JP6187375B2 - Goods transport equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes an article storage shelf in which storage units for storing articles are arranged in a plurality of stages and a plurality of rows, an article transport apparatus that transports articles, and a control device that controls the operation of the article transport apparatus. The article conveying device is supported so as to be movable up and down along the vertical direction on the traveling carriage and to transfer the article between the storage unit and itself. A driving device that travels and moves the traveling cart along the traveling direction; and a lifting drive unit that moves the transfer device up and down along the vertical direction with respect to the traveling cart. The control device stops the traveling carriage at a target travel stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred and stops the transfer device at a target lifting stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred. Therefore, the traveling drive unit and the elevation Movement control for controlling the operation of the drive unit, and transferring an article from the storage unit to the storage unit to be transferred and storing the article in the storage unit to be transferred, or from the storage unit to be transferred The present invention relates to an article transfer facility that performs transfer control for controlling the operation of the transfer device to transfer an article to the storage unit to be transferred and to take out the article from the storage unit to be transferred.

Conventional examples of such article transport facilities are described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-263358 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-006956 (Patent Document 2).
In the article conveying facilities of these Patent Documents 1 and 2, a plurality of detected objects are installed along the traveling direction, and the detected object detecting device for detecting the detected object and the position of the traveling carriage are detected in the article conveying apparatus. And a travel position detecting device for stopping the travel cart at the target travel stop position based on the detection information of these detection devices and the detection information of the travel position detecting device.

In addition, in the article conveying facility of Patent Document 1, a reflector installed on the floor surface corresponding to the row of the storage unit along the traveling direction is provided as a detected object. A detected object detection device (detection sensor 26) for detecting and a travel position detection device (vehicle body side rotary encoder 22) for detecting the travel position of the travel cart are provided.
Then, the target travel stop position (row stop position) for each row of the storage unit is learned in advance based on the detection information of the detected body detection device, and for each row of the storage portion based on the detection information of the travel position detection device. It is set for each column of the storage unit based on the detection information of the detected object detection device and the detection information of the travel position detection device, such as stopping at the target travel stop position (row stop position) set to It is configured to stop at a target travel stop position (row stop position).

Moreover, in the article conveyance facility of Patent Document 2, the article conveyance device uses the column in the article storage shelf as a detected object, and the article conveyance device detects the column at a height corresponding to each stage of the storage unit. A detection device (photoelectric switch 27) and a travel position detection device (vehicle body side rotary encoder 21) for detecting the travel position of the travel cart are provided.
Then, the target travel stop position (individual stop position) for each storage unit is learned in advance based on the detection information of the detected body detection device, and the target for each storage unit is determined based on the detection information of the travel position detection device. The target travel stop position (individual stop position) for each of the plurality of storage units based on the detection information of the detected object detection device and the detection information of the travel position detection device is made to stop at the travel stop position (individual stop position). ) To stop.

  As described above, in the conventional article transport facility, there are a case where a stop position for stopping the traveling carriage is set for each row of storage units and a case where a stop position is set for each of a plurality of storage units. Further, the detected object detected by the detected object detection device may be different in the article conveyance facility.

JP 2005-263358 A JP 2002-006956 A

  By the way, in the article transport facility, when the article transport apparatus fails, the article transport apparatus is replaced with a new article transport apparatus, or the article transport apparatus has higher performance in order to improve the performance of the article transport apparatus such as the transport processing capability. May be replaced. That is, there is a case where the existing article conveying apparatus installed in the article conveying facility is replaced with a new article conveying apparatus.

  As an existing article conveyance device, when an article conveyance device for stopping a traveling carriage at a target travel stop position set for each row of storage units is provided, this article conveyance device is set for each of a plurality of storage units. In the case of replacement with a new article conveying device that stops the traveling carriage at the target traveling stop position, the following problem occurs.

  That is, in the existing article conveyance device, the same target travel stop position is set for the storage units belonging to the same row. However, if the article storage shelf is tilted in the running direction due to secular change, installation error, etc., even if the storage units belong to the same row, the positions in the running direction may shift from each other if the steps are different, In such a case, in the existing article conveyance device, the transfer device may shift in the traveling direction with respect to the storage unit when the traveling carriage is stopped at the target traveling stop position (row stop position). For this reason, when the article is stored in the storage unit by the existing article transport device, the article may be stored at a position shifted in the traveling direction from an appropriate storage position in the storage unit.

On the other hand, in the new article conveying apparatus, the traveling carriage is stopped at the target traveling stop position (individual target stop position) set corresponding to each of the plurality of storage units, and therefore belongs to the same row as described above. Even when the storage units are displaced from each other in the traveling direction, the transfer device can be positioned at an appropriate position with respect to the storage unit by stopping the traveling carriage at the individual stop position.
Therefore, if the article stored in the storage unit by the existing article transport device before replacement of the article transport device is replaced by the new article transport device after replacement, the article stored in the storage unit is Despite being stored in a position deviating from the correct position in the traveling direction, the transfer device for taking out the article is properly positioned with respect to the storage unit, and thus is stored in the storage unit. Since the transfer device is displaced in the traveling direction with respect to the article, the article may not be properly taken out from the storage unit by the new article transport device.

In addition, when an article conveyance device provided with an existing detected object detection device that detects a reflector or the like is provided as an existing article conveyance device, this article conveyance device is used for a new installation that detects a column. The existing detected object detected by the existing article conveying device and the new detected object detected by the new article conveying device, as in the case of exchanging with a new article conveying apparatus equipped with the detected object detecting device. In different cases, the following problems arise.
In other words, if the existing detection object or the new detection object is displaced in the traveling direction from an appropriate position due to secular change, installation error, or the like, the transfer device in the existing article transport apparatus even for the same storage unit The position where the movement stops and the position where the transfer apparatus in the newly installed article conveying apparatus stops shifts in the traveling direction.
Therefore, if the article stored in the storage unit by the existing article transport device before the replacement of the article transport device is to be taken out by the new article transport device after replacement, the transfer device is transferred to the article stored in the storage unit. Is shifted in the traveling direction, the article may not be properly taken out of the storage unit by the new article transport apparatus.

  Therefore, there is a need for an article transport facility that can appropriately take out an article stored in an existing article transport apparatus with a new article transport apparatus after replacement.

The characteristic configuration of the article transport facility according to the present invention includes an article storage shelf in which storage units for storing articles are arranged in a plurality of stages and a plurality of rows, an article transport apparatus for transporting articles, and an operation of the article transport apparatus. A control device for controlling the vehicle, wherein the article conveying device is supported by a traveling carriage that travels along a traveling direction, and is supported by the traveling carriage so as to be movable up and down along the vertical direction. A transfer device for transferring articles between them, a driving unit for moving the traveling carriage along the traveling direction, and an up-and-down movement of the transfer apparatus relative to the traveling carriage. An elevator drive unit, and the control device stops the traveling carriage at a target travel stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred and corresponds the transfer device to the storage unit to be transferred. To stop at the target lift stop position The movement control for controlling the operation of the travel drive unit and the lifting drive unit, and the article is transferred from the storage unit to the transfer target storage unit and the article is stored in the transfer target storage unit. In an article transfer facility that performs transfer control for controlling the operation of the transfer device to transfer an article from the storage unit to be transferred to the storage unit and to remove the article from the storage unit to be transferred ,
As the article conveying device, there are the existing article conveying device and a new article conveying device replaced with the existing article conveying device, and the existing article conveying device for each of the plurality of storage units. A management unit that manages, as management information, information on whether or not a pre-replacement article that is a stored article is stored, and the existing article transporting device includes the storage unit in each row of the storage units in the article storage shelf. An existing travel position detection device that detects a row stop position set as a target travel stop position, and the new article transport device includes the storage unit in the article storage shelf in addition to the existing travel position detection device. And a new travel position detection device for detecting an individual stop position set as the target travel stop position for each of the above-mentioned items, and the control device of the existing article transporting device includes the movement control device. The operation of the driving unit for controlling the traveling carriage to stop the traveling carriage at the row stop position based on the detection information of the existing traveling position detecting device, and the control device of the newly installed article conveying device comprises: When it is determined based on the management information that the storage unit to be transferred is a storage unit that stores the pre-replacement article, in the movement control, based on detection information of the existing travel position detection device. In the storage unit that controls the operation of the drive unit for driving to stop the traveling carriage at the row stop position, and the storage unit to be transferred stores the pre-replacement article based on the management information. If it is determined that no, the in movement control, controlling the operation of the order to stop the traveling vehicle based on the detection information of the newly traveling position detecting device to the individual stop position the traveling drive unit There to that point.

  According to this configuration, when an article is taken out of the transfer target storage unit in the newly installed article transfer device after replacement, the article is stored in the transfer target storage unit by the existing article transfer device before replacement. When the pre-replacement article is stored, it is determined that the storage unit to be transferred is the storage unit storing the pre-replacement article, and the existing travel position detection device is similar to the existing article transport device. Based on the detected information, the operation of the traveling drive unit is controlled to stop the traveling carriage at the row stop position.

  In other words, in the existing article transport device, the same target travel stop position (row stop position) is set for the storage units belonging to the same row, so when the pre-replacement article is stored in the storage unit, the existing article transfer device Since the transfer device in FIG. 1 is displaced in the traveling direction with respect to the storage unit to be transferred, the article may be displaced from an appropriate position in the traveling direction in the storage unit. However, when the pre-replacement article is taken out from the storage unit in the new article transport device, the traveling carriage is stopped at the row stop position based on the detection information of the existing travel position detection device, as with the existing article transport device. By doing so, the position of the transfer device when the existing article transport apparatus is stored in the storage section and the position of the transfer apparatus when the new article transport apparatus takes out the article from the storage section can be made the same position. Therefore, the pre-replacement article stored in the existing article transport apparatus can be appropriately taken out by the new article transport apparatus after replacement.

In the new article transport apparatus, when the article to be transferred is not stored in the storage section to be transferred, that is, when the article is stored in the storage section to be transferred, or the new article transport apparatus In the case of taking out the article stored in (1) from the storage unit to be transferred, the operation of the driving unit for driving is controlled to stop the traveling carriage at the individual stop position based on the detection information of the new position detection device.
Since the individual stop positions are set corresponding to each of the plurality of storage units, even if the storage units belonging to the same row are shifted in the travel direction due to the article storage shelf tilting in the travel direction, etc. By stopping the traveling carriage at the position, the transfer device can be positioned at an appropriate position with respect to the storage unit regardless of which stage the storage unit is in.

  Therefore, when the article is taken out from the storage unit to be transferred by the new article transport apparatus, the pre-replacement article stored by the existing article transport apparatus can be appropriately taken out by the new article transport apparatus. When the article is stored in the storage unit to be transferred by the new article transport device, or when the article stored by the new article transport device is taken out from the storage unit to be transferred, the proper storage unit is used. The article can be stored in a proper storage position, and the article stored in the proper storage position of the storage unit can be appropriately taken out.

The characteristic configuration of the article transport facility according to the present invention includes an article storage shelf in which storage units for storing articles are arranged in a plurality of stages and a plurality of rows, an article transport apparatus for transporting articles, and an operation of the article transport apparatus. A control device for controlling the vehicle, wherein the article conveying device is supported by a traveling carriage that travels along a traveling direction, and is supported by the traveling carriage so as to be movable up and down along the vertical direction. A transfer device for transferring articles between them, a driving unit for moving the traveling carriage along the traveling direction, and an up-and-down movement of the transfer apparatus relative to the traveling carriage. An elevator drive unit, and the control device stops the traveling carriage at a target travel stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred and corresponds the transfer device to the storage unit to be transferred. To stop at the target lift stop position The movement control for controlling the operation of the travel drive unit and the lifting drive unit, and the article is transferred from the storage unit to the transfer target storage unit and the article is stored in the transfer target storage unit. In an article transfer facility that performs transfer control for controlling the operation of the transfer device to transfer an article from the storage unit to be transferred to the storage unit and to remove the article from the storage unit to be transferred ,
As the article conveying device, there are the existing article conveying device and a new article conveying device replaced with the existing article conveying device, and the existing article conveying device for each of the plurality of storage units. A management unit that manages, as management information, information on whether or not a pre-replacement article, which is a stored article, is stored, and the existing article transport device is installed along the traveling direction. An existing detected object detecting device for detecting a body, and the new article conveying device detects a new detected object installed along the traveling direction in addition to the existing detected object detecting device. And the control unit of the existing article transporting device is configured to stop the target travel of the traveling carriage based on detection information of the existing detected object detection device in the movement control. Stop in position The operation of the driving unit for traveling is controlled so that the control device of the newly installed article transporting device is a storage unit in which the storage unit to be transferred stores the pre-replacement goods based on the management information. In the movement control, the operation of the driving unit for driving is controlled in order to stop the traveling carriage at the target traveling stop position based on the detection information of the existing detected body detecting device. When it is determined that the storage unit to be transferred is not a storage unit storing the pre-replacement article based on management information, in the movement control, based on detection information of the new detection target detection device. Thus, the operation of the driving unit for traveling is controlled so as to stop the traveling carriage at the target traveling stop position.

  According to this configuration, when an article is taken out from a storage unit to be transferred by a new article transport apparatus, if the pre-replacement article is stored in the transfer target storage unit, the transfer target It is determined that the storage unit is a storage unit that stores articles before replacement, and the traveling carriage is set to the target travel stop position based on the detection information of the existing detected object detection device, similarly to the existing article transport device. The operation of the driving unit for driving is controlled so as to be stopped.

  In other words, for example, the existing detected object detected by the existing detected object detecting device of the existing article conveying device is installed on the floor surface, but the new detected object detecting device of the new article conveying device is Install the new detection target to be detected on the article storage shelf, or install a part of the configuration of the article storage shelf (for example, a column) as a new detection target. The detected object detection device may be different. By the way, by providing the object to be detected on the article storage shelf, compared to the case where it is provided on the floor surface, it is less likely to disturb the operator who moves on the floor surface, and the storage units are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction There is an advantage that it is easy to stop at an appropriate stop position.

If the existing detection object or new detection object deviates from the proper position in the traveling direction due to secular change or installation error, the transfer device in the existing article transport device stops even for the same storage unit. There is a case where the position where the transfer is performed and the position where the transfer device stops in the new article transporting device are shifted in the traveling direction. However, when the pre-replacement article is taken out of the storage unit in the newly installed article conveying apparatus, the traveling carriage is moved to the target traveling stop position based on the detection information of the existing detected object detecting apparatus as in the existing article conveying apparatus. The position of the transfer device of the existing article transport apparatus when stored in the storage section and the position of the transfer apparatus of the new article transport apparatus when taking out the article from the storage section can be made the same position. . Therefore, the pre-replacement article stored in the existing article conveyance device can be appropriately taken out by the new article conveyance device.
In the new article transport apparatus, when the article to be transferred is not stored in the storage section to be transferred, that is, when the article is stored in the storage section to be transferred, or the new article transport apparatus In the case of taking out the article stored in the storage unit to be transferred, the operation of the traveling drive unit is controlled to stop the traveling carriage at the target traveling stop position based on the detection information of the newly detected object detection device. Thus, the article can be stored in the storage unit based on the position of the new position detection device, and the article can be taken out from the storage unit.
By the way, the detection information of the detection target detection device (new detection target detection device and existing detection target detection device) used in the movement control is the detection information of the detection target detection device detected during the execution of the movement control, The detection information of the detected object detection device may be detected in the learning control executed before the movement control is executed.

  Further, the existing detection object is installed along the traveling direction corresponding to each of the rows of the storage units at one existing set height, and the new detection target is installed in the storage unit. It is preferable that the plurality of new setting heights corresponding to each of the plurality of storage portions constituting the row are installed along the traveling direction corresponding to each of the storage portion rows.

According to this configuration, in the existing article conveyance device, the same existing detection object is detected by the existing detection object detection device for the storage units belonging to the same row. On the other hand, even if they are shifted from each other in the traveling direction, the traveling carriage stops at the same target traveling stop position. On the other hand, in the new article conveyance device, since the new detection target object is detected by the new detection target detection device for the storage units of the respective stages belonging to the same column, it belongs to the same column. When the storage units of the respective stages are displaced from each other in the traveling direction, the traveling carriage can be stopped at an appropriate stop position individually corresponding to each of the plurality of storage units.
Thus, when the existing article transport apparatus is replaced with a new article transport apparatus in order to improve the performance of the article transport apparatus, when the article before replacement is taken out from the storage unit in the new article transport apparatus, By stopping the traveling carriage at the target travel stop position in the same manner as the existing article transport apparatus, the new article transport apparatus can appropriately take out the article before replacement from the storage unit.

  Each of the existing article transport apparatus and the new article transport apparatus includes a mast that is erected on the traveling carriage and guides the transfer apparatus in the vertical direction, and the control of the new article transport apparatus is performed. When the apparatus stops the traveling carriage at the target traveling stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred based on the detection information of the existing detected body detecting apparatus, the apparatus in the existing article conveying apparatus It is preferable that the target travel stop position is corrected in the travel direction based on tilt information indicating a difference between the mast tilt and the mast tilt in the newly installed article conveying apparatus.

Since the position of the transfer device is shifted in the traveling direction due to the inclination of the mast, even if the traveling carriage is stopped at the same target traveling stop position with the newly installed article conveying apparatus and the existing article conveying apparatus, the new article conveying apparatus If there is a difference in inclination between the mast and the mast of the existing article conveyance device, the position of the transfer device will be off.
Therefore, when the traveling cart of the new article transport device is stopped at the target travel stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred, the target travel stop position is corrected in the travel direction based on the tilt information, so that the newly installed Even if there is a difference in inclination between the mast of the article conveying apparatus and the mast of the existing article conveying apparatus, the position of the transfer apparatus of the new article conveying apparatus is the same as the existing article conveying apparatus when the article before storage is stored. It is possible to approach the position of the transfer device.

  In addition, after replacing the existing article transport apparatus with the new article transport apparatus, based on the management information, a notification for notifying that the storage section storing the pre-replacement article no longer exists. It is preferable to have a section.

  According to this configuration, the worker can recognize that there is no storage unit that stores the pre-replacement article based on the information notified by the notification unit. That is, after there is no longer a storage unit for storing the pre-replacement article, the new article transport device is set to the target travel stop position based on the detection information of the existing travel position detection device, the existing detected object detection device, and the like. Since there is no need to stop, for example, in the case where an existing detection object or an existing detection object detection device is provided, these unnecessary objects can be removed from the article transport facility.

Perspective view of goods transport equipment Side view of existing stacker crane Side view of the new stacker crane Control block diagram of existing stacker crane Control block diagram of new stacker crane Side view showing a state where the existing stacker crane is stopped at the row stop position Side view showing the state where the new stacker crane is stopped at the individual stop position Side view showing a state where the new stacker crane is stopped at the row stop position Side view showing the state where the new stacker crane is stopped at the individual stop position Side view showing difference in mast inclination

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an article conveyance facility according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the article storage facility includes an article storage shelf 2 in which storage units 1 for storing articles W are arranged side by side in the shelf width direction and the vertical direction, and the front side of the article storage shelf 2 in the shelf width direction. A stacker crane 3 as an article conveying device that travels along and conveys the article W, and a loading / unloading platform 4 for supporting the article W in a state where the four corners of the article W are placed and supported are provided. ing.
In FIG. 1, the direction indicated by the arrow X is the shelf width direction (traveling direction), and the direction indicated by the arrow Y is the transfer direction.

[Goods storage shelf]
A pair of article storage shelves 2 are installed in a state of being spaced apart from each other. Each of the article storage shelves 2 is configured by arranging a plurality of article support members 5 in parallel at equal intervals in a state of being spaced apart in the width direction of the shelf, and spans the article support members 5 adjacent in the width direction of the shelf. The article W is configured to be stored in the storage unit 1 in a supported state.

When the storage form of the article W in the storage unit 1 is described, the article support member 5 includes a support column 5a erected in a state adjacent to the storage unit 1, and the storage unit 1 in the horizontal direction of the shelf from the support column 5a. And a mounting support body 5b attached to the support column 5a in a state of protruding to the side.
And the storage part 1 is formed between the support | pillars 5a adjacent to a shelf width direction, and the some storage part 1 is arranged in parallel by the item storage shelf 2 in the shelf width direction. In addition, a plurality of mounting supports 5b are attached to the column 5a in a state of being spaced apart in the vertical direction, and an article storage shelf is formed in a form in which the storage unit 1 is formed above the mounting supports 5b. 2, a plurality of storage portions 1 are arranged in the vertical direction. The storage unit 1 stores the article W in a form in which the article W is placed and supported across a pair of placement support bodies 5b located between adjacent columns 5a.
As described above, the article storage shelf 2 has the storage units 1 arranged in a plurality of stages and a plurality of rows.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stacker crane 3 includes an existing stacker crane 3a and a new stacker crane 3b that can be replaced with the existing stacker crane 3a.
In other words, in the article transport facility, when a failure occurs in the stacker crane 3, it is replaced with a new stacker crane 3 or replaced with a higher stacker crane 3 in order to improve the performance of the stacker crane 3. The stacker crane 3 before replacement is referred to as an existing stacker crane 3a, and the stacker crane 3 after replacement is referred to as a new stacker crane 3b.

First, a configuration common to the existing stacker crane 3a and the new stacker crane 3b will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, each of the existing stacker crane 3 a and the newly-installed stacker crane 3 b has a traveling path formed between a pair of article storage shelves 2 along the lateral width direction (traveling direction) of the shelf. A traveling cart 8 that travels, a lifting platform 10 that can be raised and lowered along a mast 9 that is erected on the traveling cart 8, and an article that is mounted on the lifting platform 10 between the storage unit 1 and the load receiving platform 4 and itself. A transfer device 11 for transferring W and a control device H for controlling the operation of the stacker crane 3 are provided.

And the transfer device 11 of the existing stacker crane 3a and the newly installed stacker crane 3b is equipped with the mounting part which mounts and supports the articles | goods W so that it can move in and out of the shelf front-and-rear direction. By moving the lift 10 up and down, the article W is transferred between the storage unit 1 and the mounting unit of the transfer device 11. Further, the transfer device 11 is supported by the traveling carriage 8 via the lifting platform 10 and the mast 9.
That is, the transfer device 11 is supported by the traveling carriage 8 and the mast 9 so as to be movable up and down along the vertical direction, and is configured to transfer the article W between the storage unit 1 and itself.

The existing stacker crane 3a and the newly installed stacker crane 3b rotate the traveling wheel 7 that rolls on the guide rail 12 provided along the traveling route by the traveling electric motor M1, thereby causing the traveling carriage 8 to move. The elevator 10 is moved up and down along the vertical direction by running along the width of the shelf and rotating the winding drum 14 around which the wire 13 connected to the elevator 10 is wound by the electric motor M2 for raising and lowering. It is configured to let you.
The traveling electric motor M1 corresponds to a traveling drive unit that travels and moves the traveling carriage 8 along the traveling direction, and the lifting electric motor M2 moves the transfer device 11 in the vertical direction with respect to the traveling carriage 8. The traveling electric motor M <b> 1 and the lifting electric motor M <b> 2 are provided in the stacker crane 3.

The control device H of the existing stacker crane 3a and the newly installed stacker crane 3b is based on the conveyance information from the higher-level controller C, and executes the movement control and the transfer control so as to convey the article W. The operation of the motor M1, the lifting electric motor M2, and the transfer device 11 is controlled.
The movement control is performed so that the traveling carriage 8 is stopped at a target travel stop position corresponding to the storage unit 1 to be transferred and the transfer device 11 is stopped at a target lifting stop position corresponding to the storage unit 1 to be transferred. This is control for controlling the operation of the traveling electric motor M1 and the lifting electric motor M2.
In the transfer control, the article W is transferred from itself to the storage unit 1 to be transferred and the article W is stored in the storage unit 1 to be transferred, or the article W is transferred from the storage unit 1 to be transferred to itself. This is control for controlling the operation of the transfer device 11 to transfer and take out the article W from the storage unit 1 to be transferred.
As shown in FIG. 1, the controller C is provided at the end of the travel route. The controller C includes an input device 31 such as a keyboard and a mouse for inputting information to the controller C, and the controller C. A monitor 32 for displaying the information is connected.

[Existing stacker crane]
Next, the existing stacker crane 3a will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the existing stacker crane 3 a includes a traveling rotary encoder 16 that detects a traveling position of the traveling carriage 8, a lifting rotary encoder 17 that detects a lifting position of the lifting platform 10, Is provided. The traveling rotary encoder 16 is provided in the traveling carriage 8 and is configured to output detection information (pulses) according to the traveling movement of the traveling carriage 8. The lifting rotary encoder 17 is provided on the lifting platform 10 and is configured to output detection information (pulses) according to the lifting movement of the lifting platform 10.
The detection information output from the traveling rotary encoder 16 and the detection information output from the lifting rotary encoder 17 are input to the control device H of the existing stacker crane 3a, and the control device H of the existing stacker crane 3a The traveling position of the traveling carriage 8 and the raising / lowering position of the lifting platform 10 are determined based on the detection information.

Next, regarding the control device H of the existing stacker crane 3a, the movement control for controlling the operation of the electric motor M1 for traveling so as to stop the traveling carriage 8 in the movement control at the row stop position will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of dogs 19 as existing detection bodies are installed along the traveling direction on the floor surface of the traveling route, and as shown in FIG. A dog detection sensor 20 as a body detection device is provided in the traveling cart 8 of the existing stacker crane 3a. The plurality of dogs 19 has the same height as the number of rows corresponding to each of the rows of the storage units 1 at the one set height for setting, with the height set distance high from the floor of the travel route as the existing set height. Only installed.

  And the control apparatus H of the existing stacker crane 3a stores information on the target travel stop position for each of the plurality of storage units 1 arranged in the shelf width direction. In other words, the same target travel stop position is set for the plurality of storage units 1 belonging to the same row arranged in the vertical direction, and the plurality of storage units 1 belonging to the same stage arranged in the horizontal direction of the shelf are individually provided for each storage unit 1. The target travel stop position is set.

In the movement control executed by the control device H of the existing stacker crane 3a, the row to which the storage unit 1 to which the traveling vehicle 8 is to be transferred belongs is based on the detection information of the traveling rotary encoder 16 and the detection information of the dog detection sensor 20. The operation of the traveling electric motor M1 is controlled so as to stop at the target traveling stop position (row stop position) with respect to.
In other words, the traveling speed of the traveling carriage 8 is accelerated toward the traveling target speed and then traveled at the traveling speed, and the traveling position of the traveling carriage 8 is set to the target travel stop position (set for the storage unit 1 to be transferred) When the vehicle reaches a deceleration position set a short distance from the target travel stop position), the traveling speed of the traveling carriage 8 is decelerated to the stopping speed, and then the dog detection sensor 20 performs the traveling direction of the dog 19. When the upstream end of the vehicle is detected, the traveling carriage 8 is stopped after traveling a set distance, and the traveling carriage 8 is stopped at the row stop position (see FIG. 6).

  In this way, the control device H of the existing article conveying apparatus detects, in the movement control, the detection information of the traveling rotary encoder 16 detected during the execution of the movement control and the detection information of the dog detection sensor 20 detected during the execution of the movement control. Based on the above, the operation of the traveling electric motor M1 is controlled to stop the traveling carriage 8 at the row stop position. The travel rotary encoder 16 and the dog detection sensor 20 correspond to an existing travel position detection device that detects a row stop position set as a target travel stop position for each row of the storage unit 1 in the article storage shelf 2.

[New stacker crane]
Next, the new stacker crane 3b will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the newly installed stacker crane 3 b includes a traveling laser rangefinder 22 as a newly installed traveling position detection device that detects the traveling position of the traveling carriage 8, and an elevated position of the lifting platform 10. And an elevating laser range finder 23 for detecting. The traveling laser range finder 22 is provided in the traveling carriage 8 so as to detect the distance to the traveling reflector 24 provided at the end of the traveling route. The lift laser range finder 23 is provided in the traveling carriage 8 and is provided so as to detect the distance to the lift reflector 25 provided in the lift 10.
The detection information output from the traveling laser range finder 22 and the detection information output from the lifting laser range finder 23 are input to the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b. The control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b is configured to determine the traveling position of the traveling carriage 8 and the raising / lowering position of the lifting platform 10 based on these detection information.

Next, for the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b, a first movement control for controlling the operation of the electric motor M1 for traveling to stop the traveling carriage 8 in the movement control at the row stop position, and a traveling carriage in the movement control. The second movement control for controlling the operation of the traveling electric motor M1 so as to stop 8 at the individual stop position will be described.
A dog detection sensor 20 as an existing detected object detection device for detecting the dog 19 is provided in the traveling carriage 8 of the newly installed stacker crane 3b. A strut detection sensor 26 as a new detection object detecting device for detecting the strut 5a is provided on the lifting platform 10 of the new stacker crane 3b.
Thus, in addition to the dog detection sensor 20 that detects the dog 19, the newly installed stacker crane 3 b is provided with a column detection sensor 26 that detects the column 5 a.

  The control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b includes information on individual stop positions set for each of the plurality of storage units 1 in the article storage shelf 2 and each row of the storage units 1 in the article storage shelf 2. And the information on the column stop position set in (2) is stored. The information on the individual stop positions and the information on the row stop positions are stored by learning through learning control executed by the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b.

In the learning control executed by the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b, the elevator 10 is moved up and down to a height corresponding to the detection target stage in the plurality of storage units 1, and then the traveling carriage 8 is moved in the horizontal direction of the shelf. To run. And based on the detection information of the support | pillar detection sensor 26 and the detection information of the travel laser rangefinder 22 when the support | pillar detection sensor 26 detects the support | pillar 5a, with respect to the some storage part 1 which belongs to the stage of a detection target Set the target travel stop position. This is performed for each of the plurality of stages of the storage unit 1 to set a target travel stop position (individual stop position) for each of the storage units 1 of the article storage shelf 2.
Also, based on the detection information of the dog detection sensor 20 and the detection information of the traveling laser range finder 22 when the dog detection sensor 20 detects the dog 19 by traveling the traveling carriage 8 in the shelf width direction, A target travel stop position (row stop position) is set for each row of the storage units 1 in the article storage shelf 2.

  The portion corresponding to the stage of the storage unit 1 in the plurality of columns 5a arranged in the shelf width direction is detected by the column detection sensor 26 in the learning control. That is, each of the portions corresponding to the steps of the storage unit 1 in the support column 5a detected by the support column detection sensor 26 corresponds to each of the storage units 1 arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. This corresponds to the newly detected object installed along the traveling direction corresponding to each of the rows of the storage units 1.

  In the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b, the storage unit 1 stores a pre-replacement article Wa (article W stored in the existing stacker crane 3a) when the stacker crane 3 is replaced for each of the plurality of storage units 1. The information of the section 1 is input as management information, and the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b updates the management information based on the conveyance information from the host controller C. That is, the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b functions as a management unit that manages, as management information, information on whether or not the pre-replacement article Wa is stored for each of the plurality of storage units 1.

The control device H of the new stacker crane 3b stores inclination information indicating the difference between the inclination of the mast 9 in the existing stacker crane 3a and the inclination of the mast 9 in the new stacker crane 3b.
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the mast 9 in the existing stacker crane 3a is inclined in the traveling direction from the vertical posture, whereas the mast 9 in the new stacker crane 3b is in the vertical posture. The mast 9 of the crane 3b may be inclined in the traveling direction relative to the mast 9 of the existing stacker crane 3a.
In such a case, information on the amount of deviation between the mast 9 of the newly installed stacker crane 3b and the mast 9 of the existing stacker crane 3a is stored in the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b as tilt information. The information on the amount of deviation is information on the amount of deviation d1 to d5 at each height corresponding to each stage of the storage unit 1, as shown in FIG.

  Next, regarding the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b, the movement control for controlling the operation of the electric motor M1 for traveling to stop the traveling carriage 8 in the movement control at the row stop position or the individual stop position will be described.

When the control unit H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b determines that the storage unit 1 to be transferred is the storage unit 1 storing the pre-replacement article Wa based on the management information, the control device H is similar to the existing stacker crane 3a. Based on the detection information of the dog detection sensor 20 and the detection information of the traveling position detector (traveling laser range finder 22) for detecting the position of the traveling carriage 8, the traveling carriage 8 is stopped for stopping at the row stop position. The first movement control for controlling the operation of the electric motor M1 is executed.
That is, the pre-replacement article Wa is stored in the transfer target storage unit 1, and when the pre-replacement article Wa is taken out from the transfer target storage unit 1 by the newly installed stacker crane 3b, the dog detection sensor 20 A line stop position is set based on the detection information, and the traveling carriage 8 is stopped at the line stop position set for the storage unit 1 to be transferred based on the detection information of the traveling laser rangefinder 22. (See FIG. 8).
As described above, the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b uses the detection information of the dog detection sensor 20 detected in the learning control executed before the execution of the movement control and the detection information detected during the execution of the movement control in the movement control. Based on the detection information of the laser range finder 22, the operation of the traveling electric motor M <b> 1 is controlled to stop the traveling carriage 8 at the row stop position.
Incidentally, when the traveling carriage 8 is stopped at the individual stop position set for the storage unit 1 to be transferred, the state shown in FIG. 7 is obtained.

Then, the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b is used for traveling so as to stop the traveling carriage 8 of the newly installed stacker crane 3b at the row stop position set for the storage unit 1 to be transferred. When controlling the operation of the electric motor M1, the row stop position is corrected in the traveling direction based on the tilt information. That is, the position at which the traveling carriage 8 of the newly installed stacker crane 3b actually stops is a position shifted in the traveling direction from the row stop position by the amount of deviation corresponding to the stage of the storage unit 1.
As described above, when the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b stops the traveling carriage 8 at the target traveling stop position corresponding to the storage unit 1 to be transferred based on the detection information of the dog detection sensor 20, the control device H is installed. The target travel stop position is corrected in the travel direction based on the tilt information indicating the difference between the tilt of the mast 9 in the stacker crane 3a and the tilt of the mast 9 in the new stacker crane 3b.

When the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b determines that the storage unit 1 to be transferred is not the storage unit 1 storing the pre-replacement article Wa based on the management information, the existing stacker crane 3b Unlike 3a, the second control unit controls the operation of the traveling electric motor M1 to stop the traveling carriage 8 at the individual stop position based on the detection information of the support sensor 26 and the detection information of the traveling laser rangefinder 22. Execute movement control.
That is, when the article W is not stored in the storage unit 1 to be transferred and the article W is stored in the storage unit 1 to be transferred by the new stacker crane 3b, or in the storage unit 1 to be transferred. When the article W stored in the new stacker crane 3b is stored and the article W is taken out from the storage unit 1 to be transferred by the new stacker crane 3b, the detection information of the traveling laser rangefinder 22 is detected. Based on the above, the traveling carriage 8 is stopped at the individual stop position set for the storage unit 1 to be transferred (see FIG. 9).
As described above, the control device H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b uses the detection information of the support column detection sensor 26 detected in the learning control executed before the execution of the movement control and the traveling information detected during the execution of the movement control in the movement control. Based on the detection information of the laser rangefinder 22, the operation of the traveling electric motor M1 is controlled to stop the traveling carriage 8 at the individual stop position.

  And the control apparatus H of the newly installed stacker crane 3b is sending the management information to the controller C at any time. The controller C displays the storage state of the article storage rack 2 on the monitor 32 based on the management information as a display request is input through the input device 31. The monitor 32 includes a storage unit 1 that stores articles W before replacement, an empty storage unit 1 that does not store articles W, and a storage unit 1 that stores articles W using a new stacker crane 3b. Displayed in a different display form, the operator can recognize from the display on the monitor 32 that the article Wa before replacement has disappeared from the article storage shelf 2. The monitor 32 notifies that there is no storage unit 1 storing the pre-replacement article Wa based on the management information after the existing stacker crane 3a is replaced with the new stacker crane 3b. It corresponds to a notification unit.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the existing travel position detection device includes a detection device (travel rotary encoder 16) that detects the travel position of the travel cart 8 and a detection device that detects that the travel cart 8 is located at the set position. (The dog detection sensor 20), but the existing travel position detection device may be configured only by a detection device that detects the travel position of the traveling carriage 8. That is, for example, the existing travel position detection device is configured by the travel rotary encoder 16, and the travel electric motor M1 is configured to stop the travel carriage 8 at the row stop position based only on the detection information of the travel rotary encoder 16. May be controlled.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, the control apparatus H of the existing article conveyance apparatus is included in the detection information of the existing travel position detection apparatus and the detection information of the existing detected body detection apparatus (the detection information of the existing travel position detection apparatus). Although the operation of the driving unit for driving is controlled to stop the traveling carriage 8 at the row stop position, the control device H of the existing article transporting device detects the existing detection target. You may comprise so that the driving | running | working drive part operation | movement may be controlled based on only the detection information of a body detection apparatus so that the traveling vehicle 8 may be stopped in a row stop position.

(2) In the above embodiment, the control device H of the newly installed article conveying device stops the traveling carriage 8 in a row based on the detection information of the newly installed traveling position detection device and the detection information of the existing detected body detection device. Although the operation of the driving unit for driving is controlled to stop at the position, the control device H of the newly installed article conveying device includes the detection information of the new driving position detection device and the detection information of the existing detected object detection device. Based on only one of the detection information, the operation of the traveling drive unit may be controlled so that the traveling carriage 8 is stopped at the row stop position.
Further, in the above embodiment, the control device H of the newly installed article transporting device moves the traveling carriage 8 to the individual stop position based on the detection information of the new installation position detection device and the detection information of the new detection target object detection device. Control of the driving unit for traveling is controlled so that the control device H of the newly installed article conveying device includes the detection information of the newly installed traveling position detection device and the detection information of the newly detected object detection device. You may comprise so that the action | operation of the drive part for driving | running | working may be controlled based on only any one detection information so that the traveling vehicle 8 may be stopped in an individual stop position.

(3) In the above embodiment, the newly installed traveling position detection device of the newly installed article conveying apparatus is also used as the existing traveling position detecting apparatus of the newly installed article conveying apparatus. An existing traveling position detection device may be provided separately from the detection device. Specifically, for example, when the traveling rotary encoder 16 and the traveling laser range finder 22 are provided in the newly installed stacker crane 3b and the traveling carriage 8 is stopped at the row stop position, the detection of the traveling rotary encoder 16 is performed. The operation of the traveling electric motor M1 is controlled based on the information, and when the traveling carriage 8 is stopped at the individual stop position, the operation of the traveling electric motor M1 is controlled based on the detection information of the traveling laser rangefinder 22. May be.

(4) In the above embodiment, the control device H of the existing article transporting device travels to stop the traveling carriage 8 at the row stop position based on the detection information of the existing detected object detecting device that is executing the movement control. The control device H of the existing article transporting device controls the traveling cart 8 based on the detection information of the existing detected object detection device in the row learning control that is executed before the execution of the movement control. You may control the action | operation of the drive part for driving | running | working so that it may stop at a row stop position.
The driving device for driving to stop the traveling carriage 8 at the row stop position based on the detection information of the existing detected object detecting device in the learning control executed before the execution of the movement control by the control device H of the new article conveying device. However, the operation of the traveling drive unit may be controlled to stop the traveling carriage 8 at the row stop position based on the detection information of the existing detected body detecting device that is executing the movement control.
In addition, the control device H of the new article conveying device is used for traveling so as to stop the traveling carriage 8 at the individual stop position based on the detection information of the new detection target detecting device in the learning control executed before the execution of the movement control. Although the operation of the drive unit is controlled, even if the operation of the travel drive unit is controlled so as to stop the travel cart 8 at the individual stop position based on the detection information of the new detected body detection device that is executing the movement control. Good.

(5) In the above embodiment, the monitor 32 that displays the storage state of the article W is provided as the notification unit. However, as the notification unit, a lighting unit that is turned on when the article Wa before replacement in the article storage shelf 2 runs out, The article storage shelf 2 may be provided with a speaker that emits a sound when the pre-replacement article Wa runs out, and the notification unit may not be provided.

(6) In the above embodiment, the existing detected object is the dog 19 installed on the floor surface. However, the existing detected object is changed as appropriate, such as the lower end part of the column 5a. May be.
The newly detected object is a part corresponding to each stage of the storage unit 1 in the column 5a of the article storage shelf 2, but the reflector or the article storage in which the newly detected object is installed on the column 5a of the article storage shelf 2 You may change suitably the to-be-detected object for new installations, such as using the mounting support body 5b of the shelf 2.

(7) In the above embodiment, as the tilt information, the deviation amount between the mast 9 of the new article transport apparatus and the mast 9 of the existing article transport apparatus at each stage of the storage unit 1 is the control device H of the new article transport apparatus. However, the inclination amount of the mast 9 of the new article transport apparatus relative to the mast 9 of the existing article transport apparatus may be input to the control apparatus H of the new article transport apparatus as the tilt information.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Storage part 2 Goods storage shelf 3 Stacker crane (goods conveyance apparatus)
3a Existing stacker crane (existing article transport device)
3b New stacker crane (new article transport device)
8 Traveling cart 9 Mast 11 Transfer device 16 Travel rotary encoder (Existing travel position detection device)
19 dog (existing object to be detected)
20 Dog detection sensor (existing object detection device, existing running position detection device)
22 Traveling laser rangefinder (new travel position detector)
26 Prop detection sensor (detected object detection device for new installation)
32 Monitor (notification part)
H Control device (management part)
M1 Electric motor for traveling (driving drive unit)
M2 Lifting electric motor (lifting drive unit)
W goods Wa goods before replacement

Claims (5)

An article storage shelf in which storage units for storing articles are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows;
An article conveying device for conveying an article;
A control device for controlling the operation of the article conveying device,
The article transporting device travels along a traveling direction, and a transfer device that is supported by the traveling cart so as to be movable up and down along the vertical direction and transfers an article between the storage unit and itself. And a drive unit for traveling that moves the traveling carriage along the traveling direction, and a lifting drive part that moves the transfer device up and down along the vertical direction with respect to the traveling carriage,
The control device is configured to stop the traveling carriage at a target travel stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred and stop the transfer device at a target lifting stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred. Movement control for controlling the operation of the driving unit for driving and the driving unit for raising and lowering and transferring an article from the self to the storage unit to be transferred and storing the article in the storage unit to be transferred or An article transfer facility that performs transfer control for controlling the operation of the transfer device to transfer an article from the storage unit to be transferred to the storage unit and to remove the article from the storage unit to be transferred. There,
As the article conveying device, there are the existing article conveying device and a new article conveying device replaced with the existing article conveying device,
A management unit that manages, as management information, information on whether or not a pre-replacement article that is an article stored in the existing article transporting apparatus is stored for each of the plurality of storage units;
The existing article transport device includes an existing travel position detection device that detects a row stop position set as the target travel stop position for each row of the storage unit in the article storage shelf,
In addition to the existing travel position detector, the new article transport device detects a new travel position for detecting the individual stop position set as the target travel stop position for each of the storage units in the article storage shelf. Equipped with a detection device,
In the movement control, the control device of the existing article transporting device activates the travel drive unit to stop the travel cart at the row stop position based on detection information of the existing travel position detection device. Control
The control device of the new article conveyance device is:
When it is determined based on the management information that the storage unit to be transferred is a storage unit that stores the pre-replacement article, in the movement control, based on detection information of the existing travel position detection device. Controlling the operation of the driving unit for driving to stop the traveling carriage at the row stop position,
When it is determined based on the management information that the storage unit to be transferred is not a storage unit storing the pre-replacement article, in the movement control, based on detection information of the new travel position detection device. An article transporting facility for controlling the operation of the driving unit for driving to stop the traveling carriage at the individual stop position. An article storage shelf in which storage units for storing articles are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows;
An article conveying device for conveying an article;
A control device for controlling the operation of the article conveying device,
The article transporting device travels along a traveling direction, and a transfer device that is supported by the traveling cart so as to be movable up and down along the vertical direction and transfers an article between the storage unit and itself. And a drive unit for traveling that moves the traveling carriage along the traveling direction, and a lifting drive part that moves the transfer device up and down along the vertical direction with respect to the traveling carriage,
The control device is configured to stop the traveling carriage at a target travel stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred and stop the transfer device at a target lifting stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred. Movement control for controlling the operation of the driving unit for driving and the driving unit for raising and lowering and transferring an article from the self to the storage unit to be transferred and storing the article in the storage unit to be transferred or An article transfer facility that performs transfer control for controlling the operation of the transfer device to transfer an article from the storage unit to be transferred to the storage unit and to remove the article from the storage unit to be transferred. There,
As the article conveying device, there are the existing article conveying device and a new article conveying device replaced with the existing article conveying device,
A management unit that manages, as management information, information on whether or not a pre-replacement article that is an article stored in the existing article transporting apparatus is stored for each of the plurality of storage units;
The existing article conveying apparatus includes an existing detected object detecting device that detects an existing detected object installed along the traveling direction,
In addition to the existing detection object detection device, the new article conveyance device includes a new detection object detection device that detects a new detection object installed along the traveling direction,
In the movement control, the control device of the existing article transporting device is configured to control the travel drive unit to stop the travel cart at the target travel stop position based on detection information of the existing detected object detection device. Control the operation,
The control device of the new article conveyance device is:
When the storage unit to be transferred is determined to be a storage unit storing the pre-replacement article based on the management information, in the movement control, based on detection information of the existing detected object detection device. Controlling the operation of the driving unit for traveling to stop the traveling carriage at the target travel stop position;
If it is determined based on the management information that the storage unit to be transferred is not a storage unit that stores the pre-replacement article, in the movement control, the detection information of the new detection object detection device is used. An article conveying facility for controlling the operation of the driving unit for driving so as to stop the traveling carriage at the target traveling stop position. The existing detection object is installed along the traveling direction corresponding to each of the rows of the storage units at one existing setting height,
The travel detection direction corresponds to each of the rows of the storage units at a plurality of new setting heights corresponding to the plurality of storage units constituting the rows of the storage units. The article conveyance facility according to claim 2, which is installed along the line. Each of the existing article transport apparatus and the new article transport apparatus includes a mast that is erected on the traveling carriage and guides the transfer apparatus in the vertical direction.
The control device of the new article conveying device is
When the traveling carriage is stopped at the target traveling stop position corresponding to the storage unit to be transferred based on the detection information of the existing detected body detecting device, the inclination of the mast in the existing article transporting device The article conveyance facility according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the target traveling stop position is corrected in the traveling direction based on inclination information indicating a difference between the inclination of the mast in the new article conveying apparatus.   An informing unit for notifying that the storage unit storing the pre-replacement article no longer exists based on the management information after the existing article transport device is replaced with the new article transport device. The article conveyance equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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