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KR-20260064736-A - Leveling device for skeletal structure

KR20260064736AKR 20260064736 AKR20260064736 AKR 20260064736AKR-20260064736-A

Abstract

A leveling device (10) and a method for installing and leveling a skeletal structure of an automated storage and retrieval system are disclosed. The leveling device has a base portion (12) and a support platform (14) for supporting an upright member of the skeletal structure. A guide structure (42) is arranged on the support platform. The support platform is arranged to accommodate and support a spacer frame for separating the lower end of the upright member and the upright member between the guide structure and the center point of the support platform.

Inventors

  • 아우스트라임 트론드
  • 아르세트 시멘

Assignees

  • 오토스토어 테크놀로지 에이에스

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20240911
Priority Date
20230912

Claims (20)

  1. A leveling device (10) for a skeletal structure of an automated storage and retrieval system, wherein the skeletal structure comprises a plurality of upright members (102) defining the corners of a plurality of rectangular cross-section storage columns (105) arranged to store each stack (107) of a storage container (106), and the leveling device is: Base part; A support member capable of vertical movement with respect to a base portion, wherein the support member is a support platform (14), and the support platform includes guide structures (42, 43) arranged on the upper surface of the support platform, and the support platform is arranged to receive and support a spacer frame that separates the upright members from each other to define the lower end of the upright member (102) of the skeletal structure and a storage column, and the support platform is arranged to receive the lower end of the upright member and the spacer frame between the center point of the guide structure and the support platform; and A leveling device comprising a wedge member (22) that can be inserted between a base portion and a support member to adjust the height of the support member.
  2. A leveling device according to claim 1, wherein the support platform has a cross-sectional area of a horizontal plane equal to or greater than the installation space of the lower end of the upright member, and accordingly, the installation space of the upright member is within the periphery (16) of the support platform.
  3. A leveling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide structure comprises one or more guide ridge arrays (43) including two guide ridge portions (44) arranged substantially 90 degrees apart from each other, and each of the one or more guide ridge arrays (43) corresponds to a corner guide of an upright member.
  4. A leveling device according to claim 3, wherein each vertex (48) of the guide ridge array (43) is spaced apart from the center point of the support platform by a distance (D), and this distance is greater than the distance (D') from the midpoint of the upright member to the vertex (50) of the corresponding corner guide, thereby forming a gap (46) between the guide ridge portion (44) and the corresponding side portion (38) of the corresponding corner guide (40).
  5. In paragraph 4, the width of the gap (46) corresponds to the width of the corner of the spacer frame (52), and the spacer frame substantially has the dimensions of a storage column, a leveling device.
  6. A leveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the wedge device is U-shaped and forms two legs (28) having an inclined upper surface (24).
  7. In claim 6, the leveling device comprises a leg (28) of the wedge device (22) having a locking tooth (30) arranged to engage with a corresponding locking tooth (30') arranged on a base portion.
  8. A leveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the base portion comprises a vertical extension column passing through an opening of a support platform, and the support platform is arranged to accommodate the lower end of an upright member and a spacer frame between the guide structure and the opening of the support platform and/or between the guide structure and the column of the base portion and/or between the guide structure and the vertical wall defining the opening.
  9. It is a system, and A leveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and A system including upright members of a skeletal structure.
  10. In claim 9, the system comprises a plurality of longitudinally arranged corner guides (40) for guiding the corners of a container that is raised or lowered into a storage column.
  11. In claim 10, the system comprises, wherein each corner guide (40) includes two longitudinal side portions (38) arranged substantially at 90 degrees.
  12. In claim 11, the guide structure is arranged in a position such that when an upright member is placed on a support platform, the guide structure is within a rectangular area defined by the side portion (38) of the corner guide (40).
  13. A system according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the guide structure is spaced apart from the center point of the support platform by a distance (D), so that when an upright member is placed on the support platform, a gap (46) is formed between the guide structure and the corner guide (40).
  14. A system for leveling the skeletal structure (100) of an automated storage and retrieval system and for accurately separating the upright members (102), and A plurality of leveling devices (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or a plurality of systems according to any one of claims 9 to 13, and A system for defining storage columns by separating upright members from each other, comprising a plurality of rectangular spacer frames (52), wherein the frames substantially have the dimensions of storage columns of a storage and retrieval system, and the corners (53) of the spacer frames are configured to fit snugly into the gaps (46) of four leveling devices on which upright members are placed, and are removable, thereby defining storage columns.
  15. A system according to claim 14, wherein each spacer frame is manufactured from a single extruded aluminum piece having a plurality of cut sections and/or bending sections, thereby allowing the aluminum piece to be bent into a rectangular shape.
  16. A method for separating upright members (102) of the skeletal structure (100) of an automated storage and retrieval system, and A step of arranging a plurality of leveling devices (10) from a system according to claim 14 or 15 in a grid pattern; A step of placing an upright member on each leveling device such that the lower end of the upright member is placed on the support platform of the leveling device; and A method comprising the step of connecting a spacer frame (52) from a system according to claim 14 or 15 between each group of four leveling devices by inserting a corner (53) of a spacer frame into a gap (46) between a guide structure of a support platform of a leveling device and a corner guide of an upright member.
  17. In paragraph 16, the leveling device is arranged in a grid pattern with the help of a spacer frame before placing an upright member on a support platform.
  18. In claim 16 or 17, the spacer frame is kept in place after the grid is placed to function as a support base (56) for stacking storage containers.
  19. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the leveling device has a height such that it creates a sufficiently large gap (58) to allow the automated cleaning device (60) to pass under the stack of the storage container.
  20. A method for cleaning a facility floor within the periphery of the skeleton of an automated storage and retrieval system, comprising the step of operating an automated cleaning device under a stack of storage containers stored in a storage column of the skeleton structure of an automated storage and retrieval system installed according to any one of claims 16 to 19.

Description

Leveling device for skeletal structure The present disclosure relates to an automated storage and retrieval system for storing and retrieving containers, and in particular to a leveling device for leveling the skeletal structure of an automated storage and retrieval system. FIG. 1 discloses a conventional automated storage and retrieval system (1) having a skeletal structure (100), FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 disclose three different conventional container handling vehicles (201, 301, 401) suitable for operating in such a system (1). The skeletal structure (100) comprises a storage volume including upright members (102) and storage columns (105) arranged in rows between the upright members (102). In these storage columns (105), storage containers (106), also known as bins, are stacked vertically on top of each other to form a stack (107). The members (102) can typically be manufactured from metal, for example, extruded aluminum profiles. The skeletal structure (100) of the automated storage and retrieval system (1) includes a rail system (108) arranged across the top of the skeletal structure (100), and on this rail system (108), a plurality of container handling vehicles (201, 301, 401) can be operated to raise a storage container (106) from a storage column (105), lower a storage container (106) into a storage column, and also transport a storage container (106) over a storage column (105). The rail system (108) comprises a first set of parallel rails (110) arranged to guide the movement of a container handling vehicle (201, 301, 401) in a first direction (X) across the top of the frame structure (100), and a second set of parallel rails (111) arranged orthogonally to the first set of rails (110) to guide the movement of the container handling vehicle (201, 301, 401) in a second direction (Y) orthogonal to the first direction (X). A container (106) stored in a column (105) is accessed by the container handling vehicle (201, 301, 401) through an access opening (112) of the rail system (108). The container handling vehicle (201, 301, 401) can move laterally over the storage column (105), that is, in a plane parallel to the horizontal X-Y plane. The upright member (102) of the skeletal structure (100) can be used to guide the storage container while raising the storage container from the column (105) and lowering the container into the column. The stack (107) of the containers (106) is typically freestanding. Each of the prior art container handling vehicles (201, 301, 401) includes a vehicle body (201a, 301a, 401a) and first and second sets of wheels (201b, 201c, 301b, 301c, 401b, 401c) that enable lateral movement of the container handling vehicle (201, 301, 401) in the X and Y directions, respectively. In FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, two wheels of each set are fully visible. The wheels of the first set (201b, 301b, 401b) are arranged to engage with two adjacent rails of the first set (110) of rails, and the wheels of the second set (201c, 301c, 401c) are arranged to engage with two adjacent rails of the second set (111) of rails. At least one of the wheels of the set (201b, 201c, 301b, 301c, 401b, 401c) can be raised and lowered, and accordingly, the wheels of the first set (201b, 301b, 401b) and/or the wheels of the second set (201c, 301c, 401c) can be engaged with the rails (110, 111) of each set at any time. Each of the prior art container handling vehicles (201, 301, 401) also includes a lifting device for vertical transport of a storage container (106), for example, for raising the storage container (106) from a storage column (105) and lowering the storage container (106) to a storage column. The lifting device includes one or more gripping/engaging devices configured to engage with the storage container (106), and the gripping/engaging devices can be lowered from the vehicle (201, 301, 401), and accordingly, the position of the gripping/engaging devices relative to the vehicle (201, 301, 401) can be adjusted in a third direction (Z) orthogonal to a first direction (X) and a second direction (Y). Parts of the gripping devices of the container handling vehicles (301, 401) are illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 and are denoted by reference numerals 304 and 404. The gripping device of the container handling device (201) is located inside the vehicle body (201a) in FIG. 2 and is therefore not shown. Typically, and for the purposes of this application, Z=1 identifies the uppermost layer available for use in a storage container under the rail (110, 111), that is, the layer immediately below the rail system (108), Z=2 identifies the second layer below the rail system (108), Z=3 identifies the third layer, and so on. In the exemplary prior art disclosed in FIG. 1, Z=8 identifies the lowest, bottom layer of the storage container. Similarly, X=1...n and Y=1...n identify the positions of each storage column (105) in a horizontal plane. Consequently, for example, and using the Cartesian coordinate system X, Y, Z shown in FIG. 1,