JP6256174B2 - Automatic warehouse - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse capable of storing an object in a rack and automatically loading and unloading the object using a stacker crane, and more particularly, an automatic warehouse for storing an object such as a cart with a free car. About.

  A cart with a free wheel (a free wheel) generally describes rolling of a wheel provided in the free wheel (hereinafter, wheel rotation around the horizontal axis (rotation of the wheel around the axle)) as “rolling”. The brake that stops the turning of the wheel around the vertical axis (hereinafter, the rotation of the wheel around the vertical axis is referred to as “turning”. The same applies in the claim). Is not stable because it does not exist. Therefore, when the cart is stored in the rack, the cart may be stored in the automatic warehouse while being placed on the pallet. Also, in the case of an automated warehouse that directly stores a cart without using a pallet, a special cart with fixed legs is used in addition to a free car, and the rack is transported by a stacker crane using the stationary legs. Is stored.

  In Patent Document 1, a rack is provided with a wheel receiver that can restrict rolling of a non-turning wheel provided on the car cart, and the car cart is lifted and placed on the wheel receiver. The technology for storing the cart is described.

JP 09-86610 A

  However, in recent years, there are cases where a cart with a free car is used for all four wheels. Even if such a cart is stored in a rack in a state where the rolling of the wheels is restricted, the wheels turn in all four wheels, making it difficult to store in a stable state.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at provision of the automatic warehouse which can be stored in a rack in the stable state even if it is a target object like a cart with a free wheel.

  In order to achieve the above object, an automatic warehouse according to the present invention includes a rack that stores an object having a main body and a free wheel attached to a lower portion of the main body, and conveys the object along the rack. An automatic warehouse comprising a stacker crane for transferring the object to and from the rack, wherein the rack is in a transfer direction on one side of a width direction which is a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction and a horizontal plane. A first wheel guide having a gap that extends and is arranged so that the wheels of the free wheel can roll, and a first rolling surface portion that is arranged below the gap of the first wheel guide and on which the wheel rolls. A third rolling surface portion on which the wheel of the free wheel rolls on the other side in the width direction, and the stacker crane includes an extruding portion that contacts the object in the pushing direction and the object in the pulling direction. object A pulling portion that contacts, a transfer device that transfers the object by pushing and pulling, a second wheel guide corresponding to the first wheel guide, and a lower portion of the gap between the second wheel guide, And a second rolling surface portion on which the wheel rolls.

  According to this, a target object can be stored in a rack in the state which controlled turning of the wheel of a free wheel. Therefore, even if the object is an object whose wheels are all freewheels, the object can be stored in a rack in a stable state.

  The width of the third rolling surface portion may be wider than the width of the first rolling surface portion.

  Moreover, the said extrusion part and the said attraction | suction part may be arrange | positioned near the said 1st rolling surface part rather than the center between a said 1st rolling surface part and a said 3rd rolling surface part.

  According to this, it is possible to flexibly cope with a plurality of types of objects having different wheel intervals in the width direction, and it is possible to store a plurality of types of objects in one automatic warehouse. .

  In addition, the first rolling surface portion and the third rolling surface portion include an inclined surface that gradually decreases with distance from the stacker crane in the transfer direction, and the rack is further mounted on the inclined surface. You may provide the stopper which controls the movement of the downward direction of a target object.

  According to this, even if the object is rolled and stored in the rack, it can be stored in a stable state in the transfer direction.

  Moreover, the slit part through which the expansion-contraction mechanism part of the said transfer apparatus passes may be provided between said 1st rolling surface part and said 3rd rolling surface part.

  According to this, the passage part of the transfer device can be secured under the inclined object by being placed on the inclined rolling surface.

  Moreover, the said stacker crane may be provided with the bridge part arrange | positioned between a 1st rolling surface part and a 2nd rolling surface part, when transferring the said target object.

  According to this, when the object is transferred, the bridge portion fills the space between the first rolling surface portion and the second rolling surface portion, so that the wheel is rolled to push out the object, and it is drawn. Also, the wheel can be prevented from falling into the gap between the first rolling surface portion and the second rolling surface portion.

  Moreover, the said transfer apparatus may be provided with the raising / lowering mechanism which makes the said attracting part appear and disappear in an up-down direction.

  According to this, even when the object is stored in the rack in an inclined state and the height of the space for passing the drawing part is low, the drawing part in the immersive state can be passed through the lower part of the object. Then, the drawing portion can be brought into contact with the object by advancing the drawing portion after passing through the object.

  According to the present invention, even when an object whose four wheels are a free wheel is stored in a rack, the turning of the wheel of the free wheel of the object can be fixedly held, and the object can be stably placed in the rack. Can be stored.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a part of an automatic warehouse in which an object can be stored and automatically taken in and out. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a part of the automatic warehouse. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the object from below. FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the free wheel. FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing a relationship between a part of the rack and the stacker crane. FIG. 6 is a side view schematically showing a relationship between a part of the rack and the stacker crane. FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing the relationship between a part of the rack and the stacker crane.

  Next, an embodiment of an automatic warehouse according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is merely an example of an automatic warehouse according to the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the wording of the claims with reference to the following embodiments, and is not limited to the following embodiments. Therefore, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept of the present invention are not necessarily required to achieve the object of the present invention. It will be described as constituting a preferred form.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a part of an automatic warehouse in which an object can be stored and automatically taken in and out.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a part of the automatic warehouse.

  As shown in these drawings, the automatic warehouse 100 automatically stores the objects 200 that have been loaded into a predetermined storage unit 109, and automatically stores the objects 200 stored in the storage unit 109. It is a device that can be carried out, and includes a rack 101 having a plurality of storage units 109 and a stacker crane 102.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the object from below.

  As shown in these drawings, the target object 200 includes a main body 201 and a free wheel 202 attached to the lower portion of the main body 201 and is an object to be stored in the storage unit 109 of the rack 101. In the case of this embodiment, the target object 200 is a so-called car cart. Note that the target object 200 not only means an empty cart, but the target object 200 is a combination of a cart and a package accommodated in the cart. Specifically, the cart that is the target object 200 has a net-like member erected from the periphery of a rectangular base. In the present embodiment, the object 200 has a free wheel 202 attached to each of the lower four corners of the rectangular main body 201.

  FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the free wheel.

  The free wheel 202 is a member called a so-called free caster, and includes a wheel 221, a radial bearing 222, and a thrust bearing 223. In the free wheel 202, a radial bearing 222 is attached to the main body 201 via a thrust bearing 223, and the wheel 221 is attached to the radial bearing 222. Accordingly, the wheel 221 of the universal wheel 202 rolls around the rolling axis H with respect to the rolling surface F (θ1), and turns around the turning axis V with respect to the main body 201 together with the radial bearing 222 (θ2). )can do.

  The free wheel 202 is arranged in a state where the turning axis V that is the rotation axis of the thrust bearing 223 and the rolling axis H that is the rotation axis of the radial bearing 222 are separated (eccentric), and the direction of the wheel 221 Thus, the position of the wheel 221 varies within the range of the eccentric distance D.

  In the case of this embodiment, the free wheel 202 includes a rolling stopper 224 that can restrict the rolling of the wheels 221.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing a relationship between a part of the rack and the stacker crane.

  FIG. 6 is a side view schematically showing a relationship between a part of the rack and the stacker crane.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing the relationship between a part of the rack and the stacker crane.

  As shown in these drawings, the rack 101 is a facility for storing the object 200 in a mounted state, and includes a first wheel guide 112, a first rolling surface portion 111, and a third rolling surface portion 113. ing.

  The first wheel guide 112 is on one side (this embodiment) in the width direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) that is orthogonal to the transfer direction (X-axis direction in the drawing) and the horizontal plane (XY plane in the drawing). In this case, the rail extends in the transfer direction on the negative side in the Y-axis direction) and has a gap that sandwiches the wheel 221 of the free wheel 202 so as to allow rolling.

  In FIG. 1, FIG. 2, etc., only a part of the first wheel guide 112 is described, and the description of the other first wheel guides 112 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, two racks 101 are arranged so as to sandwich one stacker crane 102, and each rack 101 is provided with a first wheel guide 112. Further, the automatic warehouse 100 may include a plurality of stacker cranes 102 and a plurality of racks 101 corresponding thereto.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the first wheel guide 112 is a pair of plate-like members erected along the transfer direction on the side of the first rolling surface portion 111 in the width direction. The height 112 is set lower than the lower end portion of the radial bearing 222 of the free wheel 202. The width of the gap of the first wheel guide 112 is set to be slightly larger than the width of the wheel 221 of the free wheel 202 and set to such a width that the wheel 221 cannot freely turn. Therefore, the stacker crane 102 can roll the first rolling surface portion 111 in a state where the wheel 221 is fitted in the gap of the first wheel guide 112 by pushing and pulling the object 200, and with less energy. The object 200 can be transferred between the stacker crane 102 and the rack 101. In addition, the wheel 221 is restrained by the first wheel guide 112 and maintained in a predetermined direction (transfer direction) during the transfer and before and after the transfer. It is possible to realize the loading, and it is possible to secure a stable storage state.

  Further, the first wheel guide 112 includes a first taper portion 118 having a surface inclined so as to gradually move away from a region through which the wheel 221 passes as it goes toward the stacker crane 102 side, at the tip end portion on the stacker crane 102 side. . As a result, when the object 200 is transferred from the stacker crane 102 to the rack 101, the wheel 221 follows the first tapered portion 118 even when the direction of the wheel 221 of the free wheel 202 is shifted from the transfer direction. It becomes possible to adjust the wheel 221 so as to follow the transfer direction.

  In the present embodiment, the first wheel guide 112 is a plate-like member. However, the first wheel guide 112 may be of any form such as two block-like members arranged in parallel or a block-like member provided with a groove. Can be selected. Further, the first wheel guide 112 may be integrated with the first rolling surface portion 111 as well as a separate body.

  The first rolling surface portion 111 is a portion of the rack 101 that is disposed below the gap of the first wheel guide 112 and on which the wheels 221 roll. Moreover, when storing the target object 200, the 1st rolling surface part 111 is holding the target object 200 from the downward direction.

  In the case of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the rack 101 includes a plurality of first rolling surface portions 111 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction in the drawing) and the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing). Each of the first rolling surface portions 111 is provided with a first wheel guide 112 so that the object 200 can be stored in a stable state.

  The third rolling surface portion 113 is disposed on the opposite side (the other side) of the first rolling surface portion 111 in the width direction (Y-axis direction in the figure), and the third rolling surface portion 113 of the rack 101 on which the wheel 221 of the free wheel 202 rolls. Part. In the case of the present embodiment, the width W2 of the third rolling surface portion 113 is wider than the width W1 of the first rolling surface portion 111. Specifically, the width W2 of the third rolling surface portion 113 is equal to or greater than the eccentric distance D of the free wheel 202, and the width W1 of the first rolling surface portion 111 is slightly wider than the thickness of the wheel 221 of the free wheel 202. Degree. Thereby, even if the free wheel 202 which is not restrained by the first wheel guide 112 rolls on the third rolling surface portion 113, it can be prevented that the wheel is removed.

  Furthermore, the width of the third rolling surface portion 113 is wider than the eccentric distance D. Accordingly, even when the object 200 having a different distance between the two free wheels 202 arranged in the width direction is stored, it is possible to flexibly cope with it.

  Moreover, the 1st rolling surface part 111 and the 3rd rolling surface part 113 are provided with the inclined surface 114 which falls gradually as it leaves | separates from the stacker crane 102 in a transfer direction, as shown in FIG. The rack 101 further includes a stopper 119 that restricts the lowering of the object 200 placed on the inclined surface 114 and the movement away from the stacker crane 102.

  The rack 101 according to the present embodiment has the first rolling surface portion 111 and the third rolling surface portion 113 on which the target object 200 is placed inclined, so that the target object 200 is placed behind the rack 101 by gravity. A force that tries to move in the positive direction (X-axis positive direction in the figure) is generated. On the other hand, the stopper 119 that comes into contact with the back portion of the object 200 restricts the movement of the rack 101 against the force. As described above, the rack 101 can maintain the target object 200 in a predetermined position, and can stably store the target object 200 even if vibration or the like occurs.

  Note that a wheel stopper that restricts the rolling of the wheel 221 of the free wheel 202 may be provided on the upper surface of the first rolling surface portion 111. However, when the direction of the wheel 221 is not constant, the distance between the wheel stoppers is an eccentric distance. It is set to about D. According to this, since play of about the eccentric distance D occurs, the object 200 reciprocates in the transfer direction between about the eccentric distance D due to vibration or the like. However, if the inclined surface 114 is provided on at least one of the first rolling surface portion 111 and the third rolling surface portion 113, the object 200 is maintained in a predetermined position regardless of the direction of the wheel 221. Is possible.

  Note that the above does not exclude the provision of wheel stoppers. For example, wheel stoppers may be provided on the third rolling surface portion 113.

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the rack 101 is provided with a slit portion 115 between the first rolling surface portion 111 and the third rolling surface portion 113. The slit part 115 is a part through which an expansion / contraction mechanism part (so-called fork, details will be described later) of the transfer device 121 passes. According to this, it is possible to secure a wide space below the main body 201 of the object 200, and it is possible to easily pass through the expansion / contraction mechanism.

  The stacker crane 102 is an apparatus that can transfer the object 200 along the rack 101 and can push or pull the object 200 between the rack 101 and transfer equipment. 121, a second wheel guide 122, and a second rolling surface portion 123.

  In the case of this embodiment, the stacker crane 102 extends in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction in the drawing) and the carriage 141 that moves in the width direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) along the rack 101, as shown in FIG. The mast 142 is attached to the carriage 141 and moves in the horizontal direction together with the carriage 141, the elevator platform 143 that moves up and down along the mast 142, and the stacker crane 102.

  The transfer device 121 includes an expansion / contraction mechanism section 124 that expands and contracts along the transfer direction, and the expansion / contraction mechanism section 124 has an extruding section 125 that contacts the object 200 in the push-out direction, and a pull-in that contacts the object in the pull-out direction. Part 126 is provided. In the case of the present embodiment, the pushing portion 125 is a portion that abuts the portion of the object 200 facing the stacker crane 102 and extends and extends the telescopic mechanism portion 124 to push the object 200 toward the rack 101 and transfer it. is there. The pulling portion 126 is in contact with the surface of the object 200 opposite to the stacker crane 102, and the telescopic mechanism portion 124 is contracted so that the object 200 stored in the rack 101 is pulled toward the stacker crane 102 and transferred. It is.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the automatic warehouse 100 has racks 101 arranged on both sides of the stacker crane 102, and the transfer device 121 of the stacker crane 102 places the object 200 on any rack 101. It can be transferred. That is, the expansion / contraction mechanism 124 of the transfer device 121 is a mechanism that can expand and contract toward both the one rack 101 side and the other rack 101 side. Therefore, the portion that functions as the pushing portion 125 when extending to the one side functions as a pulling portion when extending to the other side, and the portion that functions as the pulling portion 126 when contracting from one side is retracted from the other side. Functions as an extruding part.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the pushing portion 125 and the pulling portion 126 are between the first rolling surface portion 111 and the third rolling surface portion 113, that is, more than the center of the slit portion 115 (the chain line in FIG. 7). The first rolling surface portion 111 is disposed. Accordingly, even when the object 200 having a different distance of the free wheel 202 attached in the width direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) is stored, any object 200 can be transferred in a stable state.

  Furthermore, the transfer device 121 includes an intrusion mechanism (not shown) that causes the extruding unit 125 and the attracting unit 126 to appear in the up and down direction. According to this, even when the space below the main body 201 is low because the pulling portion 126 or the push-out portion 125 that functions as the pulling portion passes below the main body 201 of the object 200, the lower portion of the main body 201 is expanded and contracted. The drawing portion 126 can be passed by extending the mechanism portion 124, and after passing through the main body 201, the drawing portion 126 protrudes upward to come into contact with a portion of the object 200 opposite to the stacker crane 102. Is possible.

  Note that the in / out mechanism is not particularly limited, and the claw-like attraction portion 126 arranged in the width direction may be indented / inverted by rotating the transfer direction as a rotation axis, and the in / out mechanism may be drawn using a cam or a link mechanism. The part 126 may be raised and lowered.

  Furthermore, the raising / lowering mechanism moves the push-out part 125 and the pull-in part 126 by moving a part or all of the telescopic mechanism part 124 to which the push-out part 125 and the pull-in part 126 are attached to the second rolling surface part 123. It doesn't matter if you make it appear.

  Even when the in / out mechanism is not provided, the same function as the in / out mechanism may be realized by raising and lowering the lifting platform 143. Specifically, in a state where the wheels 221 are placed on the second rolling surface portion 123, the pushing portion 125 and the pulling portion 126 are provided at a height that can contact the main body 201 of the object 200. 143 will not appear. When the object 200 stored in the rack 101 is received by the stacker crane 102, a position lower than the delivery position (position where the pulling portion 126 can pass below the main body 201 of the object 200) In this state, the transfer device 121 is extended until the pulling portion 126 passes through the main body 201. And the raising / lowering base 143 is raised until the 1st rolling surface part 111 and the 2nd rolling surface part 123 become the same height. As described above, the main body 201 and the pulling portion 126 can be engaged with each other, and in this state, the transfer device 121 is contracted to draw the object 200 later. When the object 200 is lowered from the stacker crane 102 to the rack 101, an operation opposite to the above may be performed. That is, the lifting platform 143 is positioned so that the first rolling surface portion 111 and the second rolling surface portion 123 are at the same height, the transfer device 121 is extended, the object 200 is pushed out, and placed on the rack 101. . Thereafter, the transfer device 121 may be contracted after the elevating platform 143 is lowered to a position where the pulling portion 126 does not engage with the main body 201.

  The second wheel guide 122 is a member disposed at a position corresponding to the first wheel guide 112. The second wheel guide 122 is a member having the same function as that of the first wheel guide 112, and regulates the direction of the wheel 221 of the free wheel 202 when transporting the object 200 by the stacker crane 102. The object 200 inside is prevented from swinging unintentionally. Note that movement of the object 200 in the transfer direction during conveyance can be prevented by engaging the pushing part 125 and the drawing part 126 with the object 200.

  The second wheel guide 122 may be provided with a tapered portion at a position facing the first tapered portion 118 of the first wheel guide 112.

  The second rolling surface portion 123 is disposed at a lower portion of the gap between the second wheel guides 122 and is a portion on which the free wheel 202 wheel 221 rolls while the object 200 is being transferred. Moreover, when conveying the target object 200 along the rack 101, the 2nd rolling surface part 123 is holding the target object 200 from the downward direction.

  Further, the stacker crane 102 includes a fourth rolling surface portion 127 at a position corresponding to the third rolling surface portion 113. The fourth rolling surface portion 127 has a width equivalent to that of the third rolling surface portion 113.

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the stacker crane 102 is disposed between the first rolling surface portion 111 and the second rolling surface portion 123 when the object 200 is transferred, and the stacker crane 102 is mounted on the rack 101. Is provided with a bridge portion 128 that is not disposed between the first rolling surface portion 111 and the second rolling surface portion 123.

  In the bridge portion 128, when the object 200 is transferred between the stacker crane 102 and the rack 101, the wheel 221 of the free wheel 202 falls between the first rolling surface portion 111 and the second rolling surface portion 123. It is a member which prevents.

  In addition, the mechanism which arrange | positions the bridge part 128 between the 1st rolling surface part 111 and the 2nd rolling surface part 123 is not specifically limited. For example, the stacker crane 102 may protrude from the lifting platform 143 toward the rack 101. Further, the bridge portion 128 is in a state of being flipped up while the object 200 is being transported, and the bridge portion 128 falls down when the object 200 is transferred, and the first rolling surface portion 111 and the second rolling surface portion 123. It may be a bridge.

  Further, instead of separately providing the bridge portion 128, the second rolling surface portion 123 and the fourth rolling surface portion 127 themselves may be slid to the rack side with respect to the lifting platform 143. In that case, it is preferable that the second wheel guide 122 also slides together.

  The bridge portion 128 may be disposed between the third rolling surface portion 113 and the fourth rolling surface portion 127.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, another embodiment realized by arbitrarily combining the components described in this specification and excluding some of the components may be used as an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the present invention includes modifications obtained by making various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention, that is, the meaning described in the claims. It is.

  The present invention can be used in an automatic warehouse or the like for storing an object equipped with a free car such as a cart.

D Eccentric distance F Rolling surface H Rolling shaft V Rotating shaft W1 Width W2 Width 100 Automatic warehouse 101 Rack 102 Stacker crane 109 Storage portion 111 First rolling surface portion 112 First wheel guide 113 Third rolling surface portion 114 Inclined surface 115 Slit portion 118 First taper portion 119 Stopper 121 Transfer device 122 Second wheel guide 123 Second rolling surface portion 124 Telescopic mechanism portion 125 Extruding portion 126 Pulling portion 127 Fourth rolling surface portion 128 Bridge portion 141 Cart 142 Mast 143 Lift platform 200 object 201 main body 202 free wheel 221 wheel 222 radial bearing 223 thrust bearing 224 rolling stopper

Claims (7)

A rack for storing an object for each storage unit, the object having a main body and a free wheel that is attached to a lower portion of the main body and capable of turning a wheel with respect to the main body; and transporting the object along the rack; An automatic warehouse comprising a stacker crane for transferring the object to and from a rack,
The rack is
A first wheel guide having a gap that extends in the transfer direction on one side of the storage portion in the width direction, which is a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction and a horizontal plane, and has a gap for rolling the wheels of the free wheel;
A first rolling surface portion that is disposed at a lower portion of the gap of the first wheel guide and on which the wheel rolls;
On the other side in the width direction of the storage portion, a third rolling surface portion on which the wheel of the free wheel rolls,
The stacker crane is
A transfer device that includes an extruding portion that abuts the object in a pushing direction, and a drawing portion that abuts the object in a pulling direction, and transfers the object by pushing and pulling;
A second wheel guide corresponding to the first wheel guide;
An automatic warehouse comprising a second rolling surface portion that is disposed below the gap of the second wheel guide and on which the wheel rolls. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the width of the third rolling surface portion is wider than the width of the first rolling surface portion. The said extrusion part and the said drawing part are arrange | positioned near the said 1st rolling surface part rather than the center between a said 1st rolling surface part and a said 3rd rolling surface part. Automatic warehouse. The first rolling surface portion and the third rolling surface portion are provided with an inclined surface that gradually decreases with distance from the stacker crane in the transfer direction,
The automatic warehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rack further includes a stopper that regulates movement of the object placed in the inclined surface in a descending direction. The automatic warehouse according to claim 4, wherein a slit portion through which the expansion / contraction mechanism portion of the transfer device passes is provided between the first rolling surface portion and the third rolling surface portion. The stacker crane is
The automatic warehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a bridge portion disposed between the first rolling surface portion and the second rolling surface portion when the object is transferred. The said transfer apparatus is an automatic warehouse of any one of Claims 4-6 provided with the raising / lowering mechanism which makes the said attracting part appear and disappear in an up-down direction.

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