CH682482A5 - Paternoster-type storage system - has independently-driven parallel endless vertical conveyors with loading machine travelling along lowermost points - Google Patents

Abstract

The storage system includes loading and unloading equipment. A number of endless parallel vertical conveyors(3) are mounted alongside and driven independently of each other. These are equipped(7) to accommodate the goods, their bottom reversal points(4) being above a floor(1). A loading and unloading machine(5) travels on the latter in two or more directions(A,B) in a plane parallel to that of the reversal points. The machine can be brought between two adjacent conveyors, so as to load or unload one of them. ADVANTAGE - Maximum use of available space without increasing surface area required.

Description

1

CH 682 482 A5

2nd

description

The present invention relates to a storage facility with a circulating racking device based on the paternoster principle and with an associated removal or storage device.

With storage facilities of this type, optimal space utilization is achieved and, in addition, a central retrieval or storage station for picking or loading the storage facility can be provided, in which special facilities for receiving the stored goods, such as boxes for small parts or hangers or platforms for larger ones Goods are circulated using endless chains.

For an optimal use of space, a number of different constructions of paternoster storage systems are known, such as vertical-snake-paternoster or horizontal-snake-paternoster, bridge-paternoster, etc., whereby a continuous conveyor path using endless chains extends horizontally superimposed floors or vertical levels. However, this means long access times, i.e. it takes a correspondingly long time for the stored goods on any floor within the storage facility to move all the way to the unloading station after the paternoster has been started. On the other hand, it is known that the shortest access times can be achieved with the simple vertical paternoster. It also has the advantage that the full height of the room can be used and a high picking performance can be achieved. The disadvantage, however, is that the storage capacity of a simple vertical paternoster is limited. With a simple vertical paternoster, however, it has always been necessary to ensure that goods can be removed in an ergonomic work area, i.e. at the level of the hands of a person standing on the long side in front of one of the two vertical tracks of the paternoster extending to the floor. If you want to increase the storage capacity, you have to place several vertical paternosters, for example, opposite each other with enough space in between to have enough space for picking on the long sides of the paternoster. With each additional paternoster, not only does the floor space requirement for them increase, but also the considerable additional traffic areas for picking and for the people involved in goods removal must be taken into account, so that this does not result in an economically optimal solution.

The aim of the present invention was therefore to substantially increase the storage capacity while retaining the advantages of the vertical paternoster, namely the short access times, the optimal use of the available room height and the high order picking capacity, without the need for additional floor space Need to increase traffic areas. In order to achieve this, the storage facility has the features according to claim 1. The storage system has the advantage that the vertical paternosters or circulating conveyors stand closely next to each other without wasting space and that there is always a storage position for loading or picking at the deflection points for each of the endless conveyor lines for the rack operating device that can be moved beneath all vertical paternosters.

An embodiment of the storage facility is described below with reference to the drawing. The drawing shows a schematic side view of the storage system. The storage system has a frame 2 standing on a floor surface 1, in which a plurality of vertical circulating conveyors or paternosters 3 are arranged parallel and close to one another in such a way that the lower web deflection points 4 of the circulating conveyors 3 are at a greater distance from the floor surface 1 are located. These web deflection points 4 are preferably located in a plane parallel to the floor surface 1 and the distance is dimensioned so large that a storage and retrieval unit 5 which can be moved on the floor surface 1 can move freely in two mutually perpendicular directions according to arrows A and B. The storage and retrieval unit 5 has a table 6 which can be moved up and down vertically, with the aid of which the storage goods, not shown in the drawing, can be brought directly next to a box 7 of the circulating conveyor 3 which is freely accessible at the lower web deflection point 4, for the loading or vice versa the removal of the stored goods. Instead of the box 7, any suitable device for receiving the respective stored goods can be provided, for example gondola cassettes for bulky long goods or platforms, troughs, etc. From the position of the storage and retrieval unit 5 shown in the drawing, two adjacent circulating conveyors 3 can always be operated according to arrow 8. The guidance of the rack operating device 5 for the movement in two mutually perpendicular directions to any point below the circulation conveyor 3 is preferably program-controlled.

Claims (2)

Claims 1. Storage facility with a circulation rack device according to the paternoster principle and with an associated storage or storage device, characterized in that a plurality of parallel circulation conveyors (3) arranged parallel to one another and drivable independently of one another with devices (7) for receiving the stored goods and with essentially in one level lower web deflection points (4) of the circulation conveyor (3) are arranged above a floor surface (1) on which a rack operating device (5) with means for unloading and / or loading at the lower deflection points (4, 7) Vertical circulation conveyor (3) can be moved in at least two mutually perpendicular directions (A, B) in a plane parallel to said one. 2. Storage facility according to claim 1, characterized in that the shelf operating device movable below the vertical circulating conveyor (3) 5 10th 15 20th 25th 30th 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2nd 3rd CH 682 482 A5 (5) in a position centrally between two adjacent vertical circulating conveyors (3) for loading or unloading one of the two adjacent circulating conveyors (3). 5 10th 15 20th 25th 30th 35 40 45 50 55 60 3rd