Container Storage Robot With Lift and Gripper for Stable Deep Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current container storage systems face issues such as instability during lifting and transportation, high energy expenditure, potential jamming, limited access to all storage spaces, and the need for multiple robots, which increases costs and maintenance complexity, while also being limited to specific container sizes and heights.
Innovation Solution
A robot with a base moving in the X-axis and a lift moving in the Z-axis, equipped with an electronic control system, gripper, and power supply system, featuring guide rollers and a gripper drive system connected to a wireless communication system, allowing for efficient and stable container handling and retrieval, and a modular rack structure with adjustable shelves for versatile container sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple robots are used to handle containers, then productivity is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robot system is divided into distinct functional modules: a base unit for movement, a lift mechanism for vertical transport, and a gripper for container handling. This segmentation allows each module to be optimized independently while working together to achieve high productivity with a single integrated robot rather than multiple robots.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot base is designed with universal functionality to perform multiple operations: horizontal movement along tracks, vertical lifting of containers, and precise positioning. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized robots for each task, reducing system complexity while maintaining high productivity.
2Ease of operation
If battery-powered robots are used, then ease of operation is improved, but loss of time increases due to charging requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply system uses the robot's movement along tracked paths as the mechanism for power delivery. The continuous contact with the track serves dual purposes: guidance and electrical power transmission, converting the constraint of tracked movement into a benefit that enables continuous operation without battery charging stops.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces battery-based electrical power storage with a mechanical-electrical hybrid power delivery system where electricity is transmitted through the mechanical contact with the track. This substitution eliminates the need for battery charging cycles while maintaining autonomous operation capability.
3Manufacturing precision
If fixed-size containers are stored, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The rack structure employs adjustable shelves that can be repositioned to accommodate containers of varying heights and dimensions. This dynamic adjustability allows the system to adapt to different container sizes while maintaining precise positioning and storage organization, bridging the gap between standardization and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows modification of storage parameters such as shelf positions, rack configurations, and gripper positioning to accommodate different container dimensions. By enabling these parameter changes, the system maintains manufacturing precision for each container type while achieving adaptability across a range of sizes.
4Volume of stationary object
If deep storage columns are used, then volume of stationary object is improved, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to jamming risks
Solution Approach 1:
The lift mechanism serves as an intermediary between the deep storage columns and the robot base. It retrieves containers from difficult-to-reach positions in deep columns and delivers them to the base for easy removal, eliminating the jamming risk that would occur if containers were directly accessed from deep storage positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a vertical dimension to container retrieval through the lift mechanism. Instead of horizontally accessing containers from deep columns where jamming is likely, the lift vertically transports containers to an intermediate position, changing the access dimension and eliminating the harmful jamming effect while maintaining deep storage capacity.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3b~3c
AI summary
The object of the invention is a robot for transporting storage containers, comprising a robot base and a lift, wherein the robot base is provided with an electronic system for controlling the robot, a robot travel drive system, a robot lift drive system, a drive transmission system comprising wheels of the robot and a transmission system for the lift transportation means, and a lift power supply system, wherein the lift is provided with a gripper and a gripper control system, and the lift (3) is provided with guide rollers (7), and the gripper (4) of the lift (3) is connected to a gripper Y-axis slide system (5), a transverse gripper drive system (19) and a longitudinal gripper drive system (22), whereas the lift power supply system (25) comprises a drum (26) with a power supply belt (27), a power supplying system (28) to the drum (26), and a mechanical compensator (29). Another object of the invention is a container storage system. Another object of the invention is a method for storing containers.