JP7120144B2 - Storage facility - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a storage facility for storing articles, and more particularly to a storage facility in which a plurality of storage shelves for storing articles are arranged side by side.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, storage racks having storage racks partitioned into multiple rows and multiple stages have been used in facilities such as automated warehouses in which articles are stored. For example, in the equipment described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of storage racks are provided so as to line up along the transport direction, and each of these storage racks can store a storage container containing an article. .

Further, in the equipment described in Patent Document 1, each of the storage shelves is provided with a storage shelf pad. Electric power can be supplied in a non-contact manner to the air blower provided in the container. As a result, the air blower for the storage container can operate while the storage container is stored on the storage shelf.

In this way, in conventional storage facilities, each of a plurality of storage racks is provided with a means for supplying electric power, so that a device that requires power can operate in each of the storage racks. there is something

JP 2017-095183 A

However, in a conventional storage facility, if power supply means is provided for each of a plurality of storage racks, there is a problem that the construction cost of the storage facility increases.

The plan view of FIG. 9 shows an example of a conventional storage facility 90. As shown in FIG. In this storage facility 90 , a plurality of storage racks 93 separated by rack columns 92 are arranged along a transport path W of a stacker crane 91 . The stacker crane 91 conveys the articles 95 placed on the pallets 94 along the conveying path W, and transfers the articles 95 together with the pallets 94 to the respective storage racks 93 . Save 95.

The pallet 94 is provided with a driving device 96 (for example, a blowing device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 or a cooling device for cooling the article 95) that consumes electric power to operate. Further, each storage shelf 93 is provided with a power source 97 (for example, a commercial AC power source or a storage battery) capable of supplying power to the driving device 96 . When the articles 95 are stored in the storage racks 93 together with the pallets 94 , power is supplied from the power supply 97 to the driving devices 96 so that the driving devices 96 can operate within the storage racks 93 .

According to such a conventional storage facility 90, the operation of the drive device 96 can keep the quality of the articles 95 stored in the storage shelf 93 high. For example, if the drive device 96 is a blower device as described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the article 95 . In addition, if the article 95 is a perishable food whose quality deteriorates at high temperatures, the article 95 is cooled by the cooling device while the article 95 is stored in the storage shelf 93 if the driving device 96 is a cooling device. and the quality of the article 95 is preserved.

However, in the configuration of the conventional storage facility 90 as shown in FIG. 9, in order to enable the driving device 96 in each storage shelf 93, all the storage shelves 93 had to be provided with a power supply 97. . In particular, if the driving device 96 requires a large amount of electric power, such as a cooling device, a large wiring for connecting to a distribution board of a commercial AC power supply, a large-capacity battery, etc. are arranged in each storage shelf 93. need to be

If such a power supply 97 is arranged in each of the large number of storage shelves 93, the material cost is high, and work such as wiring and equipment installation is required for each storage shelf 93. It has to be done, and the work cost is high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to realize power supply to storage racks at low cost in a storage facility in which a plurality of storage racks for storing articles are arranged side by side.

In order to solve the above problems, the contactless power supply equipment in one example of the embodiment according to the present invention has a storage rack in which a plurality of storage racks for storing articles placed on pallets are arranged in a row direction. In the storage facility in which the storage racks in the storage rack are separated by partitions extending in a depth direction that intersects with the arrangement direction, each of the pallets is provided with a power load that consumes power. In addition, power transmission/reception pads electrically connected to the power loads are provided at both ends in the row direction, and at least one of the storage racks is stored in the storage rack. a power supply shelf having a power supply that supplies power to the power transmission/reception pads of the pallet by a non-contact method, and between the pallets stored in the two storage shelves that are adjacent in the alignment direction. and power is transmitted from the power transmitting/receiving pad of one pallet to the power transmitting/receiving pad of the other pallet by a non-contact method.

Further, preferably, each of the partitions has power for relaying power transmission by a contactless method between the power transmission/reception pads of the pallets stored in two storage racks adjacent to the partition. A relay pad may be provided.

Further, preferably, the power relay pad includes a resonance circuit including a power relay coil and a resonance capacitor, and a saturable reactor connected to the resonance capacitor in parallel with the power relay coil.

Also preferably, the power relay pad includes an adjustment relay capable of opening and closing electrical connection between the resonance capacitor and the saturable reactor, and the adjustment relay is operated by electric power accumulated in the resonance capacitor. good.

Preferably, each of the pallets is provided with a power storage device that stores power to be supplied to the power transmission/reception pad and supplies the stored power to the power load.

Further, preferably, each of the partitioning portions has two rack columns arranged side by side in the depth direction and extending in a height direction intersecting the row direction and the depth direction, and the power relay pad is connected to the power relay pad. provided between the two rack pillars arranged in the depth direction,
The power relay coil of the power relay pad is wound around a magnetic core, and the alignment direction dimension of the magnetic core is preferably equal to the alignment direction dimension of the rack column.

According to the storage facility in one example of the embodiment of the present invention, regarding the supply of power consumed by the power load, the power transmission/reception pads provided on each of the pallets perform contactless power transmission between the pallets. It will be. Therefore, if a power supply shelf having a power supply is provided in at least one of a plurality of storage shelves arranged in a row, power is indirectly supplied from one power supply to all of the storage shelves. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide power feeders to all storage racks. In addition, since the power transmission/reception pads are provided on a separate pallet from the storage racks, workers do not have to perform work such as wiring for each of the storage racks.

The top view which shows a part of storage facility in an example of embodiment which concerns on this invention. AA arrow view of FIG. Schematic of a power relay pad. 4 is a graph showing temporal changes in the voltage generated in the power relay pad; The top view which shows some storage facilities in another example of embodiment. The top view which shows some storage facilities in another example of embodiment. AA arrow view of FIG. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of the power relay pad of FIG. 6; The top view which shows a part of conventional storage facility.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a plan view of part of a storage facility 10 in one example of embodiment according to the invention. This storage facility 10 has a storage rack 11, and a plurality of storage racks 13 are provided side by side along the alignment direction W in the storage rack 11. - 特許庁Each of these storage racks 13 is partitioned by partitions 18 extending in the depth direction Y that intersects the alignment direction W. As shown in FIG.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2 showing a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, the storage racks 13 are stacked in a plurality of stages vertically in the height direction Z that intersects the alignment direction W (and the depth direction Y). is provided. The storage rack 11 has a plurality of rack pillars 16 extending in the height direction Z, and as shown in FIG. It becomes the above-mentioned partition part 18 which partitions the shelf 13 .

A shelf board 17 is provided so as to bridge between two rack columns 16 arranged along the depth direction Y, and as shown in FIG. One storage shelf 13 is partitioned.

As shown in FIG. 1, the shelf board 17 is located in the vicinity of the rack pillars 16 in the area between the rack pillars 16 that divide the storage shelves 13 in the alignment direction W, that is, at the ends of the storage shelves 13 in the alignment direction W. spreads only. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, one storage shelf 13 includes two shelf boards 17, one on the left side and one on the right side. , there is a space extending in the row direction W between these two shelf plates 17 .

In each storage shelf 13 , articles 30 placed on pallets 20 are stored on shelf boards 17 . The dimension W of the pallets 20 in the alignment direction is larger than the interval between the shelf plates 17 described above. Therefore, when the pallet 20 is stored in the storage rack 13 , only both ends of the pallet 20 in the alignment direction W are supported by the two shelf plates 17 .

Pallets 20 and articles 30 are transferred to each storage shelf 13 by a stacker crane 50 traveling in the storage facility 10 . The stacker crane 50 has forks 55 for supporting the pallets 20 , and the stacker crane 50 travels in the row direction W with the pallets 20 supported on the forks 55 , thereby stacking the pallets in the storage facility 10 . 20 (and the article 30 placed on it) is transported.

The stacker crane 50 also has two masts 51 that are aligned along the alignment direction W and extend in the height direction Z. As shown in FIG. The fork 55 is mounted on a lifting platform 57 that moves up and down along the mast 51, and the stacker crane 50 uses the lifting platform 57 to move the position of the pallet 20 on the fork 55 in the height direction Z to a plurality of stages of storage. It can be aligned with each of the shelves 13 .

In addition to the fork 55, the lift table 57 is equipped with a bendable arm 52 for moving the fork 55 in the horizontal direction, and a swivel base 53 for turning the fork 55 and the bendable arm 52 in a horizontal plane. When the pallet 20 is transferred from the stacker crane 50 to the storage shelf 13 , the lift platform 57 raises the swivel base 53 and the fork 55 on which the pallet 20 is placed to a position slightly higher than the shelf plate 17 of the target storage shelf 13 . is lifted, the swivel base 53 is swiveled so that the movement direction of the fork 55 by the bendable arm 52 is aligned with the depth direction Y. As shown in FIG. When the forks 55 are lowered by the lifting platform 57 while the forks 55 are moved toward the storage rack 13, the difference in the distance between the pallet 20 and the two shelf plates 17 causes the shelf plates 17 to move. The pallet 20 will remain on the . When the fork 55 moves in the depth direction Y, the dimension W of the fork 55 in the row direction is smaller than the dimension of the interval between the shelf plates 17, so that the fork 55 can pass between the shelf plates 17 when lowered. As described above, the pallet 20 is transferred from the stacker crane 50 to the storage rack 13 .

FIG. 1 shows a state in which a pallet 20 and articles 30 placed on the pallet 20 are stored in three storage racks 13 arranged along the alignment direction W, respectively. The storage shelf 13 at the left end of the storage rack 11 in the figure is a power supply shelf 13s.

Each pallet 20 has an article 30 placed thereon, and is provided with a driving device 22, a first power transmission/reception pad 25a, and a second power transmission/reception pad 25b. Here, the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b are provided at both ends of the pallet 20 in the alignment direction W, respectively. Specifically, the first power transmission/reception pad 25a is provided at one end (the left end in the drawing) of the pallet 20 in the alignment direction W, and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b is provided at the other end (the right end in the drawing).

The driving device 22 is a power load that consumes electric power. For example, a cooling device for cooling the articles 30 is incorporated as the driving device 22 in each pallet 20 . In the drawing, the drive device 22 is shown as being smaller than the article 30 for convenience of illustration, but the drive device 22 may actually be larger than the article 30, for example, it may include a housing that accommodates the article 30 as a whole. , the driving device 22 may be a refrigerating device that maintains the space in the housing at an extremely low temperature.

As indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 1 , the driving device 22 is electrically connected to the first power transmission/reception pad 25 a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25 b by the power transmission/reception wiring 26 . The first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b are also electrically connected by the power transmission/reception wiring 26 .

The first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b are power transmission/reception coils that generate an electromotive force according to changes in the magnetic flux generated in the vicinity thereof, and also generate magnetic flux around them according to the current that flows through them. contains. Therefore, for example, if alternating magnetic flux is generated near the first power transmission/reception pad 25a, the electromotive force generated by the first power transmission/reception pad 25a enables the electrically connected driving device 22 to operate. .

Here, a power supply pad 60 as a power supply is provided on the power supply shelf 13s positioned at the left end in the drawing. The power supply pad 60 is arranged in the end partition 18s between the two rack pillars 16 positioned at the left end in the figure. Power supply pad 60 is connected by power supply wiring 64 to AC power supply 62 (eg, an industrial power supply). The power supply pad 60 also includes a power supply coil that generates a magnetic flux around it according to the current that flows through it. Alternating magnetic flux is generated.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the pallet 20 is stored on the power supply shelf 13s, the power supply pad 60 and the first power transmission/reception pad 25a are arranged to face each other. Note that the stacker crane 50 performs position control so that the power supply pad 60 and the first power transmission/reception pad 25a face each other when transferring the pallet 20 to the power supply shelf 13s.

In this state, when an alternating current is passed through the power supply coil of the power supply pad 60 from the AC power supply 62 and an alternating magnetic flux is generated in the vicinity of the power supply pad 60, the first power transmission/reception pad 25a facing and magnetically coupled to the power supply pad 60 An electromotive force is generated in the power transmitting/receiving coil. That is, power is supplied from the power supply pad 60 to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a in a non-contact manner. The power supplied to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a is supplied to the drive device 22 connected to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a, thereby enabling the drive device 22 to operate on the power supply shelf 13s.

Furthermore, since the first power transmission/reception pad 25a is also connected to the second power transmission/reception pad 25b, the power supplied to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a is also supplied to the second power transmission/reception pad 25b, thereby An alternating current flows through the power receiving pad 25b. Then, an alternating magnetic flux is generated in the vicinity of the second power transmission/reception pad 25b.

Of the outer surface of the second power transmitting/receiving pad 25b, the surface on which the alternating magnetic flux from the power transmitting/receiving coil is generated faces the partition portion 18 existing between the storage shelf 13 adjacent to the power feeding shelf 13s. A power relay pad 40 facing the second power transmission/reception pad 25b is provided in the partition section 18 . The power relay pad 40 includes a power relay coil 42 (FIG. 3) that generates an electromotive force in response to changes in the magnetic flux generated in its vicinity and generates magnetic flux around it in response to the current that flows through it. is When alternating magnetic flux is generated from the power transmitting/receiving coil of the second power transmitting/receiving pad 25b facing the power relay pad 40, the power relay coil 42 of the power relay pad 40 is magnetically coupled with the power transmitting/receiving coil, and an alternating current is applied to the circuit including the power relay coil 42. current flows. Then, the power relay coil 42 itself also generates an alternating magnetic flux, and an alternating magnetic flux is generated in the vicinity of the power relay pad 40 .

On the other hand, the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b of the pallet 20 stored in the storage shelf 13 (central storage shelf 13 in FIG. 1) adjacent to the power supply shelf 13s are stored in the storage shelf 13. It is arranged so as to face the power relay pads 40 respectively arranged in two adjacent partitions 18 . When the stacker crane 50 transfers the pallet 20 to the storage rack 13 , each pallet is moved so that the first power transmission/reception pad 25 a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25 b face the power relay pad 40 by appropriately performing position control. 20 are placed. For example, when the power relay pad 40 is arranged in the central region in the depth direction Y of the dividing section 18, the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b are also positioned in the center region in the depth direction Y. are arranged as follows.

When alternating magnetic flux is generated near the power relay pad 40, the power transmitting/receiving coil of the first power transmitting/receiving pad 25a facing it is magnetically coupled with the power relay coil 42 of the power relay pad 40 to generate an electromotive force. In this manner, power transmission is relayed by the power relay coil 42, whereby power is transmitted from the second power transmission/reception pad 25b of the power supply shelf 13s to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a of the central storage shelf 13 in a non-contact manner. done. The power supplied to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a of the central storage shelf 13 is supplied to the driving device 22 of the central storage shelf 13 in this way.

Furthermore, in the same way, the power supplied to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a of the central storage shelf 13 is also supplied to the second power transmission/reception pad 25b. Then, through the relay by the power relay pad 40 facing the second power transmission/reception pad 25a, the first power transmission/reception pad 25a of the pallet 20 stored in the storage shelf 13 on the right end in the figure, and the driving device 22 of the pallet 20 Also, power transmission is performed by a non-contact method.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, if the pallet 20 is also stored in the storage shelf 13 on the right side of the rightmost storage shelf 13 in the figure, the first power transmission/reception pad 25a (and Power is transmitted to the driving device 22) by a non-contact method via the power relay pad 40. FIG. As described above, in the storage facility 10 of FIG. 1, the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25a of each pallet 20, even if the pallet 20 is not positioned on the power supply shelf 13s on which the power supply pad 60 is provided. Power is indirectly supplied from the power supply pad 60 via the pad 25 b and the power relay pad 40 of each partition 18 .

It should be noted that when contactless power supply is performed, it is desirable that the distance between two pads for power transmission/reception is as small as possible. This is because the smaller the spacing between the pads, the stronger the magnetic flux coupling between the pads (the less the magnetic flux spreading to the area outside the pads), and the higher the transmission efficiency (the less the power loss). Here, in the storage facility 10 shown in FIG. 1, when power transmission is performed between the pallets 20 stored on the two storage racks 13 adjacent in the row direction W, the first power supply of one of the pallets 20 Between the power transmitting/receiving pad 25 a and the second power transmitting/receiving pad 25 b of the other pallet 20 , there is a space corresponding to the thickness of the partition 18 , that is, the rack column 16 . However, a power relay pad 40 is provided in the partition section 18, and between the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the power relay pad 40, and between the power relay pad 40 and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b, Since there is almost no space between the pads, power loss is reduced during contactless power transmission from the first power transmission/reception pad 25a to the second power transmission/reception pad 25b.

In order to minimize power loss during power transmission, it is desirable that the power relay pad 40 have the same dimension as the space between the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b as much as possible. . For example, when the structure of the power relay pad 40 includes a coil composed of a conductor winding wound around a magnetic core such as a ferrite core, the dimension of the ferrite core, particularly the dimension in the alignment direction W, is the dimension of the separation part 18, In other words, if it is equal to the thickness of the rack column 16 (dimension in the alignment direction W), the power relay pad 40 almost completely fills the space between the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b. be able to.

FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of power relay pad 40 including power relay coil 42 . The power relay coil 42 forms a resonance circuit together with a resonance capacitor 44 connected in series with itself so that power can be efficiently transmitted in a non-contact manner from the first power transmission/reception pad 25a to the second power transmission/reception pad 25b. It has become.

Here, when the power transmitted by the non-contact method is large, magnetic saturation may occur in the power relay coil 42 . For example, when the power relay coil 42 is wound around a ferrite core, as the current flowing through the power relay coil 42 increases, the magnetic flux penetrating the ferrite core increases. The magnetic flux in the core no longer increases (magnetic saturation occurs).

When magnetic saturation occurs in the power relay coil 42, the inductance drops abruptly, resulting in a large current flow, and electrical energy is converted into heat by the resistance of the conductor, resulting in a large power loss. As described above, the size of the ferrite core of the power relay pad 40 is about the same as the thickness of the rack pillar 16, which is relatively large. Therefore, the power loss when magnetic saturation occurs becomes very large. In addition, since the magnetic flux does not increase, that is, the magnetic flux does not change, no electromotive force is generated in the first power transmission/reception pad 25a (FIG. 1) magnetically coupled with the power relay pad 40, and power is transmitted by the non-contact method. is lost. Thus, when magnetic saturation occurs in the power relay coil 42, various problems occur.

In order to prevent problems due to magnetic saturation of the power relay coil 42, the saturable reactor 46 is connected in parallel with the resonance capacitor 44 in the circuit of the power relay pad 40 shown in FIG. The saturable reactor 46 is a winding wound around a core with steep saturation characteristics, so that a slight increase in current quickly leads to magnetic saturation. The inductance of the saturable reactor 46 also drops sharply when magnetic saturation occurs, but the inductance until magnetic saturation occurs is relatively large. Here, since the inductance acts as a resistance to the alternating current, the saturable reactor 46 whose inductance changes sharply functions as a switch that cuts off or conducts the alternating current depending on whether it is saturated or not.

An alternating current flows through the resonance circuit formed by the power relay coil 42 and the resonance capacitor 44 . A saturable reactor 46 connected in parallel with this acts as a switch that conducts while magnetic saturation occurs and inductance decreases, and cuts off while magnetic saturation does not occur and inductance is large. Specifically, the saturable reactor 46 becomes conductive with a delay of the time from when the voltage starts to be applied to both ends of the saturable reactor 46 until it reaches magnetic saturation, and then the current flows until the direction of the voltage changes.

Therefore, the saturable reactor 46, which is conductive only for a certain period of time, is connected in parallel with the resonance circuit (the power relay coil 42 and the resonance capacitor 44) whose direction of voltage is periodically switched. Here, the characteristics and wiring of the saturable reactor 46 are conductive (saturated) during the period when the voltage of the power relay coil 42 increases, and a voltage is generated that cancels the voltage of the power relay coil 42 while it is conductive. If so designed, the voltage generated in the resonant circuit is kept constant. As a result, the current flowing through the power relay coil 42 is also limited to a constant value, and the ferrite core of the power relay coil 42 does not become magnetically saturated. On the other hand, although magnetic saturation frequently occurs in the saturable reactor 46, the size of the saturable reactor 46 can be much smaller than the power relay coil 42 (for example, about 1/10). Power loss at 46 is very small.

In this way, the provision of the saturable reactor 46 prevents problems due to magnetic saturation of the power relay coil 42 , but since the saturable reactor 46 itself also has an inductance, the power relay coil 42 and the resonance capacitor 44 are separated from each other. If the saturable reactor 46 is connected before the resonance starts in the resonance circuit, the timing at which resonance starts and the resonance voltage may deviate from the designer's intention. In order to connect the saturable reactor 46 after the voltage in the resonance circuit has increased to some extent, the circuit of the power relay pad 40 in FIG.

The adjustment relay 48 is driven by the electric power accumulated in the resonance capacitor 44, and when the voltage of the resonance capacitor 44 reaches a certain level (operating voltage) or higher, the voltage between the resonance capacitor 44 and the saturable reactor 46 becomes Wired so as to conduct. Specifically, the control relay 48 is turned on before the power relay coil 42 becomes magnetically saturated.

A graph showing changes in the voltage V with respect to the elapsed time t is shown, with the horizontal axis representing the elapsed time t from when the electromotive force started to be generated in the power relay coil 42 and the vertical axis representing the resonance voltage V of the resonance capacitor 44 (and the power relay coil 42). It is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, conduction of the control relay 48 occurs at operating time t _on when the resonant voltage V reaches the operating voltage V _ON (eg, 600V). When the control relay 48 is turned on, the resonance voltage V is suppressed by the saturable reactor 46 as described above, and the resonance voltage V gradually decreases to the stable voltage V _s (eg, 300 V). As indicated by the phantom line _on the left side of FIG. It continues to rise beyond _ON , and eventually the ferrite core of the power relay coil 42 causes magnetic saturation.

Here, the circuit of the power relay _pad 40 of FIG. , a self-holding relay 49 is provided in parallel with the regulating relay 48 and the saturable reactor 46 . The self-holding relay 49 conducts a path bypassing the adjustment relay 48 once the adjustment relay 48 conducts and current flows between the resonance capacitor 44 and the saturable reactor 46 . Then, even after the resonance voltage V drops below the operating voltage V _ON and the control relay 48 is cut off, the conduction between the resonance capacitor 44 and the saturable reactor 46 is maintained.

Thus, in the circuit of the power relay pad 40 shown in FIG. 3, once the resonance capacitor 44 and the saturable reactor 46 are electrically connected, the resonance voltage V is maintained at the stable voltage _Vs thereafter. The resonance voltage V generated in this circuit disappears when the non-contact power transmission ends. For example, when the pallet 20 shown in FIG. 1 is removed from the storage shelf 13 for shipping the articles 30, power is no longer supplied to the power relay coil 42, and the resonance voltage V gradually decreases. As indicated by the phantom line on the right side of FIG. 4, if the pallet 20 is removed from the storage shelf 13 at the removal time t _r , the resonance voltage V, which had been maintained at the stable voltage V _s up to that time, changes to It decreases with time, and eventually the resonance voltage V becomes zero at the end time _toff . The operating voltage of the self-holding relay 49 is designed to be very low, and the self-holding relay 49 is cut _off at the end time toff.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a plan view of part of the storage facility 10 in another example of embodiment. Most of the storage facility 10 in FIG. 5 has the same configuration as the storage facility 10 in FIG. 1, and parts common to the storage facility 10 in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. In the storage facility 10 of FIG. 5, each pallet 20 is provided with a first power transmission/reception pad 25a, a second power transmission/reception pad 25b, a driving device 22, and a battery 23 (for example, a lead-acid battery) as a power storage device.

The battery 23 is electrically connected to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a, the second power transmission/reception pad 25b, and the driving device 22 via the power transmission/reception wiring 26 (in FIG. is connected in parallel with the driving device 22 between the power receiving pad 25b). As a result, the battery 23 can accumulate electric power supplied to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a (from the power supply pad 60 or the second power transmission/reception pad 25b of another pallet 20) in a non-contact manner, and The stored power can be supplied to the drive device 22 . Since the battery 23 is also connected to the second power transmission/reception pad 25b, it is also possible to transmit the accumulated power (via the power relay pad 40) to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a of another pallet 20. be.

According to the storage facility 10 of the embodiment as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 5, at least one of the plurality of storage shelves 13 provided along the row direction W has a power supply pad 60 (power supply). If it is the power supply shelf 13s, the power is transmitted to the other storage shelf 13 via the first power transmission/reception pad 25a, the second power transmission/reception pad 25b, and the power relay pad 40. Moreover, it is not necessary to provide the power supply pad 60 and the AC power supply 64 to all the storage racks 13. For example, if the power required for one pallet 20 is 50 W, by supplying power of 500 W from the power supply pad 60, power can be supplied to ten pallets 20 from one power supply shelf 13s. . Therefore, the number of storage racks 13 on which the power supply pad 60 should be installed can be very small, and the material cost and work cost for constructing the storage facility 10 can be reduced.

Further, the driving device 22 of the pallet 20 receives power indirectly from the power feeding shelf 13 s when positioned on the power feeding shelf 13 s or via the first power transmitting/receiving pad 25 a, the second power transmitting/receiving pad 25 b, and the power relay pad 40 . The storage facility 10 is constructed so that a part of the storage rack 11 serves as the storage rack 13 in which the driving device 22 operates because it operates when it is positioned in the storage rack 13 that enables transmission. It is also possible to For example, if the driving device 22 is a cooling device, even if the storage facility 10 as a whole does not have a cooling function, some of the storage racks 13 can be cooled by the driving device 22 . In this case, items that do not require cooling are stored on shelves to which power is not transmitted, and items that require cooling are stored on the pallet 20 including the first power transmission/reception pad 25a, the second power transmission/reception pad 25b, and the driving device 22. , and stored in the power supply shelf 13s or the storage shelf 13 to which power is transmitted from the power supply shelf 13s, so that the article that does not require cooling and the article that requires cooling can be stored in the same storage. Storage in the facility 10 becomes possible. In the storage facility 10 as described above, when the article 30 requiring cooling is transferred from the stacker crane 50 to the storage rack 11, the power supply shelf 13s or the electric power from the power supply shelf 13s is used to transfer the article 30 that needs to be cooled. The stacker crane 50 may be controlled so that the transfer is performed to the storage shelf 13 where the transfer is being performed (that is, the storage shelf 13 adjacent to the storage shelf 13 in which the pallet 20 is already stored).

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, when each pallet 20 is provided with a battery 23, power is stored in the battery 23 even if power is not being transmitted to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a. The electric power enables the driving device 22 to operate. Therefore, even if the pallet 20 is removed from the central storage shelf 13 for shipping or changing the storage position of the article 30, as indicated by the phantom line in FIG. In the storage rack 13, the operation of the driving device 22 is continued without any problem by the electric power accumulated in the battery 23. FIG. Therefore, when the battery 23 is provided, it is possible to select the storage shelf 13 for storing the pallet 20 and the article 30 in the storage rack 11, the order from which storage shelf 13 to ship the article 30, and the like. The overall flexibility of the procedure for transporting 30 is increased.

In the above-described embodiment, the power relay pad 40 is provided in the delimiter 18 so that power can be efficiently transmitted from the second power transmission/reception pad 25b to the first power transmission/reception pad 25a in a non-contact manner. However, if the partition 18 is sufficiently small and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b and the first power transmission/reception pad 25a facing each other are sufficiently magnetically coupled, that is, contactless power transmission is possible without the power relay pad 40. The power relay pad 40 may not necessarily be provided if it is expected to be performed efficiently.

Also, the dimension W in the direction in which the ferrite cores of the power relay pad 40 are arranged does not necessarily have to be equal to the thickness of the rack pillar 16, and may be 90% to 110% of the thickness of the rack pillar 16, for example.

Further, in the power relay pad 40, if there is no risk of magnetic saturation occurring in the core of the power relay coil 42, or if magnetic saturation occurs but loss due to saturation is small, the saturable reactor 46 is not necessarily provided. It's good.

Even if the saturable reactor 46 is connected to the power relay coil 42 from the beginning, the adjustment relay 48 may not necessarily be provided if the resonance voltage in the power relay pad 40 can be smoothly adjusted.

Further, by using a relay having a very large difference between the operating voltage and the return voltage as the adjusting relay 48, the self-holding relay 49 can be omitted. For example, a control relay is a relay that conducts (operates) at an applied voltage of 600V, remains conducting until the applied voltage drops to 200V after conduction, and returns (recovers) to a disconnected state when the applied voltage drops below 200V. 48, the saturable reactor 46 becomes conductive with the power relay coil 42 when the voltage of the resonant capacitor 44 reaches 600V, and the continuity continues even after the voltage of the resonant capacitor 44 drops to the stable voltage of 300V. Remaining operation is achieved without the self-holding relay 49 .

In the above embodiment, the power relay pads 40 are arranged in the partitions 18 between the rack pillars 16, and the size of the ferrite cores in the alignment direction W is about the same as the thickness of the rack pillars 16. Although assumed, the form of the power relay pad 40 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a power relay pad 80 extending from the left shelf plate 17 to the right shelf plate 17 with respect to the dividing portion 18 may be used. The power relay pad 80 is arranged so as to be embedded in the shelf board 17, and its top surface is parallel to the top surface of the shelf board 17, as shown in FIG.

By using the power relay pads 80 having a larger dimension in the alignment direction W in this way, even if the space between the storage racks 13 is large, the first power transmission/reception pad 25a (right pallet 20) and the second power transmission/reception pad 25a (right pallet 20) can be connected. Power can be efficiently transmitted to and from the power receiving pad 25b (left pallet 20). This is because, when using this power relay pad 80, as shown in FIG. This is because they are arranged to be adjacent and face each other inside. In FIG. 6 , the power relay pad 80 is arranged in the central region of the dividing portion 18 in the depth direction Y, but it may be located at a different position depending on the arrangement of the first power transmission/reception pad 25 a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25 b on the pallet 20 . may be placed in

FIG. 8 shows an example of a circuit diagram of this power relay pad 80. As shown in FIG. The circuit diagram shows a first power relay coil 82a and a second power relay coil arranged in series so as to enable flux coupling with the power transmission and reception coils of both the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b. 82b are provided, one of which is magnetically coupled to the power transmission/reception coil of the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the other of which is magnetically coupled to the power transmission/reception coil of the second power transmission/reception pad 25b. Together, they constitute the power relay coil 82 . It is sufficient that the power relay coil 82 as a whole can be magnetically coupled to the power transmission/reception coils of both the first power transmission/reception pad 25a and the second power transmission/reception pad 25b. For example, a large coil may extend over the entire power relay pad 80 (eg, extend around the outer edge of the pad which is rectangular in plan view).

Note that FIG. 8 shows a circuit diagram in which the self-holding relay 49 is omitted. The control relay 88 in FIG. 8 has a large difference between the operating voltage and the return voltage. Even if the saturable reactor 86 stabilizes the resonance voltage at about 300 V, the self-holding relay 49 will not return to the disconnected state under the resonance voltage. 8 as well, the adjustment relay 88 is operated by power stored in the resonance capacitor 84. Here, the resonance capacitor 84 is connected to the first resonance capacitor 84a and the second resonance capacitor 84b arranged in series. Separated, only the second resonant capacitor 84 b is connected to the adjustment relay 88 via the rectifier 85 .

The capacitances of the first resonance capacitor 84a and the second resonance capacitor 84b are different. For example, the capacitance of the first resonance capacitor 84a is 0.22 μF, and the capacitance of the second resonance capacitor 84b is 4.4 μF. (approximately 0.209 μF for the entire resonant capacitor 84). In this way, the resonance capacitor 84 is composed of two capacitors having different capacitance values, and only one of them is used for the operation of the adjustment relay 88, so that the resonance voltage of the entire resonance circuit and the voltage applied to the adjustment relay 88 can be adjusted. can be different.

In an experiment conducted by the inventor, when a 24V DC coil relay was used as the control relay 88 for the resonant capacitor 84 having the capacitance of the above example and the power relay coil 82 having the measured inductance of 120 μH, the voltage across the resonant capacitor 84 at a frequency of 31 kHz was When the voltage reaches 600V, the control relay 88 operates (conducts), and the saturable reactor 86 works to limit the resonance voltage to about 300V or less. Thus, by configuring the resonance capacitor 84 with two capacitors and using only one of them for the operation of the adjustment relay 88, the desired resonance can be obtained even if the operating voltage of the adjustment relay 88 itself is not the desired voltage (for example, 600 V). It can be configured to operate at any voltage, increasing the choice of relays that can be employed in the circuit.

In the above-described embodiment, the drive device 22 such as an air blower or a cooling device was exemplified as the power load, but the power load mounted on the pallet 20 may be anything that consumes power, and the drive device 22 is not necessarily the power load. No need. For example, in addition to the driving device 22, a GPS device that indicates the current position of each pallet 20, a wireless ID tag that stores identification information of each pallet 20 and information about the articles 30 placed thereon, etc. are provided as power loads. may

In the above-described embodiment, the stacker crane 50 transports the articles 30 placed on the pallet 20, but the transport of the articles 30 and the pallet 20 is not limited to this. The pallet 20 may be transported by In that case, the side surface of the pallet 20 may be provided with a pair of fork holes into which the forks of the forklift are inserted.

10 storage facility 11 storage rack 13 storage shelf 13s power supply shelf 16 rack pillar 17 shelf plate 18 partition 18s end partition 20 pallet 22 drive device 23 battery 25a first power transmission/reception pad 25b second power transmission/reception pad 30 article 40 power relay Pad 42 Power relay coil 44 Resonant capacitor 46 Saturable reactor 48 Control relay 49 Self-holding relay 50 Stacker crane 60 Power supply pad 62 AC power supply 90 Storage facility 94 Pallet 96 Driving device 97 AC power supply

Claims (5)

A storage rack having a plurality of storage racks for storing articles placed on pallets arranged in a row direction, and the storage racks in the storage rack are arranged in a depth direction that intersects the row direction. In a storage facility separated by an extending partition,
Each of the pallets is provided with a power load that consumes power, and a power transmission/reception pad electrically connected to the power load is provided at each of both ends in the row direction,
At least one of the storage shelves is a power supply shelf having a power supply that supplies power to the power transmission/reception pad of the pallet stored in the storage shelf by a non-contact method,
Between the pallets respectively stored in the two storage racks adjacent in the row direction, from the power transmission/reception pad of one pallet to the power transmission/reception pad of the other pallet, in a non-contact manner. power transmission is performed by
Each of the partitions is provided with a power relay pad for relaying power transmission by a non-contact method between the power transmission/reception pads of the pallets stored in the two storage racks adjacent to the partition. A storage facility characterized by being stored. The power relay pad is
a resonant circuit including a power relay coil and a resonant capacitor;
a saturable reactor connected to the resonance capacitor in parallel with the power relay coil;
2. The storage facility of claim 1 , comprising: The power relay pad is
an adjustment relay capable of opening and closing electrical connection between the resonant capacitor and the saturable reactor;
4. The adjustment relay is operated by electric power accumulated in the resonance capacitor, and after operation forms a self-holding circuit that maintains a conductive state between the resonance capacitor and the saturable reactor. Storage facility according to 2 . Each of the pallets is provided with a power storage device that stores power to be supplied to the power transmission/reception pad and supplies the stored power to the power load . Storage facility according to any one of. In each partition, two rack pillars are provided side by side in the depth direction and extend in a height direction intersecting the row direction and the depth direction. It is provided between the rack pillars arranged side by side,
The power relay coil of the power relay pad is wound around a magnetic core, and the alignment direction dimension of the magnetic core is equal to the alignment direction dimension of the rack pillars, according to claim 2 . Storage facility.

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