JP3358920B2 - Moving trolley in automated warehouse - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile trolley in an automatic warehouse.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an automatic warehouse in which luggage is put in and taken out of shelves by a mobile trolley, as means for transferring luggage between the mobile trolley and the shelf, on both sides of the mobile trolley sandwiching a load storage portion, A moving frame that moves greatly forward and backward is provided in the shelf, the picker provided on this moving frame is applied to the rear or front surface of the load, and the moving frame is moved forward and backward in that state, so that the load can be pulled out from the shelf to the moving cart. In some cases, luggage on a mobile trolley is pushed into a shelf.

As one example, the applicant of the present invention has disclosed in
In No. 107305, a sprocket rotating around an axis parallel to the traveling direction of the movable trolley is supported at four corners of the front and rear movable frames as viewed from the traveling direction of the movable trolley,
An endless chain is wound around each of the four sprockets in these front and rear moving frames, a rod-shaped picker is mounted on the endless chains of both front and rear moving frames, and the front and rear endless chains are rotated forward and reverse by a motor, and the picker is loaded. By moving as if straddling, position the picker in front of or behind the luggage,
Therefore, we proposed a configuration that allows luggage to be taken in and out of shelves.

[0004]

However, in the prior invention, there is a problem that the efficiency of loading and unloading is poor because the picker is moved around by rotating the endless chain. In addition, since the picker moves over the luggage to the front or back of the luggage, the moving frame must be higher than the luggage, which causes a problem that the device becomes large. there were.

Further, since the loading / unloading device must be manufactured according to the height of the shelf, members cannot be shared when manufacturing an automatic warehouse having a different height of the shelf, and the manufacturing cost increases. It was a problem.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11 , pickers 61 are provided at both left and right ends of a moving frame 60 so as to be capable of being turned inward and downward, and each picker 61 is simultaneously rotated by an endless chain 62. According to this configuration, it is possible to efficiently load and unload the luggage W.

However, in the configuration shown in FIG. 11 , if the load W moves in the shelf 64 or on the movable trolley along the depth direction of the shelf 64, the picker 61 is held by the load W and cannot fall down. There is a problem that there is a possibility that W cannot be taken in and out. An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile trolley that solves these problems of the prior art.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a movable trolley having a luggage storage portion on which luggage can be slid and moved between shelves and shelves on both sides of the luggage storage portion in plan view. And a movable frame that can move forward and backward greatly, and the movable frame is disposed at a position higher than the luggage placing portion so as to be able to move forward and backward within the shelf through the outside of the load in plan view. ing.

At both ends of the moving frame, pickers for pushing and pulling the luggage between the shelf and the luggage placing portion by moving the moving frame forward and backward interfere with the luggage placing portion in plan view. It is provided so as to be horizontally rotatable between a retreating posture that does not take place and a protruding posture that extends across the luggage placing portion. Further, the moving frame includes a driving means for rotating the picker, and a picker rotated to a protruding posture.
Move between the base end of the
To keep the picker in the extended position.
The body is provided.

According to the invention of claim 2, in claim 1,
The picker is formed in a plate shape, and a wide surface thereof hits the front or rear surface of the load.

[0011]

With this configuration, the load can be transferred between the shelf and the moving cart by a very simple operation of moving the moving frame by horizontally rotating the picker by the driving means. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently transfer the luggage between the shelf and the mobile trolley.

Further, since it is not necessary to increase the height of the moving frame in order to mount the picker so as to be horizontally rotatable, it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the apparatus.

In addition, when the picker is horizontally rotated and hits the back or front of the load, the picker approaches the back or front of the load from a direction along the loading / unloading direction. Even if the load is shifted, the load is shifted to an appropriate position by the rotation of the picker, and therefore, it is possible to prevent a defective loading and unloading due to the shift of the load. Also, the picker is in a protruding posture
Between the base and the moving frame
Because the frame is sandwiched, when loading and unloading luggage
Even if a moment acts on the picker, the block
The wedge effect of the picker ensures that the picker returns and pivots.
Indeed it can be prevented.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the contact area between the load and the picker can be increased, there is an advantage that the load can be smoothly and reliably taken in and out.

[0015]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(1) First Embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 9) FIGS. 1 to 9 show a first embodiment, of which FIG. 1 shows the entire automatic warehouse 1. The automatic warehouse 1 has a pair of left and right rails 3 on which a movable cart 2 travels in multiple stages up and down, and stores luggage W in a shelf frame 4 arranged on both left and right sides of each stage rail 3. Shelf 5 is each rail 3
Are provided in a matrix in up, down, left, and right directions in accordance with the height of the object.

A column 6 is erected near one end of a shelf frame 4 located on one side of the traveling path of the movable trolley 2, and a loading / unloading lift 7 is mounted on the column 6 in a vertically movable manner. ing. The luggage W can be replaced on the movable carriage 2 and the lift 7 at each stage. The end of the conveyor 8 is located below the lift 7, and the load W can be reloaded between the lift 7 and the conveyor 8.

The left and right rails 3 are formed in a downward U-shaped section, and are fixed to a machine frame (not shown). The lower surface of the shelf 5 is set at substantially the same height as the upper surface of the rail 3. The front edge of the shelf 5 is close to the rail 3.

Next, the structure of the mobile trolley 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the movable trolley 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the movable trolley 2 includes a main body 9 having a rectangular shape in a plan view that is long along the traveling direction. On both ends, a pair of left and right traveling wheels 10 rolling on the rail 3 is mounted.

An endless belt 13 such as a timing belt is wound around an axle 11 to which a pair of front and rear wheels 10 are connected and a rotating shaft of a traveling motor 12 provided on the main body 9.
Therefore, by rotating the traveling motor 12 forward and reverse,
The mobile trolley 2 can be moved to an arbitrary location on the shelf 5.

The traveling motor 12 and the endless belt 13 are covered with a cover (not shown). A luggage placing portion 9a is provided at a portion of the main body 9 which is biased toward one end along the traveling direction. The luggage placing portion 9a is set at substantially the same height as the upper surface of the rail 3. Therefore, the luggage W via the rail 3
Can be slid between the luggage placing section 9a and each shelf 5.

A fixed guide frame 14 extending along the depth direction of the shelf 5 is fixed to both sides of the main body 9 of the movable trolley 2 across the luggage placing portion 9a. The moving frame 15 is movably mounted. In addition, the second moving frame 1 is added to the first moving frame 15.
6 is movably mounted.

FIG. 3A is a conceptual diagram showing the driving relationship between the two moving frames 15 and 16, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in the specific form of FIG. 3A.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first moving frame 15
Brackets 18 are fixed to both left and right ends (both ends facing in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper), and two upper and lower guide bars 19 and 20 are fixed between the front and rear brackets 18. A fixed bush 21 fitted to the bar 20 is fixed. Therefore, the first moving frame 15
Can be freely moved along the depth direction of the shelf 5 while being supported by the fixed bush.

A first rack 22 extending horizontally is fixed to the outer surface of the first moving frame 15. On the other hand, a first pinion gear 24 is rotatably supported on the side surface of the fixed guide frame 14 via a bracket 23 so as to be freely rotatable, and the first pinion gear 24 is meshed with the second rack 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, sprockets 25 are provided at the lower ends of the rotating shafts of the first pinion gears 24 in the front and rear first moving frames 15, respectively. The first chain 28 around the idle shaft 2
6 and the rotation shaft of the loading / unloading motor 29
Is wrapped around. Therefore, when the carrying-in / out motor 29 is rotated forward and backward, the first moving frames 15 move synchronously in the same direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the fixed guide frame 14 is provided with a roller 31 for supporting the second rack 22 of the first moving frame 15. A movable bush 32 is slidably fitted on the upper guide bar 19 fixed to the first moving frame 15, and the second moving frame 16 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape is fixed on the upper surface of the movable bush 32. ing. Further, the roller 33 provided on the side surface of the movable bush 32 is
It is fitted on a rail 34 fixed to the moving frame 15.

At both left and right ends of the first moving frames 15, sprockets 35 are pivotally supported, and a third chain 36 is wound around the sprockets 35. The third
The lower part of the chain 36 is fixed to a substantially middle part of the fixed guide frame 14 in the left and right direction via a lower spacer 37, and the upper part of the third chain 36 is fixed to the second moving frame 16.
Are fixed to the left and right intermediate portions via an upper spacer 38.

As shown in FIG. 3B, when the first moving frame 15 is moved by the rotation of the first pinion gear 24, the third chain 36 is moved with the position of the lower spacer 38 fixed. To move with 15,
The third chain 36 circulates relatively to the second moving frame 16, and as a result, the upper spacer 38
Is horizontally separated from the lower spacer 37 by twice the moving distance L of the second moving frame 16.

Accordingly, the second moving frame 16 moves twice as long as the moving distance L of the first moving frame 15, thereby allowing the second moving frame 16 to enter the depth of the shelf 5. Can be. Reference numeral 39 in FIG.
From the rotation amount of the first pinion gear 24, the second moving frame 1
6 is an encoder for controlling the amount of advance and retreat.

The left and right lengths of the second moving frame 16 are set to be longer than the maximum depth of the load W. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second moving frame 16
A pair of upper and lower bracket plates 41 are provided at both left and right end portions of
The upper and lower bracket plates 41 are provided with a blade-shaped picker 4.
2 is supported by a vertically extending pin 43 so as to be horizontally rotatable.

The base end 42 a of the picker 41 is bent at an obtuse angle in a plan view.
The picker 42 is urged in a direction to rotate toward the outside of the second moving frame 16.

When no external force is applied to the picker 42, the base end 42 a of the picker 42 abuts the outer plate 16 a of the second moving frame 16, whereby the picker 42 is higher than the inner surface of the second moving frame 16. The retreating posture located outside (that is, both moving frames 1 in plan view)
5 and 16).

A rotary solenoid 45 having a rotor that rotates about a horizontal axis is fixed as an example of a driving means for the picker 42 at a substantially middle position between the left and right of the second moving frame 16.
The second pinion gear 46 is attached to the rotor.

Further, on both sides of the second pinion gear 46, sliders 47 each having an L-shaped cross section are horizontally movably arranged in a vertically divided state. Both sliders 47 are horizontally movably held by guide pins 48 attached to the inner plate 16b of the second moving frame 16. In addition, the second pinion gear 4 is attached to both sliders 47.
A second rack 49 meshing from the upper and lower sides is fixed to 6.

A block 50 is provided on both sliders 47 so as to push the base end 42a of the picker 42.
And fixing a and in the block member 50 against the spring 44 pushes the base end portion of the picker 42, the picker 42 is butt extending in a direction orthogonal both the mobile frame 15 in a plan view
Rotate to the outgoing posture.

The block 50 is in close contact with the outer plate 16a of the second moving frame 16, and as shown in FIG. 8, when the picker 42 is fully turned, the block 50 is moved to the base end of the picker 42. 42a and the outer side plate 16a of the 2nd moving frame 16 will be in the state pinched. The tip surface 50a of the block body 50 is inclined in a plan view so that the picker 42 can be smoothly rotated.

As is clear from the description based on FIGS. 5 to 8, when the second pinion gear 46 is rotated by the rotary solenoid 45, both sliders 47 move in opposite directions, and both pickers 42 Rotate in the direction.

In the above configuration, when taking out the luggage W from the shelf 5, as shown in FIG.
16 is advanced into the shelf 5, the picker 42 is rotated inwardly to the projecting position by driving the rotary solenoid 45, and then the two moving frames 15, 16 are moved.
Should be retracted.

When the load W is to be placed on the shelf 5 from the movable trolley 2, the two movable frames 15, 16 are advanced while the picker 42 is rotated inwardly to the protruding position, and then the two movable frames 15, 16 are moved forward. Should be retracted.

Since the horizontal rotation of the picker 42 can be performed instantaneously, the loading and unloading of the load W can be performed efficiently, and the movable frames 15 and 16 can horizontally rotate the picker 42. Is sufficient, and it is not necessary to increase the overall height of the mobile trolley 2, so that it is possible to avoid an increase in the size of the carrying-in / out device.

Furthermore, since it is not necessary to adjust the height of the moving frames 15 and 16 to the height of the shelf 5, the same moving frames 15 and 16 can be used even if the height of the shelf 5 is different. In manufacturing a plurality of types of automatic warehouses 1, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Also, even if the load W placed on the shelf 5 or the mobile trolley 2 is shifted in the depth direction of the shelf 5, the picker 42
By rotating the luggage, the luggage W can be shifted and moved to an appropriate position, so that the luggage can be reliably taken in and out even if the luggage moves slightly.

When the picker 42 is formed in a plate shape having a large vertical height as in the embodiment, the load W and the picker 42
Therefore, there is an advantage that the load W can be smoothly and surely taken in and out since the contact area with the load can be increased.

[0045] In addition, as in the example, butt the picker 42
When the block body 50 is sandwiched between the base end portion 42a of the picker 42 and the outer plate 16a of the second moving frame 16 in a state of turning inward to the outgoing posture, the Even if a moment acts on the picker 4 due to the wedge action of the block body 50,
There is an advantage that it is possible to reliably prevent the second member 2 from rotating back.

That is, since the direction in which the moment acts and the moving direction of the block body 50 are substantially orthogonal, the return rotation of the picker 42 can be reliably prevented.

(2). Other Embodiments ( FIG. 10 ) In the first embodiment described above, the left and right pickers 42 were simultaneously rotated by one rotary solenoid 45, but FIG. As shown as an example, each picker 42 may be individually rotated by a linear electromagnetic solenoid 52 or the like.

Further, the pickers 42 are not limited to be rotated by being pushed by the block body 50, but each of the pickers 42 is directly rotated by directly connecting the rotating shaft of the pickers 42 to the rotor of the rotary solenoid. May be.

(3) Others In the present invention, the front and rear fixed guide frame 1 in the main body 9 is used.
4 may be configured to be freely adjustable. With such a configuration, there is an advantage that even if the frontage dimensions of the shelf 5 are different, one type of the mobile trolley 2 can cope.

[0050] Also, the present invention is not limited to the type of the cart only travels in the horizontal direction as in the embodiment, the or movable carriage stacker crane type, the present invention can be applied to the lift type mobile carriage .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a movable cart.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a driving mechanism of the moving frame.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

5A is a plan sectional view of a second moving frame, and FIG.
(A) is a sectional view taken along the line BB, and (C) is a sectional view taken along the line CC of (A).

6A is a view in which a substantially right half of the second moving frame in FIG. 5 is cut in VI-VI view, and FIG. 6B is a view in which a substantially left half of the second moving frame in FIG. It is the figure cut | disconnected in VI vision.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view in a state where the picker is turned inward.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the package is taken out.

FIG. 10 is a plan sectional view of a second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W Luggage 1 Automated warehouse 2 Moving cart 3 Rail 5 Shelf 10 Running wheel 15 First moving frame 16 Second moving frame 42 Picker 45 Rotary solenoid 46 Second pinion gear 47 Slider 49 Second rack 50 Block body

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-7-101508 (JP, A) JP-A-6-345214 (JP, A) JP-A-6-171711 (JP, A) 116780 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Hei 1-166619 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application Showa 60-117307 (JP, U) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65G 1/04 555 B65G 1/04 521

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A mobile trolley for loading and unloading luggage to and from a shelf of an automatic warehouse, comprising: a luggage loading portion capable of sliding the luggage between the rack and shelves; A movable frame that can move forward and backward greatly in the shelf, and the movable frame is located at a position higher than the luggage placing portion so as to be able to move forward and backward in the shelf through the outside of the load in plan view. At both ends of the moving frame, pickers for pushing and pulling the luggage between the shelf and the luggage placing section by the reciprocating movement of the moving frame interfere with the luggage placing section in plan view. A retractable attitude and a protruding attitude extending across the luggage placement unit so as to be horizontally rotatable. The moving frame further includes a driving means for rotating the picker. And the picker turned to the protruding posture A proximal end
By moving between the moving frame
And a block that holds the picker in a protruding position.
Its dependent, movable carriage in an automated warehouse. 2. The mobile trolley according to claim 1, wherein the picker is formed in a plate shape, and a wide surface of the picker is adapted to hit a front surface or a rear surface of the load.