Automated Picking Cell with Separate Supply Circuits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated picking cells face inefficiencies due to high traffic volume and difficulty in recognizing and handling a large number of different piece goods types, leading to reduced order-picking performance and increased control effort.
Innovation Solution
An automated picking cell with a transfer robot, separate supply circuits with endless circulating conveyors, camera units for image data capture, and a control unit to determine piece goods positions and orientations, ensuring sufficient density and accessibility for the robot, along with feed units for automated replenishment and continuous conveyor movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If storage containers are transported to and from the robot using conveyor technology, then piece goods can be delivered to the robot, but the high volume of traffic creates difficulty in transport and increases control effort
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the replenishment function from the main picking process by introducing separate supply circuits that continuously circulate storage loading aids. This separates the replenishment task from the picking task, reducing the control complexity of the main picking system while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
Storage loading aids are pre-filled with piece goods in advance and then circulated on supply circuits before being needed by the robot. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex real-time replenishment control during picking operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If many different types of piece goods are handled, then assortment variety is increased, but recognition becomes difficult and image processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the handling of different piece good types by using multiple separate supply circuits, where each circuit is dedicated to a specific general cargo type. This segmentation allows the image recognition system to focus on recognizing only one type of piece good at a time, maintaining high processing speed while handling diverse assortments.
Solution Approach 2:
Different supply circuits are assigned different general cargo types based on their recognition characteristics. The system applies local quality by optimizing the recognition approach for each specific cargo type on its dedicated circuit, rather than using a universal recognition method for all types.
3Ease of operation
If storage containers are stocked according to type with single cargo types, then transport and handling is simplified, but the number of different storage containers required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of multiple storage containers into reusable storage loading aids that circulate continuously on supply circuits. Instead of requiring separate static storage containers for each cargo type, the system uses a smaller number of reusable containers that are dynamically allocated to different cargo types on different circuits.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage loading aids transition from static storage containers to dynamic circulating carriers on conveyor circuits. This dynamic approach allows the same physical containers to serve multiple cargo types at different times, reducing the total number of containers needed while maintaining type-specific organization.
4Productivity
If contour recognition is used exclusively for large assortments, then position determination is achieved, but alignment recognition is lost and picking precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial recognition actions by using full image recognition (including alignment) only for the specific general cargo type on each supply circuit, rather than attempting full recognition for all possible cargo types simultaneously. This partial approach maintains both speed and precision for the actual picking task.
Data Source
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AI summary
A picking procedure and picking cell for unit loads with a high access frequency is disclosed, comprising: a transfer robot (18); at least two separate supply circuits (20), each comprising a self-contained supply conveyor (42) on which the unit loads (24) are chaotically positioned and continuously transported (44); at least one camera unit (22) that records the position and orientation of the unit loads;and a control unit (16) which is connected to each of the camera units (22) and to the robot (18) for the purpose of data transmission and which is configured to determine from the image data (68) a respective position and orientation of the optically detected unit items (24) in order to cause the robot (18) to move the unit items (24) required according to a picking order, the control unit ensuring that sufficient cycle-specific unit item densities are maintained.