High Rack With Stored Goods Selection

• US 20090312864A1
• Filed: 07/02/2007
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HNEL & Company
• Original Assignee: HNEL & Company
• Inventors: Hänel, Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 8,463,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/214
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2209/04 Indication location means

Abstract

A storage rack with a multiplicity of stacked supports for supporting containers transferable by means of an automatic storage/retrieval device, featuring at least one access opening for storage/retrieval of containers and including a computer in which information as to the stored articles is saved, at least one digital camera being provided imaging the articles held in the containers and the digital image information being saved in the computer for display by means of a display means, has in addition assigned to a display means a pointer device by means of which the article to be retrieved is selectable from the digital image information.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A storage system comprising:

(a) a storage rack having a plurality of supports and an access opening;

(b) a plurality of containers sized to be retained on the plurality of supports, each container including at least one article, each container and the access opening sized to pass the container through the access opening;

(c) a digital camera located to capture a digital image of the at least one article within each of the plurality of containers;

(d) a computer connected to the digital camera;

(e) a display presenting a visual representation of the captured digital image;

(f) a pointer for selecting a given article in the visual representation; and

(g) a storage/retrieval device operably connected to the storage rack to move the container retaining the given article between one of the plurality of supports and the access opening in response to the selection of the given article.

8. The storage system of claim 7, wherein the computer stores the captured digital image.

9. The storage system of claim 7, wherein the pointer is a computer mouse.

10. The storage system of claim 7, wherein the pointer is a touch screen operably connected to the display.

11. The storage system of claim 7, further comprising an optical highlighting unit, wherein the optical highlighting unit highlights the given article after transfer of a corresponding container to the access opening.

12. The storage system of claim 11, wherein the optical highlighting unit includes a steerable laser beam.

13. The storage system of claim 11, wherein the optical highlighting unit includes a light emitting diode.

14. The storage system of claim 7, wherein the digital camera is located at a top of the access opening.

15. A method of retrieving a stored item, the method comprising:

(a) capturing a digital image of an article retained in one of a plurality of containers;

(b) storing the plurality of containers in a storage rack having a corresponding plurality of supports for supporting the plurality containers and an access opening sized to pass each of the plurality of containers;

(c) displaying a visual representation of the captured digital image;

(d) selecting the article from the visual representation;

(e) retrieving the one of the plurality of containers from the storage rack in response to the selected article; and

(f) locating the retrieved one of the plurality of storage containers at the access opening.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising highlighting the selected article in the retrieved container at the access opening of the storage rack.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising capturing the digital image of the article with a digital camera.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising storing the digital image in a computer.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising selecting the article with a mouse operably connected to a computer and the visual representation.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising selecting the article with a touch screen operably connected to a computer and the visual representation.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising highlighting the selected article in the container at the access opening.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising highlighting the selected article in the container at the access opening with a steerable laser beam.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising highlighting the selected article in the container at the access opening with an LED light.