High-rise rack warehouse for empty containers

Abstract

The present invention relates to a high-rise rack warehouse for the incoming and outgoing of containers, comprising a large number of individual rack compartments arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and vertically one above the other, and warehouse aisles arranged between groups of rack compartments and extending parallel to each other. In these warehouse aisles, at least one rack operating device is reciprocally movable, and this rack operating device is designed to move the container in the vertical and horizontal directions and move it in and out of the rack compartments. The high-rise rack warehouse additionally has at least one area that is designed and suitable for stacking and storing empty containers on top of each other with respect to the individual rack compartments. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for incoming, outgoing, and transferring containers in such a high-rise rack warehouse.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a high-rise rack warehouse for receiving and discharging containers, and a method for receiving, discharging or transferring containers in such a high-rise rack warehouse.

[0002] 2. Background Art High-rise rack warehouses or HBS (high-bay warehouses) are well-known based on prior art and are often used, in particular, in transshipment facilities at seaports or inland ports. A high-rise rack warehouse usually has a number of individual rack compartments arranged side by side horizontally and one above the other vertically, and warehouse aisles arranged between groups of rack compartments and extending parallel to each other. In this warehouse aisle, at least one rack handling device can reciprocate and is designed to move the container vertically and horizontally and move it in and out of the rack compartment.

[0003] An example of such a high-rise rack warehouse is disclosed in International Publication No. 2015 / 1243482. In this high-rise rack warehouse, a standard container is received by a rack handling device at a handover point inside the high-rise rack warehouse, and then is transported by this rack handling device to a pre-specified rack compartment and stored in this rack compartment. The container is gripped from above in a suspended state, and is stored in each rack compartment from the side by a telescopic system such that the long side of the container is oriented in a direction parallel to the warehouse aisle. This leads to maximum space utilization inside the rack warehouse because the warehouse aisle only needs to be designed to be somewhat wider than each end face of the container.

[0004] Furthermore, by using a telescopic system to transport containers in a suspended state by a rack operating device and to transport containers from the area of a warehouse aisle into a desired rack section, it becomes possible to overall reduce the structure of a high-rise rack warehouse. Overall, as long as it is ensured that in each rack section there is at least a placement point for the corner region of the container, the rack shelves within each rack section can be completely omitted. Such placement parts may preferably also be arranged on the vertical supports themselves of the high-rise rack warehouse structure, whereby, with optimal space utilization, it is possible to achieve the largest possible lightweight structure form of the high-rise rack warehouse structure.

[0005] When transferring containers, especially at seaports or inland ports, it is necessary not only to load and unload containers containing goods, but also to handle empty containers. However, since empty containers do not need to be stored in individual or separate rack sections inside a high-rise rack warehouse, usually, a dedicated storage area for empty containers is provided near the high-rise rack warehouse. In such storage areas, stacks of empty containers, usually stacks 5 to 8 container heights high, are formed. In this case, the supply and removal of empty containers to and from the interior of such dedicated storage areas may be carried out by a dedicated vehicle suitable for this purpose, a so-called "Empty Container Handler, ECH".

[0006] In such areas, the containers are stacked directly and immediately on top of each other, new empty containers are placed on an existing stack if necessary, and the required empty containers are removed from the existing stack in a rotational process each time. In this case, as long as it is ensured that containers of the desired size, shape, and quantity can be provided, it is not necessary to remove specific containers.

[0007] Therefore, the handling of empty containers as known in the prior art is hardly automated and requires more input than desired, both in terms of time and manpower.

[0008] 3. Problems to be Solved by the Invention Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the problems known based on the prior art, and to provide a high-rise rack warehouse suitable for achieving a higher degree of automation and safety, and a higher replacement rate of empty containers per unit time, and a method for loading and unloading or transferring containers in such a high-rise rack warehouse.

[0009] According to the present invention, this problem is solved by a high-rise rack warehouse including the features of claim 1 and a method including the features of claim 15. Advantageous configurations of the present invention are described in the dependent claims in particular.

[0010] 4. Summary of the Invention According to the present invention, there is provided a high-rise rack warehouse for loading and unloading containers, including a number of storage locations for containers arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and vertically one above the other, and warehouse aisles arranged between groups or planes of the storage locations and extending parallel to each other. In this warehouse aisle, at least one rack operating device is reciprocally movable, and this rack operating device is designed to move the container in the vertical and horizontal directions and move it in and out of the storage location. Usually, such a group of storage locations is provided to extend in a modular manner over substantially the entire length and height of the rack warehouse. The storage locations are preferably provided as individually arranged rack compartments, and thus, for loading and unloading the container, individual access may be performed by at least one rack operating device. Therefore, the containers are accommodated individually or, in the case of half the standard length, at most in pairs within the rack compartment. In this case, as long as there is sufficient space above the container to actuate a telescopic system that supports the container in a suspended state and moves it vertically with respect to the warehouse aisle and into the rack compartment, it is sufficient.

[0011] According to the present invention, the high-rise rack warehouse is designed and suitable for storing empty containers stacked on top of each other. Therefore, according to the present invention, in this area for empty containers located inside the high-rise rack warehouse, no individual rack compartments are provided, and at least one area is provided that does not have the individual rack compartments normally provided for containers. In this at least one area for empty containers, the empty containers may be arranged directly and directly stacked on top of each other, and nevertheless, the rack handling equipment can be reached. A high-rise rack warehouse that is designed specifically to store empty containers and thus, preferably, can completely eliminate the individual rack compartments in place of the storage locations is particularly suitable.

[0012] Therefore, on the one hand, it is possible to eliminate the individual stacking locations outside the high-rise rack warehouse, and on the other hand, it is ensured that the handling of empty containers can be carried out automatically, preferably completely automated, inside the high-rise rack warehouse via the rack handling equipment.

[0013] In this regard, it is preferable that the at least one area for empty containers has at least one horizontal row and / or vertical row of the storage location or a part of its length. In this regard, for example, it is particularly preferable that the area for empty containers extends above one vertical row of the individual rack compartments or is provided in a plurality of vertical rows above one row of the individual rack compartments.

[0014] However, it is particularly suitable that the area for empty containers extends on both sides of one warehouse aisle and the corresponding rack handling equipment is designed exclusively for the storage, retrieval, and transfer of empty containers. In this case, at least one rack handling equipment may be designed to be able to move one or, in some cases, multiple empty containers together inside the warehouse aisle adjacent to the area for empty containers. This provides a high-rise rack warehouse that optimally uses the means provided for the corresponding purpose of use with the least possible material usage.

[0015] In this regard, it is particularly suitable that at least one area for empty containers is dimensioned such that at least three empty containers, preferably more than 15 empty containers, can be stacked and stored on top of each other. Such a high-rise rack warehouse usually has more than 10, preferably 11, individual rack compartments for filled containers provided one above the other in each vertical column. In these vertical columns with individual rack compartments, space must be left between the individual containers for the individual handling of these containers. Therefore, more empty containers may be provided in the area for empty containers inside one corresponding vertical column of the storage location while remaining at the same height. Since the empty containers can be lowered directly and directly on top of each other in this area, the corresponding space inside the high-rise rack warehouse can be optimally utilized. In this case, at least one container can be accommodated in the vertical column of empty containers more than in the vertical column of individual rack compartments provided for accommodating filled containers.

[0016] It is preferred that the storage location or individual rack compartment is designed and suitable for accommodating a 20' standard container (1 TEU, in terms of 20-foot container) or a 40' standard container (2 TEUs), or for accommodating two standard containers with half the length, arranged longitudinally one after another. Therefore, two 20' standard containers adjacent to each other with their end faces may be stored in one storage location or individual rack compartment designed to accommodate a 40' standard container, or two 10' standard containers (0.5 TEUs) may be stored in one storage location or individual rack compartment designed to accommodate a 20' standard container. Thereby, a high-rise rack warehouse is provided that enables optimal space utilization and, furthermore, fully automated container handling.

[0017] In particular, in this regard, on both sides of each rack aisle, at least two rows of storage locations, preferably rack compartments, are arranged adjacent to each other ("double deep"), and it is also preferred that the rack handling equipment can carry containers into and out of the storage location, preferably the rack compartment, by means of a telescopic system. With this special handling and storage of containers, with an appropriate configuration of the telescopic system in the rack handling equipment, two storage locations, preferably rack compartments, arranged adjacent to each other on each side can be operated from each warehouse aisle, and thus a total of four storage locations, preferably rack compartments ("double deep") can be operated.

[0018] Therefore, the number of storage aisles inside such a rack warehouse can be further reduced, and a high-rise rack warehouse can be obtained that has, on the side, two horizontal and vertical rows of storage locations, then a first storage aisle, followed by four horizontal and vertical rows of storage locations, then a second storage aisle, and so on. This achieves optimal space utilization inside the high-rise rack warehouse and a reduction in the number of storage aisles to the minimum required for the operation of the high-rise rack warehouse. The configuration of the high-rise rack warehouse as a "double-deep" rack warehouse is provided especially when handling empty containers or containers with only a small load in some cases.

[0019] In this regard, it is particularly preferable if the rack handling equipment can move the container with its long side parallel to the storage aisle into and out of the storage location, preferably inside and outside the rack section. This, on the one hand, particularly advantageously supports the arrangement of the storage locations on each side of the rack handling equipment, preferably in two rows of the rack section, which has already been described as preferable, and on the other hand, this minimizes the width of the storage aisle required for the rack handling equipment.

[0020] Unlike full containers, empty containers can be stacked directly and immediately on top of each other. However, in this case, based on the discontinuities in the corner regions of the containers, so-called "corner castings", as the stacking height increases, the stack becomes unstable, and in the worst case, the entire stack or a part of it may fall into the travel aisle of the rack handling equipment in some cases. To solve this problem, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a restraint device may be provided on the high-rise rack warehouse itself. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the restraint device is provided at regular intervals and preferably on both sides of the stack or area for empty containers. It is even more preferable if such a restraint device is a horizontally arranged stay attached to the vertical stands of the high-rise rack warehouse.

[0021] In this context, it is particularly preferred if this restraint device, in particular in the form of a horizontal stay, is chamfered on the upper and lower surfaces, whereby the handling of empty containers that have to be lifted over the restraint device during loading and unloading is limited to a minimum and without risk of damage to the empty containers.

[0022] It is preferred that at least one warehouse aisle is arranged adjacent to two columns of the area for empty containers on both sides, and that the rack handling equipment can convey empty containers in and out of the area for empty containers by means of a telescopic system. This results in a high-bay warehouse that uses the same system for handling full containers in an optimal space utilization also for the area for empty containers. This not only supports the reliable operation of the high-bay warehouse, but also the degree of automation of the handling of full and empty containers.

[0023] In this context, it is particularly preferred if the high-bay warehouse is designed such that it can store more than 2500 standard containers per hectare (2500 TEU / ha), preferably more than 3000 TEU / ha, and very preferably more than 5000 TEU / ha. The unit TEU / ha described here constitutes a customary measure in the trade for the capacity of port logistics, in particular for the capacity of high-bay warehouses. The above-described stacking area for empty containers outside the high-bay warehouse and the operation with vehicles specifically provided therefor, such as reach stackers, ECH or the like, achieve an area utilization of 2500 TEU / ha or less. The high-bay warehouse according to the invention can preferably increase the area for transshipping full and empty containers, fully automatically and beyond this known measure.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for receiving, storing, retrieving, or transferring containers in the high-rise rack warehouse according to the above-described first aspect of the present invention. Inside this high-rise rack warehouse, filled containers are received by rack handling equipment, conveyed to each rack section, and stored therein, or in the case of empty containers, they are stored in an area inside the high-rise rack warehouse that is designed and suitable for stacking empty containers on top of each other.

[0025] Preferably, the conveyance of containers inside the high-rise rack warehouse, that is, filled containers and empty containers, is performed fully automatically. Empty containers are preferably stacked on top of each other in an area provided for empty containers, preferably in a vertical column or a horizontal column or a part of this column inside the high-rise rack warehouse, under optimal space utilization inside the high-rise rack warehouse. In this case, in this area, empty containers are taken out from each stack from the top or placed on an existing stack of empty containers.

[0026] In this regard, it is particularly preferable that a group of empty containers, preferably three empty containers stacked one above the other and coupled to each other, are received by the rack handling equipment, moved together inside the high-rise rack warehouse, and conveyed in and out of the area for empty containers.

[0027] Also, it may be preferable that a horizontal intermediate crossbeam is provided in the area for empty containers, and through this intermediate crossbeam, the area can be divided into at least two stacking areas for empty containers. Thereby, the stacking height for empty containers can be reduced by a simple means without significantly affecting the storage capacity of the area.

[0028] 5. Brief Description of the Drawings Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to three drawings that illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. The drawings are not suitable for limiting the protection scope of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

[0030] 6. Detailed Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional side view of a high-rise rack warehouse 1 having a number of vertical columns 9 and horizontal columns 8 of storage locations 15 for empty containers 7. On the back side of the illustrated surface of the vertical columns 9 and horizontal columns 8 for empty containers 7, a rack operating device 5 is arranged within a warehouse aisle (not shown). This rack operating device 5 can move the empty containers 7 inside the high-rise rack warehouse 1 from left to right and from top to bottom or in the reverse direction, and can be stored in each storage location 15 and can also be retrieved from each storage location 15. The empty containers 7 may be stacked directly, directly, and without spacing from each other in the vertical columns 9 shown in FIG. 1. The rack operating device 5 can control any position inside each of the columns 6a, 6b for the empty containers 7. In this case, the empty containers 7 are usually first stored from below and first retrieved from above. If each or all of the vertical columns 9 (not shown) have intermediate shelves extending horizontally, a plurality of stacks of empty containers may be formed within each column 9 and individually run by the rack operating device 5.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the high-rise rack warehouse 1 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above. The high-rise rack warehouse 1 is surrounded by conveying paths 11a and 11b, and through these conveying paths 11a and 11b, the empty container 7 can be conveyed toward the high-rise rack warehouse 1 and also in a direction away from the high-rise rack warehouse 1. The delivery of the empty container 7 from the conveying paths 11a and 11b into the high-rise rack warehouse 1 is designed and configured to exchange this empty container 7 between the conveying paths 11a and 11b and the high-rise rack warehouse 1, and when the empty container 7 is stored, this empty container 7 is taken out from the vehicle 13 and conveyed to the area of a rack operating device (not shown) inside the warehouse aisle 4 through an appropriate conveying device 12. There, the empty container 7 is received by a rack operating device (not shown) movably arranged in the warehouse aisle 4, and then conveyed from this rack operating device to an appropriate storage location 15 inside the high-rise rack warehouse 1.

[0032] Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the high-rise rack warehouse 1 according to the present invention. As can be seen in this high-rise rack warehouse 1, each warehouse aisle 4 and the rack operating equipment 5 arranged therein are assigned two vertical columns 9 of a plurality of storage locations 15 arranged adjacent to each other on each side. This arrangement form called "double-deep stacking" of the empty containers 7 inside the high-rise rack warehouse 1 is made possible by the fact that a telescopic system 14 capable of transporting each empty container 7 in a suspended state to any position inside each vertical column 9 and within each storage location 15 is assigned to each rack operating equipment 5. In the illustrated example, this means that (when looking from left to right) two lateral vertical columns 9, then the warehouse aisle 4 including the rack operating equipment 5, followed by four vertical columns 9 of the storage locations 15, again the warehouse aisle 4 including the corresponding rack operating equipment 5 on the opposite side, and finally, again, it leads to the arrangement form of the columns 9 of the storage locations 15 arranged one above the other. In the lower plane of the high-rise rack warehouse 1, the empty container 7 taken out from a vehicle (not shown) on a transport path (not shown) may be carried into the area of the high-rise rack warehouse 1 by the transport device 12 and then received by the respective assigned rack operating equipment 5. When the empty container 7 is shipped out from the high-rise rack warehouse 1, conversely, the empty container 7 is taken out from each storage location 15, the corresponding empty container 7 is lowered onto the transport device 12, and then carried out of the high-rise rack warehouse 1 by this transport device 12.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of one end face of a high-rise rack warehouse 1 according to the present invention, in which one vertical row 9 of each individual rack section 3 for filled containers 2 is continuous with a warehouse aisle 4 in which at least one rack operating device 5 is arranged respectively. Each individual rack section 3 has sufficient space 13 for engagement by the telescopic system 14 of each rack operating device 5, while each upper region 6a, 6b of each vertical row 9 is designed to be provided with at least three storage locations 15 for empty containers 7 arranged one above the other. The empty containers 7 are directly and directly stacked on top of each other and arranged in regions 6a, 6b, and are gripped by the telescopic system 14 of the rack operating device 5 so as to be stacked from bottom to top, and may also be taken out from regions 6a, 6b again from top to bottom. In this embodiment, the supply of filled containers 2 and empty containers 7 into the high-rise rack warehouse 1 is a transport plane 16 arranged below the plane of the lowermost rack section 3, and is carried out via a transport device 12 or a transport path 11 provided in the transport plane 16 for approaching a position below the rack operating device 5 by appropriate transport means, such as a truck (not shown). In this case, the filled container 2 or the empty container 7 is taken out below the travel plane 17 for the rack operating device 5 from the truck (not shown) or the transport device 12, and lifted vertically upward on the side of the corresponding rack section 3 or the region 6a, 6b for the empty container 7. Thereafter, the telescopic system 14 introduces the filled container 2 laterally into the corresponding rack section 3 or lowers the empty container 7 into regions 6a, 6b, and in some cases places it on an empty container 7 already present there.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0034] 1 High-rise rack warehouse 2 Container 3 Rack section 4 Warehouse aisle 5 Rack operating device 6a Region for empty containers 6b Region for empty containers 7 Empty containers 8 Horizontal columns 9 Vertical columns 10 Vertical support 11a Conveyor path 11b Conveyor path 12 Conveyor device 13 Space for telescopic system 14 Telescopic system 15 Storage location 16 Conveyor plane 17 Travel plane for rack operating equipment

Claims

1. A high-rise rack warehouse (1) for receiving and dispatching containers (2), comprising a number of storage locations (15) for containers (2) arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and vertically one above the other, and warehouse aisles (4) arranged between groups of the storage locations (15) and extending parallel to each other. In each of the warehouse aisles (4), at least one rack operating device (5) is reciprocally movable. The rack operating device (5) is designed to move the container (2) in the vertical and horizontal directions and move it in and out of the storage location (15). The high-rise rack warehouse (1) has at least one area (6) that is designed and suitable for stacking and storing empty containers (7) on top of each other.

2. The high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to claim 1, wherein the storage location (15) comprises at least partially individual rack compartments (3).

3. The at least one area (6) for empty containers (7) has the dimensions of at least one horizontal row (8) and / or vertical row (9) of the storage location (15) or individual rack compartments (3) or a partial length thereof, according to claim 1 or 2, of the high-rise rack warehouse (1).

4. The at least one area (6) for empty containers (7) is dimensioned such that at least three empty containers (7), preferably more than 16 empty containers (7), can be stacked and stored on top of each other, according to claim 3, of the high-rise rack warehouse (1).

5. The high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is designed to accommodate only empty containers (7).

6. A vertical row (9) with individual rack compartments (3) has more than 10, preferably 11, individual rack compartments (3) arranged vertically one above the other, according to any one of claims 1 to 4, of the high-rise rack warehouse (1).

7. The vertical row (9) of the storage location (15) can accommodate more than 14, preferably 16, empty containers (7), according to any one of claims 1 to 6, of the high-rise rack warehouse (1).

8. The storage location (15), preferably an individual rack compartment (3), is designed and suitable for accommodating a 20-foot standard container (1 TEU) or a 40-foot standard container (2 TEU), or for accommodating two standard containers having half the length (10-foot or 20-foot standard containers) arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction, the high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The warehouse aisle (4) is arranged adjacent to at least two rows (9a, 9b) of storage locations (15), preferably rack compartments (3) on both sides, and the rack handling equipment (5) can convey the container (2, 7) into and out of the storage location (15), preferably the rack compartment (3) by means of a telescopic system, the high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The rack handling equipment (5) can move the container (2, 7) in a direction parallel to the warehouse aisle (4) with its long side facing, into and out of the storage location (15), preferably the rack compartment (3), the high-rise rack warehouse (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The rack handling equipment (5) can convey the container (2, 7) while being supported from above in a suspended state, the high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. Each of the rack compartments (3) has at least a placement part for the lower corners of the container (2), preferably a placement part coupled to the vertical support (10) of the high-rise rack warehouse (1), the high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. At least one of the warehouse aisles (4) is arranged adjacent to two rows of areas (6a, 6b) for empty containers (7) on both sides, and the rack handling equipment (5) can convey the empty container (7) into and out of the area (8) for empty containers (7) by means of a telescopic system, the high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that it is designed and suitable for reloading over 2500 TEU / ha, preferably over 3000 TEU / ha, and most preferably over 5000 TEU / ha.

15. The high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that it is a transloading facility, particularly a part of a seaport or an intermodal terminal.

16. In a method for receiving, storing, or transferring a container (2) in or out of the high-rise rack warehouse (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, the container (2) is received by the rack handling device (5) and transported to each storage location (15), preferably a rack compartment (3), and stored in the storage location (15), or in the case of an empty container (7), it is stored in an area (6) designed and suitable for stacking empty containers (7) on top of each other.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the container (2) is moved parallel to the warehouse aisle (4) on its long side in and out of the storage location (15), preferably the rack compartment (3), and also stored in and moved out of the area (6) for empty containers (7).

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that the transportation of the containers (2, 7) is fully automated inside the high-rise rack warehouse (1).

19. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that a group of empty containers (7), preferably three empty containers (7) stacked on top of each other and joined together, are received by the rack handling device (5) and moved together inside the high-rise rack warehouse (1) and transported in and out of the area (6) for empty containers (7).

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