Warehouse system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9546043-B2
Application number	US-201315025891-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2013
Priority date	Sep 30, 2013
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a warehouse system, including: a work stage including a picking work position at which a worker takes an article of goods out of a storage unit and a warehousing work position at which the worker adds an article of goods to the storage unit, the storage unit moving on the work stage from the picking work position to the warehousing work position; unloading conveyor provided between a warehouse and an upstream end of the work stage, for conveying the storage unit from the warehouse to the upstream end of the work stage; loading conveyor provided between a downstream end of the work stage and the warehouse, for conveying the storage unit from the downstream end of the work stage to the warehouse; dispatching article conveyor for conveying the article of goods that has been taken out of the storage unit at the picking work position in the work stage to a dispatching space; and arrival article conveyor for conveying the article of goods that is to be added to the storage unit at the warehousing work position in the work stage from an arrival space.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A warehouse system, comprising:
a work stage comprising a picking work position at which a worker takes an article of goods out of a storage unit and a warehousing work position at which the worker adds an article of goods to the storage unit, the storage unit being configured to move on the work stage from the picking work position to the warehousing work position;
unloading conveyor provided between a warehouse and an upstream end of the work stage, for conveying the storage unit from the warehouse to the upstream end of the work stage;
loading conveyor provided between a downstream end of the work stage and the warehouse, for conveying the storage unit from the downstream end of the work stage to the warehouse;
dispatching article conveyor for conveying the article of goods that has been taken out of the storage unit at the picking work position in the work stage to a dispatching space; and
arrival article conveyor for conveying the article of goods that is to be added to the storage unit at the warehousing work position in the work stage from an arrival space,
wherein plural sets of conveyance of the storage unit by the unloading conveyor, conveyance of the storage unit by the loading conveyor, conveyance of the article of goods by the dispatching article conveyor and conveyance of the article of goods by the arrival article conveyor are executed in parallel.

2. The warehouse system according to claim 1 , wherein the work stage is configured to convey the storage unit at least from the picking work position to the warehousing work position.

3. The warehouse system according to claim 2 , wherein the work stage is configured to stop the storage unit at the picking work position, and then stop the storage unit at the warehousing work position once before the storage unit is conveyed by the loading conveyor to the warehouse.

4. The warehouse system according to claim 3 , wherein the work stage is configured to move the storage unit from the warehousing work position toward the warehouse when the worker performs warehousing operation.

5. The warehouse system according to claim 1 , wherein a gap between the storage unit that is at the picking work position and the storage unit that is at the warehousing work position is less than a width of each storage unit.

6. The warehouse system according to claim 1 , further comprising memory means for storing, when an article of goods is added to the storage unit at the warehousing work position, identification information of this article of goods in association with identification information of the storage unit.

7. The warehouse system according to claim 1 , wherein the unloading conveyor, the loading conveyor, the dispatching article conveyor, and the arrival article conveyor each comprise an end portion extending toward the work stage, and the end portions are provided on one side of the work stage parallel to one another.

8. The warehouse system according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a second work stage comprising a second picking work position at which a second worker takes an article of goods out of the storage unit and a second warehousing work position at which the second worker adds an article of goods to the storage unit, the storage unit moving on the second work stage from the second picking work position to the second warehousing work position;
second unloading conveyor provided between the warehouse and an upstream end of the second work stage, for conveying the storage unit that is taken out of the warehouse to the upstream end of the second work stage;
second loading conveyor provided between a downstream end of the second work stage and the warehouse, for conveying the storage unit from the downstream end of the second work stage to the warehouse;
second dispatching article conveyor for conveying the article of goods that has been taken out of the storage unit at the second picking work position in the second work stage to the dispatching space; and
second arrival article conveyor for conveying the article of goods that is to be added to the storage unit at the second warehousing work position in the second work stage toward the second warehousing work position,
wherein the second unloading conveyor, the second loading conveyor, the second dispatching article conveyor, and the second arrival article conveyor each comprise an end portion extending toward the second work stage, and the end portions are provided on one side of the second work stage parallel to one another, and
wherein the work stage and the second work stage are provided parallel to each other.

9. The warehouse system according to claim 8 ,
wherein the second unloading conveyor branches from the unloading conveyor,
wherein the second loading conveyor merges with the loading conveyor,
wherein the second dispatching article conveyor branches from the dispatching article conveyor, and
wherein the second arrival article conveyor merges with the arrival article conveyor.

10. The warehouse system according to claim 1 , wherein the warehousing work position is provided at the downstream end of the work stage.

11. The warehouse system according to claim 10 , wherein the loading conveyor and the arrival article conveyor each comprise an end portion extending toward the work stage, and the end portions are provided so as to overlap with each other in plan view.

12. The warehouse system according to claim 1 , wherein an end portion of the arrival article conveyor that is on the work stage side is positioned at a level higher than a height of the storage unit at the warehousing work position.

Assignees

• Rakuten Inc

Inventors

• Diaconu Adrian Anghel

Classifications

• B65G2209/04

  Indication location means · CPC title

• B65G37/02

  Flow-sheets for conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops · CPC title

• B65G1/1378 Primary

  the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas · CPC title