Goods Transport Vehicle Sequencing in High-Bay Warehouses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems and goods transport vehicles are not optimized to configure working sequences at stations, such as picking of shipping packages, as efficiently as possible.
Innovation Solution
A storage system with movable goods transport vehicles that can move both horizontally and vertically, allowing flexible transport between a high-bay warehouse and stations, and incorporating a sequencing device to optimize the order of goods delivery, along with a picking rack and conveying devices to enhance efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional goods transport vehicles are used in storage systems, then basic transport function is provided, but the working sequences at stations cannot be configured efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The goods transport vehicle is designed with dynamic positioning capabilities, allowing it to move not only horizontally but also vertically within the high-bay warehouse. This dynamic movement enables the vehicle to adapt to different station configurations and optimize working sequences by positioning itself optimally for each task, thereby resolving the contradiction between productivity and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system is divided into multiple independent zones including the high-bay warehouse, stations, and vertical travel areas. The goods transport vehicle operates independently in these segmented zones, allowing optimized sequencing of operations at different stations without interference, thus improving overall system productivity while maintaining configuration flexibility
2Productivity
If multiple goods transport vehicles are positioned at the station simultaneously, then transport capacity increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple goods transport vehicles are designed with identical structures and control systems, allowing them to perform the same functions interchangeably. This universality simplifies system management despite having multiple vehicles, as they all follow the same operational protocols and can be controlled through a unified system architecture, thus resolving the contradiction between transport capacity and system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
A central control system acts as an intermediary to manage multiple goods transport vehicles coordinating their operations at stations. This control system optimizes the sequencing and positioning of multiple vehicles, enabling them to work simultaneously without creating excessive complexity in vehicle-to-vehicle coordination, thus achieving high transport capacity with manageable system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a storage system, which comprises at least one station, such as a station for receiving goods, for re-shelving goods, picking goods and/or supplying goods from the store, and a high-bay warehouse having a plurality of storage places arranged adjacent to and on top of each other for the storage of goods, wherein the storage system comprises at least one displaceable goods transport vehicle which is designed to transport at least one item from the station to any storage place or vice versa, without reloading the goods onto a different goods transport vehicle or another means of transport. The invention is characterized in that the goods transport vehicle is designed to move in the horizontally oriented area between the station and the high-bay warehouse for transporting the goods as well as horizontally and vertically in the high-bay warehouse.