JP6443990B2 - Automatic warehouse - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse, and more particularly to an automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane is provided between a plurality of racks for storing articles.

  In general, in an automatic warehouse, a rack for storing an article is built in a wall shape, and a stacker crane for carrying the article into the rack or carrying out the article from the rack is provided corresponding to the rack. The rack extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, and includes an article storage shelf arranged in the extending direction, that is, in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. The stacker crane moves in the extending direction of the rack, that is, in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, and loads or unloads articles with respect to a large number of article storage shelves provided in the rack.

  As shown in Patent Document 1, in a conventional automatic warehouse, a pair of racks arranged side by side in the depth direction and one stacker crane moving between both racks form one unit, The loading / unloading operation is performed by loading or unloading articles from racks provided on both sides of the stacker crane.

  Moreover, like patent document 2, one rack and the stacker crane provided in the both sides of the rack form one unit, and two stacker cranes carry in articles to one rack, respectively. There is an automatic warehouse where loading and unloading work is performed by unloading. In this automatic warehouse, for example, one stacker crane can perform a warehouse operation and another stacker crane can perform a warehouse operation for one rack. Thereby, when the warehousing work and the warehousing work are performed simultaneously, the two stacker cranes can perform different works in parallel, so the warehousing work is speeded up.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-40109 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-192903

  However, a distribution system using an automatic warehouse has a tendency to increase in scale and efficiency, and the automatic warehouse is also required to have a larger capacity and a faster entry / exit operation. Generally, when increasing the capacity of an automatic warehouse, as shown in Patent Document 1, rack and stacker crane units are added to be arranged side by side in the depth direction.

  However, even if the rack and stacker crane units are juxtaposed and simply expanded, the units can only exchange goods, and the units cannot exchange goods with each other. Is reduced. In addition, depending on the order of loading and unloading articles, and the arrangement of the loading station for loading the articles into the automatic warehouse and the unloading station for unloading, the loading and unloading work becomes complicated and the loading and unloading work is slowed down.

  In addition, it is possible to increase the capacity of an automatic warehouse by extending the rack in the extending direction, that is, up, down, left and right, but in this case, the movement distance of the stacker crane increases due to the expansion of the rack. Loading or unloading is delayed, and the speed of loading and unloading is reduced.

  The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and an object of the present invention is to speed up the loading / unloading operation of the automatic warehouse and increase the operational flexibility while increasing the capacity of the automatic warehouse.

An automatic warehouse according to the present invention includes a rack that is formed in a wall shape and stores articles, first and second stacker cranes disposed on both sides of the rack, and the first stacker crane includes the article. A loading station capable of unloading and the second stacker crane can unload the article, the unloading station unloading the article in response to a unloading request, the rack, A plurality of article storage shelves that can carry in or out articles from both the first and second stacker cranes, the article storage shelves are loaded with articles before the delivery request is made, and the delivery request The first stacker crane carries the articles carried out from the warehousing station directly to the article storage shelves. It performs a warehousing operation for.

The automatic warehouse includes a control unit that controls the movement of the first and second stacker cranes and manages information related to articles stored in the rack, and the control unit includes a certain number or more of the article storage shelves. It is preferable to control the first stacker crane or the second stacker crane so that the article is not stored in the article storage shelf.

Another automatic warehouse according to the present invention is based on the following structure. That is, it extends in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, is erected in a wall shape, and is arranged side by side in the depth direction of the first outer rack having a plurality of article storage shelves and the first outer rack in the left-right direction and the upper-lower direction. A second outer rack that extends in the direction and has a wall shape and is provided with a plurality of article storage shelves, and a first and second outer rack that are arranged in parallel in the depth direction, in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. And is arranged between the first outer rack and the inner rack, and moves between both racks, and the articles are placed on the first outer rack and the inner rack. A first stacker crane that transposes the second stacker crane, and a second stacker crane that is disposed between the second outer rack and the inner rack, moves between both racks, and transposes articles to the second outer rack and the inner rack. With. The inner rack can carry in or carry out articles from both the first and second stacker cranes. In addition to this, in the automatic warehouse according to the present invention, the first stacker crane transfers the articles carried into the first outer rack to the article storage shelves in the inner rack when there is no warehouse operation. Alternatively, the second outer rack includes a first delivery station for delivering a predetermined article, and the first or second stacker crane removes the predetermined article from the first delivery station when there is no entry operation. It is transposed to the article storage shelf of the second outer rack or inner rack located in the vicinity.

  According to the present invention, while increasing the capacity of an automatic warehouse, the loading / unloading work of the automatic warehouse can be speeded up and the degree of freedom of operation can be increased.

1 is a schematic plan view showing an egg sorting and packaging facility in which an automatic warehouse according to the present invention is used. It is a schematic side view which shows the automatic warehouse shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating receipt of the tray group to a 1st outer side rack in the warehousing operation | work in the automatic warehouse of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating receipt of the tray group to an inner side rack in the warehousing operation | work in the automatic warehouse of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating warehousing of the tray group to a 2nd outer side rack in the warehousing operation | work in the automatic warehouse of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating delivery of a tray group from the 1st outer side rack in the delivery work in the automatic warehouse of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating delivery of a tray group from an inner side rack in the delivery work in the automatic warehouse of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating delivery of a tray group from the 2nd outer side rack in the delivery work in the automatic warehouse of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the operation | work which unloads the received tray group as it is by the unloading operation | work in the automatic warehouse of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the transfer of the tray group from the first outer rack to the second outer rack in the transfer operation in the automatic warehouse of FIG. 2. It is a schematic side view which shows the automatic warehouse concerning the modification of this invention.

  An automatic warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The automatic warehouse is used in various distribution systems. Hereinafter, an automatic warehouse 1 used in an egg sorting and packaging facility GP will be described as an example.

  Egg E is laid off from chickens in the poultry house, the production farm, and sorted by physical properties such as weight, cracks, dirt, internal abnormalities, etc. before reaching the consumer. (Grading), and then packed and shipped in an egg container P such as an egg pack. Such sorting and packaging operations are performed in an egg sorting and packaging facility GP called a GP (Grading & Packing) center.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic warehouse 1 is provided in such a sorting and packaging facility GP so as to be interposed between the sorting process and the packaging process, and the sorting and packaging process is made efficient by separating both processes. . That is, by separating the sorting process and the packaging process, each process can be performed separately, and by adjusting the operation time of each process, the personnel allocation of the sorting packaging facility GP can be optimized, or from the automatic warehouse 1 By shipping the delivered egg E, it is possible to respond flexibly to a sudden order, a small quantity and a variety of orders without depending on the sorting process in the packaging process. The automatic warehouse 1 is connected to and operated by a sorting system 2 that systematizes the sorting process and a packaging system 3 that systematizes the packaging process.

  The sorting system 2 includes an egg sorting device 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as “sorting device 20”) that sorts the eggs E mainly based on weight. As such a sorting apparatus 20, there is a sorting apparatus 20 such as an automatic egg sorting and packaging apparatus described in JP2011-173714A. As shown in FIG. 1, the sorting device 20 is connected to the double-row transport unit 22 that transports the eggs E in a plurality of rows (for example, 6 rows) and the double-row transport unit 22 and transports the eggs E in a single row. A single-row transport unit 24 and a plurality of tray lines 26 connected to the single-row transport unit 24 and receiving the eggs E from the single-row transport unit 24 and filling the tray T are provided.

  The double-row transport unit 22 measures the weight of the eggs while transporting the eggs E in a plurality of rows. In the present embodiment, the eggs E are sorted into the sixth class of LL size, L size, M size, MS size, S size, and SS size based on the measurement result. The single row transport unit 24 transports the weighed eggs E to the tray line 26 in a single row. The tray line 26 is provided according to the egg sorting condition, that is, the equal class.

  In the present embodiment, the tray line 26 is a first tray line 26LL corresponding to the LL size from the upstream where the egg E is conveyed, a second tray line 26L corresponding to the L size, and a second corresponding to the M size. The third tray line 26M, the fourth tray line 26MS corresponding to the MS size, the fifth tray line 26S corresponding to the S size, and the sixth tray line 26SS corresponding to the SS size.

  Therefore, for example, the LL size egg E is transported through the single row transport unit 24 and filled in the tray T in the first tray line 26LL, and the M size egg E is transported through the single row transport unit 24, The tray T is filled in the third tray line 26M, and the S-sized eggs E are transported through the single-row transport unit 24 and are filled in the tray T through the fifth tray line 26S. The sorting device 20 may include a non-standard assembly unit (not shown) that aggregates eggs E of sizes other than those described above as non-standard. The correspondence between each tray line 26 and the selected eggs can be changed and set as appropriate. That is, for example, the SS size eggs E may be set to be filled in the tray T in the first tray line.

  In the present embodiment, in each tray line 26, one tray T is filled with 30 eggs E. The tray T filled with the eggs E in the tray line 26 may be a general tray called an American tray, but may be a special tray suitable for storage in the automatic warehouse 1. As such a special tray, there is a tray such as an egg container described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-127082.

  The sorting system 2 further includes a stacking device 28 connected in a one-to-one relationship from the first tray line 26LL to the fourth tray line 26MS. Each stacker 28 receives a tray T filled with eggs E from the tray line 26 and stacks the trays T to form a tray group TG.

  In this specification, “tiered product” means that trays T filled with eggs are stacked to form a tray group TG. As a stacking apparatus for forming such a tray group TG, there is a stacking apparatus such as a stacking apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-172581. In general, the tray group TG is stacked in a state where the even-numbered trays and the odd-numbered trays T are rotated by 90 ° in the horizontal direction. The stacking device is connected to the automatic warehouse 1 and conveys the formed tray group TG toward the automatic warehouse 1.

[Automatic warehouse]

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the automatic warehouse 1 includes a first outer rack O1, a second outer rack O2 juxtaposed at a distance from the first outer rack O1, and first and second An inner rack I juxtaposed with an interval between the outer racks O2, a first stacker crane C1 disposed between the first outer rack O1 and the inner rack I, a second outer rack O2 and an inner side And a second stacker crane C2 disposed between the rack I and the rack I.

  The first and second outer racks O1 and O2 and the inner rack I extend in the left-right direction (Y direction in FIG. 1) and the up-and-down direction (Z direction in FIG. 2) and are formed in a wall shape, and the depth direction (FIG. 1). And in the X direction in FIG. 2). Each rack O1, O2, I includes a plurality of article storage shelves H arranged in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, five article storage shelves H are shown in the up-down direction and nine article storage shelves H in the left-right direction, but in an actual automatic warehouse, a larger number of article storage shelves are provided.

  The first stacker crane C1 is movable between the first outer rack O1 and the inner rack I in the extending direction of the rack, that is, in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. The tray group TG can be carried into or out of the shelf H. Similarly, the second stacker crane C2 is movable between the second outer rack O2 and the inner rack I in the direction in which the rack extends, and the tray group with respect to the article storage shelves H of both racks O2, I. TG can be carried in or out. The first and second stacker cranes C <b> 1 and C <b> 2 are configured not to interfere with each other when an article is carried into or out of the article storage shelf H of the inner rack I. As such a stacker crane, there are a rack and a stacker crane described in JP-A-8-192903.

  Each of the stacker cranes C1 and C2 is provided with a rail 12 extending in the left-right direction (see FIG. 1), and is movable in the left-right direction by traveling on the rail 12. Further, a mast 14 extending in the vertical direction is provided (see FIG. 2), and can be moved in the vertical direction by a lifting carriage disposed on the mast 14. The movement of the stacker cranes C1 and C2 is appropriately controlled, and the stacker cranes C1 and C2 can freely move in the left-right direction and the up-down direction.

  In the rack on the sorting system 2 side, that is, the first outer rack O1, at least one article storage shelf H is used as the storage station In. Further, in the rack on the packaging system 3 side, that is, the second outer rack O2, at least one article storage shelf H is used as the delivery station Ex. The article storage shelf H designated as the warehousing station In includes a warehousing and transporting device 16 that receives the tray group TG sent from the tray line 26 of the sorting system 2 and transports the tray group TG to a position where the first stacker crane C1 can take in the tray group TG. . The article storage shelf H set as the delivery station Ex includes a delivery / conveying device 18 that conveys the tray group TG carried in by the second stacker crane C2 to the packaging system 3.

  An automatic warehouse described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-330105 is an example of an automatic warehouse in which some article storage shelves are used as an entry station or an exit station. The entry station and the exit station can be selectively provided in the article storage shelf according to the design of the automatic warehouse.

  In the present embodiment, corresponding to the first to fourth tray lines 26LL to 26MS of the sorting device 20, the first to fourth storage stations In1 to In4 are provided in the first outer rack O1. In addition, first to third delivery stations Ex1 to Ex3 are provided in the second outer rack O2 corresponding to three packaging lines 36 to be described later. Which tray group TG of the same class is to be delivered to which delivery station Ex can be changed as appropriate.

  Each warehousing station In is connected to the stacking device 28 of the sorting system 2 via the warehousing / conveying device 16 and receives the tray group TG from the stacking device 28. Each delivery station Ex receives the tray group TG carried in by the second stacker crane C2. Each delivery station Ex is connected to a packaging system 3 to be described later via a delivery transportation device 18, and the tray group TG received by each delivery station Ex is transported to the packaging system 3 by the delivery transportation device 18.

  The positions of the warehousing station In and the warehousing station Ex, that is, the positions of the article storage shelves H used as the warehousing station In and the warehousing station Ex are appropriately changed according to the design of the sorting and packaging facility or the automatic warehouse. Further, the warehousing station In and the warehousing station Ex may be provided at a position different from the article storage shelf H, for example, at the side of the rack. As such an automatic warehouse 1, there is an automatic warehouse described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-302210.

  In the article storage shelf H of the first outer rack O1, the article storage shelves H other than the storage station In are isolated from the outside by a wall and are not connected to the transfer device, so that articles are received from the sorting system 2 side. It is not possible. Similarly, in the second outer rack O2, the article storage shelves H other than the delivery station Ex are isolated from the outside by the wall and are not connected to the transfer device, so that goods can be delivered from the packaging system 3 side. Can not.

  The inner rack I includes article storage shelves H arranged in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Each article storage shelf H penetrates in the depth direction, and articles can be carried in or out from both directions. Therefore, both the first stacker crane C1 and the second stacker crane C2 can carry in or out the tray group TG with respect to each article storage shelf H of the inner rack I.

  The automatic warehouse 1 controls the movement of the stacker cranes C1 and C2 related to carrying in and out of the article storage shelf H, and also manages the quantity of tray groups TG to be stored, information on the position of the article storage shelf H, and the like ( (Not shown). The control unit is a control computer that includes a well-known arithmetic processing function, information storage function, and the like.

[Packaging system]
The packaging system 3 connected to the automatic warehouse 1 includes a packaging line 36 connected to the unloading / conveying device 18, a plurality of leveling devices 32, and a packaging device 34 provided corresponding to each leveling device 32. . Each stage spreader 32 receives the tray group TG delivered from the delivery station Ex via the packaging line 36 and separates the tray group TG into trays T. The separated tray T is conveyed to the packaging device 34. As such a step spreader 32, there is a step spreader 32 such as a mountain lifting device described in JP-T-2001-516686. In the present embodiment, stacking means separating the trays one by one from the stacked tray group. In the present embodiment, the automatic warehouse 1 includes first to third delivery stations Ex1 to Ex3, and correspondingly, first to third stage spreaders 32 are provided.

  The packaging device 34 is connected to the corrugation device 32 in a one-to-one relationship, receives the tray T that has been corrugated by the corrugation device 32, and transfers the eggs E filled in the tray T to the egg container P. Then, the egg E is packaged by sealing the egg container P on which the egg is transferred. The packaged eggs E are packed in a collection container such as a cardboard box and shipped to the market.

  In the present embodiment, the automatic warehouse 1 having three racks of the first and second outer racks O1 and O2 and the inner rack I has been described. However, the automatic warehouse 1 is juxtaposed at intervals in the depth direction. As long as it is formed in the shape of a wall and has at least three racks including a plurality of article storage shelves H. Therefore, the first and second outer racks and a plurality of inner racks may be provided.

  Such an automatic warehouse 1 includes a stacker crane that is arranged between racks, moves between the racks, and loads or unloads articles to / from the article storage shelves. The articles can be carried in or out from any of the stacker cranes arranged on both sides.

  In these automatic warehouses, the capacity of the automatic warehouse can be increased by expanding the racks in parallel in the depth direction without expanding each rack in the vertical, horizontal, and horizontal directions. Therefore, even if the capacity of the automatic warehouse increases, the processing capacity of the stacker crane does not decrease. Furthermore, since the stacker cranes are arranged on both sides of the rack located inside, the work of carrying in or out of the article storage shelf is made efficient.

  Furthermore, since the stacker crane can carry in or carry out the article from both sides of the inner rack, the desired article can be carried into or out of each rack. This increases the operational efficiency of the automated warehouse.

  In the automatic warehouse 1 according to the present embodiment, the plurality of article storage shelves H of the first outer rack O1 are used as receiving stations In for receiving articles. Thereby, the 1st stacker crane C1 can take out goods from warehousing station In with the function to carry in or carry out goods to article storage shelf H of racks O1 and I of both sides.

  Further, in the automatic warehouse 1 according to the present embodiment, at least one of the article storage shelves H of the second outer rack O2 is used as the delivery station Ex for delivering goods. As a result, the second stacker crane C2 can move the articles to the exit station Ex with the function of carrying the articles into the article storage shelves H of the racks O2 and I on both sides.

  Furthermore, in the automatic warehouse 1 according to the present embodiment, the plurality of article storage shelves H of the second outer rack O2 are set as a plurality of delivery stations Ex for delivering articles. As a result, the warehousing order and the warehousing position of the goods for the warehousing work can be selected according to the warehousing work, so that an efficient warehousing work is possible.

[How automatic warehouse works]

  Next, an operation method of the above-described automatic warehouse 1 will be described. In the operation of the automatic warehouse 1, the tray E is filled with the eggs E that have been sorted into physical classes by the sorting system 2, and the tray group TG in which the trays T are stacked is stored in the automatic warehouse 1. After the tray group TG is stored in the article storage shelf H of the automatic warehouse 1, the tray group TG having the desired equal class of eggs E is delivered from the automatic warehouse 1 toward the packaging system 3 in accordance with the delivery instruction. . The delivered tray group TG is separated into the tray T, and the eggs E filled in the tray T are packaged in the egg container P.

  3 to 10 for explaining the operation method of the automatic warehouse 1 are schematic views of the automatic warehouse 1 as seen from the side, and the arrows indicate the movement paths of the tray group TG. 3 to 10, reference numeral O1 is assigned to the first outer rack, reference numeral I is assigned to the inner rack, reference numeral O2 is assigned to the second outer rack, and each rack O1, I, O2 is separated into five layers in the vertical direction. Symbols a to e are shaken from the bottom, nine article storage shelves are provided in each layer, and symbols 1 to 9 are shaken from the left side in the left-right direction.

  Therefore, the position of the article storage shelf is specified by these codes. For example, the second article storage shelf from the bottom of the first outer rack O1 and the third article storage shelf from the left are the article storage shelves O1-b-3. In the present specification, “corresponding position” means that the coordinates on the upper, lower, left, and right planes are the same. For example, the article storage shelf O1-b-3, the article storage shelf Ib-3, the article The storage shelf O2-b-3 is an article storage shelf in the “corresponding position” of each rack O1, I, O2.

  In the present embodiment, in the first outer rack O1, the article storage shelf O1-a-4 is used as the first storage station In1, the article storage shelf O1-a-5 is used as the second storage station In2, and the article storage shelf O1. -A-6 is the third storage station In3, and the article storage shelf O1-a-7 is the fourth storage station In4. In the second outer rack O2, the article storage shelf O2-a-1 is the first delivery station Ex1, the article storage shelf O2-a-4 is the second delivery station Ex2, and the article storage shelf O2-a-7. Is formed as a third delivery station Ex3. In the following description, for example, an LL size tray group TG means a tray group TG in which trays T filled with LL size eggs E are stacked.

  First, a description will be given of a warehousing operation, that is, a process from when the tray group TG is transported from the tray line 26 to the corresponding warehousing station In and carried into a predetermined article storage shelf. In the warehousing operation, the tray group TG that has been received may be stored in the first outer rack O1, stored in the inner rack I, or stored in the second outer rack O2.

  First, a case where the LL size tray group TG is stored in the article storage shelf O1-e-5 via the first storage station O1-a-4, that is, stored in the first outer rack O1 is illustrated. This will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the first stacker crane C1 performs the warehousing operation. Therefore, the operation of the second stacker crane C2 is not mentioned.

  The LL-sized egg E is sorted by the sorting device 20 and filled in the tray T through the first tray line 26LL. The trays T filled with the LL size eggs E are stacked in, for example, 8 levels by the stacking device to form the LL size tray group TG. The tray group TG is transported to the first warehousing station O1-a-4 (LL-I1).

  In the automatic warehouse 1, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the first warehousing station O1-a-4, and the tray group TG conveyed to the first warehousing station O1-a-4 is moved to the first warehousing station O1-a-4. It is carried out from one warehousing station O1-a-4 (LL-I2). The first stacker crane C1 possessing the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O1-e-5 (LL-I3), and carries the tray group TG into the article storage shelf O1-e-5. (LL-I4). Thereby, the tray group TG is stored in the first outer rack O1.

  Next, FIG. 4 shows a case where the L-size tray group TG is stored in the article storage shelf Id-3 via the second storage station O1-a-5, that is, stored in the inner rack I. The description will be given with reference. In this case, the first stacker crane C1 performs the warehousing operation. Therefore, the operation of the second stacker crane C2 is not mentioned.

  The L-sized eggs E are sorted by the sorting device 20 and filled in the tray T through the second tray line 26L. The trays T filled with the L size eggs E are stacked in, for example, eight levels by the stacking device 28 to form a tray group TG. The tray group TG is transported to the second storage station O1-a-5 of the automatic warehouse 1 (L-I1).

In the automatic warehouse 1, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the second warehousing station O1-a-5, and the tray group TG conveyed to the second warehousing station O1-a-5 is transferred to the first warehousing station O1-a-5. It is carried out from the second warehousing station O1-a-5 (L-I2). The first stacker crane C1 possessing the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Id-3 (L-I3), and carries the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Id-3. (L-I4).
Accordingly, the tray group TG is stored in the inner rack I.

  Next, a case where the M-size tray group TG is stored in the article storage shelf O2-e-7 via the third storage station O1-a-6, that is, stored in the second outer rack O2. This will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the first stacker crane C1 and the second stacker crane C2 jointly perform a warehousing operation and, for example, depending on whether or not both stacker cranes C1 and C2 in the state of holding the tray group TG move, The warehousing operation can be performed by any one of the third warehousing methods.

  In each warehousing method, the M-sized eggs E are sorted by the sorting device 20 and filled in the tray T by the third tray line 26M. The trays T filled with the M size eggs E are stacked in, for example, eight levels by the stacking device 28 to form a tray group TG. The tray group TG is transported to the third warehouse station O1-a-6 of the automatic warehouse 1 (M-I1).

  In the first warehousing method, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the third warehousing station O1-a-6 and is transported to the third warehousing station O1-a-6. Is carried out (M-I2-1). The first stacker crane C1 possessing the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ie-7 (M-I3-1), and moves the tray group TG to the article storage shelf Ie-7. Carry in (M-I4-1).

  Next, the second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ie-7, and carries out the tray group TG from the article storage shelf Ie-7 (M-I5-1). Since the article storage shelf Ie-7 is in a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O2-e-7, the second stacker crane C2 moves the tray group TG to the article storage shelf O2-e-7 without moving. Carry in (M-I6-1). Therefore, in this case, the first stacker crane C1 possessing the tray group TG moves to carry the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ie-7, and the second stacker crane C2 possessing the tray group TG is The tray group TG is carried into the article storage shelf O2-e-7 without moving. As a result, the tray group TG is stored in the second outer rack O2.

  In the second warehousing method, similarly to the first warehousing method, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the third warehousing station O1-a-6, and the third warehousing station O1-a. The tray group TG conveyed to -6 is carried out (M-I2-2). The first stacker crane C1 possessing the tray group TG carries the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ia-6 located at the position corresponding to the third storage station O1-a-6 without moving. (M-I3-2).

  Next, the second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ia-6 and carries out the tray group TG from the article storage shelf Ia-6 (M-I4-2). The second stacker crane C2 possessing the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O2-e-7 (M-I5-2), and the tray group TG is placed on the article storage shelf O2-e-7. Carry in (M-I6-2). Accordingly, in this case, the first stacker crane C1 carries the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ia-6 without moving, and the second stacker crane C2 moves to move the tray group TG into the article storage shelf O2. -Carry in e-7. As a result, the tray group TG is stored in the second outer rack O2.

  In the third warehousing method, similarly to the first and second warehousing methods, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the third warehousing station O1-a-6, and the third warehousing station. The tray group TG conveyed to O1-a-6 is carried out (M-I2-3). The first stacker crane C1 possessing the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ic-6 (M-I3-3), and moves the tray group TG to the article storage shelf Ic-6. Carry in (M-I4-3).

  Next, the second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ic-6 and carries out the tray group TG from the article storage shelf Ic-6 (M-I5-3). The second stacker crane C2 possessing the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Cd-5 (M-I6-3), and places the tray group TG on the article storage shelf O2-e-7. Carry in (M-I6-3). Therefore, in this case, both the first stacker crane C1 and the second stacker crane C2 move and carry the tray group TG into the article storage shelf O2-e-7. As a result, the tray group TG is stored in the second outer rack O2.

  In the first warehousing method, since the load of the second stacker crane C2 is small, the warehousing work can be made more efficient when the warehousing work is performed in parallel with the warehousing work described later. In the second warehousing method, since the load on the first stacker crane C1 is small, the warehousing work can be made efficient when the warehousing amount is large. Furthermore, in the third warehousing method, when an article is already stored in an article storage shelf at a position corresponding to the entry station or the exit station, the entry operation can be performed while avoiding the article storage shelf.

  Next, the delivery operation, that is, a process until the tray group TG stored in the article storage shelf H of the automatic warehouse 1 is carried out from the article storage shelf H will be described. In the shipping operation, when the tray group TG stored in the first outer rack O1 is output, when the tray group TG stored in the inner rack I is output, the tray group TG stored in the second outer rack O2. May be issued.

  First, when the LL size tray group TG stored in the article storage shelf O1-e-5 is delivered to the first delivery station O2-a-1, that is, the tray stored in the first outer rack O1. A case where the group TG is delivered will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the first stacker crane C1 and the second stacker crane C2 perform the unloading operation jointly, and the first stacker crane C1 and the second stacker crane C2, for example, depending on whether or not the stacker cranes C1 and C2 with the tray group TG are in motion -A delivery operation can be performed by any of the third delivery methods.

  In the first delivery method, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O1-e-5 and carries out the tray group TG stored in the article storage shelf O1-e-5 (LL). -E1-1). The first stacker crane C1 holding the tray group TG carries the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ie-5 facing the article storage shelf O1-e-5 without moving (LL- E2-1).

  Next, the second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ie-5 and carries out the tray group TG (LL-E3-1). The second stacker crane C2 having the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the first shipping station O2-a-1 (LL-E4-1), and the tray is moved to the shipping station O2-a-1. The group TG is carried in (LL-E5-1). At this time, the first stacker crane C1 holding the tray group TG carries the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ie-5 without moving, and the second stacker holds the tray group TG. The crane C2 moves and carries the tray group TG into the shipping station O2-a-1. As a result, the tray group TG is discharged from the first outer rack O1.

  In the second shipping method, as in the first shipping method, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O1-e-5 and is stored in the article storage shelf O1-e-5. Unload the tray group TG (LL-E1-2). The first stacker crane C1 having the tray group TG is moved to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ia-1 (LL-E2-2), and the tray group is moved to the article storage shelf Ia-1. TG is carried in (LL-E3-2).

  The second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ia-1 and carries out the tray group TG (LL-E4-2). Since the second stacker crane C2 having the tray group TG is in a position corresponding to the first delivery station O2-a-1, the tray is moved to the first delivery station O2-a-1 without moving. The group TG is carried in (LL-E5-2). At this time, the first stacker crane C1 holding the tray group TG moves, carries the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ia-1, and the second stacker crane holds the tray group TG. C2 carries the tray group TG into the exit station O2-a-1 without moving. As a result, the tray group TG is discharged from the first outer rack O1.

  In the third delivery method, similarly to the first and second delivery methods, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O1-e-5, and the article storage shelf O1-e-5. The tray group TG stored in (1) is carried out (LL-E1-3). The first stacker crane C1 having the tray group TG is moved to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ic-3 (LL-E2-3), and the tray group is moved to the article storage shelf Ic-3. TG is carried in (LL-E3-3).

  The second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ic-3 and carries out the tray group TG (LL-E4-3). The second stacker crane C2 having the tray group TG is moved to a position corresponding to the first delivery station O2-a-1 (LL-E5-3), and the tray group TG is moved to the first delivery station. Is carried in (LL-E6-3). As a result, the tray group TG is discharged from the first outer rack O1. In the first to third delivery methods, the first and second stacker cranes C1 and C2 possessing the tray group TG move together to carry the tray group TG into the article storage shelf H. As a result, the tray group TG is discharged from the first outer rack O1.

  Next, the case where the L-size tray group TG stored in the article storage shelf Id-3 is delivered to the second delivery station O2-a-4 will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the second stacker crane C2 is operated to perform a shipping operation. Therefore, the operation of the first stacker crane C1 is not mentioned.

  The second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Id-3 and carries out the tray group TG (L-E1). The second stacker crane C2 having the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the delivery station O2-a-4 (LE2), and carries the tray group TG into the delivery station O2-a-4. (L-E3). As a result, the tray group TG is delivered from the inner rack I.

  Next, a case where the M-size tray group TG stored in the article storage shelf O2-e-7 is delivered to the third delivery station O2-a-7 will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, the first stacker crane C2 is operated to perform a shipping operation. Therefore, the operation of the first stacker crane C1 is not mentioned.

  The second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O2-e-7 and carries out the tray group TG (M-E1). The second stacker crane C2 having the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the third delivery station O2-a-7 (ME2), and moves to the third delivery station O2-a-7. The tray group TG is carried in (M-E3). As a result, the tray group TG is delivered from the second outer rack O2.

  The tray group TG carried into the unloading station is transported to the corrugating apparatus 32, separated for each tray T, each tray T is transported to the packaging apparatus 34, and the eggs E filled in the tray T are packed into the packaging apparatus. 34 is packed in an egg pack P and shipped.

  In the above description, the warehousing work and the warehousing work have been described separately. At that time, the first and second stacker cranes C1 and C2 are appropriately controlled. However, if the first stacker crane C1 performs only the warehousing operation and the second stacker crane C2 performs only the warehousing operation, the first stacker crane C1 and the second stacker crane C2 are jointly operated. There is no need to operate it, and warehousing work and warehousing work can be performed independently.

  Next, an operation for unloading the received tray group TG will be described with reference to FIG. In this case, a case will be described in which the MS-sized tray group TG received in the fourth storage station O1-a-7 is output to the third output station O2-a-7. The fourth warehousing station O1-a-7 and the third warehousing station O2-a-7 are in corresponding positions, and the first stacker crane C1 and the second stacker crane C2 operate in cooperation.

  The MS-sized eggs E are sorted by the sorting device 20 and filled in the tray T by the fourth tray line 26MS. The trays T filled with the MS size eggs E are stacked in, for example, eight levels by the stacking device 28 to form a tray group TG. The tray group TG is transported to the fourth warehouse station O1-a-7 of the automatic warehouse 1 (MS-IE1).

  The first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the fourth storage station O1-a-7, and carries out the tray group TG from the article storage shelf O1-a-7 (MS-IE2). The first stacker crane C1 having the tray group TG carries the MS-size tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ia-7 without moving (MS-IE3).

  Next, the second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ia-7, and carries out the tray group TG from the article storage shelf Ia-7 (MS-IE4). The second stacker crane C2 having the tray group TG carries the tray group TG into the third delivery station O2-a-7 without moving (MS-IE5). Thereby, the tray group TG is discharged from the first outer rack O1. At this time, the first and second stacker cranes C1 and C2 possessing the tray group TG carry the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ia-7 without moving together.

  The tray group TG carried into the unloading station is transported to the corrugating apparatus 32, separated for each tray T, each tray T is transported to the packaging apparatus 34, and the eggs E filled in the tray T are packed into the packaging apparatus. 34 is packed in an egg pack P and shipped.

  Next, a transposition operation for changing the position of the tray group TG inside the automatic warehouse 1 will be described. The transposition work may be performed simultaneously with the warehousing work or the warehousing work, or may be performed separately. In the following, the case where the tray group TG is transferred from the first outer rack O1 to the second outer rack O2 will be described. However, the tray group TG is transferred so as to change the position of the article storage shelf between different racks or between the same racks. Also good.

  When the tray group TG is transferred from the first outer rack O1 to the second outer rack O2, in particular, the LL size tray group TG stored in the article storage shelf O1-e-5 is the article storage shelf O2-. The case where it is transposed to b-1 is demonstrated with reference to FIG. In this case, the first stacker crane C1 and the second stacker crane C2 jointly perform the warehousing operation, and depending on whether or not both stacker cranes in the state of holding the tray group TG have moved, for example, first to third The transposition work can be performed by any one of the transposition methods.

  In the first transposition method, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O1-e-5 and carries out the tray group TG from the article storage shelf O1-e-5 (LL-T1). -1). The first stacker crane C1 possessing the tray group TG carries the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ie-5 without moving (LL-T2-1).

  The second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ie-5 and carries out the tray group TG (LL-T3-1). The second stacker crane C2 having the tray group TG is moved to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O2-b-1 (LL-T4-1), and the tray group is moved to the article storage shelf O2-b-1. TG is carried in (LL-T5-1). As a result, the tray group TG is transferred from the first outer rack O1 to the second outer rack O2.

  In the second transposition method, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O1-e-5, and the tray group TG is moved to the article storage shelf O1-e, as in the first transposition method. Unload from -5 (LL-T1-2). The first stacker crane C1 possessing the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ib-2 (LL-T2-2), and moves the tray group TG to the article storage shelf Ia-2. Carry in (LL-T3-2).

  The second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf I-b-2 and carries out the tray group TG from the article storage shelf I-a-2 (LL-T4-2). The second stacker crane C2 possessing the tray group TG carries the tray group TG into the article storage shelf Ib-2 without moving (LL-T5-2).

  In the third transposition method, as in the first and second transposition methods, the first stacker crane C1 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O1-e-5, and the tray group TG is moved to the article storage shelf. Unload from O1-e-5 (LL-T1-3). The first stacker crane C1 possessing the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf I-c-3 (LL-T2-3), and moves the tray group TG to the article storage shelf I-c-3. Carry in (LL-T3-3).

  The second stacker crane C2 moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf Ic-3 and carries out the tray group TG from the article storage shelf Ic-3 (LL-T4-3). The second stacker crane C2 possessing the tray group TG moves to a position corresponding to the article storage shelf O2-b-1 (LL-T5-3), and moves the tray group TG to the article storage shelf O2-b-1. Carry in. Accordingly, the tray group TG is transferred from the first outer rack O1 to the second outer rack O2. At this time, the first and second stacker cranes C1 and C2 possessing the tray group TG move together to carry the tray group TG into the article storage shelf.

  Although the case where the first outer rack O1 is transferred to the second outer rack O2 has been described, the first outer rack O1 may be transferred to the inner rack I. In this case, only the first stacker crane C1 is operated, and the transposition work can be performed regardless of the operation of the second stacker crane C2. By moving the tray group TG to the inner rack I or the second outer rack O2, the second stacker crane C2 can be moved during the unloading operation so that the unloading operation can be performed smoothly.

  Since the stacker crane is not in operation when there is no loading / unloading work, for example, if the loading / unloading work, that is, the transfer work to the stacker crane at night when there is no sorting and packaging work, the next day's loading or unloading work will be performed smoothly. be able to. In addition, when the equivalent class to be delivered from the delivery station is known in advance, the tray group TG of the equivalent class may be preferentially transferred to the article storage shelf in the vicinity of the delivery station. Thereby, since the tray group TG can be delivered from the vicinity of the delivery station, the delivery operation becomes smooth.

  Further, the transposition work may be performed simultaneously with the warehousing work or the warehousing work. For example, when the warehousing operation is performed and the warehousing operation is not performed, there is room for the first stacker crane C1. At this time, the tray group TG may be moved from the article storage shelf H of the first outer rack O1 to the article storage shelf H of the inner rack I in preparation for the delivery operation.

  As another embodiment of the automatic warehouse, the one shown in FIG. 11 is also conceivable. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts as those of the above-described embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. The automatic warehouse 1 shown in FIG. 11 is obtained by eliminating the rack on the warehousing side (outer rack O1), and the warehousing station is provided at a place other than the article storage shelf. The automatic warehouse 1 is constructed in a wall shape extending in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, and is arranged on both sides of the inner rack I with a plurality of article storage shelves H. Or the first stacker crane C1 and the second stacker crane C2 that carry out the articles from the article storage shelf H, and the inner rack I across the second stacker crane C2 in the depth direction, An outer rack O2 that extends in the vertical direction and has a wall shape and includes a plurality of article storage shelves H is provided. The inner rack I of the automatic warehouse 1 can carry in or carry out articles from any of the first and second stacker cranes C1 and C2 arranged on both sides as in the above-described embodiment. .

  Further, although not shown, as another example, an automatic warehouse in which a rack on the delivery side (outer rack O2) is eliminated and a delivery station is provided at a place other than the article storage shelf is conceivable. This automatic warehouse is provided with a rack on the warehousing side (outer rack O1) provided with a warehousing station, a first stacker crane, an inner rack, and a second stacker crane.

  As described above, the arrangement of at least three patterns can be considered depending on the presence or absence of the outer racks O1 and O2. That is, the stacker cranes C1 and C2 on both sides of the inner rack I and the outer racks O1 and O2 on both sides (Pattern 1), the stacker cranes C1 and C2 on both sides of the inner rack I and the outer rack O2 on the delivery side (Pattern 2), the inside The stacker cranes C1 and C2 on both sides of the rack I and the outer rack O1 (pattern 3) on the warehousing side.

  The effects common to patterns 1 to 3 will be described in detail below.

  First, as described above, by increasing the number of article storage shelves, while serving as a buffer that temporarily stores a large amount of eggs, the expansion of the movement range of each stacker crane C1, C2 is suppressed. Throughput at the time of delivery can be improved.

  In particular, when eggs are assumed to be stored in racks I, O1, and O2, (1) where the goods are shipped to the automatic warehouse and the order (timing) of the delivery are determined. (2) Since it is a fresh food, it has a different characteristic from other industrial products in that it takes a relatively short time from entering the warehouse to leaving the warehouse. In consideration of this, in the automatic warehouse as described above, the inner rack I can access the tray group from the stacker cranes C1 and C2 on both sides, so that the eggs classified in a plurality of equal classes whose delivery order is not determined can be quickly obtained. It is possible to carry it to the exit station side. That is, it is possible to improve the efficiency of shipment while dealing with the situation unique to eggs.

  An automatic warehouse that handles eggs having such special circumstances functions very effectively when placed between the egg sorting process and the packaging process. In other words, this automatic warehouse is connected to the downstream side of the sorting step of sorting eggs and storing them in a temporary container (tray), and also packaging the eggs by transferring the eggs from the temporary container to the shipping container (pack) It is connected to the upstream side. In other words, this automatic warehouse includes an incoming station that receives the eggs classified according to the same class on the upstream side as a tray group for each equivalent class, and an outgoing station that outputs the tray group stored after the receipt in response to an outgoing request. It has. If this is the case, it will be transferred from the temporary container to the shipping container at the time when the ordering request is actually made by the orderer, so that it can respond to requests from a wide variety of orderers without generating wasteful inventory. Can do.

  Moreover, the freedom degree of operation | movement of a stacker crane can be improved according to the operating condition of the egg sorting packaging system compared with the conventional one. More specifically, in a state where the egg sorting and packaging system is in full operation, that is, when the automatic warehouse is intermittently received and the outgoing request is intermittently performed, the first The stacker crane C1 concentrates the work of transferring the tray group from the entry station to the inner rack I, and the second stacker crane C2 performs the work of transferring the tray group from the inner rack I to the delivery station. . On the other hand, in a state where there is no work to enter the automatic warehouse, the first stacker crane C1 moves the tray group from one shelf of the inner rack I to another shelf, or moves the tray group from the inner rack I to the outside. An operation of transposing to the rack O1 can be performed. Similarly, the second stacker crane C2 moves the tray group from one shelf to the other shelf or moves the tray group from the inner rack I in a state where there is no work from the automatic warehouse. An operation of transposing to the outer rack O2 can be performed. Thus, the work of one stacker crane and the work of another stacker crane can be performed in parallel.

  As described above, the “operation of transposing the tray group from the inner rack I to the outer rack O1 / O2” is effective in preventing the occurrence of a situation in which the article storage shelf of the inner rack I is filled, for example. The inner rack I described above can be regarded as a plurality of delivery stations formed for the first stacker crane C1, and as a plurality of entry stations formed for the second stacker crane C2. Can do. Since the inner rack I serves not only as an original storage role but also as a passage path for the articles, the articles are not accommodated in a predetermined number or more of the article storage shelves of the inner rack I. It is preferable to be controlled as follows. That is, when at least one of the first and second stacker cranes C1 and C2 has a predetermined number or less of the article storage shelves of the inner rack I that does not accommodate the tray group, It can be considered that the accommodated tray group is preferentially transferred to the article storage shelves of the outer racks O1 and O2. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the article storage shelves of the inner rack I are filled with the tray group and the smooth loading and unloading of the tray group is hindered. Here, “the number of article storage shelves is a predetermined number or less” means, for example, if the predetermined number is 2, the number of empty article storage shelves is 0 to 2, and the other article storage shelves are tray groups. When the predetermined number is 0, it means that there is no empty article storage shelf and all the article storage shelves are filled with tray groups. The “predetermined number” can be set to an arbitrary integer value, and may be a fixed value depending on the type of goods to be stored / extracted, or may be a variable value depending on various factors.

  In addition, it is preferable to perform the above-described operation when at least one of the first and second stacker cranes C1 and C2 does not perform the warehousing operation or the warehousing operation. If it does so, while being able to operate stacker cranes C1 and C2 effectively, it becomes possible to respond to various outgoing requests quickly.

  In particular, the tray group selected according to the egg weight or the like and collected for each class has a difference in the frequency of outgoing requests depending on the class. For this reason, if a group of trays of an equal class with a relatively small number of exit requests stays in the inner rack I for a long time, there is a possibility of hindering the loading and unloading work of the tray groups of an equal class with a relatively large number of exit requests. Thus, if the outer rack O1 is arranged on the warehousing station side as in the patterns 1 and 3, an equal-class egg group with relatively few unloading requests is placed on the outer rack O1 on the warehousing side. The degree of freedom increases, and it contributes to smooth entry and exit operations. In addition, you may make it arrange | position such an equal class tray group with comparatively few delivery requests | requirements in the outer side rack O2 by the side of delivery.

  Further, in an automatic warehouse where an egg sorting step is connected on the upstream side, the tray group is transported to the warehousing station by a different line for each egg size, so that a plurality of warehousing stations are provided. Therefore, it is preferable to set a plurality of warehousing stations using a plurality of article storage shelves in the warehousing side outer rack O1 as in patterns 1 and 3.

  Furthermore, in the automatic warehouse 1 such as the pattern 1 or 3 provided with the rack on the warehousing side (outer rack O1), the first stacker crane C1 transfers the articles that satisfy the preset condition from the warehousing station to the inner rack I. It is also conceivable to transfer to the article storage shelf of the warehousing rack O1 without transferring. For example, if the preset condition is “no shipping schedule”, the tray group with the shipping schedule can be preferentially moved to the inner rack I by not moving the tray group to the inner rack I. In addition, it is possible to smoothly perform loading and unloading work.

  In the present embodiment, the article storage shelf into which the tray group is carried is described as being empty, but the empty state of the article storage shelf is appropriately stored in the control device of the automatic warehouse. Further, the stacker crane is operated to move and carry out the tray group. However, the stacker crane may be operated to carry out the tray group after waiting for the tray group to be carried in. Further, although one group of tray groups TG is stored in one article storage shelf H, a plurality of tray groups TG may be stored in one article storage shelf H.

  In the present embodiment, the automatic warehouse for storing the selected eggs E has been described. However, the automatic warehouse for storing the eggs before being sorted, that is, the raw eggs E, may be used. Moreover, you may utilize for the automatic warehouse regarding not only the automatic warehouse regarding the distribution | circulation of an egg but another physical distribution system.

  The embodiment disclosed this time is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the scope described above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  The present invention can be used for the operation of an automatic warehouse.

1: Automatic warehouse 2: Sorting system 3: Packaging system H: Goods storage shelf I: Inner rack O1: First outer rack O2: Second outer rack C1: First stacker crane C2: Second stacker crane In : Warehousing station Ex: Shipping station

Claims (4)

A rack that is shaped like a wall and stores articles ;
First and second stacker cranes disposed on opposite sides of the rack ;
A storage station where the first stacker crane can carry out the article;
The second stacker crane includes a delivery station that can carry in the article ,
The exit station is for exiting the article in response to an exit request,
The rack comprises a first and a plurality of article storage shelves which can be carried in or out even articles from any of the second stacker crane,
The article storage shelf is used to carry in storage until the article is loaded before the delivery request is made and the delivery request is made,
The first stacker crane, Ru der performs warehousing operation for transferring the articles unloaded from the goods receipt station directly the article storage shelf, automated warehouse. A controller that controls movement of the first and second stacker cranes and manages information related to articles stored in the rack;
2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the first stacker crane or the second stacker crane so that articles are not stored in a certain number of article storage shelves among the article storage shelves. Automatic warehouse. A first outer rack extending in the left-right direction and the up-down direction and erected in a wall shape and having a plurality of article storage shelves;
A second outer rack that is arranged side by side in the depth direction of the first outer rack, extends in the left-right direction and the upper-lower direction, is built in a wall shape, and includes a plurality of article storage shelves;
An inner rack provided in parallel with a gap in the depth direction between the first and second outer racks, extending in the left-right direction and the up-down direction and erected in a wall shape, and having a plurality of article storage shelves;
A first stacker crane that is disposed between the first outer rack and the inner rack, moves between the racks, and transfers articles to the first outer rack and the inner rack;
A second stacker crane that is disposed between the second outer rack and the inner rack, moves between the racks, and transfers articles to the second outer rack and the inner rack;
The inner rack can carry in or carry out articles from both the first and second stacker cranes ,
The first stacker crane is an automatic warehouse that transposes articles carried into the first outer rack to an article storage shelf in the inner rack when there is no warehouse operation. A first outer rack extending in the left-right direction and the up-down direction and erected in a wall shape and having a plurality of article storage shelves;
A second outer rack that is arranged side by side in the depth direction of the first outer rack, extends in the left-right direction and the upper-lower direction, is built in a wall shape, and includes a plurality of article storage shelves;
An inner rack provided in parallel with a gap in the depth direction between the first and second outer racks, extending in the left-right direction and the up-down direction and erected in a wall shape, and having a plurality of article storage shelves;
A first stacker crane that is disposed between the first outer rack and the inner rack, moves between the racks, and transfers articles to the first outer rack and the inner rack;
A second stacker crane that is disposed between the second outer rack and the inner rack, moves between the racks, and transfers articles to the second outer rack and the inner rack;
The inner rack can carry in or carry out articles from both the first and second stacker cranes ,
The second outer rack includes a first delivery station for delivering a predetermined article,
The first or second stacker crane is an automatic warehouse that transfers a predetermined article to an article storage shelf of a second outer rack or an inner rack located in the vicinity of the first delivery station when there is no warehouse operation.

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