JPH0561167B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an automated warehouse in which a hand truck for receiving cargo can be positioned at a cargo handling area of an automated warehouse, that is, beside the home position of a traveling crane for loading and unloading. The present invention relates to a cargo presence detection device for detecting whether or not a cargo exists on the cargo receiving hand truck.

(Prior Art and its Problems) The above-mentioned cargo receiving handcart is used for the work of transporting the cargo to be stored into a fixed position at the cargo handling place, and for the work of carrying out the cargo that has been delivered to the fixed position of the cargo handling place to another location. It is used. The warehousing operation by the warehousing/unloading traveling crane begins with the loading of the cargo on the cargo receiving handcart stopped at a predetermined position in the cargo handling area onto the elevating/lowering carriage of the crane using the running fork of the crane, and then During work, the load on the elevating carriage of the crane is transferred by the running fork or the like onto a load-receiving push cart waiting at a predetermined position in the cargo handling area.

However, during the above-mentioned warehousing work, the running fork on the crane side is activated after checking the cargo on the cargo receiving handcart with an inventory detection device, and when unloading the cargo, it is necessary to check that the cargo receiving handcart is empty. After checking with a load detection device, the running fork on the crane side must be activated, but since a freely movable hand truck is used instead of a fixed load receiving platform, a load detection device must be installed on the hand truck. I can't. Therefore, conventionally,
A photoelectric switch that forms an optical path that horizontally traverses the load supporting part on the cargo receiving handcart stopped at a predetermined position in the cargo handling area is connected to a shelf adjacent to the end of the moving path of the handcart and on the floor. By attaching it to a post that was erected independently, a cargo presence detection device was constructed.

In such a conventional cargo presence detection device, not only does the support for mounting the photoelectric switch get in the way, making it difficult for workers to walk safely in the cargo handling area, but also the light emitting part and light receiving part of the photoelectric switch Since the photoelectric switch is mounted on independent shelves and columns, it is difficult and time-consuming to adjust the position of the photoelectric switch on site.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention proposes a cargo presence detection device capable of solving the conventional problems as described above. A guide is installed to guide the handcart to a certain position, and the load supporting part of the handcart, which has been positioned at a predetermined position by the guide, is moved diagonally upward and downward between this guide and a post erected from the end of the guide. The point is that a photoelectric switch for detecting the presence of goods is installed, which forms an optical path that penetrates in the direction.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described below based on the attached illustrative drawings.

In FIG. 1, numeral 1 is a three-dimensional shelf erected across a crane travel path 2, and 3 is a traveling crane for loading and unloading that travels along the crane travel path 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a hand truck for receiving goods, and is used to carry the goods to be stored into the handling area 5 on both sides of one end of the crane travel path 2, and to carry out the goods taken out by the crane 3 from the handling area 5. used for. This handcart 4 for receiving goods is shown in Figs. 2 and 5.
As shown in the figure, a pair of fixed wheels 6 on the left and right sides on the front end, a pair of wheels 7 on the left and right sides on the rear end, a push handle 8, load positioning supports 9 installed at the four corners, and vertical wheels installed at the center bottom of the front end. A guided pin 10, a stopper contact member 11 disposed on the front side of the guided pin 10, a vertical positioning cylindrical body 12 disposed at the center bottom of the rear end, and a push handle 8 disposed at the center thereof. The trolley has a frame structure and has a lock pin 13 that can be raised and lowered, and has no bottom plate (floor plate).

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a guide 14 is installed in the cargo handling area 5 to guide the cargo receiving handcart 4 to a certain position. This guide 14
is on the floor in the front-back direction (travel direction of crane 3)
a main frame 15 fixed along the main frame 15 and the guided pin 10 fixed on the main frame 15;
A groove-shaped guide rail 16 that is fitted so as to be movable only in the front-back direction, a stopper 17 erected at the end of the groove-shaped guide rail 16, and a stopper 17 formed above the starting end of the main frame 15 as shown in FIG. The lock pin 13 is formed of a lock hole 18 into which the lock pin 13 can be fitted and removed vertically.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a column fixedly erected at the terminal end of the main frame 15, and the upper end of the column 19 and the upper side of the intermediate position in the length direction of the main frame 15 (the side of the groove-shaped guide rail 16) are connected to each other. A light emitter 21a and a light receiver 21b of the photoelectric switch for detecting the presence of goods are attached so as to form an obliquely inclined optical path 20.The light receiver 21b on the main frame 15 side is
It is supported by a covered bracket 23 which is attached to a rail member 22 fixed on the main frame 15 so as to be adjustable in its position in the front and rear direction. In addition, the floodlight 21a on the side of the support column 19 is connected to the hand truck 4 for receiving goods.
It is mounted at a higher place than the support level of the load positioning support stand 9 so that its position can be finely adjusted in the left, right, horizontal, and lateral directions. The positions of the light emitter 21a and the light receiver 21b may be reversed.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, the lock hole 18 is provided at the starting end of the main frame 15.
A limit switch 24 for detecting the fixed position of the bogie, which is operated by a lock pin 13 that is fitted downwardly inside, is installed inside.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a frame extension part fixedly connected from the terminal end of the main frame 15 to the crane travel path 2 side, and on the front-rear frame part 25a at the tip thereof, there is a photoelectric switch for transmitting and receiving signals with the crane 3. A light emitter 26a and a light receiver 27b are attached. As shown in FIG. 7, these light projector 26a and light receiver 27b are attached to a support member 28 that is attached to the front-rear frame portion 25a so as to be movable and fixed in the front-rear direction, and to the support member 28 that is vertically adjustable. It is attached via an attached bracket 29.

Lifting carriage 30 of crane 3 shown in Fig. 1
At the fixed fork tip of the load transfer running fork 31 installed on the carriage 30, a photoelectric switch for transmitting and receiving signals with the ground side is installed as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. Receiver 2 of
6b and a floodlight 27a are arranged in parallel.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 32 denotes a ground side control box, which is fixed to the corner between the main frame 15 and the frame extension part 25, and which is connected to the guide 14.
Wiring between the light emitters and receivers 21a, 21b, 26a, 27b of the various photoelectric switches attached to the side, the limit switch 24, etc. is installed inside or on the outer surface of the main frame 15 and the frame extension part 25. .

When loading and unloading the goods, the hand truck 4 is pushed back by the hand handle 8 so that the guided pin 10 fits into the grooved guide rail 16 of the guide 14, and the stopper abutted member 11 is the stopper 17 on the guide 14 side.
At the same time, as shown in FIG. 3, the positioning cylindrical body 12 is brought into fitting contact with the entrance portion 16a of the groove-shaped guide rail 16. At this time, the lock pin 13 on the truck 4 side is located directly above the lock hole 18 on the guide 14 side, so by lowering the lock pin 13 and fitting it into the lock hole 18 as shown in FIG. The hand truck 4 can be fixed at a predetermined position in the cargo handling area 5, but at this time, the limit switch 24 is turned on by the lock pin 13 that fits into the lock hole 18.
Then, it is detected that the handcart 4 is locked in a fixed position. Hand truck 4 for receiving cargo from cargo handling area 5
To move the carriage 4, the lock pin 13 is raised to disengage from the lock hole 18, and the push handle 8 is used to pull out the carriage 4 along the grooved guide rail 16 of the guide 14. Of course, when the lock pin 13 is removed from the lock hole 18, the limit switch 24 returns to OFF.

On the other hand, as the handcart 4 is locked at a predetermined position in the cargo handling area 5 as described above, the photoelectric switch for detecting the presence of cargo, which is located above the front of the cart 4 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, is activated. An optical path 20 from the light projector 21a to the light receiver 21b located below the center of the truck 4 passes through the truck 4 obliquely. Since the truck 4 has a framework structure as described above, the load W is placed on the load positioning support stand 9.
When the truck 4 is not mounted, the light beam from the light projector 21a is input to the light receiver 21b even if the trolley 4 is locked in a fixed position as described above, and no inventory detection signal is output. However, when the load W is mounted on the truck 4, the light beam reaching the light receiver 21b is blocked by the load W, and a presence detection signal is output.

In addition, the traveling crane 3 for loading and unloading the warehouse stops at the home position adjacent to the cargo handling area 5, and the elevating carriage 30 moves to a position for loading and unloading work using the running fork 31 between the loading and unloading carriage 30 and the hand truck 4 for receiving the cargo. In the lowered state, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the emitter 26a and receiver 27b of the photoelectric switch for signal exchange on the ground side are connected to the receiver 26b of the photoelectric switch for signal exchange on the elevating carriage 30 side.
and is configured to face the projector 27a diagonally in the vertical direction.

During the warehousing operation, the cargo W to be warehoved is carried into the cargo handling area 5 by the cargo receiving handcart 4. When the cart 4 is locked at a predetermined position in the cargo handling area 5, the limit switch 24 outputs a cart fixed position detection signal, and the light beam from the light emitter 21a of the photoelectric switch for detecting the presence of cargo is blocked by the cargo W. An inventory detection signal is output. However, when a running fork activation OK signal is sent from the light emitter 26a of the photoelectric switch on the ground side for transmitting and receiving signals based on these bogie fixed position detection signals and cargo presence detection signals, the crane 3 stops at a predetermined position of the home position. In addition, as mentioned above, the elevating carriage 3
0 is stopped at a predetermined position, the light receiver 26b on the side of the elevating carriage 30 receives the running fork operation OK signal, and the elevating carriage 30 and lining fork 31 operate based on this signal. Load W on push cart 4
The action of drawing the vehicle onto the elevating carriage 30 is automatically performed.

When unloading, use the empty cargo receiving hand truck 4.
is carried into a predetermined position in the cargo handling area 5 and locked as described above. The running fork is activated from the light emitter 26a of the photoelectric switch for transmitting/receiving a signal based on the cart fixed position detection signal and the empty load detection signal which turns on the light receiver 21b of the photoelectric switch for detecting the presence of a load.
When the OK signal is output and the light receiver 26b on the elevating carriage 30 side receives the signal, the elevating carriage 30 and the running fork 31 are activated to move the load W on the elevating carriage 30 onto the cargo receiving handcart 4. I will post it.

Note that the light emitter 27a of the photoelectric switch for transmitting and receiving signals on the elevating carriage 30 side is connected to the light receiver 27b on the ground side.
An appropriate interlock signal can be sent to the device.

(Operations and Effects of the Invention) According to the cargo handling area detection device of the present invention which can be implemented as described above, it is possible to detect whether or not there is a cargo on the cargo receiving handcart that is stopped at a predetermined position in the cargo handling area. , which can be detected by a photoelectric switch on the ground side, has a guide that guides the handcart for receiving goods to a certain position in the cargo handling area, and a column erected from the end of the guide that supports the load of the handcart. Since a photoelectric switch for detecting the presence of cargo is installed, which forms an optical path that passes diagonally up and down through the section, it is no longer necessary to erect pillars that would get in the way of the running route of the trolley, which improves the safety of the cargo handling area. , helps improve the environment.

Moreover, since the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the photoelectric switch for detecting the presence of goods are attached to one ground frame consisting of the guide and support of the truck, the photoelectric switch is installed in advance on the ground frame assembled in a factory, for example. The switch can be assembled in advance, making it easier to install the photoelectric switch compared to the case where each switch part has to be installed separately and accurately on site. Adjustment of the relative positional relationship can also be easily performed. Furthermore, the wiring between the photoelectric switch and the control box on the ground side can be passed through the guide frame or attached to the outer surface of the frame, making the wiring work independent of the material and condition of the floor surface. It can be easily done without.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view, Fig. 2 is a side view of the cargo receiving hand truck, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of the cart positioned at the cargo handling area, and Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the cart guide on the ground side and each 5 is a front view showing the trolley and the trolley guide; FIG. 6 is a longitudinal side view showing the trolley fixed position detection means; and FIG. 7 is a side view showing the cargo detection means and the ground side for signal exchange FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing a photoelectric switch. 3... Traveling crane for loading and unloading, 4... Hand truck for receiving goods, 5... Cargo handling area, 10... Guided pin, 11... Abutted member for stopper, 12...
Positioning cylindrical body, 13...Lock pin, 14...
... Guide, 15 ... Main frame, 16 ... Channel guide rail, 17 ... Stopper, 18 ... Lock hole, 19 ... Support column, 20 ... Optical line, 21a ...
...Light emitter of photoelectric switch for stock detection, 21b...
The same receiver, 25...Frame extension part, 26a, 2
7a...Light emitter of photoelectric switch for signal transmission and reception, 26
b, 27b...the same photoreceiver.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A guide is installed in the cargo handling area of an automated warehouse to guide the handcart for receiving goods to a certain position, and the guide, which is positioned at a certain position by the guide, is connected to this guide and a post erected from the end of the guide. This is a cargo handling area detection device for an automated warehouse, which is equipped with a photoelectric switch for detecting cargo that forms an optical path that passes diagonally up and down through the cargo support portion of a hand truck.