Storage systems and methods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems with freestanding stacks of containers face challenges in efficiently accessing and managing large numbers of bins, particularly in enclosed spaces where the height of the load handling device restricts the maximum stack height, and lack integrated services for condition monitoring and control.
Innovation Solution
A storage system comprising a grid-pattern framework with parallel rails and uprights that support storage containers in stacks, incorporating load handling devices that can move laterally above the stacks, and providing integrated service means for power, water, data communications, lighting, and sensing to enable monitoring and control of the storage system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If freestanding stacks of containers are used to reduce storage volume, then storage density is improved, but access complexity and device cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical hoisting mechanisms with a robotic load handler that uses a rectangular tube to grip and lift containers. This robotic system simplifies the access mechanism while maintaining high storage density through vertical stacking.
Solution Approach 2:
The rectangular tube load handler is designed to grip containers at any level in the stack, providing a universal access mechanism that can retrieve any container regardless of its position. This multi-functional capability eliminates the need for level-specific access mechanisms.
2Productivity
If a rectangular tube load handler is used to extract multiple containers, then retrieval efficiency is improved, but the device height must accommodate the largest stack
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the rectangular tube load handler to operate horizontally across the front of stacks rather than vertically along them. This dimensional change allows the load handler to access containers at any height without requiring its own height to match the stack height, enabling efficient multi-container retrieval in enclosed spaces.
3Ease of operation
If stacks are arranged in rows with aisles for access, then container accessibility is improved, but storage space utilization decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the access mechanism from the traditional row-and-aisle configuration and concentrates it in a robotic load handler that moves along the front of stacks. This eliminates the need for aisles between rows, allowing containers to be accessed from the front while maximizing storage space utilization through compact vertical stacking.
4Adaptability or versatility
If maximum stack height is restricted to accommodate load handler tube height, then enclosed space compatibility is improved, but storage capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the load handler's operational dimension from vertical to horizontal, allowing it to access containers at any height without being constrained by its own height. This enables maximum stack height to be limited only by the enclosed space dimensions rather than the load handler dimensions, maximizing storage capacity while maintaining enclosed space compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system is disclosed where goods can be stored in containers and the containers are stored in stacks. Above the stacks runs a grid network of rails (e.g., tracks) on which load handling devices can run. To take containers from the stacks and deposit then at alternative locations in the stacks or deposit then at stations where goods may be picked. The framework may be provided with one or more of the following exemplary services: power, power control, heating, lighting, cooling, sensors, and data logging devices. The provision of these services within the framework rather than across the system as a whole, can allow for flexibility in storage whilst reducing cost and inefficiency.