A storage system (20; 300) for storing loads (32) has: a plurality of carriers (30; 330), for holding respective loads; a plurality of uprights (46; 346); a plurality of flooring levels, one above another, supported by the uprights; a plurality of carrier supports (66; 366); at least one wheeled automated vehicle (50; 350), for carrying said carriers along the flooring levels and including a lifting surface (200; 400) for supporting a supported one of the carriers and shiftable between a lowered condition and a raised condition; and means (52A, 52B) for moving the at least one wheeled automated vehicle between the flooring levels.

The present invention is to provide a solution of high density storage and goods-to-man picking by proposing a three dimensional warehouse system for accurate inbound and outbound operation and management and improved space utilization rate of the warehouse. The technical solution includes a rack, containers, carrier vehicles, and track-switching devices. The rack includes a track structure and defines at least one load-bearing platform. The track structure includes running tracks, and the at least one load-bearing platform located below the running track. Each container stores goods, and part of the containers are stacked and placed on the at least one load-bearing platform. The carrier vehicle moves back and forth on the running tracks to perform storage and retrieval operations in the container storage system. The track-switching device is configured to switch the carrier vehicle from a current running track where the carrier vehicle is located to a target running track.

A storage system includes a storage grid structure and multiple container handling vehicles. The storage grid structure includes vertical column profiles defining multiple storage columns, in which storage containers can be stored one on top of another in vertical stacks, and at least one transfer column, the column profiles are interconnected at their upper ends by top rails forming a horizontal top rail grid upon which the container handling vehicles may move in two perpendicular directions, the container handling vehicles are able to retrieve storage containers from, and store storage containers in, the storage columns, and transport the storage containers on the storage grid structure. The storage grid structure includes at least one horizontal transfer section. The storage system includes multiple container transfer vehicles and transfer rails forming a transfer rail grid upon which the container transfer vehicles may move in at least one horizontal direction.

A vehicle tilting device for tilting a delivery vehicle for increasing access to items from a storage container transported on the delivery vehicle. The vehicle tilting device comprises a base structure and a tiltable platform connected to the base structure, wherein the tiltable platform comprises guiding features adapted to guide the delivery vehicle onto the tiltable platform. The tiltable platform is arranged to be connected to a delivery grid cell of a delivery rail system such that that there is a path to and/or from the tiltable platform for the delivery vehicle via the delivery grid cell. The invention is also related to an access station, a delivery system and a method of accessing a storage container.

An automated storage and retrieval system includes a plurality of storage container handling vehicles. Each vehicle includes a vehicle body, a thereto connected wheel assembly configured to guide the vehicle along the track system, a container picking device for releasably attaching to a storage container, which include one or more arms. The configuration of the container picking device is such that it is movable between a first lifting position enabling the container picking device to lift at least one storage container from a position beyond a horizontal extent of the vehicle body and a second transport position enabling the container picking device to hold the at least one storage container at least partly within the horizontal extent of the vehicle body and above the vehicle body.

An automated storage and retrieval system includes an automated storage and retrieval grid, a container accessing station, a delivery rail system, and a delivery vehicle operating on the delivery rail system. The automated storage and retrieval grid includes a container handling vehicle rail system for guiding a plurality of container handling vehicles, the container handling vehicle rail system comprising a first set of parallel rails arranged in a horizontal plane (P) and extending in a first direction (X), and a second set of parallel rails arranged in the horizontal plane (P) and extending in a second direction (Y) which is orthogonal to the first direction (X), which first and second sets of rails form a grid pattern in the horizontal plane (P) comprising a plurality of adjacent container handling vehicle grid cells, each container handling vehicle grid cell comprising a container handling vehicle grid opening defined by a pair of neighboring rails of the first set of rails and a pair of neighboring rails of the second set of rails; and a delivery column adapted for transport of a storage container arranged in a stack of storage containers beneath the container handling vehicle rail system between a container handling vehicle and a delivery port situated at a lower end of the delivery column. The delivery rail system includes at least a first set of parallel rails arranged in a horizontal plane (P1) and extending in a first direction (X), and at least a second set of parallel rails arranged in the horizontal plane (P1) and extending in a second direction (Y) which is orthogonal to the first direction (X), the first and second sets of rails together defining a delivery grid of delivery grid cells. The delivery vehicle includes a motorized vehicle body and a container carrier provided above the motorized vehicle body for carrying the storage container. The delivery vehicle is arranged to transport the storage container from the delivery port of the storage grid across the delivery grid to the delivery grid cell situated below the container accessing station. The container accessing station includes an access opening through which a human and/or robot may access contents of the storage container; a base opening; and a lifting device arranged to retrieve the storage container from a first level beneath the base opening and lift it up through the base opening to a second level so that the storage container may be accessed through the access opening. The delivery vehicle is arranged to deliver the storage container to the lifting device of the container accessing station, or receive a storage container from the lifting device and return the st

An automated warehouse has a main path, secondary paths, a main vehicle movable along the main path, one or more auxiliary vehicles movable along the secondary paths, and an access point. On each vehicle a wireless device receiving and sending wireless signals and a control unit associated with safety modules including a safety-certified watchdog timer and a counter are installed. The wireless devices send check signals containing the value of the counter of the respective vehicle to the access point, which sends signals in response to received check signals When a response signal is received from a wireless device, the respective counter is incremented and the associated watchdog timer starts to measure time when the value of the counter differs from the value received via check signals. Each control unit de-energizes the respective vehicle when a time longer than a predetermined time is detected via the watchdog timer.

An automated warehouse has a main path, secondary paths, a main vehicle movable along the main path, one or more auxiliary vehicles movable along the secondary paths, and an access point. On each vehicle a wireless device receiving and sending wireless signals and a control unit associated with safety modules including a safety-certified watchdog timer and a counter are installed. The wireless devices send check signals containing the value of the counter of the respective vehicle to the access point, which sends signals in response to received check signals When a response signal is received from a wireless device, the respective counter is incremented and the associated watchdog timer starts to measure time when the value of the counter differs from the value received via check signals. Each control unit de-energizes the respective vehicle when a time longer than a predetermined time is detected via the watchdog timer.

A storage system includes a storage grid structure and multiple container handling vehicles. The storage grid structure includes vertical column profiles defining multiple storage columns, in which storage containers can be stored one on top of another in vertical stacks, and at least one transfer column, the column profiles are interconnected at their upper ends by top rails forming a horizontal top rail grid upon which the container handling vehicles may move in two perpendicular directions, the container handling vehicles are able to retrieve storage containers from, and store storage containers in, the storage columns, and transport the storage containers on the storage grid structure. The storage grid structure includes at least one horizontal transfer section. The storage system includes multiple container transfer vehicles and transfer rails forming a transfer rail grid upon which the container transfer vehicles may move in at least one horizontal direction.

A container accessing station is configured to offer multiple access points where access to each access point may be permitted through an upper working surface of the container accessing station to an underlying container that has been delivered to the access point. The container accessing station includes one or more working surface sections, access panels and blanking-off panels. Each working surface section has a common attachment configuration to allow either the access panel or the blanking-off panel to be fitted as part of the container accessing station at any of the multiple access points.