Search

EP-4735360-A1 - OVERHEAD CONVEYOR SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN OVERHEAD CONVEYOR SYSTEM

EP4735360A1EP 4735360 A1EP4735360 A1EP 4735360A1EP-4735360-A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an overhead conveyor system (10), having: a plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) for conveying goods; an overhead conveyor (16) for conveying the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) downstream in a conveying direction (18) along a conveying section (14) of the overhead conveyor (16); at least one inward transfer device (20), which is designed to inwardly transfer the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) successively onto the conveying section (14) of the overhead conveyor (16); a first outward transfer device (22) for outwardly transferring transport units (12A, 12B) from the conveying section (14), said outward transfer device being positioned in or at the conveying section (14) downstream of the at least one inward transfer device (20); and a control device (24) for controlling the overhead conveyor (16) and/or the at least one inward transfer device (20) and/or the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B); wherein the control device (24) is designed to adjust a first distance (d T,1 ) between two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) on the overhead conveyor (16) if a downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be outwardly transferred via the first outward transfer device (22) and an upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass along the conveying section (14) through the first outward transfer device (22), and wherein the control device (24) is designed to adjust a second distance (d T,2 ) between the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) on the overhead conveyor (16) if the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be outwardly transferred via the first outward transfer device (22) and the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass along the conveying section (14) through the first outward transfer device (22), wherein the first distance (d T,1 ) is greater than the second distance (d T,2 ).

Inventors

  • BENNING, Sebastian
  • EXELER, André

Assignees

  • SSI Schäfer Automation GmbH (AT)

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240731

Claims (18)

  1. 1. Overhead conveyor system (10), comprising: a plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) for transporting goods; an overhead conveyor (16) for conveying the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) along a conveying path (14) of the overhead conveyor (16) downstream in a conveying direction (18); - at least one infeed device (20) which is designed to infeed the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) one after the other onto the conveyor line (14) of the overhead conveyor (16); a first outfeed device (22) for outfeeding transport units (12A, 12B) from the conveyor line (14), which is arranged downstream of the at least one infeed device (20) in or on the conveyor line (14); and a control device (24) for controlling the overhead conveyor (16) and/or the at least one infeed device (20) and/or the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B); characterized in that the control device (24) is designed to set a first distance (dr ) between two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) on the overhead conveyor (16) when a downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22) and an upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass the first discharge device (22) along the conveyor path (14), and the control device (24) is designed to set a second distance (d-1-,2) between the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) on the overhead conveyor (16) to stop if the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22), and the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass the first discharge device (22) along the conveyor path (14), wherein the first distance (dr ) is greater than the second distance (d-1-,2).
  2. 2. Overhead conveyor system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the control device (24) is configured to selectively set the first distance (d-1-,1) or the second distance (d-1-,2).
  3. 3. Overhead conveyor system (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device (24) is further configured to determine a size of the first distance (d-1-,1) between the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) on the overhead conveyor (16) based on an, in particular physical, extension (ti2A, ti2ß), and/or a mass of the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) and/or the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B).
  4. 4. Overhead conveyor system (10) according to claim 3, wherein the control device (24) is arranged to determine the size of the first distance (d-1-,1) according to a first distance size (d'T,i) - if the extension (ti2A) of the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) exceeds a first extension threshold or the mass of the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) exceeds a first mass threshold or - if the extension (ti2ß) of the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) exceeds the first extension threshold and the extension (ti2A) of the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) exceeds a second extension threshold which is smaller than the first extension threshold.
  5. 5. Overhead conveyor system (10) according to claim 4, wherein the control device is arranged to determine the size of the first distance according to a second distance size (d'-r,2) which is smaller than the first distance size (d'-r,i), - if the extension (ti2A) of the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) does not exceed the first extension threshold or the mass of the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) does not exceed the first mass threshold and - if the extent (ti2ß) of the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) exceeds the first extent threshold and the extent (ti2A) of the downstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) does not exceed the second extent threshold.
  6. 6. Overhead conveyor system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (24) is further configured to set a third distance (d-1-,3) between the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units on the overhead conveyor (16) when the upstream transport unit (12B) and the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) are intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22), wherein the third distance (d-1-,3) is less than or equal to the second distance (d-1-,2).
  7. 7. Overhead conveyor system (10) according to claim 6, wherein the control device (24) is configured to selectively set the first distance (du), the second distance (d-1-,2) or the third distance (d-1-,3).
  8. 8. Overhead conveyor system (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the overhead conveyor (16) is a cycle conveyor for cycled conveyance of the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) with a plurality of carriers, which are each detachably connectable to a transport unit (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B).
  9. 9. Overhead conveyor system (10) according to claim 8, wherein each transport unit (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units has a receiving unit and a carriage to which the receiving unit is fastened or can be fastened, wherein the carriages can be brought into engagement with the carriers of the indexing conveyor.
  10. 10. Overhead conveyor system (10) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the carriers have a, in particular constant, pitch, and wherein the distance between the two successive transport units (12A, 12B) corresponds to an integer multiple of the pitch.
  11. 11. Overhead conveyor system (12), comprising: a plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) for transporting goods; an overhead conveyor (16) for conveying the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) along a conveying path (14) of the overhead conveyor (16) downstream in a conveying direction (18); - at least one infeed device (20) which is designed to infeed the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) one after the other onto the conveying path (14) of the overhead conveyor (16); a first discharge device (22) for discharging transport units (12A, 12B) from the conveyor line (14), wherein the first discharge device (22) is arranged downstream of the at least one infeed device (20) in or on the conveyor line (14); and a control device (24) for controlling the overhead conveyor (16) and/or the at least one infeed device (20) and/or the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B), wherein the control device (24) is designed to set a first distance (dr,i) between two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units on the overhead conveyor (16) when a downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22) and an upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass the first discharge device (12A) along the conveyor path (14); characterized in that the control device (24) is designed to determine a size of the first distance (dr,i) between the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units on the overhead conveyor (16) based on an, in particular physical, extension and/or a mass of the downstream transport unit (12A) and/or the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B).
  12. 12. Method (100) for operating an overhead conveyor system (10) comprising a plurality of transport units (12A) for transporting goods, an overhead conveyor (16) for conveying the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) along a conveyor line (14) downstream in a conveying direction (18), at least one infeed device (20) and a first outfeed device (22) for discharging transport units (12A, 12B) from the conveyor line (14) which are located downstream of the at least one infeed device. direction (20) is arranged in or on the conveyor line (14), with the following steps: Introducing (S100), by means of the at least one introductory device (20), the plurality of transport units onto the conveyor line (14) of the overhead conveyor (16), wherein the transport units (12A, 12B) are placed one after the other onto the conveyor line (14), First setting (S102) of a first distance (d-r,i) between two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units when a downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22) and an upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass the first discharge device (22) along the conveyor line (14), and Second setting (S104) of a second distance (d-1-,2) between the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units when the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22) and the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass the first discharge device (22) along the conveyor path (14), wherein the first distance (d-1-,1) is greater than the second distance (d T ,2).
  13. 13. Method (100) according to claim 12, further comprising a step of, in particular computer-aided, determining a size of the first distance (dr,i) between the two successive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units on the overhead conveyor (16) based on an extension and/or a mass of the downstream transport unit (12A) and/or the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B).
  14. 14. The method (100) according to claim 13, wherein the size of the first distance (d-r,i) is determined according to a first distance size (d‘-r,i): - if the extension (ti2A) of the downstream transport unit (12A) exceeds a first extension threshold or the mass of the downstream transport unit (12A) exceeds a first mass threshold or - if the extent (ti2ß) of the upstream transport unit (12N) exceeds the first extent threshold and the extent (ti2A) of the downstream transport unit (12A) exceeds a second extent threshold which is smaller than the first extent threshold.
  15. 15. The method (100) according to claim 14, wherein the size of the first distance (d-r,i) is determined according to a second distance size (d“-r,i) which is smaller than the first distance size (d‘-r,i), - if the extension (ti2A) of the downstream transport unit (12A) does not exceed the first extension threshold or the mass of the downstream transport unit (12A) does not exceed the first mass threshold and - if the extent (t-i2ß) of the upstream transport unit exceeds the first extent threshold and the extent (ti2A) of the downstream transport unit (12A) does not exceed the second extent threshold.
  16. 16. Method (200) for operating an overhead conveyor system (10) which has a plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) for transporting goods, an overhead conveyor (16) for conveying the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) along a conveyor line (14) downstream in a conveying direction (18), at least one infeed device (20), and a first outfeed device (22) for discharging transport units (12A, 12B) from the conveyor line (14), which is arranged downstream of the at least one infeed device (20) in or on the conveyor line (14), with the following steps: Introducing (S202), by means of the at least one introductory device (20), the plurality of transport units onto the conveyor line (14) of the overhead conveyor (16), wherein the transport units (12A, 12B) are placed onto the conveyor line one after the other; First setting (S204) of a first distance (d-r,i) between two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units when a downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22) and an upstream (12B) transport unit of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass the first discharge device (22) along the conveyor line (14); and Determining (S206) a size of the first distance (dr,i) between the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units on the overhead conveyor (16) based on an, in particular physical, extension and/or a mass of the downstream transport unit (12A) and/or the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B).
  17. 17. Computer-implemented method (300) for operating an overhead conveyor system (10) which has a plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) for transporting goods, an overhead conveyor (16) for conveying the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) along a conveyor line (14) downstream in a conveying direction (18), at least one infeed device (20), and a first outfeed device (22) for discharging transport units (12A, 12B) from the conveyor line (14), which is arranged downstream of the at least one infeed device (20) in or on the conveyor line (14), with the following steps: First controlling (302) the at least one infeed device (20) in order to infeed the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) one after the other onto the conveying path (14) of the overhead conveyor (16); Second control (304) of the overhead conveyor (16) and/or the at least one infeed device (20) and/or the plurality of transport units (12a, 12B) to set a first distance (d-r,i) between two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units when a downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22) and an upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass the first discharge device (22) along the conveyor path (14); Third controlling (306) the overhead conveyor (16) and/or the at least one infeed device (20) and/or the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) to set a second distance (d-1-,2) between the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units when the upstream (12B) transport unit of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22) and the downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22). is correct to pass the first discharge device (22) along the conveyor line (14), wherein the first distance (d-1-,1) is greater than the second distance (d-1-,2).
  18. 18. Computer-implemented method (400) for operating an overhead conveyor system (10) which has a plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) for transporting goods, an overhead conveyor (16) for conveying the plurality of transport units (12A, 12B) along a conveyor line (14) downstream in a conveying direction (18), at least one infeed device (20), and a first outfeed device (22) for discharging transport units (12A, 12B) from the conveyor line (14), which is arranged downstream of the at least one infeed device (20) in or on the conveyor line (14), with the following steps: First controlling the at least one infeed device in order to inject the plurality of transport units one after the other onto the conveying path of the overhead conveyor; Second control (404) of the overhead conveyor (16) and/or the at least one infeed device (20) and/or the plurality of transport units (12a, 12B) to set a first distance (d-1-,1) between two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) of the plurality of transport units when a downstream transport unit (12A) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to be discharged via the first discharge device (22) and an upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B) is intended to pass the first discharge device (22) along the conveyor path (14); Determining (406) a size of the first distance (d-1-,1) between the two consecutive transport units (12A) of the plurality of transport units on the overhead conveyor (16) based on an, in particular physical, extension and/or a mass of the downstream transport unit (12A) and/or the upstream transport unit (12B) of the two consecutive transport units (12A, 12B).

Description

Overhead conveyor system and method for operating an overhead conveyor system [0001] The present invention relates to an overhead conveyor system. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for operating an overhead conveyor system. Finally, the present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for operating a conveyor system. [0002] Overhead conveyor systems in a wide range of designs are state of the art. In practice, they are used for a wide variety of transport and/or storage tasks. Overhead conveyor systems allow a large part of the conveyor system to be mounted at a higher level or overhead - e.g. on the ceiling or on an additional support structure - so that the floor space remains free for production systems and other equipment. [0003] In automated warehouses, large production facilities and, more generally, in the conveying and transport of piece goods, overhead conveyor systems have proven to be an efficient means of transporting, buffering and also long-term storage of various types of piece goods. In overhead conveyor systems, the piece goods are either hung directly on individual conveyor units of a conveyor system in a suitable manner or are placed in corresponding receiving devices which are in turn stored hanging on the conveyor units. [0004] In this context, piece goods are generally understood to mean individually transportable units, such as workpieces, semi-finished products and finished products in production processes, spare parts, consumer goods, stacks of stackable goods, for example stacks of printed matter, but also containers and transport carriers for goods, such as boxes, containers, pieces of luggage, barrels, packages, pallets, etc. [0005] Overhead conveyor systems with transport units are particularly suitable for the efficient conveyance of heterogeneous piece goods. For example, such overhead conveyor systems can be used in logistics centers of mail order companies to store a large number of articles of different sizes and weights, and to pick groups of articles according to the respective customer orders and prepare them for shipping. [0006] As a rule, overhead conveyor systems of the generic type are designed as rail-guided overhead conveyor systems. Usually, a guide rail installed at a height, e.g. in the form of a support profile, accommodates a plurality of conveyor or transport units. Each transport unit usually has a carriage, which can be designed, for example, as a so-called carrier or as an adapter, in particular as a roller adapter, and a receiving unit coupled or coupleable to the carriage. The receiving unit can be, for example, a transport bag, a container, a bag, a basket, a coat hanger, a transport carrier or the like, or can be designed as such. The carriage is usually movably mounted on the guide rail, so that piece goods, in particular hanging, can be transported downstream in a conveying direction along the guide rail. [0007] The transport units or carriages are preferably driven along the main conveyor line by means of or with the aid of a chain drive. However, transport systems in which a drive means or a drive unit (e.g. a linear drive) is assigned to each transport unit are also conceivable. For example, each transport unit can have a drive unit, in particular a controllable one, which enables the respective transport unit to be moved individually along the conveyor line. [0008] For reasons of economic efficiency when operating overhead conveyor systems of the generic type, a space-saving conveying of transport units along a conveyor section of the conveyor system is desirable. Against the background of the lowest possible space consumption, efforts are made to increase the conveying or packing density of successive transport units along the conveyor section. [0009] For example, from the publication DE 10 2005 006455 A1, a suspended conveyor system with a conveyor technology for conveying suspended goods is known. The conveyor technology has a fixed drive. The suspended goods are conveyed at a fixed transport distance. The smaller the transport distance, the greater the performance of the conveyor per unit of time at a constant conveying speed. If the transport distance is set too small and in particular is smaller than the thickness of the suspended goods, malfunctions can occur during operation of the suspended conveyor system if suspended goods are in contact with one another. If the transport distance is chosen to be too large, the conveying performance of the suspended conveyor system is reduced. [0010] Furthermore, from the publication EP 2 789555 A1, for example, a device for the order-oriented provision of individual items for several orders from a warehouse is known, which comprises at least one intermediate storage unit connected to a warehouse for the intermediate storage of individual items of at least one order, a collection area connected to the at least one intermediate storage unit for collecting the individual