PICKING DEVICE WITH REMAINING TIME DISPLAY

Abstract

The invention refers to a picking device, in particular a storage lift, comprising at least one removal point for storage products and/or storage products carriers. In order to increase the efficiency of the operation of a picking device, it is provided according to the invention that the picking device is connected to at least one remaining time calculating device with which the remaining time until the arrival of a storage product and/or storage product carrier transported in the picking device at the at least one removal point can be calculated, wherein the picking device has at least one display device on which an image that represents the remaining time can be displayed.

Claims

1. Picking device, in particular storage lift, with at least one removal point for storage products and/or storage product carriers, wherein the picking device is connected to at least one remaining time calculating device, with which the remaining time until the arrival of a storage product and/or storage product carrier transported in the picking device at the at least one removal point can be calculated, and wherein the picking device has at least one display device on which an image representing the remaining time can be displayed.

2. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one display device comprises at least one screen and/or a light-emitting diode matrix.

3. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one display device comprises at least one light element, the light colour and/or brightness of which is adjustable.

4. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one display device comprises at least one movable mechanical element.

5. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one display device comprises at least one numerical display.

6. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one remaining time calculating device is integrated in the picking device.

7. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one remaining time calculating device is part of a control device arranged outside the picking device.

8. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein at least one memory means in which at least one previously known transport time belonging to at least one transport section is stored.

9. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein the picking device has at least one position determination means for determining the position of a storage product and/or storage product carrier within the picking device, which is connected in a data-transmitting manner to the at least one remaining time calculating device.

10. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein at least one further removal point provided with at least one display device.

11. Picking device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of removal points are provided, wherein a display device is associated with a plurality of removal points.

12. Picking device according to claim 11, wherein the display device comprises at least two fields which are each associated with different removal points and are activated in dependence thereon, at which of the removal points the remaining time is shortest.

13. Method for displaying a remaining time until a storage product and/or storage product carrier transported in a picking device arrives at at least one removal point, the remaining time being calculated and displayed so as to be visible from outside the picking device by means of at least one image representing the remaining time.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein, in order to calculate the remaining time, the position of at least one transported storage product and/or storage product carrier is determined at at least one point in time.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein transport times, stored in a memory means, of the transport sections lying between the determined position and the removal point are added up within the picking device for calculating the remaining time.

16. Method according to claim 14, wherein the time remaining after reaching the previously determined position is calculated on the basis of a path/time curve stored in a memory device.

17. Method according to claim 15, wherein the time remaining after reaching the previously determined position is calculated on the basis of a path/time curve stored in a memory device.

Description

[0031] In the following, the invention is explained in more detail by means of an advantageous embodiment with reference to the drawing. The combination of features shown as an example in the embodiment can be supplemented by further features for a specific application in accordance with the above explanations. Also, also in accordance with the above explanations, individual features may be omitted from the described embodiment if the effect of this feature in a concrete application is not important.

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a schematic, not true to scale, perspective representation of an advantageous embodiment of a picking device according to the invention 1.

[0033] The picking device 1 is preferably a storage lift 3, especially a paternoster lift 5.

[0034] The picking device 1 is equipped with a removal point 7, which can be located in a service opening 9 of picking device 1. However, the removal point 7 can also be located, for example, on a turntable, at the end of a conveyor belt or on a tilting or swivelling removal device.

[0035] At removal point 7, the storage products 11 and/or storage product carriers 13 can be removed from the picking device 1. Only as an example, FIG. 1 shows the storage products 11 on a storage product carrier 13. Preferably, the removal point 7 is arranged in such a way that it can be reached by an operator 15.

[0036] The operator 15 can remove the storage products 11 with or without the storage product carrier 13 at the removal point 7 from the picking device 1 and, for example, feed it to a collection container (not shown).

[0037] The picking device 1 is connected to a remaining time calculating device 17. Only as an example, the remaining time calculating device 17 is shown as integrated in the picking device 1. Preferably, the remaining time calculating device 17 is part of a control device 19 of the picking device 1, then the remaining time calculating device 17 is part of picking device 1.

[0038] The remaining time calculating device 17 can also be part of an external control device 21 arranged outside the picking device 1, which is connected to the picking device 1, in particular to the control device 19, in a data-transmitting manner. The external control device 21 can be a computer, in particular a PC, for example.

[0039] The remaining time calculating device 17 is used to calculate the remaining time until a storage product 11 transported in the picking device 1 or a storage product carrier 13 arrives at at least one removal point 7. The remaining time can be calculated, for example, from the time when the storage product 11 or a storage product carrier 13 is transported from a storage location 23 within the picking device 1 to the removal point 7.

[0040] Alternatively, other times can be used to calculate the remaining time. For example, the remaining time can be calculated from the time at which a request is sent to control unit 19 to pick up storage products 11.

[0041] The picking device 1 has a display device 25 on which an image 27 representing the remaining time can be displayed. Only as an example, FIG. 27 is shown as a bar graph in FIG. 1. The image 27 is preferably chosen so that the remaining time is intuitively recognizable.

[0042] The display device 25 is preferably arranged so that it can be viewed by an operator 15 from outside the picking device 1.

[0043] The picking device 1 according to the invention can be equipped with at least one additional removal point 7 (not shown). The at least one display device 25 can then indicate at which of the removal points 7 the next storage products 11 will arrive for removal. Alternatively, each of the removal points 7 may be provided with at least one own display device 25. Then for each removal point 7 can be displayed independently of each other how much time will elapse until the next storage product 11 arrives. This allows the operator 15 to decide in which order to go to the removal points 7 to remove the storage products 11.

[0044] In FIG. 1, a transport path 29 from storage location 23 to removal point 7 is indicated by a dotted line for illustration purposes only. The transport path 29 can be divided into transport sections. Only one transport section 31 is shown as an example.

[0045] The picking device 1 can have at least one memory means 33 in which at least one previously known transport time belonging to at least one transport section 31 is stored. The transport time therefore indicates how long it takes for storage products to pass through section 31 during transport. The transport times can be determined empirically, for example.

[0046] It is advantageous if the picking device 1 has at least one, preferably a plurality of, position determination means 35. The position determination means 35 can be used to determine the position of storage products 11 or of a storage product carrier 13 along transport path 29.

[0047] The position determination means 35 are preferably connected to the at least one remaining time calculating device 17 by data transmission. The remaining time for the transport of the storage products 11 to the removal point 7 can be easily determined by means of at least one determined position along transport path 29. If, for example, the speed of the transport within picking device 1 is known, the remaining time, i.e. the residual time, can be calculated from the time of passing a position determination means 35.

[0048] Alternatively or in addition to this, the speed of storage products on transport path 29 can also be determined. For this purpose, for example, at least two position determination means 35 can be used, whereby in addition to the position determination, the time required for the storage products 11 to travel from one position determination means 35 to the other position determination means 35 is also determined.

[0049] Alternatively or in addition, the picking device 1 can also be equipped with at least one means for speed detection 37 of the storage products 11 during transport.

REFERENCE SIGN

[0050] 1 picking device [0051] 3 storage lift [0052] 5 paternoster [0053] 7 removal point [0054] 9 service opening [0055] 11 storage products [0056] 13 storage product carrier [0057] 15 operator [0058] 17 remaining time calculating device [0059] 19 control device [0060] 21 external control device [0061] 23 storage location [0062] 25 display device [0063] 27 image [0064] 29 transport path [0065] 31 transport section [0066] 33 memory means [0067] 35 position determination means [0068] 37 means for speed detection