Storage machine for objects

• US 7,925,375 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KEBA AG (KLH Beteiligungs GmbH)
• Original Assignee: KEBA AG (KLH Beteiligungs GmbH)
• Inventors: Schacherl, Ernst, Peham, Claus, Schininger, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford; Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, YOLANDA RENEE
• Application Number:
  US11/596,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20080121646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/214
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/007 wherein the storage and dispensing mechanism are configurable in relation to the physical or geometrical properties of the articles to be stored or dispensed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/12 comprising lockable containers, e.g. for accepting clothes to be cleaned

Abstract

A machine for storing objects includes a compartment system with a plurality of compartments and having at least one closure mechanism which can be moved relative to a central, predefined access orifice in the machine housing to permit or prevent access to a specific, individual compartment or to a specific group of adjacent compartments. A driving force of the drive system for the closure mechanism is dimensioned or can be set and/or a drive train or a motion transmitting path between the drive system and closure mechanism has a force or torque limiting device such that maximum force or torque transmitting values acting on the closure mechanism are fixed or can be set so that automatic movements of the closure mechanism can not cause serious injuries to a user, and in addition the closure mechanism can be manually held open or pushed open in spite of the active drive system. The closure mechanism or drive system co-operates with at least one stop mechanism which can be activated and/or deactivated in a controlled manner or positioned in a controlled manner, which is designed mechanically to restrict a maximum permissible opening width of the closure mechanism). This results in an increased degree of personal safety and at the same time protects access to the storage machine.

Claims

1. A storage machine for storing objects, comprising

a compartment system comprising a plurality of compartments and at least one closure mechanism;

a machine housing at least partially enclosing said compartments, said machine housing comprising a central predefined access orifice;

at least one drive system to permit a controlled movement of the closure mechanism; and

a control system;

wherein said at least one closure mechanism can be moved relative to the central predefined access orifice in order to permit or prevent access to a specific, individual compartment or to a specific group of adjacent compartments;

wherein the opening width of the closure mechanism or the ability to move the closure mechanism depends on a user access right of an authorized user or the respective width of a compartment;

wherein said user access right can be verified by the control system;

wherein said at least one drive system comprises a driving force that is dimensioned or adjusted so that the maximum force or torque transmission values acting on the closure mechanism is configured so that automatic movements of the closure mechanism cannot cause serious injuries to a user;

or

wherein the storage machine comprises a drive train or a motion transmitting path between the drive system and the closure mechanism that includes a force or torque limiting device, wherein said force or torque limiting device is configured so that the maximum force or torque transmission values acting on the closure mechanism is adjusted so that automatic movements of the closure mechanism cannot cause serious injuries to a user;

wherein the closure mechanism can be manually stopped or pushed in spite of the drive system being active;

wherein the closure mechanism or drive system comprises at least one stop mechanism which can be activated and/or deactivated in a controlled manner or positioned in a controlled manner;

wherein said at least one stop mechanism is designed to mechanically restrict the opening width of the closure mechanism to a maximum opening width depending on the size of the compartment for which access is granted by the control system or for a compartment group for which access is granted by the control system.

2. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the drive system is deactivated by the control system after a predefined period has elapsed and if a desired position of the closure mechanism is not reached.

3. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the control system automatically positions or activates the at least one stop mechanism depending on the width of the compartment to be accessed.

4. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the maximum closing forces transmitted to the closure mechanism by the drive system or force or torque limiting device can be overcome manually.

5. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stop mechanism includes blocking or locking forces that cannot be overcome by mere manual forces.

6. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism further includes an opening restriction wherein said opening restriction can be automatically moved and configured by the control system to the maximum opening width based on the respective access rights of a user.

7. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein said at least one stop mechanism further includes stop positions, wherein said at least one stop mechanism, or a controllable, mechanical opening restriction for the closure mechanism, sets the positions of said stop positions, wherein said positions can be variably positioned;

or wherein said at least one stop mechanism or mechanical opening restriction defines at least two stop positions spaced apart from one another in the opening direction of the closure mechanism.

8. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one closure mechanism comprises several stop mechanisms activatable and deactivatable in a controlled manner for different stop positions or opening widths.

9. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the closure mechanism optionally co-operates with a tumbler;

wherein the at least one stop mechanism is respectively positioned or set on a timed basis prior to an opening movement of the drive system; and

/or the at least one stop mechanism is respectively positioned or set on a timed basis prior to the controlled release of the tumbler on an automatic basis.

10. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein a maximum driving or closing force which can be generated by the drive system lies below a fixed threshold value critical to injury or risk.

11. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the driving force of the drive system is limited by an electrically acting current or torque restriction.

12. The storage machine according to claim 11, wherein the electrically acting current or torque restriction comprises a controllable power adjusting element wherein the driving force for the drive system is influenced by said power adjusting element.

13. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the drive system transmits a closing force to the closure mechanism, wherein said closing force is limited by the force or torque limiting device, and wherein the closing force is restricted in a controlled manner.

14. The storage machine according to claim 13, wherein the force or torque limiting device comprises a slip clutch, a friction drive, a centrifugal coupling, or a coupling which reversibly breaks the drive connection in the event of overload or when a threshold value is exceeded.

15. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stop mechanism comprises a stop element (which can be electromagnetically positioned or activated.

16. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stop mechanism comprises a threaded spindle arrangement or a moving nut arrangement which can be positioned in a controlled manner.

17. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stop mechanism comprises a gear system acting on the basis of friction.

18. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stop mechanism has an individually actuatable actuator drive.

19. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a single actuator drive and/or a stop element, wherein said single actuator drive selectively activates and deactivates the at least one stop mechanism, or the stop element out of a plurality of co-operating mutually spaced stop mechanisms or stop elements.

20. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising an automatically activated brake or blocking device, wherein the at least one stop mechanism (31) is fixed at the respective appropriate position using the automatically activated brake or blocking device based on the maximum opening width or positioning width of the closure mechanism permissible.

21. The storage machine according to claim 20, wherein the braking or blocking device applies a braking or blocking force to the closure mechanism which can not be overcome by manual force.

22. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stop mechanism is active in the powerless or current-free state.

23. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stop mechanism comprises a mechanically bistable design, and said at least one stop mechanism assumes one of two mechanically defined positions wherein said at least one stop mechanism is not supplied with electric power:

including;

     1) a powerless first state defining an active position that permanently produces an opening restriction in the powerless first state; and

     2) a powerless second state defining an inactive position that permanently produces an opening restriction in the powerless second state.

24. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a means of locking the closure mechanism in its fully closed position, wherein said locking means includes the at least one stop mechanism and/or a separate tumbler.

25. The storage machine according to claim 24, wherein the tumbler can be released by the control system depending on the existence of automatically verified access rights of a user.

26. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor-based control device, wherein said sensor-based control device actively switches a release signal when the closure mechanism is in the fully closed position.

27. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a control device and locking tumblers, wherein the control device signals the state of the fully closed closure mechanisms, and the state of closure mechanisms that are mechanically locked by tumblers.

28. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising an electromechanically releasable tumbler, wherein said electromechanically releasable tumbler is locked in the powerless state so that a closed closure mechanism cannot be accessed.

29. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a control device, and a photelectric barrier system, wherein the control device includes a means for monitoring or detecting several closure mechanisms and for sensing their closed state using the photoelectric barrier system.

30. Storage The storage machine according to claim 29, wherein the photoelectric barrier system is interrupted if at least one of the closure mechanisms is not in the fully closed state.

31. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a control device and a locked tumbler on the closure mechanism;

wherein the effect of a locked tumbler on the closure mechanism is checked by the drive system in conjunction with the signal of the control device to determine the occurrence of an attempt to open the closure mechanism and to determine the closed state of the closure mechanism.

32. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stop mechanism is disposed on or in the closure mechanism and is displaceable relative to the access orifice.

33. The storage machine according to claim 32, wherein the at least one stop mechanism cooperates with one of several stop elements or stop surfaces;

wherein said stop elements or stop surfaces are disposed in the direction in which the closure mechanism is moved and are disposed in the interior of the machine housing.

34. The storage machine according to claim 32, wherein the at least one stop mechanism is designed to mechanically abut a compartment boundary, wherein the compartment boundary includes a compartment dividing wall.

35. The storage machine according to claim 32, wherein the at least one stop mechanism comprises a pawl;

wherein said pawl prevents relative movements between the closure mechanism and the compartment system beyond a maximum permissible opening width in the active or projecting position.

36. The storage machine according to claim 35, wherein the pawl is mounted so as to be pivotable and said pawl is constantly forced into a projecting or outwardly pivoted position by a spring means.

37. The storage machine according to claim 35, wherein the pawl can be moved in a controlled manner and is in the projecting or active position when said pawl is not supplied with power;

and said pawl is in the retracted or deactivated position when said pawl is supplied with power.

38. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a controllable transport mechanism;

wherein the compartment system co-operates with the controllable transport mechanism in order to move the compartments or the compartment system relative to the access orifice in the machine housing.

39. The storage machine according to claim 38, further comprising a braking and/or locking device;

wherein the transport mechanism or compartment system co-operates with the braking and/or locking device for rapidly terminating and/or reliably blocking movements.

40. The storage machine according to claim 1, wherein the compartment system comprises a round magazine that is rotatable about a vertical axis and further includes a co-operating, controllable rotary drive.

41. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a motion monitoring system;

wherein the compartment system, is a carousel-type round magazine co-operating with the motion monitoring system.

42. The storage machine according to claim 41, wherein the motion monitoring system is independent of and separate from a local, primary control system of the storage machine;

wherein the motion monitoring system is able to release and/or open the closure mechanisms independently of control commands or evaluation results of the control system.

43. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a control devices and a transport mechanism;

said control device determining the closed state of the closure mechanism;

said control device performing independently of and in addition to the actual control system of the storage machine; and

said control device being able to prevent a movement of the transport mechanism independently of control commands or evaluation results of the control system.

44. The storage machine according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for monitoring the closed state of the closure mechanism and a bridging device;

wherein said control device can be temporarily and deliberately bridged by a user by the bridging device.

45. The storage machine according to claim 44, further comprising a transport mechanism for the compartment system, wherein the bridging device operates on the basis of failsafe technology and includes three-stage OK buttons;

wherein said transport mechanism can be immediately brought to a halt in a panic position both when the OK button is released and when the OK button is depressed.

46. The storage machine according to claim 44, wherein the bridging device comprises two three-stage OK buttons;

wherein said OK buttons are spaced apart from one another so that the user has to use both hands in order to operate the buttons simultaneously.

47. The storage machine according to claim 44, further comprising a transport mechanism for the compartment system;

wherein when the bridging device is activated, a transport mechanism is operated at a reduced speed.