Background of the invention

The invention relates to an automatic storage which comprises a closed storage space with its storage shelves and shelf lockers on the shelves, in serting and retrieving points for goods to be placed in the storage and to be deliv ered from there, and a robot that takes care of physical storage and delivery of good in the storage, as well as a control logic which controls the inserting and re trieving of goods as well as the operation of the robot. Currently, there are many packet delivery systems in consumer use, which features a dedicated access door for each locker, and in which a parcel placed in the locker is kept in this same locker until it is picked up. Such a locker assembly cannot be very extensive because the access doors have to be at such a place where a person can handle a parcel through them. In this type of usage, the problem is not yet extensively realised because delivering parcels by automatic machines is still a growing sector. However, in parcel delivery, automatic locker assemblies are gaining ground fast. Once the volume or parcels increases, a prob lem of system expandability will emerge. These systems are efficient until a par ticular parcel volume is reached. As the parcel volume increases, the scope of the system needs to be increased accordingly. However, people need to have easy ac cess to the lockers, which means they cannot be so high as to be unreachable. Therefore, the only option is to widen the whole or bring into use a plurality of automatic locker assemblies.

In addition to the problem with expandability, it is not worthwhile to use the system described in the above for long-term storage, because its capacity is notably lower than in robotic automatic storages. At rush hour, there may addi tionally be space constraints in front of such a system as customers are moving in front of the lockers.

In parcel delivery and storage use, there are in common use also locker assembly systems with a bigger capacity and suitable for shorter or longer term storage, in which goods, when they are stored, are entered through an access door to a robotic automatic storage, and as goods are picked up, the picking up takes place either at the same or different place, depending on the use of the stor age. A problem here is the slow speed of inserting goods at one access door, be- cause goods are fed in one at a time so that when a storage robot has taken a pre vious parcel to its storage locker assembly, the robot is free and able to pick up the subsequent parcel fed in the system. In other words, when a parcel is being taken to a specific locker assembly from the access door, a new parcel cannot be fed in before the robot has completed the preceding task. Inserting a number of parcels may therefore take up a lot of time due to waiting.

In industry, the last-described automatic storage is used for a variety of purposes, such as to store and manage assembly parts, to store and lend tools, as well as to store and manage personal tools of the trade. Often, inserting and picking up parcels involves handling several parcels. In such a case, the handling speed of parcels plays a major role in the efficiency of a storage. So, a recurring problem is that inserting parcels to the system takes up too much time. A typical inserting event is 10 to 30 parcels at a time. A typical automatic storage is capable of receiving approximately two parcels per minute, which is too long a time for e.g. parcel couriers.

To feed in and/or picking up a plurality of parcels as quickly as possi ble is an important feature in e.g. the following cases:

- Filling an automatic storage in industrial use when a load arrives.

- Picking up parcels from an automatic storage in industrial use, for collecting an order.

- Picking up parts needed for a work stage (in e.g. assembly) from an automatic storage in industrial use.

- Filling an automatic parcel locker when a load arrives.

- Picking up parcels from an automatic parcel locker at rush hour (nu merous users at the same time).

- Filling in a food delivery automatic machine when a worker has col lected food orders.

- Picking up parcels from a food delivery automatic machine (an order often includes three or more parcels).

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the invention to eliminate the aforementioned prob lems related to an automatic storage. This object is achieved by the automatic storage according to the invention, which is characterised in that the inserting and potentially also the retrieving points comprise a plurality of lockers for goods being handled, which have electrically controlled lockable doors.

The basic idea of the invention is to combine the benefits of an auto matic storage and a conventional locker assembly system and to replace an input door with a plurality of lockable locker assembly doors whose locks may be con- trolled by a control system of the storage and which allow users to take and leave parcels directly on the shelves of the automatic storage like in a so-called conven tional locker assembly system, for a robot to handle later on. The doors may be hinged doors, sliding doors, folding sliding doors etc. A robot in the automatic storage has controlled access to the same parcels, so it can transport them at a suitable time to any suitable storage shelf. In addition, a robot typically transports parcels from a locker to a retrieving point. A retrieving point may be a conven tional door of an automatic storage or the same locker assembly places may be used for retrieving as when inserting parcels.

There may be different sizes of lockers used for inserting parcels, and some of these may act as a conventional lockable locker without a robot taking a parcel further to a storage. This is needed for large parcels that cannot be moved with a robot. The use of the locker assembly is controlled in the same manner as the others, but this locker assembly is used to insert, store, and pick up parcels.

When processing very small parcels, or those shaped so that a robot cannot pick them, similar-sized smaller lockers, or different size lockers, high and low etc. may be reserved for them.

The user interface of the locker assembly may be separate, as current ly used, on the doors of the locker assembly, or a mobile application. The user in terface is adapted to communicate with the control logic of the automatic storage.

When a parcel is fed in a locker assembly with the user interface, the parcel is identifiable by a code, such as a barcode or QR code, or by its physical es sence such as size or weight. The aforementioned details of a parcel may be moni tored when the door is closed and inserting event is updated. The details of the parcel may be re-examined at the time the parcel is picked up, and the retrieving of the parcel may be prevented, if the parcel is found out to the different than when it was brought in.

When a user is leaving a parcel, the robot is by means of control pre vented from accessing the shelf. Access by a user to space reserved for a robot is in turn prevented by an electrically controlled drop curtain, for example. The drop curtain may be locked in its closed position for the time a user accesses the locker through an open door. The drop curtain may, when so desired, be locked in its open position when a robot accesses a locker through the opening on the drop curtain side. Locking may be controlled by means of the control logic of the automatic storage. In normal use, the locker door and drop curtain are not simul taneously open. A space reserved for the robot refers to the space where the ro- bot may move from a locker to a second locker or shelf. A shelf may only be ac cessed by a robot. The structure of a shelf may correspond to the structure of the locker assembly, except for the shelf not having a door that opens for a user. A us er is prevented from accessing wrong lockers by means of locking, such as electric locks. The control of a locker assembly is the responsibility of the automatic stor age logic, which also controls the robot and inserting and retrieving points. A ro bot may take or direct parcels to an intermediate storage nearby and later on take them to a shelf, thereby making the feeding speed of the parcels as high as possi ble. Advantageously, a fast method for delivering a parcel to an intermediate stor age is such where a parcel that has come in a locker is moved by a robot in the depth direction over a shelf, that is, across the space reserved for the robot, onto a shelf further back. In such a case, the transfer distance is the shortest, and the ver tical and horizontal movement, as seen from the direction of a user of the locker assembly, are omitted, with only the transfer movement in the depth direction remaining. If there is no free space in the depth direction at the back, in the man ner described in the above, the robot moves the parcel to the nearest free shelf. It may be that the same locker is used to insert a plurality of successive parcels.

The solution according to the invention accelerates the inserting event of parcels in an automatic storage to a level as high as in automatic locker assem blies. Because the need for input doors is lesser than in automatic locker assem blies, the doors may be placed at an optimal working height and close to each other.

The numerous inserting/pick up doors of an automatic storage, placed as close to each other as possible, allow a most cost-effective solution.

A user is able to insert parcels directly on a shelf, whereby the insert ing process is as fast as possible and hardware as simple as possible. Weighing, measuring, and description of the parcels are taken care of by taking the parcels to a usage point when the device has no other tasks.

List of figures

The invention is now described in more detail in connection with pre ferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows an automatic storage according to the invention as a perspective view with the locker assemblies closed;

Figure 2 shows the automatic storage according to claim 1 with the locker assemblies opened; Figure 3 shows a vertical cross-section of the automatic storage ac cording to Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 shows the automatic storage according to the previous figures as seem from above; and

Figures 5 and 6 show alternative locker assembly doors.

Detailed description of the invention

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, the automatic storage 1 according to the invention comprises a closed storage space 2 with its storage shelves 3 and shelf lockers 4 on the shelves 3, inserting and retrieving points 5, 6 for goods to be placed in the storage and to be delivered from there, a robot (not shown, known e.g. from the patent application FI 20185072) that takes care of physical storage and retrieving of goods in the storage, as well as a control logic (not shown) which controls the inserting and retrieving of goods as well as the operation of the robot, and an operation panel 7 for a user of the storage. The user of the stor age, such as a courier, may communicate with the control logic of the automatic storage by means of the operation panel 7, 71. Arranged in this inventive auto matic storage there is a plurality of lockers 8, provided with lockable doors 9, for goods to be handled, which are intended for at least inserting goods and possibly also for retrieving goods. The lockers 8 may also be used for storing goods, at least temporarily. As mentioned, this automatic storage differs from a known au tomatic storage in that in addition to an inserting point 5 (possibly also used for delivering an item) of an item, there are arranged the described lockers 8. In this case, the applications of the invention do not all necessarily even need the “con ventional” inserting point 5. The lockers 8 are placed at such a height that a user easily reaches them. Reference number 5 denotes (currently) a point (such as a sliding door) through which parcels are picked up, and the lockers 8 are for in serting parcels. These operations may also be reversed, or both the point 5 and lockers 8 may serve the same purposes, as is evident based on the aforemen tioned. In addition, instead of the one operation panel 7 described, there may be more of them. Also, in connection with the lockers 8 there may be smaller opera tion panels 71 (e.g. on the doors 9) for each locker 8. In between the lockers 8 there may be unopenable intermediate strips e.g. vertically, into which interme diate strips operation panels 71 may be installed. The inserting and retrieving of parcels may also be controlled by mobile applications or other user interfaces. In Figures 1 to 4, the doors 9 of the lockers are shown as doors provid ed with hinges at the edge, and opening sideways. The hinged side may be on the left of right side of the door, or possibly at the top or bottom edge of the door.

Figure 5 shows a door 9 sliding into a locker, and Figure 6 double doors 9. The vertical surface further behind in each locker 8 may be closed by a drop curtain 81 used by an electrical actuator, for example. The drop curtains 81 may be controlled in such a manner that as a user is picking up or leaving a parcel in a particular locker 8, the drop curtain 81 of the locker 8 in question is closed. When a user no longer uses the locker 8 (e.g. when it is already full), the drop cur tain 81 may be opened, and a robot may start taking parcels away or bring them in. The drop curtain 81 prevents and allows a robot’s access to the locker 8 as de sired. There are no restrictions for the material of the drop curtain 81 as long as it prevents access by a locker user to the space 10 (of which Figure 3 show a sup port rail of the robot) reserved for the robot. The drop curtain 81 may move on guide bars on the vertical sides of the locker 8, and a guide bar or lock is arranged at the bottom end of the drop curtain 81 so that the drop curtain 81 stays in place and cannot be moved aside manually. The drop curtain 81 may be a solid or e.g. lattice structure.

A second option for closing the rear wall of the locker 8 could be a door running on sliding guide bars (not shown in the drawings), by means of which one locker 8 at a time may be closed. In this case, there would be guide bars behind a row of locker assemblies for the width of an entire shelf, to which one door the size of the locker assembly opening would attach. The position of the door would be controlled by a belt and an electric motor. When a user wishes to have access to a particular locker 8 either to leave or pick up a parcel, the rear door is first driven to the locker 8 in questions, and only then is the door 9 opened. The robot would have access to all the other lockers of the shelf at the same time.

The difference between these implementations, in addition to the technical implementation, is that in the sliding door implementation access can only be blocked for one locker 8 per shelf at a time. A feature to be pursued would be that when a courier brings parcels, all the free doors of lockers could be imme diately opened whereby the courier could read the parcel code, place it in the locker 8, and close the door. The method would be as efficient as possible. This cannot be implemented by the sliding door implementation, but with the drop curtain this is possible. On the other hand, with the sliding door implementation a robot is able to empty lockers 8 as quickly as possible after a parcel has been left in.

The type for the doors 9 is chosen according to the purpose of use at any one time, and according to the size and location of the locker 8. All the door types are suitable for all the inventive locker assembly uses. The same locker as sembly wall may have different kinds of doors. After a user has permission to use lockers after logging in, the opening and closing of the doors may be implemented electrically or manually or as various combinations of these methods.

The automatic storage shown in the drawings may also be connected to other storage spaces that operate with the same logic and which are operated by the same robot, or the robot is in cooperation with robots in the other storage spaces. This way storage capacity may be increased as needed.

In a typical parcel delivery use, the inserting process of an item would proceed as follows: A courier logs in an automatic storage on an operation panel 7 or operation panel 71, and feeds the parcels they have brought in lockers 8 through their lockable doors 9. The identification for inserting may take place e.g. with a mobile phone application and/or a tag included with the parcel, which in cludes e.g. the details of the parcel, sender, courier, weight, etc. by means of e.g. a QR code. These details, connected with a position of an open locker 8, the parcel and the position of the parcel may be identified for the control logic of the auto matic storage. So, the automatic storage knows for sure that parcel "W123” is from now on in locker “z34”, because the door of locker “z34” was open at the time the parcel code was entered. The courier may be using another operation panel 7 than the operation panel 71 of the open door, but the open locking of the door 9 is the determining location information. When the door 9 is open, its oper ation panel 71 may end up in a blind spot, because it is typically located on the front surface of the door 9. If the condition is that the open locking of the door 9 is the determining information, then just one door 9 of the locker 8 would be al lowed to be open at a time. If there are a plurality of doors 9 open when inserting takes place, for example, then the control logic must rely on a user not making mistakes in the feed accidentally or on purpose. In the mobile phone application, the inserting may be prepared even before being physically near the lockers 8, whereby the inserting may be performed fast once on site.

During the inserting of parcels, a robot begins to carry the parcels onto the actual shelf for storage, or depending on the inserting speed, to a nearby in termediate storage because an actual free shelf location for longer-term storage may be found further away, such as at the height of 6 metres. The robot empties the locker 8 as fast as possible but, however, serving at the same time customers picking up parcels. To assist or replace a robot in intermediate storage, there may be a conveyor belt, lift, hoist or similar. Once the parcels have moved to the actual storage shelf, a recipient of the parcel will get a notification saying that their par cel may be collected. When the recipient of the parcel is collection the parcel, they identify themselves by entering a code at the discharging points, show a barcode, QR code (so, optical, electronic, biological or similar identification), whereby the robot fetches the parcel from the shelf to the discharging point at which the recip ient receives the parcel.

When a parcel is brought into the system and taken out from there, it may at both instances be weighed to ensure that the parcel is correct and has not been manipulated. The handing over of a parcel may be interrupted, if an illogical ity is detected. The robot may be equipped with a scale and/or camera to verify the identification, inserting, and retrieving of parcels. These methods of verifica tion may be applied to ensure that the person identified themselves as the recipi ent really empties the locker 8 whereby the control logic really finds the locker 8 empty. A similar check may be carried out when a courier has left a parcel in. To monitor the parcels, the control logic has memory space reserved in it as appro priate.

The conventional discharging point may be replaced with lockers 8 whereby when parcels are collected, a robot would carry the parcel to a free lock er 8 instead of the discharging point.

The locker assembly idea can be further enhanced if parcels are pre ordered to the locker assembly before the actual picking up event. This could be implemented e.g. with a mobile phone application, by replying to a text message sent by the system, or another electronic identification method. Parcels would be brought to the locker assembly for a predetermined time. This way, a user would get their parcels without delay. If a user did not collect a parcel within the time limit, the robot would return it to the shelf and notify the user of this.

In industry, the loading of parcels into a device would be done with the same logic as in the above. When collecting parcels, pre-ordering would be en hanced similarly as in parcel delivery. Nowadays, pre-orders are handled with picking lists, whereby a robot carries the parcels needed on the list to be ready near the usage point. By means of the locker assembly idea, parcels could be car ried to a locker assembly from which a user can pick up all the parcels needed without waiting. A single locker 8 in a locker assembly can be seen as a space which is advantageously a rectangular prism. From the viewpoint of use of space, building these in parallel and one on the other is efficient. Access into this space is authorised only to open one surface at a time, such as by opening the door 9 or drop curtain 81. These surfaces taking mutual turns for opening and closing are advantageously mutually opposite faces in the aforementioned space.

The robot is able to handle parcels with two telescopically forward and out extending paws so that the paws extend from the space 10 (Figure 3) re served for the robot to the locker 8. The paws may squeeze a parcels at the side surfaces between the paws so that the robot is able to grab the parcel, after which the robot may draw the parcel from the locker 8 to the space reserved for the ro bot. In the transfer movement, the moving of the parcel takes place from the bot tom level of the locker 8 to the bearing surface of the robot at essentially the same height position. In other words, the robot may draw a parcel in substantially the same plane to its own bearing surface when the top edge of the robot's bearing surface is adapted to be substantially the same as the top edge of the bottom level of the locker 8. The robot may attach for a short period to an edge of the bottom surface of the locker 8 for this transfer movement. When a parcel is loaded by the robot to the locker 8, it is brought between the paws, squeezing by the sides, to the bottom level of the locker 8 (so, the parcel is not pushed from behind). The squeezing movement and squeezing force between the robot paws is substantial ly transverse in relation to the telescopic transfer movement of the paws. Once the parcel is on the robot’s bearing surface, it is also in the space 10 reserved for the robot. In the space 10 reserved for the robot, the robot may move the parcel laterally or vertically to the free shelf position indicated by the control logic. From the supporting rail 10 of the robot, a support by wires is advantageously arranged for the robot, and the robot is adapted to move vertically supported by the wires. The robot is adapted to move horizontally in the direction of the supporting rail 10. The robot’s telescopic transfer movement from the locker 8 to the robot’s bearing surface (and vice versa) is adapted perpendicularly to the aforemen tioned face of the rectangular prism into which face surface the opening and clos ing drop curtain 81 inside the locker 8 is adapted. The space 10 reserved for the robot is of such a magnitude that a serviceman is able to move in the space in question standing up.

Leaving and picking up parcels from the shelves may be implemented by different solutions. The solution described in the above is efficient because it is the safest to use and the risk of parcels mixing up is the smallest possible. The so lution is safe to use and the risk of parcels mixing up is small. The solution allows the effective prevention of almost all cases of misuse. In addition, the usage expe rience corresponds with automatic locker assemblies which the users are already accustomed to. An automatic storage and a robot in it are advantageously adapted to handle parcels without a pallet, tray, transport platform, hoist brackets, hoist handle etc.

The force between a robot’s paws is adequate to allow a parcel to be squeezed for necessary moving along a planar surface below. Due to the above, a parcel need not be provided with the aforementioned carrying platforms of simi lar raising means. The underlaying planar surface used for transports from the locker 8 to the robot and vice versa may be made as a substantially continuous surface when a parcel is moved from the bottom surface of the locker 8 to the ro bot’s bearing surface.

The system described in the above may be flexibly utilised in a number of ways in the aforementioned cases to manage a quick inserting and/or picking up burst. The intermediate storage idea may also be expanded so that when pick ing up parcels in a pre-planned manner, the parcels are brought into this storage to wait for the picking up event.

The lockers 8 and the related automatic storage are described as being advantageously rectangular prisms for the features to be explained in an under standable manner. The rectangular space and/or automatic storage, as seen from above, may also be made slightly curved or trapezoidal by means of industrial de sign whereby the automatic storage may be positioned as desired in a building.

In delivery of goods, one shipment may have a plurality of parcels that are divided into different boxes due to packaging, storage, or transport. However, a goal for a goods consignment is often to keep the parcels together by means of a common identifier or reference number, for example. When a consignment is handed over or picked up at an automatic storage, the control system may ask the user whether all the combined parcels are to be handed over or picked up, such a 4 parcels, for example. The user may reply with yes or no (and possibly which parcels to choose, if not all). Correspondingly, the desired number of doors 9 may be opened at a time on the locker assembly (all or a smaller number, and taking into account the parcel size), whereby measures at the locker assembly may be speeded up. In loading an automatic storage, simultaneous opening of a plurality of doors 9 may be applied to an embodiment where the parcels are mutually identi cal. In such a case, the mutual mixing up of parcels is not critical. The total num ber of articles (such as N x 500 pcs. of screws) in a batch of products is in this case determined by the number N of parcels.

By opening the doors 9 simultaneously, there are benefits in particular when all of the doors of the customer or courier in question may be opened at the time the parcels are picked up.

In opening and closing the doors 9, there may be a small spring or flex- ible element which compresses upon closing. When a lock or locks controlled by a control system is/are opened, the doors 9 spring open lightly with the spring force of the spring or flexible element. The spring or flexible elements may be on the hinge side or latch side in the locker 8. This way a courier may more quickly determine the number of open doors 9 and their position, making the event fast- er. Correspondingly, the possibility of a human error is decreased and parcels are not, for example, forgotten in the locker assembly when the non-locked doors 9 are ajar. Correspondingly, the courier doing the picking up is, based on the sug gestion by an identifier or reference number, informed of the product batch hav ing a plurality of parcels together, whereby they can expect to collect all of them. An active indication of one or more lockers 8 may be performed e.g in the aforementioned way by mechanical slight opening, an opening sound of a locking latch connected to the control system, and/or an indicator light at each locker 8. This way, a user may be clearly indicated where their parcel can be found or, in the case of a handing-over courier, where they need to place the par- cel.

Those skilled in the art will find it obvious that, as technology advanc es, the basic idea of the invention may be implemented in many different ways. The invention and its embodiments are thus not restricted to the above-described examples but may vary within the scope of the claims.