Load carrier transfer station, and method for loading and unloading a transport rack

Abstract

The invention relates to a load carrier transfer station (1) for loading and / or unloading a transport rack (2), comprising a staging device (4) having a staging area (41) for the transport rack (2), a control system (5) and a first transfer system (11a) which comprises a transfer device, a buffer device (8), a conveyor system (9) and a preloading rack (6), wherein the staging device (4) is designed to position the transport rack (2) on a staging area so that shelf compartments (21a..21c) of the transport rack (2) are aligned flush with the preloading compartments (61a..61c), and the transfer device has transfer elements which can be moved synchronously by a first control device (51a) of the control system (5) in order to move the load carriers (3a..3c) simultaneously between the preloading compartments (61a..61c) and the shelf compartments (21a..21c). Furthermore, the invention relates to a storage and picking system having such a load carrier transfer station (1), as well as to a method for loading and a method for unloading a transport rack (2) by means of a load carrier transfer station (1).

Description

[0001] LOAD CARRIER TRANSFER ESTATIQN AND METHOD FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING A TRANSPORT RACK

[0002] The invention relates to a load carrier transfer station for loading a transport rack with load carriers and / or unloading a transport rack loaded with load carriers, wherein the transport rack has shelves arranged one above the other and / or next to one another for receiving the load carriers. The load carrier transfer station comprises a provision device with a provision space for the transport rack, a control system, and a first transfer system, which has a transfer device for loading and / or unloading the transport rack, a buffer device with buffer compartments for temporarily storing the load carriers, and a conveyor system for transporting the load carriers to and / or away from the buffer device.

[0003] Furthermore, the invention relates to a storage and picking system for storing and picking goods. The storage and picking system comprises a warehouse for providing goods, a picking station for picking the goods into load carriers according to picking orders, an automated goods conveyor system for transporting goods between the warehouse and the picking station, and a load carrier transfer station for loading a transport rack with load carriers.

[0004] Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for loading a transport frame with load carriers according to a loading order by means of a load carrier transfer station, wherein the transport frame has shelf compartments arranged one above the other and / or next to one another for receiving the load carriers and the loading order comprises first load carriers with which the transport frame is to be loaded.

[0005] Finally, the invention relates to a method for unloading a transport rack loaded with load carriers by means of a load carrier transfer station, wherein the transport rack has shelf compartments arranged one above the other and / or next to one another, in which the load carriers are received, and some of the shelf compartments form first shelf compartments, wherein those load carriers received in the first shelf compartments form first load carriers. Load carrier transfer stations for loading and / or unloading transport racks are known from the prior art. For example, US 5,895,195 A describes a load carrier transfer station in which load carriers are transported on a conveyor device and transferred into a transfer device with several compartments. The compartments are aligned with shelf compartments of the transport rack so that the load carriers can be transferred from these into the shelf compartments.The transport rack can also be unloaded in the reverse order. The disadvantage here is that the load carriers must be transported individually and separated after unloading, resulting in a particularly long cycle time when loading or unloading the transport rack.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide an improved load carrier transfer station and to specify an improved storage and order-picking system. Furthermore, the object of the invention is to provide an improved method for loading transport racks with load carriers and an improved method for unloading transport racks loaded with load carriers. In particular, the invention is intended to enable automated loading and / or unloading of transport racks with load carriers with a short cycle time.

[0007] The object is achieved by a load carrier transfer station of the type mentioned above, wherein the first transfer system comprises a pre-loading rack, in particular a stationary one, which has pre-loading compartments arranged one above the other and / or next to one another for receiving the load carriers and is arranged on a first side of the staging area. The staging device is designed to position the transport rack at the staging area such that the shelf compartments are aligned with the pre-loading compartments. Furthermore, the transfer device has transfer elements arranged one above the other and / or next to one another, which can be moved synchronously by a first control device of the control system in order to introduce the load carriers, preferably along a (first) transfer direction, simultaneously from the pre-loading compartments into the shelf compartments and / or simultaneously from the shelf compartments into the pre-loading compartments.The buffer device has a transfer device for transferring the load carriers between the buffer compartments and the pre-loading compartments. This load carrier transfer station enables load carriers to be transported individually to the buffer device via the conveyor system for loading a transport rack, and a loading group of load carriers can be formed in the pre-loading rack. The load carriers of the loading group can then be transferred to the transport rack essentially simultaneously. Discharge of the loading group can be achieved with a shorter cycle time than formation of the loading group.

[0008] A particular advantage achieved with the invention is that the formation of the loading group is decoupled from the transfer of the load carriers to the transport rack. Thus, for example, the formation of the loading group for a transport rack to be loaded can begin while a preceding transport rack is being loaded with load carriers provided in the pre-loading rack and transported away, and the transport rack to be loaded is being prepared at the staging point. This allows the transport rack to be loaded particularly efficiently, and increased throughput can be achieved, meaning that a larger number of transport racks can be loaded per unit of time.

[0009] Furthermore, this load carrier transfer station makes it possible for several load carriers to be transferred simultaneously from the transport rack to the pre-loading rack during unloading, essentially as an unloading group. The load carriers of the unloading group can be transferred from the pre-loading rack to the buffer device and from there transported away individually via the conveyor system. Transferring the unloading group can take place with a shorter cycle time than subsequent separation of the load carriers. One advantage achieved by the invention can now be seen in particular in the fact that the separation of the load carriers is decoupled from the unloading of the transport rack. This means that a transport rack to be unloaded can be prepared and unloaded at the staging point, while the load carriers of a previously unloaded transport rack are transported away from the buffer device by the conveyor system.This allows the transport rack to be unloaded particularly efficiently and an increased throughput can be achieved, i.e. an increased number of transport racks can be unloaded per unit of time.

[0010] It is advantageous if the load carrier transfer station is designed as a loading station for loading a transport rack with load carriers and / or as an unloading station for unloading a transport rack loaded with load carriers. It is advantageous if the load carrier transfer station (additionally) comprises a second transfer system. The second transfer system can be constructed analogously to the first transfer system described above.In particular, the second transfer system also comprises a transfer device for loading and / or unloading the transport rack, a buffer device with buffer compartments for temporarily storing the load carriers, a conveyor system for transporting the load carriers to and / or away from the buffer device (of the second transfer system), and a pre-loading rack, in particular a stationary one, which has pre-loading compartments arranged one above the other and / or next to one another for receiving the load carriers and is arranged on a second side of the staging area that is different from the first side, in particular opposite the first side. The staging device is designed to position the transport rack at the staging area such that the shelf compartments are additionally aligned with the pre-loading compartments of the pre-loading rack of the second transfer system.Furthermore, the transfer device (of the second transfer system) comprises transfer elements arranged one above the other and / or next to one another, which can be moved synchronously by a second control device of the control system in order to synchronously transfer the load carriers, preferably along a further transfer direction, from the pre-loading compartments into the shelf compartments and / or from the shelf compartments into the pre-loading compartments. The buffer device (of the second transfer system) comprises a transfer device for transferring the load carriers between the buffer compartments and the pre-loading compartments.

[0011] The first transfer system and the second transfer system can be essentially identical in construction and, preferably symmetrically around the staging area, designed to receive load carriers on different sides of the staging area. This allows loading and / or unloading of the transport rack to be carried out in parallel on two sides of the transport rack, allowing the load carrier transfer station to be operated even more efficiently. It is advantageous if the pre-loading compartments of the first and second transfer systems are aligned with each other.

[0012] The transport rack typically has shelf compartments arranged in stacked horizontal rack rows and / or adjacent vertical rack columns. The shelf compartments are preferably accessible from a first access side and / or a second access side, so that they can, for example, be loaded from the first access side and unloaded from the second access side, or vice versa. Provision can be made for the transport rack to be positioned at the staging location such that the first access side faces the pre-loading rack of the first transfer system and, if appropriate, the second access side faces the pre-loading rack of the second transfer system.

[0013] It is advantageous if first shelf compartments, second shelf compartments, and / or further shelf compartments are arranged one above the other and form a first, second, and / or further shelf column. The shelf columns are preferably arranged next to one another. Particularly preferably, the further shelf column is arranged between the first shelf column and the second shelf column.

[0014] It may be provided that different transport rack types are provided, which include a single-column transport rack having only first shelf compartments, a two-column transport rack having first and second shelf compartments, and a multi-column transport rack having first, second and further shelf compartments.

[0015] It is advantageous if the pre-loading rack has pre-loading compartments arranged in stacked horizontal pre-loading rows and / or adjacent vertical pre-loading columns. Particularly preferably, the pre-loading compartments are arranged analogously to the shelf compartments of a multi-column transport rack, so that the pre-loading rack is suitable for loading and / or unloading single-column, double-column, and / or multi-column transport racks.

[0016] The pre-loading rack preferably comprises a transfer side facing the staging area, on which the pre-loading compartments are accessible so that load carriers can be transferred between the pre-loading compartments and the shelf compartments. Furthermore, it can be provided that the pre-loading rack has an access side opposite the transfer side, on which the pre-loading compartments are accessible, in particular for the transfer elements. Furthermore, it is advantageous if the pre-loading rack comprises a first transfer side, which in particular faces the first buffer compartments of the respective transfer system, and / or a second transfer side, which in particular faces the second buffer compartments of the respective transfer system. The pre-loading compartments can be accessible on the transfer sides so that load carriers can be transferred between the buffer compartments and the pre-loading compartments.Particularly preferably, the first and / or second transfer side extend between the access side and the transfer side. The pre-loading compartments and / or the shelf compartments preferably each extend along a longitudinal axis. Particularly preferably, the pre-loading compartments and / or the shelf compartments are each designed to accommodate two load carriers. For this purpose, the pre-loading compartments and / or the shelf compartments can each have two pre-loading locations or shelf locations arranged one behind the other along the longitudinal axis.

[0017] Particularly preferably, the pre-loading frame is designed with several pre-loading lines arranged one above the other, each having at least one pre-loading compartment, preferably several pre-loading compartments. It is advantageous if the pre-loading lines are each provided by a pre-loading floor on which the load carriers can be moved between pre-loading compartments and / or pre-loading locations of a pre-loading line.

[0018] The provisioning device can comprise an automated transport rack conveyor system for transporting the transport rack to the provisioning location and / or for transporting the transport rack away from it. Furthermore, the provisioning device can comprise positioning means, in particular clamping means, for positioning and / or securing the transport rack relative to the pre-loading rack.

[0019] Furthermore, the buffer compartments preferably extend along a longitudinal axis, in particular parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pre-loading compartments. Particularly preferably, the buffer compartments are each designed to accommodate two loads. For this purpose, the buffer compartments can each have two buffer spaces arranged one behind the other along the longitudinal axis.

[0020] It is advantageous if the buffer compartments are arranged next to the pre-loading compartments, in particular on the first transfer side and / or on the second transfer side of the respective pre-loading frame. In this case, it is preferably provided that the buffer locations are aligned with the pre-loading locations.

[0021] Particularly preferably, the buffer compartments are arranged one above the other. The buffer compartments can form buffer rows, each having at least one buffer compartment, in particular a first buffer compartment and a second buffer compartment. It is advantageous if the buffer compartments of a buffer row are provided on the pre-loading floor of the respective pre-loading row next to the pre-loading compartments, so that the load carriers can be moved between the buffer compartments and the pre-loading compartments on the pre-loading floor. The first buffer compartments can be arranged on the first transfer side and the second buffer compartments on the second transfer side of the pre-loading frame. Alternatively, it can be provided that both the first buffer compartments and the second buffer compartments are arranged on the first transfer side of the pre-loading frame.

[0022] The conveyor system of the first and / or second transfer system is designed to transport the load carriers to the respective buffer device or to transport the load carriers away from the respective buffer device. For this purpose, the conveyor system can comprise one or more conveyor devices assigned to the buffer compartments.

[0023] It is advantageous if the conveyor system is designed to transport the load carriers between a picking station, at which the load carriers are filled with goods, and the respective buffer device, or between a load carrier warehouse, in which filled or empty load carriers can be temporarily stored, and the respective buffer device.

[0024] The conveyor system can comprise a ground-based conveyor device, for example, a roller conveyor or belt conveyor. This is a stationary conveyor device. Alternatively or additionally, the conveyor system can have a mobile conveyor device, which in particular comprises autonomously movable conveyor vehicles. Such conveyor vehicles can be controlled by a higher-level control computer. Such conveyor vehicles are known to those skilled in the art under the terms "Automated Guided Vehicle" (AGV) or "Autonomous Mobile Robot" (AMR).

[0025] The transfer device of the first and / or second transfer system is assigned to the respective pre-loading frame. Furthermore, the transfer elements are each assigned to a pre-loading compartment.

[0026] The transfer elements are particularly preferably designed as sliders that can be moved horizontally, in particular in a transfer direction. The transfer elements of the first transfer system can be moved along a first transfer direction, in particular by means of a drive device. Furthermore, the transfer elements of the second transfer system can be moved along a second transfer direction, in particular by means of a drive device. The respective transfer direction is preferably aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pre-loading compartments. It is advantageous if the first transfer direction and the second transfer direction are aligned antiparallel or opposite to one another, so that load carriers can be transferred between the pre-loading racks and a transport rack positioned between the pre-loading racks. For loading a transport rack, the (first / second) transfer direction can run from the respective pre-loading rack in the direction of the staging area.Conversely, to unload a transport rack, the (first / second) transfer direction can run from the staging area towards the respective pre-loading rack.

[0027] To push load carriers out of the pre-loading compartments and into the rack compartments, the transfer elements can be arranged on the access side of the assigned pre-loading rack and can be inserted into the pre-loading compartments from there. In this case, the pre-loading rack is essentially arranged between the transfer elements and the staging area.

[0028] Alternatively, the transfer elements can be arranged on the transfer side of the respectively assigned pre-loading rack, in particular on a (first / second) side of the staging area facing away from the assigned pre-loading rack, in order to push the load carriers out of the shelf compartments and into the shelf compartments. In this case, the staging area is arranged essentially between the transfer elements and the pre-loading rack. Furthermore, the transfer elements assigned to one pre-loading rack can be arranged on the access side of the respective other pre-loading rack and can be passed through it in order to transfer the load carriers from the transport rack to the assigned pre-loading rack.

[0029] In the context of the invention, transferring, transferring, and / or moving load carriers "between" individual compartments, in particular buffer, pre-loading, and / or shelf compartments, means pushing them out of a first compartment and then pushing them into a second compartment, for example, from a buffer compartment to a pre-loading compartment or vice versa. Similarly, transferring between the conveyor system and the buffer device means transferring a load carrier from the conveyor system to the buffer device or vice versa.

[0030] It is advantageous if the pre-loading compartments (each) comprise first pre-loading compartments, and the buffer compartments (each) comprise first buffer compartments, which are assigned to the first pre-loading compartments and are preferably aligned with them. Thus, the first shelf compartments can be assigned to the first pre-loading compartments. This allows load carriers that are to be loaded into or unloaded from the first shelf compartments of the transport rack to be provided in the first pre-loading compartments and, if necessary, temporarily stored in the first buffer compartments. This allows transport racks with first shelf compartments to be loaded and / or unloaded particularly efficiently.

[0031] It is advantageous if the first pre-loading compartments are arranged one above the other, thus forming a first pre-loading column, allowing single-column transport racks to be loaded and / or unloaded efficiently. Furthermore, the first buffer compartments can be arranged one above the other to form a first buffer column, allowing load carriers to be shifted or transferred between the first buffer compartments and the first pre-loading compartments. Furthermore, it is advantageous if the first pre-loading compartments are arranged on the first transfer side of the pre-loading rack.

[0032] It is also advantageous if the first buffer compartments on the first transfer side are arranged next to the first pre-loading compartments.

[0033] Preferably, the pre-loading compartments (each) comprise second pre-loading compartments and the buffer compartments (each) comprise second buffer compartments, which are assigned to the second pre-loading compartments and are preferably aligned therewith. Thus, the second shelf compartments can be assigned to the second pre-loading compartments. As a result, load carriers that are to be loaded into or unloaded from second shelf compartments of the transport rack can be provided in the second pre-loading compartments and, if necessary, temporarily stored in the second buffer compartments. This enables load carriers to be handed over or transferred synchronously between the first and second shelf compartments or the first and second buffer compartments and the first and second pre-loading compartments, whereby transport racks with first and second shelf compartments can be loaded and / or unloaded particularly efficiently.It is advantageous if the second pre-loading compartments are aligned with the first pre-loading compartments.

[0034] It is particularly advantageous if the second pre-loading compartments are arranged one above the other, thus forming a second pre-loading column. This allows two-column transport racks to be loaded and / or unloaded efficiently. Furthermore, the second buffer compartments can be arranged one above the other to form a second buffer column. Furthermore, it is advantageous if the second pre-loading compartments are arranged on the second transfer side of the pre-loading rack. It is also advantageous if the second buffer compartments are arranged on the second transfer side and next to the second pre-loading compartments.

[0035] It is advantageous if the pre-loading compartments (each) include additional pre-loading compartments. This allows the additional shelf compartments to be assigned to the additional pre-loading compartments. This allows load carriers that are to be loaded into or unloaded from additional shelf compartments of the transport rack to be placed in the additional pre-loading compartments. This allows transport racks with first, second, and / or additional shelf compartments to be loaded and / or unloaded particularly efficiently. It is advantageous if the additional pre-loading compartments are aligned with the first and / or second pre-loading compartments.

[0036] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the first buffer compartments and / or the second buffer compartments are (additionally) assigned to the additional preloading compartments and preferably aligned with them, whereby load carriers can be transferred from the respective buffer compartments to the additional preloading compartments. Provision can be made for load carriers to be transferred from the first buffer compartments through the first preloading compartments or from the second buffer compartments through the second preloading compartments to the additional preloading compartments.

[0037] It is particularly advantageous if the additional preloading compartments are arranged one above the other, thus forming an additional preloading column. If a first, second, and additional preloading column are provided, three-column transport racks in particular can be loaded and / or unloaded efficiently. Advantageously, the additional preloading compartments, in particular the additional preloading column, are arranged between the first and second preloading compartments, in particular between the first and second preloading columns.

[0038] It is particularly preferred that the previously described preloading lines each have a first preloading compartment, a second preloading compartment, and / or a further preloading compartment, which are arranged on a common preloading base, so that they are aligned with one another. Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the buffer lines are each assigned to a preloading line and comprise a first buffer compartment and / or a second buffer compartment, which are arranged on the common preloading base of the assigned preloading line, so that the buffer line and the preloading line are aligned with one another.According to a preferred embodiment, it can be provided that the transfer device (in each case) has first transfer elements which are assigned to the first buffer compartments, and / or second transfer elements which are assigned to the second buffer compartments in order to transfer load carriers between a buffer compartment assigned to the respective transfer element and a pre-loading compartment assigned to this buffer compartment. It is advantageous if the transfer elements are movable along a transfer direction, in particular by means of a drive device. Preferably, the first transfer elements are movable along a first transfer direction and / or the second transfer elements are movable along a second transfer direction. The first and / or second transfer direction is preferably aligned horizontally and orthogonal to the first and / or second transfer direction. Preferably, the first and second transfer directions are aligned antiparallel to one another.

[0039] Furthermore, it may be advantageous if the first transfer elements and / or the second transfer elements are designed to transfer the load carriers between the respectively assigned buffer compartments and the additional pre-loading compartments, in particular along the first and / or second transfer direction. This eliminates the need for additional transfer elements, thus reducing the technical complexity of the load carrier transfer station and the maintenance effort.

[0040] It is further advantageous if the buffer compartments (each) comprise further buffer compartments which are assigned to the further pre-loading compartments and are preferably aligned therewith, and the transfer device, in particular of the first and / or second transfer system, in each case has further transfer elements in order to transfer the load carriers, in particular along the first or second transfer direction, between the further buffer compartments and the further pre-loading compartments. This makes it possible to transfer load carriers from the first buffer compartments, the second buffer compartments and the further buffer compartments essentially synchronously into the respectively assigned pre-loading compartments or vice versa. The further buffer compartments can be arranged one above the other to form a further buffer column. Furthermore, the further buffer compartments can be positioned on the access side of the pre-loading frame and adjacent to the further pre-loading compartments.

[0041] It is advantageous if load carriers can be transferred synchronously between the buffer compartments and the respectively assigned pre-loading compartments. For this purpose, it is preferably provided that the control system has a further control device which is designed to control the first transfer elements, the second transfer elements and / or the third transfer elements so that they each move synchronously in order to transfer load carriers to be transferred simultaneously. The load carriers to be transferred can in particular comprise load carriers which are located in the first, second and / or further buffer compartments and are to be transferred into the respectively assigned pre-loading compartments, and / or load carriers which are located in the first, second and / or further pre-loading compartments and are to be transferred into the respectively assigned buffer compartments.In this case, it can be provided that the transfer device of the first transfer system is controlled in such a way that its first transfer elements, second transfer elements and / or further transfer elements each move synchronously and / or that the transfer device of the second transfer system is controlled in such a way that its first transfer elements, second transfer elements and / or further transfer elements each move synchronously.

[0042] Preferably, the conveyor system (of the first and / or second transfer system, respectively) comprises a first conveyor device assigned to the first buffer compartments, a second conveyor device assigned to the second buffer compartments, and / or a further conveyor device assigned to the further buffer compartments, each of which is designed to transport the load carriers to and / or away from the respectively assigned buffer compartments. The conveyor device(s) are preferably designed, as described above, as a ground-based, in particular stationary, conveyor device.

[0043] Particularly preferably, the conveyor system comprises a central conveyor device which is connected to the first, second and / or further conveyor device. For transporting the load carriers to the buffer device, the central conveyor device is designed, for example, to transport load carriers away from the picking station or the load carrier warehouse and, preferably in a switch section of the conveyor system, to deliver them optionally to the first or second conveyor device or, if appropriate, to the further conveyor device. Conversely, for transporting the load carriers away from the buffer device, the central conveyor device can be designed to take over the load carriers in the switch section of the conveyor system optionally from the first or second conveyor device or, if appropriate, from the further conveyor device and transport them to the load carrier warehouse or to the picking station.It is preferably provided that the first buffer compartments are arranged one above the other and the buffer device each has a first lifting device for transferring the load carriers between the conveyor system and the first buffer compartments and / or the second buffer compartments are arranged one above the other and the buffer device has a second lifting device for transferring the load carriers between the conveyor system and the second buffer compartments. This can be provided in particular for the first and / or second transfer system. By means of the lifting device, the load carriers can be transported in a conveying plane from the conveyor system, in particular from the respective conveyor device, taken over by the respective lifting device and raised or lowered to a height level of one of the buffer compartments and transferred into this.

[0044] Furthermore, it can be provided that the first lifting device has lifting compartments assigned to the first buffer compartments for receiving the load carriers and / or the second lifting device has lifting compartments assigned to the second buffer compartments for receiving the load carriers. In this case, the lifting compartments can be aligned with the respectively assigned buffer compartments in order to transfer the load carriers between the lifting compartments and the buffer compartments. Alternatively, the lifting compartments can be aligned with pre-loading compartments which are assigned to the respectively assigned buffer compartments in order to provide the respectively assigned buffer compartments. This allows load carriers to be transferred sequentially from the conveyor system to the lifting compartments and then synchronously transferred from the lifting compartments to the buffer compartments when the lifting compartments are aligned with the buffer compartments. For this purpose, the lifting device can comprise a plurality of transfer elements which are assigned to the respective lifting compartments.Alternatively, the buffer device can be provided by the lifting device by aligning the lifting compartments with the respective pre-loading compartments and thus providing the buffer compartments.

[0045] In the same way, a further lifting device can also be provided, the lifting compartments of which are assigned to the further buffer compartments.

[0046] To transfer the load carriers between the conveyor device and the lifting compartments, a first transfer means can be provided. The first transfer means can be designed as a horizontally movable slider, in particular by means of a drive device, with which the load carriers can be moved from the conveyor device to a lifting compartment or vice versa. For this purpose, the respective lifting compartment can be aligned with the conveyor device.

[0047] Furthermore, a plurality of second transfer means arranged one above the other and / or next to one another can be provided, each second transfer means being assigned to a buffer compartment to transfer the load carriers between the lifting compartments and the buffer compartments. The transfer means can be designed as (synchronously) horizontally movable sliders, in particular by means of a drive device. The lifting compartments can be aligned with the assigned buffer compartments, and the load carriers can be shifted between the lifting compartments and the buffer compartments by the second transfer means.

[0048] It is advantageous if the first lifting device and / or the second lifting device and / or the further lifting device are each designed as a paternoster conveyor that includes the lifting compartments. First lifting compartments can be provided on a side of the paternoster conveyor facing the conveyor system to transfer load carriers between the conveyor system and the lifting compartments. Second lifting compartments can be provided on a side of the paternoster conveyor facing the buffer compartments to transfer load carriers between the lifting compartments and the buffer compartments.

[0049] According to a preferred embodiment, it can be provided that the control system is designed to detect a transfer order, in particular a loading order or an unloading order, which comprises selected pre-loading compartments, wherein load carriers are to be transferred between the selected pre-loading compartments and the shelf compartments assigned to them, and to control the first control device and / or the second control device according to the transfer order in order to synchronously move selected transfer elements which are required for transferring load carriers between the selected pre-loading compartments and the assigned shelf compartments.

[0050] The transfer order can, for example, be a loading order comprising a plurality of load carriers with which a transport rack is to be loaded. Furthermore, the loading order can comprise a transport rack type of the transport rack to be loaded. Furthermore, the loading order can comprise a load carrier-shelf location assignment, with each load carrier of the loading order being assigned a shelf location of the transport rack. A pre-loading location can each be assigned to the shelf locations, at which the respective load carrier is to be made available, so that the loading order can also comprise a load carrier-pre-loading location assignment. Similarly, a buffer location can each be assigned to the pre-loading locations, at which the respective load carriers are to be temporarily stored, so that the loading order can also comprise a load carrier-buffer location assignment.

[0051] To maintain the load carrier buffer location assignment and, consequently, the load carrier pre-loading location assignment and the load carrier shelf location assignment, it is advantageous to establish a load carrier sequence before the buffer device. This can be done, for example, in the picking station. Furthermore, the conveyor system can include a sorting device for this purpose.

[0052] Alternatively, the transfer order can be an unloading order that includes multiple load carriers to be unloaded from a transport rack. Furthermore, the unloading order can include a transport rack type for the transport rack to be unloaded.

[0053] The load carrier transfer station is preferably designed as a loading station and / or as an unloading station.

[0054] The object is further achieved by utilizing the advantages and effects described above by a storage and order-picking system of the type mentioned at the outset, wherein the load carrier transfer station is designed according to one of the aspects described above, in particular as a loading station, and the conveyor system (of the first and / or second transfer system) is designed to transport the load carriers between the order-picking station and the load carrier transfer station.

[0055] It is further advantageous if the storage and order-picking system comprises a further load carrier transfer station for unloading a transport frame loaded with load carriers, wherein the further load carrier transfer station is designed according to one of the aspects described above, in particular as an unloading station.

[0056] It is advantageous if the transport rack conveyor system of the load carrier transfer station is connected to the transport rack conveyor system of the further load carrier transfer station for loading in order to transport the transport racks from the further load carrier transfer station to the load carrier transfer station. The procedural problem is solved by a method for loading a transport rack of the type mentioned above, the method comprising the following steps: i) providing load carriers, some of the load carriers forming the first load carriers; ii) transporting the first load carriers to first buffer compartments by a conveyor system, in particular by a first conveyor device of the conveyor system; iii) transferring the first load carriers to the first buffer compartments; iv) temporarily storing the first load carriers in the respective buffer compartments;v) Providing a pre-loading rack of a first transfer system on a first side of a provisioning location for the transport rack, wherein the pre-loading rack has pre-loading compartments arranged one above the other and / or next to one another, and some of the pre-loading compartments form first pre-loading compartments assigned to the first buffer compartments, wherein the buffer compartments are aligned with the respectively assigned pre-loading compartments; vi) Transferring the first load carriers from the respective buffer compartments into the pre-loading compartments assigned to the buffer compartments in order to provide a loading group comprising the first load carriers; vii) Providing the transport rack at the provisioning location by a provisioning device, wherein the transport rack is positioned such that the shelf compartments are aligned with the pre-loading compartments, wherein some of the shelf compartments form first shelf compartments which are assigned to the first pre-loading compartments;viii) loading the transport rack by simultaneously transferring the load carriers of the loading group from the pre-loading rack to the transport rack, wherein the first load carriers are transferred, in particular in the first transfer direction, from the first pre-loading compartments to the first shelf compartments;

[0057] As already described in connection with the load carrier transfer station, one advantage achieved with the method is that, when loading the transport frame, the transfer of the load carriers into the transport frame is decoupled from the transport of the load carriers, whereby the loading of the transport frame can be carried out particularly efficiently and with a high throughput.

[0058] Taking advantage of the advantages and effects described above, the method can be carried out by means of a load carrier transfer station, in particular according to one of the aspects described above. Preferably, the conveyor system is provided by the conveyor system of the first transfer system and / or the first buffer compartments are provided by the buffer device of the first transfer system.

[0059] It is advantageous if the loading order is recorded electronically, especially by a control system. The loading order can be generated by a transfer order as described above.

[0060] The load carriers of the loading order can be prepared in step i), for example, by filling them with goods at a picking station. In step ii), the load carriers can then be removed from the picking station and transported to the buffer compartments.

[0061] It is advantageous if, in step iii), the load carriers are transferred from the first conveyor device to the first buffer compartments, as previously described in connection with the load carrier transfer station. The first load carriers can be temporarily stored in the first buffer compartments to form a first load carrier group. In step vi), the first load carriers or the first load carrier group are transferred to the pre-loading compartments to prepare the loading group.

[0062] Subsequently, in step viii), (all) load carriers of the loading group can be transferred simultaneously into shelf compartments of the transport frame, in particular as previously described in connection with the load carrier transfer station by a synchronous movement of the transfer elements in the first transfer direction.

[0063] In order to efficiently load, for example, a two-column transport rack, it can be provided that the loading order additionally includes second load carriers with which the transport rack is to be loaded, and steps i) to viii) are additionally carried out for the second load carriers, wherein in step i) some of the load carriers form the second load carriers, in step ii) the second load carriers are transported to second buffer compartments by the conveyor system, in particular by a second conveyor device of the conveyor system, in step iii) the second load carriers are transferred to the second buffer compartments, in step iv) the second load carriers are temporarily stored in the respective buffer compartments, in step v) some of the pre-loading compartments of the pre-loading rack of the first transfer system form second pre-loading compartments assigned to the second buffer compartments,In step vi), the second load carriers are transferred from the respective buffer compartments to the pre-loading compartments assigned to the buffer compartments in order to provide the loading group, which additionally comprises the second load carriers. In step vii), some of the shelf compartments form second shelf compartments, which are assigned to the second pre-loading compartments. In step viii), the second load carriers are transferred, in particular in the first transfer direction, from the second pre-loading compartments to the second shelf compartments. Preferably, the second buffer compartments are provided by the buffer device of the first transfer system.

[0064] The second charge carriers can be temporarily stored in the second buffer compartments to form a second charge carrier group. In step vi), the second charge carriers or the second charge carrier group are transferred to the pre-loading compartments to prepare the loading group.

[0065] Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the loading order additionally comprises further load carriers with which the transport frame is to be loaded, and steps i) to viii) are additionally carried out for the further load carriers, wherein in step i) some of the load carriers form the further load carriers, in step ii) the further load carriers are transported to further buffer compartments by the conveyor system, in particular by a further conveyor device of the conveyor system, in step iii) the further load carriers are transferred to the further buffer compartments, in step iv) the further load carriers are temporarily stored in the further buffer compartments, in step v) some of the pre-loading compartments of the pre-loading frame of the first transfer system form further pre-loading compartments assigned to the further buffer compartments,in step vi) the further load carriers are transferred from the further buffer compartments into the further pre-loading compartments assigned to the further buffer compartments in order to provide the loading group, which additionally comprises the further load carriers, in step vii) some of the shelf compartments form further shelf compartments, which are assigned to the further pre-loading compartments, and in step viii) the further load carriers are transferred, in particular in the first transfer direction, from the further pre-loading compartments to the further shelf compartments.

[0066] This allows two- or three-column transport racks, in particular, to be loaded particularly efficiently. The additional load carriers can be temporarily stored in the additional buffer compartments to form another load carrier group. In step vi), the additional load carriers or the additional load carrier group are transferred to the pre-loading compartments to prepare the loading group. The additional buffer compartments are preferably provided by the buffer device of the first transfer system.

[0067] According to a first embodiment, the additional buffer compartments can be provided by the previously described additional buffer compartments of the buffer device of the first transfer system. Thus, in particular, the first, second, and third load carrier groups can be formed in parallel and transferred essentially simultaneously from the buffer compartments to the pre-loading compartments.

[0068] According to an alternative embodiment, the additional buffer compartments can be provided by the previously described second buffer compartments of the first transfer system. In particular, it can be provided that steps iii) to vi) are initially performed for the first load carriers and the additional load carriers, whereby the first and additional load carrier groups are first formed and transferred from the buffer compartments to the pre-loading compartments. After the additional load carrier group has been transferred to the additional pre-loading compartments, steps iii) to vi) can be performed for the second load carriers, whereby the second load carrier group is formed.

[0069] It is advantageous that the loading order additionally comprises further load carriers with which the transport frame is to be loaded, and steps i) to viii) are additionally carried out for the further load carriers, wherein in step i) some of the load carriers form the further load carriers, in step ii) the further load carriers are transported to further buffer compartments by a further conveyor system, in particular by a first conveyor device of the further conveyor system, in step iii) the further load carriers are transferred to the further buffer compartments, in step iv) the further load carriers are temporarily stored in the respective buffer compartments, in step v) a pre-loading frame of a second transfer system is provided on a second side of the provisioning area, in particular opposite the first side,wherein the pre-loading rack (of the second transfer system) has pre-loading compartments arranged one above the other and / or next to one another, and some of the pre-loading compartments form further pre-loading compartments assigned to the further buffer compartments, wherein the further buffer compartments are aligned with the respectively assigned pre-loading compartments, in step vi) the further load carriers are transferred from the respective buffer compartments into the pre-loading compartments assigned to the buffer compartments in order to provide the loading group, which additionally comprises the further load carriers, in step vii) some of the shelf compartments form further shelf compartments, which are assigned to the further pre-loading compartments, and in step viii) the further load carriers are transferred, in particular in the second transfer direction, from the further pre-loading compartments to the further shelf compartments. In this way, for example, a three-column transport rack can be loaded particularly efficiently by the first,Second and / or further load carriers are placed into the rack compartments essentially simultaneously. The first and second load carrier groups can be formed essentially simultaneously in the respective buffer compartments and then transferred to the respective pre-loading rack to prepare the loading group.

[0070] Preferably, the further conveyor system is provided by the conveyor system of the second transfer system and / or the further buffer compartments are provided by the first and / or second buffer compartments of the buffer device of the second transfer system.

[0071] Preferably, the first load carriers, the second load carriers, and / or the additional load carriers of the loading order are temporarily stored in step iv) until all of the respective load carriers are present in buffer compartments, after which the respective load carriers are (each) simultaneously transferred from the respective buffer compartments to the pre-loading compartments assigned to the buffer compartments. This allows the load carrier groups to be first formed and then transferred to the respective pre-loading rack to form the loading group. All of the first load carriers are present in buffer compartments when all of the first load carriers of the loading order are present in buffer compartments. The same applies to the second and additional load carriers. Furthermore, the first load carriers, the second load carriers, and / or the additional load carriers can each be transferred simultaneously.It can also be provided that the first load carriers, the second load carriers and / or the further load carriers are transferred simultaneously.

[0072] Forming a load carrier group from multiple load carriers generally takes more time than transferring the load carriers to the transport rack, as the load carriers are transported individually to the buffer device. By temporarily storing the load carrier groups in the buffer device, the load carriers are formed in the buffer device, and the load carriers of the load carrier groups are then made available as a loading group in the pre-loading rack(s). This effectively decouples the formation of the load carrier group from the transfer of the loading group to the transport rack, ensuring efficient loading of the transport rack.

[0073] In order to load transport racks with shelf compartments arranged in shelf columns as efficiently as possible, it is advantageous if the first buffer compartments, the second buffer compartments and / or the further buffer compartments are arranged one above the other and the transfer of the first, second and / or further load carriers in step iii) is carried out by means of a lifting device, wherein lifting compartments of a first lifting device are assigned to the first buffer compartments, lifting compartments of a second lifting device are assigned to the second buffer compartments and / or lifting compartments of a further lifting device are assigned to the further buffer compartments, and wherein the first load carriers are transferred from the conveyor system into the lifting compartments assigned to the first buffer compartments, the second load carriers are transferred from the conveyor system into the lifting compartments assigned to the second buffer compartments and / or the further load carriers are transferred from the conveyor system into the lifting compartments assigned to the further buffer compartments,after which the lifting compartments are aligned with the respective assigned buffer compartments and the first, second and / or further load carriers are transferred from the respective lifting compartments to the assigned buffer compartments or the lifting compartments are aligned with those pre-loading compartments which are assigned to the respective buffer compartments in order to provide the assigned buffer compartments.

[0074] Preferably, the first and / or second lifting device is provided by the previously described first and / or second lifting device of the buffer device of the first transfer system. According to a first embodiment, the further lifting device can be provided by the previously described first or second lifting device of the buffer device of the second transfer system. Alternatively, according to a second embodiment, the further lifting device can be provided by the previously described further lifting device of the buffer device of the first transfer system.

[0075] The further procedural object is achieved by a method for unloading a transport rack of the type mentioned at the outset, the method comprising the following steps: i) providing a pre-loading rack, in particular one that is set up in a stationary manner, of a first transfer system on a first side of a provisioning location for the transport rack, the pre-loading rack having pre-loading compartments arranged one above the other and / or next to one another, and some of the pre-loading compartments forming first pre-loading compartments; ii) providing the transport rack at a provisioning location by a provisioning device, the transport rack being positioned such that the shelf compartments are aligned with the pre-loading compartments, the first shelf compartments being assigned to the first pre-loading compartments;iii) unloading the transport frame by simultaneously transferring the first load carriers, in particular in the first transfer direction, from the first shelf compartments into the first pre-loading compartments; iv) transferring the first load carriers from the first pre-loading compartments into first buffer compartments, wherein the first load carriers are preferably transferred simultaneously; v) temporarily storing the first load carriers in the first buffer compartments; vi) transferring the first load carriers from the first buffer compartments to a conveyor system; vii) transporting the first load carriers away by the conveyor system, in particular by a first conveyor device of the conveyor system;

[0076] As already described in connection with the load carrier transfer station, one advantage achieved with the method is that, when unloading the transport rack, the transfer of the load carriers into the pre-loading rack is decoupled from the removal of the load carriers, whereby the unloading of the transport rack can be carried out particularly efficiently and with a high throughput.

[0077] Taking advantage of the advantages and effects described above, the method can be carried out by means of a load carrier transfer station, in particular according to one of the aspects described above. Preferably, the conveyor system is provided by the conveyor system of the first transfer system and / or the first buffer compartments are provided by the buffer device of the first transfer system.

[0078] In order to efficiently unload a two-column transport rack, it can be provided that some of the shelf compartments form second shelf compartments and those load carriers which are accommodated in the second shelf compartments form second load carriers, wherein some of the pre-loading compartments of the pre-loading rack provided in step i) form second pre-loading compartments and in step ii) the second shelf compartments are assigned to the second pre-loading compartments, wherein the method additionally comprises the following steps: iii') unloading the transport rack further by simultaneously transferring the second load carriers, in particular in the first transfer direction, from the second shelf compartments into the second pre-loading compartments; iv') transferring the second load carriers from the second pre-loading compartments into second buffer compartments, wherein the second load carriers are preferably transferred simultaneously; v') temporarily storing the second load carriers in the second buffer compartments;vi') transferring the second load carriers from the second buffer areas to the conveyor system; vii') transporting the second load carriers away through the conveyor system, in particular through a second conveyor device of the conveyor system;

[0079] Preferably, the second buffer compartments are provided by the buffer device of the first transfer system.

[0080] It is particularly preferred that steps iii'), iv'), v'), vi'), and vii') are carried out after step iv). Thus, first, the first load carriers can be transferred from the transport rack to the pre-loading rack of the first transfer system and then to the first buffer compartments, and subsequently, the second load carriers can be transferred from the transport rack to the pre-loading rack of the first transfer system and then to the second buffer compartments, whereby the first and second load carriers can be transferred to different buffer compartments and thus separated in an overlapping manner by transferring the load carriers from the respective buffer compartments to the conveyor system.

[0081] It is furthermore advantageous if some of the shelf compartments form further shelf compartments and those load carriers which are accommodated in the further shelf compartments form further load carriers, wherein steps i) to vii) are additionally carried out for the further load carriers, wherein in step i) a pre-loading rack, in particular a stationary one, of a second transfer system is provided on a second side of the provisioning area, wherein this pre-loading rack (of the second transfer system) has pre-loading compartments arranged one above the other and / or next to one another and some of the pre-loading compartments form further pre-loading compartments, in step ii) the further shelf compartments are assigned to the further pre-loading compartments, in step iii) the transport rack is further transferred from the further shelf compartments to the further pre-loading compartments by simultaneously transferring the further load carriers, in particular in the second transfer direction;in step iv) the further load carriers are transferred from the further pre-loading compartments into further buffer compartments, preferably simultaneously, in step v) the further load carriers are temporarily stored in the further buffer compartments, in step vi) the further load carriers are transferred from the further buffer compartments to a further conveyor system, in step vii) the further load carriers are transported away by the further conveyor system, in particular by a conveyor device of the further conveyor system;

[0082] This allows the first and further load carriers to be unloaded simultaneously from a two-column or three-column transport rack. Preferably, the further conveyor system is provided by the conveyor system of the second transfer system and / or the further buffer compartments are provided by the first and / or second buffer compartments of the buffer device of the second transfer system. Alternatively, the further conveyor system can also be provided by the further conveyor device of the conveyor system of the first transfer system.

[0083] It is advantageous if the first load carriers and the subsequent load carriers are transferred simultaneously in step iii). This allows the transport rack to be unloaded particularly efficiently (and time-efficiently).

[0084] In order to separate the load carriers during a transfer from the buffer device to the conveyor system, it is preferably provided that the first buffer compartments, second buffer compartments and / or further buffer compartments are each arranged one above the other and the transfer of the first, second and / or further load carriers in steps vi) and vi') takes place by means of a lifting device, wherein lifting compartments of a first lifting device are assigned to the first buffer compartments, lifting compartments of a second lifting device are assigned to the second buffer compartments and / or lifting compartments of a further lifting device are assigned to the further buffer compartments, and wherein the load carriers are transferred from the respective buffer compartments into the lifting compartments assigned to the buffer compartments, after which the lifting compartments are aligned on the respective conveyor system and the load carriers are transferred from the lifting compartments to the respective conveyor system.

[0085] In this case, it is preferably provided that the lifting compartments assigned to the first buffer compartments are aligned sequentially on the first conveyor device of the conveyor system and / or the lifting compartments assigned to the second buffer compartments are aligned sequentially on the second conveyor device of the conveyor system. Furthermore, it can be provided that the lifting compartments assigned to the further buffer compartments are aligned sequentially on the further conveyor device of the conveyor system and / or on the first or second conveyor device of the further conveyor system.

[0086] For a better understanding of the invention, it is explained in more detail using the following figures.

[0087] They show in a highly simplified, schematic representation:

[0088] Fig. la shows a simplified representation of a load carrier transfer station for loading transport racks;

[0089] Fig. 1b shows a simplified representation of a load carrier transfer station for unloading transport racks;

[0090] Fig. 2a shows a pre-loading frame and a buffer device according to a first embodiment in front view;

[0091] Fig. 2b shows a pre-loading frame and a buffer device according to a second embodiment in front view;

[0092] Fig. 3a the load carrier transfer station for loading transport racks;

[0093] Fig. 3b shows the load carrier transfer station for unloading transport racks; Fig. 4a shows a single-column transport rack in front view;

[0094] Fig. 4b a two-column transport frame in front view;

[0095] Fig. 4c a three-column transport frame in front view;

[0096] Fig. 5a to 5e a plan view of the load carrier transfer station for loading transport racks for various loading steps;

[0097] Fig. 6a to 6e a side view of a lifting device for transferring load carriers from buffer areas to a conveyor device;

[0098] Fig. 7a to 7g a plan view of the load carrier transfer station for unloading transport racks for various unloading steps;

[0099] Fig. 8a to 8e show a side view of a lifting device for transferring load carriers from a conveyor device into buffer compartments;

[0100] Fig. 9 is a schematic representation of a storage and picking system;

[0101] Fig. 10 shows a section of the storage and picking system in perspective.

[0102] By way of introduction, it should be noted that in the variously described embodiments, identical parts are provided with identical reference symbols or component designations. The disclosures contained throughout the description can be applied mutatis mutandis to identical parts with identical reference symbols or component designations. Furthermore, the positional information chosen in the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., refers to the directly described and illustrated figure and, in the event of a change in position, is to be applied mutatis mutandis to the new position.

[0103] Fig. 1a to Fig. 3b show highly simplified representations of a load carrier transfer station 1.

[0104] The load carrier transfer station 1 shown in Fig. 1a, Fig. 2a and Fig. 3a is optimized for loading a transport rack 2 with load carriers 3a..3c, although it is also suitable for unloading the transport rack 2. In contrast, the load carrier transfer station 1 shown in Fig. 1b, Fig. 2b and Fig. 3b is optimized for unloading a transport rack 2 loaded with load carriers 3a..3c, although it is also suitable for loading the transport rack 2. Essentially, the load carrier transfer stations 1 shown in Fig. 1a to Fig. 3b can comprise the same components or be constructed analogously and, in particular, differ (only) in an arrangement or orientation of the components.

[0105] The load carrier transfer station 1 comprises a provision device 4 for providing the transport frame 2, a control system 5 for controlling the load carrier transfer station 1, and a first transfer system 11a. Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b additionally show an optional second transfer system 11b, which is structurally identical to the first transfer system 11a and is essentially mirrored to the provision device 4.

[0106] The provision device 4 has a provision location 41 for the transport rack 2. In Fig. 1a, Fig. 1b, Fig. 3a, and Fig. 3b, a transport rack 2 is arranged at the provision location 41. The provision device 4 preferably comprises an automated transport rack conveyor system 42, which is designed to transport the transport rack 2 to and from the provision location 41. Furthermore, the provision device 4 can have one or more positioning means 43, in particular clamping means, for positioning and securing the transport rack 2 at the provision location 41.

[0107] The first transfer system 11a and / or the second transfer system 11b each comprise a pre-loading frame 6 with a plurality of pre-loading compartments 61a..61c. As can be seen in particular in Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b, the pre-loading frame 6 of the first and / or second transfer system 11a, 11b comprises a transfer side 63a facing the provisioning station 41 or the transport frame 2, as well as an access side 63b opposite the transfer side 63a. A first transfer side 63c and a second transfer side 63d extend between the transfer side 63a and the access side 63b.

[0108] The preloading frame 6 is shown in Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b in a front view of the access side 63b. It can be provided that the preloading compartments 61a..61c comprise first preloading compartments 61a, second preloading compartments 61b, and / or further preloading compartments 61c, as shown.

[0109] The pre-loading compartments 61a..61c are designed to accommodate load carriers 3a..3c. Preferably, the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c each have one pre-loading location or two or more pre-loading locations arranged one behind the other, on each of which a load carrier 3a..3c can be placed.

[0110] The first preloading compartments 61a, the second preloading compartments 61b, and / or the further preloading compartments 61c are preferably arranged one above the other, thus forming a first, second, and / or further preloading column. As can be seen in Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b, the preloading columns are arranged side by side, with the further preloading compartments 61c preferably being arranged between the first preloading compartments 61a and the second preloading compartments 61b.

[0111] Furthermore, the preloading rack 6 can comprise a plurality of preloading shelves 62 arranged one above the other, on which the preloading compartments 61a...61c are provided. In this case, a first preloading compartment 61a, a second preloading compartment 61b, and / or a further preloading compartment 61c are arranged next to one another on a preloading shelf 62, so that they form a preloading row. The preloading shelves 62 provide a plurality of preloading rows arranged one above the other.

[0112] The first and / or second transfer system 11a, 11b each has a transfer device 7, with which load carriers 3a..3c can be transferred between the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c and the shelf compartments 21a..21c. For reasons of clarity, the transfer device 7 is not shown in Fig. 1a to Fig. 2b, although one is preferably provided.

[0113] As shown in Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b, the transfer device 7 can comprise transfer elements 71 arranged one above the other and / or side by side, which are designed as sliders. The sliders are designed to be movable along a transfer direction (horizontally). Furthermore, the transfer elements 71 are each assigned to a pre-loading compartment 61a..61c and can be positioned against load carriers 3a..3c in order to push them from the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c into shelf compartments 21a..21c or vice versa by a horizontal extension movement.

[0114] In order to push load carriers 3a..3c from pre-loading compartments 61a..61c of a pre-loading rack 6 into shelf compartments 21a..21c, those transfer elements 71 are assigned to the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c that are located on the same side of the staging area 41 as the pre-loading rack 6. For this purpose, the transfer elements 71 of the first transfer system 11a can be arranged on the first side of the staging area 41 and, if appropriate, the transfer elements 71 of the second transfer system 11b can be arranged on the second side of the staging area 41.

[0115] In order to push load carriers 3a..3c from shelf compartments 21a..21c into pre-loading compartments 61a..61c of a pre-loading rack 6, those transfer elements 71 can be assigned to the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c that are located on a side of the staging area 41 opposite the pre-loading rack 6. For this purpose, the transfer elements 71 of the first transfer system 11a can be arranged on the second side of the staging area 41, as shown in Fig. 3b, and optionally the transfer elements 71 of the second transfer system 11b can be arranged on the first side of the staging area 41.

[0116] If the load carrier transfer device 7 comprises a second transfer system 11b, as shown, for example, in Fig. 3b, it can be provided that the pre-loading rack 6 of the first transfer system 11a is positioned between the provision location 41 and the transfer device 7 or the transfer elements 71 of the second transfer system 11b. Analogously, it can be provided that the pre-loading rack 6 of the second transfer system 11a is positioned between the provision location 41 and the transfer device 7 or the transfer elements 71 of the first transfer system 11b. The transfer elements 71 of the transfer device 7 of one transfer system 11a, 11b can be guided through the pre-loading rack 6 of the respective other transfer system 11a, 11b in order to introduce them into the shelf compartments 21a..21c.

[0117] In particular, it can be provided that the transfer devices 7 operate selectively as a transfer device 7 of the first or the second transfer system 11b, depending on whether a transport frame 2 is to be loaded or unloaded.

[0118] Furthermore, the first transfer system 11a and / or the second transfer system 11b each have a buffer device 8. As shown in dashed lines in Fig. 1a to Fig. 2b, the buffer device 8 can comprise first buffer compartments 81a and second buffer compartments 81b. The first buffer compartments 81a and the second buffer compartments 81b are each arranged one above the other and thus form a first and second buffer column, respectively.

[0119] The buffer compartments 81a, 81b are designed to accommodate load carriers 3a..3c, wherein the buffer compartments 81a, 81b preferably each have one buffer space or two or more buffer spaces arranged one behind the other, on each of which a load carrier 3a..3c can be placed.

[0120] Preferably, the buffer compartments 81a, 81b are arranged next to the preload compartments 61a..61c and aligned with them. As can be seen, for example, in Fig. 1a, Fig. 2a, and Fig. 3a, the first buffer compartments 81a can be arranged, preferably on the first transfer side 63c, next to the first preload compartments 61a, and the second buffer compartments 81b can be arranged, preferably on the second transfer side 63d, next to the second preload compartments 61b. The preload compartments 61a..61c are arranged between the first buffer compartments 81a and the second buffer compartments 81b.

[0121] Alternatively, the first buffer compartments 81a and the second buffer compartments 81b can be arranged on the same side of the pre-loading frame 6, in particular on the first transfer side 63c next to the first pre-loading compartments 61a, as shown by way of example in Fig. 1b, Fig. 2b and Fig. 3b.

[0122] Preferably, the buffer compartments 81a, 81b as well as the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c are provided on the pre-loading floors 62, so that the load carriers 3a..3c can be moved on the respective pre-loading floors 62 between the buffer compartments 81a, 81b and the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c.

[0123] The buffer device 8 further comprises a transfer device for transferring the load carriers 3a..3c between the buffer compartments 81a, 81b and the pre-load compartments 61a..61c. For reasons of clarity, the transfer device is not shown in Fig. 1a to Fig. 2b, although one is preferably provided.

[0124] Analogous to the transfer device 7, the transfer device comprises stacked transfer elements 82a, 82b, which are essentially designed as sliders movable (horizontally) along a transfer direction. Each transfer element 82a, 82b is assigned to a buffer compartment 81a, 81b and aligned with it, so that the transfer elements 82a, 82b can each be inserted into the assigned buffer compartment 81a, 81b to push load carriers 3a..3c from it into a pre-loading compartment 61a..61c, or can be inserted into a pre-loading compartment 61a..61c to push load carriers 3a..3c from it into the buffer compartment 81a, 81b assigned to the respective transfer element 82a, 82b. In particular, first transfer elements 82a are assigned to the first buffer areas 81a and, if appropriate, second transfer elements 82b are assigned to the second buffer areas 81b and aligned therewith.

[0125] Alternatively, the first transfer elements 82a may be assigned to both the first buffer compartments 81a and the second buffer compartments 81b, as shown in Fig. 3b.

[0126] In addition, the first transfer system 11a and / or the second transfer system 11b each comprise a conveyor system 9 with which the load carriers 3a..3c can be transported to or from the buffer device 8 in a conveying direction indicated by an arrow.

[0127] For this purpose, the conveyor system 9 can comprise a first conveyor device 91a assigned to the first buffer compartments 81a for transporting the load carriers 3a..3c to the first buffer compartments 81a or for transporting the load carriers 3a..3c away from them and optionally a second conveyor device 91b assigned to the second buffer compartments 81b for transporting the load carriers 3a..3c to the second buffer compartments 81b or for transporting the load carriers 3a..3c away from them.

[0128] In order to transport the load carriers 3a..3c from the respective conveyor device 91a, 91b to a height level of a buffer compartment 81a, 81b, the buffer device 8 of the first transfer system 11a and / or the second transfer system 11b can each comprise one or more lifting devices 83a, 83b. The lifting devices 83a, 83b can each comprise a plurality of vertically movable lifting compartments 84, in particular by a drive device, which are assigned to the buffer compartments 81a, 81b and can be aligned with them. For this purpose, the lifting devices 83a, 83b are preferably designed as paternosters.

[0129] As shown in Fig. 1a to Fig. 3b, a first lifting device 83a with lifting compartments 84 assigned to the first buffer compartments 81a and a second lifting device 83b with lifting compartments 84 assigned to the second buffer compartments 81b can be provided. The lifting compartments 84 are advantageously arranged between the assigned buffer compartments 81a, 81b and the respectively assigned conveying device 91a, 91b.

[0130] In order to transfer load carriers 3a..3c between the lifting device 83a, 83b and the conveying device 91a, 91b, the lifting device 83a, 83b can have a first transfer means 85a. As can be seen in Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b, the first transfer means 85a can be designed as a (horizontally) movable slider, with which the load carriers 3a..3c can be displaced between the conveying device 91a, 91b and the lifting surfaces 84.

[0131] Furthermore, the lifting device 83a, 83b can have second transfer means 85b, in particular arranged one above the other, for transferring load carriers 3a..3c between the buffer compartments 81a, 81b and the lifting compartments 84. Analogous to the transfer elements 71 and / or the transfer elements 82a, 82b, the second transfer means 85b are designed as horizontally movable sliders, with which the load carriers 3a..3c can be shifted between the buffer compartments 81a, 81b and the lifting compartments 84. A second transfer means 85b is assigned to each buffer compartment 81a, 81b.

[0132] The schematically illustrated control system 5 is provided to control the load transfer station and coordinate individual components of the load transfer station. It comprises, in particular, a first control device 51a, with which the transfer device 7 of the first transfer system 11a can be controlled, and optionally a second control device 51b, with which the transfer device 7 of the second transfer system 11b can be controlled. Furthermore, the control system 5 can comprise a further control device 51c, which is designed to control and coordinate the transfer elements 82a, 82b of the buffer device 8 of the first and / or second transfer system 11b.

[0133] Fig. 4a to Fig. 4c show transport racks 2 of different transport rack types. Fig. 4a shows a single-column transport rack 2 which only comprises first shelf compartments 21a arranged one above the other, forming a first shelf column. Fig. 4b also shows a two-column transport rack 2 which comprises both first shelf compartments 21a arranged one above the other and second shelf compartments 21b arranged one above the other and arranged next to the first shelf compartments 21a, forming a second shelf column. Fig. 4c also shows a multi-column transport rack 2 which comprises first shelf compartments 21a arranged one above the other, second shelf compartments 21b arranged one above the other, and further shelf compartments 21c arranged one above the other between the first shelf compartments 21a and second shelf compartments 21b, forming a third shelf column.

[0134] The shelf compartments 21a..21c are designed to accommodate load carriers 3a..3c. Preferably, the shelf compartments 21a..21c each comprise one shelf location or two or more consecutively arranged shelf locations, each of which can accommodate a load carrier 3a..3c, as can be seen in particular in Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b.

[0135] Fig. 5a to Fig. 5e show a schematic plan view of the load carrier transfer station 1 from Fig. 3a. As can be seen, the staging device 4 comprises the staging location 41 and the transport rack conveyor system 42, with which transport racks 2 can be transported to and from the staging location 41. The pre-loading racks 6 of the first and second transfer system 11b are arranged on both sides of the staging location 41. The first and second buffer compartments 81a, 81b are arranged on the first and second transfer sides 63c, 63d of the pre-loading rack 6, as described in connection with Fig. 2a. A first lifting device 83a is assigned to each of the first buffer compartments 81a, and a second lifting device 83b is assigned to each of the second buffer compartments 81b.

[0136] Furthermore, Figs. 6a to 6e schematically illustrate a side view of a lifting device 83a, 83b as an example. Here, the first lifting device 83a is shown as representative of the first and second lifting devices 83a, 83b. The second lifting device 83b can thus be constructed identically.

[0137] A method for loading a transport rack 2 according to a loading order is described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 5a to Fig. 5e and Fig. 6a to Fig. 6e. The loading order can be recorded electronically and typically specifies which load carriers 3a..3c are required for the transport rack 2 to be loaded and, if applicable, in which shelf compartment 21a..21c and / or on which shelf location the respective load carriers 3a..3c are to be placed. Furthermore, the loading order can be recorded by the control system 5 or transmitted to it in order to control the load carrier transfer station 1 accordingly.

[0138] In a first loading step, load carriers 3a..3c are provided which are required according to the loading order. Some of the load carriers 3a..3c can form first load carriers 3a, second load carriers 3b and / or further load carriers 3c. For example, the first load carriers 3a and the second load carriers 3b are transferred into the transport frame 2 by the first transfer system 11a, and the further load carriers 3c are transferred by the second transfer system 11b. In a second loading step, the load carriers 3a..3c are transported to the buffer device 8, as shown in Fig. 5a. In the first transfer system 11a, the first load carriers 3a are transported to the first buffer compartments 81a by means of the first conveyor device 91a, and optionally the second load carriers 3b are transported to the second buffer compartments 81b by means of the second conveyor device 91b.Preferably, the further load carriers 3c in the second transfer system 11b are transported to the first buffer compartments 81a of the second buffer device 8 by means of the first conveyor device 91a.

[0139] Subsequently, in a third loading step, the load carriers 3a..3c can be transferred into those buffer compartments 81a, 81b to which they were transported, as shown in Fig. 5b and Fig. 5c. In the first transfer system 11a, the first load carriers 3a are transferred from the first conveyor device 91a into the lifting compartments 84 of the first lifting device 83a, and optionally the second load carriers 3b are transferred from the second conveyor device 91b into the lifting compartments 84 of the second lifting device 83b. Furthermore, the further load carriers 3c can be transferred in the second transfer system 11b from the first conveyor device 91a into the lifting compartments 84 of the first lifting device 83a.

[0140] The transfer of the load carriers 3a..3c into the lifting compartments 84 and further into the buffer compartments 81a, 81b is shown in Fig. 6a to Fig. 6e by way of example for the first load carrier 3a, the first lifting device 83a and the first buffer compartments 81a and can of course be carried out in the same way for the second and / or third load carriers 3a, the second lifting device 83b and the second buffer compartments 81b.

[0141] In order to transfer the load carriers 3a..3c into the lifting compartments 84, a free lifting compartment 84 of the respective lifting device 83a, 83b can be aligned with the respective conveyor device 91a, 91b, as shown in Fig. 6a by way of example for the first lifting device 83a. The load carriers 3a..3c, in particular one or two load carriers, can then be transferred into the free lifting compartment by being moved from the respective conveyor device 91a, 91b into the lifting compartment 84 by the first transfer means 85a, as shown in Fig. 6b. The now filled lifting compartment 84 can, as shown in Fig. 6c, be moved vertically downwards or alternatively upwards by the conveyor device 91a, 91b, and a next free lifting compartment 84 can be aligned with the conveyor device 91a, 91b to receive the next load carriers 3a..3c. This can be repeated until the load carriers 3a..3c of the loading order have been picked up in lifting compartments 84. As further shown in Fig.As shown in Fig. 6d, the lifting compartments 84 can then be aligned with the respectively assigned buffer compartments 81a, 81b, after which the load carriers 3a..3c are moved by the second transfer means 85b of the lifting device 83a, 83b into the respectively assigned buffer compartments 81a, 81b, as shown in Fig. 5c and Fig. 6e. Here, the first load carriers 3a are transferred into the first buffer compartments 81a and the second load carriers 3b into the second buffer compartments 81b of the first transfer system 11a, and the further load carriers 3c into the first buffer compartments 81a of the further transfer system 11a, 11b. For reasons of clarity, the second transfer means 85b are not shown in Fig. 5a, Fig. 5b, Fig. 5d and Fig. 5e.

[0142] In a fourth loading step, the load carriers 3a..3c are temporarily stored in the respective buffer compartments 81a, 81b, preferably until all load carriers 3a..3c of the loading order are present in buffer compartments 81a, 81b.

[0143] In order to also use the second buffer compartments 81b of the second transfer system 11b, the loading steps described above can be carried out in parallel for load carriers 3a..3c of a next loading order, whereby these are temporarily stored in the second buffer compartments 81b of the second transfer system 11b.

[0144] Meanwhile, in a fifth loading step, the pre-loading rack 6 of the first transfer system 11a is provided on the first side of the staging area 41 and, if applicable, the pre-loading rack 6 of the second transfer system 11b is provided on the second side of the staging area 41. This can be achieved, in particular, by the respective pre-loading rack 6 already being present as part of the load carrier transfer station 1, as previously described.

[0145] In a sixth loading step, the load carriers 3a..3c are transferred, as shown in Fig. 5d, from the buffer compartments 81a, 81b into the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c assigned to the buffer compartments 81a, 81b. This is preferably done by pushing the load carriers 3a..3c from the buffer compartments 81a, 81b into the respectively assigned pre-loading compartments 61a..61c by the first transfer elements 82a and second transfer elements 82b assigned to the buffer compartments 81a, 81b. For this purpose, the first transfer elements 82a can be extended in a first transfer direction, and the second transfer elements 82b can be extended in a second transfer direction (horizontally) opposite to the first transfer direction. The first transfer direction preferably runs orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the preloading compartments 61a..61c and from the first buffer compartments 81a toward the preloading compartments 61a..61c. Similarly, the second transfer direction can run orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the preloading compartments 61a..61c and from the second buffer compartments 81b in the direction of the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c.

[0146] In the first transfer system 11a, the first load carriers 3a are transferred, in particular pushed, by the first transfer elements 82a from the first buffer compartments 81a into the first pre-loading compartments 61a, and optionally the second load carriers 3b are transferred, in particular pushed, by the second transfer elements 82b from the second buffer compartments 81b into the second pre-loading compartments 61b. If necessary, in the second transfer system 11b, the further load carriers 3c are transferred, in particular pushed, by the first transfer elements 82a from the first buffer compartments 81a into the further pre-loading compartments 61c. In this case, those transfer elements 82a, 82b which are required to move the respective load carriers 3a..3c simultaneously on the respective pre-loading floor 62 into the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c can be moved synchronously, essentially horizontally, along the first or second transfer direction.

[0147] Thus, in the sixth loading step, a loading group is prepared in the first pre-loading rack 6 and / or second pre-loading rack 6, which comprises the first, second and / or further load carriers 3a..3c.

[0148] As can also be seen in Fig. 5c and Fig. 5d, in a seventh loading step, the transport rack 2 to be loaded is transported to the staging area 41 by the transport rack conveyor system 42 and placed there. Using the previously described positioning means 43, the transport rack 2 can be positioned and fixed so that the shelf compartments 21a..21c are aligned with the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c.

[0149] In an eighth loading step, the load carriers 3a..3c of the loading group are transferred from the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c to the shelf compartments 21a..21c. This is preferably done by extending the transfer elements 71 horizontally in a transfer direction to push the load carriers 3a..3c from the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c into the shelf compartments 21a..21c, as shown in Fig. 5e.

[0150] The transfer elements 71 are moved synchronously in particular in order to transfer the load carriers 3a..3c of the loading group simultaneously. Preferably, the transfer elements 71 of the first transfer system 11a are extended in a first transfer direction and the transfer elements 71 of the second transfer system 11b are extended in a second transfer direction opposite to the first transfer direction. The first transfer direction preferably runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c of the first transfer system 11a and from there in the direction of the shelf compartments 21a..21c or in the direction of the staging location 41. Analogously, the second transfer direction can run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c of the second transfer system 11b and from there in the direction of the shelf compartments 21a..21c or in the direction of the staging location 41.

[0151] Finally, the loaded transport rack 2 can be transported away from the staging area 41 by the transport rack conveyor system 42, as shown by way of example in Fig. 5a, and the loading steps described above can be repeated for a next transport rack 2 or for a next loading order.

[0152] Fig. 7a to Fig. 7g show a schematic plan view of the load carrier transfer station 1 from Fig. 3b. As can be seen here, the staging device 4 comprises the staging location 41 and the transport rack conveyor system 42, with which transport racks 2 can be transported to and from the staging location 41. The pre-loading racks 6 of the first and second transfer system 11b are arranged on both sides of the staging location 41. The buffer compartments 81a, 81b are arranged on the first transfer side 63c of the pre-loading rack 6, as described in connection with Fig. 2b. A first lifting device 83a is assigned to each of the first buffer compartments 81a, and a second lifting device 83b is assigned to each of the second buffer compartments 81b.

[0153] Furthermore, Figs. 8a to 8e schematically illustrate a side view of a lifting device 83a, 83b as an example. Here, the first lifting device 83a is shown as representative of the first and second lifting devices 83a, 83b. The second lifting device 83b can thus be constructed identically.

[0154] A method for unloading a transport rack 2, in particular according to an unloading order, is described below with reference to Fig. 7a to Fig. 7g and Fig. 8a to Fig. 8e. The unloading order can be recorded electronically and specify which transport rack 2, in particular which transport rack type, is to be unloaded and / or which transfer elements 71 are required for this purpose. Furthermore, the unloading order can be recorded by the control system 5 or transmitted to it in order to control the load carrier transfer station 1 accordingly. In a first unloading step, the pre-loading rack 6 of the first transfer system 11a is stationary on the first side of the provisioning location 41 and, if appropriate, the pre-loading rack 6 of the second transfer system 11b is stationary on the second side of the provisioning location 41.This can be achieved in particular by the respective pre-loading frame 6 already being present as part of the load carrier transfer station 1, as previously described.

[0155] As can be seen in Fig. 7a, in a second unloading step, a transport rack 2 to be unloaded is provided at the staging area 41. For this purpose, the transport rack 2 is transported to the staging area 41 by the transport rack conveyor system 42 and positioned and fixed by means of the previously described positioning means 43 so that the shelf compartments 21a..21c are aligned with the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c.

[0156] In a third unloading step, the transport frame 2 is unloaded by transferring the load carriers 3a..3c from the shelf compartments 21a..21c into the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c, as shown in Fig. 7b to Fig. 7d. This is preferably done by extending the transfer elements 71 horizontally in a transfer direction to push the load carriers 3a..3c from the shelf compartments 21a..21c into the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c, as described below.

[0157] First, the first load carriers 3a are transferred from the first shelf compartments 21a to the first pre-loading compartments 61a of the first transfer system 11a. For this purpose, the transfer elements 71 assigned to the first pre-loading compartments 61a of the first transfer system 11a are extended in a first transfer direction and inserted into the first shelf compartments 21a in order to push the first load carriers 3a out of them and into the first pre-loading compartments 61a.

[0158] If necessary, the additional load carriers 3c are transferred from the additional shelf compartments 21c to the additional pre-loading compartments 61c of the second transfer system 11b. For this purpose, the transfer elements 71 assigned to the additional pre-loading compartments 61a of the additional transfer system 11a are extended in a second transfer direction and inserted into the additional shelf compartments 21a in order to push the additional load carriers 3a out of them and into the additional pre-loading compartments 61a.

[0159] The first transfer direction preferably runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c of the first transfer system 11a and from the shelf compartments 21a..21c or from the staging area 41 in the direction of the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c of the first transfer system 11a. Analogously, the second transfer direction can run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c of the second transfer system 11b and from the shelf compartments 21a..21c or from the staging area 41 in the direction of the pre-loading compartments 61a..61c of the second transfer system 11b.

[0160] In a fourth unloading step, the first load carriers 3a are transferred by the first transfer elements 82a of the buffer device 8 of the first transfer system 11a into the first buffer compartments 81a of the first transfer system 11a and, if appropriate, the further load carriers 3c are transferred by the first transfer elements 82a of the buffer device 8 of the second transfer system 11b into the first buffer compartments 81a of the second transfer system 11b.

[0161] After the first load carriers 3a have been transferred in the fourth unloading step and the pre-loading rack 6 of the first transfer system 11a is thus free of load carriers 3a..3c, the third and fourth unloading steps are carried out for the second load carriers 3b, wherein the second load carriers 3b are transferred from the second shelf compartments 21b to the second pre-loading compartments 61b of the first transfer system 11a and then to the second buffer compartments 81b of the first transfer system 11a, as shown in Fig. 6d and Fig. 6e. For this purpose, the transfer elements 71 assigned to the first pre-loading compartments 61a of the first transfer system 11a are extended horizontally and inserted into the first shelf compartments 21a in order to push the first load carriers 3a out of them and push them into the first pre-loading compartments 61a.Subsequently, the second load carriers 3b are transferred from the second pre-loading compartments 61b into the second buffer compartments 81b by the first transfer elements 82a of the buffer device 8 of the first transfer system 11a, just as the first load carriers 3a were previously transferred.

[0162] In a fifth discharge step, the first charge carriers 3a, the second charge carriers 3b and / or the further charge carriers 3c are temporarily stored in the respective buffer compartments 81a, 81b.

[0163] In order to separate the load carriers 3a..3c, they are transferred from the respective buffer compartments 81a, 81b to the conveyor devices 91a, 91b assigned to the buffer compartments 81a, 81b. The first load carriers 3a are transferred from the first buffer compartments 81a to the first conveyor device 91a of the first transfer system 11a by means of the first lifting device 83a, the second load carriers 3b are transferred from the second buffer compartments 81b to the first conveyor device 91a of the first transfer system 11a by means of the second lifting device 83b, and / or the further load carriers 3c are transferred from the first buffer compartments 81a to the first conveyor device 91a of the second transfer system 11b by means of the first lifting device 83a of the second transfer system 11b.

[0164] To transfer the load carriers 3a..3c into the lifting compartments 84, the lifting compartments 84 can be aligned with the respective associated buffer compartments 81a, 81b, as shown in Fig. 8a by the first lifting device 83a. By horizontally extending the second transfer means 85b of the respective lifting device 83a, 83b, the load carriers 3a..3c can be moved from the buffer compartments 81a, 81b into the lifting compartments 84, as shown in Fig. 8b. The lifting compartments 84 now filled with load carriers 3a..3c can be aligned one after the other on the respective conveyor device 91a, 91b and the load carriers 3a..3c can be moved from the respective lifting compartment onto the conveyor device 91a, 91b by the first transfer means 85a, as shown in Fig. 8c to Fig. 8e.

[0165] Finally, the load carriers 3a..3c are transported away by the respective conveyor system 9. In particular, the first load carriers 3a are transported away by the first conveyor device 91a of the first transfer system 11a, the second load carriers 3b by the second conveyor device 91b of the first transfer system 11a, and / or the further load carriers 3c by the first conveyor device 91a of the second transfer system 11b. This can be repeated until all load carriers 3a..3c of the unloading order have been transferred to the conveyor system 9.

[0166] Fig. 9 shows a schematic representation of a storage and picking system 10, which comprises a warehouse 101 for providing goods and a picking station 102 for picking the goods into load carriers 3a..3c. The warehouse 101 is connected to the picking station 102 via an automated goods conveyor system 103 in order to transport goods to the picking station 102. The load carriers 3a..3c can be provided at the picking station 102 and filled with goods according to picking orders. Optionally, the storage and picking system 10 can comprise a load carrier warehouse 104 (shown in dashed lines), in which (empty) load carriers 3a..3c can be stored or temporarily stored. The load carrier warehouse 104 can be connected to the picking station 102 by a load carrier conveyor device or the conveyor system 9 of the unloading station 1".

[0167] In addition, the storage and order-picking system 10 comprises a previously described load carrier transfer station 1, which is provided as a loading station 1' for loading transport racks 2. The loading station 1' is preferably designed as described in connection with Fig. 1a, Fig. 2a and Fig. 3a. The loading station 1' is connected to the order-picking station 102 via the conveyor system 9 of the first transfer system 11a and / or the second transfer system 11b in order to transport the load carriers 3a..3c from the order-picking station 102 to the loading station 1' and to make them available there.

[0168] Furthermore, the storage and order picking system 10 comprises a further previously described load carrier transfer station 1, which is provided for unloading transport racks 2 as an unloading station 1". Preferably, the unloading station 1" is designed as described in connection with Fig. 1b, Fig. 2b and Fig. 3b. The transport rack conveyor system 42 of the unloading station 1" is connected to the transport rack conveyor system 42 of the loading station 1' in order to transport unloaded transport racks 2 from the unloading station 1' to the loading station 1' and to make them available there for reloading with load carriers 3a..3c.

[0169] In addition, the unloading station 1 ' ' can be connected to the load carrier warehouse 104 and / or the picking station 102 via the conveyor system 9 of the first transfer system 11a and / or the second transfer system 11b in order to transport the load carriers 3a..3c into the load carrier warehouse 104 or to the picking station 102, as indicated by a dashed line.

[0170] Optionally, the storage and picking system 10 can include a transport rack warehouse 105 in which empty transport racks 2 can be stored or temporarily stored. The transport rack warehouse 105 can be connected to the loading station 1' via a transport rack conveyor system 42 in order to provide transport racks 2 for reloading with load carriers 3a..3c at the loading station 1'. Preferably, the transport rack warehouse 105 is also connected to the unloading station 1' by conveyor technology in order to transport unloaded transport racks 2 from the unloading station 1' to the transport rack warehouse 105.

[0171] In the sense of a transport rack material flow, a checking station 106 can be arranged between the unloading station 1 ' ' and the loading station 1' and optionally between the transport rack storage 105 and the loading station 1', which checking station is designed to check a quality of the transport racks 2.

[0172] Fig. 10 shows a section of the storage and order picking system 10, wherein the load carrier transfer stations 1, in particular the loading station 1' and the unloading station 1" are visible.

[0173] As can be seen in Fig. 8, a transport rack 2 can be transported to the unloading station 1' ' via the transport rack conveyor system 42 and unloaded there as described above. The transport rack 2 can then be transported away from the unloading station 1' ' via the transport rack conveyor system 42 and transported to the loading station 1' ', where the transport rack 2 can be made ready and loaded with load carriers 3a..3c as described above, before the loaded transport rack 2 is transported away from the loading station 1' via the transport rack conveyor system 42.

[0174] Optionally, an inspection station 106 can be arranged between the unloading station 1" and the loading station 1' in the sense of a transport rack material flow. The transport rack 2 can be transported from the unloading station 1' via the transport rack conveyor system 42 to the inspection station 106, at which the quality of the transport rack 2, in particular the dimensional accuracy of the transport rack 2, is checked. The transport rack 2 can then be transported further to the loading station 1' and made available there for reloading if the quality check has shown that the transport rack 2 is suitable for reloading. If, however, the check has shown that the transport rack 2 is not suitable for reloading, for example because it is deformed, the defective transport rack 2 can be transported away from the loading station 1' without being loaded.

[0175] Finally, it should be noted that the scope of protection is determined by the patent claims. However, the description and drawings should be used to interpret the claims. Individual features or combinations of features from the various embodiments shown and described may represent independent inventive solutions in their own right.

[0176] In particular, it is also noted that the devices depicted may in reality comprise more or fewer components than shown. In some cases, the depicted devices or their components may also be shown not to scale and / or enlarged and / or reduced in size.

[0177] Reference symbol list

[0178] 1 load carrier transfer station 101 warehouse

[0179] 1' Loading station 102 Picking station

[0180] 1“ unloading station 103 goods conveyor system

[0181] 11a, 11b Transfer system 104 Load carrier storage Transport rack 105 Transport rack storage 1a. ,21c Shelf compartment 106 Inspection station a..3c Load carrier Provision device 1 Provisioning location 2 Transport rack conveyor technology 3 Positioning device

[0182] 5 Tax system

[0183] 51a..51c Control device

[0184] 6 Pre-loading frame

[0185] 61a..61c Pre-loading compartment

[0186] 62 Pre-loading floor

[0187] 63a Transfer side

[0188] 63b access page

[0189] 63c, 63d Transfer page

[0190] 7 Transfer device

[0191] 71 transfer elements

[0192] 8 Buffer device

[0193] 81a, 81b buffer compartment 82a, 82b transfer element 83a, 83b lifting device 84 lifting compartment

[0194] 85a, 85b Transfer device 9 Conveyor system

[0195] 91a, 91b Conveyor device

[0196] 10 Storage and picking system

Claims

Patent claims 1. Load carrier transfer station (1) for loading a transport frame (2) with a transport rack (2) loaded with load carriers (3a..3c), wherein the transport rack (2) has shelf compartments (21a..21c) arranged one above the other and / or next to each other for receiving the load carriers (3a..3c), comprising a staging device (4) with a staging position (41) for the transport rack (2), a control system (5) and a first transfer system (11a), which has a transfer device (7) for loading and / or unloading the transport rack (2), a buffer device (8) with buffer compartments (81a, 81b) for temporarily storing the load carriers (3a..3c) and a conveying system (9) for transporting the load carriers (3a..3c) to and / or transporting the load carriers (3a..3c) from the buffer device (8), characterized in that the first transfer system (11a) a loading rack (6) comprising loading compartments arranged one above the other and / or next to each other (61a..61c) for receiving the load carriers (3a..3c) and is arranged on a first side of the staging area (41), wherein the staging device (4) is designed to position the transport frame (2) at the staging area (41) so that the shelf compartments (21a..21c) are aligned with the preloading compartments (61a..61c), the transfer device (7) has transfer elements (71) arranged one above the other and / or next to each other, which can be moved synchronously by a first control device (51a) of the control system (5) in order to simultaneously introduce the load carriers (3a..3c) from the preloading compartments (61a..61c) into the shelf compartments (21a..21c) and / or simultaneously from the shelf compartments (21a..21c) into the preloading compartments (61a..61c), and the buffer device (8) is a transfer device to Transfer of charge carriers (3a..3c) between the buffer compartments (81a, 81b) and the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) is shown.

2. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the load carrier transfer station (1) comprises a second transfer system (11b) which has a transfer device (7) for loading and / or unloading the transport frame (2), a buffer device (8) with buffer compartments (81a, 81b) for temporarily storing the load carriers (3a..3c), a conveyor system (9) for transporting the load carriers (3a..3c) to and / or transporting the load carriers (3a..3c) from the buffer device (8), and a pre-loading rack (6) which has pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) arranged one above the other and / or next to each other for receiving the load carriers (3a..3c) and is arranged on a second side of the staging area (41) that is different from the first side, wherein the staging device (4) is configured to position the transport frame (2) at the staging area (41) to position so that the shelf compartments (21a..21c) are additionally connected to the preloading compartments (61a..61c) of the pre-loading rack (6) of the second transfer system (11b) are aligned in a straight line, the transfer device (7) has transfer elements (71) arranged one above the other and / or next to each other, which can be moved synchronously by a second control device (51b) of the control system (5) in order to simultaneously transfer the load carriers (3a..3c) from the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) into the shelf compartments (21a..21c) and / or simultaneously from the shelf compartments (21a..21c) into the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c), and the buffer device (8) has a transfer device for transferring the load carriers (3a..3c) between the buffer compartments (81a, 81b) and the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c).

3. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) comprise first pre-loading compartments (61a) and the buffer compartments (81a, 81b) comprise first buffer compartments (81a) which are assigned to the first pre-loading compartments (61a).

4. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) comprise second pre-loading compartments (61b) and the buffer compartments (81a, 81b) comprise second buffer compartments (81b) which are assigned to the second pre-loading compartments (61b).

5. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the preloading compartments (61a..61c) comprise further preloading compartments (61c).

6. Charge carrier transfer station (1) according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the transfer device has first transfer elements (82a) which are assigned to the first buffer compartments (81a) and / or second transfer elements (82b) which are assigned to the second buffer compartments (81b) in order to transfer charge carriers (3a..3c) between a buffer compartment (81a, 81b) assigned to the respective transfer element (82a, 82b) and a preload compartment (61a..61c) assigned to this buffer compartment (81a, 81b).

7. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the first transfer elements (82a) and / or the second transfer elements (82b) are configured to transfer load carriers (3a..3c) between a buffer compartment (81a, 81b) assigned to the respective transfer element (82a, 82b) and one of the further preload compartments (61c).

8. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the buffer compartments (81a, 81b) comprise further buffer compartments which are aligned with the further preloading compartments (61c), and the transfer device has further transfer elements to transfer the load carriers (3a..3c) along a further transfer direction between the further buffer compartments and the further preloading compartments (61c).

9. Charge carrier transfer station (1) according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the control system (5) has a further control device (51c) which is configured to control the first transfer elements (82a), the second transfer elements (82b) and / or the further transfer elements so that they move synchronously in order to transfer charge carriers (3a..3c) simultaneously.

10. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to one of claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the conveying system (9) comprises a first conveying device (91a) assigned to the first buffer compartments (81a), a second conveying device (91b) assigned to the second buffer compartments (81b) and / or a further conveying device assigned to the further buffer compartments The conveying device comprises components designed for transporting the load carriers (3a..3c) to and / or removing the load carriers (3a..3c) from their respective assigned buffer compartments (81a, 81b).

11. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in that the first buffer compartments (81a) are arranged one above the other and the buffer device (8) has a first lifting device (83a) for transferring the load carriers (3a..3c) between the conveyor system (9) and the first buffer compartments (81a) and / or the second buffer compartments (81b) are arranged one above the other and the buffer device (8) has a second lifting device (83b) for transferring the load carriers (3a..3c) between the conveyor system (9) and the second buffer compartments (81b).

12. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the first lifting device (83a) has lifting compartments (84) assigned to the first buffer areas (81a) for receiving the load carriers (3a..3c) and / or the second lifting device (83b) has lifting compartments (84) assigned to the second buffer areas (81b) for receiving the load carriers (3a..3c), wherein the lifting compartments (84) can be aligned at the respective assigned buffer areas (81a, 81b) in order to transfer the load carriers (3a..3c) between the lifting compartments (84) and the buffer areas (81a, 81b), or can be aligned at preloading compartments (61a..61c) which are assigned to the respective assigned buffer areas (81a, 81b) in order to provide the respective assigned buffer areas (81a, 81b).

13. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the first lifting device (83a) and / or the second lifting device (83b) is each designed as a paternoster which includes the lifting compartments (84).

14. Load carrier transfer station (1) according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the control system (5) is configured to to record a transfer order that includes selected preloading compartments (61a..61c), whereby load carriers (3a..3c) are to be transferred between the selected preloading compartments (61a..61c) and the associated shelf compartments (21a..21c), and to control the first control device (51a) and / or the second control device (51b) according to the transfer order in order to move selected transfer elements (71) synchronously, which are required for transferring load carriers (3a..3c) between the selected preloading compartments (61a..61c) and the associated shelf compartments (21a..21c).

15. Storage and order picking system (10) for storing and picking goods, comprising a warehouse (101) for providing goods, a picking station (102) for picking the goods into load carriers (3a..3c) according to picking orders, an automated goods conveying system (103) for transporting goods between the warehouse (101) and the picking station (102), and a load carrier transfer station (1) for loading a transport rack (2) with load carriers (3a..3c), characterized in that the load carrier transfer station (1) is configured according to one of claims 1 to 14 and the conveying system (9) of the load carrier transfer station (1) is designed for transporting the load carriers (3a..3c) between the picking station (102) and the load carrier transfer station (1).

16. Storage and order picking system (10) according to claim 15, comprising a further load carrier transfer station (1) for unloading a transport rack (2) loaded with load carriers (3a..3c), wherein the further load carrier transfer station (1) is configured according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

17. Method for loading a transport frame (2) with load carriers (3a..3c) according to a loading order by means of a load carrier transfer station (1), in particular according to one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the transport frame (2) has shelf compartments (21a..21c) arranged one above the other and / or next to each other for receiving the load carriers (3a..3c) and the loading order comprises first load carriers (3a) with which the transport frame (2) is to be loaded, comprising the steps: i) Providing charge carriers (3a..3c), wherein some of the charge carriers (3a..3c) form the first charge carriers (3a); ii) Transporting the first charge carriers (3a) to first buffer compartments (81a) by means of a conveying system (9); iii) Transferring the first charge carriers (3a) into the first buffer compartments (81a); iv) Temporarily storing the first charge carriers (3a) in the first buffer compartments (81a); v) Providing a pre-loading rack (6) of a first transfer system (11a) on a first side of a staging area (41) for the transport rack (2), wherein the pre-loading rack (6) has pre-loading compartments (6a..61c) arranged one above the other and / or next to each other, and some of the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) form first pre-loading compartments (61a) associated with the first buffer compartments (81a), wherein the buffer compartments (81a, 81b) are connected to the respective associated pre-loading compartments (61a..61c); vi) transferring the first load carriers (3a) from the respective buffer compartments (81a, 81b) to the preloading compartments (61a..61c) assigned to the buffer compartments (81a, 81b) in order to provide a loading group comprising the first load carriers (3a); vii) providing the transport rack (2) on the staging area (41) by means of a staging device (4), wherein the transport rack (2) is positioned such that the shelf compartments (21a..21c) are aligned with the preloading compartments (61a..61c), wherein some of the shelf compartments (21a..21c) form first shelf compartments (21a) assigned to the first preloading compartments (61a); viii) Loading the transport rack (2) by simultaneously transferring the load carriers (3a..3c) of the loading group from the pre-loading rack (6) into the transport rack (2), whereby the first load carriers (3a) are transferred from the first pre-loading compartments (61a) into the first shelf compartments (21a).

18. Method according to Annex 17, characterized in that the loading order additionally includes second load carriers (3b) with which the transport frame (2) is loaded to be carried out, and steps i) to viii) are additionally performed for the second load carriers (3b), wherein in step i) some of the load carriers (3a..3c) form the second load carriers (3b), in step ii) the second load carriers (3b) are transported to second buffer compartments (81b) by the conveyor system (9), in step iii) the second load carriers (3b) are transferred into the second buffer compartments (81b), in step iv) the second load carriers (3b) are temporarily stored in the respective buffer compartments (81a, 81b), in step v) some of the preloading compartments (61a..61c) of the preloading rack (6) of the first transfer system (11a) form second preloading compartments (61b) assigned to the second buffer compartments (81b), in step vi) the second load carriers (3b) are transferred from the respective buffer compartments (81a, 81b) into the the buffer compartments (81a, 81b) assigned to the preloading compartments (61a..61c) are transferred to provide the loading group, which additionally includes the second load carriers (3b), in step vii) some of the shelf compartments (21a..21c) form second shelf compartments (21b) which are assigned to the second pre-loading compartments (61b), and in step viii) the second load carriers (3b) are transferred from the second pre-loading compartments (61b) to the second shelf compartments (21b).

19. Method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the loading order additionally includes further load carriers (3c) with which the transport frame (2) is to be loaded, and steps i) to viii) are additionally carried out for the further load carriers (3c), wherein in step i) some of the load carriers (3a..3c) form the further load carriers (3c), In step ii) the additional load carriers (3c) are transported to additional buffer compartments by the conveyor system (9), in step iii) the additional load carriers (3c) are transferred into the additional buffer compartments, in step iv) the additional load carriers (3c) are temporarily stored in the additional buffer compartments, in step v) some of the preloading compartments (61a..61c) of the preloading rack (6) of the first transfer system (11a) form additional preloading compartments (61c) assigned to the additional buffer compartments, in step vi) the additional load carriers (3c) are transferred from the additional buffer compartments into the additional preloading compartments (61c) assigned to the additional buffer compartments in order to provide the loading group, which additionally includes the additional load carriers (3c), in step vii) some of the shelf compartments (21a..21c) further shelf compartments (21c) are formed, which are assigned to the further pre-loading compartments (61c), and in step viii) the further load carriers (3c) are transferred from the further pre-loading compartments (61c) to the further shelf compartments (21c).

20. Method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the loading order additionally comprises further load carriers (3c) with which the transport frame (2) is to be loaded, and steps i) to viii) are additionally carried out for the further load carriers (3c), wherein in step i) some of the load carriers (3a..3c) form the further load carriers (3c), in step ii) the further load carriers (3c) are transported to further buffer compartments by a further conveyor system (9), in step iii) the further load carriers (3c) are transferred into the further buffer compartments, in step iv) the further load carriers (3c) are temporarily stored in the respective buffer compartments (81a, 81b), In step v) a pre-loading rack (6) of a second transfer system (11b) is provided on a second side of the staging area (41), wherein the pre-loading rack (6) has pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) arranged one above the other and / or next to each other, and some of the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) form further pre-loading compartments (61c) assigned to the further buffer compartments, wherein the further buffer compartments are aligned with the respective assigned pre-loading areas (61a..61c), in step vi) the further load carriers (3c) are transferred from the respective buffer areas into the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) assigned to the buffer compartments in order to provide the loading group, which additionally includes the further load carriers (3c), in step vii) some of the shelf compartments (21a..21c) further shelf compartments (21c) are formed, which are assigned to the further pre-loading compartments (61c), and in step viii) the further load carriers (3c) are transferred from the further pre-loading compartments (61c) to the further shelf compartments (21c).

21. Method according to one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that the first load carriers (3a), the second load carriers (3b) and / or the further load carriers (3c) of the loading order are temporarily stored in step iv) until the respective load carriers (3a..3c) are fully present in buffer compartments (81a, 81b), after which the respective load carriers (3a..3c) are simultaneously transferred from the respective buffer compartments (81a, 81b) to the preload compartments (61a..61c) assigned to the buffer compartments (81a, 81b).

22. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that the first buffer compartments (81a), the second buffer compartments (81b) and / or the further buffer compartments are each arranged one above the other and the transfer of the first, second and / or further charge carriers (3a..3c) in step iii) is carried out by means of a lifting device (83a, 83b), wherein lifting compartments (84) of a first lifting device (83a) are assigned to the first buffer compartments (81a), lifting compartments (84) of a second lifting device (83b) are assigned to the second buffer compartments (81b) and / or lifting compartments (84) of a further lifting device are assigned to the further buffer compartments, and wherein The first load carriers (3a) are transferred from the conveyor system (9) to the lifting compartments (84) assigned to the first buffer areas (81a), the second load carriers (3b) are transferred from the conveyor system (9) to the lifting compartments (84) assigned to the second buffer areas (81b), and / or the further load carriers (3c) are transferred from the conveyor system (9) to the lifting compartments (84) assigned to the further buffer areas, after which the lifting compartments (84) are aligned with the respective assigned buffer areas (81a, 81b) and the first, second, and / or further load carriers (3a..3c) are transferred from the respective lifting compartments (84) to the assigned buffer areas (81a, 81b), or the lifting compartments (84) are aligned with those pre-loading areas (61a..61c) which are assigned to the respective buffer areas (81a, 81b) in order to align the assigned buffer areas (81a, 81b). to provide.

23. Method for unloading a transport rack (2) loaded with load carriers (3a..3c) by means of a load carrier transfer station (1), in particular a load carrier transfer station (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the transport rack (2) has shelf compartments (21a..21c) arranged one above the other and / or next to the other, in which the load carriers (3a..3c) are received, and some of the shelf compartments (21a..21c) form first shelf compartments (21a), wherein those load carriers (3a..3c) which are received in the first shelf compartments (21a) form first load carriers (3a), comprising the steps: i) providing a pre-loading rack (6) of a first transfer system (11a) on a first side of a staging area (41) for the transport rack (2), wherein the pre-loading rack (6) has pre-loading compartments (6) arranged one above the other and / or next to the other. la..61c) and some of the preloading compartments (61a..61c) form first preloading compartments (61a); ii) provide the transport rack (2) on a staging place (41) by means of a staging device (4), wherein the transport rack (2) is positioned such that the shelf compartments (21a..21c) are aligned with the preloading compartments (61a..61c), wherein the first shelf compartments (21a) are assigned to the first preloading compartments (61a); iii) Unloading the transport rack (2) by simultaneously transferring the first load carriers (3a) from the first shelf compartments (21a) into the first preloading compartments (61a); iv) Transferring the first load carriers (3a) from the first preloading compartments (61a) into first buffer compartments (81a); v) Temporarily storing the first load carriers (3a) in the first buffer compartments (81a); vi) Transferring the first load carriers (3a) from the first buffer compartments (81a) to a conveyor system (9); vii) Transporting the first load carriers (3a) by the conveyor system (9).

24. Method according to claim 23, characterized in that some of the shelf compartments (21a..21c) form second shelf compartments (21b) and those load carriers (3a..3c) which are received in the second shelf compartments (21b) form second load carriers (3b), wherein some of the preload compartments (61a..61c) of the preloading rack (6) provided in step i) form second preloading compartments (61b) and in step ii) the second shelf compartments (21b) are assigned to the second preloading compartments (61b), the procedure additionally comprising the following steps: iii') unloading the transport rack (2) further by simultaneously transferring the second load carriers (3b) from the second shelf compartments (21b) into the second preloading compartments (61b); iv') transferring the second load carriers (3b) from the second preloading compartments (61b) into second buffer compartments (81b) of the first transfer system (11a); v') temporarily storing the second load carriers (3b) in the second buffer compartments (81b); vi') transferring the second load carriers (3b) from the second buffer compartments (81b) to the conveyor system (9); vii') transporting the second load carriers (3b) away by the conveyor system (9).

25. Method according to claim 24, characterized in that steps iii'), iv'), v'), vi') and vii') are carried out after step iv).

26. Method according to one of claims 23 to 25, characterized in that some of the shelf compartments (21a..21c) form further shelf compartments (21c) and those load carriers (3a..3c) which are received in the further shelf compartments (21c) form further load carriers (3c), wherein steps i) to vii) are additionally carried out for the further load carriers (3c), wherein in step i) a pre-loading rack (6) of a second transfer system (11b) is provided on a second side of the staging area (41), wherein this has pre-loading compartments (6a..61c) arranged one above the other and / or next to each other and some of the pre-loading compartments (61a..61c) further preloading compartments (61c) are formed; in step ii) the further shelf compartments (21c) are assigned to the further preloading compartments (61c); in step iii) the transport rack (2) is further transferred by simultaneously transferring the further load carriers (3c) from the further shelf compartments (21c) into the further preloading compartments (61c); in step iv) the further load carriers (3c) are transferred from the further preloading compartments (61c) into further buffer compartments; in step v) the further load carriers (3c) are temporarily stored in the further buffer compartments; in step vi) the further load carriers (3c) are transferred from the further buffer compartments to a further conveyor system (9); in step vii) the further load carriers (3c) are transported away by the further conveyor system (9).

27. Method according to claim 26, characterized in that the first charge carriers (3a) and the further charge carriers (3c) are transferred simultaneously in step iii).

28. Method according to claims 23 to 27, characterized in that the first buffer compartments (81a), second buffer compartments (81b) and / or further buffer compartments are each arranged one above the other and the transfer of the first, second and / or further load carriers (3a..3c) in steps vi) and vi') is carried out by means of a lifting device (83a, 83b), wherein lifting compartments (84) of a first lifting device (83a) are assigned to the first buffer compartments (81a), lifting compartments (84) of a second lifting device (83b) to the second buffer compartments (81b) and / or lifting compartments (84) of a further lifting device to the further buffer compartments, and wherein the load carriers (3a..3c) are transferred from the respective buffer compartments (81a, 81b) into the lifting compartments (84) assigned to the buffer compartments (81a, 81b), after which the lifting compartments (84) are sequentially aligned on the respective conveying system (9) and the load carriers (3a..3c) are transferred from the lifting compartments (84) to the respective conveyor system (9).

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