JP2002160806A - Commodity storage facility - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the efficiency of object discharging works while complication of the device constitution is avoided. SOLUTION: Commodity storage facility is composed of commodity storage part 10 consisting of racks 1 where a plurality of commodity storage parts admitting storage of commodities in line in the depth direction are arranged in line and a conveying device 2 to convey the objects to a load handling part LT, wherein an incoming/outgoing control part DB stores the object existence information in each storage position of each commodity storage part 10, and a transfer device 3 of the conveying device 2 makes in-lump transfer operation to apply to all commodity storage positions arranged in line in the depth direction in the commodity storage part 10 and partial transfer operation to apply to part of the commodities, while a conveyance control device TC changes over the in-lump transfer operation and partial transfer operation on the basis of the given object existence information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article storage shelf constituted by arranging article storage sections capable of arranging a plurality of articles in the depth direction and to deliver articles to and from the article storage shelf. A cargo handling unit for, an article transport device that transports articles between the cargo handling unit and the article storage unit, and a transport control device that controls the article transport device are provided. The present invention relates to an article storage facility provided with a transfer device for transferring articles to and from the article storage section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Such an article storage facility is capable of efficiently storing and storing a large number of articles, and is used in various industries. Many of the article storage shelves for storing articles are of a type in which only one article is stored in each of the article storage sections constituting the article storage shelves, but in order to more efficiently store articles in a narrow installation area. There is a type in which each article storage unit can store a plurality of articles arranged in the depth direction, and is particularly useful in applications where the installation space is limited, such as a refrigerated (frozen) warehouse. Conventionally, a transfer device provided in an article transport apparatus for loading and unloading articles in order to store the articles in an article storage shelf of the type has conventionally been used in a case where only one article is stored in each article storage unit. The loading device is diverted as it is, and articles are collectively transferred at all article storage positions arranged in the depth direction in each article storage section. For example, taking a slide fork type transfer apparatus as an example, the width of the uppermost surface on which articles are placed in the transfer direction is increased to a width that allows a plurality of articles to be transferred collectively to be placed side by side. Thus, the transfer operation is performed in exactly the same manner as when only one article is transferred.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, even if it is desired to take out only a part of a plurality of articles stored in a certain article storage section, the articles are stored in the article storage section. It is necessary to perform a process such as once taking out all of the existing articles to the cargo handling section, taking out some of the articles originally intended to be taken out to the outside at the cargo handling section, and putting the remaining articles back into the article storage shelf. There is an inconvenience of lowering the outgoing work efficiency. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to improve the outgoing work efficiency while avoiding a complicated device configuration.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article storage shelf configured by arranging an article storage section capable of arranging a plurality of articles in a depth direction and storing the articles, and the article storage shelf. A cargo handling unit for delivering articles to and from the warehouse, an article transporting device that transports articles between the handling unit and the article storage unit, and a transport control device that controls the article transporting device; Is provided, and in the article storage facility, the article transporting apparatus is provided with a transfer device for transferring articles to and from the article storage unit. An entry / exit management unit for storing information is provided, and the transfer device performs a batch transfer operation for collectively transferring articles in all the article storage positions arranged in the depth direction in the article storage unit. And some A partial transfer operation for transferring an article to an article storage position is configured to be executable, and the transfer control device performs the batch transfer operation based on the article presence / absence information of the entry / exit management unit. It is configured to switch between the partial transfer operation.

[0005] That is, a transfer device provided in an article transport apparatus for transporting articles between each article storage section and the cargo handling section for loading and unloading articles is performed as a transfer operation to each article storage section. Executes not only the batch transfer operation for transferring goods collectively for all the article storage positions arranged in the depth direction but also the partial transfer operation for transferring goods for some of the article storage positions. It is possible. Therefore, when the articles are arranged and stored at the respective article storage positions of a certain article storage section, only some of the articles are moved from the article storage section to the article transport device side by the partial transfer operation. It is possible to transfer to and leave the warehouse.

[0006] Whether the articles are transferred by the batch transfer operation or the articles are transferred by the partial transfer operation is determined by the presence / absence of the articles stored in the entry / exit management section for article entry / exit management. Using the information, the switching is performed based on the article presence / absence information at each article storage position of the article storage unit stored in the entry / exit management unit, so that, for example, the presence or absence of an article at each article storage position of the article storage unit is detected. The configuration can be simplified as compared with a configuration in which a sensor for performing a batch transfer operation and a partial transfer operation are switched based on the detection information of the sensor.

[0007] With the above configuration, the handling section can hold the articles at a set holding position in a state where the articles are arranged in a line in a row corresponding to the article storage position of the article storage section. The transfer device is configured such that, in the load handling unit, a batch transfer operation for a load handling unit that collectively transfers articles for all of the set holding positions arranged in series, And a partial transfer operation for the cargo handling unit that transfers the articles to the set holding position, and is configured to be executable.
The transport control device is configured to switch between the batch transfer operation for the handling unit and the partial transfer operation for the handling unit based on the article presence / absence information of the entry / exit management unit.

[0008] That is, also in the handling section, the arrangement state of the articles to be transferred is made to correspond to the arrangement state of the articles in the article storage section so as to transfer the articles to and from the article transport device. The transfer operation of the loading device is also switched between the batch transfer operation for the handling unit and the partial transfer operation for the handling unit in the same way as for the article storage unit. The stored article existence information is used. Therefore, it is possible to perform more flexible processing for loading and unloading articles. For example, an article to be stored in the cargo handling unit is carried in, and the carried-in article is located at all of the set holding positions arranged in a line in the cargo handling unit. Even in the case of the transfer operation, if the article presence / absence information stored in the entry / exit management unit indicates that the articles cannot be collectively stored, the cargo is handled. The transfer can be performed by switching from the batch transfer operation for the loading section to the partial transfer operation for the cargo handling section, and can be sorted to a partially empty article storage section to store the articles.

In addition, with the configuration according to the third aspect, the data output unit that outputs the article presence / absence information of the entry / exit management unit or the article carry-in position instruction information generated based on the article existence / absence information is provided. Is provided. Therefore,
From the data output unit to the external equipment such as a conveyor that loads the goods to be stored in the handling unit, the goods presence / absence information of the entry / exit management unit is left as it is, or based on the presence / absence information, the goods are transferred to any position in the handling unit By generating and outputting the article carry-in position instruction information indicating whether or not the article should be delivered, the convenience of article transfer between the cargo handling unit and the article transport apparatus and between the article transport apparatus and the article storage shelf is considered in advance. Thus, the article can be carried into the cargo handling section. That is, even in the case of a transfer device of a type in which once a product is skimmed, such as a slide fork type transfer device, the item cannot be moved on the transfer device, the situation of the article existence information is considered. Then, by carrying the article to an appropriate position in advance, it is possible to obtain the same effect as having a mechanism for moving the article on the transfer device.

[0010] With the above configuration, the transport control device may be configured such that the number of articles stored in the article storage section is larger than the number of the article storage positions arranged in series in the article storage section. When the number of articles is small, the articles are stored in a state of being arranged close to the back side. Therefore, it is possible to store the subsequent article in front of the previously stored article, and even if the case of storing frequently occurs due to the partial transfer operation, the respective article storage positions of the article storage section are effective. , It is possible to suppress a decrease in storage efficiency of articles.

Further, with the configuration according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the transport control device may be configured such that the number of articles stored in the article storage section is larger than the number of article storage positions arranged in a line in the article storage section. When the number is small, the articles are preferentially stored in the article storage sections in which the articles are present in some of the article storage positions, rather than in the article storage sections in which the articles are not present in all the article storage positions. It is configured as follows. Therefore, while efficiently using the empty article storage position and securing the article storage section in which nothing is stored, the articles to be stored in all the article storage positions of the article storage section are loaded into the cargo handling section. In this case, not only can the goods be stored smoothly, but also a temporary table for transferring stored articles can be secured.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the number of articles stored in the article storage section is smaller than the number of the article storage positions arranged in series in the article storage section, In addition, it is configured to store the articles in a state where they are arranged close to the existing side of the transfer device. That is, if the articles are stored in the article storage position on the near side after the articles are stored in the article storage position on the back side of the article storage section, the storage efficiency is good, but when the articles on the back side are taken out, the articles are stored in the front. It is necessary to perform an operation to temporarily evacuate the article on the side to a temporary storage table or the like, which will take time for unloading work, but as described above, the article is brought to the existence side of the article transfer device, and By storing in a state where there is a vacant article storage position, it is possible to quickly perform a leaving process.

[0013] With the above configuration, the transport control device may be configured such that the number of articles stored in the article storage section is larger than the number of article storage positions arranged in a line in the article storage section. When the number is small, it is possible to switch between a storage efficiency priority mode in which articles are stored in a state of being arranged close to the back side and a delivery efficiency priority mode in which articles are stored in a state of being arranged close to the existing side of the transfer device. It is configured. That is, in the storage efficiency priority mode, the storage efficiency may be improved, but the outgoing work efficiency may be reduced. On the other hand, in the retrieval efficiency priority mode, the retrieval efficiency may be improved, but the storage efficiency may be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to switch between the storage efficiency priority mode and the retrieval efficiency priority mode so that the optimum mode can be selected according to the use condition of the article storage facility.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the article storage facility of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The article storage facility SS of the present embodiment handles an article on which various frozen foods or the like are placed on a pallet as an article L to be stored. Although not shown, the entire facility is installed in a freezer warehouse. As shown in FIG. 1 which is a plan view, the article storage facility SS has an article storage shelf 1, a cargo handling section LT for delivering and receiving articles L to and from the article storage shelf 1, and a cargo handling section LT. Part L
A stacker crane 2 as an article transport device for transporting articles between T and each article storage unit 10 of the article storage shelf 1 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article storage shelves 1 are arranged in pairs on both sides of the moving path of the stacker crane 2, and each of the article storage shelves 1 stores two articles L in the depth direction. The article storage units 10 that can be stored side by side are arranged vertically and horizontally as shown in FIG. Each article storage unit 10
It is constituted by attaching a pair of arms 10a for supporting the lower surface of the article L from the left and right to the column 10b via a support member, and each article storage position is indicated by the article L indicated by a two-dot chain line.

The loading / unloading section LT is provided with a loading / unloading conveyor 30 for loading / unloading articles L into / from the article storage facility SS.
An incoming conveyor 11 and an outgoing conveyor 12 that are branched in a state where the transport directions are orthogonal to each other are provided. Receiving conveyor 1
1 and the unloading conveyor 12 are arranged in two rows so as to transport the articles L in two rows, and the interval between the two transport rows coincides with the arrangement interval of the article storage positions in the article storage unit 10. ing. A lifter 14 that lifts the articles L to transfer the articles L between the handling section LT and a transfer device 3 of the stacker crane 2 described below is provided at each end of the article receiving shelf 1 of the receiving conveyor 11 at each end. The lifter 15 is provided for each row, and similarly, the lifter 15 having the same configuration is provided for each transport row in the delivery conveyor 12.

The two lifters 14 provided on each of the two rows of the receiving conveyors 11 and the two lifters 15 provided on each of the two rows of the outgoing conveyors 12 have a positional relationship in the arrangement direction in the article storage section. 10, the cargo handling part LT is configured to be able to be held at a set holding position where the articles L are lined up in series in correspondence with the article storage position of the article storage part 10. I have. In the following, for convenience of explanation, of the lifters 14 of the storage conveyor 11, the lifter 14 on the side farther from the transfer device 3 is the first storage lifter 14 a, and the lifter 14 on the closer side is the second storage lifter 14 b.
, And the lifter 15 on the side farther from the transfer device 3 among the lifters 15 of the delivery conveyor 12 is referred to as a delivery first lifter 15a,
The lifter 15 on the near side may be referred to as a second delivery lifter 15b. On the other hand, a lifting conveyer 31 for transferring the articles L between the carry-in / out conveyer 30 and the incoming / outgoing conveyor 11 and the outgoing conveyer 12 is provided between the two.

The stacker crane 2 includes a truck 2a running along a guide rail 20a on the floor surface, a pair of columns 2b erected on the truck 2a, and a lifting platform 2c guided up and down by the columns 2b. The pair of pillars 2b are connected at the upper end, and the connecting portion is connected to the guide rail 20 on the ceiling side.
Guided at b. The elevating table 2c is provided with a slide fork type transfer device 3 for transferring the articles L to and from the article storage unit 10, and as shown in FIG. Two articles L can be placed along the transfer direction. As for the stroke of the transfer device 3 (stroke of the primary fork), the amount of movement required to position the two articles L to be loaded at the two article storage positions of the article storage section 10 is secured.

The transfer operation of the transfer device 3 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. In the transfer device 3, the primary fork 3a and the secondary fork 3b are interlocked from the state where the primary fork 3a and the secondary fork 3b shown in FIG. Store shelves 1 on both sides
Protrudes in the direction. The protruding posture of the primary fork 3a and the secondary fork 3b may be different from the primary fork as shown in FIG. 4B because the article storage unit 10 can store two articles L in the depth direction as described above. 4A, the positions of the two articles L on the primary fork 3a coincide with the two article storage positions in the article storage section 10 in plan view, and the primary fork 3a as shown in FIG. Fork 3
The position of the article L located on the front end side in the moving direction on the position a may be in a posture that matches the article storage position on the near side of the two article storage positions in the article storage unit 10 in plan view.

In the actual transfer operation, the lift 2 is moved in the protruding position shown in FIG. 4B or the protruding position shown in FIG.
c is raised or lowered to scoop the article L or the article L
Is performed, but all the article storage positions (2 in the present embodiment) arranged in the depth direction of the article storage unit 10 are performed.
The transfer operation for collectively transferring the articles L for two article storage positions) is a batch transfer operation, and the articles are for some of the article storage positions (in this embodiment, the near-side article storage positions). The transfer operation for transferring L is referred to as a partial transfer operation.

Although the above description has been made with reference to the relationship between the transfer device 3 and the article storage unit 10, the above-described transfer operation is also applied to the relationship between the transfer device 3 and the lifters 14, 15 of the handling unit LT. In the loading / unloading section LT, the transfer device 3 collectively collects all of the set holding positions (two set holding positions on two lifters in this embodiment) as a target. A transfer operation for carrying out transfer (hereinafter, referred to as a “collective transfer operation for the cargo handling section”) and a part of the set holding positions (in the present embodiment, the second storage operation on the near side as viewed from the transfer apparatus 3) A transfer operation (hereinafter, referred to as a "partial transfer operation for a cargo handling unit") for transferring an article to the lifter 14b and the setting and holding position on the unloading second lifter 15b can be performed.

Next, a control configuration of the article storage facility SS having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. Although not shown, the truck 2a and the lift 2 constituting the stacker crane 2
Each of c and the transfer device 3 is provided with a control device such as a sensor or a sequencer for controlling each operation,
Further, the storage conveyor 11, the storage conveyor 12, and the lifters 14, 15 provided in the cargo handling section LT are also provided with sensors and control devices. A transport control device TC for sending operation commands to the control devices of these devices is provided, and an entry / exit management unit DB for managing the storage status of the articles L in the respective article storage units 10 of the article storage shelf 1 is provided. ing. The entry / exit management section DB stores article existence information at each article storage position of each article storage section 10.
The transport controller TC and the carry-in / out conveyor 30 for carrying in / out the articles L to / from the article storage facility SS include a communication interface 13a as a data output unit provided in the transport controller TC, and a carry-in / out conveyor 30. It is configured to be able to communicate via the communication interface 13b provided in the communication device.

Next, the transfer control by the transfer control device TC will be described. Prior to the description of the actual operation, a mode of management of entry / exit of articles L by the transport control device TC will be schematically described. The article storage facility SS of the present embodiment includes:
The article storage sections 10 of the article storage shelves 1 are managed by being divided into a plurality of groups according to their locations (hereinafter, each section is referred to as a “zone”), and the transport control device TC The storage destination of the article L is set such that at least one empty article storage unit 10 in which the article L does not exist at the storage position is secured. This is for the purpose of utilizing the vacant article storage unit 10 for evacuating the article L as described later, and the vacant article storage unit 10 secured at each evacuation moves. . If the number of times of movement in the article storage shelf 1 increases, such as the article L which has been evacuated, the mounting position of the article L may be shifted from the regular position. A so-called centering device for positioning the article L in the storage section 10 may be provided. The zones can be set arbitrarily separately. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the zones can be divided into a zone Z1 closer to the cargo handling portion LT and a zone Z2 farther away. It should be noted that the more the zones are divided, the smaller the amount of movement of the transfer device 3 required for evacuating the articles L, but the smaller the number of articles L that can be stored.

Further, in the article storage facility SS of this embodiment, when the number of articles L stored in the article storage section 10 is smaller than the number of article storage positions arranged in a row in the article storage section 10, one piece of article L is stored. When only the articles L are to be stored, the storage efficiency priority mode in which the articles L are stored in a state of being moved to the rear side, and the articles L are stored in a state of being arranged in a state of being moved to the existing side of the transfer device 3. It is configured so that it can be set to the delivery efficiency priority mode. In the storage efficiency priority mode, it is possible to store the articles L following the article storage position on the front side, so that the number of articles L that can be stored is increased and the storage efficiency is improved. Since it is necessary to temporarily evacuate the article L on the near side to the empty article storage unit 10, extra time is required for the unloading work, and the unloading work efficiency may be reduced. On the other hand, in the retrieval efficiency priority mode, since there is no other article L obstructing the retrieval at the time of retrieval as described above, it is possible to prevent a decrease in retrieval work efficiency. Efficiency decreases.

In the present embodiment, in the storage efficiency priority mode, in order to more reliably improve the storage efficiency, the number of the articles L stored in the article storage section 10 is arranged in series in the article storage section 10. When the number of storage positions is smaller than the number of storage positions (ie, “2”) (ie, when the number is “1”), a part of the article storage units 10 in which the article L is not present in all the product storage positions is smaller. The articles are preferentially stored in the article storage unit 10 in a state where the articles L are present in the article storage positions, that is, in a state where the articles L are present in the article storage positions on the back side.

The setting of whether to operate the article storage facility SS in the storage efficiency priority mode or the retrieval efficiency priority mode is performed by a console (not shown) provided in the transport control device TC.
In addition, whether to operate in the storage efficiency priority mode or the retrieval efficiency priority mode can be set for each zone. That is, depending on the article L to be handled, it may be convenient to switch between the storage efficiency priority mode and the retrieval efficiency priority mode depending on the season. In such a case, in the transition period of the mode switching, for example, it is close to the cargo handling section LT. Flexible management, such as setting the zone Z1 to the retrieval efficiency priority mode and setting the distant zone Z2 to the storage efficiency priority mode, is possible. As described above, when the storage efficiency priority mode and the delivery efficiency priority mode are mixed depending on the zone, the transport control device TC sends the articles L to be carried in to the loading / unloading conveyor 30 in either the storage efficiency priority mode or the delivery efficiency priority mode. Requests transmission of information about whether or not to enter the warehouse.

Next, a specific control mode by the transport control device TC will be described. First, the articles L to be stored in from the loading / unloading conveyor 30 are loaded into the storage conveyor 11,
A case where the article L is stored will be described. The transfer control device TC starts the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 from the time when the lifter 14 of the storage conveyor 11 lifts the articles L to be stored. That is, first, a "storage destination discriminating process" for specifying the article storage unit 10 to be stored and specifying the operation of the transfer device 3 and the like necessary to store the article L in the storage destination is executed (step # 1). 7) If the number of articles L to be stored is two, that is, if the articles L are placed on any of the two lifters 14, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. (Step # 10), the presence / absence information at each article storage position of each article storage section 10 stored in the entry / exit management section DB is searched to determine whether there is a vacant space for entry (Step #).
11).

If two or more empty article storage sections 10 exist in any zone (step # 11), one of the article storage sections 10 is specified as a storage destination, and
The transfer device 3 specifies that a batch transfer operation should be performed in the specified article storage unit 10 and a batch transfer operation for the handling unit should be performed in the handling unit LT (step # 12). On the other hand, if there is only one or less empty article storage section 10 in any zone (step # 11), only one article L is stored and the article L is located at the back of the article storage position. The presence / absence information stored in the entry / exit management section DB is searched to determine whether or not the article storage section 10 stored in the storage section exists (step # 13). If there is the above, two of them are specified as the article storage unit 10 of the storage destination.

In this case, the two articles L existing in the handling section LT are stored twice, so that in the first transporting movement, the handling section LT is partially moved for the handling section. The articles L are scooped by the loading operation and the articles L are unloaded by the partial transfer operation in the article storage unit 10, and in the second transport operation, the articles L are scooped by the collective transfer operation for the unloading unit in the unloading unit LT. In the second article storage unit 10, a transfer operation is designated so as to unload the article L by the partial transfer operation (step # 14). On the other hand, when there is only one or less article storage units 10 in which the article storage positions on the front side are vacant, the above-described specification of the article storage unit 10 at the storage destination and designation of the transfer operation to be performed are not performed. Returning to the flowchart of FIG. However, since information related to the article presence / absence information of the article storage shelf 1 is transmitted from the transport control device TC to the carry-in / out conveyor 30 as will be described later, such a case actually occurs when some abnormality occurs. Only when it occurs.

Next, a case in which only one article L is carried into the handling section LT will be described. When the article L exists only on one of the lifters 14 of the cargo handling section LT (step # 10), processing such as identification of a storage destination is performed as follows. First, the presence / absence information stored in the entry / exit management section DB is searched, and one or two empty article storage positions exist after excluding the empty article storage section 10 to be secured in each zone. The list of the article storage units 10 to be used is listed to confirm whether or not there is a space (step # 15). If the entire article storage shelf 1 is set to the storage efficiency priority mode or the delivery efficiency priority mode, this list is executed for the entire article storage unit 10 and the storage efficiency priority mode and the delivery efficiency priority mode are set for each zone. When the modes are set and they are mixed, based on the information specifying either the storage efficiency priority mode or the delivery efficiency priority mode sent from the carry-in / out conveyor 30 in association with the articles L to be stored. Then, the process is executed for the article storage unit 10 in the zone set in the designated mode.

As described above, when the article storage unit 10 having at least one empty article storage position is listed, it is determined whether the storage efficiency priority mode or the delivery efficiency priority mode is set. The storage destination is specified and the transfer operation is specified accordingly (step # 16). That is, when the storage efficiency priority mode is set, the article storage section 10 that can store two articles L as the article storage section 10 that can be stored and the article storage section that can be stored only at the near-side article storage position. 10 is listed, any of the article storage units 10 in the state where the article L is present at the article storage position on the back side is specified as the storage destination of the article L as described above, and In the transfer operation in, a partial transfer operation is designated. At this time, the transfer operation in the loading / unloading section LT is performed when the storage destination is the article storage shelf 1 on the storage conveyor 11 side.
When a partial transfer operation for the handling section is designated for the article L on the lifter 14b, and the storage destination is the article storage shelf 1 on the delivery conveyor 12 side, the handling section for the article on the second loading lifter 14b. Specify the batch transfer operation.

If the listed article storage sections 10 are only the article storage sections 10 capable of storing two articles L, one of the article storage sections 10 is specified as a storage destination, and A batch transfer operation is designated as the transfer operation in the storage unit 10. At this time, the transfer operation in the handling section LT is performed as follows. If the storage destination is the article storage shelf 1 on the receiving conveyor 11 side, the batch transfer for the handling section is performed on the articles L on the receiving first lifter 14a. The operation is performed by the article L on the second lifter 14b.
In the case where the storage destination is the article storage shelf 1 on the delivery conveyor 12 side, the second storage operation is performed.
A batch transfer operation for the handling section is designated for the article L on the lifter 14b.

When the delivery efficiency priority mode is set, any one of the two article storage positions in which the two article storage positions are all empty among the listed article storage units 10 is stored in the storage destination. To be specified. As the transfer operation,
If the storage destination is the article storage shelf 1 on the receiving conveyor 11 side,
In the handling section LT, the partial transfer operation for the handling section is performed on the articles L on the second loading lifter 14b by the first loading lifter 1b.
A batch transfer operation for the cargo handling unit is specified for the article L on 4a, and a partial transfer operation is specified for the article storage unit 10. If the storage destination is the article storage shelf 1 on the delivery conveyor 12 side, a batch transfer operation is designated as the transfer operation in the article storage unit 10. At this time, the transfer operation at the handling unit LT is a partial transfer operation for the handling unit for the article L on the second storage lifter 14b, and the transfer operation for the article L on the first lifter 14a. A batch transfer operation for the cargo handling unit is specified, and a batch transfer operation is specified in the article storage unit 10.

If there is no article storage section 10 that can be stored in step # 15, the identification of the article storage section 10 at the storage destination and the designation of the transfer operation to be executed are not performed as described above, and the operation shown in FIG. Return to the flowchart. However, since information related to the article presence / absence information of the article storage shelf 1 is transmitted from the transport control device TC to the carry-in / out conveyor 30 as will be described later, such a case actually occurs when some abnormality occurs. Only when it occurs.

When the storage destination is specified and the transfer operation is specified as described above, the information is transferred to the stacker crane 2.
Are transmitted to the control units of the carriage 2a, the elevator 2c, and the transfer device 3 to perform the storage operation as instructed (Step # 3), and the storage information is transmitted to the carry-in / out conveyor 30 (Step # 3). Step # 4). The storage information to be sent to the carry-in / out conveyor 30 is information indicating that two or only one article L can be received at the same time based on the article presence / absence information as a result of performing the latest storage operation,
In addition, when the articles L to be carried in are smaller than the maximum number that can be accepted at the same time, information indicating which position to carry in the articles L (in this embodiment, the article L in the present embodiment).
Is information indicating which transport row should be carried in when only one is carried into the receiving conveyor 11).

As described above, by specifying the storage conveyor 11 for carrying in only one article L, for example,
The article storage unit 1 in the article storage shelf 1 on the delivery conveyor 12 side
In the case where it is necessary to store the article L in the article storage position on the back side of 0, if the article L is carried in to a transport row having the first storage lifter 14a, the article L is temporarily stored in the first storage area.
It is necessary to cause the transfer device 3 and the like to perform an operation of transferring the goods L from the lifter 14a to the receiving second lifter 14b.
The transfer operation of the articles L as described above can be avoided by notifying the carry-in / out conveyor 30 that the object L should be carried in. The information to be sent to the carry-in / out conveyor 30 is as follows:
The article presence / absence information itself of the article storage shelf 1 may be used instead of the article carry-in position indicating information generated based on the article presence / absence information as described above. In this case, the conveyance row carried in by the carry-in / out conveyor 30 side And so on. On the other hand, if an abnormality occurs and the storage destination is not specified by the “storage destination determination process” (step # 2), the transfer device 3 or the like causes the goods L on the lifter 14 of the storage conveyor 11 to be moved.
Is transferred onto the lifter 15 of the take-out conveyor 12 (step # 5) and discharged to the carry-in / out conveyor 30.

Next, from the article storage shelf 1 to the delivery conveyor 12
The case of leaving the warehouse will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. The transfer control device TC starts the process shown in FIG. 8 upon receiving a delivery command from a host computer (not shown). When two articles L stored in a certain article storage unit 10 are to be simultaneously unloaded (Step # 30), the article storage unit 10 to be unloaded is specified, and the transfer device 3
As the transfer operation, a batch transfer operation is designated in the article storage unit 10, and a batch transfer operation for the cargo handling unit is designated in the handling unit LT (step # 31). On the other hand, if the article L to be delivered is 1
In the case of only the articles, if the article L to be unloaded is stored at the front side of the two article storage positions (step # 32), the article storage unit 10 to be unloaded is specified, and the article is transferred. As the transfer operation of the apparatus 3, a partial transfer operation is designated in the article storage unit 10, and a batch transfer operation for the handling unit is designated in the handling unit LT (step # 33).

When there is only one article L to be unloaded and the article L is stored in the article storage position on the back side (steps # 30 and # 32), the article L is stored in the article storage position on the near side. If L does not exist (step # 34), the article storage unit 10 to be retrieved is specified and the article storage unit 10
Designates a batch transfer operation, and the cargo handling section LT designates a batch handling operation for the handling section (step # 35). On the other hand, when the article L exists at the near-side article storage position, it is necessary to move the near-side article L to an empty article storage section 10 existing in the zone of the article storage section 10. For the movement, the source article storage section 10 and the destination article storage section 10 are specified, and a partial transfer operation is designated in the source article storage section, and the transfer destination article storage section 10 is designated. If the mode is the storage efficiency priority mode, the batch transfer operation is designated, and if the mode is the delivery efficiency priority mode, the partial transfer operation is designated. Is specified, a batch transfer operation is designated in the article storage unit 10, and a batch transfer operation for the handling unit is designated in the handling unit LT (step # 36).

As described above, when the specification of the article storage unit 10 and the designation of the transfer operation are completed, the information is transmitted to the control units of the truck 2a, the lift 2c, and the transfer device 3 constituting the stacker crane 2. The transmission and operation are performed according to those commands (step # 37), and the carry-in / out conveyor 30 is sent.
(Step # 38). The outgoing information to be sent to the carry-in / out conveyor 30 is information indicating that two or only one article L can be received at the same time based on the article existence information as a result of performing the latest outgoing work. This is the article carry-in position instruction information, which has substantially the same meaning as the above-mentioned warehouse information.

[Other Embodiments] Other embodiments of the present invention will be listed below. In the above embodiment, a general slide fork type transfer device is illustrated as the transfer device 3 for transferring the articles L to and from the article storage unit 10. The configuration can be variously changed. For example, the other parts are completely the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and the transfer device 3 is provided with an article moving device that moves the mounted articles L along the direction in which the article storage positions are arranged. You may. With such a configuration, in a case where the position of the mounted article cannot be changed once the article is scooped, such as a simple slide fork type transfer apparatus, the efficiency is improved in various cases. In some cases, it is difficult to carry out a typical loading / unloading operation. However, by providing the transfer device 3 with an article moving device, it is possible to perform a more flexible loading / unloading operation, thereby simplifying the loading / unloading control. obtain.

The embodiment of the above configuration will be specifically described.
As shown in FIG. 9, which is a plan view, a slide fork 40 having the same configuration as the transfer device 3 of the above embodiment is supported by a lifting mechanism (not shown), and
A configuration may be adopted in which a pair of transport belts 41 that are driven in conjunction with each other are provided as the article moving device on both sides of 0. In this configuration, the lifting and lowering of the slide fork 40 in the scooping operation and the lowering operation of the article L is performed not by the lifting and lowering of the lift 2c but by the lifting mechanism.

The operation in the case of such a configuration will be described briefly. The article L conveyed by the elevating table 2c is located in a state of being placed on a pair of conveying belts 41, and at that time, a slide fork is used. Reference numeral 40 denotes a primary fork whose upper surface is located below the article mounting surface of the conveyor belt 41. When lowering the loaded article L to the article storage section 10 or the cargo handling section LT, the entire fork 40 is raised by the elevating mechanism, and the article L is transferred to the upper surface of the primary fork. Then, the secondary fork is projected, and the slide L is lowered by the elevating mechanism to lower the article L. At this time, the batch transfer operation and the partial transfer operation related to the projecting operation amount of the slide fork 40, and further,
The batch transfer operation for the handling section and the partial transfer operation for the handling section are exactly the same as those in the above embodiment. As described above, the only difference is that the lift 2c is moved up and down or only the slide fork 40 is moved up and down.

On the other hand, when the article L in the article storage section 10 or the cargo handling section LT is moved to the transfer device 3, the operation is almost the reverse of the above-described unloading operation. As described above, the article L is moved toward the transfer apparatus 3 by configuring the article moving device that moves the mounted article L along the direction in which the article storage positions are arranged by the transport belt 41. Thereafter, it is possible to change the position of the article L on the transfer apparatus 3, and in the general slide fork type transfer apparatus as in the above-described embodiment, depending on the position of the article storage unit 10 at the storage destination. In some cases, there is a case where a certain restriction is imposed on which of the two rows of the conveyer conveyors 11 carries the article L,
Such restrictions can be eliminated. Further, as a configuration of the transfer device 3, although not shown, it is not a type in which the article L is mounted on the upper surface of the primary fork,
A hook is provided at both ends of the primary fork to lock a part of the article L, and the article L is transferred by moving the primary fork in and out with one of the hooks being locked to the article L. Is also good.

In the above-described embodiment, the delivery conveyor 12 of the loading / unloading section LT conveys the articles L in a fixed direction. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the delivery conveyor 12 is configured to be able to move up and down and turn. Is also good. That is, the other parts are completely the same as those of the above-described embodiment or the above-described another embodiment, and the unloading unit LT includes a revolvable transport conveyor, that is, a delivery conveyor 12, and delivery order information of articles set in advance. A turning control device 5 that controls the turning posture of the transport conveyor 12 based on the receiving order information of the articles from the transport control device TC so that the order of the articles carried out from the transport conveyor 12 matches the unloading order information.
0 is provided. With such a configuration, if the transfer of the articles is performed in accordance with the instructed delivery order, the movement loss of the article transport device (in the above embodiment, the stacker crane 2 is exemplified) becomes large. In this case, the article transporting apparatus 2 can efficiently perform the article unloading work in the order of small movement loss regardless of the instructed outgoing order, and can adjust the final article unloading order by the handling section LT. Becomes

More specifically, referring to FIG.
A loading / unloading part LT is provided with a turning drive device 51 for moving up and down and turning the delivery conveyor 12 as a transport conveyor, and a turning control device 50 for controlling the turning motor. The turning control device 50 is set in advance. If the receiving order information of the articles L from the transport control device TC matches the shipping order information based on the outgoing order information of the articles L and the receiving order information of the articles L from the transport control device TC, the outgoing conveyor 12 is kept as it is, and if they do not match, the delivery conveyor 12 is turned 180 degrees and the articles L are carried out so that the order of the articles L carried out from the delivery conveyor 12 matches the delivery order information. To control.

In the above embodiment, the receiving conveyor 1
1 and the outgoing conveyer 12 correspond to the article storage position in the article storage section 10 to form two transport rows. However, as shown in FIG. The delivery conveyor 12 itself is constituted by one transfer row, and the transfer device 3 shown by a solid line in FIG. And a posture along the entry conveyor 11 or the exit conveyor 12 indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 11 and having a transport length corresponding to the depth of the article storage unit 10. As a configuration including the conveyor 60, the configuration of the incoming conveyor 11 and the outgoing conveyor 12 may be simplified. The revolving conveyor 60 on the storage side is provided with two lifters 14 having the same configuration as that provided in each transport row of the storage conveyor in the above-described embodiment.
Similarly, two lifters 15 are provided on the revolving conveyor 60 on the delivery side.
Is provided.

In the above embodiment, the article storage shelves 1 are arranged on both sides of the movement path of the stacker crane 2, but may be arranged only on one side. In the above-described embodiment, the conveyors connected to the carry-in / out conveyor 30 are configured to include the incoming-only conveyor 11 and the outgoing-only conveyor 12 for the incoming / outgoing. The transport direction may be switched at any time, and any of the conveyors may be configured to be able to enter and leave. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the article L is carried in and out of the article storage facility SS and the article L is carried out from the carry-in / out conveyor 30 is illustrated. The equipment to be performed may be, for example, an automatic guided vehicle. In the above embodiment, each article storage unit 10 is configured to be able to store two articles L in the depth direction.
You may comprise so that more than article | items can be accommodated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an article storage facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the article storage facility according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the article storage shelf according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a transfer operation according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an article storage facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a transfer device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a handling section according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a cargo handling unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 article storage shelf 2 article transport device 3 transfer device 10 article storage unit 12 transport conveyor 13a data output unit 41 article moving device 50 turning control device DB entry / exit management unit LT unloading unit TC transport control device

Claims (7)

[Claims] An article storage shelf configured by arranging an article storage section capable of storing a plurality of articles in a depth direction, and a cargo handling section for transferring articles to and from the article storage shelf. An article transport device that transports articles between the cargo handling unit and the article storage unit, and a transport control device that controls the article transport device are provided. An article storage facility provided with a transfer device for transferring articles between the storage sections, wherein an entry / exit management section for storing article existence information at each article storage position of each of the article storage sections is provided; The loading device performs a batch transfer operation of collectively transferring articles in all of the article storage positions arranged in the depth direction in the article storage section, and an article transfer operation in a part of the article storage positions. The partial transfer operation for loading An article storage facility configured to be executable, and configured to switch between the batch transfer operation and the partial transfer operation based on the article presence / absence information of the entry / exit management unit. 2. The handling device according to claim 2, wherein the handling unit is configured to be able to hold the articles at a set holding position in a state where the articles are arranged in a line corresponding to the article storage position of the article storage unit. A batch transfer operation for a cargo handling unit that collectively transfers articles for all of the set holding positions arranged in a series, and an article for some of the set holding positions. The transfer control device is configured to be capable of performing a partial transfer operation for the handling unit, and the transfer control device is configured to perform the batch transfer operation for the handling unit and the handling unit based on the article presence / absence information of the entry / exit management unit. The article storage facility according to claim 1, wherein the article storage facility is configured to switch between a use part transfer operation. 3. The article storage facility according to claim 2, further comprising a data output section for outputting the article presence / absence information of the entry / exit management section or the article carry-in position instruction information generated based on the article presence / absence information. . 4. The transport control device according to claim 1, wherein when the number of articles stored in the article storage unit is smaller than the number of the article storage positions arranged in a line in the article storage unit, the articles are arranged closer to the back side. The article storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the article storage facility is configured to be stored in a state where the article is stored. 5. The transport control device according to claim 1, wherein when the number of articles stored in the article storage section is smaller than the number of article storage positions arranged in series in the article storage section, the articles are stored in all of the article storage positions. 5. An article storage part in a state where an article is present in a part of the article storage positions is configured to preferentially store an article than an article storage part in a state where no article is present. An article storage facility according to any one of the preceding claims. 6. The transfer control device according to claim 1, wherein the number of articles stored in the article storage unit is smaller than the number of the article storage positions arranged in a line in the article storage unit. The article storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the article storage facility is configured to be stored in a state of being arranged close to the side. 7. The transport control device, when the number of articles stored in the article storage section is smaller than the number of the article storage positions arranged in a line in the article storage section, arranges the articles toward the back side. 4. A storage efficiency priority mode in which storage is performed in a state in which the transfer device is placed, and a delivery efficiency priority mode in which articles are stored in a state of being arranged close to the transfer device. Item storage equipment according to claim 1.