Harnischfeger Engineers Inc.

Craig A Devroy

B Chuck Sorensen

A storage and retrieval machine having a base movable in opposite horizontal directions, a mast mounted on the base, and a carriage movable in opposite vertical directions on the mast. A drive is also provided for moving the base and carriage in their respective opposite horizontal directions or opposite vertical directions. A control is connected to the drive for transmitting to the drive for either the base or the carriage, a first signal for a fast acceleration rate in one of the opposite directions of movement, a second signal for a slow acceleration rate in the other of the opposite directions of movement, a third signal for a slow deceleration rate in one of the opposite directions of movement, a fourth signal for a fast deceleration rate in the other of the opposite directions of movement, and a direction signal to move in one of the opposite directions. The drive is responsive to the control to move either one of the base and carriage in their associated opposite directions of movement and accelerate and decelerate the base or carriage in accord with the respective acceleration and deceleration rate signals for the movement direction.

Method and apparatus for acceleration and deceleration control of a

A shuttle control for a storage and retrieval machine has a supervisory control mounted on the base of the storage and retrieval machine and a shuttle control mounted on the carriage of the storage and retrieval machine. The supervisory control receives shuttle operating commands and information signals and provides operating instruction signals for the shuttle to the shuttle control. The shuttle control receives the operating instruction signals from the supervisory control, produces operating information signals to the supervisory control, and controls the operation of a shuttle motor drive. A circuit having sliding contactors moving with the carriage on vertical slide bars mounted on the mast transmits operating instruction signals and information signals between the supervisory control and the shuttle control at a maximum transmission rate limited by the problems of transmitting the signals through the sliding contactors. Sensors mounted on the carriage of the storage and retrieval machine produce shuttle operating condition indicating signals to the shuttle control at a transmission rate faster that the maximum transmission rate of the circuit. The indicating signals are used by the shuttle control to control the operation of the shuttle motor.

Method and apparatus for controlling the shuttle of a storage and

A control system for a storage and retrieval machine is disclosed in which a supervisory control is responsive to operating commands from a remote source to provide operating instructions for the control of the base, carriage and shuttle of the storage and retrieval machine. Separate controls for the base, the carriage and the shuttle respectively contain base, carriage and shuttle operating parameters. The base, carriage and shuttle controls are responsive to operating instructions from the supervisory control to respectively control movement of the base, carriage and shuttle in accord with the associated base, carriage and shuttle operating instructions and parameters. A base drive, carriage drive and a shuttle drive are also provided and each include a drive control which produces drive control instructions. The base, carriage and shuttle drives are respectively responsive to control instructions from the base, carriage and shuttle controls and their associated drive control instructions to move the associated base, carriage and shuttle.

Control system for a storage and retrieval machine

A control system for a storage and retrieval machine is disclosed in which a supervisory control is responsive to operating commands from a remote source to provide operating instructions for the control of the base, carriage and shuttle of the storage and retrieval machine. Control for the base contains base operating parameters and is responsive to base operating instructions from the supervisory control to control movement of the base in accord with the base operating instructions and the base parameters. Control for the carriage, which is movably mounted on a vertical mast of the storage and retrieval machine, contains carriage operating parameters and is responsive to the operating instructions to control movement of the carriage in accord with carriage operating instructions and the carriage operating parameters. Control for the shuttle which is mounted on the carriage, contains shuttle operating parameters and is responsive to the operating instructions to control movement of the shuttle in accord with the operating instructions and the shuttle operating parameters. The control method includes transmitting operating commands from a remote source to the supervisory control, transmitting operating information to the supervisory control from the base, carriage and shuttle control, and transmitting condition information relating to the operation of the storage and retrieval machine from sensing on the machine through the supervisory control. In response, the supervisory control produces operating instructions to the base, carriage and shuttle control and, in turn, the base, carriage and shuttle control produce control instructions to base, carriage and shuttle drives.

Growing community of inventors

Wauwatosa, WI, United States of America

Craig A Devroy