Patent Application
20250197114
This invention relates to load handling systems, especially in a warehouse setting, even more specifically to unmanned warehouse shuttle with telescopic arms.
There is a large number of disclosures for various kinds of load handling systems in a warehouse setting. A general feature of the disclosed system includes a shuttle device moving between the warehouse shelves and reaching to pick packages, or items from the shelf to transport the package or items to a destination. A problem that many of the disclosures address is either how to load more than one package onto the shuttle at the very same time, or how to enable picking packages of different sizes onto the shuttle.
A few examples of solutions how to adjust the distance between gripping arms and the width of the loading area of a shuttle device are:
U.S. Pat. No. 10,414,587 discloses a transporting apparatus for a single-level rack having a first and a second chassis each having an extendable arm, and a storage region between the chassis halves. The storage region can be varied by varying the spacing between the arm together with lateral supporting plates.
US 10,850,42 discloses a device for gripping a load by gripping arms, and the width between the arms is varied by locking one chassis half and actuating movement of the other chassis half.
A mechanism of extending the gripping arms is addressed for example in the following publications:
U.S. Pat. No. 10,894,663 discloses an automated storage retrieval system where telescopic arm assemblies include movable pusher elements and linearly moving tabs on the arms so as to change a distance between the tab and a finger to fit items of different size on the system. The telescopic arm is constructed to have multiple layers of extending and retracting members sliding in series within each other via belt and pulley arrangement in each of the telescoping members.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,522,781 discloses a device for gripping a load, wherein the system has chassis elements that are moving in relation to each other so as to change the width between gripping arms that are attached to the chassis portions and that way adopt to loading items of different widths. Drive assemblies including a rotatable drum and a cable extend and retract the telescopic arms.
In US 18/218,376 the Applicant of the current application discloses a telescopic arm assembly for a warehouse shuttle, where the arms comprise three parts of equal length and where the first part is stationary while the two parts are configured to extend. The second part extends almost half of its length over an edge of the platform between the arms and the third part extends more than half of its length over the distal end of the second part. The system thus allows telescopic arms that have an extension length more than twice of the depth of the platform. The extension of the arms functions via multiple pinions and toothed racks.
Thus, there are solutions providing various mechanisms for warehouse shuttles having adjustable width and gripping arms for reaching to different depths in the warehouse shelf. Due to the fact that automated warehouses are getting more and more popular, there is also a need for shuttles having simpler and more stable structures while not compromising the ability of adjust the width of the platform between the arms and the extension length of the arms.
The current disclosure therefore provides a shuttle having an adjustable width of the loading area between extendable arms that comprise two extendable parts that allow the arms to extend more than twice the width of the platform, and wherein the mechanism of the extension is simple and steady and the arms require no movable levers to move the crate, thereby ensuring less problems in the operation and less elements that would need to have service or which would need to be changed.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an unmanned shuttle for automated warehouse systems configured to move along warehouse rail, the shuttle comprising: a first and a second side compartment (102), each having at least an inner wall (102a) and two end walls (102b),
Another object of the invention is to provide a method to transport and store parcels of different sized in an automated warehouse system wherein the method comprises providing the shuttle system as describe above, and depending on the size of a parcel to be retrieved by the telescopic arms and transported on the shuttle, the distance between the telescopic arms is adjusted by moving the side compartments closer or further away from each other via the compartment drive motor turning the ball or trapezoidal screw, and by adjusting the extension length of the telescopic arms by the arms drive motor controlling rotation of the splined shaft and thereby extending movement of the first part of the telescopic arms which causes extending movement of the second part.
The shuttle of this disclosure comprises platform 101, two side compartments 102, two telescopic arms 200 mounted to the side compartments, and a loading space 106 formed in between of the side compartments to load a crate 111. The shuttle has an even number of wheels 103 such that half of the wheels are on one side and half of them on the other side of the shuttle. The wheels are preferably located on opposite sides of the side compartment 102. Preferably the shuttle has four wheels, two on each side. At least one of the wheels is driven by a wheel drive motor 104 located inside one of the side compartments, preferably in the motor comprising side compartment the two opposing drive wheels are connected by a driveshaft 105 and the drive shaft is driven by the wheel drive motor 104 with a belt 108.
The wheels 103 are configured to move the shuttle 100 along an aisle 300 of a warehouse structure between the shelving structures 301 on warehouse rail structures 302. The rail structures 302 are preferably created by forward protruding horizontal parts of the shelving structures protruding into the aisle between the shelving structures. The wheels 103 are preferably coated with polyurethane or similar wear resistant material.
In addition to the wheels 103, the shuttle 100 has an even number of support rollers 107 such that two sides of the platform 101 have an equal number of support rollers. The support rollers are preferably located on the platform underneath the wheels. These support rollers have rolling axles that are vertical and their purpose is to limit sideways movement of the shuttle while moving along the warehouse rail structure 302 along the aisle. The support rollers are also providing support during the loading and unloading of crates or items to and from the loading space of the shuttle. The support rollers are in contact with the same rail structure as the wheels 103, however, the support rollers contact the side of the warehouse rail structure while the wheels contact the top of the warehouse rail structure. Furthermore, the support rollers on one side are mounted on dampeners that keep the shuttle at a constant distance from the rail and smoothen out any deviation in the distance between the rails and keep support rollers on the other side pushed against the rail side.
The shuttle is equipped with two telescopic arms 200. These arms are located on inner sides of the side compartments such that a loading area is formed in between inner walls 102a of the side compartments on top of the platform 101. By the term platform as used in this disclosure, it is meant the flat bottom area that is limited between the outer edges of the side compartments and front and the back edges of the shuttle. The platform may comprise parts of the bottom of the side compartments, and the crate guide surface 112. The platform has back and front edges beyond which the telescopic arms extend, and the distance between the back and front edges of the platform is referred to as the depth (x, in
The telescopic arms 200 are configured to extend in two directions such that the extension length of the arms in either direction is more than twice the depth (x) of the platform 101 (i.e. width of the shuttle). In the retracted position the arms have a length equal to the depth of the platform (width of the shuttle), but in fully extended position the length of the arm is more than twice the depth of the platform (width of the shuttle). This invention provides a unique solution to achieve this. This feature provides a system that can reach crates or packages stored deep in a shelving system, as well as very large packages. This feature also allows the shuttle to deposit two or more small packages on same slot in a shelving system; one deeper into the shelving and the other closer to shelf edge. To achieve this overextension, the telescopic arms comprise two parts having equal lengths:
The first part 203 is configured to move almost half of its length over the back and front edges of the platform and the second part 204 is configured to move more than half of its length over the distal end of the first part so that the distal end of the second part is further away from the edge of the platform than the entire length of the second part. The length of each of the first and second part of the arm is preferably the same as the depth of the platform. In order to provide a telescopic arm capable of such overextension, the system requires specific features enabling the extension in a stable manner. The structure and function of the telescopic arms is described below in more detail.
In a preferred embodiment the first 203 and the second 204 part extend towards the shelving structure and crates or packages that are located on the shelving structure 301. At middle of the compartments under the platform 101 there is a splined shaft 202 that extends from one compartment to another. One end of the shaft is connected to arms drive motor 201 located inside the motor comprising side compartment. The arms drive motor 201 is configured to turn the shaft. The other end of the splined shaft 202 is supported by a splined hub that has a sliding chain sprocket 205 attached to it. In turn this splined hub is mounted to the inner wall of one of the two compartments via a bearing housing 216. This means that the sliding chain sprocket 205 slides along the splined shaft while rotated by the splined shaft. This is necessary because the distance between the telescopic arms 200 is not constant and the arms are connected to the inner walls 102a of the compartments. In the other compartment the fixed chain sprocket 217 is fixed to the splined shaft in a way it can turn with the splined shaft, but it cannot move along the splined shaft. In this way the arms can be extended and contracted in any distance between them by only one motor.
The sliding chain sprocket 205 and the fixed chain sprocket 217 drive the chains traveling on the obround chain guide 206 located on the inner wall of each side compartment. In one end of the obround chain guide the chain is driven by the described sprocket and the rest of the way the chain moves along the chain guide.
On the top side of each of the two obround chain guides 206 the chain is in contact with a toothed rack 207 of the first part 203 of the corresponding telescopic arm. Thanks to the obround shape the distal end of the first part can travel past the centreline of the shuttle device.
Also mounted on the inner walls 102a of the compartments there are stationary toothed racks 208. These racks are fixedly attached to the sidewalls. In the middle of the first parts 203 of each telescopic arm there is an obround chain drive system 209 similar to the above-described system but without sprockets. A chain travels along the obround guide (preferably plastic). This chain drive system is in contact with the stationary toothed rack 208 from the bottom side that is attached to the side of the compartment and with a toothed rack 218 on the second part 204 from above. As the first part starts to move the chain on the upper chain drive is in contact with the stationary toothed rack 208 and moving toothed rack on the second part 218 so that the second parts starts to move at the same time.
The telescopic arms 200 use telescopic linear guides to make out most of the first part 203 and connect first and the second part 204 together and furthermore the first part to the inner wall of the side compartment. The linear guide is also used to mount the obround chain drive system 209 to the first part.
The telescopic arms 200 can also move toward and away of each other to change the distance between the arms. To achieve this movement both side compartments are connected with at least one ball screw or trapezoidal screw 210 mechanism from underneath the platform 101. One compartment has two linear bearings 211 that are mounted on linear rails 212 mounted on the other compartment underneath the platform, connecting the two compartments. One of the compartments also has a screw nut 213 that is mounted inside the compartment (
At least one of the compartments has a crate guide surface 112 attached to it. This surface supports the crate while it is on the loading space and provides reduction in sliding resistance while the crate is moved onto or off the platform 101.
At the distal ends of the second parts of the arms there are fixed grippers 215. These grippers protrude the inside surface of the second part 204. The grippers move past the crate along with the telescopic arm 200 while it is being extended to grab a crate. When the arms extend past the crate the position of the arm part is confirmed by an encoder of the compartment drive motor 214 and the extending motion will stop. The compartments along with arms will move some distance closer to each other (via turning of the screw 210 as described above) to minimize the crates movement from side to side during crate's moving and then the telescopic arms are retracted to pull the crate onto the platform. Also, the grippers are now positioned behind the crate as they are fixed to the telescopic arm. To move the crate back to the shelf or to the opposite side, the grippers are already at the back of the crate. The arms are extended towards the shelving structure and the crate is pushed back with them. To move the crate/parcel to the same side of the shelving structure the grippers are already at the back of the crate and the crate is pushed onto the shelf with them. The distance between the compartments along with arms mounted thereon is increased and the arms are retracted back to the platform leaving the crate behind.
The platform 101 is wireless, motors and electronics are powered by on board energy source 109. Energy storage unit is located in one of the side compartments 102. Platform moves to charging station to autonomously start charging via charging interface 110 when needed.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/610,765 which was filed on Dec. 15, 2023 and the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63610765 | Dec 2023 | US |
