JP2006225089A - Container managing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container managing device for quickly storing or delivering a specific article to shorten a mean time required for the storage and delivery, and storing the article suitably for adapting to the attribute of the article to be stored. <P>SOLUTION: The container management device comprises: a container storage rack 10 in which a container is carried in/carried out of a storage space partitioned in a vertical direction; a stacker crane 20 having a transfer device transferring the container between the storage space of the container storage rack 10 and the stacker crane 20 and moving up and down, and traveling along a front face of the container storage rack. A specific area out of the storage space of the container storage rack 10 is a specific zone 12 for storing the specific article to be housed, attribute information of the container stored in the specific zone 12 and the article to be housed in the container is associated with each other and recorded. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a container management apparatus that can be applied to storage shelves that use containers, such as a three-dimensional automatic warehouse, and in particular, it is possible to efficiently enter and exit specific storage items. It is.

  For example, in a product distribution stage, a three-dimensional automatic warehouse or the like is used to temporarily store an item. Or, when the library is stored in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse and the desired book is taken out, the designated book is automatically transported to the cashier station, and the book is returned. There is a book management device or a book depositing / dispensing device which is automatically stored in a predetermined or arbitrary storage location from the depositing / dispensing station. Since the shape and size of storage items handled in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse or book management device vary, it is difficult to handle this directly and automatically with a mechanical device, so the storage items are stored in containers of a predetermined shape and size, Many are handled in container units.

  In a three-dimensional automatic warehouse or a book management device that uses containers, it has a container storage shelf that allows containers to be taken in and out of the storage space partitioned in the horizontal and vertical directions. The stacker crane having a transfer device capable of transferring a container in the vehicle can be run along the front surface of the container storage shelf, and the transfer device can be moved up and down. Yes. Then, the identification information of each container is associated with the identification information of the stored items stored in each container, and the identification information of each storage space of the container storage shelf and the identification information of the containers stored in this storage space are It is stored in a management device such as a computer in association.

  The three-dimensional automatic warehouse or the book management apparatus is controlled as described below, for example. When the delivery of a specific article is instructed by a terminal of a depositing / dispensing station or the like, the management device searches the storage data for a container storing the specific article and a section in which the container is stored. The management device moves the stacker crane toward the searched position and moves the stacker crane transfer device up and down to position it in front of the searched section and stores the container stored in the section in the stacker crane. To be transferred to. The stacker crane returns to a predetermined position, for example, a home position, and transfers the container to a conveying means such as a conveyor. The operation of the transfer means is controlled by the management device so as to transfer the container to the depositing / dispensing station. The specified article can be taken out from the container conveyed to the depositing / dispensing station.

  When goods are stored in a storage shelf, an empty or sufficient container is specified from among a number of containers stored in the storage space of the storage shelf according to a command from the terminal of the depositing / dispensing station. It is taken out by a stacker crane and transported to a cashier station. When goods are stored in this container at the depositing / dispensing station and a command is issued to store the container, the container is stored in the original storage space or an appropriate storage space. The storage space information, the container identification information, and the document documents and other article identification information stored in the container are stored in association with each other.

  In the three-dimensional automatic warehouse or the automatic document depositing / dispensing apparatus in the library as described above, various devices have been devised so that specified articles can be efficiently put in and out. For example, the storage tray is formed in an elongated shape, and a plurality of containers can be arranged in a row on the tray so that the storage tray can be stacked in a row, and the shelf apparatus extends in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the stacker crane. There is known an automatic warehouse facility configured to be stored in (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this automatic warehouse facility, the depth dimension of the shelf device can be increased, and the number of storage trays that can be stored per unit travel length of the stacker crane can be increased to increase the storage efficiency.

  As in the invention described in Patent Document 1, in a conventional three-dimensional automatic warehouse or an automatic teller machine in a library, a device for improving the storage efficiency of articles has been proposed. In addition, a device has been devised to increase the speed at which goods are put in and out.

JP 2004-182368 A

  In the above conventional three-dimensional automatic warehouse or automatic teller machine in a library, the entire container storage section of the storage shelf is uniformly managed, and when the delivery of a specific article is instructed, the entire container storage section is searched and the corresponding article is retrieved. The container storing the container is searched for, and the stacker crane takes out the container from this section and transports it to the depositing / unloading station by the transport device. Accordingly, the search range of articles is widened, and the moving range of the stacker crane is also wide, so that the average time required for delivery is long. In addition, even when warehousing, the entire container storage section is searched for a container that is empty or has room to store articles, and this container is transported to the loading / unloading station by a stacker crane and a transport device. The average time becomes longer. Furthermore, the average time required for transporting containers from the depositing / dispensing station to an arbitrary or appropriate container storage section is increased both at the time of delivery and at the time of entry.

  In addition, since conventional three-dimensional automatic warehouses or automatic teller machines in libraries uniformly manage the entire container storage section of the warehouse, the type, quality, value, or importance of the stored items, etc. Attributes are not considered and it is not determined in which compartment a particular item is stored.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and a container management device capable of shortening the average time required for loading and unloading by enabling rapid loading and unloading of specific articles. The purpose is to provide.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container management apparatus that limits storage according to the attributes of the stored articles and enables storage suitable for the attributes of the stored articles.

  The container management device according to the present invention is capable of transferring containers between a container storage shelf that can take containers into and out of a storage space partitioned in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and the storage space of the container storage shelf. And a stacker crane that travels along the front surface of the container storage shelf and moves the transfer device up and down, and the container storage shelf is a specific area of the storage space. However, this is a specific zone for storing a specific stored item, and the main feature is that the container stored in the specific zone and the stored item of this container are stored in association with attribute information. .

The container stored in the specific zone stores, for example, articles with a high loading / unloading frequency, articles that require urgent shipping, and the like. By setting the specific zone at a home position that is the base point of the operation of the stacker crane or an area close to the depositing / dispensing station, quick delivery can be performed. In particular, if a container storing articles with a high loading / unloading frequency is stored in a specific zone, the average time required for loading / unloading can be shortened, including goods with a low loading / unloading frequency.
The specific zone may be set according to the attribute of the stored article. For example, a container for storing precious articles or documents may be stored in an area that is not easily damaged by fire or earthquake, and this area may be a specific zone.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a container storage device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, the code | symbol 10 shows a container storage shelf. FIG. 1 is a view of a container storage shelf 10 as viewed from the front, and the container storage shelf 10 has a large number of storage spaces partitioned in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. In each storage space, containers can be taken in and out and containers can be stored. One or a plurality of articles can be stored in the container. The form of the article stored in the container is arbitrary, as long as it can be stored in the container and the container storing the article can be taken in and out of the storage space. The container storage shelf 10 may be used as a distribution warehouse, may be used as a storage shelf for books in a library, may be used for medical record management in a hospital, and other purposes.

  A stacker crane 20 is installed so as to be able to travel in a direction parallel to the front surface of the container storage shelf 10. As is well known, the stacker crane 20 can transfer a container or the like between a traveling carriage, a guide column extending vertically from the traveling carriage, and moving up and down along the guide column. It has a transfer device that can. The stacker crane 20 travels while maintaining an appropriate gap with respect to the front surface of the container storage shelf 10, while the transfer device moves up and down, the transfer device stops facing the designated storage space, and the storage space Containers can be transferred between In FIG. 1, a horizontal arrow 22 indicates the traveling direction of the stacker crane 20, and a vertical arrow 24 indicates the ascending / descending direction of the transfer device included in the stacker crane 20.

  The stacker crane 20 is set with a home position 26 as a base point of its operation. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the home position 26 is set near the left end of the container storage shelf 10. The stacker crane 20 is mainly intended to transfer containers to and from the storage space of the container storage shelf 10 as described above. Usually, the stacker crane 20 receives articles, documents, etc. between the stacker crane 20 and the user. Conveying means such as a conveyor is provided between the delivery station. In FIG. 1, the depiction of the conveying means is omitted. The place for delivering the container between the conveying means and the stacker crane 20 may be arbitrarily set, but here, the container is delivered between the conveying means and the stacker crane 20 at the home position 26. It shall be.

  In the container storage shelf 10, a specific area of the storage space divided in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction is a specific zone 12 for storing a specific stored item. In this specific zone 12, for example, it is preferable to store a container that accommodates articles or documents having a high storage frequency obtained by analyzing the stored storage data. Or you may keep the container which accommodated the article | item, the document, etc. which need to be delivered quickly at the time of emergency. Furthermore, an area that is not easily damaged in the event of a fire or an earthquake may be set as the specific zone 12, and a container that stores valuable articles or documents may be stored there. An address is set in each storage space of the container storage shelf 10, and each address is stored and managed by a computer. Therefore, addresses belonging to the specific zone 12 and other addresses are stored and managed by the computer.

  The specific zone 12 is set in an area close to the home position 26 of the stacker crane 20 in the entire storage space of the container storage shelf 10. Since the transfer means communicates with the depositing / dispensing station, when the home position 26 is a container delivery place between the stacker crane 20 and the conveying means as described above, the specific zone 12 is included in the deposit / withdrawal of the total storage space. It is also set in the area close to the station. However, the delivery location of the container is not necessarily at the home position 26 and may be at a location different from each other. In this case, the specific zone 12 is set to either a position close to the container delivery location or a location close to the home position 26 according to the attributes of the article or document to be handled. Alternatively, depending on attributes such as articles and documents to be stored, a specific zone for storing these may be set at a location far from the home position 26 or the depositing / dispensing station.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the specific zone 12 is divided into a first specific zone 14 and a second specific zone 16. The first specific zone 14 is set in an area closer to the home position 26 or the depositing / dispensing station than the second specific zone 16. Specifically, the first specific zone 14 is limited to a range close to the home position 26 in the horizontal direction in the specific zone 12, and is a range up to the middle of the height of the specific zone 12 in the height direction. The remaining area of the specific zone 12 is the second specific zone 16. Therefore, for example, articles and documents having a higher entry / exit frequency or urgency are stored in the first specific zone 14, and articles and documents having the next highest entry / exit frequency or urgency are stored in the second specific zone 16. It is possible to use them separately, such as storing them and storing other articles and documents outside the specific zone 12. Or you may set the zone which stores according to an attribute, without classifying the articles | goods and figure documents to be stored as mentioned above. Alternatively, the number of specific zones may be three or more, and articles and drawings suitable for the specific zones may be stored in each specific zone. The specific zones divided into a plurality may be separated from each other.

  Each storage space of the container storage shelf 10 is assigned an address, and each address is stored in a storage unit of a control device such as a computer. Each container can be identified by an ID number or the like, and this identification information is stored in the control device. Each stored article or graphic document can be identified by an ID number or the like, and attribute information such as its type is given in advance, and the identification information and attribute information are stored in the control device. For each storage space, the identification information of the container stored in the storage space, the identification information and the attribute information of the articles and graphics stored in the container are linked and stored in the control device.

  Now, assuming the case where the container storage shelf 10 is a library storage in a library, an operation example at the time of loading (returning) a book and an operation at the time of lending (renting) will be described. When a book is newly stored, it is specified whether the book is stored in a specific zone or other zone at the cashier station. When storage in a specific zone is specified, a control device composed of a computer or the like designates an empty container or a container with sufficient storage space from among containers stored in the specific zone, and activates the stacker crane 20, The traveling of the stacker crane 20 and the lifting / lowering of the transfer device are controlled so that the transfer device is opposed to the designated container storage space, and the container is taken out. The stacker crane 20 travels to the delivery place, the transfer device transfers the container to the transfer means, and the transfer means transfers the container to the loading / unloading station. When the new book is stored in the container at the loading / unloading station and a command is issued, the container is transported by the transport means, and the container is transferred to the stacker crane 20 at the delivery location. Transfer to the original storage area. The stacker crane 20 returns to the home position 26 and stands by. The control device newly stores the address information of the storage section, the container identification information, the new book identification information, and the attribute information, and ends the operation.

If there is a request for renting out (renting) a book that has already been stored, the container in which the book is stored is searched, and the container is transported to the depositing / dispensing station by the stacker crane 20 and the transporting means. At the depositing / dispensing station, the designated book is taken out from the container, and an appropriate operation for finishing the taking out is performed. The container is returned to the original storage section by the transport means stacker crane 20.
Note that the container does not necessarily have to be returned to the original storage section, and if there is an empty storage section, it may be stored there. However, if the container is taken out from the specific zone 12, and further from the first specific zone 14 or the second specific zone 16, it is stored in an appropriate storage section in each zone. Even when the lent books are returned (warehousing), the operation of taking out the container from the storage section and transporting it to the depositing / receiving station, and the operation of returning the book to the container at the depositing / dispensing station and returning the container to the storing section, This is the same as the case of storing the new book.

As can be seen from the above description, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the region close to the home position 26 of the stacker crane 20 or the depositing station in the storage space of the container storage shelf is used as a specific zone, and is frequently used here. By storing the documents and articles, these documents and articles can be taken out quickly, and the average time required for loading and unloading, including the loading and unloading of other documents and articles, can be shortened. Quick entry / exit is possible.
By setting a specific zone in an area that is not easily damaged by fire or earthquake, and storing valuable graphic documents and articles there, valuable graphic documents and articles can be protected from fire and earthquake. In addition, by setting an effective area for theft prevention in a specific zone and storing valuable graphic documents and articles therein, the effect of preventing theft of valuable graphic documents and articles can be enhanced.

  As described above, a container taken out from a certain storage section does not necessarily need to be returned to the original storage section, and may be configured so that it can be returned to an appropriate storage section that is free. This is a so-called free location system. By doing this, it is possible to reduce the number of containers required for storing and receiving documents and articles corresponding to the number of stored documents and articles. Can be stored and retrieved.

  The frequency of loading / unloading of individual documents and articles can be determined from the data accumulated by continuing to operate this device. Goods may be stored in a specific zone where quick entry / exit is possible.

  The container management device according to the present invention is used as a container management device in a distribution warehouse, as a container management device in a library storage in a library, or as a container management device in a medical record storage in a hospital, and as a storage for various other purposes. Can be used as a container management apparatus.

It is a front view which shows the Example of the container management apparatus concerning this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Container Storage Shelf 12 Specific Zone 14 First Specific Zone 16 Second Specific Zone 20 Stacker Crane 26 Home Position

Claims (7)

Container storage shelves that allow containers to be taken in and out of storage spaces partitioned horizontally and vertically;
A stacker crane having a transfer device capable of transferring a container to and from the storage space of the container storage shelf, traveling along the front surface of the container storage shelf and moving the transfer device up and down; Have
The container storage shelf is to be managed as a specific zone for storing a specific item in a specific area of the storage space,
A container management apparatus, wherein attribute information is associated with a container stored in the specific zone and stored in the container.   The container management device according to claim 1, wherein a home position as a base point of the operation is set in the stacker crane, and a storage area near the home position is a specific zone.   The container management device according to claim 1, wherein the specific zone is divided into a plurality of specific zones.   The container management device according to claim 1, wherein the specific zone is set in an area close to the depositing / dispensing station in the container storage shelf.   4. The container management device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of specific zones are set to be divided into an area close to the home position of the stacker crane or the depositing / dispensing station and an area farther from the area.   The container management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information on stored items and stored / extracted information is stored in a container storage shelf, and stored items having a high storage frequency can be stored in a container stored in a specific zone. The container management device according to claim 1, wherein the container is a container for storing books, and the container storage shelf is a book storage shelf.

Images