Automatic guided vehicle roll-handling system

Automatic guided paper roll-handling apparatus, comprising:

• a low-profile vehicle having an automatically controllable guidance system and a vertically extendible roll support cradle;
• roll support racks having spaced support bars for holding stationary paper rolls;
• said vehicle being low enough to pass beneath said support bars;
• said roll support cradle being retractable to lower a roll onto said support bars and extendible to a height sufficient to lift a roll off said support bars, whereby the vehicle can pass beneath rolls on the racks to selectively lift either a forwardmost roll or a rearwardmost roll from a plurality of rolls on a rack, including a roll downender for reorienting a roll from a position in which the roll's longitudinal axis is vertical to a horizontal bilge position, said downender having spaced horizontal and spaced vertical arms, said roll support cradle lowering a roll onto said horizontal arms;
• means for pivoting said arms ninety degrees about a horizontal axis to pivot the roll from an upright to a bilge position with the roll's vertical axis horizontal;
• and
• said extendible support cradle being movable through said roll downender for delivering the roll, passing through the downender, and receiving the reoriented roll from the other side of the downender.

A method of handling paper rolls between racks at a paper printing press storage area, comprising:

• positioning a vehicle entirely beneath a paper roll;
• lifting the roll and automatically guiding the roll to a storage rack capable of holding at least two paper rolls;
• guiding the vehicle beneath the rack while lifting the roll above the rack;
• lowering the roll onto the rack;
• guiding the vehicle out from under the roll and the rack, including the steps of delivering a second roll to a rack by guiding the vehicle beneath the rack and lowering the roll onto the rack adjacent to the first roll;
• and
• removing the first roll from the rack by guiding the vehicle in one direction first under the second roll to reach the first roll, lifting the first roll off the rack without engaging the second roll, and continuing the vehicle with the first roll in said one direction.

A method of handling paper rolls between racks at a paper printing press storage area, comprising:

• positioning a vehicle entirely beneath a paper roll;
• lifting the roll and automatically guiding the roll to a storage rack capable of holding at least two paper rolls;
• guiding the vehicle beneath the rack while lifting the roll above the rack;
• lowering the roll onto the rack;
• guiding the vehicle out from under the roll and the rack, including turning the roll from a roll lengthwise axis-up position to a roll lengthwise axis-horizontal bilge position;
• guiding the vehicle and a roll with its lengthwise axis horizontal onto a transfer table having a pair of articulated arms;
• guiding the vehicle beneath said articulated arms while lifting the roll above said articulated arms;
• and
• lowering the roll onto said transfer table arms.

Automatic guided paper roll-handling apparatus, comprising:

• a low-profile vehicle having an automatically controllable guidance system and a vertically extendible roll support cradle;
• roll support racks for holding stationary paper rolls;
• roll downender means having spaced arms for receiving a roll with one axis of orientation and rotating the roll ninety degrees to a second axis of orientation;
• said roll downender means having a vehicle path therethrough;
• and
• said vehicle passing beneath and through said roll support racks and said downender means for delivering and receiving rolls in a vehicle unidirectional path of movement.