Rack-Climbing Shuttle Storage Without Lift Bottlenecks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage facilities face bottlenecks due to lifts, requiring complex control and coordination, and lack scalability and flexibility in handling storage units within racks.
Innovation Solution
Implement vertical climbing rails and retractable wheels for storage and retrieval apparatus, allowing efficient vertical movement without dedicated lifts, enabling easy scalability and flexibility by adjusting the number of shuttles based on throughput needs, and allowing seamless level changes within the racks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If lifts are used for vertical movement in storage facilities, then goods can be transported between levels, but the system becomes complex and creates bottlenecks requiring coordinated control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the dedicated lift component from the system entirely. Instead of using separate vertical transport devices, the shuttles themselves perform vertical movement by climbing the rack uprights directly at storage locations. This extraction of the lift function eliminates the complexity of coordinating lifts with shuttles and removes the bottleneck associated with centralized vertical transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The shuttles are equipped with climbing means that enable them to perform their own vertical transport without external assistance. Each shuttle independently climbs the rack uprights at its designated storage location, making the vertical transport function self-service rather than dependent on a separate lift system. This autonomy eliminates the coordination complexity between lifts and shuttles.
2Ease of operation
If dedicated lifts are installed for vertical movement, then level changes are enabled, but scalability and flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical transport function is segmented and distributed to individual shuttles rather than being centralized in dedicated lifts. Each shuttle has its own climbing means and can independently change levels at any storage location along the aisle. This segmentation enables flexible scalability where additional shuttles can be added to increase throughput without requiring additional lifts or complex infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static, fixed-level transport via lifts to dynamic, on-demand vertical movement. Shuttles can change levels at any point along the aisle based on real-time storage and retrieval needs, providing adaptive flexibility. The number and positioning of level changes are dynamically determined by operational requirements rather than fixed by lift locations.
3Productivity
If multiple shuttles are added to increase throughput, then productivity improves, but the need for additional vertical transport equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shuttles are designed as multi-functional units that perform both horizontal transport along aisles and vertical movement between levels. This universality means that adding more shuttles increases productivity without requiring additional dedicated vertical transport equipment. Each shuttle independently handles both dimensional movements, eliminating the need for separate lifts and enabling linear scaling of throughput with shuttle count.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2D
Figure 3A
AI summary
A storage facility (1) having a plurality of storage racks (R) and storage rack levels (3) for storage of load units (T), wherein two storage racks (R) have an aisle (2) between them, each storage rack level having running rails on the opposing faces of the storage racks (R), on which at least one storage and retrieval apparatus (5) may travel the length of the aisle (2). Each storage and retrieval apparatus (5) having a first set of four traveling wheels for traveling along the running rails horizontally along the respective storage rack level (3) of an aisle (2) and has climbing means for vertical movement, along vertical climbing chimneys, that include vertical climbing rails (15). The climbing means of each storage and retrieval apparatus (5) include a set of four climbing wheels (16) for interaction with the vertical climbing rails (15). The storage and retrieval apparatus (5) has a drive means (70a) to drive the first set of wheels (10) for horizontal travel and a separate drive means (70b) for driving the climbing wheels (16) for vertical climbing travel or a single drive (80) for both horizontal and vertical travel, which can be switched between the wheels that are driven.