JP7203183B2 - Automated warehouse system - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Law applies. At the International Logistics Exhibition 2016 (September 13-16, 2016) held by the Executive Committee of the International Logistics Exhibition 2016, we received goods invented by Kenji Nishimae.・Exhibiting an automated warehouse system for shipping goods

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automated warehouse system for receiving and shipping goods.

An automated warehouse system is known as a warehouse system that can efficiently store and ship a large number of goods in a small space. Automated warehouse systems are also provided in various structures, one of which is a three-dimensionally configured automated warehouse in which cargo is delivered and received using transport equipment such as stacker cranes and forklifts. there is For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a multi-level automated warehouse equipped with loading/unloading devices that are arranged at loading/unloading positions of multi-tiered high-rise racks and deliver cargo to and from transport equipment such as stacker cranes and forklifts. In this automated warehouse, a stacker crane travels between shelves to load and unload cargo from each shelf.

JP-A-11-227906

The inventors of the present invention have obtained the following recognition regarding the automated warehouse system.
As an automated warehouse system, it is conceivable to provide a travel space for a stacker crane to travel between two storage racks facing each other. In this warehouse, cargo to be stored is transferred by a forklift onto a stand provided on each storage shelf, and the cargo is moved to a predetermined storage portion of the shelf by a stacker crane and stored. In this configuration, a travel space for the stacker crane is provided for each of the two storage racks facing each other, and the cargo storage space is reduced by the travel space for the stacker crane. For this reason, it is conceivable to fill the travel space of the stacker crane with storage racks so as to increase the storage space. Based on this, the inventors of the present invention have recognized that there is a problem that should be solved in the automated warehouse system from the viewpoint of facilitating the unloading of goods while increasing the storage space for goods.
Such a problem is not limited to automated warehouse systems using stacker cranes, but can also occur in other types of automated warehouse systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide an automated warehouse system capable of facilitating unloading of goods while increasing the storage space for goods.

In order to solve the above problems, an automated warehouse system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit array having M (M is an integer of 2 or more) rows and N (N is an integer of 2 or more) columns of storage units. , each of the storage units includes a storage shelf configured to be able to store cargo, and a storage unit array having M rows of storage units, and each storage unit is configured to receive and store cargo from the outside. A shelf and an intermediate conveying device for conveying goods between the storage shelf and the storage shelf are provided.

According to this aspect, in the automated warehouse system, by providing the intermediate conveying device, it is possible to convey and store the cargo stored in the storage shelf section to the storage shelf section.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automated warehouse system capable of facilitating unloading of goods while increasing the storage space for goods.

1 is a perspective view of an automated warehouse system according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of an intermediate conveying device of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a first truck of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 1; Fig. 5 is a side view of the first truck of Fig. 4; 2 is a plan view showing an example of a second truck of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of the second truck of FIG. 6; 2 is a block diagram of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the transport operation at the time of delivery of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 1; 2 is a flow chart showing an example of a transport operation at the time of delivery of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 1; 2 is a flow chart showing an example of a transport operation at the time of warehousing in the automated warehouse system of FIG. 1; It is a perspective view of an automated warehouse system according to a first modification. FIG. 13 is a plan view of a stacker crane of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 12; 13 is a side view of the stacker crane of FIG. 12; FIG. FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing an example of the transport operation at the time of delivery of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 12; FIG. FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing an example of the transport operation at the time of warehousing of the automated warehouse system of FIG. 12; FIG.

In recent years, as the need for high-density and high-speed warehouses has increased, the inventors have considered automatic warehouse systems and obtained the following recognition.
As an automated warehouse system, a configuration is conceivable in which two facing storage racks are provided on both sides of the travel space of the stacker crane. However, in this configuration, a traveling space is provided for each of the two rows of storage racks, and the space for storing cargo is reduced accordingly. On the other hand, if the travel space is filled with storage racks, the stacker crane cannot enter between the storage racks, making it difficult to retrieve the cargo. Based on these facts, the inventors of the present invention have recognized that increasing the storage space for goods in an automated warehouse system and facilitating unloading of goods are in a trade-off relationship.

Therefore, the present inventor divides the storage shelf into a storage shelf that is a small-capacity primary storage shelf and a storage shelf that is a large-capacity secondary storage shelf.・We discovered that by enabling unloading and installing an intermediate conveying device between the storage shelf and the storage shelf, it is possible to improve the efficiency of loading and unloading while securing storage space. For example, in the case of warehousing, an external transport device (for example, a forklift) for loading and unloading loads the goods into the storage shelf. The cargo carried into the storage shelf can be transported and stored in a predetermined storage section of the storage shelf by an intermediate transport device. In the case of shipping, the cargo to be shipped can be transported from a predetermined storage section of the storage shelf to the storage shelf by an intermediate transport device, and the cargo can be unloaded and shipped from the storage shelf by an external transport device. can.

By configuring in this way, the external conveying device can continuously carry incoming goods into the vacant storage section of the storage shelf without waiting for the operation of the intermediate conveying device. The intermediate conveying device can sequentially convey the cargo carried into the storage section of the storage shelf section to a predetermined storage section of the storage shelf section. For this reason, the time required for warehousing is determined by the time required for the continuous carrying-in operation to the storage shelf, so it is possible to shorten the time for waiting for the operation of the intermediate conveying device. In the case of unloading, by transferring the goods to be unloaded to the storage shelf in advance, it is possible to similarly shorten the unloading time required for unloading.
The embodiments have been devised based on such considerations, and the specific configurations thereof will be described below.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, the comparative example, and the modified example, the same or equivalent constituent elements and members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted as appropriate. In addition, the dimensions of the members in each drawing are appropriately enlarged or reduced for easy understanding. Also, in each drawing, some of the members that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted.
Also, terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but these terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components, and the terms The constituent elements are not limited by

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automated warehouse system 10 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the automated warehouse system 10. FIG. The automated warehouse system 10 according to the embodiment is a system including automated warehouses capable of storing and shipping a large number of goods 12 . The following description is based on the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The X-axis direction corresponds to the horizontal left-right direction, the Y-axis direction corresponds to the horizontal front-back direction, and the Z-axis direction corresponds to the vertical up-down direction. The Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction are orthogonal to the X-axis direction. In particular, the row direction and column direction, which will be described later, correspond to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively. In loading and unloading, the cargo 12 may be handled independently without using the pallet, but in the embodiment, the cargo 12 is handled while being placed on the pallet 12p. Hereinafter, conveying the load 12 while it is placed on the pallet 12p is simply referred to as transporting the load 12 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the automated warehouse system 10 mainly includes a storage rack section 20 , a storage rack section 30 and an intermediate transfer device 40 . In the automated warehouse system 10, as an example, when goods 12 are to be stored, the goods 12 are carried into the storage shelf section 30 by a forklift 50, which is an external transport device. The goods 12 carried into the storage shelf section 30 are transported and stored in a predetermined storage section of the storage shelf section 20 by the intermediate transport device 40 . In the automated warehouse system 10 , as an example, when the cargo 12 is to be delivered, the cargo 12 to be delivered is transported in advance from a predetermined storage section of the storage rack section 20 to the storage rack section 30 by the intermediate conveying device 40 . The goods 12 conveyed to the storage shelf 30 are carried out by, for example, a forklift 50 and are discharged.

As shown in FIG. 1, the automated warehouse system 10 is provided with a work space 14 for the external transport device to work. The work space 14 is a space provided on the opposite side of the storage shelf 30 to the storage shelf 20 . The work space 14 may be provided adjacent to the storage shelves 30 in the row direction. The work space 14 has a three-dimensional size that allows an external transport device such as a forklift 50 to carry the load 12 into and out of the storage shelf 30 . In other words, the work space 14 has dimensions in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction to the extent that the load 12 can be carried in and out. For example, the X-axis dimension of the workspace 14 may be set larger than the X-axis dimension of the storage shelf 30 . Having the working space 14 facilitates loading and unloading of the load 12 and improves work efficiency.

The storage shelf section 20 is a so-called high-density storage space in which a large number of goods 12 are accommodated and stored. There is no particular limitation on the structure of the storage shelf section 20 as long as it can accommodate and store a plurality of articles 12 . The storage shelf 20 of the embodiment has a storage unit array 23 having M (M is an integer of 2 or more) rows and N (N is an integer of 2 or more) columns of storage units 21 arranged along a horizontal plane. include. That is, M is the number of rows and N is the number of columns. Each storage unit 21 is configured to be able to store the load 12 . The storage units 21 in each row are connected in the column direction to form a storage unit column 22 extending in the column direction. Loads 12 can be conveyed in row direction through storage row 22 . Each storage section column 22 is connected in the row direction to form a storage section array 23 . At the end of each storage section row 22 on the storage shelf section 30 side, an entrance section 22b for loading and unloading the goods 12 is provided. Each storage unit array 23 is connected in layers in the vertical direction in K (K is an integer equal to or greater than 1) stages to form the storage rack unit 20 . That is, K is the number of stages. In the embodiment, the number of columns, the number of rows, and the number of stages of the storage shelf section 20 are, for example, 5 columns, 6 rows, and 3 stages. That is, the storage shelf 20 is configured by stacking three storage section arrays 23 in which storage section rows 22 each having five rows of storage sections 21 are connected, and six rows of storage section arrays 23 are arranged in row direction.

The storage shelf 30 is a so-called temporary storage space for temporarily storing a plurality of articles 12 . The number of packages 12 that can be stored in the storage shelf 30 may be smaller than the number of packages 12 that can be stored in the storage shelf 20 . There is no particular limitation on the structure of the storage shelf 30 as long as it can temporarily store a plurality of articles 12 . The storage shelf 30 of the embodiment includes a storage array 33 having M rows of storages 31 arranged along a horizontal plane. Each storage portion 31 is configured to be able to receive and store the load 12 from the outside. Each accommodation portion 31 is connected in the row direction to form an accommodation portion array 33 . The storage shelf 30 is configured by stacking storage unit arrays 33 in layers in the vertical direction in K stages. The number of rows, the number of columns, and the number of stages of the accommodation section array 33 can be set arbitrarily. In other words, the number of rows of the housing portions 31 included in the housing portion array 33 is not limited to one. In the embodiment, from the viewpoint of smooth operation, the number of rows of the storage section array 33 is six, which is the same as the number of rows of the storage section array 23, and the number of stages of the storage section array 33 is the same as the number of stages of the storage section array 23. 3 steps. In other words, the storage shelf 30 is configured by stacking three storage section arrays 33 in which six rows of one row of storage sections 31 are arranged in the row direction.

The storage racks 30 are spaced apart in the column direction of the storage racks 20 . A space in which a first carriage 45, which will be described later, can travel is interposed between the storage rack portion 30 and the storage rack portion 20. As shown in FIG. Each housing portion 31 includes an external doorway portion 31b and an internal doorway portion 31c. The external entrance/exit part 31b is a port for transferring goods to and from an external transport device for carrying goods into and out of the warehouse. The internal entrance/exit portion 31c is a port for transferring goods to and from the intermediate conveying device. The external entrance/exit part 31b is provided, for example, on the side opposite to the storage shelf part 20 of each storage part 31 . The internal entrance/exit section 31c is provided, for example, on the side of each storage section 31 near the storage rack section 20, separately from the external entrance/exit section 31b.

(Intermediate conveying device)
Next, the intermediate conveying device 40 will be described. The intermediate conveying device 40 is a conveying mechanism that conveys the load 12 between the storage rack portion 20 and the storage rack portion 30 . Although there are no particular restrictions on the structure of the intermediate conveying device 40 as long as it can convey cargo, the intermediate conveying device 40 of the embodiment includes a plurality of rails and a plurality of carriages that run on the rails. . FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the intermediate conveying device 40. As shown in FIG. In particular, the intermediate conveying device 40 includes a first rail 41 , a second rail 42 , a third rail 43 , a first carriage 45 and a second carriage 46 . FIG. 3 shows an example of the arrangement of the first rail 41, the second rail 42 and the third rail 43. As shown in FIG. The first rail 41 is, for example, a pair of rails extending in the row direction, and is provided in the space between the storage shelf 30 and the storage shelf 20 . The first rail 41 is provided on each stage so as to allow the first truck 45 to travel in the row direction.

The second rail 42 is, for example, a pair of rails extending in the row direction and provided in the storage section row 22 connecting the storage sections 21 of the storage shelf section 20 . The second rail 42 is provided on each level so as to allow the second truck 46 to travel in the column direction. The third rail 43 is, for example, a pair of rails extending in the column direction and provided in each storage portion 31 of the storage shelf portion 30 . The third rail 43 is provided at each level so as to allow the second truck 46 to travel in the column direction. In FIG. 3, the first rail 41 extends in the Y-axis direction, and the second rail 42 and the third rail 43 extend in the X-axis direction. These rails are arranged so that the extension direction of the second rail 42 and the third rail 43 is orthogonal to the extension direction of the first rail 41 .

(First truck)
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of the first carriage 45. As shown in FIG. 5 is a side view of the first truck 45. FIG. The first truck 45 is a traveling truck that travels along the first rail 41 in the row direction and conveys the load 12 in the row direction. The first truck 45 is arranged on the first rail 41 of each stage. By providing the first carriage 45 on each stage, each first carriage 45 can be operated independently and simultaneously, and the efficiency of transportation between the storage shelf 30 and the storage shelf 20 can be improved. . The first truck 45 mainly includes a vehicle body 45b, a mounting portion 45c, and four wheels 45d. The vehicle body 45b has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped contour that is flat in the vertical direction. A motor (not shown) for driving the wheels 45d, a battery (not shown) for driving the motor, and a control circuit (not shown) for controlling these are mounted inside the vehicle body 45b. The mounting portion 45c is a portion on which the second carriage 46 is mounted, and has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the top and a concave shape recessed downward from the top surface of the vehicle body 45b when viewed from the side.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the size of the mounting portion 45c is such that the second carriage 46, which will be described later, runs in the row direction, which is the X-axis direction in the drawings, without interfering with the peripheral surface of the mounting portion 45c. It is sized to the size of the second carriage 46 plus a sufficient amount of margin to allow this. The four wheels 45d are rotatably supported at four corners of the vehicle body 45b. The first truck 45 travels on the rail by rotating four wheels 45d on the rail. The first truck 45 can travel on the first rail 41 with the load 12 and the second truck 46 placed thereon. The running operation of the first carriage 45 is controlled by a control section 52a, which will be described later.

(Second truck)
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of the second carriage 46. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view of the second carriage 46. FIG. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the second truck 46 travels on the second rail 42 with the load 12 placed thereon. The second truck 46 is a traveling truck that travels in the row direction on the second rail 42 and conveys the load 12 in the row direction. The second truck 46 is arranged on the second rail 42 or the third rail 43 of each stage. The second carriage 46 can enter the placing portion 45c of the first carriage 45 with the load 12 placed thereon. The second truck 46 mainly includes a vehicle body 46b, a support portion 46c, a lift mechanism 46d, and four wheels 46e. The vehicle body 46b has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped contour that is flat in the vertical direction. A motor (not shown) for driving the wheels 46e, a battery (not shown) for driving the motor, and a control circuit (not shown) for controlling these are mounted inside the vehicle body 46b. The support portion 46c is a substantially rectangular plate-like portion that lifts and holds the load 12 .

46 d of lift mechanisms are mechanisms which raise/lower the support part 46c. The lift mechanism 46d can lift the load 12 from the rail provided in the storage section 21 or the storage section 31 by raising the support section 46c. 46 d of lift mechanisms can lower the support part 46c and can unload the goods 12 to the rail provided in the storage part 21 or the storage part 31. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the load 12 is lifted from the second rail 42 by the support portion 46c. The four wheels 46e are rotatably supported at four corners of the vehicle body 46b. The second truck 46 runs on the rail by rotating the four wheels 46e on the rail. As shown in FIG. 7, the second truck 46 can travel on the second rail 42 and the third rail 43 with the load 12 placed thereon. The traveling motion of the second carriage 46 and the lifting motion of the lift mechanism 46d are controlled by the controller 52a.

Next, another configuration of the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the automated warehouse system 10. As shown in FIG. The automated warehouse system 10 further includes a control device 52, a storage unit cargo detection unit 54b, a storage unit cargo detection unit 54c, a first carriage position detection unit 54d, and a second carriage position detection unit 54e. The storage unit load detection unit 54b is a sensor mechanism that detects the presence or absence of the load 12 in each storage unit 21 and outputs the detection result to the control unit 52a. The container load detection unit 54c is a sensor mechanism that detects the presence or absence of the load 12 in each container unit 31 and outputs the detection result to the control unit 52a. The first truck position detector 54d is a sensor mechanism that detects the position of the first truck 45 on the first rail 41 and outputs the detection result to the controller 52a. The second truck position detector 54e is a sensor mechanism that detects the position of the second truck 46 on the second rail 42 and the third rail 43 and outputs the detection result to the controller 52a.

(Control device)
The control device 52 includes a control section 52a, an operation section 52k, and a display section 52m. The operation unit 52k is an operation unit that receives an operation for controlling the automated warehouse system 10 and outputs the operation result to the control unit 52a. The operation unit 52k accepts operations such as starting and stopping of the automated warehouse system 10, for example. The display unit 52m is a display unit that displays the operation status of the automated warehouse system 10 under the control of the control unit 52a. The display unit 52m may display, for example, the operation status of each truck, the storage status of the load 12 in the storage unit 21 and the storage unit 31, and the like. The operation unit 52k and the display unit 52m are provided on the front of the control device 52, for example.

Next, the controller 52a will be described. Each block of the control unit 52a shown in FIG. 8 can be implemented by hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of a computer and other elements and mechanical devices, and can be implemented by a computer program or the like in terms of software. However, here, the functional blocks realized by their cooperation are drawn. Therefore, those skilled in the art who have read this specification will understand that these functional blocks can be implemented in various ways by combining hardware and software.

The control unit 52a controls mainly the first carriage 45 and the second carriage according to the detection results of the storage unit cargo detection unit 54b, the storage unit cargo detection unit 54c, the first carriage position detection unit 54d, and the second carriage position detection unit 54e. A control unit that controls the operation of the carriage 46 . The control unit 52a includes an operation result acquisition unit 52b, a first load detection result acquisition unit 52c, a second load detection result acquisition unit 52d, a first position detection unit 52e, a second position detection unit 52f, and display control. It mainly includes a section 52g, a first carriage control section 52h, and a second carriage control section 52j. The operation result acquisition unit 52b acquires the operation result from the operation unit 52k. The first cargo detection result acquisition unit 52c acquires the detection result from the storage unit cargo detection unit 54b. The second load detection result acquisition unit 52d acquires the detection result from the storage unit load detection unit 54c. The first position detector 52e acquires the detection result from the first truck position detector 54d. The second position detector 52f acquires the detection result from the second truck position detector 54e. The display control unit 52g controls the display unit 52m to display a predetermined image. The first truck control unit 52h controls traveling of the first truck 45 . The second carriage control unit 52j controls the running of the second carriage 46 and the up-and-down operation of the support part 46c.

Next, the operation of the automated warehouse system 10 configured in this manner will be described.

(Delivery operation)
An example of the transportation operation at the time of delivery of the automated warehouse system 10 will be described. This transport operation includes an operation of transporting the goods 12 to be shipped from the storage section 21 of the storage shelf section 20 to the storage section 31 of the storage shelf section 30 . The load 12 transported to the storage section 31 is carried out by an external transport device. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the transport operation at the time of delivery of the automated warehouse system 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the transportation operation at the time of leaving the warehouse, and shows the processing S60 related to this operation.
(1) When the process S60 is started, the control unit 52a moves the second carriage 46 to the storage unit 21 of the transportation source, and makes it enter under the goods 12 to be delivered (step S61).
(2) The control unit 52a raises the support portion 46c of the second carriage 46 to lift and support the load 12 from the storage unit 21 (step S62). At this time, the load 12 becomes movable.
(3) The controller 52a moves the second truck 46 carrying the load 12 toward the entrance/exit 22b (step S63).
(4) At the same time, the control section 52a moves the first carriage 45 to the row of the storage section 21 of the transfer source (step S64, see FIG. 9A).
(5) The control unit 52a determines whether or not the first carriage 45 has arrived at the row of the storage unit 21 of the transportation source (step S65).

(6) If the first truck 45 has not yet arrived (N in step S65), the control unit 52a returns the process to the beginning of step S65.
(7) When the first truck 45 has arrived (Y in step S65), the control unit 52a causes the second truck 46 carrying the load 12 to enter the placing portion 45c of the first truck 45 through the entrance portion 22b ( step S66, see FIG. 9(b)).
(8) The control unit 52a moves the first carriage 45 with the second carriage 46 placed on the placement unit 45c to the row of the receiving unit 31 (step S67, see FIG. 9C).
(9) When the first carriage 45 arrives at the destination, the control unit 52a causes the second carriage 46 carrying the load 12 to leave the first carriage 45 and move it to the storage unit 31 (step S68). , see FIG. 9(d)).
(10) After the second carriage 46 moves to the storage section 31, the control section 52a lowers the support section 46c of the second carriage 46 to unload the load 12 into the storage section 31 (step S69). When the load 12 is unloaded, this processing S60 ends.
The cargo 12 transported to the storage section 31 is carried out from the external entrance/exit section 31b by the forklift 50 and loaded onto a truck or the like. The second truck 46 that has unloaded the cargo 12 may wait at that position, for example.
The process S60 described above is merely an example, and other steps may be added, some steps may be changed or deleted, and the order of steps may be changed.

(Receiving operation)
Next, an example of the transportation operation of the automated warehouse system 10 at the time of warehousing will be described. This transport operation includes an operation of transporting the goods 12 to be stored from the storage section 31 of the storage shelf section 30 to the storage section 21 of the storage shelf section 20 . The goods 12 to be stored are carried into the storage section 31 by an external transport device before this transport operation. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the transportation operation at the time of warehousing, and shows the processing S70 related to this operation.
(1) When the process S70 is started, the control unit 52a moves the second carriage 46 waiting in the storage unit 21, which is the transportation destination of the storage rack unit 20, to the entrance/exit unit 22b of the storage rack unit 20. (Step S71).
(2) At the same time, the control section 52a moves the first carriage 45 to the row of the destination storage section 21 (step S72).
(3) The control unit 52a determines whether or not the first carriage 45 has arrived at the row of the destination storage unit 21 (step S73).

(4) If the first truck 45 has not yet arrived (N in step S73), the control unit 52a returns the process to the beginning of step S73.
(5) When the first carriage 45 has arrived (Y in step S73), the controller 52a causes the second carriage 46 to enter the placement section 45c through the entrance 22b (step S74).
(6) The control section 52a moves the first carriage 45 with the second carriage 46 placed on the placing section 45c to the row of the storage section 31 of the transfer source (step S75).
(7) The control section 52a causes the second carriage 46 to enter under the load 12 in the storage section 31 of the transportation source (step S76).
(8) The control unit 52a raises the support portion 46c of the second carriage 46 to lift and support the load 12 from the storage portion 31 (step S77).
(9) The control unit 52a causes the second truck 46 carrying the load 12 to enter the mounting portion 45c of the first truck 45 (step S78).

(10) The control section 52a moves the first carriage 45 with the second carriage 46 placed on the placement section 45c to the row of the destination storage section 21 (step S79).
(11) The control section 52a moves the second carriage 46 carrying the load 12 from the entrance section 22b to the destination storage section 21 (step S80).
(12) The control section 52a lowers the support section 46c of the second carriage 46 to unload the cargo 12 into the storage section 21 (step S81). When the load 12 is unloaded, this process S70 ends.
The second truck 46 that has unloaded the cargo 12 may wait at that position, for example.
The processing S70 described above is merely an example, and other steps may be added, some steps may be changed or deleted, and the order of the steps may be changed.
According to the automated warehouse system 10 , the forklift 50 can sequentially carry in different goods 12 to be stored to different storage units 31 while the first carriage 45 and the second carriage 46 are moving.

Next, functions and effects of the automated warehouse system 10 configured as described above will be described.

From the viewpoint of increasing the density of warehouse space, it is desirable that the ratio of the space occupied by a transport device such as a stacker crane is small. Therefore, the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment includes a storage unit array 23 having M (M is an integer of 2 or more) rows and N (N is an integer of 2 or more) columns of storage units 21, and each storage unit Reference numeral 21 includes a storage shelf 20 configured to store the load 12, and a storage section array 33 having M rows of storage sections 31. Each storage section 31 is configured to receive and store the load 12 from the outside. and an intermediate conveying device 40 for conveying the goods 12 between the storage shelf 20 and the accommodation shelf 30 . According to this configuration, compared to a configuration in which a travel space for a transport device such as a stacker crane is provided between each storage shelf facing each other, the cargo storage space is increased and the travel space for the transport device occupies a smaller proportion. can do.

It is desirable to be able to avoid interference between the external conveying device and the intermediate conveying device. Therefore, in the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, each storage unit 31 is provided on the side facing the storage rack unit 20 and is a first entrance/exit unit for allowing the goods 12 to be conveyed to the storage rack unit 20 to pass through. It has an inner doorway portion 31c and an outer doorway portion 31b which is provided separately from the inner doorway portion 31c and is a second doorway portion for allowing the load 12 received from the outside to pass through. According to this configuration, the intermediate conveying device can be arranged at a position distant from the external conveying device, as compared with the case where each storage section 31 has only one entrance/exit through which goods pass. can suppress interference between

Further, when a plurality of articles 12 are to be stored, the plurality of articles 12 are once successively carried into the storage rack section 30, and the articles 12 are sequentially conveyed to the storage rack section 20 by the intermediate conveying device 40. can be stored as In this case, even while the intermediate conveying device 40 is conveying the load 12, it is possible to carry another load 12 into another storage section 31. FIG. Therefore, compared with the case where another load 12 is carried in after waiting for the completion of the transport of the intermediate transport device 40, the waiting time is reduced, the carry-in time is shortened, and the carry-in of the load can be speeded up. In the case of unloading, the same action as in the case of warehousing shortens the unloading time of the cargo, and speeds up the unloading of the cargo. In addition, since the storage shelf part 30 has the same number of rows as the storage shelf part 20, the storage space can be easily formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, thereby suppressing the generation of unnecessary space and improving the space efficiency. be able to.

It is desirable that the warehouse space efficiency is high. Therefore, in the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, the storage shelf section 20 includes a storage section array 23 of K stages (K is an integer equal to or greater than 2), and the storage shelf section 30 includes a storage section array 33 of K stages. include. According to this configuration, since the storage shelf section 30 is configured with the same number of stages as the storage shelf section 20, it becomes easier to form the storage space into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape compared to the case where the number of stages is different. Space efficiency can be improved by suppressing the generation of space.

It is desirable that the transport time of the intermediate transport device 40 is short. Therefore, in the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, the intermediate conveying device 40 includes a row-direction conveying device 36 capable of conveying the goods 12 in the row direction, a column-direction conveying device 38 capable of conveying the goods 12 in the column direction, and the column direction conveying device 38 is configured to convey the load 12 from the transport source and load it onto the row direction transport device 36, and the row direction transport device 36 transports the loaded load 12 to the transport destination are configured to convey towards the row of According to this configuration, the row-direction conveying device 36 and the column-direction conveying device 38 are separately provided and operated in cooperation with each other, so that while one is operating, the other can operate differently. become. Therefore, the time to wait for the other party's action is reduced, and the transport time can be shortened as a whole.

It is desirable to be able to easily load and unload the load 12 from the storage section 21 remote from the row transport device 36 . Therefore, in the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, the row-direction conveying device 36 can travel on the first rail 41 extending in the row direction between the storage shelf 20 and the storage shelf 30 and the first rail 41. The column-direction conveying device 38 includes a second rail 42 extending in the column direction in the storage shelf portion 20, a third rail 43 extending in the column direction in the storage shelf portion 30, and a third rail 43 extending in the column direction. and a second truck 46 capable of traveling on the second rail 42 and the third rail 43 . According to this configuration, since the second truck can run on the second rail 42 provided in the storage shelf section 20, the goods 12 can be taken in and out of the storage section 21 away from the row-direction conveying device 36. become easier.

It is desirable that the transport time of the intermediate transport device 40 be shorter. Therefore, in the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, the first truck 45 is configured to be able to travel on the first rail 41 with the second truck 46 mounted thereon. According to this configuration, the second truck 46 travels on the second rail with the load 12 placed thereon, enters the first truck 45, moves in the row direction, exits the first truck 45, and moves to the first truck. It can be driven directly into 3 rails. Compared to the case where cargo is reloaded during transportation, transportation time can be shortened by the amount of time spent for reloading.

The above has been described based on the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these embodiments are illustrative, and that various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention, and that such modifications and changes also fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention. It is understood. Accordingly, the description and drawings herein are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Modifications will be described below. In the drawings and description of the modified example, the same reference numerals are given to the same or equivalent components and members as the embodiment. Explanations that overlap with the embodiment will be omitted as appropriate, and the explanation will focus on the configuration that is different from the embodiment.

(First modification)
In the description of the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, an example in which the intermediate transfer device 40 does not include a lifting mechanism has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the intermediate transport device may include a stacker crane with a lifting mechanism. By including the stacker crane, the load 12 can be transported in the row direction and can be moved up and down. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an automated warehouse system 90 according to the first modified example, and corresponds to FIG. The automated warehouse system 90 differs from the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment in that it includes a stacker crane 47 instead of the first carriage 45, and other configurations are the same. Therefore, overlapping explanations will be omitted, and differences from the automated warehouse system 10 will be mainly explained.

The stacker crane 47 is a traveling carriage that has the function of transporting the load 12 in the row direction and moving up and down in the vertical direction. The stacker crane 47 is provided between the storage shelf 20 and the storage shelf 30 so as to be able to travel in the row direction along rails 44 provided on the floor surface and extending in the row direction. 13 is a plan view of the stacker crane 47. FIG. 14 is a side view of the stacker crane 47. FIG. The stacker crane 47 mainly includes a base portion 47b, a mounting portion 47c, four wheels 47d, a pair of struts 47h, and an elevating mechanism 47g. The base portion 47b is a vertically flat plate-like member provided in the lower portion of the stacker crane 47 . A motor (not shown) for driving the wheels 47d, a battery (not shown) for driving the motor, and a control circuit (not shown) for controlling them are mounted on the base portion 47b. The stacker crane 47 may be configured to receive power from an overhead wire (not shown) instead of the battery.

The mounting portion 47c is a vertically flat plate-like member on which the second carriage 46 can be mounted. The placing portion 47c is configured to be able to move up and down while the second carriage 46 is placed thereon. Extension portions 47f extending upward are provided at both front and rear ends of the mounting portion 47c. The four wheels 47d are rotatably supported at four corners of the base portion 47b. The pair of struts 47h is a strut extending in the vertical direction, and guides the mounting portion 47c so as to be able to move up and down. The pair of supports 47h are fixed to the base portion 47b while being spaced apart in the row direction so as to sandwich the mounting portion 47c therebetween. The column 47h has, for example, a substantially rectangular cross section when viewed from above. The lifting mechanism 47g is a mechanism for driving the mounting portion 47c to move up and down. The lifting mechanism 47g is provided on the base portion 47b in the vicinity of the column 47h. The lifting mechanism 47g winds and feeds a wire rope (not shown) that suspends the mounting portion 47c, thereby driving the mounting portion 47c to move up and down. With this configuration, the mounting portion 47c functions as a liftable platform. The stacker crane 47 travels on the rail 44 by rotating four wheels 47 d on the rail 44 . The stacker crane 47 can travel on the rail 44 with the load 12 and the second truck 46 loaded thereon.

(Delivery operation)
Next, an example of the transportation operation at the time of delivery of the automated warehouse system 90 according to the first modified example configured in this way will be described. This conveying operation conveys the goods 12 to be shipped from the second stage (for example, the lowermost storage section 21 ) of the storage shelf section 20 to the first (for example, uppermost) storage section 31 of the storage shelf section 30 . The cargo 12 transported to the storage unit 31 is unloaded by the external transport device.Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the transport operation at the time of unloading of the automated warehouse system 90, and the processing related to this operation. S160 is shown.
(1) When the process S160 is started, the control unit 52a moves the second carriage 46 to the storage unit 21 of the transportation source, and makes it enter under the goods 12 to be delivered (step S161).
(2) The control unit 52a raises the support portion 46c of the second carriage 46 to lift and support the load 12 from the storage unit 21 (step S162). At this time, the load 12 becomes movable.

(3) The controller 52a moves the second truck 46 carrying the load 12 toward the entrance/exit 22b (step S163).
(4) The control section 52a raises and lowers the mounting section 47c of the stacker crane 47 to the height of the second stage (step S164).
(5) At the same time, the control section 52a moves the stacker crane 47 to the row of the storage section 21 of the transfer source (step S165).
(6) The control unit 52a determines whether or not the stacker crane 47 has arrived at the row of the storage unit 21 of the transfer source (step S166).
(7) If the stacker crane 47 has not yet arrived (N in step S166), the controller 52a returns the process to the beginning of step S166.
(8) When the stacker crane 47 has arrived (Y in step S166), the control unit 52a causes the second carriage 46 carrying the load 12 to enter the loading unit 47c through the entrance 22b (step S167).

(9) The control unit 52a moves the stacker crane 47 on which the second carriage 46 is placed to the row of the destination storage unit 31 (step S168).
(10) The control section 52a raises the mounting section 47c of the stacker crane 47 to the height of the first stage (step S169).
(11) When the stacker crane 47 arrives at the destination, the control unit 52a causes the second carriage 46 carrying the load 12 to leave the stacker crane 47 and move it to the storage unit 31 (step S170).
(12) After the second carriage 46 moves to the storage section 31, the control section 52a lowers the support section 46c of the second carriage 46 to unload the load 12 onto the storage section 31 (step S171). When the load 12 is unloaded, this process S160 ends.
The cargo 12 transported to the storage section 31 is carried out from the external entrance/exit section 31b by the forklift 50 and loaded onto a truck or the like. The second truck 46 that has unloaded the cargo 12 may wait at that position, for example.
The process S160 described above is merely an example, and other steps may be added, some steps may be changed or deleted, and the order of the steps may be changed.

(Receiving operation)
Next, an example of the transportation operation of the automated warehouse system 90 at the time of warehousing will be described. This conveying operation moves the goods 12 to be stored from the storage section 31 on the first stage (eg, the uppermost stage) of the storage shelf section 30 to the storage section 21 on the second stage (eg, the lowest stage) of the storage shelf section 20. Includes the action of conveying. The goods 12 to be stored are carried into the storage section 31 by an external transport device before this transport operation. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the transportation operation at the time of warehousing of the automated warehouse system 90, and shows the processing S180 related to this operation.
(1) When the process S180 is started, the control unit 52a moves the second carriage 46 waiting in the storage unit 21, which is the transportation destination of the storage rack unit 20, to the entrance/exit unit 22b of the storage rack unit 20. (Step S181).
(2) At the same time, the control unit 52a moves the stacker crane 47 to the row of the storage unit 21, which is the transport destination (step S182).
(3) The control section 52a raises and lowers the mounting section 47c of the stacker crane 47 to the height of the second stage (step S183).
(4) The control unit 52a determines whether or not the stacker crane 47 has arrived at the row of the destination storage unit 21 (step S184).

(5) If the stacker crane 47 has not yet arrived (N in step S184), the controller 52a returns the process to the beginning of step S184.
(6) When the stacker crane 47 has arrived (Y in step S184), the control section 52a causes the second carriage 46 to enter the placement section 47c through the entrance section 22b (step S185).
(7) The control unit 52a moves the stacker crane 47 carrying the second carriage 46 to the row of the storage unit 31 of the transport source (step S186).
(8) The control section 52a raises the mounting section 47c of the stacker crane 47 to the height of the first stage (step S187).
(9) The control unit 52a causes the second carriage 46 to enter under the cargo 12 in the storage unit 31 of the transportation source (step S188).
(10) The control unit 52a raises the support portion 46c of the second carriage 46 to lift and support the load 12 from the storage portion 31 (step S189).
(11) The control unit 52a causes the second truck 46 carrying the load 12 to enter the mounting unit 47c of the stacker crane 47 (step S190).

(12) The control unit 52a moves the stacker crane 47 on which the second carriage 46 is placed to the row of the destination storage unit 21 (step S191).
(13) The control section 52a lowers the mounting section 47c of the stacker crane 47 to the height of the second stage (step S192).
(14) The control unit 52a moves the second carriage 46 loaded with the load 12 from the entrance/exit 22b to the destination storage unit 21 (step S193).
(15) The control section 52a lowers the support section 46c to unload the load 12 into the storage section 31 (step S194). When the load 12 is unloaded, this process S180 ends.
The second truck 46 that has unloaded the cargo 12 may wait at that position, for example.
The process S180 described above is merely an example, and other steps may be added, some steps may be changed or deleted, and the order of the steps may be changed.

According to the automated warehouse system 90 according to the first modified example, the forklift 50 continuously carries another load 12 into another storage section 31 while the stacker crane 47 and the second carriage 46 are moving, Alternatively, another load 12 can be continuously carried out from another container 31 .
The automated warehouse system 90 is equipped with a stacker crane 47 to transport the goods 12 between the storage section 31 of an arbitrary stage of the storage shelf section 30 and the storage section 21 of another stage of the storage shelf section 20. can be done.

(Second modification)
In the description of the automated warehouse system 10 according to the embodiment, the intermediate conveying device 40 moves the second truck carrying the cargo into and out of the loading section of the first truck, thereby transferring the cargo 12 from the first truck. Although an example of putting in and out has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. A row-direction moving mechanism for moving a load in the row direction, such as a first truck or a stacker crane, is provided with a known transfer mechanism such as a movable arm, and the load is loaded and unloaded from the row-direction moving mechanism by the transfer mechanism. good too.

(Third modification)
In the description of the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, an example of transporting the load 12 placed on the pallet 92 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The use of a pallet 92 is not required and the load 12 may be transported and stored singly.

(Fourth modification)
In the description of the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, an example in which the forklift 50 is used to load and unload the cargo from the storage shelf is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, another type of transfer device, such as a transfer device equipped with a crane, may be used to load and unload the storage shelf.

(Fifth modification)
In the description of the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, an example in which the first carriage 45 moves only in the row direction and does not move in the vertical direction has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an elevating device that vertically moves the first truck 45 may be provided to move the first truck 45 between stages.

(Sixth modification)
In the description of the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, the example in which the second cart 46 is driven by the electric power of the battery on which it is mounted has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, power may be supplied to the second truck 46 from a power supply mechanism such as a power supply line provided on the shelf side. In this case, since the second truck 46 is driven by the supplied electric power, it may or may not be equipped with a battery.

(Seventh modification)
In the description of the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, an example in which the second carriage 46 is provided in each row of each level has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is not essential that the second carriage 46 is provided in each row of each stage, and the second carriage 46 may not necessarily be provided in each stage.

(Eighth modification)
In the description of the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, an example in which the number of stages of the storage shelf section 30 and the number of stages of the storage shelf section 20 are the same has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is not essential that the number of stages of the storage shelf section 30 and the number of stages of the storage shelf section 20 match. For example, by providing an elevating device that vertically moves the first carriage 45 , the storage shelf section 30 can be configured with a number of stages different from that of the storage shelf section 20 .

(Ninth modification)
In the description of the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, an example has been described in which the second carriage 46 is provided with a traveling mechanism such as wheels and configured to be self-propelled, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a transport mechanism such as a belt or a chain may be provided on the shelf side, and the second cart may be transported in the column direction by this transport mechanism. In this case, the second truck may or may not be equipped with a traveling mechanism.

Each of these modifications has the same configuration as the automated warehouse system 10 of the embodiment, and thus has the same effects as the automated warehouse system 10 described above.

In the drawings used for explanation, cross sections of some members are hatched in order to clarify the relationship of the members, but the hatching does not limit the materials or materials of these members.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Automated warehouse system, 12... Load, 20... Storage shelf part, 21... Storage part, 30... Storage shelf part, 31... Storage part, 40... Intermediate conveying device, 41... First Rail 42 Second rail 43 Third rail 44 Rail 45 First truck 45c Placement part 46 Second truck 47 Stacker crane.

Claims (5)

a first shelf section configured with a plurality of storage sections for storing goods arranged along the vertical direction, the row direction, and the column direction;
a plurality of second shelves arranged along the vertical direction, each having a structure accessible by an external conveying device, and having a temporary storage section for temporarily storing cargo;
a first conveying means capable of moving in the vertical direction and the row direction at the same time;
The first shelf and the second shelf are capable of holding the load, are movable while being mounted on the first transport means, and move in the column direction via the first transport means. a second conveying means accessible to the
automated warehouse system . 2. The automated warehouse system according to claim 1 , wherein said temporary storage unit has an external doorway through which goods are delivered to and received from an external transport device, and an internal doorway through which said second transport means enters and exits . 3. The automated warehouse according to claim 2 , wherein said external doorway is provided on the side opposite to said first shelf of said temporary storage unit, and said internal doorway is provided on said first shelf side of said temporary storage unit. system. The automated warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of said temporary storage units are further arranged along the row direction. The automated warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of said second conveying means are provided.

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