DE20010615U1 - Order picking device with product stores arranged on a shelf and positionable push-out unit - Google Patents

Description

Description

Coinitiation device with intermediate storage units arranged in a shelf in the form of tiltable containers 5

The invention relates to an order picking device with intermediate storage in the form of tiltable containers with filling openings arranged in a shelf substantially horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the shelf, and with a lower collecting conveyor, central conveyor or buffer assigned to the tiltable containers in the longitudinal direction of the shelf, wherein for a picking order one or more containers are preferably filled simultaneously by hand or machine with selected products in a filling position of the containers, and by tilting the filled containers into a tilting position the selected products of the picking order are delivered to the collecting conveyor, central conveyor or buffer and fed on the collecting conveyor or central conveyor or after the buffer to a collecting container which then preferably contains all the desired products of the picking order.

Order picking devices of the aforementioned type are known, for example, from AT 403 570 or AT 403 031. The tiltable containers are open at the top and designed as trays.

The trays have a horizontal pivot axis and can be swivelled by 180°. When the trays are filled with selected products, the filling opening of the trays points upwards. To empty the trays, the trays are tilted by 180° so that the filling opening points downwards and the products in the trays fall due to gravity onto a conveyor belt located underneath and are then transported to a collection point and filled into a collection container in which all the products of a picking order are then located. All trays are connected to a common tilting drive with a rotating chain or a rotating toothed belt and are normally connected by means of a coupling.

separated. If selected trays or containers are to be tilted by 180°, their couplings are closed with the common tilting drive via a central control unit of the order picking system for the tilting movement process and are thereby swiveled into the tilting position. After the products have been emptied, the trays or containers return to their original position of filling.

The large swivel range of 180° is a disadvantage. The tiltable containers require a lot of space within the overall arrangement of the order picking system to swivel. The tilting process takes a relatively long time. The swiveled masses are comparatively large. The products in the container are "thrown around" during the 180° swivel and are subject to increased wear. The central tilting drive is comparatively slow. In addition, the tilting drive is susceptible to wear and tear. An interruption in operation due to a fault also means failure of the entire order picking device. Another particular disadvantage is that an existing order picking system can only be converted with great effort, and in particular can only be expanded in capacity with great effort. The conversion is then very costly and can only be carried out by trained specialists.

The object of the invention is to create an order picking device of the type mentioned at the beginning, which is simple and compact in construction and can be equipped in a variety of different variants with simple intermediate storage of tiltable containers and in particular can also be converted. The object of the invention is also to create tiltable containers which are very simply constructed and can be used in a variety of ways.

This object is achieved by the subject matter of the two independent claims. Advantageous embodiments emerge from the further claims.

According to the invention, each tiltable container has, apart from the filling opening, an open container side which is kept closed by a stationary shelf wall in the filling position of the container and is open in the tilting position remote from the stationary shelf wall and forms the discharge opening of the container from which the products of the container fall onto the collecting conveyor, central conveyor or buffer.

The stationary shelf wall is preferably a vertical shelf wall or a shelf wall inclined to the vertical, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the shelf, preferably on the front side of the shelf.

Preferably, the open side of the container is connected to the filling opening of the container at the bottom.

The open container side and the filling opening advantageously extend over the entire container width in the longitudinal direction of the shelf.

The container can have flat walls, wherein at least one flat container bottom, one flat container rear wall and two spaced-apart vertical walls are provided as flat container side walls in the transverse direction of the shelf, wherein the open container side is opposite the container rear wall.

The rear wall of the container has perforated openings so that the containers can also be viewed from the outside.
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A particularly simple structure is achieved if the two vertical walls are designed the same.

In a special embodiment, the two vertical walls of the container have five corners, whereby not only the aforementioned walls, but also an additional flat fastening above the container rear wall and behind the filling opening.

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A storage wall is provided, to which a preferably vertical shelf mounting bracket can be attached at the top. The shelf mounting bracket has a horizontal pivot axis at its lower end, to which the container is suspended and can be pivoted backwards and upwards in the transverse direction of the shelf.

The open container side and the filling opening can form an angle of 180° to approximately 150°. 10

The angle between the open container side and the container bottom is preferably approximately 90°.

Each container preferably has its own tilting drive. The tilting drive is attached together with a tilting control device of the container, in particular to the shelf mounting bracket.

The tilt drive is a preferably pneumatically operated piston-cylinder device which is hinged to the mounting wall eccentrically to the swivel axis.

The piston of the piston-cylinder device can be loaded on one or both sides.
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The tilt control device comprises in particular an electromagnetically actuated control valve.

The container including shelf mounting bracket, tilt drive and tilt control device are preferably a structural unit or a built-in module of the shelf of the order picking device.

The shelf mounting bracket, the tilt drive and the tilt control device preferably have a width that is less than or equal to the container width.

A one-piece stationary shelving wall is particularly designed for several structural units or built-in modules arranged close to one another.

Several containers can be arranged next to each other and/or behind each other on one or more stacked shelf levels.

The stationary shelving wall is preferably a built-in part of a shelf that can be variably constructed from a frame system according to the modular principle.

Preferably, an aforementioned tiltable container can preferably be used together with other similar containers in a shelf of an order picking device and/or in a non-order picking shelf and can preferably be installed as a structural unit or built-in module. Several shelves can be provided in series or in parallel, in particular also as a double shelf.

According to the invention, the tiltable container - considered on its own - is not a "container" in the traditional sense in which products can be temporarily stored, but only a container part that only functions as a temporary storage device together with a fixed shelf wall. When the container is in the filling position, the container part is in a stop on the fixed shelf wall, and only then are the filled products held in the container. The fixed shelf wall is vertical or at an angle to the vertical, inclined downwards inwards in the transverse direction of the shelf. As a result, in relation to a large container capacity, only a small container (mass) part is required, which must be moved backwards and upwards into the tilting position in the transverse direction of the shelf in order to open the container. The low accelerated masses enable the container to be cycled or tilted very quickly. The container base - corresponding opening

The product falls, as if it were stored, in free fall without sliding or circulating sideways onto the collecting conveyor or buffer, which is only a short distance away, and cannot get stuck, as is the case with the current technology. The opened container can be moved back from the tilting position to the normal starting position, namely the filling position, just as quickly, and the containers are then available for further filling. The tilting movement describes an angle of no more than approx. 30° to 45° at most. Due to the small mass of the container being moved and the small tilting angle, the tilting drive can be designed to be small in terms of power despite the large capacity of the container. The small tilting angle requires little installation space for a container in the transverse direction of the shelf. The products are temporarily stored on a shelf in a pocket that extends relatively far down. The containers are only narrowly wide, relative to the depth of the container. The narrow width of the container also contains the container fastening with all the attachments and installation parts of the shelf fastening bracket, the tilt drive and the tilt control device. The aforementioned container is preferably a single modular component that can be stored together with other modules close together in a space-saving manner on a shelf. Individual module parts that are close together can also form a package in modular form that can then be installed quickly and easily on a shelf. The individual shelf fastening brackets are then pre-assembled on a cross plate, together with the electrical connection cables, for example for the various electromagnetically operated control valves and the pneumatic connection cables for the various tilt drives in the form of pneumatic piston-cylinder devices.

The container with its individual components or a container group forms a modular unit that can preferably be attached to any system.

No mechanical aids such as latches or the like are required for the "container closed" state or for the filling position. The effect of gravity is primarily sufficient for the closed state. During operation, this state is supported by the pressure of the open, extended pneumatic cylinder.

The movement speed of the tilting containers is adjustable.

The invention is explained in more detail below using an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a picking device with two shelves in the form of a double shelf with associated collection conveyors

and the tiltable containers above them as intermediate storage in a perspective view,

Figure 2 shows the order picking device according to Figure 1 in a schematic side view,

Figure 3 shows the order picking device according to Figure 1 in a schematic front view,

Figure 4 shows the tiltable containers according to Figure 1 in a schematic perspective view,

Figure 5 shows the tiltable containers according to Figure 4 in a schematic side view,

Figures 6, 7 and 8 in a lowered filling position a single tiltable container according to Figures 1

to 5 in a rear view, from the side and in a perspective view, and

Figure 9 shows the tiltable container illustrated in Figures 6 to 8 both in its lowered filling

position as well as in its pivoted, raised tilted position, with the representation of a fixed shelf wall, which is part of each shelf.

According to the drawing, an order picking device 1 comprises two shelves 2 designed as double shelves, each with intermediate storage in the form of tiltable containers 3 arranged horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the shelf.

Under each tiltable container 3 there is a collecting conveyor 5 with slides 6 on the longitudinal end towards the center of the double rack.

In the middle of the double rack, in the longitudinal direction of the rack, there is a central conveyor, symbolically indicated by arrow 19, which is followed at the longitudinal end by a cross conveyor, symbolically indicated by arrow 21, on which collection containers (not shown) are clocked past.

Each collection container represents a complete picking order.

For a single picking order, one or more containers 3 are preferably filled simultaneously by hand or machine with selected products in a filling position F of the containers.

By tilting the filled containers into a tilting position K according to Figure 9, the selected products of the picking order are delivered to the collection conveyor(s) 5, and from there they are transported via slides 6 to the central conveyor 19, and from there to the assigned collection container, which is located on the

Cross conveyor 21 is cycled to the longitudinal end of the central conveyor 19.

All control processes, in particular the tipping processes of the tiltable containers 3, are carried out by a central electronic control unit (not shown).

The tiltable containers 3 are constructed for each individual shelf 2 as a modular package according to Figures 4 and 5.

In the embodiment of the drawing, eight individual tiltable containers 3 are mounted close to one another on a vertical longitudinal wall 23. The longitudinal wall 23 also has vertical fastening webs 24 at the ends, and an upper horizontal cover 22 is also provided to protect the pivotable individual parts of the containers 3.

The aforementioned modular package of tiltable containers 3 is mounted on vertical posts 25 of the rack 2 above the section of the underlying collecting conveyor 5 in the longitudinal direction of the rack, namely on the rack front side which faces the middle of the double rack.

The modular package is attached to the shelf 2 in such a way that a fixed, essentially vertical or inclined against the vertical shelf wall 8, which is located on the front side of the shelf in the longitudinal direction of the shelf between the posts 25, is in a special stop with the containers according to Figure 9 when the containers 3 are in their filling position F. In particular, an open container side 7 of the container is completely covered and the container 3 is only then formed into a fillable container.

The fixed or stationary shelf wall 8 is a built-in part of the shelf 2, which in principle can be variably constructed from a frame system 20 according to the modular principle.

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Each tiltable container 3 can be pivoted backwards and upwards in the transverse direction of the shelf between a lowered filling position F and a tilting position K, as is particularly illustrated in Figure 9.

Each tiltable container 3 has, as can be seen in particular from Figures 6 to 9, among other things a filling opening 4 and, underneath, the already mentioned open container side 7 in the transverse direction of the shelf on the front side of the shelf.

The tiltable container 3 is thus held closed in its filling position F by a stationary shelf wall 8 and filled with products from the front of the shelf.

If the tiltable container 3 is in its tilting position K, the open container side 7 is away from the stationary shelf wall 8. The open container side 7 then serves as a discharge opening of the container 3, from which the products of the container 3 fall down onto the collecting conveyor 5, as is particularly illustrated by arrow/right in Figure 9.

The open container side 7 and the filling opening 4 extend over the entire container width b in the longitudinal direction of the shelf.

Each individual tiltable container 3 has flat walls, with a flat container base 9, a flat container rear wall 10 and two vertical walls 11, 12 spaced apart from one another being provided as flat container side walls in the transverse direction of the shelf. The open container side 7 is opposite the container rear wall 10. The container rear wall 10 has perforation openings 13. Both vertical walls 11, 12 are identical and pentagonal in plan view.

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Above the container rear wall 10 and behind the filling opening 4 there is a flat fastening wall 14, on the upper side of which a vertical shelf fastening bracket 15 is provided.
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The shelf mounting bracket 15 has at its lower end a horizontal pivot axis 16, on which the container 3 is suspended and can be pivoted backwards and upwards in the transverse direction of the shelf.

In the embodiment, the open container side 7 and the filling opening 4 enclose an angle α of approximately 150°. The open container side 7 and the container bottom 9 form an angle β of 90°.

The shelf mounting bracket 15 has a tilt drive 17 and a tilt control device 18 for the container 3.

The tilting drive 17 is in particular a pneumatic piston-cylinder device which is hinged to the upper, rear fastening wall 14 of the container 3 eccentrically to the pivot axis 16.

The tilt control device 18 comprises an electromagnetically actuated control valve which is in a pneumatic line connection to the piston-cylinder device. The pneumatic line connection is fed via a collecting line (not shown).

Each tiltable container 3 including the shelf mounting bracket 15, tilt drive 17 and tilt control device 18 represents a structural unit or a built-in module which is installed in a shelf 2 alone or, in the embodiment shown, in conjunction with other tiltable containers as a package. The shelf mounting brackets 15 of all tiltable containers 3 of the package are attached to the aforementioned longitudinal wall 23. The one-piece, static

The functional shelving wall 8 is therefore designed for several structural units or built-in modules arranged closely next to one another.

The shelf mounting bracket 15, the tilt drive 17 and the tilt control device 18 have a width that is smaller than the container width b.

The aforementioned buffer storage system consists of a frame system for holding the components, a container system as a buffer storage system for the products, a collecting belt system for order-related removal of the products, a sliding system for transporting the products from the collecting belt system to the central belt system and/or to another buffer device.

The container system can be designed as an n-container system. The individual containers can be divided vertically and horizontally several times.

The containers are emptied on an order-related basis by a rocking movement onto the collecting belt system or, depending on the application, directly onto a central belt system and/or into a buffer device.

The container in conjunction with the listed components (fasteners, bearings, cylinder, valve) represents a module.

Due to its modularity, the container storage system can preferably be arranged as a buffer storage on different static shelves or picking machines.

The container can be arranged serially and/or parallel.
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The buffer storage system is controlled via a software system or via a machine control software associated with the area of application of the buffer storage system.

In one function of the buffer storage system, products are automatically or manually transferred to the container opening of the container system. Preferably, products without shape restrictions can be stored or buffered in accordance with the usual product standards of a retail and wholesale trade within the possible maximum dimensions.

The container is moved backwards by a rocking motion, causing the bottom of the container (bottom of the container) to follow a circular path, so that a relatively short fall time can be guaranteed for the products. The containers are emptied on an order-related basis.

Claims (19)

1. Order picking device ( 1 ) with intermediate storage devices in the form of tiltable containers ( 3 ) with a filling opening ( 4 ) arranged in a shelf ( 2 ) essentially horizontally in the longitudinal direction of the shelf, and with a lower collecting conveyor ( 5 ), central conveyor or buffer assigned to the tiltable containers ( 3 ) in the longitudinal direction of the shelf, wherein for an order picking order one or more containers ( 3 ) are preferably filled simultaneously by hand or by machine with selected products in a filling position (F) of the containers, and by tilting the filled containers into a tilting position (K) the selected products of the order picking order are delivered to the collecting conveyor ( 5 ), central conveyor or buffer and are fed on the collecting conveyor or collecting conveyor or after the buffer to a collecting container which then preferably contains all the desired products of the order picking order, characterized in that each tiltable container ( 3 ), apart from the filling opening ( 4 ), has an upper pivot axis ( 16 ) and an open container side ( 7 ) which is kept closed by a stationary shelf wall ( 8 ) in the filling position (F) of the container and is open in the tilting position (K) remote from the stationary shelf wall ( 8 ) and forms the discharge opening of the container ( 3 ) from which the products of the container fall onto the collecting conveyor ( 5 ), central conveyor or buffer. 2. Order picking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the stationary shelf wall ( 8 ) is a vertical shelf wall or a shelf wall inclined to the vertical, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the shelf, preferably on the front side of the shelf. 3. Order picking device according to claim 2, characterized in that the open container side ( 7 ) adjoins the filling opening ( 4 ) of the container ( 3 ) at the bottom. 4. Order picking device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the open container side ( 7 ) and the filling opening ( 4 ) extend over the entire container width (b) in the longitudinal direction of the shelf. 5. Order picking device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the container ( 3 ) has flat walls, wherein at least one flat container base ( 9 ), one flat container rear wall ( 10 ) and two spaced-apart vertical walls ( 11 , 12 ) are provided as flat container side walls in the transverse direction of the shelf, and the open container side ( 7 ) is opposite the container rear wall ( 10 ). 6. Order picking device according to claim 5, characterized in that the container rear wall ( 10 ) has perforation openings ( 13 ). 7. Order picking device according to claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the two vertical walls ( 11 , 12 ) are of identical design. 8. Order picking device according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the two vertical walls ( 11 , 12 ) are pentagonal, and above the container rear wall ( 10 ) and behind the filling opening ( 4 ) there is a further flat fastening wall ( 14 ), on the upper side of which a preferably vertical shelf fastening bracket ( 15 ) is provided, which has at its lower end in the horizontal direction the upper pivot axis ( 16 ), on which the container ( 3 ) is attached in a hanging manner and can be pivoted backwards and upwards in the transverse direction of the shelf. 9. Order picking device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the open container side ( 7 ) and the filling opening ( 4 ) enclose an angle (α) of 180° to approximately 150°. 10. Order picking device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the open container side ( 7 ) and the container bottom ( 9 ) enclose an angle (β) of approximately 90°. 11. Order picking device according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the shelf fastening bracket ( 15 ) has a tilting drive ( 17 ) and a tilting control device ( 18 ) for the container ( 3 ). 12. Order picking device according to claim 11, characterized in that the tilting drive ( 17 ) is a preferably pneumatically operated piston-cylinder device which is articulated on the fastening wall ( 14 ) eccentrically to the pivot axis ( 16 ). 13. Order picking device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the tilt control device ( 18 ) comprises an electromagnetically actuated control valve. 14. Order picking device according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the container ( 3 ) including shelf fastening bracket ( 15 ), tilt drive ( 17 ) and tilt control device ( 18 ) is a structural unit or a built-in module for the shelf ( 2 ). 15. Order picking device according to one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the shelf fastening bracket ( 15 ), the tilting drive ( 17 ) and the tilting control device ( 18 ) have a width which is smaller than or equal to the container width (b). 16. Order picking device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that a one-piece stationary shelf wall ( 8 ) is provided for several structural units or built-in modules arranged closely next to one another. 17. Order picking device according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that several containers ( 3 ) are arranged next to one another and/or one behind the other in one or more shelf levels located one above the other. 18. Order picking device according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the stationary shelf wall ( 8 ) is a built-in part of a shelf which can be variably constructed from a frame system ( 20 ) according to the modular principle. 19. Tiltable container ( 3 ), in particular according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the container ( 3 ) is used together with further containers ( 3 ) in a shelf ( 2 ) of an order-picking device ( 1 ) and/or in a non-order-picking shelf and can preferably be installed as a structural unit or built-in module.