Material or article handling – Process
Reexamination Certificate
1996-11-01
2001-02-20
Werner, Frank E. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Process
C414S254000, C414S281000, C414S331030, 36, C211S001510
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190117
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to storage systems for storing and retrieving goods. In particular, the invention relates to a continuously rotating rotary storage carousel that rides on separate tracks that are spaced apart. In addition, the invention relates to a drive system mechanically interlocking and synchronizing the movement of a shuttle with a rotary storage carousel allowing the storage system to function the same regardless of the direction in which the drive system is operated. The invention also relates to a drive system mechanically interlocking and synchronizing the movement of a shuttle in conjunction with a rotary storage carousel and a continuous vertical lift operating on a single power source. Finally, the present invention relates to an improved intermeshing shelf and fork configuration capable of lifting and moving various sized containers not otherwise liftable by conventional storage systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many modern production and warehousing facilities require the storage and retrieval of thousands of inventoried items. To meet modern production and warehousing facilities needs generally requires a storage system where the storage carousel is in continuous motion. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,282,712 and 5,472,309 and 5,505,586 show a continuous motion storage system designed to deliver goods at rates which exceed the demand of today's production and warehousing facilities. In general, very complicated and expensive insertion and extraction assemblies such as those described in Lichti, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,091 were thought to be necessary. Special container mounting assemblies and extractor or inserter mechanisms cooperating therewith were proposed, for example, in Lichti, U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,207. A microprocessor coordinated control system coordinating the movement of a vertical lift with the rest of the system, dedicated input and output shuttles, intricate carousel drive mechanisms, and intricate carousel support mechanisms using castering wheels riding on a precisionly placed continuous loop track, or fixed wheels with turntables at the ends of the tracks, were thought to be necessary, for example, in Lichti, U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,586. In addition, the systems discussed above cannot be easily operated in reverse because many of the parts are specially designed to operate in one direction or, if mechanically able to operate in reverse, would require extensive modifications to the microprocessor control system.
However, many production and warehousing facilities desire a high speed continuous motion storage system having less intricate parts that is easy to service and maintain. In addition, many warehousing facilities desire the ability to operate the system in reverse and have the system function properly, without replacing parts or modifying the microprocessor control system, and do not require a vertical lift to run at variable speeds. Thus, there is a need to provide a less complex continuous storage and retrieval system for material goods, which can be run in either direction, and requires fewer parts so as to reduce its initial cost and minimize maintenance costs.
Another difficulty in previous continuous storage systems was the inability to lift containers of various heights and widths, particularly those that are very narrow. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,586 discloses shelves and forks having intermeshed scalloped edges wherein the innermost lobe width of the shelf or fork establishes the minimum width of the container which can be transferred and delivered on the storage system. In addition, the maximum container width a storage system can handle is generally determined by the lateral distance between the shelves. Taking the maximum width, subtracting the minimum width, then dividing by the maximum width provides the percentage container width variance which a particular storage system can adequately handle. For example, the storage system as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,586 can only handle approximately a 25 percent container width variance. Thus, there is a need to provide a storage system having intermeshing shelves and forks which can lift containers having a greater percent container width variance.
These and other difficulties of the prior art have been overcome according to the present invention.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the storage system according to the present invention comprises a simplified rotary storage carousel system which includes a rotary storage carousel, a vertical lift, and a shuttle unit. The shuttle unit includes, for example, a frame mounted for generally reciprocal movement along a shuttle path between the vertical lift and the rotary storage carousel. The shuttle includes at least two banks of individually actuatable or engageable shuttle fork members for transferring containers between the vertical lift and the rotary storage carousel. The individual shuttle fork members in one bank of such members are selectively actuatable to lift objects at the carousel end of the shuttle path and deposit them at the vertical lift end of the shuttle path. The individual shuttle fork members in the other bank are selectively actuatable to lift objects at the vertical lift end of the shuttle path and deposit them at the carousel end of the shuttle path. The input of objects to the rotary storage carousel is accomplished by those shuttle fork members that are actuated to lift objects from the vertical lift and deposit them on the rotary storage carousel. The output of objects from the rotary storage carousel is accomplished by the shuttle fork members which are selectively actuated to pick objects off of the rotary storage carousel and deposit them on the vertical lift. Although the shuttle fork members in each bank are actuated individually and selectively during any given cycle, all of the shuttle fork members in one bank operate at the same point in the shuttle cycle, that is, all of the members in one bank are actuated or engaged at the same end of the shuttle path. Reversing the shuttle cycle reverses the ends of the shuttle cycle at which the respective banks of fork members are actuated.
According to the present invention the timing of the actuation or engagement of the shuttle fork members in a given bank may be changed, without any modification to the components of the system, so that the point during the shuttle cycle at which the actuation occurs is reversed. The reversal of the shuttle cycle is accomplished without mechanical reconfiguration of the system, that is the mechanical parts of the system do not have to be disassembled and reassembled into a different configuration. It is not necessary, for example, to take a fork member actuating cam out of the system and replace it with a cam having a different profile. The mechanism which permits the reversal is built into the system. The elements of the shuttle operating system which determine the shuttle cycle are thus symmetrical. The reversal of the cycle of the shuttle unit's operation is thus made possible by the symmetry of the shuttle units operating elements. The system is, in that sense, symmetrical. The banks are thus able to switch roles so that the input bank becomes the output bank and vice versa. In general, it is preferable, although not usually necessary, to bring the system to a halt in order to accomplish the switch. The system can then be restarted with the roles of the banks reversed. This adds very significantly to the utility of the system. It, for example, permits loading and extracting from either the top or the bottom, or even the middle, of the vertical lift, loading and extracting from either end of the rotary storage carousel, and reversing the direction of travel of the rotary carousel.
Preferably, a mechanical drive system interlocks and mechanically synchronizes the movement of the shuttle, fork members and rotary carousel. If desired, the vertical lift may also be interlocked and mechanically synchronized by the
Jagger Bruce A.
Werner Frank E.
LandOfFree
Method of using a two way high speed storage system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method of using a two way high speed storage system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of using a two way high speed storage system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2558390