JP2008050147A - Stocker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten the time for the movement of products by freely loading and unloading any product at the inlet and outlet and eliminating the wasteful operations of a stacker crane. <P>SOLUTION: This stocker 1 comprises a loading/unloading part 9 having an inlet 1a for loading products 3 and an outlet 1b for unloading the products 3, a storage shelf 10 for storing the loaded products 3, and a first transfer mechanism formed of a stacker crane 2 for transferring the products 3 between the inlet 1a and the outlet 1b of the loading/unloading part 9 and the storage shelf 10. The loading/unloading part 9 has a second transfer mechanism comprising a product delivery mechanism part 6 formed of, for example, a pick&place mechanism for transferring the products 3 between the inlet 1a and the outlet 1b in the loading/unloading part 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a stocker that includes therein a storage shelf that stores a plurality of products, and a transfer mechanism that transfers products between a storage port, a storage port, and a storage shelf.

  When a product is taken in and out using a general stocker, the product received from the warehousing port is transferred to a storage shelf and stored using a transfer mechanism such as a stacker crane or a dedicated lift. Then, the products stored in the storage shelves are transferred to the output port using a transfer mechanism such as a stacker crane or a dedicated lift, and are output.

  However, when the number of times the product is taken in and out increases and the crane cannot perform sufficient work for the number of products to be loaded and unloaded, there is a delay in loading and unloading the product with respect to the request for loading and unloading. In addition, when a product that has been received is issued immediately, the product that has been received is stored on a storage shelf before being delivered, and the crane moves between the storage shelf and the entry and exit ports. As a result, it takes time to release the product.

  Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, a highly efficient stocker is shown in the stocker disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. In Patent Document 1, a carry-in port standby area is provided in a carry-in port that is a warehousing port, and a carry-out port standby area is provided in a carry-out port that is a warehousing port. The product received in the carry-in port is transferred to the stand-by area for the carry-in port using the lifting unit, and is transferred to the storage shelf using the stacker crane for storage. The products stored in the storage shelves are transferred / standby to the unloading port standby area using the stacker crane, and transferred to the unloading port using the horizontal drive unit. As described above, by providing the carry-in port standby area and the carry-out port standby area, the product can be continuously loaded and unloaded.

  Further, since the carry-in port standby area and the carry-out port standby area are provided inside the stocker, space is saved compared to the stocker in which the carry-in port and the carry-out port protrude from the stocker body. In addition, since the stacker robot performs loading / unloading work through the loading port standby area and the unloading port standby area, the product is transferred between the loading / unloading port and the loading / unloading port and the storage shelf. Since it can be performed in duplicate without interfering with the loading / unloading work performed at the port, the time required for waiting for loading / unloading can be shortened, and the stocker is highly efficient.

JP 2005-49454 A

  In the stocker disclosed in Patent Document 1, by providing a standby area for loading and unloading ports and a standby area for unloading ports, it becomes possible to continuously load and unload products from a loading and unloading port for loading and unloading products. The waiting time can be shortened. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that when a product that has been received is immediately discharged, the product cannot be stored at the loading / unloading port without waste transporting the stacker crane or using the stacker crane. It was.

  In addition, when transferring products between transport vehicles, a product transfer device is provided as a separate relay means, which not only requires the device itself and device installation space, but also restricts travel to transport vehicles that access the transfer platform. Has occurred, and the efficiency of the transport vehicle has been reduced.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a stocker that can eliminate the wasteful operation of a transfer mechanism such as a stacker crane, reduce the time required for product movement, and perform an efficient operation.

  The stocker of the present invention includes a loading / unloading unit having a loading / unloading port for loading a product and a loading / unloading port for unloading the received product, a storage shelf for storing the received product, and the loading / unloading port of the loading / unloading unit. And a first transfer mechanism for transferring a product between the warehousing port and the storage shelf, and the warehousing unit transfers the product between the warehousing port and the warehousing port in the warehousing unit. A second transfer mechanism is further provided.

  As described in claim 1, a stacker crane or the like in a stocker is provided when a second product is immediately delivered by providing a second transfer mechanism between an entrance and an exit of the entrance / exit section. Even if the product is not temporarily stored in the storage shelf using the first transfer mechanism, the product can be discharged by immediately transferring the product to the output port using the second transfer mechanism. Thereby, the frequency | count of operation | movement of 1st transfer mechanisms, such as a stacker crane, can be reduced, the time of product movement can be shortened, and the efficiency of taking in and out of the product to a stocker can be raised.

[Embodiment 1]
In the stocker 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the stocker 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the loading / unloading unit 9 of the stocker 1.

  A stocker 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a loading / unloading unit 9 having a loading / unloading port 1a for loading a product 3 and a loading / unloading port 1b for unloading a product 3; a storage shelf 10 for storing the received product 3; The following 1st transfer mechanism which transfers the product 3 between the entrance 1a of the exit part 9, the exit 1b, and the storage shelf 10 is provided. In addition, the loading / unloading unit 9 should be transferred in the loading / unloading unit 9 by the following second transfer mechanism that transfers the product 3 between the loading port 1a and the loading port 1b, and the second transfer mechanism. A storage unit 11 that stores the product 3 is further provided.

  The first transfer mechanism includes a crane delivery mechanism unit 4 made of, for example, a roller for delivering the product 3 between the storage port 1 a and the delivery port 1 b and the stacker crane 2, and the crane delivery mechanism unit 4 and the storage shelf 10. And a stacker crane 2 for transferring the product 3 between them. The second transfer mechanism is a product delivery mechanism unit 6 including, for example, a pick and place mechanism for directly transferring the product 3 from the warehousing port 1a to the warehousing port 1b.

  In general, the product 3 is stored in the storage shelf 10 using the stacker crane 2 via the crane delivery mechanism unit 4, which is stored in the stocker 1 from the storage port 1 a. In the case of normal delivery of the product 3, the product 3 stored in the storage shelf 10 is delivered from the delivery port 1 b through the crane delivery mechanism unit 4 using the stacker crane 2. However, when the incoming product 3 is immediately delivered, the product 3 received in the stocker 1 from the incoming port 1a is directly delivered to the outgoing port 1b via the product delivery mechanism unit 6.

  The entrance 1a and the exit 1b of the stocker 1 can be accessed by the transport vehicle. FIG. 2 is a top view of the stocker 1. When the transport vehicle 5a accesses the entrance 1a and the transport vehicle 5b accesses the exit 1b. This shows a situation where the product 3 is loaded and unloaded. Hereinafter, the transfer of the product 3 between the transport vehicle 5a and the transport vehicle 5b will be described.

  When the range in which the transport vehicle 5a and the transport vehicle 5b can be accessed is limited, the product 3 is moved from the transport vehicle 5a to the transport vehicle 5b, and the product 3 carried by the transport vehicle 5a is delivered to the transport vehicle 5b. There is a case where the transport vehicle 5b transports the transport vehicle 5a following the transport vehicle 5a. In this embodiment, in this case, the stocker 1 is used as shown in FIG. 2 instead of the inter-carrier transfer table or the like normally provided as a separate relay means.

  In this case, it is not necessary to store the received product 3 in the storage shelf 10 of the stocker 1 by using the stacker crane 2, and the received product 3 is received via the product delivery mechanism 6 which is a second transfer mechanism. The product 3 is transferred directly from the outlet to the exit 1b. In this way, the product delivery mechanism 6 is used as a delivery table between the transport vehicles, and the second between the transport vehicle 5a accessed to the warehousing port 1a and the transport vehicle 5b accessed to the warehousing port 1b. The product 3 can be delivered by using the product delivery mechanism 6 that is a transfer mechanism. Accordingly, it is not necessary to install a delivery table between transport vehicles that is normally provided separately when delivering the product 3 between transport vehicles, and it is possible to save space and increase the efficiency of a person who transports the product or the transport vehicle.

  Next, the movement of the product 3 received will be described. The warehousing port 1a has a product information reading device 8 for reading product information, and the product 3 entered from the warehousing port 1a reports the information of the product 3 read by the product reading device 8 at the warehousing port 1a to the stocker controller 7. To do. The product reading device 8 is a device such as a barcode reader or an ID reader. The stocker controller 7 determines whether the stored product 3 should be transferred to the crane delivery mechanism unit 4 which is the first transfer mechanism and stored in the storage shelf 10 in the stocker 1 based on the read product 3 information. It is judged and controlled whether the product should be delivered from the delivery port 1b immediately after being transferred to the product delivery mechanism 6 which is the transfer mechanism. With the above control, the efficiency of putting the product 3 in and out of the stocker 1 can be increased. Here, in FIG. 1, the stocker controller 7 automatically determines and controls whether the received product 3 is stored in the storage shelf 10 or is directly output to the output port 1b. A person may carry out each time the product 3 is received.

  First, an operation in which the received product 3 is stored in the storage shelf 10 will be described. The product 3 determined to be stored in the storage shelf 10 by the stocker controller 7 or the like passes through the crane delivery mechanism unit 4 and is stored in the storage shelf 10 by the stacker crane 2. In addition, the crane delivery mechanism part 4 may use not only what uses a general roller but what kind of mechanisms, such as a pick and place which can move the product 3 one by one.

  Next, the operation in which the received product 3 is immediately delivered from the exit 1b will be described. The product 3 determined to be delivered from the delivery port 1b immediately via the second transfer mechanism by the stocker controller 7 or the like passes through the product delivery mechanism unit 6 and moves to the delivery port 1b. At this time, when there is no other product 3 in the product delivery mechanism section 6, as shown in FIG. 3, it can be moved laterally from the entrance 1a to the exit 1b.

  On the other hand, when there is another standby product 3 in the product delivery mechanism unit 6, the product 3 can be stored, but cannot be moved laterally to the exit port 1b by the other standby product 3 as shown in FIG. However, if the number of products 3 waiting in the product delivery mechanism unit 6 is less than the maximum number N of storage units 11 provided in the loading / unloading unit 9 shown in FIG. Can be moved to the stocker 11 above the warehousing port 1a and stocked, and is in a standby state for shipment. From the above, by storing the product 3 in the storage unit 11, the product 3 can be delivered without storing the product 3 in the storage shelf 10 using the stacker crane 2 in the stocker 1. Therefore, the number of operations of the stacker crane 2 can be reduced, the time for moving the product can be shortened, and the efficiency of putting the product 3 in and out of the stocker 1 can be increased.

  In FIG. 1, the storage unit 11 is provided above the product delivery mechanism unit 6, but the storage unit 11 may be provided below the product delivery mechanism unit 6 to store the product 3. In addition, the product delivery mechanism unit 6 may use any mechanism such as one using a general roller as well as a pick and place that can move the products 3 one by one.

  4 and 5 are provided with a product lateral movement mechanism 12 (equivalent to the product delivery mechanism 6) made of, for example, a pick and place mechanism and a product vertical movement mechanism 13 made of, for example, a crane mechanism for moving the product 3. The operation of the mechanism for ascending, descending, and laterally feeding the product 3 between the product delivery mechanism unit 6 and the storage unit 11 in the loading / unloading unit 9 will be described.

  When the stocker controller 7 or the like determines that the product 3 is to be delivered from the delivery port 1b immediately via the second transfer mechanism, the product 3 is placed next to the product 3 when there is no other product 3 between the entry port 1a and the delivery port 1b. The moving mechanism 12 is used to move to the exit port 1b. The product lateral movement mechanism 12 is not limited to a pick-and-place mechanism, and may be a structure such as a roller / belt conveyor.

  On the other hand, when the product 3 is present at the exit 1b or the product delivery mechanism 6 and the product 3 received from the entrance 1a cannot be laterally fed and temporarily stored in the storage 11, or the product temporarily stored in the storage 11 When moving 3 to the exit 1b, the product up-and-down moving mechanism 13 is used. The product up-and-down moving mechanism 13 is a device similar to the stacker crane 2 having no travel axis, which has a transfer unit 14 that holds the product 3 and a vertical drive unit 15 that drives the transfer unit 14 up and down. When the product 3 temporarily stored in the storage unit 11 by the product up-and-down moving mechanism 13 is moved to the exit port 1b, the inside of the storage unit 11 is laterally fed by a lateral movement mechanism provided in the storage unit 11 such as a roller belt conveyor mechanism. And the product up / down movement mechanism 13 moves to the exit 1b. This lateral movement mechanism is not limited to a roller / belt conveyor, and may be a pick and place mechanism or the like.

  6 and 7 show a state in which the product 3 that has been received first is waiting in the product delivery mechanism unit 6 and the storage unit 11, and the stocker controller 7 or the like has determined that the product 3 will be delivered immediately from the exit port 1b. The operation | movement in the loading / unloading part 9 in the case of unloading the product 3 stored later among the products 3 from the shipping port 1b is demonstrated.

  Of the products 3 that are immediately determined to be delivered from the exit 1b by the stocker controller 7 or the like, when the products 3a and 3b that have been received earlier are in the vicinity of the exit 1b (FIG. 6), the product 3c that is received later is the entrance 3 Since the product cannot be moved laterally from 1a to the exit port 1b, the products 3a and 3b previously received in the vicinity of the exit port 1b are moved to a position unrelated to the lateral feed of the product 3c received later to the exit port 1b (see FIG. 6 the product 3a moves to the right and the product 3b moves up). Then, the product 3c is moved to the exit port 1b at the stage where the lateral feed route to the exit port 1b of the product 3c that has been received later can be secured (FIG. 7). The other products 3a and 3b that have been moved for unloading the product 3c that has been loaded later stand by at the moved location, and move to the unloading port 1b when the order of unloading is reached. It is not necessary to return to the original position after the product 3c that has been received later is delivered.

  The movement of the other product 3 for moving the product 3 from the warehousing port 1a to the warehousing port 1b is determined by, for example, the stocker controller 7 shown in FIG. 1 and controlled so as to be optimized in the shortest time. Further, this control may be performed by a person. Also, if the product 3 has entered the product delivery mechanism unit 6 and it is no longer necessary to take out the product immediately for some reason, it can be re-craneed by moving it to the warehousing port 1a under the control of the stocker controller 7 or by a human operation. It can be stored in the storage shelf 10 via the delivery mechanism unit 4.

  From the above operation, the product 3 that is immediately determined to be delivered from the exit 1b by the stocker controller 7 or the like can be transferred from the entrance 1a to the exit 1b without using the stacker crane 2. It is possible to eliminate the wasteful operation 2 and to shorten the time for product movement. Further, even when there are a plurality of products 3 received in the product delivery mechanism unit 6, the order of delivery is not the order of receipt, but the products 3 received at the entrance 1a by buffering the products 3 in the storage unit 11. Can be transferred to the exit port 1b in any order. From the above, the product 3 can be freely put in and out between the warehousing port 1a and the warehousing port 1b regardless of the order of the products 3 that are warehousing.

[Embodiment 2]
In the stocker 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the operation of the mechanism for ascending, descending, and laterally feeding the product 3 between the product delivery mechanism unit 6 and the storage unit 11 in the loading / unloading unit 9 is shown in FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  8 and 9 are provided with a product moving mechanism 16 (corresponding to the product delivery mechanism section 6) composed of a crane mechanism for moving the product 3, and has the same structure as the stacker crane 2. To move the product 3 to the exit 1b. When there is another product 3 at the exit 1b, the product 3 is temporarily stored in the storage unit 11, and when the product 3 in the exit 1b runs out, the product 3 being temporarily stored is moved to the exit 1b by the product moving mechanism 16. From the above operation, even if the stored product 3 is not stored in the storage shelf 10 using the stacker crane 2 in the stocker 1, any product 3 can be moved using the product moving mechanism 16 which is the second transfer mechanism. It can be made to go out by transferring to the exit 1b. Thereby, the frequency | count of operation | movement of the stacker crane 2 can be reduced, the time of a product movement can be shortened, and the efficiency of taking in / out the product 3 to / from the stocker 1 can be raised.

  The configuration of the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in the second transfer mechanism in the loading / unloading unit 9, and the other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. To do.

[Embodiment 3]
In the stocker 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the operation of the mechanism for raising, lowering, and laterally feeding the product 3 between the product delivery mechanism unit 6 and the storage unit 11 in the loading / unloading unit 9 is described with reference to FIGS. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIGS. 10 and 11 are provided with a product lateral movement mechanism 12 (corresponding to the product delivery mechanism unit 6), for example, a pick and place mechanism and a product movement storage unit 17 for moving the product 3. The moving mechanism 12 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and feeds the product 3 to the shipping port 1b. When there is another product 3 at the exit 1b and it is necessary to store it temporarily, it is stored in the product transfer storage unit 17. This is because the storage unit 11 itself has a unit structure, and the product moving storage unit 17 is raised and lowered. From the above operation, the stored product 3 is not stored in the storage shelf 10 using the stacker crane 2 in the stocker 1, but any product 3 can be used using the product lateral movement mechanism 12 as the second transfer mechanism. Can be made to go out by transferring it to the exit 1b. Further, the product moving and storing unit 17 is raised and lowered to retreat the temporarily stored product 3 so that a route from the warehousing port 1a to the warehousing port 1b can be opened. Thereby, the frequency | count of operation | movement of the stacker crane 2 can be reduced, the time of a product movement can be shortened, and the efficiency of taking in / out the product 3 to / from the stocker 1 can be raised.

  The configuration of the third embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in the second transfer mechanism in the loading / unloading unit 9, and the other configurations and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted. To do.

It is a perspective view of a stocker in the present invention. It is a top view of a stocker in the present invention. It is the schematic diagram showing operation | movement of the product in the product delivery mechanism of a loading / unloading part. 4 is a configuration diagram of a second transfer mechanism in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the second transfer mechanism in the first embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing the case where there are a plurality of products in the warehouse. It is a schematic diagram showing the operation | movement which takes out arbitrary products in a loading / unloading part. 6 is a configuration diagram of a second transfer mechanism in Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a second transfer mechanism in the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a second transfer mechanism in a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a second transfer mechanism in the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 stocker, 1a loading port, 1b loading port, 2 stacker cranes, 3 products, 4 crane delivery mechanism, 5a transport vehicle, 5b transport vehicle, 6 product delivery mechanism, 7 stocker controller, 8 product information reading device, 9 Unloading part, 10 Storage shelf, 11 Storage part, 12 Product lateral movement mechanism, 13 Product vertical movement mechanism, 14 Transfer part, 15 Vertical drive part, 16 Product movement mechanism, 17 Product movement storage unit.

Claims (5)

A loading / unloading unit having a loading port for loading products and a loading port for unloading the received products;
A storage shelf for storing the received products;
A first transfer mechanism for transferring products between the storage port and the storage port of the storage unit and the storage shelf,
The warehouse section is
A second transfer mechanism for transferring a product between the warehousing port and the warehousing port in the warehousing unit;
Stocker. The warehouse section is
The stocker according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit that stores the product to be transferred by the second transfer mechanism in the storage / exit unit. The second transfer mechanism includes:
By buffering the product in the storage unit,
The stocker according to claim 2, wherein products received at the warehousing port are transferred to the warehousing port in an arbitrary order. A transport vehicle can access the entrance and the exit.
The second transfer mechanism includes:
2. The stocker according to claim 1, wherein a product is delivered between the transport vehicle accessed to the warehousing port and the transport vehicle accessed to the warehousing port. The warehouse entrance is
It has a product information reading device that reads product information,
The product information read by the product information reading device controls whether to move the received product to the first transfer mechanism or the second transfer mechanism. The stocker according to 1.

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