Loading and unloading station for removing or inserting container units from freely stackable container units stacked multiple times to form towers

Abstract

Loading and unloading station for removing or inserting container units from freely stackable container units stacked on top of one another in towers, which is designed to specifically remove container units from the container unit stack or tower or to insert them into the container unit stack or tower, wherein the loading and unloading station has a vertical frame on which a first vertically movable load-handling means is arranged, which is designed to lift a partial tower above a target container unit, and on which a second vertically movable load-handling means is arranged, which is designed to remove the target container unit from the top side of the remaining partial tower or to deposit it on the top side of the remaining partial tower, and on which a third vertically movable load-handling means is arranged, which is designed to be located below the target container unit on the remaining tower orTo support container unit stacks.

Description

The invention relates to a loading and unloading station for removing or inserting container units from freely stackable container units stacked on top of one another several times into towers according to claim 1 and to a corresponding method according to claim 11.It is known to use warehouses for storing articles, for example for use in order processing. In most cases, a distinction is made between high-bay stores and automatic small-part stores or shelf-shelf stores, both of which have in common that they comprise structures which are permanently installed and thus predetermined. Thus, for their design it must be known how the maximum demand for storage area, throughput, etc. will be and how it varies during operation in order to take into account an optimized design in the design, since this cannot be changed easily later.In addition, stores with mobile racks are also known, for example from Kiva. Thus, for example, EP 1 590 272 A2 describes a system for warehouse or stock management, comprising one or more mobile drive units and a plurality of movable storage magazines, wherein each movable storage magazine contains articles as a shelf-like construction and is designed for attachment via a coupling mechanism to the mobile drive units, wherein the mobile drive unit couples to a movable storage magazine and lifts it in order to transport the movable storage magazine through the warehouse in response to the command signals to picking stations, where picking is carried out directly from the storage magazines.Such a system is quick to implement in a warehouse and is well scalable to increase performance when needed.However, the use of space is poor and the mobile storage magazines are ergonomically disadvantageous, since the articles contained in the storage magazines are arranged at a wide variety of levels / heights and the picking person has to bend and / or stretch or even use a ladder in order to reach all articles. In addition, the filling of the storage magazines is complicated.It is also known from WO 2015 / 074755 A2 to store containers as a stack on the ground, wherein it becomes necessary to remove individual containers from a container stack by means of a stack operating vehicle. Containers are thus stored in stacks and handled individually and also grouped as stacks. The removal vehicle has a vertical frame on which a first vertically movable load-receiving means is arranged, which is configured to raise a sub-tower above a target container unit, and on which a second vertically movable load-receiving means is arranged, which is configured to remove the target container unit from the top side of the remaining sub-tower or to deposit it on the top side of the remaining sub-tower. Since the load-receiving means project laterally from the vehicle in order to grasp the containers, a tilting moment arises. This can lead on the one hand to the tilting of the vehicle and on the other hand to the tilting of the container stacks. It is therefore necessary to provide a tilting moment compensation. In an alternative embodiment of WO 2015 / 074755 A2, the load-receiving means lift the containers not from the side but from above, so that the tilting moment is lower or not present. However, for this purpose, the vehicle must either have a separate bridge-like support or be designed in the manner of a gantry lift truck and span over the container stacks. Both alternatives require additional space and space between the container stacks.In contrast, the object of the present invention is to provide a possibility for providing individual containers from a container stack or storing them in a container stack, which solves the problem of the tilting moment without requiring a greater amount of space.This object is achieved by the loading and unloading station as recited in claim 1 or by the method as recited in claim 11. Advantageous embodiments are evident from the dependent claims and the description.According to the invention, it has been recognized that if the loading and unloading station has a third vertically movable load-receiving means on the vertical frame, which is configured to be supported below the target container unit on the remaining tower or container unit stack, the occurrence of tilting moments can be prevented or at least reduced to such an extent that it can be easily managed.In other words, the third additional load-receiving device is supported on the container unit stack below the target container unit, as a result of which tilting moments which occur are absorbed.Thus, in contrast to WO 2015 / 074755 A2, no stabilization of the tilting moment is required despite a small installation space and lateral access.From the outlet, for the removal or insertion of container units into freely stackable container units stacked on top of one another to form towers, the sub-tower is raised above the target container unit and in the process is supported on the tower below the target container unit in order to release the target container unit and remove it or insert it. In one variant, the third load-receiving means is supported below the target container unit earlier or at least simultaneously, while the first load-receiving means lifts the sub-tower above the target container unit. This therefore results in a quasi-spreading pulling apart of the stack or tower around the target container unit.In a preferred embodiment, the first load-receiving means engages a container unit in the sub-tower above the target container unit and the third vertically movable load-receiving means is supported on a container unit below the target container unit in the remaining tower. It is thus preferably supported on the individual container units themselves or attacked to them for handling.For this purpose, the first and / or third vertically movable load-receiving means can engage or support themselves on the edge and / or on lateral projections of the respective container unit. Supporting or engaging recesses or holes, etc., is also possible.For this purpose, for example, the widened edge of a container unit or lateral projections (on the outer side walls) of a container unit can serve.The loading and unloading station can have a receptacle for a tower or container unit stack, so that the stack is surrounded in the station in a partially stabilizing manner, if appropriate.The loading and unloading station(s) thus serve / serve for constructing the towers from stacked container units and for access to the individual container units in the tower.A loading and unloading station can be installed in a mobile or fixed manner. The permanently installed variant only has to be connected to the system by means of current and data lines. The mobile variant must contain an energy storage device such as a battery and be connected to the system by means of radio technologies such as WIFI or 5G. The loading and unloading station could accordingly have a chassis. The mobile variant can be designed, for example, as a industrial truck which has the required stability and also already a lifting device. In this case, both counterweight stackers and a vehicle could be used, the wheel arms of which encompass the tower and thus receive the tower within the wheel base.The loading and unloading station serves not only for removing container units from a tower or vice versa for inserting, but can also provide a conveying interface to further regions by making it possible to transport and / or transport container units away via conveying technology. In a simple case, it can be connected to the ground level via a feeding and discharging roller conveyor, which leads to a picking station in a picking area, for example. Use with AGC, AMR or FTS in general is also conceivable in order to dispose of the station.The first load-receiving means can have, for example, extendable telescopic arms which engage laterally on the corresponding container unit and thus lift the sub-tower above together with the container unit during vertical movement. Thus, the target container unit underneath becomes free and can be handled.For this purpose, the loading and unloading station has a second vertically movable load-receiving means which is configured to remove a container unit from the top side of a partial tower or to deposit it on the top side of a (partial) tower. Also, extendable telescopic arms can be provided for this purpose, for example. In particular, the second vertically movable load-receiving means can have telescopic rails which can be moved horizontally out and in, and which have container unit gripping means. However, these need only be able to carry the load of a container unit and can accordingly be configured to be weaker than the first load-receiving means. It is also conceivable for the second load-receiving means to be arranged on the first load-receiving means and to be movable relative to the latter.The third additional load-receiving device is designed in such a way that it can absorb and transmit the forces occurring during the supporting. It can also have, for example, extendable telescopic arms which couple supportingly to the corresponding container unit. The ends of the telescopic arms may have respective gripping means or supporting means for interaction with the container units.The vertical frame thus has a height which is somewhat higher than the planned maximum tower height.The container unit removed from the tower, for example, can also be transferred to a transport unit.It is also conceivable to link the removal of one container unit to the insertion of another container unit, i.e. to generate a double play, if two laterally movable excavation slides are arranged on the second load-receiving means, for example.In the present case, the tilting moment is considered to be the lateral moment or sum of all moments occurring at the tower or container unit stack, which would flip over the container unit stack if exceeded. In this case, one of the lateral edges of the bottom of the lowermost container unit in the corresponding stack is considered to be the tilting axis.The loading and unloading station according to the invention is particularly suitable for use in a goods storage system having a storage region consisting of container units which can be stacked freely on installation surfaces and are stacked on top of one another multiple times to form towers. The towers may be on a hall floor or on movable stands. Automated, preferably autonomous, transport units are used for transporting the towers or container units, wherein each transport unit is designed as a floor-bound conveying means with its own travel drive and is automatically controlled and guided in a contactless manner. The movable stands can be designed to be underrunable by the transport unit and the transport unit can be designed to lift a stand together with the tower from below for transport. Such a warehouse system is distinguished by variability and scalability.In particular, the three essential disadvantages of the known systems can be eliminated in this way, which would be i) low space utilization due to the low height of the mobile storage magazines or racks; ii) poor ergonomy, since the picking person must bend or stretch (articles can be stored in the storage magazine compartments at heights of between 40 cm and 2 m); iii) complicated and thus cost-intensive refilling of the storage magazines.Only a free placement surface (empty hall, platform, etc.) is required, into which the freely stackable container units are placed stacked to form towers on stands and on the bottom of which the loading and unloading station(s) are arranged and transport units can travel autonomously between the towers and the loading and unloading station(s) and, if applicable, picking stations, for example.The loading and unloading station can be designed such that the towers are centered and stabilized when they are moved into the station. Suitable baffle plates arranged in the form of a funnel can thus be provided.The capacity and performance can be easily increased or adapted to the need by adding or increasing the number of these components without it being necessary to convert or supplement a fixedly installed infrastructure in a complicated manner.In the present case, the container units are stored in the freely stackable container units and the entire stack of the container units or tower is transported on the mobile stands. This allows, on the one hand, to form much higher towers (by means of high stacking). On the other hand, the container units can be assembled into the stack at any desired point on the placement surface or in the warehouse (which can also optionally be changed). The individual container units are provided by the loading and unloading station(s) and can be used or presented at order-picking stations in a known manner.In particular, the stackable container units allow the formation of dynamically variable storage structures, so that the change of the storage structures during operation is possible by transferring, supplementing, reorganizing, etc. the container units or their stacks.The stackable container units preferably have a constant height grid and are arranged next to one another in a tower-like manner as a stack and are freely stacked to form variable storage structures with gas trays.If the stackable container units are designed to be fixed horizontally to one another during stacking, i.e., they are nested or "nested" in English, their storage and, in particular, transport can be carried out without slipping relative to one another. They cannot therefore shift relative to one another. A simple embodiment would comprise, for example, the slight immersion of an upper container unit with its underside into the opening of a lower container unit.The individual container units are statically designed in such a way that they can bear the weight of a complete stack.Suitable container units are, in particular, stackable boxes or containers.In principle, the height of the tower of the stacked container units is arbitrary. Preferably, the towers have heights of up to 3 m, preferably 5 m, in particular 6-8 m. Thus, the space height can be utilized in conventional halls.Further details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawing, in which FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of freely stackable container units which are stacked on top of one another multiple times to form a tower; FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a movable stand; FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of a transport unit; FIG. 4 shows a side view of a tower from FIG. 1, which stands on a stand from FIG. 2, under which a transport unit from FIG. 3 is arranged; FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of a goods storage system according to the invention; FIGS. 6 to 8 are schematic side views of a loading and unloading station from FIG. 5 ;show.In the figures, a goods storage system designated as a whole with 1 is illustrated. The system essentially comprises four components:freely stackable container units 2 which are stacked several times on top of one another to form towers 3 which are in a storage area 4 consisting of placement surfaces 5 (floor) in rows 6 with gas trays 7;a plurality of movable stands 8, on each of which a tower 3 stands;a plurality of automated autonomous transport units 9 for moving the towers 3, wherein the transport unit 9 is designed as a floor-bound conveying means and is automatically controlled and guided in a contactless manner, and wherein the movable stands 8 are underrun by the transport unit 9 and the transport unit 9 is designed to lift a stand 8 together with the tower 3 from below for transport;at least one loading and unloading station 10, which is designed to remove container units 2 from a container unit stack or tower 3 in a targeted manner or insert them into a container unit stack or tower 3.The freely stackable container units 2 are designed in the present case as boxes which engage one another in order to be fixed horizontally to one another when stacked on one another.Thus, the boxes 2 can be freely stacked on top of each other and thus allow the formation of dynamically variable storage structures, e.g. the above-mentioned rows 6 and aisles 7 on the floor 5.In this case, the distance between the towers 3 or uprights 8 can be minimized in order to optimally utilize the surface.The boxes 2 can be stacked to form towers having heights of up to 3 m, preferably 5 m, in particular 6-8 m. The height can be adapted to the height of the hall or the ceiling height.Both the movable stands 8 and the boxes 2 are coded, so that the transport units 9 or further sensor systems 11 allow identification and tracking in the system by a central superordinate controller 12.The coding of the posts 8 is for this purpose attached to the underside 13 of the platform 14, so that the latter can be easily read out by a transport unit 9 passing underneath.The transport units 9 are designed as floor-bound conveying means with their own travel drive and are automatically controlled and are guided in a contactless manner. This is effected inter alia by wireless communication or interaction with the central superordinate controller 12.The transport units 9 have a lifting device 21 and can thus lift the uprights 8 together with the box 2 located thereon or the tower 3 located thereon and then move them. For this purpose, the lifting platform 22 can be lifted by means of the lifting device 21 after the stand 8 has been traveled under. The lifting device 21 comprises a scissor mechanism for performing the lifting and simultaneously stabilizing the lifting platform 22.In the present case, the transport units 9 have a driven central axis 27 (centrally arranged drive axis) which permits both a rectilinear movement of the transport units 9 and also the rotation about the vertical axis 23.The movement of the stand 8 with the tower 3 takes place on short distances with very low starting and braking accelerations so that the stack or tower above the stand 8 does not tip over. This slow method makes sense for small distances, e.g. when moving by one parking space in the row 6, etc.For longer distances, when the stand 8 together with the tower 3 has to be moved more quickly, the selection of suitable trajectories with additional superimposed stabilizing control of the drive of the tower 3 on the stand 8 keeps it stable.For this purpose, the transport units 9 are each configured with a dynamic balancing module 24 and a stabilization controller 25.From the warehouse management system of the higher-level controller 12, the information about the contents in the stacked boxes 2 will be used to determine the center of gravity of a tower 3 (vertically above the floor) and to use it as an output variable for the trajectory to be preselected.As a function of the planned acceleration profile and the center of gravity of the tower 3, the transport unit 9 can thus be dynamically tilted in such a way that the tower 3 is stably moved.With a suitable sensor system 26, the tilting angle of the tower 3 is continuously detected during the method and, in the event of nonpredicted changes in the angle (deviations from the desired angle), the control in the stabilization control 25 adjusts the tilting angle of the transport unit after the acceleration or braking of the unit, so that a stable driving state is achieved.The transport units 9 also have subsystems or modules (not shown) customary in transport vehicles.a power system, e.g. a Li-Lon battery with charging systems and monitoring;a drive system having wheels, gears, drive motors, converters, drive control electronics, rotational speed sensors, optionally current / voltage sensors, optionally temperature sensors for the electronics and / or the energy system;a control unit for order processing by suitable activation of the subsystems and for self-diagnosis;a communication system for exchanging information such as orders, processing status, diagnostic status, charge state, etc. with the central controller 12;a navigation system for orienting itself in the store and determining its own position.The building up of the box stacks or the access to individual boxes takes place at the loading and unloading stations 10.These consist in each case of a frame 16 which is somewhat higher than the maximum height of the stack of boxes or of the tower 3. On the front side of the frame 16 there is mounted a lifting carriage 17 which can be moved vertically and can raise the maximum load provided for a stack of boxes. On the lifting carriage 17 there are two extendable gripping arms 18 which are likewise designed for this load.Below the gripping arms 18 the lifting carriage is equipped with the lifting carriage 19 which can be moved vertically relative to the lifting carriage 17. The excavation carriage 19 is dimensioned such that it can lift the weight of a box 2. Also located on the excavation carriage 19 are extendable gripping arms 20, designed for the weight of a box 2.In addition, below the excavation carriage 19 a load support means 28 with telescopic arms 30, which can likewise be moved vertically with a lifting carriage 29 on the frame 16, is provided, which can be moved relative to the lifting carriage 17 or vertically with respect to the excavation carriage 19 in order to be supported on a box 2 below the target box with the telescopic arms 30.Access to a single box proceeds as follows:A transport unit 9 travels on the basis of an order received from the central superordinate controller 12 through the aisles 7 to a row 6 and there to a specific tower 3 or its stand 8, The transport unit 9 then navigates under the stand 8 and lifts it by means of the lifting platform 22 and the lifting device 21 together with the tower 3 standing thereon. The transport unit 9 then moves to the loading and unloading station 10 under the influence of the dynamic balancing module 24 and the stabilization controller 25.After the exact positioning of a tower 3 in front of the loading and unloading station 10, its lifting carriage 17 is moved upwards to such an extent that the gripping arms 18 can be extended into the stack, below the gripping points of the box 2, which is located directly above the target box 2* (FIG. 6 ).After the gripping arms have been extended, the lifting carriage is raised, the gripping arms lift the box at the edge and the stack above it at the gripping points of the box. These gripping points can be designed, for example, as a circumferential collar on the outer contour of the box 2. It is lifted to such an extent that the target crate 2* located beneath it can likewise be lifted out and led out of the stack or tower (FIG. 7 ).Simultaneously or before, the vertically movable load support means 28 with its telescopic arms 30 is positioned in such a way that it can be supported on the box directly below the target box 2* in a torque-transmitting manner at its edge, for which purpose it is correspondingly moved vertically and temporarily fixed to the frame 16 by means of its lifting carriage 29.In the next step, the excavation slide 19 is moved relative to the elevation slide 17 so that the gripping arms 20 of the excavation slide 19 can be extended below the gripping points of the target crate 2*. The gripping arms 20 are extended and by moving the lifting carriage 19 relative to the lifting carriage 17 the target crate 2* is lifted out of the tower 3.In the next step (FIG. 8 ), the target crate 2* is pulled out of the tower 3 by retracting the gripping arms 20 of the excavation carriage 19 and retracting the gripping arms 20 together with the gripped crate 2*. The lifting carriage 17 is then lowered and the upper part of the box stack is lowered onto the lower part of the tower 3. Guides in the boxes 2 ensure that the boxes 2 engage one another in a positive-locking manner (from the underside and the upper side).During these operations, the load support means 28 continually stabilizes the stack or station by supporting it on the box below the target box 2*.After the gripping arms 18 of the lifting carriage 17 have been moved in, the lifting carriage 19 is lowered and the box 2* is deposited, for example on a roller conveyor 15 arranged at the foot of the transfer station (cf. dashed arrow in FIG. 8 ). Alternatively, the box can also be placed on an FTS for further transport to a downstream processing station. It is also conceivable to pick up the target box 2* in the frame 16 and to transport it further from there to a conveying system.The gripping arms 20 are moved away from the target crate 2*, e.g. laterally, so that the crate is exposed and can be moved further.The insertion of a box 2 into a tower 3 takes place analogously to the removal of a box 2 from a tower, as described above.A box 2 is provided on the roller conveyor 15, for example. The gripping arms 20 of the excavation carriage 19 are placed below the gripping points of the box 2. After the desired height has been reached by the lifting carriage 17 together with the excavation carriage 19 and the box 2, the gripping arms 18 of the lifting carriage are extended and the upper part of the stack of boxes (tower) is excavated with the lifting carriage movement to such an extent that the box 2 can be inserted into the stack or tower 3 by extending the gripping arms 20 of the excavation carriage 19.Here too, the telescopic arms 30 of the load support means 28 were first positioned on the box below the target position and supported there on the box.After the box 2 and the upper stack have been set down, the station 10 is available for a new order.The loading and unloading station 10A is stationary and correspondingly connected to a conveyor system 15 which leads into further regions of the goods storage system, whereas the loading and unloading station 10B is disposed of and disposed of by separate AMR 40 which allow a very variable route guidance and thus further treatment.The higher-level controller 12 not only assumes functions of a WMS (cf. https: / / de.wikipedia.org / wiki / Warehouse Management System), namely in particular keeping up all products and their position and controlling and managing the sequences and order filling in the warehouse, but also controlling the position of the mobile transport units 9 and of the non-fixed loading and unloading stations 10 and the provision of the information about the articles in the boxes 2 for center-of-gravity determination etc.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedEP 1 590 272 A2

[0003] WO 2015 / 074755 A2 [0006, 0011]Cited Non-Patent Literaturehttps: / / de.wikipedia.org / wiki / Lagerangungssystem

[0075]

Claims

Loading and unloading station for removing or inserting container units from freely stackable container units which are stacked on top of one another multiple times into towers, which is designed to remove container units from the container unit stack or tower in a targeted manner or insert them into the container unit stack or tower, wherein the loading and unloading station has a vertical frame on which a first vertically displaceable load-receiving means is arranged, which is designed to raise a sub-tower above a target container unit, and on which a second vertically displaceable load-receiving means is arranged, which is designed to remove the target container unit from the top side of the remaining sub-tower or to deposit it on the top side of the remaining sub-tower, characterized in that a third vertically displaceable load-receiving means is arranged on the frame, which is designed to receive a load in a targeted manner, in order to be supported below the target container unit on the remaining tower or container unit stack.Loading and unloading station according to claim 1, characterised in that the first vertically movable load-receiving means acts on a container unit in the sub-tower above the target container unit and the third vertically movable load-receiving means is supported on a container unit below the target container unit in the remaining tower.Loading and unloading station according to claim 2, characterised in that the first and / or third vertically movable load-receiving means engages or is supported on the edge and / or on lateral projections of the container unit.Loading and unloading station according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the first and / or third vertically movable load-receiving means engages or supports itself on recesses of a container unit.Loading and unloading station according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the loading and unloading station has a receptacle for a tower or container unit stack.Loading and unloading station according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the loading and unloading station has a chassis.Loading and unloading station according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second vertically movable load-receiving means has telescopic rails which can be moved horizontally out and in with container unit gripping means.Loading and unloading station according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the loading and unloading station is connected to a conveying system.Loading and unloading station according to Claims 7 and 8, characterized in that the conveying system is connected to the second vertically displaceable load-receiving means.Loading and unloading station according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in the vertical extent of the vertical frame, the first load-receiving means is arranged at the top, the third load-receiving means is arranged at the bottom and the second load-receiving means is arranged between the first and third load-receiving means.Method for removing or inserting container units into freely stackable container units stacked on top of one another to form towers, preferably by means of a loading and unloading station according to one of the preceding claims, wherein for removing or inserting container units, preferably a single container unit, into a tower, the sub-tower is raised above the target container unit and in the process is supported on the tower below the target container unit in order to release the target container unit and remove it or insert it.

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