Stack handling device, automatic storage area comprising such a stack handling device, and method for handling stacks of storage goods carriers stacked directly one on top of the other

Abstract

The invention relates to a stack handling device (1), by means of which, during a depositing process, a depositing stack (10) containing at least one storage goods carrier (4) can be put into storage at any location in a stack (2) of storage goods carriers (4) that are stacked directly one on top of the other or, during a retrieval process, a retrieving stack (12) likewise containing at least one storage goods carrier (4) can be taken out of storage from any location in the stack (2). A stack handling device (1) has a stack lifting device (14) in order to raise a part (6) of the stack from the remaining stack (8). The depositing stack (10) is deposited at the top of the remaining stack (8) or the stack (2), and the retrieving stack (12) is removed from the top of the remaining stack (8) or the stack (2). In order to remove the retrieving stack (12) or in order to deposit the depositing stack (10), a loading and / or removing device (22) is used which removes the depositing stack (10) from a receiving station or deposits the retrieving stack (12) at a depositing station. A plurality of stacks (2) of storage goods carriers (4) stacked directly one on top of the other is stored in the automatic storage area (60). The invention finally relates to a method for handling stacks (2).

Description

[0001] Stack handling device, automatic warehouse with such a stack handling device and method for handling stacks of storage goods carriers stacked directly on top of one another

[0002] The invention relates to a stack handling device for an automatic warehouse for handling a stack of storage goods carriers to be processed, which are stacked one on top of the other, an automatic warehouse with such a stack handling device and a method for operating such an automatic warehouse.

[0003] Automated warehouses are commonly used to prepare goods and products for production processes or for delivery to customers in a specific sequence, and / or to store goods for later use and retrieve them quickly when needed. Automated warehouses of this type can consist of a single storage device and / or have at least one storage device. Typical storage devices used here are pallet warehouses, high-bay warehouses, storage lifts, horizontal carousels, and paternoster systems. In these systems, the stored goods are located on storage carriers that are stacked one above the other in compartments. Such a storage device has at least one operating station where the stored goods and / or storage carriers are stored and / or retrieved. A conveyor system transports the storage carriers to be stored or retrieved, or the storage carriers with the stored goods to be stored or retrieved, to the at least one operating station.

[0004] Such storage devices are very complex in design and have only limited expandability and flexibility.

[0005] The invention is therefore based on the object of creating the conditions for a flexible, structurally simple and cost-effective automatic warehouse.

[0006] This object is achieved according to the invention by a stack handling device for an automatic warehouse for handling a stack to be processed from storage goods carriers lying on top of one another, wherein the stack handling device is provided with a stack lifting device which is designed to lift a partial stack of the stack to be processed from a remaining stack; with a loading and / or removal device which is designed to remove a retrieval stack containing at least one uppermost storage goods carrier of the stack or partial stack to be processed for retrieval and to deliver it to a delivery station and / or to pick up a storage stack containing at least one storage goods carrier from a receiving station for storage and to place it on the stack or partial stack;and is provided with at least one stack receptacle assigned to the loading and / or removal device and / or the stack lifting device, in which the stack to be processed can be received for access by the stack lifting device and / or the loading and / or removal device;

[0007] The object is also achieved by a method for operating an automatic warehouse, wherein a plurality of stacks of storage goods carriers stacked directly on top of one another are stored in the warehouse and the method comprises the following method steps: lifting a partial stack, which is contained in a stack of the plurality of stacks to be processed, from a remaining stack of the stack; picking up a storage stack consisting of at least one storage goods carrier from a receiving station and depositing the storage stack on top of the remaining stack during storage or removing a retrieval stack consisting of at least one storage goods carrier from the top of the remaining stack and depositing the retrieval stack on a delivery station.

[0008] A stack to be processed is understood to mean a stack that contains at least one storage goods carrier that must be removed from the stack for the storage or retrieval of storage goods, or from which a storage goods carrier to be stored is to be picked up.

[0009] The solution described above makes it possible to operate automated warehouses with a simple design, which are easy to expand, and cost-effective. Since the load carriers are stacked directly on top of each other, costly shelving systems for supporting the load carriers are eliminated. Thanks to the division of the stack to be processed into a residual stack and a partial stack, any load carrier or any stack of load carriers in the stack to be processed can be accessed, even if the load carriers are located directly apart.

[0010] The above-mentioned solution can be improved by a series of further developing features, each of which is advantageous in itself, can be combined with one another as desired, and is independent of one another. Each of the following features, independently of the other features, is suitable for further developing both a device, for example the stack handling device or an automatic warehouse, and the above-mentioned method. If, for example, a feature is described in connection with a method, it necessarily follows that a device carrying out the method is designed to carry out the method feature. Conversely, a method feature results from a device feature, in that the method can include the function carried out by the method feature as a method step.

[0011] Thus, in one embodiment, the delivery station and the receiving station may be identical, while in another embodiment, they may be spatially separated. There may be one or more delivery stations and one or more receiving stations.

[0012] The automated warehouse, in which one or more stack handling devices are used in one of the embodiments described here, can, in one embodiment, have one or more operating stations at which stored goods and / or storage goods carriers can be stored or retrieved. The at least one operating station is accessible from outside the automated warehouse, for example, by one or more operators or one or more robots. In one variant, the partial stack can be lifted off at or in an operating station, so that access to the remaining stack can take place directly where the storage stack is fed into the automated warehouse or the retrieval stack is removed from the automated warehouse.

[0013] The operating station can have an access area to which an operator and / or a robot has direct access to a storage goods carrier, the storage stack, the retrieval stack, or to stored goods on a storage goods carrier. Such an access area can be formed by an opening in a housing or wall of the warehouse, by a lock, or by a platform. In one embodiment, the access area can spatially coincide with the delivery station and / or the receiving station.

[0014] In one embodiment, the stack lifting device can be part of the operating station. A stack receptacle of the stack handling device can be located directly at the operating station, so that the stack lifting device is located between the access area of ​​the operating station and the stack receptacle.

[0015] The automated warehouse can have different operating stations for storage and retrieval. In such a case, the delivery station can be part of an operating station of the automated warehouse, at which stored goods or at least one storage goods carrier is arranged, in particular exclusively for retrieval from the automated warehouse, and can be accessed from outside the automated warehouse. The receiving station can be part of an operating station of the automated warehouse, at which stored goods or at least one storage goods carrier can be brought into the automated warehouse, in particular exclusively for storage in the automated warehouse. Of course, one operating station can also be used for both storage and retrieval. An automated warehouse can have a plurality of operating stations of different types.

[0016] The delivery station and / or the pick-up station do not have to be part of an operating station. The delivery station and / or the pick-up station can also be located within the automated warehouse, for example, to further process the inbound stack or the outbound stack within the automated warehouse. For example, a outbound stack can be removed from a stack to be processed and added to another stack to be processed as a inbound stack. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to move the inbound stack or the outbound stack outside the automated warehouse to restack the storage goods carriers.

[0017] In one embodiment, at least the stack lifting device can be integrated into an operating station of the automatic warehouse.

[0018] In one embodiment, the stack to be processed can be moved for storage and / or retrieval to a location where the partial stack is lifted. This location can, in particular, be the stack receiving device of the stack lifting device. The stack lifting device can also be moved to the location where the partial stack is lifted. The stack to be processed can be transported by a moving device, as described below.

[0019] After the partial stack has been lifted, the remaining stack can be moved to a location where the inbound stack is placed on top of the remaining stack and / or the outbound stack is removed from the remaining stack. A transfer device, as described below, can be used to transport the remaining stack.

[0020] According to a further embodiment, the storage stack can be moved to a location where it is placed on the remaining stack. A transfer device, as described below, can be used to transport the storage stack. Accordingly, it is not necessary for the partial stack to be lifted from the remaining stack at the same location where the storage stack is added to the remaining stack or the retrieval stack is removed from the remaining stack. Separating these two locations allows for greater flexibility in the design of the automated warehouse, as the handling of the various (partial, remaining, storage, retrieval) stacks can take place at the most favorable location for the respective storage and / or retrieval process.

[0021] The stack lifting device is preferably designed to access any storage goods carrier of the stack to be processed, which is located in the stack holder assigned to the stack lifting device.

[0022] The loading and / or removal device is preferably designed to access any storage goods carrier of the stack to be processed, which is located in the stack holder assigned to the loading and / or removal device.

[0023] The stack lifting device advantageously comprises a manipulator that can be moved along the stack to be processed and is designed to engage with at least the lowest storage goods carrier of the partial stack. The engagement between the manipulator and the lowest storage goods carrier of the partial stack can be positively and / or non-positively engaged.

[0024] The stack handling device can have a first stack receptacle assigned to the stack lifting device and a second stack receptacle assigned to the loading and / or removal device. The first stack receptacle is preferably spatially spaced from the second stack receptacle. The first and second stack receptacles can be connected, for example, by a displacement device, for example in the form of a vehicle, which is designed to move the remaining stack from the first to the second stack receptacle and / or from the second to the first stack receptacle. With such a configuration, the transport of a stack in the horizontal direction can be carried out exclusively by a displacement device and in the vertical direction exclusively by the manipulators of the stack lifting device and the loading and / or removal device.The manipulator of the stack lifting device can therefore be moved along the first stack holder, and the manipulator of the loading and / or removal device can be moved along the second stack holder.

[0025] For example, to lift the partial stack, the manipulator can move under a section of the lowest storage carrier of the partial stack. Such a section can be formed by the bottom of the lowest storage carrier. Alternatively or additionally, the storage carrier can be provided with projections on two opposite sides, for example, horizontally extending ribs, under which the manipulator can move to lift the partial stack by its lowest storage carrier.

[0026] The manipulator can have a fork designed to be engageable with a storage goods carrier, which fork can be engaged with a storage goods carrier, for example by driving under lateral projections of the storage goods carrier, in order to lift the storage goods carrier together with the other storage goods carriers of the stack resting thereon.

[0027] In one embodiment, the fork of the manipulator can have driven prongs that can move toward and / or away from each other. Such mobility makes it possible to grip a storage carrier even in confined spaces, increasing storage density. Instead of a fork-shaped manipulator, or in addition to such a fork-shaped manipulator, a manipulator with grippers and / or suction cups can also be used.

[0028] The loading and / or unloading device advantageously also includes a manipulator. The manipulator of the loading and / or unloading device can be designed identically to the manipulator of the stack lifting device, particularly with regard to structure and / or function.

[0029] According to a further embodiment, the manipulator of the stack lifting device and / or the loading and / or unloading device can be designed to be retractable or extendable from the respective stack receptacle and / or pivotable. With the aid of such a movable manipulator, the stack lifting device can pick up the storage stack from a receiving station or deposit the retrieval stack on a storage station if these are arranged remotely from the stack receptacle of the stack lifting device. When using such a manipulator, the loading and / or unloading device can deposit the partial stack held by the manipulator at a distance from the stack receptacle of the loading and / or unloading device. An example of such a manipulator is a telescopic and / or pivotable gripper or a telescopic and / or pivotable fork.

[0030] The storage carriers are preferably standardized. For example, the storage carriers can be designed in the form of KLT or C-KLT containers. The storage carriers in a stack do not have to be the same height. Within a stack, the storage carriers can be arranged randomly. Different stacks can have different heights.

[0031] The stack handling device can have a control unit equipped with warehouse management software. The control unit or the warehouse management software controls all functions of the stack handling device and the automated warehouse. The control unit or the warehouse management software preferably stores the current location of each stack of the automated warehouse as well as the current position of each storage item carrier within its stack. Furthermore, the position, type, and / or quantity of the storage item on a storage item carrier can be stored in the warehouse management software.

[0032] In one embodiment, the stack lifting device and the loading and / or unloading device are structurally integrated into the stack handling device. In another embodiment, however, the stack lifting device and the loading and / or unloading device can be structurally separate.

[0033] For example, more flexible access to the stacks stored in the automated warehouse is possible if the stack lifting device and the loading and / or retrieval device are designed to be independently movable or movable. The stack lifting device and the loading and / or retrieval device can be two separate, structurally distinct devices or units that, through their interaction, form the stack handling device. The stack lifting device and the loading and / or retrieval device can, for example, each be formed by an automatic or autonomous industrial truck. The stack lifting device and the loading and / or retrieval device are preferably controlled by the warehouse management software.

[0034] In a specific embodiment, the stack lifting device and the loading and / or unloading device can be formed by two identical devices, for example, identical autonomous stackers. If the stack lifting device and the loading and / or unloading device are identical, each of these two devices can assume the function of the other device. If more than two devices or units are present in such an embodiment, any pair of these devices or units can together form a stack handling device. This not only increases flexibility but also operational reliability.Such a design is particularly advantageous in large automated warehouses, since at any point in the automated warehouse the devices closest to each other can be moved to the stack to be processed, in order to then form the stack handling device together there and to add the storage stack to the stack to be processed or to remove the retrieval stack from the stack to be processed.

[0035] If the stack lifting device and the loading and / or removal device are structurally separate from each other, they can each have their own stack receptacles. The stack lifting device can have a stack receptacle that can accommodate the stack to be processed, the remaining stack, and / or the partial stack. The loading and / or removal device can have a stack receptacle that can accommodate the remaining stack and / or the stack to be stored or retrieved.

[0036] The stack receptacle is formed by the spatial section in which the stack to be processed must be located so that the stack lifting device or the loading and / or unloading device can access it. Thus, in one embodiment, the stack receptacle can be formed by a working area of ​​the stack lifting device or the loading and / or unloading device. However, in a further development, the stack receptacle can be characterized by structural features of the stack handling device. For example, the stack receptacle can have a platform on which the stack to be processed rests and / or the stack receptacle is bordered on at least two sides by parts of the stack handling device.

[0037] In another embodiment, the stack handling device can be stationary or fixed, i.e., immobile. In such a case, the stack to be processed must be moved to the stack handling device. Alternatively, only the stack lifting device or only the loading and / or unloading device can be stationary, while the other device is movable.

[0038] A movable stack lifting device can, for example, be designed to move the lifted partial stack within the automated warehouse. A movable loading and / or removal device can, for example, be designed to move the remaining stack, the storage stack, or the retrieval stack within the automated warehouse, for example to an operating station or another delivery or receiving station. In the automated warehouse, for example, a stack can be restacked at a delivery station, and at least one storage stack, which was taken from another stack as a retrieval stack, can be added to a stack, and the existing storage goods carriers within the stack can be reordered.

[0039] The delivery station and / or the receiving station can be integrated into the stack lifting device. Thus, the delivery station and / or the receiving station can be located in the stack receiving device of the stack lifting device. However, a delivery station and / or receiving station can also be configured at a distance from the stack receiving device on the stack lifting device. In this case, the stack lifting device is advantageously designed to transport the storage stack from the receiving station to the stack receiving device or the retrieval stack from the stack receiving device to the receiving station.

[0040] If the delivery station is located in the stack receiving area, it may be necessary that after the outbound stack is lifted, the remaining stack must first be moved out of the stack receiving area before the outbound stack can be made available at the delivery station or moved to the delivery station. If the receiving station is located in the stack receiving area, it may be necessary that after the inbound stack is made available at the receiving station, the inbound stack must first be moved out of the receiving station in order to move the remaining stack, onto which the inbound stack is to be placed, into the stack receiving area.

[0041] The movable stack handling device can have at least one drive device configured to move the stack lifting device and / or the loading and / or unloading device. The drive device is integrated into the stack handling device or the stack lifting device and the loading and / or unloading device, if the latter are structurally separate from each other. With an integrated drive device, the stack handling device or, if they are designed separately, the stack lifting device and the loading and / or unloading device are self-propelled and, in particular, controlled by the warehouse management software.

[0042] According to one embodiment, the stack handling device has a separate, i.e., structurally separate, movement device designed to move the stack to be processed into the at least one stack receptacle. The automated warehouse mentioned above can have a plurality of such movement devices. The at least one movement device can be designed to be controlled by the warehouse management software. The movement device can be an autonomous vehicle, for example, an autonomous forklift truck, an AGV, an LGV, or another autonomous, self-propelled industrial truck. The movement device can be moved, in particular, independently of the stack handling device if the latter is designed to be movable. If the stack lifting device and / or the loading and / or removal device are movable, the movement device is preferably movable independently of at least one of these two devices.

[0043] In one variant, the movement device can also be the drive of a carousel, for example a horizontal carousel or a paternoster, which moves a plurality of stacks in a rotating manner through the at least one stack receptacle of the stack handling device.

[0044] In one embodiment, the moving device can be configured to move underneath the stack to be processed, the remaining stack, the storage stack, or the retrieval stack. For example, one of these stacks to be moved underneath can be arranged on a drive-under platform. The moving device can be provided with a raising and lowering support surface on which the platform rests, raised from the floor, when the stack is moved. The moving device is thus preferably configured to lift the drive-under platform together with the stack. The moving device can move underneath the platform as a whole.

[0045] A platform with a drive-under platform can be dispensed with if the transfer device has a manipulator, for example in the form of a gripper or a fork, which is designed to engage with the lowest storage goods carrier of the respective stack and to lift the stack via this engagement. The manipulator of the transfer device can, for example, be designed like the manipulator of the stack lifting device and / or the loading and / or removal device. With this design, the stack to be transported by the transfer device can therefore stand directly on the floor.

[0046] In an advantageous embodiment, the automated warehouse can have a moving device that performs a variety of transport tasks and thus not only moves the stacks in the automated warehouse. For example, the stack handling device or the stack lifting device and / or the loading and / or unloading device can be designed to be moved by the moving device. In such a configuration, the stack handling device or the stack lifting device and / or the loading and / or unloading device is essentially stationary, but can be moved by the moving device to a location in the automated warehouse where it is needed. It may be sufficient for only the stack lifting device or only the loading and / or unloading device to be designed to be movable by the moving device.Of course, if the stack lifting device and the loading and / or unloading device are separate units, both can be designed to be movable independently of each other by means of a displacement device.

[0047] For example, if the stack lifting device and the loading and / or unloading device are structurally combined in the stack handling device, the stack handling device can have a platform designed like the platform of a stack. The platform can thus be driven under by a moving device and lifted for transport. If the stack lifting device and the loading and / or unloading device are structurally separate units, each of them can be equipped with such a platform.

[0048] These configurations result in a particularly simple automated warehouse, as the same type of transfer device can be used for all conveying tasks. Both the stacks and the stack handling device or their components, the stack lifting device, and the loading and / or removal device, can be moved to any location within the automated warehouse by the transfer device. An automated warehouse designed in this way is flexible and, because the transfer devices are redundant and interchangeable, operationally reliable.

[0049] The automated warehouse can extend over multiple floors. Such an automated warehouse can have a lift as a transport device, which connects different floors of the automated warehouse and is designed to transport the stack to be processed, the remaining stack, and / or the stack for storage and / or retrieval from one floor to another. For example, in a multi-floor automated warehouse, only the loading and / or retrieval device can extend over multiple floors. Thus, the loading and / or retrieval device can be designed to remove a retrieval stack from a remaining stack located in the stack receptacle of the loading and / or retrieval device on each floor and transport it to a delivery station on another floor.A storage stack can be removed from a receiving station on one floor and placed on a partial stack located on another floor in the stack receiving station of the loading and / or removal device.

[0050] According to a further embodiment, the stack lifting device can be structurally simplified such that, instead of a manipulator that can be moved along the stack, several stationary manipulators mounted at different heights are provided. Of course, such stationary manipulators can also be used in addition to a manipulator that can be moved along the stack. The stationary manipulators can be attached, for example, to one or more racks or to a wall of the automated warehouse.

[0051] The different heights at which the stationary manipulators are arranged correspond to the heights at which the lowest storage carriers of partial stacks are located, which are lifted from the remaining stack. The height differences between such stationary manipulators therefore correspond to the different heights of the stackable storage carriers used in the automated warehouse. For example, if the storage carriers used in an automated warehouse are all the same height, the height gradation of the stationary manipulators is constant.

[0052] To lift a partial stack, in such a design the stack to be processed is brought into engagement with the stationary manipulator whose height corresponds to the desired height of the remaining stack. For this purpose, a moving device can move the stack to be processed to the stationary manipulator. The desired height of the remaining stack is dimensioned such that the stack to be removed is placed on top of the remaining stack. The stack to be processed is then lowered so that the remaining stack is released from the partial stack held by the manipulator. The remaining stack can then be transported by the moving device, for example, into the stack holder of a stack lifting device, or the stack lifting device can move to the stationary manipulator and the remaining stack located there.

[0053] The stack handling device in one of the embodiments described here can be used in an automated warehouse having a plurality of stacks of storage carriers stacked one on top of the other. The stacks can be randomly distributed in the warehouse or arranged in rows.

[0054] The automated warehouse can have at least one travel lane along which the at least one travel device can be moved. The travel lane can be static at least in sections. A static travel lane or a static section of the travel lane is always located at the same point. This is useful, for example, in the case of a rail- or track-bound travel device. Cumulatively or alternatively, the travel lane can be dynamic at least in sections, i.e., have a different course at different times. With a travel lane that is at least in sections dynamic, it is advantageous if the travel device can move freely within the warehouse area, independent of the track, which is the case, for example, with an autonomous industrial truck.A dynamic travel lane, at least in sections, is created, for example, by stacks moved for destacking no longer being moved back to their original position, but remaining in place.

[0055] In one embodiment, at least portions of the automated warehouse may have a chaotic arrangement of stacks and other portions of the automated warehouse may have an arrangement of the stacks in rows.

[0056] The rows of the automated warehouse can be arranged between travel lanes, wherein the travel lanes are dimensioned such that at least one travel device, a movable stack handling device, a movable stack lifting device, and / or a movable loading and / or removal device in one of the configurations described above can move along the travel lanes and thus along the rows of stacks. Two, three, four, or more rows of stacks can be located between two travel lanes arranged directly next to one another.

[0057] The automated warehouse can have a plurality of transfer devices. If the transfer devices or a movable stack handling device or its stack lifting device and / or loading and / or removal device are battery-operated, the automated warehouse can have one or more charging stations.

[0058] The invention is explained below by way of example using several embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. The same reference numerals are used in different figures for elements that correspond to one another in terms of structure and / or function.

[0059] Subject to the above, a feature not present in an embodiment described below may be added to that embodiment if the technical effect associated with that feature is important for a particular application. Conversely, a feature of an embodiment described below may be omitted if the technical effect associated with that feature is not important for a particular application.

[0060] They show:

[0061] Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a stack handling device;

[0062] Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of a stack with a moving device;

[0063] Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of another stack handling device;

[0064] Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of another stack handling device;

[0065] Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of an automatic warehouse with the stack handling device of Fig. 3;

[0066] Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of an automatic warehouse with the stack handling device of Fig. 4;

[0067] Fig. 7 is a schematic plan view of another automatic warehouse with a stack handling device;

[0068] Fig. 8 is a schematic side view in the direction VIII of Fig. 7;

[0069] Figs. 9 to 13 each show a schematic plan view of another automatic warehouse with a stack handling device;

[0070] Fig. 14 is a schematic side view of an automated warehouse extending over several floors;

[0071] Fig. 15 shows a process for dividing a stack 2 into a partial stack and a remaining stack using a stack lifting device 14; Fig. 16 shows a schematic side view of a stack lifting device with manipulators mounted at different heights.

[0072] First, the structure and function of an embodiment of a stack handling device 1 are described by way of example with reference to Fig. 1.

[0073] The stack handling device 1 is designed to handle a stack 2 of storage goods carriers 4 that are directly stacked on top of one another. The storage goods carriers 4 are preferably standardized containers, such as storage goods carriers of the KLT type, in particular of the C-KLT type.

[0074] The stack handling device 1 is particularly designed to lift a partial stack 6 from a remaining stack 8. Together, the partial stack 6 and the remaining stack 8 form the original stack 2.

[0075] During storage, a storage stack 10 is added to stack 2. The storage stack 10 consists of at least one storage goods carrier 4 to be stored. The storage stack 10 is placed on top of the remaining stack 8'. The partial stack 6 is then placed on the remaining stack 8, on which the storage stack 10 is now located. The storage stack 10 originates from a receiving station (not shown in Fig. 1), at which it was previously provided so that the stack handling device 1 could access the storage stack 10. If the storage stack 10 is placed on top of stack 2, which is also possible, the partial stack 6 does not, of course, have to be lifted from the remaining stack 8.

[0076] For retrieval, a retrieval stack 12 consisting of at least one storage goods carrier 4 is lifted from the top of the remaining stack 8 or from stack 2. After being removed from stack 2, the retrieval stack 12 is delivered to a delivery station where it can be further processed. The retrieval stack can also comprise the entire remaining stack 8. After the retrieval stack 12 has been removed, the partial stack 6 is placed back on the remaining remaining stack 8, or a storage stack 10 is placed on the remaining remaining stack 8 instead of the retrieval stack 12. If the retrieval stack 12 is removed from the top of stack 2, it is not necessary to form a partial stack 6.

[0077] In order to lift the partial stack 6 from the remaining stack 8, the stack handling device 1 is provided with a stack lifting device 14. The stack lifting device 14 can have a manipulator 16 designed to engage with one or more storage goods carriers 4 in order to lift at least the bottommost storage goods carrier 4 (of the partial stack 6) from the underlying storage goods carriers 4 (of the remaining stack 8). The manipulator 16 can, for example, have a particularly fork-shaped gripper 18, which can be designed to engage two opposite sides 20 of a storage goods carrier 4 in order to lift this storage goods carrier 4 and, if applicable, further storage goods carriers 4 resting thereon.

[0078] Alternatively or cumulatively, the manipulator 16 can also move underneath a storage goods carrier 4 of a stack 2. For example, the storage goods carriers 4 can have projecting ribs 21 on the sides 20, under which the manipulator 16 moves.

[0079] For lifting a retrieval stack 12 from stack 2 or remaining stack 8 and / or for placing a storage stack 10 on top of the remaining stack 8 or stack 2, the stack handling device 1 has a loading and / or removal device 22. In one embodiment, the loading and / or removal device 22 can be configured exactly like the stack lifting device 14. At least the loading and / or removal device 22 can have a manipulator 16 configured like the manipulator 16 of the stack lifting device 14.

[0080] The stack handling device 1 further comprises a stack holder 24 in which the stack 2 can be received for processing by the stack lifting device 14 and / or the loading and / or removal device 22.

[0081] In the variant shown in Fig. 1, the stack lifting device 14 or its manipulator 16 can be moved along the stack 2 or along the stack holder 24. The loading and / or unloading device 22 or its manipulator 16 can also be moved along the stack 2 or along the stack holder 24. Preferably, the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22 can be moved independently of one another. For this purpose, the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22 can each have their own drive or can be coupled independently of one another into a common drive. The moveability of the stack lifting device 14 and / or the loading and / or unloading device 22 is indicated in Fig. 1 by the arrows 26.The stack handling device 1 can have a frame 28 that supports the stack lifting device 14 and / or the loading and / or removal device 22. The frame 28 can surround the stack receptacle 24 in a frame-like or cage-like manner. The frame can have an opening 29 through which the stack 2 to be processed can be moved into the stack receptacle 24. In another embodiment, the frame 28 is located on only one side of the stack receptacle 24.

[0082] The frame 28 can have one or more vertical struts 30 along which the stack lifting device 14 can be moved using its drive 32 and / or the loading and / or unloading device 22 can be moved using its drive 34. The stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22 can be arranged on different struts 30 of the frame 28.

[0083] In a variant, as shown merely by way of example in Fig. 1, the stack handling device 1 is movable in one or more travel directions 36. In such an embodiment, the stack handling device 1 is itself a vehicle. The stack handling device 1 can be freely movable or rail- or track-bound. This allows the stack handling device 1 to be moved towards a stack 2 to be processed and to position the stack 2 in the stack receptacle 24. Alternatively or cumulatively, the stack 2 received in the stack receptacle 24 can rest on or in the stack handling device 1, so that the stack handling device 1 can be moved together with the stack 2 in the stack receptacle 24. The travel directions 36 here lie in a horizontal plane and are determined, for example, by a hall floor.

[0084] In the variant shown in Fig. 1, the stack handling device 1 moves into the plane of the drawing in order to bring the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22 into engagement with the stack 2 or to maneuver the stack 2 into the stack holder 24.

[0085] In a further embodiment, the stack handling device 1 is designed to move with a storage stack 10 or retrieval stack 12 received in the stack holder 24. The storage stack 10 or the retrieval stack 12 is preferably held by the loading and unloading device 22. For example, in such an embodiment, the stack handling device 1 can be moved with the storage stack 10 from a receiving station to a stack 2, in which the storage stack 10 is then stored as described above. Or the stack handling device 1 moves with the retrieval stack 12 away from the partial stack 6 and remaining stack 8 to the deposit station in order to deposit the retrieval stack 12 there.

[0086] For moving the stack handling device 1, it can have a drive device 38 integrated into the stack handling device 1. In particular, the stack handling device 1 can be configured as an automated guided vehicle (AGV) or, equivalently, as an automated industrial truck.

[0087] According to Fig. 2, a stack 2 of storage goods carriers 4 can rest on a drive-under platform 40. The platform 40 can be driven under by a particularly automated, driverless industrial truck, for example an AGV or LGV 42. The entire or almost entire moving device can move under the platform 40. In the simplest case, a pallet can serve as the platform 40, which is lifted by a moving device 42 designed as a forklift.

[0088] The stack on the platform 40 can be a stack 2, a partial stack 6, or a remaining stack 8. A storage stack 10 or a retrieval stack 12 can also be deposited, at least temporarily, on a platform 40. Any type of deposited stack can form a stack 2 to be processed.

[0089] The storage goods carriers 4 of a stack 2 can have different heights 43. Within a stack 2, the storage goods carriers 4 can be arranged randomly. The stack 2 itself can have any number of storage goods carriers and / or any height, up to a possibly predetermined maximum height.

[0090] A control device 44, for example a computer, has warehouse management software 46 in which the positions of the stacks 2, 6, 8, 10, 12 as well as the positions of each storage goods carrier 4 within a stack 2, 6, 8, 10, 12 are stored. Furthermore, the warehouse management software 46 controls the movement of the displacement device 42 as well as the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22. If a drive device 38 is present, this is also designed to be controlled by the warehouse management software 46. The warehouse management software 46 can further be designed to store the position, an identification code, and the type and / or quantity of the storage goods on a storage goods carrier 4.

[0091] In one embodiment, the moving device 42 has a height-adjustable support surface 48 on which the pedestal 40 can rest. To move a stack 2, the moving device 42 moves with the lowered support surface 48 underneath the stack 2 or the pedestal 40. Once the stack 2 or the pedestal 40 has been moved under, the moving device 42 raises the support surface 48 so that the pedestal 40 is lifted off the ground by the support surface 48. Once the stack 2 has been raised, the moving device 42 can move with the stack 2, for example, into a stack receptacle 24 and deposit the stack 2 there, or remain with the raised stack 2 in the stack receptacle 24 while the storage stack 10 is added to the stack 2 or the retrieval stack 12 is removed from the stack 2. The support surface 48 can be formed by an upper side of the moving device 42, as shown.In an alternative embodiment, the platform 40 can also have rollers and can be pushed or pulled to move the stack.

[0092] In an alternative embodiment, the stack handling device 1 is also arranged on a platform 40 that can be driven under, or the stack handling device 1 has a platform 40 that can be driven under, so that the stack handling device 1 can be moved using a displacement device 42. In such an embodiment, a drive device 38 is not required. The stack handling device 1 can preferably be moved using the same displacement device 42 or the same type of displacement device 42 as a stack 2.

[0093] To move a stack 2 into the stack receptacle 24 of the stack handling device 1, either the stack 2 or the stack handling device 1 can be moved. In a further, particularly flexible embodiment, both the stack handling device 1 and the stack 2 can be moved.

[0094] The stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22 do not have to be structurally combined. They can also be arranged at different locations spaced apart from each other.

[0095] This is explained below using the exemplary embodiments in Figs. 3 and 4.

[0096] In the stack handling device 1 of Fig. 3, for example, the stack lifting device 14 is spaced apart from the loading and / or unloading device 22. The loading and / or unloading device 22 and the stack lifting device 14 each have their own stack receptacle 24, between which there is a space 50 extending in the travel direction 36. The distance between the stack receptacles 24 can be as large as desired. The greater the distance, the more time is naturally required for the transport path between the stack receptacles 24.

[0097] The function of the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22 otherwise corresponds to the function described above in Fig. 1: To lift the partial stack 6, the stack 2 is moved into the stack receptacle 24 of the stack lifting device 14 in the travel direction 36, for example by a travel device 42. The remaining stack 8 is then moved through the space 50 again with the help of the travel device 42 in the travel direction 36 into the stack receptacle 24 of the loading and / or removal device 22. When a storage stack 10 is put into storage, the storage stack 10 is placed on the remaining stack 8 in the loading and / or removal device 22. During removal, the removal stack 12 is removed from the top of the remaining stack 8. Then, the remaining stack 8 moves out of the stack holder 24 of the loading and / or removal device 22 without the removal stack 12, for example into the space 50.The distance between the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22 can be as large as desired.

[0098] Fig. 3 also shows that the loading and / or removal device 22 can have an operating station 52. The operating station 52 is used for storing and / or retrieving storage goods carriers 4 and / or storage goods 54 arranged on a storage goods carrier 4. Alternatively or cumulatively, the operating station 52 is used for storing and / or retrieving individual storage goods carriers 4 or several stacked storage goods carriers 4, for example in the form of stacks 10, 12. The storing and / or retrieving can be carried out by an operator 56 or, instead of or in addition to the operator 56, by a robot (not shown). The operating station 52 can have an access area 53 in which access to storage goods 54 or one or more storage goods carriers 4 is provided by the operator 56 and / or a robot for storing the storage stacks 10 or for retrieving the retrieval stacks 12.

[0099] If the operating station 52 is arranged at a height that is lower than the height of the remaining stack 8, the storage stack 10 must first be moved above the height of the remaining stack 8 by the manipulator 16 during storage before the remaining stack 8 is moved into the stack receptacle of the loading and / or removal device 22, before the remaining stack 8 moves into the stack receptacle 24 of the loading and / or removal device 22. During retrieval, however, the remaining stack 8 must in such a case first be moved out of the stack receptacle 24 of the loading and / or removal device 22 before the retrieval stack 12 can be moved to the height of the operating station 52.

[0100] After removing the retrieval stack 12 from the remaining stack 8 or placing the storage stack 10 on the remaining stack 8 in the loading and / or removal device 22, the thus modified remaining stack 8 can be moved into the stack holder 24 of the stack lifting device 14, where the partial stack 6 is placed on the remaining stack 8. The stack 2 can then be moved to a storage location and set down.

[0101] In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the deposit station and the receiving station are thus implemented jointly by the operating station 52 and in particular by the access area, and are arranged in particular in the stack holder 24. This requires moving the remaining stack 8 out of or into the stack holder 24 of the loading and / or removal device 22 in order to be able to move the storage stack 10 or the retrieval stack 12 into the section of the stack holder 24 serving as the operating station 52. The manipulator 16 of the stack lifting device 14 and / or the loading and / or removal device 22 can be movable exclusively vertically in the embodiment of Fig. 3.

[0102] In a modification of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the stack lifting device 14 can be designed to be movable and move to the stack 2 to be processed.

[0103] The design of Fig. 4 differs from the design of Fig. 3 essentially only in that the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device are not separated from each other by a space 50. Rather, both devices 14, 22, or the stack receptacles 24 of the two devices 14, 22, are directly adjacent to each other. The storage and / or retrieval of a storage goods carrier 4, or a storage stack 10, or a retrieval stack 12, takes place in the same way as in Fig. 3.

[0104] After the partial stack 6 has been lifted, the remaining stack 8 is moved into the stack receptacle 24 of the loading and / or removal device 22. This can be done by a separate moving device 42. Alternatively or cumulatively, in the embodiment of Fig. 4, the moving device 42 can also be integrated into the stack handling device 1. For example, the stack 2 or 8 can rest on a movable platform that can be moved back and forth between the stack receptacles 24 of the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22. A stack 2 can then be placed on this platform by a separate moving device 42.Instead of a platform, it is of course also possible to use differently designed devices integrated into the stack handling device 1, such as forks and / or grippers on which the stack 2 to be processed or the remaining stack 8 rests and is moved back and forth between the two stack receptacles 24.

[0105] Compared to the design in Fig. 3, the design in Fig. 4 is somewhat more space-saving.

[0106] Fig. 5 shows, by way of example, an automated warehouse 60 in which several stacks 2 are stored, for example, on platforms 40 at storage locations 62. The storage locations 62 can be distributed randomly, for example, chaotically, on a storage area 64. In the embodiment of Fig. 5, however, the storage locations 62 are arranged merely by way of example in rows 66, with two rows 66 of storage locations 62 each being separated from one another by a travel aisle 68.

[0107] Regardless of whether the stacks 2 are stored in rows or randomly, the stacks 2 are stored on the storage area 64 in such a way that, if possible, every stack 2 can be directly accessed by a moving device 42. The area of ​​the automatic warehouse 60 where the storage locations 62 are located is referred to below as storage area 70. The storage area 70 serves to store the storage goods carriers 4 or the stored goods received therefrom in the form of stacks 2.

[0108] The stored goods 54 or storage goods carriers 4 are stored and / or retrieved in a storage and / or retrieval area 72 that is functionally separate from the storage area 70. In the storage and / or retrieval area 72 there is at least one operating station 52, each with one or more access areas 53. If several operating stations 52 are present, then in one embodiment, for example, only storage can take place via one operating station 52 or one access area 53, while only removal can take place via another operating station 52 or another access area 53. Of course, it is also possible for individual or all operating stations 52 to be used for both storage and retrieval.

[0109] For storage and / or retrieval, the stacks 2 are moved from the storage area 70 to the storage and / or retrieval area 72 using one or more transfer devices 42. In particular, the stacks 2 are moved into the space 50 between the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22. The storage and / or retrieval process then takes place as described above in Fig. 3. An automatic warehouse 60, in which the configuration of the stack handling device 1 shown in Fig. 4 is used, is shown as an example in Fig. 6. The structure and function of this automatic warehouse largely correspond to the structure and function of the automatic warehouse in Fig. 5.The only difference arises from the fact that, due to the lack of space 50 between the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22, the stack pickup 24 of the loading and / or removal device 22, depending on the design, takes place from the rear side 74 facing away from the operating station 52 or from a side 76 of the stack lifting device 14 arranged transversely thereto. The further storage and / or retrieval of a storage stack 10 or a retrieval stack 12 can then be as described above in Fig. 4.

[0110] As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, an automated warehouse 60 may comprise a plurality of transfer devices 42, a plurality of stack lifting devices 14, and / or a plurality of loading and / or unloading devices 22. All of these devices 42, 14, 22 are preferably fully automatically controlled by the control device 44 or the warehouse management software 46.

[0111] In a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 5, only a single stack lifting device 14 can be present, from which the remaining stack 8 is then transported to an operating station 52. In such an embodiment, a single stack lifting device 14 can be assigned to multiple operating stations 52. This can be useful if one operating station 52 assigned to the stack lifting device 14 serves only for storage and another operating station 52 assigned to the stack lifting device 14 serves only for retrieval. For example, one access area 53 serves as a deposit station 53a and another access area 53 serves as a receiving station 53b.

[0112] Furthermore, a stack lifting device 14 can be movable and can be moved to an operating station 52 at which storage or retrieval is currently taking place.

[0113] 7 and 8 show that the stack handling device 1 can also be used in an automatic warehouse 60 that is functionally and / or structurally designed like a horizontal carousel. In the automatic warehouse 60 of FIGS. 7 and 8, the stacks 2 move on a closed circulating track 80, along which they are moved, for example, by a common moving device 42. The moving device 42 can, for example, drive a traction means 82 such as a chain that is connected to platforms 40 (not shown) on which the stacks 2 rest and drives the platforms along the circulating track 80. The stacks 2 move along the circulating track 80 through the storage area 70 and through a storage and / or retrieval area 72, in which access is provided to the stack 2 on which a storage and / or retrieval operation must be carried out.

[0114] The space 50, which is arranged between the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22 (see Fig. 4), is located in the circulation path 80. In the embodiment of Figs. 7 and 8, the space 50 simultaneously serves as the stack receptacle 24 for the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22. Similar to Figs. 3 and 4, the loading and / or unloading device 22 forms an operating station 52, via which the storage and / or retrieval of stored goods 54 and / or storage goods carriers 4 takes place.

[0115] The manipulator 16 of the loading and / or removal device 22 is preferably movable not only vertically but also horizontally, so that it is moved into the common stack receptacle 24 or the space 50. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the manipulator 16 can be extended toward an operator 56 or a robot, i.e., away from the storage area 70. Such an embodiment is advantageous for simplifying access to a storage goods carrier 4 or the storage stack 10 or the retrieval stack 12 from above.

[0116] The retrieval of at least one storage goods carrier 4 of the retrieval stack 12 or of storage goods 54 that are picked up by one or more storage goods carriers 4 of the retrieval stack 12 is carried out in the automatic warehouse 60 of Fig. 7 and 8 as follows: The stacks 2 are moved along the circulating track 80 until the stack 2 with the retrieval stack 12 is located in the stack receptacle 24, i.e. the space 50 between the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22. The partial stack 6 is then lifted by the stack lifting device 14, as already described above in Fig. 1. The loading and / or removal device 22 can then remove the retrieval stack 12 from the remaining stack 8. If the retrieval stack 12 is located at the very top of stack 2, it is of course not necessary to lift a partial stack 6, because the retrieval stack 12 can then be removed directly from the top of stack 2.

[0117] To access the retrieval stack 12, the manipulator 16 can be moved into the stack receptacle 24. For example, the manipulator 16 can have a horizontally extendable fork or a horizontally extendable gripper. The loading and / or removal device 22 can have a stack receptacle 24 designed as a lift shaft 84, into which the manipulator 16 is inserted after the retrieval stack 12 has been removed from the remaining stack 8 or from the stack 2. The manipulator 16 then moves vertically along the stack receptacle 24 up to the level of the access area. There, the manipulator 16 can be extended, as described above, from the stack receptacle 24 of the loading and / or removal device 22 or the lift shaft 84 in the direction away from the space 50, toward an operator 56 or a robot.After the removal of the storage goods 54 or a storage goods carrier 4 from the retrieval stack 12, the (remaining) retrieval stack is stored like a storage stack 10.

[0118] When a storage stack 10 is stored, it is placed on top of stack 2 or on top of the remaining stack 8 in space 50 or the stack holder 24. Further storage or retrieval operations can then be performed on stack 2 in the stack holder 24, or a new stack 2 is moved into the stack holder 24 or space 50 for the storage and / or retrieval of stored goods 54 or a storage goods carrier 4.

[0119] Functionally, the design of the stack handling device 1 of Figs. 7 and 8 thus essentially corresponds to the design of the stack handling device of Fig. 3. The only difference is that in Figs. 7 and 8, a manipulator 16 movable in the horizontal direction takes the place of the displacement devices 42 and both the remaining stack 8 and the partial stack 6 can remain in the space 50 serving as the stack holder 24.

[0120] Fig. 9 shows an automatic warehouse 60 in which the stacks 2 in the storage area 70 are also arranged in rows 66. Rows 66 of stacks 2 are arranged on both sides of a travel aisle 68. Between each two directly consecutive storage aisles 68, there is a double row 90 of stacks 2. With this configuration, the automatic warehouse 60 can have any number of travel aisles 68. Two travel aisles 68 are shown in Fig. 9 merely for example purposes.

[0121] The stack handling device 1 can be configured to move along a travel path 92, which can be defined, for example, by a rail. The travel path 92 extends along the travel aisles 68 of the warehouse 60 and to the operating station 52. The stack handling device 1 can be rail-bound or move autonomously. In particular, it can be configured to serve a stack 2 on any side of the storage aisle 68. The stacks 2 remain stationary in the storage area 70 while the stack handling device 1 is moved to the respective stack 2 to be processed.

[0122] In the stack handling device 1 of Fig. 9, similar to the embodiment of Fig. 1, the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22 are structurally combined.

[0123] The manipulators 16 of the stack lifting device 14 and of the loading and / or removal device 22 are preferably extendable and retractable, so that the stack handling device 1 can move within a travel lane 68 without colliding with the stacks 2. Once the stack handling device 1 has reached the stack 2 to be processed, the manipulator 16 of the stack lifting device 14 is first extended to lift the partial stack 6 from the stack 2. Simultaneously or subsequently, the manipulator of the loading and / or removal device 22 is extended to lift the retrieval stack 12 from the remaining stack 8, if retrieval is intended. The partial stack 6 is then placed on the remaining stack 8 without the retrieval stack 12.The manipulator 16 of the loading and / or removal device 22 is retracted together with the retrieval stack 12, so that the retrieval stack 12 removed from the stack 2 to be processed comes to rest in the stack handling device 1 and does not come into contact with the rows 66 when the stack handling device 1 is moved. The stack handling device 1 then moves to an operating station 52, at which the retrieval stack 12 is delivered, for example, by the manipulator 16 of the loading and / or removal device 22 being moved together with the retrieval stack 12 into the access area 53. During the transport of the retrieval stack 12, it can be held by the manipulator 16 of the loading and / or removal device 22.

[0124] During the return transport of a retrieval stack 12, for example, after removal of stored goods 4 from the retrieval stack 12 or during storage of a retrieval stack 10, the process takes place in the reverse direction. The stack handling device 1 moves into the storage and / or retrieval area 72 and extends the manipulator of the loading and / or removal device 22 in order to access the storage stack 10 or the retrieval stack 12 in the operating station 52. The manipulator 16 is then retracted together with the storage stack 10 or the retrieval stack 12, so that the storage stack 10 or the retrieval stack 12 is received in the stack handling device 1. The stack handling device 1 then moves to the stack to be processed, in which the storage stack 10 or the retrieval stack 12 is to be deposited. There, the manipulator of the stack lifting device 14 first extends to lift the partial stack 6.Subsequently, the manipulator 16 of the loading and / or removal device 22 extends together with the storage stack 10 or retrieval stack 12 held by it in order to deposit it on the remaining stack 8. Finally, the remaining stack 6 is deposited by the manipulator 16 of the stack lifting device 14 on the remaining stack 8 or the storage or retrieval stack 10, 12 placed thereon, and the manipulator 16 of the stack lifting device 14 is retracted again.

[0125] In such a configuration, the stack receptacle 24 coincides with the storage location 62 of the stack 2 to be processed. A stack handling device 1, as used in the automatic warehouse 60 of Fig. 9, can be configured like the stack handling device of Fig. 1. In this case, Fig. 1 represents the view represented by arrow I in Fig. 9.

[0126] The basic configurations illustrated with reference to Figs. 1 to 9 can be used in variously designed automatic warehouses 60. This is explained in more detail below with reference to Figs. 10 to 13.

[0127] In Fig. 10, the automated warehouse 60 has only a single storage aisle 68, along which the travel path 92 extends. An operating station 52 is located in a storage row 66. In this embodiment, the same stack handling device 1 as in the automated warehouse 60 of Fig. 9 can be used. The stack lifting device 1 can be rail-mounted. The storage and retrieval process is the same as in Fig. 9.

[0128] In the automatic warehouse 60 of Fig. 11, a travel aisle 68 is arranged on each side of a row 66. In this embodiment, a stack handling device 1 consists of a stack lifting device 14 and a structurally separate loading and / or unloading device 22. The stack lifting device 14 can be moved independently of the loading and / or unloading device 22. The stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22 can be designed identically and can each alternately perform one of the two functions, i.e., on the one hand, lifting the partial stack 8 from the stack 2 and, on the other hand, removing a retrieval stack 12 or depositing a storage stack 10. For example, the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22 are self-propelled, identically designed stackers.

[0129] To process a stack 2, the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22 each move into those travel lanes 68 that are opposite one another with respect to the row 66 in which the stack 2 to be processed is located, until they are opposite one another at the stack 2 to be processed. This position is shown in Fig. 11. Between the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22, the storage location 62 of the stack 2 forms the common stack receptacle 24, which here merely represents a working area in which the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22 access the stack 2. The stack lifting device 14 lifts the partial stack 8, as described above in Fig. 1. The loading and / or removal device 22 removes the retrieval stack 12 from the remaining stack 8 or places the storage stack 10 on the remaining stack 8.Once the storage stack 10 has been placed on the remaining stack 8 in the stack holder 24, the next stack 2 can be processed.

[0130] If the travel lanes are to remain at the same location in the warehouse at all times, the processed stack is moved back to its original position in its row or to any other position in the same or a different row. However, the travel lanes can also change dynamically if the processed stack 2 simply remains in place. In this case, however, it is advisable for the control system to calculate the travel lane extending through the stacks, for example, to prevent travel lanes that are too long, dead ends themselves, and / or excessively long dead ends.

[0131] Once the loading and / or removal device 22 has picked up the retrieval stack 12, it preferably moves autonomously into the loading and / or retrieval area 72, to at least one operating station 52 arranged there, at which it makes the retrieval stack 12 available for access by an operator 56 or a robot (not shown).

[0132] The automated warehouse 60 can have one or more charging stations 94 at which the batteries of the stack lifting devices 14 and the loading and / or unloading devices 22 can be charged. While the loading and / or unloading device 22 is already moving away from the stack 2 to be processed after depositing the storage stack 10 or removing the retrieval stack 12, the stack lifting device 14, in one embodiment, still deposits the partial stack 6 onto the remaining stack 8.

[0133] Figs. 12 to 14 show automatic warehouses 60 in which the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or unloading device 22 can be stationary. For this purpose, transfer devices 42, such as those shown in Fig. 2, are used to move the stacks 2 toward the stack handling device 1. The stack handling device 1 of Figs. 12 to 14 can be configured like the stack handling device 1 of Figs. 3 or 4.

[0134] In the automatic warehouse 60 of Fig. 12, at least two storage rows 66 are arranged on each side of a travel aisle 68. Between two adjacent travel aisles 68, there can be, in particular, four or more storage rows 66. With four storage rows 66, two transfer devices 42 can be used to retrieve a rear stack 2 located in the second row. One transfer device 42 moves the stack 2 from the front, first row, so that the stack 2 behind it is accessible to the second transfer device 42. The second transfer device 42 then picks up this stack 2 and moves it to an operating station 52 or a stack receptacle 24 of a stack handling device 1 located somewhere in the automatic warehouse.Meanwhile, the first transfer device 42 can deposit the stack 2 originally moved from the first row at the storage location 62 in the second row, so that the storage location 62 of the first row is immediately available for further storage or retrieval operations. The stack handling device 1 of the automatic warehouse 60 of Fig. 12 then carries out the operations described in Figs. 5 and 6 for storage and / or retrieval.

[0135] Fig. 12 also shows that a plurality of transfer devices 42 can be lined up in front of the stack handling device 1 or its stack receptacle 24, so that those stacks 2 from which the stored goods and / or storage goods carriers are to be removed can be fed to the stack handling device 1 one after the other in a short time. The lined-up transfer devices 42 are moved one after the other in a common direction 96 through the stack receptacles 24 of the stack handling device 1. This allows, for example, large order picking orders to be processed quickly.

[0136] In order to move at least one moving device 42 to a storage location 62 as quickly as possible, at least some travel paths 92 can extend in a ring around one or more storage rows 66.

[0137] The number of operating stations 52 or access areas 53 and the number of adjacent rows 66 between two consecutive aisles 68 can vary as required. The automated warehouse 60 is thus scalable as required depending on the required throughput, available space, required storage density, access speed, and / or warehouse size.

[0138] For example, Fig. 13 shows an automated warehouse 60 with a plurality of operating stations 52—four operating stations 52 are shown merely as an example. The automated warehouse 60 has a plurality of independently movable transfer devices 42 that move the stacks 2 to be processed or already processed between a storage location 62 and the operating stations 52. Each of the operating stations 52 is approached independently of the other operating stations 52.

[0139] Each operating station 52 has a stack handling device 1, which is preferably designed according to Fig. 3 or 4 and can function, for example, as described above in Fig. 5, 6 or 12.

[0140] The storage area 62 does not have to be located on a single level or a single floor. The automated warehouse 60 can also have a storage area 70 distributed across multiple floors 100. At least one stack handling device 1 can be located on each floor 100. This stack handling device 1 can have the structure shown in Fig. 3, wherein each floor 100 can have its own stack lifting device 14 and a single common loading and / or removal device 22 can extend across multiple floors 100 and be assigned to multiple stack handling devices 1 arranged on these floors 100. The manipulator 16, which receives the storage stack 10 or the retrieval stack 12, is in this case designed as a lift that extends across the multiple floors 100 and moves the storage or retrieval stack 10, 12 from one floor to another.

[0141] An operating station 52 with an access area 53 is arranged on at least one of the floors 100. The loading and / or removal device 22 is configured to move the storage stack 10 or the retrieval stack 12 from the stack 2 located in the stack receptacle 24 of another floor 100 to the operating station 52. If the operating station 52 is located on the same floor 100 as the stack 2 to be processed, the function of the configuration shown in Fig. 9 is as described in Fig. 5.

[0142] Of course, instead of the embodiment shown in Fig. 14, in which the stack holder 24 is located between the stack lifting device 14 and the loading and / or removal device 22, the embodiment of a stack handling device 1 shown in Fig. 4 can also be used.

[0143] With the structure shown in Fig. 14, several operating stations 52 arranged next to one another can also be operated by simply arranging stack handling devices 1 next to one another, as in Figs. 11 to 13.

[0144] 15 and 16 show a mechanically particularly simple embodiment of a stack lifting device 14. The stack lifting device 14 is operated together with a displacement device 42, wherein the displacement device 42 executes a lifting movement 102 as described, i.e. can lift the stack 2 to be processed. The stack lifting device 14 is stationary and, in a preferred embodiment, consists of a permanently installed manipulator 16. The manipulator 16 can, for example, be fastened to a wall 104 in the storage area. Alternatively, the manipulator 16 can also be attached to a frame (not shown). The manipulator 16 is, for example, a fork attached to the wall 104 at a specific height.

[0145] In order to access a retrieval stack 12 located within a stack 2, the moving device 42 first moves under the platform 40 standing on the floor 41 on which the stack 2 rests (see partial figure 15 A).

[0146] To move stack 2, the moving device 42 lifts it with a lifting movement 102. The moving device 42 then moves stack 2 in the direction of travel 36, so that the bottommost storage goods carrier 4 of the partial stack 6 enters the manipulator 16 and can be held by it. The bottommost storage goods carrier 4 of the partial stack 6 is located directly above the retrieval stack 12 (Figure 15B).

[0147] If the lowest storage goods carrier 4 of the partial stack 6 or the storage goods carrier directly above the retrieval stack 12 is engaged with the manipulator 16, the remaining stack 8 is lowered slightly below the manipulator 16. For this purpose, the moving device 42 performs a lowering movement 106. The stroke of the lowering movement 106 is smaller than the stroke of the lifting movement 102, so that the platform 40 does not touch the floor 41 and the remaining stack can be moved with the retrieval stack 12 (partial figure 15 C).

[0148] The remaining stack 8 is then moved by the moving device 42 along the moving direction 36 to, for example, a loading and / or unloading device 22 (partial figure 15 D).

[0149] As shown in Fig. 16, in such a configuration, several manipulators 16 mounted at different heights 108 above the floor 41 are necessary to form residual stacks 8 of different heights. The height staggering of the manipulators 16 depends on the height 43 of the storage goods carriers 4 and the possible combinations of these heights 43 within a stack 2.

[0150] Reference symbol

[0151] 1 stack handling device

[0152] 2 stacks

[0153] 4 storage goods carriers

[0154] 6 partial stacks

[0155] 8, 8' remaining stack

[0156] 10 storage stacks

[0157] 12 retrieval stacks

[0158] 14 Stack lifting device

[0159] 16 Manipulator

[0160] 18 grippers

[0161] 20 Side of a storage carrier

[0162] 21 rib

[0163] 22 Loading and / or unloading device

[0164] 24 stack holder

[0165] 26 Direction of movement

[0166] 28 frame

[0167] 29 Opening

[0168] 30 strut

[0169] 32 Drive of the stack lifting device

[0170] 34 Drive of the loading and / or unloading device

[0171] 36 Travel direction

[0172] 38 Drive device

[0173] 40 podium

[0174] 41 Floor

[0175] 42 Traversing device

[0176] 43 Height of a storage goods carrier

[0177] 44 Control device

[0178] 46 warehouse management software

[0179] 48 contact surface

[0180] 50 Room 52 Operating station

[0181] 53 Access area

[0182] 53a Storage station

[0183] 53b Reception station

[0184] 54 stored goods

[0185] 56 Operator

[0186] 60 automatic warehouse

[0187] 62 storage space

[0188] 64 storage space

[0189] 66 row

[0190] 68 travel lane

[0191] 70 storage area

[0192] 72 Storage and / or retrieval area

[0193] 74 Rear of the stack handling device

[0194] 76 Side of the stack handling device

[0195] 80 orbit

[0196] 82 traction devices

[0197] 84 elevator shaft

[0198] 90 double row

[0199] 92 travel path

[0200] 94 charging station

[0201] 96 direction

[0202] 100 floor

[0203] 102 lifting movement

[0204] 104 Wall

[0205] 106 lowering movement

[0206] 108 height

Claims

Claims 1. Stack handling device (1) for an automatic warehouse (60) for handling a stack (2) to be processed, comprising storage goods carriers (4) stacked one on top of the other, comprising a stack lifting device (14) designed to lift a partial stack (6) of the stack (2) to be processed from a remaining stack (8); comprising a loading and / or removal device (22) designed to remove a retrieval stack (12) containing at least one uppermost storage goods carrier (4) of the stack (2) to be processed or the remaining stack (8) for retrieval and to deliver it to a delivery station and / or to pick up a storage stack (10) containing at least one storage goods carrier from a receiving station for storage and to place it on the stack (2) to be processed or the remaining stack (8);and with at least one stack receptacle (24) assigned to the loading and / or removal device (22) and / or the stack lifting device (14), in which the stack (2) to be processed can be received for access by the stack lifting device (14) and / or the loading and / or removal device (22); 2. Stack handling device (1) according to claim 1, with a displacement device (42) which is designed to transport the stack (2) to be processed into the at least one stack holder (24).

3. Stack handling device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the displacement device (42) is designed to move under the stack (2) to be processed.

4. Stack handling device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, with at least one drive device (38) which is designed to move the stack lifting device (14) and / or the loading and / or removal device (22) to the stack (2) or remaining stack (8) to be processed.

5. Stack handling device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, with a first stack receptacle (24) assigned to the stack lifting device (14) and a second stack receptacle (24) assigned to the loading and / or removal device (22), wherein the first stack receptacle (24) is spatially spaced from the second stack receptacle (24).

6. Stack handling device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the stack lifting device (14) and the loading and / or unloading device (22) are designed to move independently of one another.

7. Automatic warehouse (60) in which stacks (2) of storage goods carriers (4) stacked one on top of the other are stored, and with a stack handling device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Automatic warehouse (60) according to claim 7, wherein the storage goods carriers (4) of a stack (2) have different heights.

9. Automatic warehouse (60) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the stacks (2) rest on platforms (40) which can be driven under.

10. Automatic warehouse (60) according to claim 9, with at least one moving device (42) which is designed to move under the platforms (40), to raise the platform (40) and to move the stack (2) with the platform (40).

11. Automatic warehouse (60) according to one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the automatic warehouse has at least one travel lane (68) along which the stack lifting device (14) and / or the travel device (42) and / or the loading and / or removal device (22) can be moved along the travel lanes (68).

12. Automatic warehouse (60) according to one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the automatic warehouse (60) has at least one access area (53) in which Storage or retrieval of storage goods carriers (4) and / or of storage goods (54) received in storage goods carriers (4), the storage stack (10) or the retrieval stack (12) can be accessed from outside the automatic warehouse (60); and wherein the access area (53) spatially coincides with the delivery station (53a) and / or the receiving station (53b).

13. A method for operating an automatic warehouse (60) in which a plurality of stacks (2) of storage goods carriers (4) stacked directly on top of one another are stored, comprising the following method steps: Lifting a partial stack (6) contained in a stack (2) of the plurality of stacks (2) to be processed from a remaining stack (8) of the stack (2) to be processed; Picking up a storage stack (10) containing at least one storage goods carrier (4) from a receiving station and placing the storage stack (10) on the remaining stack (8) during storage, or Removing a retrieval stack (12) containing at least one uppermost storage goods carrier (4) of the remaining stack (8) from the remaining stack (8) and depositing the retrieval stack (12) on a delivery station during retrieval.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the remaining stack (8) is moved after the partial stack (6) has been lifted to a location (24) at which the storage stack (10) is placed on the remaining stack (8) during storage and / or the removal stack (12) is removed from the remaining stack (8) during removal.

15. Method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein during storage the storage stack (10) is moved from the receiving station to a location at which it is deposited on the remaining stack (8) or during removal the removal stack (12) is moved from the location at which it was removed from the remaining stack (8) to the depositing station.

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