GB968582A - - Google Patents

Abstract

968,582. Storage systems. LAMBHILL ENGINEERING Ltd. Nov. 24, 1960 [Nov. 27, 1959; Aug. 19, 1960], Nos. 40389/59 and 28730/60. Heading B8E. The floor of a storage structure for vehicles or other articles comprises longitudinal and transverse conveyers 27, 22, Fig. 4, which can move a vehicle or article either longitudinally or transversely and means for introducing a vehicle or article into at least one longitudinal or transverse lane. The articles are moved on pallets, Fig. 11, having castors 97, which may be resiliently mounted, and abutment members 98, Fig. 12, pivoted at 99 and engageable by faces 47 of dogs 30 attached to the conveyer chains. The pallets may also have a pivoted rear ramp which swings up to form a tail-gate and to operate a switch which allows the sparking cycle to commence. When the dog 30 moves to the left in Fig. 12 and a face 48 thereof abuts a face 103 of the member 98, the latter turns about the pivot 99 and the pallet is not moved. Alternatively, the castors or other runners may be mounted on the floor and the gravity controlled members 98 may be replaced by cams operated by torque motors or a solenoid. The dogs 30 may also be spring-loaded rather than gravity controlled. Vehicles are driven an to a pallet in a receiving bay 8, Fig. 1, and moved to a lift 6 by a chain conveyer. Pallets are withdrawn from and returned to a pallet store 13 by further chain conveyers. The loaded pallets are moved from the lift on to the required storage floor by a chain conveyer 19, Fig. 4, and are subsequently moved by the conveyers 22, 27. Several lifts may be provided and they may be positioned other than as shown, e.g. in the centre of the structure. The longitudinal chain conveyers have rollers 54, 67, Fig. 7, which run in recessed channels 57 in the storage floor, the transverse conveyers having similar rollers 45. Where the transverse and longitudinal chain tracks cross wheels 67, Fig. 6, mounted on the dogs 65 run down into a trough 60, thus allowing the dogs to tip and pass under the transverse chains so that one or more pallets may be left in place whilst the others are moved, appropriate dogs may be lowered out of engagement with the pallets concerned by moving a portion of the chain trackway 83, Fig. 8, into the position shown in which the rollers on the dogs run in troughs 86. The trackway 83 is moved laterally by solenoids 71 and roller levers 92. In the alternative position the rollers on the dogs run over rollers 87 and remain at pallet engaging level. Instead of solenoids 71, rotary electromagnetic devices of the kind which make a predetermined angular movement, e.g. of 120 or 180 degrees, when energized, may be used. The transverse conveyers may be split into lengths equal to the width of one of the parking spaces, clutch means being provided for operating preselected sections of the conveyers to position a pallet. Three forms of control are provided for the conveyers, one being fully automatic in which a pallet is automatically moved from a receiving bay via the lift to a vacant space and vice versa. In this case the operator either looks at an illuminated key plan or the relevant storage floor. Secondly, a semi-automatic control provides in the event of failure of any item in the conveyer system for the discharge of all the pallets from the floor concerned in accordance with a pre-set operation code dealing with each type of failure which is likely to occur. Thirdly, a manual system allows control of components in the event of a major breakdown. Limit switches may be provided as a safety measure on the pallets to ensure that vehicles are correctly positioned and at conveyor intersections to stop the mechanism in the event of a pallet being mis-directed.