WO2017017605A1

WO2017017605A1 - Automatic system and method for managing internal logistics for handling products in stackable containers

Info

Publication number: WO2017017605A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/054450
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alessandro BENZONI; Paolo Bernardi
Original assignee: Swisslog Italia SpA
Current assignee: Swisslog Italia SpA
Priority date: 2015-07-27
Filing date: 2016-07-26
Publication date: 2017-02-02
Anticipated expiration: 2018-01-27
Also published as: ITUB20152521A1

Abstract

An automatic internal logistics system for handling products in stackable containers, which is particularly suitable for picking fresh produce and comprises a receiving zone (1) suitable for receiving groups (13) of containers (12) of products stacked in incoming stacks (18). Unstacking machinery (19) is provided for producing sub-stacks (20) of one or more containers (12) of products from the incoming stacks (18). The dimensions of the sub-stacks (20) can vary and depend on the quantities of products defined in a specific order being processed. A preparation zone (2) comprises a plurality of channels (23), into which the sub- stacks (20) of containers (12) of products are fed. One or more channels (23) are supplied with sub-stacks (20) of products for a specific order being processed. A consolidation zone (3) is suitable for receiving and packing the sub-stacks (20) coming from one or more channels (23) and corresponding to a specific order once said order is complete. Stacking machinery (32) is provided for reassembling the sub-stacks (20) intended for a specific order into stacks (18') of predetermined dimensions that are suitable for dispatch.

Description

AUTOMATIC SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING INTERNAL LOGISTICS FOR HANDLING PRODUCTS IN STACKABLE CONTAINERS

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of internal logistics and what is known as picking, i.e. automation systems allowing orders to be prepared within a distribution centre or a product warehouse.

The invention has been developed with particular regard to automatically grouping together products corresponding to delivery orders on the basis of generally different groupings of inventory products or incoming products. The invention is aimed at handling products in stackable containers such as stackable boxes or packages.

The invention is particularly effective in distribution centres, such as in the large-scale food retail sector, especially but not exclusively for managing what is known as fresh produce, i.e. highly perishable products for which very timely logistics has been developed. Typical examples of fresh produce are fruit and fresh vegetables, dairy products, meat and fish, and the like. Other examples of use are in production companies that prepare their own products for dispatch in boxes made of plastics, card or other materials, such as the meat industries. The invention can also be applied to distribution centres where stackable containers, such as boxes or packages to be picked, are generally located; such as - in addition to fruit and vegetables and meat, as already mentioned - the spare parts sector.

Technological background

In distribution centres, picking - i.e. making up the pallets of orders containing multiple articles coming from several single-article pallets arriving at the sorting centre, is the most onerous and complex logistics operation, both in financial terms and because of the use of considerable resources such as space and trained staff. Several automation solutions have therefore been developed recently, based on very different technologies and principles.

However, an optimal automation solution is still being sought, particularly in what is known as the fresh produce sector. A typical problem in handling fresh produce is the need to sort large quantities of different products every day, in the space of a few hours.

To date, automation has been implemented in the fresh produce sector mainly in European countries where the number of fresh articles, i.e. the number of "references", is relatively small. These solutions become unachievable or uneconomic as the number of references and quantities dispatched rises, typically in southern European countries where the variety and also quantity of fresh produce distributed daily is very high. Moreover, known automation solutions for sorting products of different types, for example non-perishable products, cannot be easily or economically adopted for managing fresh produce. The typical process for distributing fresh produce is actually very different from that used for non-perishable goods, which can be stored, sometimes for long periods, and can be sorted on a substantially continuous cycle, without the strict time constraints related to fresh produce .

A typical manual distribution process known in the fresh produce sector, particularly for fruit and vegetables, can be summarised as follows. In the morning of day A, the distribution centre is typically empty. The step of receiving products destined for the sales points starts in mid-morning and ends late at night, typically by midnight on day A. The products are prioritised upon reaching the distribution centre according to their perishability. For example, what are known as "hard" products (e.g. apples, carrots, fennel, etc.) are delivered first and then "leaf" products (such as salads), consistent with the distance from the production centre to the distribution centre. As the products are received, identified and taken delivery of, they are divided up manually by the operators, according to the order associated with the relevant sales point; the technical term in the sector for this process is "allocation". This operation is done in a manual sorting area, where coded locations are painted on the ground, on each of which a pallet associated with a particular order is prepared. The various pallets are made up by an operator who, using an electric pallet truck, manually distributes the boxes of products according to the order lines. When a pallet is complete, it is removed from its coded location in order to be wrapped with plastics film, labelled and conveyed to the dispatch dock where the transport load is prepared. When a load is completed on the dock, it is dispatched to the relevant shop, normally early in the morning (between 00:00 and 04:00) on day B, following day A when the products were received and sorted in the distribution centre. At this point, the distribution centre is empty, ready for a new logistics cycle starting with receipt of the first products mid-morning on day B, for sorting and delivery the next day. As is clear from the example given above, the manual picking process in the fresh produce sector has some specific features. In the first place, as indicated above, there is very little time for sorting. Less than a day elapses between the time when the goods are received and dispatched, and for some products this is just a few hours, which means that the flows of products are concentrated into a very short time band. Furthermore, there are substantially no goods stored in the warehouse at the end of the daily process, apart from a few less perishable goods (e.g. potatoes, apples, oranges) . The manual process mentioned briefly above requires very extensive surface areas assigned to the "allocation" process on the ground, for making up the various pallets constituting the dispatches going to the sales points. What is more, the whole working environment has to be at a controlled temperature to prevent the products from deteriorating quickly. The need to have a controlled temperature, together with the large surface areas required for "allocation", i.e. sorting the products, involves high plant and operating costs, for instance for providing and operating the air conditioning and air treatment plants.

Fresh produce is typically transported in plastics or cardboard boxes, generally of a standard type in terms of materials and dimensions. These boxes can be stacked up to a certain number, and have slots for stabilising a stack of these boxes. Products arriving from the producers are normally delivered to the distribution centre on single- reference pallets, i.e. pallets containing a single type of product or "reference". The incoming pallets are generally made up of four stacks each containing 10-12 boxes, totalling about 40-48 boxes of the same product, depending on the type of product and the height of the boxes used.

A known automated solution that has been developed in the fresh produce sector comprises gantry robots that handle entire stacks of boxes. The incoming pallets are disassembled into stacks of boxes that are stored temporarily. Once a certain critical storage stage required for preparing the order pallets is reached, preparation of the outgoing pallets is initiated, by picking from the stacks stored by order row. This type of solution requires large spaces in order to accommodate the gantry cranes. Moreover, since the handling capacity of each individual gantry-type robot is somewhat limited, several gantries are normally used. This involves having discrete storage areas, which consequently imposes limitations on the management of outgoing flows when they come from different areas and therefore from different machines. Complexity increases in line with the increase in volumes managed, until it becomes impracticable to produce the plant for more than a certain flow and reference limit. Another known automated solution provides for the incoming pallets to be broken down into individual boxes, which are temporarily stored in vertical shelving, from which they are then picked as required, to make up the outgoing pallets. The limitation of these solutions lies in their low hourly handling capacity. These solutions are therefore not in common use for managing fresh produce because of the very high costs involved if acceptable performance is to be achieved. As handling volumes increase, the main limitation of these solutions relates to the transport systems, which become overloaded by the high levels of handling individual cases of products.

Summary of the invention

The aim of the present invention is to resolve the problems of the prior art, by providing a handling system particularly well-suited to picking products in boxes or packages that can be placed on top of each other. Another aim of the invention is to manage high product flows, in order to reduce to a minimum the time between receiving the goods and dispatching them. Another aim of the invention is to eliminate or at least reduce to a minimum the storage of goods and the space made available therefor, between receipt and dispatch. Another aim is to produce a handling system that achieves a good compromise between performance and the cost of the plant, is reliable over time and has low operating costs. In order to achieve the above-mentioned aims, the invention relates to a handling system having the features indicated in the attached claims.

A description is given of an internal logistics system for handling products in stackable containers, for example stackable boxes or packages, that is particularly suitable for picking, for example fresh produce. The internal logistics system comprises three main zones: first a receiving zone suitable for receiving groups of containers of products stacked in incoming stacks. Then a preparation zone comprising a plurality of channels to which the sub-stacks of containers of products are fed, wherein one or more channels are supplied with sub-stacks of products for a specific order being processed. Finally, a consolidation zone suitable for receiving and packing the sub-stacks coming from one or more channels and corresponding to a specific order once said order is complete. The system further comprises unstacking machinery for producing sub-stacks of one or more containers of products from the incoming stacks. The dimensions of the sub-stacks can vary and depend on the quantities of products defined in a specific order being processed, more specifically on the basis of the order lines. Stacking machinery is also provided for reassembling the sub-stacks intended for a specific order into stacks of predetermined dimensions that are suitable for dispatch.

There are numerous advantages of such a system. First of all, the space and volume used for handling the products in the containers is minimised, reducing automatic storage to a minimum. In fact, the system makes it possible to handle sub- stacks of variable height, already configured to meet order lines. What is more, stack transportation is maximised within the limits of stability. A system of this type can permit very high handling performance levels that are difficult to achieve with traditional handling systems. What is more, the system described is highly modular and can be scaled according to the handling requirements of the sorting centre. According to a particular aspect, the sub-stacks are fed, on arrival, to an input end of the channels of the preparation zone and are picked, when they leave, at the other, outlet end of the channels of the preparation zone. This therefore results in dynamic flow management, unlike the static nature of known systems, which occupy locations on the ground or racks of a warehouse. The solution described allows a flow of sub-stacks on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis, which is particularly efficient and fast. The channels of the preparation zone can, for example, include rollers or conveyor belts.

According to another feature, the channels of the preparation zone can slope down from an inlet end to an outlet end. The sub-stacks thus move progressively towards the outlet end of said channels by means of gravity. The channels can be simple ramps or can be provided with idler rollers or similar members, or a combination thereof, and can also be integrated with motorised rollers and/or conveyor belts. This type of handling is particularly simple, reliable and efficient.

According to another aspect, the channels are arranged in parallel with one another on a common plane. Transportation into and out of the channels is thereby optimised. The channels can also be arranged on additional superimposed planes, in a structure that can also grow in height to allow for very high volumes.

According to another aspect, the unstacking machinery is described as being arranged in the receiving zone, downstream of machinery for unpacking pallets of incoming containers. This makes it possible to immediately create sub-stacks, which relate to the various orders, directly in the goods receiving zone. Preferably but not restrictively, the unstacking machinery is arranged downstream of machinery for separating the stacks of containers that are unpacked by the unpacking machinery. The management of the stacks entering the unstacking machinery can thereby be automated.

According to another aspect, the stacking machinery is arranged in the consolidation zone, upstream of machinery for packing pallets of containers to be dispatched. This makes the system compact, given that the stacks for dispatch are made up of the sub-stacks coming from the channels of the preparation zone, immediately before final packing of the pallets to be dispatched. Preferably but not restrictively, the stacking machinery is arranged upstream of machinery for grouping together stacks of containers to be packed by the packing machinery. This allows for convenient and efficient automation of the operations of making up the dispatch pallets .

The invention also relates to a method for managing the internal logistics for handling products in stackable containers, for example stackable boxes or packages, which method is particularly suitable for picking, for example fresh produce. In particular, a description is given of a method comprising the steps of:

receiving groups of containers of products stacked in incoming stacks in at least one receiving zone,

producing sub-stacks of one or more containers of products from the incoming stacks, the dimensions of the sub- stacks being variable and dependent on the quantities of products defined in a specific order being processed,

feeding the sub-stacks of containers of products to one or more channels of at least one preparation zone, according to a specific order being processed;

transferring the sub-stacks coming from one or more channels and corresponding to a specific order to a consolidation zone once said order is complete, and

reassembling the sub-stacks intended for a specific order into stacks of predetermined dimensions that are suitable for dispatch, in order to pack them.

Brief description of the figures

Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, given purely by way of non-restrictive example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a variant configuration of the preparation zone of the present invention.

Detailed description

With reference now to Fig. 1, a plant for handling products in boxes or packages that can be placed on top of each other, which plant is particularly well-suited to the management of fresh produce, for example fruit and vegetables, comprises a receiving zone 1, an order preparation zone 2 and a consolidation zone 3.

The receiving zone 1 comprises one or more feeder units 4 for the pallets 13. The receiving zone 1 can also comprise one or more units 5 for manually feeding the boxes 12, for example for special products. Each unit 4 for feeding the pallets 13 comprises a feed point 11 where the incoming products arrive, contained in boxes 12 stacked and packed on the pallets 13. The incoming products carried on any one pallet 13 are generally all the same, i.e. with a single code or a single reference. The incoming pallets 13 are conveyed to an operator platform 14 where the operations of removing the plastic film or packing straps from the incoming load take place and the goods are identified. Single-code incoming products are identified and entered in a database of the management system.

Next, the pallets 13 are transported to a removal station 15 where the load is taken off the relevant pallet 13, which is then removed. The empty pallets 13 are stacked, preferably automatically, in a stacking station 16 in order to be picked later, preferably by an operator, and removed from the handling system. The removed pallets 13 can optionally be conveyed to the consolidation zone 3 for reuse, as will be seen below.

By unpacking the loads from the incoming pallets 13, several stacks 18 of boxes 12 of the same product can be provided. As stated in the preamble, the incoming pallets 13 normally carry four stacks 18 of boxes 12. Each stack 18 can be made up of ten to twelve boxes 12, totalling about 40-48 boxes of the same product on each pallet 13, depending on the type of product and the height of the boxes used. The stacks 18 are separated in a separation station 17 and are then conveyed automatically to unstacking devices 19, which subdivide each stack 18 into sub-stacks 20 depending on the amounts in the order lines of the orders to be processed. In particular, each sub-stack 20 can comprise between a single box 12 and the maximum number of boxes 12 contained in the original incoming stack 18, for example, formed of ten to twelve boxes 12.

The term "sub- stack" is used in the context of this description for convenience of presentation and should not be considered to imply that a "sub-stack" has to contain a smaller number of boxes than a "stack". A "sub-stack", in the context of this description, can contain n stacked boxes, with 0 < n < n_max, where n_max is the number of boxes in the original incoming stack in the unstacker 19.

The sub-stacks 20 leaving the unstacker 19 are collected together on a conveyor system 21, and are then introduced into the handling and main transport circuit associated with the order preparation zone 2. The conveyor system 21 is of a generally known type, for example belt-, roller-, ramp-type, etc. or a combination thereof.

The order preparation zone 2 comprises a multichannel buffer indicated generically with the reference numeral 22. The multichannel buffer comprises a plurality of channels or lanes 23, preferably but not restrictively produced in the form of ramps so that movement from the receiving zone 1 to the consolidation zone 3 takes place by means of gravity. Although gravity-type solutions are preferred for reasons of economy, the channels 23 may, however, include different movement types, sometimes in combination with each other or with the ramps illustrated in Fig. 1.

The sub-stacks 20 are built up in the channels 23, using an incoming transport backbone 24, as and when they are introduced from the receiving zone 1 into the order preparation zone 2. In practice, each channel 23 constitutes one order or part of an order. Once the order is complete, with all the sub-stacks 20 making up all the order lines having been introduced into one or more corresponding channels 23, said one or more channels 23 associated with the order are emptied and the sub-stacks 20 contained therein are fed onto the output transport backbone 25. The allocation of the channels 23 to a specific order is dynamic rather than static. In practice one order could occupy a variable number of channels 23 depending on its composition. For example, in the case of an order having several articles per product, several boxes 12 of the same products could be fed to a channel 23 in the form of very high sub-stacks 20, corresponding substantially to the stacks 18 arriving on the pallets 13 in the receiving zone 1. In this case, there would be a shorter queue on the channels 23 and the order could occupy a small number of channels. Conversely, in the case of an order having small quantities of the individual articles, the channels 23 of the corresponding order would probably be occupied by very low sub-stacks 20, formed at least by individual boxes 12, which would involve longer queues and a larger number of channels 23 being occupied.

Naturally, the exemplary solution illustrated in Fig. 1 could include variants capable of increasing its capacity per unit of area occupied. It is in fact possible to extend the height of the multichannel buffer 22, producing - as illustrated for example in Fig. 2 - a multiplane, multichannel buffer 22' having channels 23 arranged on several planes, fed by input 24' and output 25' transport systems extending upwards.

The outgoing loads are consolidated in the consolidation zone 3, said loads being carried on pallets 13 from the handling plant to the sorted product destination for dispatch, according to the orders received. Fundamentally, the consolidation zone 3 is used for the opposite operations to those carried out in the receiving zone 1. The sub-stacks 20 associated with an order, constituted by one or more boxes 12 as described in detail above, are selectively released from the preparation zone 2 and are conveyed, by means of a transport and collection line 31, to one or more consolidation stations 30.

Each consolidation station 30 comprises at least one stacker 32, which reassembles outgoing stacks 18' from the sub-stacks 20 arriving from the order preparation zone 2. The stacks 18' can be formed by the same number of boxes 12, or by a different number of boxes to that of the incoming stacks 18, depending on how convenient it is to transport them to the order destination. For transportation, a convenient measurement of a stack 18', but not one that could restrict the present invention, is around 2 metres. The stacks 18' leaving the at least one stacker 32 are then coupled together to form a group of stacks, a preferable but not restrictive example being illustrated as a set of four stacks, which is preferably automatically placed on a pallet 13 taken from a store 38 of stacked empty pallets 13. The outgoing loads on the pallets 13 are packed in a packing station 39 of a known type, where the stacks 18' of boxes 12 are wrapped in plastics film. The loads on dispatch pallets 40 produced in this way are made available to an operator for transport to the shipping dock. The functioning of the handling system described above is governed by a computerised management system that performs the following functions. Information regarding the incoming products is obtained from the warehouse management system or from the general administration system. In particular, information is obtained as to the quantity of loads on the pallets 13 introduced into the handling system, and how many stacks and how many boxes make up these loads. The management system also receives the orders that have to be prepared, and the quantity of individual products, i.e. boxes of products, of which they are composed. The management system also sends the information to the individual electromechanical components of the handling system, in order to carry out the operations required for performing the intended functions. The management system also traces everything in the plant, provides information to the warehouse management or the general administration system as to the filling of the orders, and manages displays for monitoring and supervision operations .

For the purposes of the handling system described in the example, the way in which the management system controls the unstackers 19 in order to make up the various sub-stacks 20 from the incoming stacks 18, based on the information in the orders provided to the management system, is of particular interest. As stated above, the sub-stacks 20 can be formed of one or more stacked boxes 12, depending on the quantity of products required by the individual order in the relevant order line. Furthermore, the management system identifies one or more channels 23 required to make up an order destined for a sales point, and controls how the sub-stacks 20 of products needed are progressively directed to said identified channels 23, in order to complete an order. What is more, the management system orders the sub-stacks 20 to be released from the channels 23 of an order when said order is complete, so as to send the sub-stacks 20 to the consolidation zone 3. Moreover, the management system orders the stackers 32 to make up the stacks 18' of boxes 12 of outgoing products, so as to form the loads, generally multi-code, on the outgoing pallets 13, which loads are packed for dispatch to the final destination .

Naturally, without prejudice to the principle of the invention, the embodiments and the implementation details can vary greatly from what is described and illustrated while remaining within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Automatic internal logistics system for handling products in stackable containers, which is particularly suitable for picking fresh produce and comprises:

a receiving zone (1) suitable for receiving groups (13) of containers (12) of products stacked in incoming stacks (18) ,

unstacking machinery (19) for producing sub-stacks (20) of one or more containers (12) of products from the incoming stacks (18), the dimensions of the sub-stacks (20) being variable and dependent on the quantities of products defined in a specific order being processed,

a preparation zone (2) comprising a plurality of channels (23), to which the sub-stacks (20) of containers (12) of products are fed, one or more channels (23) being supplied with sub-stacks (20) of products for a specific order being processed;

a consolidation zone (3) suitable for receiving and packing the sub-stacks (20) coming from one or more channels (23) and corresponding to a specific order once said order is complete,

stacking machinery (32) for reassembling the sub-stacks (20) intended for a specific order into stacks (18') of predetermined dimensions suitable for dispatch.

2. Automatic internal logistics system according to claim 1, wherein the sub-stacks (20) are fed, on arrival, to one end of the channels (23) of the preparation zone (2) and are picked, when they leave, at the other end of the channels (23) of the preparation zone (2) .

3. Automatic internal logistics system according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the channels (23) of the preparation zone (2) slope down, the sub-stacks (20) moving progressively towards one end of said channels (23) by means of gravity.

4. Automatic internal logistics system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the channels (23) are arranged in parallel with one another on a common plane.

5. Automatic internal logistics system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the channels (23) are arranged on additional superimposed planes.

6. Automatic internal logistics system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the unstacking machinery (19) is arranged in the receiving zone (1), downstream of machinery for unpacking pallets (13) of incoming containers.

7. Automatic internal logistics system according to claim 6, wherein the unstacking machinery (19) is arranged downstream of machinery for separating the stacks (18) of containers (12) that are unpacked by the unpacking machinery.

8. Automatic internal logistics system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stacking machinery (32) is arranged in the consolidation zone (3), upstream of machinery for packing pallets (13) of containers to be dispatched .

9. Automatic internal logistics system according to claim 8, wherein the stacking machinery (32) is arranged upstream of machinery for grouping together stacks (18') of containers (12) to be packed by the packing machinery.

10. Method for managing the internal logistics for handling products in stackable containers, which method is particularly suitable for picking fresh produce and comprises the steps of:

receiving groups of containers (12) of products stacked in incoming stacks (18) in a receiving zone (1),

producing sub-stacks (20) of one or more containers (12) of products from the incoming stacks (18), the dimensions of the sub-stacks (20) being variable and dependent on the quantities of products defined in a specific order being processed,

feeding the sub-stacks (20) of containers (12) of products into one or more channels of at least one preparation zone (2), according to a specific order being processed;

transferring the sub-stacks (20) coming from one or more channels (23) and corresponding to a specific order to a consolidation zone (3) once said order is complete, and

reassembling the sub-stacks (20) intended for a specific order into stacks (18') of predetermined dimensions that are suitable for dispatch, in order to pack them.