Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
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The present invention relates to an arrangement for
storing pallets used for holding material, particularly for
storing long material. A plurality of shelves are located
and fixed next to one another and are accessible from at
least one broad side via a loading and removal device which
travels transversely to the shelves. A plurality of stacked
compartments (bins) accommodate the pallets.
The loading and removal of pallets into and from such
storage arrangements has been accomplished in the past by
means of an overhead or gantry crane which travels trans-
versely to the shelves and is equipped with a loading and
removal device which can be lowered into the passage enclosed
by the accessible lengthwise side of two successive shelves
15 (German Laid-Open Document 2 164 444). During the storage of
pallets, the palle~readied at a broad or face side o~ the
storage bin is lifted by the crane to a level above the
, shelves, and is moved by the crane above the shelves up to
the passageway where the shelf is located in which the pallet
is to be stored. The pallet is then lowered in the passage-
way to the level o~ the bin where the pallet is to be stored,
and the pallet is then moved into the assigned bin. The
removal of pallets from the storage is done in the opposite
order sequence.
The loading and removal process during which the pallets
must be lifted above the shelves is time-consuming. In
addition, overhead or gantry cranes require space, at the
expense of storage capacity.
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It has already been proposed to move stored items under-
neath upright shelves with a separate transport device into
the passageway from which the shelf and particularly the
bin where the stored item is to be depo~ted is accessible,
; 5 and to lift the stored item with a separate lifting hoist in-
stalled above the passageway to the level of the bin whexe it
is to be stored, and into which it is then deposited (German
Laid-Open Document 2 311 762). This approach also requires
overhead space at the expense of storage capacity. In
addition, additional equipment for loading and removal of
loads from the transport equipment traveling underneath the
shelves is required outside the storage arrangement.
? It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to
;
: provide arrangements of the above type so that the stored
;~ 15 item can be transferred more quickly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide
enormous reduc~ion of warehousing costs.
A further object of the present invention is to provide
an arrangement which is substantially simple in construction
and may be economically fabricated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the present invention are achieved by
providing a loading and removal device which travels under- -
neath the shelves, which are above floor level, and is forced
along a predetermined path.
The loading and removal arrangement in accordance with
the present invention during the entire loading and removal
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process requires no transfer of the pallet containing the
stored items; rather, during the loading, as soon as it is
deposited outside the storage on the traveling loading and
removal arrangement, it is moved into one of the passageways
extending between the shelves wlth the same arrangement,and
lif~ed in the passageway to the level of a bin to which the
pallèt is to be moved. Removal is done accordingly.
The transport of the stored item is doen much faster than
with the known arrangements of this type, since when lifting -
the stored items above the shelves during loading and removal
of the stored items, much longer distances have to be tra-
~: .
versed and material moved by overhead or gantry cranes cannotbe moved as fast as items transported close to the ground in
accordance with the present invention. In comparison with the
already known transverse transport of the stored items under-
neath the shelves in conjunction with overhead or gantry cranes
for lifting the stored items, the time-consuming transfer
during transport is dispensed with. The range of action and
the field of application of the loading and removal arrange-
ment of the present invention, while requiring a smallerinvestment, is greater than with the overhead or gantry cranes
used up to the present for the horizontal and/or vertical
transport of the stored items.
With this basic concept, the space reserved otherwise
for the overhead or gantry crane can be utilized for storage.
Also there is the possibility to locate wall and ceiling
surfaces directly on the shelves, saving the additional over-
head structure.
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In a further embodiment of the present invention, an
overhead crane traveling above the arrangement may be pro-
vided as loading or removal device. By means of it, the
pallet transport during loading or removal can be made more
economical since the simultaneous or overlapping loaDing or
- removal of two pallets is possible without the transport
of one pallet interfering with the transport of the other
pallet.
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Particularly efficient is a loading and removal device
in the form of a traveling lifting table with a device for
loading and removal of the pallet since such lifting tables
in the lowered (stored) condition have a comparatively low
; height and a correspondingly low ground clearance is suf-
ficient, optimizing the storage capacity.
Particularly with high storage facilities and commen-
surate lift of the lifting table, it is advisable to guide
the table or the lifting members; with storage facilities
for storing lengthy items, such guidance is absolutely
necessary. Such guides may be fastened to the vertical members
of the shelves.
The lift mechanism of the overhead crane comprises con-
; soles which can be guided by the supports of the gantry and
which can be swung into the vertical plane of the supports,
- devices for loading and removal of the pallets are located `
on these consoles. This makes it possible to move the gantry
crane without having to lift the lifting mechanismsabove the
shelves, resulting in shorter distances during the successive
loading and removal of a plurality of pallets by means of the
gantry crane.
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1~5397
Of advantage are shelves which are open at least at
the access end and which have consoles with self-bearing
pallets on the narrow sides. Such a design of the shelves
allows the loading or removal of pallets with pivot arms
located on the platforms of the lifting mechanisms The
free end of these pivot arms has consoles held at the correct
angle by parallel guide linkages while rotating freely.
The face sides of these consoles have rim face rollers which
engage the understructure of the pallet. Such a design of
the arrangement for loading and removing the pallet is space
saving and little susceptible to trouble, since it can be
. constructed more stably than devices utilizing the known
telescopic cylinders.
It is necessary to make sure that the pivot arms which
are part of a lifting mechanism pivot simultaneously and
uniformly. This is achieved, with the pivot arms forming part
of the iifting table, in the best way by a servomotor acting
on the pivot arms via a reverse drive.
Guide rollers on the narrow sides of the shelves and of
the lifting mechanisms of the loading and removal devi~es
at the level of the pallet girths assure perfect movement of
the pallets from the loading and removal device into and from
the shelves.
Lengthy material is used herein to denote commercial
lengt~s of rolled sectio~ and sections produced by extrusion
or drawing of metal or synthetic material, such as round rods,
pipes, flat rods, U sections, etc., including wood millwork,
textile bales, etc. The preferred application of the storage
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equipment in accordance with the present inven~ion for leng~hy
material includes the storage of other material, such as small
iron parts, plumbing fixtures, armatures, etc.
The novel features which are considered as character-
istic for the invention are set forth in particular in the
appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to
: its construction and its method of operation, together with
additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best under-
stood from the following description of specific embodiments
when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS -
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FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a storage arrange-
ment in accordance with the present invention (arrow I in
FIG. 2); -~
FIG. 2 shows a front view of the storage arrangement of
FIG. l;
FIG. 3 shows a side view of the storage arrangement
design in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 4 shows a front view of the storage arrangement of
FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 shows a detailed top view on the area of two
shelves adjoining a passageway in the direction of arrow V
in FIG. l;
FIG. 6 shows a detail of FIG. 5 in the area of a passage-
way enclosed by two shelves in the direction of arrow VI in
FIG. 5 on a smaller scale (break-out);
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FIG. 7 shows a top view of FIG. 5, viewing a gantry
(breakout view); and
FIG. 8 shows a side view of the gantry in FIG. 7 in the
direction of arrow VIII.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
.
The storage in FIG. 1 comprises shelves 11, 12, 13 and
14 which are arranged in such a way that a passageway 17
for the vertical transport of pallets 18 (double arrow A)
remains between shelves 11 and 12 and between shelves 13
and 14.
. The shelves are formed by vertical members 19, 21, 22
and 23 (FIG. 5) which are erected on beams 24 and 26 (FIG. 2)
extending over the length of the storage arrangement, and are
held together overhead by s.truts 27 and 28 extending over the
width of the storage arrangement and additional struts 29, 29', ~ -
29" or 31, 31', 31" extending along the lengthwise sides of
thè storage arrangement in a torsion-resistant frame.
With shelves placed back to back inside the storage
arrangement, two shelves are served by three vertical members
20 on one narrow side, for example, shelves 12 and 13 in FIG. 1.
Two vertical members 19 and 21 or 22 and 23, following
each other in the lengthwise direction of the storage
arrangement and forming part of a shelf have consoles (can~
tilevers) 32 and 33 which support the pallets 18 placed on
the shelves~ The lowest consoles are placed at such a
distance from floor 34 that there is just enough room for
them to hold pallets 18.
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A lazy-tong lifting table 37 which travels on rails 36,
36'is provided for the horizontal pallet transport (double
arrow B). The pallet 18 to be stored is deposited on this
lifting table 37 outside this storage arrangement; then
pallet 18 is transferred to a passageway (17) which bounds
the shelf in which pallet 18 is to ~e stored (say 14);
... . .
pallet 18 is then lifted by means of the lifting system of
the lifting table 37 to the level where the bin of the shelf
is located and pallet 18 is to be stored. Finally, by means
;~ 10 of a device, which is part of the lifting table 37, for
loading or removing the pallet, the pallet 18 is transferred
to the assigned bin (double arrow C). The removal of stored
~; pallets is made in the inverse order.
To stabilize the lifting mechanism, the tongs 38, 38'
and the platform 39 of the lifting table during the outward
travel of the platform 39. Fixed guides 41 and 42 are pro-
vided on side struts 29' and 31' of the frame in which the
shelves are combined. These guides support the outward
traveling platform 39 via rollers 43 or 44 which are mounted
on support sections 46 or 47, fastened to the face sides of
platform 39.
The device for transferring the pallets 18 from the
lifting table 37 to the shelf~ 37 or from the shelf to the
lifting table 37 comprises two pivot arms 48 and 49 located
on platform 39 of the lifting table 37. The free end of
these pivot arms has consoles 61 or 62 free to rotate. The
consoles are equipped on the face sides with rim face
rollers 63 or 64 which engage the understructure 66 or 67
of palle$ 18. For the simultaneous pivoting of pivot arms
48 and 49 towards the same side, there is drive 68, for
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example, a hydraulic cylinder which acts via a reversing drive
69, 71 and 72 on the pivot arms 48 and 49. Parallel guide
linkages 73 and 74 engaging consoles 61 and 62 ensure that
^ consoles 61 and 62 maintain their correct angle position when
the pivot arms are turned.
Guide rollers 76 and 77 on the narrow sides of the shelves
above the consoles 31 and 32 and associated guide rollers 78
and 79 above platform 39 of lifting table 37 ensure a trouble-
- free loading and removal of pallets 18.
In the storage arrangement in FIGS. 3 and 4, there is a
gantry crane 82, 83, 84 which travels on rails 81, 81' and
which provides shelves 11, 12, 13 and 14. A lifting mechanism
can be lowered outside the storage arrangement and in passage-
ways 16 and 17 of the storage arrangement. A device for
loading and removing pallets 18 is provided.
The lifting mechanism is formed by consoles (cantilevers)
86 and 87 which are guided by the trestle bearers 82 and ~3 of
the gantry crane and which engage the pallets 18. These con-
- soles can be disengaged by pivoting (double arrows D) into the
vertical strut plane so that the gantry crane can be moved
in the direction of arrow B' without havi~g to raise the
lifting mechanism to a level above the storage arran~ement.
In turn, the consoles 86 and 87 form a platform for
pivot arms 88 and 89 which are designed and function like the
pivot arms 48 and 49 which are part of the lifting table.
Corresponding components have corresponding reference numerals.
The guide rollers 78 are mounted in a beam 91 associated with
consoles 86 and 87. Pivot arms 88 and 89 are driven by
synchronous electric motors 92 (FIG. 7).
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- With the storage arrangement equipped with a traveling
lifting table 37 and with a gantry crane 82, 83, 84 in
accordance with FIGS. 3 and 4, it is possible to load or
remove two pallets 18 simultaneously or with overlapping
times without the transport of one pallet interfering with
the transport of the other pallet.
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully
reveal the gist of the present invention that others can,
by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various
applications without omitting features that, from the
standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this
invention, and therefore, such adaptations should and are
intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of
equivalence of the following claims.
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