HK40040685A - Cooled storage system - Google Patents

Description

Cooling storage system

This application is a divisional application of the chinese patent application having application number 201580009106.0 entitled "cooling storage system" (international patent application based on international application number PCT/EP2015/053390 on international application date 2015-2-18).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of logistics and storage systems.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a storage system for receiving and storing processed, chilled and frozen food products to be shipped to the market, the storage system comprising a first grid structure of storage units, each storage unit being arranged to receive a vertical stack of storage bins, the first grid structure having a top layer. The system further includes a first vehicle arranged to move horizontally at a top level of the first grid structure and a bin lift arranged to transfer bins in a vertical direction between the top level of the grid structure and a delivery station. An insulator is provided between at least a section of the grid structure and the remotely operated vehicle, and the section of the grid structure has a temperature that is lower than a temperature of the remotely operated vehicle. The vehicle is further arranged to receive bins from the storage unit at a top level of the first grid structure and to transport the bins to a bin lift device. In addition, a bin lift device is arranged to receive bins from the vehicle at a top level of the first grid structure and to deliver bins to the delivery station.

Background

The applicant has known that the AutoStore (automated storage) system is the storage system mentioned in the introduction. The AutoStore system includes a three-dimensional storage grid comprising storage bins stacked one above the other to a certain height. The storage grid is constructed as aluminum posts interconnected by a top rail. A plurality of vehicles or robots are arranged on the top balustrade. Each vehicle is equipped with a lift for picking up, transporting, and placing bins stored in a storage grid.

This prior art storage system is illustrated in fig. 1. The storage system 10 includes a grid structure 20 of storage cells. Each cell is arranged to accommodate a vertical stack of storage bins 30. The grid structure has a top layer.

The storage system 10 further comprises a vehicle 40 arranged to move at the top level of the grid structure and also arranged to receive a bin from a storage unit at the top level of the grid structure. Storage system 10 may include a plurality of such vehicles 40, as shown.

The storage system 10 further includes a storage tank lifting device 50. Bin lift devices 50 are arranged to receive bins from first vehicles 40 at the top level of the first grid structure and to deliver the bins in a vertical direction down to a delivery station or port 60. The storage system 10 may include a plurality of such lifting devices 50 and ports 60, as shown. Today's households rely on the availability of food that can be purchased in a refrigerated or frozen state. Between the time of food processing and the time of food arrival to market, the processed food may be kept in a distributor's warehouse with tightly controlled temperatures. To minimize the time between storage and transport, an efficient logistics system is needed that can obtain and transport the correct food in a minimum amount of time.

US 2165513 describes a cold storage locker room in which the storage items are retrieved manually.

Both US 2012272500 and WO 85/00422a1 describe reservoirs for storing sample containers in a stack in a cryogenic sample library. The cryogenic specimen library is equipped with a robot suspended above the storage stack for removing and inserting the entire stack from and into the storage. However, these cooling reservoirs do not have the possibility of easily retrieving the correct container, and the time between storage and transport would be unacceptable.

US 4088232 describes a storage system in which vehicles can be driven on a floor above a storage space. By lifting the top cover arranged above the dedicated vertical shaft, the vehicle can gain access to the storage unit. The storage system does not have the possibility to keep the stored goods in a cooled environment.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling storage system that maintains the advantages of the prior art logistics systems while providing storage for the cooled product.

The invention has been defined in the scope of this patent application.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a cooling storage system includes: a grid structure of storage cells, wherein each cell is arranged to accommodate a vertical stack of storage bins, and the grid structure has a top layer; at least one remotely operated vehicle arranged to move at a top level of the grid structure and to receive a storage bin from a storage unit at the top level of the grid structure, wherein insulation is provided between at least a section of the grid structure and the remotely operated vehicle, and the section of the grid structure has a temperature that is lower than a temperature of the remotely operated vehicle.

The storage system has in one embodiment an overall design, as schematically illustrated in fig. 1. The products to be stored are arranged in storage bins, which are arranged in stacks in the storage system. The remotely operated vehicle is adjusted to pick up a bin from the storage system and in one embodiment comprises a vehicle body comprising a first section for storing a vehicle drive and a second section for receiving any bins stored in a stack within the storage system, a vehicle lifting device connected at least indirectly to the vehicle body for lifting the bin into the second section, a first set of vehicle rolling devices connected to the vehicle body allowing the vehicle to move in a first direction X within the storage system during use, and a second set of vehicle rolling devices connected to the vehicle body allowing the vehicle to move in a second direction Y within the storage system during use, the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X.

In one embodiment, the grid structure with the associated vertical stack of storage bins is subdivided into a plurality of sections, for example two, three or more sections. The sections are separated from each other by insulation, such as polystyrene, insulation sheeting or sheeting, insulation pads, or other suitable insulation material. The insulation constitutes a wall or thermal barrier between sections of the grid structure and gives the possibility of having different temperatures in different sections of the grid structure. In one embodiment, at least one section is connected to a cooling unit, thereby providing a cooler temperature in the/these section(s).

In one embodiment, the cooling unit is an evaporator. An evaporator in this context is a device used in an air conditioning system to allow compressed cooling chemicals to evaporate from a liquid to a gas while absorbing heat in the process. The cooling chemistry may be, for example, R-22 (Freon) or R-410A, or other suitable chemistry.

The cooling storage system may further include a bin lift device arranged to receive bins from the carrier at a top level of the first grid structure and to deliver bins in a vertical direction down to the delivery station or port. Here, the contents of the bin may be collected, or the complete bin may be transported to its destination.

In one embodiment, the system includes thermally insulating covers arranged in a top layer of the grid structure. The insulating cover provides a thermal barrier to the remotely operated vehicle and helps maintain a desired temperature in the storage box in the grid structure. The insulated cover is arranged to be movable via a remotely operated vehicle. The vehicle may move one insulating cover to another cell in the grid or temporarily hold the insulating cover while removing the storage bin from the stack.

Further possible features, including exemplary aspects, structures, and operations in various embodiments, have been described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic partially cut-away perspective view of a storage system according to the background art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view illustrating certain aspects of a storage system;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the storage system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the storage system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view illustrating certain aspects of a remotely operated vehicle.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 is a schematic partially cut-away perspective view of a storage system according to the background art, which system has already been mentioned in the background section.

Fig. 2, 3 and 4 are schematic top and side views illustrating certain aspects of the storage system 21. The storage system 21 includes: a grid structure of storage cells 25, 26, wherein each cell is arranged to accommodate a vertical stack of storage bins, and the grid structure has a top layer. At least one remotely operated vehicle 27, 27' is arranged to move at the top level of the grid structure and to receive a bin from a storage unit at the top level of the grid structure.

The grid structure in this embodiment is divided into two sections (a and B) separated by a thermal insulator 24. The thermal insulator 24 is arranged in the wall between the two sections. Furthermore, an insulator is provided between one of the sections (a) and the remotely operated vehicle 27'. Section a may thus have a different temperature than section B and also than the remotely operated vehicle.

As seen in fig. 4, section a is further divided into two subsections (AA and AB), which are also separated by insulation 24. The two sections AA and AB are connected to a cooling unit 23, such as an evaporator, for reducing the temperature in the storage system section. In this example, the two sections have different temperatures, with the temperature of section AA being lower than the temperature of section AB. Section AA may, for example, have a temperature of-15 to 20 ℃ below zero, while section AB may have a temperature of-3 to 5 ℃ above zero.

The storage system can of course be divided into a different number of sections than illustrated in the example, which sections have the same or different temperatures.

The insulation between the low temperature section a and the remotely operated vehicle means that the vehicle 27' can be operated at room temperature, unaffected by the lower temperature of section a. This is preferred because if the temperature is too low, vehicle performance is degraded. In particular, if the vehicle is powered by a battery, the operating time of the vehicle at room temperature is significantly increased compared to the operating time at lower temperatures.

The vehicles 27, 27' arranged to move at the top level of the grid structure may move freely over the entire top level, i.e. over all sections of the grid structure, and also receive bins from any storage unit at the top level of the grid structure and transport the bins to bin lifts, as described in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a schematic side view illustrating certain aspects of a remotely operated vehicle arranged at the top level of a grid structure, for example, as shown in fig. 2-4. The insulation between the cryogenic section of the grid structure and the remotely operated vehicle 27' comprises a plurality of insulated covers 31 arranged at each storage unit 32 at the top level of the grid structure.

The remotely operated vehicle 27' is arranged to lift the insulated lid 31 and thereby provide access to the storage unit 32 below. The storage bin in the storage unit 32 may thus be lifted by another remotely operated vehicle, or the remotely operated vehicle 27' may be arranged to be able to lift both the insulating cover and the storage bin. Alternatively, the remotely operated vehicle 27' moves the insulated cover 31 to an adjacent position and back to collect the storage bins thus available in the storage unit.

After the storage bin 32 has been collected, the carrier 27 may return the insulating cover to its original position, thereby ensuring continued insulation of that section of the grid structure.

Claims (9)

1. A cooling storage system (10) comprising:

-a grid structure (20) of storage units, wherein each storage unit has a top level and accommodates a vertical stack of storage bins stacked on top of each other;

-a remotely operated vehicle arranged to move at the top level of the grid structure (20) and to receive a bin from a storage unit at the top level of the grid structure (20);

wherein an insulation (24) is provided between at least a section of the grid structure (20) and the remotely operated vehicle, and the section of the grid structure (20) has a temperature lower than the temperature of the remotely operated vehicle, the insulation (24) comprising a plurality of insulating covers (31) arranged at each storage unit at the top level of the grid structure (20),

it is characterized in that

The grid structure (20) comprising a plurality of legs interconnected by a top rail, and the cooling storage system (10) comprising a plurality of remotely operated vehicles (27 ') arranged to move over the top rail of the grid structure (20) and also arranged to receive a bin from a storage unit (32) at the top level of the grid structure (20), each of the plurality of remotely operated vehicles (27') comprising a first section for storing a vehicle drive, a second section for receiving a top bin stored in a stack within the cooling storage system (10), and a single vehicle lift at least indirectly connected to a vehicle body for lifting either a bin and an insulated cover into the second section, the insulated cover arranged to be movable via the remotely operated vehicle, such that the insulating cover can be moved from one storage unit to another by one of said remotely operated vehicles.

2. The cooling storage system according to claim 1, wherein a first remotely operated vehicle (27 ') is arranged to lift the insulated cover (31) and thereby provide access to the storage unit below, while a second remotely operated vehicle (27') is arranged to lift the storage bin in the storage unit (32).

3. The cooling storage system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a first remotely operated vehicle (27') is arranged to lift both the insulated lid (31) and the storage box.

4. The cooling storage system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a first remotely operated vehicle (27') is arranged to move the insulated cover (31) to an adjacent position and the first remotely operated vehicle is arranged to return to collect the storage bin thereby available in the storage unit (32).

5. The cooling storage system of one of the preceding claims, wherein the lattice structure is subdivided into a plurality of sections, which are separated from one another by thermal insulation (24).

6. The cooling storage system according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the sections is connected to a cooling unit (23).

7. The cooling storage system according to claim 6, wherein the cooling unit (23) is an evaporator.

8. The cooling storage system of any of claims 5-7, wherein there are at least two sections of the lattice structure, wherein the two sections are cooled to different temperatures.

9. The cooling storage system of one of the preceding claims, comprising a bin lift device arranged to receive a bin from a vehicle at the top level of the lattice structure, and which delivers the bin in a vertical direction down to a delivery station or port.