Automatic warehousing system

Claim 1

AUTOMATIC CONVEYING APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION (A) A FIRST GUIDE MEANS, (B) A SELF PROPELLED CONVEYOR INCLUDING A CONVEYING MEANS IN THE FORM OF A CARRIAGE WITH MEANS MOUNTED THEREON FOR DRIVING SAID CARRIAGE ALONG SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS, (C) SAID CARRIAGE HAVING A SECOND GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED THEREON AND EXTENDING IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL DIRECTION; (D) A SECOND CONVEYING MEANS MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT VERTICALLY ALONG SAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS, (E) A SERVO DRIVE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CONVEYOR FOR POWER DRIVING THE CARRIAGE HORIZONTALLY ALONG THE FIRST GUIDE MEANS AND DRIVING SAID SECOND CONVEYING MEANS VERTICALLY RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS, (F) SAID SECOND CONVEYING MEANS INCLUDING A LATERALLY EXTENDING FIXTURE FOR HOLDING AN ARTICLE THEREON, (G) A STORAGE RACK HAVING A PLURALITY OF STORAGE BAYS, (H) SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO A SIDE OF THE STORAGE RACK WHICH IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE SECOND CONVEYING MEANS, (I) MEANS ON THE STORAGE RACK FOR IDENTIFYING THE RELATIVE POSITIONS OF SAID BAYS, (J) CONTROL APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF SAID SERVO DRIVE MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID SECOND CONVEYING MEANS AT A PREDETERMINED POSITION ALONG SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS AND AT A PREDETERMINED VERTICAL POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS, (K) A SCANNING RELAY MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SELF PROPELLED CONVEYOR FOR SCANNING SAID IDENTIFYING MEANS, (L) SAID IDENTIFYING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF MARKERS IN THE SCANNING PATH OF SAID SCANNING RELAY MEANS, (M) SAID SCANNING RELAY MEANS GENERATING SIGNALS FOR TRANSMISSION TO SAID CONTROL APPARATUS EACH TIME SAID SCANNING RELAY MEANS SCANS THOSE MARKERS WHICH ARE IN THE SCANNING PATH SAID CONVEYOR IS MOVED, (N) SAID CONTROL APPARATUS INCLUDING A PREDETERMINING COUNTING RELAY MEANS IN CIRCUIT WITH SAID SERVO DRIVE MEANS FOR SAID CARRIAGE SAID COUNTING MEANS SERVING TO STOP SAID SERVO DRIVE MEANS UPON RECEIPT OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF POSITION INDICATING SIGNALS GENERATED BY SAID SCANNING RELAY MEANS AS SAID CARRIAGE MOVES ALONG SAID FIRST GUIDE MEANS.