Gantry Handling Apparatus for Vertical Container Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing warehouse systems face inefficiencies in storing and handling large numbers of different product lines, particularly with single-product stacks requiring extensive floor space and being impractical for perishables or infrequently ordered goods.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical handling apparatus comprising a gantry and a delivery container handler with a pushing arm, capable of moving delivery containers from an automated storage and retrieval system to a loading frame, allowing for efficient vertical and lateral movement and integration with optical sensors and processors for precise positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If single-product stacks are used to store product lines, then product storage is simplified, but floor area requirement becomes excessively large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal single-product stacks to vertical multi-level stacks arranged in a grid framework. Containers are stacked vertically to form multiple levels, allowing the system to store tens or hundreds of thousands of different product lines within a compact footprint, thereby dramatically reducing floor area requirements while maintaining high adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The grid framework structure serves multiple functions: it supports vertical stacking of containers, provides lateral movement guidance, and enables dense storage of diverse product lines. This multi-functional design allows the system to handle various product types efficiently without requiring separate storage solutions for each product category.
2Area of stationary object
If multi-product stacks are implemented to reduce floor space, then storage density increases, but access to containers becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces robotic load handling devices as intermediaries between the multi-product stacks and the delivery vehicles. These robotic devices automatically retrieve containers from vertical stacks and transfer them to delivery frames, eliminating the need for complex manual access mechanisms while maintaining high storage density and product variety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual container handling with automated robotic load handling devices that operate on tracks within the grid framework. These robotic systems use sensors and automated control to access containers at various heights and transfer them to delivery vehicles, simplifying the overall access mechanism while enabling dense multi-product storage.
3Productivity
If automated load handling devices are used to improve throughput, then productivity increases, but system complexity and initial cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The automated handling system is segmented into modular robotic load handling devices that can operate independently on different tracks within the grid framework. Each robotic device is a self-contained unit with sensors, actuators, and control systems, allowing the system to achieve high throughput through parallel operation of multiple simple, standardized modules rather than one complex integrated system.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for manipulating containers or totes is configured to: receive a container from a spur of a semi-automated or automated storage and retrieval system and a first position; move the container to a second position, which corresponds to a predetermined location relative to a loading frame; and to move the container into a first destination location within the loading frame. Optionally, the container may then be moved to a second destination within the loading frame.