CABLE DRIVEN STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL MACHINE FOR WAREHOUSES

Abstract

A warehouse with a cable driven transport vehicle for movement of items within the warehouse, where the cable driven storage and retrieval machine comprises a load handling platform that is suspended by cables, which are variable in length and tensioned by cable tensioning means, such that the load handling platform can access a given workspace of the warehouse, and where the cable tensioning means themselves are made to be moveable within the given workspace.

Claims

1.-9. (canceled)

10. A warehouse with a cable driven storage and retrieval machine for movement of items within the warehouse, wherein the cable driven storage and retrieval machine comprises a load handling platform suspended by cables such that the load handling platform can access a given workspace of the warehouse, wherein the cables are variable in length and tensioned by cable tensioners, wherein the cable tensioners are moveable within the given workspace, and wherein the cable driven storage and retrieval machine comprises at least four cable tensioners that are moveable and individually operable in a synchronized fashion by a control to: a) move the load handling platform in the given workspace along a face of a storage racking by controlled movement of the at least four cable tensioners along the face of the storage racking within the given workspace along guide tracks; and/or b) operate the at least four cable tensioners in a controlled fashion to move the load handling platform in the given workspace along a face of a storage racking by controlled variation in length and tension of the cables.

11. The warehouse according to claim 10, wherein the given workspace is a sub-workspace of a whole workspace.

12. The warehouse according to claim 11, wherein the whole workspace is the complete face of the storage racking.

13. The warehouse according to claim 10, wherein two cable tensioners are coupled together mechanically by vertically or horizontally orientated beams or brackets.

14. The warehouse according to claim 13, wherein the cable driven storage and retrieval machine comprises four cable tensioners, and wherein an upper two cable tensioners are coupled together mechanically and a lower two cable tensioners are coupled together mechanically, wherein at least one of the upper cable tensioners and at least one of the lower cable tensioners are actively moveable and the other of the upper cable tensioners and lower cable tensioners are passively moveable upon movement of the active moveable cable tensioners.

15. The warehouse according to claim 13, wherein the given workspace is vertically and/or horizontally divided into smaller sub-workspaces within each of which a separate cable driven storage and retrieval machine is operative.

16. The warehouse according to claim 15, wherein the sub-workspaces are variable or fixed in size.

17. The warehouse according to claim 15, wherein the variable sub-workspaces have adjacent boundaries that are moveable to enlarge one sub-workspace and at the same time shrink an adjacent sub-workspace, and wherein some of the cable tensioners of each cable driven storage and retrieval machine are fixed and some are moveable.

18. The warehouse according to claim 17, wherein the fixed cable tensioners of each cable driven storage and retrieval machine are disposed at fixed boundaries, and wherein the moveable cable tensioners of each cable driven storage and retrieval machine move with moving displaceable boundaries.

19. The warehouse according to claim 10, wherein all the cable tensioners are connected together via a complete frame using vertically and horizontally orientated beams.

20. The warehouse according to claim 19, wherein the given workspace is vertically and/or horizontally divided into smaller sub-workspaces within each of which a separate cable driven storage and retrieval machine is operative.

21. The warehouse according to claim 20, wherein the sub-workspaces can be variable or fixed in size.

22. The warehouse according to claim 20, wherein the variable sub-workspaces have adjacent boundaries that are moveable to enlarge one sub-workspace and at the same time shrink an adjacent sub-workspace, and wherein some of the cable tensioners of each cable driven storage and retrieval machine are fixed and some may are moveable.

23. The warehouse according to claim 22, wherein the fixed cable tensioners of each cable driven storage and retrieval machine are disposed at fixed boundaries, and wherein the moveable cable tensioners of each cable driven storage and retrieval machine move with moving displaceable boundaries.

24. The warehouse according to claim 10, wherein the given workspace is vertically and/or horizontally divided into smaller sub-workspaces within each of which a separate cable driven storage and retrieval machine is operative.

25. The warehouse according to claim 24, wherein the sub-workspaces can be variable or fixed in size.

26. The warehouse according to claim 24, wherein the variable sub-workspaces have adjacent boundaries that are moveable to enlarge one sub-workspace and at the same time shrink an adjacent sub-workspace, and wherein some of the cable tensioners of each cable driven storage and retrieval machine are fixed and some are moveable.

27. The warehouse according to claim 26, wherein the fixed cable tensioners of each cable driven storage and retrieval machine are disposed at fixed boundaries, and wherein the moveable cable tensioners of each cable driven storage and retrieval machine move with moving displaceable boundaries.

28. A warehouse with a cable driven storage and retrieval machine for movement of items within the warehouse, wherein the cable driven storage and retrieval machine comprises a load handling platform suspended by cables such that the load handling platform can access a given workspace of the warehouse, wherein the cables are variable in length and tensioned by cable tensioners, wherein the cable tensioners are moveable within the given workspace, and wherein the cable driven storage and retrieval machine comprises at least four cable tensioners that are moveable and individually operable in a synchronized fashion by a control to: a) move the load handling platform in the given workspace along a face of a storage racking by controlled movement of the at least four cable tensioners along the face of the storage racking within the given workspace along guide tracks; and/or b) operate the at least four cable tensioners in a controlled fashion to move the load handling platform in the given workspace along a face of a storage racking by controlled variation in length and tension of the cables; and wherein the given workspace is a sub-workspace of a whole workspace, and wherein two cable tensioners are coupled together mechanically by vertically or horizontally orientated beams or brackets.

29. The warehouse according to claim 28, wherein the whole workspace is the complete face of the storage racking.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a warehousing robot according to the prior art; and

[0021] FIGS. 2 through 9 show different embodiments according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Turning to FIG. 1, a view of an apparatus for controlling movement of a platform according to the prior art is shown. The apparatus 100 is a warehousing robot. The warehousing robot 100 includes a platform 102 from which a set of cables 104 extends. At one end, or a first end, of each cable 104, the cable 104 is connected to the platform 102 and at the opposite, or second end, the cable 104 is connected to a motor for controlling length or tension in the cable 104. The warehousing robot 100 may further include an apparatus, or cable controlling mechanism, for receiving and/or collecting the cable that is controlled by the motor.

[0023] As schematically shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 100 may further include a frame 110 which supports the platform 102 and the cables 104. Although not shown, the cable controlling mechanism and the motor may be mounted within or to the frame 110 in a stationary manner.

[0024] A user can control the apparatus 100 to obtain items from the shelves 112 of a storage racking 114, its face defining a workspace of the apparatus 100, located within a warehouse. The apparatus 100 may include a robot arm or the like, which may be mounted or connected to the platform 102, to reach into the shelves 112 to retrieve an item. After obtaining the item, the platform 102 is controlled to deliver the item to the user or a specific location. The delivery of the item will be understood by one skilled in the art.

[0025] In operation, when an item is requested, a signal is transmitted via a central processing unit to the apparatus identifying the location of the requested item. The platform is then moved via the set of cables and the motors (and the cable controlling mechanism) to the identified location whereby the item is then retrieved and placed on the platform. The apparatus (including the frame) may be placed between two shelving racks whereby one of these warehousing robots is used for one or both of the shelving racks. Cable systems for use in the control of the platform such that the platform does not move in undesired degrees of freedom and calculations performed to determine required motor movements is provided in US 2015/0217975 A1.

[0026] FIGS. 2-9 detail embodiments according to the claimed invention.

[0027] In all of the figures a storage arrangement 1 with a storage racking 2 and cable driven storage and retrieval machine 3 for storage and retrieval of items from the shelving 4 of the storage racking 2 in a warehouse is shown.

[0028] The cable driven storage and retrieval machine 3 comprises a load handling platform 5 being suspended by cables 6, which are variable in length and tension by cable tensioning means 7, such that the load handling platform can access a given workspace 8 of the storage racking.

[0029] The cable tensioning means 7 comprise a winch/drum and a drive motor and controls as known in the prior art.

[0030] According to the inventive concept, the cable tensioning means 7 are made to be moveable within the given workspace 8, and not fixed as known in the prior art.

[0031] In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the cable tensioning means 7a, b, c, d are arranged to be guided along a horizontal upper 10 and lower guide track 9.

[0032] Meaning that the two lower left and right cable tensioning means 7a, b are moveable along the guide track 9 and the two upper left and right cable tensioning means 7c, d are moveable along the upper guide track 10.

[0033] In other words, the cable driven storage and retrieval machine 3 can optimally operate within a sub-workspace 11 (hashed box), which in turn is displaced horizontally within the greater workspace 8 (face of the storage racking 2) to reach every position within the storage racking 2.

[0034] For this displacement the cable tensioning means 7a, b, c, d are moved along the guide tracks 9, 10 in a synchronized fashion such that the load handling platform 5 being suspended by cables 6 does not sag. In other words, control of all four tensioning means with respect to each other is performed.

[0035] As stated the guide tracks do not need to be arranged along the storage racking but could also be placed differently with the warehouse to perform displacement of the cable tensioning means 7a, b, c, d and in this way of the given workspace between other known warehouse function areas.

[0036] In contrast, the embodiments of FIGS. 3-5 have mechanically coupled tensioning means 7, so that the horizontal and/or vertical distance between at least two of them is fixed, i.e. they are forced to move together/in unison, lowering the necessary degree of control.

[0037] In FIG. 3, the upper two tensioning means 7c, d are linked by a horizontal cross beam 12 and the two lower tensioning means 7a, b are linked by a horizontal cross beam 13. Therefore, only movement of the upper cable tensioning means 7c, d along the guide tracks must be controlled with respect to the lower cable tensioning means 7a, b.

[0038] In FIG. 4, the left-hand two tensioning means 7b, c are linked by a vertical cross beam 14 and the two right-hand tensioning means 7a, d are linked by a vertical cross beam 15. Therefore, only movement of the left-hand cable tensioning means 7b, c along the guide tracks must be controlled with respect to the right-hand cable tensioning means 7a, d.

[0039] In FIG. 5 a complete frame 16 using vertically and horizontally orientated beams 12-15 is used to connect all four cable tensioning means 7a, b, c, d together, such that their position with respect to each other is fixed. Therefore, only movement of whole frame 16 defining the sub-workspace 11 must be controlled with respect to the full workspace 8 of the complete storage racking 2 face.

[0040] According to the embodiments of FIGS. 6-9, the workspace 8 of the storage racking 2 is divided into at least two sub-workspaces 11a, b, each having its own cable driven storage and retrieval machine 3a, b.

[0041] In principle the sub-workspaces may be fixed in size, as in FIG. 9, wherein the full workspace 8 is vertically divided into three horizontally extending sub-workspaces 11a, b, c, which each have an own cable driven storage and retrieval machine 3, according to FIG. 2.

[0042] In contrast, the embodiments of FIGS. 6-8 encompass variable sub-workspaces 11a, b (or 11c in FIG. 8) that have a mutual boundary 17 between them, that is vertically moveable.

[0043] In FIGS. 6 and 7 the workspace 8 is vertically divided into two horizontally extending sub-workspaces 11a, b, having a mutual boundary 17, whereas in FIG. 8 the division is threefold into three sub-workspaces 11a, b, c having a mutual boundary 17a between sub-workspaces 11a and 11b and a respective mutual boundary 17b between sub-workspaces 11b and 11c.

[0044] In contrast to FIG. 9, all cable driven storage and retrieval machines 3 in each sub-workspace 8 are linked left and right by vertically extending cross beams, in analogy to FIG. 4.

[0045] Therefore, the cable tensioning means are fixed, namely those at the fixed boundaries/guide tracks 9, 10, and some are moveable, namely those moving with the moving/displaced boundary or only being fixed with respect to the vertical cross beam 14, 15.

[0046] So in FIG. 8, movement the sub-workspaces 11 in horizontal direction along the guide tracks 9, 10 is performed by control of the cross beam 14, 15 movement and movement in vertical direction is controlled by displacement of the cable tensioning means at the boundary(s) 17.

[0047] Understandably, the shown cable driven transport vehicle can be used in other surroundings, for example between any two points within the warehouse and can function as a conveyor, lift or a combination of the two, for transport of items between storage locations or non-storage locations, buffer positions, etc. for movement of items on their own or within transport means, e.g. totes, trays, cartons etc.