JP2000118630A - Automatic storage and retrieval system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the utilization efficiency of space by projecting each rail from one end or both ends of a storage so that each carrier can travels to the outside of the storage, and arranging a temporary storage base capable of transferring loads between the carrier in both sides of the projection part of each rail. SOLUTION: A column 14 is arranged inside of a lift 15 so that each unit 1 can be arranged in parallel with each other while reducing a space between them, and a space can be effectively utilized. A motor 10 for driving a roller 18 of a temporary storage base 13 can be arranged inside an outer frame 17 so that a space between the units 1 can be narrowed more, and the space can be utilized more effectively. Two motors 25 for elevating the lift 15 can be located with a good balance in a narrow space by arranging the motors 25 in the condition that they are separately arranged in front and rear.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse provided with a transfer device including a cart and a lift.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic warehouse is provided with a hangar capable of storing a large number of loads, a transport conveyor, and a transfer device for transferring loads to the transport conveyor and the hangar. Generally, shelves are provided in multiple stages. The two hangars thus arranged are arranged facing each other. On the other hand, there are generally two types of transfer devices, one for loading and unloading each stage with a single stacker crane, and one for installing a truck for each shelf stage.
In the vicinity of the end of the hangar, a lift for reloading each truck and the loading / unloading conveyor is arranged, and the truck and the lift constitute a transfer device.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-267203 discloses a trolley type automatic warehouse, in which a lift, an entrance / exit conveyor, and a hangar are arranged in series in a plan view, and a rail is extended to the lift. It is described that the load is reloaded on the lift and the bogie by extending the length.

[0004]

In the form in which the load is directly loaded on the lift and the truck, the column for supporting the lift so as to be able to move up and down is disposed outside the traveling passage of the truck. However, since the lift has almost the same dimension as the depth of the hangar, the column and the lifting / lowering motor protrude greatly to the rear side of the hangar.

[0005] On the other hand, this type of automatic warehouse is rarely used alone, and in most cases, many units are used side by side. In such a case, the spacing between the units must be greatly increased so that the columns and motors of adjacent units do not interfere with each other. Therefore, a large dead space occurs between the units, and the space utilization efficiency is poor. was there.

An object of the present invention is to improve this problem.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An automatic warehouse according to the present invention is provided with a pair of hangars which are arranged opposite to each other and in which shelves are provided in multiple stages, and the shelves of the respective shelves are provided in front of the respective shelves in both hangars. With many rails arranged to be the same height,
A carriage is disposed on each pair of rails so as to be able to run freely, and each of the rails protrudes outside one or both ends of the hangar so that each trolley can travel to the outside of the hangar. On both sides of the projecting portion of the rail, temporary placement tables capable of transferring a load between the carriage and the carriage are arranged.

[0008] A lift capable of transferring a load between the temporary storage table and a temporary storage table at an arbitrary height is provided at a position opposite to the storage with the temporary storage table therebetween. Columns which are mounted so that these lifts can freely move up and down are erected at a portion sandwiched between the lifts.

[0009]

According to the present invention, since the columns (posts) to which the lifts are attached are arranged at a position between the pair of lifts, a plurality of units are arranged side by side to constitute an automatic warehouse facility. The columns and motors do not interfere with each other, so that the space between the units can be narrowed and the space can be used effectively.

[0010] Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the end support and the column reinforce each other, a strong structure can be obtained as a whole.

[0011]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. << Outline of Equipment >> FIG. 1 is a rough plan view of the automatic warehouse equipment, and the automatic warehouse equipment has a large number of units (unit warehouses) 1.
, A carry-in conveyor 2 and a carry-out conveyor 3 extending along the direction in which the warehouse groups are arranged. In this case, the height of the carry-in conveyor 2 is low, and the height of the carry-out conveyor 3 is high. Both carry-in / out conveyors 2 and 3 extend to the transfer zone 4, and the load W is unloaded on the truck in the transfer zone 4.

Two carry-in conveyors 5 branch from the carry-in conveyor 2 toward each unit 1, and two carry-out conveyors 6 branch out from the carry-out conveyor 3 toward each unit 1. 2 is a schematic perspective view of one end of the unit 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a frame of the unit, and FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of the unit 1. As shown in these drawings, each unit 1 It has a pair of storages 7 arranged facing each other. The hangar 7 includes multi-stage shelves 10 supported by inner and outer columns 8 and a horizontal frame 9.

On the front surface of the hangar 7, rails 11 having the same height as each shelf 10 are provided in multiple stages.
A cart 12 is mounted on each of the pairs 11 so as to run freely. Shelf 10 is also supported by rails 11. ≪Temporary placing table and lift≫ Near each end of each storage 7, there is provided a temporary placing table 13 that extends linearly with each shelf 10, and a pair of lifts that move up and down along a column 14 outside thereof. The (reservoir) 15 is disposed so as to extend in a straight line with the temporary placing table 13 in a plan view.

The temporary placing table 13 has a structure in which a number of rollers 18 are rotatably mounted on inner and outer frames 16 and 17 extending in the traveling direction of the carriage 12, and the outer frame 17 has roller
A motor 19 with a reduction gear is mounted to drive the motor 18.
The end of the outer frame 17 is attached to a corner post 20 (the detailed structure of the temporary placing table 13 will be described in detail). The lift 15 is also a conveyor system having a number of rollers 18, and the lift 15 is moved up and down to the same height as the desired temporary placing table 13, and the rollers 18 are driven to lift the load W. Fifteen
And the temporary placing table 13. The loading and unloading conveyors 5, 6 are arranged so as to be arranged in series with the lift 15 in plan view, and the loading and unloading conveyor 5 is low and the unloading conveyor 6 is high.

The rail 11 protrudes to the outside of the temporary storage table 13 so that the carriage 12 can travel to the location of the temporary storage table 13, and the tip of the protruding portion 11 a of the rail 11 is supported by the end support 21. . Further, both end posts 21 are connected by a horizontal frame 22. Reference numeral 23 in FIG. 4 denotes a bumper that stops the runaway carriage 12. The column 14 is arranged inside the lift 15 back to back, and the column 14 and the end support 21
Are connected by a frame 24 having a triangular shape in a plan view (or another shape such as a quadrangle). As shown in FIG. 4, the column 14 is formed in a hollow shape (or a groove shape) by extrusion or the like, and has a vertical groove into which a roller (not shown) for guiding the lift 15 is fitted. .

A motor 25 for raising and lowering the lift 15 is provided near the floor and near the column 14. In this case, interference between the two motors 25 is prevented by disposing the two motors 25 in the front-rear direction (the moving direction of the load W). FIG. 5 is a right side view of FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the column 14 is mounted on a base 26, and the base 26 is grounded via an adjuster bolt 27.
The motor 25 is attached to a speed reducer 28.

At the upper end and the lower end of the column 14, sprockets 29 are provided, and both ends of a chain 30 wound around these sprockets 29 are fixed to the lift 15, and the chain 30 is
, And is driven by the motor 25 via the. Although not shown in detail in the drawings, the chain 30 is disposed in a vertical groove of the column 14. The pair of columns 14 and the end struts 21 are frames 22,2.
Because it is connected by 4, it has a strong structure as a whole with a simple structure.

{Outline of Cart} As shown in FIG.
Is a rectangular main body frame 31 formed of a mold steel or the like, a pair of front and rear wheels 32 connected by an axle, a motor 33 for driving one of the wheels 32, and a pair of pickings extending in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction. A device 34 and a motor 35 for adjusting the distance between the picking devices 34 are provided.

As shown by a dashed line in FIG. 4, the picking device 34 is a double-acting moving arm that is movable toward and away from the shelf 10.
A picker 37 for pushing and pulling the load W is horizontally rotatably attached to both ends of the moving arm 36. The arm 36 of both picking devices 34 is a single motor
Driven synchronously by 38. Each of the picking devices 34 is provided with a supporting plate 39 on which the load W is placed. However, since the distance between the two picking devices 34 changes, the two supporting plates 39 partially overlap.

{Advantages} FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of the automatic warehouse equipment. As can be easily understood from FIG.
Is placed inside the lift 15 so that each unit 1
Can be arranged side by side at a reduced interval, so that the space can be used effectively. In addition, the roller of the temporary table 13
It is also possible to arrange the motor 19 for driving 18 inside the outer frame 17, so that the space between the units 1 can be narrowed and the space can be used more effectively.

As in the present embodiment, when the motor 25 for driving the lift 15 to move up and down is deviated from the center line of the column 14 and the motor 25 is arranged in the front and rear direction, two motors are arranged in a narrow space. There is an advantage that the motor 25 can be installed in a well-balanced manner. << Preferred Structure of Temporary Placement Table >> In the present invention, a device is devised so that the temporary place base 13 can be used for both entry and exit.
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of the temporary placing table 13, FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the upper edge of the outer frame 17 is bent above the roller group, and also serves as a stopper.
Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a guide 40 is provided at a position near the storage 7.

Reference numeral 41 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 denotes a driving pulley, which is provided with a driven pulley (not shown) in a portion of the outer frame 17 near the column 14, and is wound around the driving pulley 41 and the driven pulley. Each of the rollers 18 is driven by applying the belt 42 to the rollers 18 from below. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a gutter-like portion 11 b for supporting a shelf board is formed on the rail 11 by bending.
One end of each roller 18 is rotatably supported by the inner frame 16 supported by the gutter-shaped portion 11b.

Then, as clearly shown in FIG. 9, the upper surface 16a of the inner frame 16 is formed as an inclined surface which gradually decreases from the rail 11 toward the roller 18, and
Is slightly lower than the rail 11 by a dimension E. A portion of the inner frame 16 close to the rail 11 is set at substantially the same height as the rail 11. {Conventional temporary table} By the way, in FIG.
13 shows a mounting structure of a roller 18 in FIG. Conventionally, the inner frame 16 is supported by the rail 11 but the inner frame
If the height 16 is the same as the height of the rail 11, the load W may be caught on the inner frame 16 due to a processing error of the inner frame 16 or the rail 11, and the inner frame 16 may be caught as shown in FIG. 10 (A).
If 16 is lower than the rail 11, the corner of the load W will be caught on the rail 11 or the roller 18.

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 10 (B), the load W is smoothly transferred from the roller 18 to the rail 11 by setting the roller 18 higher than the rail 11 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10 (C), the load W is smoothly transferred from the rail 11 to the roller 18 by making the rail 11 higher than the roller 18 as shown in FIG. Like that.

However, in this conventional structure, it is necessary to distinguish the temporary storage table 13 for storing and unloading, so that one temporary storage table 13 cannot be used for both storage and unloading (accordingly, (The two lifts 15 are also distinguished into a warehouse and a warehouse.) Therefore, not only is there a limitation in the use form of the automatic warehouse equipment, but also there is a problem that the processing capacity of the warehouse is limited. Was.

{Advantages of the present embodiment} On the other hand, when configured as in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
Is lower than the rail 11, the load W is smoothly transferred from the rail 11 to the roller 18 at the time of unloading, while the upper surface of the inner frame 16 is inclined.
Is smoothly guided onto the rail 11 by being guided by the upper surface 16a of the inner frame 16.

Therefore, any of the temporary placing table 13 and the lift
All 15 can be used for both incoming and outgoing. As a result, not only is there an advantage that the freedom of the layout of the conveyor is improved, etc., but also during the time when the delivery is concentrated, both the temporary storage table 13 and the lift 15 are dedicated to the delivery,
Temporary placing table 13 and lift for 2 cars each according to the incoming and outgoing quantity
By changing the usage pattern of the fifteen, it is possible to improve the processing capacity of storage and retrieval.

While the roller 18 is higher than the rail 11, the upper surface 16a of the inner frame 16 is
It may be formed on an inclined surface that becomes lower toward 11. << Others >> In the above embodiment, the temporary storage table and the lift are provided only at one end of the storage. However, the temporary storage table and the lift may be provided at both ends of the storage. In this case, for example, as shown by a dashed line in FIG. 1, the unloading conveyor 3 and the unloading conveyor 6 are arranged on the opposite side to the in-feed conveyor 5, and the load W is often set to flow in a one-way state. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an automatic warehouse facility.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one unit.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a frame of the unit.

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of the unit.

FIG. 5 is a right side view of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of the automatic warehouse equipment.

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of a temporary placing table.

8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a roller support structure in a conventional temporary placing table.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Unit 2 Carry-in Conveyor 3 Carry-Out Conveyor 5 Carry-in Conveyor 6 Outgoing Conveyor 7 Hangar 10 Shelf 11 Rail 11a Projection 12 Car 13 Temporary Placement 14 Column 15 Lift 25 Motor

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pair of hangars which are arranged opposite to each other and in which shelves are provided in multiple stages, and a plurality of hangars arranged at the front of each of the shelves in both hangars so as to have the same height of the shelves. Rails, and a trolley arranged so as to be able to run on each pair of rails, and each rail is provided outside one end or both ends of the hangar so that each trolley can run outside the hangar. Protruding, disposing a temporary storage table on each side of the projecting portion of each rail, which is capable of transferring a load between the carriage and the carriage, and further, at a site opposite to the hangar across the temporary storage table. ,
A lift capable of transferring a load between the temporary placing table and an arbitrary height is arranged so as to extend in series with the temporary placing table in a plan view, and the columns to which these lifts are attached so as to be able to move up and down can be mounted on the columns. An automated warehouse standing upright at the site between the lifts. 2. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the projecting portions of the rails are supported by end supports, and both end supports and the columns are integrally connected by a frame.