JP2726182B2 - Pallets for storing and transporting goods - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing
Store the articles such as assembly parts themselves and the cardboard boxes containing the articles on the pallet in the storage, and take out the pallet from the storage as necessary, stack the articles after dispensing them, etc. The present invention relates to the structure of a pallet that can be used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally known flat pallets for mounting articles include a flat pallet (deck board) in which a plurality of cross beams are fixed to the lower surface of a flat board in parallel with each other as appropriate, or an article mounting flat pallet. For example, there is a type in which a girder or block for forming an insertion port of a forklift, which also serves as reinforcement, is fixed between two flat plates (deck boards) so that the mounting surface is the upper and lower surfaces (Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS), Z0106) , Z0603
To Z0606).

[0003] However, this type of flat pallet requires storage and
At the time of unloading operation, it is possible to push and pull using the side of the cross beam or block, but when stacking in multiple stages, there is a drawback that it is easy to shift in the horizontal direction on the stacking surface, and the height at the time of stacking The dimensions are bulky, with the cumulative height from the top of the plate to the bottom of the spar or block. Further, since the flat plate of the flat pallet is flat and has no rising edge, there is a disadvantage that the article is easily dropped when the article is placed and moved.

[0004] As disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-22905, in an assembling-type open-top box-shaped container, recesses are formed at four corners of an upper frame, and protrusions are formed at four corners of a lower frame. It has been proposed to form each part to prevent a displacement when the folded containers are stacked. However, this prior art configuration has the disadvantage that it is complicated and difficult to apply to the flat pallet.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new flat pallet which solves the problems of the prior art.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a shallow dish-shaped pallet for loading and unloading articles in a storage with the articles mounted thereon and transporting the articles on a transport conveyor. , On the outer surfaces of the left and right plates on the pallet,
Blocks for pushing and pulling contact at the time of entry and exit operations to the storage are fixed, and on the upper and lower surfaces of each block,
When the pallet is stacked,
While one is formed as a protrusion and the other as a recess,
On the outer surface of each block, a sandwiching engaging portion for sandwiching the pallets from both left and right sides when stacking the pallets is formed in a concave shape.

[0007]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, a pallet 1 used in the present invention is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The pallet 1 made of a thin metal plate has a rectangular shallow dish shape in a plan view. The left and right side plates 1b, 1b of the bottom plate 1a are erected, and the front and rear portions 1c, 1c are formed to be inclined outward and upward. And its front and rear parts 1c, 1c
Is formed so that the height of the upper edge of the curling portion 1d is lower than the upper edges of the left and right side plates 1b. Accordingly, when the cardboard box W storing the articles is mounted on the pallet 1 and pulled out by sliding on the bottom plate 1a, it is possible only from the front and rear portions 1c, 1c.

A substantially cubic block 2 made of synthetic resin or the like fixed to the front and rear ends of the left and right side plates 1b, 1b of the pallet 1 with screws 3 and nuts 4 holds the pallet 1 as described later. The pallet 1 functions as an engaging portion when the pallet 1 is loaded into and discharged from the storage shelf 15, prevents misalignment when the pallets 1 are vertically stacked in a plurality of stages, and furthermore, when the pallets 1 are stacked vertically, It has a function as a pinch engagement part when carrying.

That is, the longitudinal front and rear surfaces 2 of each block 2
a and 2b are engaging portions when the pallet 1 is pushed out and pulled in. A substantially rectangular projection 6 projecting downward from the lower surface of the block 2 of the upper pallet 1 is fitted into a recess 5 formed in the upper surface of each block 2a (opening toward the upper edge of the side plate 1b). The upper and lower pallets 1 ‥‥
Can be stacked without displacement in the left, right, front and rear directions (see FIGS. 7 and 8). At this time, the lower end of the projection 6 is formed in a narrow trapezoidal shape as it goes to the tip, and the cross-sectional shape of the corresponding recess 5 is formed in an inclined shape in which the upper opening area becomes wider and becomes narrower as it goes to the bottom. It is possible to securely fit each other while correcting a slight shift during the stacking operation. In addition, the fitting of the projection 6 and the recess 5 reduces the cumulative height of the stack by the fitting dimension, thereby reducing the bulk of the stack.

A pallet 1 formed in a concave shape on the outer surface of each block 2 has a substantially rectangular pinch engaging portion 7 which is long in the front-rear direction.
To form The pinching engagement portion 7 also has a large opening area so as to secure the gripping action from both left and right sides, which will be described later, and to prevent lateral displacement and the like, so that the positioning is assured. It is formed in an inclined shape that becomes narrower (see FIGS. 4 to 8, 20 and 21). Further, by using the opening of the pinch engaging portion 7 to form a recessed fitting portion 8 having a function of preventing the nut 4 from rotating with respect to the screw 3, the work of mounting the block 2 on the pallet 1 becomes extremely easy. .

Next, FIGS. 9 and 10 show schematic overall views of the system of the present embodiment. Reference numeral 10 denotes a three-dimensional shape having storage areas 13 and 14 at the front and back with a passage 12 for an inner picker 11 in the center. Indicates a storage room. Each storage area 13, 14
Has a configuration in which storage shelves 15 opened toward the passage 12 are arranged in a matrix in up, down, left, and right directions. The inner picker 11 is provided with a pair of rails 16, 16 at a height position for each shelf in the front and rear storage areas 13, 14 in order to put the pallet 1 in and out of the storage shelf 15 for each shelf.
The inner picker 1 straddles the pair of rails 16, 16.
1 is configured to run. A mechanism for moving the pallet 1 in and out of the inner picker 11 will be described later.

At the left end or right end of the storage 10, a connection column 19 connected to the entry line 17 and the exit line 18 is provided.
(See FIG. 11). In this embodiment, the storage line 17
Is arranged at a low position near the floor surface, and the exit line 18 is disposed on the entrance line 17 so as to be substantially along the longitudinal direction thereof. The connection column 19 has a storage unit 2 at the front and rear thereof.
0 and the unloading section 21 are connected to the sides of the pair of storage areas 13 and 14. An elevator 22 on which drive rollers 23 and 24 for driving the pallet 1 to move in a right-angle direction in a plan view is provided in the storage 20 and the storage 21 so as to move up and down. The driving roller group 23 includes the driving roller 24.
The pallet 1 is configured to slightly move up and down with respect to the group, so that the other drive roller group does not interfere when the pallet 1 is forcibly moved in the orthogonal direction.

As a result, the pallet 1 on which the cardboard boxes W are mounted is loaded into the loading section 2 at the loading section 25 at the other end of the loading line 17.
0, the elevator 2 at the transfer position
After the pallet 1 is transferred together with the cardboard box W to 2, the elevator 22 is moved to a predetermined storage area (empty storage shelf 15).
Up or down to the height of
The pallet 1 is transferred together with the cardboard box W to the inner picker 11 stopped at 9. Contrary to the above, the pallet loaded with the cardboard box W pulled out from the predetermined storage shelf 15 is moved by the inner picker 11 to the connection column 19 and raised to the same height position in the unloading section 21.
Then, the pallet 1 is transferred to the delivery line 18 with the cardboard box W at the transfer position. The mark code attached to the side of the cardboard box W is read by a sensor (not shown),
The information is stored in the computer together with the address of the stored storage shelf 15 so that desired articles can be taken out.

At the other end of the retrieval line 18, a plurality of payout portions 26 extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the retrieval line 18 are provided, and each of the payout portions 26 slides only the cardboard box W on the pallet 1. Pay out. A work unit 28 is arranged at one end of a transport roller conveyor 27 connected to each payout unit 26. The other end of the unloading line 18 and the carry-in section 25 of the cardboard box W are connected by a transport line 29 by a roller conveyor. In the transport line 29, the discharged empty pallets 1 are stacked in multiple stages. Stacking device 30
Is provided in the vicinity of the other end of the unloading line 18 and the loading section 25
Is provided with a separating device 31 for separating the stacked empty pallets one by one.

Next, the structure of the inner picker 11 will be described with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 32 denotes a main body frame, and reference numerals 33, 33 denote wheels mounted on the rails 16 in the passage 12 and traveling, and are driven via a driving motor 34 for traveling, a reduction mechanism, and a chain. On both outer sides of the mounting plate 35 on which the pallet 1 is mounted, a pair of longitudinal slide arms 36, 36 facing the left and right sides of the entrance and exit of the storage shelf 15 are arranged, and a guide box 38 is provided outside each of the slide arms 36. A plurality of guide shafts 37 for slidably supporting the slide arm 36 are provided therein.

A drive motor 39 capable of rotating forward and reverse, a chain,
Slide arm 3 via transmission shaft 40 and rack gear 41
6, the endless chain wound in the longitudinal direction of the inner surface of the slide arm 36 is driven by the drive motor 39, and the guide shaft 42 in each slide arm 36 is attached to the endless chain. The engagement block 43 fitted slidably is attached to. Engagement block 43
The rotatable engagement claws 44 provided on the front and rear surfaces are selectively raised by an electromagnetic solenoid (not shown) such that the posture is such that they fall substantially horizontally and the free end is located in the slide arm 36 as shown in FIG. It is configured to be selectively undulating with the posture.

Thus, when the slide arm 36 advances with respect to the storage shelf 15, the engagement block 43 also advances within the slide 36 at the same time. At this time, the engaging claws 44 provided on the rear surfaces of the left and right engaging blocks 43 are tilted substantially horizontally as shown by a dashed line in FIG.
4, the pallet 1 is pushed into the storage shelf 15 together with the cardboard boxes W by pushing the rear surfaces 2b, 2b of the blocks 2, 2 on the left and right sides of the pallet 1 in the traveling direction (see FIG. 12).

On the other hand, when the pallet 1 is pulled out from the storage shelf 15, the engaging claws 44, 44 which are tilted on the front side of each engaging block 43 abut against the front surface 2a of the left and right side blocks 2, 2 of the pallet 1, and the slide arm. The pallet is pulled out together with the cardboard box W in accordance with the retreat of the engagement block 43 and the engagement block 43. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the roller conveyors in the above-mentioned storage line 17, delivery line 18, transfer line 29, etc.
6. A plurality of (two in this embodiment) motor rollers 49 having a built-in speed reduction mechanism 47, clutch and brake mechanism 48, and simple rollers 50 are alternately arranged.
In this configuration, a large number of roller units, each of which is wound and connected between end portions 50 by an endless body 53 such as a timing belt, are provided.

The unit length of each roller unit is set to be substantially equal to the length of the pallet 1, and the roller unit is moved on the roller conveyor by a light reflection type detector 52 provided on the conveyor frame 51. The presence / absence of each pallet 1 is detected, and control is performed to drive / stop each roller unit so that the pallets before and after do not collide with each other.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show the payout section 26 and the working section 28, and the delivery line 18 in the payout section 26.
Of the pallet 1 stopped on the rollers 49, 50, the front and rear portions 1c, 1c are directed in the longitudinal direction of the inclined roller conveyor (working line) 54 to the working section 28. Then, a stopper 55 is formed on the conveyor frame 51 so as to face the front portion 1c of the pallet 1 but not to extend upward. Reference numeral 56 denotes pallet 1
A long push body for pushing out the upper cardboard box W in the direction of the inclined roller conveyor 54, and a bracket 59 supporting one longitudinal end of a push body 56 having a cushioning material stretched on the front face is provided below the rollers 49 and 50. To a rodless air cylinder 57 slidably fitted on a guide shaft 58 extending along the longitudinal direction. When the rodless air cylinder 57 is moved to the right in FIG. 17, the pallet 1 is stopped by the stopper 55, so that only the cardboard box W is discharged toward the inclined roller conveyor 54 while leaving the pallet 1.

In the working section 28 connected to the tip of the inclined roller conveyor 54, a swing table 60 for receiving the cardboard box W is provided.
Is pivoted by an actuator 61 such as an air cylinder or the like, and the rocking table 60 is selectively turned into a substantially horizontal position and a position substantially in the same plane as the inclined fixing table 62 with the free end side down. It can be operated by an operator to operate. An article is taken out of the cardboard box W stopped at the lower end stopper 63 of the inclined fixing base 62 and transferred to the working section.

FIGS. 18 and 19 show a stacking device 30 for the pallets 1 at the end of the unloading line 18 at a high position or at the partition of the transport line 29. Upon detection, the front end of the empty pallet 1 is positioned and stopped by the stopper 66 which moves up and down by the electromagnetic solenoid 65. In this case, the left and right side blocks 2 of the pallet 1 are located on both left and right sides in the transport direction of the retrieval line 18 and the like. Frame 6 above it
At 7 is attached a left and right longitudinal support frame 69 to be attached to an air actuator 68 which moves back and forth in the transport direction.

At the left and right ends of the support frame 69, grip frames 71, which are moved forward and backward by air actuators 70, 70, respectively, are provided.
At the both end portions on the inner surface side of each gripping frame 71, tapered gripping portions 72 that engage with the concave sandwiching engagement portions 7 on the outer surfaces of the four blocks 2 of the pallet 1 are provided inwardly. It is. End of delivery line 18 or transfer line 2
The base end of a U-shaped elevating platform 73 that rises and descends at a position adjacent to the end of the partition portion 9 is screwed to a screw rod 75 erected on a frame 74, and a pair of It can be moved in parallel along the guide rails 77,77. Screw rod 75 by step motor 76 that can rotate forward and reverse
Is driven to rotate, and the elevating table 73 repeats the ascending and descending movement of ascending to the pallet 1 receiving position and descending to the standby position. On the upper surface of the elevating table 73, the lower pallet 6 of the four empty blocks 1 of the empty pallet 1 is fixedly provided at a position where the lower surface projections 6 are fitted to the positioning mounting blocks 78 to be fitted. Reference numeral 79 denotes a vertically long guide piece for guiding the edge of the pallets 1 during stacking.

Then, the support frame 69 is positioned on the side of the empty pallet 1 which is detected by the sensor 64 at the end of the unloading line 18 or the end of the separation part of the transport line 29 and stopped at the stopper 66, and The distance between the left and right gripping frames 71, 71 is reduced by the air actuators 70, 70, and the four gripping engagement portions 72 of the left and right gripping frames 71, 71 allow the outer surface of the block 2 of the pallet 1 to be sandwiched at four places. Fit and grab. At this time, FIG.
As shown in (b), the set height of the gripping body 72 in the gripping frame 71 is set to a position slightly higher than the height position of the pallet 1 and, consequently, the height position of the pinch engaging portion 7 in the block 2. Thus, the block 2 is slightly lifted up as the tip of the gripping body 72 enters the pinching engagement portion 7, and can be slightly lifted from the loading roller of the pallet 1, so that when the support frame 69 is subsequently moved horizontally. (While the pallet moves water)
Light force can move smoothly.

Next, after lowering the stopper 66,
The support frame 69 is moved horizontally, transferred to the elevating table 73 at a slightly lowered position, and stopped. Next, when the lifting table 73 is raised by a predetermined height distance (H1), the projections 6 on the lower surface of the four blocks 2 can be fitted and mounted on the four mounting blocks 78 on the upper surface of the lifting table 73. The grip of the pallet 1 is released by increasing the distance between the left and right grip frames 71, 71. The elevator 73 on which the empty pallet 1 is placed is again lowered by the height of the empty pallet 1 in addition to the predetermined distance (H1), and waits, and then waits for the next empty pallet to be horizontally transferred by the support frame 69. The operation is repeated to stack a plurality of empty pallets 1 on the elevating table 73. When the stacking operation of a predetermined number (25 in the embodiment) is completed, the elevator 73 is largely lowered, and below the inner diameter side (space portion) of the U-shaped elevator 73 in a plan view (the side close to the floor). Only the stacked empty pallets are placed on the roller conveyor section 80 on the discharge side arranged in the above.

FIG. 22 shows a separating device 31 for separating the stacked empty pallets 1 one by one. The separating device 31 is located at the end of the transport line 29 just before the loading section 25 of the cardboard box W. A loading roller unit 90 to be mounted, a lifting frame 91 surrounding three sides excluding the entrance side of the loading roller unit 90, and the left and right arms 92, 92 of the lifting frame 91 attached to the stacked empty pallets 1 The scooping means 93, 93 for scooping and supporting the empty pallet in the stacked portion above the lower one empty pallet, and the one empty pallet 1 left on the placing roller unit 90 The discharge means 94 includes an endless chain (not shown) for discharging to a discharge conveyor section 95 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the transfer line 29 extends in a plan view.

The lifting frame 91 is provided on the rear side of the main body frame 9.
6 is slidably supported by a plurality of guide shafts 97 erected at 6 and is positioned between the lifting frame 91 and the body frame 96 by a three-position lifting actuator 98 at three upper and lower height positions. Is configured to be stoppable. Posture (orientation) of stacked empty pallets 1 at 90 places of the loading roller section
Are oriented so that the inclined front and rear portions 1c, 1c of each pallet 1 face flat scooping bodies 99, 99 in the scooping means 93, 93. The pair of scooping bodies 99, 99 are moved by the air actuator 100 of the scooping means 93, 93 between the empty pallet at the lower end of the stacked empty pallets 1 and the empty pallet at the upper position adjacent thereto (the inclined front and rear portions). 1c, 1c).

Then, first, a pair of scooping bodies 99, 9
9 is retracted to a predetermined distance, and the lifting frame 91 is moved to the second position.
Position, and the tips of the pair of scooping bodies 99, 99 are positioned between the lowermost end and the empty pallet 1 at the second height position among the stacked empty pallets 1 that have been introduced into the loading roller unit 90. It is operated so as to face the front and rear portions 1c, 1c between them. Next, the air actuators 100, 100
To move the two scooping bodies 99, 99 forward and to face below the bottom plate 1a of the second empty pallet from the lowermost end. In this state, when the elevating frame 91 is raised to the highest position (third position), only the empty pallet at the lowermost end is placed on the loading roller unit 9.
The empty pallet group that is left behind at a position 0 and is higher than that is supported by a pair of scooping bodies 99, 99 at a high position.

In this state, the discharging means 94, 94
One empty pallet 1 in the placing roller unit 90 is pushed out to the discharge conveyor unit 95. When the discharging operation is completed, when the lifting frame 91 is lowered to the lowest position (first position), the stacked empty pallet group is mounted on the upper surface of the mounting roller unit 90. Next, while the pair of scooping bodies 99, 99 are retracted, the operation of raising the elevating frame 91 to the second position and advancing the pair of scooping bodies 99, 99 to the third position is repeated. Thereby, the empty pallets 1 stacked can be sequentially separated from the lowest empty pallet.

The above-described stacking device and separation device are mainly controlled by sequence control. These controls, the control of the loading and unloading of the cardboard box W with respect to the storage, and the control of the transport of each section line are performed by a central control by a computer. It is managed by a device (not shown). As described above, in a product assembling factory or the like, articles delivered from outside the factory are usually packaged in cardboard boxes, so if they are stored on the pallet of the present invention, stored, transported, There is no need to replace items in containers. Also, compared to the case where the storage / transportation work such as moving only the cardboard box in which the parts are stored on a transfer line such as a roller conveyor is repeated, the bottom of the cardboard box may be damaged, and the inner articles may be damaged. Is gone. Furthermore, even if the width of the cardboard box is too small, the pallets for mounting it are standardized to a fixed size, so that the front and rear longitudinal The pallet can be moved in and out of the support rail.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the pallet is formed in a shallow dish shape and the blocks are fixed to the left and right side plates, the front and rear surfaces of the block are stored in the storage. It can be used at the place where it is pushed and pulled when entering / leaving operations to / from the warehouse. On the upper and lower surfaces of each block, engaging portions for vertically fitting each other when the pallets are vertically stacked are formed so that one is a projection and the other is a recess, so that the position at the time of pallet stacking is formed. The prevention of misalignment is ensured, and the overlapping cumulative height dimension is reduced by the fitting overlapping dimension, so that the bulk can be reduced.

Further, since the outer surface of each block is formed with a concave engaging portion for clamping the pallets from both right and left sides when the pallets are stacked, the pallets can be securely clamped (gripped). In addition, accidents such as inadvertent misalignment of the pallets and falling off during the pallet stacking operation can be eliminated, and the pallet stacking operation can be unmanned. And since the pinching engagement part for pinching (gripping) work of the block is formed in a concave shape, the lateral bulk of the pallet can be reduced. As described above, according to the present invention, there is a remarkable effect that the mounting area of the article can be increased while using a compact pallet as a whole.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pallet.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a pallet.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of a block portion on a side surface of a pallet.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of a main part of a block portion.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway sectional view of a stacked state of the pallets viewed from the front direction.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway side view of the stacked state as viewed from the side of the pallet.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view of the entire storage / transport system.

FIG. 10 is a side view taken along the line XX of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a connection column.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the operation of loading and unloading a pallet to a storage shelf.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the arrow XIII-XIII in FIG.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the transport roller conveyor unit.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 16 is a schematic side view of a payout unit and a working unit.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a main part of the payout unit.

FIG. 18 is a side view of the stacking device.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of the stacking device.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing a gripping operation by the gripper.

21A is a partially cutaway front view showing a positional relationship with the block 2 before being gripped by the gripper 72. FIG.
(B) It is a partially notched front view which shows the positional relationship of a gripping state.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a separation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pallet 1a Bottom plate 1c, 1c Front and rear part 2 Block 3 Screw 4 Nut 5 Concave part 6 Projection part 7 Nipping engagement part 8 Fitting part 10 Storage 11 Inner picker 12 Passage 13, 14 Storage area 15 Storage shelf 17 Storage line 18 Outgoing line 19 Connection column 25 Carry-in part 26 Discharge part 28 Working part 29 Transport line 30 Stacking device 31 Separation device 36 Slide arm 43 Engagement block 44 Engagement claw 55, 66 Stopper 56 Press body 57 Air cylinder 60 Rocking table 61 Actuator 62 Fixed tilting stand 64 Sensor 67 Frame body 68, 70 Air actuator 69 Support frame 71 Grasp frame 72 Grab section 73 Lifting table 78 Mounting block 80 Roller conveyor section 90 Mounting roller section 91 Lift frame 93 Scooping means 94 Ejecting means 95 Discharge Conveyor 98 Lifting Kucheta 99 rake body 100 air actuator

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A shallow dish-shaped pallet for loading and unloading goods in and out of a storage warehouse with articles mounted thereon, and transporting the pallet on a transport conveyor.
Blocks for pushing and pulling contact at the time of entry and exit operations to the storage are fixed, and on the upper and lower surfaces of each block,
When the pallet is stacked,
While one is formed as a protrusion and the other as a recess,
An article storage / transport pallet, characterized in that a sandwiching engaging portion for sandwiching the pallets from both right and left sides when stacking the pallets is formed in the outer surface of each block.