High-speed automatic storage and retrieval system and apparatus therefor

• US 4,773,807 A
• Filed: 04/30/1986
• Issued: 09/27/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HK Systems Incorporated (KION GROUP AG)
• Original Assignee: Harnischfeger Engineers Incorporated
• Inventors: Briggs, John, Kroll, Charles R., Blom, Eric C., Jurkowski, Keith O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Werner, Frank E.
• Application Number:
  US06/858,061
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 414/266, 414/267, 414/268, 414/269, 414/270, 414/271, 414/272, 414/273, 414/274, 414/275, 414/276, 414/277, 414/278, 414/279, 414/280, 414/281, 414/282, 414/283, 414/284 , 414/285, 414/286, 414/222, 414/252, 414/253, 414/255, 414/259, 414/260, 414/261, 414/262, 414/609, 414/347
• US Class Current: 414/282
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/0485 Check-in, check-out devices

Abstract

An elevated track network guides self-propelled guided vehicles (with containers thereon) from an entry location where objects enter the system, to a storage zone defined by sets of compartmentalized storage racks wherein containers filled with objects are temporarily stored, and from thence to an exit location where retrieved objects leave the system. Each set of storage racks comprise four racks and two aisles, with two of the racks arranged back-to-back between the aisles and the other two racks on opposite sides of the aisles. Each storage rack comprises storage compartments arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns. A track in the track network extends through and along an intermediate row in one of the back-to-back racks (pre-empting the compartments in that row). Each aisle accommodates a self-propelled aisle crane which services the racks on both sides of the aisle. Each crane comprises a chassis movable along its aisle to any column, a carriage vertically movable on the chassis to any row, and an extendable/retractable shuttle on the carriage for storing and retrieving objects in the compartments. The shuttle has a "home position" intermediate the opposite ends of its associated racks and intermediate the tops and bottoms of those racks. A guided vehicle is directed to an unloading/loading zone on the track, which zone is adjacent the shuttle'"'"'s home position and whereat objects can be exchanged between the guided vehicle and the shuttle when the latter is extended. In one embodiment the loading zone has two regions, each accessible to only one shuttle. One region is on the track and the other region is on a short spur track switchably connected to the main track inside a portion of the adjacent row of the other of the two back-to-back racks. In a second embodiment the same loading zone is accessible to both shuttles. In a third embodiment two separate tracks and loading zones are provided, one for each aisle crane. Control means operate the guided vehicles, aisle cranes and shuttles in desired sequences.

Claims

1. Apparatus whereby materials can be transported between spaced apart locations and can be stored in and retrieved from a storage zone spaced from said locations, said apparatus comprising at least one set of elongated racks in said storage zone, each having a plurality of vertically spaced shelves extending therealong, each shelf having a front edge at a front side of the rack, there being two pairs of racks in said set, the two racks of each pair being laterally spaced apart to define an aisle between their front sides and one rack of one pair being back-to-back adjacent to a rack of the other pair, and a storage and retrieval machine for each aisle, each said machine comprising a chassis confined to motion lengthwise along its aisle, a carriage confined to vertical motion relative to said chassis and a shuttle on said carriage movable in opposite lateral directions for sliding material onto and off of shelves of the racks defining its aisle, said apparatus being characterized by:

A. at least one carrier having

(1) truck means adapted to be movably supported on and guided by a track,

(2) drive means whereby the carrier is propelled in a travel direction along a track that supports it, and

(3) load supporting means with which said shuttle of each storage and retrieval machine is cooperable and to and from which materials can be transferred by substantially horizontal motion transverse to said travel direction;

B. a track for supporting and guiding said carrier, said track having

(1) transport stretches extending between said storage zone and each of said locations,

(2) a storage zone stretch extending along the length of said one rack of said one pair and situated to support the carrier

(a) substantially wholly behind the front of that rack and

(b) with its load supporting means at a level substantially midway between the highest and the lowest shelves of that rack, and

(3) a spur stretch at substantially the level of said storage zone stretch, said spur stretch

(a) extending along a minor part of the length of said rack of said other pair and substantially equidistant from the opposite ends thereof, and

(b) being situated to dispose the carrier substantially wholly behind the front of the last mentioned rack; and

C. switch track means cooperating with said storage zone stretch and said spur stretch to provide, alternatively and selectably, for straight-through travel of the carrier along the entire length of the storage zone stretch and for diversion of the carrier from the storage zone stretch to the spur stretch and back to the storage zone stretch, said carrier being a monorail carrier and said track being a monorail track at a substantial elevation above the level of the lowest shelves of said racks, said carrier being further characterized by;

(1) said truck means of the carrier being elongated in said travel direction;

(2) said load supporting means of the carrier comprising

(a) a pair of arms which project down from said truck means and which are spaced apart in said travel direction and

(b) a bracket portion on the bottom of each said arm that projects horizontally from the arm towards the bracket portion on the other arm, said bracket portions being cooperable to support a pallet or container that bridges across them and being spaced apart in said travel direction so that a tongue or fork on said shuttle can pass between them to engage the underside of the pallet or container.

2. Apparatus whereby materials can be transported between spaced apart locations and can be stored in and retrieved from a storage zone spaced from said locations, said apparatus comprising overhead monorail track having transport stretches extending between said storage zone and each of said locations and at least one monorail carrier having truck means adapted to be movably supported on and guided by said track, drive means whereby the carrier is propelled in a travel direction along said track and load supporting means beneath said truck means, said apparatus being characterized by:

A. a pair of racks in said storage zone, each having a plurality of vertically spaced shelves extending therealong, each shelf having a front edge at a front side of the rack, said racks being laterally spaced apart to define an aisle between their front sides;

B. a storage and retrieval machine comprising

(1) a chassis confined to motion lengthwise along said aisle,

(2) a carriage confined to vertical motion relative to said chassis, and

(3) a shuttle on said carriage for sliding material on pallets and in containers onto and off of the shelves of said racks, said shuttle being movable in opposite lateral directions relative to the carriage and having tongues projecting in said lateral directions, each supportingly engageable with the undersides of pallets and containers;

C. said track having a storage stretch extending along the length of one of said racks and situated to support the carrier

(1) substantially wholly behind the front side of that rack and

(2) with its load supporting means at a level substantially midway between the highest and the lowest shelves of that rack; and

D. said load supporting means of the carrier comprising

(1) a pair of arms which project down from said truck means and which are spaced apart in said travel direction and

(2) a bracket portion on the bottom of each said arm that projects horizontally from the arm towards the bracket portion on the other arm, said bracket portions being cooperable to support a pallet or container that bridges across them and being spaced apart in said travel direction so that a tongue on said shuttle can pass between them to engage the underside of the pallet or container.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, having a second pair of racks in said storage zone, substantially identical with said first described pair of racks and defining between them a second aisle along with a second storage and retrieval machine that is substantially identical to the first described storage and retrieval machine is movable, one of the racks of said second pair being back-to-back adjacent to said one rack of the first described pair, further characterized by:

(1) said track further having a spur stretch at substantially the level of said storage zone stretch, said spur stretch

(a) extending along a minor part of the length of said one rack of said second pair and being substantially equidistant from the opposite ends of that rack and

(b) being situated to dispose a carrier thereon substantially wholly behind the front of the last mentioned rack; and

(2) switch track means cooperating with said storage zone stretch and said spur stretch to provide, alternatively and selectably, for straight-through travel of the carrier along the entire length of the storage zone stretch and for diversion of the carrier from the storage zone stretch to the spur stretch and back to the storage zone stretch.

4. Apparatus wherein an object can be transported between spaced apart locations and can be stored in and retrieved from a storage zone spaced from said locations, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of storage racks in said storage zone,

each storage rack having a top, a bottom, opposite ends, a rear side, and a front side;

each storage rack having a plurality of storage compartments therein and each storage compartment having an access opening at the front side of its respective storage rack through which an object can be inserted and retrieved,

a first one of said storage racks having its front side disposed along and confronting one side of a first aisle,

a second one of said storage racks having its rear side disposed along and confronting the rear side of said first storage rack and having its front side disposed along and confronting one side of a second aisle;

guide rail means connected between said spaced apart locations and comprising a first stretch extending longitudinally through said first storage rack between said opposite ends thereof and substantialloy parallel to said first aisle,

said first stretch having a first loading zone therealong located between said opposite ends of said first storage rack,

said guide rail means further comprising a spur stretch extending longitudinally through a portion of said second storage rack,

said spur stretch having a second loading zone therealong located adjacent said first loading zone in said first storage rack;

means for switchably connected and disconnecting said spur stretch to and from said first stretch;

a self-propelled object carrier movable along said guide rail means into and out of said loading zones;

a first storage and retrieval machine movable along a first path in said first aisle and having a first shuttle movable vertically relative to said first path and movable horizontally transversely to said first path into and out of the opening in said storage compartments in said first storage rack and into and out of said first loading zone,

said first shuttle having a home position opposite said first loading zone,

said first shuttle being operable to remove an object from said carrier when the latter is in said first storage zone and to store the object in a storage compartment in said first storage rack, and being further operable to retrieve an object from a storage compartment in said first storage rack and to deposit the object on said carrier when the latter is in said first storage zone;

and a second storage and retrieval machine movable along a second path in said second aisle and having a second shuttle movable vertically relative to said second path and movable horizontally transversely to said second path into and out of the opening in said storage compartments in said second storage rack and into and out of said second loading zone,

said second shuttle having a home position opposite said second loading zone,

said second shuttle being operable to remove an object from said carrier when the latter is in said second storage zone and to store the object in a storage compartment in said second storage rack, and being further operable to retrieve an object from a storage compartment in said second storage rack and to deposit the object on said carrier when the latter is in said second storage zone.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said plurality of storage racks further comprises another storage rack having its front side disposed along and confronting the opposite side of one of said aisles, and wherein the shuttle of the storage and retrieval machine in the said one aisle is further operable to store and retrieve an object in a compartment in said other storage rack and to remove and deposit an object on said carrier when the latter is in a storage zone associated with said one aisle.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said plurality of storage racks further comprises a third storage rack having its front side disposed along and confronting the opposite side of said first aisle, and wherein said first shuttle of said first storage and retrieval machine is further operable to store and retrieve an object in a compartment in said third storage rack and to remove and deposit an object on said carrier when the latter is in said storage zone in said first storage rack.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said plurality of storage racks further comprises a fourth storage rack having its front side disposed along and confronting the opposite side of said second aisle, and wherein said second shuttle of said second storage and retrieval machine is further operable to store and retrieve an object in a compartment in said fourth storage rack and to remove and deposit an object on said carrier when the latter is in said storage zone in said second storage rack.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 further comprising control means for operating a storage and retrieval machine and said carrier to effect movement of said carrier to and from a loading zone, to effect movement of a shuttle between its home position and any storage compartment in an associated storage rack, to operate a shuttle to effect exchange of an object between said carrier and a shuttle when said carrier is in a loading zone and a shuttle is in its home position and extending into the loading zone, and to operate a shuttle to insert or remove an object in a storage compartment.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said control means operates to effect storage of an object by a shuttle in an empty compartment closest to the home position of the shuttle.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said control means operates to effect retrieval of that one of a plurality of predetermined identical stored objects which is closest to said home position.

12. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said control means comprises:

a programmable computer;

a readable specific identifier for use in association with each specific object;

and sensor means connected to said computer for reading the identifier whereby said computer can effect routing of said object by a carrier and by a storage and retrieval machine.

8. Apparatus whereby an object can be transported between spaced apart locations and can be stored in and retrieved from a storage zone spaced from said locations and including a floor, said apparatus comprising:

a first storage rack supported on the floor in said storage zone comprising a plurality of storage compartments arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns,

said first storage rack having a top, a bottom, opposite ends, a rear side, and a front side which is disposed along and confronting one side of a first aisle,

each of said storage compartments having an access opening at said front side of said first storage rack through which an object can be inserted and retrieved;

guide rail means connected between said spaced apart locations and including a stretch extending longitudinally through a series of contiguous empty compartments of said first storage rack between said opposite ends thereof and intermediate said vertical height of the storage rack, said stretch extending substantially parallel to said first aisle and at substantially the same height above said floor along its length through the storage rack,

said stretch of said guide rail means having a first loading zone therealong located between said opposite ends of said first storage rack,

a self-propelled object carrier movable into and out of said loading zone along said guide rail means through a series of contiguous empty compartments of said first storage rack intermediate said vertical height of the storage rack and at substantially the same height above said floor along its movement through the storage rack;

and a first storage and retrieval machine movable along a path in said aisle and having a shuttle movable vertically relative to said path and movable horizontally transversely to said path into and out of the opening in said storage compartments and into and out of said loading zone,

said shuttle having a home position opposite said loading zone,

said shuttle being operable to remove an object from said carrier when the latter is in said storage zone and to store the object in a storage compartment, and being further operable to retrieve an object from a storage compartment and to deposite the object on said carrier when the latter is in said storage zone.

13. Apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising a second storage rack having its front side disposed along and confronting the opposite side of said first aisle, and wherein said shuttle of said first storage and retrieval machine is further operable to store and retrieve an object in a compartment in said second storage rack and to remove and deposit an object on said carrier when the latter is in said storage zone in said first storage rack.

14. Apparatus wherein an object can be transported between spaced apart locations and can be stored in and retrieved from a storage zone spaced from said locations, said apparatus comprising:

a plurality of storage racks and a plurality of aisles in said storage zone,

each storage rack having a top, a bottom, opposite ends, a rear side, and a front side;

each storage rack having a plurality of storage compartments therein and each storage compartment having an access opening at the front side of its respective storage rack through which an object can be inserted and retrieved,

a first one of said storage racks having its rear side disposed along and confronting one side of a first one of said aisles, and its front side disposed along and confronting one side of a second one of said aisles;

a second one of said storage racks having its rear side disposed along and confronting a second side of said second aisle and having its front side disposed along and confronting one side of a third one of said aisles;

guide rail means connected between said spaced apart locations and comprising a first stretch extending longitudinally through said first storage rack between said opposite ends thereof and substantially parallel to said first aisle,

said first stretch having a first loading zone therealong located between said opposite ends of said first storage rack,

said guide rail means further comprising a spur stretch extending longitudinally through a portion of said second storage rack,

said spur stretch having a second loading zone therealong located adjacent said first loading zone in said first storage rack;

means for switchably connecting and disconnecting said spur stretch to and from said first stretch;

a self-propelled object carrier movable along said guide rail means into and out of said loading zones;

a first storage and retrieval machine movable along a first path in said first aisle and having a first shuttle movable vertically relative to said first path and movable horizontally transversely to said first path into and out of the opening in said storage compartments in said first storage rack and into and out of said first loading zone,

said first shuttle having a home position opposite said first loading zone,

said first shuttle being operable to remove an object from said carrier when the latter is in said first storage zone and to store the object in a storage compartment in said first storage rack, and being further operable to retrieve an object from a storage compartment in said first storage rack and to deposit the object on said carrier when the latter is in said first storage zone;

and a second storage and retrieval machine movable along a second path in said third aisle and having a second shuttle movable vertically relative to said second path and movable horizontally transversely to said second path into and out of the opening in said storage compartments in said second storage rack and into and out of said second loading zone,

said second shuttle having a home position opposite said second loading zone,

said second shuttle being operable to remove an object from said carrier when the latter is in said second storage zone and to store the object in a storage compartment in said second storage rack, and being further operable to retrieve an object from a storage compartment in said second storage rack and to deposit the object on said carrier when the latter is in said second storage zone.