IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0527296
(1983-08-29)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
Fuller, House & Hohenfeldt
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
9 인용 특허 :
4 |
초록
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One or more movable storage units each having a reversible motor for driving the units on tracks between stationary storage units to open an aisle between units. Each unit has leash cord plug holders on its aisle sides. The movable units have safety sweep bars on one or both sides, safety switches a
One or more movable storage units each having a reversible motor for driving the units on tracks between stationary storage units to open an aisle between units. Each unit has leash cord plug holders on its aisle sides. The movable units have safety sweep bars on one or both sides, safety switches actuated thereby, and a limit switch. Setting a leash cord plug in its own holder so the leash does not span the aisle that is to be opened provides a move command signal and setting the other leashes so they span the aisles that are too close sets up the control circuitry for causing all units to be driven away from the aisle that is not spanned by a leash. AND gate circuits must simultaneously have input signals indicative of the limit and sweep switches being true, of the leashes being in spanning condition and true for all aisles that are too close and a command signal resulting from having a leash plug in its own holder before the gates will issue a signal that causes the motors to drive in the proper direction. Time delay devices are provided for keeping the sweep switches untrue, at least long enough for an obstructing person to get out of a closing aisle before the drive motors are activated again.
대표청구항
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1. Storage apparatus comprising at least one movable master storage unit having a front side and left and right sides and stationary members to the left and right of said movable unit and spaced from each other by a substantial distance such that said movable unit can be moved toward the stationary
1. Storage apparatus comprising at least one movable master storage unit having a front side and left and right sides and stationary members to the left and right of said movable unit and spaced from each other by a substantial distance such that said movable unit can be moved toward the stationary member at the right to open a first aisle to the left of said unit and can be moved toward the stationary member at the left to open a second aisle to the right of said movable unit, reversible motor means on said movable unit operative to drive said unit selectively to the left or right in response to occurrence of corresponding movement direction control signals, respectively, and means for guiding the movement of said movable unit between said stationary members, safety sweep bar means on the left and right sides of said movable unit and corresponding left and right sweep switch means respectively operable from a closed state to an open state in response to said left or right sweep bar means encountering an obstruction during left or right movement of said unit, left and right limit switch means responding to said unit having moved a predetermined distance toward the stationary member at the left and the right, respectively by switching from a closed state to an open state, a plurality of holders each having electrical contacts therein, one holder located on each of the stationary members and one holder located at the left and another holder at the right on the front side of said master movable unit, a plurality of leash cords comprising at least two electrical conductors and plug means having electrical contacts therein for contacting the contacts in the holders and one end of said conductors in said leash cords connected to said contacts in a plug means, respectively, the opposite ends of said leash cord being secured to said movable unit, said plug means being insertable in and withdrawable from said holders, said leash cords being long enough to span across aisles when said aisles are closed and when said aisles are open, said plug means when inserted in the holder on a selected one of a stationary member and the movable unit such that the leash cord on said plug means spans across an aisle that must be closed by the movement of said master movable unit in order to open another aisle being defined as a leash-untrue state and a move command signal true state, left movement and right movement controlling gate circuit means on said master unit each having an output for said movement direction control signals, respectively, and each having a plurality of inputs for receiving signals indicative of whether the sweep switch means, and limit switch means on said unit adjacent an aisle that is to be closed are in a closed state and whether the leash at said aisle that is to be closed in said leash-true state and whether there is a move command signal indicative of the leash cord at the aisle that is to be opened being in said leash-true state, said gate circuit means receiving all of said signals representative of switch closed and true states and responding by providing a said movement direction control signal that causes the unit to be driven away from the aisle that is not spanned by a leash cord, encountering of an obstruction by the one sweep bar means on one side of said movable unit while said movable unit is moving in one direction toward one of said stationary members to close an aisle at which said leash cord is in a true-state causing the sweep switch means operated by said one sweep bar means to switch to said open state to thereby stop movement of the movable unit in said one direction while allowing the limit switch means on the other side of said movable unit and the sweep switch means operated by the sweep bar means on the other side of said movable unit adjacent the aisle that is opening to be maintained in a closed state such that by transfering the plug means on the leash cord that was in a true-state at the obstructed aisle into its said own holder so the leash cord no longer is in a true-state at the obstructed aisle thereby causing an untrue state for preventing movement of said unit in the one direction and by concurrently transferring from its own holder the plug means on the leash cord that was in its said own holder to permit opening of the aisle to the holder on the other adjacent stationary member for the cord to span said aisle and be in a leash-true state so said unit will move in a direction away from said obstruction, time delay means having input and output means and operative to provide a true signal at its output means when there is a true signal at its input means and to provide an untrue signal at its output means for a predetermined time interval in response to the true signal to its input means being interrupted, means coupling the output means of said delay means to an input of said movement controlling gate circuit means, said sweep switch means being connected in a series circuit between an electric power source and said input means of the time delay means, encountering an obstruction by said sweep bar means on a moving storage unit causing said sweep switch means to switch to said open state to thereby cause an untrue signal at the input and output means of said time delay means and at said input to the movement controlling gate circuit means so that movement of the storage unit is stopped for at least said predetermined time interval and as long as said sweep stitch means are said open state. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein: said means for coupling the output of said time delay means to an input of said movement controlling gate circuit means includes AND gate means having a plurality of inputs and an output coupled to said input of the movement controlling gate circuit means, one input of the AND gate means being connected to said output of the time delay means, said limit switch means being in a series circuit between an electric power source and another input to said AND gate means for providing a true signal to said other input when said limit switch means are in a closed state, opening of said limit switch means causing an untrue signal to appear on the output of said AND gate and on the said input to the movement controlling gate circuit means to thereby stop movement of the storage unit. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the conductors in a leash that spans an aisle that is to be closed and the contacts in the leash plug and a holder are in said series circuit with said limit switch means. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1 including at least one slave movable storage unit on said guide means having a front side and left and right side, said unit being interposed between said master unit and one of said stationary members, reversible motor means on said slave unit operative to drive said slave unit selectively to the left and right in response to occurrence of corresponding movement direction control signals, respectively, said slave unit having safety sweep bar means on a side remote from the sweep bar means on the side of the master unit across an aisle from said slave unit, and sweep switch means operable from a closed state to an open state in response to said sweep bar means on said remote side of the slave unit from said master unit encountering an obstruction when moving in a direction away from said master movable storage unit, at least one limit switch means on said slave unit responding to said slave unit having moved to the limit of its travel up to another slave unit or up to one of said stationary members by switching from a closed state to an open state, two holders on the front side of said slave mobile storage unit, one located on the left region and the other on the right region of said front side, each holder having electrical contacts therein, a leash cord comprising at least two electrical conductors, plug means having electric contacts therein for PG,44 contacting contacts in the holders and corresponding ends of said conductors being connected to said contacts, the opposite ends of said leash cords being secured to said slave unit in said left and right regions respective of said front side adjacent said holders in said regions, respectively, said plug means being insertable in its adjacent holder such that said leash cord to which said plug means is attached does not extend across an aisle and being alternately insertable in a holder on a selected one of the next adjacent slave unit and said stationary members such that the leash cord to which the plug is attached does extend, said leash cord being defined as being in an untrue state when its plug means is in the holder to which the cord is secured and being in a true state when spanning the next adjacent aisle and its plug means is inserted in the next adjacent holder, left movement and right movement controlling gate circuit means on said slave unit each having an output for said movement direction control signals and one circuit having a plurality of inputs for receiving signals including a command signal and signals indicative of whether said sweep switch means on said slave movable unit adjacent the aisle that is to be closed when said slave unit is to move in a direction to the right away from said master unit in order to open an aisle to the left of said slave unit or said master unit and whether said leash cord on said slave unit is in a true state wherein it spans the aisle to be closed, the other of said gate means having a plurality of inputs for receiving signals including a command signal and signals indicative of whether said leash cords between said slave unit and master unit and master unit and stationary member are in a true state wherein they span the aisles which are to be closed and the leash cord on said slave unit is in the holder adjacent to where said cord is secured such that said cord does not span the aisle to its right which is to open and said other gate means receiving a signal indicative of whether the limit switch means and sweep means and sweep switch means are closed on the master unit adjacent the slave unit when said slave unit is to move to the left in the direction of said master unit when the aisle to be opened is to the right of the said slave unit, said command signals being provided by the plug means that is in the holder adjacent to where the leash cord is secured, the gate circuit means that receives input signals indicative of the safety sweep switches and the limit switches being closed and the leashes being in a leash-true state together with a command signal responding by producing direction controllling signals that cause the motors to drive the units in a direction away from the aisle at which the leash plug means is in the holder adjacent to which the leash to which the plug is attached is secured, encountering of an obstruction by a sweep bar means on a movable slave unit when moving in a direction to close an aisle spanned by a leash cordwhile opening the aisle that is not spanned by a leash cord causing the sweep switch operated by said sweep bar means encountering the obstruction to switch to an open state to thereby stop movement of said slave units such that by putting the plug means on the leash cord spanning the aisle that was closing and is obstructed into the holder adjacent to where the cord on the plug means is secured so the leash cord does not span said aisle and concurrently transferring the plug means on the leash cord that was in the holder adjacent to where the cord of said plug means is secured into the holder on the adjacent unit for causing said master and slave units to back away from said obstruction, an OR gate in the control circuitry on said master unit and having a plurality of inputs and an output, inserting the plug means of the leash cord into said holder at the left said of said master storage unit so said leash does not span the adjacent aisle to the left which it to be opened causing an electrical connection to be made between an electric power source and said OR gate input to thereby provide a signal at its output constituting a command signal for the adjacent slave unit to move to the right so the master storage unit can move to the right when its limit switch closes, and a conductor connected between the output of said OR gate on said master storage unit and an input to the gate circuit means for controlling movement of said slave storage unit to the right. 5. A storage unit system including at least one storage unit that is movable toward and away from another unit, reversible electric motor means on each movable storage unit for driving said unit in two directions, motor controller means responding to input of a first control signal by causing said motor means to drive said movable unit in one direction and to input of a second control signal by causing said motor means to drive said unit in another direction, safety sweep bar means on at least one side of said movable unit and sweep switch means operable from a closed state to an open state as a result of said sweep bar means encountering an obstruction during movement of said movable unit in one direction, circuit means for transmitting said first control signal to said motor controller means, said sweep switch means being connected in said circuit means and operative to inhibit said first control signal when said sweep switch means is open, and time delay means including time delay switch means in said circuit, said time delay means responding to opening of said sweep switch means by opening said time delay switch means to further inhibit said first signal when said sweep means is opened, said time delay means responding to reclosure of said sweep switch means by initiating measurement of a predetermined time interval and responding to expiration of said interval by closing said time delay switch means to terminate inhibition of said first control signal.
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