JP4027765B2 - Loading and unloading method in a three-dimensional automated warehouse - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a loading / unloading method in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse in which loads are loaded into and removed from a desired position by a stacker crane on a multi-stage, multi-row shelf board, and more particularly to improve load storage efficiency and to allow loading / unloading quickly. It relates to means.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a method for loading and unloading goods in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse, there are a method for loading and unloading with a fork provided on a lifting platform, and a method for loading and unloading by forward / reverse rotation of a side belt provided on a shelf board or advance and retreat of an arm.
The method of moving in and out with a fork has a limit on speeding up and down because it requires reciprocating motion of the fork, and it is difficult to speed up and down because it is easy to hurt loads that do not have rigidity such as cardboard. In addition, the method of taking in and out with the side belts and arms requires equipment to be installed on both sides of the position where the load on the shelf board is stored, so that there is a problem that the clearance between the loads becomes large and the storage efficiency deteriorates.
On the other hand, when transferring a load to a shelf or other conveyor, the load acting on the mounting surface is not necessarily uniform because the bottom surface of the cardboard load is slightly deformed. Depending on the frictional force difference due to the equilibrium, the transfer direction is disturbed, and depending on the contents of the load, it may be difficult to transfer straight.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve these conventional problems, improve the load storage efficiency and perform quick loading and unloading, while maintaining a balance between loads with uneven grounding and unbalanced weight. It is intended to provide a method for loading and unloading goods in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse that enables direct entry / exit.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The configuration of the present invention that solves this problem is as follows.
1) Multiple loads are stored on a 1-span shelf in a multi-stage, multi-row warehouse, a movable platform that can be moved back and forth on the lifting platform of the stacker crane, and a conveyor on the movable platform. Auxiliary conveyors are provided at the left and right ends of the conveyor to assist in transferring the load. The auxiliary conveyor can be tilted back and forth around the width center of the conveyor so that the load on the conveyor surface is uneven. Even in the case of heavy loads, the load can be uniformly applied to the transfer surface to prevent bending in the transfer direction of the load, and the load is transferred and stored on a predetermined shelf with a stacker crane. It is a loading and unloading method in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse to be taken in by the stacker crane,
When storing the load, the stacker crane travels and moves up and down to transport the load so that the transport surface of the auxiliary conveyor is at a slightly higher position than the mounting surface of the shelf to be stored. The conveyor and auxiliary conveyor are slid close to the shelf, and the conveyor and auxiliary conveyor are driven to transfer the load so that a part of its lower surface is exposed from the shelf to the stacker crane side. Store the load by loading the conveyor and auxiliary conveyor to the original position by driving the movable base while lowering the conveyor transport surface to a position slightly lower than the shelf mounting surface, and taking in the load. When the stacker crane runs and moves up and down, the lifting platform is moved so that the transport surface of the auxiliary conveyor is slightly lower than the loading surface of the shelf to be taken in and stopped, and the movable platform is driven. Slide the conveyor and auxiliary conveyor so that the conveying surface of the auxiliary conveyor reaches the position below the exposed surface of the load, and move the lifting platform to a position where the conveying surface of the auxiliary conveyor is slightly higher than the loading surface of the shelf The transport conveyor and auxiliary conveyor are driven while being moved up, the load is transferred to the stacker crane side, the movable platform is driven, and the transport conveyor and auxiliary conveyor are returned to their original positions to take in the load. Load loading / unloading method in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse 2) Store the load on the shelf so that the lower surface of the load protrudes from the top of the shelf toward the stacker crane, and the lower surface of the load extends from the shelf to the stacker crane. The loading and unloading method in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse described in 1), which is exposed to the side 3) A notch that is wider than the auxiliary conveyor at the tip of the stacker crane side of the shelf The loading and unloading method in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse described in 1) above, in which the load is stored on the shelf so that a part of the lower surface of the load is exposed in the notch 4) At the front end excluding the notch on the shelf The loading / unloading method in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse according to any one of 1) to 3), wherein a locking portion for preventing the falling of the load is provided and the auxiliary conveyor is loaded and unloaded at a height higher than the locking portion. is there.
[0005]
[Action]
According to the present invention, since the reciprocating amount of the load is not required as in the fork, the loading and unloading is performed quickly, and the load of the shelf board is stored as in the method of loading and unloading with a side belt or an arm. Since it is not necessary to install equipment on both sides of the rack, the gap between the loads stored on the shelf board can be made as narrow as possible to improve the storage efficiency.
In addition, even if load contact unevenness and weight imbalance occur, the transfer surface of the auxiliary conveyor tilts in the width direction of the transfer conveyor so that the large load sinks and the small load floats. The load is transferred in a straight line without significantly bending the load transfer direction.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As a form of storing the load of the present invention on the shelf board, the load is stored so that a part of the bottom surface of the load protrudes from the front end (stacker crane side) of the shelf board, and the shelf is loaded at the front end of the storage position. There is a form to store so that a part excluding the corner of the bottom of the load is exposed in the notch, and the bottom of the load opened or exposed downward by the auxiliary conveyor when taking in A method is adopted in which a part is lifted to incline the load, and then the auxiliary conveyor is driven and taken in.
The transport conveyor and the auxiliary conveyor are provided on a lifting platform that moves up and down along the mast of the stacker crane via a movable platform that can be moved back and forth, and a mechanism that can transport the load to the nearest shelf is used. Two small auxiliary conveyors are attached to the front end of the transport conveyor so that the transport surface can be twisted in the direction of the front end, and the load that is unevenly grounded and unbalanced in weight is transferred in a straight line while maintaining balance. Let
In the method of providing a notch portion at the front end of the shelf board, it is desirable that the latching portion protrudes upward at the front end excluding the notch portion of the shelf board so that the falling of the load can be prevented. Loading is taken in and out with the conveying surface at a height higher than the locking portion.
The present invention can be applied to loads such as containers, pallets, and buckets, but is a technique particularly suitable for cardboard loads.
Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.
[0007]
【Example】
Example 1 (see FIGS. 1 to 7)
Example 1 shown in FIGS. 1-7 is an example of the form stored so that the bottom face part of a load might protrude from the front end of a shelf board.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a stacker crane and a shelf board according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lifting platform according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the auxiliary conveyor according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a transport conveyor and an auxiliary conveyor according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a load storing process on the shelf board according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a load taking-in process from the shelf board according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the auxiliary conveyor according to the first embodiment.
[0008]
In the figure, 1 is a lifting frame, 1a is a frame constituting the lifting frame, 1b is a rail, 1c is a motor that drives the movable table in the forward and backward direction, 1d is a gear that meshes with a shelf plate of the conveyor, and 2 is a conveyor 2a is a movable base that slides on the rail, 2b is a rack that meshes with the gear of the motor and transmits driving force, 2c is a motor that drives the conveyor, 2d is a roller, 2e is a conveyor belt, 2f is a chain, 3 is an auxiliary conveyor, 3a is a drive belt pulley, 3b is a belt pulley, 3c is a conveyor belt, 3d is a drive shaft that links the drive belt pulleys and interlocks with the drive of the conveyor, and 3f is a link between the belt pulleys. Rotating shaft to be interlocked, 3g is a holding arm that pivotally supports the center of the rotating shaft so that each belt pulley can tilt relative to the front-rear direction, 4 is a mast, 5 is a stud Trajectory of cranes, 6 shelves, C is the stacker crane, n represents a load.
[0009]
In the first embodiment, at the time of storage, the load n carried into the three-dimensional warehouse is placed on the transport conveyor 2 of the stacker crane C, and then the load n is determined by operating the stacker crane C with a management computer (not shown). 5 to the position of the shelf plate 6, and as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the transport conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are raised to a position H slightly higher than the placement surface of the shelf plate 6, and the movable base 2 a is driven. The conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are slid to the shelf 6.
[0010]
Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are respectively driven to transfer the load n to the shelf 6 and the front of the load n is landed on the shelf 6 and enters in an inclined state. To do. At this time, since the bottom surface of the load n is separated from the shelf 6, the load acts in a dotted manner, the frictional force with the surface of the shelf 6 is not increased and is smoothly transferred, and the load n 7, the bottom surface of the load n pushes down the belt pulley 3b on the large load side and the other belt pulley 3b on the small load side is loaded on the load n as shown in FIG. When the bottom surface is pushed up relatively, the frictional force on the large load side decreases, while the frictional force on the small load side increases, and the load acts evenly. Transferred straight.
[0011]
Then, as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, when the bottom surface part of the front end side of the shelf 6 of the load n comes to a position protruding from the shelf 6, the driving of the transport conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 is stopped. Then, the elevator base 1 is lowered and slid to the original position by the movable base 2a, so that a part of the bottom surface of the load n is placed at the position ΔL protruding from the front end of the shelf board 6 and the storage is completed.
[0012]
At the time of taking-in, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the movable base 2a is driven, and the conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are slid to a position slightly lower than the shelf 6 to the lower side of the bottom surface of the load n. As shown in (b), the lifting platform 1 is raised, the protruding bottom surface of the load n is lifted by the auxiliary conveyor 3, and the rising is stopped in an inclined state separated from the shelf surface 6 except for a part of the bottom surface of the load n. .
[0013]
Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), the conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are respectively driven to transfer the load n to the stacker crane C side, and the load n and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are fed by the force of friction between the load n and the auxiliary conveyor 3. n advances out of the shelf 6 in an inclined state. At this time, when the heavy object is disposed in the load n in the same manner as in the storage, the bottom surface of the load n pushes down the belt pulley 3b on the large load side and the other belt on the small load side. The pulley 3b pushes up the bottom surface of the load n relatively, and the friction force on the large load side decreases while the friction force on the small load side increases, and the load acts evenly, and the balance is maintained in a state of a certain inclination angle. It is held and the load is transferred almost linearly.
[0014]
Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (d), the load n is completely taken away from the shelf 6 and transferred onto the transport conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3, and the stacker crane C is operated by a management computer (not shown). It is transported to the loading / unloading position and discharged from the three-dimensional warehouse.
[0015]
In Example 1, since it comprised in this way, the reciprocating motion amount for the approximate depth dimension of a load was not required like a fork, and the loading / unloading was able to be performed rapidly. In addition, it is not necessary to install equipment on both sides of the position where the load on the shelf is stored as in the case of taking in and out with the side belt or arm, and the gap between the loads stored on the shelf can be stored as narrow as possible. Increased efficiency. Furthermore, since the auxiliary conveyor maintains the balance while correcting the load difference between the unbalanced ground and the unbalanced load by relative tilting, the transfer can be smoothly taken in and out without bending the transfer direction.
[0016]
Example 2 (see FIGS. 8 to 11)
The second embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 has a configuration in which a notch portion is provided at the front end of the storage position of the load on the shelf, and the cutout portion is stored so that a part other than the corner portion of the bottom surface of the load is exposed. It is an example.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a stacker crane and a shelf board according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the inside of the stacker crane and shelf according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a load storing process on the shelf board according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a load taking-in process from the shelf board according to the second embodiment.
In the figure, reference numeral 6a denotes a notch formed to have a wider width X than the width Y of the auxiliary conveyor as shown in FIG.
[0017]
In Example 2, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are lifted to a position H slightly higher than the shelf 6 by the lifting platform 1, and then the movable platform 2a is driven to convey the conveyor 2 Then, the auxiliary conveyor 3 is slid above the notch 6a of the shelf 6 and the conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are driven as shown in FIG. The front of n reaches the shelf 6 and enters in an inclined state.
[0018]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 10 (c) and 10 (d), when the entire bottom surface of the shelf 6 of the load n arrives at the surface of the shelf 6, the driving of the transport conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 is stopped and the lifting platform 1 is moved. By returning to the original position while being lowered, a part of the bottom surface excluding the corner portion of the load n is placed in a state of being exposed from the notch portion 6a of the shelf board 6, and the storage is completed.
[0019]
At the time of taking-in, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the movable platform 2a is driven, and the conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are stored in the notch 6a of the shelf 6 at a position slightly lower than the shelf 6. The bottom of the load n is slid to the lower side of the exposed bottom of the load n, and the elevator base 1 is lifted as shown in FIG. The ascent is stopped in an inclined state away from the surface.
[0020]
Next, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), the transport conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3 are respectively driven to transfer the load n to the stacker crane C side, and then the load n is fed by the force of friction between the load n and the auxiliary conveyor 3. Is moved out of the shelf 6 in an inclined state, and the load n is completely separated from the shelf 6 as shown in FIG. 11 (d) and transferred onto the conveyor 2 and the auxiliary conveyor 3.
[0021]
Since the second embodiment is configured as described above, the corners of the load are all positioned on the shelf surface to support the load, and the load can be stored and managed more stably than in the first embodiment. Do not put a burden. Other reference numerals, configurations, and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since a reciprocating motion amount corresponding to the approximate depth dimension of the load is not required as in the case of the conventional fork, the loading and unloading can be performed quickly, and the shelf can be loaded and unloaded by a side belt or an arm. Since it is not necessary to install equipment on both sides of the position where the board load is stored, the gap between the loads stored on the shelf board is made as narrow as possible to improve the storage efficiency, and the efficient and efficient operation of the three-dimensional automatic warehouse Can contribute.
In addition, since the auxiliary conveyor maintains the balance while correcting the load difference of the load with uneven grounding and unbalanced weight by tilting, it can be smoothly put in and out without bending the transfer direction.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a stacker crane and a shelf board according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lifting platform according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an auxiliary conveyor according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a transport conveyor and an auxiliary conveyor according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a load storing process on a shelf board according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a load taking-in process from a shelf board according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the auxiliary conveyor according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a stacker crane and a shelf board according to the second embodiment.
9 is a partially enlarged plan view of a stacker crane and a shelf board according to Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a load storing process on a shelf board according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a load taking-in process from a shelf board according to a second embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lift stand 1a Frame 1b Rail 1c Motor 1d Gear 2 Conveyor 2a Movable base 2b Rack 2c Motor 3 Auxiliary conveyor 3a Drive belt pulley 3b Belt pulley 3c Conveyor belt 3d Drive shaft 3f Rotating shaft 3g Holding arm 4 Mast 5 Track 6 Shelf plate 6a Notch C Stacker crane n Load

Claims (4)

Multiple loads are stored on a 1-span shelf in a multi-tiered multi-storey warehouse, a movable base that can be moved back and forth on the lifting rack of the stacker crane, and a conveyor on the movable base. Auxiliary conveyors are provided at the left and right ends of the conveyor to assist load transfer, and the auxiliary conveyor can tilt forward and backward around the width center of the conveyor so that the load on the transfer surface is uneven before and after the load. In this case, the load is uniformly applied to the transfer surface to prevent the load from being bent in the transfer direction, and the load is transferred and stored on a predetermined shelf board with a stacker crane, and the stored load is stored in the stacker. It is a method of loading and unloading in a three-dimensional automatic warehouse that takes in with a crane,
When storing the load, the stacker crane travels and moves up and down to transport the load so that the transport surface of the auxiliary conveyor is at a slightly higher position than the mounting surface of the shelf to be stored. The conveyor and auxiliary conveyor are slid close to the shelf, and the conveyor and auxiliary conveyor are driven to transfer the load so that a part of its lower surface is exposed from the shelf to the stacker crane side. Store the load by loading the conveyor and auxiliary conveyor to the original position by driving the movable base while lowering the conveyor transport surface to a position slightly lower than the shelf mounting surface, and taking in the load. When the stacker crane runs and moves up and down, the lifting platform is moved so that the transport surface of the auxiliary conveyor is slightly lower than the loading surface of the shelf to be taken in and stopped, and the movable platform is driven. Slide the conveyor and auxiliary conveyor so that the conveying surface of the auxiliary conveyor reaches the lower position of the exposed surface of the load, and the lifting platform is positioned slightly higher than the loading surface of the shelf The transport conveyor and auxiliary conveyor are driven while being moved up, the load is transferred to the stacker crane side, the movable platform is driven, and the transport conveyor and auxiliary conveyor are returned to their original positions to take in the load. Loading and unloading methods in a three-dimensional automated warehouse. The load is stored in the shelf so that a part of the lower surface of the load protrudes from the front end of the shelf to the stacker crane side, and a part of the lower surface of the load is exposed from the shelf to the stacker crane side. The loading / unloading method in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse described in 1. The three-dimensional automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein a notch portion wider than the auxiliary conveyor is provided at the tip of the stacker crane side of the shelf, and the load is stored on the shelf so that a part of the lower surface of the load is exposed in the notch. How to load and unload items. The locking part which prevents a fall of a load is provided in the front end except the notch part of a shelf board, and the auxiliary | assistant conveyor is taken in and out at the height more than the said locking part. Loading and unloading methods in a three-dimensional automated warehouse.

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