Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUTOMATED STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM
FOR PALLETLESS DAIRY CASES
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention is generally directed to the field of automated storage
systems and more particularly to an automated system for receiving, storing
and returning palletless dairy cases from storage racks.
BACKGROUND
Warehouse storage of goods and articles has been known for many
years. Due to the large amounts of goods that can be stored inside of a
warehouse, attempts have been made to create various systems and methods
to track warehouse inventory and effectively retrieve particular goods from
the
warehouse to satisfy customer orders or fulfill other needs such as storage
and
retrieval of goods in a cargo vessel. Traditionally, manpower was used to
store goods in a warehouse type, mufti-level system of racks and to locate and
retrieve specific items stored therein.
The warehousing of goods soon became more sophisticated) in that,
goods were being stored in mufti-level racks that stretched beyond the reach
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of persons standing on the ground level. With this new storing scheme)
elevating equipment, such as, forklifts were needed to elevate the manpower
to the desired level of the warehouse rack to store or retrieve the goods
needed, for example, to fill the orders of awaiting customers. The problem
with this traditional warehouse operation is that many personnel were needed
to operate warehouses having high storage capacities. In addition, human error
resulted in goods being stored in and retrieved from the wrong location in the
warehouse which could be costly for a company to correct. Warehouse
designers attempted to use elevators to overcome the problem of storing and
retrieving mufti-level stacks of goods, however) certain problems still
limited
warehouse production and operation. These include the limited amount of
weight that one person could lift.
The industry has recognized that, in order to increase warehouse
production and efficiency, an improved retrieval and storage system would be
necessary to reduce the human element. By using robots and other machines
to reduce the amount of manual labor required, a higher volume of goods
could be stored or retrieved in less time andlor with less cost.
One attempt to automate storage and retrieval for warehouse
applications is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,971,507 to Wegglaar which
discloses a storage system wherein a carriage extendable from a fork-lift
truck
moves within rails provided in a mufti-tiered rack to deposit or retrieve
palletized goods. The carriage is able to access each level of the mufti-
tiered
rack using a vertically extending mast on the fork-lift truck. Due to the
limited extension of the mast, however, the height of the storage rack must be
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restricted. In addition, the system requires a person to control and operate
the
fork-lift truck and carriage.
A further means of automating warehouse storage and retrieval is found
in U.S. Patent No. 3,924,300 to Hilger et al. which discloses a shuttle car
used to transfer an article from one station to another by a mechanism which
has a vertically movable bed portion and may be elevated to pick-up an article
or load and lowered to deposit the same article or load.
Other automated storage and retrieval systems used in warehouse
environments include U.S. Patent No. 5,333,982 to Tanizawa which teaches
a plurality of electrically driven cargo carriers that run on multi-level
routes
disposed one over another between two rows of opposing assemblies of cargo
storage shelves and U.S. Patent No. 4,395)181 to Loomer which discloses an
automated storage system comprising a vehicle for transporting loaded pallets
within a plurality of tracks that form a storage rack. The disclosed vehicle
in
Loomer comprises extendable lift mechanisms for elevating pallets above the
level of the tracks during vehicle traversal and for lowering the pallets onto
support surfaces formed on the tracks for storage.
The problem with the automated systems disclosed in Loomer,
Tanizawa et al. and Hilger et al. is that each system uses a separate cargo
carrier or shuttle for each level of a storage rack resulting in a large
number
of required shuttles for effective operation. Due to their complexity, these
types of systems are costly to manufacture, operate and maintain. In addition,
if one or more of the cars employed in the above systems breaks down, the
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warehouse operator would have to manually access the goods serviced by that
vehicle.
An improvement on the above automated systems is found in U.S.
Patent No. 5,379,229 to Parsons et al. which discloses an automated storage
and retrieval system having a single storage transport able to access
different
tiers of a multi-tiered storage rack to deposit or retrieve objects stored
therein.
The system, however, is limited to depositing and retrieving small objects and
does not include the type of supports required for manipulating large cases of
goods or articles normally stored on a pallet.
U.S. Patent No. 3,817,406 to Sawada et al., U.S. Patent No. 4,252,217
to Benjamin, and U.S. Patent No. 4,459,078 to Chiantella et al. disclose
automated warehousing systems that employ a crane device in combination
with a movable shuttle that is able to access each level of a storage rack.
The
designs of these automated warehousing systems do not require the amount of
manpower necessary to operate effectively the Wegglaar system discussed
above. Benjamin, however, does require an operator to control the disclosed
crane device. Moreover, all of the above-noted systems appear to be limited
in the amount of goods that can be transported in a single "run. "
In view of the above devices and their limitations, there remains a need
for an automated storage and retrieval system that is not restricted to one
movable shuttle per tier and is capable of transporting a large amount of
goods
from a single tier. To facilitate the ability to transport large loads, there
is a
further need for a rail system that can accommodate multiple shuttles and can
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be used as a "drip pan" to collect any leakage from the goods stored on the
mufti-tiered storage rack.
A system design that improves upon the references cited above is
provided in International Application No. PCT/EP95/00738 filed on March 1,
1995 to Upmeyer which shows a pallet shelf system having multiple tiers and
comprising supporting and running guides for supporting pallets thereon and
a pallet transporting car movable within the supporting and running guides for
depositing and retrieving palletized goods. In an alternative embodiment of
Upmeyer, the supporting and running guides form a running tub to provide air
circulation to the palletized goods, such as perishable fruit. Two pallet
transporting cars may be coupled together in the Upmeyer system for
movement within two adjacent channels formed by a pair of touching inner
support rails for supporting a single pallet and for forming the inner guides
for
the coupled pallet transporting cars.
Although the Upmeyer system improves upon the systems discussed
above, the inventor of the present invention has identified a need in the
industry for an automated storage system that is able to receive, store and
retrieve high volumes of goods efficiently without the need for pallets.
Pallets
are cumbersome and take up space within the warehouse that can otherwise
be used effectively. For example) when articles are completely removed or
"picked" from a pallet, the pallet must be manually moved to a designated
return lane for later usage. The time needed to manipulate pallets decreases
the efficiency of warehouse operation. Furthermore, pallets add to system
installation costs and pallets may break and require replacement which adds
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still further to the cost of maintaining warehouse operation. In addition,
there
is a need for a support rail design that acts as a "drip pan" to collect
leakage
from stored goods such as dairy cases. There is also a need for an automated
storage system wherein multiple shuttles may be used to facilitate
transporting
loads of varying sizes whether palletized or not. Furthermore, there is a need
for an automated storage system that is able to receive, store and retrieve
stackable goods such as dairy cases in a cost effective, efficient and
reliable
manner. To this end, there is also a need for such an automated storage
system that prevents stacked goods such as dairy cases, from tilting, tipping
or misaligning when the stacked goods are stored within and transported
through a storage lane.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved
automated storage system that receives, stores and returns articles without
requiring the use of pallets.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved
automated storage system for use in a warehouse environment that eliminates
the need to manually manipulate pallets upon removing articles stored thereon.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved,
compact automated storage system having a support rail design that is able to
support articles, such as dairy products, in storage without requiring the use
of pallets.
It is again an object of the present invention to provide an automated
storage system that achieves one or more of the above objects and also
provides a rail design that collects leakage from articles, such as dairy
products, supported thereon.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved
automated storage system that achieves one or more of the above objects and
also provides a support rail design that is able to guide a shuttle movable
within the support rail design for receiving, storing and retrieving cases of
goods supported thereon.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved
automated storage system having a palletless support rail design and including
multiple transporting shuttles connected together to retrieve or deposit loads
of varying sizes within the automated storage system.
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It is further another object of the present invention to provide an
improved automated storage system that achieves one or more of the above
objects and also provides an article transporter for vertically and
horizontally
moving the multiple transporting shuttles between different levels and
sections
of a storage rack to facilitate palletless article storage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved
automated storage system that includes guide rails which prevent stacked
goods such as dairy cases, from tilting, tipping or misaligning when the
stacked goods are stored within and transported through a storage lane.
It is further another object of the present invention to provide an
improved automated storage system that includes roller conveyors in a gravity-
feed storage lane which prevents further misalignment of the goods as they are
transported on the gravity conveyors through the storage lane.
A still more specific object of the subject invention is to provide a
compact automated storage system having multiple storage lanes and including
a set of support rails located within each storage lane, wherein the set
includes
a pair of outer support rails for providing vertical support to articles
located
in stored positions within the storage lane and at least one pair of inner
support rails for providing additional vertical support to the stored
articles,
and wherein the pair of inner support rails are spaced, respectively, from the
outer support rails by a distance sufficient to allow a transported shuttle to
pass therebetween when transporting an article along the storage lane, and
wherein inner support rails are spaced apart by a substantial horizontal
distance to provide distributed support to articles stored directly on the
rails,
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whereby the storage system can provide undergirding support that is
adequately distributed to accommodate palletless articles. In addition,
another
specific object of the present invention is to provide an automated storage
system further including side guide rails and top guide rails which prevent
stacked goods, such as dairy cases, from tilting and tipping when the stacked
goods are stored within and transported through a storage lane and also
includes roller conveyors with tilt-in rollers in a gravity-feed storage lane
that
prevents misalignment of the goods as they are transported on the roller
conveyors through the gravity-feed storage lane.
These and other objects are achieved by a compact automated storage
system for receiving, storing and returning palletless articles comprising a
storage rack having a rigid support framework containing a plurality of open
ended storage lanes having a cross sectional extent sufficient to allow the
palletless articles to be conveyed into and out of the storage lanes. The open
ends of the storage lanes are generally positioned adjacent a shelving pathway
extending along the storage rack. An article transporter is movable within the
shelving pathway between loading/unloading stations in which the article
transporter is alignable with corresponding open ends of the storage lanes.
Moreover, the article transporter includes at least one shuttle for moving an
article along a storage lane when the article transporter is aligned with the
open end of the storage lane and for moving an article into and out of a
stored
position within the storage lane. The automated storage system further
includes a plurality of support rail sets mounted on the support framework)
respectively, within the plurality of open ended storage lanes, each support
rail
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set including a pair of outer support rails for providing vertical support to
articles located in stored positions within the corresponding storage lane and
at least one pair of inner support rails for providing additional vertical
support
to the articles. The pair of inner support rails are spaced, respectively,
from
the outer support rails by a distance sufficient to allow the shuttle to pass
therebetween when transporting an article along the storage lane. The inner
support rails are spaced apart by a substantial horizontal distance to provide
distributed support to articles stored directly on the rails, whereby the
storage
system can provide undergirding support that is adequately distributed to
accommodate palletless articles. The support rails also allows palleted
articles
to be triple supported to limit the deflection of the pallets and thus,
increase
their useful life.
In addition, the automated storage system further includes at least one
bridge which connects at least two of the inner support rails and provides a
support platform for supporting palletless articles stored thereon. A shuttle
bridge may further be provided to connect two or more shuttles together for
travelling along respective storage lanes. The shuttle bridge provides an
electrical connection between the shuttles travelling within respective
storage
lane to provide power and other special control features.
The outer support rails and inner support rails of the support rail set are
spaced apart in a manner that facilitates the storage of at least two twenty-
four
quart dairy cases stored side-by-side on the support rail supported without an
undergirding pallet; two sixteen quart cases stored side-by-side on the
support
rail with or without an undergirding pallet; and articles supported by a
pallet
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conforming with the standards of the Grocery Manufacturers Association
(GMA) .
Furthermore, the automated storage system also includes top guide rails
and side guide rails mounted on the rigid framework of the automated storage
system which prevent stacked goods, such as dairy cases, from tilting, tipping
or misaligning when the stacked goods are stored within and transported
through a storage lane. The automated system further includes predetermined
gravity-feed storage lanes with roller conveyors that use the force of gravity
to transport the stacked goods from a storage lane entrance to a storage lane
exit which has a lower elevation than the storage lane entrance. The roller
conveyors include two outer roller rails and one inner roller rail which are
positioned to receive and support the stacked goods at the same position as
the
outer support rails and the inner support rails noted previously thereby
facilitating the storage and transport of at least two twenty-four quart dairy
cases stored side-by-side or two sixteen quart cases stored side-by-side with
or without an undergirding pallet. The two outer roller rails further include
tilt-in rollers which further prevents misalignment of the goods as they are
transported on the roller conveyors through the gravity-feed storage lane.
In an alternative embodiment, the automated storage system may
include support rail sets comprising at least two troughs formed from
galvanized steel in which one or more shuttles are movable. The support rail
sets have lip portions at their side edges for guiding the dairy cases as they
are
moved within the storage lanes and for supporting palletless articles. This
embodiment of the present invention further includes a sprinkler system
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positioned adjacent to the outer support rails for spraying down the trough.
The sprinkler system includes a washdown pipe and nozzle which are activated
to removes leakage from the palletless articles that seep onto the troughs.
The
leakage is forced towards a drip pan outlet which guides the leakage to a
designated area for removal. In addition, a bridge support is provided to
further support palletless articles stored thereon.
In operation, the automated storage system retrieves and deposits an
article using the multiple shuttles which move along the support rails until
they
locate a load to be moved. At this time ) the multiple shuttles activate a
chain
conveyor included on the shuttles for engaging the article to be moved and
conveys or removes the article from the shuttle bed. The multiple shuttles
then move within the rail system toward or away from the article transporter,
depending on the desired function. Once the article is on the article
transporter it is carried to a designated location in the warehouse and
unloaded
from the transporter. As the article is being transported, the side guide
rails
and the top guide rails prevent the articles from tilting and tipping in the
storage lane. The article can be unloaded into a gravity-feed storage lane
with
a roller conveyor which uses the force of gravity to transport the article
from
the storage lane entrance to a storage lane exit. Again, the side guide rails
and the top guide rails prevent the articles from tilting, tipping or
misaligning.
In addition, the roller conveyor includes two outer roller rails with tilt-in
rollers which prevent misalignment of the articles in the storage lane as they
are transported.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the present invention used in a
warehouse environment in accordance with one embodiment;
Fig. 2 shows a front elevational view of the warehouse storage racks
and rail design used for supporting stacked goods in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3a shows a magnified front elevational view of the rail design in
one embodiment of the present invention for supporting dairy cases without
a pallet;
Fig. 3b shows a magnified front elevational view of the rail design of
one embodiment of the present invention for supporting dairy cases with a
pallet;
Fig. 3c shows a magnified front elevational view of the rail design of
one embodiment of the present invention for supporting stackable goods with
a Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) pallet;
Fig. 4a shows a side elevational view of a shuttle in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4b shows a plan view of two shuttles coupled together in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. Sa shows a front elevational view of a distance "X" between the
center rails of the support rail system and two shuttles coupled together in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
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Fig. 5b shows a front elevational view of a distance "X"' between the
center rails of the support rail system and two shuttles coupled together in
accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5c shows a front elevational view of the center rails of the support
rail system in an abutting relationship and two shuttles coupled together in
accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 6a shows a front elevational view of supporting guide rails forming
a trough and having a sprinkler system for cleaning the trough periodically in
accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 6b shows a front elevational view of a storage rack having support
rails with drip pans attached thereto in accordance with an alternative
embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 7 shows a front elevational view of the support rail system in a
warehouse environment with dairy cases stacked thereon and two shuttles
coupled together in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 8 shows a side elevational view of the shuttle carrying dairy cases
thereon in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 9 shows a side profile view of a storage rack including gravity-
feed storage lanes with roller conveyors;
Fig. 10 shows an enlarged side profile view of one gravity-feed storage
lane with a top guide rail, a side guide rail and a roller conveyor;
Fig. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the storage lane shown in Fig.
10 as viewed in the direction indicated by arrows 11 clearly showing the top
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guide rails, the side guide rails and the roller conveyor with two outer
roller
rails and one inner roller rail;
Fig. 12 shows a further enlarged view of the top guide rail shown in
Fig. 10 with height adjusters and fasteners securing the top guide rails to
the
rigid framework of the storage rack;
Fig. 13 shows the adjustable clearance between the top guide rail and
the article being transported;
Fig. 14 shows the position adjusters and fasteners securing the side
guide rails to the rigid framework of the storage rack, the adjustable
clearance
between the side guide rail and the article being transported, and the roller
conveyor with one inner roller rail and two outer roller rails with tilt-in
rollers.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Fig. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention which
includes an automated storage and retrieval system 1 that is suitable for
storing
and retrieving articles, such as in a warehouse or other environments. While
Figure 1 illustrates a warehouse environment having palletized goods, the
invention has particular utility when used to store and retrieve articles,
such
as dairy cases, or other types of cases that are palletless. The embodiment
illustrating dairy case storage is discussed in further detail with regard to
Figures 2, 3a-c, Sa-c, and 7. One skilled in the art should recognize,
however,
that the present invention may be used in any environment where automated
storage and retrieval is desired for goods stored with or without pallets. I n
Figure 1, automated storage system 1 is shown to include a storage rack
formed from a rigid framework containing a stacked array of generally aligned
storage lanes within which articles may be received, stored and retrieved. The
storage system further includes an article transporter 5 , and a pair of
shuttles
7, carried by the transporter 5 to an appropriate storage lane where the
shuttles are adapted to deposit and retrieve articles. Within each storage
lane
are a set of support rails 9 upon which the articles are vertically supported
during storage. As will be explained more thoroughly below, the arrangement
of these support rails serves the crucial function of guiding shuttle 7 and
providing distributed undergirding support to the stored articles in a way
that
permits the elimination of the need to use pallets in certain circumstances.
When pallets are used, the support rails provide triple support to limit the
deflection of the pallets and thus, increase their useful life.
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The transporting shuttles are guided by support rails 9 to travel beneath
the stored articles and to lift the articles out of contact with the support
rails
so that they may be carried to and from the transporter 5. The pair of
shuttles
are substantially spaced apart within at least some of the storage lanes of
the
storage racks. This arrangement is an important feature of the subject
invention because it allows palletless articles, such as ) dairy cases, to be
stored
side-by-side in an extremely compact and cost effective manner. The
arrangement also promotes storage and retrieval of such palletless articles by
allowing the support rails to provide distributed support for the stored
articles
laterally across the lower surface of the palletless articles.
More specifically, automated storage system 1 utilizes a storage rack
2 having a rigid support framework 6 containing a plurality of open ended
storage lanes 8 which facilitate the conveyance of palletless articles therein
and
therefrom. The open ends of the storage lanes 8 are generally positioned
adjacent a shelving pathway extending along the storage rack 2.
Article transporter 5 is movable along a track 3 for guiding article
transporter S along the shelving pathway extending between storage racks 2,
as shown in Figure 1, and is further guided by an uppermost rail 11 on which
article transporter 5 is movably attached by rollers 4 which engage rail 11 to
align itself with the corresponding open ends of the storage lanes 8 for
depositing and retrieving stored goods. Article transporter 5 includes two
vertically extending masts 13 which rigidly attach to a lower base member 15
that is parallel to guide rail 3. Lower base member 15 directly engages and is
propelled along rail guide 3 via motors 17 which are mounted to the lower
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base member and arranged to propel transporter 5 horizontally in either
direction by being rotationally linked to a support roller, not illustrated,
which
engages track 3. Additional support for article transporter 5 is provided by
guide support bars 19 which help to secure masts 13 onto lower base member
15. The masts of the article transporter form a unitary, rigid structure,
preferably formed from metal but is sufficiently lightweight to allow easy
mobility along the storage racks.
An elevator structure 21 is positioned between and movably supported
by masts 13 for movement among vertically spaced loading and unloading
stations generally aligned with the open ends of the various storage lanes 8.
The elevator structure includes a rectangular frame 23 and multiple arms 25
which support a pair of shuttles 7 discussed in still more detail below.
Elevator structure 21 extends vertically to each tier of storage racks 2.
Since
this entire system is automated through computerized control, article
transporter 5 is able to locate a stack of dairy cases or a pallet that has
been
identified and recorded into an external computer system (not shown). Article
transporter 5 is guided by commands generated by the external computer
system to the appropriate storage lane for depositing or retrieving an
identified
stack of dairy cases stored in a lane. A multitude of article transporters may
be used simultaneously in a warehouse environment to facilitate a large or
small amount of storage and retrieval as desired by the warehouse operator.
Shuttle 7, described more thoroughly below, provides a means for
placing and retrieving articles within each storage lane. In particular,
shuttle
7 is carried on horizontally extending arms 25 of the article transporter 5
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while article transporter 5 is locating the desired storage lane 8 in storage
rack
2. Once the article transporter 5 has reached the loading/unloading station
aligned with the open end of the desired storage lane, shuttle 7 is activated
and
rolls towards the identified dairy cases for retrieval. Upon retrieving the
S stacked dairy cases, shuttle 7 returns back to arms 25 where the dairy cases
are transported on article transporter 5 to a designated location in the
warehouse for removal.
Figure 2 shows a front plan view of the set of support rails 9,
associated with each storage lane, which are shown supporting stacked
articles, in particular) dairy cases 31. As can be seen from Figure 2, storage
rack 2 includes four tiers, however, it may have more or less tiers depending
on the amount of storage space desired. Dairy cases 31 are shown as stored
in storage lanes 8 of the top three tiers of this rack structure and are
sectioned
accordingly. Each tier is sectioned so that one set of stacked dairy cases 31
and one or more sets of support rails 9 are provided in each section. In this
embodiment, an operator or worker is able to safely work on the ground floor
of the warehouse below the stacked dairy cases and support rails 9. On the
first tier, gravity-feed storage lanes may be provided which include roller
conveyors 27 for transporting the stacked dairy cases 31 off of the article
transporter 5 shown in Figure 1. The roller conveyor 27 is disclosed in detail
in the discussion of Figures 9-11 below.
Dairy cases 31, illustrated in Figure 2, are stacked side by side and six
high in each storage lane 8. Depending on the configuration of the storage
rack structure, more rows of dairy cases may be added or removed and the
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dairy cases may be stacked higher or lower than six depending on the desired
storage arrangement. in such a case that an an4iaonai row or rows are aaueu
to the stacked dairy cases shown in Figure 2, additional sets of support rails
9 would be needed and additional shuttles 7, shown in Figure 1, would be
added to facilitate removing the increased load. This feature would provide
added versatility in retrieving and storing palletless and palletized goods.
The
ability of the present invention to remove and deposit a large volume of dairy
cases at one time further increases warehouse operation efficiency. Thus, a
warehouse is able to satisfy a customer's order, for example, in a very
efficient manner using the present invention. This feature of adding or
removing automated storage components is a much needed improvement over
the conventional systems noted in the Background section discussed supra.
Figures 3a, 3b and 3c show different storage configurations utilized
with the present invention. Figure 3a shows one embodiment of the present
invention by illustrating a fragmented view of dairy cases 31 resting on
support rails 9. In this embodiment, twenty four quart dairy cases are stored
on support rails 9 without a pallet. As shown in these figures, 3a-3c support
rails 9 include outer support rails 30 and inner support rails 32. The outer
support rails include an upper lip portion 34 and a lower lip portion 38 which
extend inward towards inner support rails 32. Rigidly attached to the upper
portion of outer support rails 30 is an outer lip attachment 33 which extends
horizontally outward for a predetermined distance and tapers upward at its
ends. Outer lip attachment 33 prevents dairy cases 31 from sliding off of
support rails 9 as the dairy cases are moved within the storage lanes. In
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addition, the automated storage system is designed to withstand reasonable
amounts of seismic activity. In particular, outer lip attachment 33 prevents
the
dairy cases from vibrating off of support rails 9 during an earthquake.
Moreover, outer lip attachment 33 contains any leakage from the dairy cases
stored thereon in so that the storage lanes may be subsequently cleaned.
Inner support rails 32 are positioned between outer support rails 9 and
include an upper lip portion 39 and a lower lip portion 40 which extend
outward towards the outer support rails 30. The inner support rails provide
support for various types of loads, such as dairy cases in the preferred
embodiment, and other similar palletless or palletized loads. Both the outer
support rails and inner support rails are manufactured from a rigid material
such as galvanized steel.
Inner support rails 32 are spaced, respectively from outer support rails
30 by a distance sufficient to allow shuttle 7 to pass therebetween when
transporting an article along a storage lane. The inner support rails are
further
spaced apart by a substantial horizontal distance to provide distributed
support
to dairy cases stored directly on the rails.
A bridge 65 is used to connect at least two of the inner support rails
and provides a support platform for supporting palletless articles stored
thereon. The bridge will be discussed in greater detail with respect to Figure
5 below.
Figure 3b shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention for
storing sixteen and/or twenty four quart dairy cases 35 on support rails 9.
The present invention is designed to store dairy cases, such as sixteen and
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twenty-four quart dairy cases, directly on support rails 9 without the need
for
an undergirding pallet. Although Figure 3b illustrates these types of dairy
cases used with a pallet, the present invention also allows for palletless
storage.
Referring now to Figure 3b, pallet 36 provides additional support for
smaller dairy cases that are stacked on support rails 9. The pallet used in
this
embodiment is smaller and easier to manipulate than the conventional Grocery
Manufacturers Association (GMA) pallet used in the industry. As can be seen
in Figure 3b, outer lip attachment 33 guides pallet 36 along the storage lanes
and prevents the pallet from sliding or vibrating off of support rails 9
during
seismic activity.
In a further alternative embodiment shown in Figure 3c, a GMA pallet
37 is used and stored on support rails 9. The GMA pallet 37 is a large,
standard industry pallet (measuring, generally, 48" x 40" x 5.5 ") and is
conventionally used with forklifts to manipulate stacked goods stored thereon.
Because many warehouses still use the GMA pallet, the present invention has
been designed to facilitate the GMA pallet design shown. Hence, automated
storage system 1 provides a warehouse with a wide range of versatility with
regard to product storage.
The design of Figure 3a is more preferable in the industry because the
use of pallets adds an undesirable element to storage operation. The
conventional GMA pallet 37 shown in Figure 3c tends to take up space and
adds to the overall operation cost of the warehouse. For example, when
articles are completely removed or "picked" from a pallet, the pallet must be
CA 02269168 1999-04-08
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manually moved to a designated return lane for later usage. The time needed
to manipulate pallets decreases the efficiency of warehouse operation. By
storing the cases directly on the support rails, the warehouse operator can
reduce the amount of storage space needed and does not have to worry about
S maintaining a fresh inventory of pallets. In addition, pallets can break and
require replacement which adds to the cost of maintaining warehouse
operation.
The lateral distances between the inner support rails of each support rail
set arranged beneath each palletless article may range between five and fifty
percent of the lateral distance between one outer support rail and its
respective
inner support rail to provide a variety of storage configurations. The
preferred distance with respect to the lateral distance between the inner
support rails of one support rail set is three and seven-eighths inches. The
preferred distance with respect to the lateral distance between one outer rail
and its respective inner rail is seventeen inches. These distances, however,
may vary depending on the desired storage configuration.
Figure 4a shows a side elevational view of shuttle 7 in accordance with
one embodiment of the present invention. The type of shuttle depicted herein
is described and illustrated in International Application No. PCT/EP95/00738
filed on March 1, 1995 to Upmeyer. An appropriate type of shuttle is
manufactured by WESTFALIA-WST-SYSTEMTECHNIK GMBH & CO. KG,
Industriestrasse 11, D-33829 Borgholzhausen, Germany, and sold under the
trademark SATELLITE~. Shuttle 7 is controlled through a cable 42 which is
linked to article transporter 5. As stated above, information with regard to
the
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storage and retrieval of dairy cases is sent from an external computer system
(not shown) to the article transporter 5. This command information is
transferred to shuttle 7 via cable 42 to accomplish a desired task. Shuttle 7
also receives its power through cable 42.
As shown in Figure 4a, shuttle 7 includes a series of wheels 41 which
move shuttle 7 along support rails 9 as shown in Figures Sa-Sc discussed
below. Wheels 41 allow forward and backward movement along support rails
9 for the storage and retrieval process. Chain conveying wheels 43 are
positioned along the sides of shuttle 7 to engage chain 45 for lifting and
depositing dairy cases. Rail brush wheel 44 is provided to clean support rails
9 as the shuttle moves therein. The shuttle further includes horizontal side
wheels 47 which help to guide and center the shuttle by engaging the inner
surface of the support rails. Upper side wheels 49 are also employed for this
purpose .
Figure 4b illustrates a side fragmented view of two shuttles employed
in the present invention. Shuttle 7 includes a propulsion motor 51 for
controlling wheels 41 and rail brush wheel 44 and a chain conveying motor
52 for controlling chain conveying wheels 43. Both motors are powered
through cable 42 and can operate in forward or reverse as desired for
movement of shuttle 7 within support rails 9 or to lift or deposit a load.
As shown in Figure 4b, the shuttles are coupled together using a shuttle
bridge 67 which is electrically conductive and rigidly attaches two or more
shuttles together such that each shuttle moves with respect to the other. The
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shuttle bridge is shorter than the length of the shuttles and rides above
bridge
65 during shuttle operation.
Shuttle bridge 67 contacts electrical connectors 53 on each shuttle so
that the shuttles are electrically connected. This allows power and control
S information supplied to one shuttle via cable 42 to be supplied to other
shuttles
through shuttle bridge 67. Additional shuttles may be used in connection with
the two shuttles of Figure 4b should the storage lanes be designed with
su~cient width and additional inner support rails be added. Such additional
shuttles could be added or removed from the system as needed.
Alternatively ) a shuttle may be used independently within each storage
lane without being coupled to other shuttles via shuttle bridge 67. In this
embodiment, the shuttles do not have to move in unison to store or retrieve
palletless articles. This embodiment, however, requires each shuttle to be
powered and controlled independently through a separate cable 42. The
preferred embodiment only requires one cable 42 for powering and controlling
multiple shuttles.
Figures Sa, Sb and Sc illustrate two shuttles 7 within support rails 9.
These figures are provided to illustrate different embodiments of the present
invention where the distance between the inner support rails 32 is increased
or decreased depending on the environment in which the automated storage
system is used. In each embodiment, the shuttles 7 are shown from different
perspectives. The left shuttle illustrates a front view of its chain conveyer
components as discussed with regard to Figures 4a and 4b. The right shuttle
illustrates a front view of its propulsion components as also discussed in
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reference to Figures 4a and 4b. In the present invention, only the lateral
distances between the rails are changed to accommodate various storage
configurations and not the dimensions of the shuttle.
As a further note, Figure Sa has been labeled completely to show the
components discussed above. The same labels are purposely excluded from
Figures Sb and Sc since these identified components are common to all three
figures. Also common to Figures Sa-Sc are bridge 65 and shuttle bridge 67
which includes downwardly extending lip portions 75 and 77 for connecting
the shuttles. The horizontal section of bridge 65 covers the upper lip
portions
of the inner support rails 32 as shown in the figures.
The distance denoted by "X" in Figure Sa represents the distance
between inner support rails 32. This distance is significant, in that, these
rails
may be moved inwardly or outwardly to provide distributed vertical support
and facilitate different types of cartons or goods stored thereon. For
example,
when the inner support rails are positioned in close proximity to one another
and covered by a bridge 65 that is relatively short in width the support rails
9 may accommodate certain types of dairy cases or other loads which do not
require a large center support) such as larger sized dairy cases. These types
of loads may include certain palletized loads where the pallet could simply
rest
on the upper lip of the outer support rails as well as the flat upper surface
of
bridge 65. This design allows the pallets to be triple supported to limit
deflection of the pallet and increase its useful life.
Figure Sb shows a larger distance "X"' between inner support rails 32
which can be used as the rail design for the present invention. This support
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rail design has a longer upper bridge surface which covers the inner support
rails 32 and also has a wide enough distance "X"' to facilitate the storing
and
retrieval of dairy cases preferably twenty-four quarts in size. Because of the
distance between outer support rails 30 and bridge 65, this rail design
provides
adequate support for dairy cases having a twenty-four quart capacity. This
rail
design, however, also facilitates other palletized and palletless load
configurations which may be stored on outer support rails 30 and inner
support rails 32 via bridge 65.
Figure Sc shows another alternative embodiment of support rails 9
wherein inner support rails 32 are in an abutting relationship with one
another.
Thus, there is no distance "X" or "X"' between the two inner support rails
and bridge 65 covering the upper lip portions of inner support rails 32 is
shortened in length with respect to the above embodiments. In this design the
surface area of the bridge is much smaller, thus, accommodating further types
of palletized and palletless loads. In addition, bridge 65 may further be
lengthened to accommodate sixteen quart dairy cases or other similar sized
cases that are stored on support rails 9 without an undergirding pallet. One
skilled in the art should recognize that the rail design system of the present
invention may be configured in any manner which would facilitate the storage
of any palletized and palletless load.
Figures 6a and 6b are directed to an alternative embodiment of the
present invention wherein the support rails are designed to collect leakage,
if
any, from the dairy cases stored thereon and remove the leakage from the
support rails to a predetermined location.
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Referring to Figure 6a, rail system 81 includes a double trough 82 and
bridge support 84 manufactured and folded from one piece of galvanized steel.
This rail design facilitates the storage of dairy cases 31 thereon but further
allows any spillage collected in the trough to be washed away using a
sprinkler
system 83. Sprinkler system 83 includes a set of washdown pipes and nozzles
for spraying down the troughs of rail system 81 either continuously or at
predetermined intervals. Alternatively, rail system 81 may be cleaned
manually by having personnel use the shuttles to position themselves at
strategic locations on the storage racks to spray down the troughs.
The troughs are able to drain via drip pan outlet 85 shown in Figure
6b. This drip pan outlet 85 is attached to the storage racks and is positioned
at an angle to allow the dairy case leakage to drain off into a designated
area.
An advantage of this embodiment is that personnel working under the storage
racks will not be subjected to dairy case spillage. In essence, this
embodiment
of the present invention maintains the cleanliness of the environment in which
automated storage system 1 is used and provides the user with an effective
means of storing dairy cases as well as providing "self cleaning"
functionality
for the warehouse facility. In addition) the "drip pan" design of rail system
81 allows personnel to walk inside the storage lanes safely.
The operation of the shuttle 7 in the present invention will now be
described in detail referring to Figures 7 and 8. To retrieve a stack of dairy
cases, shuttle 7 is activated via cable 42, shown in Figures 4a and 4b, while
resting in the arms of article transporter 5 shown in Figure 1. Shuttle 7
begins to move along support rails 9 until the desired load is located. Upon
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locating the desired load) chain 45 of shuttle 7 is activated and engages the
desired load. The top plane of shuttle 7 is slightly curved to allow chain 45
to effectively "grab" the dairy cases and pull them onto the shuttle surface,
as
shown in Figure 8. The shuttle moves in the opposite direction of the chains
in a synchronized fashion and at the same speed to lift the dairy cases off of
the support rails. Once the load is centered, the chains deactivate and the
shuttle returns to the article transporter. For depositing a load, the method
is
reversed, in that) the load is carried by the shuttle to a specified location
on
storage racks 2 where the load is to be deposited. At this point, chain 45 is
again activated and the load is "rolled off" by the conveying chain of the
shuttle platform while the shuttle moves in the opposite direction of the
chains
in a synchronized fashion. After depositing the load, shuttle returns to
article
transporter 5.
Figure 9 shows a side profile view of the automated storage system 1
of the present invention including the article transporter 5 discussed above
and
gravity-feed storage lanes 10 where the storage lane exit lOb is at a lower
elevation than the storage lane entrance l0a thereby creating a downward
slope in the storage lanes. These gravity-feed storage lanes 10 include a
roller
conveyors 27 (not shown) and use gravitational forces to transport the stacked
dairy cases 31 from the storage lane entrance l0a to the storage lane exit
lOb.
Figure 10 shows an enlarged side profile view of one of the gravity-
feed storage lanes 10 in Figure 9 clearly showing the downward slope of the
storage lane. -The storage lane entrance l0a which receives the stacked dairy
cases 31 from the article transporter 5 is at a higher elevation than the
storage
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lane exit lOb. The gravity-feed storage lane 10 includes a roller conveyor 27
which extends the length of the gravity-feed storage lane 10 and vertically
supports the dairy cases 31 within the lane. Because of the downward slope
caused by the elevational difference between the storage lane entrance l0a and
storage lane exit lOb, gravitational forces causes a net displacement force
indicated by arrow F, to act upon the dairy cases 31 thereby transporting the
dairy cases 31 from the storage lane entrance l0a to the storage lane exit
lOb.
The difference in elevation between the storage lane entrance l0a and storage
lane exit lOb determines the magnitude of the net displacement force F. The
difference in elevation is determined by considering several important factors
including the mass of the article to be transported, the geometry of the
cases,
the length of the roller conveyor 27 and frictional losses during transport.
In
addition, a stop mechanism (not shown) may be provided to ensure a positive
stop of the dairy cases 31 at the storage lane exit lOb.
An off load conveyor 28 is located at the storage lane exit lOb to
receive the dairy cases 31 from the storage lane exit lOb for manual handling
by the operator standing on platform P. Figure 10 also shows top guide rail
86 and side guide rail 94 mounted on the rigid framework which prevent the
dairy cases 31, from tilting, tipping or misaligning when the dairy cases 31
are transported through the gravity-feed storage lane 10 on the roller
conveyor
27. Although the top guide rail 86 and the side guide rail 94 are disclosed
and
discussed below as applied to a gravity-feed storage lane 10, these rails may
also be effectively- used in conjunction with the storage lanes 8 discussed
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previously to prevent tilting and tipping of the dairy cases 31 as they are
transported by the shuttle 7.
Figure 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the gravity-feed storage lane
shown in Figure 10 as viewed in the direction indicated by arrows A-A.
5 The figure clearly shows the gravity-feed storage lane 10 with a roller
conveyor 27 which includes two outer roller rails 98 and one inner roller rail
100. Both the two outer roller rails 98 and one inner roller rail 100 include
a plurality of rollers (only 110 and 112 are shown) positioned along the
length
of the rail to support and transport the dairy cases 31. As clearly shown in
10 the figure, the two outer roller rails 98 and one inner roller rail 100 are
positioned on the roller conveyor 27 so as to receive and support the stacked
dairy cases 31 at the same position as the outer support rails 30 and the
inner
support rails 32 such that the dairy cases 31 can be easily transferred from
the
support rails on to the roller rails. Thus, in the present example, the roller
rails are positioned so that at least two twenty-four quart dairy cases can be
stored side-by-side or two sixteen quart cases can be stored and transferred
side-by-side with or without an undergirding pallet. This positioning of the
two outer roller rails 98 and one inner roller rail 100 thus allows efficient
storage and transport of the dairy cases from the storage lane entrance l0a to
the storage lane exit lOb in the gravity-feed storage lane 10.
In addition, the two outer roller rails 98 may also include tilt-in rollers
110 which are angled slightly towards the center (longitudinal axis) of the
gravity-feed storage lane 10. This slight angling of the tilt-in rollers 110
creates lateral forces on the dairy cases 31 in the direction away from the
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outer edges of the gravity-feed storage lane 10. Because there are two outer
roller rails 98, equal opposing lateral forces indicated as G and G' are
exerted
on the dairy cases 31. However, because the forces G and G' are opposing
and equal in magnitude, the forces do not act to laterally displace the dairy
cases but rather, the forces simply act to prevent the misalignment and
separation of the side-by-side dairy cases 31 as they are transported on the
roller conveyer 27. The tilt-in effect of the tilt-in rollers 110 may be
attained
by utilizing shims or washers (not shown) to raise one side of the outer
roller
rail 98. Furthermore, the placement of the two outer roller rails 98 may
be laterally offset from the inner roller rail 100 in a staggered manner,
thereby
ensuring that the dairy cases 31 do not initially contact rollers on the outer
roller rails 98 and rollers on the inner roller rail 100 at the same time.
This
lateral offset (not shown) between the rollers on the outer roller rail 98 and
the
rollers on the inner roller rail 100 prevents the leading edge or
imperfections
on the dairy cases 31 from "catching" on the rollers and tipping over as the
dairy cases 31 are transported on the roller conveyor 27. Figure 11 also
clearly shows the relative positions of the top guide rails 86, the side guide
rails 94) the two outer roller rails 98 and the inner roller rail 100 within
the
gravity-feed storage lane 10. This relative position may, of course, be
modified and adjusted in accordance to the needs of the specific application
to
which the present invention is applied.
Figure 12 clearly shows an enlarged view of the top guide rail 86
shown in Figure 10 as applied to the gravity-feed storage laae 10. The top
guide rail 86 extends the substantial length of the gravity-feed storage lane
10
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and includes height adjusters 88 which secure the top guide rail 86 to the
rigid
framework of the storage rack by fasteners 114. The height adjusters 88
allows the position of the top guide rail 86 to be adjusted by rotating the
fasteners 114 to allow smooth movement of the dairy cases 31 within the
gravity-feed storage lane 10 (or storage lane 8) while preventing the dairy
cases 31 from tipping or tilting within the lane. The top guide rail 86
includes
an angled portion 90 at the storage lane entrance l0a to allow the dairy cases
31 to smoothly enter the gravity-feed storage lane 10 when delivered by the
shuttle 7. In one embodiment of the present invention, an angled portion 90
with approximately 45 degree angle relative to the angle of the top guide rail
86 has been found to be effective in allowing the dairy cases 31 to enter the
gravity-feed storage lane 10 in a smooth manner. In addition, the top guide
rail 86 also includes a radiused portion 92 at the storage lane exit lOb which
allows the dairy cases 31 to pivot about the radiused portion 92 thereby
allowing the dairy cases 31 to smoothly exit the gravity-feed storage lane 10
on to the off load conveyor 28 which is on a level plane.
Figure 13 shows the adjustable height clearance B between the top
guide rails 86 and the articles being transported, which in this example, are
stacked dairy cases 31. It is important to realize that the top guide rails 86
do
not normally contact the dairy cases 31 as they are transported through the
gravity-feed storage lane 10. The adjustable height clearance B are adjusted
by turning fasteners 114 so that the top guide rails 86 contact the dairy
cases
31 only when the dairy cases- 31 begin to tilt or tip within the gravity-feed
storage lane. An adjustable height clearance A value of 0.25 inches have been
CA 02269168 1999-04-08
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found to be effective in preventing dairy cases 31 from tilting or tipping in
a
gravity-feed storage lane 10.
In a similar manner, the side guide rails 94 act to prevent misalignment
of the dairy cases 31 in the gravity-feed storage lane 10 (or storage lane 8).
Figure 14 shows the position adjusters 95 which secure the side guide rails 94
to the rigid framework of the storage rack by fasteners 116. The position
adjusters 95 allows the position of the side guide rails 94 to be adjusted so
as
to allow smooth movement of the dairy cases 31 by turning fasteners 116.
Thus, like the top guide rails 86, the side guide rails 94 do not normally
contact the dairy cases 31 as they are transported through the gravity-feed
storage lane 10. In this regard, adjustable side clearance C may be
incorporated such that the side guide rails 94 only contact the dairy cases 31
when the dairy cases 31 begin to misalign or rotate within the lane. The
figure also shows the side guide rails 94 mounted on mounting bracket 104
which allows another side guide rail to be mounted at the other end of the
mounting bracket 104 for an adjoining storage lane. As previously noted,
these top guide rails 86 and side- guide rails 94 may also be used in
conjunction with the storage lanes 8 discussed previously to prevent tilting;
tipping and misaligning of the dairy cases 31 as they are transported by the
shuttle 7.
While the invention has been described with reference to the
aforementioned embodiments, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the
art that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically
described
herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is
CA 02269168 1999-04-08
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therefore understood that the spirit and scope of the invention be limited
only
by the appended claims.
