JP2882923B2 - Stacker crane fork equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stacker crane installed in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse and, more particularly, to a fork unit of a stacker crane for loading and unloading roll-shaped loads.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse, shelves (rack) for storing various loads are arranged in tandem on both sides of a traveling lane of a stacker crane. Each shelf stores luggage placed on a pallet. For example, when unloading the luggage from these shelves, the stacker crane installed in the traveling lane is run, the carriage is raised and lowered to stop the lifting carriage at a desired shelf position, and the fork device mounted on the carriage is operated. To extend the fork below the pallet. Then lift the carriage slightly and scoop up the luggage in the shelf with the pallet by the extended fork, operate the fork device again to contract the fork, and store the luggage in the shelf together with the pallet in the elevating carriage and, by traveling stacker crane is performed unloading luggage with lowering the lifting carriage by lifting device.

[0003]

However, when the luggage to be moved into and out of the automatic three-dimensional warehouse is in the form of a roll, depending on the size of the hole diameter of the roll-like luggage, the hole positions of the roll luggage of various sizes, and the like. A conventional fork device cannot smoothly enter and exit the warehouse, and a fork device having some new configuration has been desired. Further, in a stacker crane equipped with a conventional fork device, the lateral width of the lifting carriage is widened, and the lane width in the automatic three-dimensional warehouse must be naturally widened.

[0004] Further, even if the above-mentioned roll-shaped luggage is placed on a pallet, fixed with a stopper or the like, and stored (or carried out) in an automatic three-dimensional warehouse, the relationship between the pallet thickness and fork insertion margin, etc. Therefore, there is a problem that the use ratio of a predetermined space in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse becomes low. In addition, during handling, it takes time and effort to replace the luggage on the pallet, which increases the handling time and increases the work cost.

The present invention has been developed in view of the above points, and its object is to carry rolled luggage to a shelf (rack) in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse without using pallets. -A stacker crane fork device that enables smooth carrying out, reduces the width of the stacker crane installation lane, and makes the installation space of the three-dimensional automatic warehouse more compact without reducing the storage capacity. To provide.

[0006]

The present invention has the following configuration in order to effectively achieve the above object. That is, the vehicle can travel in the front-rear direction by the traveling device,
And a carriage on which a fork device is mounted is moved by an elevating device.
Luggage can be moved up and down, and in a desired shelf in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse.
Can be carried in by a fork device, and luggage can be
Stacker that can be carried out by fork device
In the crane, the turning means is provided at the lower part of the carriage.
And a revolving frame is provided on the revolving means,
In addition, racks are installed at upper and lower positions
Inside the revolving frame, on both sides of the upper and lower racks.
A plurality of teeth each meshing with each other and synchronously rotated by the driving means
Pinion gears are provided above and below the main body, and
Ram fork protruding horizontally from the fork
And the upper and lower racks are driven by the drive unit.
The synchronous rotation of the pinion gear meshing with the
Oak is moved up and down through upper and lower pinion gears
Supported along the upper and lower racks
And the ram fork can be connected to the revolving frame by the revolving means.
The feature is that both can be turned inside the carriage
It is a configuration to do.

[0007]

According to the above construction, when this stacker crane is installed and used in a predetermined lane in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse,
First, the stacker crane is moved by the traveling device, and the carriage is moved up (or down) by the elevating device. The traveling / elevation is stopped so that the carriage is located at the desired shelf position. A plurality of pinion gears provided on the ram fork are synchronously rotated by driving means of the ram fork, and are rotated while meshing with racks provided above and below the revolving frame body. It moves (forwards) to the shelf that stores the luggage to be carried out inside the body. The fork of this ram fork
The ram fork is inserted into the center hole of the rolled luggage placed on the shelf, and stops moving when the ram fork reaches a predetermined position.
Next, the elevator is operated to slightly raise the carriage to stop the carriage, and the roll-shaped load on the shelf is lifted while being hooked by the fork portion of the ram fork. Then, the ram fork is moved (reversed) into the turning frame again by the driving means of the ram fork, and the roll-shaped luggage is stored in the turning frame together with the ram fork.

[0008] When the roll-shaped luggage stored in the carriage as described above is to be carried out of the three-dimensional automatic warehouse, the traveling device and the lifting / lowering device of the stacker crane are operated to move the stacker crane to the home position and to move the stacker crane together with the ram fork. The lifting carriage loaded with the rolled luggage is lowered to the lower stage of the stacker crane.
At the home position, as described above, the ram fork is moved (advanced) to the loading / unloading truck or the loading / unloading truck arranged adjacent to the home position, and the carriage is lowered at a predetermined position to move the above-mentioned loading / unloading truck (or Place the rolled luggage on the loading / unloading table). After that, the empty ram fork is moved (reversed) and stored in the revolving frame inside the carriage, and the stacker crane waits at the home position until the next loading / unloading instruction is issued.

In addition, when loading and unloading luggage with the fork portion of the ram fork facing one shelf across the stacker crane traveling lane facing the other shelf, the rotating frame is used by the rotating means. I turn my body 180 degrees
The tip of the fork of the ram fork faces the other shelf. After doing so, the ram fork is moved (advanced) toward the shelf by the driving means as described above. Then, when the fork portion of the ram fork reaches a predetermined position on the shelf, the movement of the ram fork is stopped. Next, the elevating device is operated to elevate and stop the elevating carriage, and the roll-shaped luggage on the shelf is scooped up by the fork portion, and the ram fork is moved (retracted) again and stored in the turning frame. By rotating the revolving frame by the revolving means in this way, the direction of the ram fork can be arbitrarily changed in the carriage.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 is a stacker crane according to one embodiment of the present invention, which includes a lower saddle 3 provided with a traveling device 2;
Posts 4a, 4 erected near the front and rear of the lower saddle 3.
and b, the post 4a, an upper saddle 5 provided on the top of 4b, a key Yarijji 7 equipped with a fork device 6, this
A lifting device 8 for raising and lowering the key Yarijji 7, is constituted by a control and power panel 9, and other accessories. The stacker crane 1 is installed between a group of shelves B arranged in a cascaded manner in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse A.

An upper rail 10a and a lower rail 10b are provided on the stacker crane traveling lane C between the shelf groups B so as to face the vertical position in the column direction. Wheels 11a and 11b pivotally connected to the lower saddle 3 of the stacker crane 1 and four lower guide rollers 12 are rotatably engaged with the upper rail 10a. The one wheel 11b is connected to a traveling device 2 including a traveling motor 13, a speed reducer 14, and the like, and driven by the traveling device 2, the wheels 11a, 11b are driven.
Through the lower rail 10b.

On the upper upper saddle 5, four upper guide rollers 15 are rotatably pivoted so as to sandwich the upper rail 10a. Are supported by the upper rail 10a. The carriage 7 described above is disposed between the post 4a and the post 4b, and is suspended from the lifting device 8 via a wire rope 16. The elevating device 8 includes an elevating motor 17, an elevating drum 18, and a speed reducer 19 provided on one post 4a side. The wire rope 16 is wound around the elevating drum 18, is rewound, and moves the carriage 7 up and down. .

[0013] key Yarijji 7 This is is provided with a fork 6 and the turning means is an essential part of the present invention. Specifically
To explain, a turning means is provided at a lower part in the carriage 7.
This turning means is turned to a lower part in the carriage 7.
The bearing 20 is No設, the teeth 22 and threaded into a rotatable inner ring portion 21 of the swing bearing 20, is meshed with the small gear 25 provided on the rotary shaft 24 of the turning drive motor 23, a further
A configuration which is adapted to rotate the inner ring portion 21 through the pinion 25 by driving the turning drive motor 23 to.

The turning frame 26 is mounted on the turning bearing 20 so as to rotate integrally with the inner ring 21. Pivot frame 26 is in the shape as shown
There, La to confront to the upper and lower positions of the central click 27a, 2
7b is provided. On the upper and lower racks 27a and 27b, a horizontal T-shaped ram fork 28 is provided so as to be horizontally movable.

[0015] That is, the ram fork 28, the lower portion of the main body portion 28b projecting from the one horizontal direction fork portion 28a, as four small wheels 31 roll over the bottom inner surface of the pivoting frame 26 It is provided. On the back surface 28c of the ram fork 28, two rotating shafts 29a and 29b are pivotally supported in the vertical direction at an interval slightly wider than the width of the racks 27a and 27b. Near the upper and lower ends of the two rotating shafts 29a and 29b, pinion gears 30 meshing with the racks 27a and 27b, respectively, are fitted.

Further, side rollers 32a and 32b are rotatably fitted to the upper and lower ends of the two rotating shafts 29a and 29b, respectively. When the fork 28 moves, both sides of the racks 27a and 27b roll. Ram fork 2
8 is the above-mentioned four pinion gears 30 and small wheels 31,
Eight side rollers 32 a, 32 b, and 33 are supported in the revolving frame 26 so as to be horizontally movable.

Furthermore the both pivot shafts 29a, the 29 b, the gear 34a for respectively meshing, 34b is Yes and fitted, gear 34a which is fitted on one of the pivot shaft 29a is a rear portion of the ram fork 28 in engagement gear 37 and the teeth fitted to the rotation shaft 36 of the fork motor 35 which is attached to the 28 c. When the fork motor 35 is driven, the rotating shafts 29a and 29b are rotated synchronously by the gears 34a and 34b via the gear 37.

[0018] then placed stacker crane 1 in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse with fork device 6 configured as described above,
A case in which the stacker crane 1 unloads a roll-shaped luggage stored in a desired shelf b will be described. First, the stacker crane 1 is operated from the home position where the stacker crane 1 is stopped or an arbitrary position on the lane by a control signal to operate the traveling device 2 to travel in a desired direction, and the carriage 7 is moved up (or down) by the elevating device 8. The carriage 7 is stopped at a predetermined position on a desired shelf b of the shelf group B arranged in cascade.

[0019] The next fork motor 3 of the ram fork 28
5 is driven to synchronously rotate the two rotating shafts 29a and 29b via the gear 37, the gear 34a and the gear 34b. By the rotation of the two rotation shafts 29a and 29b, the two rotation shafts 29a and 29b are rotated.
a, each pinion gear 3 fitted near the upper and lower ends of 29b
0 is a rack 27a provided at the top and bottom in the revolving frame 26, 2
7b is sequentially engaged. As a result, the ram fork 28 moves inside the revolving frame 26, and moves (forwards) the fork portion 28a to the desired shelf b side. Then, the fork portion 28a is inserted into the center hole of the roll-shaped luggage stored in the shelf b, and when the fork portion 28a reaches a predetermined position, the movement (forward movement) of the ram fork 28 is stopped. .

[0020] The next actuates the lifting device 8 carriage 7
Is slightly lifted and stopped, and the roll-shaped luggage on the shelf b is lifted so as to be hooked by the fork portion 28a. Then, the fork motor 35 of the ram fork 28 is again driven in reverse to rotate the two rotating shafts 29a and 29b in a synchronous and reverse manner, and the ram fork 28 is moved with the roll-shaped luggage mounted on the fork 28a (reverse movement). ), And the roll-shaped luggage is stored in the revolving frame 26 together with the ram fork 28.

In this manner, the revolving frame 2 of the carriage 7
The roll-shaped package stored in 6 is carried out of the warehouse. That is, the traveling device 2 and the lifting / lowering device 8 of the stacker crane 1 are operated to cause the stacker crane 1 to travel to the home position, and the carriage 7 loaded with roll-shaped luggage is lowered to the lower stage of the stacker crane 1. At the home position, the ram fork 28 is again moved (forward) toward the carry-out carriage (not shown) or the carry-out platform as described above, and the carriage 7 is lowered at a predetermined position to roll the ram fork 28 onto the carry-in or carry-out carriage. Place your luggage. Thereafter, the empty ram fork 28 is moved (reversed) to be stored in the revolving frame 26 in the carriage 7, and the stacker crane 1 is kept at the home position until a next loading / unloading command is issued.

In the case where the rolled luggage stored in one shelf b is stored, for example, in the opposite shelf b via the stacker crane 1 with the lane where the stacker crane 1 is installed interposed. First, in the same manner as described above, the roll-shaped luggage stored in one shelf b is stored in the revolving frame 26 of the carriage 7 by the ram fork 28.

[0023] then allowed to drive the swivel drive motor 23, rotates the inner ring portion 21 of the swing bearing 20 via the pinion 25, the turning frame to the inner ring portion 21 and rotated integrally 2
6 is turned 180 °. As a result, the orientation of the ram fork 28 in the carriage 7 together with the turning frame 26
After turning by 80 °, the tip of the fork portion 28a of the ram fork 28 faces the other shelf b.

[0024] After this manner, again lamb fork 2
8, two rotating shafts 29a, 29b
The ram fork 28 moves (forwards) together with the loaded roll-shaped luggage toward the shelf b due to the rotational movement of the pinion gear 30 and the mesh movement with the racks 27a and 27b. When the fork portion 28a of the ram fork 28 reaches a predetermined position on the shelf b, the movement (forward) of the ram fork 28 is stopped. Next, the elevating device 8 is operated to lower the carriage 7 slightly and stop, and the roll-shaped luggage is placed on the shelf b.
Is moved (retracted) and housed in the revolving frame 26 of the carriage 7. After that, the stacker crane 1 is made to wait at that position until the next entry / exit command is issued. The control of the traveling / elevation of the stacker crane 1, the forward / backward movement of the ram fork 28, the turning of the revolving frame, and the like are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes are possible.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, by moving the stacker crane up and down and operating the ram fork mounted on the carriage, the stacker crane can be moved to or from a desired shelf in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse. Luggage can be easily and smoothly loaded and unloaded. In addition, the ram fork is designed to be able to move forward and backward through the revolving frame provided in the carriage by means of racks and pinion gears. It can be stored in the frame. Further, the carriage is provided with a turning means, and by operating the turning means, the ram fork can be rotated 180 ° together with the turning frame body. The roll-shaped luggage can be easily carried in and out of the shelves in the group of shelves on the opposite side. Further, in the stacker crane having the fork device according to the present invention, the ram fork is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward in the carriage as described above. The width of the crane carriage can be reduced. This makes it possible to make the width of the traveling lane of the stacker crane narrower, and to make more efficient use of the space of the automatic three-dimensional warehouse. Further, since there is no need to use a pallet, the thickness of the pallet and the margin for inserting a fork are not required, and the storage amount of luggage increases, so that the space efficiency in the warehouse can be increased. Further, at the time of handling, there is no need to reload luggage on the pallet, so that cost can be reduced by shortening the dring time and the like.
Further, in the present invention, since the turning center is located at the center of the carriage, it is possible to turn substantially at the position of the center of gravity of the turning frame, and the influence of the inertial force can be suppressed as much as possible.
This can increase the turning speed and reduce the cycle time of loading and unloading of luggage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stacker crane according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified front view of a stacker crane of a three-dimensional automatic warehouse viewed from a traveling lane;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a main part of a fork device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a fork device according to the present invention,

FIG. 5 is a side view of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Stacker crane, 2 ... Traveling device, 6 ... Fork device, 7 ... Carriage, 8 ... Elevating device, 20 ... Slewing bearing (slewing means) , 21 ... Inside Ring part (turning means), 22: teeth (turning means), 23: turning drive motor (turning means), 24: rotating shaft (turning means), 25: small gear (turning means) , 26: revolving frame body, 27a: rack, 27b: rack, 28: ram fork, 28a: fork part, 28b: body part, 30: pinion gear,

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shunji Kishimoto 2-3-2 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Kawasaki Steel Corporation Tokyo Head Office (72) Inventor Akiya Maeda 3-5-26-1 Himejima, Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka-shi No. Okumura Kikai Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Katsuaki Murakami 3-5-26 Himejima, Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka City Okumura Kikai Seisakusho Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-1-110405 (JP, A) JP-A-4-333403 (JP, A) JP-A-61-41111 (JP, U) JP-A-4-121907 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B65G 1 / 00-1/20 B66F 9 / 07,9 / 14,9 / 18

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] The vehicle can travel in the front-rear direction by a traveling device ,
In addition, the carriage on which the fork device is mounted can be moved up and down by the elevating device , and the luggage can be stored in a desired shelf in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse.
A can carry by off forks equipment and luggage from or within the shelf
In a stacker crane which can be carried out by a fork device , a turning means is provided below the carriage, a turning frame is provided on the turning means, and a rack is provided at a vertically opposed position in the turning frame. And this revolving frame
A plurality of pinion gears meshing with both sides of each of the upper and lower racks and synchronously rotated by the driving means in the main body
Above and below the main body, and
Provided the ram fork formed by projecting over wards, the driving of the driving means, the ram fork by synchronizing rotation of the pinion Gya meshing above and below each rack,
Supported by upper and lower racks via upper and lower pinion gears
Can move along the upper and lower racks inside the turning frame , and
Fork apparatus stacker crane, characterized in that to be able to pivot in a carriage with pivot frame the ram fork by swivel means.