Shuttle system and method for handling a load carrier

A shuttle system, comprising:

• a rack structure with a storage and retrieval level and at least one warehouse level for storing load carriers,
• a vertical conveyor for transporting load carriers between the levels of the rack structure,
• at least one shuttle arranged to travel in the levels of the rack structure,
• at least one buffer location, which is situated in the storage and retrieval level directly next to the vertical conveyor, the at least one buffer location is set up to temporarily receive a load carrier, and the at least one buffer location comprises a transfer section on a storage side, on a pre-zone side, and on a vertical conveyor side for receiving and delivering the load carrier,
• wherein the at least one shuttle is further set up to transfer a load carrier to be retrieved to the buffer location and to take over a load carrier to be stored from the buffer location, wherein this takeover and handover is performed via the transfer section on the storage side,
• wherein the buffer location is further set up to take over or hand over a load carrier also from or to a conveyor acting as an interface between the storage and retrieval level and a zone located outside the rack levels, wherein the takeover and handover is performed via the transfer section on the pre-zone side,
• wherein the vertical conveyor is operable to transfer the load carrier from the buffer location to the vertical conveyor or take the load carrier over from the vertical conveyor, wherein the takeover and transfer is performed via the transfer section on the vertical conveyor side,
• wherein a direction along which the buffer location transfers the load carrier to or takes the load carrier over from the conveyor acting as an interface runs parallel to a direction along which the at least one shuttle transfers the load carrier to or takes the load carrier over from the buffer location, and
• wherein a direction along which the vertical conveyor transfers the load carrier to or takes the load carrier over from the buffer location runs orthogonally to the direction along which the conveyor acting as an interface transfers the load carrier to or takes the load carrier over from the buffer location.