Patent Application
20220391824
The invention relates to a workstation for an order-picking system, and an order-picking system as described in the preambles of claims 1 and 18.
When picking orders, an operator transfers an article at a workstation from a source load carrier provided at the workstation into a target load carrier according to a picking order. When this process is completed, the operator has to announce the completion to the workstation and/or the superordinate warehouse management system (WMS) in order to trigger the next working step.
To this end, it is known to arrange a confirmation control element, which has to be actuated by the operator after completion of a working step, at the workstation. Subsequently, for example both load carriers are transported away at the working location, and new load carriers for the next picking order are provided. Or, only one of the two load carriers is exchanged, as the other load carrier is still needed for the following picking order.
In any case, this exchange/switch must be triggered by a manual confirmation action by the operator. The load carriers are often arranged around the operator such that as ergonomic a workflow as possible is achieved, meaning the movements required by the operator are as short as possible for performing the picking operation. Hence, the confirmation control element is also arranged at a handily placed position, most times centered between the load carriers.
But even with the best possibly handily placed arrangement, the problem remains that the motion sequence of the operator is disturbed by the actuating action. Put simply, the reloading of the article takes place approximately along a circular track from the source container to the target container. The confirmation control element can therefore not be situated on this track as, otherwise, it would be in the way of the motion sequence—hence, it is oftentimes arranged so as to be set back on a housing part of the working location. The operator must thus oftentimes move their torso forwards in order to be able to reach the control element. From a perspective of labor physiology, this is a disadvantage—furthermore, each of these actions requires additional time.
For improving the ergonomic situation, for example a wirelessly connected hand-held transmitter is known from US 2018/141751 A1, which can be used to trigger an emergency stop of a storage and retrieval device.
A similar hand-held transmitter for being able to stop a conveyor belt in case of emergency is known from US 2018/039245 A1.
The disadvantage of these systems is that the suggested transmission units are designed for an emergency, which will only occur very rarely—ideally never—during regular cases of operation. In contrast, the confirmation control element is actuated very frequently, so that an entirely different, in particular challenging, situation arises with respect to the electric energy supply.
As a further prior art, for example a robot controller is known from WO 2018/146687 A1, in which, according to one embodiment, the input and/or control element is designed as a glove.
A further disadvantage of known systems is that the mobile transmission unit and the device to be controlled are not fixedly assigned to one another. As most of the time, multiple workstations in an order-picking system are arranged closely together, it is significant that a mobile transmission unit can only operate one specific—the assigned—workstation. It must reliably be made impossible that an operator triggers the confirmation of an executed picking operation at a different workstation than their own.
JP 2018-115055 A discloses a (mobile) picking station for performing picking orders by means of a picker in an article storage. A confirmation device is provided, which consists of a mobile unit and at least two assigned “access points”, which communicate wirelessly with one another via a WLAN network. The access points moreover are connected with a superordinate article management computer. The mobile unit may be fixedly mounted on the picking station or be flexibly carried by the picker. Once the processing of the picking order is complete, it is confirmed on the mobile unit and a confirmation signal is transmitted to the access points. Furthermore, messages may be transmitted from a server to the mobile unit, which messages comprise picking information, so that a permanent communication connection must be established for the mobile unit to be able to receive incoming messages at any time.
JP 4-251010 A discloses a remote control device, which can send a confirmation signal to a superordinate article storage control computer upon completion of a picking operation.
DE 10 2015 211 761 A1 discloses a monitoring system for a picking working location, which monitoring system comprises a camera system. The camera system is configured to capture activities of a picker, evaluate them, and derive control information therefrom.
EP 2 607 271 A1 discloses a method for picking, wherein the confirmation of the execution of the picking order takes place by means of an electromechanical or software-operated input means.
DE 201 10 457 U1 discloses a picking display device for displaying a picking operation to be processed, which comprises a microphone for being able to confirm the completion of a picking operation acoustically. Furthermore, a key panel is provided, wherein the completion of the picking operation can be confirmed by touch. For transmitting and subsequently evaluating the speech commands, the picking display device and a picking control computer can be connected to one another by means of a radio link.
DE 10 2006 057 266 A1 discloses a light grid or a confirmation unit, the latter allowing a completed picking operation to be detected and indicated.
JP 2-74889 A discloses a picking operation, in which input commands can be given by a picker by means of input keys arranged on a glove and be transmitted to a superordinate control system.
The object of the invention is to equip a working location of an order-picking system with a remote control element, which remote control element can send messages to the fixedly-assigned working location by means of a communication connection, and which has an energy usage allowing long-term operation over multiple days. In particular, an order-picking system is to comprise such a working location.
The object of the invention is achieved by a workstation for an order-picking system, having a remote control device, wherein the workstation is connected, in respect of an article flow, to a warehouse system by means of a conveying system. At a workstation, article units are transferred from a source load carrier to a target load carrier according to an order. In this regard, the order is made up of a picking order, a reloading order (decanting order) and the like. The source load carrier and/or the target load carrier are, for example, containers, cardboard boxes, pallets, hanging bags, and the like. At the workstation, a source load carrier and a target load carrier for an order are provided, wherein the operator transfers at least one article unit from the source load carrier into the target load carrier according to an order. The workstation has a process controller and a confirmation control element connected thereto, wherein the process controller is configured to trigger a step following the current picking order after actuation of the confirmation control element by the operator. Additionally, it is provided that the confirmation control element has a base station and a mobile unit, between which a coupled wireless data communication connection is established. The base station has a receiving and evaluation unit, which is always configured to receive data telegrams of the mobile unit, and which further has a switching output that is connected to a control input of the process controller. Furthermore, it is provided that the mobile unit has an actuating element with an electric contactor, an electric energy storage, and a micro controller with a communication interface. The micro controller is configured to send a data telegram via the communication interface upon actuation of the actuating element and thus actuation of the contactor. Moreover, the data communication connection is only established during an actuation of the actuating element and the transmission of the data telegram.
By forming a mobile unit with the present features, the operator is given the opportunity to position it wherever the operator can best reach them, thus requiring the shortest possible additional distance. The coupled data communication connection further ensures that an operator can trigger confirmation actions only at their own, assigned workstation. As, on the one hand, the connection is coupled, and as moreover, a data connection is established, it is clearly specified that only the components assigned to one another can exchange commands, in particular can receive and accept commands An erroneous false triggering at a neighboring workstation is thus essentially impossible.
As there are no limitations with respect to energy availability at the workstation, it is provided that the base station is constantly ready-to-receive, so that an incoming data telegram can be evaluated immediately, and a switching output can be activated. For achieving the object of providing a long-term operation, it is provided that the data communication connection is only established during the actuation of the actuating element and thus also immediately during the activation of the electric contactor. In the prior art, data communication connections are mostly active and regularly exchange at least status information, which leads to high energy usage and contradicts a long-term operation. It would generally be conceivable to also increase the energy storage.
With respect to maintaining the data connection, it is provided that it is only established during an actuation of the actuating element and transmission of the data telegram. However, this particularly also means that the data communication connection is already inactive after the transmission of the data telegram has been completed, even if the actuating element is still actuated. However, this also means that the data communication connection remains established until the transmission of the data telegram is completed, even if the actuating element is no longer actuated. Due to the processing speed of the micro controller and the transmission speed of the communication connection, however, this case is rather unlikely.
According to an advancement, it is provided that the data communication connection is formed by a packet-based radio data connection, in particular by means of WLAN, and preferably by means of a paired radio data connection. This advancement has the advantage that thus, existing, standardized communication means can be used. In particular, a packet-based data connection has an implemented addressing, so that a check and/or securing of a coupling can be simplified. According to a preferred embodiment, ESP-NOW by Espressif is used as the paired radio data connection, which, after an initial pairing of the communication partners, enables a communication without requiring a handshake. Thereby, a very swift connection establishment is achieved, and the active transmission duration is reduced, which is advantageous for a long-term operation.
An advancement also consists in that access data of the base station, in particular a network identifier, is stored in a storage means of the micro controller. The particular advantage of this advancement consists in that thereby, an establishment of the communication connection, from a non-operating state of the communication interface, is possible particularly swiftly, as no communication and/or signaling data has to be exchanged.
According to a further advancement, it is also provided that the energy storage, the electric contactor, and the micro controller form an electric circuit, in particular that a closed circuit is formed by an actuated contactor. This embodiment has the particular advantage that the micro controller is only actually supplied with electric energy when the contactor is pressed and can only consume energy in this time period, which increases the achievable operating time significantly. The micro controller will have a switching unit, which is configured to recognize a drop in supply voltage after the end of actuation and to transfer the micro controller into an orderly state. For this purpose, this switching unit will have a small energy storage, which contains sufficient energy for carrying out this process in a controlled manner
As micro controllers potentially require some time to start, it is alternatively also provided, according to an advancement, that the electric contactor is connected to a detection input of the micro controller. The micro controller monitors the switching state of this detection input and, upon contact connection by means of the electric contactor, sends a data telegram to the base station via the communication interface.
It is also particularly advantageous for achieving a long operating time, if the micro controller has a non-operating state operating mode, in particular a deep non-operating state. A non-operating state of a micro controller has the advantage that all operationally relevant parameters are stored in the micro controller and are thus instantly available upon return from the non-operating state, in particular without having to undergo a time-consuming initialization. A deep non-operating state is particularly characterized in that the micro controller substantially does not consume any energy. In this operating mode, only those modules are active in the micro controller which are required to wake the micro controller up from the deep non-operating state.
According to an advancement, it is provided that the base station has a further switching output, which is possibly connected to a data processing system via an interface. Apart from triggering the confirmation of the performed picking, it may be required to, for example, be able to trigger an additional function. Possibly, it may be impossible to tap the switching output connected to the control input of the process controller, in order to derive a further control signal therefrom. Thus, a further, independent switching output is present according to this advancement. The two switching outputs are preferably activated simultaneously. According to a further advancement, however, it may also be provided that the further switching output is activated with a time delay, or that a particular switching pattern is created, for example similar to a double click known from computer technology.
It may, for example, be provided that, along with the confirmation of the picking operation, an action is to be triggered on an external data processing system, as well. For example, the workstation may be part of a training system, in which prospective pickers can train their future tasks. In such a training system, a presentation is very likely to run simultaneously, wherein the transition of images is usefully to take place synchronously with the picking operation. It is therefore provided that the interface is formed by a controller of a human-machine interface, for example by a controller of a (computer) keyboard. Such a controller is connected to a data processing system via an interface, for example USB, and can thus send those control commands which are required for controlling the presentation.
An advancement also consists in that the receiving unit is configured to transmit a confirmation message to the mobile unit, in particular via the communication interface to the micro controller. Due to mechanical processes and communication processes at the workstation and/or in the warehouse management system, it may occur that, after actuating the actuating element, some time passes until the workstation triggers the following action. Even if this time delay is very minor, it can cause irritation in the very tight work cycle of a picker. According to this advancement, a feedback can now be issued to the picker that the confirmation has been received by the base station, evaluated, and forwarded to the process controller of the workstation or to a superordinate warehouse management system. The picker can thus already prepare for the next operation, even if it is not yet perceivable at the workstation that this action is already in progress—for example due to environmental noise and/or due to housing parts blocking the view.
To that effect, the advancement also consists in that the mobile unit has a signal generator connected to the micro controller. This signal generator may be designed, for example, to be optically and/or acoustically effective. According to a further embodiment, the signal generator may also be designed to be mechanically effective, for example a vibration element. Hence, one or also multiple of the possible embodiments may be realized.
An advancement also consists in that the mobile unit has a housing, which is formed by a base body and the actuating element, wherein the energy storage, the contactor, and the micro controller are accommodated in the housing. Thus, a compact, integrated unit is created, which has a robust design for the daily picking routine which is quite rough at times, and which gives reason to expect high acceptance due to the compact structure.
An advantageous advancement also consists in that the base body has an adhesive element for releasably arranging the mobile unit on a component of the workstation. The adhesive element may be designed, for example, as a magnet and/or as an adhesive base. As, in a workstation, many components, preferably metallic components, with differently oriented surfaces will be present in the working area of the operator, the design with magnets is preferred. The operator can thus mount the mobile unit directly in their vicinity on a front face of the workstation and adapt it exactly to their own labor-physiological needs.
A further advantageous advancement consists in that the base body has an elastic clip element, which is designed to attach the base body to a piece of clothing, which piece of clothing is worn by the operator. Thus, it can be realized that the mobile unit is always at the same location on the body, independently of the respective position of the operator with respect to the workstation. According to a possible embodiment, the clip element may be designed as a clamp, whereby the mobile unit may be arranged, for example, on a belt or on an outer pocket of a piece of clothing.
It also proves advantageous if the actuating element can be actuated with one hand. The single-handed operation not only allows easy operation, but a processing order can be performed particularly swiftly, as the end of the processing order can be confirmed already during the working movement. If it is a picking order, for example, in which an article is removed from a source load carrier and placed into a target load carrier by a picker using one hand, the end of the picking order can be confirmed using the other hand immediately after the article has been placed down.
With respect to the most physiological workflow possible, it is provided according to an advancement, that the mobile unit is arranged in a glove, which glove is worn by the operator. According to this embodiment, the workstation for the order-picking system comprises at least one glove.
According to a possible embodiment, it may be provided that the glove has a back-of-the-hand section, a palm section, and finger sections, and that either the actuation element is arranged on the palm section, such that it can be reached and actuated using one of the finger sections, or the actuation element is arranged on a first finger section of the finger sections, such that it can be reached and actuated using a second finger section of the finger sections.
The glove is a full-fingered glove or a mitten. Both types of glove have a back-of-the-hand section, a palm section and finger sections. The full-fingered glove comprises five finger sections. Each finger section surrounds one finger, wherein a first finger section is assigned to the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger, respectively, and a second finger section is assigned to the thumb. The mitten has a first finger section in the area of the four fingers, surrounding all fingers together, such that the four fingers are situated in a joint shell, and a second finger section surrounding the thumb.
With such an embodiment, an increased ease of use for the operator is achieved.
During the picking activity, most times, the operator wears gloves; this advancement thus has the particular advantage that the additional movement for triggering the confirmation of the completed picking operation is minimized In order to not compromise the gripping action, the energy storage and the micro controller are preferably arranged on a glove outside, in particular on a back-of-the-hand section. The actuating element will also preferably be arranged such that an erroneous actuation during the picking operation is impossible. In this respect, it may be provided, according to a further possible, independent embodiment, that the actuation element is also preferably arranged on the glove outside, in particular on a back-of-the-hand section, such that it can be reached only by a conscious gripping action using the second hand. The actuation element may be arranged—in a non-limiting manner—, for example, in the area if the first finger phalanx of the index finger (first finger section), so that it can be actuated using the thumb (second finger section). In order to prevent an erroneous triggering caused by contact with an article, an independent advancement may provide that the actuating element has to be pressed for a (short) period of time before the conformation action is triggered.
As a redundancy, for example to prevent any substantial disturbances of the picking process in case of a disturbance of the remote control device, an advancement provides that the base station has a further actuation element with an electric contactor, which is connected to the control input of the process controller, in particular in parallel to the connected switching output of the mobile unit, and/or that a further such actuation element is arranged at the workstation, the contactor of which actuation element is connected to the receiving and evaluation unit. Hence, for example, an existing actuating element can be used together with the remote control device.
It is particularly advantageous for the remote control device that, hence, the remote control device can be used at any time on an existing workstation, in particular by the switching output of the mobile unit being connected to the control input of the process controller, to which the existing actuation element is already connected.
The terms used here are defined below.
An order is electronically acquired as a data set and is processed by the data processing unit. The order is not necessarily to be equated with a picking order but rather, it may also be a repacking order, a replenishment order, and the like. A picking order and/or an order in general is to be understood as the assembling of requested articles of a customer order. A sales order comprises at least one order. Each order comprises one or multiple order lines. If the order specifies multiple order lines, different goods are needed. In e-commerce, the lot sizes are small, so that there is a relatively high number of different orders, each having few order lines. Reference is made to a repacking order when, for example, articles in the goods-in point are to be transferred from a delivery bundle (first article carrier) onto or into a second article carrier. Reference is made to a replenishment order when articles are filled onto or into an article carrier and/or a replenishment of the warehouse as part of stocking up a warehouse.
An article or SKU (stock keeping unit) is the smallest article packaging that can be picked. This unit may consist of a single item although it is also possible that one article comprises multiple items which, however, are assembled such that they cannot be separated by picking. It is pointed out that the normalization value and the confidence value for the weight and dimension are fundamentally comparable and allow substantially the same statement. Accordingly, the descriptions of individual advantages generally apply to both value classes, except when explicitly directed to either dimensions or weight.
In the warehouse management system (WMS), characteristic article parameters are preferably acquired in the goods-in process and stored as article reference data in a storage means of the WMS. This article reference data may be transmitted to the present optimization method in the course of a first initialization, and for example be stored in a storage means of the preparation and analysis system. The parameters, which are determined by means of and/or with the aid of the method and may deviate, are also stored as article parameters, for example also in the storage means of the preparation and analysis system.
Depending on the embodiment of the article carrier, the article may be arranged in the article carrier if it is configured, for example, as a container. In case it is configured as a tray, the article may be arranged on the article carrier. It should expressly be noted that both terms are used here synonymously and using in or on the article carrier does not imply a specific configuration of the article carrier.
The object of the invention is also achieved by an order-picking system being equipped with at least one workstation as described above.
For the purpose of better understanding of the invention, it will be elucidated in more detail by means of the figures below.
It is noted that the representation shows only a very small cutout of an actual realization of an order-picking system. In particular, most times, only a minimal configuration is shown in order to be able to describe the individual elements of the order-picking system. A realized system is significantly larger, and above all, the individual components will be larger and/or present in greater numbers.
Die remote control device is also used/employed in an order-picking system. As the individual components of the order-picking system, in particular the warehouse system and the conveying system, are not the subject matter of this invention, they are not elucidated further here. As an example not to be understood as exhaustive, the warehouse system may be a shuttle warehouse, and the conveying system may be a roller conveying system. Instead of a stationary conveying system, autonomous transport vehicles (“automated guided vehicle” AGV, or “autonomous mobile robots” AMR) may be used.
However, the workstation 4 may also be designed to forward the detected confirmation signal to a superordinate warehouse management system 20, which carries out the coordination of the further steps in the picking process, in particular the coordination of the processes in the warehouse system 2, on the conveying system 3 and the workstation 4, and therefore, the command for performing a load carrier change is transmitted to the workstation 4.
It is provided that the confirmation control element 7 has a base station 9 and a mobile unit 10, between which a coupled, wireless data communication connection 11 is established. On the one hand, the coupling ensures a clear assignment between the mobile unit 10 and the base station 9—and thus the workstation 4—and thus, makes an erroneous operation of a different workstation impossible. As, according to the invention, the communication connection is established only during the actuation of the actuating element, without the suggested coupling, the communication connection would have to be re-established for each transmission process, which costs time and, above all, energy.
The mobile unit 10 comprises an actuating element 12 with an electric contactor 13. The actuating element 12 may be formed, by way of non-exhaustive example, by a button, a rocker, a flap, or the like; the electric contactor 13 is preferably formed by a switching contact. The mobile unit further has a micro controller (μC) 14 and an electric energy storage 15 for supplying the micro controller 14. The micro controller 14 is designed for evaluating the switching state of the contactor 13 and sends a data packet to the base station 9 by means of the communication connection 11 upon contact connection. In order to receive data packets via the established communication connection 11, the base station 9 has a receiving and evaluation unit 16 with a receiving device. The receiving and evaluation unit 16 further has a switching output 17, which is connected to a control input of the process controller 8. If a data packet is received by the receiving and evaluation unit 16, it is evaluated and checked whether the sending mobile unit 10 is authorized or if an erroneous communication has occurred. After a successful check, the switching output 17 is activated, whereupon the process controller 8 of the workstation 4 triggers the next step.
According to a further possible embodiment, it may be provided that, due to the electric design and/or the electric wiring of the micro controller, it is possible for example by providing small capacities storing energy for a short time, that the communication connection may remain in place even for a short time after releasing the actuation of the actuating element; for example and not to be understood as exhaustive, in order to explicitly also transmit the status of the released actuation to the process controller of the workstation, and/or in order to transfer the micro controller into an orderly shut-off or non-operating state. The capacities are particularly not intended to maintain a (full) operation, as the additional loading processes would significantly increase the total energy consumption. Only as much energy as needed to prevent a disorderly end of operation of the micro controller is supposed to be present.
In the preferred embodiment according to
The remote station of the communication connection 11 is the base station 9 on the workstation 4, in particular the receiving and evaluation unit 16, which has an independent energy supply or supplied with electric energy by the workstation 4 and is thus permanently designed for receiving data telegrams of the mobile unit 10. The data telegrams coming in via the communication connection 11 are received by the receiving and evaluation unit 16 and it is checked, in the course of the evaluation, whether the data telegram was sent from an authorized mobile unit 10.
The receiving and evaluation unit 16 further has a switching output 17, which is activated after evaluation and positive checking of the received data telegram. This switching output is connected to a control input 19 of the process controller 8 of the base station 4. Using a signal at this control input 19, the process controller 8 triggers the steps of the next pending picking operation. However, the signal may possibly also only be forwarded to the superordinate warehouse management system (WMS) 20, which subsequently carries out the coordination of the next steps. Details of the individual processes in an order-picking system, in particular at or in the periphery of the workstation, are not the subject matter of this invention. Hence, they are not explained in further detail here.
According to an advancement, it is provided that in a storage means of the micro controller, access data 18 of the base station 9 is stored, in particular access data 18 of the receiving and evaluation unit 16. Hence, a time- and energy-intensive re-establishment of the communication connection 11 is not necessary when the micro controller is activated.
The receiving and evaluation unit 16 on the base station 4 has a further switching output 22, which is preferably activated at the same time as the first switching output 17. According to a possible further embodiment, this further switching output may also realize a time delay or a defined switching pattern. Preferably, this further switching output 22 is connected to a presentation system 23 for controlling a presentation running simultaneously with the picking operation on the workstation, possibly with an interposition of an interface 24.
In
Not shown are mechanical components for retaining the actuating element 12, in particular elastic elements for holding the actuating element 12 in its non-actuated position as standard, in particular so stably that an accidental actuation is prevented.
According to this embodiment, it is provided that at least one adhesive element 27 is arranged in the base body 26, which adhesive element 27 may be designed, for example, as a suction knob or preferably as a magnet. Using this adhesive element, the mobile unit can be arranged on any flat and/or metallic surface. Such surfaces are present in a workstation in the area of the operator, so that they can arranged the mobile unit as best-suited to their requirements as possible.
A further possible embodiment is shown in
Ultimately, it is to be noted that in the different embodiments described, equal parts are provided with equal reference numbers and/or equal component designations, where the disclosures contained in the entire description may be analogously transferred to equal parts with equal reference numbers and/or equal component designations. Moreover, the specifications of location, such as at the top, at the bottom, at the side, chosen in the description refer to the directly described and depicted figure and in case of a change of position, are to be analogously transferred to the new position.
The exemplary embodiments show possible embodiment variants of the, and it should be noted in this respect that the invention is not restricted to these particular illustrated embodiment variants of it, but that rather also various combinations of the individual embodiment variants are possible and that this possibility of variation owing to the teaching for technical action provided by the present invention lies within the ability of the person skilled in the art in this technical field. Thus, any and all conceivable embodiment variants, which are possible by combining individual details of the embodiment variant shown and described, are also covered by the scope of protection.
Finally, as a matter of form, it should be noted that for ease of understanding of the method steps, drawing elements are partially not depicted to scale and/or are enlarged and/or are reduced in size.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 50484/2019 | May 2019 | AT | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/AT2020/060212 | 5/27/2020 | WO |
