Storage System Availability Determination Using Transporter Path Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage systems, such as those described in Japanese Patents No. 6562078 and No. 5035424, face challenges in accurately determining availability when some transporters are unusable, and they do not account for the accessibility of traveling vehicles to determined available stations.
Innovation Solution
A storage system is designed with multiple transporters and a determining controller that assesses the availability of the system by ensuring there is an available track path from the entrance to the exit and a capable transporter along that path, as well as a storage rack capable of storing items adjacent to the track.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If only one stacker crane is used in the purge stocker, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates because the entire system becomes unavailable if the single crane fails
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the transport function into multiple independent stacker cranes (first stacker crane and second stacker crane), each capable of independently performing transport operations. This segmentation ensures that if one crane fails, the other can still maintain system operation, thereby improving reliability without requiring all cranes to function simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The determination controller dynamically changes the operational parameters by selectively activating only the necessary cranes based on real-time availability status. When one crane is unavailable, the system reconfigures to use the available crane(s), adjusting the operational parameter from 'both cranes required' to 'single crane sufficient', thus maintaining system reliability.
2Device complexity
If the traveling vehicle system does not verify transporter accessibility to stations, then the determination process is simplified, but the measurement precision of availability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The determination controller receives feedback information from multiple sources including the availability status of individual transporters, the accessibility status of stations, and the current positions of traveling vehicles. This multi-source feedback mechanism enables precise availability determination by cross-validating multiple parameters rather than relying on a single simplified check.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary verification of transporter accessibility to stations before final availability determination. By checking in advance whether transporters can reach their designated stations and whether traveling vehicles are accessible, the system prevents inaccurate availability claims and ensures precise measurement of actual system availability.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage system includes an entrance port, a storage rack, an exit port, transporters, and a determining controller. The entrance port is a place at which an item is carried in from the outside. The storage rack is structured to store the item. The exit port is a place at which the item is carried out to the outside. The transporter, by moving along a track, accesses the entrance port, the storage rack, or the exit port. The determining controller is configured or programmed to determine that the storage system is available, when first and second conditions are satisfied, the first condition being that a path extending from the entrance port to the exit port includes an available track, the second condition being that there is any transporter capable of transporting the item along the track that satisfies the first condition.