Order-Picking Handling Control for Variable Goods Properties
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing order-picking systems are inefficient and prone to errors due to unanticipated properties of goods, such as changes in packaging, which cannot be detected by bar codes, leading to issues like goods falling off conveyors or not being gripped correctly.
Innovation Solution
Capture mechanical, optical, and magnetic properties of goods using cameras and sensors to determine boundary conditions for handling systems, adapting forces and accelerations to match individual goods' properties, ensuring efficient and error-free handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all goods are handled using equal speeds and forces to ensure reliable handling, then handling reliability is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system determines specific mechanical properties (weight, center of gravity, rigidity, strength) for each individual good or good type, and applies locally optimized handling parameters (speeds, forces, accelerations) matched to each good's properties rather than using uniform parameters for all goods. This allows high-speed handling for robust goods while maintaining reliable handling for fragile goods.
Solution Approach 2:
The handling parameters (speeds, forces, accelerations) are dynamically adjusted based on the detected mechanical properties of each good. The system continuously adapts the conveying and robot operations to match the specific properties of the goods being handled, enabling optimal performance for each good type while maintaining reliability.
2Productivity
If handling parameters are optimized for fast handling, then productivity is improved, but handling reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the handling parameters (speeds, forces, accelerations) based on the detected mechanical properties of each good. By establishing boundary conditions for each good type, the system optimizes parameters to achieve maximum speed while staying within safe handling limits, thus improving productivity without sacrificing reliability.
3Device complexity
If conventional handling methods are used without property detection, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects the mechanical properties of goods using cameras and sensors, and self-adjusts the handling parameters without requiring manual intervention or complex pre-programming. The system serves itself by learning and adapting to different good types, maintaining low operational complexity while achieving high adaptability to packaging changes.
Data Source
AI summary
Method for handling goods and handling system for order-picking goods with an order-picking system, wherein goods are removed from a storage facility and positioned on a target load carrier. The goods are moved from the storage facility onto the target load carrier using a robot and/or a conveying system. Properties of the goods, in particular strength, rigidity, weight, surface composition, and/or center of gravity, are captured and, based on data regarding errors during movements of the goods. During operation of the handling system, boundary conditions up to which a functioning of the robot and/or of the conveying system depending on properties of the goods is ensured are determined, after which operation of the handling system is adapted depending on captured properties of the goods, namely through the adaptation of forces and/or accelerations that are applied to the goods by the robot and/or the conveying system.