Collapsible Fire-Resistant ASRS Container Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) in micro-fulfillment installations face high costs due to regulatory demands for expensive sprinkler systems, which can be a barrier to installation, especially in smaller systems where the cost of these systems constitutes a significant portion of the overall investment.
Innovation Solution
A fire-resistant storage container design featuring a base with hingedly connected sides and corner posts that interconnect to support vertical loads, allowing for efficient stacking and lifting, thereby reducing the need for costly sprinkler systems by utilizing a fire-resistant material and innovative assembly method that minimizes transportation volume and facilitates on-site assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional storage containers are used in ASRS, then the system can be installed, but expensive sprinkler systems are required to meet fire safety regulations, significantly increasing installation costs
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container changes its structural parameters by transforming from a conventional rigid box to a collapsible design with hinge-connected sides and corner posts. This parameter change allows the container to collapse inward during fire exposure, preventing outward expansion that would block water flow, thereby meeting fire safety requirements without expensive sprinkler systems
Solution Approach 2:
The storage container introduces dynamic behavior through its collapsible sides that can rotate about hinge axes. During normal operation, the sides remain upright to maintain storage function. During fire exposure, the sides dynamically collapse inward, changing the container's volume and shape to guide water flow along the inner surfaces, eliminating the need for expensive active fire suppression systems
2Ease of manufacture
If fire-resistant material is used for the storage container, then sprinkler systems can be reduced or eliminated, but the container structure becomes more complex with hinge connections and corner posts
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container is segmented into distinct functional components: a base, four independently hinged sides, and four corner posts. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately and assembled on-site, simplifying the manufacturing process despite the increased structural complexity. The hinge connections enable the sides to be folded during transport and assembled in their upright position at the destination
Solution Approach 2:
The collapsible design allows the sides to be folded inward and nested within the container's footprint during transport. The corner posts serve as structural cores around which the sides are folded, creating a compact nested configuration that reduces transportation volume while maintaining the complex hinge-connected structure needed for fire safety functionality
3Volume of moving object
If the storage container is designed for on-site assembly, then transportation volume is reduced, but assembly time and labor are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The storage container components are prepared in advance for on-site assembly by pre-attaching the sides to the base via hinge connections and pre-positioning corner posts at the corners. This preliminary action allows the container to be disassembled into compact components for efficient transportation, then quickly reassembled at the destination by simply connecting the pre-prepared components, reducing both transportation volume and assembly time
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge-connected design enables the storage container to be self-assembled without requiring specialized tools or equipment. The corner posts and hinge connections are designed to automatically align and lock into place, allowing workers to assemble the container through simple manual operations. This self-service approach reduces assembly time and labor requirements compared to traditional bolted or welded constructions
Data Source
AI summary
A storage container, which is for an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS), is configured to be stacked in a stack of storage containers where an underlying storage container supports the storage container(s) positioned above. The storage container is adapted to be lifted by grippers on a lifting device such that the storage container can be lifted from above. The storage container includes a base, four sides, and four corner posts. The four sides are each hingedly connected to an edge of the base. The four corner posts are each configured to interconnect a pair of adjacent sides to each other in a horizontal direction when the sides are positioned substantially 90 degrees relative the base and relative each other.