STORAGE SYSTEM VEHICLE

• US 20190322452A1
• Filed: 01/02/2018
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autostore Technology AS
• Original Assignee: Autostore Technology AS
• Inventors: Austrheim, Trond, Bekken, Borge
• Granted Patent: US 11,161,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0464 with access from above
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0492 with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A remotely operated vehicle for picking up storage bins from an underlying storage system includes a vehicle lifting device for lifting the storage bin from the underlying storage system, a first vehicle rolling assembly including a first rolling set and a second rolling set arranged at opposite sides of a vehicle frame, allowing movement of the vehicle along a first direction (X) on the underlying storage system during use, a second vehicle rolling assembly including a first rolling set and a second rolling set arranged at opposite sides of the vehicle frame, allowing movement of the vehicle along a second direction (Y) on the underlying storage system during use, the second direction (Y) being perpendicular to the first direction (X), and a rolling set displacement assembly arranged to move the first vehicle rolling assembly in a vertical direction (Z) between a first position and a second position. The first vehicle rolling assembly allows movement of the vehicle along the first direction (X). The second vehicle rolling assembly allows movement of the vehicle along the second direction (Y). Each of said rolling sets includes at least a first wheel and a second wheel rigidly interconnected by a wheel connecting element. The wheel connecting element of the first rolling set of the first vehicle rolling and the wheel connecting element of the first rolling set of the second vehicle rolling assembly are pivotally connected to the vehicle frame, such that each of said first rolling sets may tilt in a vertical plane.

Claims

1. A remotely operated vehicle for picking up storage bins from an underlying storage system, comprising:

a vehicle lifting device for lifting the storage bin from the underlying storage system,

a first vehicle rolling assembly comprising a first rolling set and a second rolling set arranged at opposite sides of a vehicle frame, allowing movement of the vehicle along a first direction (X) on the underlying storage system during use, and

a second vehicle rolling assembly comprising a first rolling set and a second rolling set arranged at opposite sides of the vehicle frame, allowing movement of the vehicle along a second direction (Y) on the underlying storage system during use, the second direction (Y) being perpendicular to the first direction (X),

a rolling set displacement assembly arranged to move the first vehicle rolling assembly in a vertical direction (Z) between a first position, wherein the first vehicle rolling assembly allow movement of the vehicle along the first direction (X), and a second position, wherein the second vehicle rolling assembly allow movement of the vehicle along the second direction (Y),

wherein each of said rolling sets comprises at least a first wheel and a second wheel rigidly interconnected by a wheel connecting element,

wherein the wheel connecting element of the second rolling set of the first vehicle rolling assembly is rigidly connected to the rolling set displacement assembly, and the wheel connecting element of the second rolling set of the second vehicle rolling assembly is rigidly connected to the vehicle frame,

wherein the wheel connecting element of the first rolling set of the first vehicle rolling assembly is pivotally connected to the vehicle frame via the rolling set displacement assembly, and the wheel connecting element of the first rolling set of the second vehicle rolling assembly are pivotally connected to the vehicle frame, such that the wheel connecting element of the first rolling set of the first vehicle rolling assembly may tilt in a vertical plane parallel to the first direction (X), and the wheel connecting element of the first rolling set of the second vehicle rolling assembly may tilt in a vertical plane parallel to the second direction (Y).

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the tilt of the wheel connecting element of the first rolling set of the first and the second vehicle rolling assembly is limited by a tilt limiting assembly.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the tilt limiting assembly is arranged to prevent a lowermost contact surface, of the wheels of the first rolling set driving the vehicle, from tilting above a level of a lowermost part of the vehicle frame.

9. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the tilt limiting assembly comprises a first limiting element on each of the wheel connecting elements of the first rolling set of the first and of the second vehicle rolling assembly, and a cooperating second limiting element on each of the rolling set displacement assembly and the vehicle frame.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the first limiting element is a hole and the second limiting element is a knob, the hole having a circumference larger than the circumference of the knob, such that the knob may move a given distance relative to the hole.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the wheel connecting element of the first rolling set of the first vehicle rolling assembly and the second vehicle rolling assembly is pivotally connected at a first pivot point and a second pivot point, respectively, the first and the second pivot point being equidistant from the centre axis of the first and the second wheel of the respective rolling set.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each wheel is independently driven by a motor.

13. A storage system comprising a vehicle according to claim 1, the storage system comprises a bin storage structure having a plurality of storage columns for accommodating a vertical stack of storage bins and a horizontal grid of top rails upon which the vehicle may move in two perpendicular directions above the storage columns.

14. The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the tilt limiting assembly comprises a first limiting element on each of the wheel connecting elements of the first rolling set of the first and of the second vehicle rolling assembly, and a cooperating second limiting element on each of the rolling set displacement assembly and the vehicle frame.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the first limiting element is a hole and the second limiting element is a knob, the hole having a circumference larger than the circumference of the knob, such that the knob may move a given distance relative to the hole.

16. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each wheel is independently driven by a separate electric motor.

2-6. -6. (canceled)