JP2012071929A - Article conveyance device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the conveyance time of an article to a following transfer position, in an article conveyance device configured so that the article can be transferred to both sides of a transfer direction.SOLUTION: A crane control unit 81 of a stacker crane 3 controls a transfer device 29 and a traveling truck 22. The crane control unit 81 includes a transfer direction acquisition means 81d which acquires whether the transfer direction of a package W in a following package storage shelf 13 is on the front side or the rear side; and an approach operation means 81f which causes, when the package W is loaded at a certain package storage shelf 13, the transfer device 29 to start, prior to stoppage at the following package storage shelf 13, movement of the package W to the unloading side of the package W according to the acquired transfer direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device, in particular, between a plurality of transfer positions which are arranged on a first side in a transfer direction and a second side opposite to the first side and spaced apart along the transfer direction. The present invention relates to an article conveying apparatus for taking in and out articles.

A conventional automatic warehouse includes a pair of racks, a stacker crane as an example of an article transport device, a warehouse station, and a warehouse station. The pair of racks are provided at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction (transfer direction). The stacker crane travels in the left-right direction along a travel path between the front and rear racks. The warehousing station is arranged on the side of one rack. The delivery station is arranged on the side of the other rack. The rack has a large number of luggage storage shelves (an example of a transfer position) arranged vertically and horizontally. The stacker crane includes a traveling carriage, a lifting platform that is mounted on a mast provided on the traveling carriage so as to be movable up and down, and a transfer device provided on the lifting platform.
As a conventional transfer device, there is known a device capable of transferring a load as an example of an article to front and rear racks (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
A conventional transfer device has a pair of forks that sandwich both sides of a load, and a conveyor device that can transport the load in the same direction as the direction of expansion and contraction of the fork. The conveyor device is disposed between the pair of forks. The pair of forks can move in the opening and closing direction to hold and release the load.

JP 2005-138949 A

  In the conventional configuration, the distance that the load is transferred to the load storage shelf at the time of transfer becomes longer, and the load transport time becomes longer.

  An object of the present invention is to shorten the conveyance time of an article to the next transfer position in an article conveyance apparatus that can transfer the article to both sides in the transfer direction.

Hereinafter, a plurality of modes will be described as means for solving the problems. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.
An article conveying device according to an aspect of the present invention is arranged on a first side in a transfer direction and a second side opposite to the first side, and a plurality of transfer units arranged at intervals along the conveyance direction. It is an article conveying apparatus which takes in and out articles between positions. The article transport device includes a transfer device, a travel device, and a transport control unit. The transfer device can transfer the article to the transfer position on the first side and the transfer position on the second side. The transfer device has an article placement area having a first end on the first side and a second end on the second side. The travel device is equipped with a transfer device and can travel to a plurality of transfer positions along the transport direction. The conveyance control unit controls the transfer device and the traveling device. The conveyance control unit includes a transfer direction grasping unit, a predetermined distance moving unit, an arrangement operation unit, and a shifting operation unit. The transfer direction grasping means grasps whether the transfer direction at the next transfer position of the article is the first side or the second side. When the article is loaded at the transfer position, the moving operation means starts the movement of the article to the side where the article is lowered according to the grasped transfer direction before stopping at the next transfer position. Let The predetermined distance moving means is configured to transfer the article from the transfer position on the first side and the transfer of the article from the transfer position on the second side regardless of the length of the article in the transfer direction. The transfer device is operated so as to move it by a predetermined distance. The placement operation means operates the transfer device so as to place the article with reference to the end opposite to the end in the transfer direction at the next transfer position ascertained by the transfer direction grasping means. When the article is loaded at the transfer position, the moving operation means starts the movement of the article to the side where the article is lowered according to the grasped transfer direction before stopping at the next transfer position. Let Further, the shifting operation means causes the transfer device to start moving the article from the opposite end, and stops the movement of the article at the end in the transfer direction of the next transfer position.

In this article conveying apparatus, it is grasped whether the transfer direction of the next transfer position is on the first side or the second side. When the article is loaded on the transfer device, the article is moved in the transfer device to the side where the article is grasped while the traveling device is traveling. Here, it is possible to grasp which side the next transfer position is on, and bring the article to the side grasped while the traveling device is traveling. For this reason, when transferring an article, the article can be arranged on the side to be lowered. Therefore, the transfer distance to the next transfer position of the article is shortened, and the conveyance time to the next transfer position of the article can be shortened.
Also, for example, when the next transfer position is on a different side from the previous transfer position, the placement operation means places the article on the basis of the end opposite to the next transfer position, that is, the rear end reference. Therefore, even if the transfer device transfers the article to any side by moving a predetermined distance, the end of the article can be aligned at the transfer position. In addition, the article arranged with the opposite end as a reference is brought close to the side where the article is lowered. Thus, since the transfer device can move the article in and out of the transfer position by moving a predetermined distance, the transfer control can be simplified and the conveyance time of the article can be shortened.
The transfer device further includes an article positioning sensor arranged at the first end and the second end, and for positioning the article at the first end or the second end, and the placement operation means and the shifting operation means May operate the transfer device based on the output of the article positioning sensor.
In this case, the article can be placed on the rear end reference side opposite to the transfer side in the placement operation by the article positioning sensor used to position the article at the first end and the second end. Moreover, it can arrange | position to the side which lowers | hangs articles | goods in close operation. For this reason, the shifting operation and the arranging operation can be performed by simple control based on the sensor detection.

When the article is loaded from the first transfer position to the article placement area, the conveyance control unit moves the article by a predetermined distance by a predetermined distance moving unit, and the article positioning sensor disposed at the second end after the movement is the article. When the transfer device is not detected, the transfer device may be operated to move the article again until the article positioning sensor detects it. Further, when loading an article into the article placement area from the transfer position on the second side, the article is moved by a prescribed distance by the prescribed distance moving means, and the article positioning sensor disposed at the first end after the movement detects the article. If not, the transfer device may be operated to move the article again until it is detected by the article positioning sensor.
In this case, even if the article positioning sensor does not detect an article moved by a predetermined distance due to some trouble, the article can be arranged with reference to the rear end by using the article positioning sensor. For this reason, even when the article is not arranged with respect to the rear end due to the movement of a predetermined distance, the article is positioned by using the article positioning sensor used for the arrangement operation on the opposite side and the movement operation of the article to the side where the article is lowered. Can be placed on the rear end reference.
The transfer device includes an apparatus main body having an article placement area, a clamp unit provided in the apparatus main body, capable of holding the article and transferring it to the transfer position, and moving the article in the transfer direction in the article placement area. And a disposing means for performing the disposing operation of the articles up to the first end or the second end in the article placement area. An arrangement | positioning operation | movement means moves a clamp part for a predetermined distance, arrange | positions a clamp part on the back end reference | standard, and clamps articles | goods by a clamp part after arrangement | positioning. As a result, the placement operation can be performed without moving the clamp portion by a predetermined distance without re-holding by the clamp portion, so that the placement operation can be performed quickly with a simple operation.

The conveyance control unit includes stop determination means for determining which of the traveling apparatus travels to the next transfer position and whether the article stops at the end portion on the side where the article is lowered by the moving operation means. Furthermore, you may have. When the stop determining means determines that the traveling device stops quickly, the shifting operation means cancels the stop at the end on the side where the article is lowered.
In this case, if the next traveling device has already reached the transfer position when the shifting operation has not ended, the article is transferred to the next transfer position without stopping when the shifting operation ends. Is done. For this reason, the conveyance time of articles | goods can further be shortened.
The stop determination unit may determine that the traveling device stops quickly if the article is not stopped at the end on the side where the article is lowered by the moving operation unit when the traveling device stops.
In this case, when the traveling device stops, it is determined that the traveling device stops quickly only when the shifting operation is not completed. The article is reliably stopped at the end on the side where the article is lowered, and the article does not stop at the end only when the end of the shifting operation is later than the stop of the traveling device.
The stop determining means includes a traveling time grasping means for grasping a traveling time to the next transfer device of the traveling device before the gathering operation means is operated, a gathering operation time grasping means for grasping a gathering operation time required for the gathering operation, and , And when the shifting time required for the shifting operation means is longer than the traveling time, it may be determined that the traveling device stops quickly.
In this case, it is possible to determine whether or not it is necessary to stop at the end of the article by comparing the traveling time and the shifting operation time, so that the control accuracy is further increased and the conveying time can be further shortened.

The transfer device further includes an article sensor that is disposed outside the article placement area in the transfer direction and detects the article, and the transfer control unit loads the article from the transfer position to the article placement area. When the article sensor no longer detects the article after detecting the article, the traveling device may travel to the next transfer position.
In this case, if the article passes the article sensor outside the article placement area, the traveling device can start traveling, so that the traveling device can travel to the next transfer position during operation of the transfer device. For this reason, the time until the rough running is started can be shortened, and further the conveyance time can be shortened.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to grasp which side the next transfer position is on, and to bring the article to the grasped side while the traveling device is traveling. For this reason, when transferring an article, the article can be brought to the side to be lowered. Therefore, the conveyance time to the next transfer position of articles | goods can be shortened.

1 is a schematic plan view of an automatic warehouse in which an embodiment of the present invention is adopted. It is an II-II arrow line view of FIG. 1, and is a figure for demonstrating a rack and a stacker crane. FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1 for explaining a rack and a stacker crane. The schematic plan view of a transfer apparatus. The schematic side view of a conveyor part. The top view of a conveyor part and clamp part when a clamp part is arrange | positioned inside. The side view of a clamp part. The front view which shows the positional relationship with a conveyor part when a clamp part is arrange | positioned inside. The partial cross section top view of an arm closing detection part. The functional block diagram of a crane control part. The flowchart explaining the transfer operation | movement of a crane control part. The flowchart explaining arrangement | positioning operation | movement. The flowchart explaining a shifting operation. The mimetic diagram explaining transfer operation in case a conveyance source and a conveyance destination exist on the same side. The schematic diagram explaining the transfer operation in case a conveyance source and a conveyance destination exist in a different side.

(1) Whole automatic warehouse Hereinafter, the automatic warehouse 1 by which one Embodiment which concerns on this invention was employ | adopted is demonstrated. In this embodiment, the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is the front-rear X direction of the automatic warehouse 1, and the horizontal direction in FIG. 1 is the left-right Y direction of the automatic warehouse 1.
In FIG. 1, an automatic warehouse 1 is mainly composed of a front rack 2a and a rear rack 2b, and a stacker crane 3 traveling between them.

(2) Rack The front rack 2a and the rear rack 2b are arranged at the front and back so as to sandwich the travel path 5 of the stacker crane 3 extending in the left-right Y direction. The front rack 2a and the rear rack 2b are adjacent to a plurality of first struts 7 arranged on the traveling path 5 side to the left and right at predetermined intervals, and second struts 9 arranged on the opposite side of the traveling path 5 with predetermined intervals. A plurality of luggage support portions 11 provided between the first support column 7 and the second support column 9 are provided. In this embodiment, one luggage support 11 has two luggage storage shelves 13. As apparent from FIG. 1, the stacker crane 3 places the load W on the load storage shelf 13 with reference to the center and the rear end (end of the travel path 5).

  In the lowermost stage on the left side of the front rack 2a, a storage station 17 for storing the luggage W is disposed. An exit station 19 for unloading the luggage W is disposed at the lowermost stage on the left side of the rear rack 2b. Accordingly, the two cargoes W can be entered / exited at the entry station 17 and the exit station 19.

(3) Stacker crane In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, an upper guide rail 21a and a lower guide rail 21b are provided along the traveling path 5, and the stacker crane 3 is provided on the upper guide rail 21a and the lower guide rail 21b. Is guided so as to be movable in the left-right Y direction. The stacker crane 3 conveys the load W between a large number of load storage shelves 13, a storage station 17 and a discharge station 19.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stacker crane 3 includes a traveling carriage 22 having a carriage main body 23 and a lifting platform 27, and two transfer devices 29 provided on the traveling carriage 22. . The cart body 23 has a left traveling wheel 23a and a right traveling wheel 23b at both ends in the left-right Y direction. The left traveling wheel 23a and the right traveling wheel 23b are rotatably supported by bearings on the carriage body 23 and travel on the lower guide rail 21b. The cart body 23 is guided to the lower guide rail 21b by a front guide roller 23c and a rear guide roller 23d arranged at both ends with the lower guide rail 21b interposed therebetween. The right traveling wheel 23 b is driven by a traveling motor 87. A left mast 25a and a right mast 25b are fixed inside the left traveling wheel 23a and the right traveling wheel 23b of the carriage body 23. The left mast 25a and the right mast 25b extend in the vertical direction. The lifting platform 27 is mounted on a left mast 25a and a right mast 25b provided on the cart body 23 so as to be movable up and down. The two transfer devices 29 are provided on the lifting platform 27 side by side in the left-right Y direction.

(4) Transfer Device The transfer device 29 is a device for transferring the load W between the stacker crane 3, the storage station 17, the output station 19, and the load storage shelf 13. As shown in FIG. 4, the transfer device 29 includes a device main body 31 that also functions as the lifting platform 27, a conveyor unit 32, and a clamp unit 33. In FIG. 4 and subsequent figures, one transfer device 29 is shown, but the lifting table 27 is provided with two transfer devices 29.
As shown in FIG. 4, a conveyor unit 32 is provided at the central portion of the apparatus main body 31 in the left-right Y direction to load the load W and move it toward the load storage shelf 13 along the front-rear X direction (transfer direction). It has been. On the outside of the conveyor unit 32 of the apparatus main body 31, there is provided a clamp unit 33 that holds the load W and moves it to the load storage shelf 13 side.

(4-1) Device Main Body The device main body 31 has a load placement area 31a on which the load W can be placed. The luggage W is placed on the luggage placement area 31a based on the rear end. Here, the rear end of the load W is the side that the clamp portion 33 grips, and is the end that is separated from the front rack 2a or the rear rack 2b to be transferred. Therefore, when the front rack 2a is a transfer target, the end on the right side in FIG. 4 is a rear end, and when the rear rack 2b is a transfer target, the end on the left side in FIG. 4 is a rear end. At both ends in the front-rear X direction of the baggage placement region 31a, a light projecting / receiving type first positioning sensor 98a and a second positioning sensor 98b attached to a bracket (not shown) are arranged. The first positioning sensor 98a and the second positioning sensor 98b are used for detecting the rear end of the luggage W and the like. On the outer side in the front-rear X direction of the first positioning sensor 98a and the second positioning sensor 98b, a light receiving / receiving type first load sensor 97a and a second load sensor 97b attached to a bracket (not shown) are arranged. . The first load sensor 97 a and the second load sensor 97 b are used for detecting that the load W protrudes from the lifting platform 27.

(4-2) Conveyor part The conveyor part 32 mounts and moves the load W. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the conveyor unit 32 includes a first conveyor unit 32 a and a second conveyor unit that are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center at the central portion in the left-right Y direction of the apparatus main body 31. 32b, and a conveyor driving unit 42 for driving them. The first conveyor unit 32a and the second conveyor unit 32b are, for example, belt conveyors. Since the first conveyor unit 32a and the second conveyor unit 32b have the same structure, the first conveyor unit 32a will be described below.

  The first conveyor unit 32 a includes a conveyor frame 35, a conveyor belt 37, a drive pulley 39 that drives the conveyor belt 37, and driven pulleys 41 disposed at both ends of the conveyor frame 35. The conveyor frame 35 is disposed along the front-rear X direction and is fixed to the upper surface of the apparatus main body 31. The driving pulley 39 and the driven pulley 41 are supported by the conveyor frame 35. The drive pulley 39 is connected to the conveyor drive unit 42. The conveyor drive unit 42 includes a conveyor drive motor 96 and a drive shaft 40 that transmits power from the conveyor drive motor 96 to the drive pulley 39. The conveyor belt 37 is suspended from a driven pulley 41 and a drive pulley 39. In addition, as a kind of conveyor, it may not be a belt conveyor but a roller conveyor, a chain conveyor, etc. may be sufficient.

(4-3) Clamp part The structure of the clamp part 33 is demonstrated with reference to FIG.4, FIG.6, FIG.7 and FIG. The clamp portion 33 is a mechanism that moves the load W while holding the side surface. The clamp part 33 includes a first base member 51a and a second base member 51b, a first arm 53a and a second arm 53b, an opening / closing drive part 60 for opening and closing the first arm 53a and the second arm 53b, and a first arm. 53a and the second arm 53b. The first base member 51a and the first arm 53a, and the second base member 51b and the second arm 53b have a mirror image structure. In FIG. 8, the first base member 51a and the first arm 53a are disclosed. Since the second base member 51b and the second arm 53b are mirror images of the first base member 51a and the first arm 53a shown in FIG.

(4-4) First Base Member and Second Base Member The first base member 51a and the second base member 51b are provided in the apparatus main body 31 so as to be able to open and close by approaching and separating from each other in the left-right Y direction. The 1st base member 51a and the 2nd base member 51b are arrange | positioned at the left-right Y direction both sides of the 1st conveyor unit 32a and the 2nd conveyor unit 32b.

  The first base member 51a and the second base member 51b are substantially rectangular plate-like members extending in the front-rear X direction. Both end portions of the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b are guided by a pair of linear guides 34a and 34b arranged along the left and right Y directions at both ends in the front-rear X direction of the apparatus main body 31, and the apparatus main body 31 is supported so as to be movable in the left-right Y direction. Each of the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b has a first bent portion 51c and a second bent portion 51d that are bent at right angles to the outer side (separated side) in the left-right Y direction at both lower portions in the front-rear X direction. Yes. A first linear bearing 63a and a second linear bearing 63b as guide portions guided by the linear guide 34a and the linear guide 34b are provided at both ends of the first bent portion 51c and the second bent portion 51d (see FIGS. 7 and 8). ) Are fixed separately by bolts.

  A first intermediate linear guide 65a and a second intermediate linear guide 65b that support the first arm 53a and the second arm 53b are provided along the front-rear X direction on the opposing inner surfaces of the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b. Are provided separately. The first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b of the movement drive unit 61 are disposed on the outer surfaces of the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b.

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the first arm 53a is on the front side (first rack 2a side on the left side in FIG. 7) and rear side (second rack 2b side on the right side in FIG. 7). ) A rear-side rear-end reference sensor 84a and a rear-side rear-end reference sensor 84b that detect that the rear-side reference position is located at the rear-end reference position are arranged. Further, a detection projection 83 that is detected by the front rear end reference sensor 84a and the rear rear end reference sensor 84b is formed to protrude upward at a center position in the front-rear X direction of a first intermediate arm portion 54a described later. . The front rear end reference sensor 84a and the rear rear end reference sensor 84b are configured so that the load W is positioned by the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b on the front side or the rear side in a state where the load W is gripped, and the rear end reference. The first arm 53a and the second arm 53b are arranged on the first base member 51a so as to be arranged when positioned on the transfer device 29.
Instead of providing the front rear end reference sensor 84a and the rear rear end reference sensor 84b, the first arm 53a and the second arm 53b are connected to the rear end by the output of the rotary encoder 92 for arm movement detection shown in FIG. You may detect having arrange | positioned in the reference | standard position.

(4-5) 1st arm and 2nd arm The 1st arm 53a and the 2nd arm 53b are each provided in the 1st base member 51a and the 2nd base member 51b so that advancing and retreating is possible in the direction of order X.
The first arm 53a has a first intermediate arm portion 54a and a first tip arm portion 55a. The second arm 53b has a second intermediate arm portion 54b and a second tip arm portion 55b. In addition, the first arm 53a and the second arm 53b move the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b in conjunction with the movement of the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b. Each has an interlocking mechanism 56a and a second interlocking mechanism 56b.

  The first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b are substantially rectangular plate-like members. The first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b are individually supported by the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b so as to freely advance and retract. The first intermediate linear guide 65a and the second intermediate linear guide 65b guide the outer surfaces of the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b facing the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b. The first intermediate linear bearing 67a and the second intermediate linear bearing 67b are fixed separately. As a result, the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b are supported by the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b so as to be movable back and forth in the front-rear X direction.

  A first tip linear guide 66a and a second tip for guiding the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b in the front-rear X direction are provided on opposing inner surfaces of the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b. The tip linear guide 66b is fixed separately. The lengths of the first tip linear guide 66a and the second tip linear guide 66b in the front-rear X direction are longer than the lengths of the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b in the front-rear X direction. This is to make it easier to place the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b on the luggage storage shelf 13.

  A pair of rectangular first openings 54c and a pair of second openings 54d (see FIGS. 7 and 8) are formed separately at diagonal corners of the first intermediate arm part 54a and the second intermediate arm part 54b. ing. A first interlocking pulley 58a and a second interlocking pulley 58b constituting the first interlocking mechanism 56a and the second interlocking mechanism 56b are rotatably attached to the first opening 54c and the second opening 54d, respectively.

  The first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b are substantially rectangular plate-like members, and are slightly shorter in length and width than the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b. On the outer surface of the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b facing the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b, the first tip linear guide 66a and the second tip linear guide 66b are guided. The first tip linear bearing 68a and the second tip linear bearing 68b are fixed separately. Accordingly, the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b are supported by the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b so as to be able to advance and retract in the front-rear X direction.

(4-6) First interlocking mechanism and second interlocking mechanism The first interlocking mechanism 56a and the second interlocking mechanism 56b include the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b as the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second interlocking mechanism 56b. The intermediate arm 54b is moved separately in the front-rear X direction at a double speed in conjunction with the movement in the front-rear X direction. The first interlocking mechanism 56a and the second interlocking mechanism 56b include the pair of first interlocking pulleys 58a and the second interlocking pulley 58b and the pair of first interlocking pulleys that are spanned between the first interlocking pulley 58a and the second interlocking pulley 58b. Each has a belt 59a and a pair of second interlocking belts 59b. The first interlocking pulley 58a and the second interlocking pulley 58b are toothed pulleys, and the first interlocking belt 59a and the second interlocking belt 59b are toothed belts.

  The first ends of one of the first interlocking belt 59a and the second interlocking belt 59b disposed above indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 6 and 7 are the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b shown in FIGS. 7 is fixed to the left end portion. The second ends of the first interlocking belt 59a and the second interlocking belt 59b are fixed to the left ends of the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b. The first end of the other first interlocking belt 59a and the second interlocking belt 59b arranged below the broken line shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is the same as that of the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b. It is fixed to the right end of the. The second ends of the other first linkage belt 59a and second linkage belt 59b are fixed to the right ends of the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b.

  With such a configuration, when the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b move to the front side (right side in FIG. 6) or the rear side (left side in FIG. 6) in the front-rear X direction, the first tip arm portion 55a. And the 2nd tip arm part 55b is pulled by one 1st interlocking belt 59a and the 2nd interlocking belt 59b, or the other 1st interlocking belt 59a and the 2nd interlocking belt 59b. As a result, the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b are moved at twice the speed of the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b. To move in the same direction. For this reason, the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b advance and retreat with respect to the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b.

(4-7) Open / Close Drive Unit The open / close drive unit 60 is a mechanism for driving the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b to open and close in the left-right Y direction. The opening / closing drive unit 60 includes an arm opening / closing motor 93 and a ball screw shaft 62 connected to the arm opening / closing motor 93. Further, the opening / closing drive unit 60 includes a first nut member 64 a and a second nut member 64 b that are screwed into the ball screw shaft 62.

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the arm opening / closing motor 93 rotationally drives the ball screw shaft 62. The ball screw shaft 62 is disposed along the left and right Y direction. The ball screw shaft 62 is formed with a right screw portion 62a and a left screw portion 62b with a center position in the left-right Y direction as a boundary. As shown in FIG. 7, the 1st nut member 64a and the 2nd nut member 64b are each arrange | positioned on the inner surface which the 1st base member 51a and the 2nd base member 51b oppose. Here, the first nut member 64a is a right-hand screw member that is screwed into the right-hand thread portion 62a, and the second nut member 64b is a left-hand screw member that is screwed into the left-hand screw portion 62b. As shown in FIG. 9, the first nut member 64a and the second nut member 64b include a nut body 70a having a ball nut portion of a right-handed screw or a left-handed screw in which a large number of balls circulating inside are spirally arranged, and a nut And a mounting flange 70b provided on the main body 70a. As shown in FIG. 7, the mounting flange 70b has a generally rhombus shape.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the arm closing detector 94 is provided on the first nut member 64a and the second nut member 64b. The arm close detection unit 94 is a detection unit for detecting that the load W has been clamped when the first arm 53a and the second arm 53b are moved in the closing direction, and stopping the closing operation. The arm close detection unit 94 includes a pair of guide shafts 71 fixed to both ends of the mounting flange 70 b, a pair of coil springs 72, and a gap detection sensor 73. The guide shaft 71 is disposed through the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b. The guide shaft 71 guides the nut main body 70a in a direction in which the nut main body 70a is in contact with or separated from the first base member 51a or the second base member 51b. The guide shaft 71 has a large-diameter head portion 71a, a small-diameter male screw portion 71b, and a shaft portion 71c having an outer diameter between the head portion 71a and the male screw portion 71b. The guide shaft 71 is fixed to the mounting flange 70 b by a nut 74. The coil spring 72 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the guide shaft 71, and is disposed in a compressed state between the head 71a and the first base member 51a or the second base member 51b. Thus, the first nut member 64a and the second nut member 64b are urged separately by the coil spring 72 toward the inner side surfaces of the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b. The gap detection sensor 73 is, for example, a light projecting / receiving photoelectric sensor having a portal section. The gap detection sensor 73 detects the detector 75 fixed to the mounting flange 70b. The gap detection sensor 73 is provided to determine whether or not the first nut member 64a or the second nut member 64b is separated from the first base member 51a or the second base member 51b by a predetermined distance.

  When the ball screw shaft 62 is rotated in one direction by the arm opening / closing motor 93, the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b are moved in the opening direction away from each other, and when rotated in the other direction, they are moved in the closing direction approaching. As shown in FIG. 9 (a), the first nut member 64a and the second nut are in contact with both the sides of the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b. The member 64b is biased by the coil spring 72 and is in contact with the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b. However, when the load W is clamped, the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b are prevented from moving in the closing direction by the load W, but the first nut member 64a and the second nut member 64b are coil springs 72. It is possible to move further in the closing direction against the urging force. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9B, a gap is generated between the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b and the mounting flange 70b of the first nut member 64a and the second nut member 64b. When the gap becomes longer than a predetermined length, the detector 75 is detached from the facing portion of the gap detection sensor 73 and the gap detection sensor 73 is turned on. At this timing, the arm opening / closing motor 93 of the opening / closing drive unit 60 is stopped to stop the closing operation.

(4-8) Movement Drive Unit As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, 7, and 8, the movement drive unit 61 includes an arm drive motor 91, a spline shaft 69, a first drive pulley 76a, and a second drive. A pulley 76b, a pair of first driven pulleys 77a and a pair of second driven pulleys 77b, and a first moving belt 78a and a second moving belt 78b are provided.

  The spline shaft 69 is disposed along the left and right Y directions, and is rotationally driven by an arm drive motor 91. The first drive pulley 76a and the second drive pulley 76b are engaged with the spline shaft so as to be integrally rotatable and axially movable. The first drive pulley 76a and the second drive pulley 76b are arranged on the outer surfaces of the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b on the outer surfaces of the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b in the opening / closing direction (left-right Y direction). It is arranged to be movable in conjunction with the movement of. The pair of first driven pulleys 77a and the pair of second driven pulleys 77b are rotatably supported at both ends of the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b. A pair of first tension pulleys 79a and a pair of second tension pulleys 79b are disposed above the first drive pulley 76a and the second drive pulley 76b. One (for example, the right side of FIG. 7) first tension pulley 79a and the pair of second tension pulleys 79b are movable in directions in which tension is separately applied to the first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b. The first drive pulley 76a and the second drive pulley 76b, and the pair of first driven pulleys 77a and the pair of second driven pulleys 77b are toothed pulleys.

  The first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b are toothed belts. The first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b are individually connected to the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b. As shown in FIG. 8, the first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b include L-shaped first mounting brackets 80a attached to fixed portions of the first intermediate linear bearing 67a and the second intermediate linear bearing 67b. The second mounting bracket 80b is connected to the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b separately. The first mounting bracket 80a and the second mounting bracket 80b are moved through the first slit 51e and the second slit 51f formed in the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b along the front-rear X direction. It extends toward the belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b. The first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b are fixed to the tip portion.

When the spline shaft 69 is rotated by the arm drive motor 91, the first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b are driven to circulate. As a result, the first intermediate arm portion 54a and the second intermediate arm portion 54b move to the front rack 2a side or the rear rack 2b side in the front-rear X direction, and the first tip arm portion 55a and the second tip arm portion 55b further move to the front. It is arranged on the luggage storage shelf 13 of the rack 2a or the rear rack 2b.
In the transfer device 29 having such a configuration, the first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b of the movement driving unit 61 are disposed outside the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, even if the clamp 33 is moved in the closing direction in order to grip the smallest luggage W, the conveyor is arranged on the approach side in the opening / closing direction (left and right Y direction). The part 32, the first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b do not interfere with each other, and the pair of clamp parts 33 can be brought as close to the conveyor part 32 as possible. Specifically, in FIGS. 6 and 8, the first tip arm portion 55a of the first arm 53a and the second tip arm portion 55b of the second arm 53b are located above the first conveyor unit 32a and the second conveyor unit 32b. It is possible to move to a position that overlaps in the left-right Y direction. Here, the first moving belt 78a and the second moving belt 78b of the movement driving unit 61 are separately arranged on the outer side (separated side in the opening / closing direction) from the first base member 51a and the second base member 51b, thereby providing the first The arm 53a and the second arm 53b can be brought as close to the conveyor unit 32 as possible. For this reason, it becomes easy to clamp the luggage W with a small width.

(5) Crane Control Unit In FIG. 10, the crane control unit 81 of the stacker crane 3 is mounted on the stacker crane 3. The crane control unit 81 can communicate with a controller (not shown) that controls the entire automatic warehouse 1. The crane control unit 81 includes computer hardware such as a CPU and a memory. In FIG. 10, the crane control unit 81 is expressed as a functional block realized by cooperation of the computer hardware and software. The control signal is transmitted and received wirelessly (radio waves), but may be wired.

  The crane control unit 81 performs control of travel and stop of the carriage main body 23, elevation control of the lifting platform 27, and transfer control of the two transfer devices 29. A traveling motor 87, a traveling amount detecting rotary encoder 88, a lifting motor 89, and a lifting amount detecting rotary encoder 90 are connected to the crane control unit 81. Further, the crane control unit 81 includes an arm drive motor 91, an arm movement amount detection rotary encoder 92, an arm opening / closing motor 93, an arm closing detection gap detection sensor 73, and an arm opening / closing movement amount detection. The rotary encoder 95, the conveyor drive motor 96, the first positioning sensor 98a, the second positioning sensor 98b, the first load sensor 97a, and the second load sensor 97b are connected. . In FIG. 10, the crane control unit 81 discloses sensors and motors for one transfer device 29, but the other sensors and motors are also included in the crane control unit 81. It is connected.

Here, the first positioning sensor 98 a and the second positioning sensor 98 b are sensors for positioning the load W with respect to the rear end in the transfer device 29. The rear end reference means that when the load W is transferred to the load storage shelf 13, the end opposite to the transfer side is the rear end, and the rear end is aligned and the load W is placed on the transfer device 29. To do. Thereby, when the load W is transferred to the load storage shelf 13, the rear end of the load W can be aligned with the traveling path 5 side of the load storage shelf 13. Therefore, when the load W is transferred to the load storage shelf 13 in the front rack 2a, the rear end of the load W is positioned by the second positioning sensor 98b. Conversely, when the load W is transferred to the load storage shelf 13 in the rear rack 2b, the rear end of the load W is positioned by the first positioning sensor 98a.
The first load sensor 97a and the second load sensor 97b are sensors that detect whether or not the load W protrudes from the transfer device 29 and the carriage main body 23 and the lifting platform 27 cannot move. While the first load sensor 97a and the second load sensor 97b detect the protrusion of the load W, the movement of the stacker crane 3 is prohibited.

The crane control unit 81 includes a positioning unit 81a, a predetermined distance moving unit 81b, a travel regulation unit 81c, a transfer direction grasping unit 81d, an arrangement operation unit 81e, a shifting operation unit 81f, which will be described later, as functional configurations. Stop determination means 81g. In the following description, the first arm 53a and the second arm 53b are simply referred to as the arm 53.
Here, the positioning means 81a is a means for arranging the luggage W on the basis of the rear end in accordance with the luggage storage shelf (an example of the next transfer position) as the transport destination. The predetermined distance moving means 81b is means for moving the arm 53 forward and backward by a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is determined by the detection output of the rotary encoder 95. When the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b detects the load W in a state where the load W is placed on the load placement area 31a, the travel regulation means 81c 27 is a means for prohibiting the operation of 27. The travel regulation means 81c permits the operation of the carriage main body 23 and the lifting platform 27 when the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b detects the load W and no longer detects the load W. Means. The transfer direction grasping means 81d is a means for grasping whether the transfer direction of the transfer destination is the same side as the transfer source or a different side based on the load storage shelf 13 included in the transfer command. The placement operation means 81e is a means for placing the arm 53 and the luggage W at the rear end reference position corresponding to the transport destination before arriving at the transport destination. The shifting operation means 81f starts traveling of the traveling carriage 22 while the luggage W is being pulled from the transporting luggage storage shelf 13 while the stacker crane 3 is moved from the transporting luggage storage shelf 13, and later during traveling. This is a means for positioning and clamping the baggage W with reference to the end and moving the baggage W and the arm 53 to a position close to the baggage storage shelf 13 as a transport destination. The stop determining means 81g is either when the stacker crane 3 arrives at the transport destination and stops when performing the shifting operation, or when the shifting operation means 81f ends the shifting operation of the arm 53 and the load W and stops. It is a means to judge whether it was early.

(6) Operation of Stacker Crane Hereinafter, the transfer operation of the stacker crane 3 will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 and the operation schematic diagrams of FIGS. 14 and 15. Although the flowchart shows the control operation by the crane control unit 81, the description of the operation of various motors is omitted for the sake of simplicity.

  The transfer operation from when the stacker crane 3 picks up the cargo W to the transport source, loads it, and unloads it to the next transport destination will be described with reference to FIG.

  In step S1, a transfer command including the transfer source information of the load storage shelf (an example of the transfer position) 13 with the load W of the transfer source and the transfer destination information of the load storage shelf 13 of the transfer destination of the load W is awaited. When the conveyance command is received, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S <b> 2, the movement of the carriage main body 23 and the lifting platform 27 to the luggage storage shelf 13 that is the transfer source is started. In step S <b> 3, it is determined whether the rear end reference position of the luggage storage shelf 13 that is the transport source is opposite to the rear end reference position where the arm 53 is currently positioned. If the rear end reference position of the cargo storage shelf 13 as the transport destination is on the side opposite to the rear end reference position where the arm 53 is currently positioned, the process proceeds to step S4 to execute the arm rear end reference operation. The process proceeds to S5. In the arm rear end reference operation, until the front rear end reference sensor 84a or the rear rear end reference sensor 84b for the rear end reference position of the load storage shelf 13 of the transfer source detects the arm 53 based on the transfer source information of the transfer command. The arm 53 is moved. As a result, the package W can be gripped on the basis of the rear end by the package storage shelf 13 of the transfer source. This operation is unnecessary when the arm 53 has already been arranged on the same side as the rear end reference position of the conveyance source, and the process proceeds to step S5.

  FIG. 14 shows a case where the transporting luggage storage shelf 13 is on the front rack 2a side and the transporting luggage storage shelf 13 is on the same front rack 2a side. Further, FIG. 15 shows a case where the transport source luggage storage shelf 13 is on the front rack 2a side and the transport destination luggage storage shelf 13 is on a different rear rack 2b side.

  Accordingly, in the example of FIGS. 14 and 15, when the front rear end reference sensor 84a detects the arm 53, in step S4, the arm 53 is moved until the rear rear end reference sensor 84b detects it. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 14A, the arm 53 is disposed at the rear end reference position for the front rack 2a close to the rear rack 2b. In step S5, the process waits for arrival of the transfer device 29 at the load storage shelf 13 as a transfer source. When it reaches the luggage storage shelf 13 of the transfer source, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, as shown in FIGS. 14 (b) and 15 (a), the arm 53 is opened to advance into the cargo storage rack 13 of the transfer source by a predetermined distance. At this time, the conveyor unit 32 is not driven. In step S7, the arm 53 in the open state is closed to hold the load W. At this time, when it is confirmed by the gap detection sensor 73 that the arm 53 has held the load W, the closing operation is terminated. When the luggage W is clamped, the process proceeds to step S8.

  In step S8, the retraction of the arm 53 is started. At this time, the arm 53 is retracted by the same predetermined distance as when the arm is advanced. In step S <b> 9, the conveyor unit 32 is normally rotated in the direction in which it is pulled into the transfer device 29 immediately after the arm 53 starts to retract. Here, the forward rotation of the conveyor unit 32 is a rotation in a direction approaching the luggage storage shelf 13 as a transport destination, and the reverse rotation is a rotation in a direction away from the conveyor unit 32.

  In step S10, after the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b on the carry-in side detects the load W, the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b detects the load W. It is determined whether or not the load W has passed through the loading sensor on the carry-in side. In the example of FIGS. 14 and 15, it is determined whether or not the load W has passed through the first load sensor 97a. If it is determined that the load W has not passed through the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b, the process returns to step S10. Therefore, when the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b detects the load W (turned on), the movement of the stacker crane 3 is prohibited. When the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b detects the load W during the movement, the stacker crane 3 stops urgently.

If it is determined that the load W has passed through the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b, the process proceeds from step S10 to step S11. In step S11, after the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b on the carry-in side no longer detects the load W, the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b on the carry-in side also detects the load W. It is determined whether or not it has been detected. In the example of FIGS. 14 and 15, it is determined whether or not the first positioning sensor 98a stops detecting the load W. The process returns to step S11 until the package W is detected, and the process proceeds to step S12 where the package W is not detected.
In step S12, the movement of the carriage main body 23 and the lifting platform 27 to the cargo storage rack 13 as the transport destination is started. As a result, the stacker crane 3 can be moved to the load storage rack as the transfer destination without waiting for the load W to be arranged on the rear end reference, and the transfer time can be shortened.

  In step S16, the arm 53 is retracted by a predetermined distance. Specifically, it waits for the front rear end reference sensor 84a or the rear rear end reference sensor 84b to turn on. 14 (c) and 15 (b), it is confirmed by the output of the rear rear end reference sensor 84b shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 that the arm 53 has retracted a predetermined distance.

  If it is determined that the arm 53 is arranged at the rear end reference, the process proceeds to step S17, the arm 53 and the conveyor unit 32 are stopped, and the process proceeds to step S18. At this time, normally, the rear end of the load W is detected by the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b. However, if the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b does not detect the rear end of the load W due to some trouble, the arm 53 is opened and the conveyor unit 32 is operated. Then, the load W may be moved again until the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b detects the rear end of the load W, and the load W may be arranged with reference to the rear end. In step S18, it is determined whether or not the destination luggage storage shelf 13 is on the same side as the carry-in luggage storage shelf 13. If they are not on the same side as shown in FIG. 15, the process proceeds to step S19, the placement operation shown in FIG. 12 is performed, and the process proceeds to step S20. If the transport destination luggage storage rack 13 is on the same side as the carry-in luggage storage rack 13, the process proceeds from step S18 to step S20.

The arrangement operation shown in FIG. 12 is an operation for arranging the arm 53 and the load W at the rear end reference position corresponding to the transfer destination during transfer so that the arm 53 can grip the load W on the rear end reference. is there.
Specifically, in step S31 of FIG. 12, the arm 53 is opened. In step S32, the arm 53 starts to advance. In step S33, reverse rotation of the conveyor unit 32 is started, and the load W is moved to the transport destination rear end reference position. The reverse rotation is the transport direction of the conveyor unit 32 in the direction away from the transport destination luggage storage shelf 13 as described above. In step S34, the process waits until the load W is detected by the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b on the reverse rotation side and the load W is placed on the rear end reference. In FIG. 15, it waits for the load W to be detected by the first positioning sensor 98a. If the 1st positioning sensor 98a or the 2nd positioning sensor 98b detects the load W, it will transfer to step S35 and will stop the conveyor part 32. FIG. As a result, the luggage W is arranged with reference to the rear end. In step S36, it waits for the arm 53 to be arranged at the rear end reference position on the opposite side to the conveyance destination. Specifically, it waits for the front rear end reference sensor 84a or the rear rear end reference sensor 84b separated from the transport destination to detect the arm 53. As a result, the arm 53 retracts a predetermined distance. In FIG. 15, it waits for the front and rear end reference sensor 84a to turn on.

  When the front rear end reference sensor 84a or the rear rear end reference sensor 84b detects and turns on the arm 53, the process proceeds to step S37 to stop the arm 53. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15C, the arm 53 is disposed at the rear end reference position away from the transport destination, and the luggage W is disposed at the rear end reference with respect to the transport destination. In step S38, the arm 53 is closed, the load W is gripped, and the process returns to the main routine.

In step S18, the shifting operation shown in FIG. 13 is performed in which the load W and the arm 53 are moved closer to the transfer destination storage bin 13.
Specifically, the advancement of the arm 53 is started in a state where the load W is gripped in step S41 of FIG. In step S42, the forward rotation drive of the conveyor unit 32 is started simultaneously with the start of advancement of the arm 53, and the load W is moved in the direction approaching the load storage shelf 13 in synchronization with the arm 53. In step S43, it is determined whether or not the stacker crane 3 has arrived at the transport destination and has stopped. If it is determined that the conveyance destination is not stopped, the process proceeds to step S44. In step S44, it is determined whether the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b on the side approaching the transport destination has detected the load W. If the 1st positioning sensor 98a or the 2nd positioning sensor 98b which approached the package W detects the load W, it will transfer to step S45 and will stop the arm 53 and the conveyor part 32. FIG. This state is shown in FIGS. 14 (d) and 15 (d).

If the arm 53 and the conveyor part 32 are stopped in step S45, it will transfer to step S46 and will wait for the stop in the conveyance destination of the stacker crane 3. FIG. On the other hand, if the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b on the side where the load W approaches the transport destination does not detect the load W, the process returns to step S43. If it is determined in step S46 that the stacker crane 3 has stopped at the transport destination, the process proceeds to step S47, where the forward rotation of the conveyor unit 32 is resumed, and the arm 53 is advanced by the remaining distance of the predetermined distance. Return to the main routine.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S43 that the stacker crane 3 has arrived at the transport destination and has stopped, the process proceeds from step S43 to step S50. In step S50, as in step S44, it is determined whether the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b on the side approaching the transport destination has detected the load W. When the package W is detected, the process proceeds from step S50 to step S45. In this case, since the arrival of the stacker crane 3 and the end of the load movement operation are simultaneous, the arm 53 and the conveyor unit 32 are temporarily stopped. However, since the determination in the next step S46 is “YES”, the process immediately proceeds to step S47.

  If the package W is not detected in step S50, the process proceeds to step S51. In this case, the stacker crane 3 arrives at the transport destination and stops before the load W arrives at the end of the load unloading side. Therefore, in step S51, without stopping the arm 53 and the conveyor unit 32 as in step S45, the stop is canceled and the arm 53 is advanced as it is for a predetermined distance and the conveyor unit 32 is continuously driven to rotate forward.

  In other words, in this shifting operation, it is determined whether the transfer end by the stacker crane 3 is early or whether the arrival at the position close to the transfer destination by the shifting operation is quick. If the transfer is completed quickly, the baggage W is transferred to the baggage storage shelf 13 at the transfer destination following the shifting operation without stopping the arm 53 and the conveyor unit 32 at a position close to the transfer destination of the transfer device. Yes. Further, when the end of conveyance is later than the closing operation, the conveyor unit 32 and the arm 53 are temporarily stopped. When the conveyance is completed, the arm 53 is advanced by the remaining distance of the predetermined distance, and the conveyor unit 32 starts to rotate normally.

  When the shifting operation ends, the process proceeds to step S21. In step S21, the arm 53 advances a predetermined distance and waits for the load W to be placed on the load storage shelf 13 as the transfer destination. As shown in FIGS. 14E and 15E, when the luggage W is placed on the luggage storage shelf 13, the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, the conveyor unit 32 is stopped. In step S23, the arm 53 is opened. In step S24, the arm 53 is retracted a predetermined distance, and the transfer operation is completed. As a result, the arm 53 is disposed at the rear end reference position of the transport destination, and the stacker crane 3 performs an operation according to the next transport command.

(7) Features (A) The stacker crane 3 as an article conveying device is disposed on the front side which is the first side in the transfer direction and the rear side which is the second side opposite to the front side, and is spaced along the conveying direction. Is a device for taking in and out the luggage W as an article between the plurality of luggage storage shelves 13 of the front rack 2a and the rear rack 2b arranged with a space therebetween. The stacker crane 3 includes a transfer device 29, a traveling carriage 22 that is a traveling device, and a crane control unit 81. The transfer device 29 includes a luggage placement region 31a having a first end on the front side and a second end on the rear side. The transfer device 29 can transfer the luggage W to the front luggage storage rack 13 and the rear luggage storage rack 13. The traveling carriage 22 is equipped with a transfer device 29 and can travel to the plurality of luggage storage shelves 13 along the transport direction. The crane control unit 81 controls the transfer device 29 and the traveling carriage 22. The crane control unit 81 includes a transfer direction grasping means 81d, a predetermined distance moving means 81b, an arrangement operation means 81e, and a shifting operation means 81f. The transfer direction grasping means 81d grasps whether the transfer direction of the next load storage shelf 13 of the load W is the front side or the rear side. The predetermined distance moving means 81b is used for transferring the article from the front transfer position and transferring the luggage W from the rear transfer position regardless of the length of the load W in the transfer direction. The transfer device 29 is operated so as to move W by a predetermined distance. The placement operation means 81e moves the transfer device 29 so as to place the load W on the basis of the end opposite to the end in the transfer direction at the next transfer position ascertained by the transfer direction grasping means 81d. Make it work. When the loading operation means 81f loads the luggage W on the luggage storage shelf 13, the movement operation means 81f moves the luggage W to the side to lower the luggage W according to the grasped transfer direction before stopping to the next luggage storage shelf 13. Is started by the transfer device 29. Further, the shifting operation means 81f causes the transfer device 29 to start moving the load W from the opposite end, and stops the movement of the load W at the end in the transfer direction at the next transfer position.
In this stacker crane 3, it is grasped whether the transfer direction of the next luggage storage shelf 13 is on the front side or the rear side. When the load W is loaded on the transfer device 29, the load W is moved in the transfer device 29 to the side where the load W grasped while the traveling carriage 22 is traveling is moved. Here, it is possible to grasp which side the next luggage storage shelf 13 is on and to bring the luggage W to the side grasped while the traveling carriage 22 is traveling. For this reason, when the load W is transferred, the load W can be arranged on the side to be lowered. Therefore, the transfer distance to the luggage storage shelf 13 is shortened, and the conveyance time of the luggage W to the next luggage storage shelf 13 can be shortened.
In addition, for example, when the transport destination luggage storage shelf 13 is on a different side from the transport source luggage storage shelf 13, the placement operation means 81e uses the end on the opposite side of the next luggage storage shelf 13 as a reference, that is, the rear end. Since the load W is arranged as a reference, the end of the load W can be aligned on the load storage shelf 13 even if the transfer device 29 transfers the load W to any side by moving a predetermined distance. In addition, the luggage W arranged with the opposite end as a reference is brought close to the side where the luggage W is lowered. In this way, the transfer device 29 can move the load W to and from the load storage shelf 13 by moving a predetermined distance, so that transfer control can be simplified and the transport time of the load W can be shortened.

(B) The transfer device 29 is disposed at the first end and the second end, and a first positioning sensor 98a and a second positioning sensor for positioning the load W on the first end or the second end. 98b, and the placement operation means 81e and the shifting operation means 81f operate the transfer device 29 based on the outputs of the first positioning sensor 98a and the second positioning sensor 98b.
In this case, the first positioning sensor 98a and the second positioning sensor 98b used to position the load W at the first end and the second end are used to place the load W on the rear side opposite to the transfer side. It can be arranged at the end reference. Further, the load W can be arranged on the side where the load W is lowered in the shifting operation. For this reason, the shifting operation and the arranging operation can be performed by simple control based on the sensor detection.

(C) When loading the luggage W from the front (or rear) luggage storage shelf 13 into the luggage placement area 31a, the crane control unit 81 moves the luggage W by a predetermined distance by the predetermined distance moving means 81b, When the second positioning sensor 98b (or the first positioning sensor 98a) disposed at the two ends (or the second end) does not detect the load W, the transfer device 29 is operated, and the second positioning sensor 98b (or The luggage W is moved again until it is detected by the first positioning sensor 98a).
In this case, even if the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b does not detect the baggage W moved by a predetermined distance due to some trouble, the baggage can be obtained by using the first positioning sensor 98a or the second positioning sensor 98b. W can be arranged with reference to the rear end. For this reason, even when the luggage W is not arranged with reference to the rear end due to the movement of a predetermined distance, the first positioning sensor 98a used for the arrangement operation to the opposite side and the movement operation of the luggage W to the side to lower the luggage W. Alternatively, the luggage W can be arranged with reference to the rear end using the second positioning sensor 98b.

  (D) The transfer device 29 includes a device main body 31 having a load placement area 31a, a clamp portion 33 provided in the device main body 31 and capable of holding the load W and transferring it to the transfer position, and the load W. A conveyor portion 32 movable in the transfer direction in the load placement area 31a, and the placement operation means 81e places the load W up to the first end or the second end in the load placement area 31a. The operation is performed by the conveyor unit 32. The placement operation means 81e moves the clamp portion 33 by a predetermined distance to place the clamp portion 33 with reference to the rear end, and clamps the article with the clamp portion 33 after placement. As a result, the placement operation can be performed without moving the clamp portion 33 by a predetermined distance without changing the gripping portion 33, so that the placement operation can be performed quickly with a simple operation.

(E) The crane control unit 81 determines whether the traveling carriage 22 travels to the next luggage storage shelf 13 or stops at the end on the side where the luggage W lowers the luggage W by the moving operation means 81f. It further has stop determination means 81g for determining whether it is early. When the stop determining unit 81g determines that the traveling carriage 22 stops quickly, the closing operation unit 81f cancels the stop at the end on the side where the load W is unloaded.
In this case, if the next traveling carriage 22 has already reached the luggage storage shelf 13 when the shifting operation has not ended, the baggage can be directly stored in the next luggage storage shelf 13 without stopping when the shifting operation ends. W is transferred. For this reason, the conveyance time of the load W can be further shortened.

(F) When the traveling carriage 22 stops, the stop judging means 81g judges that the traveling carriage 22 stops quickly if the luggage W is not stopped at the end portion on the side where the luggage W is lowered by the shifting operation means 81f. May be.
In this case, when the traveling carriage 22 stops, it is determined that the traveling carriage 22 stops quickly only when the shifting operation has not ended. Therefore, the stopping of the traveling carriage 22 and the shifting operation are completed simultaneously. In addition, the load W is reliably stopped at the end on the side where the load W is lowered, and the load W is not stopped at the end only when the end of the shifting operation is later than the stop of the traveling carriage 22.

(G) The stop determination means 81g grasps the traveling time grasping means for grasping the traveling time to the next luggage storage shelf 13 of the traveling carriage 22 and the gathering operation time required for the gathering operation before the gathering operation means 81f operates. And when the moving time required for the moving operation means 81f is longer than the traveling time, it is determined that the traveling carriage 22 is stopped quickly.
In this case, it is possible to determine whether or not it is necessary to stop at the end of the luggage W by comparing the traveling time and the closing operation time, so that the control accuracy is further increased and the transport time can be further shortened.

(H) The transfer device 29 is disposed outside the load placement area 31a in the transfer direction, and further includes a first load sensor 97a and a second load sensor 97b as article sensors for detecting the load W. The crane control unit 81 has the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b detect the load W when the load W is loaded from the load storage shelf 13 onto the load placement area 31a. When the luggage W is no longer detected, the traveling carriage 22 may travel to the next luggage storage shelf 13.
In this case, if the load W passes the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b outside the load placement area 31a, the traveling carriage 22 can start traveling. The traveling carriage 22 can travel to the next luggage storage shelf 13. For this reason, the time until the traveling carriage 22 starts to travel can be shortened, and further the transport time can be shortened.

(8) Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, a plurality of embodiments and modifications described in the present specification can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.

  (A) In the above-described embodiment, the arrival of the load W at the transport destination side end (the end on the side where the load is unloaded) due to the arrival at the transport destination which is the next transfer position of the stacker crane 3 and the shifting operation. It was determined whether or not to stop the package W at the end on the transport destination side depending on which one was earlier. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the stacker crane 3 grasps the travel time during which the stacker crane 3 travels from the transport source to the transport destination and compares the shift operation time required for the shift operation in the transfer device 29. You may decide to arrive. In this case, it is preferable that the time required for the placement operation performed when the transport destination is on the opposite side of the transport source is also necessary for the shifting operation and is taken into account as time.

  (B) In the above-described embodiment, in order to simplify the control, the arm 53 advances and retracts a predetermined distance from the load W arranged on the rear end reference, and the load is transferred. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the assembling operation may be performed only when the transport source and the transport destination are on the same side as long as the length of the load in the transfer direction can be grasped. As a method of grasping the length of the load, the length of the load may be included in the transport command in advance, and the length of the load may be grasped by the transport command. Further, the length of the load may be grasped by measuring the passing time of the first load sensor 97a or the second load sensor 97b as the load sensor on the transport side. When transferring to a different side, the package W placed on the rear end reference at the transport source is placed on the front end reference at the transport destination. For this reason, if the length of the package is known, it is sufficient to hold the package W by moving the arm 53 only with respect to the package in the positional relationship as the rear end reference of the transport destination. The transfer distance in this case is the same as the remaining distance for transferring the load W that has been stopped until the stacker crane 3 arrives at the transport destination by the shifting operation.

  (C) In the embodiment described above, the present invention has been described by taking the stacker crane 3 in which the luggage storage shelves 13 are two-dimensionally arranged in the front and rear as the article conveying device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to all article transport apparatuses that transport and transfer articles to transfer positions on both sides of the transport path. For example, the present invention can be applied to an article conveying apparatus in which transfer positions are arranged one-dimensionally.

  (D) In the above embodiment, the arm 53 is moved backward with respect to the transport destination using the front rear end reference sensor 84a and the rear rear end reference sensor 84b during the operation of the clamp portion 33 such as loading operation and arrangement operation. Although arranged on the edge reference, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the arm 53 may be arranged based on the rear end by the output of the rotary encoder 92.

  (E) In the said embodiment, although the belt conveyor was disclosed as the conveyor part 32 as a 1st moving apparatus, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the conveyor unit may be a drive roller conveyor or a free roller conveyor.

  (F) In the above-described embodiment, the first intermediate arm portion 54a, the second intermediate arm portion 54b, the first tip arm portion 55a, and the second tip arm are added to the first arm 53a and the second arm 53b as the second moving device. Part 55b has been disclosed. However, the form of the second moving device is not limited to the above embodiment, and the load W may be gripped by the first intermediate arm part 54a and the second intermediate arm part 54b.

  The article conveying device according to the present invention is widely applicable to, for example, a stacker crane of an automatic warehouse.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic warehouse 2a Front rack 2b Rear rack 3 Stacker crane 5 Traveling passage 7 1st support | pillar 9 2nd support | pillar 11 Luggage support part 13 Luggage storage shelf 17 Warehousing station 19 Unloading station 21a Upper guide rail 21b Lower guide rail 22 Traveling carriage 23 Bogie Main body 23a Left traveling wheel 23b Right traveling wheel 23c Front guide roller 23d Rear guide roller 25a Left mast 25b Right mast 27 Lifting platform 29 Transfer device 31 Device body 31a Luggage placement area 32 Conveyor section 32a First conveyor unit 32b Second conveyor Unit 33 Clamp part 34a Linear guide 34b Linear guide 35 Conveyor frame 37 Conveyor belt 39 Drive pulley 40 Drive shaft 41 Driven pulley 42 Conveyor drive part 51a First base member 51b Second base member 5 c 1st bent part 51d 2nd bent part 51e 1st slit 51f 2nd slit 53 arm 53a 1st arm 53b 2nd arm 54a 1st intermediate arm part 54b 2nd intermediate arm part 54c 1st opening 54d 2nd opening 55a 2nd 1 tip arm portion 55b second tip arm portion 56a first interlocking mechanism 56b second interlocking mechanism 58a first interlocking pulley 58b second interlocking pulley 59a first interlocking belt 59b second interlocking belt 60 opening / closing drive part 61 movement driving part 62 ball Screw shaft 62a Right thread portion 62b Left thread portion 63a First linear bearing 63b Second linear bearing 64a First nut member 64b Second nut member 65a First intermediate linear guide 65b Second intermediate linear guide 66a First tip linear guide 66b First 2 tip linear guide 67a Near bearing 67b Second intermediate linear bearing 68a First tip linear bearing 68b Second tip linear bearing 69 Spline shaft 70a Nut body 70b Mounting flange 71 Guide shaft 72 Coil spring 73 Gap detection sensor 74 Nut 75 Detector 76a First drive pulley 76b Second drive pulley 77a First driven pulley 77b Second driven pulley 78a First moving belt 78b Second moving belt 79a First tension pulley 79b Second tension pulley 80a First mounting bracket 80b Second mounting bracket 81 Crane control unit 81a Positioning Means 81b Predetermined distance moving means 81c Travel restriction means 81d Transfer direction grasping means 81e Arrangement operation means 81f Shifting action means 81g Stop judgment means 83 Detection protrusion 84a Front rear end reference sensor 84b Rear rear end reference sensor 87 Travel Motor 88 Rotary encoder 89 Lifting motor 90 Rotary encoder 91 Arm drive motor 92 Rotary encoder 93 Arm open / close motor 94 Arm close detection unit 95 Rotary encoder 96 Conveyor drive motor 97a First load sensor 97b Second load sensor 98a First 1 positioning sensor 98b second positioning sensor

Claims (8)

Article conveying apparatus for taking in and out articles between a plurality of transfer positions arranged on the first side in the transfer direction and on the second side opposite to the first side and spaced along the conveying direction Because
The article can be transferred to the transfer position on the first side and the transfer position on the second side, and a first end on the first side, a second end on the second side, A transfer device having an article placement area having
A traveling device on which the transfer device is mounted and can travel to the plurality of transfer positions along the transport direction;
A transfer control unit for controlling the transfer device and the traveling device,
The conveyance control unit
A transfer direction grasping means for grasping whether the transfer direction at the next transfer position of the article is the first side or the second side;
In the transfer of the article from the transfer position on the first side and the transfer of the article from the transfer position on the second side, depending on the length of the article in the transfer direction. A predetermined distance moving means for operating the transfer device to move the article by a predetermined distance;
Arrangement operation means for operating the transfer device to position the article with reference to an end opposite to the end in the transfer direction at the next transfer position grasped by the transfer direction grasping means. When,
When the article is loaded at the transfer position, the transfer device moves the article toward the side where the article is lowered according to the transfer direction grasped before stopping at the next transfer position. And a moving operation means to start
The article moving means causes the transfer device to start moving the article from the opposite end, and stops the movement of the article at the end in the transfer direction of the next transfer position. apparatus. The transfer device further includes an article positioning sensor disposed at the first end and the second end, for positioning the article at the first end or the second end,
The article transporting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the placement operation means and the shifting operation means operate the transfer device based on an output of the article positioning sensor. When the article is loaded into the article placement area from the transfer position on the first side, the conveyance control unit moves the article by a predetermined distance by the predetermined distance moving unit, and moves to the second end after the movement. When the placed article positioning sensor does not detect the article, the transfer device is operated, and the article is moved again until it is detected by the article positioning sensor,
When loading the article from the second-side transfer position into the article placement area, the article is moved by a predetermined distance by the predetermined distance moving means, and an article positioning sensor disposed at the first end after the movement is provided. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the article is not detected, the transfer device is operated to move the article again until the article positioning sensor detects the article. The transfer device is
An apparatus main body having the article placement area;
A clamp part provided in the apparatus main body, capable of being transferred to the transfer position by sandwiching the article;
A conveyor unit capable of moving the article in the transfer direction in the article placement area;
The arrangement operation means includes:
The placement operation of the article up to the first end or the second end in the article placement area is performed by the conveyor unit,
The article conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the clamp part is moved by a predetermined distance, the clamp part is arranged with reference to a rear end, and the article is clamped by the clamp part after the arrangement. The conveyance control unit determines which of the earlier one, the traveling device travels to the next transfer position, or the article stops at the end on the side where the article is lowered by the moving operation means. A stop determination means for determining;
The article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, when the stop determining means determines that the traveling device stops quickly, the moving operation means cancels the stop at the end portion on the lowering side. Conveying device.   The stop determination unit determines that the traveling device stops quickly if the article is not stopped at an end portion on the side where the article is lowered by the moving operation unit when the traveling device stops. Item transporting device according to item 5.   The stop determination means grasps a traveling time grasping means for grasping a traveling time until the next transfer device of the traveling device before the gathering operation means operates, and grasps a gathering operation time required for the gathering operation means. 6. The article transporting apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a gathering operation time grasping unit, wherein when the gathering operation time is longer than the traveling time, it is determined that the traveling device stops quickly. The transfer apparatus further includes an article sensor that is disposed outside the article placement area in the transfer direction and detects the article,
When the article is not detected after the article sensor detects the article when loading the article from the transfer position to the article placement area, the transfer control unit moves to the next transfer position. The article conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the traveling device is caused to travel.

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