Multi-level storage system

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rack storage system with multi-level storage racks defining an aisle between them, in which shuttles travel along the racks in the storage levels as operating devices for storing and retrieving loads into the racks, wherein at least one vertical lift is arranged within the base area of ​​the racks of an aisle in such a way that the shuttles can travel past the vertical lift on rails along the rack front sides facing the aisle and can deliver or pick up loads via a buffer conveyor arranged next to the vertical lift, wherein the buffer conveyor conveys loads to the lift or takes them from the lift, according to claim 1.

[0002] Figure 8 of AT 516231 A1 discloses a buffer conveyor which is also reversible and is arranged on one side next to a lift with a reversible lift conveyor.

[0003] From EP 2 794 431 B1, which discloses a shelf storage system according to the preamble of claim 1, it is known to arrange vertical lifts within the shelves in a shelf storage system with storage shelves which define an aisle between them, in which shuttles travel along the shelves as operating devices on the storage levels, in such a way that the shuttles can, on the one hand, travel past them and, on the other hand, can deliver or pick up loads via buffer conveyors arranged on either side of the lifts, which loads are then conveyed to the lift or come from the lift. In a warehouse connection level, i.e. the supply to the warehouse or removal from the warehouse, the lift is positioned between a storage conveyor and a retrieval conveyor. This makes it possible, on the one hand, for the shuttles to be decoupled from the operation of the lift and, on the other hand, for the lift to be able to pick up and deliver loads at the same time.

[0004] In contrast, the object of the present invention is to simplify such a storage system, in particular in the storage connection level(s), and thus to save space.

[0005] This object is achieved by the shelf storage system reproduced in claim 1.

[0006] Advantageous embodiments arise from the subclaims.

[0007] The invention recognizes that if loads or loading aids are loaded and picked up on only one side of the lift, a space-saving arrangement is possible, which also results in easier connection of picking stations on the warehouse connection level. Furthermore, shorter cycle times are possible, leading to higher system performance.

[0008] In other words, the buffer conveyor is no longer arranged on both sides of the lift, but only on one side next to it as a double conveyor and in turn has a longitudinal division such that one longitudinal half conveys towards the lift and the other longitudinal half away from the lift.

[0009] This can be done in parallel, i.e. the halves of the double conveyor are independent of each other.

[0010] The buffer conveyor is thus replaced by two conveyors half as narrow as a double conveyor, so that when placed side by side, they do not require any additional space. The width of the two (or more) conveyors arranged side by side depends minimally on the width of the goods being conveyed and, as a maximum limiting factor, on the available space, e.g., shelf depth. The two (or more) conveyors can be installed within these parameters.

[0011] It is also conceivable that the double conveyor is a multiple conveyor with more than two parallel conveyors, e.g. triple or quadruple.

[0012] This is made possible, among other things, by aligning the loads or loading aids with the narrow side in the conveying direction or, alternatively, by using only narrow loads or narrow loading aids for the loads so that they require less width.

[0013] According to the invention, the lift has a reversible lift conveyor. One or more lifts can be arranged in a rack aisle, either to the right or left of the aisle. These can be located either at the ends or in the shelves along the aisle.

[0014] The double conveyors are therefore aligned with the halves of the lift or lift conveyor in the direction of the longitudinal alignment of the rack or aisle in the sense that the halves of the double conveyor are aligned with the "narrow" (virtual) halves of the lift when they are at the same height.

[0015] The lift or its lift conveyor can not only be virtually divided, but can also physically have two separately driven halves (see below).

[0016] On the storage levels, however, the buffer conveyors can be arranged on both sides, as is already known, or alternatively, in line with the new design, on one side only. Buffer conveyors can also be arranged in the supply and / or disposal line on the storage connection level(s).

[0017] In both cases, the shuttle can deposit the loads at suitable depths on the buffer conveyor or pick them up from there, e.g., using the familiar telescopic arms. Loads can also be picked up or dropped off from the buffer conveyor in parallel by multiple shuttles on the same storage level.

[0018] In the warehouse connection level, picking stations can also be connected via the double conveyor using a slim and therefore space-saving route (directly to the aisles or shelves).

[0019] It is also conceivable that the longitudinal halves of the double conveyor are separated by a guide.

[0020] According to the invention, the lift conveyor is divided virtually or physically by guides corresponding to the double conveyor division. The use of two parallel, independent conveyors is also conceivable, although not according to the invention.

[0021] Inclined roller conveyors can be arranged between the lift conveyor and the double conveyor to align the load to the desired longitudinal half depending on the conveying direction.

[0022] Further details of the invention emerge from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawing, in which Fig. 1 a schematic view of a storage and retrieval level of a warehouse in the area where a storage lift is connected to the storage and retrieval conveyor system; Fig. 2 a schematic view of a storage level of the warehouse Figure 1 in the area of ​​the storage lift and Fig. 3 a schematic view of a picking level of the warehouse Figure 1 in the area of ​​connecting the storage lift to picking stations.

[0023] The figures show a rack storage system, designated as a whole by 1, with multi-level storage racks 2 defining an aisle 3 between them, in which shuttles travel along the racks in the storage levels as operating devices for storing and retrieving loads L into the racks.

[0024] Within the base area of ​​the shelves 2 of an aisle 3, at least one vertical lift 7 is arranged in such a way that the shuttles 4 can travel past the vertical lift 7 on rails 5 along the front sides of the shelves facing the aisle 3 and can each deliver load via a buffer conveyor 6A arranged next to the vertical lift 7 or pick up load via a buffer conveyor 6B arranged on the other side, as shown in Figure 2 shown in Figures A and B.

[0025] In other words, at the storage level ( Figure 2 ) the vertical lift 7 is arranged between two buffer conveyors 6A, B within the rack 2.

[0026] The respective buffer conveyor 6A, B conveys load L to lift 7 or receives load L from lift 7. This decouples the movement of lift 7 from that of shuttle 4.

[0027] According to the invention, the system is designed in such a way that in the bearing connection level (cf. Figure 1 ) only on one side I of the lift 7 loads L can be loaded and picked up.

[0028] For this purpose, the storage conveyor 8A and the retrieval conveyor 8B of the storage connection level are both designed on one side next to the lift 7 as a single double conveyor 9 separated by a guide 11.

[0029] For the independent conveyance of the load L, the double conveyor 9 has a longitudinal division such that the storage conveyor 8A forming one longitudinal half conveys towards the lift 7 and the retrieval conveyor 8B forming the other longitudinal half conveys away from the lift 7 in the same plane.

[0030] Thus, on the double conveyor 9 loads L are transported with the narrow side S in the conveying direction F.

[0031] It is thus possible to perform both storage and retrieval within the footprint of just one rack 2. Previously, it was common practice to use one rack per aisle as the storage connection and the other rack as the retrieval connection.

[0032] The lift 7 has a reversible lift conveyor 10, so that the load L can also be transported in the connection level of the Figure 1 can be picked up and released from one side, as shown in the figure in illustrations A, B and C.

[0033] The lift conveyor 10 is in this case only virtually divided according to the double conveyor division, similar to the buffer conveyors 6A, 6B in the storage level.

[0034] A shuttle 4 may therefore only deliver the load L once deep onto the buffer conveyor 6A and pick it up twice as deep from the buffer conveyor 6B.

[0035] In the Figure 3 In the variant A shown, in a warehouse connection level (picking level), a picking station 12 is connected by means of a double conveyor 9 directly to an aisle 3 or to the one shelf 2 with the lift 7.

[0036] In the Figure 3 In the variant B shown, however, two picking stations 12* are connected in a warehouse connection level (picking level) by means of a double conveyor 9 directly to an aisle 3 or to one of the shelves 2 with the lift 7.

[0037] In both cases, the picking stations 12 are supplied with and removed from loads L by the lift 7 via the double conveyor 9.

[0038] In variant A, the picking station 12 is equipped with an order conveyor 13 on which order containers are fed in and also removed after processing.

[0039] In variant B, the order removal conveyor 13* serves only for removal after order containers have been processed. The picking stations 12* share a common order container feeder 14 located centrally between them. List of reference symbols

[0040] 1Shelf storage system 2Shelf 3Aisle 4Shuttle 5Rail 6A, 6BPuffer conveyor 7Lift 8AStorage conveyor 8BRemoval conveyor 9Double conveyor 10Lift conveyor 11Guide 12Picking station 13Order removal conveyor 14Order container feed conveyor

Claims

1. Rack storage system (1) comprising multi-level storage racks (2) which define therebetween an aisle (3), in which shuttles (4) travel in the storage levels along the storage racks (2) as serving units for placing / removing loads (L) into / out of the storage racks (2), wherein at least one vertical lift (7) is arranged within the floor space of the storage racks (2) of an aisle (3) in such a manner that the shuttles (4) can travel on rails (5) along the rack front sides facing the aisle (3) past the vertical lift (7) and can place down or pick up a load (L) via a buffer conveyor (6A, B) arranged next to the vertical lift (7), wherein the buffer conveyor (6A, B) conveys a load (L) onwards to the vertical lift (7) or receives same from the vertical lift (7), wherein the system is configured in such a manner that, in a storage connection level contained in the rack storage system, loads (L) are deposited and also picked up merely on one side of the vertical lift (7), wherein the vertical lift (7) has a reversible lift conveyor (10), characterised in that the storage conveyor (8A) and the removal conveyor (8B) of the storage connection level are both arranged on one side next to the vertical lift (7) as a single dual conveyor (9) in the contact area of only one storage rack (2) and in that the dual conveyor (9) has a longitudinal division such that a longitudinal half conveys towards the vertical lift (7) and the other longitudinal half conveys away from the vertical lift (7) in the same level and that the lift conveyor is divided virtually or physically by guides corresponding to the dual conveyor division (9) and this division with the longitudinal halves is aligned in each case in the storage connection level in the direction of the longitudinal orientation of the storage rack (2) and so the halves of the dual conveyor (9) are aligned with the halves of the vertical lift (7) when they are located at the same height.

2. Rack storage system as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the dual conveyor (9) conveys loads (L) with the narrow side (S) in the conveying direction (F).

3. Rack storage system as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the dual conveyor (9) has a guide (11) between the longitudinal halves.

4. Rack storage system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that, in the storage connection level, picking stations (12) are connected directly to the aisles (3) or storage racks (2) by means of the dual conveyor (9).

5. Method for operating a rack storage system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that loads (L) are placed into or removed from the storage rack (2) merely on one side of the vertical lift (7) in a storage connection level.

6. Method as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that conveyors arranged in individual storage levels on both sides of the vertical lift (7) permit simultaneous loading and unloading of loads (L), in particular corresponding to the division.

7. Method as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that conveyors arranged in individual storage levels on one side of the vertical lift (7) permit simultaneous loading and unloading of loads (L), in particular corresponding to the division.