Modular storage rack
A modular storage rack for a flow through or push back rack system comprises a plurality of endless loop modular carriage units mounted end to end in adjacent storage bay sections and being connected to cross beams at the ends of the sections. Mounting brackets or saddles interconnect the ends of the track sections with adjacent cross beams. A transfer assembly comprising wheels or rollers is mounted in the frame between adjacent ends of the carriage units. The transfer assembly maintains the storage units at a substantially level plane and modulates the speed of the storage units as they are transferred from one storage bay section to the next adjacent storage bay section. An inclined ramp slows the storage units before they hit a stop plate at the end of the bay. The storage units ride on support surfaces having downwardly inclined edges that allow close clearance to transfer rollers.
This is a non-provisional application based on and claiming the filing priority of co-pending provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/446,925, filed Feb. 10, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to storage racks used in warehousing and more particularly to a storage rack wherein modular pallet carriers convey pallets back or through a storage bay having a multiple pallet depth.
Warehouse storage racks typically comprise a frame structure divided into rows and columns that define storage bays for depositing storage units (e.g., pallets) of products to be stored. In order to conserve space in a storage facility, storage bays are sometimes more than one pallet deep. Movable carriers mounted on tracks are sometimes used to permit pallets to be moved to rearward storage locations from a single loading station at the front of the rack system. One such rack system is a “push back system” or “roll back system”, wherein pallets are loaded at a front of the storage bay and pushed rearwardly by the next pallets as they are loaded on the rack. Then the pallets are unloaded from the front of the storage bay on a last in, first out basis. In another storage rack system, pallets are loaded at one end of the storage bay and pushed through the storage bay and unloaded from the other side of the storage bay. These are called “flow through systems.”
A push back or roll back system is disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,378 B1, which is incorporated herein by reference. One of the embodiments disclosed in this patent is a modular system wherein modular track sections are mounted in a storage rack and interconnected to provide a push back type of rack (see
For purposes of illustration, a flow-through system will be described. The end of the storage bay where goods are loaded on to the rack will be referred to as the front of the rack, whereas the opposite end of the rack where goods are unloaded will be referred to as the rear or back end of the rack. Goods moving in a forward direction through the rack are goods moving from front to the rear of the storage bay.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA modular storage rack in accordance with the present invention, is mounted in a frame defining at least one storage bay having a depth sufficient to accommodate a plurality of separate storage units in separate horizontally spaced sections of the storage bay. The frame comprises cross beams between the ends of adjacent sections of the storage bay. A plurality of modular carriage units extend end to end across the storage bay. Each carriage unit includes an endless loop oval track section with spaced, interconnected wheeled carrier members being connected in an endless loop and mounted for movement around the track section. Each carriage unit extends into proximity to the cross beams at the ends of a storage bay section. Mounting brackets interconnect the ends of the track sections with adjacent cross beams so as to suspend the carriage units between the beams on opposite ends of the storage bay sections. A transfer assembly is mounted in the frame between adjacent ends of adjacent carriage units. The transfer assembly comprises cylindrical members mounted for rotation about a transverse axis and positioned with an upper side of the cylindrical members being substantially at the same level as the upper side of the carriage units, such that the cylindrical members maintain storage units at a substantially level plane as they are transferred from one storage unit to the next adjacent storage unit.
The transfer assembly includes a transverse support member that extends over a cross beam, sometimes with reinforcement, with the cylindrical members being rotatably mounted in the support member. The support member is mounted to opposing ends of adjacent carriage units by brackets. The cylindrical members can be rollers or wheels or the like.
The carriage units can be separate units mounted on each side of the storage bay or a single carriage unit that extends all the way across the bay.
In one embodiment of the invention, the transfer assembly includes at least three longitudinally spaced cylindrical roller members positioned between the ends of adjacent track sections, the cylindrical members being positioned to engage storage units and modulate the speed of the storage units as they are transferred from track section to track section in the storage bay. In another aspect of the invention, the transfer assembly includes a single row of wheels.
In one aspect of the present invention, the carriage units are supported by saddle members mounted on the cross beams, the saddle members engaging and supporting ends of the track sections, and the track sections being releasably fastened to the saddle members. In another aspect of the present invention, the carriage units are attached to the cross beams by brackets mounted on the track sections, the brackets resting on the cross beams and being releasably fastened to the cross beams. At least one bracket permits longitudinal position adjustment. The rack includes a stop plate at an end of the storage bay to prevent storage units from falling off the end of the bay. An upwardly ramped plate is positioned adjacent an inner side of the stop plate. This slows the storage unit down before it hits the stop plate as the storage unit slides upwardly on the ramped plate.
The carriage members of the present invention preferably include plate members having horizontal storage unit support surfaces, the plate members being downwardly inclined at opposite sides of the support surfaces so as to provide close clearance between the plate members and the transfer assembly when the plate members move around arcuate sections of the track at the ends thereof.
These and other features, objects, and benefits of the invention will be recognized by one having ordinary skill in the art and by those who practice the invention, from the specification, the claims, and the drawing figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
Referring now to the drawings, an exemplary warehousing storage rack system 10, shown in
A first embodiment of a flow-through system 20 comprises a movable pallet carriage mechanism 22 mounted on the horizontal beams 16 at the bottom of the storage bay and extending in a longitudinal direction between the front and the back of the bay. The carriage mechanism shown in
The wheeled carrier members 25 each comprise a horizontal support surface 41, with side flanges 43 extending downwardly from opposite sides thereof. Wheels 36 are mounted on outer sides of each side flange and ride in the left and right track sections 27.
Referring to the embodiment shown in
The front end of the carriage mechanism includes plate 46 that is bolted to cross beam 16A and extends upwardly therefrom and then has an inclined upper surface 48 that extends rearwardly. The inclined surface prevents a pallet from damaging the front end of the pallet support mechanism and causes the pallet to be cammed upwardly on top of the pallet support mechanism.
The manner in which modular carriage units 24 are mounted in the storage bay is shown in
An important feature of the present invention is the incorporation of a pallet transfer assembly 58 between each adjacent section of the modular carriage assembly. Pallet transfer assembly 58 includes a bracket 60 bolted to the upper ends of each adjacent track module, with a wheel support frame 62 extending between the brackets and with a plurality of wheels 64 being rotatably mounted in the wheel support frame for rotation about a transverse axis. The upper plane of the wheels is at the same level as the upper plane of the support surfaces of the carrier members. Without the wheels, when the pallets reach the end of each carriage unit, the ends of the pallets tend to drop downwardly somewhat and then engage the next adjacent carriage unit partially in the side of the unit. This can cause the pallets to stop their even flow along the pallet support mechanism. The wheels of the transfer mechanism cause the pallets to flow smoothly from one modular section to the next. The wheels also have another advantage, in that they tend to slow the movement of the pallets along the pallet support mechanism. When the pallets are on the wheeled carrier members, they tend to pick up momentum and increase speed, but when they engage the transfer mechanism, some of the momentum is absorbed by the transfer mechanism and the pallets tend to slow down. This causes a natural modulation of the speed of the pallets along the carrier mechanism.
The manner in which the modular tracks are mounted at the ends of the pallet support mechanism is shown in
As shown in
The shape of the upper surface of carrier members 25 also is important in the smooth flow of the pallets from one modular section to the next. Carrier members 25 have a flat upper surface that is horizontal when the carrier members are positioned on a level stretch of track. Front and rear edges 78 of support surfaces 41 are inclined downwardly at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. This causes the outer edges of the support surfaces to miss the wheel support frame 62 and yet permit the support surface 41 of the carrier members to pass quite close (within ⅛ inch) to the wheel support frame. The inclined edges of the carrier support surfaces also reinforce the strength of the carrier support surfaces and resist bending of the surfaces under the weight of a pallet.
The installation and removal of each modular section is relatively simple. The modular section is simply dropped into place and bolted to the saddles or front and rear beams 16A and 16B at the ends of the track. The bolt fasteners are mounted in slots to some extent in order to provide some adjustment.
Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in
Cross braces 88 extend between spreader support brackets on opposite sides of the track in order to maintain the lateral spacing of the separate track sections 82. The previous embodiment also employs braces between the track spreader supports, but the braces are of course shorter.
While the track sections 82 of the full width modules 80 can be attached to the cross beams in the same manner as the previous embodiment, an alternative fastening method is shown in
In
The manner in which intermediate sections of track modules are attached to intermediate cross beams is shown in
On the other side of the same beam, the rear end of the module on that side is attached to the same cross beam (by the same bolts) by a bracket 100 that is bolted to the track by means of adjustable slots 102. This permits the brackets to be adjusted so that variations in distances can be accommodated. Upper edges of the brackets rest on the beam. It is desired to have the side brackets on one module be welded and the side brackets on the adjacent module be bolted so as to permit some adjustment while retaining necessary rigidity.
The full width modules employ a transfer assembly 104 that is somewhat different from the transfer assembly of the more narrow modules. Transfer assembly 104 includes three spaced rollers 106 approximately six inches long at three lateral locations along the width of the pallet support mechanism and positioned between adjacent ends of carriage modules. The upper surfaces of the rollers are positioned at the same plane as the upper support surface of the carrier members. As with the previous embodiment, the rollers are mounted on a transverse support frame 108, and the support frame is mounted to the tracks on both sides of the transfer mechanism by brackets 110. The rollers are positioned so that they come within ⅛ of an inch from the carrier members as they pass downwardly around the curved end of the modules.
The horizontal support surface 113 of the carrier members 112 also is somewhat different in this embodiment. As in the previous embodiment, the front and rear trailing edges 115 of the support surfaces are inclined at an angle of 45 degrees in order to permit the support surfaces to come as close to the rollers without hitting them. In order to reinforce the elongated support surfaces from sagging under weight, a reinforcement channel 114 extends laterally along the length of the elongated carrier support surface, as shown in
Because the roller transfer assembly is also subjected to a substantial bending force when pallets pass over the roller transfer assembly, the roller transfer assembly is also reinforced to prevent sagging. The central roller in the roller transfer assembly is mounted in an upwardly facing U-shaped channel 116, and a V-shaped reinforcement member 118 is mounted on the bottom of the channel. The reinforcement member rides on the top of cross beam 16C and thus prevents the rollers from sagging under the weight of pallets passing over the rollers.
As in the previous embodiment, the roller transfer assembly also serves to dampen the momentum of pallets as they pass from one modular section to the next, thus impeding any increase in speed as the pallets roll along the pallet support mechanism. The position and height of the rollers insures that the pallets flow smoothly from one modular section to the other.
It should be understood that the foregoing is merely exemplary of the preferred practice of the present invention and that various modifications in the arrangements and details of the construction disclosed herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A modular storage rack comprising:
- a frame defining at least one storage bay having a depth sufficient to accommodate a plurality of separate storage units in separate horizontally spaced sections of the storage bay, the frame comprising cross beams between the ends of adjacent sections of the storage bay;
- a plurality of modular carriage units, each extending substantially for the length of a storage bay section, each carriage unit including an endless loop oval track section with spaced, interconnected wheeled carrier members being connected in an endless loop and mounted for movement around the track section, each carriage unit extending into proximity to the cross beams at the ends of the storage bay sections;
- mounting brackets interconnecting the ends of the track sections with adjacent cross beams so as to suspend the carriage units between the beams on opposite ends of the storage bay sections; and
- a transfer assembly mounted in the frame between adjacent ends of adjacent carriage units, the transfer assembly comprising cylindrical members mounted for rotation about a transverse axis and being positioned with an upper side of the cylinder members being substantially at the same level as the upper side of the carriage units, such that the rollers maintain storage units at a substantially level plane as they are transferred from one storage unit to the next adjacent storage unit.
2. A modular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein the transfer assembly includes a transverse support member that extends over a cross beam, with the cylindrical members being rotatably mounted in the support member, the support member being mounted at ends thereof to opposing ends of adjacent carriage units.
3. A modular storage rack as in claim 2 wherein the transverse support member comprises an upwardly facing channel member, the channel member extending across the storage bay and having brackets that extend transversely from the channel, the brackets being releasably fastened to the ends of adjacent track sections to secure the transfer assembly to the track section.
4. A modular storage rack as in claim 3 wherein the cylindrical members are wheels rotatably mounted on axles mounted in the channel member.
5. A modular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein the transfer assembly includes cylindrical members that are mounted in close proximity to the adjacent carriage units, such that storage units are maintained at the same level when they travel from the track section to the next track section over the transfer unit.
6. A modular storage rack as in claim 5 wherein the transfer assembly includes cylindrical members that are positioned about one-eighth inch away from track sections on adjacent sides of the transfer assembly.
7. A modular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein the transfer assembly includes at least three longitudinally spaced cylindrical roller members positioned between the ends of adjacent track sections, the cylindrical members being positioned to engage storage units and modulate the speed of the storage units as they are transferred from track section to track section in the storage bay.
8. A modular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein the carriage units are supported by saddle members mounted on the cross beams, the saddle members engaging and supporting ends of the track sections, the track sections being releasably fastened to the saddle members.
9. A modular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein the carriage units are attached to the cross beams by brackets mounted on the track sections, the brackets resting on the cross beams and being releasably fastened to the cross beams, a bracket at one end of a track section being welded to the track section, a bracket at an opposite end of the track section being bolted to the track section through a longitudinal slot in the bracket that permits longitudinal position adjustment of the track section with regard to the cross beams.
10. A modular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein the rack includes a stop plate at an end of the storage bay to prevent storage units from falling off the end of the bay, the storage units being liftable over the stop plate to remove the storage units from the bay, the storage rack including an upwardly ramped plate adjacent an inner side of the stop plate that engages a storage unit and slows it down before it hits the stop plate as the storage unit slides upwardly on the ramped plate.
11. A modular storage rack as in claim 1 wherein the carriage members include plate members having horizontal storage unit support surfaces, the plate members being downwardly inclined at opposite sides of the support surfaces so as to provide close clearance between the plate members and the transfer assembly when the plate members move around arcuate sections of the track at the ends thereof.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 10, 2004
Publication Date: Mar 10, 2005
Inventors: Lyman Lewis (Byron Center, MI), Ronald Ducharme (Alto, MI)
Application Number: 10/776,979