阅读说明：本技术 具有被动防火布置的自动网格式存取系统 (Automatic grid type access system with passive fire prevention arrangement ) 是由 特龙·奥斯特海姆 伊瓦·菲耶尔德海姆 于 2020-03-23 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种自动网格式储存系统(1),布置在仓储空间(12)中。自动网格式储存系统在仓储空间内(例如在所述空间的单个层上)被划分为多个子网格(10a/10b),这些子网格由防火墙(18)分隔开。一个或多个桥架(14)穿过位于防火墙中的开口以允许箱搬运车辆(210/301)在多个子网格之间横穿。开口(20)设置有可关闭的防火门(22)。(An automated grid-type storage system (1) is arranged in a storage space (12). An automated grid storage system is divided within a storage space (e.g., on a single layer of the space) into a plurality of sub-grids (10a/10b) separated by firewalls (18). One or more bridges (14) pass through openings in the firewall to allow box handling vehicles (210/301) to traverse between the multiple subgrids. The opening (20) is provided with a closable fire door (22).)

1. An automated grid-based access system (1) comprising:

-a frame structure (100) comprising a rail system (108) comprising: a first set of parallel rails (110) arranged in a horizontal plane (P) and extending in a first direction (X); and a second set of parallel rails (111) arranged in said horizontal plane (P) and extending in a second direction (Y) orthogonal to said first direction (X), wherein said first and second sets of rails (110, 111) form a grid pattern in said horizontal plane (P) comprising a plurality of adjacent grid cells (122), each of said grid cells comprising a grid opening (115) defined by a pair of adjacent rails (110a, 110b) of said first set of rails (110) and a pair of adjacent rails (111a, 111b) of said second set of rails (111);

-a plurality of storage columns (105), each column being arranged to store a corresponding stack (107) of storage bins (106), wherein the storage columns (105) are located below the rail system (108), wherein each storage column (105) is located vertically below the grid opening (115);

-a plurality of box handling vehicles (201/301) running on the rail system (108) for collecting storage containers or bins (106) from and returning storage containers or bins to the storage train (105), and

-a control system for monitoring and controlling the automatic access system,

it is characterized in that

-the automated grid-access system is arranged to be installed in a plurality of sub-grids (10A/10B) within a storage space (12),

-wherein adjacent said sub-meshes are separated from each other by a firewall, a fire barrier or a fire partition (18) extending between adjacent said sub-meshes, and wherein

-adjacent said sub-grids are joined by one or more bridges (14) in the form of track sections passing through one or more openings (20) in said firewall, said fire barrier or said fire partition (18) to allow said box handling vehicle to pass from the grid-based track system of one sub-grid to the grid-based track system of the other sub-grid, each of said openings in said firewall, said fire barrier or said fire partition being provided with a fire door (22) arranged to close an opening in said firewall in case of a fire.

2. The automated grid-access system (1) according to claim 1, wherein a passageway (16) is provided between the sub-grid and the firewall, the fire barrier or the fire partition (18).

3. The automatic grid access system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closable fire door (22) is a slidable door suspended from a door track (24) and held in an open position by a releasable latch or magnet, the door track (24) being arranged at an angle (26), whereby upon release of the latch or magnet the fire door (22) will slide under gravity from the open position to a closed position.

4. An automated grid-access system (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the system further comprises a plurality of dedicated container transport vehicles (28) arranged at a lower level, arranged to receive containers from the grid structure and transport them to an access station through one or more openings (36) located in the firewall, each opening (36) being provided with a closable fire door (38).

5. The automated grid access system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more fire doors (38) are slidable doors suspended from a door track (24) and held in an open position by a releasable latch or magnet, the door track (24) being arranged at an angle (26), whereby upon release of the latch or magnet the one or more fire doors (22) will slide under gravity from the open position to a closed position.

6. The automated grid access system (1) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more racks (14) are arranged with a plurality of rails such that a plurality of the box handling vehicles can simultaneously pass through the opening in the firewall.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe preferred or optional features of the invention. The present invention provides a warehouse with a grid storage system designed to contain fires in manageable and separate sections of the warehouse.

In various embodiments, the present invention includes an automated grid storage system disposed in a warehousing space. The warehouse may include a space having a single floor or may be arranged with a plurality of floors.

Automated grid storage systems are divided within a warehousing space (e.g., on a single floor of the space) into multiple sub-grids separated by firewalls. As used herein, the term "firewall" shall also encompass the terms "fire barrier" and "fire partition" and this term means a structure designed and intended as part of a passive fire protection system of a building, these terms being understood in the art and according to applicable national and international fire protection standards, such as NFPA 221 and/or ICC IBC2018, chapter 7.

According to one aspect, the subgrid may be separated from the walls of the warehouse (including the firewall) by aisles without grid frames or storage bins. The aisle may effectively act as a fire barrier in the event of a fire and may also provide access for fire fighters and equipment. In another aspect, the grid structure of the subgrid may substantially completely fill the space in which the subgrid is disposed by extending the grid structure into close proximity to the walls of the warehouse (including the firewall).

One or more bridges are disposed between adjacent subgrids to allow the box handling vehicles to traverse between the subgrids. The bridge includes one or more sets of parallel rails 110 connecting the rail systems 108 of adjacent subgrids so that a box handling vehicle can traverse across the bridge from the rail system of one subgrid to the rail system of an adjacent subgrid. A bridge may be useful, for example, where the ports for lowering a cassette to an access station or conveyor are located in one, but not all, of the subgrids. Thus, although the grid system is divided into multiple sub-grids, vehicles may travel on the bridge to the ports. The bridge may be arranged in a variety of ways, such as having varying widths to accommodate multiple vehicles passing through the bridge at the same time.

In such an embodiment, a passage with a closable fire door is arranged in the firewall at the location of each bridge. The term "fire door" is understood to mean a fire door designed and intended as part of the passive fire protection system of a building, which fire door complies with applicable national and international standards, such as NFPA and/or ICC IBC2018 chapter 7.

In one embodiment, the one or more fire rated doors are slidable doors. In one embodiment, the slidable door is a weighted door, the door being held in an open position by a latch or magnet during normal operation of the grid storage system. In the event of a fire, the alarm triggers the release of a latch or magnet, whereupon the weight of the door causes the door to slide into a closed position, effectively isolating the subgrids behind the firewall from each other. However, it should be understood that other arrangements of closable fire doors are also possible, such as a door that swings on a hinge, a door that slides vertically up and down to open and close an access, a door that is arranged as two sections connected by a common pivot point above the access, and a door that swings around a pivot point to open and close, etc. Also, the door may comprise a flexible fire-resistant material rather than a rigid door.

In one embodiment, the grid storage system includes a dedicated transport vehicle operating at a first elevation, the dedicated transport vehicle configured to transport the bin lowered through the port to another location, such as to an access station. In this embodiment, the special purpose transport vehicle passes through an opening in the firewall with a closable fire door. In an alternative form of this embodiment, the subgrids may or may not be connected by a bridge for a box handling vehicle. In the form without a bridge, each subgrid may itself have a port through which the tank is lowered to the transport vehicle. In a form having a bridge, the storage system may have one or more ports that are limited to a single or limited number of sub-grids.

As can be appreciated, in the event of a fire detected in the storage space, an alarm may be triggered that releases the fire door. Thus, the fire will be contained in a more manageable section of the storage space, thereby aiding any fire operations and reducing the risk of total loss of the facility.

The above arrangement of the storage system may be combined with other active fire protection and fighting means, such as emergency lighting, heat detectors, sprinkler systems, introduction of inert gas or other measures. In one embodiment, the sprinkler system may be an intelligent system that is activated only in sections of the storage space where a fire is detected. Since the storage system is divided into sections behind the firewall, unaffected sections of the storage facility can be expected to avoid water damage due to the sprinkler system being turned on throughout the facility.

Drawings

The following drawings are attached to aid in the understanding of the invention. The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention, which will now be described, by way of example only, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art automated grid-based access system;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art box handling vehicle having a centrally disposed cavity for receiving a storage box therein;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a prior art box handling vehicle having a cantilever arm for receiving a storage box therebelow;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a prior art single track grid;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a prior art dual rail grid;

fig. 6 is a top view of a track system according to the automated grid-access system of fig. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a grid storage system divided into two sub-grids.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a grid storage system divided into two sub-grids separated by a firewall.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the grid storage system as shown in figure 8 showing the fire door in an open position.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the grid storage system as shown in figure 8 showing the fire door in a closed position.

Figure 11 is a close-up view of a fire rated door in an open position.

Figure 12 is a close-up view of the fire rated door in a closed position.

Figure 13 is a close-up view of the vehicle bridge, vehicle and individual fire door in an open position.

Figure 14 is a close-up view of the vehicle bridge, vehicle and individual fire door in a semi-closed position.

Figure 15 is a close-up view of the vehicle bridge and individual fire door in the closed position.

Figure 16 is a perspective view of a grid storage system divided into two sub-grids separated by a firewall with a special transport vehicle operating at ground level through a closeable fire door in an open position.

Figure 17 is a perspective view of the grid storage system of figure 16 with the fire door in a closed position.

Fig. 18 and 19 are close-up views of the grid storage system of fig. 16 and 17, respectively.

Detailed Description

FIGS. 1-6 collectively illustrate an automated grid storage system as known in the prior art, such as the automated storage of the present applicationProvided is a system. A notable feature, as shown in fig. 1, is that such systems are dense, making as efficient use of available space as possible in the storage area.

According to the present invention, fire safety is improved by dividing a storage grid into a plurality of sub-grids. Fig. 7 shows two subgrids 10A and 10B arranged in the storage space 12. However, it should be understood that the two sub-grids illustrated in FIG. 7 may be divided into any number of sub-grids depending on the size of the storage space 12, the size of the grid required by fire safety regulations, or other considerations. As further shown in fig. 7, box handling vehicle 201/301 operates at a higher elevation of storage grid structure 104 and travels over one or more of bridges 14 between subgrids 10A and 10B.

In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 8, the subgrids 10A and 10B are separated by a firewall, fire barrier, or fire partition 18 (hereinafter collectively referred to as a firewall). The firewall is arranged such that the aisle 16 is located between the grid structure and the firewall. The aisle may function as a fire protection belt and provide access for fire fighters and equipment. However, the mesh structure may extend substantially adjacent to the firewall. One or more bridges 14 pass through one or more openings 20 located in a firewall 18. The firewall 18 has dimensions according to techniques known in the fire protection art and according to applicable national and international standards, and is manufactured from a suitable fire-proof material according to techniques known in the fire protection art and according to applicable national and international standards, such as, for example, ICCIBC 2018.

As seen in fig. 9, the opening 20 may be selectively closed by a closable fire door, such as a sliding fire door 22. In one embodiment, the fire rated door 22 is a sliding door and is arranged to slide along the rail 24, although other arrangements are possible within the scope of the invention. Figure 9 shows the fire door 22 in an open position, while figure 10 shows the fire door 22 in a closed position. As seen in the embodiment shown in fig. 11, the track 24 is arranged at an angle 26 such that the weight of the door itself causes the door to slide under gravity from the open position to the closed position. In this embodiment, the fire rated door may be held in the open position (as viewed in fig. 11) by a latch or magnet (not shown) during normal operation of the storage system. In the event of a fire being detected, the latch or magnet may be released, allowing the door to slide to the closed position (as viewed in fig. 12) due to its own weight. The fire rated door may include sealing devices for effectively sealing against the rails of the bridge 14 if necessary to meet applicable fire rating standards for fire rated doors.

Fig. 13 shows an embodiment where the bridge 14 is double-width, including tracks for two vehicles 201/301 to pass through the opening 20 simultaneously. The bridge may be single track or any integer number of tracks (e.g., three, four, or five vehicle tracks), the latter being considered rapid and efficient. Figure 14 shows the fire door partially closed, thus blocking one of the two vehicle rails on the bridge 14. Figure 15 shows the fire rated door 22 in a fully closed position.

Fig. 16-19 illustrate an embodiment of the invention where a plurality of specialized container transport vehicles 28 are operated at a lower elevation 30 of a grid storage system.

Transport vehicle 28 transports containers that have been lowered from the top of the subgrid (e.g., by an integrated lift implement in vehicle 201/301 or by a separate bin lift). For example, transport vehicle 28 may transport the containers to access station 32 where the containers may be accessed by manipulator 34 for removal or replacement of the items from or into the containers.

As shown in fig. 16 to 19, the present embodiment also includes a firewall 18 disposed between adjacent subgrids. Firewall 18 includes one or more openings 36 through which transport vehicle 28 may pass. A closable fire door (e.g., a slidable door 38) is arranged to selectively close the opening 36 in the event of a fire. As in the previous embodiment, the door is slidably disposed on an inclined track, whereby the weight of the door will cause the door to slide closed under the force of gravity. As with the previous embodiment, during normal operation, the door 38 may be held open by a releasable latch or magnet that is released in the event of a fire. Alternatively, as in the previous embodiments, the embodiments shown in fig. 16-19 may also include bridges between the subgrids.

It should be understood that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are merely exemplary, and that one skilled in the art may arrange the subgrids, firewalls, bridges, etc. in other configurations within the scope of the present invention.

Reference numerals

1 Access System (prior art)

100 frame structure

102 upright/vertical members of a frame structure

103 horizontal member of frame structure

104 storage grid structure

105 storage column

106 storage box

106' specific position of the storage box

107 stack

108 track system/rail system

110 in a first direction (X)

110a adjacent to the first track of the tracks 110

110b adjacent a second one of the tracks 110

111 parallel tracks in a second direction (Y)

111a adjacent first one of the tracks 111

111b adjacent second one of the tracks 111

112 grid column

115 grid openings

119 first port array/first port

120 second port array/second port

122 grid cells/storage cells

201 single unit box handling vehicle of the prior art

201a body of box carrier vehicle 201

201b drive arrangement/wheel arrangement in a first direction (X)

201c drive means/wheel arrangement in a second direction (Y)

301 cantilevered bin handling vehicle of the prior art

301a body of box-type carrier vehicle 301

301b drive in a first direction (X)

301c in a second direction (Y)

303 clamping/engaging device

10A/10B subgrid

12 storage space

14 bridge

16 passageway

18 firewall

20 opening in firewall

22 fire door

24-door track

26 (of the door track) angle

28 special transport vehicle

30 lower height

32 access station

34 manipulator

36 opening in firewall (at lower level)

38 fire door