Automated stores and manufactured-product production unit comprising same

Abstract

Each manipulator robot (2) is able to move over a storage area (10) during the transporting of an item.

1 . Warehouse for items in the form of raw materials or basic components, that comprises:
 a plurality of item storage areas, at least one upper storage area, being superposed with at least one lower storage area, each storage area comprising a number of item storage locations formed on the floor of said storage area;   at least one carrier able to move items from an upper storage area to a lower storage area, and vice versa;   for each upper storage area, at least one manipulator robot able to pick up an item from one of the storage locations and transport it to at least one carrier, and vice versa; and   for each lower storage area, at least one manipulator robot able to pick up an item from one of the storage locations and transport it to a workstation, and vice versa, and able to pick up an item from the at least one carrier and transport it to one of the storage locations or to a workstation, and vice versa;   
       each manipulator robot being able to move over a storage area during the transport; 
       wherein at least one manipulator robot is mounted so as to be mobile on two horizontal rails fixedly installed above and at a distance from the storage area and above two sides of said storage area, and this manipulator robot comprises a motorized horizontal base mounted so as to be mobile on the two rails, said horizontal base being formed of two side-members perpendicular to the direction of the guide rails, said manipulator robot also comprising a motorized carriage mounted so as to be mobile on and along the two side-members of the motorized horizontal base, said motorized carriage bearing a grasping head movable towards and away from the storage area; 
       wherein the grasping head comprises a gripper comprising two opposed grasping claws, two vertical carrying arms respectively bearing the two grasping claws on their lower extremity, and an actuator motor mechanism for moving the two carrying arms further from or closer to each other; 
       wherein the actuator motor mechanism comprises a motor unit having a rotary output shaft coupled to a horizontal actuator screw, fixed in translation, comprising two opposed threaded areas, one of which has a right thread and the other a left thread, each threaded area receiving a threaded bush, fixed in rotation, one of the two carrying arms being borne by one of the threaded bushes and the other by the other threaded bush, and said carrying arms extending downwards from the threaded bushes
 a guide assembly positioned above the floor, 
 
       wherein at least one manipulator robot comprises:
 a carrying frame, borne by and mobile on the guide assembly along a longitudinal horizontal axis of the machine; 
 a transport carriage, mounted so as to be mobile on the carrying frame along a horizontal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the machine; 
 a lifting means borne by said carriage, said lifting means comprising a lifting carrier element mobile along a vertical axis; 
 a weighing means borne by the lifting carrier element of the lifting means, said weighing means comprising a unit on which the load to be weighed is placed; and 
 a means for grasping items individually, linked mechanically to the unit of the weighing means. 
 
     
     
         2 . Warehouse according to  claim 1 , wherein the guide assembly comprises two parallel horizontal rails positioned at the same height, said rails being secured to a supporting structure. 
     
     
         3 . Warehouse according to  claim 1 , wherein the carrying frame is equipped with running gear engaged on the guide rails, the carrying frame being equipped with a motor unit to perform its movement along the rails. 
     
     
         4 . Warehouse according to  claim 1 , wherein the carrying frame comprises two parallel horizontal guide rails positioned at the same height, said rails being perpendicular to the guide rails of the guide assembly. 
     
     
         5 . Warehouse according to  claim 4 , wherein the carriage is equipped with running gear engaged on the guide rails of the carrying frame, the carriage being equipped with a motor unit to perform its movement along said guide rails. 
     
     
         6 . Warehouse according to  claim 1 , wherein the lifting carrier element of the lifting means is formed of a horizontal plate and this lifting carrier element is vertically movable by a motor means borne by the transport carriage, the weighing means being installed on the horizontal plate. 
     
     
         7 . Warehouse according to  claim 6 , wherein the motor means is formed of several vertical threaded columns engaged by their upper and lower extremity in guide bearings borne by the framework of the transport carriage, by nuts engaged by screwing on the columns and fastened to the horizontal plate, and by a mechanism for actuating said columns in rotation around their longitudinal axis, said mechanism comprising toothed pulleys coupled respectively to the threaded columns, a toothed belt engaged on the toothed pulleys and on a toothed gear coupled to the rotary output shaft of a stepping motor fixedly installed on a suitable mount fastened to the framework of the carriage. 
     
     
         8 . Warehouse according to  claim 1 , wherein the weighing means is formed of at least one balance comprising a pan. 
     
     
         9 . Warehouse according to  claim 1 , wherein the grasping means is formed of two vertical arms equipped in their lower extremity with two grasping hooks. 
     
     
         10 . Warehouse according to  claim 9 , wherein the grasping means is formed of two vertical arms equipped in their lower extremity with two grasping hooks and the two arms of the grasping system are secured to the pan of the balance. 
     
     
         11 . Warehouse according to  claim 1 , which is equipped with a processing and management unit able to process the different electrical signals that it receives from the various components, and able to manage their operation.