UNIVERSITY OF GRAZ.

DETAILED PROCESSES OF THE Fb INTRALOGISTICS SYSTEM.

The book conveyor system at the library at Karl-Franzens University consists of a main handling station (Station 1) on the ground floor and 7 distribution and picking stations in the basement.

The books required for delivery are picked manually into containers by the library employees in the respective area and automatically transported to one of the 7 handover stations. Once the container has been accepted on the station GUI (Graphical User Interface) and the container weight has been approved (max. weight of the container 35kg), the system automatically decides, after the last transport order has been completed, whether the reversible conveyor section is released for transport to the main handling station. The system always prioritises transport orders to the main handling station on the ground floor. When the employee receives authorisation, they transfer the container to the conveyor line. From there, the container is transported fully automatically to the ground floor, where it is transferred to a buffer section.

The buffer section has been designed in such a way that up to three people can have access to it and work on it at the same time. Employees can remove the full container from the buffer line and take the books effortlessly to their respective borrowing location. The empty containers can either be used to deposit the books returned or fed directly back to the basement via the conveyor line without any transported goods.

Borrowed books that have been returned are pre-sorted into 11 containers (= different rooms) at the main handling station. This saves the time-consuming task of sorting the books for the employees at the final stations in the basement. It is at the specialised personnel’s discretion to decide when or with how many books a container is ready for transport to the respective station. Before an employee receives authorisation to place the container on the conveyor line, this one must scan the container and select a transport destination on the GUI.

The container is weighed before leaving the ground floor. If the maximum weight of 35kg is exceeded, it is diverted to an error station. After a successful weighing process, the container is automatically transported to the corresponding basement level. The storage section functions as a buffer if required. The major advantage of this buffering option is that the containers to be stored do not have to remain on the ground floor while a retrieval order is being carried out. It also simplifies the prioritisation of retrieval orders. After the buffer station, the containers are transported to their assigned stations via a reversible conveyor technology system and diverted onto a powered conveyor belt.

The conveyor belt, in turn, serves as a buffer so that the automated flow of goods can be decoupled from manual handling. The employee at Karl-Franzens University Library removes a complete container and takes the books to the designated shelves for storage. The employee can then use the containers again to pick further requested books.