METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MOVING GOODS WITH A LOAD CARRIER

Abstract

Method and device for moving goods, e.g., in an automated storage facility, where goods are moved onto a load carrier or tray, which are then moved over a conveyor section, and thereafter moved from/pushed off the load carrier by a pusher. The load carrier is moved to a first removal position, at which a first good is pushed off, after which the load carrier is moved either together with a second good back into the storage facility and the second good is moved from the load carrier at a later point in time, or to a second removal position at which the second good is moved from the load carrier. Device for the targeted movement of goods including a conveyor section on which load carriers are moved. At least one unit, e.g., a pusher, moves/pushes off goods from the load carrier transversely to the conveying direction of the conveyor section.

Claims

1. A method for moving goods, in particular in an automated storage facility, wherein goods, in particular from a storage facility, are moved onto a load carrier, in particular onto a tray, after which the goods are moved with the load carrier over a conveyor section, after which the goods are moved from the load carrier in that the goods are pushed off the load carrier by a pusher, wherein the load carrier is moved to a first removal position, at which a first good is pushed off the load carrier, after which either the load carrier is moved together with a second good back into the storage facility and the second good is moved from the load carrier at a later point in time, or the load carrier is moved to a second removal position at which the second good is moved from the load carrier, characterized in that the pusher is lowered or raised during a movement along a push-off direction in order to be lifted past goods on the load carrier or to dip between goods on the load carrier and to push off individual goods in a targeted manner.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first good and the second good are simultaneously moved from the load carrier at the first removal position, after which the goods are separated and the second good is moved back onto the load carrier again, after which the second good is moved together with the load carrier back into the storage facility or is moved from the load carrier at the second removal position.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein multiple load carriers having goods are moved sequentially over the conveyor section and individual goods are removed from the individual load carriers according to a sequence, according to which sequence the goods are subsequently arranged on a target load carrier, in particular in a stack according to a predefined packing layout.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the goods are stored on the load carriers in the storage facility and, together with the load carriers, removed from the storage facility and moved onto the conveyor section.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, adjacent to the first removal position, a unit for moving goods away from the removal position, preferably accelerator rollers, is provided, in particular rubberized accelerator rollers, with which the first good is pulled away from the load carrier after the good has been at least partially pushed off the load carrier.

6. (canceled)

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein positions and orientations of the goods on the load carrier are captured, in particular using a lidar sensor or a camera, before the load carrier reaches the first removal position, after which a unit, in particular a pusher, is activated based on the captured positions of the goods in order to push off the first good from the load carrier in a targeted manner.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein dimensions of the goods on the load carrier are captured, in particular using a lidar sensor or using a camera, before the load carrier reaches the first removal position, after which a unit, in particular a pusher, is activated based on the captured dimensions of the goods in order to push off the first good from the load carrier in a targeted manner.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the positions and/or dimensions of the goods on the load carrier are captured when the load carrier is located near the first removal position, in particular when the load carrier is still being moved only translationally to the removal position, preferably when the load carrier is less than 10 m away from the first removal position, particularly preferably after a base of the load carrier has been raised.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first good is pushed off the load carrier in a targeted manner by a pusher while the second good remains on the load carrier.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a load carrier having a peripheral side wall and a base that can be raised above the side wall is used, wherein the base is raised in the region of the removal position, in particular by a ramp, after which the goods pushed off the load carrier.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein a speed of the load carrier on the conveyor section is reduced before the first good is pushed off the load carrier by the pusher.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the load carrier is stopped on the conveyor section, after which the first good is pushed off the load carrier using the pusher, after which the load carrier is moved with the second good to the second removal position.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first good is pushed off the load carrier while the load carrier is being moved on the conveyor section.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first good is pushed off the load carrier using a pusher, which has a speed component along a conveying direction, in particular at an angle of 10 degrees to 80 degrees, preferably approximately 30 degrees, to the direction of movement of the load carrier.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first good and the second good are collectively moved pushed off the load carrier at the first removal position, after which the first good is separated from the second good and the second good is moved onto the load carrier again or onto another load carrier, after which the load carrier is moved with the second good to the second removal position.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more goods at the first removal position are pushed off; onto a separator region on which the goods can be moved in a targeted rotational and translational manner and from which the goods can be at least partially moved back onto the load carrier.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein a unit, in particular a pusher, is provided in the separator region, with which unit individual goods can be moved back onto the conveyor section again or onto a load carrier arranged on the conveyor section.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pusher is moved at different speeds during the pushing-off of the goods, wherein the pusher is in particular slowly guided to the goods and subsequently accelerated.

20. A device for the targeted movement of goods, which is configured to carry out the method according to claim 1, in particular an automated storage facility, comprising a conveyor section on which load carriers with goods can be moved, wherein at least one unit embodied as a pusher is provided with which goods can be pushed off the load carrier, in particular transversely to the conveying direction of the conveyor section, wherein the device is configured to push off a first good from the load carrier at a first removal position, to then either move the load carrier together with a second good back into the storage facility or to move the load carrier to a second removal position and, at the second removal position, to push off the second good from the load carrier, wherein the pusher is embodied to be lowered or raised during a movement in a push-off direction, namely independently of a current position along the push-off direction, in order to be able to dip between goods on the load carrier and push off individual goods in a targeted manner, and to be lifted past goods on the load carrier.

21. The device according to claim 20, characterized in that a unit for capturing a position and/or orientation of the goods on the load carrier is provided in the region of the pusher, wherein the device is configured to actuate the pusher and to move the load carrier on the conveyor section depending on the captured position and/or orientation of the goods on the load carrier.

22. The device according to claim 20, wherein an orientation section is provided onto which goods can be pushed off from the load carrier using the pusher.

23. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is embodied such that, using the pusher, goods can be pushed off onto a region equipped with a unit for moving goods away from the removal position, preferably onto a region equipped with acceleration rollers, with which unit goods can already be moved away from the load carrier while the goods are still touching the load carrier, in order to be able to separate individual adjacent goods from one another during an unloading, for example.

24. (canceled)

Description

[0062] Additional features, advantages, and effects of the invention follow from the exemplary embodiment illustrated below. In the drawings which are thereby referenced:

[0063] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a device according to the invention;

[0064] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of a device according to the invention in a 3D illustration;

[0065] FIG. 3 shows an additional detailed view of a device according to the invention;

[0066] FIG. 4 shows a load carrier with goods, in a plan view;

[0067] FIGS. 5a and 5b show different method states during a pushing of a good off a load carrier;

[0068] FIGS. 6a through 6d show different method states during a return movement of a pusher.

[0069] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a device 19 according to the invention. Visible is a conveyor section 3 on which goods 1 arranged on load carriers are conveyed, which goods 1 have, for example, been removed from a storage facility and have been moved onto the load carriers in the storage facility. The storage facility can also be embodied as an OSR storage facility in which the goods 1 are stored on load carriers. The storage facility is not illustrated here; rather, a feed 9 of the load carriers to the conveyor section 3 is shown schematically, via which feed 9 the load carriers are fed to the conveyor section 3. After leaving the depicted removal region, in which the goods 1 are at least partially removed from the load carriers, the load carriers are guided back into the storage facility again in the illustrated embodiment. This is schematically indicated by a return 10.

[0070] The load carriers, embodied as trays 2, comprise a peripheral rim and a base 6 that can be moved vertically relative to the peripheral rim, which base 6 is raised by means of a lifting ramp 20 located upstream from a removal region, so that the goods 1 can be pushed off the base 6 horizontally and perpendicularly or at an angle of, for example, 30 degrees to 60 degrees to a conveying direction 14 of the conveyor section 3. Schematically illustrated is a pusher 4 that can be moved perpendicularly or at a corresponding angle to the conveying direction 14 of the conveyor section 3, as well as a measuring and position detection unit located upstream from said pusher 4, with which unit dimensions, positions, and orientations of the goods 1 on the load carriers can be captured.

[0071] In order to then be able to push individual goods 1 off a load carrier in a targeted manner, the load carrier is moved to a first removal position, at which a movement of the pusher 4 perpendicularly or at an angle to the conveying direction 14 effects a pushing of a first good 1 off the load carrier, whereas a second good 1 on the load carrier is not touched by the pusher 4, as is illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0072] If there is a corresponding gap and space between goods 1, the pusher 4 could also dip therebetween and push the good 1 off. The space can also be achieved by a corresponding auxiliary means in the load carrier or tray such as an insert in the tray, or by a special construction of the tray such as nubs, for example, special anti-slip materials which prevent the shifting and sliding-together of goods and keep said goods in their position separate from one another.

[0073] The good 1 is moved by the pusher 4 onto a separator region 8 on which the goods 1 can be individually conveyed, for example using individually drivable rollers, so that the goods 1 can subsequently be conveyed onto an orientation section 11, illustrated schematically.

[0074] Of course, the device 19 according to the invention can also be used for the individual removal of single goods 1 from a load carrier if the goods 1 are not subsequently moved onto a separator region 8 and an orientation section 11, but are rather directly handled or picked and packed, for example.

[0075] The separator region 8 also comprises a pusher 4 with which the goods 1 can be conveyed back onto the conveyor section 3, or onto a tray 2 on the conveyor section 3. This can be beneficial if two or more goods 1 are positioned on one load carrier such that said goods 1 can only be pushed off simultaneously using the pusher 4. In the separator region 8, the two goods 1 are then separated so that one of these goods 1, which is not needed, can be moved back onto the load carrier again using the second pusher 4 of the separator region 8.

[0076] Even though the method is depicted with two goods on one load carrier in the exemplary embodiment, it shall be understood that the method according to the invention can, of course, be implemented with any desired number of goods on one load carrier and any desired number of removal positions. Accordingly, it is of course also possible to move more than one good back onto a load carrier again from the separator region.

[0077] After the pusher on the conveyor section 3, a lowering ramp 21 is arranged with which the base 6 is lowered again relative to the peripheral rim so that any goods 1 still located on the load carrier are secured by the peripheral side wall 7, which then once again protrudes past the base 6, and cannot slip off the base 6.

[0078] Furthermore, near the removal position or near the pusher 4, a tray reserve space 18 is provided in which load carriers can be held in reserve, for example in order be able to transport goods 1 back into the storage facility via the return 10 using said reserved load carrier in the event of an error or if there has been a prior full unloading. Empty trays 2 are also returned to the storage facility via the return 10.

[0079] FIG. 2 shows a 3D view of the removal region of the device 19 illustrated in FIG. 1. Visible is the pusher 4, comprising a plate, which pusher 4 can be moved horizontally and vertically, perpendicularly or at an angle of, for example, 30 degrees to 60 degrees to a conveying direction 14 of the conveyor section 3. A horizontal movement is thereby necessary in order to be able to horizontally push goods 1 off the load carriers. A vertical movement of the pusher 4 is beneficial in order to be able to move the pusher 4 past goods 1 arranged on the load carrier, for example in a return movement.

[0080] FIG. 3 likewise shows, in a plan view, the unloading region of the device 19 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, a lidar sensor 5 is also drawn schematically with which dimensions, orientations, and positions of the goods 1 on the load carriers conveyed on the conveyor section 3 can be captured. Furthermore, a rotary encoder 13 is schematically illustrated with which a distinct correlation between a position of the load carrier, and thus a position of the goods 1 arranged on the load carrier, and a position of the pusher 4 is ensured, which relative position can be used for a particularly precise pushing-off of the individual goods 1.

[0081] It can also be seen that, using the pusher 4, a pushing of the goods 1 not only off the load carrier itself onto the adjacent separator region 8, but also a pushing within the separator region 8 itself is even possible. The pusher 4 can thus be moved over an entire width of the separator region 8. As a result, the pushed-off goods 1 can also be horizontally positioned on the separator region 8 using the pusher 4.

[0082] In order to be able to determine positions of the load carrier relative to the conveyor section 3 with pinpoint accuracy, photoelectric sensors, not shown, and, if necessary, other sensors can additionally also be provided. Photoelectric sensors can also be used, for example, for a height check, in order to determine heights of the goods on the load carrier.

[0083] FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a load carrier with goods 1 that can, for example, be captured using a lidar sensor 5 or a camera. It can be seen that dimensions, orientations, and positions of the goods 1 are captured. Typically, corner points of the goods 1 are determined, based on which corner points a position of the goods 1 relative to the load carrier can be determined in a precise manner.

[0084] From the correspondingly determined dimensions, orientations, and positions, a removal position for the load carrier results, which removal position of the load carrier ensures that only one or more defined goods 1, but not all goods 1 located on the load carrier, are pushed off simultaneously using the pusher 4, provided that only individual goods 1 are to be removed.

[0085] FIGS. 5a and 5b show different working states during a pushing-off of a good 1 from the load carrier. As can be seen in FIG. 5a, the pusher 4 is initially spaced apart from the good 1. The pusher 4 can typically be moved at different speeds, for example at three different speeds. For a push-off movement, the pusher 4 is preferably first moved rapidly over a first path of travel 15 to the good 1, after which the pusher 4 is decelerated and slowly placed against the good 1 along a second path of travel 16, after which the good 1 is pushed off along a third path of travel 17 at a push-off speed.

[0086] In FIG. 5b, a situation can be seen in which the pusher 4 has already been positioned near the good 1. It is then possible to immediately begin a slow approach by the pusher 4 to the good 1 along a second path of travel 16, after which the good 1 is pushed off along a third path of travel 17 at a desired push-off speed. In this manner, a controlled and, at the same time, efficient and pinpoint pushing-off of the goods 1 is ensured without an impact being exerted on the goods 1.

[0087] The goods 1 can thereby be pushed off both from a load carrier standing still at the removal position and also during a movement of the load carrier.

[0088] FIGS. 6a through 6d show different possibilities for moving back the pusher 4 with which a good 1 has been pushed off and which is located on the in the region of the orientation section 11, so that one or more goods 1 can be pushed off using the pusher 4. As can be seen, the pusher 4 is for this purpose first raised and then moved against a push-off direction over the goods 1, after which the pusher 4 is lowered.

[0089] With a method according to the invention, a particularly efficient movement of goods 1 is thus possible, in particular in an automated storage facility. Due to a precise position determination of the individual goods 1, a pushing of individual goods 1 off a load carrier having multiple goods 1 is thereby also possible during a movement of the load carrier, in order to form a desired sequence on an orientation section 11. If applied in combination with an OSR storage facility, an increased efficiency can be achieved, especially since multiple goods 1 can be stored in one load carrier of the OSR storage facility, whereby a volume of the storage facility can be utilized particularly well, wherein it is at the same time possible to remove only one of said goods 1 so that a separation does not need to take place on downstream units, whereby a high throughput is achieved.