STORAGE AND RETRIEVING SYSTEM AS WELL AS USE OF A WORKPLACE FOR A STORAGE AND RETRIEVING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A STORAGE AND RETRIEVING SYSTEM

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a storage and retrieval system for containers, comprising: A grid structure with a plurality of grid cells, wherein each grid cell defines a support column of a container support structure arranged below the grid structure, wherein the support columns are configured to each accommodate a vertical stack of containers, and wherein the grid structure defines longitudinal transport paths in a longitudinal direction and transverse transport paths in a transverse direction, at least one container transport vehicle designed to travel along the longitudinal transport paths and / or transverse transport paths, and a work area for creating access to at least one container, wherein the work area has a vertical shaft with an access opening leading out of or to the shaft, wherein a container can be moved along the shaft from a transport vehicle towards the access opening or in the opposite direction towards the transport vehicle by means of a gripper associated with the transport vehicle or the grid structure.

[0002] Furthermore, the present invention relates to the use of a workstation for a storage and retrieval system.

[0003] Finally, the present invention relates to a method for operating a storage and withdrawal system.

[0004] Storage and retrieval systems of the type mentioned above are known from practice and exist in various embodiments. WO 2020 / 094604 A1, for example, shows such a storage and retrieval system 1 for containers 106. The storage and retrieval system 1 is designed as a block storage system. Access to the containers 106 is provided by means of a workstation 10, for example, a picking workstation. The workstation 10 can be arranged at different positions on a storage and retrieval system 1, for example, on each side of the block storage system. Transport vehicles 200 on the block storage system can deliver containers 106 directly onto a conveyor 41, which can supply a container 106 to an operator through an access opening to and from a vertical shaft of the workstation.The workstation 10 also features a swiveling cover plate 36 for covering a container 106 and individual covers 31 to provide individual access to individual areas of the container 106.

[0005] Furthermore, a storage and retrieval system 1 for containers 106, including a workstation for providing access to a container 106, is also known from WO 2021 / 165030 A1. The storage and retrieval system 2 also includes horizontal conveyors for containers 106 to transport the containers 106 to a predetermined distance from the storage and retrieval system 1 for safety reasons, allowing operating personnel to work at a greater distance from the storage and retrieval system 1.

[0006] WO 2014 / 195901 A1 discloses the features of the preamble of claim 1.

[0007] A problem with known storage and retrieval systems is that the access opening in the shaft inherently poses a risk of operators accidentally reaching into the shaft through this opening. This can lead to injury to the operator's hand or arm if, for example, containers fall down the shaft due to defective transport vehicles and onto the operator's arm or hand, or are unintentionally placed on the operator's arm or hand. A similar risk exists if any objects, such as stored goods, accidentally fall down the shaft. Therefore, sufficient safety for the operation of known storage and retrieval systems is not guaranteed.

[0008] The present invention is therefore based on the objective of specifying a storage and retrieval system, a use of a workplace for a storage and retrieval system, and a method for operating a storage and retrieval system, whereby safe operation is enabled with structurally simple means.

[0009] According to the invention, the foregoing problem is solved by a storage and retrieval system with the features of claim 1, by the use of a workstation with the features of claim 6, and by a method with the features of claim 7.

[0010] The storage and retrieval system according to claim 1 is characterized in that a light barrier or a light grid is arranged in the area of ​​the access opening and that the locking device can be activated by means of the light barrier or the light grid.

[0011] Claim 6 claims the use of the workstation for this storage and retrieval system. Finally, the method for operating a storage and retrieval system according to claim 7 is characterized in that the locking device is used to at least partially close the shaft and is activated by means of the light barrier or the light grid (14).

[0012] In accordance with the invention, it has first been recognized that the aforementioned problem is solved in a surprisingly simple manner through a clever design of the shaft. In a further aspect of the invention, a locking device is specifically assigned to the shaft to prevent unintentional movement of a container or other objects within the shaft. This prevents unintentional movement that could lead to contact and thus potential injury, for example, to the hand or arm of an operator, should the operator insert their hand or arm into the shaft through an access opening. In particular, protection against accidentally falling or lowered containers can be achieved. The locking device can stop such unintentional movement of a container, for example, above the access opening.This results in a particularly high level of safety in the storage and retrieval system according to the invention, since the risk of injury to operating personnel due to containers or other objects moving unintentionally in the shaft can be largely avoided.

[0013] Consequently, the storage and retrieval system, the use of the workplace according to the invention, and the method according to the invention provide a storage and retrieval system, a use of a workplace, and a method whereby safe operation is enabled with structurally simple means.

[0014] The described workplace can be implemented as a workstation of the storage and retrieval system for operating personnel, whereby several workplaces or workstations can be implemented on or in a grid structure of the storage and retrieval system.

[0015] Furthermore, in this document the term "container" includes any container or receiving device suitable for storing and / or transporting suitable conveyed goods.

[0016] With a view to a particularly simple yet very safe design, the locking device can have folding or insertable locking elements that can be folded into the shaft. Such folding or insertable locking elements can reliably stop, for example, a falling container before it strikes the hand or arm of an operator who has inadvertently inserted their hand or arm into the shaft through the access opening.

[0017] Furthermore, with a view to particularly simple construction and high safety, the locking elements can have or be formed by one or more fingers or plates. Such fingers or plates can be easily folded or inserted into the shaft when necessary to protect an operator. The locking elements can pivot, for example, by 90°, being arranged parallel to the direction of the shaft's extension in the resting state and perpendicular to this direction in the operating state.

[0018] A further increase in the level of safety can be achieved by arranging several locking elements at different heights or in different positions within the shaft. This allows, for example, a falling container to be stopped at different heights.

[0019] In a structurally safe and simple manner, the locking device can have a mechanical or electrical drive, for example, an electric motor. A mechanical locking device can, for instance, be operated by an operator before leaving the workstation to lock and thus secure the shaft when the workstation is not in use. Alternatively, the locking device can have an electric drive that can be activated via a control unit to lock or secure the shaft – for example, when the workstation is not in use.

[0020] For even greater safety, the locking device can be activated by means of a light barrier or a light curtain. According to the invention, such a light barrier or light curtain is arranged in a suitable manner in the area of ​​the access opening to trigger when, for example, an operator reaches into the access opening with their hand or is about to do so. In this case, the locking and thus securing of the shaft can be achieved by triggering the light barrier or light curtain.

[0021] There are now various ways to advantageously develop and further refine the teaching of the present invention. For this purpose, reference should be made, on the one hand, to the dependent claims and, on the other hand, to the following explanation of preferred embodiments of the storage and retrieval system and the workstation according to the invention with reference to the drawing. In conjunction with the explanation of the preferred embodiments with reference to the drawing, generally preferred embodiments and further developments of the teaching are also explained. The drawing shows Figures 1 and 2 show perspective views of a workstation in a known storage and retrieval system. Fig. 1 with a covering of the grid structure and in Fig. 2without cladding, and Fig. 3 in a perspective view a workstation of a further embodiment of the storage and removal system according to the invention with a locking device for a shaft.

[0022] The Fig. 1 and 2 The perspective drawings show workstation 1 of a known storage and retrieval system, where workstation 1 is shown in the representation in Fig. 1Partially, a cladding 2 for a grid structure 3 of a block storage system with uprights is provided. Goods are transported in containers 4. The grid structure 3 has a multitude of grid cells with storage columns 5. Such a workstation has a shaft 6, in which containers 4 can be moved by means of a gripper (not shown). The containers 4 can be placed onto or picked up from a conveyor 7. After being picked up, the containers 4 can be transported back into storage columns 5, for which transport vehicles (not shown) that are typically mobile on the grid structure 3 are used.

[0023] The conveyor 7 serves for the horizontal movement of containers 4, which can be conveyed from the shaft 6 through an access opening 8. A container or gripper guide 9 is arranged laterally on the shaft 6 to guide the containers 4 and a gripper movable within the shaft 6, which may be attached to a transport vehicle, for example. Such a workstation allows access to the containers 4 and enables order picking. For maintenance purposes, the enclosure 2 has a lifting door 10.

[0024] Especially in Fig. 2 It is evident that the container 4 used here is dimensioned such that it only fills about half of the access opening 8 when moving through it. With taller containers 4, the access opening 8 can be almost completely filled. In the Fig. 2However, in the situation shown, there is a risk that operating personnel may accidentally reach through the gap 11 formed between the top edge of the container 4 and the upper edge of the access opening 8 with a hand, and thus there is a risk that a container 4 accidentally falling into the shaft 6 or a grabber moving there may injure the hand.

[0025] Fig. 3 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a workstation in an embodiment of the storage and retrieval system according to the invention, featuring a locking device 12 for a shaft 6. The locking device 12 has hinged fingers 21 as locking elements, which can be folded or pivoted into the shaft 6. The fingers 21 can be pivoted by 90°, as indicated by the curved double arrows in Figure 1. Fig. 3The folding fingers 21 form a mechanical stop for containers 4, which are, for example, dispensed from a transport vehicle or accidentally dropped.

[0026] The locking device 12 prevents injuries caused by containers 4 moving downwards or falling in shaft 6. Workstation 1 can be secured by such a locking device 12. Shaft 6 can be "locked" whenever it is not required to be open for a necessary container change. This prevents a container 4 from accidentally falling onto an operator's hand or being placed down in shaft 6 if the operator mishandles the mechanism. The locking device 12 can have its own drive and open when a container change is required or when a control system has signaled such a change.

[0027] In the area of ​​the conveyor 7 and / or the access opening 8, light curtains 14 can be implemented as an alternative or additional measure to detect incorrect operation or intervention by operating personnel. Upon such detection, the workstation 1 can be deactivated and / or any open locking device 12 can be closed or activated.

[0028] Regarding further advantageous embodiments of the storage and removal system according to the invention, the use of the workplace according to the invention, and the method according to the invention, reference is made to the general part of the description and to the attached claims to avoid repetition.

[0029] Finally, it should be expressly pointed out that the exemplary embodiments described above serve only to illustrate the claimed teaching, but do not limit it to these exemplary embodiments. Reference symbol list

[0030] 1 Workstation 2 Cladding 3 Grid structure 4 Container 5 Storage column 6 Shaft 7 Conveyor 8 Access opening 9 Container or gripper guide 10 Lifting door 11 Space 12 Locking device 13 Finger 14 Light curtain

Claims

1. A storage and removal system for containers (4), comprising: a latticework structure (3) comprising a multiplicity of latticework cells, wherein each latticework cell defines a storage column (5) of a container-storage structure arranged beneath the latticework structure (3), wherein the storage columns (5) are configured such that they each accommodate a vertical stack of containers (4), and wherein the latticework structure (3) defines longitudinal transport paths in a longitudinal direction and transverse transport paths in a transverse direction, at least one transport vehicle for containers (4), which vehicle is designed to travel along the longitudinal transport paths and / or transverse transport paths, and a workstation (1) for providing access to at least one container (4), wherein the workstation (1) comprises a vertical shaft (6) having an access opening (8) leading from or to the shaft (6), wherein a container (4) can be moved along the shaft (6), by means of a gripper assigned to the transport vehicle or to the latticework structure (3), from a transport vehicle toward the access opening (8) or in the opposite direction toward the transport vehicle, and wherein the shaft (6) is assigned a locking device (12) for preventing unwanted movement of a container (4) or other objects in the shaft (6), characterized in that a light barrier or a light curtain (14) is arranged in the region of the access opening (8) and in that the locking device (12) can be activated by means of the light barrier or the light curtain (14).

2. The storage and removal system according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking device (12) comprises locking elements which can be unfolded or introduced into the shaft (6).

3. The storage and removal system according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking elements comprise one or more fingers (13) or plates or are formed by one or more fingers (13) or plates.

4. The storage and removal system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a plurality of locking elements are arranged at different heights or in different positions in the shaft (6).

5. The storage and removal system according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the locking device (12) comprises a mechanical or electric drive, for example an electric motor.

6. The use of a workstation (1) for a storage and removal system according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the workstation (1) is designed to provide access to at least one container (4), wherein the workstation (1) comprises a vertical shaft (6) having an access opening (8) leading from or to the shaft (6), wherein a container (4) can be moved along the shaft (6), by means of a gripper assigned to the transport vehicle or to the latticework structure (3), from a transport vehicle toward the access opening (8) or in the opposite direction toward the transport vehicle, and wherein the shaft (6) is assigned a locking device (12) for preventing unwanted movement of a container (4) or other objects in the shaft (6), wherein a light barrier or a light curtain (14) is arranged in the region of the access opening (8) and the locking device (12) can be activated by means of the light barrier or the light curtain (14).

7. A method for operating a storage and removal system according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the locking device (12) is used to close the shaft (6) at least in part and is activated by means of the light barrier or the light curtain (14).