JP2007001753A - Article carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article carrying device facilitating maintenance when an article transfer device is in failure. <P>SOLUTION: The article carrying device of an article housing facility has an operation control means 27 controlling operation of storing or shipping of articles by an article carrying vehicle, by instructing a travel drive control means INV1 on a target drive state of a travel drive means M1, instructing a lifting drive control means on a target drive state of a lifting drive means, and instructing an advancing/retracting drive control means M3 on a target drive condition of an advancing/retracting drive means. The travel drive control means can switch between a normal drive state controlling the drive of the travel drive means, and a temporary drive state controlling the advancing/retracting drive means. The operation control means can switch between a normal instruction state instructing the advancing/retracting drive control means on the target drive state of the advancing/retracting drive means, and a temporary instruction state instructing the travel drive control means on the target drive state of the advancing/retracting drive means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

According to the present invention, a storage unit for storing articles can be run along storage shelves arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a lifting platform equipped with an article transfer device that allows the article holding unit to move in and out is provided to be movable up and down. Goods transport vehicle,
Travel drive control means for controlling the travel drive means of the article transport vehicle to be driven in the commanded target drive state, and lift drive for controlling the lift drive means of the lift platform to be driven in the commanded target drive state Each of the control means and the exit / exit drive control means for controlling the exit / retreat drive means of the article transfer device to be driven in the commanded target drive state;
The target drive state of the travel drive unit is commanded to the travel drive control unit, the target drive state of the lift drive unit is commanded to the lift drive control unit, and the target drive state of the exit / retreat drive unit is output to the output unit. The present invention relates to an article transport apparatus in an article storage facility provided with an operation control means for instructing a retreat drive control means to control an operation so that an article is loaded or unloaded by the article transport vehicle.

As a conventional example of the above-described article transporting device, a stacker crane as an article transporting vehicle is capable of traveling along a work passage provided along a storage shelf in which storage units for storing articles are arranged side by side, and In addition, there is a type in which an elevating table equipped with a fork device as an article transfer device for moving the article holding unit back and forth is provided so as to be movable up and down (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In this conventional example, a travel control unit that controls an electric motor for travel as travel drive means,
A crane control device including a lifting control unit that controls a lifting electric motor as a lifting drive unit and a transfer control unit that controls a transfer electric motor as a withdrawal drive unit is provided in a stacker crane. The crane control device functions as an operation control means for controlling the operation of the tucker crane so as to perform the warehousing or unloading commanded from the controller on the ground side.
Incidentally, although not described in detail in this conventional example, the travel control unit is generally equipped with a travel inverter as a travel drive control means for controlling the travel electric motor to be driven in the commanded target drive state. Thus, the travel control unit instructs the travel inverter to drive the target drive state of the travel electric motor, and similarly, the lift control unit drives the lift electric motor in the commanded target drive state. The lifting / lowering inverter serving as the lifting / lowering drive control means is controlled so that the lifting / lowering control unit commands the target driving state of the lifting / lowering electric motor to the lifting / lowering inverter, and the transfer control unit The transfer electric motor is equipped with a transfer inverter as a drive-out / out drive control means for controlling the electric motor to be driven in the commanded target drive state. It will command a target driving state of the motor into the transfer inverter.

JP 2002-114320 A

In such an article transport apparatus, when the exit / exit drive control means becomes unusable due to a failure or the like, the article transfer apparatus cannot be operated, and the exit / exit drive control means is replaced with a new one. Such a maintenance work is desired to be performed in a state where the article transport vehicle is moved to a position where the maintenance work can be easily performed and the elevator base is positioned on the lower side.
However, when an article transfer process is being performed on the storage unit of the storage shelf, the article transfer device is driven in and out in a state where the tip of the article transfer device has entered the storage unit (see, for example, FIG. 3B). The control means may become unusable. In such a case, the article transfer device and the storage section interfere with each other, so that the article transport vehicle can be moved to a position where maintenance work can be easily performed, There is an inconvenience that the maintenance work cannot be performed satisfactorily because it cannot be lowered so as to be positioned on the lower side. In particular, when the article is being transferred to the storage unit located at a high position on the storage shelf, the exit / retreat drive unit becomes unavailable when the tip of the article transfer device has entered the storage unit. Inconvenience that maintenance workers have to go up to the high place where the lift platform is located, such as climbing the ladder equipped in the article transport vehicle and going up to the high place where the lift platform is located, to perform maintenance work was there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to perform maintenance when the retractable drive control means becomes unusable in a state where the tip of the article transfer device has entered the storage portion. The object of the present invention is to provide an article conveying apparatus that can perform work well.

The first feature of the present invention is:
An article transport vehicle in which a storage unit for storing articles can run along storage shelves arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions, and an elevator platform equipped with an article transfer device for moving the article holding part out and up is provided to be movable up and down. When,
Travel drive control means for controlling the travel drive means of the article transport vehicle to be driven in the commanded target drive state, and lift drive for controlling the lift drive means of the lift platform to be driven in the commanded target drive state Each of the control means and the exit / exit drive control means for controlling the exit / retreat drive means of the article transfer device to be driven in the commanded target drive state, and the target drive state of the travel drive means is the travel drive. Instruct the control means, instruct the target drive state of the elevating drive means to the elevating drive control means, and instruct the target drive state of the egress / retreat drive means to the egress / retreat drive control means, In the article transporting apparatus in the article storage facility provided with operation control means for controlling the operation so as to allow goods to enter or leave the car by car,
The travel drive control means is configured to be switchable between a normal drive state for controlling the drive of the travel drive means and a temporary drive state for controlling the drive of the exit / retreat drive means,
A normal command state in which the operation control means commands the target drive state for the exit / retreat drive means to the exit / retreat drive control means and a temporary command state in which the travel drive control means commands the target drive state for the exit / retreat drive means It is in the point that it can be switched freely.

  According to the first feature of the present invention, when the exit / exit drive control means becomes unusable due to a failure or the like, the travel drive control means is driven from the normal drive state for controlling the drive of the travel drive means. In addition to the temporary drive state for controlling the vehicle, in addition, the driving control means controls the target drive state for the withdrawal drive means from the normal command state instructing the target drive state for the withdrawal drive means to the exit drive control means. By switching to the temporary command state commanded to the means, the exit / exit drive means can be operated without using the exit / exit drive control means.

  Therefore, when the article transfer process is performed on the storage unit of the storage shelf, even when the exit drive control means becomes unusable in the state where the tip of the article transfer device has entered the storage part, Interference between the article transfer device and the storage unit can be avoided by operating the exit / retraction drive unit and detaching the tip of the article transfer device from the storage unit without using the exit / retreat drive control unit. Thus, the article transport vehicle can be moved to a position where the maintenance work can be easily performed, and the lifting platform can be lowered so as to be positioned on the lower side, so that the maintenance work can be performed satisfactorily.

  As described above, according to the first feature of the present invention, with the simple configuration that effectively uses the travel drive control means and the operation control means that are inherently provided, the tip of the article transfer device has entered the storage portion. The present invention has led to an article conveying apparatus that can perform maintenance work satisfactorily when the exit / retreat drive control means becomes unusable.

The second feature of the present invention is the first feature of the present invention,
A normal connection state in which the travel drive control unit is connected to the travel drive unit and the exit / exit drive control unit is connected to the exit / exit drive unit, and the travel drive control unit is connected to the exit / exit drive unit and Connection state switching means switchable to a temporary connection state separating the retreat drive control means from the exit drive means is provided,
The travel drive control unit is switched to the normal drive state by switching the connection state switching unit to the normal connection state, and is switched to the temporary drive state by switching the connection state switching unit to the temporary connection state. It is in the point comprised as follows.

According to the second feature of the present invention, the same function as the first feature of the present invention is provided, and in addition to this, the following function is provided.
According to the second feature of the present invention, when the connection state switching means is switched to the normal connection state, the travel drive control means enters the normal drive state in which the drive of the travel drive means is controlled, and the travel drive control means is the travel drive means. And the exit / exit drive control means is connected to the exit / exit drive means.
That is, when the travel drive control means is in the normal drive state, the travel drive control means is separated from the exit drive means that are not controlled in the normal drive state, and is connected to the travel drive means that is the control target in the normal drive state. Therefore, there is no possibility that the drive of the exit / retreat drive means is excessively controlled by the travel drive control means.

In addition, when the connection state switching means is switched to the temporary connection state, the travel drive control means enters a temporary drive state in which the drive of the exit / exit drive means is controlled, and the travel drive control means is connected to the exit / exit drive means. The retreat drive control means is separated from the retreat drive means.
That is, when the travel drive control means is in the temporary drive state, the exit / exit drive control means is separated from the exit / exit drive means, so that the drive of the exit / exit drive means is not controlled by the exit / exit drive control means. .

Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the exit / exit drive control unit, which has become unusable due to an abnormality, controls the drive of the exit / exit drive unit in an unexpected manner.
As described above, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the drive of the exit / retreat drive means is not erroneously controlled in either the normal drive state or the temporary drive state, and the article transport apparatus according to claim 1 is configured. In doing so, a highly reliable one can be obtained.

The third feature of the present invention is the second feature of the present invention,
An operation state command means for commanding a normal operation command and a temporary operation command is provided, and when the normal operation command is commanded by the operation status command means, the operation control means enters the normal command state and the connection When the state switching means is switched to the normal connection state, and the temporary operation command is commanded by the operation state command means, the temporary command state is established and the connection state switching means is switched to the temporary connection state. It is in the point which is comprised.

According to the 3rd characteristic of this invention, it has the effect | action similar to the 2nd characteristic of this invention, and also has the following effects in addition to this.
According to the third feature of the present invention, the normal driving command is commanded by the driving condition commanding means, whereby the driving control means is set to the normal commanding state, the connection state switching means is switched to the normal connecting condition, and the traveling driving control means is A normal driving state can be obtained. Further, by issuing a temporary operation command by the driving state command means, the driving control means can be put into a temporary command state, the connection state switching means can be switched to a temporary connection state, and the traveling drive control means can be put into a temporary driving state. it can.

  Thus, according to the third feature of the present invention, the operation control means and the travel drive control means can be brought into a desired control state by a simple operation such as instructing a normal operation command or a temporary operation command by the operation state command means. Therefore, in order to obtain an article transport apparatus that can easily perform maintenance work when a failure occurs in the article transfer apparatus, an easy-to-use apparatus has been obtained.

  A fourth feature of the present invention is the article transfer device according to any one of the first to third features of the present invention, wherein the operation control means is slower in the temporary command state than in the normal command state. Is configured to command a target drive state for the exit / exit drive means.

According to the 4th characteristic of this invention, it has the effect | action similar to any one of the 1st-3rd characteristics of this invention, and also has the following effects in addition to this.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when an abnormality occurs in the article transfer device and the operation in the normal command state in which the target drive state for the exit / retreat drive unit is commanded to the exit / retreat drive control unit is disabled. The drive of the exit / exit driving means is controlled so that the article transfer device moves out / withdraw at a lower speed than in the normal command state.

Therefore, when the article transfer device is stopped abnormally while the article holding unit is moving in and out, the article transfer measure is restored until the lifting platform can be moved up and down in a situation where the cause of the abnormality cannot be identified. When operating, it can be performed carefully while confirming that the abnormal part does not become more serious due to the return operation of the article transfer measure.
As described above, according to the fourth feature of the present invention, an article transport apparatus that can easily perform maintenance work when a failure occurs in the article transfer apparatus while preventing the situation of the abnormal part from becoming serious has been obtained. .

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of an article conveying device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This article transport apparatus is provided in the article storage facility SU. As shown in FIG. 1, the article storage facility SU includes two article storage shelves 1 that are installed at an interval so that the article loading / unloading directions are opposed to each other, and a travel path formed between the article storage shelves 1. 2 and a stacker crane 3 as an article transport vehicle that automatically travels in the vehicle.

  Each article storage shelf 1 has a plurality of a pair of front and rear support columns 1a standing in the left-right direction, and each pair of front and rear support columns 1a has a mounting support portion 1b extending in the left-right direction spaced in the vertical direction. A plurality are provided apart. A pair of front and rear support columns 1a and a pair of left and right mounting support portions 1b form a single storage portion 4, and a plurality of the storage portions 4 are arranged side by side.

  A traveling rail 5 is installed along the longitudinal direction of the article storage shelf 1 on the lower side of the traveling passage 2, and a guide rail 6 is installed along the longitudinal direction of the article storage shelf 1 on the upper side. . On one end side of the traveling rail 5, a ground-side controller 7 that manages the operation of the stacker crane 3 and a pair of loading platforms 8 with the traveling rail 5 interposed therebetween are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stacker crane 3 includes a traveling carriage 10 that can travel along the traveling rail 5, and a lifting platform 12 that can be moved up and down with respect to the traveling carriage 10. The lifting platform 12 is provided with a fork device 11 as a transfer device capable of transferring the article 9 to or from the storage unit 4 or the loading table 8 by moving the article holding unit back and forth.
The carriage 12 is configured to be movable to a target stop position with respect to the loading table 8 or the storage unit 4 to be transferred by the traveling of the carriage 10 and the raising / lowering of the elevator 12.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the operation panel 30 of the ground-side controller 7 includes an automatic operation unit 33 a and a stacker crane 2 that are operated by an operator when the storage unit 4 is designated and a warehousing command or a warehousing command is issued. A manual operation unit 33b having various operation buttons and the like for arbitrarily commanding the traveling operation of the traveling carriage 10, the lifting operation of the lifting platform 12, and the retracting operation of the fork device 11 is provided.

  The automatic operation unit 33a has a warehousing button 41 for instructing a warehousing command, a warehousing button 42 for instructing a warehousing command, and a numeric keypad 40 for inputting an identification number of the storage unit 4 that is the object of warehousing and evacuation. A display 43 for confirming the input contents is provided.

  The manual operation unit 33b is commanded to a forward button 34 for commanding a forward travel operation of the traveling carriage 10, a reverse button 35 for commanding a reverse travel operation, a lift button 36 for commanding a lift operation of the lift 12 and a lowering operation. The lowering button 37, the projecting button 38 that commands the projecting operation of the fork device 11, the retreat button 39 that commands the retreating operation, and commands the normal operation command when the operation position is on the "driving" side, and is temporarily positioned when positioned on the "temporary" side An operation changeover switch 24 for instructing an operation command is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the fork device 11 mounted on the lifting platform 12 is a three-stage fork device including a base 11a, a secondary fork 11b, and a primary fork 11c. The fork device 11 includes a retracting mechanism and a fork motor M3 as a retracting drive means for driving the retracting mechanism, and retracts a primary fork 11c as an article holding unit for placing and holding the article 9 to the lifting platform 12 side. 3 is a transfer device configured to be able to move out and retract over the retracted position shown in FIG. 3A and the protruding position shown in FIG.

  Further, the fork device 11 is provided with a fork rotary encoder 19 in which the input shaft is operated forward and backward in conjunction with the rotation operation of the fork motor M3, and detects the amount of protrusion from the retracted position of the primary fork 11c. Can be done.

  As described above, the present article transporting apparatus is capable of traveling along the article storage shelf 1 in which the storage sections 4 for storing articles are arranged side by side, and an article for moving the primary fork 11c as an article holding section to withdraw. A stacker crane 3 is provided as an article transport vehicle provided with a lifting platform 12 equipped with a fork device 11 as a transfer device so as to be movable up and down.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting platform 12 is supported and supported by a pair of front and rear lifting masts 13 erected on the traveling carriage 10 so as to freely move up and down. It is supported by hanging.
The elevating chain 14 is wound around a guide sprocket 16 provided on the upper frame 15 guided along the guide rail 6 and a guide sprocket 17 provided on one elevating mast 13. It is connected to an equipped take-up drum 18.
The take-up drum 18 is driven to rotate in the forward and reverse directions by an elevating motor M2 as an elevating drive means, and the elevating platform 12 is moved up and down by a feeding operation and a winding operation of the elevating chain 14. .

The traveling carriage 10 has an elevation laser range finder 20 for projecting ranging beam light in the horizontal direction, and a path of the beam light projected by the elevation laser range finder 20 vertically upward. A mirror 22 is provided for bending and irradiating the reflecting plate 21 installed on the lower surface of the lifting platform 12.
The lifting laser range finder 20 detects the distance between the reference position and the lifting platform 12 in the lifting direction of the lifting platform 12 with the position of the mirror 22 provided on the traveling carriage 10 as the reference position. By this, it is comprised so that the raising / lowering position of the raising / lowering stand 12 on an raising / lowering path | route may be detected.

Further, the traveling carriage 10 is provided with two front and rear wheels 23 that can travel on the traveling rail 5, and a wheel on one end side in the vehicle body front-rear direction of the two wheels 23 is a traveling motor as a traveling drive means. The driving wheel 23a for propulsion driven by M1 is configured, and the wheel on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is configured as a freely driven wheel 23b.
The traveling carriage 10 is configured to travel along the traveling rail 5 by the operation of the traveling motor M1.

  The traveling motor M1, the elevating motor M2, and the fork motor M3 are all AC motors, and the rotational driving speed can be changed by changing the current frequency of the electric power supplied as the driving electric power. .

  A traveling inverter INV1 that supplies driving power to the traveling motor M1 is provided in the traveling carriage 10, and the traveling motor M1 is driven in the target driving state commanded by the crane control device 27 described above. As described above, the current frequency of the electric power supplied to the traveling motor M1 is changed.

  In other words, the article transporting apparatus includes a travel inverter INV1 as travel drive control means for controlling the travel motor M1 of the stacker crane 3 to be driven in the commanded target drive state.

  Similarly, a traveling inverter INV2 that supplies driving power to the lifting motor M2 is provided in the traveling carriage 10 and drives the lifting motor M2 in the target driving state commanded by the crane control device 27 described above. As described above, the current frequency of the electric power supplied to the lifting motor M2 is changed.

  That is, the article transporting apparatus includes a lifting inverter INV1 as a lifting drive control unit that controls the lifting motor M2 of the stacker crane 3 to be driven in the commanded target driving state.

  Further, a fork inverter INV3 for supplying driving power to the fork motor M3 is provided on the elevator platform 12, and the fork motor M3 is driven in the target drive state commanded by the crane control device 27 described above. As described above, the current frequency of the electric power supplied to the fork motor M3 is changed.

  That is, the article transporting apparatus includes the fork inverter INV1 as a lifting drive control unit that controls the fork motor M3 of the stacker crane 3 to be driven in the commanded target drive state.

Further, a traveling laser range finder 25 for projecting a distance measuring beam light in the horizontal direction is provided at the end of the traveling rail 5 on the ground controller 7 side. A reflecting plate 26 for reflecting the beam light from the rangefinder 25 is provided.
Then, the traveling laser range finder 25 projects toward the reflecting plate 26 installed on the traveling carriage 10 and detects the distance of the traveling carriage 10 from the end of the traveling rail 5, thereby causing the traveling route. The traveling position of the traveling carriage 10 is detected.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the stacker crane 3 is provided with a crane control device 27 as an operation control means for controlling the operation of the stacker crane 3 based on the warehousing command and the warehousing command commanded by the ground controller 7. It has been. The crane control device 27 is configured to be able to communicate with the ground-side controller 7 through optical communication via the optical communication unit 28 connected to the input / output port XP.

  The crane control device 27 is detected from a travel control unit 27a that controls the travel of the traveling carriage 10, a lift control unit 27b that controls the lift of the lift platform 12, a transfer control unit 27c that controls the operation of the fork device 11, and an external device. Input ports X1 to X4 that receive information such as information and output ports P1 to P7 that output information such as control commands to external devices are provided.

  A fork rotary encoder 19 is connected to the first input port X1, a travel laser range finder 25 is connected to the second input port X2, and a lift laser range finder 20 is connected to the third input port X3. Has been. Then, the detection information of the rotary encoder 19 for fork, the detection information of the traveling laser range finder 25, the detection information of the lifting laser range finder 20, and the setting information of the operation changeover switch 24 are transmitted via the data bus 29. The travel control unit 27a, the elevation control unit 27b, and the transfer control unit 27c are input.

  A traveling inverter INV1 is connected to the first output port P1, a lifting inverter INV2 is connected to the second output port P2, a fork inverter INV3 is connected to the third output port P3, and a fourth output port P4. Is connected to the first relay RY1, the fifth output port P5 is connected to the second relay RY2, and the sixth output port P6 is connected to the third relay RY3.

  With the above configuration, the travel control unit 27a, the lift control unit 27b, and the transfer control unit 27c specify the port number and output the control information via the data bus 29, so that the external device connected to the specified port The control information can be output for.

  When the operation buttons 34 to 39 of the manual operation unit 33b provided on the ground-side controller 7 are pressed and arbitrary commands for the traveling operation, the lifting operation, and the withdrawal operation of the stacker crane 3 are instructed, While each command is instructed by pressing the buttons 34 to 39, the corresponding operating unit is operated at a constant speed.

  Specifically, the crane control device 27 operates as follows. That is, when the forward button 34 of the manual operation unit 33a is pressed and a forward travel command is commanded from the ground-side controller 7, the crane control device 27 sets the travel motor M1 to a preset target for manual operation. A control command for rotating the forward drive at the rotational speed is commanded to the traveling inverter INV1.

  Similarly, when the other operation buttons of the manual operation unit 33a are pressed, the crane control device 27 similarly sets the target rotation for manual operation in which the traveling motor M1, the elevating motor M2, and the fork motor M3 are set in advance. A control command to drive at a speed is commanded to the corresponding inverters INV1 to INV3. Note that when the operation changeover switch 24 is set to “normal”, the speed of the fork device 11 is the same for both manual operation and automatic operation described below.

  When the warehousing button 41 and the warehousing button 42 of the automatic operation unit 33 a provided on the ground-side controller 7 are pressed to issue a warehousing command or a warehousing command, the crane control device 27 causes the traveling cart 10 of the stacker crane 3 to move. The running operation, the raising / lowering operation of the lifting platform 12 and the withdrawing / withdrawing operation of the fork device 11 are controlled, and an automatic operation for automatically performing the transfer operation in the designated storage unit 4 and loading table 8 is started.

  When the warehousing command and the warehousing command are instructed, the traveling control unit 27a indicates a traveling speed indicating a change in the value of the target rotational speed for each traveling position as the target driving state of the traveling motor M1 prior to the start of the automatic operation. A pattern is prepared, and the elevating control unit 27b prepares an elevating speed pattern indicating a change in value for each elevating position of the target rotational speed as the target driving state of the elevating motor M2.

  The travel speed pattern and the lift speed pattern prepared in this way are stored in the storage unit MEM in advance for each travel distance to the target stop positions of the travel carriage 10 and the lift base 12. The travel control unit 27a and the elevation control unit 27b are obtained by referring to these speed pattern tables and selecting a speed pattern table suitable for the operation.

  Then, the traveling control unit 27a controls the rotational speed of the traveling motor M1 so that the traveling speed at the traveling position of the traveling carriage 10 is in accordance with the above-described traveling speed pattern. Specifically, control information that causes the traveling motor M1 to operate at the target rotational speed is output to the first output port P1. Thereby, the crane control apparatus 27 can instruct | indicate the target drive state of the traveling motor M1 to the traveling inverter INV1.

  Similarly, the elevating control unit 27b controls the rotational speed of the elevating motor M2 so that the elevating speed at the elevating position of the elevating platform 12 follows the above-described elevating speed pattern. Specifically, control information that causes the elevating motor M2 to operate at the target rotational speed is output to the second output port P2. Thereby, the crane control apparatus 27 can instruct | indicate the target drive state of the raising / lowering motor M2 to the raising / lowering inverter INV2.

  In addition, the transfer control unit 27c is based on travel position information that is measurement information of the travel laser range finder 25 and lift position information that is measurement information of the lift laser range finder 20 at an appropriate timing. The rotational speed of the fork motor M3 is controlled so as to start the projecting operation of the fork and to perform the projecting and retreating operations after the projecting operation starts.

Specifically, control information is output to the third output port so that the fork motor M3 operates at the target rotational speed as the target drive state. Thus, the crane control device 27 can command the target drive state of the fork motor M3 to the fork inverter INV3.
Note that the timing at which the fork device 11 starts the protrusion operation, that is, the protrusion start position is changed and adjusted according to the above-described traveling speed pattern and elevation speed pattern.

  In this way, in this article conveying apparatus, the target rotational speed of the traveling motor M1 is commanded to the traveling inverter INV1, the target rotational speed of the lifting motor M2 is commanded to the lifting inverter INV2, and the fork motor A crane control device 27 is provided that controls the operation so that the stacker crane 3 can enter or leave the article by commanding the target rotational speed of M3 to the fork inverter INV3.

  Then, the crane control device 27 stores the article 9 stored in any of the plurality of storage units 4 or the loading instruction for storing the article 9 of the load mounting table 8 in any of the plurality of storage units 4. When an exit command or the like is issued from the ground-side controller 7, the operation of entering the article 9 of the loading table 8 into the commanded storage unit 4 or the article 9 stored in the commanded storage unit 4 is loaded. It is comprised so that the action | operation of the stacker crane 3 may be controlled so that the unloading operation which unloads to the mounting part 8 may be performed.

  In the warehousing operation, the crane control device 27 executes a transfer process for scooping the article 9 on the loading table 8 and then executes a wholesale transfer process for placing the article 9 in the storage unit 4. In the unloading operation, after carrying out a scooping transfer process for picking up any of the articles 9 in the plurality of storage units 4, a wholesale transfer process for placing the articles 9 on the loading table 8 is executed.

  Each transfer process is realized by simultaneously operating both the fork device 11 and the lifting platform 12 or by operating only one of them, but in this article transport apparatus, the traveling operation of the traveling carriage 12 and A part of the transfer process, that is, the protruding operation of the fork device 11 is started before the lifting operation of the lifting platform 12 is completed. Thereby, the conveyance efficiency is improved by starting the protruding operation of the fork device 111 earlier. Therefore, in this article conveyance device, there is a state in which the crane control device 27 commands the target drive state to all of the travel inverter INV1, the lift inverter INV2, and the fork inverter INV3.

  If the operation switch 24 is set to the “normal” side, the crane control device 27 commands the target rotational speed of the traveling motor M1 to the traveling inverter INV1 as described above in manual operation and automatic operation. However, when manual operation is performed during maintenance or the like by setting the operation changeover switch 24 to the “temporary” side, the target rotational speed of the fork motor M3 is set to the traveling inverter INV1 as necessary. Can be commanded.

  That is, the traveling inverter INV3 is configured to be switchable between a normal driving state for controlling the driving of the traveling motor M1 and a temporary driving state for controlling the driving of the fork motor M3.

  When the operation switch 24 is set to the “normal” side, the transfer control unit 27c commands the control information for the fork motor M3 to the fork inverter INV3 as described above. When the changeover switch 24 is set to the “temporary” side, the transfer control unit 27c instructs the traveling inverter INV1 to provide control information for the fork motor M3. Specifically, the transfer control unit 27c specifies control information such that the fork motor M3 operates at the target rotation speed by designating the port number “P1” instead of “P3”.

  As a result, the crane control device 27 can command the target rotational speed for the fork motor M3 to the traveling inverter INV1, and the crane control device 27 can use the fork motor M3 in the traveling inverter INV1. Can be controlled.

  That is, the crane control device 27 switches between a normal command state in which the target rotational speed for the fork motor M3 is commanded to the fork inverter INV3 and a temporary command state in which the target rotational speed for the fork motor M1 is commanded to the traveling inverter INV1. It is configured freely.

  Then, when the crane control device 27 commands the target inverter speed for the fork motor M3 to the traveling inverter INV1 in the temporary command state, the crane control device 27 commands the target rotational speed for the fork motor M3 to the fork inverter INV3 in the normal command state. It is configured to command a target rotational speed smaller than the time. Therefore, the fork device 11 operates in the temporary command state at a lower speed than in the normal command state.

  That is, in the present article transporting device, the crane control device 27 is configured to command the target rotational speed for the fork motor M3 so that the fork device 11 is withdrawn and retracted at a lower speed than in the normal command state in the temporary command state. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the output of the traveling inverter INV1 is connected to the traveling motor M1 via the first relay RY1, and is connected to the fork motor M3 via the second relay RY2. Accordingly, by turning on one of the first relay RY1 and the second relay RY2 and turning off the other, the motor controlled by the traveling inverter INV1 is selected.

  The output of the fork inverter INV3 is connected to the fork motor M3 via the third relay RY3. Thus, when the second relay RY2 is turned on and the fork motor M3 is controlled by the traveling inverter INV1, the third relay RY3 is turned off and the output of the fork inverter INV3 is cut off. .

  The operations of the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3 are controlled by the transfer control unit 27c. That is, when the operation changeover switch 24 is set to the “normal” side, the transfer control unit 27c outputs ON information to the fourth output port P4 so that the first relay RY1 is turned ON, The off information is output to the fifth output port P5 so that the second relay RY2 is turned off, and the on information is output to the sixth output port P6 so that the third relay RY3 is turned on.

  On the other hand, when the operation changeover switch 24 is set to the “temporary” side, the transfer control unit 27c outputs the off information to the fourth output port P4 so that the first relay RY1 is turned off. On information is output to the fifth output port P5 so that the second relay RY2 is turned on, and off information is output to the sixth output port P6 so that the third relay RY3 is turned off.

  FIG. 5 shows the connection states of the relays RY1 to RY3 when the operation changeover switch 24 is set to the “normal” side and when it is set to the “temporary” side. As shown in FIG. 5, as described above, the transfer control unit 27c outputs control information about the fork motor M3 to the third output port P3 when “normal” is set, but sets “temporary”. Sometimes control information about the fork motor M3 is output to the first output port P1.

  The traveling inverter INV1 and the fork inverter INV3 according to the connection state of the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3 when the operation switch 24 is set to the “normal” side and when it is set to the “temporary” side; The connection state between the traveling motor M1 and the fork motor M3 is shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the operation changeover switch 24 is set to the “normal” side, the travel drive control means is connected to the travel drive means by the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3. In addition, a normal connection state is established in which the exit / exit drive control means is connected to the exit / exit drive means, and the operation switch 24 is set to the “temporary” side as shown in FIG. Shows a temporary connection state in which the travel drive control means is connected to the exit / retreat drive means and the exit / retreat drive control means is separated from the exit / retreat drive means by the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3. Yes.

  Therefore, the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3 constitute connection state switching means.

  When the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3 are switched to the normal connection state, the traveling inverter INV1 enters the normal driving state for controlling the traveling motor M1, and the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3 temporarily. When switched to the connected state, the driving inverter INV1 enters a temporary driving state in which the fork motor M3 is controlled.

  As described above, when the operation changeover switch 24 is set to the “normal” side, the transfer control unit 27c enters the normal command state in which the control information about the fork motor M3 is output to the third output port P3, and When the connection state of the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3 is switched to the state of (a) in FIG. 6 by the transfer control unit 27c and the operation changeover switch 24 is set to the “temporary” side, The loading control unit 27c enters a temporary command state in which control information about the fork motor M3 is output to the third output port P3, and the transfer control unit 27c sets the connection state of the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3. The state is switched to the state shown in FIG.

  Therefore, the operation changeover switch 24 constitutes an operation state command means for commanding a normal operation command and a temporary operation command.

  In the article conveying apparatus described above, the fork inverter INV3 breaks down when the manual operation or the automatic operation is performed in the state where the operation switch 24 is set to the “normal” side. Even when the fork device 11 cannot be moved out and in, the primary changer 11c of the fork device 11 remains in a state of entering into the back side from the front surface of the storage portion. As a first-aid measure, the driving of the fork motor M3 can be controlled so as to move the fork device 11 so that the primary fork 11c is positioned at the retracted position.

  For example, the state shown in FIG. 3 (b) is shown during the transfer of the article in the storage part 4 located at the high part of the article storage shelf 1 among the plurality of storage parts 4 arranged side by side. If the fork inverter INV3 breaks down and the fork device 11 cannot be moved back and forth, the fork device 11 is returned to the retracted position (the position shown in FIG. 3B) and recovered. Since the elevating platform 12 can be lowered for work or the like, the restoration work can be performed at a ground level that is easy to work. As described above, the article transporting apparatus can easily perform maintenance work when a failure occurs in the article transfer apparatus.

[Another embodiment]
Hereinafter, other embodiments are listed.
(1) In the above embodiment, the operation changeover switch 24 is provided on the operation panel 30 of the ground-side controller 7. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, on the back surface of the ground-side controller 7 as a position away from the operation panel 30. It may be provided or may be provided on the stacker crane 3. When the stacker crane 3 is provided, the operation changeover switch 24 is connected to the fourth input port X4 of the crane control device 27 as shown by the phantom line in FIG.

(2) In the above embodiment, the traveling inverter INV1, the lift inverter INV2, and the fork inverter INV3 are connected to the output port of the crane control device 27, respectively, and transfer control is performed in the normal command state and the temporary command state. By changing the output destination port number of the unit 27c, the crane control device 27 is configured to switch the inverter that commands control information about the fork motor M3. Instead of such a configuration, each inverter INV1 to INV3 and the crane control equipment 27 are connected to the network so that they can be identified by individual addresses, and the crane control device 27 designates INV3 as the destination address of the control information output by the transfer control section 27c in the normal command state. In the temporary command state, the transfer control unit is designated such as specifying INV1. By changing the destination address of the control information 7c, crane controller 27 may be configured to switch the inverter to command control information about the fork motor M3.

(3) In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the connection state of the first relay RY1 to the third relay RY3 is switched from the normal drive state to the temporary drive state by switching from the normal connection state to the temporary connection state. However, instead of this, the traveling inverter INV includes a plurality of output units, M1 is connected to one output unit of the output unit, M3 is connected to the other output unit, and the crane control device 27 travels. The inverter INV1 may be configured to switch from the normal drive state to the temporary drive state by designating an output unit that outputs control information about the target drive speed.

(4) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the operation changeover switch 24 is provided as the operation state instruction means is illustrated. However, the abnormality determination means for determining the abnormality of the fork inverter INV3 is provided, and automatically when the abnormality determination means determines the abnormality. Alternatively, a configuration may be provided in which operation switching means for commanding a temporary operation command is provided.
(5) In the above embodiment, the operation control means is configured by the crane control device 27. However, instead, the operation control means may be configured by the ground controller 7. In this case, the ground-side controller 7 directly commands the target drive state to the traveling inverter INV1, the lift inverter INV2, and the fork inverter INV3.

External perspective view of goods storage equipment Front view of stacker crane Side view showing fork device and article storage shelf Control block diagram Comparison table between normal operation and temporary operation The figure which shows the connection state of the motor for driving | running | working and the motor for forks in a normal connection state (I) and a temporary connection state (B) Enlarged front view of the operation panel provided on the ground controller

Explanation of symbols

SU Article storage facility M1 Travel drive means M2 Lift drive means M3 Exit drive means INV1 Travel drive control means INV2 Lift drive control means INV3 Exit drive control means RY1, RY2, RY3 Connection state switching means 1 Storage shelf 3 Article transport vehicle 4 Storage unit 11 Article transfer device 11c Article holding unit 12 Lift platform 24 Operating state command means 27 Operation control means

Claims (4)

An article transport vehicle in which a storage unit for storing articles can run along storage shelves arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions, and an elevator platform equipped with an article transfer device for moving the article holding part out and up is provided to be movable up and down. When,
Travel drive control means for controlling the travel drive means of the article transport vehicle to be driven in the commanded target drive state, and lift drive for controlling the lift drive means of the lift platform to be driven in the commanded target drive state Each of the control means and the exit / exit drive control means for controlling the exit / retreat drive means of the article transfer device to be driven in the commanded target drive state;
The target drive state of the travel drive unit is commanded to the travel drive control unit, the target drive state of the lift drive unit is commanded to the lift drive control unit, and the target drive state of the exit / retreat drive unit is output to the output unit. An article conveying apparatus in an article storage facility provided with operation control means for controlling the operation so as to instruct the retreat drive control means to perform warehousing or unloading of articles with the article conveying vehicle,
The travel drive control means is configured to be switchable between a normal drive state for controlling the drive of the travel drive means and a temporary drive state for controlling the drive of the exit / retreat drive means,
A normal command state in which the operation control means commands the target drive state for the exit / retreat drive means to the exit / retreat drive control means and a temporary command state in which the travel drive control means commands the target drive state for the exit / retreat drive means An article transport device in an article storage facility configured to be switchable between A normal connection state in which the travel drive control unit is connected to the travel drive unit and the exit / exit drive control unit is connected to the exit / exit drive unit, and the travel drive control unit is connected to the exit / exit drive unit and Connection state switching means switchable to a temporary connection state separating the retreat drive control means from the exit drive means is provided,
The travel drive control unit is switched to the normal drive state by switching the connection state switching unit to the normal connection state, and is switched to the temporary drive state by switching the connection state switching unit to the temporary connection state. The article transport apparatus in the article storage facility according to claim 1 configured as described above. An operation state command means for commanding a normal operation command and a temporary operation command is provided,
When the normal operation command is instructed by the operation state command means, the operation control means enters the normal command state and switches the connection state switching means to the normal connection state. 3. The article transporting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the temporary operation command is commanded, the temporary command state is set and the connection state switching means is switched to the temporary connection state.   The operation control means is configured to command a target drive state for the exit / retreat drive means so that the article transfer device is withdrawn / withdrawn at a speed lower than that in the normal command state in the temporary command state. The article conveyance apparatus in the article storage facility according to claim 1.

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