FR2730715A1 - Self powered handling truck for multi level stores, - Google Patents

Abstract

The truck for storage racks, consists of a primary chassis (1) and a secondary chassis (2). The primary chassis is equipped with wheels (4,4A), which roll on the primary rails (5,5A) and the secondary chassis with wheels (7,7A), to roll on the secondary rails, which are orthogonal and in the same plane as the primary rails. The truck consists of primary and secondary drives and the primary chassis is equipped with lifting forks, which extend to outside the truck parallel to that of the second rails. The truck rests on the wheels of the secondary chassis, on the secondary rails situated above the level of the primary wheels.

Description

Self-propelled chanot and storage warehouse served by such chanots
The present invention relates to a self-propelled cart and a warehouse for storing products on pallets served by such carts.

 In order to reduce the dead spaces in the product storage stores arranged on pallets, a known solution consists in placing these pallets in a plurality of corridors arranged one above the other in columns, these columns being placed side by side. The corridors are generally the same length and their ends constitute two planes called frontal planes.

 To serve the corridors of such stores, it is known to use industrial forklifts with forks and with manual drive. The trolley, narrower than the space delimited by the supports of the pallets, with its forks loaded with a full pallet and arranged at the height of the corridor where the pallet must be deposited, enters the corridor and will deposit its pallet on its supports which are for example simple angles.

 This process can be dangerous, as there is a risk of damage caused by the trolleys, which can ruin the shelves and drop the loads.

 Another way of servicing such stores is to use a stacker crane or an industrial trolley moving along one of the two front faces of the store, in combination with a very flat self-propelled trolley mounted on the stacker crane or the industrial trolley and leaving it to enter the corridor where the pallet must be placed. Here, the pallet supports consist of C or Z profiles, the pallet being placed on the upper face of the profile and the flat carriage circulating in the height of the profile. The trolley has a vertically movable platform which can therefore either lift a pallet and then move back into the corridor and return to the stacker crane in the event of a pallet being extracted, or deposit it in a corridor by lowering the mobile platform, in the case of storage of a full pallet in the store.

 The present invention aims to provide another solution, not having the disadvantages of insecurity of the industrial forklift, however avoiding the use of a stacker crane, safe but expensive equipment, and allowing to adapt easily and economically to variations in flow over time, and allowing access to facilities outside the storage warehouse without load break: elimination of networks of conveyors or wire-guided carts, etc.

 The invention thus relates to a self-propelled trolley for a storage store, characterized in that it comprises a first chassis and a second chassis, the first chassis being equipped with wheels for rolling on first rails and the second chassis being equipped with wheels for rolling on second rails directed orthogonally and in the same plane as said first rails, said carriage comprising first motor means for retracting the wheels of the two chassis and second motor means ensuring the relative vertical displacement of the two chassis one by relative to the other, said first chassis being equipped with gripping forks extending outside the carriage in a direction parallel to that of said second rails, and in that, center-line of the wheels furthest from said first chassis is less than the distance separating said second rails so that in the extreme low position of said first chassis, and the chari ot resting by its wheels of the second chassis on said second rails, the lower level of the wheels of said first chassis is located below the upper level of said second rails.

 The invention also relates to a storage warehouse for products on pallets served by such trolleys and comprising a storage structure on several floors, characterized in that each floor has at one end, an aisle running along one side of the store , aisle marked by two parallel rails called "first rails" and a plurality of transverse corridors along said aisle, perpendicular to said aisle and each materialized by two parallel rails called "second rails" crossing said first rails, said first rails and said second rails being at the same level, said second rails being used for the removal of said pallets one behind the other along said second rails and for the rolling of a said carriage by its wheels of the second chassis, said first rails being used for the rolling of a said carriage by its wheels of said first chassis, and in that it comprises at least means allowing said carriages to pass from the ground level to the different floors and vice versa, said means leading to each floor a carriage in the axis of said first rails.

We will now give the description of an exemplary implementation of the invention with reference to the appended drawing in which:
Figure i shows in elevation a self-propelled cart according to the invention.

 Figure 2 is a top view of the carriage with a partial partial cutaway, showing the transmission of movement in both directions.

 Figure 3 is also a top view of the carriage showing the system for the relative vertical movement of the two chassis.

 Figure 4 shows the carriage in left view of Figure 1, partially cut, in an extreme relative position of the two frames where a pallet is placed on the second rails acting as shelves.

 Figure 5 is a view similar to that of Figure 4, but in which the two frames are in an extreme relative position, but opposite to that of Figure 4, used to roll on the second rails of the shelves or the floor .

 Figure 6 is a right view of Figure 1 in the same relative position of the frames as Figure 4 and view rolling on the first rails on the ground, also used to roll on the first rails of store floors.

 Figure 7 shows schematically in vertical view a storage magazine served by a self-propelled cart according to the previous figures.

 Figure 8 shows a horizontal view of a store level in Figure 1.

 FIG. 9 shows, in the lower part, a corner of a storey storey with an elevator for mounting the carriages and, in the upper part, a corner at the opposite end of the store and at ground level with the descent elevator for the carriages .

 Figure 10 shows a store floor in a variant where the store floors can be supplied by its two ends.

 FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a store having very few floors and in which the elevators are replaced by inclined planes for the passage of the carriages from the ground to the floors.

 Figures 12 to 16 are schematic views of the carriage illustrating its various operation and relative positions of the two chassis.

 Referring now to Figures 1 to 6, we will describe a self-propelled cart according to the invention.

 The self-propelled carriage comprises two chassis: a first chassis I and a second chassis 2. These two chassis can move vertically relative to each other by means of a motor 3 carried by the second chassis 2 and a system of chain drive and pinion described later with reference to Figures 1 and 3. The first chassis 1 is equipped with wheels 4, 4A for rolling on first rails 5, SA and fixed gripping forks 6. The second chassis 2 is equipped with wheels 7, 7A for rolling on second rails 8, 8A situated at the same level as the first rails 5, 5A and directed perpendicular to these first rails.

 As can be seen, the gripping forks 6, linked to the first chassis 1 extend outside the carriage in a direction parallel to that of the second rails 8, 8A.

 Furthermore, and as can be seen in FIG. 2, the center distance L1 separating the extreme wheels 4, 4A is less than the distance L2 separating the two second rails 8, 8A.

 It is thus possible, as can be seen in FIG. 4, that, when the carriage rolls on the second rails 8, 8A by the wheels 7, 7A of the second chassis 2, the lower level of the wheels 4 of the first chassis I is at a level lower than the upper level of the second rails 8, 8A (and also of the first rails 5, 5A). If the second chassis 2 is arbitrarily taken as a fixed height reference in the relative vertical displacement of the two chassis, the chassis 1 is, in this figure 4, in its lowest position; it is the one that is used to place a pallet directly on the second rails 8, 8A in the different floors of the store described below. It is also the relative position of the two chassis when the chassis rolls by its wheels 4 on the first rails 5, 5A, either on the ground (Figure 6) or on the first rails 5, 5A of the different store floors.

 For the relative vertical displacement of the two chassis 1 and 2, the first chassis 1 carries four threaded rods 9, 10, 11 and 12 on which sprocket nuts 13, 14, 15, 16 are mounted. A single chain 17 passes over these four pinion nuts and it is driven by a motor pinion 18 linked to the motor output shaft 3. The chain also passes over a first idler gear 19 and a second idler gear 20.

 The sprocket 20 serves as a chain tensioner. To this end, it can be moved by a device 21. To allow the threaded rods 9 to 11 to go up and down, and therefore the first frame 1, relative to the second frame 2, the pinion nuts 13 to be axially immobilized. 16 relative to the second chassis 2. For this purpose, each pinion nut is immobilized axially by means of two thrust ball bearings 22 and 23. For clarity of the drawing, these thrust bearings 22 and 23 are only shown on the Figure 4 for the pinion nut 13 and in Figure 6 for the pinion nut 15.

 It is clear, however, that each of the four pinion nuts are immobilized axially with respect to the second chassis 2 by two thrust ball bearings 22et23.

 We will now describe the motorization of the wheels of the two chassis of the carriage. This call is made by a single motor 24 associated with a reduction gear 25 (Figures 2, 4, 5 and 6) with two outputs of perpendicular shafts each equipped with two drive pinions: 26, 27 for the motorization of the wheels 4, 4A of the first chassis 1 and 28, 29 for the motorization of the wheels 7, 7A of the second chassis 2.

 The wheels 7, 7A are driven by means of friction rollers: 30 and 31 mounted on a shaft 32 fitted with a pinion 33 for the wheels 7, 7A at the rear of the carriage (Figure 2) and 34 and 35 mounted on a shaft 36 fitted with a pinion 37 for the wheels 7, 7A at the front of the carriage, fork side 6.

 A first chain 38 connects the sprockets 28 and 33 for driving the friction rollers 30, 31 and a second chain 39 connects the sprockets 29 and 37 for driving the friction rollers 34 and 35.

 Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, which represent the carriage respectively with the chassis 1 in the extreme position: low FIG. 4 and high in FIG. 5, it can be observed that in the low position in FIG. 4, the chassis 1 is below the shafts 32 and 36, while in the high position, FIG. 5, it is above the shafts 32 and 36. It is therefore necessary to provide on the frame 1 a recess along these two shafts: 32 at the rear and 36 at the 'front (side forks). These recesses are visible in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and are marked 40 at the rear for the shaft 32 and 41 at the front for the shaft 36.

 For driving the wheels 4, 4A of the first chassis I by the same geared motor 24-25 linked to the second chassis 2, it is a little more complicated since it is necessary to take into account the relative mobility of the two chassis I and 2.

 The four pairs of wheels 4, 4A are connected by shafts 42, 43, 44 and 45.

The shafts 42 and 43 are linked in rotation by means of two pinions: 46
on the shaft 42, 47 on the shaft 43, and of a chain 48 surrounding the two sprockets
46 and 47. Similarly, the shafts 44 and 45 are linked in rotation by means of two
sprockets: 49 on shaft 44, 50 on shaft 45, and a chain 51 surrounding the
two pinions 49 and 50.

Finally, the shaft 43 is rotated by the drive pinion 26 at
by means of a chain 52 driving a pinion 53 linked to the shaft 43 and the shaft 44 is
driven in rotation by the motor pinion 27 by means of a chain 54
driving a pinion 55 linked to the shaft 44.

To take into account the relative mobility of the two chassis, and therefore the
variable distance between the pinion 26 and the pinion 53, the chain 52 which connects them is subjected to the action of a tensioning device comprising a pinion 56 and a spring 57. Similarly, the chain 54 is subjected to the action of a tensioning device comprising a pinion 58 and a spring 59 (FIGS. 4 and 5).

 Referring to Figures 7 to 9, we will now describe a storage store served by trolleys such as that described above.

 The store includes a storage structure 60 on n floors of which only five: 61, 62, 63, 64 and 65 are shown diagrammatically in FIG. 7, the soil 66 being used for sampling and work stations.

 Each floor, such as that shown in Figure 8, has an aisle 67 running along one side of the store at one of its ends (direction marked X, Figures 8 and 9). This aisle 67 is materialized by two parallel rails 5, 5A called "first rails". Perpendicular to this aisle 67 and over its entire length, a plurality of transverse corridors 68 extend along the other dimension of the store, in the direction marked Y, FIGS. 8 and 9. Each of these corridors 68 is materialized by two parallel rails 8, 8A called "second rails".

These second rails 8, 8A cross the first rails 5, 5A and are at the same level.

 The second rails 8, 8A are used directly for depositing pallets 69 one behind the other in the aisles 68 by means of carriages such as that described above. Such very simplified carriages are marked 70 in FIGS. 7 to 16. As in FIGS. 1 to 6 describing a carriage in detail, 4, 4A have been identified on the simplified carriages 70 the wheels belonging to the first chassis 1 and rolling on the first rails 5, 5A and 7, 7A the wheels belonging to the second chassis 2 and rolling in the corridors 68 on the second rails 8, 8A.

 In addition to removing the pallets 69, the second rails 8, 8A are of course used for moving in the Y direction the carriages 70 while rolling on the wheels 7, 7A linked to the second chassis 2.

 On the other hand, the rails 5, 5A of the aisle 67 are only used for moving the carriages 70 in the direction X by rolling on the wheels 4, 4A linked to the first chassis 1.

 As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the removal of pallets 69 in the corridors 68 must leave a circulation passage 71 to allow the movement of the carriages 70 in the direction X taking into account the forks 6 and the pallets 69.

 The floor 66 is also equipped with first rails 5, 5A. It also comprises, over a short length, second rails 8, 8A leading to work stations for picking up and depositing on the ground on studs 72 (FIG. 9 above).

On the ground, the first and second rails are embedded and are therefore at ground level as seen in FIG. 7, which requires the pads for depositing on the ground 72. In fact, when depositing on the rails 8, 8A in the stages, the wheels 4, 4A of the first chassis 1 descend below the level of the second rails 8, 8A (see FIG. 4), which is not possible on the ground, the rails not exceeding it so as not to interfere traffic and not risking staff accidents 73.

 In FIG. 9, on the ground, therefore in the upper part of FIG. 1, a work station located outside the store has been represented. For this, a rotating plate 74 is necessary so as to return a carriage 70 which would come to serve this station so that it presents itself at this station with its forks 6 towards the work station of the man 73. Finally, for the passage of the carriages 70, from the ground 66 to the different floors 61 to 65, and vice versa, there is provided at one end of the aisle 67 an elevator 75 and another 76 at the other end (FIG. 9). The elevator 75 is for example used to mount the carriages and the elevator 76 to lower them.

 Figure 10 shows a variant in which the different store floors can be supplied from both ends of the store. There is therefore on the left aisle 67, and on the right an aisle 77. There is also a corridor 78 joining the two aisles 67 and 77 allowing trolleys to pass from one aisle to the other. This corridor 78 is then equipped with a rotating plate 74 so as to reverse the direction of a carriage when it passes from one aisle to the other. The aisle 77 has an elevator 79, 80 at each end.

Figure II shows a variant of a store with very few floors here two floors 81 and 82. In this case, instead of using the elevators for the passage of the carriages 70 from the floor 66 to the floors 81 and 82, we uses, at the end of the store, at one end of the aisles 67, between each floor as well as between the floor 66 and the first floor 81 two transverse inclined planes 83, 84 offset
laterally with passage from one to the other at the end by a bearing
intermediate 85. The inclined planes 83 and 84 are equipped with second rails 8, 8A extending as far as the bearings 85, and the bearings 85 also include a
portion of first rails 5, 5A for the passage from the inclined plane 83 to the plane
tilted 84 or vice versa.

Figures 12 to 16 are only very simplified diagrams illustrating
the various functions of the carriage with its relative positions of the two
frame.

 In FIGS. 12, 13 and 14, we are on one floor and in FIGS. 15 and 16, we are on the ground 66.

 - Figure 15, the carriage 70 rolls on the ground on the embedded rails 8-8A (not marked): the first chassis 1 (wheels 4, 4A) is in the extreme high position relative to the chassis 2 (wheels 7, 7A).

 - Figure 16, the first chassis 1 (wheels 4, 4A) lowers in the intermediate position for the removal of a pallet 69 on the pads 72 (the wheels 4, 4A do not touch the ground, because the carriage must be able to move back on its wheels 7, 7A to release its forks 6 from the pallet 69).

 - Figure 14 <on one floor) the pallet 69 is placed directly (without studs 72) on the second rails 8-8A: the first chassis (wheels 4, 4A) is in the extreme low position (this figure corresponds to Figure 4) . In this position, the wheels 4, 4A descend to a level lower than the wheels 7-7A.

 Thus, it can be seen that the first chassis 1 takes three relative positions relative to the chassis 2.

 - Figure 12, the carriage 70 rolls by its wheels 4, 4A of the first chassis in direction X on the first rails 5, 5A. The first chassis 1 is in the extreme low position as in FIG. 14 (this is necessary because it is the only position where the wheels 4, 4A are lower than the wheels 7, 7A).

 - Figure 13, the carriage 70 rolls by its wheels 7, 7A of the second chassis 2 on the second rails 8, 8A: the first chassis 1 (wheels 4, 4A) is in the high extreme position as in Figure 15 (rolling on the ground direction Y). However, it could be in the intermediate position as in Figure 16.

 It can be seen that, when depositing on the ground, FIG. 16, it is necessary to deposit on studs 72 to compensate for the difference in lowering of the first chassis (wheels 4, 4A) relative to this lowering when depositing in the stages directly on the rails 8, 8A where there, the wheels 4, 4A (Figure 14) can descend to a level lower than the rails.

 Furthermore, three relative positions of the two chassis are also necessary: one for rolling on the ground, direction Y, the other for depositing on the ground, or, in these two positions, the wheels 4, 4A are necessarily at a level higher than the wheels 7, 7A, a third relative position is therefore required for the rolling on these wheels 4, 4A during displacements in the direction X on the first rails 5, 5A.

Claims (1)

CLAIMS 1! Self-propelled trolley for storage warehouse, characterized in that it comprises a first chassis (1) and a second chassis (2), the first chassis being equipped with wheels (4, 4A) for rolling on first rails (5, 5A ) and the second chassis (2) being equipped with wheels (7, 7A) for rolling on second rails (8, 8A) directed orthogonally and in the same plane as said first rails, said carriage comprising first motor means (24, 25; 26 to 39;  42 to 59) for driving the wheels of the two chassis and second motor means (3; 9 to 18) ensuring the relative vertical displacement of the two chassis (1, 2) relative to one another, said first chassis (1) being equipped with gripping forks (6) extending outside the carriage in a direction parallel to that of said second rails (8, 8A), and in that, the inter-axis (L1) of the wheels furthest from said first chassis is less than the distance (L2) separating said second rails (8, 8A) so that in the extreme low position of said first chassis (1), and the carriage resting by its wheels (7 , 7A) of the second chassis (2) on said second rails (8, 8A), the lower level of the wheels (4, 4A) of said first chassis is located below the upper level of said second rails.  2 / storage warehouse for products on pallets, served by trolleys according to claim 1, comprising a storage structure (60) on several floors (61, 62, 63, 64, 65), characterized in that each floor comprises at one end, an aisle (67) running along one side of the store, an aisle marked by two parallel rails called "first rails" (5, 5A) and a plurality of transverse corridors (68) along said aisle, perpendicular to said aisle and each materialized by two parallel rails called "second rails" (8, 8A) crossing said first rails (5, 5A), said first rails and said second rails being at the same level, said second rails (8, 8A) being used for the removal of said pallets (69) one behind the other along said second rails (8, 8A) and for the rolling of a said carriage (70) by its wheels (7, 7A) of the second chassis, said first rails (5, 5A) being used for rolling t of a said carriage by its wheels (4, 4A) of said first chassis (1), and in that it comprises at least means (75, 76) allowing said carriages to pass from the level of the ground (66) at the different stages and vice versa, said means leading to each stage a carriage in the axis of said first rails (5, 5A). 3 / A store according to claim 2, characterized in that said means allowing said trolleys to pass from the ground to the different floors comprise at least one elevator (75, 76) disposed at one end of said aisle (67).  4 / storage magazine according to claim 2, characterized in that said means allowing said trolleys to pass from ground level (66) to the different floors comprise at the end of the magazine, at the end of the aisle (67) different storeys, between each storey and between the ground and the first storey, two transverse inclined planes (83, 84) offset laterally, with passage from one to the other at the end by an intermediate bearing (85).