Service vehicle for extinguishing fire on and within an automated storage and retrieval system and a method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12145011-B2
Application number	US-201917059272-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2019
Priority date	Jun 6, 2018
Publication date	Nov 19, 2024
Grant date	Nov 19, 2024

Abstract

The invention concerns a service vehicle (2) for extinguishing fire on and within an automated storage and retrieval system (1) and a method for operating such a service vehicle (2). The service vehicle comprises caterpillar tracks (6, 7) allowing movement of the service vehicle across a rail system (108) and a fire extinguisher compartment (8) for containing firefighting equipment (3a).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An automated storage and retrieval system comprising a service vehicle having a fire extinguisher compartment for containing firefighting equipment for extinguishing fire on and within the automated storage and retrieval system, wherein the automated storage and retrieval system further comprises:
a rail system comprising:
a first set of parallel rails arranged in a horizontal plane and extending in a first direction, and
a second set of parallel rails arranged in the horizontal plane and extending in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction; which first and second sets of rails form a grid pattern in the horizontal plane comprising a plurality of adjacent grid cells of length L gc and width W gc , each comprising a grid opening defined by a pair of adjacent rails of the first set of rails and a pair of adjacent rails of the second set of rails;

a plurality of stacks of storage containers arranged in storage columns located beneath the rail system; and
a plurality of container handling vehicles for lifting and moving the storage containers stacked in the stacks, wherein the container handling vehicles move laterally on the rail system above the storage columns to access the storage containers via the grid openings,
wherein the service vehicle further comprises a caterpillar track configured to drive on top of the rail system by abutting topmost parts of each rail, and the service vehicle moves on the rail system by using the caterpillar track,
wherein the caterpillar track has a length L pm at a level of the horizontal plane exceeding a length corresponding to a diagonal length across a maximum grid opening of the rail system when the service vehicle is moving across the rail system.

2. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein an overall width W pm associated with the caterpillar track exceeds a width of the rails of the rail system when the service vehicle is moving on the rail system.

3. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the service vehicle further comprises an inspection unit being configured to allow inspection of surroundings of the service vehicle.

4. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the service vehicle further comprises a service vehicle body onto which the caterpillar track is mounted, and wherein the inspection unit comprises:
a front inspection unit being arranged to allow inspection of the surroundings of the service vehicle within a set angular range around a forward direction of propulsion of the service vehicle; and
a back inspection unit being arranged to allow inspection of the surroundings of the service vehicle within a set angular range around a backward direction of propulsion of the service vehicle directed opposite of the forward direction.

5. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the inspection unit is at least one of:
a first optical camera for capturing images of the surroundings of the service vehicle using light in a visible spectrum, or
a second optical camera for capturing images of the surroundings of the service vehicle using light outside the visible spectrum.

6. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the service vehicle comprises a fire extinguisher device for extinguishing fire on and beneath the rail system using fire extinguishant.

7. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the fire extinguisher device comprises a fire extinguisher structure, and wherein the service vehicle further comprises:
a service vehicle body onto which the caterpillar track is mounted, wherein the service vehicle body encloses the fire extinguisher compartment for storing a fire extinguisher framework.

8. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the fire extinguisher structure comprises a tank for storing the fire extinguishant.

9. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the fire extinguisher device further comprises:
a pump for pressurizing the fire extinguishant within the tank; and
a closable manifold forming a closable fluid communication between an internal volume of the tank and an exterior of the tank.

10. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the fire extinguisher device further comprises a fire extinguisher support arranged at or adjacent to an exterior wall of the tank, and wherein the service vehicle body further comprises a support bracket extending into the fire extinguisher compartment,
wherein the fire extinguisher support and the support bracket are configured such that the fire extinguisher support is supported on the support bracket when the tank is arranged within the fire extinguisher compartment.

11. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the fire extinguisher structure comprises a framework having a volume being equal or smaller than the volume of the fire extinguisher compartment,
wherein the fire extinguisher device further comprises a supply hose for supplying fire extinguishant, and
wherein a first end of the supply hose is connected in fluid communication with a fire extinguishant reservoir and a second end of the supply hose is connected to the framework such that fire extinguishant is allowed to adjustably exit the supply hose and onto the rail system during operation through an opening of the second end arranged in a vicinity of, or within, the service vehicle body.

12. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the fire extinguisher structure further comprises a positioner configured to regulate a position of the opening.

13. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the fire extinguisher device further comprises a drum onto which the supply hose is configured to be coiled.

14. The automated storage and retrieval system in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the service vehicle body comprises a lifting mechanism for lifting the fire extinguisher structure vertically when stored within the fire extinguisher compartment.

15. A method for operating the automated storage and retrieval system according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:
guiding the service vehicle to a first position on the rail system situated within a maximum distance from an outer lateral boundary of a fire located on or below the rail system by operating and controlling the caterpillar track;
activating a fire extinguisher device of the service vehicle for allowing fire extinguishant to extinguish the fire; and
positioning a positioner of the fire extinguisher device to direct the fire extinguishant towards or adjacent to the fire.

Assignees

• Autostore Tech As

Inventors

• Austrheim Trond
• Fjeldheim Ivar

Classifications

• G05D1/692

  involving a plurality of disparate vehicles · CPC title

• G05D1/249

  from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle, e.g. from cameras · CPC title

• B66F9/18

  Load gripping or retaining means · CPC title

• B66F9/063

  Automatically guided · CPC title

• B65G1/0492

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title