JP2009214987A - Article handling facility - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article handling facility capable of efficiently returning an article stored in an article storing section to an article conveying device without changing the constitution of the article conveying device as much as possible. <P>SOLUTION: The article handling facility is provided with an article storing rack 1 where an article storing section T is located which includes a conveying means 5 for conveying an article B with the article B mounted and supported on a carriage plane inclined so that front side of the rack becomes the lower position, and an article conveying device 2 which can freely deliver the article B to the article storing section T from a loading section WT freely conveying the article B in the back side of the article storing rack 1 and positioned on the upper end side of the carriage plane of the article storing section T, wherein the conveying means 5 is constituted to be freely switchable between the regular conveyance state conveying the article B downward of the inclined carriage plane and the reverse conveyance state conveying the article B upward of the inclined carriage plane and the article conveying device 2 is constituted so that the article B conveyed in the reverse conveyance state can be received from the loading section WT. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides an article storage shelf in which an article storage section having an article storage unit provided with a transfer means for transferring an article in a state where the article is placed and supported on a transfer surface inclined so that the front side of the shelf is lower, and the rear surface of the article storage shelf. The present invention relates to an article processing facility provided with an article conveying apparatus capable of conveying an article on a side and delivering an article to the article storage section from an input section located on an upper end side of the conveyance surface in the article storage section. .

  For example, the above-mentioned article processing equipment is used by an operator to store individual goods, etc. stored in a storage container such as a cardboard case or a bucket that is transferred from a warehouse or the like by an article transfer device and stored in an article storage unit. Used for picking work to be taken out from the front side of the shelf.

  As a conventional example of the article processing facility, there is a configuration in which the conveying unit is configured to carry the article delivered from the article conveying apparatus only in an inclined downward direction (for example, see Patent Document 1). Incidentally, in Patent Document 1, the transporting means is constituted by a free roller conveyor, and the transporting means is transported by its own weight.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-41682 (FIGS. 4 and 5)

  In the above-described conventional configuration, since the transport means is operated to transport only in the inclined downward direction, once the article is put into the input section of the article storage section and the article is stored, the article is It cannot be returned to the article transport device.

  Therefore, in order to replace the article stored in the article storage unit, the operator must manually remove the article stored in the article storage unit by taking out the article from the front side of the shelf.

  Therefore, conventionally, all articles that may cause processing (for example, picking work) by arranging a large number of article storage units on the article storage shelf so as not to perform the above-described replacement work of articles. Each is stored in an article storage section so that an operator on the front side of the storage shelf can process the articles as necessary.

  However, in the conventional article processing facility, as described above, a large number of article storage units are arranged on the article storage shelf to disperse and store articles to be processed. The work target range for the person becomes wide, and the work efficiency may be reduced due to the large amount of movement during the article processing.

  However, in order to automatically replace the article in the article storage unit, the retreat position in which the article held from the protruding position that holds the article stored in the article storage unit is positioned in the article transfer device. It is conceivable to collect articles stored in the article storage unit by using a drawing device having a retractable holding tool that can be moved back and forth.

  However, in order to draw the article stored in the article storage unit to the article conveying apparatus using the above-described drawing apparatus, the article must be held by projecting the retractable holding tool positioned at the retracted position to the protruding position. For example, in order to store a plurality of articles at the same time in a state of being aligned in the transport direction of the transport means, or to make the stored articles as close to the worker as possible so that the picking operation can be easily performed. In addition, when the transporting distance of the transporting unit is increased toward the front side of the shelf, the storage position of the article in the article storage unit is separated obliquely downward from the loading unit, and the retracting holder of the attracting device is used as the article. It becomes difficult to make it hold. In this way, when the article in the article storage unit is collected using the drawing device provided with the retracting / holding tool, the article stored in the lower end of the conveying means having a long conveying distance is collected. It is difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an article processing facility capable of recovering articles stored in an article storage unit having a long conveying distance of the conveying means without any inconvenience. There is in point to do.

To achieve this object, an article processing facility according to the present invention includes an article storage provided with a conveying means for conveying an article in a state where the article is placed and supported on a conveying surface inclined so that the front side of the shelf is lower. The article is delivered to the article storage section from the input section that is freely transportable on the article storage shelf on which the section is arranged and the back side of the article storage shelf and is located on the upper end side of the conveyance surface of the article storage section. A free article transport device is provided,
The first characteristic configuration is configured such that the transport means can be switched between a normal transport state in which an article is transported in an inclined downward direction of the transport surface and a reverse transport state in which the article is transported in an inclined upward direction of the transport surface. The article conveying apparatus is configured to be able to receive an article conveyed in the reverse conveying state from the input unit.

  That is, since the conveying means is configured to be switchable between a normal conveying state in which the article is conveyed in the inclined downward direction of the conveying surface and a reverse conveying state in which the article is conveyed in the inclined upward direction of the conveying surface. By carrying out the conveyance operation in the reverse conveyance state, it is possible to move the article stored in the article storage unit to the input unit of the article storage unit without directly holding the article in the article transfer device.

  Therefore, even if an article is stored in an article storage section where the transport means has a long transport distance, the article is stored in the article storage section by operating the transport means in the reverse transport state by an amount corresponding to the transport distance. It can be moved to the charging part.

  Since the article transporting device is configured to receive an article transported in the reverse transport state from the input unit, the article transported to the input unit by the transport means that operates to transport in the reverse transport state And the article can be collected by the article transport device.

  As described above, according to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, an article processing facility capable of recovering articles stored in the article storage section having a long conveying distance of the conveying means without any problem has been obtained.

  A second characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention is that, in the first characteristic configuration, the conveying means is configured to perform a conveying operation by the weight of the article in the normal conveying state.

  That is, when the article is delivered to the input unit by the article conveying device, the article is subjected to its own weight, and the conveying means is conveyed in the normal conveying state. Therefore, driving using electric power for conveying the conveying means is performed. Since no means is required, the configuration can be simplified and energy can be saved.

  A third characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention is such that, in the first or second characteristic configuration, the conveying means is conveyed and operated by power transmitted from the article conveying device in the reverse conveying state. It is in the point.

  In other words, since the transport means is transported in the reverse transport state by the power transmitted from the article transport device, it is not necessary to provide a power source for transporting the transport means in the reverse transport state on the article storage shelf side. Therefore, the structure of the article storage shelf can be simplified.

  In particular, when the conveying means is configured to be conveyed by its own weight in the normal conveying state, a power source for conveying the conveying means to the article storage shelf side is not provided at all. The conveyance operation can be performed in both the conveyance state and the reverse conveyance state.

  Further, when a plurality of article storage units are arranged on the article storage shelf, the conveyance means of each article storage unit is operated by the power transmitted from the article conveyance device, so that the power for each conveyance means of each article storage unit is Since it is not necessary to provide a source or a means for distributing and transmitting power to the conveying means of each article storage unit, the simplification of the structure of the article storage shelf becomes even more remarkable.

  According to a fourth feature configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, in any one of the first to third feature configurations, the transport unit moves the article that is placed and supported on the transport surface in an inclined downward direction. In the reverse conveyance state, the system stop part is configured as described above.

  That is, since the system stop part restricts the movement of the article placed and supported on the conveyance surface in the inclined downward direction, even if the conveyance surface is inclined so that the front side of the shelf is lower, It is possible to prevent the article that is placed and supported from moving to the front side of the shelf that is in the inclined downward direction.

  And as the system stop moves in the inclined upward direction, the article is conveyed in the inclined upward direction of the conveying surface, so that the article placed and supported on the conveying surface is restricted from moving to the shelf front side. Then, it is conveyed from the shelf front side toward the back side.

  As described above, according to the fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention, it is possible to reliably convey the article placed and supported on the inclined conveyance surface so that the front side of the shelf is the lower side from the front side of the shelf toward the back side. it can.

  According to a fifth characteristic configuration of the article processing facility according to the present invention, in the fourth characteristic configuration, the conveying means is configured by arranging a belt conveyor and a roller conveyor in a conveying width direction, and the winding path of the belt conveyor is the winding path. A protrusion that is wound so as to be positioned below the conveying action surface of the roller conveyor in a side view and protrudes upward in the side view from the conveying action surface of the roller conveyor in the reverse conveying state. It exists in the point comprised and provided as a system stop part.

  That is, since the winding path of the belt conveyor is wound so as to be positioned lower than the conveying action surface of the roller conveyor in a side view, the conveying surface of the conveying means is formed by the conveying action surface of the roller conveyor. The transport action surface is inclined so that the front side of the shelf is lower. Therefore, when the article is delivered at the input section, the article is placed and supported on the roller conveyor. When the roller conveyor is conveyed in the normal conveying state, the bottom surface of the article is the upper part of the belt conveyor. It is smoothly conveyed from the back side of the article storage shelf to the front side of the shelf without contacting the winding path portion.

  While the roller conveyor is transporting articles in the normal transport state, the belt conveyor protrusions do not protrude above the transporting surface of the roller conveyor, for example, the lower inclined end of the belt conveyor winding path. It should just be located in any part of a part, an inclination high-order side edge part, or a lower part side route part.

  On the other hand, the belt conveyor is equipped with a protruding part that protrudes upward in a side view from the conveying action surface of the roller conveyor, so that the belt conveyor is driven to rotate in the rotation direction set in the reverse conveying direction. By doing so, it is possible to move the protruding portion in the inclined upward direction along the conveying surface while maintaining the state in which the protruding portion protrudes from the conveying action surface of the roller conveyor. Therefore, the article placed and supported on the conveying surface of the roller conveyor is conveyed from the front side of the shelf to the back side in the reverse conveying state.

  When the driving force for rotationally driving the belt conveyor is transmitted from the article conveying device, the entire belt conveyor can be driven by inputting the driving force to the end of the belt conveyor on the shelf back side. Therefore, it is only necessary to input a driving force to a position near the article conveying apparatus, and the structure of the driving force transmission mechanism to be provided in the article conveying apparatus can be made compact.

  In addition, since the belt conveyor and the roller conveyor are arranged in the transport width direction, the transport means is arranged with the forward transport portion and the reverse transport portion distributed in the transport width direction. The width of the article storage unit provided with a conveying device that conveys the article only in the inclined downward direction as in the prior art can be carried out in the normal conveyance state and the reverse conveyance state without expanding as much as possible. Can be made common, and the versatility of the article storage shelf in the present invention can be maintained as much as possible.

  Thus, according to the fifth characteristic configuration of the present invention, a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been obtained.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a picking facility as an article processing facility is provided with a pair of front and rear storage shelves 1 at an interval, and a stacker crane 2 is disposed between the storage shelves 1. Yes.

  Of the pair of front and rear storage shelves 1, an inclined storage portion T that stores an article B to be picked by the picking worker in an inclined state so that the worker side is in a lower position is placed on a lower portion of the front storage shelf 1. A work shelf 1 </ b> A is provided that is arranged in the horizontal width direction and arranged in three stages in the vertical direction.

  Of the pair of front and rear storage shelves 1 other than the portion where the work shelf 1A is installed, a horizontal storage unit U that stores articles B to be supplied to the work shelf 1A in a substantially horizontal state is provided in the width direction of the shelf. And it is provided in the state juxtaposed in the up-down direction.

  The stacker crane 2 stores the articles B supplied from the article loading / unloading conveyor 3 in the storage shelf 1, and the stacker crane 2 can freely transport the articles B on the back side of the work shelf 1A. As an article transporting device that can be delivered to the inclined storage section T from the transport input section WT located on the upper end side of the inclined storage section T by moving to the article supply position for each inclined storage section T. It is supposed to function.

  In addition, the stacker crane 2 is configured to load the article B into the inclined storage section T, to collect the article B from the inclined storage section T, and to perform a wholesale process to transfer the article B to the horizontal storage section U and the horizontal storage section U. The product B containing the item to be picked is transferred from the horizontal storage unit U and loaded into the inclined storage unit T, and the picking of the required number of items is completed. The collected article B is collected from the inclined storage unit T and transferred to the horizontal storage unit U as appropriate according to the progress of the picking operation.

  The article B is configured to store various items in a case such as a cardboard box or a plastic bucket.

  In the inclined storage section T, a forward / reverse transfer conveyor as a transfer means for transferring the article B in a state where the article B is placed and supported on the transfer surface S inclined so that the front side of the shelf where the picking work area is located is lower. 5 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the forward / reverse transport conveyor 5 provided in each inclined storage unit T transports the article B input from the transport input unit WT on the back side of the work shelf 1 </ b> A on the front side of the shelf. A free roller conveyor 5A that moves by its own weight in an inclined downward direction toward the lower end portion, and a belt conveyor 5B with a protruding portion that stops and conveys in the inclined upward direction from the lower transfer portion on the front side of the shelf toward the transfer input portion WT on the rear side. Are arranged in the transport width direction. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal front view of the forward / reverse transfer conveyor 5 facing the inclined upward direction from the shelf front side.

  Then, when the article B is introduced from the conveyance input unit WT, the free roller conveyor 5A is conveyed by its own weight, and the article B is conveyed in the inclined downward direction of the conveyance surface S. Further, as will be described in detail later, the belt conveyor 5B is transported by the power transmitted from the stacker crane 2 located at the article supply position with respect to the inclined storage portion T, and the article B is transported in the upwardly inclined direction of the transport surface S. The

  As described above, the forward / reverse transport conveyor 5 includes the forward transport state in which the article B is transported in the inclined downward direction of the transport surface S, and the reverse transport state in which the article B is transported in the oblique upward direction of the transport surface S. It can be switched freely.

  Further, the belt conveyor 5B is wound so that its winding path is located below the conveying action surface Sc of the free roller conveyor 5A in a side view, and is conveyed by the free roller conveyor 5A in the reverse conveying state. The protrusion 6 is configured to protrude upward in a side view from the action surface Sc.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the forward / reverse transport conveyor 5 will be described. The free roller conveyor 5A includes a plurality of roller support shafts 7 arranged at substantially equal intervals along the transport surface S of the forward / reverse transport conveyor 5, and the plurality of roller support shafts 7 are arranged around the horizontal axis. A freely rotating rotating roller 8 is supported to be relatively rotatable. The rotating roller 8 includes a left end roller 8L that is freely supported by the left end portion 7L of the roller support shaft 7, a right end roller 8R that is freely supported by the right end portion 7R, and An intermediate roller 8M positioned in the intermediate portion 7M is configured by being arranged with a gap D2 in the conveyance width direction. A gap D2 in the conveyance width direction between the rotating rollers 8 has a length corresponding to the conveyance width Tb of the belt conveyor 5B.

  On the upper end roller support shaft 7T and the lower end roller support shaft 7B positioned at the upper end and the lower end of the inclined conveyance surface S, a roller 9 for winding a conveyor belt (hereinafter referred to as a belt winding roller 9) is a roller support shaft 7. And are provided so as to be rotatable together. The belt winding roller 9 is positioned in the gap between the left end roller 8L and the intermediate roller 8M and the gap between the right end roller 8R and the intermediate roller 8M on the upper end roller support shaft 7T and the lower end roller support shaft 7B. is doing. That is, the belt conveyor 5B is composed of a pair of left and right belt conveyors, and these belt conveyors 5B are installed at an interval of the length of the intermediate roller 8M.

  The width of the belt winding roller 9 is a width corresponding to the width of the conveyor belt 10 except for the wide roller 9W that also serves as a driving force input roller located in the right end portion 7R of the upper end roller support shaft 7T. . The wide roller 9W is wider than the width of the other belt winding rollers 9 by the width of the driving force input portion 9D to which the driving force is input by the belt driving device 11 provided in the article transfer device 4 of the stacker crane 2. It has become.

  The diameter R9 of the belt winding roller is smaller than the diameter R8 of the rotating roller 8, and the conveyor belt 10 of the belt conveyor 5B is wound around the belt winding roller 9 to wind the conveyor belt 10. The belt outer surface 10s of the upper side portion is positioned below the conveying action surface Sc of the free roller conveyor 5A by a distance D1 in a side view.

  The conveyor belt 10 is composed of a known natural return belt. The natural return belt is a belt elastic modulus in the winding path direction by forming an endless belt body formed in a ring shape with an elastic material such as resin into a thickness that varies depending on the position in the winding path direction. Is configured so as to spontaneously return to a winding position (hereinafter referred to as a neutral position φn) where the tension can be balanced.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the conveyor belt 10 is formed by alternately arranging a pair of thick portions 10a and thin portions 10b in the winding direction. The length La of the thick portion 10a along the winding circumferential direction is a length corresponding to the installation interval Ltb between the upper end roller support shaft 7T and the lower end roller support shaft 7B, and is thin along the winding circumferential direction. The length Lb of the portion 10b is a length corresponding to half the outer peripheral length L9 of the belt winding roller 9.

  And two opposing positions which divide the winding total circumference into two equal parts at a distance of half the winding total circumference of the conveyor belt 10, more specifically, the central location in the winding circumference direction of each thin portion 10b In addition, a pair of bar-like projections 6 extending in the belt width direction are provided as a single unit in a state of projecting outward in the winding direction.

  Since the conveyor belt 10 is composed of a natural return belt, a returnable phase having a substantially equal width in the forward and reverse directions around the neutral position φn without any external force for rotating the conveyor belt 10. The phase is rotated from the phase within the range Zφ to the neutral position φn, and the position is held at the neutral position φn. Therefore, as will be described later, the neutral position φn within the phase range Zφ in which the conveyor belt 10 can be returned by the rotational force transmitted from the retractable belt driving device 11 provided in the article transfer device 4 of the stacker crane 2. After being rotationally driven to a nearby phase, the conveyor belt 10 rotates from the vicinity of the neutral position φn to the neutral position φn shown in FIG. 6 without transmitting power from the belt driving device 11.

  Since the protrusion amount D3 of the protrusion 6 from the belt outer surface 10s is longer than the distance D1 in a side view between the belt outer surface 10s of the winding upper portion of the conveyor belt 10 and the conveying operation surface Sc of the free roller conveyor 5A, As shown in FIG. 5, when the protruding portion 6 is positioned on the upper portion of the winding path, the tip portion of the protruding portion 6 protrudes upward from the conveying action surface Sc, and the free roller conveyor The tip of the protrusion 6 abuts on the lower part of the side of the front side of the shelf of the article B that is placed and supported by the conveyance action surface Sc of 5A, and the article B is along the conveyance surface S of the forward / reverse conveyance conveyor 5. Therefore, the movement in the downward direction is restricted. That is, the protrusion 6 functions as a system stop.

  Since the protrusion 6 is provided integrally with the belt conveyor 5B, the belt conveyor 5B at the neutral position φn is wound clockwise as viewed from the side of FIG. 6 can be moved to the upper part of the winding path, and can be further moved in the upward direction of the conveyance surface S in the upper part of the winding path. Accordingly, the article B can be transported in the upwardly inclined direction of the transport surface S while maintaining the state in which the protrusion 6 is in contact with the bottom side portion on the shelf front side of the article B.

  As described above, the forward / reverse transport conveyor 5 is configured to transport the article in the inclined upward direction of the transport surface S as the protrusion 6 moves in the upward direction of the transport surface S in the reverse transport state. Yes.

  An article collection conveyor C for conveying an article collection case K is provided on the front side of the work shelf 1A, and the lower end of each shelf portion T slides down the article B as shown in FIG. A stopper 48 is provided to prevent this. The stopper 48 is formed with a pair of groove portions 48g corresponding to the installation interval of the pair of conveyor belts 10 of the belt conveyor 5B. When the conveyor belt 10 of the belt conveyor 5B rotates, the protruding portion 6 becomes the groove portion 48g. The stopper 48 is prevented from touching by passing through.

  On the end face of the stopper 48 on the front side of the shelf, a numerical value display portion 49a for displaying numerically the quantity of articles to be put into the case K for the worker who performs the picking work on the front side of the shelf, A display unit 49 including a completion command switch 49b for instructing completion of the charging is provided.

  The stacker crane 2 includes a traveling body 2A that includes a lifting platform 2B that can be moved up and down along a pair of left and right lifting masts 2C. An article transfer device 4 for sending and receiving the article B is provided.

  Based on FIGS. 7-9, the structure of the article transfer apparatus 4 is demonstrated. FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the article transfer device 4, and FIG. 8 shows a side view of the article transfer device 4 as viewed in the transfer direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle body 2A. FIG. 9 shows a side view of the article transfer device 4 as viewed in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction.

  The article transfer device 4 includes a conveyor 23 whose conveyance surface is set to be substantially horizontal, so that the article B placed on the conveyor 23 can be loaded into the conveyance input section WT of the self-weight-moving inclined storage section T. The article B configured and transported in the reverse transport state by the forward / reverse transport conveyor 5 can be received from the input section transport input section WT to the conveyor 23. Further, the article transfer device 4 is a pair of holding the article B from the left and right sides of the conveyor 23 in order to transfer the article B to and from the horizontal storage unit U and to transfer the article B to the article loading / unloading conveyor 3. The holding body 24 is provided so as to be freely withdrawn and retracted.

  The article transfer device 4 can be moved close to and away from the transfer direction, and can be moved back and forth between a retracted position retracted toward the conveyor 23 and a protruding position protruded toward the external transfer target location. Switching between a pair of sandwiching bodies 24, a sandwiching state in which the pair of sandwiching bodies 24 are operated to approach each other to sandwich the article B from both sides, and a release state in which the pair of sandwiching bodies 24 are operated to be separated to release the sandwiching of the article B. It comprises a free clamping state switching means 25 and an exit / retreat driving means 26 that drives the pair of clamping bodies 24 to retract and retract to a retracted position and a protruding position. And this goods transfer apparatus 4 is the side which transfers goods B between the conveyor 23 and the transfer object location by pinching the goods B from both sides with a pair of clamping body 24, and withdrawing / withdrawing. It is composed of a clamp type.

  The conveyor 23 is constituted by a roller conveyor provided with a plurality of rollers 28 rotatably supported by a pair of frames 27L and 27R arranged to be distributed to the left and right sides with respect to the transfer direction. As shown in FIG. 7, a passive tooth ring 29 is integrally formed at the right end of each roller 28 (based on the direction of the article transfer device 4 viewed from the worker side of the work shelf 1A). A drive tooth ring 31 is provided on the output shaft of the conveyor electric motor 30. A transmission chain 33 is hung across the drive tooth ring 31, each passive tooth ring 29, and the guide tooth ring 32.

  When the conveyor electric motor 30 is rotationally driven, the transmission chain 33 is rotationally driven to rotationally drive the plurality of rollers 28 to convey the article B in the transfer direction. Then, the conveyor electric motor 30 is rotationally driven in the normal rotation direction to push the article B along the transfer direction so as to put the article B into the conveyance input section WT of the inclined storage section T of the front storage shelf 1. In order to receive the article B from the transport input portion WT of the inclined storage portion T of the storage shelf 1 on the front side by rotating the electric motor 30 for conveyor in the reverse direction, It is comprised so that it may draw in and convey along.

  The pair of sandwiching bodies 24 is formed in a plate shape that sandwiches the lateral side surface of the article B on the inner surfaces facing each other, and is paired with a pair of movable bodies 34 that are arranged on both the left and right sides in the transfer direction. It is supported by. As shown in FIG. 9, the movable body 34 includes a guide portion 34 a that guides and supports the guided portion of the sandwiching body 24, and supports the sandwiching body 24 so that it can be moved in and out of the transfer direction. In addition, a pair of support bases 35 that support the movable body 34 are distributed to the left and right sides, and the pair of support bases 35 are provided so as to be able to approach and separate.

  The clamping state switching means 25 includes an approaching / separating electric motor 36 that moves the pair of support bases 35 toward and away from each other so that the pair of sandwiching bodies 24 are moved toward and away from each other. By moving, the pair of holding bodies 24 are moved close to each other integrally with the movable body 34 to sandwich the article B from both sides, and the pair of support bases 35 are moved away from each other so as to be integrated with the movable body 34. The pair of sandwiching bodies 24 are separated from each other and switched to a release state in which the sandwiching of the article B is released.

  The support base 35 is slidably provided on a guide rail 37 disposed along a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction at a central portion in the transfer direction. As shown in FIG. 7, a drive wheel body 38 provided on the output shaft of the approaching / separating electric motor 36 is disposed on one side of the pair of support bases 35, and on the other side of the pair of support bases 35. A passive ring 39 is provided so as to be freely rotatable. An endless conductor 40 is hung over the driving wheel 38 and the passive wheel 39, and a midway portion of the endless conductor 40 is distributed and connected to each of the pair of support bases 35.

  By rotating the approaching / separating electric motor 36, the endless transmission 40 is rotationally driven, supported and guided by the guide rail 37, and the pair of support bases 35 are moved closer to each other. Thus, by moving the pair of support bases 35 closer to each other, the pair of sandwiching bodies 24 and the pair of movable bodies 34 are integrally approached to switch to the sandwiching state. In addition, by rotating the approaching / separating electric motor 36 in the reverse direction, the endless transmission 40 is rotationally driven in the reverse direction, and is supported and guided by the guide rail 37 to move the pair of support bases 35 apart. Thus, by moving the support base 35 away from each other, the pair of sandwiching bodies 24 and the pair of movable bodies 34 are integrally separated and switched to the released state.

  The exit / retreat driving means 26 includes an exit / retreat electric motor 41 for projecting and retracting the holding body 24 relative to the movable body 34. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, an exit / retreat drive shaft 43 is interlocked and connected to the output shaft of the exit / retreat electric motor 41 via a winding interlock device 42. In the center part of the transfer direction, it arrange | positions in the state which penetrates a pair of support stand 35 along the direction orthogonal to a transfer direction.

  In the retracting drive shaft 43, a part corresponding to the approaching / separating movement range of the support base 35 is configured by a spline shaft portion, and each of the pair of support bases 35 is splined to the spline shaft portion of the retractable drive shaft 43. The fitted drive tooth ring 44 is rotatably provided. As shown in FIG. 9, each of the pair of movable bodies 34 is provided with passive tooth rings 45 at both ends in the longitudinal direction so as to be freely rotatable. An endless chain 47 is hung over the drive tooth ring 44, the passive tooth ring 45, and the guide tooth ring 46, and a midway path portion of the endless chain 47 is connected to the holding body 24.

  The endless chain 47 is rotationally driven via the winding interlocking device 42 and the retracting drive shaft 43 by rotating the retracting electric motor 41, and is guided and supported by the guide portion 34 a of the movable body 34. The body 24 is operated to project from the retracted position to the projecting position. Further, by rotating the retracting electric motor 41 in the reverse direction, the endless chain 47 is rotationally driven in the reverse direction via the winding interlocking device 42 and the retracting drive shaft 43, and the guide portion 34 a of the movable body 34. The holding member 24 is retracted from the protruding position to the retracted position by being guided and supported by.

  The right frame 27 </ b> R of the article transfer device 4 is provided with a belt driving device 11 that transmits power for rotating the belt conveyor 5 </ b> B with protrusions of the forward / reverse conveying conveyor 5.

  The belt driving device 11 includes a power transmission roller 12 configured to increase the friction coefficient of the roller surface using urethane resin or the like, and the power transmission roller 12 is a driving force input portion 9D of the wide roller 9W of the belt conveyor 5B. The position is freely switchable between a contact position where the power is transmitted while being in contact with the power and a separated position where the power is not contacted.

  In other words, in order to take out the power of the conveyor 23, the drive shaft of the end roller 28t located at the transport end on the work shelf 1A side extends outward from the right frame 27R, and this drive shaft is connected to the end of the drive shaft. A drive gear 13 that rotates integrally is provided, and a fan-shaped swing plate 14 that is rotatable relative to the rotation drive shaft of the end roller 28t is provided along the outer surface of the right frame 27R. At the lower end of the right frame 27R, a swinging electric motor 16 that rotationally drives a pinion gear 15 that meshes with a rack portion 14r provided on the swinging plate 14 is provided via a motor mounting bracket 16B.

  A roller support shaft 17, which is a rotational drive shaft of the power transmission roller 12, is rotatably inserted into the swing plate 14 toward the outer side of the swing radius, and the first relay gear 18 and the second relay gear 18 are inserted toward the inner side of the swing radius. An intermediate shaft 21 is erected to support the relay gear 19 so as to be integrally rotatable. The roller support shaft 17 is provided with a third relay gear 20, and the third relay gear 20 of the roller support shaft 17 is configured to mesh with the second relay gear 19 of the intermediate shaft 21. Further, the first relay gear 18 of the intermediate shaft 21 is interlocked and connected by the drive gear 13 and the swinging endless chain 22.

  With the above configuration, when the end roller 28t is rotationally driven by the conveyor electric motor 30, the driving force causes the power transmission roller 12 to rotate in the opposite rotational direction. The power transmission roller 12 is swung between the contact position and the separation position below the conveyor 23 around the axis of the end roller 23t located at the transport end of the conveyor 23 on the work shelf 1A side. Is done.

  When the article B is put into the inclined storage section T, as shown in FIG. 11, the traveling vehicle body 2A and the lifting platform 2B of the stacker crane 2 are positioned at the article supply position corresponding to the inclined storage section T, and the article transfer device The conveyor electric motor 30 may be rotated in the forward direction.

  As a result, the conveyor 23 is transported in the push-out direction, and the article B is transported in the substantially horizontal direction from the article transfer device 4 to the transport input unit WT, and then the article B changes from a horizontal posture to an inclined posture due to its own weight. Then, when the article B is placed and supported on the transporting surface Sc of the free roller conveyor 5A in the forward / reverse transport conveyor 5, the forward / reverse transport conveyor 5 is transported in the forward transport state by the weight of the article B, and transported. It is conveyed from the part WT to the conveyance lower end along the inclined downward direction of the conveyance surface S. The article B is positioned by the stopper 48 and stops at the lower conveyance end.

  When collecting the article B stored in the inclined storage section T, as shown in FIG. 12, the traveling vehicle body 2A and the lifting platform 2B of the stacker crane 2 are positioned at the article supply position corresponding to the inclined storage section T. The electric motor 16 for swinging of the article transfer device 4 is operated to switch the power transmission roller 12 of the belt driving device 11 to the contact position, and then the electric motor 30 for conveyor is rotated in the reverse direction.

  As a result, the conveyor 23 is transported in the pull-in direction, and at the same time, the power is transmitted from the driving force input portion 9D to the belt conveyor 5B with protrusions in the forward / reverse transport conveyor 5 by the power transmission roller 12 of the belt driving device 11. The reverse conveyor 5 is transported in the reverse transport state.

  That is, the conveyor belt 10 at the neutral position φn is rotated by the power input from the driving force input portion 9D. As the conveyor belt 10 rotates, the left and right sides of the bottom of the side surface on the front side of the shelf of the article B in the state of being held and supported by the stopper 48 and placed on and supported by the conveying action surface Sc of the free roller conveyor 5A The pair of left and right protrusions 6 of the conveyor belt 10 abuts at two locations. As the rotation of the conveyor belt 10 progresses, the protruding portion 6 moves in the upwardly inclined direction of the conveying surface S while protruding above the conveying action surface Sc of the free roller conveyor 5A. Thereby, the article B is in a state where it is placed and supported on the conveying action surface Sc of the free roller conveyor 5A, and the right and left two sides of the bottom side on the shelf front side are stopped by the protrusion 6 of the belt conveyor 5B. Thus, the sheet is conveyed along the inclined upward direction of the conveyance surface S from the conveyance lower end part to the conveyance input part WT.

  When the article B is conveyed to the conveyance input unit WT, the article B changes from the inclined posture to the horizontal posture due to its own weight, and the article B is placed and supported on the conveyor 23 in the article transfer device 4, and in the pull-in direction. It is transported in a substantially horizontal direction by the conveyor 23 that is transported.

  Thus, when the article B is collected from the inclined storage portion T, the power transmission roller 12 of the belt driving device 11 is switched to the contact position, and power to the belt conveyor 5B is not input. Even if the rotation phase is slightly deviated from the neutral position φn, the conveyor belt 10 naturally returns to the neutral position φn within the recoverable phase range Zφ. Thus, when the article B is next put into the inclined storage portion T, the projection 6 of the conveyor belt 10 and the bottom of the article B to be thrown do not interfere with each other, and the next throwing process is smoothly performed. It can be carried out.

  In the above-described article B loading process and collection process, the operation of the conveyor electric motor 30 and the swing electric motor 16 is performed by various sensors and operations for detecting the position of the article B in the article transfer device 4 of the article B. It is appropriately controlled by a control device (not shown) using a time limit timer or the like.

  As described above, in the picking facility of the present embodiment, the forward / reverse transfer conveyor 5 is provided in the work storage shelf 1A, and the belt transmission device 11 is provided in the article transfer device 4, thereby changing the configuration of the stacker crane 2 as much as possible. Thus, the article B stored in the inclined storage portion T can be efficiently returned to the stacker crane 2.

  And when it is instructed by the completion command switch 48b that the picking of the necessary number of articles for the article B stored in the inclined storage section T is completed, the picking stored in the inclined storage section T is completed. Since it is possible to automatically replace the article B and the unworked article B to be picked that is stored in the horizontal storage unit U, picking work can be performed by setting a small number without taking many picking openings. The working efficiency of the picking worker can be improved by narrowing the range in which the person moves between the frontage for picking on the front side of the shelf.

[Another embodiment]
Hereinafter, other embodiments are listed.

(1) Although the width dimension of the article is not particularly described in the above embodiment, it may be any width that can be transported by the transport means, and may process a plurality of articles having different widths.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the article conveying device is configured by the stacker crane 2. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, the article conveying device may be a self-propelled carriage provided with an elevating device. The specific configuration of the transport device can be selected as appropriate.

(3) In the above embodiment, the article storage unit is illustrated as being provided in a part of the storage shelf. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the article storage unit is provided in the entire storage shelf. Also good.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the conveying means is illustrated as being conveyed by its own weight in the normal conveying state, but instead, the conveying means is transmitted from the article conveying device in the normal conveying state. The conveying operation may be performed by power or power of a shelf-side driving unit provided on the storage shelf.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the conveying means is exemplified to be operated by the power transmitted from the article conveying device in the reverse conveying state. Instead, the conveying means is a storage shelf in the reverse conveying state. It may be one that is transported by the power of the shelf-side drive means provided on the front side.

(6) In the above embodiment, the power is transmitted from the article conveying device by friction with the driving roller. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The power transmission form can be variously changed.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, the system stopping part provided in the conveying unit is exemplified as the protruding part. Alternatively, the system stopping part may be a magnet.

(8) In the above embodiment, the belt conveyor is provided with a pair of left and right conveyor belts arranged side by side in the conveyance width direction, but instead, the belt conveyor includes a single conveyor belt. It may be configured with three or more conveyor belts arranged in the conveyance width direction.

(9) In the above embodiment, the conveyor belt provided in the belt conveyor is exemplified by a natural return belt. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the conveyor belt is a normal belt having a uniform thickness in the winding direction. It may be configured by.

(10) In the above embodiment, the roller conveyor is configured as a free roller conveyor. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the roller conveyor may be configured as a drive roller conveyor.

Vertical side view of picking equipment Cross section of picking equipment Perspective view of forward and reverse conveyor Front view of inclined storage Partially enlarged side view of inclined storage Cross section of conveyor belt Plan view of the article transfer device Partially enlarged front view of article transfer device Longitudinal right side view of the article transfer device Explanatory drawing of article input processing Explanatory drawing of article collection processing

Explanation of symbols

B Article S Transport surface Sc Transport operation surface T Article storage section WT Input section 1A Article storage shelf 2 Article transport device 5 Transport means 5A Cola conveyor 5B Belt conveyor 6 System stop, protrusion

Claims (5)

An article storage shelf provided with an article storage section having a conveying means for conveying the article in a state where the article is placed and supported on the conveying surface inclined so that the front side of the shelf is lower;
There is provided an article transport device capable of transporting articles on the back side of the article storage shelf and delivering articles to the article storage section from an input section located on the upper end side of the transport surface in the article storage section. An article processing facility,
The transport means is configured to be switchable between a normal transport state in which an article is transported in an inclined downward direction of the transport surface and a reverse transport state in which the article is transported in an oblique upward direction of the transport surface,
An article processing facility configured such that the article conveying device can receive an article conveyed in the reverse conveying state from the input unit.   The article processing facility according to claim 1, wherein the conveying means is configured to perform a conveying operation by the weight of the article in the normal conveying state.   The article processing facility according to claim 1, wherein the conveying unit is configured to be conveyed by power transmitted from the article conveying device in the reverse conveying state.   The transport means includes a system stop portion that restricts the movement of the article placed and supported on the transport surface in the inclined downward direction, and the system stop portion moves in the inclined upward direction in the reverse transport state. The article processing facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the article processing equipment is configured to convey an article in an inclined upward direction of the conveyance surface. The conveying means is configured by arranging a belt conveyor and a roller conveyor in the conveying width direction,
The belt conveyor is wound such that its winding path is positioned below the conveying action surface of the roller conveyor in a side view, and in the reverse conveying state, the belt conveyor is located on the side surface than the conveying action surface of the roller conveyor. The article processing facility according to claim 4, wherein the article processing facility is configured to include, as the system stop portion, a protruding portion protruding upward.

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