Disclosed is a method for picking items according to the goods-to-man principle a picking station in which items are placed in order load carriers that are conveyed through the picking station in a row, and the put place of the order load carriers in the row changes when a chronologically preceding order load carrier is loaded and conveyed away. This disclosure also relates to a corresponding order picking station.

A storage system for storing objects of plastic material processed in a bottling line (45) comprises: a plurality of drawers (4) configured to contain groups of objects (5); a frame (2) which defines a plurality of compartments (3) configured to house the drawers (4); a conveyor (8) movable in the storage system (1) itself and configured to access the compartments (3) in such a way as to withdraw and place drawers (4) from and into the compartments (4); a loading bay (11) having one or more loading compartments for receiving corresponding drawers (4) and having a loading manipulator (28) configured to place in the drawers (4) the loose objects (5) received from an infeed conveyor (29); an unloading bay (12) having at least one unloading compartment for receiving a corresponding drawer (4) and having an unloading manipulator (41) configured to place onto an outfeed conveyor (43, 44) the loose objects (5) stored in the drawer (4).

A conveyance route design device improves object conveyance efficiency. The conveyance route design device determines an improvement target place that satisfies criteria for improving an actual conveyance amount with respect to a conveyance request amount, for a plurality of conveyance routes, and determines a conveyance device to be assigned to an intersecting position where the conveyance routes intersect, based on whether or not the conveyance route including the improvement target place intersects.

A method and a device for buffering containers in a container treatment system are disclosed. The containers enter into storage on an infeed conveyor belt in the infeed direction, are moved in a single row onto a transversely adjoining buffer area by rail-guided and individually driven shuttles with row pushers in a buffering direction running transverse to the infeed direction, and are removed from storage on an outfeed conveyor belt transversely adjoining in the buffering direction. The shuttles and the infeed/outfeed conveyor belts are controlled in dependence of target positions, target speeds and/or target accelerations stored specifically for the container type, and/or the shuttles are controlled in dependence of target positions, target distances and/or target speeds stored specifically for modes of operation for initializing and reading out the shuttles, for following preceding shuttles, and for moving to route positions.

A method of operating a bin storage system including a plurality of storage columns for the storage of a plurality of vertically-stacked storage bins, and a plurality of robot vehicles for transporting storage bins, the method includes: positioning a cavity of one of the plurality of robot vehicles such that it is aligned with one of the storage columns, receiving a storage bin from the storage column into the cavity, and moving the robot vehicle along the bin storage system, using a plurality of rolling members attached to the vehicle body about the cavity that are arranged for travelling in a first direction and a perpendicular second direction along the bin storage system.

An automated storage and retrieval system including at least one autonomous transport vehicle, a transfer deck that defines a transport surface for the vehicle, at least one reciprocating lift, a first and second pickface interface station connected to the deck and spaced apart from each other, each station forming a pickface transfer interfacing between the vehicle on the deck and the lift at each station so that a pickface is transferred between the lift and the vehicle at each station, wherein the vehicle is configured to pick a first pickface at the first station, traverse the deck and buffer the first pickface, or at least a portion thereof, at the second station so that the second station has multiple pickfaces buffered on a common support in an order sequence of pickfaces according to a predetermined case out order sequence of mixed case pickfaces.

A method and plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels in which: each vulcanizer of a plurality of vulcanizers is associated with a respective pick-up logic of green tyres from at least one storage area of green tyres; upon each request to vulcanize a green tyre in a vulcanizer of the plurality of vulcanizers, the pick-up logic associated with the vulcanizer is applied to select and pick up a green tyre from the storage area; and the respective pick-up logic associated with each vulcanizer includes a first pick-up rule of green tyres from the storage area and, for at least one of the plurality of vulcanizers, the first pick-up rule is changed into at least one second pick-up rule at least once during the production in the plant of at least one lot of tyres.

A method and plant for producing tyres for vehicle wheels in which: each vulcanizer of a plurality of vulcanizers is associated with a respective pick-up logic of green tyres from at least one storage area of green tyres; upon each request to vulcanize a green tyre in a vulcanizer of the plurality of vulcanizers, the pick-up logic associated with the vulcanizer is applied to select and pick up a green tyre from the storage area; and the respective pick-up logic associated with each vulcanizer includes a first pick-up rule of green tyres from the storage area and, for at least one of the plurality of vulcanizers, the first pick-up rule is changed into at least one second pick-up rule at least once during the production in the plant of at least one lot of tyres.

A conveyance route design device is capable of reducing costs while maintaining object conveyance efficiency. The determination unit determines an improvement target place that satisfies criteria for changing a current conveyance device to a conveyance device of lower conveyance capacity than the current conveyance device, for a plurality of conveyance routes. The assignment unit assigns the conveyance device of lower conveyance capacity to an improvement candidate route which is a conveyance route including the improvement target place.

A method and apparatus are provided for sorting or retrieving items to/from a plurality of destinations areas. The items are loaded onto one of a plurality of independently controlled delivery vehicles. The delivery vehicles follow a path to/from the destination areas that are positioned along the path. Along the path, the vehicles are scanned to determine if any item on the vehicles extends beyond a dimensional constraint. If it is determined that an item on a vehicle extends above the pre-determined threshold, the vehicle is controlled, such as by stopping or re-directing the vehicle. Once at the appropriate destination area, an item is transferred between the delivery vehicle and the destination area.