Method and apparatus for building palleted goods
A pallet build system and method for building custom palleted built order of goods (e.g. mixed SKU/rainbow pallets) is provided. The system comprises forward lanes for stock goods as a supply of goods used for building custom orders of goods on pallets in reverse lanes. Lanes have gravitational feed conveyors. Remote control from a lift vehicle is provided to release custom built pallets once an order is completed.
1 . A method for building palleted goods, comprising:
placing and holding a pallet at a-build positions of a conveyors;
stacking goods on the pallet at the build position;
releasing the pallet from the build position with the stacked goods thereon;
conveying the pallet on the conveyor with the stacked goods thereon to a pick position;
picking the pallet with the stacked goods thereon from the pick position;
wherein a plurality of conveyor lanes is located on at least one side of an aisle, the conveyor lanes including forward lanes and at least two reverse lanes, each reverse lane comprising one of said conveyors, and further comprising:
transporting stock goods toward the aisle in the forward lanes to stock grab positions;
selecting stock goods from the stock grab positions to use for said stacking to form the stacked goods on the pallet while in the build position;
transporting the stacked goods away from the aisle toward the pick position;
operating a lift vehicle in the aisle to select and move goods from the forward lanes to the reverse lanes; and
remotely controlling from the lift vehicle said releasing on the at least two reverse lanes with a remote controller; and
enabling the remote controller for only one of the reverse lanes at a time depending upon relative proximity of the remote controller to the respective reverse lanes, whereby the releasing is only done on one of the reverse lanes at a time to avoid inadvertent release on a different one of the reverse lanes.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein conveyor lanes are located on both sides of the aisle, and further comprising operating the lift vehicle in the aisle.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein each of the conveyor lanes comprises a gravitational feed, further comprising:
gravitationally feeding pallets of stock goods in the forward lanes toward the aisle; and
gravitationally feeding pallets of stacked goods away from the aisle in the reverse lanes.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the conveyors for the reverse lanes are gravitational feed conveyors wherein the pick position is vertically below the build position for each gravitational feed conveyor, and further comprising a first stop arranged at the build position and a second stop arranged at the pick position, further comprising:
keeping the pallet at the build position with the first stop to facilitated said holding of the pallet at the build position;
releasing the first stop to facilitate automatic gravitational feeding of the pallet from the build position to the pick position; and
stopping the gravitational feeding with the second stop.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein each gravitational feed conveyor comprises a pair of rails and a plurality of rollers extending between the rails, and wherein the gravitational feed conveyor extends at an angle relative horizontal of between 3 and 20 degrees between pick position and the build position.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
operating the lift vehicle to provide said stacking goods on the pallet at the build position.
7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising
controlling said releasing the pallet from the build position from the lift vehicle.
8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
operating a remote controller from the lift vehicle to facilitate said controlling said releasing the pallet from the build position.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lift vehicle is configured with a clamp layer pick tool.
10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selectively picking said goods from a plurality of different stock goods to stack upon the pallet at the build position, the stock goods located in different stock grab positions spaced away from the build position.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the different stock goods are on respective pallets on respective stock conveyors.
12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the different stock goods being of different product characteristic having respectively different unique codes, wherein said method creates differently configured rainbow pallets of different goods have respectively different unique codes at the build position.
13 . A method for building palleted goods, comprising:
placing and holding a pallet at a build position of a conveyor;
stacking goods on the pallet at the build position;
releasing the pallet from the build position with the stacked goods thereon;
conveying the pallet on the conveyor with the stacked goods thereon to a pick position;
picking the pallet with the stacked goods thereon from the pick position;
operating a lift vehicle to provide said stacking goods on the pallet at the build position;
controlling said releasing the pallet from the build position from the lift vehicle;
operating a remote controller from the lift vehicle to facilitate said controlling said releasing the pallet from the build position;
activating an operability of the remote controller when the lift vehicle is in a proximal position to the conveyor; and
deactivating the operability of the remote controller when the lift vehicle is outside of the proximal position.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein a plurality of conveyor lanes is located on at least one side of an aisle, the conveyor lanes including forward lanes and at least one reverse lane, each reverse lane comprising one of said conveyor, further comprising:
transporting stock goods toward the aisle in the forward lanes to stock grab positions;
selecting stock goods from the stock grab positions to use for said stacking to form the stacked goods on the pallet while in the build position; and
transporting the stacked goods away from the aisle toward the pick position.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein at least two reverse lanes are provided, and further comprising:
operating the lift vehicle in the aisle to select and move goods from the forward lanes to the reverse lanes; and
remotely controlling from the lift vehicle said releasing on the at least two reverse lanes with the remote controller.
16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
enabling the remote controller for only one of the reverse lanes at a time depending upon relative proximity of the remote controller to the respective reverse lanes, whereby the releasing is only done on one of the reverse lanes at a time to avoid inadvertent release on a different one of the reverse lanes.
17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
signaling whether the lift vehicle is in the proximal position or outside of the proximal position.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the signaling is accomplished by a signal for the conveyor, wherein the signal:
provides a first visual indication when in the proximal position; and
provides a second visual indication different than the first visual indication when outside of the proximal position.
19 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the remote controller comprises a transmitter located in the lift vehicle, and further comprising a receiver in communication with a moveable stop at the build position of the conveyor, and wirelessly communicating between the transmitter and the receiver, and when an activation signal is received at the receiver activating the moveable stop to facilitate said releasing.
20 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising a pneumatically operated stop at the build position of the conveyor, further comprising
raising the pneumatically operated stop to hold the pallet at the build position; and
lowering the pneumatically operated stop to release the pallet from the build position.