Variable Picking Station for Warehouse Order Fulfillment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current storage and order-picking systems face inefficiencies, including long transport paths and high throughput times, as well as an inability to flexibly adapt the number of picking stations to changing workloads, leading to underutilization during low demand and overutilization during peak periods.
Innovation Solution
A storage and order-picking system employing the rendezvous-picking principle, where both source and target containers, as well as picking stations, are movable, allowing for a dynamically optimized meeting point determined by a controlling device to synchronize the movement of containers and picking stations based on customer orders, thereby reducing path lengths and throughput times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If stationary picking stations and steady conveyers are used, then system structure is simple and reliable, but transport paths are long and throughput times are huge
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making picking stations movable instead of stationary. The picking stations can change their position within the warehouse to optimize their location relative to source containers and target containers, thereby reducing transport paths and throughput times while maintaining system reliability through controlled movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system determines optimal positions for picking stations in advance based on order requirements and container locations. The controlling device calculates and communicates these positions before the picking process begins, allowing the system to prepare optimal configurations proactively rather than reactively.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed number of picking stations are deployed, then system structure is simple, but the system cannot adapt flexibly to oscillating workloads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables dynamic adaptation to workload changes by allowing picking stations to move and reposition based on real-time order requirements. During peak periods, more stations can be activated and positioned optimally; during low workload, stations can be consolidated, providing flexible response to oscillating demands.
Solution Approach 2:
The picking stations are designed as multi-functional units that can serve different purposes and locations as needed. Each station can handle various picking tasks and be deployed to different areas of the warehouse, making the system adaptable to varying workload patterns without requiring dedicated stations for each scenario.
3Productivity
If more picking stations are added to handle order peaks, then productivity increases, but investment and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding more fixed picking stations to handle peak demand, the patent makes existing stations dynamic and movable. This allows the same number of stations to serve multiple locations and functions, effectively increasing productivity during peaks without the capital investment required to build additional permanent stations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of picking stations by altering their positions and assignments based on demand. Rather than increasing the number of stations, the system optimizes the utilization of existing stations through parameter changes in their location and function, maintaining productivity while controlling costs.
Data Source
AI summary
It is disclosed storage and order-picking system (10) operated in accordance with a rendezvous-picking principle, wherein goods to be picked are removed from source containers (18) and delivered to target containers (20) at locally variable picking stations (22) in accordance with customer orders, comprising: a plurality of vehicles (16) for transporting the source containers (18) and the target containers (20) within the system (10); a warehouse area (12), where a plurality of the source containers (18) is stocked, preferably in racks (34, 36); an action area (14) in which the vehicles (16) move, preferably in an autonomous manner; a locally variable picking station (22) having a variable relative position (P) within the action area (14) which changes again and again over time dependent on customer orders and at which a rendezvous-picking is performed by a picking person (24) and/or a picking robot (26); and a controlling device (30) configured for the rendezvous-picking by determining the relative position (P) as well as associated transport orders for the vehicles (16) by the controlling device in an optimized manner, wherein the transport orders for the vehicles (16) define a temporally and locally synchronized meeting of a customer-order specific number of the source containers (18) and a customer-order specific number of the target containers (20) at the variable picking station (22).