CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the National Stage of PCT/AT2017/060336 filed on Dec. 19, 2017, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Austrian Application No. A 51172/2016 filed on Dec. 21, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The international application under PCT article 21(2) was not published in English.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a method for distributing articles, in which an order for delivering articles is acquired by an order management system, the articles to be delivered are transferred from an article store and the articles included in an order are order-picked into at least one shelf compartment of a mobile shelf unit. Furthermore, the invention relates to a dispensing station for distributing articles including a first article storage region, a customer access region as well as a first separating wall separating the first article storage region and the customer access region from each other and comprising at least one closeable opening. Furthermore, the dispensing station includes an article dispensing system configured to receive a request for picking up the articles by a person or a machine associated with the person and

a) to uncover the closeable opening if said person or said machine is authorized for picking up the articles, or

a) to instruct a loading robot of the dispensing station to load the articles to be delivered into said machine if said person or said machine is authorized for picking up the articles.

2. Description of the Related Art

Such method and such dispensing station are known in principle from the prior art. For example, mobile shelf units are used by mail-order companies for supporting their order-picking process. In this case, articles are usually deposited homogeneously, and not related to orders, in a shelf unit and the articles included in an order are order-picked from the shelf unit into a shipping carton.

One example of a dispensing station of the above-mentioned kind is a self-service kiosk where articles are deposited secured behind small closed doors. An article dispensing system receives a request for picking up the articles, for example via a scanner or an input keyboard, and releases the small door associated with the articles, if there is authorization for picking up the articles.

Also known are dispensing stations which are equipped with a storage and retrieval machine (S/R machine) taking the requested articles out of a fixed shelf unit and conveying them to a release location, if there is authorization for picking up the articles. Such dispensing station often comprises only one door at the release location, which will be opened for picking up the articles. However, in principle several storage and retrieval machines and/or release locations can be provided.

Moreover, DE 10 2005 032 533 A1 discloses a movable shelf unit with several shelves and several optical displays, wherein one optical display is associated with each shelf in order to mark the shelf as needed. During the order-picking process, a commodity to be deposited in the shelf is delivered to the order picker, a shelf determined for the commodity is marked with the help of the optical display and the commodity is subsequently deposited in the marked shelf.

The systems known from the prior art have several drawbacks:The known procedure is bound to using loading aids, in particular using shipping containers, in which the articles included in an order are pooled.In the known procedure and the known system, very often the entire order, and thus the total weight of the order, must be manipulated, for example when loading a goods vehicle which transports the articles located in the shipping carton away from the dispatch center, when unloading at a local distribution center, when loading a goods vehicle which carries out the delivery or when loading a self-service kiosk. This is tiring for the persons who carry out this work and detrimental to their health in the long run.A dispensing station of a conventional design comprises a large number of permanent fixtures and is often very winding. The dispensing station can therefore not be cleaned in a simple manner, which is a drawback when storing foodstuffs and perishable products. This applies in particular to dispensing stations comprising a storage and retrieval machine and permanently mounted (high) racks/shelf units.The shape of the dispensing station cannot be easily adapted to existing conditions. In particular dispensing stations with a storage and retrieval machine necessarily have a longitudinal, rectangular layout due to the (straight) rails on which the storage and retrieval machine moves. Under certain circumstances, such dispensing station can be only poorly integrated into the surroundings.The performance (i.e. the number of articles dispensed per unit of time) of a dispensing station with a storage and retrieval machine depends directly on the performance of the storage and retrieval machine. Often, a conventional dispensing station comprises a single storage and retrieval machine and a single article dispensing opening. If several customers come to pick up articles at the same time, this may result in long waiting periods. In addition, this known system is poorly scalable, inflexible and not fail-safe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one object of the invention to specify an improved method and an improved dispensing station for distributing articles. In particular, some or all of the above-mentioned drawbacks are to be overcome.

The object of the invention is achieved by means of a method of the kind mentioned at the beginning, whereinthe mobile shelf unit is transported to a dispensing station comprising a first article storage region separated by a first (fixed-installation) separating wall and a customer access region and is brought into a handover position in the first article storage region, in which position the at least one shelf compartment is accessible via a closeable opening in the first separating wall, andan article dispensing system receives a request for picking up the articles by a person or a machine associated with the person, and
a) uncovers the closeable opening if said person or said machine is authorized for picking up the articles or
b) the articles to be delivered are (taken out of the at least one shelf compartment and) loaded into said machine by a loading robot if said person or said machine is authorized for picking up the articles.

Furthermore, the object of the invention is achieved by means of a dispensing station of the kind mentioned at the beginning including a mobile shelf unit which is in a handover position, in which at least one shelf compartment of the mobile shelf unit is accessible via the closeable opening in the first (fixed-installation) separating wall.

In the proposed procedure and/or the proposed dispensing station, the order-picked articles thus remain advantageously in the mobile shelf unit from the order-picking process to the dispensing of the articles to the customer.

The machine for picking up articles can in particular be configured as an aerial drone, and the dispensing station can comprise a landing site for this aerial drone. In this case, the loading robot is configured to load the aerial drone. However, it is also conceivable that the machine for picking up articles is configured as an autonomous, mobile vehicle and the dispensing station comprises a parking site for this vehicle as well as, in particular, an entrance gate or an entrance door to this parking site. In this case, the loading robot is configured to load the autonomous vehicle.

It is furthermore conceivable that a machine takes over the articles, but a person is authorized for take over. For example, a person can come to the dispensing station together with a machine, for example with an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle. It would be conceivable, for example, that the operation of autonomous vehicles is forbidden—for example under legal provisions—or is only allowed subject to the condition that the autonomous vehicles be monitored by a person. In this case, both a person authorized for take over and the transferring machine would be present at the dispensing station.

Preferably, the dispensing station includes at least two elements from the group: closeable opening, loading robot, entrance gate for an autonomous vehicle, landing site for an aerial drone. This ensures particularly flexible use of the dispensing station.

For example, multi-axis and/or gantry robots with grippers taking the articles to be dispensed out of the shelf compartment and conveying them into a cargo space of the aerial drone or of the autonomous vehicle can serve as loading robots. Of course it is also conceivable that the aerial drone or the autonomous vehicle itself has a mechanism for picking up the articles.

In an embodiment, the loading robot is formed by an ejector adapted to move, in particular to push, the articles located in a shelf compartment through the closeable opening of the separating wall. For handing over the articles, the autonomous vehicle stops in front of the relevant closeable opening, and the articles located in the shelf compartment and to be dispensed are pushed, with the help of the ejector, through the closeable opening of the separating wall into a cargo space of the autonomous vehicle authorized for transfer. The ejector can be configured, for example, as a hydraulic cylinder, pneumatic cylinder or electric spindle motor, and on the rear wall of the mobile shelf unit a motor-operated cover can be disposed, which normally closes the opening in the rear wall. The cover can also be actuated directly by the ejector.

The new system has several advantages over the prior art:The articles can be placed directly into the mobile shelf unit without using loading aids. Also the use of a shipping container is effectively not necessary, but the ordered articles can simply be deposited in the shelf compartment associated with the order. In this way, even bulky and large-volume articles which are inherently too big for (standardized) loading aids can be handled. However, the use of a loading aid, in particular a shipping container (e.g. a paper bag, a plastic bag, a shipping carton, etc.) is not excluded. In such case, for the order-picking process an empty shipping container is advantageously deposited in the shelf compartment associated with the order, and the articles included in the order are order-picked into the shipping container.During order picking, as a result of the proposed procedure, the weight of the total order never needs to be manipulated (in particular lifted), but only the weight of the individual articles. The order-picking process is therefore considerably more ergonomic and less strenuous for a person carrying out the order picking. However, manipulation of filled shipping containers is not in principle excluded. Rather, it is also conceivable that the shipping container is filled with the articles included in an order and lifted into the mobile shelf unit (in particular in machine/automated order picking). The same is essentially true for the manipulation of the order following the order picking. Also here, the weight of the relevant articles need not be lifted, as the relevant articles can remain in the mobile shelf unit.A dispensing station comprises only few permanent fixtures and includes primarily mobile shelf units. The dispensing station can therefore very easily be completely evacuated for cleaning purposes. This ensures that high hygiene standards, for example when storing foodstuffs and perishable articles, can be achieved.The shape of the dispensing station can easily be adapted to existing conditions and can comprise, for example, an L-shaped layout. In contrast to this, dispensing stations with a storage and retrieval machine, as a general rule, are bound to a rectangular-shaped layout due to the straight rails on which the storage and retrieval machine moves. In the system here proposed, performance does not depend on the shape of the dispensing station but predominantly on the size of the surface area.The performance (i.e. the number of articles dispensed per unit of time) of the dispensing station does not depend on the performance of a storage and retrieval machine. As is known, a conventional dispensing station often comprises a single storage and retrieval machine and a single article dispensing opening. In contrast to this, the proposed dispensing station can comprise a plurality of article dispensing openings, which ensures that several customers can be served and/or handled in parallel at the same time.

Other designs and further developments of the invention become apparent from the dependent claims as well as from the description in combination with the figures.

Preferably, the loaded mobile shelf unit is loaded into a goods vehicle after the order picking of the articles, is transported to the dispensing station with the help of the goods vehicle and is unloaded from the goods vehicle at the dispensing station. Because the goods vehicle is loaded with the shelves directly, the loading and unloading can be carried out very quickly. Manipulation of individual shipping containers is obsolete. The proposed measures also facilitate the work of the person loading and unloading the goods vehicle, because this person need not carry the weight of the articles to be delivered. Instead, only the rolling resistance of a shelf unit needs be overcome, if a shelf unit with casters is used. By involving a goods vehicle and/or by involving public roads in the article distribution flow, an article distribution system is effectively divided up into an article store and the dispensing station.

It is also particularly preferable if the loaded mobile shelf unit is unloaded from the goods vehicle at a first loading dock of the dispensing station and a different, in particular empty, mobile shelf unit is loaded into the goods vehicle at a second loading dock of the dispensing station. This improves the workflow during delivery of filled mobile shelf units to the dispensing station and/or during removal of empty, or essentially empty, shelf units from the dispensing station. In particular, at the scheduled arrival time of the goods vehicle at the dispensing station, the area at the first loading dock can be kept clear, so that the filled mobile shelf units can be easily unloaded, and/or empty mobile shelf units can already be deposited at the second loading dock, so that the empty mobile shelf units (or mobile shelf units containing return articles), can be easily loaded into the goods vehicle.

It is also particularly preferable if the mobile shelf unit is temporarily connected to another mobile shelf unit during loading into the goods vehicle and/or during unloading from the goods vehicle. In this way, several mobile shelf units can be unloaded from the goods vehicle or loaded into the goods vehicle in a single operation. In particular, the mobile shelf unit can, for this purpose, be equipped with a coupling, with the help of which the mobile shelf unit is temporarily connectable to another mobile shelf unit. The coupling can for example be mechanical or work according to the electromagnetic principle. The loading and unloading of a group of coupled mobile shelf units can for example be carried out manually or by means of a motorized (in particular autonomous) industrial truck. It is also possible to use a cable winch located in the pick-up station or in the goods vehicle. In this case, the coupled mobile shelf units are pulled out of the goods vehicle using the cable winch. The loading of the goods vehicle can be carried out in an analog manner.

Preferably, the loaded mobile shelf unit is transported into the handover position in the first article storage region and/or at the separating wall with the help of an industrial truck, in particular with the help of an autonomous industrial truck. This allows for the dispensing station to be operated in a fully automated manner By using several industrial trucks, the dispensing station is moreover largely fail-safe, in marked contrast to a conventional dispensing station with a single storage and retrieval machine. By using any number of industrial trucks, the dispensing station is moreover well scalable and flexibly adaptable to changing needs and requirements. For example vehicles with a lifting unit (in particular with a lifting fork or a lifting strut), but also vehicles which do not lift but merely pull or push the mobile shelf units for conveyance, come into question as industrial trucks. The industrial truck is in particular self-propelled. The industrial truck can furthermore be railborne, but is in particular non-railborne. In addition, the industrial truck can remain in the handover position during an article handover operation or leave beforehand.

It is also particularly preferable if the loaded mobile shelf unit is transported, with the help of the industrial truck, into a second article storage region located away from said first separating wall and is brought into the handover position from there when the article dispensing system receives a relevant request for picking up the articles located inside the mobile shelf unit, in particular if the requesting person or the requesting machine is authorized for transfer. In this way, mobile shelf units not currently needed for dispensing articles can be interim-stored in a second article storage region. The second article storage region can be arranged separate from the first article storage region and the handover position. Alternatively, the second article storage region can be directly adjacent to the first article storage region and the handover position.

In this case, space for mobile shelf units may be provided at both sides of the first article storage region and/or the handover position. In this case, two or even more mobile shelf units can be simultaneously shifted back and forth, in particular when these are coupled with one another. In this way, for example one of three mobile shelf units can be brought into a handover position by simple shifting of the group of shelf units. Evidently, this process also works for a different number of mobile shelf units and/or handover positions. If, for example, two transfer positions are provided in the area of five mobile shelf units arranged behind one another, two of the five mobile shelf units can accordingly be simultaneously brought into a handover position, and so on.

The proposed procedure can also be applied analogously if the area of the separating wall occupied by openings extends horizontally shorter than the shelf compartments of the mobile shelf unit are wide. For example, it is possible that only one column of openings arranged vertically above one another is provided in the separating wall while the mobile shelf unit comprises several columns of shelf compartments arranged above one another. By horizontally shifting the mobile shelf unit or a group of shelf units, one of the columns of shelf compartments arranged above one another is then brought in alignment with the openings in the separating wall.

Generally, the mobile shelf unit is equipped with casters, in particular with driven and/or braked casters, as well as with and without steerable casters. In this way, the mobile shelf unit can be easily shifted back and forth. Yet it is conceivable that the mobile shelf unit has conventional shelf posts and does not comprise casters. The mobile shelf unit must then be lifted for transport, for example by means of a lifting unit of an industrial truck.

Furthermore, it is particularly preferable if the mobile shelf unit comprises an accumulator, a drive control coupled with the driven casters, and sensors for spatial orientation connected to the drive control, in particular an element, or several elements, from the group: camera, ultrasonic sensor, laser scanner, triangulation receiver (GPS, indoor GPS) and/or magnetic-field sensor. The driven casters have for example a hub motor which is connected to the drive control. Also a steering motor is connected to the drive control. Furthermore, the drive control is connected to the sensors for spatial orientation. The described system enables autonomous movement of the mobile shelf unit. The method for controlling autonomous vehicles is known in principle and is not described here in detail. In particular, the same or a similar method as is known for industrial trucks can be used for the mobile shelf unit. As the mobile shelf unit can move autonomously in the dispensing station, industrial trucks will in principle be obsolete. However, it is also conceivable to have the industrial trucks take over special or assistance tasks.

For example, a self-propelled mobile shelf unit comprising a driving motor, with the help of the driving motor, maytravel into the goods vehicle and/ortravel out of the goods vehicle and/ortravel into the handover position in the first article storage region and/ortravel into the second article storage region.

In a further embodiment, the dispensing station includes a lifting device for the mobile shelf unit arranged in the first article storage region. Accordingly, the mobile shelf unit is moved vertically into the handover position by means of a lifting device arranged in the first article storage region. This is particularly advantageous when the area in the separating wall occupied by the openings extends vertically shorter than the shelf compartments of mobile shelf unit are tall. For example, the separating wall can comprise only one row (line) of openings while the mobile shelf unit comprises two or more storage levels. With the help of the lifting device any storage level can be moved to the level of the openings in the separating wall and the transfer of articles can be enabled. The lifting device can for example comprise a hydraulic cylinder, pneumatic cylinder or electric spindle motor or be formed by same.

Moreover, the dispensing station preferably comprises a sorting robot configured in particular as a railborne single-level or multi-level storage and retrieval machine and configured to take the articles to be delivered from the at least one shelf compartment of the mobile shelf unit and deposit them into at least one shelf compartment of a different shelf unit. Accordingly, the articles to be delivered are taken out of the at least one shelf compartment of the mobile shelf unit and deposited into at least one shelf compartment of a different shelf unit by the sorting robot. Evidently, also other designs can be provided as a sorting robot, for example a gantry robot or a multi-axis robot.

Several shelf units are within the range of action of the sorting robot. If the sorting robot is configured as a multi-level storage and retrieval machine, the multi-level storage and retrieval machine can be moved along the rail for access to the shelf units, and/or a loading platform can be moved vertically along a mast. The method of operation of a multi-level storage and retrieval machine is known in principle and is therefore not explained in detail. It would also be conceivable to use several single-level storage and retrieval machines in combination with an elevator or paternoster instead of one multi-level storage and retrieval machine. In principle, however, also other designs of the sorting robot are conceivable. For example, the sorting robot can be configured as a multi-axis robot with a gripper or a gantry robot with a gripper. The elevator or the paternoster can be provided for transport of articles, transport of an empty single-level storage and retrieval machine and/or of a loaded single-level storage and retrieval machine.

With the help of the sorting robot articles to be delivered can now be taken out of a shelf compartment of a source shelf unit and deposited into a shelf compartment of a target shelf unit. The target shelf unit can be a fixed shelf unit or a mobile shelf unit. It is also possible, of course, to rearrange the articles from a shelf compartment of a shelf unit into another shelf compartment of the same shelf unit. In this way, the articles can be redistributed in such a way that the mobile shelf units are either empty or, if possible, fully loaded. The empty mobile shelf units can subsequently be deposited in groups in the vicinity of a loading dock, so that a subsequent loading process of a goods vehicle can be carried out swiftly. The shelf units to be loaded into the goods vehicle must evidently not all be (completely) empty but can for example contain return articles.

A bottom edge of the fixed shelf unit may be located higher than a top edge of the mobile shelf unit. In this way, the mobile shelf units can be positioned under the fixed shelf units and/or be pushed through below the fixed shelf units. It is therefore very easy to bring mobile shelf units into the range of action of the sorting robot as needed, for example after unloading from the goods vehicle or when some of the articles have been dispensed from the mobile shelf unit and the mobile shelf unit is now only partially filled.

In the presented re-sorting process preferably the second, other shelf unit is configured as a mobile shelf unit and takes the place of the first mobile shelf unit with regard to the storing and dispensing of the articles to be delivered. If the articles are rearranged from one mobile shelf unit into another mobile shelf unit, the articles of course need not be re-loaded into the mobile shelf unit (source shelf unit) in which the articles were originally located before being dispensed at the openings. Instead, the mobile target shelf unit can be directly brought into the handover position at the openings. The mobile target shelf unit thus takes the place of the mobile source shelf unit with regard to the storing and dispensing of the articles to be delivered. This process can be repeated recursively any number of times, so that a mobile target shelf unit can, at a later point in time, itself become a mobile source shelf unit again and so on.

In addition, the sorting robot can also serve another purpose. It is in principle conceivable that the articles to be delivered are taken out of the at least one shelf compartment of a (mobile) shelf unit by the sorting robot, which is in particular configured as a railborne single-level or multi-level storage and retrieval machine, and directly handed over to a requesting person or a requesting machine, if said person or said machine is authorized for picking up the articles. This can be done for example by moving the relevant articles into a special transfer region and opening an access door to this special transfer region. In this case, the transport of the mobile shelf unit into the handover position is obsolete. This alternative procedure can for example be selected when sensitive and/or bulky articles are to be dispensed. In this case, the sorting robot in principle also fulfills the function of a dispensing robot.

The dispensing station may comprise a first loading dock for transfer of the loaded mobile shelf unit out of a goods vehicle and a second loading dock for handover of another, in particular empty, mobile shelf unit into the goods vehicle, wherein the two loading docks are arranged in particular in the direction of rails of a railborne storage and retrieval machine or in the direction of transport of a conveying device for the mobile shelf units (roller conveyor, cable winch) at opposite sides of the dispensing station. In this variant of the method presented, empty mobile shelf units, or mobile shelf units containing return articles, are deposited at the second loading dock or successively emptied by the sorting robot by rearranging the articles. At the first loading dock, in contrast, space for filled mobile shelf units is kept clear. When the goods vehicle loaded with filled mobile shelf units arrives at the dispensing station, the filled mobile shelf units are unloaded from the goods vehicle in the manner described further above. The goods vehicle subsequently travels to the second loading dock and loads, there, the empty mobile shelf units or mobile shelf units containing return articles. When two goods vehicles are used, the unloading of the first goods vehicle and the loading of the second goods vehicle can even be carried out simultaneously. For example, new filled mobile shelf units are conveyed into the dispensing station at the first loading dock and empty mobile shelf units or mobile shelf units containing return articles are conveyed into the second goods vehicle as part of the same step. In this case, the mobile shelf units from the first goods vehicle and the mobile shelf units already located in the dispensing station (in particular in the range of action of a storage and retrieval machine) form a queue, as it were, of mobile shelf units, which moves out of the first goods vehicle and into the second goods vehicle. In this way, the loading and unloading can be carried out in a particularly efficient manner. In this process, generally, not all mobile shelf units need be conveyed from the (first) goods vehicle into the dispensing station, nor all mobile shelf units out of the dispensing station into the (second) goods vehicle. Some of the mobile shelf units can of course remain in the goods vehicle and/or in the dispensing station.

The mobile shelf unit may also comprise at a rear side a shelf compartment end wall and the at least one shelf compartment is arranged adjacent to the shelf compartment end wall and is accessible only from one side of the mobile shelf unit. In this way, on the one hand the articles located in the shelf compartment are prevented from falling out at the back of the mobile shelf unit and on the other hand a person picking up the articles is prevented from gaining unauthorized access to the inside of the dispensing station beyond the shelf compartment.

The mobile shelf unit may comprise a central shelf compartment separating wall, and at least one shelf compartment each is disposed at both sides of the shelf compartment separating wall, each of which is accessible only from one side of the mobile shelf unit. In this way, the mobile shelf unit can be positioned with its front side or its rear side facing towards the closeable openings in the separating wall, depending on the shelf compartment in which the articles to be dispensed are stored. It is also an advantage that the capacity compared with a unilaterally accessible mobile shelf unit is practically doubled with regard to the number of orders accommodated.

In this context, the dispensing station preferablyincludes a second (fixed-installation) separating wall separating the first article storage region and the customer access region from each other and comprising at least one closeable opening, andthe mobile shelf unit is in a handover position, in which a first shelf compartment of the mobile shelf unit is accessible via the closeable opening in the first separating wall and a second shelf compartment of the mobile shelf unit, which is separated from the first shelf compartment by means of the central separating wall, is accessible via the closeable opening in the second separating wall.

In this embodiment variant, there is thus a first separating wall with first closeable openings at the front side of the mobile shelf unit and a second separating wall with second closeable openings at the rear side. The shelf compartments located at both sides of the central shelf compartment separating wall are therefore accessible in principle at the same time. This practically doubles the capacity of the dispensing station (i.e. the number of article transfer operations that are possible per unit of time) compared with a single separating wall with closeable openings. The proposed design of the dispensing station is suited in particular for smaller buildings. In particular, the outer wall of the dispensing station can essentially comprise a U-shaped layout which can accommodate a mobile shelf unit or several mobile shelf units and otherwise comprise essentially only an access gate and a roof.

Finally, the first article storage region and/or the second article storage region may be air-conditioned. In this way, the dispensing station presented is suited in particular for storing foodstuffs and perishable articles. Evidently, also zones of different temperatures can be provided to be able to store for example foodstuffs of different kinds under favorable conditions.

Preferably, the mobile shelf unit comprises a hanger rod for accommodating hanging garments and/or hanging bags. In this case, the use of a hanger rod is not bound to the distribution of items of clothing, but the hanging bags can also contain articles of a general kind. In particular, the hanging bags can be configured as single-use hanging bags which the customer can take away when picking up the articles. However, the hanging bag can also be attached to the hanger rod in a manner undetachable by the customer, so that the customer can take away only the articles but not the hanging bag.

Preferably, the mobile shelf unitcomprises individually configurable shelf unit separating walls and/or rear walls and/or compartment shelves and/or hanger rods orcomprises several modules with shelf compartments of different sizes which are connectable to one another.

For example, said modules can be joined by means of a toollessly producible and releasable plug-and-socket connection. The modules can comprise different numbers of shelf compartments and/or hanger rods. For example, it is possible that modules with 1×3 shelf compartments, with 2×2 compartments or with 2×1 compartments are provided. Alternatively or in addition it is conceivable that grooves are provided in a base body of the shelf unit into which compartment shelves or shelf unit separating walls can be individually inserted. Instead of the grooves, of course also other support means, for example support pins or support battens, can be provided for the compartment shelves and shelf unit separating walls. The compartments can be of the same size or of different sizes.

Preferably, the mobile shelf unit comprises an electronic memory or an electronic circuit in which information regarding the shape and/or the geometrical structure of the mobile shelf unit is stored. This variant is particularly advantageous when shelf units of different shapes are involved in the process for dispensing articles in the dispensing station, and in particular when the shelf units can be individually combined. This stored information can for example be transmitted to the article dispensing system, which can subsequently uncover openings matched to the shelf compartments.

Preferably, the mobile shelf unit comprises switching contacts with the help of which the position of a shelving board disposed in the mobile shelf unit or of a shelf unit separating wall disposed in the mobile shelf unit or of a hanger rod disposed in the mobile shelf unit can be captured/acquired. This information can then be forwarded, wired or via radio, to the electronic memory/the electronic circuit of the shelf unit, which then makes it available for example to the article dispensing system.

Preferably, the dispensing station includes an optical or electronic detection device configured to capture/acquire a shape and/or a geometrical structure of the mobile shelf unit. Accordingly, in the method presented preferably an optical or electronic detection device captures/acquires a shape and/or a geometrical structure of the mobile shelf unit and transmits it to the article dispensing system. This variant is particularly advantageous when shelf units of different shapes are involved in the process for dispensing articles in the dispensing station, and in particular when the shelf units can be individually combined. For example, a camera, a scanner and depth measurement sensors as well as electronic receivers receiving, via radio, information regarding the shape and/or the geometrical structure of the mobile shelf unit (for example from the electronic circuit disposed at the shelf unit which stores this information and reports it onward) can be provided as detection devices.

Preferably, a dispensing station for distributing articles includesa first article storage region,a customer access region,
a first separating wall separating the first article storage region and the customer access region from each other and comprising at least one closeable opening,a shelf unit with several shelf compartments which are accessible via the at least one closeable opening in the first separating wall, andan article dispensing system configured to receive a request for picking up the articles by a person or a machine associated with the person andto uncover the closeable opening if said person or said machine is authorized for picking up the articles,wherein the article dispensing system is configured to uncover, individually and depending on a request for picking up the articles, a continuous opening of variable size, which is, in particular, associated with a continuous shelf compartment.

Accordingly, also a method for distributing articles preferably includes the steps:order-picking of the articles included in an order into at least one shelf compartment of a shelf unit,wherein the shelf unit is transported into a handover position in a first article storage region of a dispensing station or is disposed there, wherein the dispensing station comprises the first article storage region separated by a first separating wall and a customer access region, and wherein the at least one shelf compartment in the handover position of the shelf unit is accessible via a closeable opening in the first separating wall,wherein an article dispensing system receives a request for picking up the articles by a person or a machine associated with the person and uncovers the closeable opening if said person or said machine is authorized for picking up the articles, andwherein the article dispensing system uncovers, individually and depending on the request for picking up the articles, a continuous opening of variable size, which is in particular associated with a continuous shelf compartment.

With this embodiment, when shelf units of different shapes are involved in the process for dispensing articles in the dispensing station, and in particular when the shelf units are individually combined, the separating wall can be individually adjusted to the shelf units, enabling articles of different sizes to be dispensed in a flexible manner Over time, the size of an uncovered opening in a specific (fixed) position can therefore be varied.

The above system is directed at scenario a) (releasing the closeable opening if a person or a machine is authorized for picking up the articles). Evidently, the article dispensing system of the dispensing station can also be configured to instruct a loading robot of the dispensing station to take the articles to be delivered out of the at least one shelf compartment and load them into said machine if said person or said machine is authorized for picking up the articles (scenario b). In addition, the method can also include acquiring an order for delivering articles by means of an order management system and transferring the articles to be delivered from an article store.

Although the application of the above-mentioned dispensing station and/or the above-mentioned method may have the features according to one aspect of the invention, such dispensing station or such method can in principle also be applied without these features and can therefore form the basis of an independent invention.

It should also be noted in this context that the shelf unit of the above-mentioned dispensing station and/or the above-mentioned method can be arranged in a fixed manner in relation to the separating wall. Evidently, the shelf unit can also be configured as a mobile shelf unit moveable in relation to the separating wall and be movable into a handover position, in which at least one shelf compartment of the mobile shelf unit is accessible via the closeable opening in the first separating wall.

Preferably, the separating wall comprises several swing doors for closing the openings and the article dispensing system is configured to release, at a request for picking up the articles, several adjacent swing doors associated with this request. Accordingly, in a method for distributing articles preferably the article dispensing system releases, at a request for picking up the articles, several adjacent swing doors disposed in the separating wall and associated with this request. This uncovers a relatively large continuous opening in the separating wall and enables access to a relatively large shelf compartment associated with the order. In this way, different-sized openings can be uncovered for different-sized articles. The swing doors can in particular be released individually, in horizontally adjacent pairs, in vertically adjacent pairs or in a matrix (e.g.: 2×2 doors)—depending on the size of the shelf compartment located behind them. It is also possible in principle to uncover a for example L-shaped opening. The swivel axes of the swing doors can be aligned vertically, horizontally or in a mix of vertically and horizontally. Preferably, at least some of the swing doors are hinged in opposite pairs (i.e. their swivel axes are arranged opposite each other), as it is then particularly easy to uncover a continuous opening of variable size. The swing doors can be of the same size or of different sizes.

It should be noted in this respect that separating walls are known in the prior art which comprise different-sized doors which are always each individually associated with an order and/or a shelf compartment. While different-sized openings are releasable with the help of these known separating walls as well, openings of variable and/or individual size are not. In contrast to this, in the proposed method the uncovered opening involving a specific door can have different sizes. Over time, a specific door is therefore involved in uncovering openings of different sizes. Separating walls with doors each of which are always individually associated with an order and in which the opening associated with a specific door has always the same size are therefore not protected under the proposed system in which the article dispensing system uncovers, individually and depending on the request for picking up the articles, a continuous opening of variable size. Separating walls with doors each of which are always individually associated with an order and in which the opening associated with a specific door has always the same size can, however, be protected under other systems set out as part of this patent application.

Preferably, the article dispensing system, at a request for picking up the articles, activates a swivel axis associated with this request of several swivel axes of a swing door and deactivates the remaining swivel axes of this swing door. For example, the swivel axes of the swing doors are formed by shifting and in particular electromagnetically driven bolts which are controlled by the article dispensing system. In this way, a pair of doors can be formed either with an adjacent left-hand swing door or with an adjacent right-hand swing door. To that end, one time the right-hand swivel axis of the relevant central swing door is activated while the left-hand swivel axis is deactivated, and another time the left-hand swivel axis of the relevant central swing door is activated while the right-hand swivel axis is deactivated. Alternatively or in addition a top swivel axis and a bottom swivel axis can be individually activated.

Furthermore, the separating wall preferably comprises several sliding doors or roll-up doors for closing the opening, which are arranged in opposite pairs, and the article dispensing system is configured to position the sliding doors or the roll-up doors at a request for picking up the articles in such a way that an opening associated with said request is uncovered. Accordingly, in a method for distributing articles preferably the article dispensing system, at a request for picking up the articles, positions several sliding doors or roll-up doors of the separating wall in pairs in such a way that an opening associated with said request is uncovered. The proposed measures enable the size and position of the uncovered opening to be varied practically continuously. In this case, however, it should be kept in mind that the position and size of the uncovered opening essentially correspond to the shelf compartment disposed behind it. The driving of the sliding doors or the roll-up doors can be carried out for example electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically. With regard to the above-mentioned function, sliding doors or the roll-up doors are essentially equivalent; roll-up doors, however, take up somewhat less installation space. The sliding doors or the roll-up doors can be of the same size or of different sizes.

Specifically, in the dispensing station,

i) a pair of sliding doors or roll-up doors can be provided whose direction of movement is horizontally or vertically aligned and which are arranged opposite each other in relation to said direction of movement, or

ii) a first pair of sliding doors or roll-up doors can be provided whose direction of movement is horizontally aligned and which are arranged opposite each other in relation to this horizontal direction of movement, and a second pair of sliding doors or roll-up doors can be provided whose direction of movement is vertically aligned and which are arranged opposite each other in relation to this vertical direction of movement, wherein the first pair and the second pair are arranged transversely to said horizontal and said vertical direction of movement behind each other, or
iii) a pair of sliding doors or roll-up doors can be provided whose direction of movement is aligned horizontally or vertically and which are arranged opposite each other in relation to this horizontal or vertical direction, and several swing doors can be provided, wherein the sliding doors or the roll-up doors and the swing doors are arranged transversely to said horizontal or vertical direction of movement behind one another.

In the sliding doors or the roll-up doors arranged opposite each other, the opening located between the sliding doors or the roll-up doors becomes smaller when the sliding doors or the roll-up doors move toward each other in the relevant direction of movement and becomes larger when the sliding doors or the roll-up doors move away from each other in the relevant direction of movement.

When several closing elements (swing door, sliding door, roll-up door) are arranged behind one another, the opening uncovered by a first closing element can be covered at least partially by a second closing element located behind (or in front of) it. In scenarios ii) and iii) the size and position of the uncovered opening can therefore be varied multi-dimensionally.

Preferably, at least one sliding door or roll-up door comprises individually movable grate bars or closing plates which are movable into a closed position in which they cover a shelf compartment and are movable into an open position in which they uncover a shelf compartment. Accordingly, it is advantageous in a method for distributing articles if the article dispensing system, at a request for picking up the articles, positions grate bars or closing plates of the sliding doors or roll-up doors in such a way that an opening associated with said request is uncovered. In particular, the direction of movement of the grate bars or closing plates can be identical with the direction of movement of said sliding door or roll-up door. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the grate bars or closing plates are moved in groups. The driving of the grate bars/closing plates can be carried out for example electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically. In a roll-up door, for systemic reasons the grate bars or closing plates are preferably designed flexibly, in a sliding door they can alternatively be rigid.

Preferably, a goods vehicle has a cargo space and at least one mobile shelf unit accommodated in the cargo space, in which the cargo space comprises conveying means on which the at least one mobile shelf unit is supported, wherein are provided as conveying means:free-running and/or driven conveyor rollers and/ora free-running and/or driven conveyor belt and/ora free-running and/or driven conveyor chain.

Accordingly, also in a method for loading and/or unloading mobile shelf units into or from a cargo space of a goods vehicle, preferably the mobile shelf units are moved into the cargo space or out of the cargo space with the help of driven conveyor rollers disposed in the cargo space and/or using a driven conveyor belt disposed in the cargo space and/or using a driven conveyor chain disposed in the cargo space.

The proposed measures enable loading and unloading of a goods vehicle in a particularly easy manner Specifically, also shelf units without casters and/or without their own drive can be unloaded from the goods vehicle or loaded into the goods vehicle in an easy manner.

It should be noted in this context that, while the application of such goods vehicle may have the features of one aspect of the invention, such goods vehicle can in principle also be applied without these features and can therefore form the basis of an independent invention.

Preferably, the conveying means are disposed in a load bed/floor area of the cargo space or on suspension rails/support rails provided in the cargo space. Accordingly, the shelf units are standing on the (load-bearing) conveying means, i.e. the conveyor rollers, conveyor belts or conveyor chains or are mounted and moved suspended/hanging on the suspension rails/support rails. For easier movement of the shelf units the suspension rails/support rails can also comprise conveyor rollers, conveyor belts or conveyor chains. When suspension rails/support rails are used, the floor of the cargo space remains free from conveying means, which makes it easy for industrial trucks and other vehicles to move on the rails.

Preferably, the goods vehicle includes a cable winch and/or a winch for loading the mobile shelf units into the cargo space and/or for unloading the mobile shelf units from the cargo space. Accordingly, in a method for loading and/or unloading mobile shelf units into or from a cargo space of a goods vehicle, preferably the mobile shelf units are moved into the cargo space or out of the cargo space with the help of a cable winch and/or a winch. Application of a cable winch/winch is particularly advantageous when the shelf units have free-running casters or when free-running conveyor rollers, conveyor belts or conveyor chains are provided in the goods vehicle/in the dispensing station. Driven conveyor rollers, conveyor belts or conveyor chains for moving the shelf units will then be obsolete due to the cable winch. If the cable is redirected accordingly, one and the same cable winch/winch can be used both for loading the goods vehicle and for unloading the goods vehicle. It is also possible to use an endless revolving cable, in particular in connection with a winch.

The cargo space may be disposed in a container which is detachable from the goods vehicle. In this case, the goods vehicle need not be parked at the loading dock for the entire duration of the loading or unloading process. Instead, the container comprising the cargo space can be deposited at the loading dock and be reloaded onto the goods vehicle after the loading or unloading process.

Preferably, the dispensing station includes a loading dock with conveying means whose conveying direction is aligned in extension of a parking area for a goods vehicle disposed at the loading dock, wherein are provided as conveying means:free-running and/or driven conveyor rollers and/ora free-running and/or driven conveyor belt and/ora free-running and/or driven conveyor chain.

Accordingly also in a method the mobile shelf units may be moved into a cargo space of a goods vehicle parked in the parking area in the region of a loading dock of the dispensing station or out of this cargo space with the help of driven conveyor rollers disposed in the dispensing station and/or using a driven conveyor belt disposed in the dispensing station and/or using a driven conveyor chain disposed in the dispensing station.

The proposed measures enable loading and unloading of a goods vehicle in a particularly easy manner Specifically, also shelf units without casters and/or without their own drive can be unloaded from the goods vehicle or loaded onto the goods vehicle in an easy manner.

Preferably, the conveying means are disposed in a floor area of the loading dock of the dispensing station or on suspension rails/support rails provided in the region of the loading dock of the dispensing station. Accordingly, the shelf units are standing on the (load-bearing) conveying means, i.e. the conveyor rollers, conveyor belts or conveyor chains, or are mounted and moved suspended/hanging on the suspension rails/support rails. For easier movement of the shelf units the suspension rails/support rails can comprise conveyor rollers, conveyor belts or conveyor chains. When suspension rails/support rails are used, the floor of the dispensing station remains free from conveying means, which makes it easy for industrial trucks and other vehicles to move on the rails.

The dispensing station may also include a cable winch and/or a winch for moving the mobile shelf units toward the parking area for the goods vehicle and/or for moving the mobile shelf units away from said parking area. Accordingly, also in a method for loading and/or unloading mobile shelf units into or from a cargo space, the mobile shelf units may be moved into a cargo space of a goods vehicle parked in a parking area in the region of a loading dock of the dispensing station or out of this cargo space with the help of a cable winch disposed in the dispensing station and/or a winch disposed in the dispensing station. Application of a cable winch/winch is particularly advantageous when the shelf units have free-running casters or when free-running conveyor rollers, conveyor belts or conveyor chains are provided in the goods vehicle/in the dispensing station. Driven conveyor rollers, conveyor belts or conveyor chains for moving the shelf units will then be obsolete due to the cable winch. If the cable is redirected accordingly, one and the same cable winch/winch can be used both for loading the goods vehicle and for unloading the goods vehicle. It is also possible to use an endless revolving cable, in particular in connection with a winch.

It should also be noted in this context that the embodiment variants presented of the presented dispensing station and the resulting advantages analogously relate to the disclosed method and vice versa.

