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US 2003/0118428 A1Published application
Circulating storage system
AssigneeBellheimer Metallwerk GmbH
InventorJohn McFarland
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AssigneeBellheimer Metallwerk GmbH
InventorJohn McFarland
Estimating the term…
The invention relates to a circulating storage system (1) comprising at least two storage columns (4) of stored-goods carriers (5) that are arranged one above another and circulate during operation, comprising at least one horizontal conveyor device (9) which [sic] by means of which, during operation, the stored-goods carriers can be transferred from one storage column to the other storage column, and comprising a vertical conveyor device (7) which, during operation, can be moved in the vertical direction by at least one part of the storage column [sic]. Known circulating storage systems of this type have the disadvantage that they can be expanded only by lengthening the storage column, for which purpose an appropriate amount of space is needed at the place where they are erected and that, in the case of high storage capacities, the access times are too long. In order to avoid these disadvantages, the invention provides for the circulating storage systems further to have at least one further vertical conveyor device (7), for each vertical conveyor device to be assigned to a storage column, and for each storage column to have the capability of being moved in the vertical direction, independently of the other storage column, by the vertical conveyor device assigned to it.
A circulating storage system (1) comprising at least two storage columns (4) of stored-goods carriers (5) that are arranged one above another and circulate during operation, comprising at least one horizontal conveyor device (8, 9) by means of which, during operation, the stored-goods carriers can be transferred from one storage column to the other storage column, and comprising a vertical conveyor device (7) by means of which, during operation, at least part of the storage column can be moved in the vertical direction, wherein at least one further vertical conveyor device (7) is provided, wherein each vertical conveyor device is assigned to a storage column (4), and wherein each storage column can be moved in the vertical direction, independently of the other storage column, by the vertical conveyor device assigned to it.
The circulating storage system (1) as claimed in one of the aforementioned claims, wherein the vertical conveyor device (7) comprises at least one flexible drive mechanism (18).
The circulating storage system (1) as claimed in one of the aforementioned claims, wherein the stored-goods carriers (5) are provided with a coupling section (31) which can be coupled into the vertical conveyor device (7) during the circulation of the stored-goods carriers (5).
The circulating storage system (1) as claimed in one of the aforementioned claims, wherein the vertical conveyor device (7) is arranged in the lower area of the storage column (4).
The circulating storage system (1) as claimed in one of the aforementioned claims, wherein a separately controllable horizontal conveyor device (8, 9) is provided in each case at the upper and at the lower end of a storage column (4).
The circulating storage system (1) as claimed in one of the aforementioned claims, wherein the horizontal conveyor device (8, 9) comprises a sliding rail (13) that extends substantially in the horizontal direction and on which a sliding section (39) of the stored-goods carriers (5) is supported in a sliding manner when being transported from one storage column (4) to the other.
The circulating storage system (1) as claimed in one of the aforementioned claims, wherein at least one transfer device (10, 11) is provided for each storage column (4), is arranged between [lacuna] horizontal conveyor device (8, 9) of this storage column (4) and the vertical conveyor device (7) of this storage column (4) and by means of which the stored-goods carriers (5) can be transferred from the horizontal conveyor device (8, 9) to the vertical conveyor device (7).
A construction set for a circulating storage system (1) as claimed in one of the aforementioned claims, which comprises a plurality of substantially identical storage column modules which can be built against one another, in which in each case at least one storage column (4) is accommodated and which are in each case provided with at least one vertical conveyor device (7), and comprises a plurality of horizontal conveyor devices (8, 9) by means of which the storage column modules can be connected to form a circulation.
A method of managing a circulating storage system (1) comprising a plurality of stored-goods carriers (5) arranged in storage columns (4), in which one of the stored-goods carriers is brought from a storage column into a predetermined access position by the stored-goods carriers circulating and being transferred from one storage column to another storage column, wherein the storage columns (4) are moved in the vertical direction independently of one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.