WO2024033823A1 - Entrepôt vertical à écran interactif mobile motorisé et procédé associé - Google Patents

Entrepôt vertical à écran interactif mobile motorisé et procédé associé Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024033823A1
WO2024033823A1 PCT/IB2023/058032 IB2023058032W WO2024033823A1 WO 2024033823 A1 WO2024033823 A1 WO 2024033823A1 IB 2023058032 W IB2023058032 W IB 2023058032W WO 2024033823 A1 WO2024033823 A1 WO 2024033823A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
goods
screen
operator
warehouse
movement means
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2023/058032
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Thomas Ambrosi
Original Assignee
Ambrosi S.R.L.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Ambrosi S.R.L. filed Critical Ambrosi S.R.L.
Publication of WO2024033823A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024033823A1/fr

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
    • B65G1/02—Storage devices
    • B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
    • B65G1/02—Storage devices
    • B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical
    • B65G1/137—Storage devices mechanical with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a vertical warehouse comprising a control unit for the management thereof and connected to a mobile interactive screen for the reception/transmission/display of the processes relating to the picking up/depositing of goods from the warehouse itself.
  • control and management unit preferably but not necessarily makes use of a digital and interactive “touch screen” intended for the control and picking up/depositing by an operator, or more precisely for the picking up/depositing of components, or articles or products arranged in respective containers inside modular storage units.
  • the present invention is advantageously applied in the sector of management systems of vertical warehouses intended for the storage of industrial components or in other types of systems or other structures for containing and picking up what is required.
  • modular automated storage systems for the selective containment, management and movement of components, small parts, spare parts or other objects for industrial use, comprising modular structures with a substantially modular layout is continuously expanding and evolving.
  • These warehouses for the selective storage of components or spare parts, due to space requirements and modular composition, have a generally vertical layout and have a parallelepiped structure schematically consisting of four uprights which enable the positioning of a plurality of movable shelves placed on horizontal guides adapted to form, together with the uprights, modules that can be combined by mutual flanking.
  • the movable shelves are constituted by trays provided with perimeter sides, inside which areas are defined for the allocation of the different components grouped by category.
  • each of the trays is advantageously mechanised in order to be moved by a system that transports them from a respective storage zone inside the warehouse and a pick-up/deposit zone, generally known as a “bay” into which they are brought, so as to be easily accessible by an operator appointed to pick up and/or deposit the goods or components from/into it.
  • Access to the trays takes place through the use of a control unit, e.g. a touch screen, arranged at the pick-up/deposit bay afforded between the different adjacent modules and configured to command the movement of a specific tray from the storage zone to the pick-up zone based on the goods to be picked up and/or based on the type (in particular the dimensions) of the goods to be housed inside it.
  • a control unit e.g. a touch screen
  • the touch screen control unit is arranged at the pick- up/deposit bay and in a fixed location, therefore after setting the pick- up/deposit parameters of the article the operator has to move to go and pick it up/deposit it in the arrival position inside the bay.
  • a goods pick-up/deposit bay inside vertical warehouses can even be several metres wide and the objects to be picked up can be deposited also in both random and predetermined positions but which can however even be distant from the monitor, the operator appointed to perform the aforesaid operations is forced to move continuously from one side to the other causing tiredness which over a whole day can be significant, but also to the detriment of the quality of service, for example in the case of continuous requests one after the other.
  • the present invention sets out to provide a vertical warehouse and related method able to eliminate or at least reduce the drawbacks highlighted above.
  • the invention sets out in particular to provide a vertical warehouse and related method that facilitate the picking up/depositing operations for the operator.
  • the invention sets out to provide a vertical warehouse and related method that enable the operator’s movements with respect to the interactive screen to be limited.
  • FIG. 1 represents a front perspective schematic view of a vertical warehouse in the lower part of which the goods loading/unloading bay is afforded, at which the interactive screen is arranged, according to the invention, located in a central position;
  • FIG. 2 represents a front perspective schematic view of a vertical warehouse in the lower part of which the goods loading/unloading bay is afforded, at which the interactive screen is arranged, according to the invention, located in a right-hand position;
  • FIG. 3 represents a similar view to the previous ones with the interactive screen according to the invention located on the right and the operator in the opposite position;
  • - figure 4 represents a similar schematic view to the previous ones in which the interactive screen according to the invention is located in a central position
  • - figure 5 represents a similar view to the previous ones with the interactive screen according to the invention mobile above the opening and with a bar of sensors arranged below the opening itself;
  • FIG. 6 represents a view from above of the tray in which different zones are identified in which the picking up can be performed;
  • FIG. 7 represents a view of the tray with the different positions that the screen assumes, with respect to the width of the opening, for picking up different objects/goods from the tray itself;
  • FIG. 8 represents a view from above of a modular system of warehouses with flanked modules in which respective screens are present, each arranged at the goods to be picked up/deposited from the related opening.
  • number 10 generally indicates a vertical warehouse being part of one of the modular automated storage systems for the selective containment, management and movement of components, small parts, spare parts or other objects for industrial use.
  • This vertical warehouse comprises at least one shelving defined in an internal volume of the warehouse in which a plurality of goods can be moved which are represented by components, small parts, spare parts or other defining a physical or virtual allocation area, sub-divided into a plurality of trays having respective housing seats (physical or virtual) for housing the goods each of which is configured to house at least one of said goods, said at least one tray 19 being movable between a storage zone of said shelving and a pick-up zone arranged at a respective pick-up opening 11 accessible by an operator and arranged between two vertical uprights 16 and 17 that delimit it laterally.
  • This pick-up opening 11 arranged in the lower part of the warehouse is usually called a “bay” and it defines the goods loading/unloading zone.
  • the vertical warehouse comprises a control unit configured to receive a selection of the goods to be deposited/picked up by the operator or by a computer/server through corresponding management software (e.g. list of products that comes from the server) and to move the corresponding tray 19 containing, or for which the goods are intended, towards the pick-up opening 11 .
  • the control unit further comprises an interactive screen 12 intended for the selection of the goods to be deposited/picked up and/or checked/viewed in the warehouse.
  • This screen 12 is arranged at the pick-up opening 11 and is sustained by a support bracket 13 which extends frontally from the opening itself (it is usually arranged below the opening) and is normally arranged to the side of the opening so that a user can access it for making the relevant selections.
  • the warehouse comprises a motorised movement means for moving the interactive screen 12 and configured to perform the automatic displacement thereof along said width of the opening
  • this displacement is linear and takes place along the entire width of the opening 11 so as to be able to move the screen 12 from one side to the other in a motorised and automatic way.
  • the interactive screen 12 is slidably mounted, preferably through the support bracket 13, on one or more aisles with a horizontal extension 15 and located below said opening.
  • Said support bracket 13 projects frontally and extends between an inner end mounted on the sliding aisle and an outer end on which the screen 12 is located.
  • bracket 13 is angled and projects from a slot below the opening as shown, by way of example, in figures 1 to 4.
  • Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment in which the interactive screen 12 is slidably mounted on one or more aisles with a horizontal extension 15 located above said opening 11 .
  • the movement means comprises a movement belt, placed between two return pulleys at least one of which is motorised, extending along said width of the opening and connected to said interactive screen and configured as a screen movement element.
  • the movement means comprises a movement system of the pinion and rack type, wherein said interactive screen is connected to said pinion so as to move along the fixed rack for performing the movement of the screen.
  • the movement means comprises a movement system having a rotary shaft with a worm screw and a mobile nut screw device meshing with said shaft, wherein said interactive screen is connected to said nut screw device so as to move along the rotary shaft for performing the movement of the screen.
  • the movement means comprises a linear motor with a stator extending along said width of the opening and rotor linearly movable on said stator by electromagnetic interaction, wherein said interactive screen 12 is connected to said rotor so as to move along the rotary shaft for performing the movement of the screen.
  • the warehouse envisages an automatic movement of the screen 12 which may be an operator tracking movement (follow me) and/or an automatic movement as a function of the position of the goods to be picked up/deposited.
  • the warehouse comprises a presence sensor 18 configured to detect the distance of the operator from said presence sensor itself.
  • This sensor 18 is operatively connected to the control unit and to the movement means of the screen 12.
  • the control unit is configured to command the movement means to move the screen so as to keep the screen at a predefined distance from the operator (e.g. 1 metre or less) as a function of what is detected by the presence sensor so as to define an operator tracking function.
  • the operator is always facilitated in accessing the interactive screen 12 with which it is possible to select the goods to be deposited/picked up and/or proceed with the control/viewing of the warehouse 1.
  • This tracking function is particularly advantageous especially for vertical warehouses 1 which have a particularly high horizontal extension (i.e. substantially, width), e.g. over 5 metres. Therefore, in this way, the interactive monitor 12 is always in proximity to the operator (e.g. as previously reported, within a distance of one metre) in order to be able to verify the content of the tray 19 and/or to indicate the picking up/depositing of goods in the tray 19 itself.
  • the monitor 12 was previously introduced, being defined as interactive. Therefore, in other words, the interactive monitor 12 defines a control panel which the operator can use to check the status of the warehouse, check which goods are present in the trays 19 and in which quantities. Additionally, the operator is also able to point out any pick-ups, deposits (which can also be detected automatically by the warehouse itself), and/or check the positioning in the tray 19 of any determined goods of interest to be picked up/deposited.
  • the interactive monitor 12 is not a simple display, but a management and monitoring panel for the whole vertical warehouse 1 .
  • the possibility to define operator tracking by the interactive monitor 12 enables the operations to be simplified and the operator’s productivity to be significantly improved, as he/she always finds the control panel nearby for performing the verifications of interest on the goods present and/or to be deposited.
  • the senor 18 is mounted solidly constrained to the screen 12, but alternatively it could be installed at other positions in the warehouse.
  • Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the sensor 18 is made in the form of a bar of sensors 18’ (fixed in position) preferably located below the opening 11 and extending for all or part of the related width. These sensors 18’ cooperate with one another to detect the position and/or displacement of the operator opposite the opening 11 and are configured to send the related information to the control unit.
  • control unit is configured to detect through said presence sensor 18 whether the operator is moving away from (detected distance increases) or towards (detected distance reduces) the presence sensor itself:
  • said control unit commands the movement means to move the screen 12 so as to perform said operator tracking function maintaining a predefined safe distance with respect from them;
  • said control unit commands the movement means to keep the screen 12 stationary in position.
  • a command is provided for the movement of the screen 12 itself to bring it to a safe distance predefined by the operator or to a predefined starting position (e.g. completely to the right).
  • control unit comprises a command for the manual activation/deactivation of said operator tracking function just described.
  • the present invention envisages a system for releasing the screen 12 from the movement means thereof in order to be able to move it manually with respect to the movement means itself (e.g. in idle mode).
  • This release system could be implemented through a clutch or another type of release.
  • control unit is configured to command the movement means to move the screen as a function of the position of the goods to be deposited/picked up along the width of the tray 19. For example, if the goods to be picked up are arranged completely to the left when looking at the opening 11 from the front, the control unit before or at the same time as the arrival of the tray 19 at the opening will command the screen to position itself at the goods or in proximity thereto (e.g. 1 metre away).
  • the position of the screen 12 is such as to delimit a pick- up/deposit area comprised within a predefined distance from the screen itself so as to direct the operator to perform the pick-up/deposit operations.
  • figure 6 identifies a goods pick-up/deposit area “A” arranged to the left of the screen 12 and which affects one part of the tray 19.
  • the control unit is thus configured to:
  • control unit is configured to manage a list of goods to be picked up/deposited which is transmitted, for example, by a computer/server through corresponding management software.
  • control unit is configured to define different positions of the screen as a function of each position of the goods to be picked up, according to an order that extends according to a predefined pick-up/deposit direction (e.g. from left to right of the opening).
  • the screen 12 is configured to show, through an image, the position of the goods with respect to the tray 19.
  • the control unit is configured to calculate the position of the goods to be picked up/deposited and to generate a list of commands for the screen movement means according to said predefined pick-up/deposit direction. For example:
  • control unit will command the screen movement means to position itself first in the following position:
  • the present invention also contemplates a modular warehouse comprising a plurality of modules flanked to one another wherein each module comprises at least one internal shelving and a respective pick-up zone arranged at a respective pick-up opening accessible by an operator according to what has been previously described which is to be referred to a single module.
  • the modular warehouse comprises a plurality of interactive screens 12 each associated with a respective opening and is configured to be moved by said movement means.
  • control unit is connected to the movement means of each screen 12 and is configured to move each screen as a function of a list of goods to be picked up/deposited by an operator so as to position each screen at the position of the tray 19 in which each of the goods of the respective module is positioned.
  • control unit (which could comprise a server) is configured to govern all the modules of the vertical warehouse so as to exploit all the openings or “bays” of the modules for quicker picking up of the goods.
  • control unit will command (in the case of a 4-module warehouse):
  • the subject matter of the present invention is also a method for storing a plurality of goods in a vertical warehouse or modular system of vertical warehouses which descends directly from what has been described above which is fully referred to hereinbelow.
  • the method comprises the steps of:
  • the present invention achieves the predefined objects as the motorised and automatic movement of the screen 12 enables the operator to be facilitated in the pick-up/deposit operations along the opening in order to reduce the movements that he/she has to continuously perform.
  • the automatic tracking function enables the interactive screen to be always within reach for the operator who will also have his/her hands free. Furthermore, the automatic movement function enables the screen to always be positioned at the goods to be picked up/deposited in order to facilitate the operator as well as indicating to him/her where such goods are positioned.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un entrepôt vertical (10) pour le stockage d'une pluralité de marchandises, comprenant au moins un rayonnage défini dans un volume interne de l'entrepôt ; au moins un plateau (19) définissant une zone d'attribution physique ou virtuelle, subdivisé en une pluralité de sièges de logement pour loger les marchandises ; une unité de commande configurée pour recevoir une sélection des marchandises à déposer/ramasser par l'opérateur et pour déplacer le plateau (19) correspondant contenant de telles marchandises ou pour lequel elles sont destinées, vers l'ouverture de ramassage (11). Ladite unité de commande comprend un écran interactif (12) destiné à la sélection des marchandises à déposer/ramasser et/ou à la commande de l'entrepôt. Un moyen de déplacement motorisé est prévu pour déplacer l'écran interactif (12) et conçu pour effectuer son déplacement automatique le long de ladite largeur de l'ouverture (11) en fonction de la position de l'opérateur et/ou en fonction de la position des marchandises à déposer/ramasser par rapport à la zone d'attribution du plateau (19).
PCT/IB2023/058032 2022-08-09 2023-08-09 Entrepôt vertical à écran interactif mobile motorisé et procédé associé WO2024033823A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT102022000017043A IT202200017043A1 (it) 2022-08-09 2022-08-09 Magazzino verticale con schermo interattivo mobile motorizzato e relativo metodo
IT102022000017043 2022-08-09

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WO2024033823A1 true WO2024033823A1 (fr) 2024-02-15

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Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102010043911A1 (de) * 2010-11-15 2012-05-16 Hänel GmbH & Co KG Vorrichtung zur Unterstützung von Entnahme beziehungsweise Ablage von Lagergut in einem Lagergutträger, sowie Verfahren hierzu
WO2013155107A1 (fr) * 2012-04-09 2013-10-17 Opex Corporation Procédé et appareil permettant de trier ou de récupérer des articles
WO2022034492A1 (fr) * 2020-08-10 2022-02-17 Sintesi Srl Armoire automatique pour le stockage et la distribution d'articles à la demande

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102010043911A1 (de) * 2010-11-15 2012-05-16 Hänel GmbH & Co KG Vorrichtung zur Unterstützung von Entnahme beziehungsweise Ablage von Lagergut in einem Lagergutträger, sowie Verfahren hierzu
WO2013155107A1 (fr) * 2012-04-09 2013-10-17 Opex Corporation Procédé et appareil permettant de trier ou de récupérer des articles
WO2022034492A1 (fr) * 2020-08-10 2022-02-17 Sintesi Srl Armoire automatique pour le stockage et la distribution d'articles à la demande

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IT202200017043A1 (it) 2024-02-09

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