Mechanical automatic aisle lock

A mobile storage system having at least one storage unit for storing material which is movable along a path, at least one blocking object on said path, and path wheels supporting the storage unit for movement along the path both toward and away from said blocking object comprising;

• a clutch wheel rotatably mounted to the movable storage unit and mechanically connected to at least one of said path wheels for rotating with said at least one path wheel, so that rotation of the drive wheel in a first direction is associated with movement of the movable storage unit away from said blocking object, while rotation of the drive wheel in a second rotation direction is associated with movement of the movable storage unit toward said blocking object;
• binding means including a binding block spaced apart from the periphery of the clutch wheel and a binding wheel shiftable between a binding state, wherein the binding wheel is in contact with both the periphery of said clutch wheel and said binding block whereby rotation of said clutch wheel in said first direction is permitted, allowing movement of the movable storage unit away from the blocking object, but preventing movement toward the blocking object, and a non-binding state, wherein rotation of said clutch wheel, and movement of said movable storage unit, in either direction is enabled;
• and
• shifting means for shifting said binding means from said non-binding state to said binding state and wherein the periphery of said clutch wheel is provided with a V-shaped concave circumferential groove, and the periphery of the binding wheel is convex and wedge-shaped in cross section.

A mobile storage system having at least one movable storage unit for storing material and adapted to reeve along a path, at least one blocking object on said path, path wheels supporting the movable storage unit for movement along the path, and a clutch wheel for rotating with the path wheels as the movable storage unit moves toward and away from the blocking object comprising;

• an apparatus for automatically preventing movement of the movable storage unit toward the blocking object subsequent to movement of said movable storage unit a predetermined distance away from the blocking object, said apparatus comprising:
• a binding block spaced apart from the clutch wheel and coplanar therewith;
• and
• a resilient binding wheel, shiftable between an engaged position wherein the binding wheel is in contact with both the periphery of the clutch wheel and the binding block, whereby rotation of said clutch wheel in a first direction is permitted, allowing movement of the movable storage unit away from the blocking object, but preventing movement toward the blocking object, and a non-engaged position wherein the binding wheel is not in contact with both the periphery of the clutch wheel and the binding block so that rotation of said clutch wheel, and movement of said movable storage unit, in either direction is enabled;
• and
• shifting means for shifting, due to said movable storage unit having moved away from said blocking object a predetermined distance, said binding wheel from said non-engaged position to said engaged position.

An aisle locking device for application to a mobile storage system having at least one movable storage unit for storing material and adapted to be movable along a path, at least one blocking object on said path, and path wheels supporting the movable storage unit for movement along the path toward and away from said blocking object, said locking device comprising:

• a resilient binding wheel shiftable between a binding state for permitting movement of a movable storage unit away from a blocking object but preventing movement toward the blocking object and a non-binding state permitting movement of said unit in either direction;
• a clutch wheel carried by said storage unit and operatively connected to at least one of said path wheels, said binding wheel and said clutch wheel having complementary surfaces
• binding means aligned in coplanar relationship with the periphery of the clutch wheel and engagable with said binding wheel to impede rotation thereof in said binding state and disengagable therefrom to effect said non-binding state;
• shifting means for shifting said resilient binding wheel from said non-binding state to said binding state, and further comprising a guide block attached to said binding wheel and, biased toward said binding block, and positioned with respect to said clutch wheel and binding wheel so as to provide said binding wheel with a low-force binding state, intermediate said binding state and said non-binding state.