Load responsive control means for a material handling apparatus

Claim 1

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING LOADS TO AND FROM SELECTED STORAGE LOCATIONS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A STORAGE FRAME DEFINING A MULTIPLICITY OF VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY ARRANGED BINS HAVING OPEN, LOAD RECEIVING ENDS, A LOAD CARRIER INCLUDING A CARRIAGE MOVABLE PAST SAID OPEN ENDS OF SAID BINS; SAID LOAD CARRIER INCLUDING GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE MAST STRUCTURE SUPPORTED BY SAID CARRIAGE AND A VERTICALLY MOVABLE ELEVATOR GUIDED BY SAID MAST STRUCTURE; A LATERALLY MOVABLE LOAD SUPPORT MEANS CARRIED BY SAID ELEVATOR AND MOVABLE GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY INTO SAID BINS; POWER MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID CARRIAGE, ELEVATOR AND LOAD SUPPORT MEANS; AUTOMATIC CONTROL MEANS FOR EFFECTING A SERIES OF MOVEMENTS WHEREBY SAID CARRIAGE IS MOVED TO THE HORIZONTAL POSITION OF A SELECTED BIN AND SAID ELEVATOR IS MOVED TO THE LEVEL OF SAID SELECTED BIN, AND SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS IS RECIPROCATED LATERALLY IN A TRANSFER MOVEMENT TO TRANSFER A LOAD BETWEEN SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS AND SAID SELECTED BIN, SAID CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST SEQUENCE CONTROL EFFECTING AN UNLOADING MOVEMENT WHEREBY SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS ENTERS SAID SELECTED BIN IN A HIGH POSITION AND IS LOWERED TO DEPOSIT A LOAD; SAID CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING A SECOND SEQUENCE CONTROL EFFECTING A LOADING MOVEMENT WHEREBY SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS ENTERS SAID SELECTED BIN IN A LOW POSITION AND IS RAISED TO PICK UP A LOAD; SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS BEING SO MOUNTED WITH RESPECT TO SAID ELEVATOR THAT SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS IS DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO THE DEFINING STORAGE FRAME ELEMENTS OF THE SELECTED BIN DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS INTO AND OUT OF SAID SELECTED BIN FOR RESPECTIVELY DEPOSITING A LOAD INTO OR REMOVING A LOAD FROM THE SELECTED BIN; SAID CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING LOAD SENSING MEANS ON SAID LOAD CARRIER SELECTING EITHER SAID FIRST SEQUENCE CONTROL OR SAID SECOND SEQUENCE CONTROL FOR ACTIVATION DURING SAID SEQUENCE OF MOVEMENTS, SAID LOAD SUPORT MEANS INCLUDING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL UPWARDLY FACING SURFACE ADAPTED FOR SUPPORTING A LOAD THEREON, AND SAID SENSING MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS AND RESPONSIVE TO A LOAD POSITIONED ON SAID SURFACE FOR ACTIVATING SAID FIRST SEQUENCE CONTROL AND RESPONSIVE TO NO LOAD POSITIONED ON SAID SURFACE FOR ACTIVATING SAID SECOND SEQUENCE CONTROL, AND OTHER SENSING MEANS ON SAID LOAD CARRIER FOR DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT A LOAD IS ALREADY POSITIONED IN SAID SELECTED BIN, SAID CONTROL MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO ACTUATION OF SAID OTHER SENSING MEANS AND PREVENTING SAID LOAD SUPPORT MEANS FROM MOVING INTO SAID SELECTED BIN.