CN114604547B

CN114604547B - Automated warehouse system

Info

Publication number: CN114604547B
Application number: CN202210300643.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小岛宏志; 日野克美
Original assignee: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Material Handling Systems Co Ltd
Current assignee: Sumitomo Heavy Industries Material Handling Systems Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-21
Filing date: 2019-03-21
Publication date: 2024-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-21
Also published as: JP2019142715A; JP6825056B2; CN114604547A; JP2021050102A; JP6672430B2; CN111137607B; JP2020007157A; JP7464544B2; CN111137607A; JP2024036534A

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide an automatic warehouse system capable of effectively supplying power to a trolley for charging a storage battery mounted on the trolley. The automated warehouse system is capable of storing goods (12), the automated warehouse system having: a1 st carriage (14) capable of carrying a cargo (12) and moving in the 1 st direction; and a prescribed unit on which the 1 st carriage (14) can be mounted and which moves in the 2 nd direction intersecting the 1 st direction. In a state in which the 1 st carriage (14) is mounted on a predetermined portion, the 1 st carriage (14) receives power from the predetermined portion.

Description

Automated warehouse system

The application is a divisional application of Chinese application patent application with the application date of 2019, 3 month and 21 days, the application number of 201910217010.3 and the name of automatic warehouse system.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an automated warehouse system.

Background

An automatic warehouse system is known that can efficiently store and deliver a large amount of goods in a small space. As an automatic warehouse system, various configurations have been proposed. For example, patent document 1 describes that a large warehouse or the like in which a plurality of storage racks capable of storing a plurality of articles are arranged is provided with a transport cart for carrying a specified article into or out of a specified storage section of the storage rack. The transport carriage described in patent document 1 can be self-propelled on a paved rail, and can be docked with a designated storage rack.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2015-157683

The present inventors have made the following findings with respect to an automated warehouse system.

In an automatic warehouse system, in order to automate the loading and unloading of a load to and from storage racks, it is conceivable to provide a rail connected to each storage rack and to transport the load by a carriage capable of moving on the rail. Such a bogie may be configured to drive wheels by rotating a motor based on electric power from a battery mounted in a vehicle body. In this case, it is necessary to appropriately charge the mounted battery according to the operation amount of the carriage. When the mounted battery is charged, the carriage cannot travel during the charging period, and therefore, there is a problem in that the operation rate of the carriage is lowered, and the operation efficiency of the automatic warehouse system is lowered.

The transport carriage described in patent document 1 is configured such that an opening is provided in a carriage of the carriage, and a battery is replaced through the opening. However, this transport carriage has the following problems: the trolley is required to be temporarily recovered, and the trolley is returned to the guide rail after the battery is replaced by a human hand, so that the battery replacement operation is complicated and the labor is required.

Accordingly, the present inventors have recognized that there is room for improvement in an automated warehouse system from the viewpoint that the trolley can be efficiently supplied with electric power in order to charge a battery mounted on the trolley.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide an automatic warehouse system capable of efficiently supplying electric power to a cart.

In order to solve the above problems, an automatic warehouse system according to an embodiment of the present invention is an automatic warehouse system capable of storing goods, the automatic warehouse system including: a1 st carriage capable of carrying a cargo and moving in a1 st direction; and a prescribed unit on which the 1 st carriage can be mounted and which moves in the 2 nd direction intersecting the 1 st direction. The 1 st cart is mounted with a battery, and in a state in which the 1 st cart is mounted on the prescribed portion, the 1 st cart charges the battery based on the prescribed portion.

According to this aspect, the 1 st cart can charge the mounted battery in the predetermined section.

Another embodiment of the present invention is also an automated warehouse system. The automatic warehouse system is an automatic warehouse system capable of storing goods, and comprises: a1 st carriage capable of carrying a cargo and moving in a1 st direction; and a prescribed unit on which the 1 st carriage can be mounted and which moves in the 2 nd direction intersecting the 1 st direction. In a state where the 1 st carriage is mounted on the predetermined portion, the 1 st carriage receives power from the predetermined portion.

According to this aspect, since the 1 st carriage is supplied with power from the predetermined portion, the predetermined portion can run with the supplied power or charge the mounted battery.

Any combination of the above components or the constituent elements or expression of the present invention may be replaced with each other between the method, the system, and the like, and is also effective as the mode of the present invention.

According to the present invention, an automatic warehouse system capable of efficiently supplying electric power to a cart is provided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of an automatic warehouse system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an arrangement of storage shelves of the automated warehouse system of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front view schematically illustrating the automated warehouse system of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front view showing the configuration of a rack of racks of the automated warehouse system of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the 1 st cart of the automated warehouse system of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the 1 st carriage of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the 2 nd carriage of the automated warehouse system of fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the 2 nd carriage of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the automated warehouse system of fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a charging operation of the automated warehouse system of fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the stacker crane according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 12 is a side view of the stacker crane of fig. 11.

In the figure: 12-goods, 14-1 st trolley, 16-2 nd trolley, 16 c-concave part, 18-control part, 20-protective rack, 28-battery, 30-warehouse-in part, 32-warehouse-out part, 36-power supply line, 38-current collecting unit, 40-1 st guide rail, 42-power supply terminal, 44-2 nd guide rail, 46-power receiving terminal, 64-lifting mechanism, 66-stacking crane, 100, 200-automatic warehouse system.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiment, the comparative example, and the modification, the same or equivalent constituent elements and components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description thereof is omitted as appropriate. Also, the dimensions of the components shown in the drawings are appropriately enlarged or reduced for easy understanding. In the drawings, parts of components not essential to the description of the embodiments are omitted.

Further, although ordinal numbers such as 1 and 2 are used to describe various constituent elements, the terms are used only to distinguish one constituent element from other constituent elements, and the terms are not used to limit the constituent elements.

[ Embodiment 1]

Next, the configuration of the automated warehouse system 100 according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of an automatic warehouse system 100 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an arrangement of storage racks 20 of the automatic warehouse system 100. Fig. 3 is a front view schematically showing the automated warehouse system 100. Fig. 4 is a front view showing the arrangement of the storage shelves 20 of the automatic warehouse system 100. In these drawings, columns, beams, and the like, which are not important for the description, are omitted, and the same applies to other drawings.

For convenience of explanation, as shown in the figure, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is specified in which one direction in the horizontal direction is the X direction, the direction in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the X direction is the Y direction, and the direction orthogonal to both directions (i.e., the vertical direction) is the Z direction. In the following description, the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is used, but the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction do not have to be orthogonal to each other, and may intersect at an angle of substantially 90 degrees. Positive directions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined as arrow directions in the drawings, and negative directions are defined as directions opposite to the arrow directions. The positive direction side of the X axis is sometimes referred to as "right side", and the negative direction side of the X axis is sometimes referred to as "left side". The positive direction side of the Y axis is sometimes referred to as "front side", the negative direction side of the Y axis is sometimes referred to as "rear side", the positive direction side of the Z axis is sometimes referred to as "upper side", and the negative direction side of the Z axis is sometimes referred to as "lower side". Such orientation indicia are not intended to limit the configuration of the automated warehouse system 100, and the automated warehouse system 100 may take any configuration depending on the application.

First, the overall structure of the automated warehouse system 100 will be described. The automated warehouse system 100 is a system including storage racks 20 capable of storing a plurality of cargoes 12. The automated warehouse system 100 includes a rack 20, a1 st cart 14, a 2 nd cart 16, a1 st rail 40, a 2 nd rail 44, a power supply unit 50, a power supply unit 52, a charging unit 54, and a control unit 18. The rack 20 stores the cargo 12. In embodiment 1, the X-axis direction is exemplified as the 1 st direction. The 1 st rail 40 is connected to the storage unit 26 and extends in the X-axis direction. The power supply portion 50 includes the power supply line 36 extending in the Y-axis direction in the vicinity of the 2 nd rail 44. The power supply unit 52 supplies power to the power supply unit 50. The charging unit 54 charges a battery mounted on the 1 st carriage 14 described later.

The 1 st carriage 14 runs on the 1 st rail 40 in the X-axis direction. The 2 nd carriage 16 runs on the 2 nd rail 44 in the Y-axis direction. The 1 st carriage 14 and the 2 nd carriage 16 are sometimes collectively referred to as a carriage. The 1 st carriage 14, the 2 nd carriage 16, the 1 st rail 40, and the 2 nd rail 44 are sometimes collectively referred to as "internal conveyance means". The control unit 18 controls the operations of the 1 st carriage 14 and the 2 nd carriage 16.

In embodiment 1, the cargo 12 is handled in a state of being mounted on the pallet 12p, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the cargo 12 may be handled alone without using a pallet. In addition, the case of carrying the cargo 12 in the state of being mounted on the tray 12p may be simply referred to as carrying the cargo 12.

Next, a carry-in operation and a carry-out operation of the automated warehouse system 100 will be described. The automated warehouse system 100 uses, for example, a forklift (not shown) to carry the load 12 outside the warehouse into the warehouse unit 30. The automated warehouse system 100 uses an internal transport mechanism including the 1 st cart 14 and the 2 nd cart 16 to transport and store the load 12 carried into the warehouse 30 to the predetermined storage unit 26. The automated warehouse system 100 uses an internal transport mechanism to transport the cargo 12 stored in the predetermined storage unit 26 to the delivery unit 32. The automated warehouse system 100 uses, for example, a forklift to carry the cargo 12 in the warehouse-out section 32 out of the warehouse.

(Storage rack)

The rack 20 is a so-called high-density storage space capable of accommodating a plurality of cargoes 12. The structure of the rack 20 is not particularly limited as long as it can accommodate and store a plurality of cargoes 12. In this example, the storage rack 20 includes a plurality of (e.g., 3) storage stages 22 layered in the up-down direction. Each storage table 22 includes a plurality (e.g., 6) of storage rows 24 arranged in the Y-axis direction, and each storage row 24 includes a plurality (e.g., 6) of storage sections 26 connected together in the X-axis direction. The storage unit 26 is a unit for storing the cargo 12. An access portion 24b for taking out and putting in the cargo 12 is provided at an end portion of the 2 nd rail 44 side of each storage row 24.

Here, the warehouse-in section 30 and the warehouse-out section 32 may be provided in each of the multi-layer storage tables 22, and the forklift may be used to carry the cargo 12 into the storage tables 22 of each layer or to carry the cargo 12 out of the storage tables 22 of each layer. Further, an elevating mechanism (not shown) for elevating the cargo 12 between the storage tables 22 of the respective layers may be provided, and the warehouse-in section 30 and the warehouse-out section 32 may be provided only on the storage table 22 of the lowermost layer. At this time, the cargo 12 stocked from the stocker 30 is raised to each layer of the storage tables 22 by the elevating mechanism, and the cargo 12 stocked from each layer of the storage tables 22 is lowered to the stocker 32 by the elevating mechanism.

(Guide rail)

The 1 st rail 40 extends in the X-axis direction in the storage row 24. The 2 nd rail 44 extends in the Y-axis direction in the vicinity of the inlet/outlet portion 24b of the retainer row 24. The 1 st rail 40 and the 2 nd rail 44 are sometimes collectively referred to as rails. In the present specification, the guide rail is a member or a portion having a rolling surface of a wheel configured to cause the carriage to travel in the extending direction thereof. Thus, the guide rail may be a guide rail having a rolling surface formed on a rod-like or belt-like member, or a guide rail having a rolling surface formed on a flat surface.

(No. 1 trolley)

Next, the 1 st carriage 14 will be described with reference to fig. 5 and 6. Fig. 5 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the 1 st carriage 14. Fig. 6 is a side view of the 1 st carriage 14. The 1 st carriage 14 travels along the X-axis direction and on the 1 st rail 40 in the storage row 24 for transporting the cargo 12. The 1 st carriage 14 takes out the cargo 12 from the storage unit 26 or puts the cargo 12 into the storage unit 26. The 1 st carriage 14 travels on the 2 nd carriage 16 in the X-axis direction for being mounted on the 2 nd carriage 16 or for being pulled out from the 2 nd carriage 16.

The 1 st carriage 14 mainly includes a vehicle body 14b, a mounting portion 14c, a lifting mechanism 14d, a plurality of (for example, four) wheels 14f, a power receiving terminal 46, and a battery 28. The vehicle body 14b has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped contour flattened in the up-down direction. A motor (not shown) for driving the plurality of wheels 14f, a control circuit (not shown) for controlling the motor, and a battery 28 are mounted in the vehicle body 14 b. The 1 st carriage 14 is configured to drive a motor by electric power of the battery 28. The battery 28 may be a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery that can be repeatedly charged. The 1 st carriage 14 is configured to charge the battery 28 with electric power supplied from the 2 nd carriage 16 described later.

The loading portion 14c is a portion that lifts and holds the cargo 12. The lifting mechanism 14d is a mechanism for lifting and lowering the placement portion 14 c. In fig. 6, the mounting portion 14c shown by a broken line is in a raised state, and the mounting portion 14c shown by a solid line is in a lowered state. The lifting mechanism 14d can lift the load 12 from the storage unit 26 by lifting the placement unit 14 c. The lifting mechanism 14d can lower the placement unit 14c to place the cargo 12 in the storage unit 26. The plurality of wheels 14f travel on the 1 st rail 40 and the 2 nd carriage 16.

(Powered terminal)

The power receiving terminal 46 functions as an electrode that is in electrical contact with a power supply terminal 42 of the 2 nd carriage 16 described later to receive electric power for charging the battery 28. As an example, the power receiving terminals 46 may include power receiving terminals 46b and 46c provided on both side surfaces of the vehicle body 14b, respectively. As an example, the power receiving terminals 46 may include a power receiving terminal 46d and a power receiving terminal 46e provided on the bottom surface outside the vehicle body 14 b. For convenience of explanation, fig. 5 and 6 illustrate two groups of the power receiving terminals 46b and 46c and two groups of the power receiving terminals 46d and 46e, and only one group or two groups may be provided for these groups. The shape of the power receiving terminal 46 is not particularly limited, but in this example, the center portion of the power receiving terminal 46 has a spherical surface protruding toward the opposite side. Although the power receiving terminal 46 has been described as having a spherical surface, the power feeding terminal 42 described later may have a spherical surface.

(Force applying mechanism)

At least one of the power supply terminal 42 and the power receiving terminal 46 may be biased toward the other. For example, the power receiving terminal 46 may apply a force toward the power supplying terminal 42. As an example, the power receiving terminal 46 may be supported so as to be movable forward and backward in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, and biased toward the power feeding terminal 42 by a biasing member. In the example of fig. 6, the power receiving terminal 46d is accommodated in the accommodating portion 46h so as to be movable in the up-down direction, and the power receiving terminal 46d is biased downward by a coil spring 46j provided in the accommodating portion 46 h. The power receiving terminal 46d is disposed so as to move upward when coming into contact with the power feeding terminal 42, and applies downward contact pressure to the power feeding terminal 42. At this time, by applying a contact pressure to the power receiving terminal 46 with respect to the power feeding terminal 42, the power receiving terminal 46 can be brought into stable contact with the power feeding terminal 42. The power receiving terminals 46b, 46c, 46e are also configured in the same manner.

(No. 2 trolley)

Next, a description will be given of the predetermined section. In embodiment 1, the 2 nd carriage 16 is illustrated as a predetermined section, and the Y-axis direction is illustrated as the 2 nd direction. As described above, the Y-axis direction intersects the X-axis direction in the horizontal direction. Next, the 2 nd carriage 16 will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the 2 nd carriage 16. Fig. 8 is a side view of the 2 nd carriage 16. The 2 nd carriage 16 runs on the 2 nd rail 44 in the Y-axis direction. The 2 nd carriage 16 carries the 1 st carriage 14 in an empty state or a state where the cargo 12 is loaded.

The 2 nd carriage 16 mainly includes a vehicle body 16b, a recess 16c, a plurality of wheels 16f, a current collecting unit 38, and a power supply terminal 42. The vehicle body 16b has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped contour flattened in the up-down direction. A motor (not shown) for driving each wheel 16f and a control circuit (not shown) for controlling the motor are mounted inside the vehicle body 16 b. The wheel 16f runs on the 2 nd rail 44. The collector unit 38 is in contact with a power supply line 36 described later to receive supply of electric power. The 2 nd carriage 16 receives electric power from the power supply line 36 via the current collecting unit 38. The 2 nd carriage 16 is configured to drive the motor by the received electric power and supply electric power to the 1 st carriage 14.

(Power supply section)

The power supply unit is a member for supplying electric power to the 2 nd carriage 16. The 2 nd carriage 16 is configured to always receive power supply from the power supply unit. Therefore, the power supply unit is configured to be able to supply power to the 2 nd carriage 16 at all times. In embodiment 1, a power feeding line 36 extending in the Y axis direction is exemplified as a power feeding portion. As described above, the power supply line 36 extends in the Y-axis direction in the vicinity of the 2 nd rail 44. The power supply line 36 functions as a contact wire for supplying power to the 2 nd carriage 16 via the current collector 38. The supply line 36 is sometimes also referred to as a Trolley line (troley wire).

(Power supply unit)

The power supply unit 52 supplies power to the power supply unit 50. For example, the power supply unit 52 may include a conversion device that converts the voltage of the commercial power supply into a voltage that can be supplied to the power supply unit 50, or may include a generator that can generate a predetermined voltage. The power supply unit 52 of the present embodiment includes a transformer (not shown) or a rectifier circuit (not shown) that converts an ac voltage from a commercial power supply into a predetermined voltage.

(Charging section)

The charging unit 54 functions as a charging station for charging the battery 28 mounted on the 1 st carriage 14. The charging unit 54 may be disposed at any position as long as it is capable of charging the 1 st carriage 14. As shown in fig. 1, the charging unit 54 of the present embodiment is provided adjacent to the end 24c of the predetermined storage row 24 on the opposite side of the access port 24 b. By providing the charging unit 54, the 1 st carriage 14 can be charged by the 2 nd carriage 16 or by the charging unit 54. For example, while one 1 st carriage 14 is being charged by the 2 nd carriage 16, the other 1 st carriage 14 may be charged by the charging unit 54, so that the waiting time for charging can be shortened.

The charging unit 54 has charging terminals 56d and 56e for charging that supply charging power to the 1 st carriage 14. The charging terminals 56d and 56e are arranged at positions corresponding to the power receiving terminals 46d and 46e of the 1 st carriage 14 in a state where the 1 st carriage 14 is stopped at the predetermined charging position 24 d. As shown in fig. 1, the charging terminals 56d, 56e are provided at different positions in the X-axis direction. As shown in fig. 1, since the charging terminals 56d and 56e are positioned differently in the X-axis direction, the inter-terminal distance is larger than in the case of being positioned at the same position, and therefore, even if a conductive foreign matter adheres to one terminal, the possibility of occurrence of a short circuit can be reduced. Hereinafter, the charging terminals 56d and 56e may be collectively referred to as a charging terminal 56.

The charging unit 54 may be provided in a plurality of storage lines 24, or may be provided in all of the storage lines 24. At this time, the plurality of 1 st dollies 14 can be charged at the same time. Further, the travel distance for charging the 1 st carriage 14 can be shortened. The charging unit 54 may be provided on a predetermined one-layer storage table 22, may be provided on a plurality of layers of storage tables 22, or may be provided on all layers of storage tables 22. In this case, the 1 st carriage 14 may be charged simultaneously in the plurality of storage stages 22. Further, the travel distance for charging the 1 st carriage 14 can be shortened.

(Concave portion)

The 2 nd carriage 16 has a concave portion 16c having a concave shape for mounting the 1 st carriage 14. To mount the 1 st carriage 14, the recess 16c is formed to be recessed downward from the upper surface of the vehicle body 16 b. The size of the recess 16c is set to a size that adds a sufficient margin to the size of the 1 st carriage 14 so that the 1 st carriage 14 can travel in the X-axis direction without interfering with the surroundings of the recess 16c. The 1 st carriage 14 runs on the recess 16c. The recess 16c has a bottom portion 16h extending on a lower plane and a pair of side wall portions 16j extending upward from both sides of the bottom portion 16h in the Y-axis direction. The bottom portion 16h is a part of a travel path along which the 1 st carriage 14 travels in the X-axis direction. The pair of side wall portions 16j faces the side wall of the vehicle body 14b of the 1 st carriage 14 with a narrow gap therebetween in the Y-axis direction.

(Power supply terminal)

The 2 nd carriage 16 is configured to be able to supply power to the 1 st carriage 14. The 2 nd carriage 16 supplies power from the 2 nd carriage 16 to the 1 st carriage 14 both when moving in the Y-axis direction and when stopping.

The 2 nd carriage 16 has a power supply terminal 42 for supplying power to the 1 st carriage 14. The power supply terminal 42 includes a plurality of power supply terminals provided at different positions in the X-axis direction. In this case, since the separation distance between the terminals can be increased, even if the conductive member falls in the recess 16c, the possibility of occurrence of short-circuiting between the plurality of power supply terminals can be reduced. The plurality of power supply terminals are arranged at both side positions of the center of the bottom portion 16h in the X-axis direction and the center in the Y-axis direction.

The power supply terminal 42 includes power supply terminals 42b, 42c provided on the respective side wall portions 16j inside the recess portion 16 c. The power supply terminals 42b, 42c are provided at different positions in the X-axis direction. In this example, the power supply terminal 42b is provided near the X-axis positive direction side end portion on the Y-axis positive direction side wall portion 16 j. The power supply terminal 42c is provided near the X-axis negative direction side end portion on the Y-axis negative direction side wall portion 16 j. The power supply terminals 42b and 42c are provided at positions corresponding to the power receiving terminals 46b and 46c of the 1 st carriage 14, respectively. The power supply terminals 42b, 42c are provided at different positions in the Z-axis direction. In this example, the power supply terminal 42b is provided at a position higher than the power supply terminal 42c in the Z-axis direction.

The power supply terminal 42 includes power supply terminals 42d, 42e provided on the bottom 16h inside the recess 16 c. The power supply terminals 42d, 42e are provided at different positions in the X-axis direction. In this example, the power supply terminal 42d is provided at a position near the Y-axis negative direction side on the X-axis positive direction side of the bottom portion 16 h. The power supply terminal 42e is provided at a position near the Y-axis positive direction side on the X-axis negative direction side of the bottom portion 16 h. The power supply terminals 42d, 42e are provided at positions corresponding to the power receiving terminals 46d, 46e of the 1 st carriage 14, respectively. If the power supply terminals 42d and 42e are positioned differently in the X-axis direction, the distance between the power supply terminals can be longer than if the power supply terminals are positioned at the same position. Therefore, even if a conductive foreign matter is mixed in the 2 nd carriage 16, the possibility of the power supply terminals being electrically connected to each other by the foreign matter to cause a short circuit can be reduced.

The shape of the power supply terminals 42b, 42c, 42d, 42e is not particularly limited. In this example, the power supply terminals 42b and 42c are plate-shaped electrodes parallel to the X-Z plane, and the power supply terminals 42d and 42e are plate-shaped electrodes parallel to the X-Y plane. The power supply terminals 42b and 42c have long sides in the X-axis direction and short sides in the Z-axis direction. The power supply terminals 42d, 42e have long sides in the X-axis direction and short sides in the Y-axis direction. Since they are long in the X-axis direction, even if the accuracy of the stop position of the 1 st carriage 14 is low, the power feeding terminal 42 can be ensured to be in contact with the power receiving terminal 46 to perform power feeding.

In order to improve the accuracy of the stop position of the 1 st carriage 14, it is conceivable to reduce the moving speed of the 1 st carriage 14, but in this case, there is a possibility that the operation efficiency of the 1 st carriage 14 may be lowered. Therefore, in embodiment 1, the range of the power supply terminals 42b, 42c, 42d, 42e in the X-axis direction is set to be equal to or more than twice the accuracy of the stop position of the 1 st carriage 14. For example, when the accuracy of the stop position of the 1 st carriage 14 is ±15mm, the range of the power supply terminals 42b, 42c, 42d, 42e in the X-axis direction may be set to 30mm or more. In this case, the drop in the operation efficiency of the 1 st carriage 14 can be suppressed.

For convenience of explanation, fig. 7 and 8 show two sets of the power supply terminals 42b and 42c and two sets of the power supply terminals 42d and 42e, but these power supply terminals may be provided in only one or in two sets.

The 1 st carriage 14 is configured to receive power from the 2 nd carriage 16 when the 2 nd carriage 16 moves in the 2 nd direction. In this case, since the charging can be performed during the movement of the 2 nd carriage 16, the time required for charging the 1 st carriage 14 can be shortened, as compared with the case where the power supply is not performed during the movement of the 2 nd carriage 16.

Next, other configurations of the automated warehouse system 100 will be described with reference to fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the structure of the automated warehouse system 100. As shown in fig. 9, the automated warehouse system 100 includes a1 st detection unit 14g and a 2 nd detection unit 16g. The 1 st detection unit 14g detects the positions of the 1 st rail 40 and the 2 nd carriage 16 in the X-axis direction of the 1 st carriage 14, and transmits the detection results to the control unit 18. The 1 st detection unit 14g may be various sensors or a stereo camera provided on the 1 st carriage 14. The 2 nd detection unit 16g detects the position of the 2 nd carriage 16 on the 2 nd rail 44 in the Y-axis direction, and transmits the detection result to the control unit 18. The 2 nd detection unit 16g may be various sensors or a stereo camera provided on the 2 nd carriage 16.

(Control part)

Next, the control unit 18 will be described. The control unit 18 controls the operations of the 1 st carriage 14 and the 2 nd carriage 16. The functional blocks of the control unit 18 shown in fig. 9 can be realized by elements typified by a MPU (microprocessor Micro Processing Unit) of a computer or a mechanical device in hardware, and can be realized by a computer program or the like in software, but functional blocks realized by cooperation of these are depicted here. Thus, those skilled in the art who have access to the present description will appreciate that these functional blocks can be implemented in a variety of forms, through a combination of hardware and software.

The control unit 18 mainly includes a1 st carriage position acquisition unit 18b, a2 nd carriage position acquisition unit 18c, a1 st carriage control unit 18e, a2 nd carriage control unit 18f, and a power supply control unit 18g. The 1 st carriage position acquisition unit 18b acquires the position of the 1 st carriage 14 in the X-axis direction from the 1 st detection unit 14 g. The 2 nd carriage position acquisition unit 18c acquires the position of the 2 nd carriage 16 in the Y-axis direction from the 2 nd detection unit 16 g. The 1 st carriage control unit 18e controls the travel of the 1 st carriage 14. The 2 nd carriage control unit 18f controls the travel of the 2 nd carriage 16. The power supply control unit 18g controls power supply from the 2 nd carriage 16 to the 1 st carriage 14.

(Charging action)

Next, a charging operation of the automatic warehouse system 100 will be described with reference to fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a charging operation of the automatic warehouse system 100, and shows a process S80 related to the operation. The process S80 includes a routine for starting the 1 st carriage 14 to enter the 2 nd carriage 16 and for stopping the power supply from the 2 nd carriage 16. In this charging program, the 1 st carriage 14 is stopped at a predetermined power feeding position on the 2 nd carriage 16, and power is fed from the 2 nd carriage 16 to the 1 st carriage 14 in this state. At this time, the 1 st cart 14 charges the battery 28 provided in the 1 st cart 14 with the supplied electric power. The power feeding position may be a position where the power receiving terminal 46 can contact with the power feeding terminal 42.

If the deviation of the stop position of the 1 st carriage 14 is large, the power receiving terminal 46 may not be in contact with the power feeding terminal 42, and may not be able to receive power feeding. Therefore, in embodiment 1, the 1 st carriage 14 is controlled to slow down to approach the power feeding position at a position (hereinafter referred to as 1 st position) before reaching the power feeding position. By gradually approaching the power feeding position, the deviation of the stop position of the 1 st carriage 14 can be reduced. For example, the 1 st position may be a position 10cm to 30cm before reaching the power supply position. Hereinafter, the process S80 including this charging routine will be described.

When the process S80 is started, the control unit 18 starts the movement of the 1 st carriage 14 in the X-axis direction and advances the vehicle to the 2 nd carriage 16 (step S81). When step S81 is executed, the control unit 18 acquires the position of the 1 st carriage 14 in the X-axis direction from the 1 st detection unit 14g, and determines whether or not the 1 st carriage 14 exceeds the 1 st position (step S82). If the 1 st carriage 14 does not exceed the 1 st position (no in step S82), the control unit 18 continues the movement of the 1 st carriage 14 in the X-axis direction (step S83). When step S83 is executed, the control unit 18 returns the process to step S82, and repeats steps S82 to S83. By this process, the 1 st carriage 14 moves in the X-axis direction at a normal speed until the 1 st position is exceeded.

If the 1 st carriage 14 exceeds the 1 st position (yes in step S82), the control unit 18 decelerates the 1 st carriage 14 to move in the X-axis direction in the low speed mode (step S84). The speed of the low speed mode may be a slow speed that can be stopped immediately. When step S84 is executed, the control unit 18 acquires the position of the 1 st carriage 14 in the X-axis direction from the 1 st detection unit 14g, and determines whether or not the 1 st carriage 14 reaches the power feeding position (step S85). If the 1 st carriage 14 has not reached the power feeding position (no in step S85), the control unit 18 returns the process to step S84, and repeats steps S84 to S85. By this process, the 1 st carriage 14 slowly approaches the power supply position at a lower speed than the normal speed.

When the 1 st carriage 14 reaches the power feeding position (yes in step S85), the control unit 18 stops the movement of the 1 st carriage 14 (step S86). When step S86 is executed, the control unit 18 moves the 2 nd carriage 16 in the Y-axis direction (step S87). When step S87 is executed, the control unit 18 executes power supply from the 2 nd carriage 16 to the 1 st carriage 14 (step S88). At this time, the movement and the power supply may be started at the same time, or the power supply may be advanced. The 1 st carriage 14 charges the battery 28 according to the supplied electric power. The 1 st carriage 14 may be configured to charge the battery 28 at all times while power is supplied from the 2 nd carriage 16. The 1 st carriage 14 may be configured to stop charging when the charging rate of the battery 28 exceeds a predetermined upper limit.

When step S88 is executed, the control unit 18 determines whether or not the 2 nd carriage 16 has reached the target position in the Y-axis direction (step S89). If the 2 nd carriage 16 has not reached the target position (no in step S89), the control unit 18 returns the process to step S87, and repeats steps S87 to S89. By this process, the 1 st carriage 14 is supplied with power while the 2 nd carriage 16 moves toward the target position in the Y-axis direction, and the 1 st carriage 14 charges the battery 28 with the power. When the 2 nd carriage 16 reaches the target position (yes in step S89), the control unit 18 stops the movement of the 2 nd carriage 16 (step S90).

When step S90 is executed, the control unit 18 stops the power supply to the 1 st carriage 14 from the 2 nd carriage 16 (step S91). At this time, the movement and the power supply may be stopped at the same time, or the power supply may be stopped first. When step S91 is executed, the control unit 18 moves the 1 st carriage 14 in the X-axis direction to withdraw it from the 2 nd carriage 16 (step S92). By this process, the 1 st carriage 14 moves toward the 1 st rail 40. When step S92 is executed, the control unit 18 ends the process S80. The above-described process S80 is merely an example, and other steps may be added, or a part of the steps may be changed or deleted, or the order of the steps may be replaced.

The process S80 of the charging operation may be executed for the 1 st truck 14 in the state where the load 12 is mounted or may be executed for the 1 st truck 14 in the empty state where the load 12 is not mounted during the operation of loading/unloading the load 12.

Next, a description will be given of a priority order of charging in the case where the plurality of 1 st carriages 14 are provided. If the charging of the 1 st carriage 14 having a low charging rate is delayed, the charging rate is too low to be self-propelled. Therefore, in embodiment 1, the 2 nd cart 16 is configured to charge the 1 st cart 14 having a relatively low charging rate of the mounted battery 28 among the plurality of 1 st carts 14 preferentially. For example, the control unit 18 may acquire the charging rates of the batteries 28 from the 1 st carriage 14, determine the priority order based on the acquired charging rates, and control the 1 st carriage 14 and the 2 nd carriage 16 so as to charge the 1 st carriage 14 in the priority order.

[ Embodiment 2]

Next, the configuration of the automated warehouse system 200 according to embodiment 2 will be described with reference to fig. 11 and 12. Embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1 in the configuration of the predetermined portion, and the other configurations are the same, so that description will be focused on the differences. In embodiment 2, the stacker crane 66 and the lifting mechanism 64 provided in the stacker crane 66 are exemplified as the predetermined section.

Fig. 11 is a plan view schematically showing the stacker crane 66. Fig. 12 is a side view of stacker crane 66. In embodiment 2, the 2 nd rail 44 is provided only at the lowermost layer, and a stacker crane 66 that moves in the Y-axis direction on the 2 nd rail 44 is provided instead of the 2 nd carriage 16. The stacker crane 66 has a lifting mechanism 64 capable of lifting and lowering the 1 st carriage 14 in the Z-axis direction. The stacker crane 66 can transport the 1 st carriage 14 placed thereon in the Y-axis direction. That is, in embodiment 2, the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction (height direction) are exemplified as the 2 nd direction.

The stacker crane 66 mainly includes a base portion 66b, a recess 16c, four wheels 16f, a pair of support posts 66h, a lifting mechanism 64, a current collecting unit 38, and a power supply terminal 42. The base portion 67b is a plate-like member that is flat in the up-down direction and provided at the lower portion of the stacker crane 66. A motor (not shown) for driving the wheel 16f is mounted on the base portion 66 b. As an example, the stacker crane 66 is configured to drive a motor by receiving electric power from the power supply line 36 installed above by the power collecting unit 38.

The recess 16c is configured to be liftable and lowerable in a state where the 1 st carriage 14 is mounted thereon. Four wheels 16f are rotatably supported at four corners of the base portion 66b. The pair of support posts 66h extend in the up-down direction, and the guide recess 16c is vertically movable. The pair of support posts 66h are spaced apart in the Y-axis direction with the concave portion 16c interposed therebetween and fixed to the base portion 66b. The support post 66h has, for example, a substantially rectangular cross section in plan view. The lifting mechanism 64 is a mechanism for driving the recess 16c to lift up and down. The lifting mechanism 64 is provided near the support post 66h and on the base portion 66b. The lifting mechanism 64 winds up or feeds out a wire rope (not shown) that lifts the recess 16c, thereby driving the recess 16c to lift. With this structure, the concave portion 16c functions as a lifting table capable of lifting. The stacker crane 66 rotates the four wheels 16f on the 2 nd rail 44, and thereby travels on the 2 nd rail 44. The stacker crane 66 can travel on the 2 nd rail 44 with the cargo 12 and the 1 st carriage 14 mounted thereon. Although the stacker crane capable of traveling on the 2 nd rail 44 is described here, a lifting mechanism having only a lifting function without traveling function may be used.

The recess 16c has a bottom portion 16h extending on a lower plane and a pair of side wall portions 16j extending upward from both sides of the bottom portion 16h in the Y-axis direction. The power supply terminal 42 is provided on the side wall portion 16j and the bottom portion 16h inside the concave portion 16c, similarly to the 2 nd carriage 16. The structure inside the recess 16c and the structure of the power supply terminal 42 are the same as those of embodiment 1, and therefore, the description thereof will be omitted.

In embodiment 2 having the above configuration, when the stacker crane 66 moves in the Y-axis direction, the 1 st carriage 14 receives power from the stacker crane 66, and the battery 28 provided in the 1 st carriage 14 is charged with the power supplied thereto. When the 1 st carriage 14 moves in the Z-axis direction by the elevating mechanism 64, power is supplied from the stacker crane 66, and the battery 28 provided in the 1 st carriage 14 is charged by the supplied power.

Embodiment 2 also has the same operational effects as embodiment 1.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. These embodiments are examples, and it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made within the technical scope of the present invention, and that such modifications and changes are also within the technical scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the descriptions and drawings in this specification should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

(Modification)

The following describes modifications. In the drawings and the description of the modification, the same or equivalent constituent elements and components as those of the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description repeated with the embodiment is appropriately omitted, and a description is focused on a structure different from that of embodiment 1.

In the description of embodiment 1, the example of charging the battery 28 of the 1 st carriage 14 during the operation of carrying in/out the cargo 12 has been shown, but the 1 st carriage 14 and the 2 nd carriage 16 may be controlled so that the battery 28 is charged in a state where there is no transport instruction of the cargo 12, separately from the transport operation of the cargo 12.

That is, the control section 18 may control as follows: the 1 st cart 14, which is not currently planning to transport the cargo 12, is moved to the power supply position of the 2 nd cart 16 or the charging unit 54, and the battery 28 of the 1 st cart 14 is charged. At this time, the 1 st carriage 14 having less chance of transporting the cargo 12 can be charged.

In the description of embodiment 1, an example is shown in which the charging unit 54 is provided, but the charging unit 54 is not necessarily provided.

In the description of embodiment 1, an example is shown in which the 1 st carriage 14 is provided with the battery 28, but the 1 st carriage 14 is not necessarily provided with the battery 28. The 1 st carriage 14 may be configured to travel based on electric power supplied from the 2 nd carriage 16 or a separately provided power supply mechanism (not shown).

The power supply terminal 42 may be provided in a portion recessed from the periphery, and the power receiving terminal 46 may be configured to advance and retract toward the power supply terminal 42 by the advancing and retracting mechanism. By surrounding the power supply terminal 42, the charging member can be prevented from being short-circuited.

The power supply terminal 42 may be a hollow cylindrical terminal, or the power receiving terminal 46 may be a rod terminal inserted into the cylindrical terminal and may be advanced and retracted toward the power supply terminal 42 by an advancing and retracting mechanism. At this time, by covering the cylindrical terminal of the power supply terminal 42 with an insulating material, the charging member can be prevented from being short-circuited. In addition, when the device is inserted or extracted, one can clean the other.

The 1 st carriage 14 may be configured to receive power from a predetermined portion by non-contact power supply. In this case, the charging member can be prevented from being short-circuited.

The 1 st carriage 14 may be configured to stop charging the battery 28 when fully charged. The predetermined unit may be configured to communicate with the 1 st carriage 14. For example, the predetermined unit may be configured to acquire the charging rate of the battery 28 by communicating with the 1 st carriage 14. At this time, overcharge of the battery 28 can be prevented.

The power receiving terminal 46 may be supported by the vehicle body 14b with a play with respect to the vehicle body 14b, and the predetermined portion may include a guide member for guiding the power receiving terminal 46 to a predetermined position. When the 1 st carriage 14 moves on the predetermined portion, the guide member can correct the position of the power receiving terminal 46 to a more appropriate position. In this case, the range of the stop position accuracy of the 1 st carriage 14 that can supply power can be widened.

The power receiving terminal 46 may be configured to wipe the power feeding terminal 42 in a state of being in contact with the power feeding terminal 42. Further, a cleaning member such as a brush may be provided on the 1 st carriage 14 so that the cleaning member wipes the power supply terminal 42 when the 1 st carriage 14 moves. At this time, foreign matter on the power receiving terminal 46 or the power feeding terminal 42 can be removed.

The 2 nd trolley 16 or stacker crane 66 does not need to always receive power from the power supply line 36. The 2 nd carriage 16 or stacker crane 66 may be driven by a battery. In this case, the present invention can be used even in a warehouse where the installation of the feeder 36 is difficult.

The 1 st carriage 14 does not have to be provided in each row of each layer, and the 1 st carriage 14 may not be provided in each layer.

The rack 20 may be formed of 1 row of rows 24. The rack 20 may be composed of 1-layer rows 24.

The number of storage units 26 in the storage row 24 need not necessarily be the same. The number of storage units 26 constituting the storage rows 24 may be larger or smaller depending on the number of projections and depressions on the wall of the building accommodating the rack 20.

The number of layers of the storage lines 24 stacked in the up-down direction is not necessarily the same. The number of floors of the storage rows 24 may be set to a region having a large number of floors and a region having a small number of floors according to the height of the ceiling of the building in which the rack 20 is housed.

The cargo 12 need not necessarily include the pallet 12p. The automated warehouse system may also process goods that do not include pallets.

Instead of the forklift, another kind of conveying device such as a conveying device provided with a crane may be used to carry in and out the cargo 12.

Each of these modifications has the same operational effects as embodiment 1.

Any combination of the above embodiments and modifications is also effective as an embodiment of the present invention. The new embodiment produced by the combination has the effects of each of the combined embodiments and modifications.

Claims

1. An automated warehouse system, comprising:

A pipe rack for storing goods;

the warehouse-in and warehouse-out part consists of a warehouse-in part and a warehouse-out part; and

A carrying mechanism for moving the goods between the pipe holding frame and the warehouse-in and warehouse-out part,

The carrying mechanism comprises:

a1 st carriage that includes a battery and moves based on the power of the battery; and

A2 nd carriage which can move in a state of being mounted with the 1 st carriage,

A lifting mechanism which is separately provided with respect to the 2 nd trolley and does not use the 1 st trolley and the 2 nd trolley to lift and lower the goods,

The storage rack is provided with a plurality of layers of storage tables,

The multi-layer storage platform is formed by arranging a plurality of storage lines extending along the 1 st direction along the 2 nd direction crossing the 1 st direction,

The 1 st trolley and the 2 nd trolley are respectively arranged on the multi-layer storage platforms,

The 1 st trolley moves on the 1 st moving path corresponding to the custody line,

The 2 nd trolley moves on a2 nd moving path extending along the 2 nd direction after being mounted with the 1 st trolley,

A power supply unit capable of supplying power to the 2 nd trolley of each layer at all times extends along the 2 nd moving path of each layer,

The battery of the 1 st dolly of each layer is charged based on the electric power supplied from the 2 nd dolly during the period when the 1 st dolly is stopped above the 2 nd dolly and the 2 nd dolly is moving,

The lifting mechanism is composed of: the cargo put in the warehouse is lifted up to each layer of storage tables by the lifting mechanism without being mounted on the 1 st trolley and the 2 nd trolley, and the cargo put out of each layer of storage tables is lowered down to the warehouse-out part by the lifting mechanism without being mounted on the 1 st trolley and the 2 nd trolley.

2. The automated warehouse system of claim 1, wherein,

The 2 nd carriage is configured to have a motor driven based on the received power from the power supply unit.

3. The automated warehouse system of claim 1, wherein,

The multi-layer storage platform is respectively provided with a plurality of storage parts which are arranged continuously along two directions crossing each other,

The multi-layer storage tables are respectively provided with:

an area where the 2 nd carriage does not enter but the 1 st carriage can enter to move the cargo;

The 2 nd moving path through which the 2 nd trolley moves and the 1 st trolley can move only in a state of being mounted on the 2 nd trolley,

The in-and-out section is adjacent to at least one of the 2 nd moving paths in the multi-layered storage tables.

4. An automated warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

Charging of the battery is started during a period from when the 1 st dolly is stopped above the 2 nd dolly until when the 2 nd dolly starts moving, and charging of the battery is stopped while or before the 2 nd dolly stops moving.

5. An automated warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

The battery is charged while the 1 st carriage in two states with or without the load is stopped on the 2 nd carriage and the 2 nd carriage is moved between the rack and the in-out warehouse.

6. An automated warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

Further comprising a control unit for controlling the operations of the 1 st carriage and the 2 nd carriage,

The control unit performs control as follows: and moving the 1 st carriage in a state where there is no cargo handling instruction to a power supply position of the 2 nd carriage to charge the battery of the 1 st carriage.

7. An automated warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

When the 1 st carriage moves toward a predetermined power feeding position where power is supplied from the 2 nd carriage, the 1 st carriage decelerates at a position before reaching the power feeding position, and approaches the power feeding position at a slower speed than before deceleration.

8. The automated warehouse system of claim 1, wherein,

The 1 st carriage is configured to be supplied with power by bringing a terminal provided on a side surface of the 1 st carriage into contact with a terminal provided on the 2 nd carriage.

9. The automated warehouse system of claim 1, wherein,

The 1 st carriage is configured to be supplied with power by bringing a terminal provided on a bottom surface of the 1 st carriage into contact with a terminal provided on the 2 nd carriage.

10. The automated warehouse system of claim 8 or 9, wherein,

The terminal provided on the 2 nd carriage includes two electrodes provided at different positions in at least one of the 1 st and 2 nd directions.