JPH03143801A - Stacker storage - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a device for automatically containing a number of articles compact and low-cost by reducing stacker cranes. CONSTITUTION:For taking out an article 13 held by a hook 10a of a designated rack 10, a first sub-stacker crane 15 is moved along a first track 11 to which the rack 10 belongs, and the designated article 13 is taken into the first sub- stacker crane 15. Next, it is moved toward a second track 12. In the meanwhile, a second sub-stacker crane 36 is kept stand-by at a facing position to the first track 11. The first sub-stacker crane 15 is transfered through a small track, unillustrated, of the second sub-stacker crane 36 to be transferred to an article in/out port 50. A compact and intensive device can thus be achieved.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an automatic storage device for objects, and more particularly, to
This invention relates to stacker storage that allows objects to be stored in and taken out from storage bodies such as racks.

(Prior Art) In general, devices for automatically storing a large number of objects include:
Storage bodies such as storage shelves having a large number of storage parts are arranged parallel to each other in multiple rows, and two adjacent storage bodies are arranged in parallel to each other in multiple rows.
A track is laid between two storage bodies, and a stacker crane, such as a truck, runs on the track to transport and store objects to each storage section.

That is, FIGS. 8 and 9 are a perspective view and a plan view of a conventional stacker storage, in which storage bodies 1 such as storage shelves each having a large number of vertically and horizontally formed storage sections 1a are arranged parallel to each other in multiple rows. A track 2 is laid between each of the two storage bodies 1 facing each other, and a stacker crane 3 for transporting objects runs on the track 2. A conveyor 4 extending in a direction perpendicular to the track 2 is disposed at the end of each track 2.

When storing an object in the predetermined storage section 1a of the storage body 1, the object to be stored is transported by the conveyor 4 to a position corresponding to the predetermined track 2, and there, the object is transferred to the stacker crane 3. Then, the stacker crane 3 transports it to the predetermined storage position. Also, when taking out a stored object, the reverse method is used.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, since such a device requires a number of stacker cranes corresponding to the rows of storage bodies, there are problems such as increased cost when the number of rows is large.

In addition, in the case of a box-shaped object M that is easy to transfer as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, there is no particular problem because it is relatively easy to transfer from the conveyor to the stacker crane. However, in the case of long precision products such as nuclear fuel assemblies that must be transported by conveyor or carefully transferred, a rack 5 is used as shown in Figure 10.
It must be stored on a hook or in an upright position. Therefore, storage units for storing such elongated objects have lower storage efficiency than storage units for box-shaped objects, and are inevitably densely arranged with many rows of storage shelves, which increases the number of stacker cranes. A large number of storage units are required depending on the number of rows of storage bodies, and there are problems such as that it is extremely difficult to provide an economical storage facility.

In addition, in order to reduce the number of stacker cranes, it is necessary to reduce the number of rows of storage bodies, but in this case, each row of storage bodies becomes extremely long, making it impossible to make it compact and requiring less space for storage. There are also problems such as the image becoming coarse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a stacker storage for realizing a low-cost, compact, dense automatic storage device for objects.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention includes a plurality of rows of storage bodies having a large number of object storage parts, a plurality of first tracks arranged parallel to the storage bodies between the rows of the storage bodies; , a first sub-stacker crane having a holding mechanism for objects to be stored and traveling along the first track; a second track disposed substantially perpendicular to the plurality of first tracks; can travel along a second trajectory,
A second sub-stacker crane is provided near the end of the second track, and a second sub-stacker crane is installed near the end of the second track. The present invention is characterized in that it has at least one object entry/exit port, and a control unit that outputs a control signal to the first and second sub-stacker cranes.

(Function) A first substacker crane is placed on a small track at the position of the storage object track where the target storage position is located among the plurality of first tracks arranged in parallel with the plurality of rows of storage objects. The loaded second sub-stacker crane is moved along the second track, where the first sub-stacker crane is transferred to the first track connected to the small track, and the first sub-stacker crane is moved along the second track. The substacker crane is caused to travel along its first trajectory, and objects are stored or removed at a target storage location.

Therefore, even if there are many rows of storage objects, by combining the first and second sub-stacker cranes, objects can be transported with at least one set of stacker cranes. There is no need to deploy as many stacker cranes as the number of stacker cranes, and the number of times objects are transferred can be minimized.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the stacker storage of the present invention, in which racks 10 as storage bodies are arranged in parallel to each other in multiple rows, and between each rack 10 there is a rack 10. A first track 11 is provided in parallel with. Further, a second track 12 is provided at the end of the first track 11 and extends in a direction perpendicular thereto.

The rack 10 is provided with a hook 10a extending left and right, similar to the one shown in FIG.
The handle part of the upper tie plate of the fuel assembly 13 is hooked onto the handle part a for storage.

By the way, the first track 11 has an upper and lower set of rails 14.
a, 14b, and this rail 14a
, 14b, the first sub-stacker crane 15 is movably mounted. That is, the first sub-stacker crane 15 is formed into a frame shape as shown in FIG. 2, and lower running wheels 16a, 16b running on the lower rail 14b are mounted on the lower surface of the frame in the front and rear. One of the lower traveling wheels 16a is rotationally driven by a motor 17 via a transmission device 18. Further, an upper rail 1 is provided on the upper part of the first sub-stacker crane 15 so as to sandwich the upper rail 14a.
Two pairs of upper running wheels 19a, 19 that engage the sides of 4a
b are attached to the front and rear.

Telescopic tables 20 are mounted on the top and bottom of the first sub-stacker crane 15, and a fuel assembly holding member 2 is attached to the tip of the telescopic table 20.
1 is attached so that it can move up and down. That is, a ball screw shaft 23 that is rotationally driven by a motor 22 is provided in the fuel assembly holding member 21 and extends in the vertical direction, and a threaded portion of the ball screw shaft 23 is screwed into the tip of the telescopic table 20. There is. A lower tie plate holding portion 21 a that supports the lower tie plate of the fuel assembly 13 is formed at the lower end of the fuel assembly holding member 21 . Furthermore, a fuel assembly upper holding claw 25 that is opened and closed by a motor 24 is attached to the upper part of the fuel assembly holding member 21 . That is, a pinion 26 is provided on the rotating shaft of the motor 24 (FIG. 4), and a pair of fuel assembly upper holding claws 2 are provided on both sides of the pinion 26.
A rack formed at the proximal end of 5 is engaged with the rack. Therefore, when the pinion 26 is rotated by the motor 24,
The racks meshing therewith move in opposite directions, and the fuel assembly upper holding claws 25 open and close from side to side, thereby gripping and releasing the fuel assembly.

The telescopic table 20, as schematically shown in FIG. 4, has a fixed plate 20a fixed to the main body of the first sub-stacker crane 15.

intermediate plate 20b, and fuel assembly holding member 21,
It consists of a support plate 20c, and an intermediate plate 20b and a fuel assembly holding member support plate 20c are disposed parallel to each other and movable left and right with respect to the fixed plate 20a. Further, sprocket wheels 20 a 1 are provided at both ends of the fixed plate 20 a and the intermediate plate 20 b, respectively.

20a2, 20b, 20b2 are provided, and
A vertical shaft 28 driven by a motor 27 provided on the main body of the first sub-stacker crane 15 is also provided with a sprocket wheel 29 at a position corresponding to the telescopic table 20. Then, the chain 30 fixed to one end of the fuel assembly holding member support plate 20c is sequentially wound around the sprocket wheels 20b to 20b2 of the intermediate plate 20b and the sprocket wheel 20a l of the fixed plate t' 20a. is wound around the sprocket wheel 29 of the vertical shaft 28, then the sprocket wheel 20a2 of the fixed plate 20a, the sprocket wheel 20b of the intermediate plate 20b, and so on.

It is connected to the other end of the support plate 20c via 20b2.

When the motor 27 is driven, the sprocket wheel 29 is rotated via the vertical shaft 28, and the fuel assembly holding member support plate 20c is moved to the left or right via the sprocket wheel 29 and the chain 30. The fuel assembly holding member 21 is selectively moved to a position where it can hold either one of the fuel assemblies held by the left and right racks 10. Moreover, when the motor 22 is driven, the ball screw shaft 23 and the telescopic table 20
The fuel assembly holding member 21 is moved up and down by the screw engagement with the tip of the upper tie plate handle 1 of the fuel assembly.
3a can be hooked onto or removed from the hook 10a of the rack 10. On the other hand, a power cable 31 is arranged on one side of the upper rail 14a in parallel with the rail 14a, and a slider 32 of the first sub-stacker crane slides on this power cable 31. It is intended to supply power to the drive mechanism, controller, etc. of the substacker crane. In addition, a photoelectric sensor 33 is provided on the lower side of the first sub-stacker crane 15 main body, and can detect the mark 34 of the hook storage position, so that the position on the track can be recognized from the traveling direction and the detected number. It has become.

The second track 12 extending in a direction perpendicular to the first track 11 is also an upper and lower set of rails 35a.

35b, and these rails 35a, 3
A second sub-stacker crane 36 is movably mounted on 5b.

That is, the second sub-stacker crane 36 is also formed into a frame shape, and the lower rail 3 is attached to the lower surface of the second sub-stacker crane 36.
A lower running wheel 37 that runs on top of 5b is attached,
The lower running wheel 37 is connected to the motor 3 via a transmission 38.
9 to be rotationally driven. Also, the second
Upper running wheels 40 are mounted on the upper part of the sub-stacker crane 36 and engage with the side surfaces of the upper rail 35a so as to sandwich the upper rail 35a.

In addition, the second sub-stacker crane 36 has rails arranged on the same axis as the upper and lower rails 14a, 14b of the selected first track 11 at its upper and lower parts, and connected to the rails 14a, 14b. Small orbits 41a, 41b
is provided.

The small tracks 41a, 41b are formed to have a length on which the first sub-stacker crane 15 can be placed, and the second sub-stacker crane 36 is placed on the desired first track 11.
, the first track 11 and the small tracks 41a, 4 of the second sub-stacker crane 36
1b, the first sub-stacker crane 15 can transfer therebetween. When the first sub-stacker crane 15 moves to the center position of the second sub-stacker crane 36 and stops, the first positioning pin 42 provided on the second sub-stacker crane 36 is moved to the second sub-stacker crane 36. By inserting it into the fixing fitting 43 of the crane 15, the first sub-stacker crane 15 can be fixed onto the second sub-stacker crane 36.

On the other hand, a power cable 44 is disposed along the second track 12 on one side of the upper rail 35a, and a slider 45 of the second sub-stacker crane 15 is in sliding contact with this power cable 44. , the power from the power cable 44 is supplied to the drive mechanism of the second sub-stacker crane 15. Further, on the other side of the upper rail 35a, a second power cable 46 is installed parallel to the power cable 44, and a sliding cable provided on the second sub-stacker crane 36 is connected to the second power cable 46. The slider 47 is in sliding contact with the second sub-stacker crane 3 from this slider 47.
Electric power is supplied to a short cheeple 48 for the first sub-stacker crane attached to the first sub-stacker crane. The short cable 48 is connected to the current collecting slider 32 provided on the first sub-stacker crane 15 when the first sub-stacker crane 15 is transferred onto the second sub-stacker crane 36. It is designed to make a sliding contact,
Power is supplied from the short cable 48 to the drive mechanism of the first sub-stacker crane 15 through the slider 32.

Further, at the end of the second track 12, a third track 49 for entering and exiting the warehouse is provided on one side thereof, which is parallel to the first track 11 (FIG. 1). This third track 49 has a similar structure to the first track 11, and the first sub-stacker crane 15 transported by the second sub-stacker crane 36 moves along the four third tracks. You can move on top. Further, on one side of the four third tracks, there is provided an entry/exit port 50 which has the same type as the rack 10 but can accommodate only one fuel assembly. In addition, the reference numeral 5 in the figure
1 is placed near the stacker storage; This is a control device that wirelessly transmits and receives progress information to each of the second stacker cranes 15 and 36.

Therefore, when taking out the fuel assembly 13 held by the hook 10a at the designated position of the rack 10 in the row, the fuel assembly 13 is taken out along the first track 11 provided on the front surface of the rack 10 in the row. The first sub-stacker crane 15 is moved and stopped at a designated position corresponding to the designated hook 10a.

Therefore, by operating the motor 27, the telescopic table 20 is extended and the fuel assembly holding member 2 is extended.
1 is advanced to the holding position of the desired fuel assembly 13, and then the motor 22 is driven, the fuel assembly holding member 21 is moved upward, and the lower part of the fuel assembly 13 is obstructed by the lower tie plate holding part 21a. Therefore, the motor 24
is driven, the fuel assembly upper holding claw 25 is moved in the closing direction, and the upper part of the fuel assembly 13 is gripped by the fuel assembly upper holding claw 25.

When the fuel assembly 13 is gripped in this manner, the motor 22 is further actuated, the fuel assembly holding member 21 is moved upward, and the upper tie plate handle portion 1 of the fuel assembly 13 is moved upward.
3a is removed from the hook 10a of the rack 10. From this state, the telescopic table 20 is retracted,
The fuel assembly 13 is completely held by the first sub-stacker crane 15.

Therefore, the first sub-stacker crane 15 is moved along the first track 11 toward the second track 12, and the second sub-stacker crane 15 is stopped at a position corresponding to the first track 11. Small track 41a of substacker crane 36,
41b and stops at a predetermined position, the positioning pin 42 is inserted into the fixing fitting 43 of the first sub-stacker crane 15, and the first sub-stacker crane 15
is fixed in place on the second substacker crane 36.

When the first sub-stacker crane 15 is fixed on the second sub-stacker crane 36 in this way, the motor 39 moves the second sub-stacker crane 3
6 is made to run along the rails 35a, 35b of the second track 12 toward the entrance/exit, and at the entrance/exit,
The first sub-stacker crane 15 transfers from the second sub-stacker crane 36 to the third track 49,
By performing the reverse operation described above, the fuel assembly is hooked to the hook of the loading/unloading port 50, and the removal of the desired fuel assembly from the stacker storage is completed.

On the other hand, when storing the fuel assembly, it is possible to do so by performing the operation completely opposite to the above.

Above, we have shown a rack-type storage means that stores one object at one position on the first track, but a shelf-type storage means that can store multiple objects above and below the first track. ,
The first sub-stacker crane 15 is provided with a vertically moving elevator 55 corresponding to a Z table, and multiple X
The present invention can also be applied to a device provided with a table 56.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a stacker storage type in which the box-shaped object 57 is stored on a plurality of shelves in the vertical direction. In this case, although only one example of a plurality of shelf boards 58 is illustrated, the box-shaped object 57 can be taken out from the shelf by putting the tip 59 of the X table 56 under the shelf board 58 and raising the elevator 55 slightly. Can be done.

In addition, although the description has been made assuming that there is only one entrance for entering and exiting objects, as shown in FIG. , If necessary, two or more entrances and exits can be provided.

In addition, stacker crane 1 is a combination of the sub-stacker crane of box 1 and the second sub-stacker crane.
I explained about stacker storage with a stand,
A plurality of these stacker cranes may be arranged, and the control unit may control the stacker cranes to prevent collisions, thereby increasing the speed of conveyance. In this case, the means to prevent collisions and realize smooth movement are to allow only one first stacker crane to run on the first track, or to use a first-in, first-out system on the first track for each line. For the second stacker crane, either set an evacuation area so that it can evacuate, or limit the number of stacker cranes to the number of entrances and exits, and prevent overtaking from changing the relative position. can do. In Figure 6, the second trajectory 1
An evacuation track 6 is located near the multiple entrances and exits located at the end of the
An example in which 0°61 is provided is shown.

Further, the number of first sub-stacker cranes is made larger than the number of second sub-stacker cranes so that the second sub-stacker crane can carry any first sub-stacker crane, and one While the first sub-stacker crane is transferring the object to and from the storage body, the second sub-stacker crane moves another first sub-stacker crane to a required position. It is also possible to increase the speed. As for control, the operation is controlled for each individual sub-stacker crane, the positioning state of the second sub-stacker crane is detected, and when this is not set to a transferable state, the transfer operation of the first sub-stacker crane is controlled. The first sub-stacker crane is controlled to prohibit the first sub-stacker crane from moving on the second track, and the second sub-stacker crane is caused to move the first sub-stacker crane that desires to move on the second trajectory one after another in the order in which requests are generated. This can be easily achieved.

Further, in the above embodiment, the first sub-stacker crane has a handle that takes an operating stroke so that objects can be transferred to both sides of the first track, but as shown in FIG. Alternatively, a rotating body 72 that rotates about the vertical axis by a rotational drive mechanism 71 may be attached to the main body of the first sub-stacker crane 15, and the fuel assembly holding member 21 may be attached to the rotating body 72. In this case, objects can be transferred to the shelves on both sides with a short stroke of the fuel assembly upper holding claws 25 or the like.

Further, for the above-mentioned turning, the first sub-stacker crane may be equipped with a turntable that rotates the small rails 41a and 41b, or the entire second sub-stacker crane may be rotated by 180 degrees along a part of the second track. A turntable for turning may be provided.

Furthermore, we decided to take power from cables, but in the case of stacker storage where cable wiring is difficult,
1st. Either the second sub-stacker crane is both battery-powered and is periodically connected to the power supply at the evacuation position for charging, or only the first sub-stacker crane is battery-powered and when it is fixed on the second sub-stacker crane. Alternatively, power may be supplied from a cable arranged parallel to the second track via the second sub-stacker crane to perform overcharging prevention control, and then charging may be performed at all times.

Furthermore, in a small device such as an automatic computer magnetic tape exchanger, a flexible cable such as a spiral cord may be suspended from above to transmit power and signals.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the present invention, the first
The sub-stacker crane can be mounted on the second sub-stacker crane that can run on the second track extending in the direction orthogonal to the first track row.
The sub-stacker crane can hold the object and move it between the object loading/unloading port and the designated storage section, eliminating the need to stack the object during transportation, and all There is no need to provide a stacker crane on each of the first tracks. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a compact stacker storage at low cost even when many rows of storage bodies are densely arranged.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the stacker storage of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the ■-■ arrow direction of FIG. 1,
3 is a front view taken from the ■-■ arrow direction in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the moving mechanism of the fuel assembly holding section, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a side view of the first sub-stacker crane showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 9 and 9 are a perspective view and a plan view of a conventional stacker storage, and FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fuel assembly rack. 10... Storage body, 11... First orbit, 12...
Second orbit, 13... fuel assembly, 14a, 14b...
...Rail, 15...First sub-stacker crane, 21...Fuel assembly holding member, 25...Fuel assembly upper holding claw, 36...Second sub-stacker crane, 41a, 41b ...Small orbit, 50...Object entry/exit port, 51...Control device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of rows of storage bodies having a large number of object storage parts, a plurality of first tracks arranged parallel to the storage bodies between the rows of the storage bodies, and a holding mechanism for the stored object, and the first a first sub-stacker crane that travels along the tracks; a second track that is disposed substantially perpendicular to the plurality of first tracks;
A second track that can run along the second track and has a small track that is connected to any track of the first track, and on which the first sub-stacker crane can be mounted and fixed.
A sub-stacker crane, at least one object loading/unloading port disposed near the end of the second track, and a control device that outputs a control signal to the first and second sub-stacker cranes. and stacker storage.