JP2002068406A - Double storage preventing device for automated storage and retrieving warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent damage of a cargo and a transfer device due to double storage by exactly detecting the cargo when the cargo is left in a storing part to be a storing destination. SOLUTION: A pair of guide frames 26 are fixed to both sides across a mounting part 36 of a transfer table 8. An intermediate frame and movable arms 28 advancing toward a shelf 3 are mounted on the guide frames 26. Pickers 38 for pushing/pulling the cargo W are rotatably mounted at both ends of each movable arm 28. A transmission type sensor 39 constituted of a light projecting part and a light receiving part is arranged at both ends of the movable arms 28. When the movable arms 28 enter the shelf 3, the existence of the cargo W' can be exactly detected since light receiving on the light receiving part of the sensor 39 is interrupted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a double storage prevention device for an automatic warehouse.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are various types of automatic warehouses. In general, a stacker crane system in which a transfer table (lift) is provided on a column (mast) running along the front of the hangar so as to be movable up and down, and a hangar are generally used. The trolley system in which a transfer trolley is arranged for each shelf stage is widely used.

[0003] In any case, the storage state of which luggage is stored in which storage unit is stored in the control device, and the luggage is controlled to be stored in an empty storage unit.
However, for various reasons, luggage may remain in the storage unit stored as empty, or the storage unit storing the luggage as being stored may be specified as the storage destination.

[0004] Therefore, when storing the luggage, it is necessary to detect whether or not the luggage is present in the storage section at the storage destination to prevent double storage.

Conventionally, a reflection-type sensor using infrared rays or ultrasonic waves has been used as this baggage detection means, and this reflection-type sensor has been fixed to a portion of a stacker crane or a truck near a hangar. That is, in this method, when storing the luggage, a signal is emitted toward the hangar, and the presence or absence of the luggage is detected from the presence or absence of the signal from the front of the luggage.

[0006]

However, in an automatic warehouse, a method of storing luggage in a synthetic resin or metal container and storing the luggage in a hangar is now mainstream. In this case, the container receives a signal from a sensor. The sensor accurately detected the presence of the container without malfunctioning, preventing double storage.

However, recently, automatic warehouses mainly store luggage such as cardboard boxes and wooden boxes in their packed form, and the surface condition and size of the luggage are variously different. Therefore, in the conventional detection method that uses signal reflection from the front of the baggage, if the surface of the baggage is difficult to reflect the signal or if the baggage is placed on the back of the shelf, However, there is a problem that a detection error occurs without being accurately reflected from the front of the baggage and the baggage and the transfer device are easily damaged due to double storage.

It is a technical object of the present invention to improve this problem.

[0009]

Generally, an automatic warehouse includes a hangar for storing a large number of packages and a transfer device for loading and unloading the packages in and out of the hangar. The movable arm is provided with a movable arm which can freely enter and retreat, and the movable arm is provided with a picker for pushing and pulling a load by moving the movable arm forward and backward.

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a sensor for detecting whether or not there is luggage in the hangar when moving forward to the hangar is provided at the end of the movable arm.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the pair of movable arms are disposed on both sides of the transfer device with the luggage mounting portion therebetween, and the sensor is of a transmission type including a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion. There is a light projecting unit at the end of one movable arm, and a light receiving unit at the end of the other movable arm, facing each other.

[0012]

According to the present invention, the sensor can be brought close to the baggage, so that the baggage can be accurately detected irrespective of the surface condition of the baggage and the position where the baggage is placed. For this reason, double storage accidents can be prevented or significantly reduced.

In particular, when a transmission type sensor is used as described in claim 2, since the presence or absence of the baggage can be accurately detected by blocking the signal with the baggage, the performance of detecting the baggage can be further improved. .

[0014]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(1) First Embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 6) FIGS. 1 to 6 show a first embodiment (main embodiment), of which FIG. 1 schematically shows an automatic warehouse. I have.
That is, the automatic warehouse according to the present embodiment includes a pair of hangars 1 arranged opposite to each other, and both hangars 1 as an example of a transfer device.
And a stacker crane 2 movably arranged in a passage between the two.

In the following description, the traveling direction of the stacker crane 2 is referred to as the front-back direction, and the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction is referred to as the left-right direction.

The hangar 1 is made up of multi-stage shelves (flat shelves) 3 on which a large number of loads W can be placed.
The shelf 3 is supported by a number of columns (not shown).
The hangar 1 can store luggage W of various sizes. In this case, the luggage W is divided into several groups according to the size (particularly, the width dimension in the frontage direction), and the luggage W of the same group is divided.
Are set to be stored in the same area.

The stacker crane 2 includes a base 5 which is long on a ground rail 4 installed on the floor and which is long in a plan view.
Masts (columns, supports) standing near the front and rear ends
6, an upper connection frame 7 connected to upper ends of both masts 6, and a transfer table (lift) 8 attached to both masts 6 so as to be able to move up and down.

The base 5 has a pair of front and rear running wheels 9 that roll on the upper surface of the ground rail 4, guide rollers (not shown) that contact the side surfaces of the ground rail 4, a motor 10 for driving the running wheels 9, A motor 11 for raising and lowering the transfer table 8; Although not shown, one mast 6 is provided with a ladder for maintenance or the like.

The upper connecting frame 7 is provided with a pair of front and rear guide rollers 13 that roll on the side surface of the top rail 12. The top rail 12 is fixed to an aggregate (not shown) constituting the hangar 1 or a ceiling surface.

Main sprockets 14 and 15 rotating around an axis extending in the running direction of the base 5 are attached to opposing portions of the upper end and the lower end of the masts 6, and a bracket 16 fixed to the lower ends of the masts 6. The first and second idle sprockets 17 and 18 are pivotally supported, and a chain 19 for raising and lowering is wound around these sprocket groups, and both chains 19 are fixed to the main frame 20 of the transfer table 8.

The two first idle sprockets 17 are connected by a drive shaft 21. The drive shaft 21 is driven by a motor 11 with a speed reducer to raise and lower the transfer table 8 to an arbitrary height. Can be.

Next, the structure of the transfer table 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG.

Brackets 23 are fixed to the front and rear ends of the main frame 20 of the transfer table 8.
A number of guide rollers 24 are provided to guide the ascending and descending. A pair of left and right ridges 6a is provided on the opposing surfaces of both masts 6 so as to extend over the entire length. Shake is prevented.

A sub-frame 25 is fixed to the upper surface of the main frame 20, and a pair of front and rear guide frames 26 extending in the left-right direction are fixed to portions near the front and rear ends of the sub-frame 25. As shown in FIG. 3, both guide frames 26 are formed in a U-shape in a side view that opens in opposite directions, and an intermediate frame 27 and a movable arm 28 are arranged inside the guide frame 26. ing.

The intermediate frame 27 is guided by a plurality of guide rollers 29 so as to be movable left and right.
The movable arm 28 is attached to the intermediate frame 27 by a number of guide rollers 30 so as to be movable left and right.

At the lower end of the intermediate frame 27, a rack 31 extending in the left-right direction (a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 3) is fixed, and a pinion gear 32 is meshed with the rack 31 from below. A spline shaft 33 is fitted to the two pinion gears 32, and the spline shaft 33
It is driven by a motor 34 (see FIG. 2) provided at one end of the sub-frame 25.

Although the details are not shown in the figure, the intermediate frame 27 and the movable arm 28 are connected via a chain, and the movable arm 28 moves in the same direction as the intermediate frame 27 at a distance twice as long ( The moving mechanism of the movable arm 28 is substantially the same as, for example, JP-A-10-120116.

On the lower surface of the front / rear guide frame 26, a support plate 35 on which a load W is placed is fixed. Therefore,
The portion of the support plate 35 becomes the placement portion 36 for the load W. Also,
Although details are not shown, one of the guide frames 26 is configured to be movable toward the other guide frame 26 so that luggage W having different widths can be handled. Therefore, the support plates 35 partially overlap.

As shown in FIG. 4, rolls 37 are disposed on the left and right sides of the support plate 35 in order to smoothly transfer the load W between the mounting portion 36 and the shelf 3.

At the positions near the left and right ends of the movable arm 28,
A plate-like picker 38 is mounted so as to be horizontally rotatable. The picker 38 can be freely changed between a posture in which the picker 38 enters the inside of the movable arm 28 and a posture extending across the mounting portion 36 by a driving mechanism (not shown) such as an electromagnetic solenoid.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, transmission sensors 39 are provided on the lower surfaces of the left and right ends of one movable arm 28 and the lower surfaces of the left and right ends of the other movable arm 28. One of the pair of transmission sensors 39 is a light emitting unit (transmitting unit), and the other is a light receiving unit (receiving unit).

The sensor 39 does not need to be provided on the lower surface of the movable arm 28, and may be provided at another portion of the end of the movable arm 28 as long as it does not interfere with the picker 38. The type of the transmission sensor is not limited, and various types such as those using visible light, those using non-visible light, and those using ultrasonic waves can be used.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the schematic plan views of FIGS. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the luggage W is being stored on the shelf 3, and the luggage W is a pair of pickers 38.
And is moved toward the shelf 3. This figure shows a case where the baggage having the largest depth dimension is handled.

When the luggage W is stored as described above and the luggage W 'remains on the shelf 3 for some reason, the light detected by the transmission type sensor 39 is blocked by the luggage W', so that the light to the light receiving section is reduced. Is blocked and a signal indicating that there is luggage is input to the control device, and the forward movement of the movable arm 28 is immediately stopped based on the signal.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the picker 38 on the side that has entered the shelf 3 is horizontally rotated, and then the movable arm 28 is retracted, so that the load W is returned to the transfer table 8, and Perform the following procedure.

As a post-treatment, for example, the luggage W of the transfer table 8 is stored in a temporary storage section (not shown) or another empty storage section, and the remaining luggage W 'is transferred to the transfer table. Take out at 8 to find out what was left behind and why.
After carrying out or restoring the package, the data in the storage state may be corrected.

As described above, the detection signal of the transmission type sensor 39 is blocked by the load W ', so that the load W'
Is detected, it is possible to accurately detect whether or not the luggage W 'remains, irrespective of the state of the surface or the placement position of the luggage W'. When handling transparent luggage, a transmissive sensor of a type in which a signal is blocked by a transparent body may be used.

(2). Other Embodiments (FIGS. 7 to 7) FIGS. 7A and 7B show a second embodiment using the reflection type sensor 39. FIG. 7A is a schematic plan view, and FIG. It is a BB view of A).

In this embodiment, one movable arm 28
Is provided with a reflection sensor 41 in which a transmitting section and a receiving section are incorporated, and a reflection member 42 for efficiently reflecting a signal (light) is provided at the end of the other movable arm 28.
In the case of this embodiment, since the signal light is strongly reflected by the reflecting member 42, the reception error of the signal light can be prevented, and the presence or absence of the baggage can be accurately detected.

In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a transmission sensor 39 is provided on a bracket 43 projecting from an end of the movable arm 28. With this configuration, it is possible to quickly detect when the luggage remains on the shelf 3, so that even if the depth of the luggage placed on the transfer table 8 is large, a sufficient rotation space for the picker 38 can be secured. There are advantages.

It is also possible to configure the bracket 43 to move forward and backward by an electromagnetic solenoid or the like, so that the transmission sensor 39 moves forward when the movable arm 28 moves forward.

In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 9, in addition to the provision of the transmission type sensor 39 as in the first embodiment, a contact type sensor 44 is provided at the ends of both movable arms 28. The contact 45 of the contact type sensor 44 does not interfere with the load W placed on the transfer table 8 and the movable arm 2
8 is arranged in front of the traveling direction.

According to the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the luggage W 'remaining on the shelf 3 is placed in a state where the width of the luggage W' is larger than the distance between the front and rear movable arms 28 or the luggage W 'is laterally shifted on the shelf 3. Even if the baggage W 'has been
9, the movable arm 28
Can be prevented from colliding with the load W 'on the shelf 3.

The forward movement of the movable arm 28 is set to stop before the contact 45 of the contact sensor 44 moves completely. The transmission sensor 39 and the contact sensor 44 may be integrated. In addition, contact type sensor 4
Instead of 4, a reflection type sensor that detects the presence or absence of the baggage by reflecting a signal from the front surface of the baggage may be provided (in this case, it is preferable to use together with the transmission type sensor 39).

(3). Others The present invention can be variously embodied in addition to the above embodiment.

For example, the picker is not limited to the horizontal rotation type, but may be configured to rotate about an axis extending in the traveling direction of the movable arm. Further, the form of the picker is not limited to a plate shape, but may be a rod shape or the like.

Further, the shape of the movable arm, the drive mechanism, and the like can be variously changed. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the stacker crane type automatic warehouse, such as a bogie type automatic warehouse,
It can be widely applied to automatic traveling with a movable arm.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic warehouse according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of a transfer table.

FIG. 3 is a III-III view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an IV-IV view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a fourth embodiment.

[Brief description of reference numerals]

 W, W 'Luggage 1 Hangar 2 Stacker crane 3 Shelf 5 Base 6 Mast 8 Transfer table 19 Chain for elevating 25 Subframe 26 Guide frame 28 Movable arm 36 Placement section 38 Picker 39 Transmission sensor

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A hangar for storing a large number of luggage, and a transfer device for loading and unloading luggage in and out of the hangar, wherein the transfer device is provided with a movable arm which can enter and retract within the hangar. In an automatic warehouse in which the movable arm is provided with a picker for pushing and pulling the luggage by moving the movable arm forward and backward, at the end of the movable arm, whether there is luggage in the hangar when moving forward to the hangar. A double storage prevention device for automatic warehouses equipped with a sensor that detects whether or not the storage is complete. 2. A transfer device, wherein a pair of movable arms are arranged on both sides of a luggage placing portion, and the sensor is a transmission type including a light projecting portion and a light receiving portion. 2. The double storage prevention apparatus for an automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein a light projecting unit is arranged at an end of the arm and a light receiving unit is arranged at an end of the other movable arm so as to face each other.