The invention relates to a shelf-serving device as defined in the introductory part of claim 1.
A method and a device for manipulating shipping pallets are known from DE 44 22 240 A1. The device is comprised of a transfer system with a lifting platform and telescopic arms arranged thereon, for loading shipping pallets on support rails in a storage shelf or removing them from the latter. Furthermore, for manipulating the shipping pallets, an endless conveyor is arranged between the telescopic arms and can be displaced from the lifting platform with the telescopic arms. Such an arrangement has the drawback that high load moments occur due to the wide swing required when the shipping pallets are loaded on or removed from the shelf, and the high dead weight conditioned by the device.
Furthermore, a method and a device for loading and removing containers in/from a shelf compartment, with an extendable system with revolving conveying means, are known from DE 198 01 856 C2. In this system, the conveying means is forming a support surface and, for rolling off on the bottom side of the container, driven against the loading or unloading directions in which the extendable component is moving so as to avoid any relative movement. A high dead weight, which has to be absorbed by the shelf-serving device, is reached in such a system as well, and the extra load added by the container causes high moments in the conveying system in the extended condition. This requires the systems to be dimensioned accordingly, which incurs high costs and also leads to high energy consumption for operating such system installations.
According to another type of device of the type known from DE 34 31 580 A1, a conveyor device for all kinds of different commodities with or without pallets is comprised of parallel-extending support and guide sections, in which a transporting and displacing platform is displaceably guided by means of castors. Such a transporting and displacing platform comprises a plurality of supporting and displacing means preferably in the form of rollers, on which the goods or pallets are supported and received or shipped. Such a system is basically installed on the shelves as such, so that the containers or pallets can be stocked on or removed from the shelf by a conveying means.
The problem of the invention is to provide a shelf-serving system of a lighter weight and consequently more economical type of construction, with which a wide swing for stocking and removing the usual shipping units in single- or double-shelf arrangements is achieved, and the material expenditure for the device is minimized.
The problem of the invention is resolved by the features specified in the characterizing part of claim 1. The advantage gained in this connection is that by additionally arranging a load-supporting means on the load-carrying means, support of the telescopic assembly is obtained on the shelf without any substantial additional stress being exerted on the shelf. In this way, no load moments have to be absorbed by the supporting structure of the shelf-serving device, which means that significant savings are gained in connection with the dimensioning of the shelf-serving system, and, by virtue of reduced stress, a longer useful life of such devices as well.
However, a design as specified in claims 2 to 4 can be realized as well, as is permits adaptation of the load-receiving means for obtaining high stability irrespectively of the configuration of pallets, storage boxes etc.
Beneficial is also an embodiment as defined in claim 5, by which a low structural height of the load-receiving means is achieved, and thus high utilization of the storage space.
Another advantageous design is specified in claim 6, as an optimized layout of the load-carrying and/or load-supporting means is achieved in this way in the given case of application.
Furthermore, beneficial embodiments as those specified in claims 7 to 9 lead to application possibilities for serving double-shelves in an economical manner where required as well.
However, preferred further developments are specified also in claims 10 and 11, as the drive of the telescopic assembly arranged on the lifting carriage is supported and relieved in this manner as the latter is being driven into the shelf for picking up pallets, storage boxes etc., and any relative movement between the final telescopic extension and the pallets or storage boxes is avoided by adapting its speed.
Beneficial is also an embodiment according to claim 12, as an angular adjustment to the required extent is obtained in this manner for achieving the full support function between the load-supporting means and the shelf construction, and any deformation of the structure of the device is avoided.
According to the beneficial further development as specified in claim 13, the pallet can be pulled from the shelf, or the storage box from its support and shelf, owing to the fact that the frictional resistance on the load-carrying means is greater than the frictional resistance versus the support means.
Feasible is also an embodiment as specified in claim 14, which offers a beneficial variation for its application to storage boxes provided with a through-extending bottom.
An exact transfer of pallets, storage boxes etc. to the load-carrying means in terms of their positioning is achieved with the further development as specified in claim 15.
However, embodiments of the type specified in claims 16 to 18 are advantageous as well, which permit adaptation of the system to various layouts of shelf stockrooms and different types of storage.
Furthermore, the design specified in claim 19 is beneficial because driving into a pallet can be safely accomplished even if positioning tolerances should occur.
According to the advantageous further developments of the invention specified in claims 20 to 25, the caterpillar track assemblies can be driven into a pallet vibration-free, with no tilting movement occurring where it is possible to lift the pallet in its horizontal position after the caterpillar track arrangements have been fully driven into the shelf. Very careful stocking and stock removal from the shelves is achieved in this manner for sensitive goods.
A design according to claim 26 is beneficial because it permits receiving the pallet in a secured manner.
Finally, embodiments as specified in claims 27 and 28 are advantageous as well because in this way, it is possible to take into account in particular different means for receiving merchandise, and thus solutions adapted accordingly are available.
The exemplified embodiments shown in the drawings are explained in greater detail in the following for superior understanding of the invention. In the drawings,
It is noted here by way of introduction that in the various forms of embodiment described herein, identical components are provided with identical reference numerals and identical component drawings, whereby the disclosures contained throughout this specification can be applied in the same sense to identical components with identical reference numerals and identical component drawings. Furthermore, the positional data selected in the specification such as, e.g. on top, at the bottom, lateral etc. relate to the figure directly described and shown, and have to be applied in the same sense to the new position where a position has changed. Moreover, individual features or combinations of features in the various exemplified embodiments described and shown herein may also represent independent inventive solutions, or solutions as defined by the invention.
According to the prior art, the lifting carriage 17 is provided with a telescopic assembly 18, preferably a doubly extendable telescopic fork arrangement 19 that is adjustable in a plane extending parallel to the set-up surface 8. Starting from the shelf lane 7, the shelves 3 arranged on both sides of the shelf lane 7, which are double-shelves as shown, can be selectively served for loading and unloading the shelves with the merchandise-receiving means 5, namely irrespectively of whether the pallet 6, which is shown by fully drawn lines and disposed adjacent to the shelve lane 7, or a pallet 7 that is removed from the shelve lane 6 and shown by dashed lines, or both pallets have to be jointly loaded on or removed from the shelves. It has to be noted that the shelf storage facility 2 may naturally be realized also in the form of individual shelves not shown, whereby the economically sounder solution is represented by the double-shelf layout shown in the exemplified embodiment. The shelf 3 may be designed both for longitudinal and crosswise storage of the merchandise-receiving means 5, e.g. of the pallets 6 such as Euro-pallets etc. with a rectangular layout. Other layouts of the merchandise-receiving means 5 are, of course, possible as well.
Now,
In connection with a single- or multiple-component telescopic arrangement 18, it is essential to the invention in connection with the load-receiving means 20 that an end extension 21 of the telescopic arrangement 18 forming the fork arrangement 19, or of the telescopic arms 22, 23 forming the forks, is provided with a load-supporting means 24 and a load-carrying means 25. In a preferred embodiment, said means are formed by the caterpillar track arrangements 26, which substantially are rotationally supported in the end areas 27, 28 of the telescopic arms 22, 23, opposing each other with respect to the set-up surface 8, and aligned with one another one on top of the other, rotating about the parallel axles 29 of the reversing gears 30. Said caterpillar tracks arrangements each have the independent revolving means 31, e.g. chains, belt, cables etc. endlessly guided via the reversing gears 30.
According to a preferred embodiment, the caterpillar track arrangements 26 or revolving means 31, by virtue of the arrangement and diameter of the reversing gears 30 and their coordinated positions, are provided in the end areas with support guides for the revolving means 31 so as to facilitate their drive into the shelf and pick-up of the pallets 6 even in the presence of dimensional and positional deviations.
Furthermore,
Now,
For receiving the pallet 6, the load-carrying means 25, which are formed by another caterpillar track assembly 26, are associated with a pallet bottom 40 per each telescopic arm 22, whereby in the course of driving in (as indicated by arrow 38), the endless revolving means 31 of the load-carrying means 25, by rolling off on an underside 41 of the pallet bottom 40, is moving under the pallet 6 with a surface 42 facing away from the set-up surface 8. A spacing 44 between the surfaces 39, 42 of the endless revolving means 31, said spacing being measured in the vertical direction in relation to the set-up surface 8, is dimensioned in a way such that a supporting force —indicated by arrow 45—acting on the pallet 6 on the support profiles 34 is reduced, or the spacing 44 is made greater than the inside height of the pallet, which causes the pallet 6 to assume a slanted position as it is being driven in as shown in
In order for the pallet 6 to be reliably received on the load-carrying means 25 as the load-receiving means 25 is being driven in, as indicated by arrow 38, and the support force is reduced as indicated by arrow 45, and the pallet is then lifted from the support profile 34, the caterpillar track arrangement forming said load-carrying means is equipped with a drive 46, by means of which the endless revolving means 31 is driven in the direction against the drive-in direction—indicated by arrow 38—in accordance with the drive-in speed of the end extension 21, with the upper stand 47 rolling off on the pallet bottom 40, so that no relative movement is caused to occur between the load-carrying means 25 and the pallet 6.
According to a preferred embodiment, provision is made also for a drive or driving connection 48—as shown by dashed lines—for the caterpillar track arrangement 26 of the load-supporting means 24, for the purpose of supporting the roll-off movement of a lower strand 49 on the support profile 34 as indicated by the arrow 40.
It is in particular pointed out that instead of employing the separate drives 46, the driving connection 48 between the caterpillar track arrangement 26 can be realized, e.g. in the form of a transmission 50 as well, whereby it is necessary—as explained further below—to provide the driving connection 48 or transmission 50 with a release device so as to be able to disengage the driving connection 48 between the load-supporting means 24 and the load-carrying means 25. Such disengagement is required for the driving-out movement as indicated by arrow 51 after the end extension 21 has been fully driven into the shelf space 32, and thus into the pallet 6, and for then removing the pallet 6 from the shelf 3 after it has been deposited on the caterpillar track arrangement 26 of the load-carrying means 25. In the process of such a movement for removing and driving the pallet out, as indicated by arrow 51, the caterpillar arrangement 26 of the load-carrying means 25 is prevented from carrying out a roll-off movement by means of a blocking device 51 or the drive 26. In this way, the pallet 6 is pulled by the support profiles 34 and the frictional resistance acting between the upper strand 47 and the pallet bottom 40; and by retracting the telescopic arrangement 18 into the zero position vis-à-vis the lifting carriage 17, it is transported into the shelf lane 7, and then transported out of the shelf stockroom 2 by displacing the shelf-serving device 1 accordingly.
According to a preferred embodiment, as the end extension 21 is being retracted from the shelf 3 as indicated by arrow 51, the caterpillar track arrangement 26 of the load-supporting means 24, the latter resting on at least one of the support profiles 34 with the lower strand 49, and thus supporting the telescopic arrangement 18, the caterpillar track arrangement 26 is driven in the direction against the driving-in direction in order to support the driving-out movement and to avoid any relative movement between the lower strand 49 and the supporting profile.
In a simplified embodiment, in particular with lower stocking loads, the drive 46 for the caterpillar track arrangement 26 of the load-supporting means 24, or the arrangement of the driving connection 48 can be omitted, if need be; however, the drive 46 for the caterpillar track arrangement 26 of the load-carrying means 25 is useful and indispensable in any case.
Now,
According to a preferred embodiment, the pallet 6 is supported in this case in the shelf space 52 on the particularly Z-shaped profiles 55 extending in the direction of the depth 35, whereby the legs 56 of the Z-profiles 55 resting on the support profiles 34 of the shelf 3 are pointing at each other. In this preferred embodiment, a through-extending support is formed by the leg 56 for the caterpillar track arrangement 26 of the load-supporting means 24, and thus serves for supporting the end extension 21 of the load-carrying means 25. Other profiles, however, naturally can be employed as well, i.e. support elements assuring the required elevation only in the region of the support profiles 34, because as described above for the preceding exemplified embodiments, the caterpillar arrangement 26 of the load-supporting means 25 can be supported also on the support profile 34.
It has to be mentioned also that with yet another design variation, it is possible also to make provision for a roller arrangement 57 replacing the caterpillar track arrangement 26 of the load-carrying means 25, specially when merchandise-receiving means 5 with a through-extending bottom cover as shown by a basic representation in
Referring again to
It is, of course, necessary also to mention the controlling and monitoring devices and elements for which provision is made, but which are not specified herein in detail, particularly the ones for the drives 46 such as the speed, rpm- and rpm-reversing controllers; the synchronizer, approximation sensors, and overload protection devices etc., which individually conform to the state of the art and are provided for operational reliability and safety reasons.
For the sake of good order, it is finally emphasized that in the interest of superior appreciation of the structure of the shelf-serving device 1, the latter and its components are partly shown untrue to scale and/or enlarged and/or reduced.
The problems forming the basis of the independent inventive solutions can be derived from the specification.
Most of all, the individual embodiments shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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GM 121/2002 | Feb 2002 | AT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/AT03/00052 | 2/18/2003 | WO |