A drive and steering unit for driving and steering a load support comprises, in one embodiment, a steering assembly including a steering gear attached to a wheel housing and engaged with the steering power system, the steering gear being rotatable about an axis in response to actuation of the steering assembly, a drive assembly connected to the steering gear, and a drive power system coupled to the drive assembly and movable with the steering gear. In an alternate embodiment, the steering assembly is connected to the wheel through a steering gear attached to a slewing ring that supports the drive assembly and is rotatable with the drive assembly.
B62D 5/20 - Power-assisted or power-driven steering fluid, i.e. using a pressurised fluid for most or all the force required for steering a vehicle specially adapted for particular type of steering gear or particular application
B62D 7/10 - Steering linkageStub axles or their mountings for individually-pivoted wheels, e.g. on king-pins the pivotal axes being situated in a single plane transverse to the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle with single-output steering gear
B62D 63/00 - Motor vehicles or trailers not otherwise provided for
A drive and steering unit for driving and steering a load support comprises, in one embodiment, a steering assembly including a steering gear attached to a wheel housing and engaged with the steering power system, the steering gear being rotatable about an axis in response to actuation of the steering assembly, a drive assembly connected to the steering gear, and a drive power system coupled to the drive assembly and movable with the steering gear. In an alternate embodiment, the steering assembly is connected to the wheel through a steering gear attached to a slewing ring that supports the drive assembly and is rotatable with the drive assembly.
B62D 5/20 - Power-assisted or power-driven steering fluid, i.e. using a pressurised fluid for most or all the force required for steering a vehicle specially adapted for particular type of steering gear or particular application
B62D 7/10 - Steering linkageStub axles or their mountings for individually-pivoted wheels, e.g. on king-pins the pivotal axes being situated in a single plane transverse to the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle with single-output steering gear
B62D 63/00 - Motor vehicles or trailers not otherwise provided for
A scissor lift comprises a load support, a lift support and at least one scissor assembly defined between the load support and the lift support, the at least one scissor assembly being driven into an open or a closed position by a drive device that enablesmovement of the load support relative to the lift support with the opening and closing of the at least one scissor assembly, wherein the at least one scissor assembly is further defined by a pair of arms attached at a pivot, and where the pair of arms further comprises a curved outer surface that engages a portion of a drive device for urging the scissor arms apart and for moving the load support relative to the lift support.
A scissor lift comprises a load support, a lift support and at least one scissor assembly defined between the load support and the lift support, the at least one scissor assembly being driven into an open or a closed position by a drive device that enables movement of the load support relative to the lift support with the opening and closing of the at least one scissor assembly, wherein the at least one scissor assembly is further defined by a pair of arms attached at a pivot, and where the pair of arms further comprises a curved outer surface that engages a portion of a drive device for urging the scissor arms apart and for moving the load support relative to the lift support.
A drive and steering unit for driving and steering a load support comprises a steering assembly, a slewing ring engaged with the steering assembly and being rotatable about an axis in response to actuation of the steering assembly, a drive assembly mounted to the slewing ring, and a drive power system coupled to the drive assembly and movable with the slewing ring.
A Variable Offset Positioning Antenna Array for Enhanced Guidance of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) in automated warehousing or storage systems for automobiles or the like, includes two or more inductor coils producing output as a result of interaction with a guidance wire located in or near the surface of the floor which is energized by a frequency generator, and an on board programmable microprocessor which processes the coil output to determine an exact position of the antenna array relative to the guidance wire. In one embodiment, the antenna array enables an AGV to follow a guidance wire at an offset to the direction of travel in order to allow automated storage and retrieval systems to handle asymmetrical items, such as automobiles, more efficiently and cost effectively by decreasing the building space required for travel aisles, vertical conveyors and storage lo-cations as well as decreasing total individual item processing time.
B65G 1/00 - Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
G01D 5/22 - Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing memberMeans for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for convertingTransducers not specially adapted for a specific variable using electric or magnetic means influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage by varying inductance, e.g. by a movable armature differentially influencing two coils
G05D 1/243 - Means capturing signals occurring naturally from the environment, e.g. ambient optical, acoustic, gravitational or magnetic signals
G05D 1/244 - Arrangements for determining position or orientation using passive navigation aids external to the vehicle, e.g. markers, reflectors or magnetic means
G05D 1/646 - Following a predefined trajectory, e.g. a line marked on the floor or a flight path
A compact, low profile omnidirectional drive and steering unit that, in one embodiment, utilizes a single, centrally located wheel, mounted on a drive shaft, upon which is also mounted a tapered pinion gear. The pinion gear on the drive shaft meshes with a ring shaped beveled worm gear contained within the outer housing of the gear unit that surrounds the cen-trally located wheel. At one side of the outer housing is a worm drive that meshes with the ring shaped and beveled worm gear. Rotation of the worm drive causes rotation of the ring shaped worm gear, which causes the drive shaft mounted pinion gear to turn, which turns the drive wheel to provide driving power for whatever vehicle or system of which the unit is a part. A steering and timing gear is mounted on the lower surface of the unit to pro-vide steering capability.
B62D 5/04 - Power-assisted or power-driven steering electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear
B62D 5/20 - Power-assisted or power-driven steering fluid, i.e. using a pressurised fluid for most or all the force required for steering a vehicle specially adapted for particular type of steering gear or particular application
B62D 11/04 - Steering non-deflectable wheelsSteering endless tracks or the like by differentially driving ground-engaging elements on opposite vehicle sides by means of separate power sources
An automated storage system for vehicles or the like is provided with a guidance system that interacts with a remote-controlled transport system that transports a vehicle between an access location, such a drive -up location, and a storage location. More particularly, in one embodiment, an omni-directional, battery-powered, wirelessly- controlled, transport system or so-called automated guided vehicle ("AGV") is designed to follow magnetic field generating wires and RFID chips on the floors of the parking facility to move forward, backward and side to side underneath cars that are parked on a flat surface. In one embodiment, the AGV automatically contracts and expands its body to slide its arms under the wheelbase of a car, lift the car, and roll with speed and precision in any direction on to a waiting lift, that will then raise and lower the AGV and its automobile payload toward its ultimate destination.
B65G 35/06 - Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path
G05D 1/02 - Control of position or course in two dimensions
G06K 17/00 - Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups , e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
E04H 6/12 - Garages for many vehicles with mechanical means for shifting or lifting vehicles
E04H 14/00 - Buildings for combinations of different purposes not covered by any single one of main groups of this subclass, e.g. for double purposeBuildings of the drive-in type
[0051] A compact, low profile omnidirectional drive and steering unit that, in one embodiment, utilizes a single, centrally located wheel, mounted on a drive shaft, upon which is also mounted a tapered pinion gear. The pinion gear on the drive shaft meshes with a ring shaped beveled worm gear contained within the outer housing of the gear unit that surrounds the centrally located wheel. At one side of the outer housing is a worm drive that meshes with the ring shaped and beveled worm gear. Rotation of the worm drive causes rotation of the ring shaped worm gear, which causes the drive shaft mounted pinion gear to turn, which turns the drive wheel to provide driving power for whatever vehicle or system of which the unit is a part. A steering and timing gear is mounted on the lower surface of the unit to provide steering capability.
B62D 5/20 - Power-assisted or power-driven steering fluid, i.e. using a pressurised fluid for most or all the force required for steering a vehicle specially adapted for particular type of steering gear or particular application
B62D 11/04 - Steering non-deflectable wheelsSteering endless tracks or the like by differentially driving ground-engaging elements on opposite vehicle sides by means of separate power sources
B62D 5/04 - Power-assisted or power-driven steering electrical, e.g. using an electric servo-motor connected to, or forming part of, the steering gear
10.
VARIABLE OFFSET POSITIONING ANTENNA ARRAY FOR ENHANCED GUIDANCE OF AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLES (AGVS)
A Variable Offset Positioning Antenna Array for Enhanced Guidance of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) in automated warehousing or storage systems for automobiles or the like, includes two or more inductor coils producing output as a result of interaction with a guidance wire located in or near the surface of the floor which is energized by a frequency generator, and an on board programmable microprocessor which processes the coil output to determine an exact position of the antenna array relative to the guidance wire. In one embodiment, the antenna array enables an AGV to follow a guidance wire at an offset to the direction of travel in order to allow automated storage and retrieval systems to handle asymmetrical items, such as automobiles, more efficiently and cost effectively by decreasing the building space required for travel aisles, vertical conveyors and storage locations as well as decreasing total individual item processing time.
H04B 7/04 - Diversity systemsMulti-antenna systems, i.e. transmission or reception using multiple antennas using two or more spaced independent antennas
An automated storage system for vehicles or the like is provided with a guidance system that interacts with a remote-controlled transport system that transports a vehicle between an access location, such a drive -up location, and a storage location. More particularly, in one embod-iment, an omni-directional, battery-powered, wire-lessly- controlled, transport system or so-called automated guided vehicle ("AGV") is designed to follow magnetic field generating wires and RFID chips on the floors of the parking facility to move forward, backward and side to side underneath cars that are parked on a flat surface. In one em-bodiment, the AGV automatically contracts and expands its body to slide its arms under the wheel-base of a car, lift the car, and roll with speed and precision in any direction on to a waiting lift, that will then raise and lower the AGV and its automo-bile payload toward its ultimate destination.
B65G 35/06 - Mechanical conveyors not otherwise provided for comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path
E04H 6/12 - Garages for many vehicles with mechanical means for shifting or lifting vehicles
E04H 14/00 - Buildings for combinations of different purposes not covered by any single one of main groups of this subclass, e.g. for double purposeBuildings of the drive-in type
G06K 17/00 - Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups , e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
patents
