Container with a recess on one side wall for inserting a retrieval arm of a retrieval device for pulling the container

Abstract

The invention relates to a container for storing and transporting objects, wherein the container has a bottom that limits a loading space of the container downwards, and side walls extending upwards from the bottom, wherein at least one side wall has a contact area perpendicular to the bottom for positioning the container behind another container and a recess opposite the contact area on at least one side of the side wall, wherein the recess extends at least horizontally from an outer edge of the side wall continuously to the contact area.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a container for storing and transporting objects.

[0002] It is known to systematically store containers for storing and transporting objects, such as tools or intermediate products from a production process or goods to be shipped, in a warehouse. The containers can also be stored one behind the other in a row, arranged laterally from a main transport route, for example.

[0003] The invention is based on the object of providing an improved container for storing and transporting objects. This object is achieved by the features of the independent patent claim. Preferred embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent patent claims.

[0004] A container for storing and transporting objects is proposed. The container has a base that defines a loading space of the container at the bottom, and side walls extending upward from the base. At least one of the side walls has a contact area extending perpendicular to the base for positioning the container behind another container and a recess opposite the contact area. The recess extends at least horizontally from an outer edge of the side wall continuously to the contact area.

[0005] The contact area is preferably characterized by a plane that extends perpendicular to the base and within which the side wall can abut another contact area of ​​the other container. This plane is referred to below as the contact plane. The contact plane can be understood as an outer boundary of the container in a direction that runs perpendicularly away from an outer side of the side wall. This direction is referred to below as the side wall normal direction. In other words, the side wall is designed such that the side wall is the first to touch the other container with the contact area when the container hits the other container, in particular when the container is pushed onto the other container.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the contact area can have a continuous contact surface that runs perpendicular to the base. This embodiment makes it possible to maximize the contact area between the side wall and the additional container. This allows the pressure that exists between the contact area and the additional container when the container is pushed onto the additional container to be distributed, which in particular prevents local force peaks and can ensure the longevity of such a container.

[0007] Alternatively or additionally, the contact area can have several ribs projecting in the direction normal to the side wall. In this variant, the end edges of the ribs lie in the contact plane. The ribs advantageously intersect to prevent ribs of the contact area from interfering with other ribs of another contact area of ​​the other container. In this case, the contact plane can be specified, in particular, by the points where the outer edges of the ribs intersect.

[0008] The recess is characterized in particular by the fact that a space in the side wall is recessed between the outer edge of the side wall and the contact area, which is referred to below as the recessed space. It should be noted that the side wall preferably remains completely intact in the recess area, so that no objects inside the container can fall out.

[0009] The recess of the proposed container now allows, for example, a pulling element, in particular a finger, in particular a pulling finger of a retrieval device, to be introduced into the recessed space. This makes it possible to pull the container away from the other container using the pulling finger if the container is stored directly next to or behind the other container without an intermediate space, i.e. where the respective contact areas touch. Without the recess, the pulling element would impact against a side wall of the other container and thus could not pull the container along the side wall of the container using the pulling element. In order to pull the container using the pulling element in such a case, the container would have to be positioned at a distance from the other container.Thanks to the recessed side wall, the container can now be stored directly next to the other container, while still providing the option to pull the container away from the other container. This saves the space required for storing the container in a warehouse.

[0010] According to one possible variant, the recess is formed as a flat surface. In this case, the "recessed" parts of the sidewall, which are located horizontally next to the contact area, can together provide a particularly flat surface, which in turn can, however, also have ribs, for example. In the case of ribs, the outer edges of the ribs would then be part of said surface or form it. A region of the sidewall located between the aforementioned outer edge of the sidewall and the contact area and having the recess is referred to below as the "recessed area."

[0011] A flat design of the recess is advantageous in that the finger, in particular the pulling element, can stop in any position within the recess area and the pulling element can pull the container in the stopped position without the pulling element slipping upwards or downwards due to any inclination of the surface. Front edges

[0012] According to one embodiment, the contact area extends at least in the lower third, preferably at least in the lower quarter, and particularly preferably at least in the lower fifth of the container, relative to the height of the container. This embodiment can prevent the container as a whole from shifting upward when the container is pressed onto the other container. In other words, this embodiment can reduce the risk of the container buckling.

[0013] A further development of this design provides for the contact area to extend downwards to the floor at a distance of approximately one centimeter. This development can further reduce the risk of rearing up. The further the contact area extends to the floor, the better the rearing up can be prevented. The distance from the floor can prevent dirt particles that could accumulate on an outer edge of the floor when the container is pushed from preventing the containers from being pushed close together.

[0014] In most applications, the vertical height of the recess corresponds to at least one-third, preferably at least one-half, of the horizontal width of the recess. This could allow the said pull element to be pivoted into the recess, for example, in a pivoting movement. This could enable a particularly simple design of the pull element.

[0015] Advantageously, the horizontal extension of the recess from the outer edge of the side wall to the contact area is at most 2 cm, preferably at most 3 cm, particularly preferably at most 5 cm. If the horizontal extension of the recess has such dimensions, it is possible to provide the largest possible contact area and, at the same time, to reduce the negative impact of the recess on the stability of the side wall.

[0016] Advantageously, the horizontal extension of the recess from the outer edge of the side wall to the contact area is at least 2 cm, preferably at least 3 cm, particularly preferably at least 5 cm. If the horizontal extension of the recess has such dimensions, it can be ensured that the pulling element can be safely inserted into the recessed space, even if the container has slipped in a direction perpendicular to the side wall normal direction.

[0017] Advantageously, the recess is provided in a lower area, particularly at a lower corner of the side wall. The lower area can be the lower half or, preferably, the lower third or even the lower quarter of the total height of the container.

[0018] According to a further embodiment, the side wall is watertight in the recessed area. In this embodiment, the side wall has at least one water drainage channel next to the recessed area, preferably at another location at floor level. This embodiment can, in particular, increase the stability of the side wall in the recessed area without sacrificing the ability of water penetrating into the container to drain away. Additional stiffening elements can be provided at the locations of possible water drainage channels.

[0019] In an advantageous embodiment, the recess has a cross-section in the shape of a circular sector in a plane running parallel to the side wall. This allows the pulling element to be pivoted into the recess area and maximizes the contact area as much as possible.

[0020] According to a further embodiment, a guide edge for guiding the container on a transport plane of a transport system for transporting the container is arranged on the side wall. In this embodiment, the contact region is preferably formed at least partially by the guide edge. With the aid of the guide edge, the container can slide along a side guide or side boundary, for example on a metal rail, of a transport system, e.g. a roller conveyor or a conveyor belt. In this case, the risk of the container becoming jammed on the side guide can be reduced. In addition, the guide edge stabilizes the side wall in an area that frequently abuts the side guide of the transport system.

[0021] In an advantageous development, several of the side walls, in particular all of the side walls, have a respective contact region and a respective recess. This makes it possible to insert the pulling finger into the respective recess on several side walls in order to pull the container on the respective side wall, in whose recess the pulling element is inserted. This is practical in that the container can be pulled in several directions. For this purpose, the pulling element can be inserted into the recess of the respective side wall on a selected side wall of the side walls. Subsequently, a pulling force is applied to the pulling finger, which is transferred via the pulling finger to the recess region.

[0022] Furthermore, a storage system with a container and a retrieval device for pulling the container is proposed. According to one variant, the retrieval device can be designed in the form of a shelf shuttle. The container can be constructed according to one of the embodiments described above. The retrieval device, in particular the shelf shuttle, has a body and a pulling finger. The pulling element is movable relative to the body. The body can preferably be positioned relative to the container such that the pulling element can be inserted into the recess of the container from the side using the pulling element to pull the container. "From the side" in this case means, for example, that the pulling element moves into or pivots into the recess. Advantageously, the pulling element has at least one, preferably two, degrees of freedom of movement relative to the body.For example, the pulling element can be extendable relative to the fuselage in a direction parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the pulling direction of the retrieval device. This direction can generally run in a plane parallel to the side wall containing the recess.

[0023] In a further development, the mobility of the pulling element includes a pivoting movement. To perform the pivoting movement, the pulling element is preferably pivotably mounted about a rotational axis, with the rotational axis extending perpendicular to the side wall having the recess. This can be achieved, for example, by mounting the pulling element on a rotatable tube that is rotatably mounted about the rotational axis.

[0024] Conveniently, the retrieval device comprises a chassis, which can be moved within a warehouse using the chassis. In particular, the container can be pulled onto a transport surface of the rack shuttle using the pulling element and then transported to different locations within the warehouse using the chassis. The rack shuttle preferably has a drive motor for driving the chassis.

[0025] Another possible variant is where the shelf shuttle can be driven using stationary drive rollers in the warehouse.

[0026] It should be noted that, within the scope of the present disclosure, a pulling element in the form of a pulling finger is discussed by way of example, without, however, being understood as being limited to the specific shape of a finger as such. Generally, this refers to a pulling element capable of enabling the function of pulling or pushing the container in a direction perpendicular to the side wall having the recess.

[0027] Preferred embodiments of the proposed container are explained in more detail with reference to the following figures. The following schematically shows: Fig. 1 a container for transporting objects with a recess in a side wall of the container; Fig. 2 the in Fig. 1 shown return in an enlarged view; Fig. 3 a state of the Fig. 1 shown container, in which the container with the Fig. 1 shown side wall rests against another container; Fig. 4 the in Fig. 1 shown return in an enlarged view and a pulling finger of a return device for pulling the in Fig. 1 container shown; Fig. 5 a shelf shuttle with a pull finger for pulling the Fig. 1 container shown;

[0028] Fig. Figure 1 shows a container 1 for storing and transporting objects. The container 1 has a base 2, which defines a loading space 3 of the container 2 at the bottom, and side walls 4, 5, 6, 7 extending upwards from the base 2. At least one of the side walls, for example the side wall 4, has a contact area 8 extending perpendicular to the base 2 for positioning the container 1 behind another container 11, which is arranged in Fig. 3 is partially shown. The contact area 8 is in the Fig. 1, the embodiment of the container 1 is shown in planar form. The contact area 8 runs within a contact plane 12.

[0029] The contact plane 12 delimits the container 1 outwards in a normal direction 13 of the side wall 4. This means that the container 1 first touches the further container 11 with the contact area 8 when the container 1 is pushed onto the further container 11.

[0030] Fig. 1 further shows a first center line 31 of the container 1, which runs parallel to the contact plane 12, and a second center line 32, which runs perpendicular to the contact plane 12. The two center lines 31, 32 are in Fig. 1 in the form of center lines of the bottom 2. For a simple geometric description of the container 1, a first center plane 21 is also shown in Fig. 1, which runs perpendicular to the base 2 and has the first center line 31. The contact area 8, and in particular the contact plane 12, has a distance 40 from the first center plane in the normal direction 13. The distance 40 thus specifies a distance of the first center plane 21 from the further container 11 when the container 1 touches the further container 11.

[0031] Fig. 1 further shows that the side wall 4 has a recess 9 opposite the contact area 8 on at least one side of the side wall 4. The recess 9 extends at least horizontally from an outer edge 10 of the side wall 4 continuously to the contact area 8. A region of the side wall 4 within which the recess 9 extends is referred to below, analogously to above, as a recess area. The outer edge 10 is in the Fig. 1 shown variant of the container 1 are arranged parallel in a direction perpendicular to the contact plane 12 with respect to the contact plane 12. For illustration, Fig. 1 outer parts 50, e.g., front edges of stiffening ribs of the side wall 4, which are arranged between the contact area 8 and the outer edge 10, are shown. The outer parts 50 each have a smaller distance from the first center plane 21 than further parts 51 (also formed, e.g., by front edges of stiffening ribs) of the side wall 4, which are located in the contact area 8. The further outer parts 51 have a distance of 40 from the first center plane 21. In the Fig. In the embodiment of the container 1 shown in Figure 1, the outer parts 50 are arranged on a flat surface which extends between the contact area 8 and the outer edge 10. The Fig. However, the embodiment of the container 1 shown in Figure 1 should be understood as a simplified and abstract representation, in particular as an abstract representation of the recess 9. The abstract representation of the recess 9 with the aid of the outer parts 50 and the further outer parts 51 should also be used to describe a further embodiment shown in Fig. 2 shown variant of the recess 9 of the proposed container 1 can be used.

[0032] At the Fig. 2, the outer parts 50 lie on outer edges (front edges) of ribs 61 running perpendicular to the base 2 and further ribs 62 of the side wall 4 running parallel to the base 2. Analogously, in Fig. 2 the further outer parts 51 are shown, which lie on outer edges of a part of the parallel ribs 62 and the vertical ribs 61.

[0033] Furthermore, Fig. 1 a recessed space 19 of the side wall 4, which results from the recess 9. A shape of the recessed space 19 is shown in Fig. 1 drawn abstractly as a cuboid.

[0034] At the Fig. In the variant of the recess 9 shown in Figure 2, the vertical ribs 61 in the normal direction 13 and the parallel ribs 62 in a direction parallel to the first center line 31 are shortened within the recess area in such a way that the recessed space 19 has a cross-section resembling a circular sector in a plane running parallel to the side wall 4. In other words, the recess 9 in the Fig. 2, the container 1 is designed in such a way that the recessed space 19 takes the form of a disc segment. This has the advantage that the recessed space 19 can be Fig. 2, offers just enough space to move a pulling element, for example a pulling finger 71, by rotating it around a rotation axis 72 arranged parallel to the second center line 32 of a Fig. 5 shown return device 83 into the return area.

[0035] Fig. Figure 5 shows a shelf shuttle with a transport surface 81 for transporting the container 1, wheels 82 and the retrieval device 83. The retrieval device 83 has an extendable shaft 84 which is rotatable about the rotation axis 72. The pulling finger 71 is attached to the shaft 84. A Fig. 5, not shown, and a first motor of the shelf shuttle 80 are preferably coordinated with one another in such a way that the pulling finger 71, in a first position in which the pulling finger 71 is aligned perpendicular to the floor 2, driven by the first motor from a body of the shelf shuttle 80, can be moved in the normal direction 13 to a second position which is located approximately in the contact plane 12.

[0036] Furthermore, a second motor of the shelf shuttle 80 and the control unit are designed together in such a way that the pulling finger 71, when it is in the second position, is moved by means of the second motor into a Fig. 4 shown direction of rotation 73, e.g., rotatable. Advantageously, the pulling finger 71 is rotated approximately 45-90 degrees in the direction of rotation 73, so that the pulling finger 71 is located approximately in the middle of the recessed space 19. Subsequently, the first motor of the shelf shuttle 80 is preferably actuated such that the container 1 is pulled onto the transport surface 81 by means of a tensile force applied to the pulling element 71 by means of the first motor. In this case, the container moves opposite to the direction shown in Fig. 1 shown normal direction 13 from the second position back to the first position.

[0037] According to the Fig. In the variant of the recess 9 shown in Figure 2, the recessed space 19 can have a depth 91 of, for example, 5-15 millimeters. A radius 92 of the recess shown in Fig. According to an advantageous embodiment, the length of the disc segment shown in Figure 2 for representing the recessed space 19 can be approximately 50-90 millimeters. The outer edge 10 is accordingly arranged 50-90 millimeters horizontally away from the contact area 8. A length 93 of the pull finger 71 can be in the range of approximately 70-110 millimeters in this variant, depending on the width of the shelf shuttle.

[0038] It goes without saying that the recess 9 has a depth corresponding to the depth 91 of the recessed space 19. This is accompanied by the fact that the vertical ribs 61 and the horizontal ribs 62 within the recess area are shortened by the depth 91 of the recessed space 19 in the normal direction 13.

[0039] Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 further show a variant of the container 1, in which a lowermost horizontal rib 62.1 of the horizontal ribs 62 has a vertical distance 94 from a base plate 20 of the container 1, which forms the base 2. The vertical distance 94 is advantageously in the order of magnitude of approximately 0.5 to 2 centimeters and is preferably equal to 1 centimeter. The vertical distance 94 is also in Fig. 3 is shown.

[0040] Fig. 2 to 4 each show variants of the container 1, in which the contact area 8, relative to a height of the container 1, is arranged in the lower quarter of the container 1. Furthermore, the Fig. 1 to 4 show variants of the container in which the recess 9 is provided at a lower corner of the side wall 4.

[0041] At the Fig. 2, the lowest rib 62.1 and an overlying horizontal rib 62.2 together form the contact area 8 for positioning the container 1 behind the further container 11. The overlying further horizontal ribs 62.3, 62.4 and 62.5 of the horizontal ribs 62 form, with the vertical ribs 61.3, 61.4, 61.5, 61.6 and 61.7 of the vertical ribs 61, a further contact area 18 which runs perpendicular to the base 2 and, viewed from the base 2, is arranged above the contact area 8.

[0042] The contact area 8 at the Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. The variant of the container 1 shown in Figure 4 is formed by the front edges of the lowest parallel rib 62.1, the overlying parallel rib 62.2 and a first vertical rib 61.1 and a second vertical rib 61.2 of the vertical ribs 61. The Fig. The outer parts 51 shown in Figure 2 represent exemplary parts of the outer edges of the ribs 62.1, 62.2, 61.1 and 61.2. The outer edges of the lowest parallel rib 62.1 and the overlying parallel rib 62.2 each form a guide edge for guiding the container 1 on the transport surface 81 of the Fig. 5 shown shelf shuttles 80.

[0043] The outer edges of the lowermost parallel rib 62.1 and the overlying parallel rib 62.2 preferably slide along a first lateral guide 85 of the shelf shuttle 80 when the container 1 is pulled onto the transport surface 81 with the aid of the pulling finger 71.

[0044] The Fig. 1 to 4 show variants of the container 1, in which the recess 9 is arranged at a lower corner of the side wall 4. Furthermore, the Fig. 1 to 4 also show variants of the container 1 in which at least two side walls, namely the side wall 4 and the side wall 5, each have a recess arranged at the lower corner of the container 1. The recess of the side wall 5 is advantageously designed as a mirror image of the recess 9. To represent the recess of the side wall 5, outer points of the side wall 4, in particular the outer parts 50 and the further outer parts 51, can be mirrored on a mirror plane that runs perpendicular to the base 2 and at an angle of 45 degrees to the contact plane 12.

[0045] It goes without saying that each corner of the container 1 is analogous to the corner shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4. In this variant, all side walls 4, 5, 6, 7 of the container 1 each have a contact area and a respective recess. Therefore, it is irrelevant whether the container 1, as in Fig. 1, with the contact plane 12 aligned perpendicular to the rotational axis 72 of the retrieval device 83 or arranged offset by 90, 180, or 270 degrees from this position. In all cases, the container 1 can be pulled onto the transport surface 81 with the aid of the pulling finger 71 by engaging behind the recess of a selected side wall of the side walls 4, 5, 6, 7.

[0046] Fig. 4 further shows an embodiment of the container 1 in which the side wall 4 within the contact area 8 optionally has lateral water drains 100 for draining liquids from the container 1. Within the recess area, which extends horizontally between the contact area 8 and the outer edge 10, advantageously no water drains are provided. Instead, the side wall 4 advantageously has side wall elements 101 between the vertical ribs 61 and the parallel ribs 62 within the recess area, which run perpendicular to the base 2. This allows the lower corner of the container 1 to be reinforced in order to counteract a potential weakening of the corner due to the shortened vertical ribs 61 and the parallel ribs 62 in the recess area. These side wall elements 101 can be regarded as stiffening elements.

[0047] Continue to show Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of the container 1 in which the recess 9 has a rounded profile in a plane parallel to the side wall 4. Due to this rounded profile, the edges 62 have a counter-rotating profile.

[0048] The container 1 together with the Fig.The rack shuttle 80 shown in Figure 5 can be considered together as a storage system. The pulling finger 71 is, as described above, movable relative to the body of the rack shuttle 80 and can be positioned relative to the container 1 such that the pulling finger 71 can be inserted into the recess 9, in particular into the recessed space 19 of the container 1, in order to pull the container 1 with the aid of the pulling finger 71. The wheels 82 can be considered the chassis of the rack shuttle 80. With the aid of the chassis, the rack shuttle 80 is movable within a warehouse. The warehouse, which is not shown in the figures for the sake of clarity, advantageously has several levels along which the rack shuttle 80 can be moved on tracks.

Claims

[1] Container for storing and transporting objects, wherein the container has a bottom which delimits a loading space of the container downwards, and side walls extending upwards from the bottom, wherein at least one side wall has a contact area running perpendicular to the bottom for positioning the container behind another container and a recess opposite the contact area on at least one side of the side wall, wherein the recess extends at least horizontally from an outer edge of the side wall continuously to the contact area. [2] Container according to claim 1, wherein the contact region extends at least in the lower third, preferably at least in the lower quarter and particularly preferably at least in the lower fifth of the container with respect to the height of the container. [3] Container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recess is flat, wherein a vertical height of the recess corresponds to at least one third, preferably at least one half, of a horizontal width of the recess. [4] Container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the horizontal extension of the recess from the outer edge of the side wall to the contact area is at least 2 cm, preferably at least 3 cm, particularly preferably at least 5 cm. [5] Container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact area extends downwards to the bottom at a distance of about one centimeter. [6] Container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the recess is provided at a lower corner of the side wall. [7] Container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein in the region of the recess the side wall is water-impermeable and, in addition to the recess, the side wall has at least one water drainage channel. [8] Container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the recess has a cross-section in the form of a circular sector in a plane which is parallel to the side wall. [9] Container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a guide edge for guiding the container on a transport plane of a transport system for transporting the container is arranged on the side wall, wherein the contact region is at least partially formed by the guide edge. [10] Container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein several of the side walls, in particular all side walls, have a respective contact area and a respective recess. [11] Storage system with a container according to one of the preceding claims and a retrieval device, in particular a shelf shuttle, for pulling the container, wherein the retrieval device, in particular the shelf shuttle, has a body and a pulling element which is movable relative to the body and the body can be positioned relative to the container in such a way that the pulling finger for pulling the container can be introduced into the recess of the container with the aid of the pulling element. [12] Storage system according to claim 11, wherein the mobility of the pulling element comprises a pivoting movement and the pulling element is pivotally mounted about an axis to carry out the pivoting movement, the axis extending perpendicular to the side wall having the recess. [13] Storage system according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the retrieval device comprises a chassis and the retrieval device is movable within a warehouse by means of the chassis.

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