Palletized Transport Developments
Page 52
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ELECTRON1CALLY CONTROLLED LA warehouse trucks capable of following a route marked out by strips painted on the ground are envisaged by Mr. A. M. Jansen, of the Dutch General Loaders' and Transport Organization. In a paper prepared for the Building and Transport Exhibition of the Utrecht Fair (March 8 to 16) Mr. Jansen says the warehouse trucks would either "sense" the route by control apparatus Wilt into the vehicle, or would be controlled by impulses emitted from a cable laid along the required route. Successful tests of the basic equipment were made some years ago, and these have led to electronic control systems for tractors pulling a line of trolleys. Similar systems can be used to operate point systems on overhead conveyors. and, with such installations, remote control by a
single operator is possible,
The connection of wheeled storage racks to conveyor systems is another likely development. With this arrangement, the dispatcher, with a packing list, merely operates a selector device which " chooses " the quantity and type of goods to be dispatched. The electronic control of stacking cranes is also possible. Utilizing the "memory" its the selector, the crane lifts the pallets required from racks, and delivers them to the packer. Mr. Jansen notes the improvement in the performance of battery-powered forklift trucks in recent years. Modern batteries will power a fork-lift truck throughout a nine-hour day. The use of semi-conductors, with transistors in place of resistors, will prolong the period of operation per charge for a considerable period.