JP2019108204A - Article storage facility - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article storage facility in which a maintenance work for a conveying truck is easily performed.SOLUTION: This facility comprises: a storage unit 50 provided with a plurality of holding units 50B holding a conveying truck 12; a conveying device 4 conveying the conveying truck 12 among a plurality of travel routes and a plurality of the holding units 50B; a control unit controlling the conveying device 4; and a determination unit determining whether or not a maintenance work is required for each of the conveying truck 12. The control unit so controls the conveying device 4 as to convey a second state truck 12B from a second state holding unit 50BB to a target traveling route RT after a first state truck 12A is conveyed from the target traveling route RT to a first state holding unit 50BA.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

  According to the present invention, a plurality of storage and transport units are arranged in the vertical direction, and each of the plurality of storage and transport units transports the articles to the storage shelf by traveling along a storage path for storing the articles and a traveling path. The present invention relates to an article storage facility provided with a transport carriage.

  A conventional example of such an article storage facility is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 03-267204 (Patent Document 1). The article storage facility of Patent Document 1 includes a storage rack (shelf 4), a transport carriage (picker 6), a storage elevator platform 12, and a storage elevator platform 17 in each of a plurality of storage and transport units. The transport carriage transports the articles from the storage elevator 12 to the storage rack and transports the articles from the storage rack to the storage elevator 17.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 03-267204

  In such an article storage facility, maintenance work is performed on the transport carriage with the transport carriage in the travel route, but the travel route along which the transport carriage travels is lined up and down, and around the travel route Since storage racks exist, it is difficult to carry out maintenance work and it takes time for work, and it may be necessary to stop traveling of transport carriages other than transport carriages targeted for maintenance work. In some cases, the operating efficiency of the

  Therefore, it is desirable to realize an article storage facility that facilitates maintenance work on the transport carriage and can suppress a decrease in operation efficiency of the facility.

In view of the above, the characteristic configuration of the article storage facility is that a plurality of storage and transport units are installed side by side in the vertical direction, and each of the plurality of storage and transport units travel along a storage shelf for storing articles and a traveling path. A transport carriage for transporting articles to the storage rack;
A storage unit provided with a plurality of holding units for holding the conveyance carriage, a conveyance device for conveying the conveyance carriage between the plurality of traveling paths and the plurality of holding units, and a control unit for controlling the conveyance device And a determination unit that determines whether or not maintenance work is necessary for each of the transport carriages, and the transport carriage determined by the determination unit to be necessary for maintenance work is the first state carriage, and the maintenance operation is performed. The transport carriage not determined by the determination unit as the second state carriage is determined to be necessary, and the holding unit in which the transport carriage is not held is the first state storage unit, and the second state carriage is held. And the control unit transports the first state carriage from the target travel route, which is the travel route in which the first state carriage is present, to the first status holding unit. After, the second state carriage to transport to the target traveling path from said second state holding section lies in controlling the transport device.

  According to this configuration, the transport carriage determined to require maintenance work by the determination unit is transported from the target travel path to the first state holding unit, and the transport carriage that does not require maintenance work due to maintenance work being completed, etc. Is conveyed from the second state holding unit to the target travel route. Therefore, after the transport carriage requiring the maintenance work is taken out from the target travel path, it becomes possible to transport the article by another transport carriage immediately. Therefore, the stop of the conveyance operation of the article can be suppressed in a short time, and the decrease in the operation efficiency of the article storage facility can be suppressed. Further, the transport carriage requiring the maintenance work can be taken out from the target travel route and transported to the first storage unit, whereby the maintenance work can be performed on the transport carriage outside the travel route. Therefore, the efficiency of the maintenance operation for the transport carriage can be enhanced.

Top view of the article storage facility II-II arrow view in FIG. 1 III-III arrow view in FIG. 1 IV-IV arrow view in FIG. 1 Perspective view of the transport carriage Perspective view of work cart Perspective view of work cart Perspective view of stacker crane Control block diagram Flowchart of control for transporting the transport carriage Operation diagram of transport of transport carriage Operation diagram of transport of transport carriage The top view which shows the storage part of another embodiment Front view showing a storage unit of another embodiment

1. Embodiment An embodiment of an article storage facility provided with a work cart will be described based on the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the article storage facility includes an automatic warehouse 1 as a warehouse for storing articles W, an article transport vehicle 2 for transporting articles W, and a work cart 3 which an operator can push and pull (FIG. 4). Reference) and a stacker crane 4 as a transfer device for transferring the work carriage 3 are provided. In the present embodiment, the article W is composed of a pallet and a plurality of loads stacked on the pallet.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the automated warehouse 1 includes a plurality of storage and transport units 6 arranged in the vertical direction Z and a first transport conveyor 7 installed for each of the plurality of storage and transport units 6. And a vertically movable elevator 8 and a second conveyer 9. The transport unit configured to include the plurality of first transport conveyors 7, the elevators 8, and the second transport conveyor 9 is a transport unit for warehousing used when the articles W are stored in the automated warehouse 1, and the automated warehouse A delivery unit for delivery which is used when the article W is delivered from 1 is provided.

[Storage and transportation unit]
The storage and transport unit 6 includes a storage rack 11 for storing the article W, a transport carriage 12 for traveling the article W by traveling along the traveling route R, and a pair of first travelings installed along the first direction X A rail 13 and a pair of second traveling rails 14 installed along the second direction Y are provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the traveling route R includes a first traveling route R1 and a second traveling route R2, and the parent carriage 18 of the conveyance carriage 12 travels on the pair of first traveling rails 13. It travels along one travel route R1, and the sub carriage 19 of the transport carriage 12 travels along the second travel route R2 by traveling on the pair of second travel rails 14. The storage racks 11 are provided on both sides of the first traveling rail 13 in the second direction Y, and a plurality of the storage racks 11 are provided in the first direction X in each of the two sides in the second direction Y. . In the present embodiment, the second direction Y is a direction perpendicular to the first direction X in plan view. Further, one side in the first direction X is referred to as a first direction first side X1, and the opposite side is referred to as a first direction second side X2. Moreover, one side in the second direction Y is referred to as a second direction first side Y1, and the opposite side is referred to as a second direction second side Y2.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the pair of first traveling rails 13 are installed at the same height with a space in the second direction Y. Further, the pair of second traveling rails 14 are installed at the same height with a space in the first direction X. Only one pair of first traveling rails 13 is provided. The pair of second traveling rails 14 is provided for each of the plurality of storage racks 11, and a plurality of sets are provided.

  To describe the storage and transport unit 6, the storage and transport unit 6 includes a plurality of pairs of beam members 15 installed along the second direction Y. The pair of beam members 15 includes a base 15A extending in the vertical direction Z, a first extension 15B extending inward in the first direction X from the lower end of the base 15A, and an outer side in the first direction X from the upper end of the base 15A. And a second extending portion 15C extending in The second traveling rail 14 is formed by the pair of first extending portions 15B of the pair of beam members 15, and the storage rack 11 is formed by the pair of second extending portions 15C of the pair of beam members 15 There is. More specifically, the upper surfaces of the pair of second extending portions 15C are mounting surfaces on which the articles W in the storage rack 11 are mounted.

  Both ends of the article W stored in the storage rack 11 in the first direction X are supported from below by the second extending portions 15 C of the pair of beam members 15. The pair of second traveling rails 14 is located between the pair of second extending portions 15C in the first direction X, and has a height lower than that of the pair of second extending portions 15C (storage rack 11). positioned.

[Stairway]
The automated warehouse 1 is provided with a walkway 16 where workers can walk. As a step 16, a first step corridor 16 A for the worker to walk between the pair of first traveling rails 13 and a worker for walking outside the second traveling direction Y with respect to the first traveling rail 13 There are a second walkway 16B and a third walkway 16C. The first step corridor 16A is installed so as to be located between the pair of first traveling rails 13. The second walkway 16B is disposed so as to be adjacent to the first direction X1 with respect to the storage and transport unit 6 and to be adjacent to the first direction Y1 with respect to the first traveling rail 13. The third walkway 16C is installed so as to be adjacent to the first direction X1 with respect to the storage and transport unit 6 and adjacent to the second direction Y2 with respect to the first traveling rail 13. The second walkway 16B and the third walkway 16C are arranged such that workers can transfer to and from the first walkway 16A.
In the present embodiment, since the distance between the first traveling rails 13 adjacent in the vertical direction Z is equal to or larger than the distance at which the worker can walk, for each of the plurality of storage and conveyance units 6 aligned in the vertical direction Z A walkway 16 has been set up. In the present embodiment, the interval at which the worker can walk is the average height of an adult male.

  A fixed fence 29 is erected at the edge of the first direction first side X1 of the second walkway 16B and the edge of the second direction first side Y1. In addition, a fixing fence 29 is provided upright on the edge of the first direction first side X1 of the third walkway 16C and the edge of the second direction second side Y2. In addition, at the edge of the first direction first side X1 of the first step corridor 16A, a movable fence 30 movable in the vertical direction Z is provided upright.

  The moving fence 30 is configured to be movable in a closed position and an open position moved upward from the closed position. The closed position is a position where the height of the lower end of the moving fence 30 is higher than the upper end of the transport carriage 12 and lower than the upper end of the work carriage 3, and in the closed position of the moving fence 30. However, the work cart 3 can not pass below the moving fence 30. The open position is a position where the height of the lower end of the moving fence 30 is higher than the upper end of the transport carriage 12 and the upper end of the work carriage 3 and both the transport carriage 12 and the working carriage 3 are in the open position. Can pass below the moving fence 30. A first detection unit S1 is provided to detect that the movement fence 30 is in the closed position with respect to the movement fence 30.

[Transportation truck]
The transport carriage 12 has a parent carriage 18 traveling on the first traveling rail 13 along the first direction X, and a slave carriage 19 traveling on the second traveling rail 14 along the second direction Y. ing. The parent carriage 18 is configured to be able to mount the child carriage 19, and in a state where the child carriage 19 is placed on the parent carriage 18, by moving the parent carriage 18 along the first direction X, The carriage 19 also moves along the first direction X integrally with the parent carriage 18.

  The parent carriage 18 includes a first traveling wheel 21 rolling on the first traveling rail 13, a transport conveyor 22 supporting the article W and transporting the article W in the second direction Y, and a third traveling rail 23. Is equipped. The parent carriage 18 travels along the first traveling rail 13.

  The third traveling rail 23 is connected to the second traveling rail 14 when the parent carriage 18 is in a position corresponding to the second traveling rail 14. The third traveling rail 23 is connected to the second traveling rail 14 in that the positional relationship between the second traveling rail 14 and the third traveling rail 23 is aligned on a straight line, and the second traveling rail 14 and the third traveling rail 23 are thirdly connected. It represents that the baby carriage 19 is capable of transferring to and from the traveling rail 23. That is, when the parent carriage 18 is in the position corresponding to the second traveling rail 14, such a positional relationship is established.

  In a state where the parent carriage 18 is at a position corresponding to the first conveyance conveyor 7 for storage, the parent carriage 18 can convey the article W from the first conveyance conveyor 7 for storage onto the conveyance conveyor 22. Further, in a state where the parent carriage 18 is at a position corresponding to the first conveyance conveyor 7 for unloading, the parent carriage 18 can convey the article W on the conveyance conveyor 22 to the first conveyance conveyor 7 for retrieval .

  The small carriage 19 raises and lowers a second traveling wheel (not shown) rolling on the second traveling rail 14 and the third traveling rail 23, a support base 27 supporting the article W from below, and the support base 27. And a lifting device (not shown). The small carriage 19 travels along the second traveling rail 14. Then, in a state where the third traveling rail 23 is connected to the second traveling rail 14, the mobile carriage 19 moves from above the third traveling rail 23 onto the second traveling rail 14, and along the storage shelf 11. Run. The child carriage 19 is placed on the parent carriage 18 by moving from above the second traveling rail 14 onto the third traveling rail 23.

  The support base 27 of the sub carriage 19 is raised and lowered to the raising position and the lowering position by the raising and lowering device. In the raised position, the upper surface of the support table 27 (the surface on which the article W is placed) is the upper surface of the second extension 15C (the surface on which the article W is placed) or the upper surface of the transport conveyor 22 (the article W is mounted) Above the surface). In the lowered position, the upper surface of the support table 27 is located below the upper surface of the second extension 15C and the upper surface of the transport conveyor 22.

  Therefore, in a state where the baby carriage 19 is on the second traveling rail 14, the support base 27 is moved from the elevated position to the lowered position to move the article W supported by the support base 27 to the pair of second extension portions 15C. , And can be stored in the storage rack 11. Further, in a state where the baby carriage 19 is on the second traveling rail 14, the support base 27 is moved from the lowered position to the raised position, whereby the article W stored in the storage shelf 11 is moved by the support base 27 to the pair of The article W can be supported by the support table 27 by being lifted from the two extension portions 15C.

  In a state in which the sub carriage 19 is on the third traveling rail 23, the article W supported by the support 27 can be placed on the transport conveyor 22 by moving the support 27 from the raised position to the lowered position. In addition, in a state where the baby carriage 19 is on the third traveling rail 23, the support base 27 is moved from the lowered position to the raised position, thereby lifting the article W supported by the transport conveyor 22 by the support base 27 The article W can be supported by the support 27.

  When the article W is transported from the first transport conveyor 7 for storage by the transport carriage 12 to the storage rack 11, the article W is transported as follows. That is, the parent carriage 18 on which the child carriage 19 is placed is caused to travel to a position corresponding to the first conveyance conveyor 7 for storage, and the article W is produced by the cooperation of the first conveyance conveyor 7 and the conveyance conveyor 22 of the parent carriage 18 The transfer conveyor 22 of the main carriage 18 is transferred from the first transfer conveyor 7. Then, the parent carriage 18 on which the child carriage 19 is placed is allowed to travel to a position corresponding to the second traveling rail 14 of the storage rack 11 that stores the articles W. While the parent carriage 18 is traveling or before and after the traveling, the support base 27 of the child carriage 19 is raised to support the article W by the child carriage 19 and the child carriage 19 rides on the second traveling rail 14 from the third traveling rail 23 After the transfer, the carriage 19 travels to a position for storing the article W, and then the support table 27 is lowered to place the article W on the pair of beam members 15 and the article W is stored in the storage shelf 11 Do.

  When the article W is transported from the storage rack 11 to the storage rack 11 from the storage conveyor 11 by the transport carriage 12, the article W is transported as follows. That is, after the child carriage 19 is moved immediately below the article W to be unloaded, the support base 27 of the child carriage 19 is raised and the article W is supported by the child carriage 19. Thereafter, the child carriage 19 is moved to the parent carriage 18, and the parent carriage 18 on which the child carriage 19 is placed is caused to travel to a position corresponding to the first transport conveyor 7 for unloading. While the parent carriage 18 is traveling or before and after traveling, the support base 27 of the child carriage 19 is lowered to support the article W by the conveyance conveyor 22, and the first conveyance conveyor 7 cooperates with the conveyance conveyor 22 of the parent carriage 18 The article W is transferred from the transfer conveyor 22 of the parent carriage 18 onto the first transfer conveyor 7 at step S5.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the transport carriage 12 is provided with a first inspection device A1 for detecting overruns of the transport carriage 12, a second inspection device A2 for detecting vibration of the transport carriage 12, and the transport carriage 12 A third inspection device A3 for detecting the charge state of the storage device P and the truck control device H1 are provided.

  In the present embodiment, a reflecting plate (not shown) is installed at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of second traveling rails 14 in the first traveling route R1. In the state corresponding to the second traveling rail 14, it is constituted by a light emitting and receiving sensor which emits detection light toward the reflecting plate and emits light and receives reflected light from the reflecting plate. Therefore, when the parent carriage 18 is properly stopped at the position corresponding to the second traveling rail 14, the detection light emitted by the first inspection device A1 is reflected by the reflection plate and reflected by the reflection plate. The reflected light is received by the first inspection device A1. On the other hand, in a state in which the parent carriage 18 is stopped from being shifted from the position corresponding to the second traveling rail 14, the detection light emitted by the first inspection device A1 is out of the reflection plate, so the first inspection device A1 does not receive the reflected light. When the carriage control device H1 causes the parent carriage 18 to travel to the position corresponding to the second traveling rail 14, the transport carriage 12 overruns depending on whether or not the first inspection device A1 receives the reflected light. It is determined whether or not.

Further, in the present embodiment, the second inspection device A2 is configured by a vibration sensor which is installed on the child carriage 19 and detects the vibration of the child carriage 19. The second inspection apparatus A2 detects the vibration of the child carriage 19 when the parent carriage 18 on which the child carriage 19 is placed travels and the vibration of the child carriage 19 when the child carriage 19 travels.
Further, in the present embodiment, the third inspection device A3 is configured of a charge state detection sensor that detects the charge state of the power storage device P provided in the child carriage 19. The third inspection device A3 detects various states related to the charge state of the power storage device P. More specifically, the third inspection apparatus A3 preferably includes, for example, a voltage sensor that detects an inter-electrode voltage of the power storage device P and a current sensor that detects a charge / discharge current. It is also preferable to include a temperature sensor that detects the temperature. Thereby, the third inspection device A3 acquires information such as the voltage of the storage device P in each state, the relationship between the charge / discharge electric energy and the voltage, and the temperature of the storage device P in each state. Can. In the present embodiment, the child carriage 19 is operated by the power of the power storage device P, and the parent carriage 18 is supplied by the power supplied from a feeder (not shown) installed along the first travel route R1. Operate.

[Working truck]
The work carriage 3 includes a first carriage 31 moving on the first traveling rail 13 and a second carriage 32 moving on the second traveling rail 14. The first carriage 31 is provided with a third rail 34, and the second carriage 32 is configured to be able to be mounted on the first carriage 31 by transferring from the second traveling rail 14 to the third rail 34. The first traveling rail 13 corresponds to a first rail installed along the first direction X, and the second traveling rail 14 corresponds to a second rail installed along the second direction Y.

In addition to the third rail 34, the first carriage 31 rolls the first carriage 31 at a predetermined position, a first restricting portion 35 that regulates the movement of the first carriage 31, and a plurality of rolls on the first traveling rail 13 First wheel 36, an operation unit 37 for pushing and pulling the first carriage 31 by the operator, a third rail 34, a first regulation unit 35, a first wheel 36, and a first operation unit 37 And a main body 38.
The third rail 34 is connected to the second traveling rail 14 in a state in which the first carriage 31 is in a position corresponding to the second traveling rail 14. The third rail 34 is connected to the second traveling rail 14 in that the positional relationship between the second traveling rail 14 and the third rail 34 is in line with the second traveling rail 14 and the third rail 34. , And indicates that the second carriage 32 can move between the second traveling rail 14 and the third rail 34. That is, when the first carriage 31 is at the position corresponding to the second traveling rail 14, such a positional relationship is established.

  The first restricting portion 35 is connected to the first main body portion 38 so as to be able to swing along an axial center direction along the first direction X. The first restricting portion 35 causes the tip end portion of the first restricting portion 35 to be a second traveling rail by causing the first rail to swing relative to the first main body portion 38 at a position where the third rail 34 continues to the second traveling rail 14. 14 are engaged with the supporting column 39. As described above, by engaging the first restricting portion 35 with the support 39, the movement of the first carriage 31 is restricted at the position where the third rail 34 is continuous with the second travel rail 14. Then, the first restricting portion 35 is swung to release the engagement of the first restricting portion 35 with the support column 39, whereby the first restricting state for releasing the restriction of the movement of the first carriage 31 is obtained. As described above, the first restricting portion 35 is configured to be switchable between the first restricting state and the first restricting state. The first carriage 31 has a pair of a first restricting portion 35 engaged with the support 39 of the second direction first side Y1 and a first restricting unit 35 engaged with the support 39 of the second direction second side Y2. The first regulation unit 35 of

  The first wheel 36 is disposed outside the platform 43 in a plan view in a state where the second carriage 32 is mounted on the first carriage 31. To add the description, in a state where the second carriage 32 is placed on the first carriage 31, the first carriage 31 is a first carriage positioned in the second direction first side Y1 with respect to the platform 43 in plan view Two pairs of first wheels 36 are provided, the wheels 36 and the first wheels 36 located on the second side Y2 in the second direction with respect to the platform 43 in plan view. The pair of the first pair of first wheels 36 is located on the first side X1 with respect to the platform 43 in plan view, and the remaining pair is in the first direction with respect to the platform 43 in plan view Located on the second side X2.

  The operation unit 37 is connected to the end of the first direction second side X2 in the first main body 38, and is provided at the end of the first direction second side X2 in the first carriage 31. Further, the operation unit 37 extends upward from the first main body 38, and the upper end of the operation unit 37 is located at a height at which a worker who moves the walkway 16 can easily operate. This height may be, for example, the height of the waist of an adult male.

  The second carriage 32 has a second restricting portion 41 for restricting the movement of the second carriage 32 at an arbitrary position on the second traveling rail 14 and the third rail 34, and on the second traveling rail 14 and the third rail 34. A plurality of second wheels 42 rolling on the top, a platform 43 on which an operator can ride, a fence unit 44, a second regulation unit 41, a second wheel 42, a platform 43 and a fence unit 44 And a second main body 45.

The second restricting portion 41 holds the second carriage 32 on the second traveling rail 14 or the third rail 34, and the first operation portion 47 and the second operation portion (not shown) which the operator moves in the vertical direction Z. And a holding unit (not shown). The second restricting portion 41 holds the second carriage 32 on the second traveling rail 14 or the third rail 34 by the holding portion by depressing the first operation portion 47 from the raised position to the lowered position. As described above, by holding the second carriage 32 on the second traveling rail 14 or the third rail 34 by the holding portion, the second carriage 32 can be provided at any position on the second traveling rail 14 and the third rail 34. It becomes the 2nd regulation state which regulates movement. Then, by moving the first operation unit 47 from the lowered position to the raised position by the operation of the second operation unit, a second restriction release state in which the restriction on the movement of the second carriage 32 is released is obtained.
Thus, the second restricting portion 41 is configured to be switchable between the second restricting state and the second restricting state.

  The second wheel 42 is disposed outside of the platform 43 in plan view. To add the description, the second carriage 32 is a second wheel 42 positioned on the first direction Y1 in the second direction with respect to the platform 43 in a plan view, and a second direction second with respect to the platform 43 in a plan view Two pairs of second wheels 42, which are located on the side Y2, are provided. The two wheels of the second pair of second wheels 42 are located on the first side X1 with respect to the platform 43 in plan view, and the remaining two wheels are the first side with respect to the platform 43 in plan view. It is located at one direction second side X2.

  In the illustrated example, in addition to the second wheel 42, the second carriage 32 includes two pairs of auxiliary wheels 46 that roll on the second traveling rail 14 and on the third rail 34. The two pairs of auxiliary wheels 46 are located within the width of the platform 43 in the second direction Y. Further, two wheels of the two pairs of auxiliary wheels 46 are located on the first side X1 in the first direction with respect to the platform 43 in plan view, and the remaining two wheels are first blocks in relation to the platform 43 in plan view. It is located in the direction second side X2.

  The fence portion 44 is erected from the periphery of the boarding platform 43. The fence portion 44 is configured to be capable of releasing the connection between the frame members constituting the fence portion 44, and by connecting the frame material to the second main body portion 45 so as to be able to swing, the board portion 44 is mounted. It may be configured to be foldable on the platform 43.

[Stacker crane]
As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 8, the stacker crane 4 transports the transport carriage 12 and the work carriage 3 between the storage transport unit 6 and the storage unit 50. To add to the description, the storage unit 50 is provided with a single or a plurality of first holding portions 50A for holding the work carriage 3 and a plurality of second holding portions 50B for holding the transport carriage 12. The stacker crane 4 transports the work carriage 3 between the plurality of first travel paths R1 and the single or the plurality of first holding portions 50A, and also the plurality of first travel paths R1 and the plurality of second holding portions 50B. And transport the transport carriage 12 between them. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 50 includes only one first holding unit 50 </ b> A and includes two second holding units 50 </ b> B.

As shown in FIG. 8, the stacker crane 4 includes a traveling carriage 51 traveling in the second direction Y, and an elevating body 53 elevating in the vertical direction Z along a mast 52 erected on the traveling carriage 51; And a fourth rail 54 supported by the elevating body 53.
In a state where the elevating body 53 is at a position corresponding to the first travel route R1, the fourth rail 54 and the first travel rail 13 are connected, and the transport carriage 12 and the work carriage 3 are the fourth rail 54 and the first travel rail You can transfer between 13 and.
Further, in a state where the elevating body 53 is in a position corresponding to the first holding portion 50A, the fourth rail 54 and the rail provided in the first holding portion 50A are connected, and the work carriage 3 and the fourth rail 54 It is possible to switch between rails provided in the first holding unit 50A.
In addition, in a state where the elevating body 53 is at a position corresponding to the second holding unit 50B, the fourth rail 54 and the rail provided in the second holding unit 50B are connected, and the transport carriage 12 is connected with the fourth rail 54 Transfer can be performed between the rails provided in the second holding unit 50B.

  The transport control device H2 for controlling the stacker crane 4 supports the transport carriage supported by the fourth rail 54 by traveling of the traveling carriage 51 and lifting and lowering of the elevating body 53 based on a command from an operation terminal (not shown) 12 and the work cart 3 are transported. The transport control device H2 operates in the open state in which the opening of the moving fence 30 is detected by the first detection unit S1 or in the detection state in which the presence of the worker is detected in the storage unit 50 by the second detection unit S2. Even if there is a command from the terminal, the stacker crane 4 is maintained in a stopped state, and the stacker crane 4 is operated based on the command from the operation terminal (not shown) after the open state or the detection state is cancelled. Let

The case where the work carriage 3 is used in the storage and conveyance unit 6 will be described.
When the work carriage 3 is used, by designating the first holding unit 50A by the operation of the operation terminal, the elevating body 53 is moved to the position corresponding to the first holding unit 50A by the control of the conveyance control device H2. The stacker crane 4 operates to connect the fourth rail 54 and the rail provided in the first holding unit 50A. With the stacker crane 4 thus operated, the operator of the first holding unit 50A operates the work carriage 3 to move the work carriage 3 from the first holding unit 50A to the elevating body 53.

  Next, by designating one of the plurality of storage and transport units 6 by the operation of the operation terminal, the position of the elevating body 53 corresponding to the first traveling route R1 of the storage and transport unit 6 under the control of the transport control device H2. The stacker crane 4 operates so as to move to the fourth rail 54 and the first traveling rail 13 are connected. With the stacker crane 4 thus operated, the operator of the walkway 16 operates the work carriage 3 to move the work carriage 3 from the elevator body 53 to the first travel path R1. At this time, the operator pulls the operation unit 37 of the work carriage 3 from the side of the walkway 16 to move the work carriage 3 to the first direction second side X2.

  After that, the worker of the walkway 16 moves the work carriage 3 along the first travel route R1 to move the work carriage 3 to a position corresponding to an arbitrary second travel rail 14, and the second travel rail 14 and The third rail 34 is connected. Then, the worker of the walkway 16 gets on the platform 43, moves the second carriage 32 along the second traveling route R2 from the first carriage 31 to an arbitrary position in the second traveling route R2, and performs the second traveling The operation is performed on the child carriage 19 and the article W located in the route R2. After the work is performed, the work carriage 3 is moved to the first holding unit 50A by performing the reverse of the above-described procedure.

Next, the case where maintenance work is performed on the transport carriage 12 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 9, the article storage facility is provided with a transport control device H2 that controls the stacker crane 4 and the transport carriage 12. The transport control device H2 is configured to be able to wirelessly communicate information with the stacker crane 4 and the transport carriage 12. Further, detection information transmitted from the first detection unit S1 and the second detection unit S2 is input to the conveyance control device H2.

  The carriage control device H1 of the conveyance carriage 12 transmits overrun information indicating that the conveyance carriage 12 has overrun when the conveyance carriage 12 overruns to the conveyance control device H2. Further, the carriage control device H1 of the conveyance carriage 12 transmits, to the conveyance control device H2, vibration information detected by the second inspection device A2 and charge state information detected by the third inspection device A3.

  The transport control device H2 performs failure prediction determination of the transport carriage 12 in the travel route R, and determines the transport carriage 12 meeting the preset failure prediction determination condition as the first state carriage 12A requiring maintenance work. To add the description, the transport control device H2 sets, in advance, the number of times the transport carriage 12 has overrun the target stop position on the traveling route R based on the overrun information transmitted from the carriage control device H1. If it becomes more than the first set value, it is determined that the maintenance work is necessary for the transport carriage 12. In addition, the transport control device H2 performs maintenance work on the transport carriage 12 when the vibration generated in the transport carriage 12 becomes equal to or greater than a preset second set value based on the vibration information transmitted from the carriage control device H1. Decide that it is necessary. Here, it is preferable that the vibration value to be compared with the second set value be, for example, an average value within a preset measurement time. Further, the transport control device H2 is configured to transfer the transport carriage when the indicator related to the reduction amount of the charge amount of the storage device P becomes equal to or less than a third set value set in advance based on the charge state information transmitted from the carriage control device H1. 12 It is judged that maintenance work is necessary. Here, it is preferable that the index related to the amount of decrease of the charge amount of the storage device P is an index related to the decrease amount of the full charge amount. More specifically, the full charge amount due to the deterioration of the storage device P, ie, the chargeable amount It is suitable that it is an indicator indicating the degree of decrease. As such an index, for example, it is preferable to use the voltage of the storage device P in a fully charged state, the amount of power charged from the reference charged state to the fully charged state, or the like.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the transport control device H2 corresponds to the control device H that controls the stacker crane 4, and maintenance work is required for each of the transport carriages 12 by the carriage control device H1 and the transport control device H2. The determination part D which discriminate | determines whether it is or not is comprised. Then, the failure prediction judgment condition is that the index regarding the number of times the transport carriage 12 overruns with respect to the target stop position on the travel route is equal to or greater than the first set value, and the index regarding travel vibration of the transport carriage 12 is the second setting The index related to the amount of decrease in the amount of charge of the storage device P with respect to the amount of travel of the transport carriage 12 when traveling by using the power stored in the storage device P is equal to or greater than the value The condition is that one of the conditions is satisfied.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the transport carriage 12 determined by the determination unit D to require maintenance work is the first state carriage 12A, and the transport carriage 12 not determined by the determination unit D to require maintenance work As the second state truck 12B, the transport control device H2 transports the first state truck 12A from the target travel route RT, which is the travel route R on which the first state truck 12A exists, to the first status holding unit 50BA. The stacker crane 4 and the first state carriage 12A are controlled to convey the two-state carriage 12B from the second state holding unit 50BB to the target travel route RT.

  To add the description, as shown in FIG. 11, the transport control device H2 determines whether or not maintenance work is required for each of the plurality of transport carriages 12 in the automated warehouse 1. Further, regarding each of the pair of second holding units 50B, the second holding unit 50B in which the conveyance carriage 12 is not held is referred to as a first state holding unit 50BA, and the second holding unit 50B in which the conveyance carriage 12 is held is The two-state holding unit 50BB is used.

  In the illustrated example, of the pair of second holding units 50B aligned in the second direction Y, the second holding unit 50B on the second direction first side Y1 is a first state holding unit 50BA in which the transport carriage 12 is not held. In this case, the stacker crane 4 transports the first state carriage 12A to the second holding unit 50B, which is the first state holding unit 50BA. The first state carriage 12A conveyed to the second holding unit 50B of the second direction first side Y1 becomes a second state carriage 12B by performing maintenance work, and the second state carriage 12B is a stacker crane 4 And is transported to the second holding unit 50B of the second direction second side Y2 by a forklift. Thus, the second holding unit 50B of the second direction Y2 on which the second state carriage 12B is moved is the second state holding unit 50BB, and the transport carriage held by the second state holding unit 50BB. 12 is a second state carriage 12B.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the transport control device H2 determines whether or not maintenance work is required for each transport carriage 12 (S1). Then, when there is a transport carriage 12 determined that the maintenance work is necessary (S1: Yes), the first control to transport the transport carriage 12 to the first state holding unit 50BA as the first state carriage 12A is executed. (S2). Thereafter, a second control is carried out to transport the second state carriage 12B in the second state holding unit 50BB from the second state holding unit 50BB to the target travel route RT (S3).

In the first control (S2), the transport control device H2 transmits the carry-out information to the stacker crane 4 and the first state carriage 12A, and operates the stacker crane 4 and the first state carriage 12A that have received the carry-out information. Specifically, as shown by the arrow (1) in FIG. 11, the stacker crane 4 and the first state carriage 12A are carried so as to convey the first state carriage 12A in the target travel route RT to the first state holding unit 50BA. Make it work.
In the second control (S3), after the first control is executed, the second state carriage 12B in the stacker crane 4 and the second state holding unit 50BB is operated. Specifically, as shown by an arrow (2) in FIG. 11, the stacker crane 4 and the second state carriage 12B are carried so as to convey the second state carriage 12B in the second state holding unit 50BB to the target travel route RT. Make it work.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the storage unit 50 is provided with compartments 56 for partitioning the plurality of compartments E, and the plurality of holding parts 50A and 50B are installed in the compartments E different from each other. Moreover, 2nd detection part S2 as a detection part which detects an approach of the worker with respect to each of several division E is provided. In the present embodiment, the partition 56 is configured by a frame for supporting the rail provided in the holding portion. Further, an area sensor is used as the second detection unit S2. Then, using the holding units 50A and 50B installed in the section E in which the second detection unit S2 detects the entry of the worker as the target holding unit 50C, the transport control device H2 transmits the target holding unit 50C by the stacker crane 4 to the target holding unit 50C. The conveyance of the first state carriage 12A and the conveyance of the second state carriage 12B from the target holding unit 50C by the stacker crane 4 are prohibited.

  To add to the description, in the transport control device H2, in the open state in which the opening of the moving fence 30 is detected by the first detection unit S1, and in the storage unit 50, the presence of an operator is detected by the second detection unit S2. In the detection state, the first control or the second control is interrupted to maintain the stacker crane 4 in the stopped state, and after the open state or the detection state is eliminated, the stacker crane 4 is operated to perform the first control or the second control. 2. Resume control. As described above, in the detection state in which the presence of the worker in the storage unit 50 is detected by the second detection unit S2, the first control or the second control is interrupted, so that the target holding unit 50C by the stacker crane 4 is The conveyance of the first state carriage 12A and the conveyance of the second state carriage 12B from the target holding unit 50C by the stacker crane 4 are not performed. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the second state holding unit 55BB is the target holding unit 50C.

2. Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the article storage facility will be described.

(1) In the above embodiment, the partition 56 for partitioning the plurality of partitions E is formed by the frame material, but as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 for example, the partition 56 for partitioning the plurality of partitions E is divided by the fence 57 It may be configured. In the illustrated example, the fence 57 divides one first holding portion 50A, the second holding portion 50B on the second direction first side Y1, and the second holding portion 50B on the second direction second side Y2. , A part of the fence 57 is provided with a door 58 for opening and closing an entrance for a worker to enter and leave.

(2) In the above embodiment, each of the plurality of second holding units 50B is provided with only the area capable of holding the transport carriage 12 or the parent carriage 18 alone including the parent carriage 18 and the child carriage 19; As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, at least one of the plurality of second holders 50 B is a parent truck holding area E 1 for holding the parent truck 18 and an area adjacent to the parent truck holding area E 1 and the parent truck 18 And a child carriage holding area E2 for holding the child carriage 19 separated therefrom.
Specifically, one of the pair of second holding portions 50B is provided with a parent car holding area E1 and a child car holding area E2 adjacent to the parent car holding area E1 in plan view. A sixth rail 59 on which the first traveling wheel 21 of the parent carriage 18 rolls is provided in the parent carriage holding area E1, and a sixth traveling wheel of the child carriage 19 rolls on the child carriage holding area E2. A rail 60 is provided. The fifth rail 59 is installed along the first direction X, and the fourth rail 54 of the lifting and lowering body 53 and the lifting and lowering body 53 of the stacker crane 4 are in a position corresponding to the fifth rail 59. The master truck 18 can transfer to and from the fifth rail 59 of the master truck holding area E1. Further, the sixth rail 60 is a child between the third traveling rail 23 of the parent carriage 18 and the sixth rail 60 of the child carriage holding area E2 in a state where the parent carriage 18 corresponds to the sixth rail 60. The carriage 19 can be transferred. Incidentally, in the parent carriage holding area E1, the parent carriage 18 is held in a state of supporting the parent carriage 18 by the fifth rail 59, and in the child carriage holding area E2, the child carriage 19 is supported by the sixth rail 60. The carriage 19 is held.

(3) In the above embodiment, although the second detection unit S2 is configured by an area sensor, the second detection unit S2 may be configured by a switch operated by an operator who has entered the section E. Moreover, when the compartment 56 is equipped with the door 58, you may comprise by the sensor (for example, limit switch) which detects the opening / closing state of this door 58. As shown in FIG.

(4) In the above embodiment, the plurality of second holding units 50B do not have the function of moving the transport carriage 12 up and down, but at least one of the plurality of second holding units 50B has the function of moving the transport carriage 12 up and down. May be For example, as shown in FIG. 14, it is preferable that the holding body 61 supports and holds the parent carriage 18 of the conveyance carriage 12 from the lower side, and the elevating device 62 for raising and lowering the holding body 61. The holder 61 is raised and lowered between the lowered position and the raised position by the raising and lowering by the raising and lowering device 62. The holder 61 in the lowered position is located below the parent carriage 18 supported by the fifth rail 59, and the parent carriage 18 is moved to the fifth rail by raising the holder 61 from the lowered position to the raised position. It can be lifted from 59.

(5) You may change suitably 1st test | inspection apparatus A1, 2nd test | inspection apparatus A2, and 3rd test | inspection apparatus A3 in the said embodiment. Specifically, for example, the first inspection device A1 is configured by a distance sensor that measures the distance from the reference position of the transport carriage 12, and from the first inspection device A1 and the reference position when stopped at the target stop position. If the difference from the distance to the target stop position is equal to or greater than the set value, it may be determined that overrun has occurred. Further, the second inspection device A2 may be provided in the parent carriage 18 so as to detect the vibration of the parent carriage 18. Further, the third inspection device A3 may be configured to detect the state of charge based on the amount of power consumption relative to the traveling distance of the child carriage 19, for example.

(6) The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in the other embodiments as long as no contradiction arises. With regard to other configurations, the embodiments disclosed herein are merely exemplary in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

3. Overview of the Embodiment Hereinafter, an overview of the article storage facility described above will be described.

In the article storage facility, a plurality of storage and transport units are arranged in the vertical direction, and each of the plurality of storage and transport units travels along a traveling path and a storage shelf for storing articles and transports the articles to the storage shelf And a transport carriage for
A storage unit provided with a plurality of holding units for holding the conveyance carriage, a conveyance device for conveying the conveyance carriage between the plurality of traveling paths and the plurality of holding units, and a control unit for controlling the conveyance device And a determination unit that determines whether or not maintenance work is necessary for each of the transport carriages, and the transport carriage determined by the determination unit to be necessary for maintenance work is the first state carriage, and the maintenance operation is performed. The transport carriage not determined by the determination unit as the second state carriage is determined to be necessary, and the holding unit in which the transport carriage is not held is the first state storage unit, and the second state carriage is held. And the control unit transports the first state carriage from the target travel route, which is the travel route in which the first state carriage is present, to the first status holding unit. After, the second state carriage to transport to the target traveling path from said second state holding unit, controls the transport device.

  According to this configuration, the transport carriage determined to require maintenance work by the determination unit is transported from the target travel path to the first state holding unit, and the transport carriage that does not require maintenance work due to maintenance work being completed, etc. Is conveyed from the second state holding unit to the target travel route. Therefore, after the transport carriage requiring the maintenance work is taken out from the target travel path, it becomes possible to transport the article by another transport carriage immediately. Therefore, the stop of the conveyance operation of the article can be suppressed in a short time, and the decrease in the operation efficiency of the article storage facility can be suppressed. Further, the transport carriage requiring the maintenance work can be taken out from the target travel route and transported to the first storage unit, whereby the maintenance work can be performed on the transport carriage outside the travel route. Therefore, the efficiency of the maintenance operation for the transport carriage can be enhanced.

  Here, the storage unit includes compartments for partitioning a plurality of compartments, and the detection units are installed in the different compartments from each other for the plurality of holding parts, and detect an approach of a worker to each of the plurality of compartments The control unit is configured to transfer the first state carriage to the target holding unit by the transfer device, using the holding unit installed in the section detected by the detection unit as a target holding unit; It is preferable not to carry the second state carriage from the target holding unit by the conveyance device.

  According to this configuration, when the detection unit detects that the worker has entered the section, the holding unit installed in the section is the target holding unit, and the first state to the target holding unit by the transport device The carriage of the carriage and the carriage of the second state carriage from the target holding unit by the conveyance device are not performed. Therefore, the safety of the maintenance operation in the storage unit can be enhanced.

  Further, the judging unit judges that the transport bogie in the traveling route is in a failure prediction determination, and determines that the transport bogie meeting a preset failure prediction determination condition is the first state cart requiring a maintenance operation. It is suitable.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to appropriately determine the transport carriage requiring the maintenance operation according to the failure prediction determination condition set in advance. Then, the transport carriage requiring the maintenance work can be transported from the target travel path to the first state holding unit.

  Further, the failure prediction determination condition is that an index related to the number of times the transport truck overruns the target stop position on the travel path is a first set value or more, and an index related to travel vibration of the transport truck is An indicator related to the amount of decrease in the charge amount of the storage device with respect to the travel amount of the transport carriage when traveling by using power stored in the storage device that the transport carriage travels using the power stored in the storage device is a third set value It is suitable that it is at least one of the following.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to predict in advance a failure that occurs relatively frequently in the transport carriage, and to perform maintenance work for the transport carriage before the failure occurs. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the transport carriage stopping due to a failure or the like itself, and to suppress a decrease in the operation efficiency of the article storage facility.

  In addition, the transport carriage includes a parent carriage and a child carriage coupled to the parent carriage, and the traveling path is a first traveling path along which the parent carriage travels, and the traveling path is separated from the parent carriage. And a second traveling path along which the child carriage travels, at least one of the plurality of holding parts being a parent carriage holding area for holding the parent carriage and an area adjacent to the parent carriage holding area, the parent being And a child carriage holding area for holding the child carriage separated from the carriage.

  According to this configuration, the article can be transported by the transport carriage along both the first travel path and the second travel path. Then, since the holding unit can hold the parent carriage and the child carriage separated from the parent carriage separately, maintenance work can be efficiently performed on both the parent carriage and the child carriage. .

  Further, it is preferable that at least one of the plurality of holding units includes a holding body that holds the transport carriage, and an elevating device that raises and lowers the holding body.

  According to this configuration, since the transport carriage transported to the holding body can be raised and lowered to a height at which the maintenance operation can be easily performed by the lifting device, the maintenance operation can be efficiently performed on the transport carriage.

  The technique according to the present disclosure can be used for an article storage facility in which a plurality of storage and conveyance units including a storage shelf and a conveyance carriage are vertically arranged.

3: Stacker crane (conveying device)
6: Storage transport unit 11: Storage rack 12: Transport carriage 12A: first state carriage 12B: second state carriage 18: parent carriage 19: child carriage 50: storage unit 50B: second holding unit (holding unit)
50BA: first state holding unit 50BB: second state holding unit 50C: target holding unit 56: division body D: determination unit E: division E1: parent carriage holding area E2: child carriage holding area H: control unit R: traveling route R1: first travel route R2: second travel route S2: second detection unit (detection unit)
W: Article Z: vertical direction

Claims (6)

A plurality of storage and transport units are arranged in the vertical direction,
Each of the plurality of storage and transport units is an article storage facility including a storage shelf for storing an article, and a transport carriage that travels along a traveling path and transports the article to the storage shelf,
A storage unit provided with a plurality of holding units for holding the conveyance carriage, a conveyance device for conveying the conveyance carriage between the plurality of traveling paths and the plurality of holding units, and a control unit for controlling the conveyance device And a determination unit that determines whether maintenance work is necessary for each of the transport carriages,
The transport carriage determined by the determination unit as maintenance required is the first state carriage, the transport carriage not determined by the determination unit as the maintenance operation is the second state carriage, and the transport is performed. The holding unit in which the carriage is not held is a first state holding unit, and the holding unit in which the second state carriage is held is a second state holding unit.
The control unit transports the first state carriage from the target traveling route, which is the traveling route in which the first state carriage exists, to the first state holding unit, and then holds the second state carriage in the second state holding unit. Article storage equipment which controls the said conveying apparatus so that it may convey to the said object driving path from a part. The storage unit includes compartments that separate a plurality of compartments, and each of the plurality of holding parts is installed in the different compartments.
A detection unit for detecting an approach of a worker to each of the plurality of sections;
The holding unit installed in the section detected by the detection unit is a target holding unit.
The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit does not carry the first state carriage to the target holding unit by the conveyance device and carry the second state carriage from the target holding unit by the conveyance device. Article storage equipment.   The determination unit performs fault prediction determination of the transport carriage in the traveling path, and determines the transport carriage meeting the preset failure prediction determination condition as the first state truck requiring maintenance work. The article storage facility according to 1 or 2.   The failure prediction determination condition is that an index related to the number of times the transport truck overruns the target stop position on the travel path is equal to or greater than a first set value, and an index related to travel vibration of the transport truck is set second The indicator related to the amount of decrease in the charge amount of the storage device with respect to the travel amount of the transport carriage is equal to or less than a third set value when the transport carriage travels using power stored in the storage device. The article storage facility according to claim 3, which is at least one of the following. The transport carriage includes a parent carriage and a child carriage coupled to the parent carriage.
The traveling path includes a first traveling path along which the parent carriage travels, and a second traveling path along which the child carriage separated from the parent carriage travels.
At least one of the plurality of holding parts is a parent carriage holding area for holding the parent carriage, and a child carriage holding area for holding the child carriage separated from the parent carriage which is an area adjacent to the parent carriage holding area The article storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:   The article storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of holders includes a holder configured to hold the transport carriage, and a lifting device configured to lift and lower the holder. .

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