JP2000272722A - Commodity storage facility - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide commodity storage facilities capable of extremely improving the efficiency of carrying work by reasonably controlling the operation of a carrying means depending on working circumstances. SOLUTION: A control means is provided for controlling the operation of a carrying means 5 to execute work for carrying commodities in and out between each of a plurality of storage sections 1 for storing commodities and each of a plurality of commodity carry-in and -out sections B. The plurality of commodity carry-in and -out sections B are managed by grouping into the conditions that adjacent sections are in the same group so that work for carrying commodities in the commodity carry-in and -out sections B is prior to work for carrying commodities in and out in the next working order if commodities to be carried in the commodity carry-in and -out sections B in the same group as the commodity carry-in and -out sections B exist when work is done for carrying the commodities out in accordance with working order.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage rack having a plurality of storage sections for storing articles, a plurality of article loading / unloading sections for loading / unloading articles, the plurality of storage sections, and the plurality of storage sections. Transport means for performing article loading / unloading work with the article loading / unloading section, and setting means for setting a work order for a plurality of articles to be loaded / unloaded and an article loading / unloading section to be operated on those articles. And a control means for controlling the operation of the transport means based on the setting information of the setting means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an article storage facility having the above-described structure, the control means always carries out article loading / unloading work in an article loading / unloading section set in the work order set by the setting means. (For example,
See JP-A-10-167417).

[0003]

That is, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, for example, a plurality of article carrying-in / out sections are arranged close to each other, and other article carrying-in / out sections are arranged apart from them. In the case, the operation of loading / unloading an article into / from one of the plurality of article loading / unloading sections arranged in close proximity to the article, and following the work, the article to / from the article loading / unloading section which is arranged separately from the article loading / unloading section Is set as the work order, the carry-in / out work is always executed in the work order.

[0004] If the configuration shown in the above cited gazette is added as an example, a stacker crane (8) as a conveying means is provided.
If the operation to carry in the articles from the entry station (19) after carrying out the articles to the exit station (12) is set as the work order, for example, the work is arranged close to the exit station (12). Even if there is an article to be carried into the receiving station (11), the stacker crane (8) carries the article from the receiving station (19) which is separated from the unloading station (12) according to the set order. Will be performed.

[0005] As a result, the conveying means (stacker crane) carries out an operation of carrying out the article to one of the article carrying-in / out sections of the plurality of article carrying-in / out sections arranged close to each other, and is arranged in proximity to the article carrying-in / out section. Even if there is an article to be carried in at the article loading / unloading section and there is a need for carrying in work,
Since the work for the article carrying-in / out section which is separated from them is performed first, there is a disadvantage that the efficiency of the carrying work of the carrying means is reduced accordingly.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to control the operation of the transfer means rationally according to the work situation, thereby improving the efficiency of the transfer work as much as possible. It is to provide a possible article storage facility.

[0007]

According to a feature configuration of the present invention, the control means divides the plurality of article carrying-in / out sections into groups in which those arranged in close proximity belong to the same group. When an article is unloaded to and from the article loading / unloading section based on the work order, there is an article to be loaded into the article loading / unloading section in the same group as the article loading / unloading section. in case of,
The operation of the transport means is controlled so as to execute a priority loading / unloading operation in which the loading / unloading operation of the articles in the article loading / unloading section is performed prior to the loading / unloading operation of the articles in the next operation order.

[0008] That is, a plurality of article carrying-in / out sections that are arranged in proximity to each other are grouped and managed as belonging to the same group. Then, when an article is carried out to / from the article carrying-in / out section based on the work order set by the setting means, and there is an article to be carried in / out to the article carrying-in / out section in the same group as the article carrying-in / out section. In this case, the work of loading and unloading articles in the article loading / unloading section is performed prior to the loading and unloading of articles in the next operation order.

As a result, after the carrying means has carried out the unloading operation of the articles, it is possible to start the loading operation of the articles to be loaded at the article loading / unloading section which is arranged in the vicinity with a small amount of movement. After performing the unloading work, perform the unloading and loading work of the article at the far away article loading and unloading section,
As compared with the case where the work is carried out at the article carrying-in / out section arranged in the proximity, the useless movement of the conveying means is reduced, and the efficiency of the conveying operation can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a normal mode for executing a normal loading / unloading operation for sequentially carrying out the loading / unloading operation of articles in a work order preset by the setting means; Mode command means for commanding a priority mode for performing a retrieval operation is provided, and the control means, when the normal mode is instructed by the mode command means, the transport means for performing the normal retrieval operation , And when the priority mode is commanded by the mode command means, the operation of the transport means is controlled so as to execute the priority entry / exit work.

Therefore, according to the command content of the mode command means,
It is possible to select a state in which the normal warehousing operation is performed and a state in which the priority warehousing operation is performed.For example, when it is better to perform the normal warehousing operation based on the setting information by the setting unit, For example, when it is better to execute the priority entry / exit work, it is possible to use differently according to the work situation at that time, and to provide an easy-to-use article storage facility.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the transport means is provided with a traveling vehicle movable along a moving path along the storage shelf, and is provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to the traveling vehicle. An article transfer device capable of transferring articles between each of the storage sections and each of the article carry-in / out sections and the self, and the plurality of article carry-in / out sections are provided on both sides of a traveling path of the traveling cart. The control means is provided so as to be distributed in a state where a plurality of articles are present at each end, and the control means is configured to manage a plurality of article carrying-in / out sections provided on one side of the moving path as one group.

[0013] The transport means moves the traveling cart along a moving path along the storage shelf, and uses the article transfer device provided to be able to move up and down with respect to the traveling cart to carry out each of the storage sections and each article. An article loading / unloading operation is performed for the entrance. Such a configuration is capable of reliably carrying in and out work while supporting a load with a traveling vehicle that travels on a road surface even for a relatively large-sized article. Since a plurality of article loading / unloading sections provided at both end portions of the traveling route of the traveling vehicle and distributed on one side of the traveling route are managed as one group, the setting is performed by the setting unit. When the work is performed in the order in which the work is performed, the work may be performed by moving to the article carrying-in / out section provided on the other side of the moving route, and the efficiency of the carrying work may be reduced. However, by carrying out the above-mentioned priority entry / exit work, the article carrying-in / out sections provided on one side of the moving route are managed as one group. For example, by reducing the traveling amount of the traveling vehicle, It is possible to improve the efficiency of the transport operation as compared with the case where only the loading / unloading operation is performed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the storage shelves are provided on both sides of the traveling route of the traveling vehicle in parallel with each other, so that only one side of the traveling route is provided. Compared with a configuration in which storage shelves are provided, it is possible to increase the storage amount of articles and increase storage efficiency without increasing the number of transporting units.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An article storage facility according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this article storage facility, as shown in FIG. 1, a storage shelf 2 having a plurality of storage sections 1 for storing articles in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction is disposed in a state where the entrance and exit sides of an article A face each other. It is configured. An upper rail 3 and a lower rail 4 are arranged between the storage shelves 2 facing each other along the width direction of the storage shelves 2 and move along both rails 3 and 4, and the articles are moved. A stacker crane 5 is provided as transfer means for transferring the A.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stacker crane 5 has a traveling vehicle 6 traveling on the lower rail 4, a pair of guide frames 7 erected on the traveling vehicle 6, and a pair of guides. It is composed of an elevating table 8 which can be vertically moved along a frame 7 and the like, and the elevating table 8 is provided with a fork device 9 as an article transfer device for transferring an article A by expanding and contracting. ing.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the width direction of the storage shelf 2, that is, at both ends of the traveling route of the traveling vehicle 6,
In a state where the traveling path of the traveling vehicle 6 is sandwiched, the transfer devices 10R and 10L for carrying in articles and the transfer devices 11R and 1R for carrying out articles are placed.
Each of the transfer devices 10R, 10L, and 11R is provided when the stacker crane 5 is reciprocated by the traveling carriage 6, the up-and-down elevator 8 is moved up and down, and the fork device 9 is extended and retracted. , 11L and the respective storage sections 1 of the storage shelf 2 are configured to transport and transfer the articles A one by one for each pallet P. Each of the transfer devices 10R, 10L, 11R, and 11L constitutes a plurality of article carrying-in / out sections B. For the transfer devices 10R and 10L for carrying in the articles, respectively, the carry-in conveyors 12R and 1 as carry-in lines for carrying the goods A together with the pallets P onto the transfer devices 10R and 10L.
2L are provided respectively. This loading conveyor 12R,
Reference numeral 12L denotes a roller conveyor serving as a loading conveyor for mounting and transporting the articles A together with the pallets P. The unloading conveyors 13R and 13L also include roller conveyors for the article unloading transfer devices 11R and 11L. , Are arranged in parallel with the carry-in conveyors 12R and 12L.
At the starting end of the 2R, 12L in the transport direction, a photoelectric presence detector 14 for detecting whether or not the article A is present is provided. Then, the starting ends of the transporting conveyors 12R and 12L in the transport direction, in other words, the transporting conveyors 13R and 13L.
A self-propelled carriage 16 configured to be self-propelled along the rail 15 is disposed at the end side in the conveyance direction, and conveys the article A supplied from the outside together with the pallet P, and carries in the conveyer 12R, The pallet P receives the articles A supplied to the starting end of the 12L in the transport direction or transported by the unloading conveyors 13R and 13L together with the pallets P, and transports the pallets P to an unillustrated unloading point.

Although not particularly shown, the transfer device 10 for carrying in articles is also provided with a presence detector, and in addition, the transfer devices 11R and 11L for carrying out goods, and the carry-out conveyor 13 are provided.
R, 13L, etc. are provided with a presence detector as appropriate, and a detector for detecting the presence of the self-propelled truck 16 is provided near the rail 15 of the self-propelled truck 16.

A plurality of pairs of storage shelves 2 and carry-in / out conveyors having the above-described construction are arranged in parallel with each other, and control means for controlling the operation of each stacker crane 5 for each pair. A transfer control device H is provided,
Each transport control device H is communicably connected to a management control device H1 that controls and manages the operation of the entire article storage facility.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, each transport control device H is configured to be capable of mutually optically communicating with a stacker crane control device H2 provided on the stacker crane 5, and to carry in and out of articles. Transfer devices 10R, 10
L, 11R, 11L, carry-in conveyors 12R, 12L, carry-out conveyors 13R, 13L, etc., are controlled and managed, and signals from various sensors such as a stock detector 14 are input. It is configured to function as control means for controlling the operations of the stacker crane 5, the transfer devices for loading and unloading articles, and the conveyor for loading and unloading, based on commands from the control device H1 for management. I have. The management control device H1 is provided with an operation unit 20 having a display device for instructing a work sequence and various operation contents by manual operation, and a worker operates the operation unit 20 to operate the operation unit 20. It is configured such that a work order can be set in advance, and a command to switch a control mode as described later can be issued. Accordingly, the management control device H1 performs the work order for a plurality of articles to be carried out and carried out, the storage section to work on those articles, and the article carry-in / out section B to work on those articles (the article carry-in / out section). Transfer devices 10R, 10L, 11R, 11
L), as well as functioning as setting means 100 for setting the information on the articles A stored in all the storage shelves 2 and controlling the operation of the self-propelled trolley 16 based on the information from each transport control device H. It is configured to manage.

Next, the control operation of the article storage facility by the management control device H1 and the transport control device H will be described.

First, a description will be given of the work of loading articles.
When carrying the article A into the storage shelf 2, the management control device H1 selects the storage shelf 2 in which the article A is to be stored and the storage section 1 based on a preset work order, and moves by itself. The trolley 16 is selected, and the conveyance control device H and the self-propelled trolley 16 corresponding to the selected storage shelf 2 are instructed to carry in the article A. The instructed self-propelled trolley 16 receives and transports the article A together with the pallet P at an article loading location (not shown),
The loading conveyor 12R (or 12L) corresponding to the designated storage shelf 2 is placed on the starting end in the transport direction. When the article A is placed and supplied on the carry-in conveyor 12R (12L), the presence detector 14 detects the presence of the article A, and based on the detection signal, the transport control means H immediately sends the stacker crane 5 The operation of the loading work by is started.

That is, the stacker crane 5 is moved to the side of the article transfer device 10R (or 10L), which is the article transfer location, by the traveling of the traveling cart 6, and
The lift 8 is lowered to a position suitable for scooping the article A. In the meantime, the goods A are carried in by the carry-in conveyor 12R (12L).
Transfer device 10R for carrying in the goods together with the pallet P
After being conveyed to the (10L) side and placed and supplied on the transfer device 10R (10L), the fork device 9 is extended and the lift 8
Is lifted, the article A is scooped together with the pallet P by the fork device 9, and is transferred to the lifting platform 8 side by the shortening operation of the fork device 9. The stacker crane 5 receiving the article A in this way transports the article A to the designated target storage unit 1 by the traveling movement of the traveling carriage 6 and the vertical movement of the elevating platform 8, and operates the fork device 9 to extend and retract. Thus, the article A is stored in the designated storage unit 1 together with the pallet P, and the work of loading the article A is completed, and the end of the work is input to the management control device H1 via the transport control device H.

Next, a description will be given of an article unloading operation.
When unloading the article A from the storage shelf 2, the control device H1 controls the storage shelf 2 and the storage unit 1 where the article A to be unloaded is stored, and the transfer device (11) to be unloaded.
R or 11L) and the self-propelled carriage 16 are selected, and the transport control device H corresponding to the selected storage shelf 2 is selected.
And commanding the self-propelled carriage 16 to carry out the article A. The instructed transport control device H controls the operation of the stacker crane 5 to convey the article A together with the pallet P from the designated storage section 1 and convey the article, in the reverse of the preceding loading operation. On the transfer device 11R (or 11L). Thereafter, the article A is transferred to the unloading conveyor 13R (or 13R).
L), is transported to the terminal end in the unloading direction, where it is transferred onto the self-propelled trolley 16, transported by the self-propelled trolley 16 to an article unloading location (not shown), and the end of the unloading operation is input to the management control device H1. Is done.

The transfer control device H controls the operation of the stacker crane 5 to execute the normal loading / unloading operation in which the loading / unloading operation is sequentially performed in a previously set operation order, as described below. The operation mode is configured to be freely switchable between a state in which the operation of the stacker crane 5 is controlled so as to execute a priority priority entry / exit operation. And
The management control device H1 is configured to perform a work order for a plurality of articles to be carried in and carried out, a storage unit to work on those articles, and work on those articles based on the instruction content in the operation unit 20. Article loading / unloading section B (transferring devices 10R, 10L, 11R for article loading / unloading,
11L), and selectively instructs the transport control device H to one of a normal mode for executing the normal entry / exit operation and a priority mode for executing the priority entry / exit operation. It is configured to be able to.
Therefore, the mode command means 101 is configured using the control device H1 for management.

The transport control device H includes a management control device H
When the normal mode is instructed by 1, the loading operation of the article and the unloading operation of the article as described above are sequentially performed in the set work order. The outgoing work will be executed. Further, the transport control device H is configured to manage the plurality of article carrying-in / out sections by grouping them in such a manner that those arranged in close proximity belong to the same group. More specifically, a pair of article carrying-in / out sections B provided on one side of the moving route are managed as one group. That is, the transfer device 10R and the transfer device 1
1R as one group, the transfer device 10L and the transfer device 1
1L is managed as one group.

Next, a description will be given of the priority entry / exit work. When an article is carried out to / from the article carry-in / out section B based on the work order set by the setting means 100, the article carry-in / out section B and When there is an article to be carried into the article carrying-in / out section B in the same group, the carrying-in work of the article in the article carrying-in / out section B may be performed in preference to the carrying-in / out work of the article in the next work order. This is a priority entry / exit operation.

The priority entry / exit operation will be described in detail. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the articles A1 stored in a predetermined storage unit 1 are set as a preset work order.
A2 and article A that carry out and carry in the article A3
4 is assumed to be carried into a predetermined storage unit 1. Then, it is assumed that the following work order is set in advance by the setting unit 100. Transfer device 1 for unloading article A1 from storage unit 1 on the left side
Delivered to 1L. The article A2 is loaded into the storage unit 1 from the right loading transfer device 10R. Transfer device 1 for unloading article A3 from storage unit 1 on the right side
Carry out to 1R The article A4 is carried into the storage section 1 from the left carrying-in transfer device 10L.

In this case, when the normal mode is instructed by the management control device H1, the above-mentioned steps (1) to (3) are executed for the article carrying-in / out section B set in that order in the normal entering / leaving operation. However, when the priority mode is instructed, the transport control device H performs an article unloading operation on the article unloading / unloading section B as follows, and the article unloading section B in the same group as the article unloading / unloading section B. When there is an article to be carried in to the apparatus, the work of carrying in the article in the article carry-in / out section B is performed with priority over the work of carrying in / out the article in the next work order. (A) The article A1 is carried out from the storage section 1 to the carrying-out transfer device 11L on the left side. (B) At this time, the left carrying-in transfer device 10L in the same group as the left carrying-out transfer device 11L includes:
Since there is an article A4 to be carried in, next, the article A4 is carried into the predetermined storage section 1 from the left carrying-in transfer device 10L. (C) Since the loading of the article A4 is completed and no article is placed on the stacker crane 5, the article A3 set as the work to be unloaded is transferred from the storage unit 1 to the right for unloading. It is carried out to the device 11R. (D) At this time, the right carrying-in transfer device 10R in the same group as the right carrying-out transfer device 11R includes:
Since there is the article A2 to be carried in, next, the article A2 is carried into the predetermined storage section 1 from the right carrying-in transfer device 10R.

By performing the transport operation in this manner,
The time required for the stacker crane 5 to move to the opposite side of the movement path can be reduced, and the work efficiency can be improved.

[Other Embodiments] (1) In the above embodiment, the state is switched between the state in which the normal entry and exit work is executed and the state in which the priority entry and exit work is executed. A form for executing the work may be used.

(2) In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the article carrying-in / out sections B are provided on both sides of the storage shelf 2 in the width direction. A plurality of carry-in / out sections B may be arranged, and an article carrying-in / out section B may be arranged at that location instead of any of the storage sections 1 located in the middle of the storage shelf 2 in the width direction. . In the case of such a configuration, for example, instead of a configuration in which a plurality of article loading / unloading units disposed on one side of the traveling route of the traveling vehicle are managed as one group as in the previous embodiment, for example, One that is located at a place where the moving route is located, or one that is located on the opposite side of the moving route across the moving route may be managed as one group.

(3) In the above embodiment, the plurality of transport control devices H as control means are communicably connected to the management control device H1 for controlling and managing the operation of the entire article storage facility. Although it is configured to be managed, the setting of the work order and the instruction of each mode described above are also performed by the management control device H1,
Without being limited to such a configuration, each of the plurality of transport control devices H executes control independently, and each transport control device H
On the other hand, the configuration may be such that the setting of the work order and the command of each mode described above are separately performed by a manual operation command or the like.

(4) In the above embodiment, the self-propelled trolley 16 is provided, and the articles A are transferred from the self-propelled trolley 16 to the conveyor 1.
2 has been shown to be supplied to the starting end in the conveying direction or to receive the article A from the unloading conveyor 13 by the self-propelled carriage 16. The present invention can also be configured so as to directly supply the articles A or to receive the articles A directly from the unloading conveyor 13.

(5) In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the carry-in conveyor 12 as a carry-in line is configured by a roller conveyor, and the article A is placed on the roller conveyor and transported. In addition to the roller conveyor, a chain conveyor can be used as the placing conveyor for placing and transporting the articles A, and a transfer apparatus 1 for loading articles.
It is also possible to constitute a plate-like body inclined to the 0 side, and to convey the article A to the transfer device 10 by sliding the article A by the gravity of the article A. Further, in place of the above-mentioned loading conveyor, a self-propelled truck that carries the article A and reciprocates may be provided, and the carriage may constitute a carry-in line.

(6) In the above embodiment, the stacker crane 5 is provided with one fork device 9 as an article transfer device as a transport means for carrying in and out of the article A. However, one stacker is used. Fork device 9 for crane 5
May be provided. Further, the transporting means may be constituted by something other than the so-called stacker crane 5 having the traveling carriage 6 and the elevating platform 8. For example, a rail extending to the side of the article loading / unloading transfer devices 10 and 11 including the entire width of the storage shelf 2 in the lateral width direction is configured to be able to move up and down over the entire length of the storage shelf 2 in the vertical direction. A transporting means may be configured by providing a fork device 9 as an example of an article transfer device on a movable body movable along a rail.

(7) In the above embodiment, the storage shelf is
Although it is configured such that one pair is provided in a side-by-side state and located on both sides of the traveling path of the traveling vehicle, the invention is not limited to such a configuration, and a configuration in which only one line is provided on one side of the traveling path may be used, Instead of a configuration having a plurality of storage sections 1 for storing articles in the direction, a configuration having a row of storage sections in the vertical direction or a row in the horizontal direction may be employed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view.

FIG. 2 is an overall plan view

FIG. 3 is a control block diagram.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a work order;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Storage part 2 Storage shelf 5 Transport means 6 Traveling trolley 9 Article transfer apparatus 100 Setting means 101 Mode command means B Article carrying-in / out part H control means

Claims (4)

[Claims] A storage shelf provided with a plurality of storage sections for storing articles, a plurality of article loading / unloading sections for loading / unloading articles, a plurality of storage sections, and a plurality of article loading / unloading sections. Transport means for performing an article loading / unloading operation between the articles, setting means for setting a work order for a plurality of articles to be loaded / unloaded, and an article loading / unloading section to be operated on the articles, and setting of the setting means An article storage facility provided with control means for controlling the operation of the transport means based on information, wherein the control means causes the plurality of article carry-in / out sections to be placed in proximity to each other and belong to the same group. When carrying out the work of unloading articles to and from the article loading / unloading section based on the work order, articles are loaded and unloaded in the same group as the article loading / unloading section. If there is an article to be carried into the unit, the transport operation is performed to execute a priority entry / exit operation in which the entry / exit operation of the article in the article entry / exit unit is performed prior to the import / export operation of the article in the next operation order. An article storage facility configured to control operation of the means. 2. A command is issued for a normal mode for executing a normal loading / unloading operation for sequentially carrying out the loading / unloading operation of articles in a work order preset by the setting means, and a priority mode for executing the priority loading / unloading operation. A mode instructing means for controlling the operation of the transport means to execute the normal loading / unloading operation when the normal mode is instructed by the mode instructing means; and 2. The article storage facility according to claim 1, wherein when the priority mode is commanded by the command means, the operation of the transport means is controlled to execute the priority entry / exit work. 3. The transporting means is provided with a traveling vehicle movable along a moving path along the storage shelf, and is provided so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the traveling vehicle. And an article transfer device capable of transferring articles between the entry section and the self section, wherein the plurality of article carry-in / out sections are distributed in a state where a plurality of article carry-in / out sections are present at each of both end portions on the movement path of the traveling vehicle. 3. The article storage facility according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to manage a plurality of article carrying-in / out sections provided on one side of the movement route as one group. 4. 4. The article storage facility according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of said storage shelves are provided in a state of being arranged side by side on both sides of a moving path of said traveling cart.