Warehouse System with Distinct Picking and Warehousing Stages
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing warehouse systems face inefficiencies in filling rates and storage operations, as returning storage units to the warehouse after article retrieval lowers filling rates and requires inefficient retrieval of new articles for storage.
Innovation Solution
A warehouse system with distinct work stages for picking and warehousing, utilizing unloading, loading, dispatching, and arrival conveying means to optimize the movement and storage of units, along with a control system for efficient item management and placement, ensuring quick and efficient handling of articles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the storage unit is returned to the warehouse after article retrieval, then the picking operation is completed, but the filling rate of the storage unit decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having arrival articles conveyed to the work stage and prepared for storage before the storage unit is returned to the warehouse. This allows new articles to be staged and ready, so when the storage unit becomes available, it can be quickly refilled without waiting for separate retrieval operations, thereby maintaining high filling rates while completing picking operations efficiently.
2Ease of operation
If a new storage unit is called from the warehouse for each new article, then the article can be stored, but the operation becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the article retrieval function with the storage unit retrieval function. Instead of separately calling storage units from the warehouse for each article, the system combines these operations by having storage units and articles both conveyed to the work stage through integrated conveying means. This allows workers to perform picking and warehousing operations in the same workspace without time-consuming separate retrieval operations, significantly reducing operational time while maintaining ease of operation.
3Productivity
If the storage unit is not refilled immediately, then the worker can complete picking, but the storage unit remains underutilized
Solution Approach 1:
The system ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining a continuous flow of arrival articles through dedicated conveying means to the work stage. As workers complete picking operations and storage units become available, refilled storage units are immediately ready for return to the warehouse. This continuous flow eliminates idle time and ensures storage units are consistently utilized at high rates, with no interruption in the productive cycle between picking and refilling operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a warehouse system, including: a work stage (19) including a picking work position at which a worker takes an article of goods (42) out of a storage unit (26) and a warehousing work position at which the worker adds an article of goods (42) to the storage unit (26), the storage unit (26) moving on the work stage (19) from the picking work position to the warehousing work position; unloading conveying means (18) provided between a warehouse (12) and an upstream end of the work stage (19), for conveying the storage unit (26) from the warehouse (12) to the upstream end of the work stage (19) ; loading conveying means (20) provided between a downstream end of the work stage (19) and the warehouse (12), for conveying the storage unit (26) from the downstream end of the work stage (19) to the warehouse (12); dispatching article conveying means (24) for conveying the article of goods (42) that has been taken out of the storage unit (26) at the picking work position in the work stage (19) to a dispatching space (16); and arrival article conveying means (22) for conveying the article of goods (42) that is to be added to the storage unit (26) at the warehousing work position in the work stage (19) from an arrival space (14).