Automatic retrieval system

Apparatus for retrieving articles from predetermined storage locations and delivering said articles to a delivery point, the articles being provided on hangers having heads, the apparatus comprising:

• a row of storage locations, each storage location being adapted to enable one or more of said hangers to be removably held there in a first orientation;
• control means comprising a control unit for designating the storage location at which is located one or more of said articles to be retrieved;
• means for removing one or more hangers from the designated storage location, the removal means being adapted to disengage said one or more hangers from the designated storage location and to move said one or more hangers into a second orientation for transportation, said second orientation being transverse to the first orientation in which hangers are held at storage locations;
• a transporter for transporting the one or more removed hangers from the designated location to the delivery point, wherein the removing means is carried by and moves with the transporter and the transporter is a monorail device adapted to move along a path substantially directly above said row of storage locations.

Apparatus for retrieving articles from predetermined storage locations and delivering said articles to a delivery point, the articles being provided on hangers, the apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of rows of storage locations, each storage location being adapted to enable one or more of said hangers to be removably held there in a first orientation;
• control means comprising a control unit for designating the storage location at which is located one or more of said articles to be retrieved;
• for each row of storage locations, means for removing one or more hangers from the designated storage location, the removal means being adapted to disengage said one or more hangers from the designated storage location and to move said one or more hangers into a second orientation for transportation, said second orientation being transverse to the first orientation in which hangers are held at storage locations;
• for each row of storage locations, a transporter for transporting the one or more removed hangers from the designated location to the delivery point;
• wherein each removing means is carried by and moves with a respective transporter and each transporter is a monorail device adapted to move along a path substantially directly above a respective row of storage locations.

Apparatus for retrieving articles from said predetermined storage locations and delivering said articles to a delivery point, the articles being provided on hangers having heads, the apparatus comprising:

• a row of storage locations, each storage location being adapted to enable one or more of said hangers to be removably held there in a first orientation;
• control means comprising a control unit for designating the storage location at which is located one or more of said articles to be retrieved;
• means for removing one or more hangers from the designated storage location, the removal means being adapted to disengage said one or more hangers from the designated storage location and to move said one or more hangers into a second orientation transverse to the first orientation in which hangers are held at storage locations;
• and
• a transporter for transporting the one or more removed hangers from the designated location to the delivery point;
• wherein the control means further comprises at least one sensor carried by the transporter for detecting storage locations as they are passed by the transporter;
• a row of storage locations comprises a row of slots causing discontinuities in a surface of a rail;
• and
• the sensor(s) provided on the transporter are magnetic field sensors arranged to detect the discontinuities caused by the slots in said rail.