JP2003002409A - Automated storage and retrieval warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automated storage and retrieval warehouse capable of suppressing enlargement and weight increase of a crane and facilitating approach of the crane into a running route. SOLUTION: A guide rail 13 for guiding horizontal movement of the crane 11 is disposed at a predetermined height of a shelf 12. The crane comprises a mast 14, a fork 15 being hoisted along the mast, a running device 16 that is disposed at the lower end of the mast and moves the mast along the running route, a slider 17 that is integrally disposed in the midway of the mast and is engaged with a guide rail movably. The running device comprises a base 23 mounted to the mast vertically movably, a drive wheel 25 that is mounted to the base and is butted on the running route, a motor 26 for rotating and driving the drive wheel, and an energizing member 27 disposed between the mast and the base for pressing the drive wheel into contact with the floor surface by pressing the base downwardly.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a crane for loading and unloading articles to be stored, and a crane provided along the traveling path of the crane, and provided with a large number of article storage portions in the horizontal and vertical directions. The present invention relates to an automated warehouse equipped with shelves.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an automatic warehouse of this type has been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 2888746. This technique, as shown in FIG. 7, shows a crane 1 for loading and unloading articles to be stored, and a crane 1 for loading and unloading.
The rack 2 is provided along both sides of the traveling route R and has a plurality of article storage units B provided in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

The crane 1 has a
A traveling device 3 that horizontally reciprocates the crane 1 on the traveling route R, a mast 4 that is erected on the traveling device 3, and a mast 4 that is mounted so as to be able to move up and down and carries an article C. And a fork 5 to be formed.

A lower guide rail 6 is provided on the traveling route R along the traveling direction of the crane 1, and the traveling device 3 is movably mounted on the lower guide rail 6. ing. Further, a plurality of connecting beams 7 are provided at intervals in the length direction of the traveling route R so as to connect the upper portions of the shelves 2, and the mast 4 of the mast 4 is provided between the connecting beams 7. An upper guide rail 8 that guides the upper end is provided. Then, a pair of guide rollers 9 provided on the upper portion of the mast 4 are rotatably abutted on both sides of the upper guide rail 8 so that the upper end portion of the mast 4 is shaken. It is designed to prevent it.

In the conventional automatic warehouse constructed as described above, the article C is taken in by the fork 5 at the carry-in / out section (not shown) of the article C provided at one end of the transport path R. By activating the traveling device 3 and the like, the fork 5 is moved to the article storage unit B in which the taken-in article C is stored,
Next, the fork 5 is moved toward the article storage section B to store the article C, and the article C is unloaded from the article storage section B by the reverse operation. .

[0006]

By the way, in such a conventional automatic warehouse, there are the following problems to be improved. That is, when a problem occurs in the crane 1 and repair or the like is performed, a worker or a working machine has to be sent into the traveling route R. However, in the traveling route R, a lower portion of the mast of the crane 1 is provided. Since the lower guide rail 6 that supports and guides the movement of the lower guide rail 6 is provided, there is a problem that the lower guide rail 6 becomes an obstacle when the worker or the working machine is sent.

Further, since the mast 4 is supported at the lower portion thereof, in order to prevent the mast 4 from tilting or shaking in the front-back direction of the traveling direction, the traveling device 3 supporting the mast 4 is prevented. It is necessary to increase the weight or lengthen the dimension of the traveling device 3 in the lengthwise direction of the lower guide rail 6. If such measures are taken, the weight and the size of the crane 1 increase, which causes a problem that the driving force of the crane 1 increases or the operation time for loading and unloading increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is an automatic system capable of facilitating the entry of a crane into a traveling route while suppressing an increase in size and weight of the crane. The purpose is to provide a warehouse.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an automatic warehouse according to claim 1 of the present invention has a crane for loading and unloading articles to be stored, and a traveling path of the crane. An automated warehouse comprising a shelf provided with a large number of article storage units along the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, at a predetermined height of the shelf, on the traveling route side, in the horizontal direction of the crane. A guide rail for guiding movement to the mast, the crane is provided in the lower end of the mast, a mast arranged along the up-down direction, a fork that is moved up and down along the mast, A traveling device for traveling the mast along the traveling route,
The slider is provided integrally in the middle of the mast, and is engaged with the guide rail so as to be movable along the length direction thereof, thereby supporting the mast and providing a slider for regulating the moving direction thereof. The traveling device includes a base mounted on the mast so as to be movable in the vertical direction, drive wheels rotatably mounted on the base and brought into contact with a floor surface of the traveling path, and the base. An urging member is provided between the mast that is mounted to rotate the drive wheel and the mast and the base, and presses the base downward to bring the drive wheel into pressure contact with the floor surface. It is characterized by

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the shelves according to the first aspect are provided with the shelves facing each other on both sides of the traveling route, and the guide rails are provided on the both shelves, respectively. In addition, a pair of the sliders is provided corresponding to each of the guide rails.

In the automatic warehouse according to claim 3 of the present invention, the guide rail according to claim 1 or 2 is formed in a U-shaped cross section having an opening on the side of the traveling route, The slider has a plurality of guide rollers rotatably abutting on the upper and lower surfaces of the guide rail and a plurality of side rollers rotatably abutting on the bottom surface of the guide rail. It is characterized by being provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the guide rails according to any one of the first to third aspects, the magnitudes of the moments generated at the upper and lower portions of the mast are substantially the same. It is characterized in that it is provided at such a position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic warehouse, when the fork according to any one of the first to fourth aspects is moved to the lowest position, the fork and the floor surface are Is provided with a fork lowering position adjusting means for adjusting the distance to be constant.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic warehouse according to the fifth aspect, the fork lowering position adjusting means according to the fifth aspect is a member to be detected provided on one of the fork and the base, and the fork or the fork. The sensor is provided on the other side of the base, and is formed by a sensor that detects the detected member when the fork is moved to the lowest position.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 indicates an automated warehouse according to this embodiment.

The automated warehouse 10 according to the present embodiment is provided along both sides of a crane 11 for loading and unloading the articles C to be stored and a traveling route R of the crane 11, and has a large number in the horizontal and vertical directions. And a shelf 12 provided with the article storage section B, and the crane 11 is moved in the horizontal direction at the predetermined height of the shelf 12 on the traveling route R side (that is, the loading / unloading side of the article C). A mast 14 provided with a guide rail 13 for guiding the crane 11 and the crane 11 arranged in the vertical direction, and the mast 14
A fork 15 that can be raised and lowered along the mast 1
A traveling device 16 provided at a lower end portion of the mast 4 for traveling the mast 14 along the traveling route R;
It is integrally provided in the middle of 4, and the guide rail 13
It is roughly configured by a slider 17 that supports the mast 14 by being movably engaged along its length direction and that regulates the moving direction thereof.

Next, the details thereof will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guide rail 13 is formed in a U-shaped cross section having an opening on the side of the traveling route R, and is attached to the slider 17. As will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4, a plurality of guide rollers 18 are rotatably brought into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the guide rail 13, and are rotatably brought into contact with the bottom surface of the guide rail 13. A plurality of side rollers 19 are provided so as to be rotatable.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sliders 17 are provided on both sides of the slide base 20 integrally attached to the mast 14, and are provided along the guide rails 13. The slide arm 21 and a bracket 22 integrally attached to the slide arm 21 at intervals in the vertical direction.

The brackets 22 are formed shorter than the slide arms 21, and non-overlap portions are provided at both ends of the slide arms 21, as shown in FIG. The guide roller 18 is attached to the portion such that the rotation axis thereof is horizontal, and the side roller 19 has a rotation axis which is vertical in the vicinity of the both non-overlapping portions between the brackets 22. Is installed.

The brackets 22 are located in an area narrower than the outer diameter of the guide roller 18, and the side rollers 19 are partially projected from the bracket 22. As a result, when the guide roller 18 is inserted into the guide rail 13, the guide roller 18 is brought into contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the guide rail 13 so that the brackets 22 come into contact with the guide rail 13. Instead, the side roller 19 is inserted into the guide rail 13 and is brought into contact with the bottom portion of the guide rail 13.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the traveling device 16 has a base 23 mounted on the mast 14 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and a bracket 2 mounted on the base 23.
A drive wheel 25 that is rotatably mounted via 4 and is brought into contact with the floor surface of the travel route R; and a motor 26 that is mounted on the base 23 and rotationally drives the drive wheel 25. An urging member 27, such as a compression spring, is provided between the mast 14 and the base 23 to press the base 23 downward to bring the drive wheel 25 into pressure contact with the floor surface of the travel route R. There is. Further, in FIG. 6, reference numeral 28 is a gear box which is interposed between the drive wheel 25 and the motor 26 and fixed to the bracket 24.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
An elevating body 29 is attached to the elevating body 29 to be movable up and down, and a movable base 30 is provided on the elevating body 29 so as to be movable along the width direction of the transport path R. The fork 15 is attached.

A horizontal movement mechanism 31 for reciprocating the movable base 30 along the width direction of the transport path R is provided between the movable base 30 and the lifting body 29. A swivel mechanism 31 is provided between the fork 15 and the fork 15 to reciprocally rotate the fork 15 within a range of 90 ° in a horizontal plane.

Further, between the traveling device 16 and the fork 15 (in the present embodiment, this fork 15 is used).
Between the lifting body 29 to which the fork is attached)
When the fork 1 is moved to the lowest position,
Fork lowering position adjusting means 33 for adjusting the distance between the vehicle 5 and the floor of the traveling route R to a constant value is provided.

As shown in FIG. 6, the fork lowering position adjusting means 33 is provided on the detected member 34 provided on the fork 15 and the base 23, and the fork 15 is moved to the lowest position. In this case, the sensor 35 detects the detected member 34.
Then, when the sensor 35 detects the detected member 34, the lowering operation of the fork 15 is stopped.

Here, the sensor 35 is the base 2
3 is fixed at a predetermined position and is held at a constant distance from the lower end surface of the drive wheel 25 (that is, the floor surface of the conveyance route R with which the drive wheel 25 is brought into contact), and therefore the sensor 35 is used. By stopping the fork 15 at the position where the detected member 34 is detected, the distance between the fork 15 and the floor surface of the transport path R, which is indicated by reference symbol H in FIG. 5, is also kept constant.

When the floor surface of the transport path R has irregularities, the base 23 is moved up and down so as to follow the irregularities. Along with this, the stop position of the fork 15 is also vertically moved. As a result, the distance between the fork 15 and the floor surface of the transport path R is always kept constant.

Further, the slide base 20 to which the slider 17 is attached is provided with an elevating mechanism 36 for elevating the fork 15.

The lifting mechanism 36 includes a lifting motor 37 mounted on the slide base 20, a drive pulley 39 rotatably attached to a bracket 38 standing on the slide base 20, and The mast 14 is rotatably attached to the upper end portion, the lower end portion, and the intermediate portion of the mast 14, and is wound around the drive pulley 39 and a plurality of idle pulleys 40. Elevating body 29 which is disposed along with and has both ends supporting the fork 15.
And the chain 41 fixed to the.

Further, in the present embodiment, the fork 15 and the lifting body 2 are provided at appropriate positions of the chain 41.
9 and a counterweight 42 that balances the weight of various devices attached to the lifting body 29.

Next, the operation of the automatic warehouse 10 according to this embodiment having the above structure will be described. First,
In the standby state, the drive device 25 is pressed against the floor surface of the transport route R in the traveling device 16 because the base 23 of the traveling device 16 is elastically biased downward by the biasing member 27. Part of the weight of the crane 11 is the guide rails 1 through the sliders 17.
3 and the remaining weight of the traveling device 16
It is supported by the floor surface of the transport route R via.

Then, for example, when the article C is stored, the crane 11 is moved to the article loading position, the article C is taken in by the fork 15, and then the crane 11 is moved and the fork 15 is also moved.
By moving the fork 1 to a predetermined height.
5 is aligned with the intended article storage B. As a result, after the fork 15 is sent toward the article storage section B by the horizontal movement mechanism 31, the article C is lowered by a predetermined distance to store the article C in the article storage section B, and the fork 15 is attached to the mast 14 side. To return to the standby state.

When the crane 11 travels,
Since the crane 11 is guided by the guide rails 13 provided in the vertical middle portion of the shelf 12, the crane 11 is quickly and reliably guided to the target position. Further, since the drive wheels 25 of the traveling device 16 are pressed against the floor surface of the conveyance route R by the biasing member 27, sufficient friction between the drive wheels 25 and the floor surface can be obtained, This enables smooth movement.

Then, the traveling device 16 is configured so that the transport route R
Since the vehicle is allowed to travel on the floor surface, the floor surface of the traveling route R is exposed except for the portion where the crane 11 is located, and there is no obstacle. For this reason, when the crane 11 is out of order or is inspected, it is possible for a worker to move in and out and the equipment can travel. Therefore, the crane 11 can be smoothly repaired, or the article C can be carried in and out by another forklift or the like.

Further, since the slider 17 which guides the mast 14 is provided at the middle portion in the length direction of the mast 14, the moment acting on the mounting portion between the mast 14 and the slider 17 is suppressed to be small. You can Therefore, it is possible to reduce the required strength of the support portion of the mast 14, thereby reducing the size increase and weight increase of the device.

Since the guide rails 13 supporting the sliders 17 are attached to the shelves 12, the shelves 12 are reinforced by the guide rails 13 and the strength of the shelves 12 is improved. be able to.

When the article C is stored in the article storage section B at the bottom of the shelf 12, the fork 15 is lowered toward the lowest position. When the detected member 34 provided on the lifting body 29 that supports the fork is detected by the sensor 35 located at a predetermined position from the floor surface, the lowering of the fork 15 is stopped.

A slider 23, which constitutes the traveling device 16 provided with the sensor 35, is provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to the mast 14, and the slider 23 is biased by the biasing member 27. By being elastically pressed toward, even if there is unevenness on the floor surface, the slider 17 is moved up and down so as to follow the unevenness as shown by the arrow (a) in FIG. As a result, the sensor 35 is held at a constant height above the floor surface.

As a result, the sensor 35 and the member to be detected 3 are detected.
The distance H between the fork 15 whose lowering position is set by 4 and the floor surface is kept constant. Therefore, even if the floor surface has irregularities, the articles C stored in the lowest stage
On the other hand, when the fork 15 is stopped at an appropriate position, the loading / unloading of the fork 15 is surely performed.

The shapes, dimensions, etc. of the respective constituent members shown in the above embodiment are examples, and can be variously changed based on design requirements and the like.

[0041]

According to the automatic warehouse of claim 1 of the present invention, a guide rail for guiding the horizontal movement of the crane is provided at a predetermined height of the shelf, and the guide is provided in the middle of the mast. The rail is provided with a slider that is engaged with the mast so as to be movable along its length direction, and that supports the mast, and that regulates the moving direction of the mast. It can be installed at a position higher than the surface, and the fixed structure can be eliminated from this floor surface to facilitate the entry of workers and equipment in front of the shelf. Therefore, it is possible to facilitate the work of repair and maintenance / inspection when the crane fails.
Further, the moment generated at the connecting portion between the mast and the slider can be made as small as possible, the required strength at this connecting portion can be made small, and the crane can be prevented from increasing in size and increasing in weight.

Further, the traveling device is mounted on the mast so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and drive wheels are rotatably mounted on the base and are brought into contact with the floor surface of the traveling route. And a motor that is mounted on the base and drives the drive wheel to rotate, and presses the base downward between the mast and the base to bring the drive wheel into pressure contact with the floor surface. With the configuration of the biasing member, the traveling of the crane can be reliably performed by bringing the drive wheel into contact with the floor surface with an appropriate pressure. That is, the crane can run directly on the floor without the lower guide rails that used to be on the floor, and if the crane were allowed to run on the floor as it was, the traveling equipment would directly pick up irregularities on the floor, and Is not stable, the unevenness is absorbed by causing the drive wheels to follow the floor surface, thereby realizing smooth and stable traveling of the crane.

According to the automatic warehouse of claim 2 of the present invention, the shelves are installed on both sides of the traveling route so as to face each other, and the guide rails are respectively provided on these shelves, and the slider is provided. By providing a pair corresponding to each of the guide rails, the mast can be supported on both sides and the stability thereof can be enhanced.

According to the automatic warehouse of claim 3 of the present invention, the guide rail is formed in a U-shaped cross section having an opening on the side of the traveling path, and the slider is provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the guide rail. By rotatably providing a plurality of guide rollers that are rotatably abutted and a plurality of side rollers that are rotatably abutted on the bottom surface of the guide rail, the guide rail and the slider are The gap can be held constant and the relative movement can be made smooth.

According to the automatic warehouse of claim 4 of the present invention, since the guide rails are provided at positions where the magnitudes of the moments generated at the upper and lower portions of the mast are substantially equal, The moment generated in the connecting portion with the slider can be further reduced.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, when the fork is moved to the lowest position, the distance between the fork and the floor surface is adjusted to be constant. By providing the fork lowering position adjusting means, the distance between the fork and the floor surface is kept constant, and even if there is unevenness on the floor surface, the fork is suitable for the articles stored in the lowermost stage. It can be stopped at any position and can be reliably loaded and unloaded.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a view of an automated warehouse as seen from one end of a transport path.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a view of an automated warehouse viewed from the width direction of a transport path with a part omitted.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a positional relationship between a guide rail and a slider.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is a plan view showing a positional relationship between a guide rail and a slider.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the traveling device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is an enlarged plan view of a traveling device.

FIG. 7 shows a conventional example, and is a view of an automated warehouse seen from one end of a transfer path.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 crane 2 shelves 3 traveling devices 4 masts 5 forks 6 Lower guide rail 7 connecting beam 8 Upper guide rail 9 Guide roller 10 automatic warehouse 11 cranes 12 shelves 13 Guide rail 14 masts 15 forks 16 Traveling device 17 Slider 18 Guide roller 19 Side roller 20 slide base 21 slide arm 22 bracket 23 base 24 bracket 25 drive wheels 26 motor 27 Biasing member 28 gearbox 29 Lifting body 30 movable base 31 Horizontal movement mechanism 32 turning mechanism 33 Fork lowering position adjusting means 34 Detected member 35 sensor 36 Lifting mechanism 37 Lifting motor 38 bracket 39 Drive pulley 40 idle pulley 41 chains B Item storage C goods R travel route

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An automated warehouse comprising a crane for loading and unloading articles to be stored, and a shelf provided along a traveling route of the crane and provided with a large number of article storage sections in horizontal and vertical directions. A guide rail for guiding the horizontal movement of the crane is provided on the traveling path side at a predetermined height of the shelf, and the crane is a mast arranged along the vertical direction. A fork that can be moved up and down along the mast, a traveling device that is provided at the lower end of the mast and that travels the mast along the traveling path, and that is integrally provided in the middle of the mast A rail is provided so as to be movably engaged along the lengthwise direction thereof to support the mast, and a slider for regulating the moving direction thereof,
The traveling device has a base mounted on the mast so as to be movable in the vertical direction, a drive wheel rotatably mounted on the base and brought into contact with a floor surface of the traveling path, and a base mounted on the base. An urging member is provided between the mast that is mounted to rotate the drive wheel and the mast and the base, and presses the base downward to press the drive wheel against the floor surface. An automated warehouse characterized by 2. The shelves are provided on opposite sides of the traveling path so as to be opposed to each other, the guide rails are respectively provided on these shelves, and a pair of the sliders is provided so as to correspond to the respective guide rails. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein 3. The guide rail is formed in a U-shaped cross section having an opening on the side of the travel path, and a plurality of sliders are rotatably abutted on the upper and lower surfaces of the guide rail. 3. The automated warehouse according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide roller and the plurality of side rollers that are brought into rolling contact with the bottom surface of the guide rail are rotatably provided. . 4. The guide rail according to claim 1, wherein the guide rail is provided at a position such that moments generated in the upper and lower portions of the mast are substantially equal in magnitude. The automated warehouse listed. 5. A fork lowering position adjusting means for adjusting the distance between the fork and the floor surface to a constant value when the fork is moved to the lowest position is provided. The automated warehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The fork descending position adjusting means is provided on a detected member provided on one of the fork and the base, and the other of the fork and the base, and the fork is moved to the lowest position. The automatic warehouse according to claim 5, wherein the automatic warehouse is formed by a sensor that detects the member to be detected when the automatic storage is opened.