Patent GB-1421348-A (GB)
Title: Storage system
IPC: B65G1/08
Filed: 1972-12-22
Abstract: 1421348 Endless and roller conveyers CUBESLIDE Inc 22 Dec 1972 [28 Dec 1971] 59403/72 Heading B8A [Also in Division A4] A mechanical store (Figs. 1, 2) comprises an input conveyer 11 leading under the control of a directing member 13 to conveyers 14 or 15 from which loading apparatus 18 lifts articles and places them on storage racks 16 or 17 which slope downwards, Fig. 2, to their delivery end. Off loading apparatus 21 picks articles from the racks lifting them over stop members retaining the articles and placing them on a delivery conveyer 22. Since long racks would because of their slope produce excessive dead space thereunder additional rackings such as 20 may be placed in series with racking such as 16 and transfer means 19 used to move articles between the ends of corresponding racks. The store apparatus may have manual control or automatic control the circuits of which are described may be used in which case a computer may be included to record the contents of each storage rack. The shelf loading apparatus 18, Figs. 7, 8, comprises a table 43 on to which containers are delivered from the delivery conveyer 14, article carriers 40 moving in a rectangular path round a frame 33, and a transfer device 41 to receive the containers from the carriers 40 and to deliver them on to the rack compartments. The carriers 40 have rollers 51, 52, 67, 68, for cooperating with guideways 54, 70, 76, 77, 80 to guide their movement in a supported rectangular path when this is effected by continuous chain drive 56 driven by a motor 62. The carriers 40 have fingers 48 provided with rollers 49 which can pass through similar fingers and rollers 115, 116 and driven rollers 103 of the table 43 and device 41 respectively. The apparatus is movable along an aisle between shelf compartments on wheels 34 driven by motors 36 to a desired column and the transfer device 41 is movable vertically to the desired compartment by a motor 95 driving support chains or belts 90. In use containers on the delivery conveyer 14 will strike stops 110 and will be moved by pushers 113 on to the table 43. A gate 122 projectable by a cylinder 123 sets the distance between the stop rollers 110 and the gate 122 to prevent an excess number of containers being delivered to the table. The containers being detained may be held by non active pushers 113  while the pusher cylinders 118 may be actuated by the force of the container on a stop roller 110  associated with a pressure switch. The container on the table 43 is picked up by a carrier 40 as it rises through it and is deposited thereby on the transfer device 41 which by driving the rollers 103 by a motor 104 delivers the container to the shaft compartment. The transfer mechanism 19 to move containers between racking 16, 20, Figs. 9, 10 comprises a first elevator 137 mounted on a motor driven wheels 131 to position it in the correct aisle position and on a chain or belt suspension 153 driven by a motor 142 to be elevated to the correct height. A second elevator 160 is mounted on the first and is vertically movable a set amount by a motor 161 through a belt or chain 170. A container is picked from a shelf 16 by a picker arm 187 and rolls over rollers 193 of a carrier 192 on the elevator 160 to stop 195 after which the carrier is levelled by a ram 194a and the elevator 160 is raised to the rack position 20 with which it is aligned by ram operated levers 197 thus indicating the rack spacing of the shelf 20 so that only the correct number of picker arms 188 are activated to incline them to allow the container to roll on to the shelf 20. The loading apparatus 21, Figs. 13, 14, 18, comprises an elevator 200 with arms 242, 243 provided with arms to pick containers from a shelf 20 as provided on the transfer mechanism to allow the container to roll over rollers 249 on to a table 244 pivotable about a central pivot 270, Fig. 18, and provided with ball rollers 271 so that the table can be pivoted from the receiving position, Fig. 14, to a position to deliver the container to a support table 245 from which it is conveyed by mechanism and in the loading apparatus 18 to an inclined table 202 from which the containers roll over a roller assembly 203 to the delivery container conveyer 22. When the articles to be stored are in the form of hangers an unloading device 330, Fig. 20, is used positionable along an aisle and having an elevator 358 and assemblies 339, 340 to pick the hanger 336 from a rack 334, 335 and deliver it to the elevator for transport to a transfer shaft 341 for delivery to delivery means 342. Each picking device comprises a picking finger 403, 404, Fig. 26, pivotable by a piston cylinder device 410, 411 and a slightly shorter positioning finger 405 which determines the number of hangers to be picked up as the finger 403 is pivoted to its inclined position to lift a hanger 336 over a shelf stop to allow it to slide down on to a shaft threaded at 384 which moves the hanger on to a pin 367 on a chain 365 or 366. At the transfer shaft 341 inclined surfaces 416, Fig. 27, pull a hanger off its pin 367 to drop on to the shaft 341 which conveys it to drop on to the delivery means 342. The racks are charged by line 439, Fig. 32, from which a hanger is lifted by pin 442 of a pick up wheel 441, from which it drops on to a rail 446 to slide on to a transfer shaft 447 for delivery on to pins 449 of a chain 440 of an elevator from which it is forced by an inclined surface 463, Fig. 34, on to an extendable member 456 down which it slides on to a rack 335.