Planar Storage Facility Segmentation for Manual Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

In planar storage facilities, when the storage/retrieval device is unavailable due to failure or maintenance, manually retrieving storage items, especially those located far from the periphery, requires significant effort and time due to the wide storage item placement plane, necessitating the removal of numerous items to create a passage.

Innovation Solution

The facility divides the storage item placement plane into smaller areas with passage regions that open to the periphery, allowing for efficient manual retrieval by enabling direct access to urgently needed items, and temporarily utilizing these passages for storage to enhance operational efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the storage item placement plane is made very wide to increase storage capacity, then the storage efficiency is improved, but the time and effort required for manual retrieval of items located far from the periphery increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidmanual retrieval time

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The storage item placement plane is divided into multiple small areas by establishing passage regions that extend from the periphery to the interior. This segmentation allows operators to access different zones independently without traversing the entire width of the storage plane, thereby reducing manual retrieval time while maintaining overall storage capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Quantity of substance

If the storage item placement plane is made very wide to increase storage capacity, then the storage efficiency is improved, but the effort required to create passages for accessing distant items increases enormously

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage capacityVSAvoidmanual retrieval effort

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of operation

If passage regions are established to enable manual access, then the ease of manual retrieval is improved, but the storage efficiency decreases due to reduced usable area

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanual retrieval easeVSAvoidusable storage area

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Passage regions are established selectively in specific locations of the storage item placement plane based on operational needs. The passages are designed to extend only as far as necessary to provide access to distant items, minimizing the loss of usable storage area while ensuring adequate access to all zones.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3257791B1Planar storage facility

Publication Date: 2020.12.30 DAIFUKU CO LTD

Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3F

AI summary

This planar storage facility is provided with a storage/retrieval device (2) for suspending and transporting storage items (Cab, Ccd) between a desired position in a storage item placement plane (1) and a storage conveyor (12) and a retrieval conveyor (13). A plurality of passage regions (PAal-PAb3) dividing the storage item placement plane (1) into small areas (SAa1-SAb4) are established in the storage item placement plane (1). At least one end of the passage regions opens to the outside of the periphery of the storage item placement plane (1). The task of manually unloading the storage items (Cab, Ccd) in the small areas (SAa1-SAb4) can be performed from within the passage regions (PAa1-PAb3) forming the small areas (SAal-SAb4).