WO2010108769A1

WO2010108769A1 - Workstation for commissioning goods

Info

Publication number: WO2010108769A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/052781
Authority: WO
Inventors: Udo Lummer; Roland Burbach
Original assignee: Pack-It-Easy Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 2009-03-26
Filing date: 2010-03-04
Publication date: 2010-09-30
Also published as: EP2411304A1; DE202009005986U1

Abstract

Workstation for commissioning goods and/or remissioning goods, having at least one shelf (10, 12), which is split into a plurality of compartments (18) by compartment bases (16), and having display elements (20) associated with the individual compartments (18) and also an electronic control device (26) for controlling the display elements, characterized in that the compartment bases (16) are height-adjustable, in that the display elements (20) are arranged on the compartment bases and communicate with the control device (26) via contacts or wirelessly, and in that the control device has an input and memory device for configuring and storing the arrangement of the compartment bases (16).

Description

WORKPLACE FOR PICKING GOODS

The invention relates to a workplace for picking and / or remission of goods, with at least one shelf, which is divided by shelves into several compartments, and with the individual subjects associated display elements and an electronic control device for controlling the display elements.

Picking is the process by which deliveries of goods to different customers are arranged in such a way that each customer receives the ordered number of copies of each item. A typical application example is the order picking of journals in magazine wholesaling.

Remission is the reverse process whereby retailers return the unsold magazines to the wholesaler, who then forwards them to their respective publishers.

The hitherto usual procedure for order picking of magazines consists of printing a delivery note for each customer indicating the quantities of the individual articles (titles) and passing this delivery note through a conveyor at different workstations. At the workplaces, each compartment contains a specific title and, according to the delivery note, a worker removes the required number of copies from the compartment and places them on the conveyor so that the commission is gradually assembled. At the end of the tape is then usually a checkweighing, in which the total weight of the Commission is measured and compared with a target weight, which is calculated from the (within certain tolerance limits) known individual weights of the copies of the various titles and the respective numbers, so that the delivery quantities be checked before the Commission is delivered.

From FR 2 833 097 Al a workplace of the aforementioned type is known, which has a plurality of movable arranged on rollers shelves. The individual shelves Chern assigned display elements, such as light emitting diodes are controlled by the controller so that they indicate to the staff, in which tray the incoming goods is to be stored or from which tray the outgoing goods can be seen. Thus, for example, in the picking each subject can be assigned a customer, and if goods of a certain type, such as journals of a certain title arrive, the nature of the goods is identified by means of a scanner, and by running in the controller program is each customer assigned the number of articles ordered by him. The operator then inserts the individual copies each in the subjects whose display elements light up, so that gradually in each subject the commission is put together for a customer. It is envisaged that each compartment has a light barrier with which it can be checked whether the product in question has actually been placed in the compartment.

The object of the invention is to provide a workplace of this kind, which can be more flexibly adapted to the respective needs.

This object is achieved in that the shelves are adjustable in height, that the display elements are arranged on the shelves and communicate via contacts or wirelessly with the control device, and that the control means an input and memory device for configuring and storing the arrangement of Shelves has.

By adjusting the shelves, preferably within a given grid, the size of each compartment can be adapted to the needs of the particular customer. The control device can be programmed according to the respective arrangement of the compartments so that the individual compartments can be clearly identified with the aid of the display elements. Since the display elements are arranged on the shelves, there is exactly one display element for each compartment, and the assignment between compartments and display elements is maintained when a shelf is adjusted in height.

The advantage of the variable compartment size is mainly that for customers with relatively low turnover, the size of the subjects can be reduced, resulting in more Accommodate compartments in a narrower space. As a result, the paths to be traveled by the worker in operating the trays are shortened, and a correspondingly higher productivity is achieved.

To configure or reconfigure the workstation is a method that includes the following steps:

Defining the association between customers and subjects,

Determining the compartment size and the location of the compartments in the control device,

Adjust the shelves to the positions specified by the controller.

Advantageous developments and refinements of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The control device is preferably programmed to determine the arrangement of the compartments on the basis of the respectively required compartment sizes, in such a way that the largest compartments, which must be operated most frequently, are to be reached in the shortest possible way.

In a particularly expedient embodiment, the control device has a screen, which is advantageously integrated in one of the shelves and which forms a graphical user interface for the configuration of the workstation.

During the actual picking or remission operations, the control device then displays on the screen a schematic representation of the entire workstation, and it is there each marked the tray that just needs to be operated and the display element lights up. The number of copies to be inserted is preferably also displayed on the screen, and in the vicinity of the screen are also confirmation buttons and the like, with which the staff can confirm the respective actions or enter corrections. During picking, the staff can thus keep their eyes focused on the screen, and by marking the compartment to be operated or Shelves will display the rough direction in which to find the tray to be served. The display element attached to the shelf in question then more accurately identifies the compartment. This double display of the compartment avoids the time-consuming search for the subject, whose display element just lights up, especially in larger workplaces with numerous shelves.

The display elements are preferably detachably attached to the respective shelves, for example by means of a Velcro strip. The communication between the display element and the control device is preferably wireless, with the help of small radio receiver, which are integrated in the attached to the shelves, the display element bearing units. The power supply for the radio receivers can be made via contacts or busbars in the shelf lugs. However, it is also conceivable inductive power supply of the display elements or a power supply with the help of batteries.

Display elements of the same type, which are detachably attached to the shelves, can be attached accordingly to other containers or goods carriers, for example to trolley and the like. This makes it possible to extend the workstation as desired, and allows a very high degree of flexibility in the configuration of the workstation.

It is also particularly advantageous if the individual shelves stand on rollers and are connected to one another by hinges at the ends. With the help of the hinges, the shelves can then be pivoted as required against each other so that either a far-flung workplace with a larger number of shelves is created or a smaller workplace with at a greater angle against each other employed shelves, what the ways to the individual Subjects significantly shortened and thus allows a more efficient work. The connection of the individual shelves via hinges has the advantage that despite the pivoting a defined spatial allocation between the shelves is maintained. In this way, it is ensured that the individual compartments always remain in the same spatial position with respect to each other, which enables particularly experienced operators, who find the individual compartments almost "blind", to work particularly efficiently. In the following an embodiment will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a front view of part of a workplace according to the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a floor plan of the workplace.

Fig. 1 shows as an essential part of a workplace for picking and / or remission of goods, such as magazines, several shelves 10, 12 different widths, which are each movably mounted on castors 14 and thus can be grouped around the workplace flexible. Each shelf has a number of shelves 16 which are adjustable in the vertical direction in a predetermined grid, as is well known in the shelf art. By the shelves 16 thus the shelf is divided into individual compartments 18, which may differ in terms of the grid size increments in height.

Each compartment 18 is associated with a display element 20. In the example shown, each display element has the form of a small, flat box which carries a light-emitting diode at the front and accommodates a radio receiver for controlling the light-emitting diode in the interior. Each compartment 20 of the shelf can thus be uniquely identified regardless of its size by means of one of the display elements 20. In the example shown, the display elements 20 are each mounted below the topsoil of the associated compartment and releasably secured, for example, with Velcro.

In the middle shelf 10 in Fig. 1, a screen 22, for example a liquid crystal computer screen, is placed in a compartment approximately at eye level for a standing operator. A slightly lower-lying compartment carries a projecting, slightly inclined console with a keyboard 24. The screen 22 and the keyboard 24 are connected to an electronic control device 26, which is formed for example by a PC and in the example shown here in the lowest compartment of middle shelf 10 stands. In the compartment above is a printer 28, and in a somewhat further upwardly located compartment, in a position most conveniently accessible to the operator, an electronic balance 30, preferably on a pull-out drawer. The shelf, which bounds the tray with the scale 30 upwards, carries on its underside an optical scanning device 32. The printer 28, the scale 30 and the scanning device 32 are connected to the control device 26. The controller 26 wirelessly communicates with all the display elements 20 of all shelves.

The shelves 12, which adjoin the central shelf 10 on both sides, are pivotally connected at their front vertical edges by hinges 34 to the central shelf 10. The storage of these shelves on the castors 14 therefore allows the shelves 10, 12 to pivot relative to each other and so optimally adapt the configuration of the workplace to the particular needs. Accordingly, further shelves can be linked to the shelves 12 shown in FIG. Thus, for example, a ring-shaped closed workplace could be formed.

Fig. 2 shows the workplace according to Fig. 1 in plan view. It can be seen the shelves 10, 12 of FIG. 1 and two additional Trolley 36, which can be added as needed to increase the shelf capacity. Each trolley is then equipped with a display element 20 so that it like the subjects 18 of the shelves 10, 12 can be operated. Furthermore, one recognizes the angled position of the shelves 12. The more these shelves are angled, the shorter the path to the subjects contained therein.

The adjustability of the shelves 18, the Veschwenkbarkeit the shelves 10, 12 relative to each other and the ability to concatenate more shelves with the existing shelves or add more shelves or the trolley 36 separately, opens up a high flexibility in the configuration of the workplace. Nevertheless, each compartment can be easily identified by the associated display element 20.

The power supply of the display elements 20 can be done for example via battery or inductively (wireless). Likewise, however, a power supply via conductors and contacts is possible, for example via busbars that run in the vertical bars of the shelves. As it is known for shelving lighting systems, can be mounted on the shelves 16 adapters, which tap the power from the busbar. These adapters can then be in contact with contacts on the underside of the shelves 16, which cooperate with corresponding mating contacts on the display elements 20. However, it is also conceivable that a corresponding adapter is arranged directly on one side of the display element, so that it can be coupled directly to the busbar in the side wall of the shelf.

The workstation shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can now be configured, for example, as follows for a specific picking task. As an example, the commissioning of magazines to be delivered to different outlets (customers) is described, with each customer having ordered a certain number of copies of a customized selection of titles.

First, the customer data including the respective orders are input to the controller 26, either manually by the keyboard 24 or also online; via the Internet. The controller 26 then calculates the necessary size of the bin 18 intended for that customer for each customer from the total number of magazines ordered, and then assigns each customer at least one special bin in one of the shelves 10, 12. The assignment is conveniently made by means of a suitable algorithm such that the customers requiring the largest compartments receive those compartments which are closest to the screen 22. The current arrangement of the shelves 16 is taken no consideration.

In the next step, the controller 26 instructs the operator to rearrange the shelves 16 so that each tray 18 is given the intended size. For this purpose, for example, an image of the respective shelf is shown on the screen, in which the desired position of the shelf is shown or the desired adjustment process is animated.

It goes without saying that optionally the operator can also use the keyboard 26 to influence the compartment assignment and the compartment sizes. The workplace is now ready for the picking process. When a delivery of magazines of a particular title arrives, the delivery is moved to a parking position near the scale 30, which is shown in Fig. 2 in the drawer-like deployed position of use. The operator removes the bundles of magazine copies and places them on the scale 30 and thus under the scanning device 32 so that a bar code, a label, a delivery note or other identification of the delivered goods can be read with the aid of the scanning device. For this purpose, the control device 26 also contains the necessary software for interpreting the scanned data. The recognized title is displayed on the screen 22 for inspection, and at the same time the bundle is weighed by means of the balance 30, so that the number of delivered copies can be checked on the basis of the known weight of a single magazine copy.

The controller 26 then distributes the copies based on the order data on the individual customers. For this purpose, the control device 26 causes the display element 20 lights up, which is located above the compartment 18, in which the magazines are to be inserted. The number of copies to be placed in this tray is displayed simultaneously on the screen 22. The operator reads this number from the screen 22, removes the appropriate number of copies from the stack on the scale 30 and places them in the compartment indicated by the LED.

In order to facilitate the operator to find the subject, a reduced image of the workplace is shown on the screen 22, for example, a floor plan 38 (Fig. 1), in which the shelf is marked in color, in which the desired tray is located.

If the number of copies required by a particular customer is greater than the number of copies that the operator can comfortably grasp and place in the tray at one time, the maximum number of copies displayed on the screen 22 will be appropriate, preferably one of the operator selectable value is limited, and the tray is filled in several steps.

In a special embodiment, a sensor (not shown) is integrated into the shelves 16, which registers the magazines loaded in the compartment. The corresponding The sensor signal can then serve as an acknowledgment signal to confirm that at least one copy has been inserted into the relevant compartment. In this way, the controller 26 can monitor and control the operation of the operator. While it will generally not be possible to determine the number of copies placed in the tray using the sensor, this number may be determined as needed by weight loss of the stack remaining on the scale 30.

If enough commissions have been completed for a tour of a delivery vehicle, the controller 26 calculates the optimal tour for that delivery vehicle, that is, the tour in which all customers are visited and the total distance covered is minimal. On the basis of the tour thus calculated, the control device 26 determines the order in which the individual customers are approached. The control device 26 then uses the display elements 20 to instruct the operator to remove the commissions for the individual customers in reverse order from the compartments 18.

The workplace described is also suitable for the remission of goods. In this case, at least one compartment of suitable size is allocated to each publisher to which remitted periodicals are to be forwarded during the configuration. The remitted titles are identified by means of the scanning device 32 and then stored in the designated by means of the display elements 20 compartments. Optionally, a remission slip can be printed with the help of the printer 28, which identifies the remittents for each publisher and indicates the number of remitted copies for each title.

Claims

1. Workstation for picking and / or remission of goods, with at least one shelf (10, 12), which is divided by shelves (16) into several compartments (18), and with the individual compartments (18) associated display elements (20 ) and an electronic control device (26) for controlling the display elements, characterized in that the shelves (16) are adjustable in height, that the display elements (20) are arranged on the shelves and via contacts or wirelessly with the control device (26) communicate, and that the control device has an input and storage device for configuring and storing the arrangement of the shelves (16).

2. Workstation according to claim 1, wherein the display elements (20) are releasably attached to the shelves (16).

3. Workplace according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each compartment (18) is associated with at least one sensor which detects the insertion of goods in the relevant compartment.

4. Workstation according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a screen (22) and means for displaying the configuration of the compartments (18) on the screen.

5. Workstation according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (26) is adapted to display on a screen (22) an image (38) of the workplace and in each case to mark the location of the compartment whose display element (20) is active is.

6. Workplace according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a centrally positioned shelf (10) has a balance (30) for weighing the goods.

7. workplace according to claim 6, wherein the balance (32) is arranged to be pulled out on a drawer.

8. Workplace according to one of the preceding claims, with a plurality of shelves (10, 12) mounted on castors (14) and articulated by hinges (34) are interconnected.