Method and station for picking articles according to the goods-to-man principle

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A method for picking articles according to the goods-to-man principle at a picking station for loading the articles into a series of order load carriers, comprising: conveying the series of order load carriers through the picking station, the series of order load carriers including at least one set of multiple order load carriers arranged in a predetermined configuration of order load carriers with each order load carrier of the set of order load carriers being located at a put place or area for loading of one or more articles therein and positioned in substantially parallel series in relation to one another in a substantially gap-free row arrangement along the picking station; changing a respective put place or area of one or more of the order load carriers of the set of order load carriers received at the picking station, when at least one chronologically preceding order load carrier of the set of order load carriers has been loaded and discharged from the picking station; and further conveying at least one order load carrier of the series of order load carriers into an open put place or area after the chronologically preceding order load carrier is discharged in order to maintain the substantially gap-free row arrangement of the set of order load carriers at the picking station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the articles are present in product load carriers and picking is carried out therefrom.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying one or more order load carriers of the series of order load carriers to a picker during each picking process on a display allocated to at least one of the put places or areas.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising changing the display to correspond to one or more of the set of order load carriers at the put places or areas.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising conveying multiple order load carriers of the series of order load carriers in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) row through the picking station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein upon removal of desired articles for the picking order, used article load carriers are transported out of a pick place of the picking station into a buffer zone lying within reach of the picker, and the next article load carrier moves up into the pick place and only after confirmation of the error-free performance of the respective picking step is the used article load carrier transported away out of the buffer zone and therefore out of the picking station.

7. A picking station for picking goods or articles according to the goods-to-man principle, comprising: a series of order load carriers; a first conveying system, wherein the articles are conveyed through the picking station on the first conveying system; and a second conveying system, wherein the order load carriers are conveyed through the picking station on the second conveying system, and wherein the order load carriers are conveyed jointly in a prescribed configuration of order load carriers along the second conveying system defining at least one set of order load carriers including multiple order load carriers arranged in a gap-free row and moving in substantially parallel series through the picking station on the second conveying system, and wherein each order load carrier of the set of order loader carriers is allocated a changing put place or area at which goods or articles are correspondingly placed within the set of order load carriers, each put place or area comprising an individually controllable and operable conveying section of the second conveying system, and wherein when at least one order load carrier of the set of order load carriers is discharged from the picking station, its put place or area is allocated to another order load carrier of the series of order load carriers so as to substantially maintain the prescribed configuration of order load carriers at the picking station.

8. The picking station of claim 7, further comprising a discharging gathering conveying system, wherein one or more loaded order load carriers of the set of order load carriers are pushed off the second conveying system onto the discharging gathering conveying system.

9. The picking of claim 7, wherein each put place or area is allocated a picking display which changes as one or more order load carriers of the series of order load carriers are positioned about the put places or areas.

10. The picking station of claim 9, further comprising a third conveying system, wherein one or more of the series of order load carriers are conveyed on the third conveying system below the second conveying system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments discussed herein. No attempt is made to show structural details of this disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein and the various ways in which they may be practiced.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of a picking station in accordance with the principles of this disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the picking station of FIG. 1 along the line A-A;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic plan view of a double picking station in accordance with the principles of this disclosure; and

(5) FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the picking station of FIG. 3 along the line B-B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIGS. 1-4 show one or more manual picking stations, designated as a whole by 1, each with a picker 2.

(7) The picking station 1 can be supplied with product containers P on a conveyor track 3 from a central conveying system 4 and, after a change of direction by about 90 degrees, these containers may be conveyed through the picking station 1 on a conveyor track 5.

(8) The picking station 1 can be supplied with order containers A on a conveyor track 6 from a central conveying system 7 and these order containers may be raised via an elevator 8 from the lower level and transported to a higher conveyor track 9 and conveyed thereon through the picking station 1.

(9) The conveyor tracks 3 and 6 thus may serve as buffers. The conveyor tracks 5 and 9 therefore can convey the containers in mutually transverse directions so that the picker 2 remains substantially within a corner working region formed thereby. The container change on the conveyor track 5 can be rapid because old and new containers move at the same time.

(10) The conveyor track 5 can issue onto a discharging gathering belt 10 extending transversely thereto and leading hack to the central conveying system 4, 7 and therefore ensuring disposal of the product containers P.

(11) In accordance with this disclosure, provision also can be made for the used product container P i.e., the picker has removed desired articles for the picking order—to be transported onwards immediately and for the next product container P to move up. The confirmation of error-free performance of the respective picking step also can be immediate. In order for a correction to remain possible, however, the product container P can be held in a buffer zone 14 which lies within reach of the picker, before the product container P arrives on the gathering belt 10. Therefore, in the event of an error, the picker can still access to the articles in order to grasp further articles or put hack articles.

(12) The order containers A can be conveyed on the conveyor track 9 in a row through the picking station 1. When an order container A has been fully loaded, it may be automatically pushed onto the gathering belt 10 and therefore introduced into the central conveying system 4, 7 for further handling. The gathering belt 10 can extend to the end of the conveyor belt 9 or, as indicated by a broken line marked 10, can extend over substantially the whole length of the conveyor belt 9 so that a push-off action is possible over substantially the whole length.

(13) The conveyor belt 9 thus can form 6 picking places as put places 11a-f, though other suitable numbers of pick places or put places can be used without departing from this disclosure, which picking places/put places can be each provided with a put-to-light display 12 in order to display to the picker the order container A and the number of articles for the upcoming picking step (put).

(14) In order to allow the order containers A to move up in the row on the conveyor belt 9 without leaving gaps, each put place 11a-f can be designed as an individually controllable and operable conveying section 13. Therefore, in spite of the pushing-off of an order container A, which is not disposed at the front in the row, a gap-free row can be retained. It is possible to dispense with this conveying section 13 when the gathering belt 10 extends only as far as the first put place 11 (indicated by the region shown with a non-broken line).

(15) The picking station in FIGS. 1 and 2 differs from that in FIGS. 3 and 4 essentially only by the duplication with the gathering belt 10 as a mirror axis and therefore divided use of the discharging gathering conveying system. Therefore, corresponding parts of both picking stations are designated by corresponding reference signs.

(16) Picking is carried out in both stations in the same manner as explained below.

(17) The order containers A can be conveyed to the station 1 and disposed in a row on the conveyor track 9 corresponding to the put places 11. At the same time, the first product container P is provided on the conveyor track 5.

(18) By means of the picking displays 12, the picker is now shown how many articles he is to place or load into the respective order containers from the current product container P.

(19) After confirmation of the picking step, the used product container P can be moved to the gathering area 10 and transported away. At the same time, the next product container P can be provided and the next picking step may be carried out.

(20) If a picking order of an order container is being processed, the picker is shown that the respective order container A can be pushed off onto the gathering area 10 or the order container A is pushed off automatically.

(21) If this is the first container at the put place 11, the row of order containers can be conveyed further, wherein the put places 11 of the order containers. A change and a new order container is provided via the elevator 8.

(22) This is the standard case since the first order container in the row is also that of which requested product containers had most time to be conveyed to the picking station.

(23) However, if this is another order container in the row, the other containers A can move up, for which purpose the conveying sections 13 are operated and controlled in a corresponding manner, and a new order container may be provided by the elevator 8.

(24) The process then can begin anew.

(25) The foregoing description generally illustrates and describes various embodiments of the present invention. It will, however, be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the above-discussed construction of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as disclosed herein, and that it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as being illustrative, and not to be taken in a limiting sense. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure shall be construed to cover various modifications, combinations, additions, alterations, etc., above and to the above-described embodiments, which shall be considered to be within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, various features and characteristics of the present invention as discussed herein may be selectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustrated embodiments of the invention, and numerous variations, modifications, and additions further can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.