Control systems for load-conveying installations

Claim 1

A LOAD CONVEYING INSTALLATION COMPRISING A MULTILEVEL LOAD STORAGE STRUCTURE; STORAGE COMPARTMENTS IN SAID STRUCTURE; A LOAD CONVEYOR AND DRIVING MEANS THEREFOR; PIVOTED FLOORS ON THE LOAD CONVEYOR AND ON SAID STORAGE COMPARTMENTS; ELECTRICALLY ACTUATED MEANS FOR LOCKING THE PIVOTED FLOOR OF THE CONVEYOR TO THE PIVOTED FLOOR OF ONE OF SAID STORAGE COMPARTMENTS AND PERMITTING SELECTIVE MOVEMENT UNDER GRAVITY OF A LOAD BETWEEN THE CONVEYOR AND THE SAID ONE STORAGE COMPARTMENT, SAID SELECTIVE MOVEMENT BEING DEPENDENT ON A PREDETERMINED RELATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CONVEYOR AND THE SAID ONE COMPARTMENT AND THE DIRECTION OF INCLINATION OF THE FLOORS THEREOF; A MULTI-POSITION SELECTOR SWITCH ADAPTED TO BE PRE-SET ACCORDING TO THE DESIRED SELECTIVE MOVEMENT; A PLURALITY OF SEQUENCE SWITCHES SELECTABLE BY THE SETTING OF THE MULTI-POSITION SELECTOR SWITCH AND OPERABLE AT PREDETERMINED INTERVALS FOR INITIATING AND CONTROLLING A DESIRED SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS, INCLUDING OPERATION OF THE ELECTRICALLY-ACTUATED FLOOR LOCKING MEANS; SWITCHING MEANS FOR AT LEAST PARTLY SELECTING THE SAID STORAGE COMPARTMENT AND FOR CONTROLLING SAID DRIVING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CONVEYOR TO THE PREDETERMINED RELATIVE RELATION ADJACENT THE SAID SELECTED STORAGE COMPARTMENT DURING AT LEAST ONE PHASE OF THE SAID SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS; A PLURALITY OF CONVEYOR VERTICAL POSITION RESPONSIVE SWITCHES OPERABLE IN PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE AND AT APPROPRIATE INTERVALS BY SAID SELECTED SEQUENCE SWITCH FOR PROVIDING RELATIVELY SHORT VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT OF SAID CONVEYOR, AFTER ACTUATION OF THE ELECTRICALLY ACTUATED FLOOR LOCKING MEANS AT LEAST DURING REMOVAL OF A LOAD FROM THE SAID STORAGE COMPARTMENT, THEREBY PROVIDING THE DESIRED INCLINATION OF FLOORS.