JP2009143670A - Objects storing facility - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an objects storing facility capable of performing the objects transporting operation properly while the procedures are simplified when the installing positions in vertical direction of a plurality of placing/supporting parts are changed. <P>SOLUTION: The placing/supporting parts 12 of an objects storage rack 5 are arranged so that their installing positions in the vertical direction with respect to a supporting frame 11 are changeable, and further the arrangement includes a service installation pattern selecting means which selects the installation pattern to be used actually among a plurality of preset, different installation patterns as the installation pattern to decide the installing positions in vertical direction of the plurality of placing/supporting parts 12, and an operation controlling means which stores the target rising/falling distance information from the rising/falling reference position to the target rising/falling position for each of the installing positions of the plurality of placing/supporting parts 12 about each of the plurality of installation patterns, whereby the objects transporting operation is performed on the basis of the target rising/falling distance information about the installation pattern selected by the service installation pattern selecting means among the stored pieces of target rising/falling distance information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention comprises an article storage shelf comprising a support frame erected along the vertical direction and a plurality of placement support parts for placing articles that can be installed on the support frame at intervals in the vertical direction; An article transfer device that includes an article transfer device that can be moved up and down along the vertical direction, and that transfers an article to and from the mounting support unit, and an elevation that detects the lifting distance of the article transfer device from a reference lift position Distance detection means and operation control means for controlling the operation of the article conveying device are provided, and the operation control means is configured to set a target for the installation position of the mounting support unit based on detection information of the lifting distance detection means. The present invention relates to an article storage facility configured to perform an article conveying operation for operating the article conveying device to raise and lower the article transfer device to an elevating position.

  In the article storage facility as described above, an article is placed and supported by each of a plurality of placement support portions arranged in the vertical direction, and the plurality of articles are stored in the article storage shelf in a state of being arranged in the vertical direction. The conveying device raises and lowers the article transfer device to exchange articles with the placement support unit.

  The installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support parts are determined by the height of the article. For example, the article stored in the article storage shelf may change depending on the season, and the height of the article is not constant. In a conventional article storage facility, the placement support unit is configured to be able to change the installation position in the vertical direction with respect to the support frame, and changes the installation position in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support parts according to the height of the article. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In this conventional article storage facility, a detection member is provided such that the installation position in the vertical direction corresponds to each of the plurality of placement support portions, and the article transfer device is provided with detection means for detecting the detection member. ing. The operation control means is configured to raise and lower the article transfer device to a target raising / lowering position with respect to the installation position of the placement support portion by detecting the detection member by the detection means in the article conveyance operation.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-181810

  In the conventional article storage facility, in order to raise and lower the article transfer device to the target lifting position in the article transport operation, the installation positions of the plurality of detection members in the vertical direction correspond to the plurality of placement support parts, respectively. It is necessary to be. Therefore, when changing the installation position in the up-down direction of the plurality of placement support parts, not only the work of changing the installation position of the placement support part, but also the work of changing the installation position of the detection member must be performed. However, a great deal of work was required.

  As another article storage facility, the article transfer device is provided with a placement support part detection means for detecting the placement support part, and the operation control means is a placement support part detection means when the article transfer apparatus is moved up and down, and There is one that performs learning operation for acquiring target lift distance information from the lift reference position to the target lift position at each of the installation positions of the plurality of mounting support portions using the detection information of the lift distance detection means. In the learning operation, the operation control means raises and lowers the article transfer device so that the placement support section detection means sequentially detects a plurality of placement support sections, and each placement support section detection means detects each placement. Based on the detection information of the lift distance detection means when the support portion is detected, the target lift distance information is acquired.

In this other article storage facility, when changing the installation position in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support parts, after performing the operation of changing the installation position of the placement support part, learning operation is performed by the operation control means. By performing, it is possible to acquire the target lifting distance information for each of the installation positions of the plurality of placement support parts after the change. Thereby, the operation control means can perform the article transport operation based on the target lifting distance information acquired by the learning operation, and the article transfer operation to the target lifting position with respect to each of the plurality of placement support parts after the change. The apparatus can be moved up and down to appropriately carry out the article conveyance operation. Therefore, when changing the installation position in the vertical direction of a plurality of mounting support parts, after performing the operation of changing the installation position of the mounting support part, it is only necessary to perform a learning operation with the operation control means. Can be reduced.
In the above-mentioned other article storage facilities, the target lifting distance information after changing each of the installation positions of the plurality of placement support parts by learning operation can be acquired, so the installation position in the vertical direction of the placement support part can be freely set Can change. However, if the installation position of the placement support unit in the vertical direction is freely changed, each of the plurality of placement support units is changed according to the height of the article before performing the operation of changing the installation position of the placement support unit. The installation position of the mounting support portion must be determined, which leads to complication of work and an error in the installation position of the mounting support portion. When a mistake in the installation position of the mounting support portion occurs, it is necessary to re-install the mounting support portion at an appropriate position and to perform a learning operation again by the operation control means, resulting in an increase in work.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a point, and its purpose is to change the installation position in the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support portions while simplifying the operation while carrying out the article transport operation. It is in the point which provides the article | item storage equipment which can be performed appropriately.

In order to achieve this object, the first characteristic configuration of the article storage facility according to the present invention includes a plurality of support frames that are erected along the vertical direction and that can be installed on the support frame at intervals in the vertical direction. An article storage shelf provided with a placement support section for placing an article; and an article transport apparatus that includes an article transfer device that can be moved up and down along the vertical direction and that delivers articles to and from the placement support section. A lifting distance detecting means for detecting a lifting distance of the article transfer device from a reference lifting position, and an operation control means for controlling the operation of the article conveying apparatus, wherein the driving control means detects the lifting distance detection An article configured to perform an article conveying operation for operating the article conveying apparatus to raise and lower the article transfer device to a target raising / lowering position with respect to the installation position of the mounting support unit based on detection information of the means Storage facilities,
The mounting support portion is configured to be able to change an installation position in the vertical direction with respect to the support frame, and a plurality of different types set in advance as an installation pattern for determining the installation position in the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support portions. The use installation pattern selection means for selecting the installation pattern to be actually used is provided from among the installation patterns, and the operation control means is provided with the installation positions of the plurality of placement support portions for each of the plurality of types of installation patterns The target lifting distance information from the lifting reference position to the target lifting position is stored, and among the stored target lifting distance information, the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means It is in the point comprised so that the said article conveyance driving | operation may be performed based on the target raising / lowering distance information about.

  That is, when changing the installation position in the up-down direction of a plurality of mounting support parts, one installation pattern is selected from a plurality of different preset installation patterns as the installation pattern after the change. Thereby, the operation control means performs the article transport operation based on the target lift distance information about the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means among the stored target lift distance information. The article transport operation can be performed using the target lifting distance information corresponding to the installation pattern to be used. Therefore, in the article transport operation, the article transfer device can be accurately raised and lowered to the target lifting position with respect to each of the plurality of placement support portions in the actually used installation pattern.

  Moreover, when changing the installation position in the up-down direction of the plurality of placement support parts, it is only necessary to select one installation pattern from among different preset installation patterns, depending on the height of the article. The work for determining the installation positions of the plurality of placement support parts is not required, and the work can be simplified. In addition, when performing the operation of changing the installation position of the mounting support unit, it can be performed in accordance with a preset installation pattern, and compared with the one that freely changes the installation position of the mounting support unit. Mistakes in the installation position of the mounting support portion are less likely to occur.

  From the above, when changing the installation positions of the plurality of placement support parts in the vertical direction, it has been possible to appropriately perform the article transport operation while simplifying the work.

  According to a second characteristic configuration of the article storage facility according to the present invention, there is provided a placement support part detecting means provided in the article transfer device for detecting the placement support part. The article transfer device is moved up and down so as to sequentially detect the plurality of placement support portions by the support portion detection means, and each placement support portion is detected by the placement support portion detection means. Based on the detection information of the lift distance detection means and the target lift distance information about the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means, each of the installation positions of the plurality of mounting support portions is selected as the use installation pattern. The installation position check operation for determining whether or not the installation pattern selected by the means is matched is performed.

  That is, when changing the installation position in the vertical direction of a plurality of mounting support parts, the operation control means performs the installation position confirmation operation after changing the installation position of the mounting support part. It can be determined whether or not each of the subsequent installation positions of the plurality of placement support portions matches the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means. Thereby, if the installation position of the mounting support part after the change is incorrect, the mounting support part can be installed again at an appropriate position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the article transport operation from being performed while the installation position of the placement support unit is incorrect.

  According to a third characteristic configuration of the article storage facility according to the present invention, each of the plurality of types of installation patterns is installed with respect to the interval between the installation support portions adjacent in the vertical direction and the installation frame. It is in the point set by the number of copies.

  That is, depending on the height of the articles stored in the article storage shelf, the interval between the mounting support sections adjacent in the vertical direction and the number of mounting support sections installed on the support frame change. Therefore, the articles stored in the article storage shelf by setting each of the plurality of types of installation patterns according to the interval between the mounting support sections adjacent in the vertical direction and the number of mounting support sections installed with respect to the support frame. Each of a plurality of types of installation patterns can be accurately set according to the height of the.

  According to a fourth characteristic configuration of the article storage facility according to the present invention, the article storage shelf is configured to exchange articles between the article transport device and the mounting support portion on one end side in the width direction of the shelf. And the article placed and supported by the placement support part at the other end side in the front and rear width direction of the shelf is configured to be removable, and the placement support part is configured to remove the article to be placed and supported in the width direction of the shelf. It exists in the point provided in the inclined state so that it may guide from one end side to the other end side.

  That is, when an article is transferred from the article transport device to the placement support portion on one end side in the shelf front-rear width direction, from one end side in the shelf front-rear width direction in a state where the article is placed and supported on the placement support portion. Guided to the other end. Since the article placed and supported by the placement support part can be taken out at the other end side in the shelf front-rear width direction, it is possible to sequentially take out the articles placed and supported by the placement support part. it can. Therefore, for example, it is possible to cope with an article storage facility in which a plurality of articles are stored separately for each type in the mounting support portion, and each of the articles stored separately for each type is sequentially taken out. Moreover, in such an article storage facility, the type of articles stored in the placement support portion may be changed, so that it is necessary to change the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support portions. Therefore, when the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support parts are changed, the effect that the article transport operation can be appropriately performed while simplifying the work is preferable.

  According to a fifth characteristic configuration of the article storage facility according to the present invention, the article storage shelf is provided with a plurality of installation position change sections arranged in the horizontal direction in which the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support portions can be changed. The plurality of types of installation patterns are configured to be preset for each of the plurality of installation position change categories.

  In other words, the article storage shelf can change the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support portions for each installation position change section. For example, only a part of the article storage shelves that need to change the installation position of the placement support part in the width direction of the shelf, such as changing only one installation position change section or changing three installation position change sections Can be changed. Thereby, the change of the installation position of a useless mounting support part can be suppressed.

  According to a sixth characteristic configuration of the article storage facility according to the present invention, the article transport apparatus includes a movable body that is movable in a horizontal direction over the plurality of installation position change sections in the article storage shelf, and the article transfer The apparatus is provided so as to be movable up and down with respect to the moving body.

  That is, the article transporting apparatus can move the article transfer apparatus to a position corresponding to each of the plurality of installation position change sections by moving the moving body in the horizontal direction over the plurality of installation position change sections. . Thus, in order to convey an article to each of the plurality of installation position change categories, it is only necessary to provide an article conveyance device. Articles can be conveyed to

An embodiment of an article storage facility according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the article storage facility includes two automatic warehouse units 4 that store articles 3 that are transported by branch storage conveyors 2 branched from the storage conveyor 1. Each of the two automatic warehouse units 4 includes a pair of article storage shelves 5 that are installed at an interval so that the article loading / unloading directions face each other, and a work passage 6 that is formed between the pair of article storage shelves 5. A stacker crane 7 is provided as an article conveyance device that automatically runs.

  In this article storage facility, the articles 3 received by the warehousing conveyor 1 are distributed and conveyed to the branch warehousing conveyor 2 to store the articles 3 in each of the automatic warehouse units 4. In each automatic warehouse unit 4, the articles 3 received by the branch warehousing conveyor 2 are stored in the article storage shelf 5 from one end side in the front-rear width direction by the stacker crane 7, and work is performed from the other end side in the front-rear width direction. A person takes out the article 3 stored in the article storage shelf 5.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the automatic warehouse unit 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, but since the two automatic warehouse units 4 have the same configuration, only the automatic warehouse unit 4 positioned on the upper side in FIG. 1 will be described. A description of the automatic warehouse unit 4 located on the lower side in FIG. 1 is omitted.

  The branch warehousing conveyor 2 is provided on the upper side on one side of the pair of article storage shelves 5, and is configured to convey the articles 3 to the warehousing unit 8 that is located at the approximate center in the width direction of the shelf. In the work path 6, a traveling rail 9 is installed on the lower side along the width direction of the article storage shelf 5, and a guide rail 10 is installed on the upper side along the width direction of the article storage shelf 5. .

  The article storage shelf 5 includes a first article storage shelf 5a having a large front and rear width and a second article storage shelf 5b having a small front and rear width. The first and second article storage shelves 5a and 5b are each provided with a support frame 11 erected along the vertical direction, and a plurality of article placements that can be placed on the support frame 11 with a gap in the vertical direction. The support part 12 is provided. The first article storage shelf 5a and the second article storage shelf 5b are arranged so as to face each other with the work passage 6 therebetween, and the stacker crane 7 is provided on one side in the front-rear direction of the shelf (the side where the work passage 6 is located). And the placement support portion 12, and the placement support is provided by the operator S on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the shelf (the side opposite to the side where the work path 6 is located). The article 3 placed and supported on the section 12 is configured to be freely taken out.

  The support frame 11 includes a pair of front and rear column members 13 and a connecting member 14 that connects the pair of front and rear column members 13 to each other. The mounting support part 12 is configured by a plate-like body provided so as to extend over the support frame 11 adjacent in the horizontal direction. The placement support portion 12 is configured to place and support the article 3 at each of a plurality of article placement positions T arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction. The placement support section 12 guides the article 3 to be placed and supported from one end side in the front-rear width direction (the side where the work path 6 is located) to the other end side (the side opposite to the side where the work path 6 is located). It is provided in an inclined state. The mounting support section 12 is provided with a plurality of rollers 15 that can freely rotate around the horizontal axis center at intervals along the shelf front-rear direction. Therefore, while utilizing the own weight of the article 3, the plurality of rollers 15 move from one end side (the side where the work path 6 is located) to the other end side (the side opposite to the side where the work path 6 is located). The article 3 is guided. On the other end side in the width direction of the shelf (on the side opposite to the side where the work path 6 is located), an extended locking body 12a is provided that extends from the mounting support portion 12 and locks the article 3. Yes. The operator S sequentially takes out the articles 3 locked to the extended locking body 12a.

  The mounting support unit 12 is configured to be able to change the installation position in the vertical direction with respect to the support frame 11. Although not shown in the drawings, the support frame 11 is provided with mounting holes for mounting the mounting support portions 12 at set intervals (for example, 25 mm). The mounting holes and the mounting support portions 12 are provided with the mounting holes. The mounting support portion 12 is installed on the support frame 11 by installing a fixture such as a pin in a state of passing through the insertion hole. And it is comprised so that the installation position in the up-down direction with respect to the support frame 11 may be changed by changing the attachment hole to which the mounting support part 12 is attached.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the article storage shelf 5 is configured to provide a plurality of installation position change sections K that can change the installation positions of the plurality of placement support portions 12 in the vertical direction. ing. That is, the pair of support frames 11 adjacent in the horizontal direction is set as one installation position change section K, and the article storage shelf 5 is configured by arranging a plurality of the installation position change sections K in the horizontal direction. FIG. 3B shows a case where the installation positions of the plurality of placement support portions 12 in the vertical direction are changed only for the installation position change section K located in the middle in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the stacker crane 7 is provided on a traveling carriage 16 as a movable body that can travel along the traveling rail 9, an elevator platform 17 that can be moved up and down with respect to the traveling carriage 16, and the elevator platform 17. And an article transfer device 18 for transferring the article 3. The article transfer device 18 is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction and movable in the vertical direction by traveling of the traveling carriage 16 and raising / lowering of the lifting platform 17.

  The lifting platform 17 is guided and supported by a pair of front and rear lifting guide masts 19 erected on the traveling carriage 16 so as to be movable up and down, and is supported by being suspended by lifting chains 20 connected to the left and right sides thereof. The elevating chain 20 is wound around a guide rotating body 22 provided on an upper frame 21 that connects a pair of front and rear elevating guide masts 19, and is wound around one end of a traveling carriage 16 on a take-up drum 23. ing. The take-up drum 23 is configured to be driven and rotated in the forward and reverse directions by an elevating electric motor 24. The lifting / lowering electric motor 24 rotates the winding drum 23 in the forward / reverse direction so that the lifting / lowering chain 17 is lifted or retracted by lifting or lowering the lifting / lowering chain 20.

  The traveling carriage 16 is provided with a lift rangefinder 25 that detects the lift position of the lift base 17 on the lift path. The elevating rangefinder 25 projects the beam light for ranging along the elevating direction of the elevating platform 17 toward the elevating reflective plate 26 installed on the elevating platform 17, and the elevating reflective plate 26 By receiving the reflected light, the distance from the reference lift position (position in the vertical direction of the lift rangefinder 25) to the lift base 17 is detected to detect the lift position of the lift base 17. It is configured. The lift rangefinder 25 corresponds to a lift distance detection means.

The traveling carriage 16 is provided with a pair of front and rear traveling wheels 27 that can travel on the traveling rail 9. One of the pair of front and rear traveling wheels 27 is configured as a driving wheel 27a that is rotationally driven by a traveling electric motor 28, and the other is configured as a freely driven driven wheel 27b. Further, the traveling carriage 16 is provided with a traveling rangefinder 29 that detects the traveling position of the traveling carriage 16 on the traveling rail 9. The travel distance meter 29 projects a beam light for distance measurement along the longitudinal direction of the travel rail 9 toward the travel reflector 30 installed at one end of the travel rail 9, so that the travel reflector By receiving the light reflected at 30, the distance from the reference horizontal position (installation position of the traveling reflector 30) to the traveling carriage 16 is detected and the traveling position of the traveling carriage 16 is detected. ing.
The lifting platform 17 is provided with a light emitting and receiving type mounting support detection sensor 31 that detects the mounting support 12. The placement support portion detection sensor 31 corresponds to placement support portion detection means.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a crane control device 33 that controls the operation of the stacker crane 7 based on a command from the ground-side controller 32 is provided. The crane control device 33 is configured to perform an article transport operation for taking out the article 3 from the storage unit 8 or transferring the article 3 to / from each of the plurality of article placement positions of the article T.

  In the article transport operation, the crane control device 33 performs the travel operation of the traveling carriage 16 so as to move the article transfer device 18 to the target transfer positions with respect to the article placement positions T of the storage unit 8 and the placement support unit 12. In the state where the lifting / lowering operation of the lifting platform 17 is controlled and the article transfer device 18 is stopped at the target transfer position, the article 3 is taken out from the warehousing section 8 or the article placement position T of the placement support section 12 is set. In order to exchange the article 3 with each other, the article transfer operation for controlling the transfer operation of the article transfer device 18 is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the crane control device 33 performs an article conveyance operation so as to take out the article 3 from the storage unit 8, and the article 3 so that the taken-out article 3 is wholesaled to any of a plurality of article placement positions T. By performing the transport operation, the articles 3 received in the storage unit 8 are stored in any of the plurality of article placement positions T. Then, the article 3 stored in the article placement position T is guided to the other end side in the front-rear width direction of the shelf (the side opposite to the side where the work path 6 is located) by the placement support unit 12 and the roller 15. Are sequentially taken out by the operator S.

  The target transfer position is a position for appropriately transferring the article 3, and is determined from the target horizontal position in the horizontal direction and the target lift position in the vertical direction. The target horizontal position at the article placement position T is determined with reference to the center position of the article placement position T, and the target lift position at the article placement position T is determined with reference to the installation position of the placement support section 12. It has been. Further, the target horizontal position in the warehousing unit 8 is determined with reference to the center position of the warehousing unit 8, and the target lift position in the warehousing unit 8 is determined with reference to the installation position of the warehousing unit 8.

  The crane control device 33 controls the traveling operation of the traveling carriage 16 and moves it up and down to move the article transfer device 18 to the target horizontal position in the horizontal direction based on the detection information of the traveling rangefinder 29. Based on the detection information of the distance meter 25, the lifting operation of the lifting platform 17 is controlled so as to move the article transfer device 18 to the target lifting position in the vertical direction. The crane control device 33 controls the transfer operation of the article transfer device 18 so as to take out the article 3 from the storage unit 8 and transfer the article 3 to and from the article placement position T of the placement support unit 12.

Regarding the traveling operation of the traveling carriage 16, the crane control device 33 controls the operation of the traveling electric motor 28 so that the traveling carriage 16 travels while controlling the traveling speed of the traveling carriage 16, and the traveling distance meter 29. When the article transfer device 18 reaches the target horizontal position based on the detected information, the operation electric motor 29 is stopped and the article transfer device 16 is moved to the target horizontal position.
Regarding the lifting operation of the lifting platform 17, the crane control device 33 controls the operation of the lifting motor 17 so as to lift the lifting platform 17 while controlling the lifting speed of the lifting platform 17, and the lifting rangefinder 25. When the article transfer device 18 reaches the target lift position based on the detected information, the lifting electric motor 24 is deactivated, and the article transfer device 16 is moved to the target lift position.

  The crane control device 33 moves the article transfer device 16 to the target horizontal position in the horizontal direction and to the target lift position in the vertical direction by the traveling operation of the traveling carriage 16 and the lifting operation of the lifting platform 17, and the article transfer device. 16 is positioned at the target transfer position. In this state, the crane control device 33 controls the operation of the article transfer device 16 to take out the article 3 from the storage unit 8 or to exchange the article 3 with the article placement position T. Although not described in detail, the article transfer device 16 includes a pair of projecting members that can move in and out of the lifting platform 17 in the horizontal direction, and a conveyor that conveys the articles 3 in the projecting and retracting direction of the projecting members. For example, when the article 3 is taken out from the warehousing unit 8 or the article placement position Y, the pair of protruding members are protruded to sandwich the article 3, and the pair of protruding members are retracted and the conveyor is operated. I have to. When the article 3 is unloaded at the article placement position T, an operation opposite to that for taking out the article 3 is performed.

  In order to move the article transfer device 18 to the target transfer position in the article transport operation, the crane control device 33 uses the position information about the target horizontal position at each of the plurality of article placement positions T and the plurality of placements. It is necessary to acquire position information about the target lift position in each of the mounting support portions 12. Therefore, the crane control device 33 stores target horizontal distance information from the reference horizontal position to the target horizontal position for each of the plurality of article placement positions T as position information about the target horizontal position, and for the target lift position. As the position information, the target lifting distance information from the reference lifting position to the target lifting position for each of the plurality of mounting support portions 12 is stored.

  Here, since the mounting support part 12 is configured to be able to change the installation position in the vertical direction with respect to the support frame 11, the installation position in the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support parts 12 can be changed. . However, if the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support parts 12 can be freely changed, there is a possibility that the work may be complicated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, different types of installation patterns are set in advance as installation patterns for determining the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support portions 12. In the case shown in FIG. 6, nine types of installation patterns I to IX are set in advance. Each of the plural types of installation patterns is set according to the interval between the mounting support portions 12 adjacent in the vertical direction and the number of mounting support portions 12 to be installed on the support frame 11. Referring to FIGS. 3A and 6, in the installation pattern IV, the number of mounting support portions 12 to be installed with respect to the support frame 11 is four, and the first mounting support from the lower side. The distance between the portion 12 and the second placement support portion 12 is 600 mm, the distance between the second placement support portion 12 and the third placement support portion 12 from the lower side is 400 mm, The distance between the third placement support portion 12 and the fourth placement support portion 12 from the lower side is 250 mm, and the fourth placement support portion 12 from the lower side and the upper end portion of the article storage shelf 5 Is set to 250 mm.

  Thus, as for the target lift distance information, since the target lift distance information exists for each of a plurality of types of installation patterns, as shown in FIG. 5, the crane control device 33 uses the installation patterns actually used. Instead of storing only the target lift distance information, the target lift distance information for each of a plurality of types of installation patterns is stored. Since a plurality of types of installation patterns are set in advance for each of the plurality of installation position sections K, the crane control device 33 stores target horizontal distance information and target lift distance information for each installation position section K. It is configured as follows.

Use installation pattern selection means 34 for selecting an installation pattern to be actually used from a plurality of types of installation patterns is provided. Selection information by the use installation pattern selection means 34 is input to the crane control device 33 via the ground side controller 32. The crane control device 33 selects the article based on the target lift distance information for the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means 34 among the target lift distance information for each of the plurality of types of installation patterns stored. It is comprised so that conveyance operation may be performed.
As shown in FIG. 3A, when the installation pattern IV is used as the installation position in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support parts 12, the installation pattern IV is selected by the use installation pattern selection means 34. Thereby, the crane control apparatus 33 selects the target raising / lowering distance information about the installation pattern IV from the target raising / lowering distance information about each of the plurality of types of installation patterns stored. In the article transport operation, the crane controller 33 moves the article transfer device 18 to the target lift position in the vertical direction based on the target lift distance information about the installation pattern IV and the detection information of the lift rangefinder 25. The lifting operation of the lifting platform 17 is controlled.

  The crane control device 33 not only performs the article transport operation, but also whether or not each of the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support parts 12 matches the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means 34. It is comprised so that the installation position confirmation driving | operation which determines may be performed. In the installation position confirmation operation, the crane control device 33 moves up and down the lifting platform 17 so as to move the article transfer device 18 up and down so that the mounting support unit detection sensor 31 sequentially detects the plurality of mounting support units 12. To control. The crane control device 33 uses the placement support unit detection sensor 31 to detect each placement support unit 12 and the detection information of the lift rangefinder 29 and the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection unit 34. On the basis of the target lift distance information, it is determined whether or not each of the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support parts 12 matches the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means 34.

  For example, as indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 3B, the crane control device 33 has the placement support portion detection sensor 31 at one end portion (left end portion in the drawing) of the installation position section K in the shelf width direction. The lifting / lowering operation of the lifting platform 17 is controlled so as to raise the article transfer device 18 so as to sequentially detect the plurality of mounting support portions 12. During the ascent of the article transfer device 18, the crane control device 33 determines the distance from the reference lift position by the lift rangefinder 29 when the placement support portion detection sensor 31 detects the placement support portion 12. It acquires about each mounting support part 12. FIG. Thereafter, the crane control device 33 horizontally moves the article transfer device 18 from one end (left end in the drawing) to the other end (right end in the drawing) of the installation position section K in the shelf width direction. After controlling the traveling operation of the traveling carriage 16, the article transfer device 18 is set so that the plurality of placement support portions 12 are sequentially detected by the placement support portion detection sensor 31 at the other end (right end portion in the figure). In order to lower it, the lifting operation of the lifting platform 17 is controlled. While the article transfer device 18 is being lowered, the crane control device 33 determines the distance from the reference lift position by the lift rangefinder 29 when the placement support portion detection sensor 31 detects the placement support portion 12. It acquires about each mounting support part 12. FIG.

  The crane control device 33 obtains an average distance between the distance acquired during the ascent and the distance acquired during the descent for each of the plurality of mounting support parts 12, and for each of the stored plural types of installation patterns. Based on the target lift distance information for the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means 34 from the target lift distance information, the target lift distance from the reference lift position is determined for each of the plurality of mounting support portions 12. Looking for. The crane control device 33 compares the average distance and the target lifting distance for each of the plurality of mounting support portions 12 and determines whether the average distance matches the target lifting distance (for example, the average distance is the target lifting distance). Whether or not the distance is within the range of ± α. When the crane control device 33 determines that the average distance and the target lifting distance are the same for all of the plurality of mounting support portions 12, each of the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support portions 12 selects the use installation pattern. When it is determined that the installation pattern selected by the means 34 matches, and any of the plurality of mounting support portions 12 determines that the average distance does not match the target lifting distance, the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support portions 12 is determined. It is determined that each of the installation positions does not match the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means 34.

Hereinafter, the flow in the case where the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support parts 12 are changed will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.
If the height of the article 3 changes due to the change of the article 3 stored in the placement support part 12 due to the change of the season, the installation positions of the plurality of placement support parts 12 in the vertical direction are changed. In this case, in all the shelf width directions of the article storage shelf 5, the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support portions 12 are not changed, but the installation position change classification K is set as one unit as necessary. I am trying to change it. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support portions 12 can be changed only in the installation position change section K located in the middle in FIG.

  First, a command is given from the ground-side controller 32 to the crane control device 33, and the crane control device 33 controls the operation of the stacker crane 7, whereby among the plurality of installation position change categories K, the installation position change category K to be changed. The article 3 is taken out from the machine, and the article 3 is picked up and transported to a take-out location outside the figure (# 1).

  When changing the installation position in the up-and-down direction of the plurality of mounting support portions 12, as the installation pattern after the change, a plurality of different installation patterns (for example, nine types of installation patterns I to IX) set in advance are used. Select one installation pattern that is actually used. The operator performs an installation position changing operation for changing the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support portions 12 in accordance with the selected installation pattern (# 2). Thereby, the operation | work which determines each installation position of the some mounting support part 12 according to the height of the articles | goods 3 is not required, and simplification of an operation | work can be achieved. In addition, since the installation pattern is limited to those set in advance, an error in the installation position of the mounting support portion 12 is less likely to occur than when the installation position of the mounting support portion 12 is freely changed.

After performing the installation position changing work, when the operator gives a start signal to the crane control device 33 via the ground controller 32, the crane control device 33 performs the installation position confirmation operation (# 3). When the crane control device 33 determines in the installation position confirmation operation that each of the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support portions 12 does not match the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means 34, the stacker While stopping the crane 7 abnormally, an abnormality process for notifying that the installation position is abnormal is performed via the ground side controller 32 (# 4, 5).
When the crane control device 33 determines in the installation position check operation that each of the installation positions in the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support portions 12 matches the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means 34, then, Based on a command from the ground-side controller 32, an article conveyance operation is performed (# 6).

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the article storage shelf 5 is configured so as to simply transfer the article 3 between the stacker crane 7 and the placement support portion 12 at one end side in the shelf front-rear direction. The article 3 placed and supported on the placement support portion 12 on the other end side may not be configured to be freely removable.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the number of articles 3 placed and supported by the placement support unit 12 in the horizontal direction is a fixed number (for example, four), but the placement support unit 12 depends on the width of the article 3. It is also possible to change the number of articles 3 to be placed and supported in the horizontal direction.

  In this case, the position of each of the plurality of article placement positions T in the horizontal direction varies depending on the number of articles 3 that the placement support unit 12 places and supports in the horizontal direction. Therefore, for example, a plurality of types of number patterns that determine the number of articles 3 placed and supported by the placement support unit 12 in the horizontal direction are set in advance according to the width of the article 3. For example, if the width of the article 3 is 420 to 550 mm, a number pattern that sets the number of the articles 3 to three, or a number pattern that sets the number of the articles 3 to four if the width of the article 3 is 330 to 410 mm, etc. Set in advance. The operation control means is configured to store target horizontal distance information at each of the plurality of article placement positions T for each of a plurality of types of number patterns. When one number pattern is selected from among a plurality of number patterns according to the width of the article 3 that is actually used, the operation control means performs the article transport operation based on the target horizontal distance information about the selected number pattern. Configured to do. In this way, even if the position of each of the plurality of article placement positions T in the horizontal direction changes, the article transfer device 18 is moved to the target horizontal position with respect to each article placement position T changed in the horizontal direction. Can do.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the stacker crane 7 including the traveling carriage 16 that can move horizontally and the lifting platform 17 that can move up and down with respect to the traveling carriage 16 is illustrated as the article conveying device. An elevating and lowering article conveying apparatus provided with a mounting apparatus that can freely move up and down can be applied. In addition, for example, it includes a lifting guide mast at both ends of the article storage shelf 5 in the width direction of the shelf, and a lifting platform that can be lifted and lowered over the pair of lifting guide masts. On the other hand, it is also possible to apply an article conveying device provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction.

(4) In the above embodiment, the travel position of the travel carriage 8 is detected by the travel rangefinder 29, but the detection means for detecting the travel position of the travel carriage 8 can be changed as appropriate. For example, a rotary encoder that detects the travel distance from the reference position of the travel rail 5 can be provided in the travel carriage 8, and the travel position of the travel carriage 8 can be detected by this rotary encoder.
Further, the detection means for detecting the lift position of the lift 10 is not limited to the lift distance meter 27 but can be changed as appropriate.

(5) In the above embodiment, the crane control device 33 that controls the operation of the stacker crane 7 is mounted on the stacker crane 7 based on the command from the ground-side controller 32. A communication network is configured among the ground-side controller 32, the traveling electric motor 28, the lifting electric motor 24, and the article transfer device 18 without being installed in the crane 7, and the ground-side controller 32 is connected to the traveling electric motor. It is also possible to control the operation of the stacker crane 7 by instructing the motor 28, the lifting and lowering electric motor 24, and the article transfer device 18 through the communication network such as various information such as operation start and operation stop. it can. In this case, the ground side controller 32 corresponds to the operation control means.

Top view of goods storage equipment The figure which shows the automatic warehouse unit in the section along the shelf front and rear direction The figure which shows the article | item storage shelf in the cross section along a shelf width direction The figure which shows the stacker crane in the section which meets the shelf width direction Control block diagram of goods storage equipment Table showing multiple types of installation patterns The flowchart which shows the flow in the case of changing the installation position in the up-down direction of several mounting support parts.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Article storage shelf 7 Article conveyance apparatus 11 Support frame 12 Placement support part 16 Moving body 18 Article transfer apparatus 25 Lifting distance detection means 31 Placement support part detection means 32, 33 Operation control means 34 Use installation pattern selection means K Installation Location change category

Claims (6)

An article storage shelf comprising a support frame erected along the vertical direction and a plurality of placement support parts for placing the article that can be placed on the support frame at intervals in the vertical direction;
An article transfer apparatus that includes an article transfer apparatus that can be moved up and down along the vertical direction, and that transfers articles to and from the mounting support section,
Lifting distance detecting means for detecting the lifting distance of the article transfer device from a reference lifting position;
An operation control means for controlling the operation of the article conveying device is provided,
The operation control means, based on detection information of the elevating distance detection means, article conveyance that operates the article conveyance apparatus to raise and lower the article transfer device to a target elevation position with respect to the installation position of the mounting support section. An article storage facility configured to operate,
The mounting support portion is configured to be freely changeable in the vertical position with respect to the support frame,
As the installation pattern for determining the installation position in the vertical direction of the plurality of mounting support portions, a use installation pattern selection means for selecting an installation pattern to be actually used from a plurality of different installation patterns set in advance is provided. ,
The operation control means is configured to store target lift distance information from a lift reference position to a target lift position at each of the plurality of placement support portion installation positions for each of the plurality of types of installation patterns, and Article storage equipment configured to perform the article transport operation based on the target lift distance information for the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means among the stored target lift distance information . Provided in the article transfer device is provided a mounting support unit detecting means for detecting the mounting support unit described above,
The operation control means raises and lowers the article transfer device so that the plurality of placement support parts are sequentially detected by the placement support part detection means, and each placement support part detection means detects each placement. Based on the detection information of the lifting distance detection means when detecting the mounting support part and the target lifting distance information on the installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection means, the plurality of mounting support parts are installed. The article storage facility according to claim 1, configured to perform an installation position check operation for determining whether or not each position matches an installation pattern selected by the use installation pattern selection unit.   Each of the plurality of types of installation patterns is set according to the interval between the above-described placement support portions adjacent in the vertical direction and the number of placement support portions to be installed with respect to the support frame. The article storage facility as described. The article storage shelf is configured to transfer articles between the article transport device and the mounting support portion on one end side in the front-rear width direction of the shelf, and described above on the other end side in the front-rear width direction of the shelf. It is configured to be able to take out the article placed and supported by the placing support part,
The article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the placement support portion is provided in an inclined state so as to guide the article to be placed and supported from one end side to the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the shelf. Storage facilities. The article storage shelf is configured to provide a plurality of installation position change sections that can change the installation position in the vertical direction of the plurality of placement support portions in a horizontal direction,
5. The article storage facility according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of installation patterns are configured to be set in advance for each of the plurality of installation position change sections. The article transporting apparatus includes a movable body that is movable in a horizontal direction across the plurality of installation position change sections in the article storage shelf,
The article storage facility according to claim 5, wherein the article transfer device is provided to be movable up and down with respect to the movable body.

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