Mechanized Warehouse Dual Lifting Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multi-storey parking solutions face challenges such as high construction and maintenance costs, inefficient space utilization, and single-point failure of lifting devices leading to system downtime, making them inefficient and costly for storing and retrieving vehicles in a small area.
Innovation Solution
A mechanized warehouse design featuring a radially arranged base with a cylinder-shaped central shaft, equipped with two independent lifting devices controlled by an actuation center, and service tunnels, allowing for efficient and continuous operation with minimal energy consumption and reduced downtime.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single lifting device is used in the central shaft, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability decreases because the system becomes disabled if the lifting device breaks down
Solution Approach 1:
The single lifting device is segmented into two independent lifting devices operating in the same central shaft. Each device can independently service all storage areas, creating redundancy so that if one device fails, the other can maintain full system operation. This segmentation directly resolves the contradiction by improving reliability through redundancy while managing complexity through modular independence.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of lifting device quantity from one to two, fundamentally altering the system's reliability characteristics. This parameter change enables the system to tolerate failures and continue operation, directly addressing the reliability concern while the modular nature of the change keeps complexity manageable.
2Quantity of substance
If vehicles are stored in deep-level garages under ground, then the space utilization is improved, but the construction costs and foundation works increase considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal ground-level or surface parking to vertical multi-storey stacking, utilizing the vertical dimension to maximize storage capacity. This dimensional change allows high-density storage without requiring extensive earthworks or deep foundations, as the structure builds upward rather than downward, directly resolving the contradiction between storage capacity and construction cost.
3Ease of operation
If access roads are built for deep-level garages, then the vehicle access is improved, but the effective parking area is considerably decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The access road function and the lifting device function are merged into a single integrated system. Vehicles are driven to a single ground-level access point, then automatically transported to any storage level via the lifting devices within the central shaft. This eliminates the need for separate access roads on each level, maximizing effective parking area while maintaining ease of operation through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical system of vehicles driving on access roads across multiple levels is replaced with an automated lifting mechanism. Instead of vehicles navigating complex road networks on each floor, they are vertically transported by the lifting devices, eliminating the need for extensive access road infrastructure and maximizing usable parking space.
4Area of stationary object
If engineering equipments are used to transport vehicles to parking lots, then the parking area is increased, but the service time increases due to difficult equipment operation
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting devices are equipped with automated control systems that enable self-service operation. Vehicles are automatically positioned, lifted, and placed in storage areas without requiring complex manual intervention or difficult-to-operate equipment. The system performs its own service functions, reducing service time while maintaining high space utilization.
5Area of stationary object
If storage areas are arranged radially around a central shaft, then the space utilization is improved, but the device complexity increases with multiple lifting devices
Solution Approach 1:
Both lifting devices are designed with universal functionality to service all radial storage areas around the central shaft. Each device can independently access any level and position, making them multi-functional rather than specialized for specific zones. This universality manages complexity by using identical, interchangeable components rather than requiring different specialized mechanisms for different areas.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The subject of the invention is a mechanized warehouse assembled of metal building units for the storing of loading units and especially vehicles, which includes a base consisting of several superimposed storage levels and storage lots located radially per storage level, a central shaft located in the centre of the base bordered by the storage lots and a lifting device movable upwards and downwards in the central shaft and the connecting movable unit, where the lifting device has a supporting body for the support of the loading unit including a sliding device and a rotating mechanism located between the sliding device and the supporting body; and the at least one connecting level for the inserting and removal of the loading unit is attached to the central shaft. The characteristic feature of the invention is that in the central shaft (11) independently from the one lifting device (20) an other movable lifting device (30) is located; and the moving unit (40) with one of the moving units (41) connecting to one of the lifting device (20) and the other moving sub-unit (42) connecting to the other lifting device (30), where one of the moving sub-unit (41) and the other moving sub-unit (42) is connected to each other through a actuation control centre (43), and the central shaft (11) is completed with a service tunnel attachment (12,13) in the section of the central shaft (11) located under and/or above the storage levels (15) suitable for receiving of one of the one lifting device (20) or the other lifting device (30).