifting unit and has at least one a vertical mast 11 arranged in a vertically movable lifting device 5 with fork arms 6 and 7 attached to the lifting device 5, which in the idle state are immersed between the rollers 2 and below the conveying plane designated by the reference number 8, so that when the lifting device is lowered and in the rest position 5 the container 3 can be conveyed undisturbed by the lifting device 5 over the rollers 2. One for intermediate storage in the Buffer 4 certain container 3 is u. U. against the conveying direction F, pushed by the operating personnel into the area of the roller conveyor 1 overbuilt with a buffer store 4 or conveyed by means of motor-driven rollers. An automatic or manual control activates a braking device 13 under a free buffer store 4. The container 3 to be stored between runs against the braking device 13, is stopped above the lifting device 5 and can now be lifted off the roller conveyor 1 by means of the lifting device 5. To lift the container 3, a lifting cylinder 9 arranged in or on a horizontal crossbeam 12 acts on a belt 10 which is firmly clamped at one end and connected to the lifting device 5 at its other end, so that the belt 10 is subjected to tension and the lifting device 5 lifts in the vertical direction labeled "A", the fork arms 6 and 7 reaching under the container 3 and lifting it into a storage position above the roller conveyor 1. The clear distance below the raised container 3 towards the roller conveyor 1 corresponds at least to the maximum height of a container 3 or a fully stacked pallet, which is usually transported on the roller conveyor 1. Upon request, the container 3 is lowered again from the storage position onto the roller conveyor 1. Figure 2 also shows the poral-like arrangement of the buffer store 4 above a roller conveyor, which is independent of the roller conveyor. A subsequent integration of an invention General buffer storage on a roller conveyor only requires a direct mounting of the braking device 13 from below onto the roller conveyor, all other components of the buffer storage do not necessarily have to be mounted on the roller conveyor, whereby a high degree of prefabrication of the buffer storage is possible and only a brief interruption of the operation of the roller conveyor is necessary.

FIG. 3 illustrates the portal-like arrangement of the buffer stores above the roller conveyor 1. Masts 11 are arranged on both sides of the roller conveyor 1 and are connected to one another by cross members 12 transverse to the roller conveyor 1. A cross member 12 is arranged between the upper ends of two opposite masts 11 for each buffer store 4. In addition, a traverse 12 is provided below the roller conveyor 1. By means of controllable braking devices 13, the pallets or containers 3, which enter the area of the roller conveyor 1 built over with the portal-like buffer stores 4, are stopped via lifting devices 5 provided below the conveying plane 8, in order then to be lifted in the vertical direction.

FIG. 4 shows in detail the arrangement of the fork arms 6 and 7 connected to the lifting device 5 in the rest position of the lifting device 5 below the conveying plane 8 of the roller conveyor 1. The lifting device consists, for example, of at least one, preferably two trapezoidal sheets 17, which end of the rollers 2 of the Roller conveyor are arranged and adjacent to the surfaces of the rollers 2 in the rest position, 17 fork arms 6 and 7 are arranged between the trapezoidal sheets, which are lowered in the rest position between each two adjacent rollers 2. The trapezoidal sheets 17 in turn can be connected to one another in a suitable manner, for example by means of a cross bar on which the lifting cylinder or the chains or belts engage. The container 3 is shown in the position in which it is stopped by the braking device 13 in the middle above the fork arms 6 and 7 of the lifting device 5 in order to be lifted off the roller conveyor 1 in the vertical direction.

The order picking area shown in FIG. 5 has a number of order picking workstations 14 which are set up on roller conveyors 1 arranged at right angles to supply roller conveyors 16. A plurality of buffer stores 4 are arranged along the roller conveyors 1 leading from the supply roller conveyors 16 to the order-picking workplaces 14. Between two picking workplaces arranged on a roller conveyor 1

14 each have a discharge roller belt 15, via which fully equipped or emptied containers 3 are fed to the supply roller conveyors 16.

Industrial applicability:

The invention is commercially applicable in particular for space-saving intermediate storage of pallets or containers along a roller conveyor. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 roller conveyor

2 roll

3 containers

4 buffer tanks

5 lifting device

6 fork arm

7 fork arm

8 funding level

9 lifting cylinders

10 straps

11 vertical mast

12 horizontal traverse

13 braking device

14 order picking station

15 discharge roller belt

16 supply roller conveyor

17 trapezoidal sheets

F conveying direction

A lifting direction

Claims

Expectations:

1. buffer storage for pallets and / or containers for arrangement on a roller conveyor, characterized by a lifting unit consisting of at least one vertical mast (11) arranged next to the roller conveyor (1) and a lifting device movably arranged on the mast (11) in the vertical direction ( 5), for lifting the container (3) or the pallet from the roller conveyor (1) and placing it on the same, the lifting device (5) in a rest position next to or between the rollers (2) below that formed by the roller conveyor (1) The conveyor level (8) can be lowered and raised to a storage position that is vertically spaced from the conveyor level (8) by at least the height of a container (3) or a fully packed pallet.

2. Buffer memory according to claim 1, characterized in that the lifting device (5) has at least two fork arms (6, 7) which span a plane parallel to the conveying plane (8), the distance between two adjacent fork arms (6, 7) one Integer multiples of the center distance of two rollers (2) arranged next to each other corresponds to the roller conveyor (1) to lower the fork arms (6,7) between at least two adjacent rollers (2) below the conveying plane (8).

3. Buffer memory according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lifting device (5) of the lifting unit is connected to an actuating unit (9) via a driving means (10).

4. Buffer memory according to claim 3, characterized in that the actuating unit (9) is a lifting cylinder.

5. Buffer memory according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the driving means (10) is a belt or a chain.

6. Buffer memory according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lifting unit consists of masts (11) which are arranged on both sides of the roller conveyor and which are connected to one another via at least one horizontal cross member (12), the actuating unit (9) in the cross member (12 ) is arranged.

7. Buffer memory according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one lifting unit has a housing at least partially enclosing the lifting unit.

8. buffer memory claim 7, characterized in that a heat exchanger, a heat sink or a heat source for supplying or removing heat is arranged in the interior of the housing.

9. A buffer store according to claim 8, characterized in that in the case of a plurality of buffer stores arranged along a roller conveyor, at least one lifting unit has a housing which at least partially encloses the lifting unit, the housing forming a space which can be closed from below by the container or the pallet, for storing an intermediate container or a pallet in the storage position of the buffer store, the heat exchanger, heat sink or heat source for supplying or removing heat being arranged in the interior of the housing for cooling or heating the goods stored temporarily on the pallet or in the container in the storage position of the lifting device.

10. Buffer memory according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the housing on the picking station extends down to the floor on both sides of the roller conveyor to protect the operating personnel.

11. Buffer memory according to claim 1, characterized in that the lifting device comprises two trapezoidal sheets (17) arranged at the ends of the rollers (2) of the roller conveyor (1), between which the fork arms (6, 7) are arranged, the trapezoidal sheets (17) being arranged to be raised and lowered on the mast (11) or on the masts (11).

12. Buffer memory according to claim 11, characterized in that the driving means (10), belts or chains, engage the trapezoidal sheets (17).

13. Buffer memory according to claim 1, characterized in that the lifting unit consists of at least one vertical mast (11) arranged next to the roller conveyor (1) and a lifting device (5) arranged to be movable in the vertical direction on the mast (11) for lifting the Containers (3) or the pallet from the roller conveyor (1) and standing on the same, the lifting device (5) in a rest position next to or between the rollers (2) below the conveyor plane (8) formed by the roller conveyor (1) and can be raised into a storage position vertically spaced from the conveying plane (8) by at least the height of a container (3) or a fully packed pallet, the lifting device (5) having at least two fork arms (6, 7), one of which is to the conveying plane (8 ) span the parallel plane, the distance between two adjacent fork arms (6,7) being an integer multiple of the center distance between two adjacent rollers (2) of the roller assembly hn (1) corresponds to the lowering of the fork arms (6,7) between at least two adjacent rollers (2) below the conveyor level (8).