subject: Automatic Storage And Retrieval System Is Used In Warehouses [print this page] Automatic storage and retrieval system is used in warehouses or other facilities in which objects are to be temporarily stored. A known storage and retrieval system includes a storage rack defining storage compartments or locations, and a storage and retrieval machine (SRM) operable to deposit objects in designated storage locations on the storage rack and to retrieve those objects when desired. The storage and retrieval machine includes a base that is supported on wheels for rolling movement along a track, and an onboard motor drivingly connected to at least one of the wheels to move the automatic storage and retrieval system machine along the track. The base supports a vertically extending mast on which a carriage is supported for vertical movement. The carriage is typically supported for movement along the mast by wheels or rollers. The carriage supports an extractor or shuttle mechanism that is horizontally extendable beneath an object so that the object can be lifted from or lowered onto the storage rack. More particularly, the invention provides a automatic storage and retrieval system machine including a base which is supported by a linear slide for horizontal movement along a track, and which is retained on the track by low-friction bearing surfaces that engage the track only when needed to prevent misalignment of the base. To move the storage and retrieval machine, a belt is attached at its opposite ends to the opposite ends of the base and is trained around wheels at the opposite ends of the track. An off-board motor is provided to drive one of the wheels to pull the storage and retrieval machine back and forth along the track. Since the linear slides provide substantially frictionless movement of the automatic storage and retrieval system machine, the horsepower requirements of the motor are reduced relative to prior art arrangements, and the storage and retrieval machine is capable of quicker acceleration than are wheel-supported storage and retrieval machines. This permits the storage and retrieval machine to transport objects between storage, object-entry and object-exit locations more quickly.
The automatic storage and retrieval system machine also includes a generally vertical mast on the base, and a carriage supported on the mast by additional linear slides that slide along one or more rods extending vertically along the mast. The automatic storage and retrieval system machine is provided with an onboard motor to move the carriage up and down the mast. An extendable and retractable shuttle or extractor mechanism is provided on the carriage and is operable to move objects on and off the carriage.
