Method for operating an automated warehouse, control unit for controlling an automated warehouse and automated warehouse

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating an automated warehouse (1) for the storage and processing of product containers. The warehouse comprises a process region (8) and a rack region (9). The method comprises a) processing at least one product container in the process region (8) in order to obtain at least one individual product (10), b) determining or obtaining product information of the at least one product (10), and c) storing the product (10) in the rack region (9) based on the product information. The invention also relates to a control unit for executing the method and to an automated warehouse (1).

Description

[0001] Method for operating an automated warehouse, control unit for controlling an automated warehouse and automated warehouse

[0002] The present invention relates to a method for operating an automated warehouse for storing and processing goods containers, a control unit for controlling an automated warehouse for storing and processing goods containers and an automated warehouse for storing and processing goods containers.

[0003] Warehouses that serve as intermediate storage for goods containers are known in the art. Goods containers can be transport units that can be transported, for example, on trucks, trains, or other means of transport. A goods container is, for example, a pallet full of goods. Furthermore, a goods container can be a container or transport box that contains different or identical goods. In conventional warehouses, these goods are stored in the form of containers. As needed, individual goods are removed from the container and stored away. Alternatively, the containers are disassembled in the warehouse and then stored in other storage boxes or other containers. This often requires manual labor. These processing processes require a high degree of manual labor, so that storing individual goods is expensive and time-consuming. Storing goods individually is particularly difficult.

[0004] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device which enable efficient storage and automated handling of individual goods.

[0005] The object is achieved by a method for operating an automated warehouse having the features of claim 1, by a control unit having the features of claim 28, and by an automated warehouse having the features of claim 29. Furthermore, the problem is solved by using the warehouse having the features of claim 30.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for operating an automated warehouse for storing and processing goods containers is provided. The warehouse may have a process area and a shelf area. The method may comprise a) processing at least one goods container in the process area to obtain at least one individual item. Furthermore, the method may comprise b) determining or obtaining item information for the at least one item. Furthermore, the method may comprise c) storing the item in the shelf area based on the item information.

[0007] Compared to the known prior art, with the present method, the goods container can be processed in such a way that only individual goods need to be stored. In other words, the container delivered to the warehouse can be processed in the process area in such a way that only a single item can be stored in the storage area. Furthermore, the individual item can be stored in the shelf area based on product information. For this purpose, the present method can individually obtain the product information based on the individual product and thus ensure that the individual product can be stored efficiently and safely in the shelf area. In other words, particularly efficient storage of the product can be realized based on the product information of the at least one product.This can be such that goods can be stored more efficiently at certain locations in the warehouse than others due to specific properties and / or requirements. Furthermore, the method can be applied to an automated warehouse without requiring a user (i.e., humans) to directly process the goods in any way. In other words, a warehouse can be provided where goods can be processed (i.e., stored and retrieved) without direct human intervention.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, goods are individually stored in their smallest packaging form (i.e., not multiple goods in one package). In order to provide individual storage, goods information about the goods to be stored may be required. For this purpose, the method may comprise determining the goods information. Frequently, only the containers are provided with corresponding information, but not the individual goods. With the present invention, the warehouse itself can determine or obtain this goods information and, based on this, store the goods individually. This makes it possible to provide a fully automated warehouse which can receive containers comprising multiple goods as goods receipt and can make individual goods available as goods issue.

[0009] The warehouse can be located in a building or enclosed area. The process area and the shelving area can be directly adjacent to each other. In other words, the warehouse can be designed as a black box system that receives goods containers at an input side and can make individual goods available at an output side. The process area can be the area in which step a) is carried out. The shelving area can be the area in which step c) is carried out. Furthermore, the warehouse can have a control unit that can execute step b) (further information below).

[0010] The goods container can be a packaging unit in which one or more goods can be transported. The goods container can ensure that the individual goods or goods are not damaged or slip during transport. Furthermore, a goods container can contain identical goods or different goods. A goods container can, for example, be a pallet of goods. Furthermore, a goods container can be a transport box or the like filled with goods. The goods container can, for example, be delivered to the warehouse by means of a truck. In step a), the goods container can be processed such that individual goods are obtained. In other words, processing can include unpacking the goods container. The processing of the goods container can be done automatically or manually. After the goods container has been processed, the individual goods can be moved to an analysis area or the like.There, step b) can be carried out to analyze the individual goods. This allows each item to be assigned product information. This can be used to check whether the item is a known item or an unknown item. If the item is a known item, the product information can be retrieved from a database and assigned to the respective item. If the item is unknown, the product information can be obtained individually through a product analysis process. Once step b) is completed, the individual item can be stored in the shelf area in step c). Storage can be based on the previously determined or obtained product information. In other words, individual properties and / or requirements of the product can be taken into account when placing an individual item.For example, particularly sensitive goods can be stored in a storage location specially designated for it. This can be individual storage, where the goods can be placed anywhere on shelves or the like without special subdivisions or storage compartments being provided. In other words, the shelf area can be an undivided or continuously extending storage area that can be individually loaded with goods to be stored. Goods can therefore be stored individually based only (i.e. exclusively) on the goods information, without having to pay attention to special specifications of the shelf area. The goods information can include a goods attribute or a goods property. The goods information can be computer-readable data. For example, the goods information can include text and / or a table.Such files contain displayable characters. These can be subdivided by control characters such as line and page breaks. Furthermore, the product information can also be presented as a binary file. A binary file allows any other interpretation of the content (for example, by a computer).

[0011] Preferably, the individual item of goods can be moved or transported back and forth between the process area and the shelving area by means of a shuttle (also referred to as a storage and retrieval machine). In other words, the individual item of goods can be brought individually to the shelving area by the shuttle. The shuttle can move along a section of rail. The shuttle can be designed to deposit the goods in their smallest packaging unit individually at a predetermined storage location. The storage location can be determined before the goods are deposited based on the goods information. Preferably, step a) comprises receiving advance goods information and marking the goods container based on the advance goods information, wherein the advance goods information preferably comprises an identity of the supplier. The advance goods information can be obtained before the at least one goods container is processed.Furthermore, the advance goods information can be known before the goods arrive at the warehouse. For example, the supplier who delivers the goods container to the warehouse can transmit the advance goods information to the warehouse. The advance goods information can, for example, include information about the quantity and / or type of goods. Furthermore, the advance goods information can define the supplier. Based on the advance goods information, the warehouse can transmit an unloading instruction to the supplier. This can ensure that the supplier unloads the goods container at the correct location in the warehouse. For example, it is conceivable that the warehouse has a large number of goods receipts (e.g. in the form of gates) at which goods containers can be unloaded. Using the unloading instruction, the supplier can drive directly to the correct gate, which can increase the efficiency of the overall process.Once the goods container has been unloaded and thus transferred to an entrance area of ​​the warehouse, it can be directly marked (e.g., a label or similar) so that the container can be clearly identified. The marking can, for example, include information about how the goods container is packaged. Furthermore, it can include information about the individual goods within the goods container. Based on the marking or the advance information about the goods, the container can be transferred to a first process step in the process area. Early labeling of the goods containers can ensure efficient process flow.

[0012] Preferably, step a) comprises separating the product containers to obtain individual goods. The separating is preferably carried out based on a marking of the product containers. The marking allows the product container to be fed to a special separating area which is designed to separate the special product containers. For example, one separating station can be provided specifically for refrigerated goods. Another separating station can be designed specifically for goods delivered in containers. By means of the prior marking, the appropriate separating stations can be specifically supplied with product containers, thereby preventing the product containers from having to be moved around the process area unnecessarily. This can make the overall process more efficient. Furthermore, automated separating is thus possible, since the product containers have been assigned or identified beforehand.

[0013] Preferably, step b) comprises checking the goods to determine whether the goods are known goods or unknown goods. In other words, after step a), an automated check or analysis of the goods thus obtained can be carried out. Checking the goods can, for example, be the scanning of a marking, such as a barcode, or the optical recognition of the goods, for example based on their external appearance (e.g., shape, color, etc.). It is also conceivable that the goods are photographed and the image is compared with images in a database. This makes it possible to determine whether the goods are known goods or unknown goods. A known good can be defined by the fact that goods information for the goods is available in a database. In this case, a good can also be stored in another warehouse (e.g.,If a product has already been processed (e.g., at another location), then the product information is also available. In such a case, the product may be a known product. The product information can therefore even be synchronized across different locations. An unknown product, on the other hand, may be new to the system and be processed in the warehouse for the first time. In other words, no product information may be available in a database for an unknown product.

[0014] Preferably, obtaining product information comprises querying a database to obtain product information for a known product. If a comparison of the product with a database results in a match (i.e. the product in stock is known), the corresponding product information for this product can be automatically retrieved from a database without this product information having to be collected again. This enables particularly effective processing of the goods. The database can, for example, contain a large number of entries, each of which is assigned to a product. By checking the product, a comparator unit can, for example, determine whether the product is available in the database. If this is the case, the product information assigned to the respective entry in the database can, for example, be assigned to this specific product. This enables rapid processing of the goods.

[0015] Preferably, step b) comprises a validation to determine whether the obtained product information matches the known product. In other words, following the comparison between the product and the database, an additional validation or check can be carried out to determine whether the product actually corresponds to the entry in the database. For this purpose, depending on the previously carried out check, a further check of the product can be carried out. For example, if the previous check checked the external appearance by means of a visual inspection, the validation can involve weighing the product and checking whether the weight noted in the database under the entry used matches the weight of the actual product. Furthermore, other properties of the product information retrieved from the database can be compared with the actual product.For example, a dimension can be measured in a specific direction and compared to determine whether it corresponds to the database entry. Validation of the goods after inspection ensures that a product identified as a known product is indeed the known product. This can prevent malfunctions or incorrect operation of the warehouse. Furthermore, damage to goods due to incorrect storage or processing can be prevented. If the validation of the goods results in the same result as the previous inspection, the goods can be forwarded to a distribution device following validation.

[0016] Validation preferably includes a visual inspection of the goods and / or weighing the goods. This can provide an additional verification mechanism that prevents misinterpretation of the goods. More specifically, during validation, some or all of the information contained in the goods information can be verified against the actual goods. For this purpose, a sensor system designed to determine the goods information can be provided in the process area.

[0017] Preferably, determining the product information comprises an analysis of the product. Particularly in the case where it is not determined that the product in question is a known product, the product can be individually analyzed. The analysis can obtain the product information assigned to the product. The product information can be a product attribute and characterize the product. Compared to the known prior art, this analysis of the product offers the advantage that any type of product can be handled individually (i.e. stored, handled, processed, etc.) based on the analysis results. Furthermore, it is not necessary to rely on external information such as delivery notes or other data provided by third parties; instead, the characteristic properties of the product itself can be analyzed to ensure their correct storage and / or processing.Furthermore, it is possible to provide a variety of different goods at a single warehouse receiving area, as individual product information can be determined or obtained individually for each item. This allows the warehouse itself to be integrated into diverse and complex supply chains and function efficiently within them.

[0018] The analysis of the goods preferably comprises optical detection and / or weighing of the goods. For example, the goods can be visually recorded by one or more cameras. The image information obtained in this way can be evaluated to determine properties of the goods. The visual detection can, for example, be used to determine the dimension (i.e. the measurements) of the goods and their shape. Furthermore, the surface quality of the goods can be determined. For example, it is conceivable that the goods are irradiated with a light source and the reflection of the goods is measured. This can, for example, determine the nature of the surface of the goods. Additionally or alternatively, the goods can be weighed to determine their weight. In particular, if both the external shape and the weight of the goods are used, a detailed characterization of the goods can be carried out. In particular, the density of the goods can be determined in this way.For example, it can be recognized that a product has relatively large dimensions but is only light in weight. From this, it can be concluded that the product is fragile. This conclusion can then be stored in the product information. Furthermore, in step b), the preliminary product information can be used to obtain further product information together with the individual product analysis. It is also conceivable that a pre-selection is made based on the product analysis, which can then be selected by a human. In this way, it is possible to provide a learning algorithm that can recognize the type of product based on specific product properties (e.g., size and / or weight).For example, the learning algorithm can consider the acquired physical quantities as input data and the products later selected by a human user as the desired output data. The more such training data sets the learning algorithm processes, the more accurately it can make a statement about the product in question. It is also conceivable to use a neural network for this purpose, which continuously learns and thus improves its recognition accuracy.

[0019] The product information preferably includes fragility, load-bearing capacity, dimensional stability, surface texture, porosity, sensitivity, potential hazards posed by the product, refrigeration requirements, incompatibilities, physical state, shelf life, odor information, and / or a serial number of the at least one product. Furthermore, the product information may include batch and / or production batch information. This makes it easy to implement, for example, a recall of certain products. Thus, the product information may reflect a variety of different properties of the product. This allows the product to be processed and stored in an optimal manner to ensure that the product or other equipment is not damaged. The fragility of the product may mean, for example, that no heavy objects may be placed on the product.The load-bearing capacity of a product can define the weight it can bear. This is important, for example, when it comes to whether goods can be stacked and, if so, which goods can be placed on top of other goods. The dimensional stability of a product can define how resistant a product is to unwanted deformation. The surface quality can define how porous, wrinkled, jagged, etc. a product's surface is. This can be important, for example, for further processing of the product, as it can determine whether or not the product can be grasped with a suction cup. The sensitivity of a product can generally define the environment in which the product can be located without being damaged. In contrast, hazards emanating from the product can define potential threats to nearby goods.This may mean, for example, that goods must be transported and / or stored at a certain distance from other goods. The cooling requirements of a product can determine the climatic environment in which the product may be kept and for how long. Incompatibilities may include, for example, intolerance to magnetic vibrations. This can ensure that electrical devices, for example, are not damaged. A product's state of matter can primarily mean whether it is a solid or a liquid. This can determine further processing or storage of the product. The shelf life of a product can determine how long it can be stored. This can be important when determining the order in which goods are loaded into and / or unloaded from a shelf area.Odor information can indicate whether or not the product emits unpleasant odors. This can, for example, determine where or with which other goods the specific product is stored or transported. The serial number can be a serial number applied by the manufacturer in the form of a barcode or QR code. This can be used to further identify the product. Furthermore, an OCR system can be provided additionally or alternatively to identify the goods. This OCR system is designed to recognize and read characters (numbers and / or letters) applied to the product. This means that a product can be identified even if it does not have a standardized barcode or the like. Preferably, step c) comprises individually storing the product on the shelf. In this case, individually placing it means that each product is transported to the shelf individually.The goods information can be used to determine the transport and storage location of the goods. By individually handling or processing the goods, particularly efficient warehouse operation can be achieved.

[0020] Preferably, step c) comprises determining a storage location and location information of the storage location, wherein the location information preferably identifies the storage location in the shelf area where the goods are to be stored or are stored. The storage location can be determined based on the goods information. Thus, the above-mentioned properties of the goods can be taken into account and a storage location can be determined accordingly. Furthermore, the storage location of the goods in the shelf area can be determined with regard to the efficiency of the overall system. For example, a storage location can be determined at a low position (in the direction of gravity) in the shelf area if the goods are particularly heavy. This prevents the heavy goods from having to be transported far against the direction of gravity, thereby saving energy.Furthermore, storage locations can have certain properties such as cooling or being separated from the rest of the storage area. Furthermore, the storage area can have an EX area in which particularly dangerous goods can be stored. This can be used to determine a storage location. The location information can identify the storage location in the shelving area. For example, the location information can be X, Y, Z coordinates that define a point in space. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the location information includes a level and a row of shelves as well as a line in the direction of extension of the row of shelves in order to uniquely identify a storage location. In other words, the location information enables individual storage of the goods in the shelving area. As already indicated above, the shelving area can have no subdivisions whatsoever, so that the goods can be stored individually in the shelving area.Therefore, the shelf area can be restocked particularly efficiently, as the goods can be arranged next to each other based on their respective product information (such as their dimensions) and there is no need to restock pre-fabricated storage areas.

[0021] Preferably, step c) comprises placing the goods in the shelving area using a shuttle. The shuttle can be an automated vehicle, in particular an automated storage and retrieval machine, which can drive into the shelving area. The shuttle can have a transport area on which the goods can be transported. The shuttle can travel back and forth between the process area and the storage area. The shuttle can pick up the goods at a pick-up point in the process area and automatically move to the storage location in the shelving area and deposit the goods there automatically. The shuttle can have a conveyor device designed to grip the goods and transport them to the transport area of ​​the shuttle. The goods information can be used for this purpose so that the goods can be gripped reliably.For example, the dimensions of the goods can be known, and the conveyor device can be used specifically to grip and transport the goods. Furthermore, the conveyor device can be configured to grip the goods to be stored or retrieved by the shuttle based on the goods' information. This allows for particularly gentle handling of the goods.

[0022] Preferably, step c) comprises determining the shortest route for the shuttle from a goods pick-up point to a goods deposit location. The route can extend along a rail system (e.g., rail sections) on which the shuttle can travel. Alternatively, the route can also be a free route between the goods pick-up point and the deposit location (i.e., without a rail, so that the shuttle can move freely on a travel surface or through the air). In other words, the shortest route does not mean the direct connection via a straight line in the space between the goods pick-up point and the deposit location, but rather the shortest possible route for the shuttle along a travel surface. This ensures that, even in very large shelving areas with a large number of shelves and shelving levels, the shuttle does not take an unnecessarily long time to travel, but rather brings the goods to the desired deposit location in a targeted and efficient manner.Preferably, the shortest route is determined before the shuttle begins its journey. Consequently, the route the shuttle should take can be communicated to the shuttle before it sets off. This is particularly advantageous if communication with the shuttle is not possible or only possible with difficulty in the warehouse area. This can be the case, for example, if the warehouse area is specially shielded to protect goods. Furthermore, contact-based data transmission with the shuttle can be provided, which can increase transmission reliability. For example, the storage location can be communicated to the shuttle via an electronic contact at the goods pick-up point. This means that wireless data exchange with the shuttle is not necessary while the shuttle is traveling.

[0023] Preferably, step c) comprises determining the shortest route for the shuttle from the storage location to the goods pick-up point. In other words, the shuttle's return route from the storage location to the goods pick-up point can be determined directly as the goods are being deposited. This is particularly useful if one-way traffic is implemented on the rail system in the shelving area and / or the process area. This means that the shuttle cannot take the same route to the goods pick-up point as it took to the storage location. In this case, too, it is advantageous to inform the shuttle at the start of processing an order (e.g. at the goods pick-up point) which route it should take back from the shelving area. This prevents the shuttle from becoming stranded in the shelving area without being able to find its way back.

[0024] Preferably, when moving through the shelving area, the shuttle detects the shelving area and / or stored goods in order to obtain current status information of the shelving area and / or the goods, and wherein the method preferably comprises comparing the current status information with the stored status information in order to determine change information. The shuttle can comprise sensors designed to detect the surroundings of the shuttle. Thus, when traveling from the goods pickup point to the storage location or from the storage location to the goods pickup point, the shuttle can record the surroundings. This allows detection of goods already stored in the shelving area. The method can check in the background whether the actually measured storage locations of the goods correspond to the stored storage locations of the goods. Thus, each time a shuttle passes an item of goods, it can be checked whether the goods are in the desired position.Consequently, shifts in the shelf area can be detected and corrected. If, for example, a storage location for a product is determined that differs from the saved storage location, a service shuttle can be activated to bring the product in question to the desired storage location. The change between the saved storage location for a product (i.e. the storage location previously determined for the product stored there) and the actual storage location of the product now recorded can be stored in change information. The change information can, for example, be a percentage deviation between the target position and the actually recorded position (i.e. the actual position). If a certain limit for the percentage deviation is exceeded, the method can cause the actual storage location of the product to be corrected.This ensures that goods are always arranged in the correct location in the warehouse without any gradual shifting. Furthermore, the threshold at which the process becomes active ensures that unnecessary deployments of a service shuttle are not necessary.

[0025] The change information preferably comprises a change in the storage location of goods and / or a change in the condition of the shelving area. The change in the condition of the shelving area can, for example, be damage to the shelf. For example, the shuttle can monitor certain distances in the shelving area. For example, it is conceivable for the shuttle to measure a distance between two shelf supports and / or between rail sections. If such a measurement result deviates from a target value, an inspection can be ordered. This means that the condition of the shelf can be monitored during each shuttle trip and even minor damage can be detected at an early stage. This can extend the service life of the shelving area and thus of the entire warehouse. Step c) preferably comprises checking the charge level of an energy storage device of a shuttle for storing and retrieving goods.For example, the route planned for a shuttle can be compared with the energy available in the shuttle's energy storage unit. Based on this, it can be determined whether the shuttle can transport the goods to or from the drop-off location without running out of power. The energy storage unit can be a rechargeable battery, for example. The charge level can be checked at the goods pick-up point, for example. In particular, this can be done in parallel with a wired data exchange.

[0026] Preferably, step b) comprises outputting the goods information. This allows the goods information to be made available to a third party outside the warehouse. This makes it possible, for example, to maintain an inventory list of goods that are in the process area and / or storage area. Furthermore, it is conceivable that, for example, returns can be sent directly to the warehouse and this is noted in the goods information. This allows this information to be made available to third parties. In other words, a bidirectional flow of information into and out of the warehouse can be provided. During returns management, the relevant goods information can be made available to a manufacturer of the returned goods. The manufacturer can then decide what should be done with the goods. This information can all be stored in the goods information for the relevant goods.This can prevent goods from having to be processed multiple times, which can increase efficiency.

[0027] The method preferably further comprises: d) receiving a retrieval order, and e) retrieving the goods from the shelf area. The retrieval order can, for example, be an order for one or more goods. Accordingly, if the goods are present in the storage area, a shuttle can be instructed to bring the goods from the shelf area to a goods delivery point. For example, this order can be combined with a storage order so that the shuttle travels from the goods receiving area to a storage location, deposits one item of goods there, and on the return journey picks up another item and brings it to the goods delivery point. This can therefore ensure particularly efficient operation of the warehouse. Furthermore, unnecessary empty shuttle runs can be avoided. The goods delivery point can be arranged in the process area. The retrieval order preferably comprises a storage location for at least one item of goods.A warehouse control unit can convert an order into a retrieval order, with the retrieval order specifying the exact location of the desired goods in the shelf area.

[0028] Preferably, the method further comprises: f) packaging of the outsourced goods based on the goods information of the outsourced goods. In other words, the outsourced goods can be packaged by the goods delivery point, for example in order to be shipped. The packaging can be carried out based on the goods information. For example, a property of the outsourced goods can require specific packaging. For example, particularly fragile goods can be packaged with additional padding to ensure safe shipping of the goods. Furthermore, it is conceivable that several goods are to be outsourced and packed in the same parcel. It is important that fragile or sensitive goods are not placed too low in a parcel.Therefore, the packaging of outsourced goods is preferably carried out based on the product information for each product to ensure particularly gentle packaging. Furthermore, certain goods may require refrigeration and therefore require appropriate packaging. Since the product information is available, all packaging requirements can be met.

[0029] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a control unit is provided for controlling an automated warehouse for storing and processing goods containers, the warehouse having a process area and a shelf area, the control unit preferably being configured to carry out the above method. The control unit may be a computer-like device capable of receiving signals, processing them, and outputting signals. Preferably, the control unit can issue control commands that can control individual units of the warehouse. In particular, the control unit can control the shuttles that travel between the process area and the shelf area. Furthermore, the control unit can receive and process goods information.

[0030] According to a further aspect of the present invention, an automated warehouse for storing and processing goods containers is provided, wherein the warehouse preferably comprises a process area with a goods receipt and a shelf area with a plurality of storage locations. Furthermore, the automated warehouse may comprise a rail system extending between the process area and the shelf area and configured to allow a shuttle to travel thereon. Preferably, at least one shuttle is provided in the warehouse, which is configured to transport goods between the process area and the shelf area. Furthermore, the warehouse preferably comprises the above control unit.

[0031] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a use of a control unit according to the above embodiment for controlling an automated warehouse is provided.

[0032] Individual features or embodiments can be combined with other features or other embodiments to form new embodiments. The embodiments and advantages mentioned in connection with the features or embodiments also apply analogously to the new embodiments. The embodiments and advantages mentioned in connection with the method also apply analogously to the devices, and vice versa.

[0033] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying figures. Like features are designated by the same reference numerals throughout.

[0034] Fig. 1 shows a schematic and perspective view of a bearing according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a schematic top view of a bearing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Fig. 3 is a schematic flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Fig. 1 is a perspective and schematic view of a warehouse 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The warehouse 1 is divided into a process area 8 and a rack area 9. Shelves 2 with shelves 3 located therein are arranged in the rack area. The shelves 3 each define different rack levels in the vertical direction V. Rail sections 4 (not shown in Fig. 1) run between the shelves 2, on which a shuttle 5 can travel. So that the shuttle 5 can reach the various rack levels in the vertical direction V, the rack area 9 comprises a riser area 6. With the help of this riser area 6, the shuttle 5 can independently reach different rack levels of the rack area 9. Furthermore, the warehouse 1 has a rail system 7 formed from a plurality of rail sections 4. The rail system 7 connects the process area 8 to the rack area 9.A plurality of shuttles 5 (also referred to as storage and retrieval machines) can travel on the rail system 7. In the process area 8, goods containers can be delivered and the individual goods 10 can be made available. The made-available individual goods 10 can then be picked up by the shuttle 5 and individually transported to the shelving area 9. More precisely, the goods 10 can be placed on the shelves 3 without any structurally predefined storage locations being defined in the shelving area. In other words, the goods 10 can be individually placed next to one another and / or one above the other on the shelf 2 of the shelving area 9. If an item 10 is retrieved from the warehouse 1, one or more shuttles 5 can travel to the shelving area 9 and individually pick up the respective selection, transport it to a goods storage location (not shown in Fig. 1) and deposit it there.From there, the goods 10 can be packaged and transported from warehouse 1. Furthermore, the goods 10 can be collected and packaged together with other goods 10. Thus, warehouse 1 can carry out the picking of multiple goods 10.

[0037] Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of a warehouse 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 2, the process area 8 can be seen on the left and the shelf area 9 on the right. Goods containers can be fed into the warehouse as input product. In the present embodiment, goods containers are fed into the warehouse 1 at a plurality of goods receiving areas 11. After the goods containers are delivered, they are labeled based on the suppliers or retailers. Depending on the labels, the goods containers are fed to a specific processing station 12. There, the containers are separated (i.e. unpacked), thus obtaining a plurality of individual goods 10 (i.e. the smallest possible packaging unit of a product). The individual goods 10 are then recognized, and it is defined whether the product is a known or unknown product.In the case where the product 10 is a known product, product information from a database is assigned to the product 10. In the other case, where the product 10 is an unknown product, product information is determined directly in the processing station 12. Alternatively or additionally, the product information is then recorded at another, specially equipped station (i.e., not at the storage station or product receiving station 13). The obtained product information can include attributes of the product 10. The product information of the product 10 includes fragility, load-bearing capacity, dimensional stability, surface quality (e.g., porosity), sensitivity, cooling requirement, intolerance, state of aggregation, shelf life, odor property, and / or a serial number of the product.For goods defined as known, a validation is also carried out to check whether the goods are really the known goods 10. If the validation determines that the goods 10 initially defined as known goods 10 is an unknown good, these goods are sent to the goods information recording. The goods to which goods information has been assigned or for which goods information has been determined are then sent to a goods receiving area 13. From this goods receiving area 13, the goods 10 are picked up by one or more shuttles 5 and brought to the shelving area. The goods are placed individually in the shelf area 9 based on the goods information of the respective goods. If a good 10 is requested, the goods 10 is picked up from the shelf area 9 by a shuttle 5 and brought to a goods issue area 14. At the goods issue area 14, several goods can also be collected and then packed together.In other words, goods issue 14 can provide picking for various goods. This is particularly advantageous when multiple items are ordered. From goods issue 14, the packaged goods are then transported to the outbound terminal 15. From the outbound terminals, the goods can be picked up by external third parties and transported further.

[0038] Fig. 3 is a schematic flow diagram schematically illustrating the process flow according to one embodiment of the present invention. In a first step S1, a supplier of goods containers registers the goods with the warehouse 1. In the same step, the information is stored. In a further embodiment, the warehouse sends information to the supplier stating at which unloading terminal 11 the supplier should unload the goods container. In a second step S2, the containers are received in the warehouse 1 and provided with a marking. The marking (also referred to as a label) is assigned to a container. Thus, advance information about the goods can be assigned to the container. The advance information about the goods identifies, for example, the retailer. Then, in step S3, the container is fed to a processing station 12. The processing station 12 depends on the marking assigned to the container.This ensures that the containers are always processed by the same retailers at the same processing station 12. This simplifies the processes because the goods or containers are always packaged in the same way.

[0039] In step S4, the containers are unpacked and the goods separated. The individual goods are thus present. Furthermore, in step S4 it is determined whether the individual goods are known or unknown. The unknown goods are sent to a goods attribute recording or goods information recording. This determines the properties of the goods. According to a further embodiment, the individual goods can be assigned to specific product classes with the same goods attributes or goods information. If the product is known, a check is carried out in step S4 to determine whether it is really a known product or whether the initial determination is incorrect. For this purpose, a validation is carried out in step S4. For this purpose, an optical recording of the goods can be used, for example, which is compared with stored information about the goods. If there are any deviations, the goods are sent to the attribute recording.If the validation of the goods matches the stored properties of the goods, the goods are sent to a goods receipt 13 in step S5. In the same way, in step S5 the goods to which goods information is assigned are also sent to goods receipt 13. Furthermore, in step S5 it is determined where the goods are to be stored in shelf area 9. In other words, a storage location is determined that meets the requirements of the goods. Furthermore, the storage location is defined in such a way that it enables the warehouse to be operated as efficiently as possible (i.e. heavy items are placed further down, light items are placed further up in the warehouse). In step S6 the shuttle 5 is given an order to pick up a specific item from the receipt area 13 and take it to a specific storage location in the shelf area 9.For this purpose, the shuttle is directly assigned the shortest possible route so that no communication with the shuttle is necessary while it is traveling in shelving area 9. Furthermore, the shuttle is directly assigned a return route so that it can travel back to process area 8 of warehouse 1 as quickly and efficiently as possible. For example, the shuttle is controlled so that it executes a retrieval order when returning from shelving area 9. This way, the shuttle can retrieve goods from shelving area 9 when returning from a storage order. When the shuttle 5 reaches the specific storage location, a check is carried out in step S6 to determine whether the storage location is an empty or occupied storage area. If the storage area is empty, the shuttle deposits the goods there.If the storage area is occupied by other goods or other objects, the shuttle reports an error to the control unit and moves the goods to an alternative storage location. Furthermore, a service shuttle is triggered to check the incorrectly determined storage position in shelf area 9. In step S7, the shuttle checks whether the shelves are empty or occupied as it passes by shelves 2. To do this, shuttle 5 can scan the shelf surfaces as it passes along shelves 2, creating a type of shelf map. This makes it possible to see where which goods are located and how they are positioned on shelves 2. This can be compared with the database and a check can be made to see whether the actual occupancy of shelf area 9 matches the stored occupancy.

[0040] In step S8, the shuttle checks the status of an internal energy storage device (i.e., within the shuttle) and decides based on this whether the shuttle should proceed to a standby or to a battery change. This actively ensures that the shuttle can process new orders efficiently and reliably.

[0041] According to a further embodiment, the shuttle uses sensors mounted on it to continuously check whether goods are located in a loading area of ​​the shuttle. This ensures that goods are properly arranged on the shuttle and do not exceed the shuttle's outer dimensions. Furthermore, goods that have unintentionally remained in the shuttle's loading area can be detected, thus preventing malfunctions of warehouse 1.

[0042] List of reference symbols:

[0043] 1 warehouse

[0044] 2 shelves

[0045] 3 shelves 4 rail sections

[0046] 5 Shuttle

[0047] 6 Riser area

[0048] 7 rail system

[0049] 8 Process area 9 Shelving area

[0050] 10 goods

[0051] 11 Goods acceptance

[0052] 12 processing stations

[0053] 13 Goods receipt 14 Goods issue

[0054] 15 Removal terminal

[0055] V Vertical direction

Claims

Patent claims 1 . Method for operating an automated warehouse (1) for storing and processing bundles of goods, wherein the warehouse has a process area (8) and a shelf area (9), wherein the method comprises: a) processing at least one bundle of goods in the process area (8) in order to obtain at least one individual item of goods (10), b) determining or obtaining item of goods information for the at least one item of goods (10), c) placing the item (10) in the shelf area (9) based on the item information.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the individual goods (10) are moved or transported back and forth between the process area (8) and the shelf area (9) by means of a shuttle (5).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein step a) comprises receiving advance goods information and marking the goods container based on the advance goods information, and wherein the advance goods information comprises an identity of the supplier.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein step a) comprises separating the product containers in order to obtain individual goods (10), and wherein the separating is preferably carried out based on a marking of the product containers.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein step b) comprises checking the goods (10) to determine whether the goods (10) are known goods (10) or unknown goods (10).

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein step b) comprises validation to determine whether the obtained product information matches the known product (10).

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein determining or obtaining commodity information comprises querying a database to obtain commodity information of a known commodity.

8. Method according to one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the validation comprises a visual inspection of the goods and / or a weighing of the goods.

9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein determining the product information comprises an analysis of the product (10).

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the analysis of the goods (10) comprises an optical detection and / or a weighing of the goods, wherein the goods (10) are preferably visually recorded by one or more cameras.

11. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the product information comprises a fragility, a load-bearing capacity, a dimensional stability, a surface quality, a porosity, a sensitivity, possible hazards emanating from the product (10), a cooling requirement, incompatibilities, a state of aggregation, a shelf life, odor information and / or a serial number of the at least one product (10).

12. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein step c) comprises individually placing the goods (10) in the shelf area (9).

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein in the individual insertion each product (10) is transported individually into the control area (9).

14. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the goods information can be used to determine a transport and a storage location of the goods (10).

15. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein step c) comprises determining a storage location and location information of the storage location, wherein the location information preferably identifies the storage location in the shelf area (9) at which the goods (10) are to be stored or are stored.

16. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a storage location of the goods (10) in the shelf area (9) is determined with regard to the efficiency of the overall system.

17. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein step c) comprises placing the goods (10) into the shelf area (9) with a shuttle (5).

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein step c) comprises determining the shortest travel distance of the shuttle (5) from a goods receiving point to a goods deposit location.

19. Method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the determination of the shortest route is carried out before the shuttle (5) starts its journey and wherein the route the shuttle (5) is to take is transmitted to the shuttle (5) before it starts moving.

20. Method according to one of claims 17 to 19, wherein step c) comprises determining the shortest route of the shuttle (5) from the deposit location to the goods receiving point.

21. Method according to one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the shuttle (5) has a conveyor device which is designed to grip the goods (10) and to transport them to the transport area of ​​the shuttle (5), wherein the goods information is used as a basis so that the goods (10) can be gripped reliably.

22. Method according to one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the shuttle (5) scans the shelf area (9) and / or stored goods (10) when moving through the shelf area (9) in order to obtain current status information of the shelf area (9) and / or the goods (10), and wherein the method preferably comprises comparing the current status information with the stored status information in order to determine change information.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the change information comprises a change in a storage location of goods and / or a change in the state of the shelf area (9).

24. Method according to one of claims 17 to 23, wherein step c) comprises checking a charge state of an energy storage device of a shuttle (5) for storing and retrieving the goods.

25. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein step b) further comprises outputting the goods information.

26. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further comprises: d) receiving a retrieval command, and e) retrieving the goods (10) from the shelf area (9).

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the method further comprises: f) packing the outsourced goods (10) based on the goods information of the outsourced goods (10).

28. Control unit for controlling an automated warehouse (1) for storing and processing goods containers, wherein the warehouse (1) has a process area (8) and a shelf area (9), wherein the control unit is designed to carry out the method according to one of the preceding claims.

29. An automated warehouse (1) for storing and processing goods containers, the warehouse (1) comprising: a process area (8) with a goods receipt (13) and a shelf area (9) with a plurality of storage locations, a rail system (7) extending between the process area (8) and the shelf area (9) and configured to allow a shuttle (5) to travel thereon, at least one shuttle (5) configured to transport goods (10) between the process area (8) and the shelf area (9), and a control unit according to claim 27.

30. Use of a control unit according to claim 27 for controlling an automated warehouse.

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