DYNAMIC STORAGE RACK UNIT FOR PROVIDING MATERIAL IN LOGISTICS AND MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

• US 20170327312A1
• Filed: 05/03/2017
• Published: 11/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WERMA Holding GmbH + Co. KG
• Original Assignee: WERMA Holding GmbH + Co. KG
• Inventors: HOEHLER, CHRISTIAN, Kensy, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,583,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/023 Arrangements of article supporting rollers on racks
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/418 Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/40 Minimising material used in manufacturing processes

Abstract

The invention proposes a dynamic storage rack unit for providing material in logistics and/or manufacturing processes, having a plurality of storage rack compartments (3) inclined in the longitudinal direction, each storage rack compartment (3) being designed to accommodate a plurality of material containers (4) arranged beside one another in the longitudinal direction, storage rack compartments (3) each having a plurality of sensors (5) for monitoring the filling level of the respective storage rack compartment (3), a distance (A) which corresponds substantially to the length of the material containers (4) to be accommodated in the storage rack compartment (3) being provided in the longitudinal direction between sensors (5) of the respective storage rack compartment (3), storage rack compartments (3) each having at least one state display apparatus (10) for displaying the state and/or filling level of the respective storage rack compartment (3), which unit at least partially improves the disadvantages of the prior art. According to the invention, this is achieved by virtue of the fact that storage rack compartments (3) each comprise at least one compartment checking unit (6) for checking the respective sensors (5) of the respective storage rack compartment (3), the compartment checking units (6) each being in the form of energy and data transmission units (6) for supplying the respective sensors (5) of the respective storage rack compartment (3) with electrical energy and for acquiring, receiving and transmitting sensor data from the respective sensors (5) of the respective storage rack compartment (3), at least one storage rack checking unit (7) for checking a plurality of compartment checking units (6) of the storage rack compartments (3) being provided, the at least one storage rack checking unit (7) being designed to supply the plurality of compartment checking units (6) of the respective storage rack compartments (3) with electrical energy and to acquire, receive and transmit data from the plurality of compartment checking units (6) of the respective storage rack compartments (3), at least one central checking unit (11, 12, 13) for checking the at least one storage rack checking unit (7) being provided, the central checking unit (11, 12, 13) being designed to acquire, receive and transmit data from the at least one storage rack checking unit (7).

Claims

1. Dynamic storage rack unit for providing material in logistics and/or manufacturing processes, having a plurality of storage rack compartments (3) inclined in the longitudinal direction, each storage rack compartment (3) being designed to accommodate a plurality of material containers (4) arranged beside one another in the longitudinal direction, storage rack compartments (3) each having a plurality of sensors (5) for monitoring the filling level of the respective storage rack compartment (3), a distance (A) which corresponds substantially to the length of the material containers (4) to be accommodated in the storage rack compartment (3) being provided in the longitudinal direction between sensors (5) of the respective storage rack compartment (3), storage rack compartments (3) each having at least one state display apparatus (10) for displaying the state and/or filling level of the respective storage rack compartment (3), characterized in that storage rack compartments (3) each comprise at least one compartment checking unit (6) for checking the respective sensors (5) of the respective storage rack compartment (3), the compartment checking units (6) each being in the form of energy and data transmission units (6) for supplying the respective sensors (5) of the respective storage rack compartment (3) with electrical energy and for acquiring, receiving and transmitting sensor data from the respective sensors (5) of the respective storage rack compartment (3), at least one storage rack checking unit (7) for checking a plurality of compartment checking units (6) of the storage rack compartments (3) being provided, the at least one storage rack checking unit (7) being designed to supply the plurality of compartment checking units (6) of the respective storage rack compartments (3) with electrical energy and to acquire, receive and transmit data from the plurality of compartment checking units (6) of the respective storage rack compartments (3), at least one central checking unit (11, 12, 13) for checking the at least one storage rack checking unit (7) being provided, the central checking unit (11, 12, 13) being designed to acquire, receive and transmit data from the at least one storage rack checking unit (7).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that a series connection of a plurality of compartment checking units (6) is provided.

3. Apparatus according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that a series connection of a plurality of storage rack checking units (7) is provided.

4. Apparatus according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that a star connection of a plurality of storage rack checking units (7) is provided.

5. Apparatus according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that at least one radio unit (7, 11) for wirelessly transmitting data and/or energy at least between the central checking unit (11, 12, 13) and the at least one storage rack checking unit (7) is provided.

6. Apparatus according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that at least one sensor radio unit for wirelessly transmitting data and/or energy at least between the central checking unit (11, 12, 13) and one of the sensors (5) is provided.

7. Apparatus according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that the state display apparatus (10) is arranged at least in an accommodating end region of the storage rack compartment (3).

8. Apparatus according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that at least one input unit (15) for inputting/reading information/data relating to a material container (4) and/or a material is provided.

9. Apparatus according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that at least one output unit (14, 16) for outputting/displaying information/data relating to a material container (14) and/or a material is provided.

10. Apparatus according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that the output unit (14, 16) is in the form of an acoustic and/or optical warning unit (14, 16) for acoustically and/or optically warning of incorrect action.

11. Apparatus according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that at least one confirmation unit (15) for confirming actions which have been carried out is provided.