Buffer Magazine for Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated storage and retrieval systems face inefficiencies due to container handling vehicles waiting to deliver or pick up containers at stations, leading to reduced operational capacity and increased idle time.
Innovation Solution
A buffer system with two automated lifts is introduced, allowing container handling vehicles to deliver and pick up containers independently of the station's availability, enabling vehicles to operate with reduced waiting times and increased flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If container handling vehicles wait to deliver or pick up containers at stations, then containers can be processed at the station, but operational capacity is reduced and idle time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer system pre-stores containers in a magazine structure before they are needed at the station. Container handling vehicles can deliver containers to the buffer in advance and retrieve them later without waiting at the station, allowing preliminary action to eliminate waiting time and maintain continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer system acts as an intermediary between the container handling vehicles and the station. It decouples the vehicle operations from station processing, allowing vehicles to operate independently while the buffer manages container transfer timing, thus eliminating the direct waiting relationship.
2Productivity
If container handling vehicles wait at stations for delivery or pickup, then container processing can occur, but flexibility of vehicle operations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles can perform preliminary deliveries to the buffer system without coordinating with station schedules. This preliminary action allows them to maintain their own operational rhythm and flexibility while ensuring containers are available when needed at the station.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer serves as a flexible intermediary that absorbs timing variations between vehicle arrivals and station processing needs. Vehicles gain flexibility by not being constrained to station schedules, while the buffer manages the timing mismatch.
3Device complexity
If a single lift system is used for container delivery and pickup, then system complexity is reduced, but waiting times for operators increase
Solution Approach 1:
The single lift system is segmented into two independent lifts: one dedicated to delivering containers from the buffer to the station, and another for picking up containers from the station to the buffer. This segmentation allows simultaneous bidirectional operations, eliminating waiting times while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
With two independent lifts operating simultaneously, the system achieves continuous useful action - while one lift is delivering containers, the other is picking them up. This eliminates idle waiting time for both vehicles and operators, keeping the system continuously productive.
Data Source
AI summary
A buffer system is for delivering containers to and from the station. The storage and retrieval system includes a framework structure which includes a rail system including a first set of parallel rails arranged to guide movement of a container handling vehicle in a first direction across the top of the framework structure, and a second set of parallel rails arranged perpendicular to the first set of rails to guide movement of the container handling vehicle in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction. The first and second sets of parallel rails divide the rail system into a plurality of grid cells. The framework structure includes upright members defining storage columns for storing containers within the framework structure. The storage and retrieval system includes at least one container handling vehicle configured to operate on the rail system. The buffer system has at least two automated lifts for delivering containers to and from the station. A first lift is for delivering containers to the station that have been delivered from the framework structure by a container handling vehicle and a second lift is for delivering containers from the station to the framework structure of the storage and retrieval system using a container handling vehicle. The speed of the first and the second lifts in the buffer system is controlled with the effect that when one container is finished at the station another is delivered to the station.