Abstract: A method of fulfilling orders by making orders available in order units by picking from product units in a storage facility is provided herein. The storage facility generally includes a manual storage and picking area and an automated storage and retrieval racking area, which automated storage and retrieval racking area can be arranged downstream or upstream from the manual picking area and connected to the manual picking area by a routing conveyor, which leads to a shipping area. In addition, the manual storage and picking area can include manual picking stations supplied and arranged along the extension of the routing conveyor so as to supply the routing conveyor with order units picked at the manual picking stations.

Abstract: A method of fulfilling orders may include picking items batch-wise by combining several items from several different orders into a common container from inventory according to orders for the items, forwarding the common container to an unloading station, where the items are placed into receptacles by placing multiple items into each of batch receptacles, and routing some of the batch receptacles to pack stations and a storage facility and storing the batch receptacles therein. The method may also include retrieving and transporting stored batch receptacles containing these items to one of a plurality of pack stations for specific item retrieval for order fulfilling, when all of the individual items stored in the automated storage facility are available for order completion, packing retrieved items with other retrieved items of an order at a pack station, as well as routing the batch receptacles to further pack stations.

Abstract: A method of order fulfilling by making order and/or product units available from a storage facility in a desired sequence at a picking station is provided herein. The storage facility may include a plurality of multilevel storage racks in which order and/or product units are stored, an automatic storage and retrieval device, such as a shuttle, which retrieves and stores orders and/or product units, and lifts used to transfer the order and/or product units to at least one storage-exit conveyor, wherein each lift is directly connected to a picking station in a picking level by the storage-entry conveyor and the storage-exit conveyor.

Abstract: A method of order fulfilling and replenishment of storage units in a storage facility can be provided. The storage units can be stored in a plurality of storage racking units and levels of a storage racking, with at least one storage-entry feeding line and at least one outbound line being provided for each storage module. Additionally, at least one automatic storage and retrieval device can be provided for retrieval of storage units from the multilevel racking or storage into the multilevel racking, and at least one picking station to which storage units are fed can also be provided for picking for fulfilling orders. Thus, fully or partially deplenished or depleted storage units can be replenished or consolidated on the fly directly at the picking station by the picker.

Abstract: An automated warehouse includes first and second stacked racks parallel to each other; first and second shipping-and-receiving stations placed at the same end of the stacked racks; transfer shuttles located between the stacked racks and between the shipping-and-receiving stations; elevator mechanisms equipped with first and second elevator platforms for receiving or transferring the packages to stand-by conveyors; and means for transferring the packages to and from the first and the second elevator platforms. The direction of motion of the stand-by conveyor of the first shipping-and-receiving station and the direction of the motion of the stand-by conveyor of the second shipping-and-receiving station, on the same level of stack, may be opposite; and the direction of motion of some of the stand-by conveyors pertaining to the first shipping-and-receiving station may be opposite to that of the rest of the stand-by conveyors of the first shipping-and-receiving station.

Abstract: The invention relates to an in-house track-bound transporting system with self-propelling carriages that move on rails. The system has stoppers to prevent said carriages from crossing over open rail ends or track borders, and the system is provided with stops. The stoppers collide with the stops in order to prevent a crossing-over, said stops having first and second fixed stop elements. The stoppers can be moved between a first crossing-over position and a second crossing-over position such that the first stop elements can be crossed over in the first crossing-over position of the stoppers, and the second stop elements can be crossed over in the second crossing-over position of the stoppers, wherein the first stop elements cannot be crossed over in the second crossing-over position of the stoppers, and the second stop elements cannot be crossed over in the first crossing-over position of the stoppers.

Abstract: An automated storage/retrieval system has two pairs of multi-tier racks that are arranged in series. An elevator is disposed between the two pairs of multi-tier racks. The elevator enables a load to be delivered to and received from the two pairs of multi-tier racks. The automated storage/retrieval system having such a tandem structure not only can provide the same storage capacity as that of a conventional configuration in which two pairs of multi-tier racks are arranged in parallel, but also can be applied to a building with a limited height since the system does not need to have an extended height. Since only one elevator is needed, the number of units is less than that of a conventional system, reducing manufacturing cost and an installation space for the system.

Abstract: An automated warehouse includes first and second stacked racks parallel to each other; first and second shipping-and-receiving stations placed at the same end of the stacked racks; transfer shuttles located between the stacked racks and between the shipping-and-receiving stations; elevator mechanisms equipped with first and second elevator platforms for receiving or transferring the packages to stand-by conveyors; and means for transferring the packages to and from the first and the second elevator platforms. The direction of motion of the stand-by conveyor of the first shipping-and-receiving station and the direction of the motion of the stand-by conveyor of the second shipping-and-receiving station, on the same level of stack, may be opposite; and the direction of motion of some of the stand-by conveyors pertaining to the first shipping-and-receiving station may be opposite to that of the rest of the stand-by conveyors of the first shipping-and-receiving station.

Abstract: A transferring shuttle, which transfers package(s) between a pair of layered stacked racks in a three dimensional automated warehouse, includes a mobile platform which runs between the stacked racks; elastic mechanisms, which include telescoping rails that extend into the stacked racks and surround a package; and terminal fingers placed at the ends of the rails, which can move between an extended position, which allows the package to be engaged and a contracted position. The rails also contain inner fingers between the terminal fingers. The inner fingers can push the package further into the stacked rack than previously possible.

Abstract: Method for providing transport units from a storage facility on at least one removal line, wherein the transport units are stored in a plurality of storage racks and storage rack levels, wherein interior storage racks are arranged in pairs adjoining one another and have a storage aisle on each side of the pair. At least one storage line and at least one removal line is provided. The transport units are placed into storage in, and removed from storage from, the storage rack via a storage and removal apparatus for each access aisle. For each access aisle, a storage and removal apparatus is provided. At least one removal lift is used to transfer the transport units to the removal line connected downstream thereof. A direct exchange of transport units takes place between two adjoining storage racks from one access aisle to an adjacent access aisle via transverse conveyance locations in the storage racks. The storage and removal apparatus moves the transport units in the transverse conveyance locations.

Abstract: A multi-tier automated warehouse includes first and second stacking racks having multiple tiers of shelves and being positioned facing one another in parallel; loading shuttles which are capable of horizontal travel between the stacking racks, and which carry out loading and unloading of cargo upon the shelves; and an elevator device for moving the loading shuttles to different tiers. The elevator device further includes masts which are positioned adjacent to the stacking racks; a shuttle elevator platform, which is positioned elevatably on the inner side of the masts, for elevating the loading shuttles; and cargo elevator platforms, which are positioned elevatably on the outer side of the masts, for elevating the cargo.

Abstract: The invention relates to an in-house track-bound transporting system with self-propelling carriages that move on rails. The system has stoppers to prevent said carriages from crossing over open rail ends or track borders, and the system is provided with stops. The stoppers collide with the stops in order to prevent a crossing-over, said stops having first and second fixed stop elements. The stoppers can be moved between a first crossing-over position and a second crossing-over position such that the first stop elements can be crossed over in the first crossing-over position of the stoppers, and the second stop elements can be crossed over in the second crossing-over position of the stoppers, wherein the first stop elements cannot be crossed over in the second crossing-over position of the stoppers, and the second stop elements cannot be crossed over in the first crossing-over position of the stoppers.

Abstract: A high-throughput performance automated storage/retrieval system is provided that has a large storage capacity and can reduce a facility cost and an installation space. An automated storage/retrieval system (10) according to the present invention is characterized in that two pairs of multi-tier racks (12L1, 12R1; 12L2, 12R2) are arranged in series, not in parallel, one elevator (16) is disposed between the two pairs of multi-tier racks, the only elevator enabling a load to delivered to and received from the two pairs of multi-tier racks. The automated storage/retrieval system having such a tandem structure not only can secure the same storage capacity as that of a conventional configuration in which two pairs of multi-tier racks are arranged in parallel, but also can be applied to a building with a height limit since the system does not need to be extended above.

Abstract: A warehouse shuttle includes a chassis made up of first and second chassis portions and an article-carrying area between the chassis portions. Pairs of first and second running wheels are provided on the chassis to travel along the runway. One of a pair of arms is mounted to the first chassis portion and the other of the arms is mounted to the second chassis portion and are extendable and retractable to transfer an article between one of the shelves and the article-carrying area. A connector assembly connects the first and second chassis portions and can vary the spacing between the first and second chassis portions thereby varying the spacing between the arms to engage articles of different widths.

Abstract: A transfer shuttle for transferring a load between a pair of multi-tier racks in an automatic warehouse has a traveling platform traveling between the multi-tier racks, extension and retraction mechanisms arranged at the front and rear of the traveling platform with a load mounting area of the platform sandwiched between the mechanisms, and end fingers arranged at opposite ends of a rail which, among the rails in the extension and retraction mechanism, has the largest movement range and is movable between a protruded position engageable with the load and a standby position. The rail also has an inner finger provided between the end fingers. With such an arrangement, the inner finger can push a load on the load mounting area of the transfer shuttle to convey the load to a position deeper in the multi-tier rack than positions achievable by conventional products.

Abstract: Provided is a multistory parking garage comprising first and second laminated racks arranged to face each other in parallel, first and second warehousing stations arranged adjacent to one end side of each of those laminated racks and having waiting conveyors of the same number of stages as that of the shelves of the laminated racks, transfer shuttles interposed between the first and second laminated racks and between the first and second warehousing stations, a lifting system having first and second lifts for transferring cargoes to and from standby conveyors in the first and second warehousing stations, and a conveyor system for transferring cargoes to and from the first and second lifts. At the same level, the conveying direction of the standby conveyors of the first warehousing station and the conveying direction of the standby conveyors of the second warehousing station are opposite to each other.

Abstract: A printing apparatus having a printhead which is moved relative to a print medium in a print direction. The printhead has at least one print elements aligned in the print direction. A print control receives print data to perform print operations, including the printing of two horizontally adjacent dots, such as for characters having portions which include two adjacent vertical lines of dots. The print control controls the print operations to provide the printing of two horizontally adjacent dots in high speed print mode as well as normal speed mode.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device of the type arranged so that the minority carriers are injected into a lightly-doped n type semiconductor layer from a heavily-doped p type semiconductor layer provided in the n type layer, that portion of the p type layer excluding a certain portion is separated from the n type layer by a separator layer to cause the p type layer to contact the n type layer only at the certain portion, whereby the carrier injection is restricted to occur within a limited region of the n type layer contacting the certain portion of the p type layer. The separator and the p type layer are formed, by relying on a self-alignment technique using a double-mask layer, as diffused regions partially overlapping each other with a good relative alignment in the n type layer.

Abstract: An integrated semiconductor device including at least one first vertical-type junction field effect transistor (vertical JFET) having a triode-like unsaturated voltage-current characteristic and at least one second vertical JFET having a bipolar-transistor-like saturated voltage-current characteristic, both being integrally formed in a semiconductor body. Both the first and second vertical JFET are much similar in general arrangement to each other, thus allowing simultaneous forming thereof by the same manufacturing process, without sacrificing the good characteristics of these two types of transistors.

Abstract: In an integrated semiconductor device of the IIL type which includes a switching transistor and an injector transistor for supplying carriers to drive the switching transistor, the switching transistor is a static induction transistor which comprises: cylindrical current channels for providing current paths between a source and drains; a control gate surrounding the outer boundaries of the channels to form pn junctions therebetween and being injected with carriers from the injector transistor to control the current flow in the channels; and floating gates disposed inside the respective channels to form pn junctions therebetween. The floating gates are electrically floating and have a potential affected by the potential of the control gate to contribute to the channel conduction controlling action together with the control gate.