Transport Rack Loading Order for Buffer Warehouse Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional goods shipping systems face complexity and inefficiency due to the need for independent transport systems for delivery containers, making handling difficult and increasing operational complexity in buffer warehouses.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where delivery containers are loaded onto transport frames according to a determined loading order, allowing the storage and retrieval device to access and rearrange them efficiently within the buffer warehouse, eliminating the need for sorting within the warehouse and enabling direct retrieval to the delivery area, thus reducing waiting times for recipients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If independent transport systems are used for delivery containers and buffer warehouse, then goods can be transported and stored, but the system complexity increases and handling becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the transport rack's storage compartments with the buffer warehouse's storage compartments, allowing the transport rack to serve dual purposes as both a transport vehicle and a storage unit. This merging eliminates the need for separate independent transport systems and warehouse storage systems, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport rack is designed with storage compartments that can function both during transport and when stored in the buffer warehouse. This multi-functional design allows the same structure to perform multiple roles, reducing the number of separate systems needed and simplifying the overall logistics infrastructure.
2Reliability
If delivery containers are sorted within the buffer warehouse, then accurate delivery can be achieved, but operational complexity and handling difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sorting of delivery containers is performed in advance at the supply warehouse before the transport rack reaches the buffer warehouse. This preliminary sorting action ensures that containers are already organized by delivery location, eliminating the need for complex sorting operations at the buffer warehouse while maintaining high delivery accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport rack is designed to maintain its sorted configuration during transport and storage, allowing it to serve its own sorting function without requiring additional warehouse equipment or complex operational procedures. The rack essentially sorts itself through its initial loading configuration.
3Speed
If multiple storage and retrieval machines are used in the buffer warehouse, then retrieval speed can be improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the storage and retrieval functions directly into the transport rack design, where the rack's storage compartments are accessible both during transport and when stored in the buffer warehouse. This merging allows a single warehouse operating device to efficiently perform both storage and retrieval operations without requiring multiple specialized machines.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between storage mode (when the transport rack is in the buffer warehouse) and retrieval mode (when the transport rack is at the docking device). This dynamic flexibility allows a single warehouse operating device to achieve high retrieval speeds by directly accessing containers on the transport rack without requiring complex multi-machine coordination.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 2b
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and a system intended for delivering items (4) in delivery containers (3) and in which, in a supply warehouse (1), the items are order picked, in accordance with orders placed, into delivery containers and then the delivery containers are loaded onto a transport rack (12). The transport rack is loaded with the delivery containers in a loading order determined by the computer system (2). Thereafter, the transport racks are transported, by means of a transport system, from the storage warehouse to a buffer warehouse (collection depot). A consignee (68) can collect the ordered item from the buffer warehouse at an issuing station (56). The transport rack is positioned, in the buffer warehouse, against a docking apparatus (54) such that a storage and retrieval unit (17) can access compartments in the transport rack. The delivery containers are removed from the transport rack and moved either to storage compartments (55) in the buffer warehouse (53), if they have not been requested at the issuing station, or to a service location (58), if they have been requested at the issuing station (56).