ORDER PREPARATION PROCESS

Abstract

A method for preparing an order, implemented using a first and a second set of self-guided trolleys (17,18), comprises: - a first step of transporting a collection container (24) to a first predetermined parking location (25) facing the position of an operator or a robotic arm (26) at the order preparation station; a step of transporting at least one storage container containing an item of said order to a second predetermined parking location (23) adjacent to said first location; a step of picking at least one item of said order from a storage container directly above said second location (23) and placing said item in said collection container directly above said first location; a second step of transporting said collection container in which the item(s) of said order have been placed to the temporary storage area.Figure from the summary: Figure 2.

Description

Title of the invention: ORDER PREPARATION METHOD technical field

[0001] The field of the invention is that of warehouse or store logistics and in particular the automation of the supply chain.

[0002] More specifically, the invention relates to a method for preparing at least part of an order.

[0003] The invention finds particular application in the automation of flow management within a store and / or a storage warehouse, for example in an order preparation warehouse of a logistics chain, in the automation of sorting of items in a store or warehouse, or in the automation of a delivery service for orders to a collection point, commonly called "drive". Previous technique

[0004] In the global supply chain, the management of flows and the handling of products within a warehouse or store play a decisive role.

[0005] Traditionally, an order picker moves around a warehouse to collect each product of an order from its location on a shelf of shelving.

[0006] It is observed that such an organisation implies that the preparer travels long distances during a working day, which causes fatigue and loss of time when the journey is not optimized.

[0007] Another disadvantage is that the preparer must know the layout of the warehouse perfectly in order not to waste time.

[0008] To limit fatigue due to travel, improve the management of picking, and reduce order preparation time, a warehouse organization in "Goods to man" mode was devised (in which products are brought by mechanized means to order pickers).

[0009] It is thus known to implement conveyors to transport products from a storage area of ​​a warehouse to an order preparation station and to transport products from the order preparation station to a shipping station.

[0010] This known technique, however, has the disadvantages of being complex and costly to implement and requires the sizing of large warehouses, due to the bulkiness of the conveyors themselves.

[0011] Moreover, as soon as items from an order are loaded onto a conveyor, it is no longer possible to replace them with items from another order that has become a priority, which makes it impossible to change the order of order preparation on short notice.

[0012] To overcome these drawbacks, it has been proposed to implement mobile robots, and in particular automated guided vehicle (AGV) robots, to pick products from the shelves and transport them to an order picking station. The use of robots to transport products from an order grouped at an order picking station to an order shipping station has also been considered.

[0013] One disadvantage of known mobile robot techniques for transporting products to or from an order preparation station is that the operations of transferring products from robots arriving at an order station to robots intended to transport the products of an order to a shipping station require large amplitude movements, which constitutes a loss of time, and are difficult for an operator which can lead to product drops, or shocks, and makes the work of an order picker arduous, or even likely to affect his health.

[0014] Furthermore, and more generally, managing a fleet of robots within a warehouse or storage facility is a complex operation, for which there is a constant need to improve efficiency in terms of flow flexibility, operational simplicity, and the speed of product transfers to fulfill orders and route them to a shipping station. Therefore, there is a need for solutions that meet these requirements. Objectives of the invention

[0015] The invention therefore aims in particular to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art mentioned above.

[0016] More specifically, the invention aims to provide an order preparation technique that reduces order preparation times.

[0017] Another objective of the invention is to significantly improve the management of the fleet of robots in a store or in a storage workshop, in terms of optimizing flows and speed of product transfers and order formation.

[0018] In particular, in a specific embodiment of the invention, an objective of the invention is to allow the temporary storage of some of the items in an order being prepared, for example while awaiting the restocking of an item ordered but missing in the warehouse or store, or when it is necessary to postpone the shipment of the order.

[0019] An objective of the invention is also to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders occurring for operators working on an order preparation station.

[0020] The invention also aims to limit the risks of product deterioration at an order preparation station resulting from a fall or impact with an element of the order preparation station environment.

[0021] Another objective of the invention is to provide an order preparation technique that is simple to implement and inexpensive. Summary

[0022] These objectives, as well as others that will appear subsequently, are achieved using a method for preparing at least part of an order comprising at least one item, implemented using: - from an order preparation station; - of a plurality of shelves; - a first set of self-guided trolleys capable of running on the floor, intended to retrieve storage containers of at least one item stored in said shelving and transport them to said order preparation station, and - a second set of self-guided trolleys capable of running on the ground, intended to transport collection containers containing at least some of the items from the same order from said order preparation station to a dispatch station for said order, to a temporary storage area or to a conveyor connected to a dispatch station for said order, said process includes the following steps: • a step involving the installation of a collection container at the order preparation station, including the following steps: • association with said part of the order of a collection container; • removal of said collection container to which said control part is associated by a trolley selected from the second set of trolleys; • transport of said collection container by said trolley selected from the second set of trolleys to a first predetermined parking location facing the position of a operator or robotic arm at the order preparation station; • a step involving the installation of at least one storage container at the order preparation station, including the following steps: • association with at least one trolley of said first set of a storage container containing at least one item of said part of the order; • retrieval by said trolley(s) of the first set to which are associated storage containers of items of said part of the order of said or said storage containers containing items of said part of the order in said shelving; • transport of said storage container(s) by said trolley(s) to a second predetermined parking location adjacent to said first predetermined parking location and facing the position of an operator or robotic arm at the order preparation station; • a step of picking up by an operator or a robotic arm at least one item from said part of the order into a storage container directly below said second parking space and depositing said item into said collection container directly below said first parking space; • a transport step of said collection container in which the item(s) of said part of the order have been deposited by said trolley of said second set to an order dispatch station, a temporary storage area or a conveyor connected to an order dispatch station.

[0023] Thus, in a novel way, the invention proposes to position the trolleys transporting the products to or from the order preparation station on two adjacent locations facing the operator or a robotic arm and, preferably, within reach of the latter so that the operator does not need to walk or to move the motorized arm on the ground, in order to be able to transfer the items of an order between the storage containers and the collection containers in a simple and ergonomic movement of an arm of the operator or the robotic arm and in a reduced time.

[0024] Furthermore, the position of the first and second parking spaces can be easily modified without compromising order preparation time, thus allowing for the expansion and / or increase of warehouse capacity. or the store where orders are prepared in very short timeframes.

[0025] Furthermore, the order preparation process according to the invention offers a very high degree of flexibility in the management of the fleet of trolleys, the same trolley being able to be used alternatively to transport storage containers or collection containers and therefore fall under the first or second set of trolleys as required.

[0026] Furthermore, thanks to the process according to the invention, several orders consisting of items stored in different storage locations in the workshop, store or warehouse can be carried out simultaneously and in a reduced time.

[0027] We can thus begin to carry out a first order at the preparation station, using a first collection container brought by a trolley from the second set, by asking an operator or a robotic arm to place a part of the items of the first order into it. These items contained in different storage containers having been transported beforehand to the preparation station by a plurality of trolleys from the first set of trolleys.

[0028] In the event that the preparation of a second order becomes a priority or if it is not possible to finalize the preparation of the first order because an item of it is missing, the cart of the second set gives way on the first parking space to another cart of the second set carrying a second collection container for the preparation of a second order and transports the first collection container in which part of the items of the first order have been placed to a temporary storage area, pending the finalization of the first order.

[0029] The preparation of the second order can then begin, by instructing the operator or the robotic arm to place items from the second order, contained in storage containers brought to the station by carts from the first set, into the second collection container. Once all or part of the items from the second order have been placed in the second collection container, the latter can be sent to a temporary storage area, to a shipping station, or to a conveyor connected to a shipping station.

[0030] In summary, at least three operating methods for preparing an order can be envisaged using the process according to the invention:

[0031] Example 1: preparation of a "simple" order consisting of a single item

[0032] After associating a trolley from the first set with the storage container Containing the single item of the order, this cart transports the storage container to the second predetermined parking location at the order preparation station. The operator, or a robotic arm or robot, then retrieves the item. The item is placed in a collection container located in the first predetermined parking space, brought by a cart from the second set of carts. The collection container can then be transferred to a temporary storage area or to a shipping station.

[0033] Example 2: preparation of a “simple” order consisting of several different items stored in different locations in a warehouse.

[0034] Order preparation is carried out in a manner substantially similar to Example 1. Since the order comprises several items, several trolleys from the first set are used to retrieve the storage containers, each containing one of the items in the order, after assigning each container one of the storage containers to be retrieved, and to present them one after the other at the second predetermined parking location. An operator or a robotic arm then successively retrieves the different items from the order and places them in a collection container located at the first predetermined parking location, brought there by a trolley from the second set of trolleys. The collection container can then be transferred to a temporary storage area or to a shipping station.

[0035] Example 3: preparation of part of an order comprising several items and putting this order on hold to prepare another order which has meanwhile become a priority.

[0036] In this example, order picking begins according to the procedure in Example 2. If another order becomes more urgent, the transfer of items from the order being picked into the collection container at the order picking station is interrupted, and this collection container is transported to the second set's forklift in a temporary storage area. This frees up the first predetermined parking space for a forklift from the second set carrying the collection container associated with the order that has become urgent, and picking of the order that has become urgent can begin by transporting storage containers containing items from the order that has become urgent using forklifts from the first set to the second parking space.

[0037] The above examples of operating procedures are in no way limiting in the way of managing trolleys, items, and orders during the implementation of the method of the present invention. They are intended simply to illustrate the flexibility offered by said method with regard to trolley management and order formation.

[0038] It should also be noted that, within the framework of the invention, the term "cart" means any motorized vehicle equipped with at least two wheels for rolling on a surface (and capable of therefore have 2, 3 or 4 or even a larger number of running wheels) and are intended to transport a load, with the exception of any flying machine.

[0039] Furthermore, the terms "articles" and "products" can be used interchangeably. They simply refer to an object, in particular a commercial object, stored in a workshop, a store or a warehouse, with a view to being combined with another article to fulfill an order.

[0040] It should also be noted that within the scope of the invention, the temporary storage area may be an area intended to store orders awaiting delivery at a "drive", without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0041] In a particular embodiment of the invention, said first parking space and said second parking space are formed of two substantially adjacent flat surfaces forming a portion of the upper part of a ramp.

[0042] The items to be collected can thus be easily placed at the height of an operator, which also makes their placement in the collection containers easier.

[0043] In a variant of this particular embodiment of the invention, said first parking space and said second parking space are at different heights.

[0044] The height of the upper opening of the storage containers and the upper opening of the collection containers can thus be adapted independently, for example to place these openings at substantially the same level if the storage containers and the collection containers have different height dimensions.

[0045] According to a particular aspect of the invention, said ramp includes means for charging a battery of one of said trolleys of said first and / or said second assembly.

[0046] This could include, for example, inductive charging modules, also called "pads," which allow the batteries of the forklifts to be charged when they are parked on the ramp. This results in savings in time and space, as it is not necessary to provide additional charging stations, or at least the capacity and / or number of other charging stations can be reduced.

[0047] Advantageously, said first parking space and / or said second parking space is inclined with respect to the horizontal.

[0048] Thus, the removal of an item from a storage container and its placement in a collection container are facilitated.

[0049] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, where said control part comprises a plurality of different items, said transport step of said storage containers comprises a positioning step of said trolleys of said first set following a line aligned and directed towards said second parking location.

[0050] Storage containers containing various items from the same order part can thus be presented one after the other at the first location without loss of time.

[0051] According to a particular aspect of the invention, said storage containers and said collection containers are bins.

[0052] In variants, these may be baskets or crates.

[0053] Preferably, at least some of the trolleys of said first set of trolleys are also trolleys belonging to said second set of trolleys or vice versa.

[0054] This reduces the total number of trolleys to be used to transport storage containers and collection containers.

[0055] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, said second set of trolleys is a subset of said first set of trolleys or vice versa.

[0056] In a particular embodiment of the invention, the base of said robotic arm is fixed or rotates around a fixed axis relative to the ground. Brief description of the drawings

[0057] Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following description of an embodiment of the invention, given by way of simple illustrative and non-limiting example, and the accompanying drawings, among which: Fig. 1

[0058] [Fig.1] is a representation of an online commerce distribution warehouse in which an example of an embodiment of an order preparation process according to the invention is implemented; Fig. 2

[0059] [Fig.2] is a detailed perspective view of an order preparation station in the warehouse shown with reference to [Fig.1]; Fig. 3

[0060] [Fig.3] is a partial front view of the order preparation station shown with reference to [Fig.2]; Fig. 4

[0061] [Fig.4] is a partial side view of the order preparation station shown with reference to [Fig.2]. Description of the implementation methods

[0062] Figure 1 illustrates a robotic distribution warehouse 10 belonging to an online retail company. This warehouse is organized into three zones: a storage zone 11, an order preparation zone 12 equipped with picking stations orders 121 and a shipping area 13 equipped with a parcel assembly and shipping station 131.

[0063] The storage area 11 consists of a plurality of racks 14 made up of shelves on several levels supported by uprights 15, and arranged in successive parallel rows. Storage bins 16, which can contain all similar items or a plurality of different items from the same product range, are stored on these shelves. Furthermore, it should be noted that some of these racks are reserved for the temporary storage of order collection bins, before their transport to the shipping station 131.

[0064] A first fleet of automated guided vehicles 17, equipped with four wheels for rolling on the ground, provides transport for the storage bins 16 between the storage area 11 and the order preparation stations 121.

[0065] When a robot 17 receives instructions to retrieve a bin 16 containing one or more items from an order from a shelf, the robot 17 rolls along the floor to the base of the shelf 14 where the bin 16 is stored and climbs along this shelf, using the shelf opposite it for support, until it reaches the shelf where the bin 16 is stored and retrieves it. The cart 17 then descends between the two shelves, and once on the floor, transports the bin 16 to the order picking station 121.

[0066] A second fleet of automated guided trolleys 18 provides the transport of collection bins grouping several items of the same order previously taken from storage bins 16 transported to the order preparation station 121 from the latter to the shipping station 131.

[0067] In a variant of this particular embodiment of the invention, it may be provided that a robot 17 or 18 is used both to transport storage bins 16 to an order preparation station 121 and, intermittently, to transport collection bins to the shipping station 131 or vice versa, according to the evolution of needs and the availability of the other robots in these fleets at any given time.

[0068] A detailed representation of an order preparation station 121 in a perspective profile view is shown in [Fig.2].

[0069] In this particular embodiment of the invention, the order preparation station 121 is equipped with a lifting ramp 21 and a robotic arm 26 known per se.

[0070] The storage bins 16 are transported to this order preparation station 121 by trolleys 17 from the first set of automated guided vehicles which use the lifting ramp 21 on the left side. The trolleys 18 from the second set of self-guided trolleys leave ramp 21 from its right side, in this particular embodiment of the invention.

[0071] The upper end of the ramp 21 is surmounted by a grid 27 separating the robotic arm 26 from the area of ​​movement of the robots 17 and 18. An opening 29 is also formed in this grid to allow access of the robots 17 and 18 within reach of the robotic arm 26.

[0072] The robotic arm 26, mounted on a fixed base 261, is intended to pick up an item from a storage bin 16 transported by a robot 17 to a predetermined parking location 23 at the end of the ramp 21 (shown by dashed lines on [Fig.2] and on [Fig.3], which is a front view of the order preparation station 121) and to place it in an item collection bin 24 transported by a robot 18 to a predetermined parking location 25 at the end of the ramp 26 (shown by dashed lines on Figures 2 and 3).Since the first parking position 25 and the second parking position 23 of the robots are advantageously adjacent and facing the robotic arm 26, the movements of the arm 26, for each item handled, are limited to picking up an item from the storage bin 16, rotating the arm to position it above the collection bin 24, depositing the item in the collection bin 24 with a substantially vertical movement, and returning to its initial position, which allows these operations to be repeated at a high rate.

[0073] It is also easily understood that, in variants of this particular embodiment of the invention, where the operations carried out by the robotic arm are performed by an operator, in addition to the time saving that this arrangement provides, the risks of musculoskeletal disorders for the operator and the risks of articles falling to the ground if they escape from the operator's hand are greatly reduced.

[0074] It can also be seen on [Fig.4], which is a side view of the order preparation station 121 illustrated on [Fig.2], that the respective parking positions 23 and 25 of the robots 18 and 17 are located on an inclined slope 31 relative to the horizontal of the upper end of the ramp 21, which facilitates access of the robotic arm to the items in the storage bins 16 and their placement in the collection bins 24.

[0075] In order to limit the time lost in transporting the various storage bins used to assemble an order to the second parking space 25, the robots 17 are advantageously positioned in a line one behind the other on the ramp 21 while waiting for the space in parking space 25 to be freed up by the cart preceding them after the item(s) of the order was taken from the storage bin supported by this trolley by the robotic arm 26, moving to the side.

[0076] In addition, charging pads 28 are provided on each of the edges of the ramp 21 to recharge the batteries of the robots 17 or 18.

Claims

1. Demands A method for preparing at least part of an order comprising at least one item, implemented using: • of an order preparation station (121); • a storage area consisting of a plurality of shelves(14); • a first set (17) of self-guided trolleys capable of running on the floor, intended to retrieve storage containers (16) of at least one item, stored in said shelving, and to transport them to said order preparation station; and • a second set (18) of self-guided trolleys capable of rolling on the ground, intended to transport collection containers containing at least part of the items of the same order from said order preparation station to a dispatch station for said order, to a temporary storage area or to a conveyor connected to a dispatch station for said order; according to which the temporary storage area includes shelving in the storage area reserved for the temporary storage of collection containers, said process includes the following steps: • -a first transport stage of a collection container (24) associated with said order by a trolley selected from the second set of trolleys to a first predetermined parking location (25) facing the position of an operator or a robotic arm (26) at the order preparation station; • a transport step of at least one storage container comprising at least one item of said order by at least one first trolley of said first set (17) of trolleys to a second predetermined parking location (23) adjacent to said first predetermined parking location and facing the position of an operator or a robotic arm (26) at the order preparation station (121); • a step of picking up by an operator or a robotic arm (26) at least one item from said control part into a storage container in front of said second parking space (23) and placing said item into said collection container in front of said first parking space; • a second step of transporting said collection container in which the item(s) from said control part have been placed by said trolley of said second assembly to the temporary storage area.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second step of transporting said collection container to the temporary storage area is implemented pending finalization of said order.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: - a step of placing a collection container at said order preparation station comprising the steps of: • associating a collection container with said order part; • picking up said collection container to which said order part is associated by a trolley selected from the second set of trolleys; and • said first step of transporting the collection container to the first predetermined parking location, and - a step of placing at least one storage container at said order preparation station comprising the steps of: • associating a storage container containing at least one item of said order part with at least one trolley of said first set;• retrieval by said trolley(s) of the first set to which are associated storage containers for items of said part of the order of said container(s); storage containing items of said part of the order in said shelving; and • said transport step of said storage container(s) to the second predetermined parking location.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said first parking space and said second parking space are formed of two substantially adjacent flat surfaces forming a portion of the upper part of a ramp.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein said ramp comprises means for charging a battery of one of said trolleys of said first and / or said second assembly.

6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said first parking space and / or said second parking space is inclined with respect to the horizontal.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, where said control part comprises a plurality of different items, said first transport step of said storage containers comprises a positioning step of said trolleys of said first set in a line aligned and directed towards said second parking location.

8. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said storage containers and said collection containers are bins.

9. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least some of the trolleys of said first trolley set are also trolleys belonging to said second trolley set or vice versa.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said second set of trolleys is a subset of said first set of trolleys or vice versa.

11. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the base of said robotic arm is fixed or rotates about a fixed axis relative to the ground.

12. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein said first parking space and said second parking space are at different heights.

Images