JPH0489701A - Warehouse facility having conveyor shelf - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To handle fractional cargoes safely and also automatize the operation in a warehouse facility having conveyor shelves using pallets by arranging conveyor devices on a shelf frame in a multistage form and also in plural rows, arranging a freely movable taking in and out devices in an orthogonal form between oppositely arranged storage shelves so that a warehousing device and a picking operation unit can be arranged consecutively to the taking in and out devices. CONSTITUTION:In a shelf frame 1, conveyor devices 12 are arranged vertically in a plural stage form and also horizontally in plural rows to form conveyor shelves 103. A freely movable taking in and out devices 110 on the warehousing side are arranged in the direction crossing at right angles to the carrying direction of these conveyor devices 12 and also upstream side these conveyor devices 12. Furthermore, storage shelves 105 are arranged to sandwich these taking in and out devices 110. Furthermore, a warehousing device 120 and a picking operation unit 126 are arranged consecutively on one side of each route of the taking in and out devices 110. Under this constitution, regular cargoes are delivered to the storage shelves 105 by means of the conveyor devices 12, and fractional cargoes are also delivered to the storage shelves 105 by means of the taking in and out devices 110 so that a warehousing operation can be automatized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to the storage of loads directly or via pallets;
The present invention relates to a warehouse facility having a conveyor shelf adapted for taking out items as required.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of conveyor shelf has been used, for example, in
The structure found in Japanese Patent No.-121008 is provided. In this conventional structure, conveyance devices consisting of a pair of left and right conveyors are arranged in a plurality of upper and lower stages and in a plurality of left and right rows with the conveyance direction being horizontal, on a shelf frame.

According to this conventional method, the load supplied to the upstream end of the conveyance path by the forklift vehicle is sequentially fed, and is positioned at the downstream end by coming into contact with the stopper. The load at this downstream end is taken out by a forklift truck.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention According to the above-mentioned conventional format, when a pallet (case) containing a fractional load is delivered to a conveyance device, for example, this pallet is stored in the conveyance path and sent sequentially. Therefore, it is not possible to quickly deal with the order picking of fractional loads.

In addition, since warehousing and unloading are performed using forklifts, fully automated efficiency cannot be expected. Although complete automation can be achieved by combining warehouse equipment loading and unloading devices (cranes), in this case, problems arise in terms of safety around the loading and unloading devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a warehouse facility with conveyor shelving that can quickly accommodate requests for odd loads and that can be safely implemented with full automation.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a warehouse facility having a conveyor shelf of the present invention comprises a shelf frame in which conveyor devices are arranged in multiple stages above and below and in multiple rows on the left and right to constitute a conveyor shelf, A loading/unloading device is provided outside the upstream end of the group of conveyor devices and is movable along a fixed path perpendicular to the transport path of the conveyor device, and a storage shelf is provided on the opposite side of the conveyor shelf with the fixed path inside. At the same time, a warehousing device and a picking work section are provided on the side of the fixed path, and the cargo can be freely transferred by the loading/unloading device.

Effects According to the configuration of the present invention, among the loads transported by the warehousing device, the regular loads are delivered to the upstream end of the target conveyor device by the loading/unloading device, and are then stored in a storage form on the conveyor shelf. Ru. In addition, the loads placed in fractions on pallets, cases, etc. are delivered to the desired location on the storage shelf by the loading/unloading device and stored therein. The unit-by-unit delivery is performed from the downstream end side of the conveyor shelf. Further, unloading of a fractional number of items based on an order can be performed by taking out the items from the storage shelves using a loading/unloading device, and then delivering the items to the picking section. The remaining cargo after the intended order picking is returned to the storage shelf by the loading/unloading device.

Example An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

In Figures 1 to 3, 1 is a shelf frame, which includes a plurality of left and right front columns 2, a plurality of left and right rear columns 3, a front cross member 4 that connects the front columns 2, and a rear column 3. Rear cross member 5 connecting
It is composed of a front and rear member 6 that connects the front strut 2 and the rear strut 3, and the like. Supports 2 and 3 of this shelf frame 1 and each material 4 to 6
A pair of left and right conveyors 10.
A conveyor device 12 consisting of a conveyor device 12 is arranged horizontally with its conveying direction 13 as the depth direction. That is, the second
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the conveyor frame 14 of one conveyor 10 is formed into a cross-sectional shape by a pair of left and right side plates 18 and a bottom plate I9 connecting the lower ends of the both side plates 18. There is. In the upper part of the side plate 18, a shaft hole 21 for attaching a roller (described later) is provided, and in the middle part, bolt holes 23 for fixing a transmission device (described later) are provided at a predetermined pitch in the length direction. A plurality of bolt holes 25 are formed in the lower part of one side plate 18 for fixing a guide rail (described later). The conveyor frame 14 formed in this manner is detachably fixed to the shelf frame 1. For this purpose, when the bolt holes 26 are formed in the bottom plate 19,
A nut 27 matching this bolt hole 26 is fixed on the bottom plate 19 within the conveyor frame 14 and
A bolt 29 passed from below through a through hole 28 formed in
It can be freely connected to a nut 27 through a bolt hole 26. The resin roller 31 has its roller shaft 32 inserted into the shaft hole 21.
By passing it through, it is attached to the conveyor frame 14 and can freely rotate around the roller axis 33. A guide rail 35 is disposed along the entire length at one corner of the bottom of the conveyor frame 14, and this guide rail 35 has a dovetail groove portion 36 on the outside and a pair of upper and lower guide portions 37, 38 on the inside. has. A plate-shaped nut body 39 is slidably fitted into the dovetail groove portion 36, and a bolt 40 passed through the bolt hole 25 from the outside is engaged with the nut body 39 and tightened, thereby attaching it to the conveyor frame 14. The guide rail 35 can be fixed by

The Cheno 41, which is an example of a driving body, has an upper path connected to the upper guide section 37 and a lower path connected to the lower guide section 38.
will be supported and guided. The chino 41 is stretched between a driving sprocket 42 and a driven sprocket 43 via a guide sprocket 44, etc., and operatively connects the driving sprocket 42 to a motor 45. Above 41-4
5 constitutes a drive device 34 that is constantly linked to a transmission device (described later). 46 indicates a conveyance route. 47 is cargo;
It is handled via a pallet 48.

A transmission device 50 is provided in the conveyor frame 14 between the rollers 31 and the guide rails 35 and is interlocked with the chino 41 and can be connected to and separated from the rollers 31 at will.

That is, the support frame 51 made of resin includes a one-side support plate 52 which can be freely applied to the inner surface of one side plate 18 and can be fitted onto the upper part of the guide rail 35, and a one-side support plate 52 which can be freely fitted onto the inner surface of one side plate 18 and which is inserted from the front and rear ends of this force support plate 52 toward the other side. a pair of cover plates 53 connected in series; a receiving plate 54 connecting the lower ends of these cover plates 53 and extending toward the other; and an inner surface of the other side plate 18 that is integrated with the other end of the receiving plate 54. The abutment is formed by a freely movable other support plate 55. Here, the receiving plate 54 can be freely placed on the bottom plate 19, and a main body 57 of a cylinder device 56, which is an actuating device using fluid, is disposed above the receiving plate 54.
are integrally formed, and a pipe holding portion 58 is provided at the bottom. A bearing hole 59 is formed in the center of the force support plate 52, and a loose fitting hole 60 is formed in the other support plate 55 opposite thereto. A nut 61 is embedded in the support plate 52 above the bearing hole 59, and by tightening the bolt 62 passed through the bolt hole 23 from the outside, the force support plate 52 is fixed. 52 is fixed to one side plate 18.

Further, a nut 63 is embedded in and fixed to the other support plate 55 below the loose fitting hole 60, and by tightening the bolt 64 passed through the bolt hole 23 from the outside, the other support plate 55 is fixed to the other side plate 18. The cylinder device 56 includes a rubber body 65 that is expandable and contractible.
It is constructed by fitting the main body 57 from above onto the body 57 and then fixing it with a band 66 or the like.

The support shaft 70 along the roller axis 33 has one end fitted into the bearing hole 59 and the other end inserted into the loose fitting hole 60, so that the support shaft 70 can move within a certain range with the bearing hole 59 as a fulcrum. It can freely swing up and down. A sprocket 71, which is an example of a passive wheel and is always in mesh with the chain 41, is freely rotatably attached to the support shaft 7G, and a transmission roller 72 is fitted and fixed onto the boss portion of the sprocket 71. , and both 71 and 72 are integrally rotatable. The transmission roller 72 is made of urethane rubber, and its outer periphery is able to come into contact with and separate from the lower outer periphery of the roller 31 . By bringing the cylinder rubber receiver 73 attached to the other end of the support shaft 70 into contact with the rubber body 65 from above, the transmission roller 72 is prevented from coming into contact with and separating from the roller 31 from below due to the operation of the cylinder device 56. It is structured as possible.

The above-described pairs of rollers 31 and transmission devices 50 are arranged every other pair, and an idle roller 78 is arranged between each roller 31 via a roller shaft 79.

The conveyor frame 80 in the other conveyor 1 is
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cross-sectional shape is formed by a pair of left and right side plates 84 and a bottom plate 85 connecting the lower ends of both side plates 84. A shaft hole 86 is formed in the upper part of the side plate 84, and a roller shaft 89 with an idling roller 88 attached thereto is passed through both shaft holes 86. The conveyor frame 80 formed in this manner is detachably fixed to the shelf frame 1. For this purpose, bolt holes 90 are formed in the bottom plate 85, and nuts 91 matching the bolt holes 90 are fixed on the bottom plate 85 within the conveyor frame 80, and the cross members 4
A bolt 93 passed from below through a through hole 92 formed in , 5.
can be freely fitted to a nut 91 via a bolt hole 90.

Ring-shaped flanges 49, 81, 94 are attached to the roller 31 and the idle rollers 7g, 8g at intermediate positions thereof. These flanges 49. III, 9
4, the peripheral edge is formed as an outwardly inclined portion. At this time, the flange 49 on one side is located inside the contact portion of the transmission roller 72.

Also, from the upper end of the outer side plate 1g and 84 of both conveyor frames 14.80, there is a flange 49.81.94.
A cover 30.82 is connected thereto, reaching close to.

As mentioned above, a pair of conveyors 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the conveyor device 12 consisting of If is divided into a plurality of groups in the conveying direction 13, each group consisting of six (plurality) arranged in a predetermined manner; in the embodiment, eight groups A,
B, C, D, E, F, G, and H are arranged, and the transmission device 50 can be freely connected and separated for each group A to H. That is, each group is provided with a supply/discharge hose 96 connected to the cylinder device 56 in series,
These supply/discharge hoses 96 can be freely communicated with and disconnected from a common air supply hose 99 from an air supply device 98 via electromagnetic valves 97, respectively. A photoelectronic switch 100, which is an example of a stock detector, is provided at the downstream end of each group A-H. Here, the two groups adjacent in the transport direction 13 are the upstream group of optoelectronic switches 100
is detected and the optoelectronic switch 10 of the downstream group
When 0 is not detected, the transmission devices 50 of both groups are configured to connect (communicate the air supply hose 99 and the supply/discharge hose 96) at the same time. When the photoelectronic switches 100 of both groups are simultaneously in the detecting operation or in the non-detecting operation at the same time, the transmission devices 50 of both groups are simultaneously in the separating operation (the air supply hose 99
and the supply/discharge hose 96). For this purpose, each solenoid valve 97 is integrated into a respective control unit 101. Also, only the most downstream group A,
The transmission device 50 is configured to separate and move when the optoelectronic switch 100 detects the detection movement. 102 indicates a stopper. The conveyor shelf 103 is configured as described above.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there is a load 47 located outside the upstream end of the conveyor shelf 103 between it and each conveyor device 12.
A warehousing-side loading/unloading device 110 that can be freely delivered is provided. This storage side loading/unloading device 110 includes a floor rail 111
The transport path 46 is supported and guided by the ceiling rails 112 and ceiling rails 112.
is a traveling body 114 that can freely reciprocate on a fixed orthogonal path 113, an elevating frame 116 guided by a post 115 of this traveling body 114, and a loading/unloading tool provided on this elevating frame 116 so as to be able to move in and out in the lateral direction. (fork) 117, etc. A storage shelf 105 is provided on the opposite side of the conveyor shelf 103 with respect to the fixed path 113. This storage shelf 105 has a plurality of shelf boards 107 attached to a shelf frame 106, and a plurality of partitioned storage spaces 10 in the vertical and horizontal directions.
It consists of forming 8.

A warehousing device 120 is provided outside the end of the storage shelf 105 and on the side of the constant path 113, to which the cargo 47 can be transferred by the warehousing side loading/unloading device 110.

This warehousing device 120 has a plurality of conveyors 121 and 122.
.

123, and a lift device 12 is located at a position opposite to the home position 118 of the storage side loading/unloading device 110.
4 is provided. At a position opposite to the home position 118 on the opposite side of the warehousing device 120, there is provided a picking work section 126 that can freely deliver the cargo 47 by the warehousing side loading/unloading device 110. The picking section 126 is composed of a conveyor or the like that can transport the cargo 47 in either forward or reverse directions, forcibly or manually.

Outside the downstream end of the conveyor shelf 103, there is provided an exit-side loading/unloading device 130 that can freely transfer loads 47 to and from each conveyor device 12. This delivery side loading/unloading device 1
Reference numeral 30 has the same or almost the same configuration as the storage side loading/unloading device 110, and the same reference numerals are given to each part, and the explanation thereof will be omitted. 131 indicates a safety fence. A retrieval device 132 is provided at a position opposite to the home position 118 of the retrieval side loading/unloading device 130 and adjacent to the picking work section 126, and is composed of a conveyor or the like. 133
indicates the control section.

Next, the warehousing and warehousing operations in the above embodiment will be explained.

In FIG. 1, the load 47 (pallet 48) has been transported by the warehousing device 120 and has reached the terminal lift device 124.
is delivered to the conveyor shelf 103 or the storage shelf 105 by the operation of the storage side loading/unloading device 110. That is, the cargo 47 is received by the warehousing side loading/unloading device 110 by the protruding movement of the loading/unloading tool +17, the rising movement of the elevator frame 1j6, and the retracting movement of the loading/unloading tool 117 in the warehousing side loading/unloading device 110. Then, the load 47 is stored on the conveyor shelf 103 or the storage shelf 105 by the traveling action of the traveling body 114, the vertical movement of the lifting frame 116, the protruding movement of the loading/unloading tool 117, the lowering movement of the lifting frame 116, and the retracting movement of the loading/unloading tool 117. be done. Here, when the regular number of loads 47 are placed on the pallet 48, the loads 47 are stored at the upstream end of the target conveyor device 12 on the conveyor shelf 103. Further, when a fractional load 47 is placed on the pallet 48, it is stored in the intended (empty) divided storage space 108 of the storage shelf 105.

The regular loads 47 stored on the conveyor shelf 103 are sequentially sent downstream (described later). The cargo 47 in the conveyor shelf 103 is taken out from the downstream end by the delivery side loading/unloading device 130 and then transferred to the shipping device 132 . Further, the cargo 47 in the storage shelf 105 is taken out by the warehousing side loading/unloading device +10 according to the order, and then delivered to the picking section 126.

The cargo 47 that has been picked to order in the picking section 126 is returned to the storage shelf 105 by the warehousing-side loading/unloading device 110. Note that when the cargo 47 corresponding to the order is not on the storage shelf +05, the target cargo 47 is taken out by the delivery side loading/unloading device 130 and transferred to the picking section 126 via the shipping device 132. Thereafter, the load 47 is stored in the storage shelf 105. Note that the empty pallet 48 in the picking work section 126 is removed.

Next, the operation of sequentially feeding the loads 47 on the conveyor shelf 103 in the above embodiment will be explained.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show how to connect the air supply hose 99 to the supply/discharge hose 96 (by switching the solenoid valve 97 and swinging the support shaft 70 upward by the expansion of the cylinder device 56 due to air pressure). is pressed against the corresponding roller 31 from below. At this time, the chaino 41 is constantly driven by the motor 45, so the sprocket 71 engaged with the chaino 41 rotates around the support shaft 70. Furthermore, the transmission roller 72 forcibly rotates the group of rollers 31 by contacting the lower part of the outer periphery of the roller 31. As a result, the pallet 48 on the conveyance path 46 is rotated by the rollers of both conveyors 10 and 11. 31 and idle rollers 78 and 88, and is conveyed on this conveyance path 46 while receiving conveyance force due to the forced rotation of the group of rollers 31. At this time, the non-driven idle rollers 7
8.88 group performs follow-up rotation. Furthermore, the pallet 48 is
Since it is located between the flange 49.81 on one conveyor lO and the flange 94 on the other conveyor 11, when the flanges 49.81. It is accepted by 94 and will not fall off. Moreover, since the flange 49.81.94 rotates integrally with the rollers 31 and 78.88, the pallet 48 is in contact with the flange 49.81.94 to prevent lateral displacement and is guided. This means that almost no sliding contact occurs.

A pair of conveyors 10. Conveyor device 12 consisting of II
Basically, the pallet 48 (load 4
7), but in reality, the control unit 133 controls the conveyance based on whether the optoelectronic switch 100 detects or does not detect the pallet 48. That is, when the conveyance path 46 is empty, when the pallet 48 is unloaded onto the group H at the upstream end by the loading/unloading device 11Q, the photoelectronic switches 100 of the group H are detected, but the photoelectronic switches 100 of the group G are not detected. Therefore, the transmission device 50 is connected and operated by the operation of the control unit 101 and the solenoid valve 97, and the rollers 31 of groups H and G are forcibly rotated, thereby conveying the pallet 48 from group H to group G. . When the pallet 48 enters group G, the optoelectronic switch 100 of this group G
is detected, but group F is not detected, so the transmission devices 50 of groups G and F are connected and moved to transport the pallet 48 from group G to group F. The pufflets 48 thus conveyed sequentially to the downstream side come into contact with the stopper 102, stop, and are stored in group A. And this palette 48
The optoelectronic switch 100 detects the group A
The transmission device 50 will be moved separately.

The second pallet 48 is also conveyed in the same manner, and is stored in group B by coming into contact with the pallets 48 of group A. At this time, group B is detected and moved, but since group A is also detected and moved, the transmission device 50 of group B is also separated and moved. In this kind of work,
For example, assume that pallets 48 are stored in all groups A to H, and all transmission devices 5a are separately operated. When the pallet 48 of group A is taken out by the delivery device 130 in this state, since the optoelectronic switch IQ (1) of group A is not detected, the transmission devices 50 of groups A and B are connected, and therefore the group B pallet 48
is transported to group A. Then, since the photoelectronic switch In of group B becomes non-detecting, group B,
The transmission device 5.theta. of C is engaged and moves, thereby conveying the pallets 48 of group C to group B as shown in FIG. By repeating such actions, the pallets 48 can be sequentially fed.

In the above embodiment, all the rollers 31, 7 of groups A-H
8.88 has been described with flanges 49.8194 attached, but depending on the relationship between the pitch between the rollers and the length of the pallet, these may be attached at every other or every two rollers. Further, the idle roller 78 may be replaced with the roller 31 paired with the transmission device 50 or the like.

In the above embodiment, the unloading from the conveyor shelf 103 is performed by the unloading/unloading device 130, but this may also be done by a forklift truck.

In the above embodiment, the conveyor device 12 is of a type that performs progressive feeding by driving, but this conveyor device 12 is of a simple feeding type,
It may also be of a non-driven sliding type.

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention configured as described above, among the loads conveyed by the warehousing device, legitimate loads can be delivered to the upstream end of the intended conveyor device by the loading/unloading device, and stored in the form of storage on the conveyor shelf. It can be stored and taken out in units from the downstream end. In addition, cargo placed in fractions on pallets, cases, etc. can be stored at desired locations on storage shelves by the loading/unloading device, and can be quickly unloaded to the picking work section by the loading/unloading device based on orders. By combining the conveyor shelf and the loading/unloading device, warehousing operations can be fully automated, and by combining the storage shelves, order unloading can be automated, and one side of the fixed path of the loading/unloading device can be covered by the storage shelf, which serves as a safety fence. As a result, the above-mentioned automation can be achieved safely.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a schematic plan view of the entire structure, and FIG. 2 being a partially cutaway side view of a conveyor shelf.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the same, Fig. 4 is a partially cutaway front view of the main part, Fig. 5 is a partially cutaway side view of the main part of the drive side conveyor, and Fig. 6 shows the operating state of the conveyor device. FIG. 1...Shelf frame, 7...Sectional storage space, 10. II・
... Conveyor, 12 ... Conveyor device, 13 ... Conveyance direction, 14 ... Conveyor frame, 31 ... Roller, 34 ... Drive device, 41 ... Cheno, 45 ...
・Motor, 46... Conveyance path, 47... Load, 48.
... Pallet, 50 ... Transmission device, 56 ... Cylinder device, 70 ... Support shaft, 71 ... Sprocket, 7
2... Transmission roller, 78... Idle roller, 80...
・Conveyor frame, 88... Idle roller, 97...
・Solenoid valve, 100...Photoelectronic switch, X03...
Conveyor shelf, 105...Storage shelf, 108...Division storage space, 110...Warehouse side loading/unloading device, 113...
- Fixed route, 114... Traveling aircraft, 116... Elevating frame, 117... Loading/unloading tool, 120... Storage device,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 126... Picking work part, 130... Delivery side loading/unloading device, 132... Delivery device, 133... Control unit, A-H... Group. Agent Yoshihiro Morimoto

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A conveyor shelf is constructed by arranging conveyor devices in multiple stages above and below and in multiple rows on the left and right on a shelf frame, and a fixed line perpendicular to the conveyance path of the conveyor devices is provided outwardly at the upstream end of the group of conveyor devices. A loading and unloading device that can freely run on the route is provided, a storage shelf is provided on the opposite side of the conveyor shelf with the fixed route inside, and a warehousing device that can freely transfer goods by the loading and unloading device is provided on the side of the fixed route. Warehouse equipment having a conveyor shelf characterized by being provided with a picking work section.