Spacesaver Corporation

White Consolidated Industries, Inc.

Dean L Dahnert

Marvin L Runge

A presence detector for detecting the presence of a heat source, including a motion detector having a predetermined field of view. The motion detector is activated by movement of a heat source a certain minimum amount within that predetermined field of view. An actuator is provided for moving the motion detector sufficient to change the position of the field of view by at least that minimum amount. The actuator includes a shape memory alloy wire. The motion detector is movably or rotatably mounted to a support. The actuator is connected at one end to the motion detector and at the other to the support. The actuator also includes a biasing or return spring for re-stretching the shape memory alloy wire back to its original length once it has contracted. A strain relief spring is also provided, having a spring rate substantially higher than that of the return spring, for relieving strain on the shape memory alloy wire in case the detector rotatable mounting seizes or otherwise is prevented from moving freely.

Presence detector

Electrical control panel for mobile storage units

A control circuit for continually testing a photoelectric detector. The detector includes a light source, and a photoelectric receiver having a predetermined drop-out time, attached to a movable storage carriage, spaced apart and substantially sightaligned. The carriage has a reversible electric motor which is controlled by the control circuit, including at least two relays, the contacts of which are connected in series so that the contacts of both must be closed in order for the motor to be energized. The relay drop-out time is substantially longer than the receiver drop-out time. In the circuit, an inverter is connected between the second coil and the light source. This inverter inverts signals received from the second coil and passes them to the light source so that receipt of a signal at the receiver causes the light source to turn off, in turn causing a loss of signal at the receiver, resulting in the light source turning on. An oscillation is thus established which passses through each component of the monitoring circuit and the detector. The drop-out time of the relays is long enough that the relays stay closed unless the oscillation is stopped, either by a failure of the monitoring circuit or light source or receiver, or by the light beam being broken. In either case, one or both of the relays opens, disabling the carriage from moving.

Fail-safe photoelectric detector

The housing of a switch assembly has four plastic walls which are joined integrally during molding and encompass a nominally open area. A panel spans across the front of the opening and is molded integrally with the walls. The panel has a laterally extending slit and several slits which are perpendicular to the lateral slit and divide the panel into cantilever supported deflectable push button switch operators. At the front of the switch housing and covering part of the area of the opening is a swingable door which conceals a multiple contact connector. Several different types of key devices are adapted for plugging into the connector for modifying the ordinary functions of the switch assembly. When used on a mobile storage system unit, one key overrides the controls when a safety device is activated. Another key device can be plugged in to dominate control over the normal push buttons of the switch assembly. Another key device is adapted to supply emergency power from a battery power pack. One of the push buttons of the switch assembly is provided with light transmitting arrows and there are an array or red and green LED's mounted on a circuit board behind these oppositely pointing arrows. Both arrows my be lighted green or red or one may be green and the other red. The housing is provided with screw driver operated clamping fingers which can be turned after the housing is inserted into a hole in a wall to lock the housing in the wall.

Switch assembly and mobile storage unit using the assembly

A limit switch assembly for mounting on mobile storage units has first and second limit switches secured in spaced relationship. A switch operating rod is spring biased to extend from the assembly by a predetermined amount into an open aisle or where there is no proximate storage unit and there is a cam element on the rod which holds the first switch in closed circuit condition to enable a motor on the unit and drive it into the open aisle space and when the rod touches a stop as the unit means reached the limit of its travel the cam shifts to open the first switch to initiate a deceleration interval which terminates when the cam retracts enough to open the second switch which disables the motor. The rod on the limit switch assembly of the next trailing storage unit begins to extend when the leading unit moves a small amount in which case the cam on the trailing unit only needs to move a small amount to close the first limit switch on the trailing unit so it begins to accelerate while the leading unit is still accelerating. The trailing unit and any subsequent trailing units go through the same deceleration and stopping cycle performed by the first unit.

Limit switch assembly for mobile storage apparatus

A limit switch assembly for mounting on mobile storage units has first and second limit switches secured in spaced relationship. A switch operating rod is spring biased to extend from the assembly by a predetermined amount into an open aisle or where there is no proximate storage unit and there is a cam element on the rod which holds the first switch in closed circuit condition to enable a motor on the unit and drive it into the open aisle space and when the rod touches a stop as the unit means reaches the limit of its travel the cam shifts to open the first switch to initiate a deceleration interval which terminates when the cam retracts enough to open the second switch which disables the motor. The rod on the limit switch assembly of the next trailing storage unit begins to extend when the leading unit moves a small amount in which case the cam on the trailing unit only needs to move a small amount to close the first limit switch on the trailing unit so it begins to accelerate while the leading unit is still accelerating. The trailing unit and any subsequent trailing units go through the same deceleration and stopping cycle performed by the first unit.

An electrical control module has electrical components on a circuit board inside of a box which is open on a side opposite of its bottom. A molding section is mounted to one side wall of the box. This molding has the same cross-sectional configuration as a molding which is installed on the edge of the side wall of a mobile storage unit. The side wall molding has a gap in it. The end wall of the storage unit is composed of two parallel upstanding panel members which are spaced apart from each other. The molding extends up to the gap from below and down to the gap from above. The control module slides into the gap and into the space between the panels. The section of molding on the module becomes flush with the molding on the storage unit when the module is inserted in the gap. Means are provided for releasably locking the module in the end wall of the storage unit.

Electrical control module for mobile storage apparatus

A vertical storage and retrieval system has a light bar at the operator's station that visually indicates selected bins on a conveyor shelf. The light bar comprises an elongated rectangular tubing flush with the work surface. Several identical electric modules are connected end-to-end and inserted into the tubing. Each module has an array of parallel circuits, each containing a light emitting diode, connected to an electric source. Through circuits connect the terminal circuit of each array of parallel circuits to an electrical sink. A branch circuit of each parallel circuit connects with the corresponding parallel circuit on the adjacent module. The circuits are arranged such that the end module remote from the electric source and sink may be severed and a portion of the module discarded without affecting the operation of the light bar.

Light bar

A vertical storage and retrieval system has a light bar at the operator's station that visually indicates selected bins on a conveyor shelf. The light bar comprises an elongated rectangular tubing flush with the work surface. Several identical electric modules are connected end-to-end and inserted into the tubing. Each module has an array of parallel circuits, each containing a light emitting diode, connected to an electric source. Through circuits connect the terminal circuit of each array of parallel circuits to an electrical sink. A branch circuit of each parallel circuit connects with the corresponding parallel circuit on the adjacent module. The circuit are arraged such that the end module remote from the electric source and sink may be severed and a portion of the module discarded without affecting the operation of the light bar.

Method of providing a light bar for storage apparatus

A movable storage unit control system is provided with: a leading edge safety tape switch for contacting it to bring a driven unit to a stop; a processor for generating move and stop command signals; a plurality of circuits through which test signals are transmitted under control of the processor and which are returned to the processor coincidentally with their transmission through a current sensor if the circuit tests good; a procedure for having the processor address a test signal to a nonexistent circuit to determine if the current sensor has failed and is allowing return of signals when it should not; circuits for setting minimum and maximum speed of the motors that drive the storage units; a circuit for setting the intensity of dynamic braking of the drive motors; and, a watchdog circuit that shuts down the processor upon occurrence of intense temporary electrical noise or software execution errors and is involved in causing the processor to shut down and block all commands to the system if the processor or other hardware fails.

Movable storage unit control system with system resetting watchdog

Movable storage unit control system

A control system for vertical storage equipment requires only two sensing devices, in combination with a microprocessor controller, for positioning a selected article carrier at a specified work station. One sensor senses a reference mark having a direct speed and position relation with the carriers. The second sensor senses at least one reference mark mounted to a high speed member in the drive mechanism used to move the carriers. By sensing the high speed member, the resolution of the control system is greatly increased, thereby providing the control system with increased accuracy and versatility. A flywheel having a relative inertia greater than the total of the remaining moving parts is preferably employed to negate the influence of carrier loading conditions on control system smoothness and accuracy.

Control system for vertical storage equipment

One or more movable storage units each having a reversible motor for driving the units on tracks between stationary storage units to open an aisle between units. Each unit has leash cord plug holders on its aisle sides. The movable units have safety sweep bars on one or both sides, safety switches actuated thereby, and a limit switch. Setting a leash cord plug in its own holder so the leash does not span the aisle that is to be opened provides a move command signal and setting the other leashes so they span the aisles that are too close sets up the control circuitry for causing all units to be driven away from the aisle that is not spanned by a leash. AND gate circuits must simultaneously have input signals indicative of the limit and sweep switches being true, of the leashes being in spanning condition and true for all aisles that are too close and a command signal resulting from having a leash plug in its own holder before the gates will issue a signal that causes the motors to drive in the proper direction. Time delay devices are provided for keeping the sweep switches untrue, at least long enough for an obstructing person to get out of a closing aisle before the drive motors are activated again.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Atkinson, WI, United States of America

Dean L Dahnert