JP7180411B2 - Automated warehouse system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automated warehouse system, and more particularly to an automated warehouse system in which packages are stacked on racks.

Automated warehouses mainly have racks and stacker cranes. The rack has shelves arranged vertically and horizontally. The stacker crane travels near the racks to store and unload cargo from the racks.
In some automated warehouses, a plurality of packages are stacked on each shelf of a rack (see Patent Literature 1, for example).

Patent Literature 1 discloses an automatic storage and picking system for pallets and cases. The system provides high capacity unloading by means of an in-rack conveyor and a stacker crane with two hoists.

Japanese Patent No. 6343358

Both of the transfer devices 40 of Patent Document 1 have a transfer conveyor 41 and a suction arm 42 provided with a suction head 43 .
Therefore, the system of Patent Literature 1 is costly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to enable an inexpensive means to take out packages from a plurality of packages stacked in a rack.

A plurality of aspects will be described below as means for solving the problem. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as needed.
An automated warehouse system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a rack, a delivery conveyor, and a stacker crane.
In the rack, packages are stored in a stacked state.
The delivery conveyor is arranged in the rack and carries out delivery of packages.
The stacker crane includes a first platform, a second platform, a picking device, a dispensing device, and a controller.
The first elevator and the second elevator independently ascend and descend.
The picking device is arranged on the first platform and picks up at least one package from the packages stored in a stack in the rack.
The dispensing device is arranged on the second platform, and dispenses the received packages to the delivery conveyor.
The controller controls the picking device to remove the first package from the rack at the same time that the dispensing device releases the second package to the output conveyor.
In this system, a stacker crane equipped with two hoisting platforms and an unloading conveyor in the rack enable high-capacity unloading of packages. It should be noted that "takeout and payout at the same time" means that both operations are performed at least partially at the same time.
Further, by using the dispensing device as the device provided on one of the elevators, the cost can be reduced.

The dispensing device may have a slide table movable between the second platform and the delivery conveyor, on which the load can be loaded, and a pusher for pushing the load placed on the slide table toward the delivery conveyor.
In this system, a dispensing device with a simple configuration is realized by a slide table and a pusher. As a result, costs can be reduced.
By moving the slide table toward the delivery conveyor in the delivery operation, the gap between the slide table and the delivery conveyor can be reduced or eliminated. As a result, the cargo can be smoothly moved to the delivery conveyor.

The picking device may have an advance/retreat arm and a turning device for turning the advance/retreat arm about the vertical axis.
The picking device may extend the advance/retreat arm toward the rack to pick up the package, and then rotate the advance/retreat arm to deliver the package to the dispensing device.
With this system, the cost can be reduced by using the same mechanism to retrieve packages and deliver them to the dispensing device.

The second platform may be smaller than the first platform.
The automated warehouse system may further include a first platform driving device that drives the first platform and a second platform driving device that drives the second platform.
The second platform drive may be smaller than the first platform drive.
In this system, since it is not necessary to provide a turning device or the like on the second platform, the size of the second platform can be reduced. Furthermore, the size of the second platform driving device can be reduced. As a result, costs can be reduced.

The controller causes the picking device to pick up a plurality of packages lined up in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, rotate them 90 degrees, and transfer them to the slide table. may be controlled to
This system allows multiple packages to be efficiently and accurately fed to the outbound conveyor.

In the automated warehouse system according to the present invention, it is possible to take out the packages stacked and stored in the racks.

Schematic plan view of an automated warehouse system. Schematic side view of an automated warehouse system. FIG. 4 is a schematic partial plan view showing one state of picking/dispensing operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic partial plan view showing one state of picking/dispensing operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic partial plan view showing one state of picking/dispensing operation; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the automated warehouse system; FIG. 4 is a schematic partial front view showing one state of picking operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic partial front view showing one state of picking operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic partial front view showing one state of picking operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing one state of picking operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing one state of picking operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing one state of picking operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing one state of picking operation; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing one state of movement of the case between the picking device and the dispensing device; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing one state of movement of the case between the picking device and the dispensing device; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a picking operation and a dispensing operation are performed simultaneously; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing one state of dispensing operation; The schematic diagram which shows the operation timing of a picking apparatus and a dispensing apparatus. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining picking/dispensing operations of the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining picking/dispensing operations of the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining picking/dispensing operations of the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining picking/dispensing operations of the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining picking/dispensing operations of the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining picking/dispensing operations of the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining picking/dispensing operations of the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view for explaining picking/dispensing operations of the second embodiment;

1. First Embodiment (1) Description of Overall Automated Warehouse System An automated warehouse system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an automated warehouse system. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the automated warehouse system.

The automated warehouse system 1 is a system for storing and picking pallets 3 and cases 5 (an example of cargo). A plurality of cases 5 are stacked on the pallet 3. Specifically, the plurality of cases 5 are products of the same type, and are placed on the pallet 3 so as to be stacked in the vertical, front, rear, left, and right directions. That is, many cases 5 are placed on the pallet 3 in an aligned state.
In the following description, simply referring to the pallet 3 may mean the pallet 3 on which a plurality of cases 5 are stacked.
The automated warehouse system 1 has a first rack 11 (an example of a rack) and a second rack 13 (an example of a rack). The first rack 11 and the second rack 13 are arranged in parallel, and a travel lane 19 is provided between them. The first rack 11 has a plurality of rows of shelves 15 for storing the pallets 3 in a plurality of stages. The second rack 13 has a plurality of rows of shelves 15 for storing the pallets 3 in a plurality of stages.
The second rack 13 further has a case delivery conveyor 17 (an example of a delivery conveyor). The delivery conveyor 17 is arranged inside the second rack 13 and extends along the direction in which the second rack 13 extends. The delivery conveyor 17 is arranged in the middle position in the vertical direction of the second rack 13 . The delivery conveyor 17 is, for example, a roller conveyor, and delivers and conveys the cases 5 one by one.
In the following description, the horizontal direction in which the first rack 11 and the second rack 13 extend is defined as a first direction (arrow Y), and the horizontal direction orthogonal to the first direction is defined as a second direction (arrow X).

The automated warehouse system 1 has a pallet crane 21 that travels on a travel lane 19 and a case crane 23 (an example of a stacker crane). A pallet crane 21 transfers the pallet 3 to and from each shelf 15 . Further, the pallet crane 21 performs operations for collecting empty pallets 3 and changing cargo.
The case crane 23 picks the cases 5 placed on the shelf 15 .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the case crane 23 is arranged on the right side of the pallet crane 21 . The case crane 23 picks up the cases 5 from the pallet station 16 serving as the base point toward the end point (right side in the first direction), and repeats delivering to the unloading conveyor 17, and the pallet crane 21 moves from the base point to just before the case crane 23. The pallet 3 is stored on the shelf 15 in the movable area of . The pallet crane 21 and the case crane 23 each have a motor and a power transmission mechanism.
When the case crane 23 reaches the end point and the pallet crane 21 similarly moves to the end point, the pallet crane 21 and the case crane 23 return to the pallet station 16 without storing or picking. Continuous processing is performed with this cooperative operation as one cycle.
The pallet station 16 has a conveyor on which the pallets 3 are transferred to and from the pallet crane 21 and to and from a forklift (not shown).
In addition, unlike the picking operation, the case crane 23 may repeat picking while moving from one position to another in the travel direction in order to continuously deliver packages to the same delivery destination.
Note that the case crane 23 can also store the case 5 in the first rack 11 or the second rack 13 . The pallet crane 21 can also pick up the pallet 3 and transport it to the pallet station 16 serving as a base point.

(2) Pallet Crane The pallet crane 21 has a traveling device 25, a lifting device 27 and a transfer device 29, as shown in FIG. 6 (described later). The travel device 25 has a known configuration including a motor, a power transmission mechanism, and wheels. The lifting device 27 is mounted on the traveling device 25 and lifts the transfer device 29 up and down. The lifting device 27 has a known configuration including a mast, a lifting platform, a motor, and a power transmission mechanism. The transfer device 29 transfers the pallet 3 to the shelf 15 .

(3) Case Crane As shown in FIG. 6, the case crane 23 has a travel device 35, a lifting device 37, a picking device 41 (an example of a picking device), and a delivery device 43 (an example of a delivery device). . The travel device 35 has a known configuration including a motor, a power transmission mechanism, and wheels. The lifting device 37 is mounted on the traveling device 35. The lifting device 37 includes a mast, a first lifting table 37a (FIG. 3), a second lifting table 37b (FIG. 3), and a first lifting table driving device 38a (FIG. 3). 3), a known configuration having a second platform driving device 38b (FIG. 3). The picking device 41 and the dispensing device 43 are mounted on the first lifting platform 37a and the second lifting platform 37b, and can move up and down independently of each other. The picking device 41 and the dispensing device 43 each have a motor and a power transmission mechanism.

(3-1) Picking Device As shown in FIGS. 10 to 16 (described later), the picking device 41 is a SCARA arm 51 (an example of an advancing/retreating arm), and the SCARA arm 51 is a part of the first elevator 37a. and a turning device 53 for turning about the vertical axis with respect to the base. The SCARA arm 51 has a lower arm 51a and an upper arm 51b. A base end of the lower arm 51 a is attached to a swivel device 53 .
The proximal end of the upper arm 51b is attached to the distal end of the lower arm 51a so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the vertical direction.

The picking device 41 has a transfer table 57 . The transfer table 57 is attached to the tip side lower part of the upper arm 51b so as to be able to advance and retreat in the second direction.
The picking device 41 has a suction pad 59 . The suction pad 59 is attached to the front end side of the transfer table 57 so as to be movable forward and backward in the second direction and to be vertically movable. The height position of the suction pad 59 overlaps with the upper arm 51b in a side view.

The picking device 41 further includes spacers 60 . A spacer 60 is provided between the lower arm 51a and the upper arm 51b. The spacer 60 has a vertical dimension longer than the vertical dimension of the transfer table 57 .
The spacer 60 can prevent interference between the lower arm 51 a and the transfer table 57 . As a result, the SCARA arm 51 can be folded into a small size.

(3-2) Dispensing Device The dispensing device 43 has a slide table 61 . The slide table 61 is movable between the second lifting platform 37b and the unloading conveyor 17, and the case 5 can be mounted thereon. The dispensing device 43 has a pusher 63 . The pusher 63 is movably attached to the slide table 61 and pushes the case 5 placed on the slide table 61 toward the delivery conveyor 17 side.
In this automated warehouse system 1, the slide table 61 and the pusher 63 realize a dispensing device 43 with a simple configuration. As described above, since it is not necessary to provide a turning device or the like in the second elevator table 37b, the second elevator table 37b is made smaller (for example, one side is 1/2) and lighter than the first elevator table 37a. . As a result, costs can be suppressed.
Further, the weight reduction of the second platform 37b allows the second platform drive device 38b to be made smaller than the first platform drive device 38a. This is because the motor, power transmission mechanism, etc. can be made smaller.

(4) Basic Operation The basic operation of the case crane 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 to 5 are schematic partial plan views showing one state of the picking/dispensing operation. 3 to 5, the configuration of each device is shown in a simplified manner.
As shown in FIG. 3, the picking device 41 picks one from the stacked cases 5 .
As shown in FIG. 4, the picking device 41 transfers the case 5 to the dispensing device 43. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the dispensing device 43 dispenses the case 5 onto the delivery conveyor 17. As shown in FIG.

(5) Control Configuration of Automated Warehouse System The control configuration of the automated warehouse system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the automated warehouse system.
The automated warehouse system 1 has a controller 71 (an example of a control section). The controller 71 is a computer having a processor (eg, CPU), a storage device (eg, ROM, RAM, HDD, SSD, etc.), and various interfaces (eg, A/D converter, D/A converter, communication interface, etc.). System. The controller 71 performs various control operations by executing programs stored in a storage unit (corresponding to part or all of the storage area of the storage device).

The controller 71 may consist of a single processor, or may consist of a plurality of independent processors for each control.
A part or all of the function of each element of the controller 71 may be realized as a program that can be executed by a computer system that constitutes the control unit. In addition, part of the function of each element of the controller 71 may be configured by a custom IC.

The controller 71 controls the delivery conveyor 17, the traveling device 25, the lifting device 27, the transfer device 29, the traveling device 35, the lifting device 37, the turning device 53, the arm driving device 81, the transfer table driving device 82, the suction device 83, the suction device 83, and the suction device 83. Pad driving device 84, slide table driving device 85 and pusher driving device 86 are controlled.
The arm driving device 81 advances and retreats the SCARA arm 51 .
The transfer table driving device 82 advances and retreats the transfer table 57 with respect to the upper arm 51b.
The suction device 83 performs suction and release on the suction pad 59 .
The suction pad driving device 84 moves the suction pad 59 vertically and in the second direction with respect to the transfer table 57 .
The slide table driving device 85 slides the slide table 61 .
A pusher driving device 86 drives the pusher 63 .

Although not shown, the controller 71 is connected to sensors for detecting the size, shape and position of pallets and cases, sensors and switches for detecting the state of each device, and an information input device.

(6) Picking/Distribution Control Operation The picking/distribution control operation by the controller 71 will be described.
(6-1) Picking Operation The flow of the case picking operation of the picking device 41 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12. FIG. 7 to 9 are schematic partial front views showing one state of the picking operation. 10 to 12 are schematic perspective views showing one state of the picking operation.

The case crane 23 moves to the case 5 picking position specified by the controller 71 .
As shown in FIG. 7, the transfer table 57 and the suction pad 59 move forward toward the case 5 . In this case, a transfer table 57 is attached to the lower portion of the upper arm 51b, and a suction pad 59 is provided at a height overlapping with the upper arm 51b. The thickness of the part that is inserted into the
As shown in FIG. 7 , the suction pad 59 is pressed against the case 5 side, and then suction is performed, whereby the suction pad 59 sucks the case 5 .

As shown in FIG. 8, the suction pad 59 rises to lift the case 5 .
As shown in FIG. 9 , the suction pad 59 returns to the SCARA arm 51 side to place the case 5 on the transfer table 57 .
By folding the SCARA arm 51 as shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, the case 5 is pulled toward the first platform 37a. 10 corresponds to FIG. 7, and FIG. 11 corresponds to FIG.

(6-2) Moving Operation The flow of the case moving operation of the picking device 41 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG. 14 and 15 are schematic perspective views showing one state of movement of the case between the picking device and the dispensing device.
The SCARA arm 51 is rotated by the rotating device 53 , and then extended to the dispensing device 43 side to move the case 5 to the dispensing device 43 . Specifically, the picking device 41 performs an operation opposite to the picking operation.
13, the dispensing device 43 is positioned lower than the picking device 41, but in FIG. 14, the dispensing device 43 has moved to a position corresponding to the upper arm 51b of the SCARA arm 51. FIG.

In the above picking operation and moving operation, the picking device 41 extends the SCARA arm 51 toward the first rack 11 or the second rack 13 side to take out the case 5 , and then rotates the SCARA arm 51 to move the SCARA arm 51 to the dispensing device 43 . Hand over case 5. In other words, cost can be reduced by using the same mechanism for taking out the case 5 and delivering it to the dispensing device 43 .

(6-3) Dispensing Operation The flow of the case moving operation of the picking device 41 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. FIG. FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a picking operation and a dispensing operation are performed simultaneously. FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view showing one state of the dispensing operation.
As shown in FIG. 16, the second elevator 37b moves up and down to the height of the delivery conveyor 17, and the dispensing device 43 delivers the case 5 to the delivery conveyor 17 at that position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17 , the slide table 61 moves closer to the delivery conveyor 17 , and the pusher 63 pushes the case 5 toward the delivery conveyor 17 . As the slide table 61 approaches the delivery conveyor 17, the gap between the slide table 61 and the delivery conveyor 17 is eliminated or reduced, thereby smoothly moving the case 5 to the delivery conveyor 17. - 特許庁

Operation timings of the picking device 41 and the dispensing device 43 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing operation timings of the picking device and the dispensing device.
The picking device 41 repeats picking, movement of the case, and movement to the picking position (including crane travel, elevation of the platform, etc.) as one cycle. Note that the case movement may be performed before or after the movement to the picking position, or may be performed during the movement.

After one cycle of case movement is completed, the dispensing device 43 moves the dispensing device 43 to the dispensing position (that is, the height position of the delivery conveyor 17) by moving up and down the second lifting platform 37b. That is, the movement to the dispensing position is performed simultaneously with the movement of the picking device 41 to the picking position.
After the case crane 23 stops traveling, the dispensing device 43 performs the dispensing operation at the same time as the picking device 41 is picking. Thus, the dispensing operation can be performed at the traveling position for the picking operation. This is possible because the unloading conveyor 17 is arranged along the second rack 13 so that it can be unloaded at any running position.
Furthermore, preferably, the dispensing device 43 finishes dispensing before the timing when the picking device 41 finishes picking the cases 5, and lifts and lowers the second platform 37b to move it to the receiving position. As a result, the case can be moved immediately after the picking device 41 finishes picking. In other words, it is not the picking device 41 but the dispensing device 43 that raises and lowers the case 5 to move it, and the case movement is performed at the picking height. The above operation is preferable because the picking operation takes the longest time. loss can be reduced or eliminated.
As a result of the above, it is possible to simultaneously perform picking and dispensing as described above. Note that "simultaneously" means that both operations are executed at a timing when at least a part of them overlap.

In this way, a series of operations of the picking device 41 can be continuously performed. In other words, the picking device 41 can immediately move to the next picking position and perform picking after transferring the case 5 to the dispensing device 43 . As a result, the time for one cycle can be shortened.

2. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, one case 5 is the object of the picking operation and the dispensing operation. However, a plurality of cases 5 may be targets of the above two operations.
Such an example will be described as a second embodiment with reference to FIGS. 18 to 25. FIG. 18 to 20 are schematic plan views for explaining the picking/dispensing operation of the second embodiment. Note that these drawings are simplified, and only parts necessary for explanation are illustrated. Also, the following operations are performed under the control of the controller 71 .

(1) Picking Operation As shown in FIG. 19, the suction pad 59 of the picking device 41 sucks two cases 5 arranged in the first direction.
As shown in FIG. 20, the picking device 41 pulls the two cases 5 into the first lifting platform 37a.

(2) Moving Operation As shown in FIG. 21, the picking device 41 rotates the two cases 5 by 90 degrees.
As shown in FIG. 22 , the picking device 41 moves the two cases 5 to the second lift table 37 b side and places them on the slide table 61 . As a result, the two cases 5 are aligned in the second direction and are in contact with or close to each other.

(3) Dispensing Operation As shown in FIG. 23, the pusher 63 performs an operation of pushing the two cases 5 toward the delivery conveyor 17 side.
As shown in FIG. 24, the pusher 63 moves to a position where only one case 5 is placed on the delivery conveyor 17 and stops there. Therefore, only one case 5 is placed on the delivery conveyor 17. - 特許庁

As shown in FIG. 25, the pusher 63 pushes the remaining one case 5 toward the delivery conveyor 17 side.
As shown in FIG. 26, the pusher 63 moves to a position where the remaining one case 5 is placed on the delivery conveyor 17 and stops there. Therefore, the remaining one case 5 is put on the delivery conveyor 17 .

As described above, the controller 71 causes the picking device 41 to attract and rotate the plurality of cases 5 by 90 degrees to transfer them onto the slide table 61, and push the pusher 63 to move the plurality of cases 5 one by one to the delivery conveyor. 17.
As a result, a plurality of cases 5 can be supplied to the delivery conveyor 17 efficiently and accurately.
It should be noted that the number of cases 5 that perform suction or the like at the same time may be three or more.

3. Features of Embodiments The above embodiments can also be explained as follows.
An automated warehouse system 1 (an example of an automated warehouse system) includes a first rack 11 and a second rack 13 (an example of a rack), an exit conveyor 17 (an example of an exit conveyor), and a case crane 23 (an example of a stacker crane). It has
In the first rack 11 and the second rack 13, cases 5 (an example of cargo) are stored in a stacked state.
The unloading conveyor 17 is arranged in the second rack 13 and unloads and conveys the cases 5 one by one.
The case crane 23 includes a first lifting platform 37a (an example of a first lifting platform) and a second lifting platform 37b (an example of a second lifting platform), a picking device 41 (an example of a picking device), and a delivery device 43 (dispensing an example of a device) and a controller 71 (an example of a controller).
The 1st boarding platform 37a and the 2nd boarding platform 37b go up and down independently.
The picking device 41 is arranged on the first lifting platform 37 a and picks up at least one case 5 from the cases 5 stored in the first rack 11 and the second rack 13 in a stacked state.
The dispensing device 43 is arranged on the second lifting platform 37 b and dispenses the received cases 5 to the delivery conveyor 17 .
The controller 71 controls so that the picking device 41 takes out the first cases 5 from the first rack 11 or the second rack 13 and at the same time, the dispensing device 43 delivers the second cases 5 to the delivery conveyor 17 .
In this automated warehouse system 1, the cases 5 can be taken out one by one with high capacity by the case crane 23 equipped with the first elevator 37a and the second elevator 37b and the unloading conveyor 17 in the second rack 13. It should be noted that "takeout and payout at the same time" means that both operations are performed at least partially at the same time.
Further, by using the dispensing device 43 as the device provided on the second platform 37b, the cost can be reduced.

4. Other Embodiments Although a plurality of embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention. In particular, multiple embodiments and modifications described herein can be arbitrarily combined as needed.
In the above-described embodiment, the unloading conveyor has one stage, but it may have multiple stages.

In the above embodiment, the dispensing device was composed of a slide table and a pusher. However, the dispensing device is not limited to the above configuration, as long as it has lower functionality and is cheaper than the SCARA arm. The dispensing device may be, for example, a drive conveyor or a side arm transfer device.
In the previous embodiment the picking device was a SCARA arm. However, the picking device is not limited to the above configuration because it is sufficient if it can pick and move packages. The picking device may be a multi-axis robot.
In addition to the picking device, the dispensing device may be provided with a conveyor or the like for moving the cases.

In the above embodiment, the slide table fills the gap between the delivery conveyor and the platform, but instead of the slide table, a conveyor that moves from below and is positioned between the delivery conveyor and the platform may be adopted. good.
After picking the cases, the picking device may directly transfer the cases to the delivery conveyor.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely applied to automated warehouse systems in which packages are stacked on racks.

1: Automated Warehouse System 3: Pallet 5: Case 11: First Rack 13: Second Rack 15: Shelf 16: Pallet Station 17: Unloading Conveyor 19: Traveling Lane 21: Pallet Crane 23: Case Crane 25: Travel Device 27: Lifting device 29 : Transfer device 35 : Traveling device 37 : Lifting device 37a : First lifting table 37b : Second lifting table 41 : Picking device 43 : Dispensing device 51 : Scara arm 51a : Lower arm 51b : Upper arm 53 : Rotation Device 57 : Transfer table 59 : Suction pad 60 : Spacer 61 : Slide table 63 : Pusher 71 : Controller 81 : Arm drive device 82 : Transfer table drive device 83 : Suction device 84 : Suction pad drive device 85 : Slide table drive Device 86: pusher drive

Claims (5)

a rack in which packages are stored in a stacked state;
a shipping conveyor arranged in the rack for shipping and conveying packages;
a stacker crane;
The stacker crane is
a first lifting platform and a second lifting platform that ascend and descend independently;
a picking device that is arranged on the first platform and picks up at least one package from the packages stored in the rack in a stacked state;
a dispensing device disposed on the second platform for dispensing received packages to the delivery conveyor;
a controller that controls such that the picking device picks up a first package from the rack and at the same time, the dispensing device delivers a second package to the output conveyor;
automated warehouse system. The dispensing device has a slide table movable between the second lifting platform and the delivery conveyor on which a package can be loaded, and a pusher for pushing the package placed on the slide table toward the delivery conveyor. Item 1. The automated warehouse system according to Item 1. The picking device has an advance/retreat arm and a turning device for turning the advance/retreat arm about a vertical axis,
3. The automated warehouse system according to claim 1, wherein said advance/retreat arm extends toward said rack to take out a package, and rotates to deliver the package to said dispensing device. The second platform is smaller than the first platform,
further comprising a first platform driving device for driving the first platform and a second platform driving device for driving the second platform;
The automated warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said second platform driving device is smaller than said first platform driving device. The controller causes the picking device to pick up a plurality of packages arranged in a horizontal direction as viewed from the front, rotate them by 90 degrees, and transfer them onto the slide table, and the pusher picks up the packages one by one. 3. The automated warehouse system according to claim 2, which controls supply to said delivery conveyor.

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