JP2006282304A - Transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transfer device capable of preventing diffusion of dust and reducing a dead space between shelves in the vertical direction. <P>SOLUTION: This transfer device is provided with a pair of arm mechanisms comprising a first arm 20 supported in one end thereof freely to turn in the vertical direction through a fixed shaft 21 provided on a lift 10 and a second arm 30 supported in one end thereof freely to turn in the vertical direction through a first driven shaft 22 (31) in the other end of the first arm. The pair of arm mechanisms is provided in parallel with each other with the predetermined interval on the lift. The pair of first arms is respectively provided with a driving source for turning the first arm and a first transmission means for transmitting revolution of the first arm to the second arm. The pair of second arms is respectively provided with a second driven shaft in the other end thereof, and provided with a loaded material receiver part freely to turn through the second driven shaft, and furthermore, provided with a second transmission means for transmitting revolution of the second arm to the loaded material receiver part, and the pair of loaded material receiver parts is structured to be always extended in the vertical direction at the same height position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device for taking articles into and out of a storage space, and more particularly to a transfer device suitable for a stacker crane in an automatic warehouse.

  Briefly explaining the application example, the stacker crane is installed between racks of an automatic warehouse, and has a traveling function along the rack and a vertical lifting function. The stacker crane automatically moves to a designated shelf position among a plurality of shelves divided into racks by its traveling and lifting functions. The stacker crane is also provided with a transfer device having a fork. The fork is taken in and out of a designated shelf, and the stored items are carried into and out of the shelf. A transfer device for a stacker crane is generally realized by a drive mechanism that drives a fork supported by a cam follower by a rack and pinion or a chain.

  By the way, in an automatic warehouse, it may be required to prevent the generation of dust depending on the type of stored items. In this case, the generation of dust in the storage space in the shelf is less preferred than the space in which the stacker crane moves. In response to such a demand, in the drive mechanism as described above, when the fork is extended, the drive transmission means such as the rack and pinion and the chain may be exposed in the storage space, and dust may be generated.

  A transfer device with reduced dust generation is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. This transfer device has an arm mechanism and an operation mechanism. The arm mechanism includes a drive arm and a driven arm that are connected to each other by a connecting shaft so as to be horizontally bent. A fixed shaft is provided at an end of the drive arm, and a stored item stacking portion is provided at an end of the driven arm. The operating mechanism transmits the rotation of the drive arm to the connecting shaft to rotate the driven arm. In this transfer device, the drive arm is box-shaped to store the operating mechanism, and the stored material stacking portion is plate-shaped to reduce dust generation.

  Further, in an automatic warehouse, in addition to preventing dust generation, there are cases where it is required that the stored items be taken in and out of the shelf without changing the posture of the stored items.

  As an example of a transfer device that can prevent dust generation and change the posture of stored items without changing the posture, a scalar type transfer device having a drive arm 50 and a driven arm 60 as shown in FIGS. What is called a device is known. In this transfer apparatus, a fixed shaft 51 extending in the vertical direction is rotatably provided at one end of the drive arm 50, and a driven shaft 52 extending in the vertical direction is fixedly connected to the other end of the drive arm 50. ing. The fixed shaft 51 protrudes from the drive arm 50, and the protruded portion is fixed on a table 70 that can travel and move up and down. A gear 53 is rotatably supported on the protruding portion of the fixed shaft 51, and the gear 53 is fixed to the drive arm 50. The gear 53 meshes with a gear 72 that is rotationally driven by a motor 71. A pulley 54 is fixed to the fixed shaft 51 in the drive arm 50. A pulley 55 is rotatably supported in the drive arm 50 on the driven shaft 52, and a belt 56 is stretched between the pulley 54 and the pulley 55. The pulley 55 also has one end side in the axial direction passing through the cover of the drive arm 50 and fixedly connected to the driven arm 60 so as to rotate integrally. The driven shaft 52 extends to the side of the driven arm 60 so as to be relatively rotatable with the driven arm 60, and this extended portion acts as a fixed shaft 61 in the driven arm 60. That is, the pulley 62 is fixed to the fixed shaft 61 in the driven arm 60, and the pulley 64 is attached to the driven shaft 63 that is attached to the other end of the driven arm 60 so as to extend in the vertical direction. A belt 65 is stretched between a pulley 62 and a pulley 64 in the driven arm 60. The diameters of the pulley 55 and the pulley 62 are the same. The pulley 64 is also fixedly connected to the storage object mounting portion 80 for mounting the storage object 100 at one end side in the axial direction through the cover of the driven arm 60.

  The drive arm 50 and the driven arm 60 operate as follows. When the motor 71 is driven, the drive arm 50 is rotated by rotating the gear 53 via the gear 72. When the drive arm 50 rotates, the belt 56 is displaced so as to wind around the pulley 54, and the pulley 55 rotates. As a result, the driven arm 60 rotates, and the pulley 64 rotates relative to the driven arm 60.

  The reason why the stored item mounting portion 80 is rotatable with respect to the driven arm 60 is to prevent the stored item 100 from rotating horizontally during the above-described request, that is, during transfer. This is because the ratio of the diameter of the pulley 54: the diameter of the pulley 55 (the pulley 62): the diameter of the pulley 64 is set to 2: 1: 2, so that the stored item mounting portion regardless of the turning angle of the driving arm 50 and the driven arm 60. 80 postures, that is, the angle can be kept constant. FIG. 5 shows that the angle of the stored article mounting portion 80 is the same as the angle shown in FIG. 4 even during the expansion / contraction operation of the entire arm, that is, the turning operation of the drive arm 50 and the driven arm 60.

  In any case, the transfer device prevents the driving force transmission portion from being exposed, so that even if dust is generated at the driving force transmission portion, there is little possibility of spreading in the storage space of the stored items. Further, the stored item does not rotate when the stored item is transferred.

  However, when the transfer device as shown in FIG. 4 is used as a transfer device for a stacker crane, the thickness of the arm mechanism formed by the drive arm 50 and the driven arm 60 becomes a dead space, and the storage efficiency of the shelf is lowered. This is because a space is required to allow the arm mechanism to enter the storage space of the shelf when the stored items are transferred to the shelf. This space is a dead space. If the thickness of the arm mechanism is increased, the dead space is further increased accordingly.

  FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show examples of shelves in an automatic warehouse that stores roll-shaped storage items. The roll-shaped storage item 200 has a shaft 210 that penetrates the center and protrudes from both sides. The rack is composed of a plurality of shelf pillars, and a plurality of rows and a plurality of stages of shelves are constructed in the traveling direction and the vertical direction of the stacker crane using these shelf pillars.

  FIG. 6 shows shelves for two tiers in one row, and four shelf pillars 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, 110-4 (front, rear, left and right with respect to the movement space of the stacker crane are shown. This is not shown in the figure) to form a shelf for one row. One shelf spans shelf plates 120-1 and 120-2 between shelf columns 110-1 and 110-3 in the front-rear direction and between shelf columns 110-2 and 110-4, respectively. It implement | achieves by providing the receiving part 121-1 and 121-2 in the intermediate part of board 120-1, 120-2. The receiving portions 121-1 and 121-2 have a substantially V shape for receiving the shaft 210.

  When the transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 4 is applied to such an automatic warehouse, a substantially U-shaped fork 85 is used in place of the stored item mounting portion 80 shown in FIG. The fork 85 has substantially V-shaped receiving portions 85-1 and 85-2 similar to the receiving portions 121-1 and 121-2 at the upper end portions of the support rods on both sides thereof, and the shaft 210 is connected to these receiving portions. The stored item 200 is supported by receiving. Of course, the fork 85 is rotatable with respect to the driven arm 60.

  In this example, the support bar of the fork 85 of the transfer device is inserted into the space between the both ends of the roll-shaped stored item 200 and the shelf column (see FIG. 6), and the transfer device is moved slightly upward to receive the receiving portion 85-. 1, 85-2 supports the shaft 210 and realizes transfer of the stored item 200. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the stored item 200 is lifted up in the storage space of the shelf.

  As can be understood from FIG. 6, the space X between the end of the stored item 200 and the shelf column needs to be at least the width d of the support rod of the fork 85. In addition, the pitch Y between the shelves adjacent in the vertical direction requires the thickness D of the arm mechanism of the transfer device in addition to the diameter of the stored item 200, and these spaces become dead spaces.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-26482

  The subject of this invention is the transfer apparatus which can implement | achieve the spreading | diffusion prevention of dust generation and the reduction | decrease of the dead space between the shelfs of an up-down direction, when transferring a stored item with respect to a shelf via an arm mechanism. Is to provide.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a transfer apparatus capable of realizing a reduction in dead space of a shelf in the left-right direction in addition to the above problems.

  The transfer device according to the present invention includes a first arm that supports one end rotatably in a vertical direction via a fixed shaft provided on a table, and a first driven shaft at the other end of the first arm. A pair of arm mechanisms including a second arm that is supported at one end so as to be pivotable in the vertical direction, and the pair of arm mechanisms are installed in parallel to each other at a predetermined interval on the table. Are provided with drive means for rotating the first arm, and provided with first transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the first arm to the second arm, Each has a second driven shaft at the other end, and a load receiving portion is rotatably provided via the second driven shaft, and further, the rotation of the second arm is transmitted to the load receiving portion. Second transmission means is provided, and the pair of load receiving parts are the same. It characterized in that at the level always to extend in the vertical direction.

  In addition, it is preferable that a pair of said fixed axis | shaft is comprised with one axis | shaft.

  The transfer device is suitable for being applied to a stacker crane that is capable of traveling along a rack in which a plurality of shelves are sectioned and that includes a lifting platform that can be lifted up and down. In this case, the platform is realized by the lifting platform, the mounted object is a roll-like object having a shaft passing through the center, and the pair of arm mechanism has a predetermined interval between the pair of mounted object receiving portions. The spacing is such that the shaft protruding from both ends of the roll-like object can be received.

  When the transfer device according to the present invention is applied to the stacker crane, the roll is formed on the front side of the pillar facing the moving space side of the stacker crane among the plurality of pillars constituting the rack. A receiving portion capable of receiving a shaft protruding from both ends of the object is provided at intervals in the vertical direction, and each shelf is a pair of the receiving portions at the same height provided on two adjacent pillars. It consists of parts. In this case, the transfer apparatus according to the present invention is configured to reduce the vertical dead space in the left-right direction of the shelf, and to perform the rotational movement of the pair of arm mechanisms in the width direction of the two adjacent columns. It is preferable to use each space defined in (1).

  According to the present invention, since the transmission means in the arm mechanism avoids exposure, it is possible to prevent the dust generation from diffusing.

  In addition, the stored items are transferred by a pair of arm mechanisms, and the rotation of each arm mechanism is set in the vertical direction (up and down direction), so that the stored items are particularly roll-shaped and have both ends at the center. In the case of having a shaft protruding from the top, transfer can be performed via the shaft, which is effective in reducing the dead space between the shelves in the vertical direction. Thereby, the storage efficiency of a shelf can be improved.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-3, preferable embodiment of the transfer apparatus by this invention is described. The transfer device according to the present embodiment is an example when applied to a stacker crane in an automatic warehouse. In this case, the stacker crane includes a lifting platform that can travel between racks and move up and down in the vertical direction.

  In FIG. 1, this transfer apparatus comprises a pair of arm mechanisms on an elevating table 10 that can travel and elevate between racks with an interval in the traveling direction. Each arm mechanism includes a first arm 20 and a second arm 30, and one end of the first arm 20 is attached to the lifting platform 10 so as to be rotatable (turnable) in the vertical direction (vertical direction). One end of the second arm 30 is connected to the other end so as to be rotatable (turnable) in the vertical direction. A shaft receiving portion 36 having a substantially V-shaped portion for receiving the shaft 210 of the stored item 200 is connected to the other end of the second arm 30 so as to extend in the vertical direction.

  More specifically, a pair of support plates 11 are erected on the lifting platform 10 at intervals in the traveling direction, and the support plate 11 is provided with a motor 12 as a rotational drive source. The output shaft of the motor 12 extends in the horizontal direction, and a gear 13 is attached.

  On the other hand, a fixed shaft 21 is provided at one end of the first arm 20 so as to be rotatable relative to the first arm 20 so as to extend in the horizontal direction, and at the other end of the first arm 20 in the horizontal direction. An extended driven shaft 22 (first driven shaft) is fixedly connected. The fixed shaft 21 protrudes from the first arm 20 and is fixed to the support plate 11. A gear 23 is rotatably supported on the fixed shaft 21 protruding from the first arm 20, and the gear 23 is fixed to the first arm 20. The gear 23 is also meshed with the gear 13. Thereby, when the motor 12 is driven, the first arm 20 rotates in the vertical direction. Note that the pair of fixed shafts 21 is preferably configured with a single shaft from the viewpoint of synchronizing the rotation of the pair of arm mechanisms.

  A pulley 24 is fixed to the fixed shaft 21 in the first arm 20, and a pulley 25 is rotatably supported on the driven shaft 22. A belt 26 is stretched between the pulleys 24 and 25 to constitute a first transmission means. The pulley 25 is also configured so that one end side in the axial direction passes through the cover of the first arm 20 and is connected to the second arm 30 to rotate integrally. The driven shaft 22 protrudes from the first arm 20 and is relatively rotatable with the second arm 30, and the driven shaft 22 protruding from the first arm 20 acts as a fixed shaft 31 of the second arm 30. To do. A driven shaft 32 (second driven shaft) extending in the horizontal direction is also fixed to the other end of the second arm 30. A pulley 33 is fixed to the fixed shaft 31, and a pulley 34 is rotatably supported on the driven shaft 32. A belt 35 is stretched between the pulleys 33 and 34 to constitute a second transmission means.

  A shaft receiving portion 36 is attached to an axial end portion (inner end portion) of the pulley 34 rotatably supported by the driven shaft 32 so as to be rotatable about the driven shaft 32.

  As described above, when the motor 12 is driven, the first arm 20 rotates in the vertical direction. When the first arm 20 rotates, the belt 26 is displaced so as to wind around the pulley 24, and the pulley 25 rotates. As a result, the second arm 30 rotates in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the shaft receiving portion 36 is always held so as to extend in the vertical direction regardless of the rotation angle of the second arm 30. The driving force transmission means is not limited to a belt, and may be a transmission means such as a chain.

  In any case, the component for transmitting the driving force is provided on the arm in terms of the first and second transmission means. Other driving force transmission elements such as gears 13 and 23 are covered with a cover (not shown) so as to be built in the arm. Thereby, even if dust is generated in the component for transmitting the driving force, it is prevented from diffusing to the surroundings.

  In this embodiment, a shelf for storing and holding the stored items 200 is further configured as follows.

  Four columns 50-1 to 50-4 are installed per row in order to form a rack composed of a plurality of rows and a plurality of stages of shelves along the traveling direction and the raising / lowering direction of the stacker crane. Of these four columns, the columns 50-1 and 50-2 on the front side with respect to the movement space of the stacker crane are used for placing the stored items. In particular, in order to receive the shaft 210 of the storage item 200 on the front side of the pillars 50-1 and 50-2, the receiving parts 51-1 and 51-2 are vertically directed to the front side of the pillars 50-1 and 50-2, respectively. Are installed at intervals. Each receiving portion is sized to receive the two end portions of the shafts 210 and 210 ′ of two adjacent storage items 200 and 200 ′ adjacent to each other.

  By configuring the shelf as described above, the interval between the pair of arm mechanisms is matched to the interval between the receiving portions 51-1 and 51-2 installed on the pillars 50-1 and 50-2. Strictly speaking, the interval between the pair of shaft receiving portions 36 is set to be slightly smaller than the interval between the pair of receiving portions 51-1 and 51-2.

  In FIG. 1, after the second arm 30 extended linearly with respect to the first arm 20 is entered into the storage space, the lifting platform 10 is slightly raised and the shaft 210 of the stored item 200 is lifted by the shaft receiving portion 36. Shows the state of receiving. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2, the stored item 200 is moved to the lifting platform 10 side by the rotation of the first and second arms 20 and 30.

  As is clear from the above description, the transfer apparatus according to the present embodiment has the following features.

  a. A pair of arm mechanisms including the first arm 20 and the second arm 30 are installed on the lifting platform 10 in parallel with each other.

  b. Each arm mechanism rotates (turns) in the vertical direction.

  c. The fixed shafts 21 of the pair of first arms 20 are connected.

  d. In the first arm 20, pulleys 24 and 25 and a belt 26 for connecting the pulleys are built in, and the ratio of the diameters of the pulleys 24 and 25 is 2: 1. The second arm 30 includes pulleys 33 and 34 and a belt 35 for connecting the pulleys 33 and 34, and the ratio of the diameters of the pulleys 33 and 34 is 1: 2. Pulleys 25 and 33 are mechanically connected. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, even if the first arm 20 and the second arm 30 are rotated, the pair of shaft receiving portions 36 are parallel to each other and extend vertically at the same height position. Move with.

  e. The shaft 210 is transferred by the pair of shaft receiving portions 36 in the pair of arm mechanisms on the side surface side of the stored item 200. This means that the vertical dead space caused by the arm mechanism can be significantly reduced as compared with the dead space D described with reference to FIG. 6, and the storage efficiency of the stored item 200 can be improved accordingly.

  f. The shelf receiving portions 51-1 and 51-2 are provided on the moving space side of the stacker crane, and the shaft 210 is transferred to the receiving portions 51-1 and 51-2 by the pair of shaft receiving portions 36 on the front surface of the shelf. It has a structure that can be done. That is, the vertical rotational movement of the pair of arm mechanisms is performed using the space defined in front of each of the pair of adjacent columns 50-1 and 50-2. According to such a structure, the space for installing the pillar 50-1 (50-2) can be used as a space for the second arm 30 to enter the storage space and rotate. This means that the dead space in the left-right direction caused by the arm mechanism can be greatly reduced compared to the dead space X described with reference to FIG. 6, and the storage efficiency of the stored item 200 can be improved accordingly.

  The transfer device according to the present invention is particularly suitable for a stacker crane applied to an automatic warehouse, but is not limited to this, and can be applied to all transfer devices.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a transfer apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view and FIG. 1 (b) is a side view. FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the operation of the arm mechanism in the transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and shows a state in the middle of carrying out the arm mechanism carrying the stored items from the storage space. FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the operation of the arm mechanism in the transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and shows a state in which the arm mechanism on which the stored items are mounted has been unloaded from the storage space. FIG. 4 shows a configuration of a conventional transfer device having a function of preventing dust diffusion and a function of preventing horizontal rotation of stored items. FIG. 4A is partially broken for easy understanding of the internal configuration. It is a side view and FIG.4 (b) is the top view which fractured | ruptured one part. FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining the expansion and contraction operations of the drive arm and the driven arm in the transfer apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a dead space of a storage space, which is a problem in the conventional transfer device. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a dead space of a storage space, which is a problem in the conventional transfer device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Lift stand 11 Support plate 12 Motor 13, 23 Gear 20 1st arm 21, 31 Fixed shaft 22, 32 Drive shaft 24, 25, 33, 34 Pulley 26, 35 Belt 30 2nd arm 36 Shaft receiving part 50-1 50-4 Pillars 51-1, 51-2 Receiving part 200 Storage item 210 Shaft

Claims (4)

A first arm that supports one end rotatably in a vertical direction via a fixed shaft provided on a table, and one end rotatably in a vertical direction via a first driven shaft at the other end of the first arm A pair of arm mechanisms including a second arm that supports the two arms, and the pair of arm mechanisms are installed parallel to each other at a predetermined interval on the table,
Each of the pair of first arms is provided with a driving means for rotating the first arm and a first transmission means for transmitting the rotation of the first arm to the second arm,
In each of the pair of second arms, a second driven shaft is provided at the other end, and a load receiving portion is rotatably provided via the second driven shaft, and the rotation of the second arm is further mounted on the second arm. Providing a second transmission means for transmitting to the object receiving portion;
A transfer apparatus characterized in that a pair of load receiving parts are always extended vertically in the same height position.   The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of fixed shafts is configured by a single shaft. The transfer device is applied to a stacker crane that is capable of traveling along a rack in which a plurality of shelves are partitioned and includes a lifting platform that can be moved up and down in the vertical direction. Realized by
The mounted object is a roll-shaped object having a shaft passing through the center, and the predetermined interval between the pair of arm mechanisms receives the shaft from which the pair of mounted object receiving portions protrude from both ends of the roll-shaped object. The transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer apparatus has an interval that can be adjusted. Up and down a receiving portion that can receive a shaft protruding from both ends of the roll-like object on the front side of the column facing the moving space side of the stacker crane among the plurality of columns constituting the rack. With an interval in the direction,
Each shelf is composed of a pair of receiving parts at the same height provided on two adjacent pillars,
4. The transfer according to claim 3, wherein each of the pair of arm mechanisms is rotated in the vertical direction using each space defined by the width of the two adjacent pillars. Mounting device.

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