Multilevel vertical conveyor platform guides

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9371183-B2
Application number	US-201514679535-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2015
Priority date	Dec 15, 2010
Publication date	Jun 21, 2016
Grant date	Jun 21, 2016

Abstract

A multilevel vertical conveyor system for transporting uncontained case units to and from a multilevel storage structure having an array of vertically stacked storage levels is provided and includes a frame having platform guide members, a drive member connected to the frame, and support platforms coupled to the drive member. The drive member is configured to move the support platforms relative to the frame in a substantially continuous vertical loop, each of the support platforms being configured to support multiple uncontained case units where each of the multiple uncontained case units is disposed at a respective predetermined area of a respective support platform, the support platforms have support members that are guided by guide members substantially throughout a path of the substantially continuous vertical loop, where the support members are guided in three point contact by the guide members substantially throughout the path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for transporting uncontained case units to and from a multilevel storage structure having an array of vertically stacked storage levels, the method comprises:
providing a frame having discontinuous platform guide members;
providing a drive member connected to the frame; and
providing support platforms coupled to the drive member, each of the support platforms having at least two follower members that engage the discontinuous platform guide members; and
moving the support platforms with the drive member relative to the frame along a continuous vertical loop transport path, where the support members are guided by the discontinuous platform guide members in three point contact substantially throughout the continuous vertical loop transport path through engagement of the at least two follower members with the discontinuous platform guide members where three point contact is effected by one of the at least two follower members engaging a respective discontinuous platform guide member when another of the at least two follower members passes a discontinuity in the respective guide member.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising supporting multiple uncontained case units with the support platforms where the multiple uncontained case units are cantilevered on the support platforms.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising disposing multiple uncontained case units in an array of predetermined areas of the support platform.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing at least one transfer device that extends into the continuous vertical loop transport path, where the at least one transfer device loads or unloads uncontained case units from a respective predetermined area of a support platform.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the uncontained case units are placed in or removed from the respective predetermined area of a respective support platform substantially independent of other uncontained case units disposed in another different respective predetermined area of the respective support platform.

6. method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one transfer device includes at least one in-feed transfer station that extends into the continuous vertical loop transport path, where the support platforms interface with the at least one in-feed transfer station to receive the uncontained case units, from the at least one in-feed transfer station, in at least one predetermined area of an inbound support platform, the at least one predetermined area of the inbound support platform corresponding to a location of the at least one in-feed transfer station.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one transfer device includes at least one out-feed transfer station that extends into the continuous vertical loop transport path, where the support platforms interface with the at least one out-feed transfer station to remove the uncontained case units, with the at least one out-feed transfer station, from at least one predetermined area of an outbound support platform, the predetermined area of the outbound support platform corresponding to a location of the at least one out-feed transfer station.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein each support platform includes first elongated fingers and the at least one transfer device includes second elongated fingers, where the first and second elongated fingers allow the support platforms to pass through the each of the at least one transfer device for effecting a transfer of the multiple uncontained case units.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one transfer device includes more than one transfer device disposed in a horizontally staggered vertical stack on respective inbound and outbound sides of the continuous vertical loop transport path.

10. The method of claim 4 , wherein the at least one transfer device includes more than one transfer device disposed in vertical stacks one above the other on respective inbound and outbound sides of the continuous vertical loop transport path such that the at least one of the more than one transfer device extends into respective inbound and outbound support platforms by different amounts than other ones of the at least one transfer device.

11. A method for transporting uncontained case units to and from a multilevel storage structure having an array of vertically stacked storage levels, the method comprises:
providing a frame having discontinuous platform guide members;
providing a drive member connected to the frame; and
providing support platforms coupled to the drive member, each of the support platforms having at least two follower members that engage the discontinuous platform guide members;
moving the support platforms with the drive member relative to the frame along a continuous vertical loop transport path, where the support members are guided by the discontinuous platform guide members in three point contact substantially throughout the continuous vertical loop transport path through engagement of the at least two follower members with the discontinuous platform guide members where three point contact is effected by one of the at least two follower members engaging a respective discontinuous platform guide member when another of the at least two follower members passes a discontinuity in the respective guide member; and
transferring one or more uncontained case units between a transfer device located on respective ones of the storage levels and the support platforms.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising selectably placing or removing the one or more uncontained case units to or from the support platforms with the transfer device through a transfer device interface that provides a substantially direct transfer between each support platform and the transfer device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein each support platform includes an array of predetermined areas, and the one or more uncontained case units are selectably placed on or removed from a support platform with more than one transfer device interfacing to different portions of the array of predetermined areas.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein transferring one or more uncontained case units between the transfer device and the support platforms includes passing first elongated fingers of the support platforms between second elongated fingers of the transfer device.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein transferring the one or more uncontained case units between the transfer device and the support platforms includes transferring the one or more uncontained case units to and from autonomous transport vehicles disposed on the respective ones of the storage levels.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the autonomous transport vehicles interface substantially directly with the support platforms such that each autonomous transport vehicles transports at least one uncontained case unit between the support platforms and storage modules of the respective storage level with substantially one picking operation.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the transfer device includes more than one transfer device disposed in a horizontally staggered vertical stack on respective inbound and outbound sides of the continuous vertical loop transport path.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the transfer device includes more than one transfer device disposed in vertical stacks one above the other on respective inbound and outbound sides of the continuous vertical loop transport path such that at least one of the more than one transfer device extends into respective inbou

Assignees

• Symbotic Llc

Inventors

• Toebes Stephen C
• Sullivan Robert

Classifications

• B65G17/18

  and move in contact with a guiding surface · CPC title

• B65G65/08

  with reciprocating pick-up conveyors · CPC title

• B65G47/56

  to or from inclined or vertical conveyor sections · CPC title

• B65G17/123

  arranged to keep the load-carriers horizontally during at least a part of the conveyor run · CPC title

• B65G1/0435 Primary

  with pulling or pushing means on either stacking crane or stacking area · CPC title