摘要:
A vertical drive assembly (100) for a storage and retrieval vehicle (10) wherein a cable drive motor (200) is horizontally juxtaposed between a lift cable winding and unwinding drum (430). The vertical drive assembly is modularly assembled on a frame (170) and is attachable and detachable from the vehicle as a unit. The vertical drive assembly comprises the motor, a speed reducer (370), and the drum. To stay within the width of the vehicle, the speed reducer is disposed within the core of the drum. In one embodiment, a disc brake (350) comprising pneumatic release and spring actuation is juxtaposed between a driven sprocket wheel and the speed reducer.
摘要:
An overtravel brake system (32) for a storage and retrieval system (10) which is automatically actuated when the load carriage lift motor (26) is deenergized and the load carriage moves downward. The brake system includes a dog (54) mounted on the load carriage and engageable with the mast (22), the dog being actuated by a chain or cable (124) which applies an actuating force to the dog actuating mechanism only after the load carriage has traveled a predetermined distance. The chain or cable is connected to the output member (90) of a clutch mechanism (76) operable in response to relative movement between the load carriage and the mast, and which is held in a disengaged condition when the lift motor is energized and is automatically shifted to an engaged condition when the lift motor is deenergized.
摘要:
A vehicle (10) particularly adapted for use as an automated guided vehicle uses standard plastic tote boxes as a body shell (13) and as a battery carrier (20). The vehicle includes a drive wheel assembly (14) and a bogey assembly (16) which pivot about center pivot points and are steered by a single motor-driven steering assembly (18) which provides dual fifth wheel steering. Commonly-driven ball screw lift assemblies (122) engage the underside of nestable load- carrying tote boxes (22) for pickup and delivery functions. The weight of the load carrier(s) is transferred through the vehicle frame (12) to load transfer assemblies (76) on the drive and bogey assemblies.
摘要:
An automobile transportation and storage pallet for use in an automated storage and retrieval system comprises steel tire channels (76, 78) connected and supported by a plurality of steel support members (84, 87, 88). Safety grip strips (91, 93, 100, 101) applied to the tire channels provide tire traction thereon. A corrugated drip pan (94) interposed between the tire channels collects any drippings from the automobile. Tire blocks (96, 97 and 98, 99) adjustably mounted to the tire channels secure the tires of the automobile. The channels ensure proper alignment of the automobile with respect to the pallet so that movement of the pallet in the storage and retrieval system is never hampered and the tire blocks prevent -movement of the automobile thereon, which could have a similar effect. The tire blocks can be adjusted to conform to any size of tire and automobile wheel base.
摘要:
Input loads (70,72,74 etc.) e.g. palletized motor cars are queued prior to displacement onto a continuous conveyor (54) serviced by a plurality of storage and retrieval machines (40) associated one with each of the aisles of a high rise storage array (20), there being a pick-up (80) and a deposit (32) station for pallets associated with each aisle. The queued loads are metered onto the conveyor (54) on a far to near aisle correspondence basis and are simultaneously exchanged for output loads at each of the aisle locations. The method includes compensation for circumstances where outputs exceed inputs and where inputs exceed outputs by empty pallet management and allows for maximum through-put in all cases.
摘要:
Est décrit un système de commande pour le guidage automatique de véhicules, qui présente une compatibilité descendante avec les systèmes à fil de guidage existants, permettant une navigation et une communication par fil de guidage ainsi qu'une navigation et un guidage autonomes et une communication sans fil entre une unité de commande centrale et chaque véhicule. La navigation autonome de véhicules consiste en un déplacement sur des trajets marqués par des repères de mise à jour qui peuvent être bien espacés, par exemple de cinquante pieds. Des possibilités de mesure redondantes comprenant des signaux d'entrée provenant d'encodeurs de déplacement linéaire situés sur les roues motrices du véhicule, des mesures de position émanant des repères de mise à jour, et des mesures de relèvement émanant d'un nouvel appareil de détection de vitesse angulaire, conjointement avec l'utilisation d'un filtre de Kalman, permettent la correction des erreurs de navigation et de guidage dues à des facteurs tels que la dérive du détecteur de vitesse angulaire, l'usure, les variations de température, le vieillissement, et les erreurs précoces d'étalonnage pendant le fonctionnnement du véhicule. Le système de commande comporte des moyens haute fréquence interactifs de transmission et de réception de données sur les fils de guidage et via des communications sans fil. Les mêmes débits de données et formats de message sont utilisés dans les deux systèmes de communication.
摘要:
In a guidance system for guiding a plurality of unmanned vehicles along a traffic lay out comprising a plurality of guide wires, a guide wire communications system is disclosed which is provided with a plurality of data communications circuits which can be linked together in a logical tree structure to form an extensive network. The communications circuits are connected to a vehicle traffic control computer which is provided with means for composing a coded vehicle instruction for assigning tasks to said unmanned vehicles. Various parts of the system, including for example, segments along guide wires, are designated as resources. The computer uniquely allocates those resources to each vehicle which are necessary for the performance of the tasks assigned to that vehicle. The vehicle traffic control computer further includes polling means which enables it to poll the status of each vehicle at varying time intervals and to receive a response from said vehicle when the computer next polls the vehicle. The guide wire communications system can communicate coded instructions to the vehicles either individually or as a group. The guide wire communications system further comprises a network connecting the computer and the communications circuits which is provided with means for preventing reception of data transmissions from more than one vehicle at a time. The communications circuits comprise data transmitters provided with means for generating a communications wave with low frequency and low power but high data transmission rate. The data transmitters further include means for encoding and decoding digital data using at least two data transmission frequencies. Said means comprise a circuit for digitally constructing a string of single cycles of cosine wave forms of selected frequencies. The communications circuits are provided with receivers for detecting cosine wave segments, tranforming such segments into sine wave segments and recovering digital data at a rate substantially equal to the lowest data transmission frequency employed. The data communications circuits also include means for selecting low impedence or high impedence characteristics for a guide wire depending on the function of the guide wire as a data receiving antenna, a data transmitting antenna or a tracking-signal carrier, permitting low power signals to be used. The guidewire communications system further includes a communications circuit on each of a plurality of vehicles which comprises a low frequency, high gain transmit antenna composed of a substantially figure-eight pattern of conductors mounted on the bottom of the vehicle; a transmitter and a receiver substantially as described above, memory for storing a plurality of instructions for serial execution by the vehicle essentially independantly; and means for determining estimated completion time of assigned tasks to permit minimum polling of each vehicle by the vehicle traffic control computer at varying time intervals.
摘要:
Apparatus and method by which an unmanned, trackless, work-producing vehicle is able to follow a path defined by a passive metallic marker or markers or by which the vehicle can receive information represented by passive metallic markers. Metallic markers can be secured or applied to appropriate surfaces, such as the floor surface of a vehicle work area, and do not need to be connected to any signal-generating device. An alternating magnetic field is generated by a master coil carried on the vehicle. The alternating magnetic field produces a secondary field around the metallic marker. Both magnetic fields produce voltages in a plurality of spaced secondary coils located on the vehicle. The existence of the metallic marker as a bench mark is identified by comparing the phases of voltages produced by the primary and secondary fields in each separate secondary coil. This excludes any stray fields, which may be extraneously produced in the secondary coils. The location of the marker with respect to the vehicle is determined by comparing the magnitude of the voltages produced in the plurality of secondary coils.
摘要:
Apparatus and method by which an unmanned, trackless, work-producing vehicle is able to follow a path defined by a passive metallic marker or markers or by which the vehicle can receive information represented by passive metallic markers. Metallic markers can be secured or applied to appropriate surfaces, such as the floor surface of a vehicle work area, and do not need to be connected to any signal-generating device. An alternating magnetic field is generated by a master coil carried on the vehicle. The alternating magnetic field produces a secondary field around the metallic marker. Both magnetic fields produce voltages in a plurality of spaced secondary coils located on the vehicle. The existence of the metallic marker as a bench mark is identified by comparing the phases of voltages produced by the primary and secondary fields in each separate secondary coil. This excludes any stray fields, which may be extraneously produced in the secondary coils. The location of the marker with respect to the vehicle is determined by comparing the magnitude of the voltages produced in the plurality of secondary coils.