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DE-102024113427-B4 - Maverick Bundle

DE102024113427B4DE 102024113427 B4DE102024113427 B4DE 102024113427B4DE-102024113427-B4

Abstract

Storage and picking system (10) for picking individual items of a plurality of customer orders (34), wherein the orders (34) comprise at least one multi-line order (38) and a plurality of single-line orders (36), wherein each order line (40) of each of the orders (34) corresponds to an item type, each of which is stored in a source container (20), wherein the system (10) comprises: a storage facility (18) which is set up to store a large number of the source containers (20); a goods-to-person, WzP, station (12) with a number of buffer locations (14) for destination containers (16); a transport system (22) designed to transport the source containers (20) from the storage facility (18) to the WzP station (12), and vice versa; and a control device (24) which is set up to generate a source container sequence (44) which represents a sequence in which the source containers (20) are to be provided for the successive processing of the orders (34) at the WzP station (12) by means of the transport system (22); wherein the control device (24) is further configured to bundle the single-line orders (36) into a bundle order (48) which represents a further multi-line order (38) and which replaces the single-line orders (36) during the generation of the source container sequence (44).

Inventors

  • Bernhard Leppich

Assignees

  • SSI SCHÄFER AUTOMATION GMBH

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240514

Claims (15)

  1. A storage and picking system (10) for picking a plurality of customer orders (34) in a single-item format, wherein the orders (34) comprise at least one multi-line order (38) and a plurality of single-line orders (36), each order line (40) of each of the orders (34) corresponding to an item type, each stored in a source container (20), the system (10) comprising: a storage facility (18) configured to store a plurality of the source containers (20); a goods-to-person (HSP) station (12) with a number of buffer locations (14) for destination containers (16); a transport system (22) configured to transport the source containers (20) from the storage facility (18) to the HSP station (12), and vice versa; and a control device (24) configured to generate a source container sequence (44) representing a sequence in which the source containers (20) are to be provided for the successive processing of the orders (34) at the WzP station (12) by means of the transport system (22); wherein the control device (24) is further configured to bundle the single-line orders (36) into a bundle order (48), which represents a further multi-line order (38) and which replaces the single-line orders (36) during the generation of the source container sequence (44).
  2. System (10) according Claim 1 , wherein the control device (24) is further configured to establish a sequence of orders in which the orders (34) are to be processed successively at the WzP station (12).
  3. System (10) according Claim 1 or 2 , wherein each of the single-line orders (36) that are bundled into the bundle order (40) requires the provision of exactly one of the source containers (20).
  4. System (10) according to one of the Claims 1 - 3 , wherein the orders (34) correspond to an order structure with an average number of order lines (40) per order (34) that is less than or equal to two.
  5. System (10) according to one of the Claims 1 - 4 , wherein the control device (24) is further configured to assign each of the orders (34, 36, 38) its own sequence slot (44-1, 44-2) in the source container sequence (44), and each of the sequence slots (44-1, 44-2) defines: one of the source containers (20) for each of the single-line orders (36), and a number of source containers (20) corresponding to a number of order lines (40) for the at least one multi-line order (38) and for the bundle order (40); wherein, in particular, within the sequence slots (44-1, 44-2) assigned to the at least one multi-line order (38) and the bundle order (40), the order of provision of the corresponding source containers (20) may be arbitrary.
  6. System (10) according to one of the Claims 1 - 5 , wherein the control device (24) is further configured to assign each of the single-line orders (36) of the bundle order (48) its own separate destination container (16) at a time when the processing of the respective single-line order (96) of the bundle order (48) begins at the WzP station (12), wherein the corresponding destination container (16) is empty
  7. System (10) according to one of the Claims 1 - 6 , wherein the control device (24) is further configured to assign at least one target container (16) to each of the single-line and multi-line orders (36, 38) in advance, wherein the target containers (16) are to be provided at the WzP station (12) for processing the corresponding orders (36, 38) in a target container sequence that is synchronized with the source container sequence (44).
  8. System (10) according to one of the Claims 1 - 7 , wherein the control device (44) is further configured to extend the bundle order (48) by additional single-line orders (36) which are added to the multitude of orders (34) only after an initial bundling.
  9. System (10) according to one of the Claims 1 - 8 , wherein the control device (24) is further configured to determine the number of buffer positions (14) for target containers (16) that are actively operated at the WzP station (12) based on an order structure and the bundle order (48), wherein the determination is in particular further based on an order key figure representing an average number of pieces per order line and/or on a source container fill key figure representing an average number of pieces per source container (20).
  10. System (10) according to one of the Claims 1 - 9 , the source containers (20) assigned to the multi-line order (38) may be provided at the WzP station (12) in any order.
  11. System (10) according to one of the Claims 1 - 10 , wherein the control device (24) is further configured to transmit the generated source container sequence (44) to the transport system (22), and the transport system (22) is further configured to implement a material flow of the source containers (20) according to the transmitted source container sequence (44), in particular by generating corresponding source container-specific transport commands which are transmitted to components of the transport system (22) for implementation by the components.
  12. Method (100) for generating a source container sequence (44) by a control device (24) of a storage and picking system (10) configured for unit load picking, comprising: providing (S102) a plurality of customer orders (34), wherein the orders (34) comprise at least one multi-line order (38) and a plurality of single-line orders (36), each order line (40) of each of the orders (34) corresponding to an item type, each stored in a source container (20); bundling (S104) the single-line orders (36) into a bundle order (48) by the control device (24), which represents another multi-line order (38); and Generation (S106), by the control unit (24), of the source container sequence (44), which represents a sequence in which the source containers (20) defined by the order lines (40) are to be provided for the successive processing of the orders (34) at a goods-to-person, WzP, station (12), by means of a transport system (22), wherein the single-line orders (36) are replaced by the bundle order (48).
  13. Procedure according to Claim 12 , wherein the control device (24) transmits the generated source container sequence (44) to the transport system (22), and the transport system (22) implements a material flow of the source containers (20) according to the transmitted source container sequence (44), in particular by the transport system (22) generating corresponding source container-specific transport commands which are transmitted to components of the transport system (22) for implementation by the components.
  14. Procedure according to Claim 12 or 13 , wherein each of the single-line orders (36) that are bundled into the bundle order (48) requires the provision of exactly one of the source containers (20).
  15. Procedure according to one of the Claims 12 - 14 , wherein the orders (34) correspond to an order structure with an average number of order lines (40) per order (34) that is less than or equal to two.

Description

The present disclosure relates to a material flow from source containers in a storage and order picking system designed for unit load picking according to the goods-to-person principle. In particular, the source container material flow is optimized during the processing of picking orders in online retail by bundling certain orders to reduce sequencing requirements. In general, this disclosure relates to order fulfillment during picking. Order fulfillment can encompass the entire process of handling a customer order within a warehouse or distribution center, i.e., from order acceptance to delivery of the ordered goods. This process includes several steps that ensure the correct items are picked quickly and efficiently in the correct quantity and delivered to the customer. Typical order processing steps are: i) Order receipt: the order is recorded and entered into the system, often automatically via an electronic ordering system; ii) Order verification: the order is checked to ensure all necessary information is present and the ordered items are available; iii) Batch formation: in many cases, several orders are combined into a single processing lot to make picking more efficient; iv) Material flow planning and prioritization: for each (source and/or destination) container, an optimal route through the warehouse at an optimal time must be determined, and orders must be handled according to priorities (e.g., delivery deadlines); v) Picking: the actual removal of items from storage locations or containers, which can be done manually by people or automatically by a robot; vi) Inspection and packaging: after removal from the storage container(s) and placement in a destination, order, or shipping container, the items are inspected to ensure they meet the requirements and, if necessary, securely packaged for shipment; vii) Shipment preparation: appropriate packages can be labeled with shipping labels and sorted according to the shipping method; and viii) Delivery: the completed shipments are prepared for dispatch or delivered directly to the customer. The concept presented in this disclosure deals specifically with the planning and implementation of material flow. Planning the material flow is complex because the source and destination containers must arrive at a goods-to-person (HSP) picking station in a synchronized manner, i.e., at the same time, especially when the associated picking orders are processed sequentially. In this case, "sequentially" means that the sequence of both the source and destination containers must be planned and monitored in advance (meticulously) by a material flow computer. Finding a solution becomes increasingly complex the more branched the associated transport network is, particularly because multiple alternative transport routes are available. If one of the containers (source or destination) does not arrive at the picking station on time or synchronized with its corresponding container (destination or source), sequence errors occur. The containers can no longer be provided at the station simultaneously. This leads to undesirable delays and container jams, and throughput decreases. This error can propagate further and worsen in the future. It is difficult to resolve such errors during normal operation. Sequence errors can be reduced by increasing the number of buffer positions for target containers at the respective picking station. In this case, the station or picking station requires more space. The investment costs per station increase. The more orders (destinations) that can be processed in parallel at the station, due to sufficient buffer space, the more likely it is that a sufficient number of resources cannot be provided at the station per unit of time. In this case, the order picker may have to take unwanted breaks because they are not continuously supplied with containers. This problem is exacerbated if the order structure is characterized by handling very few order lines per order on average. In this case, a large number of storage containers must be provided per unit of time. The DE 10 2010 016 124 A1 According to its title, it concerns a sorting process and a sorting device. EP 4 194 376 A1 According to its title, it concerns a picking station and a procedure for the automated picking of goods. WO 2018 / 006 112 A1 According to its title, it concerns a procedure for picking items and a picking station. WO 2023 / 272 321 A1 According to its title, it concerns a procedure for transferring goods from a long-term storage facility to a short-term buffer and a storage and picking system for this purpose. It is therefore an objective of the present disclosure to provide a storage and order picking system as well as a method for generating and implementing a corresponding material flow that overcomes the disadvantages described above. This problem is solved by a storage and order picking system according to claim 1. One initial advantage is that the requirements for sequencing the