Multi-tier Automated Storage System with Perpendicular Rail Tracks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated storage and retrieval systems for e-commerce are inefficient due to reliance on manual labor, leading to increased operating costs and errors, and existing systems either have low efficiency or complex robotic devices that cannot assemble packages effectively.
Innovation Solution
A multi-tiered automatic system with perpendicular rail tracks and mobile actuating devices that allow for concurrent handling and assembly of boxes, enabling the transfer of materials between stacks to form packages without manual intervention, using grippers and platforms to manage box movement and assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual labor is used for storage, transportation, and assembly operations, then the system can handle diverse tasks flexibly, but operating costs increase and human errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automated self-service operations where robotic devices autonomously perform storage, retrieval, and assembly tasks without human intervention. The mobile actuating devices automatically navigate, manipulate boxes, and assemble packages, eliminating the need for manual labor while maintaining operational continuity and reducing human errors.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical operations are replaced with automated robotic systems. Mobile actuating devices equipped with manipulators substitute human hands, while autonomous navigation systems replace human decision-making, achieving both reliability through automation and operational flexibility through programmable control.
2Device complexity
If a single gripper is used in the overhead robot system, then the system structure remains simple, but handling efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the handling function into multiple independent mobile actuating devices, each capable of autonomous operation. Instead of one complex overhead robot, multiple simpler mobile devices work in parallel, increasing overall handling efficiency while maintaining individual device simplicity and reducing system-wide complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single overhead horizontal dimension to multiple mobile devices operating in three-dimensional space. Mobile actuating devices can move vertically between shelves and horizontally along rails, utilizing vertical space to increase capacity without proportionally increasing horizontal footprint or system complexity.
3Extent of automation
If complex robotic devices are deployed for object handling, then automation capability is enhanced, but the ability to assemble packages is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Mobile actuating devices are designed with universal multi-functionality, capable of both autonomous navigation for retrieval tasks and manual manipulation for assembly operations. The manipulators can perform diverse actions including grasping, placing, and assembling, allowing the same device to handle both automated retrieval and package assembly without sacrificing either capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic task allocation where mobile actuating devices can switch between automated retrieval modes and manual assembly modes based on real-time requirements. The manipulators dynamically adjust their operations, transitioning from precise automated box handling to more flexible assembly tasks requiring dexterity and adaptability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If human-operated equipment is used for sequential box assembly, then task flexibility is maintained, but storage density decreases and system size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the storage and assembly functions into dedicated automated zones. Mobile actuating devices operate from compact overhead positions, enabling high-density vertical storage while maintaining flexible assembly capabilities through programmable task sequences. This segmentation allows dense storage without requiring large horizontal workspace for manual operations.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to warehouse technology, and specifically, to systems of automatic storage, sorting, assembly and delivery of goods. The invention can be used in various automated storage facilities, remote sales systems, as well as automated retail stores. An automatic system comprises a plurality of places arranged in rows in two horizontal directions, perpendicular to each other, and serving to accommodate boxes for storing materials in vertical stacks. A transport network comprises first rail tracks arranged above the stacks of boxes and intended for the movement of mobile actuating devices along them, as well as second rail tracks arranged perpendicular to the first rail tracks and located below the latter for the movement of mobile transporting devices along them. The mobile transporting devices are intended for moving boxes placed onboard along the second rail tracks. The mobile actuating devices are provided with a transfer unit intended for removing/placing one upper box from the storage place or one box from the mobile transporting device onto a transporting platform intended for accommodating materials during the movement of the mobile actuating device, and a gripper intended for retrieving/placing material from/into a box. The transport network is organized in such a way that a window is arranged above each stack of boxes, allowing to retrieve the upper boxes from the stack through such window from above, and another window is arranged above each of the second rail tracks, allowing to retrieve the boxes located on the mobile transporting device through such window from above. 2 independent claims, 18 dependent claims, 11 drawings.