One-Way Ramp Track Layout for Collision-Free Rack Carriages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing track arrangements for self-driven carriages in storage racks are limited by inefficiencies due to the use of lifts or belt conveyors, leading to idle phases and potential collisions, which reduce occupancy and increase time consumption in transporting objects.
Innovation Solution
A track arrangement with one-way ramps connecting storage levels, allowing carriages to efficiently move between levels without the need for lifts or belt conveyors, reducing the risk of collisions and optimizing routes through a modular and cost-effective design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a lift or belt conveyor is used to connect storage levels, then objects can be transported between levels, but idle phases occur during handover and the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The track arrangement enables carriages to continuously transport objects between storage levels without stopping for handover. Carriages move directly from one storage level to another along the track, eliminating the idle phases that occur when objects must be transferred to lifts or belt conveyors. The system maintains continuous motion of carriages, ensuring that the transportation function is performed without interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the handover operation from the transportation system by allowing carriages to retain objects throughout the entire transport process. Instead of transferring objects to intermediate conveyors at each level, the carriage itself serves as the continuous transport medium, removing the handover step entirely from the system.
2Productivity
If a lift or belt conveyor is used to connect storage levels, then objects can be transported between levels, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The track arrangement serves multiple functions: it connects storage levels, guides carriage motion, and enables direct object transport. The same track structure that provides the pathway also defines the motion constraints, eliminating the need for separate conveyor systems. Carriages are multi-functional units that transport objects, move between levels, and return to interaction sites all along the same track infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes lifts and belt conveyors from the system, replacing them with a unified track arrangement. This extraction of intermediate transport mechanisms simplifies the overall system while maintaining the capability to transport objects between storage levels.
3Adaptability or versatility
If carriages can change storage levels freely with bidirectional tracks, then route flexibility increases, but collision risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The track arrangement is segmented into one-way sections that guide carriages in specific directions between storage levels. By dividing the track into directional segments, the system maintains route flexibility while preventing head-on collisions. Carriages follow predefined directional paths that eliminate conflicting motion patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The track arrangement uses asymmetric one-way routing where carriages traveling in opposite directions follow different paths or sequences. This asymmetric design allows carriages to access any storage level while preventing simultaneous bidirectional movement that could cause collisions. The directional asymmetry resolves conflicts by assigning unique paths to opposite-direction traffic.
Data Source
AI summary
A track arrangement (1) for self-driven carriages (2) in a storage rack arrangement (3) stores and accessed objects (4). A plurality of storage sites (5) are arranged in a rack extending over k storage levels (7). The track arrangement connects each storage level (7) with at least one interaction site (10) for processing stored objects and/or issuing objects to be stored and includes Z track levels, Z≥k, an entry point (27) on the mth track level for each interaction site (10), mϵ{1, . . . , Z}, and an exit point (28) on the nth track level for each interaction site, n∈{1, . . . , Z}. Each interaction site has: Z−m first one-way ramps (14) directed downward towards the entry point, m−1 second one-way ramps (16) directed upward towards the entry point, Z−n third one-way ramps (20) directed upward away from the exit point, and n−1 fourth one-way ramps (22) directed downward away from the exit point.