JP7541344B2 - Item storage device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an item storage device for a warehouse or the like. In particular, the present invention relates to an item storage device with a three-dimensional storage area.

2. Description of the Related Art An article storage device called an automated warehouse is known.
An automated warehouse is equipped with transport devices such as conveyor systems and article transport vehicles, and the transport devices transport received items to store them in designated locations, and the transport devices can be driven to remove desired items.
As disclosed in Patent Document 1, some automated warehouses have a multi-story structure in which areas for storing items are configured three-dimensionally.

In an article storage device with a storage area having a multi-story structure, it is necessary to lift the stored articles up to a specified floor, and when discharging the stored articles, it is necessary to lower the articles to the output floor.
In Patent Document 1, when an article is put in or taken out, the article is raised or lowered by a lifter.

WO2016/98813 publication

As described above, in the conventional article storage device, the article is moved to a predetermined floor by a lifter.
However, the lifter is a batch-type lifting means and cannot continuously lift and lower items. For example, when moving multiple items from the ground floor to a higher floor, one item must be lifted on the lifter and the next item must wait on the ground floor until the lifter returns to the ground floor. Therefore, there is a complaint that the efficiency of the conventional article storage device when taking items in and out is low.

The present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology and aims to develop an item storage device that is highly efficient in loading and unloading items.

A mode for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a loading/unloading area and a storage area, the storage area being a multi-story structure with item storage areas on multiple floors, with an entry section for loading items into the item storage area on any of the floors and an exit section for unloading items from the item storage area on that floor, the loading/unloading area having an entry section, an exit section and a conveying path, items loaded from the entry section are conveyed along the conveying path to the entry section on any of the floors, and items unloaded from the exit section on any of the floors are conveyed along the conveying path to the exit section, any of the floors being a target floor, This is an item storage device that has an upwardly inclined target floor up-bound conveyance path from a lower floor to a target floor, a downwardly inclined target floor down-bound conveyance path from the target floor to a lower floor, an upwardly inclined target floor up-bound conveyance path from the target floor to a higher floor, and a downwardly inclined target floor down-bound conveyance path from a higher floor to the target floor, a one-way target floor conveyance path that connects the target floor up-bound conveyance path and the lower floor down-bound conveyance path via the loading section and the unloading section of the target floor, and a one-way connecting conveyance path that connects the target floor down-bound conveyance path and the target floor up-bound conveyance path.

The article storage device of this aspect has a loading/unloading area and a storage area. In the loading/unloading area, articles received from an entrance section are transported along a transport path to an entrance section on one of the floors, and articles unloaded from an exit section on one of the floors are transported along the transport path to an exit section on one of the floors.
In the article storage device of this embodiment, the storage area has a multi-story structure, and the target floor is, for example, an intermediate floor, for example, the first to fourth floors of a five-story structure.
In this type of item storage device, there is an upward-sloping conveying path to the target floor that slopes upward from the floor below the target floor to the target floor, a downward-sloping conveying path to the lower floor that slopes downward from the target floor to the floor below, an upward-sloping conveying path to the upper floor that slopes upward from the target floor to the floor above, and a downward-sloping conveying path to the target floor that slopes downward from the floor above to the target floor.
In the article storage device of this embodiment, articles can be transported from a lower floor to a target floor using the upward conveyance path to the target floor. Also, articles can be lowered from the target floor to a lower floor using the downward conveyance path to the lower floor. Furthermore, articles can be lifted from the target floor to a higher floor using the upward conveyance path to the upper floor. Also, articles can be transported from a higher floor to the target floor using the downward conveyance path to the target floor.
The article storage device of this embodiment has a one-way transport path within the target floor that connects an upward transport path to the target floor and a downward transport path to a lower floor via an entrance section and an exit section of the target floor.
Therefore, items transported from a lower floor can be placed on the one-way transport path within the target floor, transported to the loading section, and stored in the item storage area.
In addition, items that are transported from the item storage area to the discharge section can be placed on a one-way transport path within the target floor and transported to a downward transport path to the lower floor, where the items can be unloaded to the floor below.
The conveying path within the target floor used in this embodiment runs in a one-way direction, so the goods route for bringing in goods from the floor below and the goods route for unloading goods to the floor below are the same conveying path, and goods are conveyed in a one-way direction.
Therefore, articles can be continuously carried in and out.
In addition, the article storage device of this embodiment has a one-way connecting conveying path that connects the down conveying path to the target floor and the conveying path within the target floor. Therefore, an article carried out from a higher floor can be lowered to the target floor via the down conveying path to the target floor, enter the conveying path within the target floor via the connecting conveying path, and then lowered to a lower floor. Therefore, even when an article on an upper floor is lowered to a lower floor via the target floor, it is transported via the one-way conveying path.
Therefore, items on the upper floors can be transported continuously.

Another aspect for solving a similar problem is a system having an loading/unloading area and a storage area, the storage area being a multi-story structure with item storage areas on multiple floors, an entry section for loading items into the item storage area on any of the floors, and an exit section for unloading items from the item storage area on the floor, the loading/unloading area having an entrance section, an exit section, and a conveying path, items received from the entrance section are conveyed on the conveying path to the loading section on any of the floors, and items unloaded from the exit section on any of the floors are conveyed on the conveying path to the exit section, any of the floors being a target floor. The item storage device has an inclined conveying path A to the target floor from one adjacent floor to the target floor, an inclined conveying path C to the adjacent floor from the target floor to the one adjacent floor, an inclined conveying path D to the adjacent floor from the target floor to the other adjacent floor, and an inclined conveying path B to the target floor from the other adjacent floor to the target floor, a one-way conveying path within the target floor that connects the conveying path A to the adjacent floor conveying path via the loading section and the unloading section of the target floor, and a one-way connecting conveying path that connects the conveying path B to the conveying path within the target floor.

The article storage device of this embodiment also has a loading/unloading area and a storage area.
In the item storage device of this embodiment, the storage area has a multi-story structure, and the target floor is, for example, an intermediate floor.
In this type of item storage device, there is an inclined conveying path A to the target floor that runs from one adjacent floor to the target floor, an inclined conveying path to the adjacent floor that runs from the target floor to the one adjacent floor, and an inclined conveying path B to the target floor that runs from the other adjacent floor to the target floor.
In the article storage device of this embodiment, an article can be transported from one adjacent floor to the target floor using the target floor-bound transport path A. Also, the articles can be moved to floors adjacent to the target floor by the adjacent floor-bound transport paths C and D.
The article storage device of this embodiment has a one-way transport path within the target floor that connects the transport path A to the target floor and the transport path to the adjacent floor via the loading section and the unloading section of the target floor.
Therefore, an item transported from one of the adjacent floors can be placed on the one-way transport path within the target floor and transported to the loading section, where the item can be stored in the item storage area.
Furthermore, items conveyed from the item storage area to the discharge section can be placed on a one-way conveying path within the target floor and transported to conveying path B to the target floor, where the items can be unloaded on one of the adjacent floors.
The conveying path within the target floor used in this embodiment runs in a one-way direction, so the goods path for introducing goods from an adjacent floor and the goods path for moving goods to an adjacent floor are the same conveying path, and goods are conveyed in a one-way direction.
Therefore, articles can be continuously carried in and out.
In addition, the article storage device of this embodiment has a one-way connecting conveying path that connects the conveying path B to the target floor and the conveying path within the target floor. Therefore, an article carried out from the other adjacent floor can be lowered to the target floor via the conveying path B to the target floor, enter the conveying path within the target floor via the connecting conveying path, and lowered to the other adjacent floor. Therefore, even when an article on one adjacent floor is moved to the other adjacent floor via the target floor, it is transported via the one-way conveying path.
Therefore, items on other floors can be moved continuously to other floors.

In the above-mentioned aspect, it is desirable that on any one of the floors, there is a one-way entrance/exit conveying path that connects the storage section and the unloading section via the entrance section and unloading section of that floor, and a downward conveying path to that floor that slopes downward from the upper floor to that floor, and that the downward conveying path to that floor is connected to the entrance/exit conveying path.

One of the floors is, for example, a storage/retrieval floor where a storage area and an retrieval area are located.
The floor in question has a one-way entrance/exit transport path that connects the entrance section and the exit section via the entrance section and exit section of the floor in question.
Therefore, the items introduced from the storage section can be placed on the one-way inlet/outlet conveying path and transported to the carry-in section, where the items can be stored in the item storage area.
Furthermore, articles that have been transported from the article storage area to the unloading section can be placed on the one-way inlet/outlet transport path, transported to the unloading section, and then unloaded from the unloading section.
The entrance/exit conveying path used in this embodiment runs in one direction, so the item path for introducing items from the entrance section and the item path for leading items to the exit section are the same conveying path, and the items are conveyed in one direction.
Therefore, articles can be continuously carried in and out.
In the article storage device of this aspect, the floor-to-floor down-conveyance path and the entry/exit conveyance path are connected, so that an article conveyed from an upper floor can be conveyed down to the target floor on the floor-to-floor down-conveyance path, enter the entry/exit conveyance path, and be delivered from the delivery section.
Therefore, even when an article on an upper floor is taken out from the delivery section via the target floor, it is transported along a one-way transport path.
Therefore, the items on the upper floors can be retrieved continuously.

In each of the above aspects, it is desirable that the entrance/exit conveying path is a one-way, approximately circular path, and that the conveying path on the adjacent floor is a one-way, approximately circular path that conveys items in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the entrance/exit conveying path.

This allows items to be loaded and unloaded smoothly.

In each of the above-mentioned aspects, it is desirable that the specific floor has an upwardly inclined specific floor conveying path from the lower floor to the specific floor, and a downwardly inclined lower floor conveying path from the specific floor to the lower floor, and that a one-way conveying path within the specific floor connects the upwardly inclined specific floor conveying path and the downwardly inclined lower floor conveying path via the loading section and the unloading section of the specific floor.

The specific floor is, for example, the top floor.
According to this aspect, an article can be transported from a lower floor to a specific floor by using the specific floor ascending conveyance path, and an article can be lowered from a specific floor to a lower floor by using the lower floor descending conveyance path.
The article storage device of this embodiment has a one-way transport path within a specific floor that connects an ascending transport path to a specific floor and a descending transport path to a lower floor via an entrance section and an exit section of the specific floor.
Therefore, items transported from lower floors can be placed on a one-way specific intra-floor transport path, transported to the loading section, and stored in the item storage area.
Furthermore, the articles removed from the article storage area can be placed on a one-way conveying path within a specific floor and transported to a downward conveying path to a lower floor, where the articles can be unloaded to the floor below.
The specific intra-floor conveying path used in this embodiment runs in a one-way direction, so the goods route for bringing in goods from the floor below and the goods route for unloading goods to the floor below are the same conveying path, and goods are conveyed in a one-way direction.
Therefore, articles can be continuously carried in and out.

In each of the above-mentioned aspects, it is desirable that any of the inclined conveying paths has an inclined portion and an upper end connection portion, the upper end connection portion being a roller conveyor having a plurality of conveying rollers, and the conveying rollers are arranged so that the conveying surfaces of the conveying rollers are upwardly convex.

According to this aspect, goods can be smoothly handed over when transporting goods from an upper floor to a lower floor, or from a lower floor to a higher floor.

In each of the above-mentioned aspects, it is desirable that any of the inclined conveying paths has an inclined portion and a lower end connecting portion, the lower end connecting portion being a roller conveyor having a plurality of conveying rollers, and the conveying rollers are arranged so that the conveying surfaces of the conveying rollers are concave upward.

According to this aspect, goods can be smoothly handed over when transporting goods from an upper floor to a lower floor, or from a lower floor to a higher floor.

In each of the above-mentioned aspects, it is preferable that any of the inclined conveying paths has an inclined portion and a lower end connecting portion, and the lower end connecting portion is a roller conveyor having a plurality of conveying rollers, the conveying rollers being arranged in a plurality of rows, and the conveying rollers in adjacent rows being arranged alternately in the conveying direction.

According to this aspect, goods can be smoothly handed over when transporting goods from an upper floor to a lower floor, or from a lower floor to a higher floor.

The item storage device of the present invention can continuously take in and out items, and is highly efficient at taking in and out items.

1 is a perspective view of an article storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of one level of the storage area of the item storage device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which an item is carried into the storage area of FIG. 2 . 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the process of removing an item from the storage area of FIG. 2. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the layout of the loading/unloading area of the article storage device of FIG. 1 and the conveying direction of each conveying path. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the layout of the loading and unloading areas of the article storage device of FIG. 5 divided for each floor. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route when transporting an item to a storage area on the first floor in the loading/unloading area of the item storage device of FIG. 5 . 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route when an item is removed from a storage area on the first floor in the loading/unloading area of the item storage device of FIG. 5 . 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route when transporting an item to a storage area on the second floor in the loading/unloading area of the item storage device of FIG. 5 . 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route when an item is removed from a storage area on the second floor in the loading/unloading area of the item storage device of FIG. 5 . 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route when transporting an item to a storage area on the third floor in the loading/unloading area of the item storage device of FIG. 5 . 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a transport route when an item is removed from a storage area on the third floor in the loading/unloading area of the item storage device of FIG. 5 . 6 is a front view of the loading/unloading area (article lifting device) of the article storage device of FIG. 5, in which the article lifting device is projected from the side. 6 is a plan view of the loading/unloading area (article lifting device) of the article storage device of FIG. 5 . 1A is a plan view of an inclined conveyor, FIG. 1B is a side view of the inclined conveyor, and FIG. 1C is a plan view of an inclined conveyor of another embodiment. FIG. 17A and 17B are plan views explaining the function of the direction change device shown in FIG. 16, in which (a) shows the direction of the rollers when an article is moved straight, (b) shows the direction of the rollers when an article is discharged at an angle, (c) shows the direction of the rollers when an article is discharged at a right angle to the right, and (d) shows the direction of the rollers when an article is discharged at a right angle to the left. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of a direction changing device. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing yet another example of a direction changing device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The article storage device 1 of this embodiment is largely composed of a loading/unloading area 2 and a storage area 3, as shown in FIG.
The loading/unloading area 2 has an entrance section 5, an exit section 6, and a series of conveying paths 12 (FIG. 5), and serves the function of carrying articles into and out of the storage area 3.

The loading/unloading area 2 has a three-story structure, and a conveying path 12 made up of a roller conveyor device is installed on each floor as shown in Fig. 5. In this embodiment, a loading section 5 and an unloading section 6 are located on the first floor.
The conveyor path on the first floor is a conveyor line constituting a one-way path in the counterclockwise direction as shown in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 8. The conveyor path on the second floor is a conveyor line constituting a one-way path in the clockwise direction as shown in Figures 5, 6, 9, and 10. The conveyor path on the third floor is a conveyor line constituting a one-way path in the clockwise direction as shown in Figures 5, 6, 11, and 12.

The storage area 3 is an area for storing items.
The storage area 3 is filled with transport devices (not shown), and an item can be stored by being parked on any of the transport devices.

An end of the storage area 3 is connected to the transport path 12 of the loading/unloading area 2 as shown in FIG.
The conveying path 12 is made up of a number of conveyor devices called zone conveyors.
In a zone of the conveying path 12 connected to the storage area 3, there is a carry-in/carry-out section 22. The carry-in/carry-out section 22 is an area where articles are carried in to the storage area (other area) 3 and articles are carried out from the storage area (other area) 3, and direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c are arranged.

The direction changing devices 13a, 13b, and 13c are each configured by arranging conveying cells 100 in a planar manner as shown in Fig. 16. Each conveying cell 100 has a roller 102 that rotates around a rotation shaft 101. The roller 102 rotates by receiving power from a motor (not shown).
Further, the rollers 102 of each transport cell 100 rotate about a rotation axis perpendicular to the rotation axis 101, so that the orientation of the rollers 102 can be changed.
Each of the direction changing devices 13a, 13b, and 13c can arbitrarily change the conveying direction of the article.
That is, the direction changing devices 13a, 13b, and 13c can move the article in a straight line as shown by the arrow in Fig. 17(a), can change the traveling direction of the article to an oblique direction as shown by the arrow in Fig. 17(b), and can also change the traveling direction of the article vertically to either the left or right as shown by the arrows in Fig. 17(c) and (d).

When carrying item M into storage area 3, as shown in FIG. 3, item M is carried in using conveying path 12. Then, the conveying direction leading to storage area 3 is changed to storage area 3, and item M is sent to storage area 3. Item M is carried to the back by a conveying device (not shown) and remains at a specified position. This operation is repeated until item M is placed at each position in storage area 3.

When an item M is to be transported out of the storage area 3, as shown in Figure 4, the item is moved to one of the direction change devices 13a, 13b, or 13c by a conveying device not shown, and then passed through the direction change devices 13a, 13b, or 13c, placed on the conveying path 12, and transported out to the left side of the drawing.
In this embodiment, articles can be put in and taken out from any of the direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c, but the uses of the direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c may be divided. That is, the direction change devices 13 may be divided into a direction change device 13 used only for carrying articles from the loading/unloading area 2 to the storage area 3, and a direction change device 13 for carrying articles from the storage area 3 to the loading/unloading area 2. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which articles can be carried in from the loading/unloading area 2 to the storage area 3 only from the direction change devices 13a and 13c on both sides, and articles can be carried out from the storage area 3 to the loading/unloading area 2 only from the central direction change device 13b.

Next, a description will be given of the loading/unloading area 2. The loading/unloading area 2 has a series of transport paths 12 formed by roller conveyors.
As described above, the conveying path 12 is made up of a series of conveyor devices called zone conveyors, and each of the zone conveyors (conveyor devices) that make up each zone has its own independent drive source and control device and can be driven and stopped individually.
The transport path 12 is made up of a series of short conveyor devices called zone conveyors, and is divided into a plurality of zones by the zone conveyors.
The zone conveyor of each zone is, for example, a roller conveyor (also called a "colo conveyor"), which has a plurality of rollers (roller members) arranged in parallel at regular intervals.

The loading/unloading area 2 has a three-story structure, and a conveying path constituted by a conveyor device is laid on each floor. In this embodiment, a loading section 5 and an unloading section 6 are located on the first floor.
In this embodiment, the first floor corresponds to "any floor" in the claims, the second floor corresponds to "target floor" in the claims, and the third floor corresponds to "specific floor" in the claims.

In addition, an inclined conveyor (an inclined transport path) is provided to transfer items between each floor.
That is, in this embodiment, there are a first inclined conveyor 30, a second inclined conveyor 31, a third inclined conveyor 32, and a fourth inclined conveyor 33.
The first inclined conveyor (upward conveying path to target floor, conveying path A to target floor) 30 is a one-way upward conveyor from the first floor to the second floor. The second inclined conveyor (upward conveying path to specific floor, upward conveying path to upper floor, conveying path C or D to adjacent floor) 31 is a one-way upward conveyor from the second floor to the third floor. The third inclined conveyor (downward conveying path to lower floor, conveying path C or D to adjacent floor, downward conveying path to specific floor) 32 is a one-way downward conveyor from the second floor to the first floor. The fourth inclined conveyor (downward conveying path to target floor, conveying path B to target floor, downward conveying path to lower floor) 33 is a one-way downward conveyor from the third floor to the second floor.

Each of the inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 is a conveyor that conveys articles linearly and is installed in an inclined position. In this embodiment, each of the inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 runs in the same direction in the planar direction as shown in FIG.
Specifically, the first inclined conveyor 30 and the second inclined conveyor 31 both run obliquely upward from the right side to the left side of the drawing as shown by the arrows in Figure 5. The third inclined conveyor 32 and the fourth inclined conveyor 33 also run obliquely downward from the right side to the left side of the drawing in the planar direction.

The first inclined conveyor 30 and the second inclined conveyor 31 have the same inclined posture. In contrast, the third inclined conveyor 32 and the fourth inclined conveyor 33 have inclination directions opposite to those of the first inclined conveyor 30 and the second inclined conveyor 31.
Therefore, when the loading/unloading area (article lifting device) 2 is projected from the side, the first inclined conveyor 30 and the second inclined conveyor 31 are inclined in the same direction, and the third inclined conveyor 32 and the fourth inclined conveyor 33 are inclined in a direction intersecting the first inclined conveyor 30 and the second inclined conveyor 31, as shown in Fig. 13. That is, when the loading/unloading area (article lifting device) 2 is projected from the side, the first inclined conveyor 30 and the third inclined conveyor 32 intersect at the center, as shown in Fig. 13. Also, the second inclined conveyor 31 and the fourth inclined conveyor 33 intersect at the center.

The first inclined conveyor 30 and the second inclined conveyor 31 are generally positioned so as to overlap in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the loading/unloading area (article lifting device) 2 is observed from above, the first inclined conveyor 30 and the second inclined conveyor 31 overlap each other to present a straight line, as shown in FIG.
When the loading/unloading area (article lifting device) 2 is viewed from the side, as shown in FIG. 13, the first inclined conveyor 30 and the second inclined conveyor 31 are parallel to each other.

Similarly, the third inclined conveyor 32 and the fourth inclined conveyor 33 are generally positioned so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction. Therefore, when the loading/unloading area (article lifting device) 2 is observed from above, the third inclined conveyor 32 and the fourth inclined conveyor 33 overlap each other to form a straight line, as shown in FIG.
When the loading/unloading area (article lifting device) 2 is viewed from the side, as shown in FIG. 13, the third inclined conveyor 32 and the fourth inclined conveyor 33 are parallel to each other.
It is preferable that the inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 overlap each other in the vertical direction as much as possible, but it is not necessary that the conveyors overlap each other entirely.

The conveying path 35 on the first floor is composed of an entrance/exit conveying path 36 and a bypass conveying path 37 as shown in FIGS.
The entrance/exit conveying path 36 is provided with direction change devices 13 a , 13 b , and 13 c that connect to the first floor of the storage area 3 .
The entrance/exit conveying path 36 is a one-way conveying path that runs from the entrance section 5 to the exit section 6 via the direction changing devices 13a, 13b, and 13c on the first floor. The conveying path of the entrance/exit conveying path 36 is U-shaped and substantially circular.

Hereinafter, a starting point where an article can be diverged to a diverging path is referred to as a "diverging section." A starting point where an article can be diverged to a diverging path and can merge with another path is referred to as a "merging/diverging section." A starting point where the conveying direction of an article can be bent vertically is referred to as a "curving section."
The route of the entrance/exit conveying path 36 is a roughly circular, one-way conveying path that runs from the entrance section 5 through the first junction/branching section J1 on the 1st floor, the first floor branching section J2, the first floor first turn C1, the first floor second turn C2, the first floor junction J3, and the first floor second junction/branching section J4 to the exit section 6.
The direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c on the first floor are located between the entrance section 5 and the exit section 6. The direction change device 13b also functions as the first floor branch section J2. The direction change device 13c also functions as the first floor first curved section C1.
Devices similar to direction change device 13 are installed at the first junction/branching point J1 on the first floor, the first turn C1 on the first floor, the second turn C2 on the first floor, the first floor junction J3, and the second junction/branching point J4 on the first floor.
The entrance/exit transport path 36 is a generally circular conveyor line that constitutes a one-way path in the counterclockwise direction.
The bypass conveying path 37 is a conveying path that directly connects the loading section 5 and the unloading section 6 .

As described above, the first inclined conveyor 30 (upward conveying path to target floor, conveying path A to target floor) is a one-way upward conveyor heading from the first floor to the second floor, and its lower end is connected to the central direction change device 13b of the three direction change devices 13a, 13b, 13c on the first floor.
The third inclined conveyor (lower floor down conveyor, adjacent floor down conveyor C or D, floor down conveyor) 32 is a one-way down conveyor from the second floor to the first floor as described above, and its lower end is the entrance/exit conveyor 36, which is connected downstream of the direction changers 13a, 13b, and 13c. That is, the lower end of the third inclined conveyor 32 is the entrance/exit conveyor 36, which is connected between the direction changers 13a, 13b, and 13c and the delivery section 6.

The transport path 40 on the second floor is composed of a second floor main transport path (transport path within the target floor) 41 and a connecting transport path 42, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.
The second floor main conveying path 41 is provided with direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c that connect to the second floor portion of the storage area 3.
As described above, the first inclined conveyor 30 is a one-way ascending conveyor that runs from the first floor to the second floor, and its upper end is connected to the start end of the second floor main conveying path (conveying path within the target floor) 41.
The second inclined conveyor (upward conveying path to a specific floor, upward conveying path to an upper floor, conveying path to an adjacent floor C or D) 31 is a one-way upward conveyor heading from the second floor to the third floor, and its lower end is connected to the central direction change device 13b of the three direction change devices 13a, 13b, 13c on the second floor.
The fourth inclined conveyor (downward conveying path to target floor, conveying path B to target floor, downward conveying path to lower floor) 33 is, as described above, a one-way downward conveyor that runs from the third floor to the second floor, and its lower end is connected to the connecting conveying path 42 on the second floor.

The second floor main conveying path 41 is a one-way conveying path that runs from the upper end of the first inclined conveyor 30, which is the ascending conveyor, through the direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c on the second floor to the upper end of the third inclined conveyor 32, which is the descending conveyor.
The route of the second floor main conveying path 41 is a roughly circular, one-way conveying path that starts at the second floor junction J5 at the upper end of the first inclined conveyor 30, passes through the second floor first bend C3, the second floor second bend C4, the second floor branching point J6, and the second floor third bend C5, and leads to the upper end of the third inclined conveyor 32.
Between the second floor junction J5 and the second floor third curve C5, there are direction changers 13a, 13b, and 13c for the second floor, with the direction changer 13b also functioning as the second floor branch J6. The direction changer 13c also functioning as the second floor second curve C4. The direction changer 13a also functioning as the second floor third curve C5.
Devices similar to direction change device 13 are installed at the junction J5 on the second floor, the first curve C3 on the second floor, and the third curve C5 on the second floor.

The connecting conveying path 42 is a one-way conveying path that connects the lower end of the fourth inclined conveyor 33, which is a one-way downward conveyor that runs from the third floor to the second floor, to the base end of the second floor main conveying path 41.
In other words, the connecting conveying path 42 is a one-way conveying path that connects the second floor fourth bend C6 at the lower end of the fourth inclined conveyor 33 and the second floor junction J5.
A device similar to the direction change device 13 is installed at the fourth curve C6 on the second floor.

The second floor main conveying path 41 and the connecting conveying path 42 on the second floor are approximately circular conveyor lines that form a clockwise one-way path.
The conveying direction of the second floor main conveying path 41 and the connecting conveying path 42 on the second floor is reverse to that of the conveying path 35 on the first floor.

The third floor transport path 45 is composed of a third floor main transport path (specific floor transport path) 46 as shown in FIGS.
The third floor main transport route (specific floor transport route) 46 is provided with direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c that connect to the third floor portion of the storage area 3.
The third floor main conveying path (specific floor conveying path) 46 is a one-way conveying path that runs from the upper end of the second inclined conveyor 31 to the upper end of the fourth inclined conveyor 33 via direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c on the third floor.
In other words, the third floor main conveying path (conveying path within a specific floor) 46 is a roughly circular, one-way conveying path that runs from the upper end of the second inclined conveyor 31 through the first bend C7 on the third floor, the second bend C8 on the third floor, and the third bend C9 on the third floor to the upper end of the fourth inclined conveyor 33 at the fourth bend C10 on the third floor.
Between the third floor first curved section C7 and the third floor fourth curved section C10, there are direction changers 13a, 13b, and 13c for the third floor, and the direction changer 13c also functions as the third floor third curved section C9. The direction changer 13a also functions as the third floor fourth curved section C10.
The third floor main conveying path (specific floor conveying path) 46 is a substantially circular conveyor line that constitutes a clockwise one-way path.
The third floor main conveying path (specific floor conveying path) 46 runs in the opposite direction to the first floor conveying path 35.

Next, the routes for carrying items in and out of each floor of the storage area 3 will be described.
In FIG. 7, the transport route when carrying an article into the first floor portion of the storage area 3 is shown by a thick line.
7, when an item is to be brought into the first floor of the storage area 3, the item brought in from the receiving section 5 is conveyed to the area of the direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c on the first floor through the inlet/outlet conveyor path 36. Then, for example, the conveying direction of the item is changed to the side of the storage area 3 by the direction change device 13a, and the item is stored in the storage area 3.

In FIG. 8, the transport route when carrying out items from the first floor of the storage area 3 is shown by a thick line.
When an article is to be removed from the first floor of the storage area 3, the article is led to the unloading section 6 via the entrance/exit conveying path 36 as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 9, the transport route when carrying an article into the second floor portion of the storage area 3 is shown by a thick line.
When an article is to be brought into the second floor of the storage area 3, the article brought in from the receiving section 5 is transported to the first floor branch J2 via the inlet/outlet conveying path 36 and placed on the direction changing device 13b on the first floor, as shown in Fig. 9. The direction changing device 13b then changes the conveying direction of the article to the first inclined conveyor 30 side, and the article ascends the first inclined conveyor 30 to reach the second floor.
Thereafter, the article is transported to the area of the direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c on the second floor through the second floor main transport path (transport path within the target floor) 41. Then, for example, the direction change device 13c changes the transport direction of the article to the storage area 3 side, and the article is stored in the storage area 3.

In FIG. 10, the transport route when carrying out items from the second floor of the storage area 3 is shown by a thick line.
10, when an article is to be carried out from the second floor of the storage area 3, the article is passed through the second floor main conveying path (conveying path within the target floor) 41 to the upper end of the third inclined conveyor 32, which is a descending conveyor. The article then passes down the third inclined conveyor 32 to the first floor, and is passed through the entrance/exit conveying path 36 from the first floor junction J3 to the unloading section 6.

In FIG. 11, the transport route when carrying an item into the third floor of storage area 3 is shown by a thick line.
When an article is to be brought into the third floor of the storage area 3, as shown in Fig. 11, the article brought in from the receiving section 5 is conveyed to the direction changing device 13b on the first floor through the inlet/outlet conveying path 36. The direction changing device 13b then changes the conveying direction of the article to the first inclined conveyor 30 side, and the article ascends the first inclined conveyor 30 to the second floor.
Then, the article is transported to the second floor branch J6 on the second floor through the second floor main transport path (transport path within the target floor) 41, and placed on the direction changing device 13b. The direction changing device 13b then changes the transport direction of the article to the second inclined conveyor 31 side, and the article is made to ascend the second inclined conveyor 31 to the third floor.
Thereafter, the item is transported to the area of the direction change devices 13a, 13b, and 13c on the third floor through the third floor main transport path (transport path within the target floor) 46. Then, for example, the direction change device 13b changes the transport direction of the item to the storage area 3 side, and the item is stored in the storage area 3.

In FIG. 12, the transport route when carrying out an item from the third floor of storage area 3 is shown by a thick line.
When an article is to be removed from the third floor of the storage area 3, as shown in Fig. 12, the article is transported through the third floor main conveying path (transporting path within the target floor) 46 to the upper end of the fourth inclined conveyor 33, which is a descending conveyor. The article is then lowered down the fourth inclined conveyor 33 to the second floor.
The article is then introduced from the second floor junction J5 to the second floor main conveyance path (conveyance path within the target floor) 41 via the connecting conveyance path 42, and is then guided through the second floor main conveyance path (conveyance path within the target floor) 41 to the upper end of the third inclined conveyor 32, which is a descending conveyor. The article then descends the third inclined conveyor 32 to the first floor, and is guided from the first floor junction J3 to the unloading section 6 via the entrance/exit conveyance path 36.

In the loading/unloading area 2 of this embodiment, the transport paths on each floor (except for the bypass transport path 37) are all one-way paths that are common to both the transport path for carrying in and the transport path for discharging articles.
Therefore, articles are rarely left in a waiting state, and articles can be taken in and out continuously.

In the loading/unloading area 2 of this embodiment, the conveying path on the first floor is a one-way path that runs counterclockwise, the conveying path on the second floor is a one-way path that runs clockwise, and the conveying path on the third floor is a one-way path that runs clockwise. Therefore, for example, when an item is lifted from the first floor to the third floor, it moves counterclockwise on the first floor, clockwise on the second floor, and then clockwise on the third floor, ascending in an approximately spiral trajectory.
Conversely, when lowering goods from the third floor to the first floor, the elevator moves clockwise on the third floor, clockwise on the second floor, and then counterclockwise on the first floor, descending in a roughly spiral trajectory.

As described above, the articles are transported through the conveying paths of each floor (excluding the bypass conveying path 37). If the conveying paths of each floor (excluding the bypass conveying path 37) are regarded as the main route, each floor has a three-row structure consisting of any of the inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 and any of the connecting conveying paths.
In other words, when viewed from above, the first floor portion has a three-row structure consisting of a first row formed by a straight path from the first floor first bend C1 to the first floor second bend C2 of the entrance/exit conveying path 36, a second row formed by the first inclined conveyor 30, and a third row formed by the third inclined conveyor 32.
When viewed from above, the second floor has a three-row structure consisting of a first row formed by a straight path from the first bend C3 on the second floor to the second bend C4 on the second floor of the second floor main conveying path 41, a second row formed by the first inclined conveyor 30, and a third row formed by the fourth inclined conveyor 33.
When viewed from above, the third floor has a three-row structure consisting of a first row formed by a straight path from the second bend C8 on the third floor to the third bend C9 on the third floor of the third floor main conveying path 46, a second row formed by the second inclined conveyor 31, and a third row formed by the fourth inclined conveyor 33.

In this embodiment, even when the main paths are observed from above, they have an overall three-row structure as shown in FIG.
In other words, the first row is formed by stacking the straight path of the third floor main conveying path 46 from the second bend C8 on the third floor to the third bend C9 on the third floor, the straight path of the second floor main conveying path 41 from the first bend C3 on the second floor to the second bend C4 on the second floor, and the straight path of the entrance/exit conveying path 36 from the first bend C1 on the first floor to the second bend C2 on the first floor.
The second inclined conveyor 31 and the first inclined conveyor 30 are stacked vertically to form a third row.
The fourth inclined conveyor 33 and the third inclined conveyor 32 are stacked vertically to form a second row.
Therefore, the loading/unloading area 2 in this embodiment has a relatively small external shape.

Next, a preferred inclined conveyor will be described.
The inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 used in this embodiment are all roller conveyors as shown in Figure 13. That is, a plurality of conveying rollers are arranged in parallel on frames arranged in parallel. Each roller rotates by receiving power transmission from a power source (not shown).
The inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 are divided into three regions as shown in FIG.
That is, it is divided into an upper end region 50 , an inclined region 51 and a lower end region 52 .

The inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 used in this embodiment have a horizontal region and a curved region in the upper end region 50 as shown in Figure 15 (b), and the rollers are arranged in the curved region so that the conveying surface is slightly convex upward. The curved region is connected to the inclined region 51.
The lower end region 52 also has a horizontal region and a curved region, and the rollers are arranged so that the conveying surface is slightly concave upward. The curved region is connected to the inclined region 51.

15A, the conveying rollers are arranged in a plurality of rows in the lower end region 52 of the inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33. Specifically, the conveying rollers are arranged in two rows.
The two rows of conveying rollers are in staggered positions, that is, the axes of the rotation shafts of the two rows of conveying rollers do not coincide with each other, and the conveying rollers are arranged in a staggered manner.

In this embodiment, only the lower end region 52 has multiple rows, but the upper end region 50 may also have multiple rows, as shown in FIG. 15(c).

In the inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 employed in this embodiment, the conveying surfaces at the connecting portions to the inclined region 51 present a gently curved surface, so that the conveyed objects can smoothly transition to the inclined region 51.
In addition, in the inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 used in this embodiment, the conveying rollers in the lower end region 52 are arranged in multiple rows and are arranged in a staggered pattern, so that there are many opportunities for items to come into contact with the conveying rollers, and the items are less likely to rattle when they are transferred from the inclined region 51 to the lower end region 52, or when they are transferred from the lower end region 52 to the inclined region 51.

In the embodiment described above, an item storage device 1 with a three-story structure is exemplified, but the number of floors is not limited, and the structure may be taller.

In the embodiment described above, the inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 connecting each floor are all single-row, but they may be double-row. In other words, a set of inclined conveyors 30, 31, 32, and 33 may be formed by arranging the inclined conveyors in parallel.

In the embodiment described above, the ground floor is the loading/unloading floor, but other floors may be loading/unloading floors. Also, the loading section 5 and the unloading section 6 may be on different floors.

In the embodiment described above, the "branching section", "merging/branching section" and "curve section" have a conveying cell 100 as shown in FIG. 14, and the conveying direction is changed by changing the orientation of the conveying cell 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a transfer device 200 as shown in FIG. 16 may be used at the "branching section", "merging/branching section" and "curve section".

The transfer device 200 is composed of a main transport conveyor 201, a sub-transport conveyor 202, and a lifting device (not shown).
When moving the articles in a straight line, the main transport conveyor 201 is extended above the sub-transport conveyor 202 by a lifting device (not shown), and the main transport conveyor 201 is driven.
When changing the direction of an article, the article is pulled onto the main conveyor 201, and then the auxiliary conveyor 202 is raised by a lifting device while the main conveyor 201 is lowered, causing the auxiliary conveyor 202 to protrude above the main conveyor 201, and then the auxiliary conveyor 202 is driven.

In the case of a "curved section," a curved conveyor like that shown in Figure 17 may be used.

In the embodiment described above, when moving an article from the first floor to the third floor, the article moves counterclockwise on the first floor, clockwise on the second floor, and clockwise on the third floor. That is, only the first floor moves counterclockwise, which is different from the other floors. If it is desired to move the article in the same direction on all floors, this can be achieved by, for example, interchanging the storage unit 5 and the delivery unit 6 in Figs. 1 and 5.
In other words, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, if an article is brought in at the position of the unloading section 6 and taken out at the position of the receiving section 5, the article is transported in the same direction on the first floor as on the other floors.

1 Item storage device 2 Loading/unloading area 3 Storage area 5 Storage section 6 Unloading section 10a 10b Storage conveyor (storage shelf section)
12 Conveying path 30 First inclined conveyor (upward conveying path to target floor Conveying path A to target floor)
31 Second inclined conveyor (specific floor ascending conveyor)
32 3rd inclined conveyor (downward conveying path to lower floor, conveying path to adjacent floor, downward conveying path to the floor in question)
33 Fourth inclined conveyor (descending conveying path to target floor, conveying path B to target floor, descending conveying path to lower floor)
36 Incoming/outgoing transport path 41 2nd floor main transport path (transport path within the target floor)
42 Connection conveyor path 46 3rd floor main conveyor path (specific floor conveyor path)
50 Upper end region (upper end connection part)
51 Slope area (slope part)
52 Lower end region (lower end connection part)

Claims (8)

A loading/unloading area and a storage area,
The storage area has a multi-story structure with item storage areas on multiple floors, and includes an entry unit for carrying items into the item storage area on any one of the floors and an exit unit for carrying items out of the item storage area on that floor;
the loading/unloading area has an entrance section, an exit section, and a conveying path, and an article received from the entrance section is conveyed along the conveying path to the entrance section on any floor, and an article unloaded from the exit section on any floor is conveyed along the conveying path to the exit section,
Any one of the floors is designated as a target floor, and there are an upwardly inclined target floor-bound conveyance path from a lower floor to the target floor, a downwardly inclined target floor-bound conveyance path from the target floor to the lower floor, an upwardly inclined target floor-bound conveyance path from the target floor to the upper floor, and a downwardly inclined target floor-bound conveyance path from the upper floor to the target floor,
A one-way target floor intra-conveyance path that connects the target floor ascending conveyance path and the lower floor descending conveyance path via the loading section and the unloading section of the target floor;
An article storage device characterized by having a one-way connecting conveying path that connects the down conveying path to the target floor and the conveying path within the target floor. A loading/unloading area and a storage area,
The storage area has a multi-story structure with item storage areas on multiple floors, and includes an entry unit for carrying items into the item storage area on any one of the floors and an exit unit for carrying items out of the item storage area on that floor;
the loading/unloading area has an entrance section, an exit section, and a conveying path, and an article received from the entrance section is conveyed along the conveying path to the entrance section on any floor, and an article unloaded from the exit section on any floor is conveyed along the conveying path to the exit section,
One of the floors is designated as a target floor, and there are an inclined target floor-bound conveying path A leading from one adjacent floor to the target floor, an inclined adjacent floor-bound conveying path C leading from the target floor to the one adjacent floor, an inclined adjacent floor-bound conveying path D leading from the target floor to the other adjacent floor, and an inclined target floor-bound conveying path B leading from the other adjacent floor to the target floor,
A one-way intra-target floor conveyance path that connects the target floor-bound conveyance path A and the adjacent floor-bound conveyance path via the loading section and the unloading section of the target floor;
An item storage device characterized by having a one-way connecting conveying path that connects the conveying path B to the target floor and the conveying path within the target floor. On any one of the floors, there is a one-way inlet/outlet conveying path that connects the loading section and the unloading section via the loading section and the unloading section of the floor, and a downward conveying path to the floor that is inclined downward from the upper floor to the floor,
3. An article storage device according to claim 1, wherein the floor downward conveying path is connected to the entrance/exit conveying path. The item storage device according to claim 3, characterized in that the entrance/exit conveying path is a one-way, approximately circular path, and the conveying path on the adjacent floor is a one-way, approximately circular path that conveys items in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the entrance/exit conveying path. The article storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the specific floor has an upwardly inclined specific floor conveying path from a lower floor to the specific floor, and a downwardly inclined lower floor conveying path from the specific floor to the lower floor, and a one-way specific floor conveying path that connects the upwardly inclined specific floor conveying path and the downwardly inclined lower floor conveying path via the loading section and the unloading section of the specific floor. An article storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that any of the inclined transport paths has an inclined portion and an upper end connection portion, the upper end connection portion being a roller conveyor having a plurality of transport rollers, and the transport rollers are arranged so that the transport surfaces of the transport rollers are convex upward. An article storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that any of the inclined transport paths has an inclined portion and a lower end connection portion, the lower end connection portion being a roller conveyor having a plurality of transport rollers, the transport rollers being arranged so that the transport surface of the transport rollers is concave upward. An article storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that any of the inclined transport paths has an inclined portion and a lower end connection portion, the lower end connection portion being a roller conveyor having a plurality of transport rollers, the transport rollers being arranged in a plurality of rows, and the transport rollers in adjacent rows being arranged alternately in the transport direction.

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