Methods for automating the flow of goods in a warehouse

Abstract

A method for automating the flow of goods in a warehouse, in which goods are at least stored, retrieved, and picked, characterized in that: - a plurality of identical goods are separated into individual items after their delivery; - each individual item is placed into a storage container with a unique identifier and predetermined dimensions; - at least one of the storage containers with the individual item is automatically moved into a container receptacle of a storage device, equipped with a unique identifier, ready for retrieval, wherein initial item-related data in the form of article number, article description, date of receipt, barcode, dimensions, in particular length, width and height, weight, best before date, batch number, pharmaceutical registration number, serial number and / or storage specifications,In particular, temperature and humidity are electronically recorded and stored for retrieval, wherein secondly, product-related data in the form of the unique identifier of the storage container are electronically recorded and stored for retrieval, wherein thirdly, product-related data in the form of the unique identifier of the container receptacle are electronically recorded and stored for retrieval, wherein, upon receipt of an order concerning their respective individual goods, a storage container or several identical and / or different storage containers are selected for the purpose of retrieval and order picking based on at least a part of the respective product-related data and automatically removed from the container receptacle, wherein the storage containers are fed to a packing station for the purpose of packaging, wherein packing stations with different packaging materials are used.wherein the storage container or several storage containers with the individual item are fed to a packing station with specific packaging material depending on at least a part of the respective item-related data.

Description

The invention relates to a method according to the preamble of claim 1.The starting point for the invention is the shipping trade. However, the invention is not to be limited to this range. Logistics centers are typically used in shipping trade. Goods are delivered and transported into these logistics centers on the one hand and removed and delivered again in another picking operation on the other hand. In this respect, a goods receipt and a goods receipt take place in a different composition.Shelves are used for temporarily storing the goods. These have shelf compartments which are unambiguously identifiable. According to the prior art, the incoming goods are distributed to free storage locations. In this case, the system knows which goods item is located on which shelf location. For this purpose, there is a one-to-one identification of the goods, for example via the barcode, and an assignment of this barcode to the one-to-one storage location position.After an order at the customer end, a goods exit is now to take place. For this purpose, the goods ordered by the customer are selected from the individual shelf surfaces. Here, there are so-called picking systems. So-called "pick to list", "pick to voice", "pick to light" and "pick to mobile robot" systems are known. In the pick-to-list system, the ordered goods are manually selected using a pick list and removed from the storage compartment. The list may be in analog or digital form. In pick-to-voice systems, a human storage compartment force, the so-called "picker", storage compartment and article, is communicated via a voice communication connection. In this case, too, the storage compartment is to be emptied manually. According to the pick-to-light system, a light is illuminated at the storage location at which the goods to be sent stand. A common feature of the aforementioned picking methods is that the respective storage compartments are to be emptied manually and the goods are to be moved to the packaging station. All other goods that are to be sent to the customer in a packet also land here. Because the picking system is done manually, errors may occur. This makes it necessary to check once again at the packing station whether the goods desired by the customer have actually been correctly assembled.The known pick-to-mobile robot system is also not free from disadvantages. Comparatively small and mobile moving robots are used here. The running robots remove the goods or complete racks from the storage system and transfer them to a packaging station. There, however, a storage compartment force is required in order to remove and package the goods from the optionally supplied racks. However, this only partially replaces the picker, since known robots are only capable of picking up goods directly to a very limited extent. In the other cases, the goods still have to be removed manually from the compartments.Independently of the selected system, the assembled goods are packaged, usually manually, wherein a corresponding carton is to be selected for size and load-bearing capacity in correspondence with the goods to be sent.The system known from the prior art will be explained below with reference to an example. The warehouse receives a supply of cans with roasted peanuts, bags with grapevine gum, and footballs. The deliveries are depackaged and then each brought into its own shelf compartment with a one-to-one identifier. There is then an order of 3 doses of peanuts, 10 bags of grapevine gum and 1 football in the warehouse. It is now necessary to assemble the goods for ordering. An automated method is not possible with the method of the prior art in this case because the desired products differ from one another in terms of shape and position on the shelf to such an extent that robots currently available cannot generally grasp the individual products precisely enough. Accordingly, the ordered goods in the desired quantity must be manually taken out of the respective shelf compartments and fed to a packing station. There, the goods are checked with regard to type and quantity. Subsequently, the goods are packed into a carton and transferred to shipping.In this context, it is likewise known to automate individual method steps of the manual method. For example, it is known to bring the supplied goods in total into boxes of uniform size. As a result, a box with the entire goods can be queried by means of a robot shelf and moved to a delivery station. However, the selection of the ordered quantity from the box with the entire goods can still take place only manually on account of the robot technical limitations. This only saves the foot travel to the individual shelf compartments. However, the selection of the goods is still subject to errors due to the manual process, so that subsequent control at the packing station cannot be dispensed with.It is also necessary in the methods known from the prior art to keep available all carton sizes at each packing station in order to be able to pack any desired collection of goods. This regularly results in the packaging personnel selecting too large carton sizes for the goods to be shipped. Resource waste is the result.Furthermore, according to DE 39 00 834 A1, a portable device with compartments for receiving, storing or dispensing containers is known from the prior art. This device is movable along a rack in which containers are accommodated. The device is provided with a computer for controlling it and has a gripping device with a gripping member on a frame. This gripping member is selectively linearly displaceable along a vertical axis under the control of the computer, rotatable about the vertical axis and linearly displaceable about a first horizontal axis perpendicular to the vertical axis and about a second horizontal axis perpendicular to the first horizontal axis.Further prior art is disclosed by DE 10 2013 101 659 A1, EP 1 462 393 A1, EP 2 883 817 A1 and EP 1 818 285 A1.The object of the invention is thus to specify a method and a system for automatizing streams of goods in a warehouse which are less susceptible to errors compared to methods and systems known from the prior art and which use the available resources more effectively.To achieve the object, the invention proposes, on the process side, a method for automatizing streams of goods in a store, in which goods are at least stored, stored and picked, which method is characterized in thata plurality of similar goods are separated into individual goods after being supplied;in each case an individual product is placed in a storage container with predetermined dimensions provided with a unique identifier;at least one of the storage containers with the individual product is automatically brought ready for storage into a container holder of a storage device provided with a unique identifier for storage purposes, wherein first individual product-related data in the form of the article number, article designation, entry date, barcode, dimensions, in particular length, width and height, weight, minimum durability date, batch number, pharmaceutical central number, serial number and / or storage specifications, in particular temperature and air humidity, are electronically detected and stored ready for retrieval, wherein second individual product-related data in the form of the unique identifier of the storage container is electronically detected and stored ready for retrieval, wherein third individual product-related data in the form of the unique identifier of the container holder is electronically detected and stored ready for retrieval, wherein one storage container or a plurality of identical and / or different storage containers are selected and automatically removed from the container receptacle for the purpose of removal and picking depending on at least a part of the respective individual-product-related data when an order relating to their respective individual product is present, wherein the storage containers are supplied to a packaging station for the purpose of packaging, wherein packaging stations with different packaging material are used, wherein the storage container or the plurality of storage containers with the individual product is supplied to a packaging station with determined packaging material depending on at least a part of the respective individual-product-related data.In contrast to the prior art, the process according to the invention results in a number of advantages. The goods received on the input side are not transported as such in their entirety into a storage device, in particular in the form of a goods rack. Rather, in each case an individual product is moved with predetermined dimensions into a storage position identified one-unambiguously, with the interposition of a storage container, preferably a box. This results in the synergistic advantage that each article is accessible to the robot-assisted processing independently of its shape. This is because the shape of the goods is no longer important. The goods are no longer handled directly, but rather the storage container. Due to the predetermined shape of the storage containers, these can be handled by robots without problems-and thus indirectly the goods contained therein. Manual handling of the individual goods placed in the storage container is completely dispensed with. According to the invention, this is achieved by the synergistic effect of the intermediate arrangement of the storage container which is identified one by one and is designed with predetermined dimensions. Preferably, the entirety of the supplied goods is first separated into individual goods. "individual goods" does not necessarily mean that the goods must be present as a unit or in a single piece. Rather, this term also covers combinations and combinations, for example in the form of a bundle, of a plurality of units. In this context, it is only decisive that the individual goods in the compilation in which they are brought into the storage container after separation and stored also leave the store again as intended. Separation of the individual products as such does not take place during the storage and in the course of the process according to the invention. Rather, the integrity of each individual product is maintained during the method. Thus, for example, it can be provided that a customer can buy individual bags of wine gum. It can likewise also be provided that the customer can buy a container with a plurality of wine gum bags. According to this example, there are therefore located in the inventory firstly boxes with only one wine rubber bag and secondly boxes with only one pack which then comprises a plurality of wine rubber bags. Both the individual wine rubber bag placed in a box and the bundle placed in a separate box are "individual products" within the meaning of the invention.The goods are thus separated and associated with a one-to-one marked storage container, in particular a one-to-one marked box, which is then moved into a container receptacle provided with a one-to-one identification in the storage device.Preferably, the individual products are first detected accurately, so that one-to-one identification is possible or information is detected which is important for the later packaging, for example special regulations for the packaging and / or storage. According to the invention, a storage container is provided for each article which is unambiguously identifiable. Individual product and box are connected to one another in terms of information in such a way that a product can be found back unambiguously via the one-to-one storage location in the form of the container receptacle.The intermediate arrangement of the box provides the advantage that full automation is possible, specifically independently of the goods size, weight, condition or other properties. This is because the boxes are always standardized, which enables fully automatic robot-assisted handling.If an order concerning certain goods is now received, the associated box and the associated storage location can be provided by the computer system and the robot assumes the corresponding storage position in a computer-protected manner, retrieves the box together with the article and the box is preferably brought to a packing station by means of a conveying device. This unwinding is preferably carried out fully automatically, as a result of which no further control of the assembled products is required during the packaging. This results in a considerable simplification of the method.The system also knows which types of goods are to be packaged. It therefore also has a difference about the size and the weight of the goods detected by the order. It is therefore further provided with the invention to provide packing stations, wherein each packing station does not package different packet sizes, but there is one packing station for each and the same packet size. The goods to be packaged are thus conveyed to one or the other packaging station depending on the cardboard packaging material to be selected. Thus, the shipping carton is not selected depending on the goods to be packaged, but the goods are moved from the beginning to the corresponding packaging station depending on the shipping cartons to be selected. This advantageously prevents the operator from incorrectly using the incorrect packaging material.It is provided that the storage containers are designed as boxes with a substantially rectangular cross section. Preferably, the boxes are formed of plastic. Preferably, boxes in the form of cooling boxes can be provided which are intended for receiving spoilage goods, in particular food, medicaments, cosmetics and the like.According to the invention, it is provided that first item-related data in the form of item number, item designation, barcode, dimensions, in particular length, width and height, weight, minimum durability date, batch number, pharmaceutical central number, serial number and / or storage specifications, in particular temperature and air humidity, are electronically acquired and stored ready for retrieval. This first of all carries out an accurate detection of the individual articles, so that one-to-one identification is possible or information is detected which is important for the later packaging. This step preferably takes place before the individual product is transferred into the respective box. Furthermore, this step preferably takes place after the separation.According to a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that different storage containers each provided with a one-to-one identifier are stored which differ from one another at least with regard to their physical properties, wherein the respective individual product is assigned to one of the different storage containers depending on at least a part of its acquired first individual product-related data. In this regard, it is provided that the different storage containers differ from one another in terms of their dimensions, in particular length, width and height, weight and insulation properties, in particular in terms of temperature and / or moisture insulation. In this way, individual goods of any desired nature can be assigned to a single box in each case and can be accommodated by it.According to the invention, it is provided that second item-related data are electronically acquired in the form of the one-to-one identifier of the storage container and stored ready for retrieval. Furthermore, it is provided that third item-related data in the form of the one-to-one identifier of the container receptacle is electronically captured and stored ready for retrieval. In this way, individual product and box are connected to one another in terms of information in such a way that a product can be found back unambiguously via the one-to-one storage location in the form of the container receptacle and the one-to-one box identification.According to a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that different storage devices and / or container receptacles are held available which differ from one another with regard to their storage properties, wherein the storage container with the individual product is assigned to one of the different storage devices or container receptacles depending on at least a part of the acquired first data and / or the second data. In this way, in particular, refrigerated display racks and room-temperature-controlled goods display racks can be provided, wherein the respective boxes with the individual goods are distributed to the suitable display racks in accordance with their storage requirements.According to the invention, it is provided that one storage container or a plurality of identical and / or different storage containers, when an order relating to their respective individual product is present, are selected and automatically removed from the container receptacle as a function of at least a part of the respective individual product-related data for the purpose of storage and picking. Preferably, it is provided that the placement of the storage container into the container receptacle and / or the removal of the storage container from the container receptacle is carried out by means of at least one robot.It is provided according to the invention that the storage container is supplied to a packing station for the purpose of packaging. Preferably, it is provided that the storage container with the individual product is supplied to the storage device and the packing station via a conveying device. This allows full automation of the process sequences.It is provided according to the invention that packing stations with different packaging material are used, wherein the storage container or the plurality of storage containers with the individual product is supplied to a packing station with a specific packaging material as a function of at least a part of the respective individual product-related data. The goods to be packaged are thus conveyed to one or the other packaging station depending on the cardboard packaging material to be selected. Thus, the shipping carton is not selected depending on the goods to be packaged, but the goods are moved from the beginning to the corresponding packaging station depending on the shipping cartons to be selected. This advantageously prevents the operator from incorrectly using the incorrect packaging material.According to a preferred feature of the invention, it is provided that the packaged single product or the packaged multiple single products are fed to the product outlet and the storage container is returned for the purpose of redistributing a single product. The return is preferably likewise effected via a conveying device, as a result of which this part of the method can also be automated. Furthermore, the reuse of the boxes further improves the resource efficiency of the method.Although the starting point of the invention forms the sequences in a logistics center, the method according to the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, it can be scaled to a wide variety of different storage sizes. Preferably, the method can be used in retail operations. It can be used in particular for the automation of goods markets, in particular food markets, with their own local store. The method can then preferably be used for the purpose of automated replenishment of delivery shelves or shipping or for ready-to-pick provision of online orders.A storage container for use in the method according to the invention for automatizing streams of goods in a goods store is provided, in the form of a rectangular rectangular rectangular parallelepiped which is open on one side and which provides on the inside a volume space for storing individual goods which is accessible from the outside, wherein a recess or a projection is formed in each of two opposite side walls of the rectangular parallelepiped, said recesses or projections serving to cooperate with corresponding recesses or projections of a gripping arm of a robot, and wherein the storage container is provided with a one-to-one identifier.This embodiment enables the method according to the invention to be carried out firstly in that the storage container has a standardized geometric shape which is accessible for automated processing by a gripping robot. On the other hand, it is provided with a one-to-one identifier which enables the one-to-one assignment of the storage container to an individual product on the one hand and to a shelf compartment on the other hand.The storage container is preferably designed as a rectangular box or box. Preferably, the open side of the storage container can be closed by a lid, in particular can be closed in an air- and / or liquid-tight manner. The volume space of the storage container can furthermore be equipped with a temperature insulation. This is advantageous in particular for goods which have to be stored in a refrigerated manner, such as, for example, spoilage foods and the like.Furthermore, it is provided that the recesses in opposite long side walls of the cuboid are formed in the form of elongated holes. This has the advantage that by inserting corresponding projections into the elongated hole during the gripping process, a substantial positional stabilization is ensured. This advantageously prevents the goods located in the container from dropping out.Furthermore, it is provided that the one-to-one identifier is attached to one of the short side walls of the rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular rectangular. This allows the automated recognition of the desired storage container for the purpose of storage and retrieval to be realized.The invention further relates to a system for use in the method according to the invention for automatizing streams of goods in a store of goods, having a storage container for use in a method for automatizing streams of goods in a store of goods, in the form of a rectangular rectangular rectangular block which is open on the inside and provides a volume space for storing individual goods which is accessible from the outside, wherein a recess or a projection is formed in each of two opposite side walls of the rectangular block, said recesses serving to cooperate with corresponding recesses or projections of a gripping arm of a robot, and wherein the storage container is provided with a one-to-one identifier, the recesses are formed in opposite long side walls of the rectangular block in the form of elongated holes, wherein the one-to-one identifier is formed on one of the short side walls of the rectangular block in the form of an optoelectronically readable code, The method according to the invention is characterized in that a bar code or a QR code, or a radio transponder, in particular an RFID transponder, is attached to a robot, which has a gripping device with two gripping arms which are arranged spaced apart and parallel to one another and which are arranged on the gripping device such that they can be moved transversely to their longitudinal extent, wherein the gripping device has, via electronic detection units for detecting the one-to-one identifier attached to the storage container and the recesses or projections of the storage container, wherein the gripping arms each have a projection or a recess which are formed in a manner corresponding to the projections or recesses of the storage container in such a way that one projection respectively interacts with a recess as intended, wherein one of the gripping arms has two cylindrical knobs and that one of the side walls of the storage container has an elongated hole, wherein the knobs are designed to be insertable into the elongated hole and are arranged at a distance from one another such that, when the knobs are inserted into the elongated hole, one knob each is in contact with a semicircular end of the elongated hole.The system according to the invention comprising gripping robot and storage container advantageously enables extensive automation of the method according to the invention. Preferably, one of the electronic sensing means comprises a laser sensor for sensing the shape and distance of a gripping arm from the recess or protrusion of the side wall of the storage container. For this purpose, the sensor is preferably arranged on one of the gripping arms. Preferably, each gripping arm has its own laser sensor. Preferably, a further electronic detection device has an optoelectronic sensor, preferably a barcode scanner or a QR code scanner, and / or a radio receiver, preferably an RFID receiver. This serves for detecting the one-to-one identifier of the storage container. The electronic detection devices are preferably connected to a control unit which automatically controls the movement, in particular the approach and the distance of the gripping arms to or from the storage container, as a function of the detected sensor data.According to the invention, it is provided that one of the gripping arms has two cylindrical knobs and that one of the side walls of the storage container has an elongated hole, wherein the knobs are designed to be insertable into the elongated hole and are arranged at a distance from one another in such a way that, when the knobs are inserted into the elongated hole, one knob is in each case in contact with a semicircular end of the elongated hole. This has the advantage that by inserting corresponding projections into the slot during the process of the invention.This ensures a substantial positional stabilization of the gripping process. This advantageously prevents the goods located in the container from dropping out.The invention is illustrated below with reference to an exemplary embodiment which is not to be interpreted as limiting.The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows the performance of a method according to the invention by means of a system according to the invention in schematic representation; FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective illustration of a storage container according to the invention, and FIG. 3 shows a schematic top view of a storage container according to the invention in operative connection with a robot arm.FIG. 1 shows, in a first step, the delivery of different goods via the goods entrance 1. The goods 2 located on the pallet are separated into individual goods 3 in a second step.First item-related data in the form of item number, item designation, date of entry, barcode, dimensions, in particular length, width and height, weight, minimum date of shelf life, batch number, pharmaceutical central number, serial number and / or storage specifications, in particular temperature and air humidity, are then electronically acquired and stored ready for retrieval.Minimum shelf life date, batch number, pharmaceutical center number, serial number and storage specifications are only recorded for certain products. For example, the pharmaceutical central number is only recorded for drugs. For the present example, this optional data is not acquired.After data acquisition, an appropriate box 4 is assigned and selected depending on the acquired item-related data. The boxes 4 are stored in different standardized dimensions 5. Each box has a unique identifier 6 in the form of a bar code. The size of the assigned box 4 is determined in this case as a function of the individual product size. After the assignment has been completed, the individual product 3 is transferred into the box 4 assigned to it and the identifier 6 of the box 4 is electronically detected as second individual-product-related data.The box 4 is designed in the form of a rectangular rectangular block which is open on one side and which provides on the inside a volume space which is accessible from the outside for storing individual products, wherein a recess in the form of an elongated hole, a recess, a milled-in portion or the like groove 22 is formed in each of two opposite side walls of the rectangular block, said recesses serving to cooperate with corresponding cylindrical knobs of a gripping arm of a robot.The box 4 with the individual product 3 is then transferred to a conveyor belt 7. The box 4 with the individual product 3 is fed via the conveyor belt 7 to a robot product rack 8. Due to the standardized dimension of the box 4, the latter can be moved into a rack compartment 10 by means of a robot arm 9 in a robot-assisted and fully automatic manner for storage purposes.The robot arm 9 or 11 is a robot which has a gripping device 24 with two gripping arms 25 which are arranged spaced apart and parallel to one another and which are arranged on the gripping device such that they can be moved transversely to their longitudinal extent, wherein the gripping device has electronic detection units for detecting the barcode attached to the box 4 and the slots in the storage container. The gripping arms each have two cylindrical knobs which are designed to correspond to the respective slot of the box 4 in such a way that, when the knobs are inserted into the respective slot, a respective knob is in contact with a semicircular end of the slot.The shelf compartments 10 are likewise each provided with a unique identifier in the form of an electronic ID. The ID of the rack compartment is linked by information technology to the identifier 6 of the box 4 and electronically acquired as third item-related data and stored ready for retrieval. As a result, the storage position of a specific individual product 3 is determined unambiguously in the storage system via the identifier 6 of the box 4 and the ID of the shelf compartment 10.If, in a further step, an order concerning goods of different types and / or quantities is now entered, the individual goods are initially picked up, i.e. selected for the order on the basis of their respective electronically stored data and compiled in list-like manner with their respective storage position.According to the picking list, electronic retrieval orders are subsequently transmitted to the robot product rack 8. According to the orders, the boxes 4 comprising the individual products corresponding to the list are removed from the rack 8 by means of a robot arm 11 in a robot-assisted and fully automated manner and transferred to a conveyor belt 12.Depending on the totality of the data stored for the individual products picked, a packing station 13, 14, 15 is assigned to the corresponding boxes 4. The packing stations 13, 14, 15 differ with regard to the stored packing carton 16, 17, 18. Packing station 13 holds packing cartons 16 in a smaller size. Packing station 14 holds medium size packing cartons 17. Packing station 15 holds packing cartons 18 in a larger size.In the present case, the single picked goods 3 are supplied to the packing station 13, 14, 15 depending on their combined dimensions, the packing boxes 16, 17, 18 being provided which correspond best in terms of their size to that of the picked goods.After packaging, the packaged order comprising the ordered individual articles 3 is transferred to a conveyor belt 20 and fed to the article exit 21. The emptied boxes 4 are transferred to a conveying device, not shown, and are returned to the circuit.Overall, the method according to the invention can improve the susceptibility to errors and the resource efficiency compared to methods known from the prior art. The inventive linking of an individual product to a one-unambiguously identifiable storage container and to a one-unambiguously identifiable container receptacle results in synergistic advantages and process engineering possibilities which go far beyond simple identifier assignments.FIG. 2 shows the box 4-generally also called storage container or storage box-in a schematic perspective illustration.The box 4 is of rectangular parallelepipedal configuration in a manner known per se and has a base and four side walls. Opposite the floor, the box 4 is open on one side, which enables the box 4 to be fitted with goods 2 or goods 2 to be removed from the box 4. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the end faces of the box 4 each have a bar code 6, which permits one-to-one identification of the box 4. The longitudinal side walls of the box 4 each have on the outside a groove-shaped recess 22, which in the case of use interacts with a robot arm 9 or 11. This can be seen schematically in a plan view from above in FIG. 3.As can be seen from FIG. 3, the robot arm 9 or 11 has a gripping device 24 guided by a robot 23, which gripping device 24 provides gripping arms 25, wherein the gripping device 24 and thus also the gripping arms 25 can be moved both in the longitudinal direction of the box 4 and transversely thereto in relation to the box 4, as can be seen from the double arrows drawn in FIG. 3.Each gripping arm 25 has two knobs 26 on the box side. These are cylindrical and have geometric dimensions which allow the studs 26 to be inserted into the groove-shaped recesses 22 of the boxes 4.The gripping arms 25 further have adjustment lasers 27 on the box side, which each interact with a marker 28 arranged centrally in the associated recess 22.The above-described construction permits a procedure as follows: The gripping device 24 engages the box 4 laterally on the left and on the right, respectively. In order to ensure a precise reception of the box 4, two protruding knobs are attached to the arms 25 on the right and left, respectively, which engage in the groove-shaped milled-outs 22 of the box 4 in the intended case of reception of the box 4 by the robot 23. In this way, it is ensured that the box 4 is not only gripped by the gripping arms 25 but also locked. Tilting, twisting or slipping of the boxes 4 in relation to the gripping arms 25 is thus prevented.Before the robot arm 9 or 11 approaches the box 4, the correctness of the box 4 to be detected or to be picked up is ensured by means of an electronic detection unit. This is done using the identifier preferably applied to both end faces of the box 4, which may be a barcode, for example.During the process of moving the robot arm 9 or 11 up to the box 4, the gripping device 24 is aligned exactly with the recesses 22 of the box 4 by a laser measurement. For this purpose, the gripping device 24 has lasers 27 which interact with associated markers 28 of the box 4. As soon as the correct adjustment point, i.e. the correctly positioned alignment of the gripping device 24 in relation to the box 4 is reached and detected by measurement technology, the gripping device 24 engages, wherein the knobs 26 of the gripping device 24 come to lie exactly in position within the recesses 22 provided for this purpose.Reference numerals denote reference numerals1 Goods entrance 2 Goods 3 Individual goods 4 Box 5 Dimensions of the boxes 6 Identification of the box 7 Conveyor belt 8 Robot goods rack 9 Robot arm 10 Rack compartment 11 Robot arm 12 Conveyor belt 13 Packing station 14 Packing station 15 Packing station 16 Packing carton 17 Packing carton 18 Packing carton 19 Carton size 20 Conveyor belt 21 Goods exit 22 Groove 23 Robot 24 Gripping device 25 Gripping arm 26 Knobs 27 Laser 28 Markers

Claims

Method for automatizing streams of goods in a warehouse, in which goods are at least stored, stored and picked, characterized in that - a plurality of similar goods are singled out after their delivery into individual goods; - in each case an individual goods is transferred into a storage container provided with a unique identifier and having predetermined dimensions; - at least one of the storage containers comprising the individual goods is automatically transferred for storage purposes into a container receptacle provided with a unique identifier of a storage device, wherein first individual-goods-related data in the form of article number, article name, entry date, barcode, dimensions, in particular length, width and height, weight, minimum durability date, batch number, pharmaceutical central number, serial number and / or storage specifications, In particular, temperature and air humidity can be electronically detected and stored ready for retrieval, wherein second individual-product-related data in the form of the one-to-one identifier of the storage container are electronically detected and stored ready for retrieval, wherein third individual-product-related data in the form of the one-to-one identifier of the container receptacle are electronically detected and stored ready for retrieval, wherein a storage container or a plurality of identical and / or different storage containers are selected and automatically removed from the container receptacle for the purpose of removal and picking depending on at least a part of the respective individual-product-related data in the case of the presence of an order relating to their respective individual product, wherein the storage containers are supplied to a packaging station for the purpose of packaging, wherein packaging stations with different packaging material are used, wherein the storage container or the plurality of storage containers containing the single item is supplied to a packaging station containing a specific packaging material depending on at least a part of the respective single item-related data.Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the storage device is designed as a product shelf and its container receptacle is designed as a shelf compartment.Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the storage containers are designed as rectangular boxes.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that different storage containers which are each provided with a one-to-one identifier and which differ from one another at least with regard to their physical properties are stored, wherein the respective individual product is assigned to one of the different storage containers on the basis of at least part of its acquired first individual-product-related data.Method according to claim 4, characterised in that the different storage containers differ from one another in terms of their dimensions, in particular length, width and height, weight and insulation properties, in particular in terms of temperature and / or moisture insulation.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that different storage devices and / or container receptacles are held available which differ from one another with regard to their storage properties, wherein the storage container with the individual product is assigned to one of the different storage devices or container receptacles as a function of at least part of the acquired first data and / or the second data.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the placement of the storage container into the container receptacle and / or the removal of the storage container from the container receptacle is carried out by means of at least one robot.Method according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the storage container with the individual product is fed in each case via a conveying device to the storage device and to the packaging station.System for use in a method for automatizing streams of goods in a warehouse according to one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a storage container for use in a method for automatizing streams of goods in a warehouse, in the form of a rectangular rectangular parallelepiped open on one side, which provides on the inside a volume space for storing individual goods that is accessible from the outside, wherein a recess or a projection is formed in each of two opposite side walls of the rectangular parallelepiped, which recess or projection serves to cooperate with corresponding recesses or projections of a gripping arm of a robot, and wherein the storage container is provided with a one-to-one identifier, the recesses are formed in opposite long side walls of the rectangular parallelepiped in the form of elongated holes, wherein the one-to-one identifier is formed on one of the short side walls of the rectangular parallelepiped in the form of an optoelectronically readable code, The method according to the invention is characterized in that a bar code or a QR code, or a radio transponder, in particular an RFID transponder, is attached to a robot, which has a gripping device with two gripping arms which are arranged spaced apart and parallel to one another and which are arranged on the gripping device such that they can be moved transversely to their longitudinal extent, wherein the gripping device has electronic detection units for detecting the one-to-one identifier attached to the storage container and the recesses or projections of the storage container, wherein the gripping arms each have a projection or a recess which are formed in a manner corresponding to the projections or recesses of the storage container in such a way that one projection respectively interacts with a recess as intended, wherein one of the gripping arms has two cylindrical knobs and that one of the side walls of the storage container has an elongated hole, wherein the knobs are designed to be insertable into the elongated hole and are arranged at a distance from one another such that, when the knobs are inserted into the elongated hole, one knob each is in contact with a semicircular end of the elongated hole.

Images