System for digitally representing a warehouse and / or material storage facility

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for digitally representing a warehouse and / or material storage facility (1), comprising a computing unit (10) in which a digital twin (12) of the warehouse and / or material storage facility (1) is generated, the digital twin containing information data regarding the warehouse and / or material storage facility (1), including position data relating to infrastructure elements (4) as well as goods (2, 17) and / or material in the warehouse and / or material storage facility (1). According to the invention, the computing unit (10) has a computing program having an algorithm which is configured to detect changes in the information data regarding the warehouse and / or material storage facility (1) and to provide, continuously or at regular intervals, a digital representation of a current state of the goods (2, 17) and / or material in the warehouse and / or material storage facility (1) and to output a current inventory result.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] System for the digital representation of a goods and / or material warehouse

[0003] The invention relates to a system for the digital representation of a goods and / or material warehouse with a computing unit in which a digital twin of the goods and / or material warehouse is created, which contains information data about the goods and / or material warehouse, which includes position data of infrastructure elements as well as goods and / or material in the goods and / or material warehouse.

[0004] For tracking goods within a warehouse and / or material warehouse, it is common practice to use a marker on the respective goods, such as an RFID tag that can be tracked using readers, or a UWB beacon, or a label, such as a barcode, that can be read using a reader (scanner). Using RFID tags for goods tracking requires the costly purchase of appropriate readers. Scanning a label on the goods with a reader, such as a barcode scanner, is usually a manual process and must be performed by staff.

[0005] Recently, there has been increasing interest in intralogistics systems for digitizing warehouses and / or material storage areas. This involves creating a digital twin using a digital representation of the warehouse and / or material storage area in a computing unit. This digital twin contains all information about the warehouse and / or material storage area in digital form. The digital representation includes, for example, streets, intersections, signs, goods, materials, and furnishings such as shelves.

[0006] Furthermore, in intralogistics it is desirable to know the stock of goods and / or materials in a goods and / or materials warehouse for the purpose of an inventory. Since the goods and / or materials in a goods and / or materials warehouse are usually stored and retrieved with a high turnover frequency, an inventory often does not reflect the actual stock of goods and / or materials at a specific point in time. The object of the present invention is to provide a system that facilitates the determination of the actual stock of goods and / or materials in the goods and / or materials warehouse. In particular, the object of the present invention is to provide a system that enables the recording of goods movements without additional equipment using only a digital twin and the cartography of the goods and / or materials warehouse.

[0007] This object is achieved according to the invention in a system of the type mentioned at the outset in that the computing unit has a computing program with an algorithm which is designed to detect changes in the information data about the goods and / or material warehouse and to digitally map a current status of the goods and / or material in the goods and / or material warehouse continuously or at regular intervals and to output a current inventory result and / or to carry out goods tracking.

[0008] By detecting changes in the information data of the digital twin of the goods and / or material warehouse, live tracking of goods is possible, allowing goods to be identified and their position changes recorded within the logistical flow of goods without additional equipment or infrastructure extensions.

[0009] This system enables the implementation of a continuous inventory, in particular a live inventory, i.e. a real-time inventory, using the digital twin of the goods and / or material warehouse, so that an operator of a goods and / or material warehouse can be informed at any time about the current status of the goods and material.

[0010] This system also enables live tracking of goods within a goods and / or material warehouse using the digital twin of the goods and / or material warehouse without the need for additional equipment or infrastructure expansions.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in particular a sensor system is provided which is designed to record the information data about the goods and / or material warehouse continuously or at regular intervals and to transmit it to the computing unit.

[0012] The sensor technology includes, in particular, sensors arranged on at least one industrial truck and / or at least one infrastructure element in the goods and / or materials warehouse. In particular, it is possible to distribute the sensors across multiple industrial trucks, creating a complete image of the goods and / or materials warehouse that is available in near real time.

[0013] The sensors include, in particular, cameras and / or 3D scanners and / or barcode scanners. A combination of sensors of different designs is particularly advantageous, as combining the sensor data from the various sensors in the processing unit enables a particularly high level of precision and reliability in the digital representation of the goods and / or material warehouse.

[0014] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the information data about the goods and / or material warehouse is stored in a digital 3D map of the goods and / or material warehouse in the computing unit. For this purpose, the entire 3D space of the goods and / or material warehouse can be recorded using the sensors, and the sensor data from the sensors can be evaluated in the computing unit. A virtual grid of the 3D space with cells is generated. The cells in which objects are detected are marked as occupied cells, and the cells in which no objects are detected are marked as free cells, thereby generating a representation of the goods and / or material warehouse in the digital 3D map.

[0015] In particular, the computing unit's computer program is designed to detect changes in the 3D map continuously or at regular time intervals.

[0016] The computer program of the computing unit comprises, in particular, an image processing program configured to detect added and / or removed goods and / or material. A preferred development provides, in particular, that the computer program of the computing unit comprises a computer program with artificial intelligence configured to detect added and / or removed goods and / or material.

[0017] In addition to or as an alternative to the embodiment in which a sensor system is provided in the goods and / or material warehouse, which records information data about the goods and / or material warehouse continuously or at regular intervals and transmits it directly to the computing unit, information about the goods currently being transported by an industrial truck can also be used to generate and update the digital twin in the computing unit.

[0018] For this purpose, according to a further embodiment of the invention, at least one industrial truck is provided which has a vehicle sensor system designed to detect goods and / or material located on the industrial truck. The vehicle sensor system is operatively connected to a vehicle computing unit of the industrial truck. The vehicle computing unit is designed to evaluate the sensor data from the vehicle sensor system and to identify the goods and / or material and to determine identification data. The vehicle computing unit is in particular operatively connected to a data transmission device which is designed to transmit the identification data of the detected goods and / or material to the computing unit. In this case, the computing program of the computing unit is designed to process the identification data as information data about the goods and / or material warehouse.

[0019] In particular, the vehicle's processing unit is equipped with an image processing program designed to recognize the goods and / or materials on the industrial truck. An example of classic image processing could be barcode recognition.

[0020] A preferred further development provides, in particular, for the vehicle processing unit to have a computer program with artificial intelligence (AI) configured to recognize the goods and / or materials located on the industrial truck. One example of an AI application is, in particular, the recognition of the goods themselves using an artificial neural network that has been trained on the goods in the goods and / or materials warehouse using data.

[0021] In particular, a combination of classical image processing and artificial intelligence is conceivable.

[0022] The identification data for the goods and / or materials on the industrial truck can be product-specific and, for example, relate to a product group, a serial number, a material number, or similar. This identification data is transmitted directly from the vehicle's processing unit to the processing unit, where it is processed as information data and entered into the digital twin. This means that it is added to the existing information data when goods are put into storage and removed from the existing information data when goods are removed from storage. Since the position of the industrial truck and the goods on the truck are also known, the position can also be saved for stored goods.

[0023] The vehicle sensor system for detecting the goods and / or material located on the industrial truck comprises in particular at least one vehicle sensor which is designed as a camera and / or 3D scanner and / or barcode scanner.

[0024] According to a further development of the invention, the computer program of the computing unit is configured to minimize goods storage times by processing supply chain data. For this purpose, the supply chains are also incorporated into the computing unit.

[0025] As a further option, the computing unit's computer program can be configured to optimize routes by processing vehicle position data. Since not only the positions of the goods and / or materials are known, but also those of the vehicles and semi-dynamic objects such as load carriers, crates, etc., the routes of manually or autonomously operated vehicles in the goods and / or materials warehouse can be optimized. Bottlenecks in the goods and / or materials warehouse can thus be identified and the route optimized. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the computing unit's computer program is configured to organize the replenishment of goods by accessing a goods ordering program, for example via a graphical user interface that is simultaneously connected to an order server or otherwise connected to a plug-in, interface, or similar. For this purpose, the individual product groups, in particular, can be assigned a limit value.If the limit is exceeded, new stock is reordered or the user is notified. This can be configured, for example, via the order server.

[0026] By tracking incoming and outgoing goods over a long period of time, it is also possible to determine exactly when and how much goods need to be reordered, for example because these goods are used more in winter than in summer.

[0027] The invention offers a number of advantages:

[0028] The proposed system enables continuous inventory, particularly live inventory in real time. This enables the operator of the goods and / or materials warehouse to continuously map the current status of goods and materials.

[0029] Additionally, the goods or materials can be tagged with their current positions in the goods and / or materials warehouse. This allows the operator to query the current position of the goods or materials in the warehouse at any time. This enables continuous tracking, i.e., live tracking, of the goods.

[0030] Through live tracking of goods or materials, the flow of goods can be calculated in real time and thus optimized.

[0031] Further advantages and details of the invention are explained in more detail by way of example with reference to the embodiment shown in the schematic figure.

[0032] The figure shows a goods and / or materials warehouse 1 with a product 2 standing on a load carrier 3, for example, a pallet, in a shelf 11, which represents an infrastructure element 4 of the goods and / or materials warehouse 1. The goods and / or materials warehouse 1 also contains at least one industrial truck 5 with a sensor system 6 for environmental monitoring and / or a vehicle sensor system 7 for load monitoring. Furthermore, the industrial truck 5 has a vehicle processing unit 8 and a data transmission device 9 for transmitting data to a processing unit 10.

[0033] In the computing unit 10, a digital twin 12 of the goods and / or materials warehouse 1 is created for the digital representation of the goods and / or materials warehouse 1. This digital twin contains information data about the goods and / or materials warehouse 1, which includes position data of the infrastructure element 4 and the goods 2 in the goods and / or materials warehouse 1. The information data is stored, for example, in a 3D map 13 of the goods and / or materials warehouse 1, which maps the digital twin 12.

[0034] Changes in the digital twin 12 can be used to determine changes in the current status of goods 2 in the goods and / or material warehouse 1. In this way, the inventory in the goods and / or material warehouse can be continuously tracked, enabling live inventory and tracking of goods 2 within the goods and / or material warehouse 1.

[0035] For this purpose, the computing unit 10 has an algorithm which is designed to detect changes in the information data about the goods and / or material warehouse 1 and to digitally map a current status of the goods 2 in the goods and / or material warehouse 1 continuously or at regular intervals and to output a current inventory result and / or to carry out goods tracking.

[0036] Two variants of the system for the digital representation of the goods and / or material warehouse 1 are described below:

[0037] Variant 1 :

[0038] Here, we work on digital twin 12, which is regularly updated. The procedure is as follows:

[0039] In the computing unit 10, the information for the 3D map 13 is compiled and processed based on the sensor data from the sensor system 6, which, as sensor 15, includes, for example, a camera 16 and / or a 3D scanner and / or a barcode scanner. The sensor data is transmitted from the industrial truck 5 to the computing unit 10. The information is then stored in the digital 3D map 13. Inventory processing and goods tracking take place on this digital 3D map 13. If something changes in the 3D map 13, it can be assumed that an item of goods 2 has been moved, since the infrastructure element 4 does not change during operation. Therefore, the computing unit 10 is retriggered, and the algorithm is started, which detects changes in the area. A comparison with the 3D map at a previous point in time leads to the identification of which item of goods 2 has been added or removed. This is done, for example, using artificial intelligence and / or conventional image processing.This searches specifically for item 2, as well as, for example, a barcode 14 on item 2. Furthermore, a comparison is made of which item 2 was previously there and how many. This comparison can determine which item 2 was transported away and which new item 2 was added, if any. This completely automates goods management.

[0040] Variant 2:

[0041] The computing unit 10 stores the information about the goods 2 and their position in the 3D map 13. The vehicle computing unit 8, which is located on the industrial truck 5 and is connected to the computing unit 10 via the data transmission device 9, preferably via a radio link, processes the information about the goods 17 that are currently being transported by the industrial truck 5.

[0042] The goods 17 located on the industrial truck 5 are detected by means of the vehicle sensor system 7, which has, for example, a camera 20 as sensor 19. The vehicle sensor system 7 is connected to the vehicle computing unit 8 of the industrial truck 5. The vehicle computing unit 8 is configured to evaluate the sensor data from the vehicle sensor system 7 and to identify the goods 17 and determine identification data for the goods 17. The goods 17 are identified, for example, using AI algorithms and / or conventional image processing. An example of an AI application here is the recognition of the goods 17 themselves using a neural network that has been trained on the goods 17 using data. An example of conventional image processing could be the recognition of a barcode 18 on the goods 17, for example. A combination of both methods is also conceivable.

[0043] The identification data of the detected goods 17 are transmitted to the processing unit 10. In the processing unit 10, the identification data are processed as information data about the goods and / or material warehouse 1.

[0044] The identification data of the detected goods 17 are product-specific and relate, for example, to a product group, a serial number, a material number, or similar, as well as the quantity. An inventory is possible based on the identification data. The identification data of the detected goods 17 are sent directly from the vehicle processing unit 8 to the processing unit 10 and entered there, i.e., added when the goods 17 are stored and removed when the goods 17 are retrieved. Since the position of the industrial truck 5 and the goods 17 located on the industrial truck 5 are also known, this data can also be saved for stored goods.

[0045] In both variants, the operator of goods and / or material warehouse 1 has a live overview of the goods / material flow in goods and / or material warehouse 1.

[0046] In addition, both variants described above can be combined with each other.

[0047] Goods tracking

[0048] Goods tracking is based on the previously described 3D map 13 of the goods and / or material warehouse 1, with the inventory being identified using the 3D map 13. Additionally, the inventory of the 3D map 13 can optionally be synchronized with a goods management system.

[0049] For this purpose, an ID is preferably assigned to each item 2, 17. This ID can be created using the following methods: For example, an ID can be assigned to an item 2, 17 using image features, for example, using a feature extractor based on K1. The features are unique each time, so that the item 2, 17 can be recognized again.

[0050] Alternatively, reading a label, for example the barcode 14, 18, on the goods 2, 17 can be used to identify the goods 2, 17.

[0051] Alternatively, by integrating a goods management system, the master data can be compared in order to additionally identify the goods 2, 17, i.e. to determine which goods are involved.

[0052] For goods tracking, the storage of the 3D card 13 is extended to include the temporal storage of the status, i.e., a time interval of x minutes is selected in which a status of the 3D card 13 is stored under the timestamp. This allows the goods 2, 17 to be tracked using the ID in the 3D cards 13 with different timestamps.

[0053] The time interval in which a state of the 3D map 13 is saved can preferably be specified by the operator of the goods and / or materials warehouse 1 in order to be able to display the goods flows specifically over the necessary time. For a high-frequency goods and / or materials warehouse 1, the time interval can be one hour, for example. For a low-frequency goods and / or materials warehouse 1, the time interval can be days, weeks, or months, for example. The time intervals are recorded based on the time interval specified by the operator. For example, if the goods and / or materials warehouse 1 is low-frequency, it is not necessary to save an image of the 3D map 13 every minute. Rather, saving the 3D map 13 once a day is sufficient.

[0054] However, a minimum time interval of 10 minutes should not be exceeded.

[0055] Preferably, the time interval can be selected depending on an expected flow of goods and / or in particular can be adjusted if the expected flow of goods changes. In particular, the time interval can preferably be a maximum of one year or six months or three months or one month or two weeks or one week or three days or one day or twelve hours or 10 hours or six hours or three hours or one hour or 30 minutes or 15 minutes or ten minutes. In particular, the interval can preferably be a minimum of six months or three months or one month or two weeks or one week or three days or one day or twelve hours or 10 hours or six hours or three hours or one hour or 30 minutes or 15 minutes or ten minutes. Alternatively, the time interval can correspond to approximately five minutes or one minute.

[0056] The aforementioned temporal storage of the 3D map 13 can be supplemented and / or replaced by a state-based storage of the 3D map 13. Since the features of the individual goods 2, 17 are known and have semantic instance segmentation, the 3D map 13 can be saved when a change occurs. For example, if a load carrier 3 with a good 2, 17 remains in one location for an extended period, this state is recorded only once. When the load carrier 3 is relocated, the new state is recorded along with a timestamp. This allows the tracking rate to dynamically adapt to the situation in the goods and / or material warehouse 1.

[0057] With this type of goods tracking, it is possible to display the flow of goods of individual goods 2, 17 in the goods and / or materials warehouse 1. Furthermore, the flow of goods of specific goods 2, 17 can be displayed if the goods are identified through integration of the goods management system or by means of labels on the goods. Furthermore, the flow of goods can be overlapped over time to visually represent high-frequency and potentially congested routes. Furthermore, empty load carriers can be detected, allowing reordering of goods for these areas. Furthermore, defective load carriers and / or defective goods can be identified.

[0058] With such goods tracking based on the digital twin 12 or the 3D maps 13 of the goods and / or material warehouse 1, no changes to the infrastructure for goods tracking are necessary. With such goods tracking, the inventory delta between the goods management system and the actual inventory can be minimized by detecting missing stocks, unusable stocks, for example, due to damage, and excess stocks.

[0059] In addition, a close-meshed mapping of the flow of goods in the goods and / or material warehouse 1 can be achieved and thus a generation of an “actual value” of the inventory, which can be managed within the framework of control and regulation processes in order to increase the process performance or process robustness.

Claims

Claims: System for the digital representation of a goods and / or material warehouse (1 ) with a computing unit (10) in which a digital twin (12) of the goods and / or material warehouse (1 ) is created, which contains information data about the goods and / or material warehouse (1 ), which includes position data of infrastructure elements (4) as well as goods (2, 17) and / or material in the goods and / or material warehouse (1 ), characterized in that the computing unit (10) has a computing program with an algorithm which is configured to detect changes in the information data about the goods and / or material warehouse (1 ) and to continuously or at regular intervals digitally represent a current status of the goods (2, 17) and / or material in the goods and / or material warehouse (1 ) and to output a current inventory result and / or to carry out goods tracking.System according to claim 1, characterized in that a sensor system (6) is provided which is configured to continuously or at regular intervals acquire information data about the goods and / or material warehouse (1) and transmit it to the processing unit (10). System according to any one of claims 2, characterized in that the sensor system (6) comprises sensors (15) which are arranged on at least one industrial truck (5) and / or at least one infrastructure element (4) in the goods and / or material warehouse (1). System according to claim 3, characterized in that the sensors (15) comprise cameras (16) and / or 3D scanners and / or barcode scanners. System according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the information data about the goods and / or material warehouse (1) is stored in a digital 3D map (13) of the goods and / or material warehouse (1) in the processing unit (10).

6. System according to claim 5, characterized in that the computing program of the computing unit (10) is configured to continuously or at regular time intervals determine changes in the 3D map (13).

7. System according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the computing program of the computing unit (10) comprises an image processing program which is configured to detect added and / or removed goods (2, 17) and / or material.

8. System according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the computing program of the computing unit (10) comprises a computer program with artificial intelligence, which is configured to recognize added and / or removed goods (2, 17) and / or material.

9. System according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least one industrial truck (5) is provided which has vehicle sensors (7) configured to detect goods (17) and / or material located on the industrial truck (5), wherein the vehicle sensors (7) are operatively connected to a vehicle processing unit (8) of the industrial truck (5), which is configured to evaluate the sensor data of the vehicle sensors (7) and to identify the goods (17) and / or the material and to determine identification data, and the vehicle processing unit (8) is operatively connected to a data transmission device (9), which is configured to transmit the identification data of the detected goods (17) and / or the detected material to the processing unit (10), wherein the processing program of the processing unit (10) is configured toto process the identification data as information data about the goods and / or material warehouse (1).

10. System according to claim 9, characterized in that the vehicle computing unit (8) has an image processing program which is configured to recognize the goods (17) and / or the material located on the industrial truck (5).

11. System according to claim 9, characterized in that the vehicle computing unit (8) has a computer program with artificial intelligence which is configured to recognize the goods (17) and / or the material located on the industrial truck (5).

12. System according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the vehicle sensor system (7) comprises at least one vehicle sensor (19) which is designed as a camera (20) and / or 3D scanner and / or barcode scanner.

13. System according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the computing program of the computing unit (10) is configured to minimize goods storage times by processing supply chain data.

14. System according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the computing program of the computing unit (10) is configured to optimize driving routes by processing vehicle position data.

15. System according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the computing program of the computing unit (10) is configured to organize a replenishment of goods by accessing a goods ordering program.

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