JPH0459506A - Slide-fork for stacker crane of three-dimensional automatic warehouse and operation thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the thickness and the weight of a slide-fork by rotatably fitting a pair of rollers at prescribed intervals in the width direction of the front end of the slide-fork. CONSTITUTION:A pair of rollers 4 are rotatably fitted via a segment 13 at prescribed intervals in the width direction of the front end of the uppermost segment 13 of a slide-fork. And, they are reciprocatedly moved while being contactedly rolled on rack-side guide rails or on brackets 51. By this constitution, the reduction both in thickness and in weight of the slide-fork can be achieved without changing the existing installation accuracy of racks and the positioning accuracy of a stacker crane.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a slide fork for a stacker crane in a multi-level automated warehouse and a method of operating the same.

(b) Prior art Conventionally, in stacker cranes for multi-level automated warehouses,
Sliding forks are commonly used when storing and unloading cargo from inside the aircraft. This slide fork can be moved in and out in both directions. Since it is a one-handed beam during loading and unloading, the thickness of the slide fork will be thicker for long strokes or heavy weights.

Therefore, when loading and unloading items from the shelf, place the slide fork at a level approximately 50 to 150 am above the shelf (the deflection of the fork, the level difference of the shelf, and the accuracy of lifting and stopping of the device, and the allowance). The load is fed into the shelf, then the fork is lowered to unload the load onto the arm of the shelf, and the fork is pulled out from the shelf at a level 30 to 50 mm below the shelf. Therefore, depending on the amount of feed and the weight of the load, a tall fork is required. did.

When loading and unloading long items, a method was adopted in which they were fed in the short direction, which required a large number of stacker cranes. In addition, there is a so-called push-pull method for loading and unloading cargo in the same direction as the main load. In this method, the load is pushed into storage by sliding it in contact with the arms of the shelf. This requires a special resin to reduce the coefficient of friction between the shelves and the cargo, and also requires a special pallet (sled-shaped). Furthermore, the height and stopping accuracy of the crane in both the vertical and horizontal directions is required. Overall, it's going to be expensive.

There is also a method of installing self-propelled trolleys for loading and unloading luggage.

This requires a special positioning device to align the rails (to improve the accuracy of lifting and lowering stops). First, the power supply device to the trolley and the sensor signal wiring become complicated, increasing the frequency of failures.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention The problems to be solved by the present invention are that, in a multi-level automated warehouse, the installation accuracy of shelves and the positioning accuracy of stacker cranes remain as they were before, while the thin wall of the slide fork The aim is to reduce weight.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The slide fork for a stacker crane for a multi-level automated warehouse of the present invention has a structure in which a pair of rollers are rotatably attached at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the tip thereof, thereby solving the above problems. has been resolved.

The method of operating a slide fork for a stacker crane in a multi-level automatic warehouse according to the present invention is to reciprocate a slide fork for a stacker crane, which has a pair of rollers rotatably attached at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the tip, in the direction of a warehouse shelf. When loading and storing goods on the sliding fork, move the sliding fork forward at a level 50 to 150 mm higher than the shelf level, and bend the tip of the sliding fork to move the shelf arm or guide rail. Rolling the roller upward; After the roller has climbed over the arm or guide rail, lowering the slide fork by 30 to 50 degrees below the level of the shelf to place the cargo on the shelf; Retracting the slide fork. The above-mentioned problem is solved by performing the opposite operation to the above-mentioned operation when loading cargo on the slide fork and leaving the warehouse.

(E) Function The slide fork of the present invention is provided with rollers on both sides of the tip, so when a load is placed on the slide fork and inserted into the shelf, the slide fork bends when a predetermined stroke is reached. , the rollers come into contact with guide rails or braces provided in the shelf, and part of the load of the cargo is stored on the shelf.

When the load passes over rollers, guide rails, or crossbars, it is transferred to the rack. The slide fork can be moved back along the underside of the shelf.

When unloading goods, the process described above can be reversed.

(F) Embodiment An embodiment of the slide fork for a stacker crane of a multi-level automated warehouse according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

The illustrated slide fork 1 is a stacker crane 2
It is fixed at the top, and cargo 3 can be loaded on top of it. The slide fork 1 is made of, for example, three segments 11, 12, and 13 that are slidably connected to each other. The lowermost segment 11 is fixed to the top of the stacker crane 2. Top segment 1
Baggage 3 is removably placed on 3. The middle segment 12 slidably connects the upper and lower segments 13.11. Segments 11.12.13 are automatically stretched to any length by a conventional chain winding mechanism (not shown).

In the slide fork 1 of the present invention, a pair of rollers 4 are rotatably attached at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the tip end of the uppermost segment 13. 1st
Although the figure shows a configuration in which rollers 4 are provided at the front and rear ends of the segments 13, this is because the slide fork 1 has a mechanism that can extend and contract in either left or right direction in the figure.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rollers 4 are provided so as to protrude from both sides of the segment 13 (A), or are provided so as to extend in front of the segment 13 and protrude in the width direction (B); A support plate 41 is rotatably attached to the
It is possible to adopt a configuration in which a plurality of rollers 4 are attached thereto.

As shown in FIG. 4, the roller 4 can reciprocate by rolling in contact with a guide rail or arm (hereinafter referred to as guide rail) 51 provided inside the shelf 5 (FIG. 6). This preferred operation is described next.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, an embodiment of the method of operating a slide fork for a stacker crane in a multi-level automated warehouse according to the present invention will be described. Figure 5 is a side view of the slide fork at each operating position, and Figure 6 is its front view.
...(F) are in correspondence with each other.

The method of operating the sliding fork of the present invention is to first use a sliding fork 1 with rollers 4 attached as described above (A), and move the sliding fork 1 back and forth in the direction of the shelf 5 of the multi-level automatic warehouse 6 ( B).

First, when loading and storing the cargo 3 on the slide fork 1, move the slide fork 1 forward at a level 50 to 150 m higher than the level of the shelf 5 (B), so that the tip of the slide fork 1 bends and 5 guide rail 5
1 (C), at this time, the load 3
A part of the load is supported by the guide rail 51 and the shelf 5. After the roller 4 has climbed over the guide rail 51 (D),
Lower the slide fork 1 by 30 to 50 degrees below the level of the shelf 5 and place the cargo 3 on the shelf 5 (E).

Finally, move the slide fork 1 back to its original position (F).

When loading the cargo 3 onto the slide fork 1 and leaving the warehouse, the above-mentioned operation may be reversed.

When the roller 4 crosses over the guide rail 51, in order to make the movement smooth, the tip of the guide rail 51 is
As shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable to provide an inclined part and a rounded part, and the inclined angle is preferably about 30 to 60''.

(g) Effect Conventionally, the installation accuracy of guide rails on shelves is about ±2 to 3 m, and the vertical positioning accuracy of stacker cranes is about ±10 rm. In the present invention, these accuracies are left as they are. , which also enables accurate and reliable loading and unloading of luggage.

Furthermore, since the combination of the guide rail and rollers partially bears the load of the load, the strength of the slide fork can be reduced, making it thinner and lighter.

Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of the entire warehouse.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a side view of a slide fork for a stacker crane of a multi-level automatic warehouse according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken from the line ■-■ in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a various modification example of the roller of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the roller, FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating the operation of the slide fork of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a front view of FIG. 5. 1 Niss Ride Fork 2 Niss Stacker Crane 3: Cargo 4: Roller
5: Shelf 6: Warehouse 11, 12, 13: Segment 51 guide roller (branch) (4 people outside) Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A stacker crane for a stacker crane in a multi-level automated warehouse, characterized in that a pair of rollers are rotatably attached at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the tip of the slide fork. slide fork. 2. In a multi-level automatic warehouse where cargo is stored and retrieved using a slide fork for a stacker crane, a slide fork for a stacker crane, which has a pair of rollers rotatably attached at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the tip, is installed in the warehouse. When loading and storing cargo on the slide fork, move it back and forth in the direction of the shelf, and when loading and storing cargo on the slide fork, it is necessary to
advancing the sliding fork at a higher level by 150 mm, causing the tip of the sliding fork to bend and rolling the roller onto the arm or guide rail of the shelf, and after the roller has climbed over the arm or the guide rail, the slide Place the fork 30-50mm above the level of the shelf.
A stacker for a multi-level automatic warehouse, which consists of lowering the cargo to place it on a shelf, retracting the sliding fork, and performing the opposite operation to the above-mentioned operation when loading the cargo onto the sliding fork and leaving the warehouse. How to operate a crane slide fork.