This invention relates to material handling and more particularly to a system for receiving diverse products, storing products, creating an assembly of the same or dissimilar products and discharging the assembly. Moreover, the invention relates to the optimization of the movement, assembly and discharge of products, and apparatus and methods therefor.
It is known to provide a facility which receives products in quantity, typically on first pallets bearing homogeneous or similar products, which locates those first pallets at determined positions, which selects those first pallets bearing designated products, which builds a target pallet having a mix of products from one or more first pallets and which then discharges the target pallet to fill an order.
Such a facility is typically large enough to handle hundreds or thousands of pallets which may range, with product thereon, from 1500 pounds and up to 6000 pounds or so, each.
The weight and size of such pallet-carried loads presents functional and hazardous obstacles to the efficient handling of the incoming, stored and “picked” or assembled product loads. For example, the overall distance between an infeed location, a stored location, a target forming location and a discharge location may be long, increasing the time for travel therebetween, and typically requiring coordinated function among many pallet and product handling devices. The number of these locations and these devices, the coordination and clearances required between them, the moving components or devices and the spacing between the locations are all weak links to the goal of increasing product throughput.
Attempts at positioning these respective locations in the closest positions for optimal throughput, given the variety of products handled, are still hampered, for example, by the size and weight of the pallets used, by the nature of the equipment necessary for pallet and load handling, and by the need to coordinate non-interfering component movement.
Accordingly, it has been one objective of this invention to provide apparatus and methods for enhancing the throughput capacity of a product receiving, storing, picking and discharge operation in a material handling system.
Another objective of the invention has been to provide apparatus and methods for more efficient handling of products through such a system.
Another objective of the invention has been to provide a product receiving, storing, picking, load building and discharge system wherein priority of spacing of these functional stations is a function of the most frequently handled products.
A further objective of the invention has been to provide a material handling system for more efficient handling and movement of large numbers of heavy product loads, and to provide flexibility in the use of load carrying pallets through the system.
A further objective of the invention has been to provide an improved material handling, storing, assembling and discharge system with capacity for expansion as product volume grows.
A further objective of the invention has been to provide improved pallet handling and transport.
To these ends, the invention in one embodiment comprises a material handling system having a plurality of stations such as a source pallet input station; source pallet storage stations; a pallet load building station where a product load is built on a target pallet, and a target pallet discharge station, and where pallets are transported between stations of the plurality of stations, in part, on mobile pallet stands driven by automatic guided vehicles which selectively couple to the stands and deliver them and a pallet thereon to a programmed destination. Alternately, pallets are carried directly in an automatic guided vehicle, and some pallets are conveyed to storage by conventional means. Preferably, according to the invention, products are assembled on a target pallet in homogeneous or similar full or partial product layers before discharge of the target pallet to fill an order.
In another aspect of the invention, the spatial relationship of the source pallet storage areas to a load building station, where products are picked from a source pallet and placed on a target pallet, is a function of product priority, that is to say that source pallets containing products most frequently called for in building a target pallet load are located in a storage location closer to the load building station than source pallets bearing products of less frequent use, all to lessen the distance required for travel of source pallets of more frequent demand and thus enhance overall throughput.
In another aspect of the invention, products from source pallets moved to a load building station are placed onto a target pallet by any suitable device, such as a high speed layer picking system, implemented by an area gantry robot operating over an area accommodating a plurality of parked mobile pallet stands. Each of these positions may comprise or become a source pallet or target pallet location, thus providing extensive flexibility in load building and throughput. For example, an emptied source pallet may become a new target pallet without initial removal of the empty source pallet to an empty pallet storage bank. Moreover, negative load building can be accomplished by removing one or more product layers from a source pallet then using the partially depleted source pallet as a new (starter) target pallet.
These and other objectives and advantages will become readily apparent from the following written description and from the drawings in which:
Turning now to the FIGS., the following is a more detailed description of the invention.
This invention includes a system configured to present multiple homogeneous pallets of product (Source Pallets) and multiple assembly pallets (Target Pallets) for automated assembly of homogeneous or similar full or partial product layers on Order Pallets (Rainbow Pallets) for discharge to fill orders of mixed (or the same) products in pallet-sized loads. This system includes or provides in combination some or all of the following devices and functions:
Robotic Manipulating Devices including but not limited to load assembling or building apparatus, articulating robots, linear gantry units, area gantry units such as in
Layer Gripper Units (see
Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGV's) or Load Transporting Vehicles, see
AGV Ancillary Devices (see
Load Storing and Retrieval Apparatus (see
Load Assembling or Building Apparatus (see
In addition to the foregoing the goals and objectives of the invention include, in no particular order:
Benefits of the invention include:
These and other advantages of the invention described herein will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention relates.
The invention comprises a material handling system which has an analogy, for descriptive purposes, to a computer architecture, such as illustrated in
A source pallet storage location (type of buffer in which it resides) can be adapted dynamically depending on its future usage. The pallet transportation between the buffers and to and from the HSLP is implemented by a swarm or plurality of mobile robots, referred to herein as automatic guided vehicles (AGVs).
System expansion can be implemented by increasing the appropriate cache buffer volume, by adding more AGVs or by adding more “CPU” power (HSLP capacity).
In
Moreover, it will be appreciated that the invention herein resides in the system and processes described herein. While a variety of mechanisms, handlers, controls, grippers and other structural components are used to accomplish he movements and motions described herein, any suitable forms of hardware and software for accomplishing these functions, and which are readily appreciated from the disclosures herein, can be used as such, these specific components other than the systems and features particularly described herein comprise no part of the invention herein claimed.
Throughout this application and in the drawings, reference is made to a variety of abbreviations such as the following for purpose of description and flow parameters of pallets, cases, pallet stacks and the like:
Moreover and throughout the drawings, the pallets and their respective positions are graphically illustrated by the squares (such as at 30 in
A layout of the invention in one embodiment is shown in
As noted above, these components may be of any suitable construction and components. The AGVs 23 and the HSLP systems 24, along with the mobile pallet stands 22 comprise the major pallet movement and building components of the system, these other components being shown for environment and clarity of the overall system 10.
Moreover, the number of the components is variable as desired.
It will be appreciated that the AS/RS cranes 21 are located to stack source pallets in the storage area 30 (
In
Source pallets enter the system through the unwrap station 36. A contour check at station 37 verifies whether the inserted pallet meets the allowed dimensions. A barcode reader (not shown) confirms the expected pallet and registers the pallet in a Warehouse Control System of any suitable type operably connected to the material handling system 10. If the contour check was successful and the pallet is expected, an operator is requested to visually inspect the pallet and, if it is in “good shape” or otherwise acceptable to him, he removes the shrink wrap. Otherwise the pallet is routed to the reject lane 38. In case of a positive evaluation, the source pallets can either divert from buffer lane 39 into one of the two AS/RS aisles at 30 or are queued into buffer lane 39 ready to be picked up by mobile AGVs 23 for transportation to other programmed storage areas 30a, 30b noted in
Area 30b is a primary or level 1 cache or buffer in which the most frequently demanded source pallets are held. Area 30a is a secondary or level 2 cache or buffer in which somewhat less frequently demanded source pallets are held. Area 30, the AS/RS, is a third level where the least frequently required pallets are held.
It will be appreciated that the AR/RS area 30 comprises, in one embodiment, two rows of source pallet storage racks for receiving source pallets from lane 39 handled by a crane 21 between the rows. Additional rack rows in an area 30 can be provided and serviced by cranes 21, or additional similar cranes (see
The AGVs 23 are cost efficient mobile carts or robots 23 (
The HSLP at 24 is implemented by an area gantry system 40 robot which is equipped with two bridges (only one shown illustratively in
Underneath the area gantry system, 40 mobile pallet stands 22 can be parked within the working envelope of the system 40. Every pallet position can become a source or a target location. This enables reuse of an empty source pallet as a new target pallet without handling this empty pallet. This concept also allows negative picking (taking e.g. one layer off a source pallet and continuing to use the original pallet as a new (starter) target pallet).
The Warehouse Control System (of any suitable type) manages the complete pallet flow and assigns the order of pallet building to the appropriate HSLP system. A smart look ahead function optimizes the order pallet selection inside the active wave in order to minimize the pallet movement to and from the HSLP system 24. A Fleet Management component will ensure an efficient AGV 23 utilization with minimal AGV traffic jams and fast mission executions. Once an order pallet is completed, an AGV 23 will transfer the completed pallet to an outfeed lane 42 (
Prior to the outfeed lane 42, each assembled target pallet will receive a label and is then diverted to one of two stretch wrapper lanes. Before the wrapper, pallets may be lifted up to create double or triple stacked pallets. Finally, pallets at 29 (
AGV Details:
An AGV 23 is illustrated in
Each AGV 23 (of which there are many in the system as shown positionally, for example, randomly in
AGV 23 is a cost efficient mobile platform. It is similar to an Automated Guided Vehicle, but since it operates in a contained environment it is not necessarily equipped with the usual safety equipment. It has no intelligence onboard besides the low level navigation control system.
All AGVs are controlled by a Fleet Manager controller of any suitable type which ensures an optimal AGV selection for the next transport task. The global goal on all AGV movements is minimizing traffic jams with short transportation times and travel distances.
Due to its small building height, an AGV 23 can run underneath mobile pallet stands 22, and selectively coupled thereto by selective erection of pin 50.
The dynamic pin 50 allows the AGV 23 to selectively engage with a mobile pallet stand 22, thus “pulling”, moving or transporting it to the desired target location (see
A key benefit of this AGV 23 is the minimal amount of installed or fixed equipment required for system 10. In
Referring to
High Speed Layer Picking System 24 (HSLP):
The High Speed Layer Picking System 24 is based on an area gantry concept. This area gantry 40 design offers three degrees of freedom (X, Y and Z in
As noted above, in order to provide package type flexibility, the invention can include two or more different suitable gripper types, each of suitable construction and function and including both Vacuum Layer Grippers and Roll-Up or Mechanical Layer Grippers. Such grippers are suitable for corrugated boxes; shrink wrapped items and bags. They support multiple layer picks for certain pallet configurations and are deployed in a growing number of installations throughout the world.
HSLP: The overall layout of the actual HSLP system 24 is shown in
The HSLP System 24 includes one main frame 55 on which two bridges 56, 57 are running (FIG, 3). Alternately, four bridges or other number of bridges can be used. The HSLP system 24 is divided into safety zones, which are really only relevant if an operator has to enter one of the zones. On both sides, a walkway is added to allow an operator to get to the HSLP system 24 without stepping into the navigation space of the AGVs 23. Any layer slip sheets will be handled by the Layer Picking Grippers. The slip sheets are inducted through the standard entry and are delivered by the AGVs to the HSLP system 24.
Other components as now generally described can be used in connection with the system 10 and are described here for clarity and environment.
System In-Feed and Replenishment:
All inbound inventory received into the Automated Layer Picking and Buffer System 10 will be scanned and logged into a Warehouse Control System of any suitable type. The Warehouse Management System maintains control of the inventory and tracks the product all the way through the system until the final palletized product is handed back over to a discharge control at the final Stretch Wrapper. During this time, the discharge control will have full visibility of the complete inventory in the Automated Layer Picking and Buffer System 10,
Once a source pallet is scanned and before induction into the AS/RS 30, the pallet will be manually unwrapped. The barcode scanning station will be part of the manual unwrap station and the scanning process will be done manually as well by an operator.
Pallet Storage System 30:
A Pallet Storage System (AS/RS) 30 comprises, in one suitable version two AS/RS crane aisles which hold 760 pallet positions, for example.
Controls are based on any suitable PLC platform. One crane is designed to perform 110 single pallet transport missions per hour. This means it can transport 110 pallets in or out of the AS/RS or it can e.g. move 55 pallets in and 55 pallets out per hour or any combination in between.
All pallet conveyors are standard off the shelf conveyors as shown here. Each conveyor has its local VFD drive box, which simplifies the installation, commissioning and testing.
Barcode and Pre-Printed Labeling System:
Completed Palletized Order Pallets will receive a barcode label for each stack just prior to being transferred to the stretch wrapper. Labels can be pre-printed. This scheme will create some cost savings on printing in the long run for customers.
Fencing and Safety System:
The whole system 10 will be fenced in order to protect the people from walking into the Automated Layer Picking System.
At certain locations entry gates are located to allow operators and maintenance people to access the work space. At these entry gates user control boxes are located to request the entry and to put the system back into Automatic mode after everyone has left the working cell or envelope.
Pallet input/output areas will be equipped with muting light curtains which will prevent the operators to walk into the cell through a conveyor window.
The Pre-Printed Label applicator will be located just after the Layer Palletizer and just prior to the transfer to the Stretch Wrappers.
Completed orders can be palletized as a Single Pallet Order, in which the order consists of one bottom pallet only with the various products stacked in layers up to 106 inches (2692 mm) tall, for example. In addition, completed orders can be palletized as a Stacked Pallet Order, in which the order consists of 2 or more pallets, each with its own product group. These pallets can be stacked on top of each other and can be up to 106 inches (2692 mm) tall combined, for example.
The Warehouse Control System will ensure that the paired pallets are built in the appropriate sequence.
Future Expansion:
A future expansion can be easily implemented by adding more gantry robots in order to increase the throughput at HSLP 24. More buffer capacity can be added to accommodate more active SKUs in storage at 30 and more AGVs 23 can be provided to support the increased pallet traffic or define yet additional pallet caches responsive to demand criteria. As an example,
Accordingly, in one embodiment, the invention comprises a material handling system for receiving, storing and assembling products and including load storing apparatus; load assembling apparatus; a plurality of independent load carrying vehicles; a plurality of independent load supporting platforms; a coupling for selectively coupling together said vehicles and said platforms; said vehicles being moveable to transfer said platforms between load storage and load assembly apparatus.
The invention also contemplates a material handling system for reviewing, storing and assembling products on pallets and including a plurality of pallet supporting platforms; a plurality of vehicles selectively coupled to selected pallet supporting platforms of said plurality; said vehicles being automatically guided to transfer said platforms within said system.
As well, the invention also contemplates a material handling system for handling pallets and products thereon and comprising: a source pallet infeed; a first source pallet storage and receiving apparatus for receiving infed pallets and storing thereon; a load building apparatus for transferring homogeneous or similar product layers from a source pallet to a target pallet responsive to a product order; a plurality of automatic guided vehicles; a plurality of moveable pallet stands; a coupler for selectively coupling a vehicle to a pallet stand; said vehicles and said stands being moveable along predetermined paths to transfer pallets fro said storage and receiving apparatus and said building apparatus.
The invention further contemplates a method of building a pallet with a product mix thereon and including the steps of receiving and storing source pallets in a first location; transferring source pallets on a moveable platform to a target pallet building apparatus; moving the platform with an automatically guided vehicle; building a pallet on a platform with homogeneous or similar product layers in both single and multiple layer picks to order.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated the invention contemplates an automated layer picking and storage system which is modular, scalable, expandable and which provides dynamic storage and load building apparatus and methods
These and other advantages and modifications of the invention will be readily appreciated to those of ordinary skill in the art from the foregoing description and drawings, without departing from the scope of the invention, and applicant intends to be bound only by the claims appended hereto,
This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 61/631,537 filed Jan. 6, 2012, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61631537 | Jan 2012 | US |