Order-picking cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10994872-B2
Application number	US-201616303091-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2016
Priority date	May 17, 2016
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

The present invention relates to a picking cell for a job-related automated picking of goods that can remove different goods from supply bins and can transfer them into an output bin in an automated manner, said picking cell comprising: an object detection device for detecting the goods in a supply bin; a gripper for removing the goods from a supply bin; and a cell control for evaluating the data of the object detection device and for a path planning and a control of the gripper, wherein the cell control controls the gripper such that different goods of a job or of a partial job are placed at a predefined position and/or with a predefined orientation in the output bin.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A picking cell for a job-related automated picking of goods, said picking cell comprising:
the picking cell removes goods from supply bins and transfers the goods into an output bin to work through a job and/or a partial job in an automated manner;
an object detection device for detecting the goods in a supply bin;
a gripper for removing the goods from a supply bin; and
a cell control for evaluating the data of the object detection device and for a path planning and a control of the gripper, and
a second object detection device for detecting the goods in the output bin and the cell control evaluating data of the second object detection device to determine a position of a good to be placed based on a position of one or more of the goods already in the output bin.

2. A picking cell for a job-related automated picking of goods, said picking cell comprising:
the picking cell removes the goods from supply bins and transfers the goods into an output bin to work through a job and/or a partial job in an automated manner;
an object detection device for detecting the goods in a supply bin;
a gripper for removing the goods from the supply bin; and
a cell control for evaluating data of the object detection device and for a path planning and a control of the gripper, wherein the picking cell has a buffer station for the temporary placement of a good for a repeated gripping from the buffer station.

3. The picking cell in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the picking cell comprises a further buffer station for buffering an output bin, wherein at least one of the following applies:
the cell control and/or a job management control transfers an output bin into the buffer when the job or partial job associated with the output bin cannot be instantaneously connected and/or when a job or partial job having a higher priority is brought forward;
the cell control and/or the job management control works through a new job or partial job in the picking cell by filling a further output bin after the transfer of a first output bin into the buffer and restarts the working through of a previous job after working through the new job or partial job;
a separation bin transferred into the buffer; and wherein the cell control and/or the job management control checks the goods and separates out defective and/or incorrectly placed goods into the separation bin.

4. A picking cell for a job-related automated picking of goods, said picking cell comprising:
the picking cell removes the goods from supply bins and transfers the goods into an output bin to work through a job and/or a partial job in an automated manner;
an object detection device for detecting the goods in a supply bin and in the output bin;
a gripper for removing the goods from the supply bin; and
a cell control for evaluating data of the object detection device and for a path planning and a control of the gripper, wherein the cell control:
controls the gripper such that the goods of a job or of a partial job are placed at a predefined position and/or with a predetermined orientation in the output bin,
checks the data of the object detection device to determine if the goods have been properly placed in the predefined position and/or orientation in the output bin, and
on a recognition of an improperly placed good, controls the gripper to perform at least one out of: correct the position and/or orientation of the improperly placed good in the output bin by contacting the improperly placed good with the gripper a second time, and adapt a position and/or orientation of at least one further good to be placed in the same output bin.

5. The picking cell in accordance with claim 4 , wherein at least one out of the following limitations applies:
the cell control controls the gripper such that different goods of a job or of a partial job are placed next to one another and/or on top of one another in the output bin;
the cell control and/or a job management control determines the position and/or orientation of all the goods of a job or of a partial job that are to be picked together in an output bin before the start of and/or during the picking.

6. The picking cell in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the object detection device comprises a first object detection device for detecting the goods in the supply bin and a second object detection device for detecting the goods in the output bin, and
wherein contacting the improperly placed good with the gripper a second time comprises gripping the goods a second time.

7. The picking cell in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the picking cell has at least one out of a robot arm at which the gripper is arranged; and at least one area gantry at which the gripper is arranged.

8. The picking cell in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the picking cell has at least one out of:
a first conveying system for supplying and/or discharging the supply bins to and/or from the picking cell;
a second conveying system for supplying and/or discharging the output bins to and/or from the picking cell;
a plurality of supply bin positions in the form of bin receptacles for receiving supply bins;
one or more output bin positions in the form of bin receptacles for receiving output bins;
a transfer line that permits a transfer of a supply bin to an output bin position; wherein the cell control and/or a job management control is/are configured such that the supply bin is used as the output bin after the transfer.

9. The picking system having one or more picking cells in accordance with claim 4 ,
wherein the picking system has:
a first conveying system for supplying and/or discharging the supply bins to and/or from the picking cell or cells and a second conveying system for supplying and/or discharging the output bins from and/or to the picking cell or cells; and
a job management control for working through a plurality of picking jobs by controlling the first and second conveying systems and the picking cell or cells.

10. The picking cell in accordance with claim 4 , further comprising the cell control checking the data of the object detection device to determine if the goods have been properly placed in the predefined position and/or orientation in the output bin after each subsequent placement of a good into the output bin, and
adapting a position of each subsequently placed good based on the position of previously placed goods.

11. The picking cell in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the cell control and/or a job management control uses predetermined goods properties of the goods to be picked by a job and performs at least one out of:
determining the position and/or orientation of all the goods that are to be placed together in an output bin and/or the order in which the goods are to be placed in an output bin on the basis of the goods properties; and
splitting a job into a plurality of partial jobs in the framework of which a respective output bin is filled with the goods on the basis of the goods properties, and
wherein the determination and/or splitting takes place on the basis of one or more of: weight, size, shape, packaging properties, and kind of the goods.

12. The picking cell in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the determination and/or splitting takes place on the basis of the weight and/or of the size and/or of the shape and/or of the packaging properties and/or the kind of the goods.

13. The picking cell in accordance with claim 4 , comprising:
a cell control for evaluating the data of the object detection device and for a path planning and a control of the gripper, wherein the picking cell comprises a plurality of different grippers alter

Assignees

• Liebherr Verzahntech Gmbh

Inventors

• Mattern Thomas
• Hänschke David
• Kluge Michael
• Simon Regina

Classifications

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• B65G2203/041

  Camera · CPC title

• B07C2501/00

  Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material to be sorted · CPC title

• B65G47/90

  Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials · CPC title

• B65B5/10 Primary

  Filling containers or receptacles progressively or in stages by introducing successive articles, or layers of articles · CPC title