JP2016030660A - Automated warehouse system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automated warehouse system capable of effectively recovering stacker cranes provided in a plurality of automated warehouses during power failure.SOLUTION: An automated warehouse system 1 comprises a plurality of automated warehouses 10 and a control apparatus 40. Each automated warehouse comprises a stacker crane 20 having a slide fork 25 for transferring a stored object between racks and a position detection part 27 for detecting the position of the slide fork in an extension direction. The control apparatus 40 comprises: a monitoring part 41, which is connected to the plurality of automated warehouses communicatively, for monitoring the position of the slide fork detected by the position detection part of the stacker crane provided in each automated warehouse; and a power failure detection part 43 for detecting power failure. The control apparatus makes a display part display the states of the plurality of stacker cranes collectively when the power failure is detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse system including a plurality of automatic warehouses.

  There is known an automatic warehouse including a rack having a plurality of shelves arranged side by side in a height direction and a stacker crane that transfers a load between the racks by a transfer device. Such a stacker crane transfer device is provided so as to be expandable and contractable in the rack direction. By adjusting the position of the part, the storage object is appropriately transferred to the rack.

  In such an automatic warehouse, when the stacker crane is stopped due to a power failure, the load of the storage object has collapsed from the transfer device, or the transfer device jumps out during the transfer and stops. There is a risk. If the stacker crane is automatically restored in such a state, there is a risk that the stored object may be damaged or the transfer device itself may be damaged. Therefore, an operation for manually returning the stacker crane after the operator visually confirms safety is generally performed.

JP-A-7-187315

  However, when the stacker cranes in a plurality of automatic warehouses are stopped due to a power failure, checking the state of each of the stacker cranes in the plurality of automatic warehouses is heavy for the operator, and it takes time to recover. The problem becomes even more pronounced when the frequency of outages is high.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic warehouse system that can efficiently return stacker cranes provided in a plurality of automatic warehouses in the event of a power failure.

  The automatic warehouse system of the present invention includes a plurality of automatic warehouses and a control device. Each automatic warehouse can extend and contract in the direction in which the rack for storing the stored items from the elevator that can move in the height direction, and a transfer unit that transfers the stored items to and from the rack. A stacker crane having a position detection unit that detects a position of the transfer unit in a direction in which the transfer unit expands and contracts. The control device is communicably connected to a plurality of automated warehouses, and has a monitoring unit that monitors the position of the transfer unit of the stacker crane provided in each of the plurality of automated warehouses, and a power failure detection unit that detects a power failure. doing. When the power failure detection unit detects a power failure, the control device collectively displays each state of the plurality of stacker cranes monitored by the monitoring unit on the display unit.

  According to the automatic warehouse system having this configuration, the states of the plurality of stacker cranes are collectively displayed on the display unit during a power failure. The operator can determine the stacker crane that needs to be manually restored by viewing the information displayed on the display unit and the operator can manually restore the stacker crane as it is. . Thereby, an operator can be immediately sent to the automatic warehouse which needs to be returned manually. As a result, it is possible to efficiently return the stacker cranes provided in each of the plurality of automatic warehouses in the event of a power failure.

  In the automatic warehouse system of the present invention, the control device determines whether or not maintenance is required for each of the stacker cranes included in each of the automatic warehouses based on the position detected by the position detection unit, and collectively collects the results of the determination. May be displayed on the display unit.

  According to the automatic warehouse system having this configuration, a stacker crane that is likely to cause a problem when the stopped stacker crane is returned is displayed as a stacker crane requiring maintenance. The worker can go to the site only by looking at the information displayed on the display unit.

  In the automatic warehouse system of the present invention, the control device may be able to return the stacker crane when it is determined that the transfer unit is at a predetermined position.

  According to the automatic warehouse system having this configuration, a stacker crane that does not cause a problem even if it is restored can be restored by remote control from the control device. When the automatic warehouse system determines that the transfer unit is at a predetermined position, the automatic warehouse system may display a message to that effect on the display unit and allow the operator to perform a return operation. It may be restored.

  In the automatic warehouse system of the present invention, the control device determines whether maintenance is required for the stacker crane based on the position of at least one transfer unit before the stacker crane stops due to a power failure and after the power failure is restored. May be.

  According to the automatic warehouse system having this configuration, since it is possible to determine whether or not maintenance is necessary based on the position of the stacker crane acquired at an appropriate timing, it is possible to improve the determination accuracy.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to return efficiently the stacker crane with which each of a some automatic warehouse is equipped at the time of a power failure.

It is a system configuration figure of the automatic warehouse system concerning one embodiment. It is an example of the collective display screen which the control apparatus contained in an automatic warehouse system displays. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the monitoring control in the automatic warehouse system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the monitoring control in the automatic warehouse system which concerns on other embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. The dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match those described.

  An automatic warehouse system 1 according to an embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic warehouse system 1 includes a plurality of automatic warehouses 10 (10A, 10B, 10C,..., 10D) and communication means 5 such as wired or wireless to these automatic warehouses 10. And a control device 40 capable of managing and controlling each automatic warehouse 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic warehouse 10 mainly includes a plurality of racks 11, rails 13, a stacker crane 20, and a crane control unit 15.

  The rack 11 is a part for storing the articles to be stored, and is usually provided in 1 to 2 rows (here, 2 rows). Each rack 11 extends in a predetermined direction, and is arranged substantially in parallel so that two adjacent racks 11 and 11 face each other. Each rack 11 is formed with a plurality of storage shelves (shelves) 11A in the height direction (Z-axis direction) for placing and storing the objects to be stored along a predetermined direction and a vertical direction.

  The stacker crane 20 is a mechanism that moves a storage object to and from the storage shelf 11A and moves between the storage shelves 11A, and is disposed in a region sandwiched between the opposing racks 11 and 11. The stacker crane 20 can move in a predetermined direction along the rack 11 by traveling on the rail 13 disposed on the floor surface along the extending direction of the rack 11. The stacker crane 20 includes a lifting platform 23, a slide fork (transfer unit) 25, and a position detection unit 27.

  The lifting platform 23 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction (height direction) along the mast extending in the vertical direction.

  The slide fork 25 can be expanded and contracted in the direction in which the rack 11 is located (horizontal direction) from the lifting platform 23, and transfers an object to be stored between the slide fork 25 and the rack 11.

  The position detector 27 detects the position of the slide fork 25 in the extending / contracting direction. The position detection unit 27 of the present embodiment detects the relative position of the reference position of the slide fork 25 with respect to the lifting platform 23. Thereby, it is possible to grasp whether or not the position of the slide fork 25 in the expansion / contraction direction with respect to the lifting platform 23 is at a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as “origin position”). For example, the origin position can be the center position on the lifting platform 23. The position detection unit 27 transmits position information indicating whether or not it is located at the origin position to the control device 40 via the crane control unit 15. For example, a proximity sensor or a limit switch can be applied to the position detection unit 27. Further, the position detection unit 27 can be applied with an encoder of a motor that drives the slide fork 25.

  The crane control unit 15 is a part that performs various controls of the stacker crane 20, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The crane control unit 15 receives a command from the control device 40 and controls the travel of the stacker crane 20 and the loading and unloading of the storage object, and the slide fork sent from the position detection unit 27 provided in each stacker crane 20. 25 position information is transmitted to the control device 40.

  The control device 40 is communicably connected to a plurality of automatic warehouses 10 by wired or wireless communication means 5. The control device 40 transmits a command for controlling traveling and storage / removal of articles to / from the stacker crane 20 of each automatic warehouse 10 and manages positional information of the slide fork 25 transmitted via the crane control unit 15. To do.

  The control device 40 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 40 includes a monitoring unit 41 and a power failure detection unit 43 as conceptual parts for executing various control processes in the stacker crane 20 provided in each automatic warehouse 10. Such a conceptual part can be configured as software that is executed by the CPU after a program stored in the ROM is loaded onto the RAM, for example. Note that the monitoring unit 41 and the power failure detection unit 43 may be configured as hardware such as an electronic circuit. The control device 40 further includes a display unit 45.

  The monitoring unit 41 is a part that monitors the position information of the slide fork 25 detected by the position detection unit 27 of the stacker crane 20 included in each of the plurality of automatic warehouses 10. For example, the monitoring unit 41 transmits a command for transmitting the position information of the slide fork to each crane control unit 15 at a predetermined interval, and monitors the position information of the slide fork transmitted from the crane control unit 15.

  The power failure detection unit 43 is a portion that detects a power failure. The power failure detection unit 43 of the present embodiment detects a power failure by receiving an operation signal transmitted from a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) connected to the control device 40.

  The display unit 45 is a part that provides various information to the worker, and is, for example, a touch panel display.

  When the power failure detection unit 43 detects a power failure, the control device 40 displays the respective states of the plurality of stacker cranes 20 collectively on the display unit 45. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the control device 40 requires maintenance on the stacker cranes 20 included in each automatic warehouse 10 based on the positional information of the slide forks 25 monitored by the monitoring unit 41 ( The display unit 45 displays whether maintenance is required) or not required (maintenance is not required) (that is, whether or not restoration is possible).

  This means that maintenance is necessary when the stacker crane is returned because the stored fork has collapsed from the slide fork, or the slide fork pops out and stops during transfer. This refers to the case where there is a high possibility of a problem, and the case where the operator needs to manually return to the situation on the spot.

  The control device 40 determines whether or not maintenance is necessary based on the position information of the slide fork 25 of the stacker crane 20 before the power failure. The control device 40 instructs each position detection unit 27 via the crane control unit 15 to periodically transmit the position information of the slide fork 25. The control device 40 determines whether or not maintenance is necessary based on the position information responded to the command immediately before the power failure.

  In the control device 40 of the present embodiment, the position of the slide fork 25 monitored by the monitoring unit 41 is determined based on whether or not it is located at the origin position, and maintenance is required for the stacker crane 20 that is not located at the origin position. It is determined that maintenance is not required for the stacker crane 20 located at the origin position.

  FIG. 2 shows a collective display screen 50 that the control device 40 displays on the display unit 45 when a power failure occurs. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 40 according to the present embodiment collectively displays the state of each stacker crane 20 as to whether maintenance is necessary or not based on the above determination result. The screen 50 is displayed on the display unit 45.

  The control device 40 can perform return control on the stacker crane 20 that does not require maintenance, that is, the stacker crane 20 located at the origin position. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a restart button 53 is displayed at a position corresponding to the stacker crane that does not require maintenance on the batch display screen 50 that collectively displays the state of the stacker crane 20. When the restart button 53 is pressed or selected by the operator, the control device 40 transmits a restart command to the corresponding stacker crane 20. The crane control unit 15 that has received the restart command restarts the stacker crane 20.

  Next, monitoring control in the control device 40 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. The monitoring unit 41 monitors the position information of the slide fork 25 for the stacker crane 20 provided in each automatic warehouse 10 (step S1). Specifically, the monitoring unit 41 periodically instructs the position detection unit 27 of each stacker crane 20 to transmit the position information of the slide fork 25, and monitors the position information responded to this command. To do.

  Next, the power failure detection unit 43 starts detection of a detection signal from the UPS (step S2) and monitors (S2: NO). When a power failure is detected by the power failure detection unit 43 (S2: YES), the control device 40 determines whether or not maintenance is required for each of the stacker cranes 20 provided in the plurality of automatic warehouses 10 (step S3). Specifically, the control device 40 determines that maintenance is required for the stacker crane 20 in which the slide fork 25 is not located at the origin position, based on the position information that is responded immediately before the power failure.

  Next, the control device 40 displays the determination result in step S3 on the display unit 45 as a collective display screen 50 as shown in FIG. 2 (step S4).

  According to the automatic warehouse system 1 of the embodiment described above, the states of the plurality of stacker cranes 20 monitored by the monitoring unit 41 are collectively displayed on the display unit 45 at the time of a power failure. The operator looks at the information displayed on the display unit 45 to determine which stacker crane 20 the operator needs to manually return to see the situation on the site and which stacker crane 20 may be returned as it is. be able to. Thereby, an operator can be immediately sent to the automatic warehouse 10 which needs to be returned manually. As a result, it is possible to efficiently return the stacker cranes 20 provided in each of the plurality of automatic warehouses 10 in the event of a power failure. Moreover, the effect is particularly great when the frequency of power outages is high.

  Further, according to the automatic warehouse system 1 of the above embodiment, the stacker crane 20 that is likely to cause a problem when the stopped stacker crane 20 is returned is displayed as the stacker crane 20 requiring maintenance. The worker can go to the site only by looking at this information.

  Further, according to the automatic warehouse system 1 of the above-described embodiment, the control device 40 remotely returns the stacker crane 20 in which the position of the slide fork 25 is located at the origin position based on the position information responded immediately before the power failure. Can be made. Thereby, it becomes possible to return the stacker crane 20 efficiently.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. Various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  In the automatic warehouse system 1 of the above-described embodiment, the example in which it is determined whether or not the maintenance is necessary is described based on the position information of the slide fork 25 of the stacker crane 20 before the power failure. The invention is not limited to this. For example, the control device 40 may determine whether maintenance is necessary based on the position information of the slide fork 25 of the stacker crane 20 after the power failure is restored. The monitoring control in the control device 40 in this case will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

  The monitoring unit 41 monitors the position information of the slide fork 25 for the stacker crane 20 provided in each automatic warehouse 10 (step S11). Next, the power failure detection unit 43 starts detection of a detection signal from the UPS. When a power failure is detected by the power failure detection unit 43 (step S12), the control device 40 starts detecting power failure recovery (step S13). And it waits until a power failure is restored (S13: NO). The restoration of the power failure can be detected by, for example, receiving an operation signal of a UPS connected to the control device 40.

  When the control device 40 detects the restoration of the power failure, the monitoring unit 41 instructs the position detection unit 27 of each stacker crane 20 to transmit the position information of the slide fork 25, and responds to this command. The position information to be acquired is acquired (step S14). Next, it is determined whether or not maintenance is required for the stacker cranes 20 provided in each of the plurality of automatic warehouses 10 (step S15). Specifically, the control device 40 determines that maintenance is required for the stacker crane 20 in which the slide fork 25 is not located at the origin position, based on the position information of the slide fork 25 that is responded immediately after the power failure.

  Next, the control apparatus 40 displays the determination result in step S15 on the display unit 45 as a collective display screen 50 as shown in FIG. 2 (step S16).

  Even in this case, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above embodiment. Moreover, in this modification, since the necessity of the maintenance of the stacker crane 20 is determined based on the latest position information of the slide fork 25, the determination accuracy can be further improved.

  In the automatic warehouse system 1 of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the control device 40 has been described with an example in which the necessity of maintenance is collectively displayed on the display unit 45 for each stacker crane 20. The invention is not limited to this. For example, the control device 40 causes the display unit 45 to collectively display the status of each stacker crane 20 as to whether the slide fork 25 belongs to the origin position, and the status of the stacker crane such as the distance from the origin position. May be.

  In the automatic warehouse system 1 of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, for the stacker crane 20 that does not require maintenance, the restart button 53 is pressed or selected from the collective display screen 50 of the display unit 45. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, for the stacker crane 20 that is determined to be unnecessary for maintenance by the control device 40, the stacker crane 20 may be restarted without the operator's operation.

  In the automatic warehouse system 1 of the above-described embodiment, the determination as to whether or not the maintenance is necessary is described based on an example in which the determination is made based on whether or not the slide fork 25 is located at the origin position. It is not limited. For example, the position detection unit 27 may detect the tip position of the slide fork 25 in the expansion / contraction direction and transmit the tip position to the control device 40 as position information. Based on this position information, the control device 40 determines that maintenance is necessary when the slide fork 25 protrudes from the region of the elevator 23 in the plan view shown in FIG. If it does not protrude from the area, it may be determined that maintenance is not necessary.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automatic warehouse system, 10 ... Automatic warehouse, 11 ... Rack, 11A ... Storage shelf, 15 ... Crane control unit, 20 ... Stacker crane, 23 ... Lifting platform, 25 ... Slide fork (transfer part), 27 ... Position detection , 40 ... control device, 41 ... monitoring part, 43 ... power failure detection part, 45 ... display part, 50 ... batch display screen, 53 ... restart button.

Claims (4)

A rack that can store a stored item from a lifting platform that can move in a height direction can be expanded and contracted in a certain direction, and a transfer unit that transfers the stored item to and from the rack; A plurality of automatic warehouses comprising a stacker crane having a position detection unit that detects a position of the transfer unit in a direction in which the mounting unit expands and contracts;
The plurality of automated warehouses are communicably connected, and each of the plurality of automated warehouses includes a monitoring unit that monitors the position of the transfer unit of the stacker crane, and a power failure detection unit that detects a power failure. A control device;
With
The said control apparatus is an automatic warehouse system which, when the said power failure detection part detects a power failure, displays each state of these stacker cranes monitored by the said monitoring part collectively on a display part.   The control device determines whether maintenance is required for the stacker cranes included in each of the plurality of automatic warehouses based on the positions detected by the position detection unit, and collectively displays the determination results in the display unit. The automatic warehouse system according to claim 1, wherein the automatic warehouse system is displayed.   The automatic warehouse system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device can return the stacker crane when it is determined that the transfer unit is at a predetermined position.   The control device determines whether or not maintenance is required for the stacker crane based on a position of at least one of the transfer parts before the stacker crane stops due to a power failure and after the power failure is restored. The automatic warehouse system according to 2 or 3.

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