ACCESS TO ONE OR MORE LEVELS OF MATERIAL STORAGE SHELVES BY AN OVERHEAD HOIST TRANSPORT VEHICLE FROM A SINGLE TRACK POSITION

摘要

An overhead vehicle (402) for an automated material handling system with a track (406), an overhead hoist, and the vehicle (402); and at least one material storage location configured to store at least one material unit (408), the material storage location (410) being disposed at a side of the track (406). The transport vehicle (402) is adapted to move the overhead hoist beside the material storage location (410), and the overhead vehicle (402) further includes a translating stage (412) coupled to the overhead hoist, the translating stage being configured to move the overhead hoist from a first position within the transport vehicle (402) to a second position adjacent to the material storage location, such that the translating stage (412) moves laterally to a position above the storage location (410), wherein the overhead hoist is mounted on the translating stage (412), thereby allowing the overhead hoist to pick the material unit (408) from the storage location (410) or to place the material unit (408) to the storage location (410).