JP2021172469A - Automated warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an automated warehouse that allows carriers to be controlled by a combination of sensors, which leads to reduction in the number of necessary sensors.SOLUTION: An automated warehouse 100 includes a first to-be-detected portion 31 indicative of a first end 5A of a track 5 and a second to-be-detected portion 32 indicative of a second end 5B of the track 5. A first detection unit 41 and a second detection unit 42 are provided on a carrier 3 so as to detect the first to-be-detected portion 31 and the second to-be-detected portion 32. The first to-be-detected portion 31, in the first end 5A, is to be detected by the first detection unit 41 only or by both of the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42. The second to-be-detected portion 32, in the second end 5B, is to be detected by the second detection unit 42 only or by both of the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42. The controller 51 brings the carrier 3 to an abnormal stop if both of the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 have detected the first to-be-detected portion 31 or the second to-be-detected portion 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

The present invention relates to an automated warehouse and, in particular, an automated warehouse having a rack and a transport vehicle.

An automated warehouse (hereinafter, referred to as "automatic warehouse with transport vehicle for each stage") is known in which a plurality of transport vehicles for transporting luggage are provided corresponding to each stage of a plurality of stages of shelves for storing luggage. Each transport vehicle travels in the extension direction of the shelf at the corresponding stage, and at a predetermined position in the extension direction of the shelf, the load is transferred between the transport vehicle and the shelf of the corresponding stage (for example, Patent Document 1). See).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-017188

In the conventional automated warehouse with a transport vehicle for each stage, a plurality of sensors are provided for detecting the position of each transport vehicle on the traveling path. For example, the origin sensor detects the origin position, the deceleration sensor detects the deceleration position near the end, and the traveling limit sensor detects the limit position.
By providing sensors for each purpose in this way, the number of sensors is increasing.

An object of the present invention is to reduce the number of required sensors by controlling by a combination of sensors in an automated warehouse transport vehicle.

Hereinafter, a plurality of aspects will be described as means for solving the problem. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as needed.

The automated warehouse according to the seemingly present invention includes a rack, a transport device, a controller, a first detected unit, a second detected unit, and a first detected unit and a second detected unit.
The rack has shelves on which luggage is placed.
The transport vehicle travels in the vicinity of the shelves along the traveling path and transfers the luggage to and from the shelves.
The first detected unit indicates the first end of the traveling path.
The second detected unit indicates the second end of the traveling path.
The first detection unit and the second detection unit are provided on the transport vehicle, and detect the first detection unit and the second detection unit.
The first detection unit is detected at the first end only by the first detection unit and by both the first detection unit and the second detection unit.
The second detection unit is detected at the second end only by the second detection unit and by both the first detection unit and the second detection unit.
When the controller detects the first detected unit only by the first detected unit among the first detected unit and the second detected unit, the controller determines that the transport vehicle is located at the first end.
When the controller detects the second detected unit only by the second detected unit among the first detected unit and the second detected unit, the controller determines that the transport vehicle is located at the second end.
When the controller detects the first detected unit or the second detected unit by both the first detection unit and the second detection unit, the controller abnormally stops the transport vehicle.
In this automated warehouse, it is possible to grasp the positions at both ends of the traveling path and control the abnormal stop based on the combination of the detection results of the first detection unit and the second detection unit. In other words, four controls (position recognition at both ends + abnormal stop at both ends) can be performed by the two sensors. That is, the number of required sensors can be reduced by controlling the transport vehicle in the automated warehouse by combining the sensors.

When the controller detects the first detected unit only by the first detected unit among the first detected unit and the second detected unit, the controller may prohibit the transport vehicle from further traveling to the first end side.
When the controller detects the second detected unit only by the second detected unit among the first detected unit and the second detected unit, the controller may prohibit the transport vehicle from further traveling to the second end side.
In this automated warehouse, movement at the first end or the second end of the traveling path can be restricted based on the combination of the detection results of the first detection unit and the second detection unit, so that the safety is improved. In this case, additional control can be performed without increasing the number of sensors.

When the transport vehicle is abnormally stopped, the controller may determine whether the transport vehicle is located at the first end or the second end based on the detection order of the first detection unit and the second detection unit.
When the operator forcibly operates the transport vehicle after the abnormal stop, the controller prohibits the transport vehicle from further traveling to the first end side if it is the first end, and further prohibits the transport vehicle from traveling to the first end side if it is the second end. It may be prohibited to run on the two-end side.
In this automated warehouse, when an operator forcibly operates a transport vehicle after an abnormal stop, movement to the outside of the traveling path is prohibited, so that safety is improved.

The automated warehouse may further include a third detected unit and a third detected unit. The third detected portion is provided at the first end of the traveling path so as to be vertically offset from the first detected portion, and may be longer in the traveling direction from the first detected portion toward the second end side. good. The third detection unit is provided on the transport vehicle so as to be displaced in the vertical direction from the first detection unit, and detects the third detection unit.
The first detection unit and the second detection unit may be provided so that the alignment direction is parallel to the traveling direction.
The controller is
At the start or end of the transport vehicle, the transport vehicle is driven toward the first end side.
When the third detection unit detects the third detection unit, the transport vehicle is decelerated and decelerated.
When the first detection unit is detected only by the first detection unit among the first detection unit and the second detection unit, the transport vehicle is stopped.
In this automated warehouse, in the origin return operation, the transport vehicle can be moved at high speed until the third detection unit detects the third detected unit, and after the detection, the transport vehicle can be decelerated and then stopped. can. As a result, the transport vehicle can be stopped accurately while shortening the moving time of the transport vehicle.

In the automated warehouse according to the present invention, the number of required sensors can be reduced.

The schematic side view of the automated warehouse of 1st Embodiment. Schematic perspective view of the carrier and shelves. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship between the detected part of a traveling path and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship between the detected part of a traveling path and the detection part of a transport vehicle. A functional block diagram showing the control configuration of an automated warehouse. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship between the detected part of a traveling path and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship between the detected part of a traveling path and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship between the detected part of a traveling path and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship between the detected part of a traveling path and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship of the detected part of the traveling path of 2nd Embodiment, and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship between the detected part of a traveling path and the detection part of a transport vehicle. A functional block diagram showing the control configuration of an automated warehouse. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship between the detected part of a traveling path and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship between the detected part of a traveling path and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship of the detected part of the traveling path of 3rd Embodiment, and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship of the detected part of the traveling path of 3rd Embodiment, and the detection part of a transport vehicle. The schematic side view which shows the positional relationship of the detected part of the traveling path of 3rd Embodiment, and the detection part of a transport vehicle.

1. 1. First Embodiment (1) Description of the Automated Warehouse as a whole The automated warehouse 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The automated warehouse 100 is a system that has a plurality of shelves and can store luggage in each shelf or discharge the luggage stored in each shelf. FIG. 1 is a side view of the automated warehouse of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the transport vehicle and the shelves. In the following description, the left-right direction of FIG. 1 is referred to as a first direction (Y), the paper depth direction of FIG. 1 is referred to as a second direction (X), and the vertical direction of FIG. 1 is referred to as a third direction (Z).
The automated warehouse 100 includes a rack 1, a plurality of transport vehicles 3, a warehousing station 7, a warehousing station 9, a warehousing elevating device 11, and a warehousing elevating device 13.

(2) Rack The rack 1 has a plurality of shelves 21 arranged in a third direction. Each shelf 21 extends long in the first direction and has a plurality of luggage storage portions.
The shelves 21 are arranged on both sides or one side in the second direction with respect to the transport vehicle 3 and the traveling path 5 (described later).

(3) Transport Vehicles The plurality of transport vehicles 3 can travel along the first direction at the corresponding heights of the shelves 21, respectively. Specifically, a traveling path 5 extending linearly in the first direction is laid at a height corresponding to each shelf 21, and the transport vehicle 3 can reciprocate on the traveling path 5 in the first direction. Further, the transport vehicle 3 has a transfer device 15, and can transfer the luggage W to and from the corresponding shelf 21 in the second direction.

The detected portion of the traveling path 5 and the detecting portion of the transport vehicle 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 and 4 are schematic side views showing the positional relationship between the detected portion of the traveling path and the detected portion of the transport vehicle.
As shown in FIG. 3, a first detected portion 31 is provided at the first end 5A of the traveling path 5. The first detected unit 31 indicates the first end 5A of the traveling path 5. Specifically, the first detected portion 31 is a reflective tape having a predetermined length in the first direction, and is attached to the side surface 5a of the rail constituting the traveling path 5. The end of the first detected portion 31 on the second end 5B side is the detection start position. The predetermined length of the first detected unit 31 is a length that allows both the first detected unit 41 and the second detected unit 42 (described later) to be turned on. Further, the position where only one of the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 is turned on is on the end side of the stop position for transferring the shelf 21, the warehousing conveyor 23, and the warehousing conveyor 25 of the transport vehicle 3. become.
As shown in FIG. 4, a second detected portion 32 is provided at the second end 5B of the traveling path 5. The second detected unit 32 indicates the second end 5B of the traveling path 5. Specifically, the second detected portion 32 is a reflective tape having a predetermined length in the first direction, and is attached to the side surface 5a. The second detected unit 32 is at the same position in the second direction with respect to the first detected unit 31. The end of the second detected portion 32 on the first end 5A side is the detection start position.
In the traveling path 5, the origin (control origin) is at the first end 5A and the anti-origin is at the second end 5B. However, the origin and the anti-origin may be on either side. The origin is a position for initializing the traveling position by returning to the origin when the transport vehicle 3 is started or stopped.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the transport vehicle 3 is provided with a first detection unit 41 and a second detection unit 42. The first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 are provided according to the positions of the first detection unit 31 and the second detection unit 32, and detect the first detection unit 31 and the second detection unit 32. .. Specifically, the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 are reflective photoelectric sensors, and output a detection signal when the light of the light projecting element is reflected by the reflective tape and the light receiving element senses the light. .. Specifically, the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 are arranged side by side in the first direction (the positions in the second direction are the same), that is, the arrangement direction of both is parallel to the traveling direction. It has become. More specifically, the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 are provided on the side portion of the transport vehicle 3 so as to face sideways. The first detection unit 41 is arranged on the first end 5A side with respect to the second detection unit 42.

With the above configuration, the first detected unit 31 is detected only by the first detection unit 41 and by both the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 on the first end 5A side.
With the above configuration, the second detected unit 32 is detected only by the second detection unit 42 and by both the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 on the second end 5B side.

(4) Warehousing Station and Warehousing Station The warehousing station 7 is arranged on one side of the rack 1 in the first direction. The warehousing station 7 receives the luggage W to be stored in the rack 1. The warehousing station 7 has a conveyor 7a.
The delivery station 9 is arranged on the opposite side of the rack 1 in the first direction. The delivery station 9 receives the package W taken out from the rack 1. The delivery station 9 has a conveyor 9a.
The positions and numbers of the warehousing station and the warehousing station are not particularly limited.

(5) Lifting and Transporting Device The warehousing lifting device 11 is arranged between the rack 1 and the warehousing station 7, and has a lifting table 53. The lift 53 moves up and down in the Z direction along the support column 55. The lift 53 has a conveyor 57 for transferring the load W between the warehousing station 7 and the warehousing conveyor 23 of the rack 1. The conveyor 57 can support a plurality of luggage Ws. Further, the warehousing conveyor 23 of the rack 1 is provided for each shelf 21 in a portion adjacent to the warehousing elevating device 11.

The warehousing elevating device 13 is arranged between the rack 1 and the warehousing station 9, and has an elevating table 63. The lift 63 can be raised and lowered in a third direction along the support column 65. The lift 63 has a delivery conveyor 67 for transferring the load W between the delivery station 9 and the delivery conveyor 25 of the rack 1. Further, the delivery conveyor 67 of the rack 1 is provided for each shelf 21 in a portion adjacent to the delivery lifting device 13.

(6) Control Configuration The control configuration of the automated warehouse 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a control configuration of an automated warehouse.
The automated warehouse 100 has a controller 51.
The controller 51 is a device that manages the storage and warehousing / delivery of cargo in the automated warehouse 100, and also controls a plurality of transport vehicles 3, a warehousing station 7, a warehousing station 9, a warehousing elevating device 11, and a warehousing elevating device 13. be. The controller 51 is a computer having a processor (for example, a CPU), a storage device (for example, ROM, RAM, HDD, SSD, etc.) and various interfaces (for example, an A / D converter, a D / A converter, a communication interface, etc.). It is a system.

The controller 51 may perform control operations in various places by executing a program stored in the storage unit (corresponding to a part or all of the storage area of the storage device), and the controller 51 includes a part of the control operations. It may be realized by the hardware.
The controller 51 may be realized by one computer system or may be realized by a plurality of computer systems.

A warehousing elevating device 11, a warehousing elevating device 13, a warehousing station 7, a warehousing station 9, and a plurality of transport vehicles 3 are connected to the controller 51. The controller 51 can control these devices.
Although not shown, the controller 51 is connected to a sensor that detects the size, shape, and position of an object, a sensor and a switch for detecting the state of each device, and an information input device.
The transport vehicle 3 has an in-vehicle controller 61. The in-vehicle controller 61 has the same configuration and functions as the controller 51. The in-vehicle controller 61 controls the traveling and transferring operations of the transport vehicle 3. The first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 are connected to the in-vehicle controller 61. The vehicle-mounted controller 61 receives the detection signals from these sensors.

(7) Storage operation and warehousing operation in the automated warehouse (7-1) Warehousing operation First, the conveyor 57 of the lifting platform 53 of the warehousing lifting device 11 moves to the position of the conveyor 7a of the warehousing station 7.

Next, the conveyor 7a conveys the luggage W to the conveyor 57 of the warehousing elevating device 11.
Next, the lift 53 moves up and down to the height of the step corresponding to the shelf 21 determined to store the cargo W.
Next, the conveyor 57 of the lift 53 conveys the luggage W to the warehousing conveyor 23.

Next, the transport vehicle 3 moves to the warehousing conveyor 23 and loads the cargo W.
Finally, the transport vehicle 3 travels in the first direction and lowers the luggage W to the target position on the shelf 21.

(7-2) Outgoing operation First, the transport vehicle 3 travels in the first direction to a position on the shelf 21 where the luggage W is, and loads the luggage W.
Next, the transport vehicle 3 moves to the delivery conveyor 25 and unloads the luggage W.
Next, the lifting platform 63 of the shipping lifting device 13 moves up and down to the height of the step corresponding to the shelf 21 determined to store the cargo.

Next, the delivery conveyor 25 conveys the luggage W to the delivery conveyor 67 of the lifting platform 63 of the delivery lifting device 13.
Next, the lift 63 moves up and down to the position of the conveyor 9a of the delivery station 9.
Finally, the delivery conveyor 67 of the lift 63 conveys the luggage W to the conveyor 9a of the delivery station 9.

The origin is the reference position for running, and the distance from that to the stop position of the luggage is determined. At the time of returning to the origin, the encoder value is set to 0 or a correction value is input at the origin.
Further, in the anti-origin, it is determined whether the position of the anti-origin stored when the anti-origin arrives and the encoder value when the anti-origin arrives are not different.

(8) Travel control of the transport vehicle The travel control of the transport vehicle 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9. 6 to 9 are schematic side views showing the positional relationship between the detected portion of the traveling path and the detected portion of the transport vehicle.
(8-1)
When the vehicle-mounted controller 61 detects the first detected unit 31 only by the first detection unit 41 of the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42, the transport vehicle 3 is located at the first end 5A (more specifically). Specifically, it is determined that the transport vehicle 3 is located at the origin). This is because, as shown in FIG. 6, the first detection unit 41 detects the first detected unit 31, but the second detection unit 42 does not detect the first detected unit 31, so that the transport vehicle 3 Means that is determined to be located at the first end 5A.

When the vehicle-mounted controller 61 detects the second detected unit 32 only by the second detection unit 42 of the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42, the transport vehicle 3 is located at the second end 5B (more specifically). Therefore, it is determined that the transport vehicle 3 is located at the anti-origin). This is because, as shown in FIG. 7, the second detection unit 42 detects the second detected unit 32, but the first detection unit 41 does not detect the second detected unit 32, so that the transport vehicle 3 Means that is determined to be located at the second end 5B.
When the vehicle-mounted controller 61 detects the first detected unit 31 or the second detected unit 32 by both the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 abnormally stops the transport vehicle 3. As an example, in a state where both the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 detect the first detection unit 31, the transport vehicle 3 properly stops the first end 5A as shown in FIG. This is the case where the vehicle has moved from the position to the limit position outside the first direction. The limit position is the running end of the control limit and is the position where the abnormal stop is executed. At the end of the limit position, a physical running end is defined by a mechanical stopper.
As another example, in the state where both the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 detect the second detection unit 32, as shown in FIG. 9, the transport vehicle 3 is appropriate for the second end 5B. This is the case where the vehicle is further moved from the stop position to the limit position outside in the first direction.

As described above, based on the combination of the detection results of the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42, it is possible to grasp the position of the transport vehicle 3 at both ends of the traveling path 5 and control the abnormal stop. .. Conventionally, an origin sensor for grasping the origin position has been provided, but it can be omitted. That is, in the transport vehicle 3 of the automated warehouse 100, the number of required sensors can be reduced by controlling by a combination of sensors.
The origin of the transport vehicle 3 is a position immediately after, immediately after, or slightly moved by the first detection unit 41 when the first detection unit 31 is detected. Further, the transport vehicle 3 has an anti-origin set at a position immediately after, immediately after, or slightly moved by the second detection unit 42 when the second detection unit 32 is detected.

(8-2)
As shown in FIG. 6, the in-vehicle controller 61 detects the first detected unit 31 only by the first detected unit 41 of the first detected unit 41 and the second detected unit 42 (when the transport vehicle 3 is at the origin). ), The transport vehicle 3 is further prohibited from traveling on the opposite side of the second end 5B.
As shown in FIG. 7, when the in-vehicle controller 61 detects the second detected unit 32 only by the second detected unit 42 of the first detected unit 41 and the second detected unit 42 (the transport vehicle 3 is at the anti-origin). Case), the transport vehicle 3 is further prohibited from traveling on the opposite side of the first end 5A.
As described above, the movement of the travel path 5 at the first end 5A and the second end 5B can be restricted based on the combination of the detection results of the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42, so that safety is achieved. Will be higher. In this case, additional control can be performed without increasing the number of sensors.

(8-3)
When the vehicle-mounted controller 61 detects the first detected unit 31 or the second detected unit 32 by both the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 described above and abnormally stops the transport vehicle 3, the first detection Based on the detection order of the unit 41 and the second detection unit 42, it is determined whether the transport vehicle 3 is located at the limit of the first end 5A or the second end 5B.
For example, when the first detection unit 41 detects the first detection unit 31 before the second detection unit 42 (for example, FIG. 8), the in-vehicle controller 61 positions the transport vehicle 3 at the limit of the first end 5A. Then judge. When the second detection unit 42 detects the second detected unit 32 before the first detection unit 41 (for example, FIG. 9), the vehicle-mounted controller 61 determines that the transport vehicle 3 is located at the limit of the second end 5B. do.

The in-vehicle controller 61 prohibits the transport vehicle 3 from moving to the side away from the second end 5B (outside in the traveling direction) if the first end is 5A when the operator forcibly operates the transport vehicle 3 after abnormally stopping. If the second end 5B is used, the transport vehicle 3 is prohibited from moving to the side away from the first end 5A (outside in the traveling direction).
As described above, when the operator forcibly operates the transport vehicle 3 after the abnormal stop, the movement of the traveling path 5 to the outside is prohibited, so that the safety is improved.
Further, in this embodiment, the processing (control) can be increased without increasing the number of sensors.

2. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, an example in which the transport vehicle 3 is provided with the first detection unit 41 and the second detection unit 42 has been described. However, the transport vehicle 3 may be equipped with another sensor.
A second embodiment will be described as such an embodiment with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. The second embodiment has all the basic configurations of the first embodiment. 10 and 11 are schematic side views showing the positional relationship between the detected portion of the traveling path and the detected portion of the transport vehicle according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram showing a control configuration of an automated warehouse.

The automated warehouse 100 further includes a third detected unit 33 and a third detected unit 43.
As shown in FIG. 10, the third detected portion 33 is provided on the side surface 5a of the first end 5A of the traveling path 5 so as to be vertically displaced from the first detected portion 31 and is provided on the side surface 5a. It is longer in the first direction (traveling direction) from 31 toward the second end 5B side. That is, the detection start position of the third detected unit 33 is located on the second end 5B side of the detection start position of the first detected unit 31.
The length of the third detected portion 33 is determined by calculating the distance (braking distance) that can be controlledly stopped at the origin (not to the limit) after the detection is started at the speed at the time of returning to the origin. The same applies to the detection start position.
The third detection unit 43 is provided in accordance with the third detection unit 33, and detects the third detection unit 33. Specifically, the third detection unit 43 is a reflective photoelectric sensor, and outputs a detection signal when the light of the light projecting element is reflected by the reflective tape and the light receiving element senses the light. Specifically, the third detection unit 43 is provided on the transport vehicle 3 so as to be displaced in the vertical direction from the first detection unit 41. More specifically, the third detection unit 43 is provided on the side portion of the transport vehicle 3 so as to face sideways.

The origin return operation of the transport vehicle 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 14. The origin return operation is executed, for example, when the power is turned on to the transport vehicle 3. FIG. 13 is a schematic side view showing the positional relationship between the detected portion of the traveling path and the detected portion of the transport vehicle.
First, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 causes the transport vehicle 3 to travel toward the first end 5A side at the start or end of the transport vehicle 3.

Next, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 determines whether or not the third detection unit 43 has detected the third detection unit 33.
When the third detected unit 33 is detected as shown in FIG. 13, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 executes the deceleration mode to decelerate the transport vehicle 3.

Next, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 determines whether or not the first detection unit 31 has detected the first detection unit 31.
As shown in FIG. 14, when the first detected unit 31 is detected, the in-vehicle controller 61 stops the transport vehicle 3.

As described above, in the home return operation, the transport vehicle 3 can be moved at high speed until the third detection unit 43 detects the third detected unit 33, and after the detection, the transport vehicle 3 is decelerated. It can be stopped after that. As a result, the transport vehicle 3 can be stopped accurately while shortening the moving time of the transport vehicle 3.
If the transport vehicle 3 is moved at a constant speed until it stops, it may take some time depending on the position where the movement is started. Therefore, by moving the transport vehicle 3 at high speed to a position where deceleration is started and slowly moving only at the end, the time can be shortened and the vehicle can be stopped slowly at the end, so that the stopping accuracy is improved.
In the present embodiment, for example, when the vehicle-mounted controller 61 detects the third detected unit 33 by the third detected unit 43 after the home return is completed, the third detected unit is stored in advance as the position where the detection is started. When compared with the detection start position of 33 and deviated by a predetermined value or more, an abnormality can be notified. In this way, the third detection unit 43 can check the running count with a simple configuration. The travel count check may be performed by the third detection unit 43 alone or together with other sensors.

3. 3. Third Embodiment In the second embodiment, the third detection unit 33 and the third detection unit 43 are used to start deceleration at the time of returning to the origin, but the above operation may be executed by another configuration.
A third embodiment will be described as such an embodiment with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17. 15 to 17 are schematic side views showing the positional relationship between the detected portion of the traveling path and the detected portion of the transport vehicle according to the third embodiment.
Since the basic configuration and operation are the same as those in the second embodiment, the differences will be mainly described below.

(1) Configuration The first detected unit 31A is provided longer than the first detected unit 31 of the second embodiment. That is, the detection start position of the first detected portion 31A is located on the second end 5B side as compared with the second embodiment.
Unlike the second embodiment, the third detected portion is not provided.

In the transport vehicle 3, the distance between the first detection unit 41A and the second detection unit 42A in the traveling direction is longer than that in the second embodiment.
In the transport vehicle 3, the third detection unit is not mounted.

(2) Origin return operation An operation of returning to the origin by moving the transport vehicle 3 to the first end 5A side will be described.
As shown in FIG. 16, when the first detection unit 41A detects the first detected unit 31A, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 starts decelerating the transport vehicle 3.
Next, as shown in FIG. 17, when the second detection unit 42A detects the first detection unit 31a and turns it on, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 stops the transport vehicle 3. Specifically, since the position of FIG. 17 is the limit position, the in-vehicle controller 61 slightly moves the transport vehicle 3 from the above state to the opposite side of the first end 5A, and the second detection unit 42A is the first. When the detected portion 31a is no longer detected and is turned off, the transport vehicle 3 is stopped and the position is set as the origin.

(3) Normal Traveling Operation In the normal traveling operation of the transport vehicle 3, when the first detection unit 41A detects the first detected unit 31A, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 stops the transport vehicle 3. Further, when the first detection unit 41A and the second detection unit 42A detect the first detection unit 31A, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 abnormally stops the transport vehicle 3.

4. Common items of the embodiment The first to third embodiments have the following items in common.
The automated warehouse (for example, the automated warehouse 100) includes a rack, a transport device, a controller, a first detected unit, a second detected unit, and a first detected unit and a second detected unit.
The rack (for example, rack 1) has a shelf (for example, shelf 21) on which luggage (for example, luggage W) is placed.
The transport vehicle (for example, the transport vehicle 3) travels in the vicinity of the shelves along the travel path (for example, the travel path 5), and transfers the luggage to and from the shelves.
The first detected unit (for example, the first detected unit 31) indicates the first end (for example, the first end 5A) of the traveling path.
The second detected unit (for example, the second detected unit 32) indicates the second end (for example, the second end 5B) of the traveling path.
The first detection unit (for example, the first detection unit 41 and the first detection unit 41A) and the second detection unit (for example, the second detection unit 42 and the second detection unit 42A) are provided on the transport vehicle, and the first detection unit (for example, the first detection unit 41 and the first detection unit 41A) are provided. 1 Detected part and 2nd detected part are detected.
The first detection unit is detected at the first end only by the first detection unit and by both the first detection unit and the second detection unit.
The second detection unit is detected at the second end only by the second detection unit and by both the first detection unit and the second detection unit.
When the controller (for example, the vehicle-mounted controller 61) detects the first detected unit only by the first detected unit among the first detected unit and the second detected unit, the controller (for example, the vehicle-mounted controller 61) determines that the transport vehicle is located at the first end.
When the controller detects the second detected unit only by the second detected unit among the first detected unit and the second detected unit, the controller determines that the transport vehicle is located at the second end.
When the controller detects the first detected unit or the second detected unit by both the first detection unit and the second detection unit, the controller abnormally stops the transport vehicle.
In this automated warehouse, it is possible to grasp the positions at both ends of the traveling path and control the abnormal stop based on the combination of the detection results of the first detection unit and the second detection unit. Conventionally, an origin sensor for grasping the origin position has been provided, but it can be omitted. That is, the number of required sensors can be reduced by controlling the transport vehicle in the automated warehouse by combining the sensors.

5. Other Embodiments Although the plurality of embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. In particular, the plurality of embodiments and modifications described herein can be arbitrarily combined as needed.
The first detected portion and the second detected portion may be configured by not providing tape only at the end of the traveling path. In this case, the vehicle-mounted controller 61 can grasp that the transport vehicle 3 has reached the end portion by switching the detection signal of the sensor from ON to OFF.

The first detected portion and the second detected portion may be provided on the lower side or the upper side of the transport vehicle. For example, the first detection unit and the second detection unit may be provided on the upper surface of the traveling rail, and the first detection unit and the second detection unit may be provided facing downward in the transport vehicle.
In the second embodiment, the traveling direction position of the third detection unit in the transport vehicle 3 is not particularly limited. That is, the third detection unit may be provided on a position other than the upper side of the second detection unit, and the first detection unit and the second detection unit may not be arranged in the traveling direction. For example, the first detection unit and the second detection unit may be arranged so as to intersect with each other in the traveling direction.

The carrier may be a stacker crane or other type.
The traveling path of the transport vehicle may have a curve or a corner.

The present invention can be widely applied to an automated warehouse in which a plurality of shelves for storing cargo are provided and transport vehicles for transporting cargo are arranged for each stage.

1: Rack 3: Transport vehicle 5: Travel path 5A: First end 5B: Second end 7: Warehouse station 7a: Conveyor 9: Warehouse station 9a: Conveyor 11: Warehouse lift device 13: Warehouse lift device 21: Shelf 31: 1st detected unit 32: 2nd detected unit 33: 3rd detected unit 41: 1st detected unit 42: 2nd detected unit 43: 3rd detected unit 51: Controller 61: In-vehicle controller 53: Lifting platform 55: Support 57: Conveyor 63: Lifting platform 65: Support 67: Conveyor 100: Automatic warehouse W: Luggage

Claims (5)

A rack with shelves on which luggage is placed and
A transport vehicle that travels in the vicinity of the shelves along a traveling path and transfers luggage to and from the shelves.
With the controller
A first detected portion indicating the first end of the traveling path, a second detected portion indicating the second end of the traveling path, and a second detected portion.
The transport vehicle is provided with a first detection unit, a first detection unit for detecting the second detection unit, and a second detection unit.
The first detection unit is detected at the first end only by the first detection unit and by both the first detection unit and the second detection unit.
The second detection unit is detected at the second end only by the second detection unit and by both the first detection unit and the second detection unit.
The controller
When the first detection unit is detected only by the first detection unit among the first detection unit and the second detection unit, it is determined that the first detection unit is located at the first end.
When the second detection unit is detected only by the second detection unit among the first detection unit and the second detection unit, it is determined that the second detection unit is located at the second end.
An automated warehouse that controls the transport vehicle to stop abnormally when the first detected unit or the second detected unit is detected by both the first detection unit and the second detection unit. The controller
When the first detection unit is detected only by the first detection unit among the first detection unit and the second detection unit, the transport vehicle is prohibited from further traveling to the first end side.
When the second detection unit is detected only by the second detection unit among the first detection unit and the second detection unit, the transport vehicle is prohibited from further traveling to the second end side. The automated warehouse according to claim 1, which is controlled. The controller
When the transport vehicle is abnormally stopped, it is determined whether the transport vehicle is located at the first end or the second end based on the detection order of the first detection unit and the second detection unit.
When the operator forcibly operates the transport vehicle, if it is the first end, the transport vehicle is further prohibited from traveling toward the first end side, and if it is the second end, the transport vehicle is further described. The automated warehouse according to claim 1 or 2, which is controlled so as to prohibit traveling to the second end side. At the first end of the traveling path, a third detected portion is provided so as to be vertically offset from the first detected portion, and is longer in the traveling direction from the first detected portion toward the second end side. Department and
The transport vehicle is provided with a third detection unit that is vertically offset from the first detection unit and detects the third detection unit.
The first detection unit and the second detection unit are provided so that the alignment direction is parallel to the traveling direction.
The controller
At the start or end of the transport vehicle, the transport vehicle is driven toward the first end side.
When the third detection unit detects the third detection unit, the transport vehicle is decelerated.
Any one of claims 1 to 3, which controls the transport vehicle to be stopped when the first detected unit is detected only by the first detected unit among the first detected unit and the second detected unit. Automatic warehouse described in. When the first detection unit detects the first detection unit during the home return operation, the controller further decelerates the transport vehicle, and then the second detection unit detects the first detection unit. The automated warehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller stops the transport vehicle.

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