US 11,912,504 B2
Picking station and method for automatically picking and automatically packaging products
Timothy Lindley, Schwerte (DE); Gerald Kettlgruber, Linz (AT); and Harald Johannes Schroepf, Wels (AT)
Assigned to TGW Logistics Group GmbH, Marchtrenk (AT)
Appl. No. 17/416,176
Filed by TGW Logistics Group GmbH, Marchtrenk (AT)
PCT Filed Dec. 23, 2019, PCT No. PCT/AT2019/060448
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 18, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/140133, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 9, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. A 50005/2019 (AT), filed on Jan. 4, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0048708 A1, Feb. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. B65B 35/50 (2006.01); B65G 1/137 (2006.01); B65B 5/06 (2006.01); B65G 27/06 (2006.01); B65G 61/00 (2006.01)
CPC B65G 1/1376 (2013.01) [B65B 5/06 (2013.01); B65B 35/50 (2013.01); B65G 27/06 (2013.01); B65G 61/00 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
14. A method for automatically picking and automatically packaging articles (10a . . . 10p), comprising the steps:
transporting articles (10a . . . 10p) from an automated article storage (7) to an automated unloading device (36) by means of an overhead conveyor system using transport loading aids (13 . . . 13c),
unloading the articles from the transport loading aids (11a . . . 11c, 13 . . . 13c) by means of the automated unloading device (36),
feeding the articles (10a . . . 10p) to an automated packaging machine (25),
packing the articles (10a . . . 10p) into dispatch packages (23) by the automated packaging machine (25), and
transporting the dispatch packages (23) away from the automated packaging machine (25) by means of a goods-out conveyor system (20),
wherein the steps of feeding and packing the articles (10a . . . 10p) comprises:
a) discharging an article (10a . . . 10p) from a transport loading aid (11a . . . 11c, 13 . . . 13c) and placing the article 10a . . . 10p) on a first bottom shelf (28a) of an automated article discharging device (27a) dropping the article (10a . . . 10p) through a first bottom opening (34a) arranged in the first bottom shelf (28a) when the first bottom opening (34a) is opened, and the article (10a . . . 10p) being dropped becomes part of an article stack (41) on a second bottom shelf (28b) of the automated article discharging device (27a) arranged below the first bottom shelf (28a), and, after an article stack (41) has been formed, dropping the article stack (41) through a second bottom opening (34b) arranged in the second bottom shelf (28b) is opened and the article stack (41) is conveyed to the automated packaging machine (25) by an automated feed conveyor system (26) arranged below the second bottom shelf (28b) and automatically packed into a dispatch package (23) by the automated packaging machine (25), and/or
b) discharging an article (10a . . . 10p) from a transport loading aid (11a . . . 11c, 13 . . . 13c) and placing the article (10a . . . 10p) on a bottom shelf (30), and picking the article 10a . . . 10p) from the bottom shelf (30) and placing on an automated feed conveyor system (26) by an automated reloading device (29) so as to stack the articles (10a . . . 10p) on the automated feed conveyor system (26), and, after an article stack (41) has been formed, the article stack (41) is conveyed by the automated feed conveyor system (26) to the automated packaging machine (25) and is automatically packed into a dispatch package (23) by the automated packaging machine (25), and/or
c) discharging an article (10a . . . 10p) from a transport loading aid (11a . . . 11c, 13 . . . 13c) and placing the article (10a . . . 10p) on a third bottom shelf (28c) of an automated article discharging device (27b) dropping the article (10a . . . 10p) through a third bottom opening (34c) arranged in the third bottom shelf (28c) when the third bottom opening (34c) is opened, into a dispatch package (23) provided at the automated packaging machine (25) at a loading position (47) and prepared for closing, and/or
d) providing the transport loading aids (11a . . . 11c, 13 . . . 13c) one after another at the automated unloading device (36) and positioning a transport loading aid (11a . . . 11c, 13 . . . 13c) above a loading position (47) of the automated packaging machine (25), and discharging an article (10a . . . 10p) from the transport loading aid (11a . . . 11c, 13 . . . 13c) immediately into a dispatch package (23) provided at the loading position (47) and prepared for closing.