摘要：
A multi-temperature storage system (1, Fig 6) comprises a grid framework structure (14) for supporting a robotic load handling devices 30. Track system (4) has a plurality of tracks (22) arranged in a grid pattern comprising a plurality of grid cells (17). Supporting framework structure (3) supports track system (4) above the ground to create a storage space comprising a plurality of storage columns (5); each arranged to store a stack (12) of storage containers (10). Robotic load handling devices 30 are operative on track system (4) and able to lift one or more containers (10, Fig 5) through a grid cell (17) from a stack (12) in a storage column (5). Part of storage system (1) is contained within an enclosure (6) which has an opening (7) above track system (4) to allow devices 30 to move into and out of enclosure (6). A temperature control system (50) having inlet (51) for drawing a fluid from enclosure (6,) a temperature control unit (52) for heating or cooling the fluid to a temperature controlled fluid, and an outlet (53) for providing the temperature controlled fluid into enclosure (6). At least one air curtain unit 54 is arranged above track system (4), to recirculate the temperature controlled fluid from the enclosure (6) and provide an air curtain 55 across opening (7) of enclosure (6); thereby substantially containing the temperature controlled fluid within enclosure (6) and enabling device 30 to move on track system (4) into and out of enclosure (6).
权利要求：
Claims
1. A multi-temperature storage system 1 comprising:
A) a grid framework structure 14 configured for supporting a robotic load handling device 30 thereupon, said grid framework structure 14 comprising:
1) a track system 4 comprising a plurality of tracks 22 arranged in a grid pattern
comprising a plurality of grid cells 17,
ii1) a supporting framework structure 3 for supporting the track system 4 above the
ground to create a storage space comprising a plurality of storage columns 5, each
storage column 5 being arranged to store a stack 12 of storage containers 10, such that,
in use, the robotic load handling device 30 operative on the track system 4 is able to lift
one or more containers 10 through a grid cell 17 from a stack 12 in a storage column 5, wherein a portion of the storage system 1 is contained within an enclosure 6, said enclosure 6 having an opening 7 above the track system 4 for allowing a robotic load handling device 30 to move into and out of the enclosure 6;
B) a temperature control system 50 comprising an inlet 51 for drawing a fluid from the enclosure 6, a temperature control unit 52 for heating or cooling the fluid to a temperature controlled fluid, and an outlet 53 for providing the temperature controlled fluid into the enclosure 6 such that the enclosure 6 has a different temperature than the temperature external of the enclosure 6;
C) at least one air curtain unit 54 arranged above the track system 4, said at least one air curtain unit 54 being arranged to recirculate the temperature controlled fluid from the enclosure 6 to provide an air curtain 55 across the opening 7 of the enclosure 6 so as to substantially contain the temperature controlled fluid within the enclosure 6 and enable the robotic load handling device 30 to move on the track system 4 into and out of the enclosure 6.
2. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 1, wherein the temperature control system 50 comprises a chiller system 50 and the temperature control unit 52 comprises a chiller unit 52 such that the temperature within the enclosure 6 is lower than the temperature external of the enclosure 6.
3. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 1, wherein the temperature control system 50 comprises a heating system 50 and the temperature control unit 52 comprises a heating unit 52 such that the temperature within the enclosure 6 is higher than the temperature external of the enclosure 6.
4. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one air curtain unit 54 has an air intake 56 extending into the enclosure 6 and an outlet comprising a nozzle 57 configured for directing the temperature controlled fluid downwardly into the enclosure 6.
S. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 4, wherein the nozzle 57 is configured for directing the temperature controlled fluid in a downwardly inclined direction towards the enclosure 6.
6. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the preceding claims, wherein the opening 7 of the enclosure 6 extends across at least one direction of the grid framework structure 14 such that the at least one air curtain unit 54 is configured for providing an air curtain 55 across the at least one direction of the grid framework structure 14.
7. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 6, wherein the at least one air curtain unit 54 comprises a plurality of air curtain units 54 arranged side-by-side.
8. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the preceding claims, wherein the enclosure 6 is thermally insulating.
9. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 8, wherein the enclosure 7 has a lower portion 70 below the track system 4 and an upper portion 71 above the track system 4, the lower portion 70 of the enclosure 6 comprising thermal insulating solid walled panels 72.
10. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 9, wherein one or more of the thermal insulating solid walled panels 72 comprises a structural insulation panel comprising a thermal insulation core sandwiched between at least two layers of structural board.
11. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 9 or 10, wherein the upper portion 71 of the enclosure 6 comprises a thermally insulating cover 73 having a top wall 74 and downwardly extending sidewalls 75.
12. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 11, wherein at least one of the downwardly extending sidewalls 75 comprises the opening 7.
13. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 12, wherein the at least one air curtain unit 54 is mounted adjacent the opening 7.
14. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the claims 11 to 13, wherein the thermally insulating cover 73 comprises a thermally insulating blanket.
15. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the claims 11 to 14, wherein the inlet 51 and the outlet 53 of the temperature control system 50 extend through the thermally insulating cover 73.
16. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the claims 8 to 15, wherein the supporting framework structure 3 comprises a plurality of prefabricated modular panels 60, said prefabricated modular panels 60 being arranged in a three dimensional grid pattern comprising a first set of parallel prefabricated modular panels extending in the first direction and a second set of parallel prefabricated modular panels extending in the second direction to define a plurality of grid cells 63.
17. The multi-temperature storage system of claim 16, wherein each of the grid cells 63 of the supporting framework structure 3 is sized to support a subset of the plurality of grid cells 17 of the track system 4, said subset comprising two or more grid cells 17 of the track system 4.
18. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 16 or 17, wherein at least one of the plurality of prefabricated modular panels 60 comprises at least one of the thermal insulating solid walled panels 72.
19. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the preceding claims, wherein the grid framework structure 14 further comprises a track support structure 2 lying in a horizontal plane and being supported by the supporting framework structure 3, said track support structure 2 comprising a first set of parallel track support members 18 extending in a first direction and a second set of parallel track support members 20 extending in a second direction, the second direction being substantially perpendicular to the first direction such that the first and second set of parallel track support members are arranged in a grid pattern comprising a plurality of grid cells 17 or grid spaces; and wherein the track system 4 is mounted to the track support structure 2 such that the grid cells 17 of the track system correspond to the grid cells 17 of the track support structure 2.
20. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 19, wherein the track support structure 2 comprises a plurality of prefabricated modular sub-track support structures 64 that are assembled together to form the track support structure 2, each of the plurality of prefabricated modular sub-track support structures 64 comprising two or more grid cells 17.
21. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 20, wherein each of the prefabricated modular sub-track support structures 64 comprises a portion of the first set of track support members 18 and a portion of the second set of track support members 20.
22. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the claims 19 to 21, wherein the track system 4 comprises a plurality of interconnected modular track sections, each track section 65
of the plurality of interconnected modular track sections comprising substantially perpendicular elements 66 so as to provide a track surface extending in the first direction and the second direction.
23. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 22, wherein the plurality of track sections 65 are assembled in the track system 4 such that adjacent modular track sections 65 in the track system 4 meet between the areas of the grid framework structure 14 where the first and second sets of track support members 18, 20 intersect or converge in the grid pattern.
24. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 23, wherein adjacent modular track sections 66 are connected together by a joint comprising tapered edges.
25. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the claims 22 to 24, wherein each of the plurality of interconnected modular track sections 65 is formed from a plastic material.
26. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the preceding claims, wherein the temperature control system 50 comprises one or more ducts 58 extending from the inlet 51 to the outlet 53 via the temperature control unit 52 so as to circulate the temperature controlled fluid from the temperature control unit 52 into enclosure 6 via the outlet 53.
27. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 26, wherein the temperature control system 50 comprises one or more fans 59 for drawing the fluid from the enclosure 6 via the inlet 51.
28. The multi-temperature storage system of claim 26 or 27, wherein the outlet 53 comprises at least one diffuser 67.
29. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a plurality of guides 8 extending substantially vertically between the track system 4 and the floor, the plurality of guides 8 being arranged in a pattern for accommodating a plurality of stacks 12 of storage containers 10 between the plurality of guides 8 and to guide the plurality of storage containers 10 through a grid cell 17.
30. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 29, wherein the plurality of guides 8 are arranged for guiding one or more storage containers 10 in a stack 12 along a pair of diagonally opposing corners of the one or more storage containers 10.
31. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 29 or 30, wherein each guide 8 of the plurality of guides comprises two perpendicular bin guiding plates extending between the track system 4 and the floor for accommodating a corner of a storage container 10.
32. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 31, wherein the plurality of guides 8 comprises four guides, said four guides being symmetrically arranged about a centre point defined by the four guides 8 such that the four guides 8 are arranged for guiding the corners of four adjacent storage containers 10.
33. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one inventory handling station 9 arranged below the track system 4 and wherein one or more of the grid cells 17 of the track system 4 defines a port for delivering and picking up a storage container to and from the inventory handling station 9.
34. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 33, further comprising a second supporting framework structure 80 and a support platform 81 for supporting the second supporting framework structure 80, said support platform 81 being raised above the ground by a plurality of legs 82 so as to define an area 83 under the support platform 81 for accommodating the inventory handling station 9.
35. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 34, wherein the second supporting framework structure 80 is arranged below the track system 4 such that the track system 4 extends continuously across the supporting framework structure 3 and the second supporting framework structure 80.
36. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of any of the preceding claims, wherein the enclosure 6 comprises a plurality of enclosures 6 for enclosing a respective portion of the storage system 1 such that each enclosure 6 of the plurality of enclosures 6 comprises: i) a respective opening 7 for allowing a robotic load handling device 30 to move into and out of the respective enclosure 6,
ii) a respective temperature control system 50 comprising respective inlet 51 for drawing a fluid from the respective enclosure 6, a respective temperature control unit 52 for heating or cooling the fluid to a temperature controlled fluid, and a respective outlet 53 for providing the temperature controlled fluid into the respective enclosure 6 such that the respective enclosure 6 has a different temperature than the temperature external of the respective enclosure 6; iii) at least one respective air curtain unit 54 arranged above the track system 4, said at least one respective air curtain unit 54 being arranged to recirculate the temperature controlled fluid from the respective enclosure 6 to provide a respective air curtain 55 across the opening 7 of the respective enclosure 6 so as to substantially contain the temperature controlled fluid within the respective enclosure 6 and enable the robotic load handling device 30 to move on the track system 4 into and out of the respective enclosure 6.
37. The multi-temperature storage system 1 of claim 36, wherein the temperatures within each enclosure 6 of the plurality of enclosures 6 are different from each other.