System and method for order picking of articles into order containers

• US 7,809,467 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2006
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SSI Schaefer Peem GmbH
• Original Assignee: SSI Schaefer Peem GmbH
• Inventors: Schaefer, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford; Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGESS, RAMYA PRAKASAM
• Application Number:
  US11/351,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 700/215, 700/213, 700/216, 700/230, 700/228
• US Class Current: 700/216
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2209/04 Indication location means

Abstract

Herein, a picking system and method for picking articles into order containers is disclosed, the system having a picking station which includes in at least one picking bucket, wherein first conveying means are arranged such that articles to be picked, which are picked via the picking buckets directly onto the first conveying means, can be conveyed into an order container associated with a picking order.

Claims

1. A picking system for picking articles from one or more storage containers into order containers, the picking system comprising:

a picking station having at least one picking bucket to be operated by a picking person;

a storage-container conveying track to convey the storage containers, wherein the articles to be picked are conveyed in the storage containers directly to the picking station by the storage-container conveying track;

an order-container conveying track;

a handing-over point, wherein the order containers are conveyed to and from the handing-over point by means of the order-container conveying track, the handing-over point being located at an intersection between the first conveyor and the order-container conveying track; and

a first conveyor, wherein the picking station and the first conveyor are arranged such that articles, associated with a picking order, can be released from the picking bucket directly onto the first conveyor, and subsequently drop from the first conveyor into an order container associated with the picking order.

2. The picking system of claim 1, wherein the first conveyor comprises means for dividing the first conveyor into a plurality of sections.

3. The picking system of claim 2, wherein each picking bucket is associated with one single section of the plurality of sections.

4. The picking system of claim 2, wherein the first conveyor is divided into the plurality of sections by one or more bars, the bars being attached to the first conveyor.

5. The picking system of claim 1, wherein the picking system comprises a plurality of picking stations and a second conveyor, the second conveyor being arranged such that the articles are collected directly onto the second conveyor from the first conveyor of the plurality of picking stations and conveyed to the order container associated with the picking order.

6. The picking system of claim 5, wherein the handing-over point is located at an intersection between the second conveyor and the order-container conveying track.

7. The picking system of claim 5, wherein the first and second conveyors comprise an endlessly-rotating conveying track.

8. The picking system of claim 7, wherein the first and second conveyors comprise a belt.

9. The picking system of claim 1, wherein the picking station comprises a light element configured to visually indicate one of a source location and a destination location of articles to be picked and a display element configured to visually indicate a number of the articles to be picked.

10. A method for picking articles into order containers from one or more storage containers at a picking station to be operated by a picking person and comprising at least one picking bucket, the method comprising the following steps:

transporting storage containers containing articles to be picked in accordance with a picking order via a storage-container conveying track directly to the picking station;

picking the articles from the storage containers and collecting the articles in one of the picking buckets;

releasing the articles from the picking bucket directly onto a first conveyor, if the articles of the picking order are collected in the one bucket;

transporting an order container, associated with the picking order, via an order-container conveying track to a handing over point which is located at an intersection between the first conveyor and the order-container conveying track;

transporting the collected articles on the first conveyor towards the order container; and

dropping the articles from the first conveyor into the order container on the order-container conveying track at the handing-over point.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first conveyor comprises means for dividing the first conveyor into a plurality of sections.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each picking bucket is associated with one single section of the plurality of sections.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first conveyor is divided into the plurality of sections by one or more bars, the bars being attached to the first conveyor.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the picking system comprises a plurality of picking stations and a second conveyor, the second conveyor being arranged such that the articles are collected directly onto the second conveyor from the first conveyor of the plurality of picking stations and conveyed to an order container associated with the picking order.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the order containers are conveyed to and from the handing-over point by means of the order-container conveying track, the handing-over point being located at an intersection between either of the first conveyor or the second conveyor and the order-container conveying track.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the first and second conveyors comprise an endlessly-rotating conveying track.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second conveyors comprise a belt.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the picking station comprises a light element configured to visually indicate one of a source location and a destination location of articles to be picked, and a display element configured to visually indicate a number of the articles to be picked.

19. A picking system for picking articles from one or more storage containers into order containers, the picking system comprising:

at least one picking bucket;

storage containers that hold articles to be placed in the at least one picking bucket;

a picking station where articles are manually moved from storage containers into picking buckets;

a first conveyor arranged such that articles can be released from the at least one picking bucket to drop directly onto the first conveyor to be conveyed to a remote handing-over point;

a second conveyor that conveys the storage containers by the picking station in a continuous loop;

order containers to receive articles picked for an order; and

a third conveyor to convey an order container by the handing-over point such that articles drop from the first conveyor into the order container associated with the picked order.