Automated storage system with storage tower in isolation enclosure

Abstract

An automated storage and retrieval system for storing specialty goods in storage containers (106) within an isolation enclosure (800) having walls and a roof. An openable and closable hatch (804) is arranged within the roof. A rail system is arranged above the roof, on which a container handling vehicle (301) can travel, with its lifting device positioned above the hatch. A storage tower (400) is arranged inside the isolation enclosure, and the storage tower is accessible to the container handling vehicle through the hatch. The storage tower has several vertically stacked, horizontally movable container supports (402) in the form of shelves on which multiple storage containers can be placed, and one or more openings (403) sized to accommodate the storage containers so that the storage containers can pass through.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automated storage system. [Background technology]

[0002] Background and Prior Art Automated grid storage system in general Figure 1 discloses a typical prior art automated storage and retrieval system 1 with a skeletal structure 100, and Figures 2 and 3 disclose two different prior art container handling vehicles 201, 301 suitable for operating on such a system 1. Such a system may be referred to as an automated grid storage system because the skeletal structure defines a grid pattern when viewed from above.

[0003] The skeleton structure 100 comprises upright members 102, horizontal members 103, and a storage volume comprising storage columns 105 arranged in rows between the upright members 102 and the horizontal members 103. In these storage columns 105, storage containers 106, also known as receptacles or storage containers, are stacked on top of each other to form stacks 107. The members 102, 103 may typically consist of metal, for example extruded aluminum profiles.

[0004] The framework structure 100 of the automated storage and retrieval system 1 comprises a rail system 108 arranged across the top of the framework structure 100, on which a plurality of container handling vehicles 201, 301 are operated to lift storage containers 106 from, lower storage containers 106 into, and transport storage containers 106 up the storage columns 105. The rail system 108 comprises a first set of parallel rails 110 arranged to guide movement of the container handling vehicles 201, 301 in a first direction X across the top of the framework structure 100, and a second set of parallel rails 111 arranged perpendicular to the first set of rails 110 for guiding movement of the container handling vehicles 201, 301 in a second direction Y that is perpendicular to the first direction X. Containers 106 stored in columns 105 are accessed by container handling vehicles through access openings 112 in rail system 108. Container handling vehicles 201, 301 can move laterally above storage columns 105, i.e., in a plane that is parallel to the horizontal XY plane.

[0005] The uprights 102 of the skeletal structure 100 may be used to guide the storage containers during lifting and lowering of the containers out of and into the columns 105. The stacks 107 of containers 106 are typically freestanding.

[0006] Each prior art container handling vehicle 201, 301 includes a body 201a, 301a and first and second sets of wheels 201b, 301b, 201c, 301c, which allow lateral movement of the container handling vehicle 201, 301 in the X and Y directions, respectively. In Figures 2 and 3, two wheels in each set are fully visible. The first set of wheels 201b, 301b are arranged to engage two adjacent rails of the first set of rails 110, and the second set of wheels 201c, 301c are arranged to engage two adjacent rails of the second set of rails 111. At least one of the sets of wheels 201b, 301b, 201c, 301c can be raised and lowered so that the first set of wheels 201b, 301b and / or the second set of wheels 201c, 301c can be engaged with a respective set of rails 110, 111 at any one time.

[0007] Each prior art container handling vehicle 201, 301 also includes a lifting device (not shown) for vertical transportation of the storage containers 106, e.g., for lifting the storage containers 106 from the storage columns 105 and lowering the storage containers 106 into the storage columns 105. The lifting device includes one or more gripping / engaging devices adapted to engage with the storage containers 106, and by which the gripping / engaging devices can be lowered from the vehicle 201, 301, such that the position of the gripping / engaging devices relative to the vehicle 201, 301 can be adjusted in a third direction Z that is orthogonal to the first direction X and the second direction Y. A portion of the gripping device of the container handling vehicle 301 is shown in FIG. 3 and designated with reference numeral 304. The gripping device of the container handling device 201 is located within the vehicle body 301a of FIG. 2.

[0008] Conventionally, and for purposes of this application, Z=1 identifies the top layer of a storage container, i.e., the layer immediately below rail system 108; Z=2 identifies the second layer below rail system 108; Z=3 identifies the third layer, and so on. In the exemplary prior art disclosed in FIG. 1, Z=8 identifies the lowest bottom layer of a storage container. Similarly, X=1...n and Y=1...n identify the position of each storage column 105 in the horizontal plane. Consequently, using the Cartesian coordinate system X, Y, Z shown in FIG. 1 as an example, a storage container identified as 106' in FIG. 1 may be said to occupy storage location X=10, Y=2, Z=3. Container handling vehicles 201, 301 may be said to travel in layer Z=0, and each storage column 105 may be identified by its X and Y coordinates.

[0009] The storage volume of the skeleton structure 100 is often referred to as a grid 104, and the possible storage locations within this grid are referred to as storage cells. Each storage column may be identified by its position in the X and Y directions, while each storage cell may be identified by its container number in the X, Y, and Z directions.

[0010] Each prior art container handling vehicle 201, 301 includes a storage compartment or space for receiving and containing the storage container 106 as it is transported across the rail system 108. The storage space may include a cavity centrally arranged within the vehicle body 201a, as shown in FIG. 2 and as described, for example, in WO 2015 / 193278 A1, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0011] 3 shows an alternative configuration of a container handling vehicle 301 with a cantilever structure. Such a vehicle is described in detail, for example, in NO 317366, the contents of which are also incorporated herein by reference.

[0012] 2 may have a footprint covering an area with dimensions in the X and Y directions generally equal to the lateral extent of the storage column 105, as described, for example, in WO 2015 / 193278 A1, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. As used herein, the term "lateral" may mean "horizontal."

[0013] Alternatively, the central hollow container handling vehicle 101 may have a footprint that is larger than the lateral area defined by the storage columns 105, for example as disclosed in WO2014 / 090684A1.

[0014] Rail system 108 typically includes rails with grooves into which vehicle wheels extend. Alternatively, the rails may include upwardly protruding elements, and the vehicle wheels may include flanges to prevent derailment. These grooves and upwardly protruding elements are collectively known as tracks. Each rail may include one track, or each rail may include two parallel tracks.

[0015] WO2018 / 146304 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) illustrates a typical configuration of a rail system 108, comprising rails and parallel tracks in both the X and Y directions.

[0016] In the skeleton structure 100, the majority of the columns 105 are storage columns 105, i.e., columns 105 where storage containers 106 are stored in stacks 107. However, some columns 105 may have other purposes. In FIG. 1 , columns 119 and 120 are such special-purpose columns used by container handling vehicles 201, 301 to unload and / or load storage containers 106 so that they can be accessed from outside the skeleton structure 100 or transported to an access station (not shown) where they can be transferred out of or into the skeleton structure 100. Within the art, such locations are typically referred to as "ports," and the columns in which the ports are located may be referred to as "port columns" 119, 120. Transport to the access station may be in any direction, horizontal, diagonal, and / or vertical. For example, storage containers 106 may be installed in random or dedicated columns 105 within the framework structure 100, then loaded by any container handling vehicle and transported to port columns 119, 120 for further transport to an access station. Note that the term "diagonal" refers to the transportation of storage containers 106 having a general transport orientation somewhere between horizontal and vertical.

[0017] In FIG. 1, the first port column 119 may be, for example, a dedicated loading port column where container handling vehicles 201, 301 may unload storage containers 106 to be transported to an access or transfer station, and the second port column 120 may be a dedicated loading port column where container handling vehicles 201, 301 may load storage containers 106 being transported from an access or transfer station.

[0018] An access station may typically be a picking or stockpiling station where product items are removed from or placed into storage containers 106. At a picking or stockpiling station, the storage containers 106 are typically not removed from the automated storage and retrieval system 1, but once accessed, are placed back into the backbone structure 100. Ports can also be used to transfer storage containers to another storage facility (e.g., to another backbone structure or to another automated storage and retrieval system), to a transport vehicle (e.g., a train or lorry), or to a production facility.

[0019] A conveyor system comprising conveyors is typically employed to transport storage containers between the port columns 119, 120 and the access stations.

[0020] If the port columns 119, 120 and the access stations are located at different levels, the conveyor system may include a lifting device with a vertical component for transporting the storage containers 106 vertically between the port columns 119, 120 and the access stations.

[0021] The conveyor system may be arranged to transfer storage containers 106 between different skeletal structures, for example as described in WO2014 / 075937A1 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference).

[0022] 1 is to be accessed, one of the container handling vehicles 201, 301 is commanded to retrieve the target storage container 106 from its location and transport it to the unloading port column 119. This operation involves moving the container handling vehicle 201, 301 to a location above the storage column 105 in which the target storage container 106 is located, and using a lifting device (not shown) of the container handling vehicle 201, 301 to retrieve the storage container 106 from the storage column 105 and transport the storage container 106 to the unloading port column 119. If the target storage container 106 is located deep within the stack 107, i.e., one or more other storage containers 106 are positioned above the target storage container 106, the operation also involves temporarily moving the above-positioned storage container prior to raising the target storage container 106 from the storage column 105. This step, sometimes referred to within the art as "digging," may be performed using the same container handling vehicle used to subsequently transport the target storage container to the unloading port column 119, or using one or more other cooperating container handling vehicles. Alternatively, or in addition, the automated storage and retrieval system 1 may have a container handling vehicle specifically dedicated to the task of temporarily removing storage containers from storage column 105. Once the target storage container 106 is removed from storage column 105, the temporarily removed storage container can be repositioned in the original storage column 105. However, the removed storage container may alternatively be relocated to another storage column.

[0023] When a storage container 106 is to be stored in one of the columns 105, one of the container handling vehicles 201, 301 is commanded to load the storage container 106 from the load port column 120 and transport it to a location above the storage column 105 where it is to be stored. After any storage container located at or above the target location in the storage column stack 107 is removed, the container handling vehicle 201, 301 positions the storage container 106 in the desired location. The removed storage container may then be lowered back into the storage column 105 or relocated to another storage column.

[0024] To monitor and control the automated storage and retrieval system 1, for example, to monitor and control the locations of the individual storage containers 106 within the skeletal structure 100, the contents of each storage container 106, and the movements of the container handling vehicles 201, 301 so that the desired storage containers 106 can be delivered to the desired locations at the desired times without the container handling vehicles 201, 301 colliding with each other, the automated storage and retrieval system 1 typically includes a control system 500, which is typically computerized and typically includes a database for tracking the storage containers 106.

[0025] Figure 4 shows an example of a product item 80 stored within a storage container 106. The storage container 106 shown in Figure 4 has a height Hf, a width Wf, and a length Lf. The storage container 106 has a horizontal cross section Af.

[0026] digging out One of the primary advantages of a grid storage system as described above is the density with which containers are stored within the skeletal structure. To the maximum extent possible, all available rows of the grid are filled with containers, except for rows reserved for other purposes, such as for ports. However, due to this density, challenges exist regarding accessing containers located at lower positions within a row. Not all containers within a row necessarily contain the same commodity, and it is sometimes necessary to access, lift, and lower a container within a stack. To access such containers, container handling vehicles perform a procedure known as "digging," whereby a container located above a target container is lifted out of the stack and temporarily placed on the grid at various locations. Once the target container is removed, other containers are placed back into the row.

[0027] For systems containing multiple containers within each stack, the "digging" described above can prove both time- and space-consuming when the target container is located deep within the grid. For example, if the target container has location Z=5, the vehicle must lift four non-target containers and place them in other locations, often on the grid (Z=0), before the target container can be reached. Before being reinstalled back into the grid, the non-target containers can force other container handling vehicles to choose non-optimized paths to perform their individual operations.

[0028] Storage of perishable goods or other specialty items For certain products stored within known automated storage and retrieval systems 1, the products need to be stored in a specialized, isolated environment. Such products, for example, frozen food or refrigerated products, may require isolation from other areas of the storage grid due to different temperatures or other reasons. In the case of refrigerated or frozen goods, the products are often separated from the top level of the grid by an isolation cover over the rows. This is due, in part, to the fact that container handling vehicles operate optimally at ambient temperatures. The vehicle accesses the frozen or refrigerated product by first removing the isolation cover and then accessing the container as described above.

[0029] However, this creates a challenge in view of the "dig" operation described above. It is undesirable to place a container containing frozen or refrigerated product at a temporary location at ambient temperature on the top level of the grid while the dig operation is completed. Thus, a need exists for an arrangement whereby specialty goods can be accessed without the need for a dig operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0030] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2015 / 193278 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2014 / 090684 [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2018 / 146304 [Patent Document 4] International Publication No. 2014 / 075937 Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0031] (Summary of the Invention) isolated environment According to one aspect, the present invention is an automated storage and retrieval system comprising an isolated environment for the storage of specialty goods stored in storage containers that can be retrieved by a container handling vehicle operating over the isolated environment on a track system as described above without the need to perform an excavation operation. According to one aspect, the specialty goods are frozen or refrigerated goods, and the isolated environment is a dedicated space having a lower temperature, such as a freezer or refrigerator room.

[0032] According to other aspects of the invention, specialty goods may be other types of items that, for various reasons, require segregation or dedicated storage. Examples include, but are not limited to, volatile, flammable, or potentially explosive items that are desirably stored in dedicated specialized storage rooms, sterile items that require storage in a specialized sterile environment, items that must be stored in specialized atmospheric conditions, such as higher or lower oxygen environments, pressures different from atmospheric pressure or equivalent, etc.

[0033] The isolated environment may be a stand-alone unit with its own dedicated container handling vehicle, or it may be operably connected to the standard grid portion of the automated grid storage and retrieval system. As used herein, a "standard" grid storage system, or a "standard portion" of a storage and retrieval system, is an automated storage and retrieval system as described in the Background of the Invention section of this application. As used herein, the term "operably connected" means that the isolated environment is accessible by the same container handling vehicle operating above the standard portion of the storage and retrieval system via a track system adjacent to both the isolated environment and the standard portion of the storage and retrieval system. For example, the isolated environment may be arranged adjacent to the standard storage grid portion of the storage and retrieval system or within the periphery of the standard storage grid. Alternatively, an "operably connected" isolated environment may be located at a distance from the standard portion of the storage and retrieval system and accessible by a container handling vehicle across a bridge.

[0034] The present invention will be described in the context of an isolated refrigerated environment; however, those skilled in the art will recognize that the isolated environment may also be specifically adapted for other types of specialty goods.

[0035] According to one aspect, an isolated environment is a room with walls and a roof, in this described case a refrigerated room, with an isolation section for maintaining a lower temperature. One or more doors may be arranged in the walls to provide access to the interior of the room. The refrigerated room contains refrigeration equipment for maintaining the room at a desired temperature.

[0036] Arranged within the roof of the refrigerated room are one or more closeable and openable hatches through which a lifting device of a container handling vehicle may lower its gripping and engaging device to remove or replace a storage container through the hatch. A grid track system extends at least across the hatch or hatches, enabling the container handling vehicle to position itself across the hatch.

[0037] Storage Tower Located within the isolated environment (in this example, a refrigerated room) is a storage tower comprising a plurality of vertically stacked, horizontally movable container supports in the form of horizontally movable shelves upon which rest a plurality of storage containers.

[0038] The size and number of container supports of a storage tower may be adapted to the size of the cold storage room. In one non-limiting example used for illustrative purposes only, a container support may have a lateral width corresponding to a plurality of storage container spaces, for example, a width of four container spaces. The container support would also have a longitudinal length corresponding to a plurality of storage container spaces, in this non-limiting example used for illustrative purposes only, a longitudinal length of five storage container spaces, thereby defining five lateral rows, each row having four storage container spaces.

[0039] The container supports are arranged to move horizontally to present the target container on the target container support at the bottom of a so-called "tower port" directly below the hatch. Details of the "tower port" are described below. The container handling vehicle may lower its gripping device down through the tower port to the target storage container, which has been moved into position directly below the hatch, thereby allowing the container handling vehicle to lift the container out of the cold room without having to perform a digging operation.

[0040] Tower Port One or more of the lateral rows of container supports, e.g., for purposes of illustration, the third row, would include one or more openings corresponding to the size of the storage containers (through which the containers may pass) rather than spaces for actually holding the containers. The container supports may be moved horizontally to align themselves so that vertically adjacent openings are vertically aligned, thus creating one or more open vertical shafts, referred to herein as "tower ports." In the above non-limiting example, a third row of individual container supports may be aligned to create one or more tower ports. Each tower port so formed would be aligned directly below a corresponding hatch. The depth of the tower port so formed would depend on the number of container supports so aligned.

[0041] When a target container held on a target container support is to be removed, the container support above the target container support will align itself to form a tower port directly below the hatch, with the tower port extending down to the target container support. The target container support will move horizontally to present the target container at the bottom of the tower port, thereby allowing a container handling vehicle to lower its gripping device through the hatch, below the tower port, and onto the target container without having to perform digging. According to one aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: a. an isolation enclosure having walls and a roof, the isolation enclosure arranged to isolate goods stored therein from an external environment, the goods being stored in a storage container; b. One or more openable and closable enclosure openings or hatches arranged in the roof of the isolation enclosure; c. A rail system arranged above the roof, on which the rail system can carry one or more wheeled container handling vehicles, the container handling vehicles equipped with lifting devices for raising and lowering containers, the rail system arranged so that at least the container handling vehicles can be positioned with their lifting devices positioned above the hatch; d. A storage tower arranged inside the isolation enclosure, the storage tower being accessible to the container handling vehicle or vehicles through a hatch;

[0042] The storage tower is i. a plurality of vertically stacked container supports in the form of horizontally movable shelves upon which a plurality of storage containers may be placed, the container supports having a lateral width corresponding to a plurality of container spaces and a longitudinal length corresponding to a plurality of container spaces, thereby defining a plurality of lateral rows of container spaces, one or more of the container spaces in a lateral row being an opening sized to accommodate the storage container so that the storage container may pass therethrough; ii. means for horizontally moving the container supports to align the openings of vertically adjacent container supports to form a tower port directly beneath the hatch; iii. A means for horizontally moving the target container support to position the target container at the bottom of the tower port; a storage tower comprising: e. Control systems and systems for controlling and automating the functions of the storage and retrieval system. Equipped with

[0043] f. The container handling vehicle may then lower its lifting device through the hatch below the tower port to access the target container.

[0044] According to another aspect, the invention is a method including the steps of storing specialty goods in an isolation enclosure as described above, positioning a target container beneath a tower port, and commanding a container handling vehicle to access the target container through an openable hatch in the roof of the isolation enclosure. The present invention provides, for example, the following items. (Item 1) 1. An automated storage and retrieval system comprising: a. an isolation enclosure (800) having walls (800') and a roof (800'') and arranged to isolate goods stored therein from an external environment, said goods being stored in a storage container (106); b. one or more openable and closable enclosure openings or hatches (804) arranged in the roof of the isolation enclosure; c. a rail system (408) arranged above the roof, on which the rail system can carry one or more wheeled container handling vehicles (301), the container handling vehicles having lifting devices (304) for raising and lowering containers, the rail system (408) arranged so that at least the container handling vehicles can be positioned with their lifting devices (304) positioned above the hatch (804); d. A storage tower (400) arranged inside the isolation enclosure (800), said storage tower being accessible to said container handling vehicle or vehicles through a hatch (804), said storage tower comprising: i. a plurality of vertically stacked container supports (402), each in the form of a horizontally movable shelf on which a plurality of storage containers (106) can be placed, each container support having a lateral width corresponding to a plurality of container spaces (106'') and a longitudinal length corresponding to a plurality of container spaces (106''), thereby defining a plurality of lateral rows of container spaces, one or more of the container spaces in a lateral row having an opening (403) sized to accommodate the storage container so that the storage container may pass therethrough; ii. means for horizontally moving the container supports to align the openings (403) of vertically adjacent container supports to form a tower port (805) directly beneath the hatch (804); iii. means for horizontally moving the target container support (807) to position the target container (806) at the bottom of said tower port (807); a storage tower (400) comprising: e. Automatic control system (500) Equipped with f. An automated storage and retrieval system whereby the container handling vehicle can lower its lifting device below the tower port (805) through the hatch to access the target container. (Item 2) The rail system (408) arranged above the roof of the isolation enclosure (800) is operably connected to a standard part of an automated grid storage system of the type comprising a framework (100) and a rail system (108) arranged across the top of the framework (100), the framework (100) comprising upright members (102), horizontal members (103), and a storage volume comprising storage columns (105) arranged in rows between the upright members (102) and the horizontal members (103), on the rail system (108 a plurality of container handling vehicles (201, 301) lift storage containers (106) from the storage columns (105) and place them therein. Item 1, an automated storage and retrieval system operable to lower storage containers (106) and transport the storage containers (106) above the storage columns (105), wherein the rail system (108) comprises a first set (110) of parallel rails arranged to guide movement of the container handling vehicles (201, 301) in a first direction X across the top of the frame structure (100), and a second set (111) of parallel rails arranged perpendicular to the first set (110) of rails for guiding movement of the container handling vehicles (201, 301) in a second direction Y that is perpendicular to the first direction X. (Item 3) The storage tower (400) comprises a plurality of horizontally extending container support frameworks (401) distributed with a vertical offset (ΔdVb-n), a. The plurality of horizontal container support frameworks (401) i. a first container support skeleton (401a); ii. at least one second container support skeleton (401b-n) arranged directly below said first container support skeleton (401a) and extending parallel thereto; Equipped with b. each of said first container supporting skeleton and said at least one second container supporting skeleton (401b-n) comprises: i. horizontally extending container supports (402) with primary directions in a first direction (X) and an orthogonal second direction (Y), each container support (402) configured as a matrix of container spaces with a plurality of columns of container spaces arranged in the first direction (X) and a plurality of rows of container spaces arranged in the second direction (Y); c. Each row of the container spaces of the first container support skeleton (401a) is i. configured to receive a plurality of storage containers (106); ii. presenting at least one opening (403) extending along said second direction (Y), said at least one opening (403) being at least as large as the largest horizontal cross section (A) of said storage container (106) to be stored; f ) and has an opening size of d. at least one opening (403) of said first container supporting skeleton (401 a) and at least one opening (403) of said at least one second container supporting skeleton (401 b-n) may be vertically aligned with respect to each other; e. at least one container support (402) is displaceable along said second direction (Y); f. An automated storage and retrieval system as described in one of the preceding items, wherein at least one container support framework (401a-n) further comprises a support displacement device (700) configured to displace the displaceable container support (402). (Item 4) The automated storage and retrieval system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the storage tower (400) comprises a hatch barrier (801) arranged above the container support framework (401), the barrier being configured to cover and isolate the enclosure opening (804), and the barrier (801) being horizontally displaceable along the first direction (X) or the second direction (Y) by a support displacement device (700). (Item 5) the support displacement device (700) comprises a motor for driving a linear actuator, a gear drive, a chain drive, a belt drive, or any combination thereof, the motor being arranged outside the horizontal extent of an individual container support framework (401) containing at least one displaceable container support (402) to be displaced; Alternatively, the displacement device (700) is a direct drive mechanism arranged on the container support (402). (Item 6) 10. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the container support (402) comprises vertical guide plates (409) arranged at least in part around the periphery of each of the at least one opening (403), the vertical guide plates of vertically adjacent openings being arranged to cooperate to form the tower port (805). (Item 7) 8. The automated storage and retrieval system according to claim 1, wherein the isolation enclosure (800) is a thermal isolation enclosure and a refrigeration device (802) is arranged in association with the enclosure. (Item 8) 10. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the isolation enclosure (800) is a fire-resistant or explosion-resistant enclosure adapted for storing flammable or explosive materials. (Item 9) 1. A method for storing or retrieving specialty items in an automated storage and retrieval system, the method comprising: a. Arranging a storage tower (400) inside an isolation enclosure (800) as described in one of items 1-8; b. storing specialised goods in said storage tower, said goods being advantageously of a type that is isolated from the ambient environment outside said isolation enclosure; c. using said control system (500) to command the container supports to move horizontally to vertically align their respective openings to form a tower port beneath the hatch; d. using said control system (500) to command a target container support to move horizontally to position a target container at the bottom of said tower port or to position an empty container space at the bottom of said tower port; e. using said control system (500) to command a container handling vehicle to position its lifting device above said hatch; f. opening the hatch; g. commanding the container handling vehicle to lower its lifting device below the tower port, engage the target container, and lift it out of the isolation enclosure, or lower a container below the tower port to the empty container space; h. closing the hatch; A method comprising: (Item 10) Item 10. The method of item 9, wherein the specialty goods are refrigerated or frozen items and the isolated environment has a lower temperature than the ambient environment outside the isolated enclosure. (Item 11) 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the specialty commodity is a volatile, flammable, or potentially explosive commodity and the isolation enclosure is a fire-resistant room. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0045] The following drawings depict embodiments of the present invention and are included to facilitate an understanding of the invention. The drawings show embodiments of the invention that will now be described by way of example only.

[0046] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the skeletal structure of a prior art automated storage and retrieval system.

[0047] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art container handling vehicle having a centrally arranged cavity for holding a storage container therein.

[0048] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a prior art container handling vehicle having a cantilever beam for holding a storage container underneath.

[0049] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a prior art storage container and a product item stored within the storage container.

[0050] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a top view of a storage tower according to one aspect of the present invention, shown without its isolation enclosure, with all container supports of the storage tower vertically aligned.

[0051] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view of the storage tower of FIG.

[0052] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a container support configured as a matrix of container spaces, with a plurality of (four in this case) container spaces arranged laterally in a first horizontal direction X and a plurality of (five in this case) lateral rows of container spaces arranged longitudinally in a second horizontal direction Y, with a plurality of openings arranged in place of the container spaces within one of the lateral rows (the third row in this case).

[0053] [Figure 8] 8 is a perspective view of the container support of FIG. 7 showing a storage container positioned within the container space and showing the openings in the third row.

[0054] [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the container support and container support framework, in particular details of the support displacement device.

[0055] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the container support, particularly the details of the shelf rollers.

[0056] [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the container supports and container support framework, in particular further details of the support displacement device, whereby the lowest container support is horizontally displaced relative to the container support above.

[0057] [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a side view of a storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention in which a storage tower is positioned adjacent to a standard portion of a storage grid.

[0058] [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the storage system of FIG. 12 in which the storage grids and storage towers are positioned side-by-side.

[0059] [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the storage system of FIG. 12 with the storage grid and storage tower positioned side-by-side and one container support displaced horizontally.

[0060] [Figure 15A] 15A is a perspective view of the storage system of FIG. 12 in which the storage grid and storage tower are positioned side-by-side and the plurality of container supports are horizontally displaced in opposite directions.

[0061] [Figure 15B] FIG. 15B is a cross section of the storage system according to FIG. 15A.

[0062] [Figure 16]16A and 16B are different perspective views of another embodiment of a storage system according to the present invention, in which a storage tower is positioned below a transport system.

[0063] [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a side view of the storage system of FIG. 16A.

[0064] [Figure 18] 18A and 18B are different perspective views showing the storage system of FIGS. 16A-B and 17A-B, particularly details of the transport mechanism.

[0065] [Figure 19] 19A-C are perspective views of three storage towers, each with a different configuration of container support framework and container supports.

[0066] [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a storage tower enclosed by an isolation housing positioned adjacent to a standard portion of a storage grid.

[0067] [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a cross-section of the storage system according to FIG. 20 illustrating a container handling vehicle positioned with its lifting device above a hatch in the roof of the isolation enclosure and above a tower port.

[0068] [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the horizontal displacement of six container supports to form a tower port above a target container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0069] (Detailed Description of the Invention) In the following, different alternatives will be discussed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the subject matter depicted in the drawings. Furthermore, even if some of the features are described only in relation to a system, it will be apparent that they are also valid for a method, and vice versa.

[0070] In the foregoing description, various aspects of the delivery vehicle and automated storage and retrieval system according to the present invention have been described with reference to illustrative embodiments. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, systems, and configurations have been set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the system and its operation. However, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and variations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the system, that are apparent to those skilled in the art to which the disclosed subject matter pertains are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

[0071] The present invention relates to improvements to grid storage systems of the type described in the Background of the Invention section of this application and illustrated in Figures 1-4.

[0072] Storage Tower A storage tower 400 as illustrated in Figures 5-19 is arranged within an isolation enclosure 800 as illustrated in Figures 20-22.

[0073] According to one aspect, the storage towers within the isolated environment may be stand-alone units. In another aspect, the storage towers within the isolated environment may be operatively connected to, e.g., adjacent to, within the periphery of, or otherwise cooperate with, a standard portion of the grid storage system 1.

[0074] The storage system 1 comprises a remotely operated vehicle 301 operating on a rail system 408 comprising a first set of parallel rails 410 arranged to guide movement of the remotely operated vehicle 301 in a first direction X across the storage tower 400, and a second set of parallel rails 411 arranged perpendicular to the first set of rails 410 for guiding movement of the remotely operated vehicle 301 in a second direction Y that is perpendicular to the first direction X. Storage containers 106 stored within the storage tower 400 are accessed by the remotely operated vehicle 301 through grid openings 415 in the rail system 408. Each grid opening 415 of the rail system 408 is enclosed by a portion of the rails 411 to define a grid cell 422. The rail system 408 is arranged in a horizontal plane P rs It extends in.

[0075] As best seen in FIG. 6, the storage container 106 is r1 The containers are stored on a plurality of horizontally movable container supports 402 that are movably arranged on a plurality of support skeletons 401 that are stacked in the Z direction below the rail system 408 with a vertical offset indicated by ΔdVb-n (i.e., the offset between the lower edge of the rail system 408 and the lower edge for the first container support skeleton 401 a directly below the rail system 408) and a vertical offset indicated by ΔdVb-n (i.e., the offset between the lower edges of two adjacent container support skeletons 401 a-n).

[0076] Vertical Offset V r1and ΔdVb-n may be selected to provide a height equal to or greater than the maximum height of one storage container 106 or stack 107 of several storage containers 106, or equal to or greater than the maximum height of different storage containers 106 stored within individual container support skeletons 401. As an example, a first container support skeleton 401a may be adapted to store a stack 107 of storage containers 106, while the lower mounted container support skeletons 401b-n may be adapted to store single (non-stacked) storage containers 106. As a further example, some or all container support skeletons 401 of a tower 400 may be adapted to store a stack 107 of several storage containers 106. Different container support skeletons 401 of the same tower 400 may be configured to store unequal numbers of stacks 107 of storage containers 106. The vertical space (i.e., available height) required for one or several container support skeletons 401 of a tower 400 to be adapted to store a stack 107 of several storage containers 106 can be obtained by reducing the total number of container support skeletons 401 compared to a configuration of a tower 400 in which all container support skeletons 401 are adapted to store a single (unstacked) storage container 106.

[0077] FIG. 6 shows a storage tower 400 in which each container support skeleton 401 a - n comprises one horizontally extending container support 402 .

[0078] 7 and 8 show one embodiment of such a container support 402. FIG. 7 shows the container support 402 without storage containers 106 occupying the container spaces 106", and FIG. 8 shows the same container support 402 with storage containers 106 positioned within the container spaces. FIG. 7 shows five lateral rows of four container spaces 106" (occupied by containers 106 in FIG. 8) with a third row of container spaces replaced by openings 403a-d.

[0079] The container supports 402 have a lateral direction in a first direction X and an orthogonal longitudinal direction in a second direction Y. The container supports 402 are configured as a horizontal matrix of container spaces 106'', with a plurality of container spaces arranged in lateral rows in the first horizontal direction X and a plurality of such rows in the second horizontal direction Y. The rows of container spaces are configured to receive a plurality of storage containers 106. One or more of the rows include one or more openings 403, illustrated in FIG. 7 as four openings 403a-d occupying each of four container spaces in a third row. The opening or openings 403 are sized to allow a storage container 106 to pass through the opening. The container supports 402 of the bottom container support skeleton 401n typically do not exhibit openings 403. At least one opening 403 in each row of container spaces typically extends beyond at least a horizontal cross-section A of the storage container 106 to be stored. f (W f ×L f ) has an opening size of

[0080] As will be explained further below, the container supports 402 may be moved horizontally so that the openings 403 of vertically adjacent container supports 402 align to form tower ports 805, through which containers may be raised or lowered by container handling vehicles. The container supports 402 of Figures 7 and 8 include multiple guide structures 409 for the openings 403. The guide structures 409 are fixed along the periphery of each opening 403a-d to help ensure that the storage containers 106 are precisely guided through the openings 403a-d during raising / lowering by the respective remotely operated vehicles 201; 301; 601.

[0081] The container support 402 may be a plate or frame without an internal structure. The container space is typically at least the width of the largest horizontal cross section A of the storage container 106 to be stored. f (W f ×L f) Each space occupied by a storage container 106 is typically spaced from its neighbor on the plate or frame by a distance corresponding to the width of the rails 410, 411. The matrix of container spaces may be an imaginary division established primarily by the size of the storage containers 106. The container supports may be of any size, and the size of the matrix of container spaces may depend on the number of rows of the matrix and the number of container spaces in each row.

[0082] The openings 403 of a first container support 402a arranged in the support skeleton 401a, i.e., the periphery of at least one opening 403a-d, and the at least one opening 403 of a second container support 402b arranged in a second container support skeleton 401b-n, can be vertically aligned with respect to each other. This can be achieved by at least one container support 402 of the at least one second container support skeleton 401b-n being horizontally displaceable along the second direction Y. The displacement can be achieved by at least one second container support skeleton 401b-n comprising a support displacement device 700 configured to displace the displaceable container support 402 of the at least one second container support skeleton 401b-n. An example of such a support displacement device 700 is illustrated in FIG. 9 and described further below.

[0083] The container support 402 of FIGS. 7 and 8 includes a support plate 404 that provides a container space 106″. In FIG. 8, the storage container 106 is installed on the support plate 404. One support plate 404 may provide any number of container spaces (here illustrated as four) distributed along a first horizontal direction X, forming a complete row. Alternatively, each row may include multiple support plates 404, e.g., one support plate 404 per container space. As a further alternative, one support plate 404 may provide two or more container spaces distributed along a second horizontal direction Y, forming at least a portion of a row. One support plate 404 may also provide multiple container spaces distributed along both the first direction X and the second direction Y.

[0084] According to one aspect, each container support 402 may include a first container support beam 406 extending in a first horizontal direction X and a second container support beam 407 extending in a second horizontal direction Y. The first and second support beams 406, 407 provide rigidity and align the container support 402 with the horizontal plane P. rs The first support beam 406 may extend the entire length of the column. The second support beam 407 may extend the entire length of the row.

[0085] 7-8 , a first support beam 406 is arranged between each row of the container space, for a total of four first beams 406. The first support beams 406 may be used for mounting the guide structures 409. The first support beams 406 may also be used for mounting the support plates 404. The first support beams 406 may protrude upward relative to the support plates 404, thereby preventing the storage containers 106 from moving along the second horizontal direction Y relative to the container supports 402. The first support beams 406 may also be used to support the storage containers 106 and thus provide the container space, i.e., to provide the container space without using the support plates 404.

[0086] 7-8 , two second support beams 407 are arranged parallel to the rows. In this embodiment, the second support beams 407 are arranged so as not to divide the rows, i.e., on the edges of the container supports 402. The second support beams 407 may also be arranged to divide the rows. The second support beams 407 may be used for mounting the guide structures 409. The second support beams 407 may also be used for mounting the support plates 404. The second support beams 407 may protrude upward relative to the support plates 404, thereby preventing the storage containers 106 from moving in the first direction X relative to the container supports 402. The second support beams 407 may also be used to support the storage containers 106 and thus provide container space, i.e., provide container space without using the support plates 404. Alternatively, the first and second support beams 406, 407 may both provide container space. The second support beam 407 may also be used for mounting shelf guides 709. The second support beam 407 may also be used for mounting horizontally moving shelf rollers 709'. The shelf rollers 709, 709' are further described below with reference to FIG. 10. The second support beam 407 may also be used for mounting vertical pillars 431. These are particularly illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0087] Each container support 402 may include stabilizing ribs 405 arranged in a first direction X. In FIGS. 7-8 , two stabilizing ribs 405 are arranged so as not to separate rows, i.e., on the edges of the container support 402. Stabilizing ribs 405 may additionally be arranged to separate rows. The stabilizing ribs 405 may be used for the attachment of the guide structure 409. The stabilizing ribs 405 may also be used for the attachment of the support plates 404. The stabilizing ribs 405 may have a higher vertical extent than the support plates 404. The stabilizing ribs 405 may be used to stabilize the storage container 106. The stabilizing ribs 405 may also stabilize the container support by stiffening the structure to prevent twisting, for example, under non-uniform loads. The stabilizing ribs 405 may also be arranged in a second direction Y. The stabilizing ribs 405 may replace one or more of the first support beams 406, or vice versa. The stabilizing ribs 405 may replace one or more secondary support beams 407, or vice versa.

[0088] The first support beam 406, the second support beam 407, the stabilizing ribs 405, the support plate 404, the guide structure 409, and any other components associated with the container support 402 may be connected to each other using fasteners, welding, a snap lock system, a tongue and groove system, or other known methods known to those skilled in the art.

[0089] 9 and 10 show that the container supports 402 of one or more container support skeletons 401 can be made displaceable along the second horizontal direction Y relative to the container support skeleton 401. To displace the displaceable container supports 402 along the second horizontal direction Y, the container support skeleton 401 of FIG. 9 is equipped with a support displacement device 700. Alternatively, the container supports 402 may be equipped with the support displacement device 700. The support displacement device 700 is configured to displace the displaceable container supports 402 relative to the container support skeleton 401.

[0090] To be displaceable along the second horizontal direction Y, the container support 402 and the corresponding container support skeleton 401 include a guide track 710 and a plurality of shelf rollers 709, 709′. The shelf rollers 709, 709′ are configured to run along the guide track 710. As illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, the guide track 710 may be provided on the container support skeleton 401 and the shelf rollers 709, 709′ may be provided on the container support 402, or vice versa.

[0091] The guide track 710 of Figure 9 is an extruded profile. The guide track 710 comprises a horizontal portion 710'' and a vertical portion 710'. When the guide track 710 is arranged with its longitudinal direction extending along the second horizontal direction Y, the horizontal portion 710'' extends horizontally and the vertical portion 710' extends vertically.

[0092] The rollers 709, 709' in FIG. 10 are provided in pairs, each consisting of a shelf guide 709 and a horizontally moving shelf roller 709'. The shelf guide 709 has a rotation axis oriented vertically. The horizontally moving shelf roller 709' has a rotation axis oriented along the first horizontal direction X. As shown in FIG. 7, three pairs of rollers 709, 709' can be arranged along the side of the container support 402 and cooperate with corresponding guide tracks 710. The pairs of rollers 709, 709' are distributed so that one pair is in the center and one pair is at each distal end of the edge of the container support 402. One container support 402 will typically have rollers 709, 709' arranged at two opposing edges.

[0093] 9 shows how the horizontally moving shelf rollers 709′ cooperate with the guide track horizontal portion 710″, in that the horizontally moving shelf rollers 709′ can roll along the guide track horizontal portion 710″. The cooperation of the guide track horizontal portion 710″ and the horizontally moving shelf rollers 709′ allows for relative displacement between the container support 402 and the container support skeleton 401.

[0094] 9 shows how the shelf guides 709 cooperate with the guide track horizontal portion 710, in which the vertically moving shelf rollers 709' can roll along the guide track vertical portion 710''. The cooperation of the guide track vertical portion 710' and the shelf guides 709 controls the direction of relative movement between the container support 402 and the container support skeleton 401.

[0095] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a support displacement device 700. The support displacement device 700 comprises an electric motor 701. The electric motor 701 is arranged on the container support skeleton 401 by means of a bracket 713. The bracket can be connected to, for example, the vertical pillar 431. For maintenance purposes, the components of the support displacement device 700 are preferably arranged in a position that is easily accessible to technicians. In particular, the electric motor 701 or an alternative drive device is preferably arranged on the edge of the container support skeleton 401 and should extend outside the container support skeleton 401, preferably also close to the corners of the container support skeleton 401. By arranging the electric motors 701 of adjacent container support skeletons 401 on both sides of the container support skeleton 401, more space becomes available for technicians to install or perform maintenance on the electric motors 701 and / or the support displacement device 700.

[0096] The support displacement device 700 comprises a drive shaft 702 configured to be driven by an electric motor 701. The drive shaft 702 is also configured to drive, i.e. displace, the displaceable container support 402.

[0097] 9 and 11 show how the drive shafts 702 can be arranged on the container support skeleton 401. The drive shafts 702 are arranged on the container support skeleton 401 using brackets 712. These brackets 712 can be arranged on the vertical pillars 431. These brackets 712 are typically arranged at the distal ends of the drive shafts 702. The brackets 712 must allow rotation of the drive shafts 702. The drive shafts 712 are arranged at approximately the same height and extend along a first direction X.

[0098] 9 and 11, rotation of the electric motor 701 causes rotation of the drive shaft 702 by means of a belt wheel 708 arranged on the electric motor 701, a belt wheel 708 arranged on the drive shaft 702, and a first belt 706 connecting these belt wheels 708. The belt wheel 708 arranged on the drive shaft 702 is arranged on the distal end of the drive shaft 702 and aligns with the belt wheel 708 arranged on the electric motor 701. In FIGS. 9 and 11, each drive shaft 702 is driven by one electric motor 701. This is advantageous because it requires fewer parts and movement along each side is synchronized by the drive shaft 702 that is common to both sides. Alternatively, two electric motors 701 can be provided per drive shaft 702, connected to both ends of the drive shaft 702 or drive shaft portion.

[0099] 9 and 11, rotation of the drive shaft 702 causes displacement of the displaceable container support 402 by means of two belt wheels 708 arranged on the drive shaft 702, two belt wheels 708 arranged on the container support skeleton 401, two brackets 711 arranged on the container support 402, and two second belts 707.

[0100] Two belt wheels 708 arranged on the drive shaft 702 and configured to drive the container support 402 are concentric with each other and with the belt wheels 708 arranged on the drive shaft and configured to cooperate with an electric motor 701.

[0101] Two belt wheels 708 arranged on the container support skeleton 401 are provided on both sides of the container support skeleton 401 and are connected, for example, to guide tracks 710 or vertical pillars 431. The belt wheels 708 arranged on the container support skeleton 401 are aligned with the belt wheels 708 arranged on the drive shaft 702.

[0102] Each of the two second belts 707 connects one belt wheel 708 arranged on the drive shaft 702 with one belt wheel 708 arranged on the container support skeleton 401. When connected, the second belts 707 extend along a second horizontal direction Y. The second belts 707 therefore extend in the same direction as the intended displacement of the container support 402. The extension of the second belts 707 along the second horizontal direction Y should substantially correspond to or exceed the predetermined distance of displacement of the container support 402.

[0103] The two second belts 707 are arranged in the first direction X with a distance between them that exceeds the horizontal extension of the container support 402 along the first direction X.

[0104] Two brackets 711 are arranged on either side of the container support 402, facing a respective second belt 707. Each bracket 711 is aligned with and connected to a respective second belt 707. The brackets 711 and the second belts 707 can be crimped together using a plate arranged therebetween that is bolted to the brackets 711 and the second belts. In this manner, the brackets can be connected to any given portion of the second belts 707.

[0105] The direction of displacement of the container support 402 depends on the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 702 and therefore the direction of rotation of the electric motor 701. By providing clockwise rotation from the electric motor 701, the container support 402 will be displaced in the opposite direction than when counterclockwise rotation is provided from the electric motor 701. The displacement rotation ratio between the container support 402 and the drive shaft 702 or electric motor 701 can be configured by selecting the size of the belt wheel 708.

[0106] 11 is a perspective view of the bottom portion of the storage tower 400. The bottom container support 402n, i.e., one of the second container supports 402b-n, is displaced relative to the upper container support 402. The displaced container support 402 is displaced in the second direction Y a distance corresponding to one grid cell 422.

[0107] 11 shows that the storage tower 400 includes a plurality of vertical pillars 431. These vertical pillars 431 are typically supported by the floor 440 and possibly also connected to the floor 440 using pillar brackets 435. The plurality of vertical pillars 431 are configured to support a plurality of guide tracks 710. If the storage tower 400 includes a rail system 408, the plurality of vertical pillars 431 can be configured to support the rail system 408. The vertical pillars 431 are dispersed with a distance along the first direction X and / or the second direction Y that is greater than the distance between the upright members 102 of the prior art skeletal structure 100. This is because the container supports 402 have a greater span than the storage columns 105 of the prior art skeletal structure 100. Therefore, each vertical pillar 431 should be configured to withstand a greater load than the upright members 102 since there are fewer of them. If the storage tower 400 includes a transport system 601, the plurality of vertical pillars 431 can be configured to support the transport system 601. This is illustrated in Figures 18A and 18B.

[0108] FIG. 12 shows a side view of a storage and retrieval system with one storage tower 400 arranged adjacent to a standard portion of a storage grid 100. The support displacement devices 700 described above are shown arranged at the end of each container support 402. This particular configuration includes fourteen container support skeletons 401 a-n arranged beneath a rail system 408, each with one container support 402 displaceable in the Y direction. Other numbers of container support skeletons may be present as appropriate. Preferably, there are more than five container support skeletons, and preferably more than ten. A combined rail system 408' can be seen interconnecting the rail system 108 of the prior art storage grid 100 and the rail system 408 of the storage tower 400 of the present invention to enable movement between the storage grid 100 and the storage tower 400. The rail system 408 of the storage tower 400 of the present invention and the rail system 108 of the prior art storage grid 100 have a mutual orientation and design such that the same type of vehicle 301 can operate on both rail systems 108, 408. Due to the different construction of the container support skeleton 401 for the storage tower 400 of the present invention and the stack 107 of storage containers 106 for the prior art storage grid 100, the upper rails 410, 411 of the container support skeleton 401 can advantageously be made wider compared to the upper rails 110, 111 of the stack 107 in at least one of the X / Y directions.

[0109] FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of the same storage and retrieval system 1 as in FIG.

[0110] Both storage towers 400 and storage grids 100 can be of any size. In particular, it should be understood that storage towers 400 and / or storage grids 100 can be significantly wider and / or longer and / or deeper than those disclosed in the accompanying figures. For example, storage towers 400 and / or storage grids 100 may have a horizontal extent with space for more than 700 x 700 storage containers 106 and a storage depth of more than 14 storage containers 106. Storage towers may also be arranged within the perimeter of storage grid 100 or at a distance from the storage grid and accessible to vehicles via a bridge (not shown).

[0111] As explained above, one way to deploy a storage tower 400 can be to remove all stacks 107 of storage containers 106 directly below the rail system 108 portion of the prior art storage and retrieval system 1, as shown in Figure 1, leaving the cantilevered portion CP of the rail system 108. One or more storage towers 400 of the present invention are then inserted into the empty volume below the cantilevered portion CP of the rail system 108.

[0112] Figures 14 and 15A are perspective views of storage system 1, including storage tower 400, during operation. Figure 15B shows a vertical cross section of storage system 1 of Figure 15A. The figures show the use of container handling vehicles 301 in which the lifting devices extend from the body by cantilevers, although it should be understood that vehicles 201 of the type with a central cavity (e.g., as shown in Figure 2) may also be employed. To store and retrieve a target storage container 106' using the storage tower 400, the following operations are performed (see FIG. 14).

[0113] - the control system 500 gives the vehicle 301 a command to load the target storage container 106' with coordinates X, Y, Z. This position corresponds to the storage container 106 being positioned within the container space of the container support 402, which forms part of the horizontal container support skeleton 401g at a depth of 5×ΔdV+Vr1 below the rail system 408. All of the openings 403 in the storage tower 400 are initially aligned (with the same XY coordinates), so that the XY position of the target opening 403' in the container support skeleton 401a adjacent the rail system 408 is equal to the XY position of the target opening 403' in the underlying container support skeletons 401b-n.

[0114] - The vehicle 301 moves in the X and Y directions with the aid of its drive means 301b,c until its lifting device 304 is positioned directly above the target opening 403', which is mounted within the row of storage containers in which the target storage container 106' is located.

[0115] During and / or after the vehicle 301 moves to a position above the target opening 403', the control system 500 sends a command to the support displacement device 700 to displace the container support 402 of the container support skeleton 401g a sufficient distance in the second direction Y so that the target storage container 106' is vertically aligned with the target opening 403' of the upper installed container support skeleton 401a-f.

[0116] During and / or after the displacement of the container support 402, the lifting device 304 of the vehicle 301 is activated and lowered downward through the grid opening 415 and the aligned target opening 403' until the gripping portion of the lifting device 304 reaches a fixed position and grips the target storage container 106'.

[0117] After the target storage container 106' is grasped by the lifting device 304 and raised above the container support skeleton 401f mounted above, the support displacement device 700 is activated again to move the container support 402 back to its initial Y position.

[0118] Once the target storage container 106' is elevated above the rail system 408, the vehicle 301 is moved to another location on the rail system 408, for example, a dedicated port column / chute 436 for delivery to an access station 437.

[0119] The present process has the advantage that the need to perform excavations, which was performed for prior art storage and retrieval systems, is no longer necessary.

[0120] In the operational example of FIG. 14 , the target storage container 106′ is positioned next to an opening 403 in the same row of container spaces. Some rows of container spaces may include more than one container space on either side of the opening 403. If the target storage container 106′ is not positioned next to an opening 403, i.e., if a container space exists between the target storage container 106′ and the opening 403, the container support 402 must be displaced a distance along the second horizontal direction Y corresponding to two grid cells 422 to position the target storage container 106′ vertically aligned with the target opening 403′ in the upper installed container support framework 401 a-f. There may not be enough space within the storage tower 400 for the container support 402 to be displaced a distance corresponding to two grid cells 422 in both directions along the second direction Y from its initial position. In that case, the target storage container 106' can be retrieved by displacing all of the container supports upward by the distance of one grid cell in the other direction, as shown in FIG. 15A.

[0121] The retrieval operation of Figure 15A is similar to the operation described with reference to Figure 14. However, an additional step is performed.

[0122] During movement of the vehicle 301 to a position above the target opening 403', the control system 500 sends a command to the support displacement device 700 to displace the container supports 402 of the container support skeletons 401 a-f above the target storage container 106' a sufficient distance in the second horizontal direction Y such that the target storage container 106' is vertically aligned with the target opening 403' of the upper mounted container support skeletons 401 a-f. The container supports 402 of the container support skeletons 401 a-f mounted above the target storage container 106' are displaced along the second horizontal direction Y a distance corresponding to one grid cell 422 and opposite to the displacement of the container supports 402 of the target storage container 106'.

[0123] Figure 15B shows a cross section of the storage system 1 according to Figure 15A, where two vehicles 301 simultaneously retrieve separate target containers 106' positioned on the same container support 402. When the control system 500 detects two target storage containers 106' positioned on the same container support 402, particularly when positioned within the same row of the container space, the control system 500 may instruct the two vehicles 301 to simultaneously load these target storage containers 106'.

[0124] 16A-B, 17, and 18A-B show a storage and retrieval system 1 that includes one storage tower 400. Instead of vehicles 201, 301 with wheels that move on a rail system 408, the storage and retrieval system 1 includes a transport system 601. The transport system 601 includes a crane 602 that is movable in a first direction X on a sliding bar 603 that extends across the width of the storage tower 400. Movement in a second direction Y is achieved by sliding the sliding bar 603 along two fixed bars 604 that extend in the second direction Y on either side of the storage tower 400. In FIGS. 16-18, the crane 602 is shown as a container handling vehicle with a cantilever construction supported on two parallel sliding bars 603.

[0125] When the transport system 601 receives a command from the control system 500 to retrieve a target storage container 106', for example, stored in the sixth container support skeleton 401f and counting from above (as shown in FIG. 17), the support displacement device 700 displaces the container support 402 in the Y direction until the target storage container 106' is vertically aligned with the target opening 403', which is vertically aligned with the five container support skeletons 401a-e installed above. Before, during, or after the displacement of the container support 402, the crane 602 of the transport system 601 is moved, by use of the sliding bar 603 and fixed bar 604, to a location where the lifting device 304 is vertically aligned above the target opening 403' of the first container support skeleton 401a (due to the initial alignment, the corresponding openings 403 of the container support skeletons 401b-e are also aligned downwards to at least the container support skeleton 401f with the target storage container 106').

[0126] The storage tower 400 shown in Figures 16A-18B also includes a dedicated port column or chute 436 onto which target storage containers 106' can be lowered / lifted by use of the lifting device 403 of the crane 602. In Figures 16A-B and 17, an access station 437 is shown arranged below the lower end of the chute 436 to receive and provide storage containers 106 to be retrieved and stored, respectively.

[0127] The operations described with reference to Figures 14 and 15A-B apply mutatis mutandis to storage tower 400 with transport system 601.

[0128] 18A-B show that storage tower 400 may include horizontal beams 432 for connection to the tops of vertical pillars 431.

[0129] 19A-C show three different storage towers 400.

[0130] The storage tower 400 of Figure 19A has a container support 402 with a matrix of container spaces with four rows and five columns, i.e., a 4x5 matrix. The four rows of container spaces are symmetrical. Each row is configured to receive four storage containers 106 and includes one opening 403.

[0131] The storage tower 400 of FIG. 19B has a container support 402 with a matrix of container spaces with four rows and ten columns, i.e., a 4×10 matrix. The four rows of container spaces are symmetrical. Each row is configured to receive eight storage containers 106 and has two openings 403. One container support 402 of the storage tower 400 of FIG. 19B is equivalent to two container supports 402 of the storage tower 400 of FIG. 19A, installed side-by-side along the second direction Y.

[0132] The storage tower 400 of FIG. 19C has a container support 402 with a matrix of container spaces with four rows and 15 columns, i.e., a 4×15 matrix. The four rows of container spaces are symmetrical. Each row is configured to receive 12 storage containers 106 and has three openings 403. One container support 402 of the storage tower 400 of FIG. 19C is equivalent to three container supports 402 of the storage tower 400 of FIG. 19A, installed side by side along the second direction Y.

[0133] 19B and 19C, each row of the container space exhibits a plurality of openings 403 distributed with an offset corresponding to d+1 grid cells 422 in the second direction Y, where d is an integer greater than or equal to 1. In these particular examples, d=4.

[0134] isolated environment According to the present invention, a storage tower 400 as described above is arranged within an isolated environment, for example, an isolated enclosure 800 as shown in FIGS. 20-22. The isolated environment may be any specialized environment in which goods are advantageously separated from the rest of the standard portion of the storage system. Non-limiting examples include fire- and explosion-resistant enclosures for storage of volatile or explosive goods, sterile environments for storage of sterile goods, etc. For illustrative purposes, the present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment in which the isolated environment is an area of ​​reduced temperature, for example, a refrigerator or freezer environment for storage of refrigerated or frozen goods. By storing goods within the isolated environment, container handling vehicles can operate within the storage system orbit outside the specialized environment.

[0135] 20-21 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention in which a storage tower 400, as described below, is enclosed by an isolation enclosure 800. In the illustrated embodiment, the isolation enclosure 800 is a refrigerator or freezer space, which provides thermal insulation, thereby facilitating the use of the storage tower 400 to store quench-chilled or frozen products. The isolation enclosure 800 may include isolated walls and a roof, i.e., 800′ and 800″, respectively. Refrigeration equipment 802 maintains a desired temperature. While the illustrated embodiment shows a refrigerator or freezer space, one skilled in the art will recognize that the isolation enclosure may be adapted to the needs of any specialty goods stored therein.

[0136] According to one aspect, as shown in FIG. 20 , a vehicle 301 may operate between a standard portion of a storage grid 100 and a storage tower 400 within its isolation enclosure 800. As shown in FIG. 22 , the isolation enclosure 800 includes an enclosure opening or hatch 804 in a roof 800″ below a rail system 408 that extends across the enclosure 800. Thus, a container handling vehicle 301 can store and retrieve storage containers 106 within the storage tower through the openable hatch 804. The hatch 804 normally remains closed and is only opened during storage or retrieval of a storage container 106. In one embodiment, the hatch 804 is opened and closed by a hatch barrier 801 arranged at the top level of the storage tower within the enclosure, as shown in FIG. 21 , although other means of opening and closing the hatch are also possible.

[0137] Isolation enclosure 800 is illustrated as including a door 803 for access to storage tower 400. Although door 803 is shown as open in Figure 20, the reader will understand that it is normally closed to provide the desired isolation environment.

[0138] The cross-sectional view of FIG. 21 illustrates the inside of the isolation enclosure 800 where refrigeration equipment 802 is disposed to maintain a desired environment or temperature inside the isolation enclosure 800 .

[0139] The embodiment of storage tower 400 arranged inside the isolation environment as shown in Figures 20-22 operates and is constructed in a manner similar to storage tower 400 described above and illustrated in Figures 5-16.

[0140] Container handling vehicles may access the storage tower through hatch 804, as shown in FIG. 21. One means of opening and closing such a hatch is through the use of a movable barrier 801, as illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 22. Barrier 801 is a horizontally movable, isolated barrier that may be arranged and controlled in a manner similar to the container supports arranged within the container support framework. In use, hatch barrier 801 will typically be the last component to be displaced once the lower container support framework 401 has moved into position such that storage containers 106 are accessible. Hatch barrier 801 will therefore not be held open for periods longer than necessary for the container handling vehicle 301 to lower and raise storage containers 106 from their storage positions, thereby reducing gas and / or temperature leakage between storage tower 400 and the external environment.

[0141] 21 shows hatch barrier 801 in a closed position spanning three enclosure openings 804 arranged longitudinally in a first direction X. However, as will be apparent to the reader, fewer or more enclosure openings 804 may be arranged within isolation enclosure 800, with corresponding hatch barriers 801 arranged to cover all of the enclosure openings 804 in the closed position. Indeed, as can be seen in FIG. 22, a perspective cross-sectional view of storage tower 400, enclosure openings 804 can also extend in second direction Y. Thus, the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 22 has enclosure openings 804 corresponding to 3×3 grid cells and hatch barriers 801 of the same size. Arranging the isolation enclosure 800 with larger enclosure openings 804 has the advantage of opening up more space for access by the container handling vehicle 301, but it may also be advantageous to have one or several smaller enclosure openings 804 and corresponding hatch barriers 801 that allow only minimal gas and temperature exchange between the storage tower 400 and the outside environment.

[0142] FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of a storage system comprising an isolation enclosure and its internal storage tower 400. As can be seen, a container handling vehicle 301 positions its container lifting device above a hatch 804. The six uppermost container supports 402 are displaced to the left in the illustration so that their respective openings 403 are vertically aligned, thus forming a tower port 805. The tower port 805 extends downward to a target container 806 stored on a target container support 807. A barrier 801 is displaced to the right in the illustration to open a hatch 804 directly below the lifting device, which can then be lowered below the tower port 805 to retrieve the target container without the need to perform a digging operation or place non-target containers in a temporary location above the grid, as required in prior art systems. It should be understood that the direction of displacement of the container supports and barrier is for illustrative purposes, and that different directions of displacement are also possible.

[0143] In certain embodiments, not shown herein, two storage towers 400 may be arranged on top of one another. For example, an upper tower may be arranged outside the isolation housing 800 and a lower tower may be arranged inside the isolation housing 800. A hatch barrier 801 may thus be arranged between the two storage towers 400; alternatively, two hatch barriers 801 may be arranged on top of one another between the storage towers 400 such that the hatch barrier 801 can be displaced to block the lower isolated tower from the upper storage tower. Other embodiments may also be envisioned in which portions of the storage towers 400 are isolated from one another by the use of one or more hatch barriers 801, such that the storage towers 400 may contain, for example, frozen goods and quenched goods at different levels.

[0144] Reference Number List [Table 1] [Table 2]

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Claims

1. 1. An automated storage and retrieval system comprising: a. an isolation enclosure (800) having walls (800') and a roof (800''), the isolation enclosure (800) arranged to isolate goods stored therein from an external environment, the goods being stored in a storage container (106); b. one or more openable and closable enclosure openings or hatches (804) arranged in the roof of the isolation enclosure; c) a rail system (408) arranged above the roof, on which one or more wheeled container handling vehicles (301) can travel, the container handling vehicles having lifting devices (304) for raising and lowering containers, the rail system (408) arranged so that at least one container handling vehicle can be positioned with its lifting device (304) positioned above a hatch (804); d. a storage tower (400) arranged inside said isolation enclosure (800), said storage tower being accessible to said container handling vehicle or vehicles through a hatch (804), said storage tower comprising: i. a plurality of vertically stacked container supports (402) in the form of horizontally movable shelves on which a plurality of storage containers (106) can rest, the container supports having a lateral width corresponding to a plurality of container spaces (106") and a longitudinal length corresponding to a plurality of container spaces (106"), thereby defining a plurality of lateral rows of container spaces, one or more of the container spaces in a lateral row having an opening (403) sized to accommodate a storage container so that the storage container may pass therethrough; ii. means for horizontally moving the container supports to align the openings (403) of vertically adjacent container supports to form a tower port (805) directly beneath the hatch (804); iii. Means for horizontally moving the target container support (807) to position the target container (806) at the bottom of said tower port (807); a storage tower (400) comprising: e. Automatic control system (500); Equipped with f. An automated storage and retrieval system whereby the container handling vehicle may lower its lifting device below the tower port (805) through the hatch to access the target container.

2. The rail system (408) arranged above the roof of the isolation enclosure (800) is operatively connected to a standard part of an automated grid storage system, the automated grid storage system being of a type comprising a framework structure (100) and a rail system (108) arranged across the top of the framework structure (100), the framework structure (100) comprising upright members (102), horizontal members (103), and a storage volume comprising storage columns (105) arranged in rows between the upright members (102) and the horizontal members (103), on the rail system (108) a plurality of container handling vehicles (201, 301) lift storage containers (106) from the storage columns (105).

2. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1, wherein the rail system is operable to lower storage containers into the storage columns and transport the storage containers above the storage columns, the rail system comprising: a first set of parallel rails arranged to guide movement of the container handling vehicles in a first direction X across the top of the framework structure; and a second set of parallel rails arranged perpendicular to the first set of parallel rails for guiding movement of the container handling vehicles in a second direction Y that is perpendicular to the first direction X.

3. The storage tower (400) comprises a plurality of horizontally extending container support frameworks (401) distributed with a vertical offset (ΔdVb-n), a. The plurality of horizontal container support frameworks (401) comprise: i. a first container supporting skeleton (401a); ii. at least one second container support skeleton (401b-n) arranged directly below said first container support skeleton (401a) and extending parallel to said first container support skeleton (401a); Equipped with b. each of said first container support skeleton and said at least one second container support skeleton (401b-n) comprises: i. horizontally extending container supports (402) with primary directions in a first direction (X) and an orthogonal second direction (Y), each container support (402) configured as a matrix of container spaces with a plurality of columns of container spaces arranged in the first direction (X) and a plurality of rows of container spaces arranged in the second direction (Y); c. Each row of container spaces of said first container skeleton (401a) comprises: i. configured to receive a plurality of storage containers (106); ii. presenting at least one opening (403) extending along said second direction (Y), said at least one opening (403) being at least as large as the maximum horizontal cross section (A) of said storage container (106) to be stored; ｆ ) and has an opening size of d. said at least one opening (403) of said first container skeleton (401 a) and said at least one opening (403) of said at least one second container skeleton (401 b-n) may be vertically aligned with respect to each other; e. at least one container support (402) is displaceable along said second direction (Y); f. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one container support skeleton (401a-n) further comprises a support displacement device (700) configured to displace said displaceable container supports (402).

4. 4. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 3, wherein the storage tower (400) comprises a hatch barrier (801) arranged above the container support skeleton (401), the barrier being configured to cover and isolate the enclosure opening (804), and the barrier (801) being horizontally displaceable along a first direction (X) or a second direction (Y) by a support displacement device (700).

5. the support displacement device (700) comprises a motor for driving a linear actuator, a gear drive, a chain drive, a belt drive, or any combination thereof, the motor being arranged outside the horizontal extent of an individual container support skeleton (401) containing at least one displaceable container support (402) to be displaced; 5. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 4, wherein the support displacement device (700) is a direct drive mechanism arranged on the container support (402).

6. 6. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 5, wherein the container support (402) comprises, at least in part, vertical guide plates (409) arranged around a perimeter of each of the at least one opening (403), the vertical guide plates of vertically adjacent openings being arranged to cooperate to form the tower port (805).

7. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 6, wherein the isolation enclosure (800) is a thermal isolation enclosure and a refrigeration device (802) is arranged in association with the enclosure.

8. 8. The automated storage and retrieval system of claim 7, wherein the isolation enclosure (800) is a fire-resistant or explosion-resistant enclosure adapted for storing flammable or explosive materials.

9. 1. A method for storing or retrieving specialty items in an automated storage and retrieval system, the method comprising: a. arranging a storage tower (400) inside an isolation enclosure (800) as claimed in any one of claims 1-8; b) storing specialised goods in said storage tower, said goods being advantageously of a type that are isolated from the surrounding environment outside said isolation enclosure in an isolated environment; c. Using said control system (500), commanding the container supports to move horizontally to vertically align their respective openings to form a tower port beneath the hatch; d. using said control system (500) to command a target container support to move horizontally to position a target container at the bottom of said tower port or to position an empty container space at the bottom of said tower port; e. using said control system (500) to command a container handling vehicle to position its lifting device above said hatch; f. opening the hatch; g. commanding the container handling vehicle to lower its lifting device below the tower port, engage the target container, and lift the target container out of the isolation enclosure or lower a container below the tower port into the empty container space; h. closing said hatch; A method comprising:

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the specialty item is a refrigerated or frozen item and the isolated environment has a lower temperature than the ambient environment outside the isolated enclosure.

11. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the specialty commodity is a volatile, flammable, or potentially explosive commodity and the isolation enclosure is a fireproof room.

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