A storage system having one or more storage modules each comprising a substantially cylindrical housing having a curved sidewall portion extending between a top wall portion and a bottom wall portion, with the housing being disposed about a central axis. A carousel is mounted within the housing for
A storage system having one or more storage modules each comprising a substantially cylindrical housing having a curved sidewall portion extending between a top wall portion and a bottom wall portion, with the housing being disposed about a central axis. A carousel is mounted within the housing for controlled rotation about the central axis. The carousel has a plurality of storage locations disposed in vertical arrays about the axis to receive articles to be stored. A first door opening is formed in the sidewall portion to provide for access from the exterior of the housing to at least one of the vertical arrays adjacent to the first door opening. A means for controlling the temperature within the housing is also provided.
대표청구항▼
The invention claimed is: 1. A storage system having one or more storage modules each comprising: a substantially cylindrical housing having a curved sidewall portion extending between a top wall portion and a bottom wall portion, said housing being disposed about a central axis; a carousel mounted
The invention claimed is: 1. A storage system having one or more storage modules each comprising: a substantially cylindrical housing having a curved sidewall portion extending between a top wall portion and a bottom wall portion, said housing being disposed about a central axis; a carousel mounted within said housing for rotation about said central axis and having a plurality of storage locations disposed in vertical arrays about said axis to receive articles; one or more door openings formed in said sidewall portion to provide for access from the exterior of the housing to at least one of said vertical arrays adjacent to said one or more door openings; environmental control means for controlling the temperature within said housing; wherein said one or more door openings comprise a first door opening; wherein said first door opening is selectively occluded by a door member mounted on the housing and movable between an open and a closed configuration; wherein the first door opening axially extends between the top and the bottom wall portions of the housing, and the first door member has a curvature complimentary to the curvature of the sidewall portion; wherein the door member moves between said open and said dosed configurations by sliding in circumferential nesting relation relative to said sidewall portion of said storage module; wherein the environmental control means comprises an air flow delivery means positioned within the housing; wherein the housing is mounted atop a base member, and wherein the environmental control means comprises a compressor means and a fan means mounted within said base member. 2. A storage system according to claim 1, wherein rotation of the carousel within the housing is driven by a first electrical motor mounted on the storage module for selective radial alignment of said at least one of said vertical arrays with the first door opening. 3. A storage system according to claim 2, wherein said first electrical motor is drivingly connected to said carousel by a first magnetic coupling means acting on said carousel through at least one of said top wall and said bottom wall portions of the housing. 4. A storage system according to claim 3, wherein said sidewall portion is mounted so as to be rotatable about the central axis to align said first door opening with a selected one of said vertical arrays. 5. A storage system according to claim 4, wherein said rotation of the sidewall portion is driven by a second electrical motor mounted on the storage module. 6. A storage system according to claim 5, wherein said second electrical motor is drivingly connected to said sidewall portion by a second magnetic coupling means acting on said sidewall portion through at least one of said top wall and said bottom wall portions of the housing. 7. A storage system according to claim 6, wherein said movement of the door member is driven by a third electrical motor mounted on the storage module. 8. A storage system according to claim 7, wherein said third electrical motor is drivingly connected to said door member by a third magnetic coupling means acting on said door member through at least one of said top wall and said bottom portions of the housing. 9. A storage system according to claim 8, wherein a substantially cylindrical baffle wall disposed about the central axis and extending between the top wall portion and the bottom wall portion is mounted within the housing between the sidewall portion and the carousel to form a vestibule between the sidewall portion and the baffle wall, said baffle wall having one or more door openings formed therein for alignment with said first door opening to facilitate said access from the exterior of the housing to at least one of said vertical arrays. 10. A storage system according to claim 9, wherein said one or more door openings comprise a second door opening. 11. A storage system according to claim 10, wherein said second door opening axially extends between the top and bottom wall portions of the housing. 12. A storage system according to claim 11, wherein said baffle wall is mounted so as to be rotatable about the central axis to selectively align and misalign said second door opening with said first door opening. 13. A storage system according to claim 12, wherein said rotation of the baffle wall is driven by a fourth electrical motor mounted on the storage module. 14. A storage system according to claim 13, wherein said fourth electrical motor is drivingly connected to said baffle wall by a fourth magnetic coupling means acting on said baffle wall through at least one of said top and bottom wall portions of the housing. 15. A storage system according to claim 14, wherein a first portion of the air flow delivery means is positioned in the vestibule and a second portion of said air flow delivery means is centrally positioned in the housing. 16. A storage system according to claim 15, wherein wheels are mounted on the base member to facilitate selective movement of the storage module from place to place. 17. A storage system according to claim 16, additionally comprising one or more robotic means positioned exterior to the housing and adjacent to the base member of a selected one of said one or more storage modules, said robotic means being constructed and otherwise adapted to reach into the housing of said selected storage module through said first door opening, when said door member is in said open configuration, and through said second door opening, when same is aligned with said first door opening to access the storage locations disposed in said at least one of said vertical arrays to grip and transfer said articles between said storage locations and one or more locations exterior to the housing of said selected storage module. 18. A storage system according to claim 17, having a plurality of said storage modules positioned in proximity to one another to form a cluster of storage modules, with one or more of said robotic means each positioned within operatively close proximity to at least two of the storage modules of said cluster to transfer said articles from the storage locations of any one of the storage modules of the cluster to the storage locations of any other one of the storage modules of the cluster. 19. A storage system according to claim 18, wherein the first, second, third and fourth electrical motors of each of said storage modules of the cluster and each of said one or more robotic means are in electronic communication with a CPU means programmed with control system software so as to bring each of said robotic means and each of said storage modules under the coordinated control of said CPU means so as to form a modular on-line storage system of indefinite capacity. 20. A storage system according to claim 19 wherein the cluster of storage modules is comprised of a centrally positioned storage module, and a plurality of storage modules peripherally arranged around said centrally positioned storage module, and wherein the one or more robotic means is a plurality of robotic means, with at least one of said plurality of robotic means being interposed between each one of said peripheral storage modules and said centrally positioned storage module. 21. A storage system according to claim 18, wherein wheels are mounted on the base member of each of said one or more storage modules to facilitate their selective movement from place to place.
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