STORAGE AND TRANSPORT SYSTEM AND TRANSPORT TROLLEY THEREFOR

Abstract: A storage and transport system for handling goods (4) in hanging load carriers (5), which can be displaced and switched along a system of transport tracks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15), with parts of the transport track system (10, 11) situated at a higher level, whereby the high part of the transport track system (10, 11) communicates with the lower part of the transport track system (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15) via two vertical conveyors (9, 13) arranged to raise and to lower a series of vertically interconnectable load carriers (5, 5').

Description: STORAGE AND TRANSPORT SYSTEM AND TRANSPORT TROLLEY THEREFOR Particularly in clothing industry and at distribution centres is often used storage and transport systems incorporating a system of transport tracks for transport trolleys, in which pieces of garment or other hanging goods are arranged on hangers, which goods shall be stored within the system and also be loaded for transport according to different delivery plans. For such storage systems it is required a rather large floor space, as it is needed not only a single track, where the different pieces of garment on their hangers are loaded manually in the trolleys of the transport system, but where it also is required a number of branch tracks which act as buffer stores, sorting tracks where the pieces of garment are sorted in combinations, which shall be transported to a receiver and also a loading out track. In order to reduce the investment costs as far as possible, at the same time as it is obtained a rational system, which is operating well at automated handling, it is now proposed that the system is designed thus that the system makes possible height piling, i.e. with two or more such trolleys positioned above each other. For every such running metre, which is piled up in vertical direction a corresponding floor space is saved, which means that the store rooms can be built substantially smaller than what should be necessary for transport and storing in one plane. At a transport track with a chain conveying hanging hangers it has been proposed for similar purposes, e.g. by DE 44 03 273 Al, to arrange inclined portions of transport chains, which cause a lifting of the goods carriers or the hangers from a lower horizontal chain conveyor to a higher horizontal chain conveyor for the purpose of bridging crossing gangways and the like. This conveyor is also provided with connectable and disconnectable side tracks for feeding out a hanger from the transport system. Other similar solutions are also known, e.g. from US 3,454,148 and UK 1 482 519, but none of these systems solves the problem with limited floor spaces or with a simple and rational transfer of the load to a transport vehicle or the like, but the systems require a substantial manual work and/or complementary equipment. The purpose of the present invention is now to provide a storage system by which it is proffered at one hand a possibility of saving floor space in a simple manner at such a storage system and at the same time to make possible automated handling of the unloading to transport vehicles, and this has been achieved with a storage and transport system as defined in the accompanying claim 1. The invention also incorporates a transport trolley adapted for use in such a system and this is characterized by the contents of claim 5. Hereinafter the invention will be further described with reference to an embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings . Fig. 1 shows in an explanatory view from above an example of a sorting line incorporated in a storage and transport system according to the present invention. Fig. 2 shows schematically in a side view a first vertical conveyor forming part of the transport system according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 showing a second vertical conveyor forming part of the system according to the invention, and Figs. 4 and 5 show in planar view and side view two different embodiments of load carriers forming part of the system according to the invention. Fig. 1 shows in a view from above the principle for a storage and transport system according to the present invention. Thus the system incorporates a network of overhead transport tracks 1, which incorporate a number of storage tracks 2, which extend between a number of storage frames 3, on which is kept the goods to be handled, primarily pieces of garment 4 hanging on hangers. The storage tracks 2 are loaded from the storage frames with the goods hanging in load carriers 5, the appearance and design of which will be further described hereinafter. The different, preferably parallel storage tracks 2 are led together to an accumulating track 6, which thereafter continues in a number of loop formed sorting tracks 7, in which are fed in the load carriers 5 with the goods hanging therein, and which come from the storage tracks 2 via the accumulating track 6. These loaded load carriers 5, can be existing load carriers used in an earlier transport system, and they can be equipped with some sort of identification carrier, e.g. a pin code, a data chip or any mechanically readable identity carrier, but they may also be without such identification carriers. The load carriers 5 are then fed out on a connecting track 8 in the order the different load carriers shall then be loaded in a transport means, e.g. a truck (not shown) . The different load carriers 5, with their especial and individually arranged collections of goods arrive at the sorting tracks 7 and are switched into the different sorting tracks, where they in accordance with their identity and in accordance with a loading plan, which is stored in a control unit, can be individually fed into the different loops, thus that it is obtained a succession of the different load carriers 5 adapted to a predetermined loading plan, in order to bring them to arrive at loading out on the connecting track 8 in the order at which they shall be loaded with regard to the later unloading, e.g. on different destination places. So far the transport and the storing is carried out in one plane and is therefore mainly in correspondence with a conventional storing and transport system. In order to be able to handle load carriers of existing types in accordance with the present invention, there is preferably, and particularly if the current load carriers of the system have no identification marks of their own, an especial transport trolley, which might have an identification carrier and/or which forms the loading plane for a consecutive load carrier/transport trolley. At the end of the connecting track 8 there is arranged a first vertical conveyor 9 for loading, which is shown in side view in Fig. 2. This vertical conveyor 9 is adapted to move the loaded load carriers 5 directly from the first plane or the load carriers inserted in such transport trolleys to a transport track 10 provided at a higher plane, and which incorporates a sorting loop 11 and a buffer 12 for empty trolleys. This higher transport track 10 is also connected to a second vertical conveyor 13 (shown in side view in Fig. 3) arranged for unloading, and which is movable in vertical direction between the high transport track 10 and an unloading track 14 preferably provided at the same plane as the storage tracks 2, with branches 15 to different loading and unloading stations, and with a return track towards the accumulating track 6. The first and second vertical conveyors 9 and 13 resp. forming part of the system, are shown schematically in side view in Fig. 2 and 3 resp., and as can be seen here they are substantially identical and each one of them incorporates a frame 9a, 13a, each of which is provided with a lifting yoke 9b and 13b resp., which are displaceable in vertical direction, and being displaceable vertically between a level just at the connecting track 8 and a second level just in front of the high transport track 10. Beside the two different vertical conveyors 9 and 13 Fig. 2 and 3 also show at the right hand side loading and at the left hand side unloading of further transport trolleys/load carriers 5 to and from several load carriers 5 with contents arranged vertically above each other, and at the extreme right hand side is shown how the load carriers 5, with the goods 4 hanging therein, are arranged as seen from the side. In connection to the loading and unloading there is also provided a switch rail intimated at 5a in Fig. 3 and adapted to be switched between a position where it prevents loading and unloading and a second position where it permits loading and unloading. There are furthermore components not shown and preferably provided on the carrying planes of the goods carriers adapted to prevent the separate load carriers /transport trolleys from moving sideways and risking to fall off during height stacking. Such components may e.g. be a mechanical stop member having a reverse catch. In Figs. 1 - 3 the direction of goods flow is shown with arrows . In Fig. 4 is shown in end view and in side view respectively schematically a first example of a preferred embodiment of a transport trolley/load carrier 5, which substantially comprises a quadrangular frame incorporating two substantially parallel, vertical posts 14, which at the top are connected by a horizontal rail 15, to which is attached one or more recessed traversing wheels 17, which are arranged on brackets 16. This transport trolley/load carrier 5 is an explanatory example of how a new-built transport trolley can be construed. This transport trolley may or may not be equipped with identity carriers, and in spite of the fact that it has been shown with two supporting wheels 17 it can be equipped with one or more such supporting wheels depending i.a. on the load to be transported. At the lower side the posts 14 terminate with a part, which in the embodiment shown is folded to bracket-shape, but which however also may be straight, and which support and are interconnected by a horizontal bottom rail 18, which for instance may be a round bar or the like and which bottom rail can project sideways outside the vertical posts. Fig. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the load carrier 5, whereby the brackets 16 with their traversing wheels 17 have been replaced by at least one bracket 16 ' , equipped with a hook-like upper part, adapted to be hung under an existing load carrier, which usually has no lower load plane, and where the bottom rail 18 permits the wheels of existing load carriers, to roll over onto this plane. This load carrier 5 is shown having two hook-formed members, but it can of course have one or several such hooks. Hereinafter the function of the system according to the invention will be further described, starting from what happens during a sequence of feeding out from the storage tracks, via the accumulating track 6, the sorting loops 7, the connecting track 8, the first vertical conveyor 9, the high level transport track 10, the sorting track 11, the second vertical conveyor 13 and the feeding out track 14. When a load carrier 5 shall be loaded with goods 4 from the storage stands 3, it is advanced on those of the storage tracks 2, which are situated nearest to the goods 4 to be loaded. The hanging goods 4 is in appropriate manner transferred to the load carrier 5, which is advanced on the collecting track 6 after the loading has been ended. From there the load carrier 5 is fed into one of several loop- formed sorting tracks 7, where the load carriers can be switched until they are fed out on the connecting track 8 in the order at which they shall be loaded in a vehicle for transport . When the load carrier 5 is advanced up towards the first vertical conveyor 9, the lifting yoke 9b or a load carrier 5 earlier connected thereto is situated in its lower stop position. In a manner which will be described in detail hereinafter, the load carrier 5 advancing on the connecting track 8 is coupled to the lifting yoke 9b or the earlier connected load carrier 5. The vertical conveyor then moves up one level and stops when the lower part of the loaded load carrier has reached the level of the connecting track Thereafter the next loaded load carrier 5 on the connecting track 8 will be moved in for automatic interconnection with the earlier loaded load carrier. This sequence continues, until a desired number of load carriers thus have been stacked in vertical direction in the vertical conveyor 9. Thereupon the first vertical conveyor 9 will move up to its upper stop position in level with the upper transport track 10, whereupon the load carriers/transport trolleys 5, which thus are interconnected in vertical direction, are moved in upon the upper transport track 10 and from there to the sorting loop 11, connected thereto. In the cases when the load carriers 5 due to their design and equipment must cooperate with a transport trolley, the first vertical conveyor 9 will thereupon receive an empty transport trolley from the buffer loop, whereupon it thereupon again will move down to its lower stop position and a new series of vertically stacked load carriers can be created for thereupon being introduced on the sorting loop 11. Thereupon the sorting loop 11 is rotated until there is space for the interconnected transport trolleys/load carriers 5. When thereupon a means of transport, e.g. a truck shall be loaded, the current series of interconnected load carriers is advanced towards the second vertical conveyor 13, which in the same manner as the first vertical conveyor incorporates a stand 13a and a lifting yoke 13b. When the lower load carrier in the stack hanging in the second vertical conveyor will reach its unloading position, it is relieved and is fed out from the transport trolley and onto an unloading track 14, from which it is moved out on a branch 15 to an intended unloading station. Thereupon the vertical conveyor 13 is moved down one step, thus that the next load carrier 5 can be moved out on the unloading track, and this cycle is repeated until the vertical conveyor 13 has been emptied, whereupon the lifting yoke 13b of the vertical conveyor moves up to its upper stop position. In order to let the system operate in a rational and not manually handled manner it is however required that each load carrier has its own identity, which can be read automatically and be used in order automatically to guide the different load carriers into the correct tracks and to correct positions. Sch an identity can e.g. be a bar code, a data chip or some mechanically readable identity carrier. Furthermore it is possible to use any readable identity on the goods loaded on the load carrier, but this is useful only in the case the load on the specific load carrier is uniform. In the case load carriers without own identity are used, which load carriers e.g. may be trolleys of an arbitrary, earlier known type, which form part of an existing transport system, it is required a specific transport trolley, which has such an identity carrier and which can form the carrying means for the goods carriers that are used. When the load carriers themselves have some sort of identity marking, the described return track 12, illustrated in Fig. 1 is thus not required, but is needed only for the transport trolleys, which all the time are situated on the higher part of the transport track system, and if the system is intended only for identity carrying load carriers it is thus possible to eliminate the return track 12. The invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in connection thereto, but modifications are possible within the scope of the accompanying claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A storage and transport system for handling goods (4) in hanging load carriers (5), which can be displaced and switched along a system of transport tracks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15), with parts of the transport track system (10, 11) situated at a higher level, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the high part of the transport track system (10, 11) communicates with the lower part of the transport track system (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15) via two vertical conveyors (9, 13) arranged to raise and to lower a series of vertically interconnectable load carriers (5, 5') ■ 2. A system as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the lower part of the transport system (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15) as well as the higher part thereof (10, 11) incorporates at least one sorting loop (7; 11) . 3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the load carriers (5) have upper supporting wheels (17) and a lower carrying plane (18) over which the supporting wheels (17) of a load carrier (5) situated there below, can be moved in and thus be transported vertically in stacked form. 4. A system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that every vertical conveyor (9, 13) is equipped with a lifting yoke (9b, 13b) adapted to support a load carrier (5) or a transport trolley, which in turn supports a load carrier. 5. Load carrier/transport trolley (5) for use in the system according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that it incorporates a frame (14, 15, 18) provided with means (17) for suspended transport along the system of transport tracks (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15) and with means (18) for connection to and disconnection from the means (17) for suspended transport on load carrier/transport trolley (5) following thereafter in vertical direction. 6. Load carrier/ transport trolley (5) as claimed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the means for suspended transport are constituted by at least one wheel (17) adapted to roll on a run surface on the transport tracks and that the means for interconnection are constituted of a supporting surface (18) substantially resembling to the run surface of the transport track, and on which the wheels (17) of a consecutive goods carrier/transport trolley (5) in vertical direction is transferable by rolling. 7. Load carrier/transport trolley (5) as claimed in claim 5 or 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the goods carrier/transport trolley (5,5') is equipped with identity carriers for surveillance by a surveillance system.

Inventors: CHRISTIANSSON CARSTEN, CHRISTIANSSON, CARSTEN
Applicants: ACG NYSTROEM AB, CHRISTIANSSON CARSTEN, ACG-NYSTROEM AB, CHRISTIANSSON, CARSTEN
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65G47
IPC codes: B65G1, B65G47