JP2006206270A - Shed of automatic warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rail having excellent robustness and assembly workability in an automated storage and retrieval warehouse to take/place cargoes from/on shelves by a mobile truck to horizontally travel on the rail. <P>SOLUTION: A rail 7 is formed of sheet metal, and has a top sheet 25, a back sheet 26 and a front sheet 27. A connector member 24 of L-shape in plan view is fixed by welding to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the back sheet 26 of the rail 7, and a side plate 30 of the connector member 24 is fixed to a side face of a front stay 5 by a bolt 31 and a nut 32. The rail 7 can be retained in a non-detachable manner by fitting engagement claws 34 formed on the connector member 24 in engagement holes 33 formed in the front stay 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a hangar in an automatic warehouse that loads and unloads goods by a self-propelled carriage that runs horizontally.

  Automatic warehouses are used to automatically load and unload loads in a hangar with multi-level shelves using a transfer device. Depending on the type of transfer device, a single stacker crane loads and unloads loads on each level shelf. There is a type and a type in which a load is taken in and out by a self-propelled carriage arranged horizontally for each shelf (or for each of a plurality of shelves). The self-propelled cart type automatic warehouse has the advantage that the work efficiency is much higher than the stacker crane type because it can be loaded and unloaded in parallel on each shelf.

  In a self-propelled cart type automatic warehouse, rails for running the self-propelled cart are provided in the hangar. Moreover, since the depth of the hangar is generally several tens of meters and the rail cannot be a single structure, for example, a large number of rails (unit rails) aligned to a length of about 2 to 3 m are added in series. .

  The end of each rail is fixed to the front column, but the ends of two adjacent rails are fixed to one front column. And the front-end edge of a shelf board is supported by the rail, A load is slid and moved between a self-propelled cart and a shelf board via a rail.

  The rail is made of a metal plate. Generally, the top plate on which the wheels of the self-propelled carriage run, the back plate hanging from the side edge of the top plate on the side of the front column, and the both sides of the top plate A front plate hanging from a side edge located on the side of the traveling path of the self-propelled carriage among the edges and having a substantially bowl-like shape with a downward opening.

As a method for fixing the rail to the front column, conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, the rear plate of the rail is directly stacked on the front surface of the front column, and both are fastened with bolts and nuts. Yes. In addition, in order to position the height of the rail, an engagement hole is formed in the front plate of the front column, and an engagement claw that fits into the engagement hole is provided in the rear plate of the rail.
JP-A-9-208010

  Since the self-propelled carriage and the load of the load act as dynamic loads on the rail, high strength is required. Moreover, in order to make a self-propelled cart run smoothly, it is necessary to avoid the occurrence of a step between adjacent rails as much as possible. In this regard, since the conventional technology is fastened with bolts, the fastening strength to the front column is high, and the rail is lowered because the height of the rail is held constant by fitting the engaging claw and the engaging hole. There is no such thing.

  By the way, the wheels of the self-propelled carriage run on the top plate of the rail, but the top plate of the rail has a cantilever shape. A downward moment is generated around the root of. Due to the deformation due to this moment, a slight step is produced between adjacent rails. Accordingly, in order to make the self-propelled carriage run more smoothly, it has been required to further suppress the deformation of the end of the rail as the self-propelled carriage travels. This invention makes it the 1st subject to respond to this request.

  Also, in the conventional rail mounting method, the bolt head is located in the hollow portion of the rail, and the operator holds the rail so that it does not fall off the front column, and then performs the fastening operation with the bolt and nut. There was a problem that there was a limit to the efficiency improvement of the rail assembly work due to the fact that it had to be done. The present invention further aims to solve this problem.

  The invention of the present application is a metal plate rail for horizontal movement of a self-propelled cart for loading and unloading, a shelf plate arranged on the opposite side across the traveling path of the self-propelled cart with this rail attached, and a rail attached A group of front columns, and the rails are aligned to a predetermined length, and an arbitrary number of rails are added in series, and the end of the rail is fixed to the front column. Related to the hangar.

  As a basic configuration, the rail includes a top plate on which the wheels of the self-propelled carriage travel, a back plate hanging from a side edge located on the front column side of the longitudinal side edges of the top plate, and a longitudinal length of the top plate. A front plate hanging from the side edge located on the side of the traveling path of the self-propelled carriage among the both side edges is provided and has a substantially bowl-like shape with a downward opening.

  As one means for solving the first problem, in claim 1, connector members (also referred to as brackets) that overlap the outer surface of the front column are fixed to both ends of the back plate of the rail. The connector member is fixed to the front column with a fastener such as a bolt.

  As another means for solving the first problem, in claim 2, both ends of the back plate of the rail are fixed to the outer surface of the front column directly or via a connector member with a fastener such as a bolt. In addition, a reinforcing rib that protrudes toward the hollow portion of the rail is provided in the front portion of the front column or in the vicinity of the front column in the corner portion where the back plate and the top plate of the rail are continuous. Made the configuration.

  The invention of claim 3 is a more specific embodiment of claim 1 or 2, wherein the front support column is a hollow square shape, while the connector member is L-shaped in plan view overlapping the front surface and one side surface of the front support column. And a height dimension extending in both the upper and lower directions of the rail, the connector member is formed with a downward engaging claw, and the front strut is overlapped with the connector claw by shifting the connector member downward. Engagement holes are formed to hold the connector member in the horizontal direction so that it cannot be displaced, and the side plate of the connector member that overlaps the side of the front strut is attached to the front strut by fasteners such as bolts and nuts. It is fixed.

  In the case of a configuration in which the rail back plate is simply fastened directly to the front column with bolts and nuts, there is only a small area where the rail back plate and the front column are in close contact with each other. Concentrates on the narrow part, and the front struts extending over the rails are easily deformed.

  On the other hand, when the rail is fixed to the front column via the connector member as in claim 1, for example, as can be understood from claim 3, the contact area between the connector member and the front column can be greatly increased, Concentration on a narrow portion can be suppressed and deformation of the rail and the front column can be remarkably suppressed, and as a result, smooth running of the self-propelled carriage can be ensured.

  On the other hand, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the section modulus with respect to the bending moment of the rail top plate is increased due to the presence of the reinforcing ribs, whereby the rail top plate can be remarkably suppressed from being bent and deformed. Therefore, the structure according to claim 2 can also ensure smooth running of the self-propelled carriage.

  The specific means for providing the reinforcing rib at the end of the rail according to claim 2 is, for example, fixing a reinforcing member, which is a member different from the rail, to the inner surface of the corner portion by welding or welding to the inner surface of the corner portion. Although it is possible to build up by using a pressing device, if the method of crushing (bulging) the corner part so as to protrude toward the hollow part of the rail is adopted, a high reinforcing effect can be achieved by simple processing. Is preferable. If the reinforcing rib is provided in addition to the connector member, the effect of increasing the strength is further improved.

  According to the third aspect, the rail is held at a predetermined height by fitting the engaging claw of the connector member into the engaging hole of the front column. Therefore, it is not necessary for the operator to hold the rails by hand and hold the height at the time of fastening work with fasteners such as bolts. Moreover, since fasteners, such as a volt | bolt, are fastened to the side part of a front support | pillar, an operator can perform fastening work in a wide space. Combined with the ability to temporarily hold these rails and the ability to fasten fasteners in a wide location, the efficiency of rail mounting operations can be greatly increased.

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

(1). Outline of Automatic Warehouse First, an outline of an automatic warehouse will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a schematic external perspective view of an automatic warehouse, FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the automatic warehouse, FIG. 3 is a partial schematic perspective view of the automatic warehouse, and FIG. 4 is a rough perspective view showing the structure of the hangar. It is.

  The automatic warehouse is a self-propelled cart arranged for each stage 2 in a transfer passage 3 formed between a group of hangars 1 and 1 'having multi-stage shelves 2 and 1, 1' of opposite hangars. 4 is provided.

  The automatic warehouse according to the present embodiment is a multiple system in which a large number of hangars 1 and 1 'are juxtaposed, and a group of hangars includes two end hangars 1' located at both ends of the automatic warehouse and end hangars 1 '. It is comprised with the group of the intermediate hangar 1 arrange | positioned between.

  The end hangar 1 ′ is a single type in which the load W can be taken in and out only from one side, and the group of front columns 5 erected on the portion facing the transfer passage 3 side and the portion on the opposite side of the transfer passage 3. And a group of rear columns 6 that are erected. A group of rails 7 is attached to the group of front columns 5 in multiple stages, a horizontal rear frame 8 is attached to the group of rear columns 6 in multiple stages, and the end shelf 9 is composed of the rails 7 and the rear frame 8. Is supported.

  On the other hand, the intermediate hangar 1 is a double type in which two storage areas (shelves) are arranged back to back in plan view, and transfer passages 3 are formed on both sides thereof. The intermediate hangar 1 includes a group of front struts 5 arranged in parallel along the transfer passage 3, and a parallel and multi-stage rail 7 is attached to the group of front struts 5 so that the rail 7 extends in parallel. The intermediate shelf board 9 is supported by this pair.

  In both the end hangar 1 ′ and the intermediate hangar 1, the portion between the columns 5 and 6 adjacent to each other along the transfer passage 3 constitutes a unit storage unit, and a plurality of loads W are stored in this unit storage unit. can do. The unit storage unit of the intermediate hangar 1 includes a plurality of intermediate shelf boards 10, and each intermediate shelf board 10 is connected by two (or one) connecting members 11 extending in parallel. The unit storage unit of the end hangar 1 ′ is also composed of a plurality of end shelf plates 9. The upper surface of both the intermediate shelf board 10 and the end shelf board 9 is set to the same height as the rail 7.

  The self-propelled carriage 4 includes a main body frame 12, a plurality of pairs of wheels 13 provided on the main body frame 12, and a drive mechanism (details are omitted). The main body frame 12 is formed with a load placement portion 14, and a pair of picking units 15 that push and pull the load W in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction in a plan view are arranged on both sides of the load placement portion 14. Yes.

  The picking unit 15 includes a movable arm 16, and a load W can be slid between the loading unit 14 and the shelf plate 9 by horizontally rotating pickers 17 provided at both ends of the movable arm 16. . Needless to say, the self-propelled carriage 4 may have other structures. It is also possible to employ a load placement unit 14 and a picking unit 15 that are provided in two stages and that can load and unload the load W on and from two stages of shelves at the same time.

  A lift device 19 is used to deliver the load W between the self-propelled carriage 4 and the loading / unloading conveyor 18 at each stage. The lift device 19 is disposed outside the hangars 1, 1 ′, and includes a column 20 disposed on an extension line of the transfer passage 3 and a pair of lifters 21 mounted on the column 20 so as to be movable up and down. . Conveyor-type temporary storage tables (reservoirs) 22 are juxtaposed at the ends of the hangars 1 and 1 'for each shelf. The load W is transferred to the self-propelled cart 4 and the lifter 21 via the temporary table 22.

  5A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VA-VA in FIG. 2, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 6, and FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VAI-VAI in FIG. , (B) is a schematic perspective view of the rear frame 8, and (C) is a partially enlarged view of (A).

  As shown roughly in FIGS. 4 to 6, the L-shaped connector member 24 in a plan view is fixed to both ends of the rail 7, and the connector member 24 is fixed to the adjacent front column 5. A connector member 24 is also fixed to both ends of the rear frame 8, and the connector member 24 is fixed to the rear column 6.

  The shelf plate 9 is made of a metal plate (made of a steel plate) and has a rectangular shape in plan view, and the periphery is bent downward. The rear frame 8 has a substantially U-shaped cross-section opening toward the rail 7, and a rear end portion of the shelf board 9 is fitted therein. The rear frame 8 also serves as a stopper for the load W.

(2) Details of Rail Mounting Structure Next, details of the rail and its mounting structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 is a separated perspective view of the rail 7 and the front column 5, FIG. 8 is a front view of the front column 5 viewed from the direction of the transfer passage 3, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. 10 is a diagram showing details of the front column 5 and the connector member 24, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG.

  The rail 7 includes a top plate 25 on which the wheels 13 of the self-propelled carriage 4 travel, a back plate 26 that hangs down from a side edge located on the front support column 5 side of the longitudinal side edges of the top plate 25, A front plate 27 that hangs down from a side edge located on the side of the transfer passage 3 among both side edges of the long side is formed in a substantially bowl-like shape with a downward opening. A reinforcing horizontal piece 28 that overlaps the shelf board 9 is formed by bending.

  The connector member 24 includes a front plate 29 that overlaps the front surface of the front column 5 and a side plate 30 that overlaps the side surface of the front column 5 and is formed in an L shape in plan view. The connector member 24 has a height dimension that is much larger than the vertical width dimension of the rail 7, and the back plate 26 of the rail 7 is fixed to a portion of the front plate 29 that is close to the lower end by welding. Accordingly, the connector member 24 extends in both the upper and lower directions of the rail 7. The end of the horizontal piece 28 of the rail 7 is cut out so as not to interfere with the connector member 24, and the horizontal piece 28 is also welded to the connector member 24.

  The lateral width of the front plate 29 in the connector member 24 is set to be slightly smaller than the half of the lateral width of the front column 5. This is for avoiding the contact between adjacent connector members and abutting the end surfaces of adjacent rails 7.

  The connector member 24 is fixed to the front column 5 by two upper and lower (one) bolts 31 penetrating the side plate 30 and a nut 32 screwed into the bolt 31. In this case, when the two left and right connector members 24 are adjacent to and overlap with one front column 5, the left and right connector members 24 are fastened together with one bolt 31. For this reason, it is excellent in workability. In addition, the connector member 24 can be fixed to the front column 5 with a tapping screw or a drill screw, or can be fixed with a rivet.

  Although the bolt 31 passes through the front and rear intermediate portion of the front column 5, the position of the bolt 31 may be shifted to the rear portion (or front portion) as shown by a one-dot chain line in FIG. The side plate 30 of the connector member 24 has a front and rear width dimension that protrudes behind the front column 5.

  In the front plate of the front support 5, three upper, middle, and lower engagement holes (or engagement grooves) 33 are formed in the portion overlapping with each connector member 24, while the front plate 29 of the connector member 24 is formed on the front plate 29. The three engaging claws 34 that fit into the engaging holes 33 are formed by cutting and raising. Details of the engagement holes 33 and the engagement claws 34 will be described with reference to FIG.

  10A is a separated front view of the front column 5 and the connector member 24, and FIG. 10B is a sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 10A with the connector member 24 disposed in front of the front column 5. , (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in (A) with the connector member 24 attached, (D) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in (A), and (E) is an E-line in (A). E sectional drawing, (F) is FF sectional drawing of (A).

  As can be understood from these drawings, the engagement hole 33 is not a simple hole, but has a back plate 33a that enters the inside of the front column 5 and is a bag-like shape that opens to the left and right outside and below the front column 5. Is formed. Since the engagement hole 33 has a bag shape, high rigidity is ensured by the rib effect. The engaging hole 33 has a wide portion 33b at the top and a narrow portion 33c at the bottom. The narrow portion 33c is narrowed as it goes downward, and the groove width at the lowermost end is substantially the same as the thickness of the engaging claw 34.

  As a feature of the shape of the engagement hole 33 according to the present embodiment, a portion of the narrow portion 33c far from the longitudinal center line O of the front column 5 is an inclined surface 33d. Due to the presence of the inclined surface 33 d, the engaging claw 34 can be brought closer to the longitudinal center line O side of the front column 5, and the end surfaces of the adjacent rails 7 can be brought into close contact with each other.

  The engaging claw 34 of the connector member 24 has a bag shape that opens downward and toward the left and right outer sides of the front column 5. Since the engaging claw 34 has a bag shape, a high strength that is difficult to deform is secured. The engaging claw 34 is sized to fit into the wide portion 33 b of the engaging hole 33 from the front, and the base portion 34 a of the engaging claw 34 is inclined by the narrow portion 33 c in the engaging hole 33. It is inclined with respect to the vertical line so as to overlap the surface 33d.

  As can be understood from the figure, when each engaging claw 34 is fitted into the wide portion 33 b of each engaging hole 33 from the front, and then the connector member 24 is shifted downward, each engaging claw 34 has a width in the engaging hole 33. Located on the back side of the narrow portion 33c, the connector member 24 and the rail 7 are held so that they cannot be displaced in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the operator can easily perform the fastening operation with the bolt 31 and the nut 32 in a state where the hand is released from the rail 7. In addition, since the left and right outer sides of the front column 5 are wide spaces, there is nothing that obstructs the fastening work with the bolts 31 and the nuts 32, and this aspect is also excellent in workability.

  As shown in FIGS. 7, 9, and 11, a portion located in front of the connector member 24 in a corner portion 7 a of the rail 7 where the back plate 26 and the top plate 25 are continuously provided, and a portion slightly removed from the connector member 24. These two corners 7a are crushed and deformed toward the inside of the rail 7 to form reinforcing ribs 35 that are substantially triangular (mountain) in a plan view and triangular in a side view.

  In the above configuration, since the rail 7 is welded to the connector member 24, the rail 7 does not separate from the connector member 24, and the connector member 24 is in close contact with the front support 5 over a wide area. 7 is supported in a wide area, so that deformation of the connector member 24 and the front column 5 can be prevented. Thereby, the phenomenon in which the edge part of the top plate 25 of the rail 7 falls by driving | running | working of the self-propelled cart 4 can be suppressed significantly. Thereby, it can prevent or suppress significantly that a level | step difference arises between the adjacent rails 7. FIG.

  Further, by forming the reinforcing rib 35 at the end of the rail 7, the section modulus with respect to the downward bending action is remarkably increased in the top plate 25 of the rail 7. It is possible to prevent or remarkably suppress the occurrence of a step between the rails 7. The reinforcing rib 35 may be provided only in one of the two locations of the front side and the outside of the connector member 24. Further, three or more reinforcing ribs 35 may be provided.

  In addition, the trolley wire for supplying electric power to the self-propelled carriage 4 is arranged inside the rail 7, and for this reason, for example, a reinforcing member is arranged in a state straddling the inside of the adjacent rail 7. I can't. Therefore, the formation of the reinforcing rib 35 on the rail 7 is particularly beneficial when a trolley wire is disposed inside the rail 7.

  As a means for attaching the shelf 9 to the rail 7, as shown in FIG. 12, a U-shaped receiving piece 37 is formed on the back plate 26 of the rail 7 by cutting and raising, while the shelf 9 and 10 are directed downward. A male piece 39 that fits into the receiving piece 37 from above is cut out and formed in the bent portion 38, and an engagement hole 40 is formed in the male piece 39, below the receiving piece 37 of the back plate 26 of the rail 7. The claw 41 that engages with the engagement hole 33 is cut and raised.

  Needless to say, the shelf board 9 can be supported by the horizontal piece 28 of the rail 7. The connector member 24 of the rear frame 8 has the same structure as the connector member 24 of the rail 7, and the front column 5 and the rear column 6 have the same structure.

(3). Others The present invention can be embodied in various ways other than the above embodiment. For example, the hangar is not necessarily provided with a double-type intermediate hangar, and a system in which the end hangars of the above-described embodiment are opposed to each other as one unit may be used. Further, one rail may be supported by three or more front struts. In this case, in addition to the longitudinal ends of the rail, the connector member is attached to the middle portion.

It is a rough external perspective view of an automatic warehouse. It is a partial top view of an automatic warehouse. It is a partial schematic perspective view of an automatic warehouse. It is a rough isolation | separation perspective view which shows the structure of a hangar. (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VA-VA of FIG. 2, and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of (A). (A) is a VAI-VAI sectional view of FIG. 2, (B) is a schematic perspective view of a rear frame, and (C) is a partially enlarged view of (A). It is a separation perspective view of a rail and a front support. It is the front view which looked at the front support | pillar from the direction of the traveling path of a self-propelled carriage. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. It is a figure which shows a front support | pillar and a connector member in detail. It is the XI-XI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a partially broken isolation perspective view of a shelf board and a rail.

Explanation of symbols

1,1 'hangar 2 shelves 3 transfer path (travel path of self-propelled carriage)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 Self-propelled cart 5 Front support | pillar 6 Rear support | pillar 7 Rail 7a Corner part 9,10 Shelf board 24 Connector member 25 Rail top plate 26 Rail back plate 27 Rail front plate 33 Engagement hole 34 Engagement claw 35 Reinforcement rib

Claims (3)

A rail made of metal plate for horizontal movement of the self-propelled cart for loading and unloading, a shelf plate placed on the opposite side across the traveling path of the self-propelled cart with this rail in between, and the front column to which the rail is attached The rails are arranged in a predetermined length, and an arbitrary number of rails are added in series, and the end of the rail is fixed to the front column. And
The rail includes a top plate on which wheels of a self-propelled carriage travel, a back plate hanging from a side edge located on the front support column side of the longitudinal side edges of the top plate, and a self-propelled side of the longitudinal side edges of the top plate. A front plate hanging from the side edge located on the side of the traveling path of the carriage, and has a substantially bowl-like shape with a downward opening, and overlaps the outer surface of the front column on both ends of the rear plate of this rail The connector member is fixed, and this connector member is fixed to the front column with a fastener such as a bolt.
Automatic warehouse hangar. A rail made of metal plate for horizontal movement of the self-propelled cart for loading and unloading, a shelf plate placed on the opposite side across the traveling path of the self-propelled cart with this rail in between, and the front column to which the rail is attached The rails are arranged in a predetermined length, and an arbitrary number of rails are added in series, and the end of the rail is fixed to the front column. And
The rail includes a top plate on which wheels of a self-propelled carriage travel, a back plate hanging from a side edge located on the front support column side of the longitudinal side edges of the top plate, and a self-propelled side of the longitudinal side edges of the top plate. It has a front plate hanging from the side edge located on the side of the traveling path of the carriage and has a substantially bowl-like shape with a downward opening, and both ends of the back plate in this rail are directly on the outer surface of the front column Or, it is fixed with a fastener such as a bolt via a connector member, and further, a rail on the front portion of the front column or in the vicinity of the front column in the corner portion where the back plate and the top plate of the rail are continuous. Reinforcing ribs protruding toward the hollow part of
Automatic warehouse hangar. While the front strut is a hollow square,
The connector member has an L shape in plan view that overlaps the front surface and one side surface of the front column, and has a height dimension that extends in both the upper and lower directions of the rail. Is formed with an engagement hole that holds the connector member in a horizontal direction so that the engagement claw is fitted by overlapping the connector member and shifting downward.
Furthermore, the side plate which overlaps the side of the front column among the connector members is fixed to the front column with fasteners such as bolts and nuts.
The hangar according to claim 1 or 2.

Images