Separate Contact Line Arrangements for Independent Conveyor Vehicle Operation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing rack storage systems face issues with fault-free power supply and clear allocation of control signals for conveyor vehicles, leading to operational stoppages when faults occur, especially during retrieval operations.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of separate contact line arrangements for each conveyor vehicle on guide rails, allowing for dedicated power and data supply, ensuring independent operation and preventing data transmission faults between conveyor vehicles and the central control system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single contact line arrangement is used for multiple conveyor vehicles, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to fault propagation and inability to allocate control signals clearly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontact line arrangement structureVSAvoidoperational continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The contact line arrangement is segmented into separate independent arrangements for each conveyor vehicle. Each conveyor vehicle has its own dedicated contact lines that extend along the guide rails, allowing independent power and data supply. This segmentation prevents fault propagation between vehicles and enables clear allocation of control signals, resolving the reliability issue while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If separate contact line arrangements are implemented for each conveyor vehicle, then reliability is improved through independent operation, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefault toleranceVSAvoidcontact line arrangement structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The separate contact line arrangements use a standardized universal design that serves multiple functions: power supply, data transmission, and fault isolation. Each arrangement follows the same structural pattern along the guide rails, allowing the system to achieve high reliability through redundancy while controlling complexity via standardization. The contact lines are integrated into the existing guide rail infrastructure, making the multi-vehicle independent supply achievable without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If contact line arrangements are extended along guide rails for each conveyor vehicle, then data transmission reliability is improved, but installation space requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmissionVSAvoidinstallation space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The contact line arrangements are nested within or integrated into the existing guide rail structure. The contact lines extend along the guide rails that already define the conveyor vehicle paths, utilizing the available linear space efficiently. This nesting approach allows separate contact line arrangements for each vehicle without requiring additional lateral or vertical space, as the contact lines are confined to the linear path already established by the guide rails.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS9764900B2Automatic rack storage system
Publication Date: 2017.09.19 TGW LOGISTICS GMBH
  • US9764900B2 patent drawing
  • US9764900B2 patent drawing
  • US9764900B2 patent drawing

AI summary

The invention relates to a rack storage system comprising a storage rack (1) with storage shelves (12a, 12b) having storage spaces (17) for articles in rack stages (16) lying one above the other with a rack aisle (15) extending in between. Several guide tracks with first and second guide rails run along the rack aisle (15) (27, 28). First and second conveyor vehicles (3a, 3b) can be moved on the guide tracks, each of the conveyor vehicles (3a, 3b) having a drive motor (65a, 65b) and an electronic control unit (66a, 66b) and being controllable independently of one another. The first guide rail (27) is equipped with a first contact line arrangement (67) and the second guide rail (28) is equipped with a second contact line arrangement (68), each of the contact line arrangements (67, 68) comprising dedicated contact lines (69, 70). For energy and/or data supplying purposes, current collectors (71a) of the first conveyor vehicle (3a) contact the contact lines (69) of the first contact line arrangement (67) and current collectors (71b) of the second conveyor vehicle (3b) contact the contact lines (70) of the second contact line arrangement (68). The first conveyor vehicle (3a) and the second conveyor vehicle (3b) can be moved simultaneously and independently of one another on the same conveying track.