AT14556U1 - Vehicle with damped side guides for storage and retrieval of products in storage bins of a storage rack - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27; 31, 36; 40; 45; 49) which is movable between storage racks (2) for storing and retrieving products in storage bins (3). the storage rack (2), wherein the vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27; 31; 36; 40; 45; 49) has at least four running wheels (8), a drive for driving the vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27; 31; 36; 40; 45; 49) in both directions of travel on the rails (5) and a transport surface (15) for transporting a product, and wherein side guide means are provided to move the vehicle (6; 14; 22 ; 27; 31,36; 40; 45; 49) in a travel area (9) on the rails (5), the side guide means of the vehicle (6; 14; 22; 27; 31,36; 40; 45; 49) have damping means (18; 23; 28; 32; 37; 41; 52) which are designed to deliver lateral movement forces (F) occurring transversely to the direction of travel to the rails (5) or the storage racks (2).

Description

description

VEHICLE WITH STEAMED SIDE GUIDES FOR STORING AND DISPOSING PRODUCTS IN STORAGE SPACES OF A STORAGE RACK

The invention relates to a rail provided on rails between rails verfahrba¬res vehicle for storage and retrieval of products in storage bins of the storage rack, wherein the vehicle at least four wheels, a drive for driving the vehicle in both directions of travel on the rails and a transport surface for transporting a product and, wherein side guide means are provided to guide the vehicle in a Fahrbe¬reich on the rails.

The document EP 2 530 034 B1 thus discloses a vehicle for storing and retrieving products in storage bins of a high-bay warehouse having storage racks. A high-bay warehouse has several storage shelves, wherein a plurality of storage bins are provided in each shelf level. Between the storage racks, rails are arranged in each rack level, on each of which one of the vehicles known from document EP 2 530 034 B1 can be moved in the two directions of travel driven by an electric drive. With four wheels, the vehicle travels on the rails and side guide means are provided to guide the vehicle in a range of travel on the rails. The side guiding means have lateral guide elements provided on corners of the vehicle frame, which are formed by two respective side guide wheels, the axes of which are arranged turned by about 90 degrees relative to the running wheels. The side guide wheels engage on both sides of a side guide rail and thus prevent the vehicle from driving on the rails and possibly colliding with a pillar of the storage rack.

In the operation of the known high-bay warehouse with the known vehicles has proved to be a disadvantage that stored in storage facilities products begin to wander in the storage shelves.

This concerns in particular almost empty or empty and thus lightweight plastic boxes, indenen usually a larger number of small products are stored collected because derglatte plastic has little friction on the metal shelf. However, this also applies to cartons in the storage bins with only light contents. Such products migrate in the storage rack until they are at a rack or another heavier product in neighboring Lagerplatz. This can result in the vehicle no longer being able to grasp the product that has been twisted in or next to the storage bin and a manual intervention by a service technician. For this purpose, parts or even the entire high-bay warehouse during the Ser¬vicearbeiten be shut down, which is very disadvantageous. It is particularly bad when a light product gets on the rails of the vehicle due to the wandering and as a result a collision of a vehicle with a product can occur.

For many years, the problem of wandering products in storage racks has been addressed and there have been various approaches to solutions. A minimum weight for products stored in the storage racks has been discussed. One consideration was also to provide an adhesive layer on the bottom of each crate where products are stored, which increases the stiction between crate and bin. However, this adhesive layer would be disadvantageous if the vehicle pushes the box into the storage bin or pulls it out of the storage bin.

The invention has for its object to provide a vehicle and a transport system with such a vehicle, which is prevented from the above-described migration of products in the storage bins. The invention is based on the finding that the vibration of the products occurs by vibrations in the storage rack and that these vibrations occur particularly strongly in some operating situations. Investigations have shown that transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rails transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rails applied to the lateral guide rails momentary cornering forces lead to local vibrations of the neighboring campsites and slight vibrations in the entire storage rack. These current side guides can come into a storage bin when the vehicle is stationary when loading and unloading heavy products. Likewise, at normal driving speed of the vehicle due to slight unevenness in the bumps of the rails, the direction of travel of the vehicle can easily be turned, which is corrected again by the side guide means and the side guide rail. Even a slight bending of the rails leads at entspre¬chender driving speed of the vehicle directly to momentary lateral guiding forces, which in turn cause vibrations in the storage rack. According to the invention this Aufgabestel¬lung is solved in a vehicle in that the side guide means of the vehicle Dämp¬fungsmittel have, which are designed to give substantially transversely to the direction auftre¬tende lateral guiding forces attenuated to the rails or the storage shelves.

Flierdurch the advantage is obtained that cornering forces are transmitted only attenuated by the Dämpfungsmit¬¬teleten between the side guide rail and the side guide means of the vehicle. This damping prevents vibrations in the storage rack when mo¬mentane cornering forces occur, and thus the migration of products in Lager¬plätzen. As a result, the downtime of the high-bay warehouse can be shortened and the manual service requirement can be significantly reduced.

It is also advantageous to form the damping element as a spring, in particular as Drehstabfe¬der or as a leg spring or as a compression spring or a leaf spring, as this particularly good damping results can be achieved. An elastic material can also be used particularly effectively as a damping agent. Likewise, the sliding contacts for electrically contacting the vehicle with the power supply of the high-bay warehouse can be realized by spring contacts whose spring force has been designed for a suitable damping effect.

These and other advantageous embodiments of vehicles according to the invention and of a transport system according to the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures.

FIG. 1 shows a layout of a high-bay warehouse with a transport system in which

Vehicles according to one of the embodiments of the invention can drive.

Figure 2 shows a vehicle on rails with undamped side guide wheels according to the prior art in a front view.

FIG. 3 shows an oblique view of a vehicle according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention with a torsion bar spring as damping means of the side guiding means.

FIG. 4 shows the vehicle according to FIG. 3 in a detailed view.

FIG. 5 shows the torsion bar spring of the vehicle according to FIG. 3 in two detail views.

FIG. 6 shows an oblique view of a vehicle according to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention with a leg spring as damping means of the side guiding means.

FIG. 7 shows the leg spring of the vehicle according to FIG. 6 in a detailed view.

FIG. 8 shows an oblique view of a vehicle according to a third exemplary embodiment of the invention with a first spring variant as a damping means of the side guide means.

FIG. 9 shows the first spring variant of the vehicle according to FIG. 8 in two detail views.

FIG. 10 shows an oblique view of a vehicle according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the invention with a second spring variant as damping means of the side guiding means.

FIG. 11 shows the second spring variant of the vehicle according to FIG. 10 in two detailed views.

FIG. 12 shows an oblique view of a vehicle according to a fifth embodiment of the invention with a rubber buffer spring as damping means of the side guiding means.

FIG. 13 shows the rubber buffer spring of the vehicle according to FIG. 12 in two detail views.

FIG. 14 shows an oblique view of a vehicle according to a sixth exemplary embodiment of the invention with a leaf spring as damping means of the guide means.

FIG. 15 shows the leaf spring of the vehicle according to FIG. 14 in two detailed views.

FIG. 16 shows a vehicle with lateral guidance means formed by sliding contacts and lateral guide wheels in a front view.

Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram of the introduction of cornering forces in a vehicle with sliding contacts.

FIG. 18 shows a vehicle according to FIG. 17 in an oblique view.

FIG. 19 shows a vehicle according to FIG. 17 in a detailed view.

FIG. 20 shows a vehicle with a resilient sliding guide as a lateral guide means.

FIG. 21 shows the sliding contacts of the vehicle according to FIG. 21 in two detail views.

Figure 1 shows a layout of a high-bay warehouse 1, which has four storage racks 2, each twice deep trained two storage bins 3 per storage rack 2 behind aufeinander.Ein transport system 4 is for the transport of products in and out of the high shelf warehouse 1 vorgesehen. The transport system 4 has provided between the storage racks 2 in each shelf level rails 5, on each of which at least one vehicle 6 driven by an electric drive in the two directions of travel is movable.

FIG. 2 shows a vehicle 7 according to the prior art in a front view. Zweivon four wheels 8 can be seen, with which the vehicle 7 is on the rails 5. The rails 5 are realized by a bent steel sheet, which aufwei¬sen a driving area 9, on which run the wheels 8 and having a mounting portion 10, with which the rails 5 are fixed to the storage shelves 2. However, the rails 5 could also be rolled or manufactured by another manufacturing method known to those skilled in the art. The vehicle 7 according to the prior art further comprises side guide means 11 for guiding the vehicle in the driving area 9 on the rails 5. The side guide means 11 have side guide elements provided on corners of the vehicle frame, which are each formed by two side guide wheels 12 whose axes are turned 90 degrees to the wheels 9. The side guide wheels 12 engage with or rest against both sides of a side guide rail 13, preventing the vehicle 7 from traveling on the rails 5 from the driving area 9 and possibly colliding with a post of the storage rack 2. The vehicle 7 can, for example, travel through the storage rack 2 with a maximum total weight of 230 kg at a driving speed of, for example, 2.3 m / s in order to load and unload products into the storage rack 2. The rails 5 are composed of elements with a length of, for example, 2 or 3 meters in length and sometimes have a lateral or a height offset, despite exact adjustment. As a result, the vehicle 7 can experience a lateral impulse, which leads to a slight change in the direction of travel. Hereupon, one of the side guide wheels 12 abuts against the lateral guide rail 13, whereby a cornering force F is generated, which rotates the vehicle 7 again in the right direction of travel in order to keep the wheels 8 in the driving area 9. Since the side guide wheels 12 are mounted on rigid axles, the sudden cornering force F results in vibration of the vehicle 7 and the product on the vehicle 7 and also vibration of the rail 5 and vibration of the storage rack 2 connected to the rail 5.

FIG. 3 shows an oblique view of a vehicle 14 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention. The vehicle 14 has a transport surface 15 for transporting products and is movable with four wheels 8 on the rails 5 by a drive, not shown in the figures, at different speeds controlled by a central control of the high-bay warehouse 1. The vehicle 14 now has side guide means with a lateral guide element 16 with damping means, which deliver the lateral guide forces F, which occur essentially transversely to the direction of travel, to the vehicle 14 in a damped manner. The damping means are formed in the first embodiment by a torsion bar spring 17 which press a side guide 12 to a side guide rail 13.

FIG. 4 shows the vehicle 14 according to FIG. 3 in a detailed view, and FIG. 5 shows the torsion bar spring 17 of the vehicle 14 according to FIG. 3 in two detailed views. The torsion bar spring 17 has a conical spring member 18 made of elastic rubber, which is rotatably mounted with three bolts 19 at a bracket 20 of the side guide member 16. The conical spring part 18 is further pressed onto an axis of rotation 21 which supports the side guide wheel 12 in a pivotable manner. By suitable choice of the elasticity of the rubber is achieved that a momentan occurring cornering force F is damped by the rubber delivered only slowly to the vehicle 14, which is why there is no vibration or vibration in the rack 2. As a result, it is advantageously achieved that products stored in the storage bins 3 do not migrate.

Figure 6 shows an oblique view of a vehicle 22 according to a second Ausfüh¬rungsbeispiel the invention with a leg spring 23 as a damping means of Seitenfüh¬rungsmitteln with a side guide element 24. Figure 7 shows the leg spring 23 of the vehicle 22 according to Figure 3 in one detailed view. The side guide member 24 further have a bracket 25 on which the Seitenungsrad 12 is pivotally mounted about an axis of rotation 26.

Figure 8 shows an oblique view of a vehicle 27 according to a third Ausführungs¬beispiel the invention with a first variant of a compression spring 28 as damping means of side guide means with a side guide member 29. Figure 9 shows the first variant of the compression spring 28 of the vehicle 27 in Figure 8 in two detailed views. The side guide element 29 further has two mounting brackets 30 with which the side guide wheel 12 is pivotably mounted about the axis of the compression spring 28.

10 shows an oblique view of a vehicle 31 according to a fourth Ausfüh¬rungsbeispiel the invention with a second variant of a compression spring 32 as a damping means of side guide means with a side guide member 33. Figure 11 shows the second Vari¬ante the compression spring 32 of the vehicle 31 according to FIG 10 in two detailed views. The side guide element 31 further has two U-profiles 34 and 35, wherein the Seitenführungsrad12 mounted in the U-profile 34 and is supported by the mounted in the U-profile 35 compression spring 32 dampening.

Figure 12 shows an oblique view of a vehicle 36 according to a fifth Ausfüh¬rungsbeispiel the invention with a rubber buffer spring 37 as a damping means of Seitenfüh¬rungsmitteln with a side guide element 38. Figure 13 shows the rubber buffer spring 37 of the vehicle 36 according to Figure 12 in two detail views. The side guide member 38 further includes a bracket 39, wherein the Seitenungsrad 12 is supported on the bracket 39 and stored by the elastic spring action of the rubber buffer spring 37 damping.

Figure 14 shows an oblique view of a vehicle 40 according to a sixth Ausfüh¬rungsbeispiel the invention with a leaf spring 41 as a damping means of Seitenführungsmit¬teln with a side guide element 42. Figure 15 shows the leaf spring 41 of the vehicle 40gemäß Figure 14 in two detail views. The side guide member 42 further includes a U-profile 43 which supports the side guide wheel 12, wherein the elastic spring action of the leaf spring 41 Seitenführungskräfte F damping acts.

In the figures 16 and 17, a vehicle 45 is shown with laterally mounted sliding contacts 46 which extend in sliding rails 47 of the transport system 4 in order to establish an electrical connection between the power supply system of the high-bay warehouse 1 and the vehicle 45. The sliding contacts 46 are shown running in the Schleifschie¬nen 47 in Figures 18 and 19. The resilient action of the sliding rails 47 causes a continuous-side guiding force SF from the rail 5 to the vehicle 45 in the direction of the gegenüberlieliegenden rail 5. At this side of the vehicle 45 is at least one of the Seitenfüh¬ rungselemente 16, 24, 29, 33, 38th or 42 of the preceding embodiments arranged to ensure damping of bumps caused by unevenness of the rails 5 or other circumstances momentarily cornering forces F.

As can be seen from the schematic diagram of Figure 17, it is advantageous to provide the lateral guiding forces SF either in the same plane as the cornering forces F or at a uniform distance A at the front and rear of the vehicle 45 in order to avoid torque, which in turn results in twisting of the vehicle 45 and would lead to further Seiten¬führungskräften F. In the event that the vehicle 45 slightly deviates from the direction of travel in the direction of the rail 5 with the sliding rails 47, then lateral management forces SF form lateral guiding forces F and the spring action of the sliding rails 47 and / or the sliding contacts 46 forms damping means for damping the currently auftre¬tenden cornering forces F to prevent vibrations in the storage rack 2. The lateral guiding forces F are thereby produced by the lateral guiding elements of the respective preceding embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 20 shows a vehicle 49 with a resilient sliding guide 50 as a side guide with side guide elements 51. FIG. 21 shows the side guide element 51 of the vehicle 49 according to FIG. 20 in two detailed views. The grinding guide 50 grinds both sides of the side guide rail 13, wherein a leaf spring 52 between the grinding guide 50 and a bracket 53 momentarily occurring Seiteführungskräfte F damps.

It may be mentioned that side guide members may either be attached to both rails on both sides of the vehicle to push or pull the vehicle in the direction between the rails, or may also be toward a rail only on one side of the vehicle Side guide elements are attached by side guide means, which then engage on both sides of the side guide rail. In order to effect a good torque through the cornering forces F for turning back the vehicle in the direction of travel, it has proven to be advantageous to attach the side guide elements substantially to the corners of the vehicle.

It may be mentioned that it is advantageous to equip a vehicle equipped with damping means of the side guide means with a lifting device of the transport surface. This provides the advantage that a product transported by the vehicle can be raised to one or more shelving levels for storage and retrieval of products in storage, rails and vehicles not having to be provided in all shelf levels of the high bay warehouse and preventing the migration of stored products.

It may be mentioned that suitable as elastic material, in particular the material Volkollan or other Vulkollan similar materials. Vulkollan has a low Shore hardness (Shore A <80) with good compression set (elastic behavior) at the same time. Vulkollan has proved to be advantageous as it acts both as a cushioning agent but nevertheless returns completely to its original form.

It may be mentioned that as products in this context plastic containers, cartons or other loading aids such as trays are to be understood, which are generally known to the expert in the field of logistics.

Claims (8)

Claims 1. A vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27; 31; 36; 40; 45; 49) movable between storage racks (2) for storing and retrieving products in storage bins (3) of the Storage racks (2), wherein the vehicle (6; 14; 22; 27; 31; 36; 40; 45; 49) has at least four wheels (8), a drive for driving the vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27; 31, 36, 40, 45, 49) in both directions of travel on the rails (5) and a transporting surface (15) for transporting a product, and wherein side guide means are provided to move the vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27; 31, 36; 40; 45; 49) in a traveling area (9) on the rails (5), characterized in that the side guide means of the vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27; 31; 36; 40; 45 49) comprise damping means (18; 23; 28; 32; 37; 41; 52) which are designed to deliver lateral guide forces (F) occurring essentially transversely to the direction of travel to the rails (5) or the storage shelves (2) , 2. Vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27; 31, 36; 40; 45; 49) according to claim 1, characterized gekennzeichnet that at least in the region of the two on a rail (5) running wheels (8). each side guide element (16; 24; 29; 33; 36; 42; 47; 51) of the side guide means is provided, which is designed to be supported on a side guide rail (13) of the storage rack (2). 3. Vehicle (22; 27; 40) according to claim 2, characterized in that the side guiding element (24; 29; 42) has a side arming wheel (12) provided on a lever arm (25; with a damper-forming spring (23; 28) of the side guide element (24; 29; 42) for damping the lateral guiding forces (F) from the side guide rail (13) to the vehicle (22; 27; 40). A vehicle (14; 22; 27; 40) according to claim 3, characterized in that the spring is constituted by a torsion bar spring (17) and / or a leg spring (23) and / or a compression spring (28) and / or a leaf spring (14). 41) is formed. 5. Vehicle (36) according to claim 2, characterized in that the Seitenführungs¬ element (38) has a Seitenungsrad (12), the elastic material forming with a damping means, in particular rubber of the side guide member (38) for damped delivery the cornering forces (F) from the side guide rail (13) and the vehicle (36) is formed. 6. Vehicle (45) according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that at least one and in particular two of the side guide elements are formed by resilient sliding contacts (46) and / or sliding rails (47) for electrically contacting the drive. 7. Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a lifting device of the transport surface is provided to lift a product transported with the vehicle by one or more shelf levels for storage and retrieval of products in storage bins. 8. Transport system (4) for transporting products in a high-bay warehouse (1) with storage shelves (2), wherein the transport system (4) between each two storage shelves (2) vorgesehe¬ne rails (5), on which at least one Vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27; 31, 36; 40; 45; 49) for storing and retrieving the products in both directions is movable, characterized in that a vehicle (6; 7; 14; 22; 27, 31, 36, 40, 45, 49) according to one of claims 1 to 7, whose side guide means are designed to be supported on a lateral guide rail (13) of the transport system (4). For this 10 sheets of drawings