Transfer Shuttle Inner Finger Telescopic Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional automated storage/retrieval systems face challenges in increasing storage capacity due to limitations in the stroke length of telescopic mechanisms, which require additional sliding rails, leading to wear, increased manufacturing costs, and reduced accommodating capacity.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of inner fingers in the telescopic mechanism allows for deeper placement of unit loads, eliminating the need for additional sliding rails and enabling the arrangement of two rows of unit loads per shelf, while maintaining the same profile for existing parts, thus enhancing storage capacity without increasing clearance between loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the stroke of the telescopic mechanism is doubled to increase storage capacity, then more unit loads can be stored per shelf, but the number of sliding rails must be increased which causes increased wear and manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic mechanism is segmented into multiple stages (first sliding rail, second sliding rail, third sliding rail) that work together to achieve the required stroke length. Each stage handles a portion of the total displacement, allowing the mechanism to reach deeper positions without requiring a single excessively long rail or increasing the number of rails beyond what is necessary for the segmented approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a vertical stacking dimension for the telescopic mechanism, with sliding rails arranged in series (first, second, and third rails) that extend sequentially. This dimensional arrangement allows the mechanism to achieve greater effective stroke length in the horizontal direction while maintaining a compact vertical profile, thereby increasing storage capacity without proportionally increasing wear-prone rail数量.
2Quantity of substance
If the stroke of the telescopic mechanism is doubled, then more unit loads can be stored per shelf, but the system structure becomes more complex and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic mechanism is designed with a universal structure where the same basic sliding rail and driving unit configuration is repeated across multiple stages. Each stage uses identical or similar components (sliding rails, driving units, guide rails), allowing the system to achieve doubled stroke length through modular repetition rather than designing a completely new complex mechanism. This standardization reduces overall system complexity compared to custom designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic mechanism employs a nested arrangement where the second sliding rail is positioned within the stroke range of the first sliding rail, and the third sliding rail is positioned within the stroke range of the second sliding rail. This nested configuration allows the mechanisms to be compactly arranged, reducing the overall space required and simplifying the structural design while achieving the necessary extended stroke length for increased storage capacity.
3Quantity of substance
If the telescopic mechanism becomes thicker to accommodate additional sliding rails, then the stroke can be doubled, but the clearance between unit loads increases thereby reducing accommodating capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic mechanism utilizes the vertical dimension to stack the sliding rails (first, second, and third rails arranged in sequence), allowing the horizontal stroke length to be extended without significantly increasing the vertical thickness. This dimensional arrangement enables deeper placement of unit loads while maintaining compact horizontal dimensions, thereby increasing storage capacity without creating excessive clearance between adjacent unit loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic mechanism divides the total stroke requirement into segmented stages, with each sliding rail handling a portion of the displacement. This segmentation allows the mechanism to achieve greater effective stroke length through coordinated movement of multiple rails rather than requiring a single thick mechanism, thereby maintaining smaller individual rail dimensions and reducing the overall thickness that would create clearance issues between unit loads.
Data Source
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AI summary
A transferring shuttle for transferring a unit load between a pair of multi-tier racks in an automated storage/retrieval system in accordance with the present invention comprises a travelling platform adapted to travel between the multi-tier racks, respective telescopic mechanisms provided in the front and rear in such a form as to hold a unit-load carriage of the travelling platform therebetween, and respective outer fingers which are provided at both ends of a rail having the largest movable range in the telescopic mechanisms and movable between a projected position engageable with the unit load and a retracted position. The rail is also provided with an inner finger between the outer fingers. This structure allows the inner finger to push the unit load on the unit-load carriage of the transferring shuttle, whereby the unit load can be transported to a deeper part of the multi-tier racks than conventionally done.