JPH08310613A - Automated warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an automated warehouse which can carry articles in/from a plurality of racks without forming additional conveyance means. CONSTITUTION: This automated warehouse 10 is constructed by mounting a plurality of racks 20 forming a plurality of compartments 21 in roughly parallel so as to store articles 90 in the prescribed compartments 21 and carry them from the prescribed compartments 21. This automated warehouse is also provided with stationary rails 50 positioned horizontally on both sides of the racks 20, movable rails 60 locked onto the stationary rails 50 and can slide along the stationary rails 50, a traveling element 70 which can travel along the movable rails 60, an elevating element 80 which is equipped with a catcher 82 capable of conducting revolving and moving at a horizontal surface to hold the articles, and can travel along vertical rails 72 extended in the vertical direction from the traveling element 70, and passages 31, 32 which permits the catcher 82 to travel along the respective racks 20.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse for storing and taking out articles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic warehouse on which the present invention is based is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-29690. In this automatic warehouse, horizontally arranged elevator rails that can be raised and lowered are installed on the front of an article shelf that forms a large number of compartments, and a sliding platform that is movable along the elevator rails is provided. The vertical movement of the lifting rail and the horizontal movement of the sliding platform move the sliding platform to the position of an arbitrary compartment to store and take out articles.

[0003]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The prior art has the following problems. <A> When the articles cannot be stored in one article shelf and a plurality of article shelves are required for the storage, the transporting means such as the slide rack is required according to the number of the article shelves. For this reason,
Very uneconomical. <B> When a plurality of article shelves are installed, it is necessary to manage which article is stored in which article shelf. Further, the work of storing and taking out is carried out at a plurality of places, which deteriorates workability.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic warehouse capable of storing and taking out articles on a plurality of shelves without adding a transporting means. To provide.

[0005]

That is, according to the present invention, a plurality of shelves having a large number of compartments are installed substantially parallel to each other, articles are stored in the predetermined compartments, and articles are transferred from the predetermined compartments. In the automatic warehouse that can take out, the fixed rails horizontally provided on both sides of the shelf, the movable rails that are locked to the fixed rails and can slide along the fixed rails, and the movable rails. A vertical rail movable along the vertical rail, a lifting body movable along the vertical rail, which is movable along the vertical rail and movable and capable of swinging and moving in a horizontal plane, and movement of the catcher along each shelf. It is an automated warehouse with a passage. The present invention is also the above-mentioned automated warehouse, wherein the fixed rails are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the installed shelves. The present invention is also the above-mentioned automated warehouse, wherein the fixed rails are arranged in a direction parallel to the installed shelves. The present invention is also the automatic warehouse described above, wherein the vertical rails are suspended from movable rails. Furthermore, the present invention is the automatic warehouse described above, characterized in that the shelves are slidable in the direction adjacent to them.

[0006]

First Embodiment The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<B> General Description (FIG. 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the automated warehouse 10. The automated warehouse 10
A plurality of shelves 20 forming a large number of compartments 21 are installed substantially parallel to each other, and articles 90 can be automatically stored in the predetermined compartments 21 and the articles 90 can be automatically taken out from the predetermined compartments 21. It is a warehouse that includes a control device 40, a fixed rail 50, a movable rail 60, a traveling body 70, a lifting body 80, a branch passage 31, and a main passage 32. Each part will be described in detail below.

<B> Shelf / Aisle (FIG. 1) In the automatic warehouse 10, a plurality of shelves 20 are installed substantially in parallel. The shelf 20 is for accommodating articles 90, and a large number of compartments 21 are defined on the front surface thereof.
For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the shelves 20 are installed such that the back surfaces of the shelves 20 are aligned with each other.

A branch passage 31 is formed on the front side of each shelf 20 to allow movement of a catcher 82, which will be described later.
That is, the branch passage 31 is a space in which the catcher 82 moves on the front side of the shelf 20 to store and take out the article 90 in each compartment 21. The lateral width of the branch passage 31 is set so that the catcher 82 can move and swivel.

Further, in the automated warehouse 10, a main passage 32 is formed which connects a plurality of branch passages 31. The main passage 32 is a passage through which the catcher 82 moves between the branch passages 31, and at least one main passage 32 is required. In addition, a plurality of the main passages 32 may be provided.

<C> Fixed Rails / Movable Rails (FIG. 1) Above the inside of the automated warehouse 10, fixed rails 50, 50 are attached in a horizontal direction in a direction orthogonal to the installed shelves 20. A movable rail 60 is installed between the fixed rails 50. This movable rail 6
Both ends of 0 are locked to the fixed rails 50 and can slide along the fixed rails 50. As the driving means of the movable rail 60, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, an annular wire 61 stretched along the fixed rail 50 can be adopted. That is, the movable rail 60 is inserted in the middle of the annular wire 61.
The movable rail 60 can be driven to slide along the fixed rail 50 by controlling the movement of the wire 61. As the driving means for the movable rail 60, other means may be used as long as the movable rail 60 can slide along the fixed rail 50 arbitrarily.

<D> Traveling Body (FIG. 1) A traveling body 70 is disposed in the middle of the movable rail 60. For example, the traveling body 70 forms wheels 71 at a predetermined distance on the upper side, abuts the wheels 71 on the movable rail 60 to suspend the movable rail 60, and applies a driving force to the wheels 71. Then, the movable rail 60 can be moved in any direction. Further, a vertical rail 72 extends downward on the lower surface of the traveling body 70. The vertical rail 72
It is a member that serves as a movement path for the lifting body 80 described later.

<E> Lifting body (FIGS. 1 and 2) A lifting body 80 is disposed in the middle of the vertical rail 72. The elevating body 80 can be moved up and down along the vertical rail 72. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a rack 721 is formed on the vertical rail 72, and a pinion 811 that engages with the rack 721 is rotatably disposed in the main body 81 of the elevating body 80. By controlling the rotation of the pinion 811, the lifting / lowering body 80 can be raised / lowered arbitrarily. Incidentally, other means may be used as the lifting means of the lifting body 80.

On the other hand, the lifting body 80 is provided with a catcher 82. The catcher 82 is a portion for directly holding the article 90, and has a structure capable of horizontally turning and moving. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the catcher 82 includes a revolving body 821 attached below the lifting body 80,
It is composed of a telescopic jack 822 attached below it and a grip portion 823 provided at the tip thereof. The revolving structure 821 is connected to the main body 81 by a vertically oriented support shaft 812, and the support shaft 812 is revolved around the support shaft 812 when a driving force is applied by a servomotor or the like. The telescopic jack 822 may be pneumatic or hydraulic. The grip portion 823 has a structure capable of arbitrarily gripping the article 90. The structure of the catcher 82 may be any other structure as long as the catcher 82 can swivel and move on a horizontal plane.

<F> Control device (FIGS. 1 and 2) The control device 40 (not shown) is configured to slide the movable rail 60,
This is a device for controlling all the driving operations of moving the traveling body 70, elevating the elevating body 80, rotating the revolving structure 821, expanding and contracting the telescopic jack 822, and grasping the grasping part 823. For example, the control device 40 is provided with setting buttons for storing and taking out,
The control form is determined by the setting. In addition, the control device 4
0 is input as each of the compartments 21 in the automated warehouse 10 as coordinates in the three-dimensional space, and by designating a predetermined compartment 21, as shown in FIG. 1, the X-axis (fixed rail 5
The movable rail 60 is slid for a predetermined distance as a movement in the Y-axis (direction along the movable rail 60).
It has a function of moving the traveling body 70 by a predetermined distance as a movement to, and raising and lowering the elevating body 80 by a predetermined distance as a movement in the Z-axis (vertical direction) to guide the catcher 82 to a predetermined position.

[0016]

Next, the operation of the automatic warehouse will be described.

<a> Storage of goods (FIGS. 1 and 2) Operation of the automatic warehouse 10 when the goods 90 are stored from the doorway 11 provided along the main passage 32 to the predetermined compartment 21 of the predetermined shelf 20 explain. First, the control device 40 is set in the housed state, and the article 90 to be housed is placed in the doorway 11. Then, when the compartment 21 is designated as the control device 40, the telescopic jack 822 of the catcher 82 extends,
The gripping unit 823 grips the article 90. The telescopic jack 822 contracts while holding the article 90,
Moves up and down to the height of the compartment 21 to be stored. Next, the movable rail 60 starts to drive along the fixed rail 50 and slides to the position of the shelf 20 where the compartment 21 to be stored is located.
Next, the traveling body 70 starts to drive along the movable rail 60 and moves to the front position of the compartment 21 to be stored. Next, the article 90 held by the revolving unit 821 of the lifting / lowering unit 80.
Turns about 90 degrees so as to face the compartment 21 side to be stored. Then, the telescopic jack 822 is extended and transferred into the compartment 21 in which the article 90 is to be stored, and the gripping part 823 releases the article 90, whereby the storage of the article 90 is completed. In this way, the position of the compartment 21 is expressed as three-dimensional coordinates in the warehouse 10, the movable rail 60 is slid by the coordinate value on the X axis, and the traveling body 70 is moved by the coordinate value on the Y axis. By moving the lifting / lowering body 80 up and down by the number of coordinate values on the Z-axis, any compartment 2
The article 90 can be reliably stored in the first unit.

<B> Taking Out Articles (FIGS. 1 and 2) The operation of the automatic warehouse 10 when taking out an article 90 from a predetermined compartment 21 will be described. First, the control device 40 is set in the removed state. Then, when the compartment 21 is designated to the control device 40, the elevating body 80 moves up and down to the height of the compartment 21 to be taken out. Next, the movable rail 60 starts to drive along the fixed rail 50, and the compartment 2 to be taken out.
1 slides to the position of the shelf 20. Next, the traveling body 70
Starts to move along the movable rail 60 and moves to the front position of the compartment 21 to be taken out. Next, the revolving unit 821 of the elevating / lowering body 80 is swiveled by about 90 degrees so as to face the compartment 21 side to be taken out. Then, the telescopic jack 822 extends and the gripping portion 823 grips the article 90 in the compartment 21. Next, the telescopic jack 822 contracts and the revolving structure 821
Turns and returns to its original state. Then, the elevating body 80 is moved up and down, the traveling body 70 is moved, and the movable rail 60 is slid in sequence, and the elevating body 80 moves to the position of the doorway 11.
Then, the telescopic jack 822 is extended, the article 90 is sent to the doorway 11, and the gripping part 823 releases the article 90, whereby the taking out of the article 90 is completed. in this way,
The position of the compartment 21 is expressed as three-dimensional coordinates in the warehouse 10, the movable rail 60 is slid by the coordinate value on the X axis, and the traveling body 70 is moved by the coordinate value on the Y axis. By raising / lowering the lifting / lowering body 80 by the amount corresponding to the coordinate value on the Z-axis, the article 9 can be reliably transferred to an arbitrary compartment 21.
0 can be taken out.

[0019]

[Embodiment 2] The fixed rail 5 in the automated warehouse 10
0 may be attached in a direction parallel to the installed shelf 20. In this case, the movable rail 60 is replaced by the fixed rail 5
If it is installed between 0 and 50, the article 90 can be stored and taken out as in the first embodiment.

[0020]

Third Embodiment In the automatic warehouse 10, the shelves 20 may be movably arranged. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of shelves 20 installed in parallel are each slidable in their adjacent directions, and at least a lateral width thereof has a branch passage 31 sized to allow the catcher 82 to move and swivel. Is provided. As for the sliding structure of the shelf 20, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the groove 12 is provided in the floor of the warehouse 10 in the same direction as the fixed rail 50, and the shelf 20 is formed.
A ridge 22 is provided on the bottom surface of the ridge 22, the ridge 22 is inserted into the groove 12, and the shelf 20 slides along the groove 12. Then, in response to a command to store or take out the article 90,
The shelf 20 is slid so that the branch passage 31 is formed on the front side of the predetermined shelf 20. When sliding the shelf 20,
The traveling body 70 is kept waiting on the main passage 32 side. In the case of this embodiment, a large number of articles 90 can be stored in the small automated warehouse 10.

[0021]

[Fourth Embodiment] In the automated warehouse 10, a structure may be adopted in which a fixed rail is arranged below and a space is provided below the shelf so that the movable rail moves below the shelf. in this case,
If the traveling body is made to move on the upper surface side of the movable rail and the vertical rail is extended to the upper side of the traveling body, it is possible to store and take out the articles as in the first to third embodiments.

[0022]

Since the present invention is as described above, the following effects can be obtained. <B> It is possible to automatically store and take out a plurality of shelves by one carrying means. <B> Since it is possible to immediately store articles in arbitrary compartments of a plurality of shelves, the workability of storing articles is very good. Moreover, since the articles stored in the plurality of shelves can be immediately taken out, the workability of taking out the articles is very good.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Figure 1] Perspective view of automated warehouse

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a lifting body

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of Example 3.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the third embodiment.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An automatic warehouse in which a plurality of shelves having a large number of compartments are installed substantially in parallel, articles are stored in the predetermined compartments, and articles can be taken out from the predetermined compartments. Fixed rails horizontally provided on both sides of the shelf, movable rails locked to the fixed rails and slidable along the fixed rails, vertical rails movable along the movable rails, and a horizontal plane An automated warehouse comprising a catcher that is capable of swiveling and moving in the vertical direction and that holds an article, and that has an elevating body that can move along the vertical rail, and a passage that allows the movement of the catcher along each shelf. . 2. The automated warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the fixed rails are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the installed shelves. 3. The automated warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the fixed rails are arranged in a direction parallel to the installed shelves. 4. The automated warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the vertical rail is suspended from a movable rail and disposed. 5. The automated warehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shelves are slidable in a direction adjacent to the shelves.