JPH0646883Y2 - Automatic storage retrieval device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to an automatic storage / retrieval device capable of automatically storing and detecting and taking out articles in a warehouse or the like.

(Prior Art) As a conventional example of this type of automatic storage / retrieval device, two storage areas in which shelves serving as article storage locations are arranged in a matrix form vertically and horizontally are separated by a predetermined space so that their front surfaces face each other. In addition, the vertical column is run along the front surfaces of the two storage areas in the facing space, and the vertical column is moved by the picker provided on the vertical column.
It is known that articles are put into and taken out of each shelf in one storage area.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) In such a conventional automatic storage / retrieval device, a picker side for transferring a container for storing articles from the storage area to the picker and returning the container from the picker to the storage area is provided. As a mechanism, a forklift mechanism that scoops up the container from the lower side, a withdrawal arm mechanism that is configured to be engageable with and disengageable from an engaging portion provided on the front surface of the container, and the like have been adopted. However, the forklift mechanism is disadvantageous in terms of space because the containers must be arranged at a sufficient distance in the vertical direction, and the withdrawal arm mechanism can only apply a special container having an engaging portion on the front surface. There is. Furthermore, when a relatively short pallet is used instead of the container, special measures are required.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and has a slide arm which is easily engageable with and disengageable from the side of a general-purpose pallet and has a simple structure, and a drive mechanism for the slide arm. Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic storage / retrieval device whose control system is simple and which does not waste the stroke.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention is an automatic storage and retrieval device in which a picker for taking a pallet in and out of a shelf is movably provided along the shelf opening side of a storage area in which a plurality of shelves are arranged. Therefore, the picker is provided with a pair of slide arms that can move back and forth toward both sides of the shelf, and a return spring that stores a restoring force that restores the slide arms to their original positions as the slide arms move forward. The slide arm has an endless chain stretched in the advancing and retreating direction and an engaging claw that is movable in the same direction as the slide arm and is a parallel link that is driven to engage and disengage from the engaging portion of the pallet from above. An engaging body and a stopper that blocks the movement of the engaging body on the slide arm are provided, and the drive sprocket that meshes with the tension line of the endless chain and drives the endless chain is picked. It is provided on the main body side of the car, and a part of the tension line is connected to the engaging body, and when the engaging body is not in contact with the stopper, the engaging body alone moves forward and backward and when the engaging body and the slide arm are integrated, It is configured to move the engaging body forward and backward by a combined operation with forward and backward driving.

(Operation) In the automatic interpolation search device of the present invention, the endless chain is driven to first advance the engaging body alone to the advance limit position where it abuts the stopper, and then the rack and pinion between the endless chain drive sprockets. The action causes the slide arm to move forward with the engaging body. On the other hand, at the time of retreating, the retreating operation of the slide arm is performed integrally with the engaging body by the restoring force of the return spring, and then the reversing operation of the engaging sprocket is performed by the reverse driving of the driving sprocket. Before the slide arm starts to advance or retreats, the engaging claws of the engaging body protrude and engage with the engaging portion of the pallet, and as a result, the slide arm and the engaging body advance to move the pallet to the shelf. It is stored inside and is moved from the shelf to the top of the picker by the backward movement.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic storage / retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this automatic storage / retrieval device, storage areas 2 and 3 are provided on the right side and the left side of the housing 1, and the storage areas 2 and 3 are each configured by vertically and horizontally arranged shelves 4 in a matrix form. Has been done. Left and right storage areas 2 and 3 are shelves 4
The inner sides of which the open sides of the storage areas 2 and 3 are arranged so as to face each other, and the pallets 5 are put into and taken out of the shelves 4 for each of the shelves in the storage areas 2 and 3 The picker 6 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. That is, the left and right storage areas 2,
A pair of rails 7 are juxtaposed in the front-rear direction at height positions corresponding to the respective 3 shelves, and the inner picker 6 is movably mounted on the rails 7. This inner picker 6 is provided with an in / out mechanism which will be described later. With this in / out mechanism, the pallet 5 stored in the shelves 4 of the left and right storage areas 2 and 3 can be taken into the inner picker 6 and the inner picker 6 The pallet 5 can be inserted into the shelf 4 from.

On the other hand, a column 8 is erected in front of the housing 1 so as to face the traveling space of the inner picker 6, and on the rear surface side of the column 8 at a height position facing the inner picker 6 of each shelf. An optical communication unit 9 is provided, and each inner picker 6 is also provided with an optical communication unit 9 facing the optical communication unit 9 on the column 8 side. Each optical communication unit 9 on the column 8 side is connected to a main computer 10 that controls the entire automatic storage / retrieval device, and an optical signal is exchanged between the column 8 and the inner picker 6 by the optical communication unit 9. The operation of the inner picker 6 is controlled by performing. The power source for powering each inner picker 6 is obtained through a trolley duct (not shown) along each rail 7 or the like.

Further, on both sides of the column 8, there is a shelf group 4'for loading and unloading located in the front row of the left and right storage areas 2, 3 of the housing 1 (only the left shelf group 4'is shown in FIG. 1). Outer pickers 11 are provided so as to be movable up and down so as to face each other. That is, the outer picker 11 is engaged with the guide groove 8a vertically provided on the side surface of the column 8 and is vertically moved by the control of the main computer 10 described above.
The outer picker 11 is also provided with the same loading / unloading mechanism as the inner picker 6, so that the pallet 5 carried to one side of the column 8 by the external conveyor 12 can be used as desired in the loading / unloading shelf group 4 '. It is transferred to the shelf and inserted into the shelf 4 from the side of the loading / unloading shelf group 4 ', or from another shelf 4 by the inner picker 6 to the shelf 4 of the loading / unloading shelf group 4'.
The pallets brought in to can be taken out and transferred onto the external conveyor 12.

2, 3, and 4 are a plan view, a front sectional view, and a right side view of the moving mechanism of the inner picker 6 described above, respectively. 2 to 4, reference numeral 13 denotes a frame that constitutes the bottom of the main body of the inner picker 6, and the upper end of the frame 13 is flush with the mounting surfaces of the left and right shelves 4 corresponding to the inner picker 6. Has been. On the other hand, the height of the upper end surface (track surface) of the picker traveling rail 7 provided along the open side of each shelf 4 is also aligned with the mounting surface of the shelf 4 described above, and between the shelf 4 and the inner picker 6. It serves as a bottom guide for transferring and receiving the pallet 5. Frame 13
At the front and rear parts of the vehicle, the wheels 14a, 14b that support the inner picker 6 to move forward and backward are mounted on the upper end surface of the rail 7, that is, the lower ends of the wheels 14a, 14b are substantially the same as the upper end of the frame 13. It is provided so as to be high. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower surface of the shelf 4a and the frame 13
Since the lower surface of the storage space can be aligned with the lower surface of the storage space, there is no wasted space in the height direction, and the utilization efficiency of the storage space is extremely improved in the case of a multi-tiered shelf structure. A pedestal 15 stretched over the front of the frame 13
A traveling motor 16 and an extraction motor 17, which is a drive source for the access mechanism, are installed above the traveling motor.
A reduction gear 18 provided with the rotation output of 16 separately on the pedestal 15
After being decelerated by, the power is transmitted to the front wheel 14a via the chain 19.

On the other hand, a pair of mounting plates 20 on which the pallets 5 are mounted are stretched on the rear half of the frame 13, and the outer sides of the mounting plates 20 advance and retract toward both sides of the shelves 4 in the storage areas 2 and 3 described above. A pair of slide arms 21 are arranged.
In addition, a pair of guide boxes 23 having a guide shaft 22 on the frame 13 along the outer surface of the slide arm 21.
Is provided, and the guide shaft 22 penetrates through a pair of connecting portions 24a, 24b provided on the outer side surface of the slide arm 21, so that the slide arm 21 can move forward and backward toward the shelf 4 side. is there. An endless chain 25 is stretched in each of the slide arms 21 in the respective longitudinal directions, and a drive sprocket 26 is meshed with a lower tension line from below, so that the above-mentioned extraction motor 17 rotation output, chain 27, transmission shaft 28,
It is configured to be transmitted to each of the endless chains 25 via the chain 29 and the drive sprocket 26.

A guide shaft 30 is provided along the endless chain 25 in the slide arm 21, and an engaging body 31 that engages with and disengages from the side wall of the pallet 5 is inserted into the guide shaft 30 so as to be able to move back and forth. 31 is connected to a part of the lower tension line of the endless chain 25. Above guide shaft
A rubber stopper 32 is provided at each end of 30 so that the advancing operation of the engaging body 31 in the slide arm 21 is restricted. A picking arm 33 is mounted in the engaging body 31 as shown in FIG. 3, and is rotated and tilted by a solenoid (not shown).

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the inside of the guide box 23 as seen from the outside surface thereof, showing the connecting portion 24a of the slide arm 21,
Apart from the guide shaft 22 for guiding the 24b, a pair of spring guide shafts 34a, 34b are provided in parallel with the guide shaft 22, and return coil springs 35a, 35b are attached to the respective guide shafts 34a, 34b. . Each coil spring 35a, 35b
Both ends of the rings 34a ₁ , 34a ₂ , 34b ₁ , 34b ₂ fixed to predetermined positions of the guide shafts 34a, 34b and the guide shafts 34a, 34b are slidably fitted and inserted into the rings 34a.
_{1, 34a 2, 34b 1,} 34b 2 by the washer 34a ₃ is locked, 34a _4,
The position is restricted by 34b ₃ and 34b ₄ . And washer 34a
Abutting pieces 36a, 36b for pushing ₄ , 34b ₄ are provided on the connecting portions 24a, 24b, respectively, and are pushed by the connecting portion 24a when the slide arm 21 advances toward the left side shelf 4 in FIG. The coil spring 35a is compressed and deformed, and when the coil spring 35a is advanced toward the shelf 4 (not shown in FIG. 5) on the right side, the coil spring 35b is pressed and deformed by the connecting portion 24b.

2 to 4, in the front and rear portions of the frame 13 of the inner picker 6, one of the left and right shelves 4 is directed toward the one shelf 4 side (the lower side shelf 4 in FIG. 2). A pair of sandwiching rollers 37a, 37b are arranged side by side, and the cross section is inverted U
A downward guide piece 7a of the tip of the rail 7 formed in a letter shape
Is sandwiched between the pair of sandwiching rollers 37a and 37b, the inner picker 6 can be moved in the front-rear direction by the guide piece 7a.
It is configured to guide in. Further, on the side (upper side in FIG. 2) opposite to the side where the sandwiching rollers 37a, 37b are attached, one end of the pair of guide boxes 23 is provided with a current collector 38. As shown in FIG. 4, reference numeral 38 is engaged with a sliding contact groove of a trolley duct 39 provided along the lower surface of the rail 7 one step higher.
Power is supplied to the traveling motor 16, the extraction motor 17 and the like through the 39 and the current collector 38.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pallet 5, and engaging grooves 5a for engaging with and disengaging the picking arm 33 of the engaging body 31 are formed in the front and rear of both side surfaces thereof. Then, the article to be stored is placed on the upper surface of the pallet 5.

In FIG. 2, reference numerals 40a and 40b are engagement body sensors provided at the lower position of one slide arm 21, and one engagement body sensor 40a is the right side shelf 4 (lower side shelf 4 not shown in FIG. 2). The other engaging body sensor 40b is arranged at a predetermined position near the left shelf 4 (the upper shelf 4 in FIG. 2). Then, when the engaging body 31 is located at the initial position detected by the engaging body sensor 40a, the picking arm 33 protruding from the engaging body 31 is one of the pallets 5 placed at the correct position on the placing plate 20. engages with the engaging groove 5a ₁ of shelves pallet 5 left 4
When the engaging body 31 can be stored in (the upper side shelf 4 in FIG. 2) and the engaging body 31 is located at the initial position detected by the engaging body sensor 40a, it engages with the other engaging groove 5a ₂ of the pallet 5. ,
The pallet 5 can be stored in the shelf 4 on the right side (the shelf 4 on the lower side not shown in FIG. 2). Further, a pallet sensor 41 including a limit switch is provided below each slide arm 21, and a mounting plate that fits within the frame 13 of the inner picker 6 by its detection action.
It is possible to check whether or not the pallet 5 is placed in the correct position on the 20.

A rotary encoder 42 is connected to the transmission roller 28, and the amount of advance / retreat of the engagement body 31 can be confirmed from the detection value of the rotary encoder 42. Reference numeral 43 is a traveling position sensor for detecting the position of the inner picker 6 in the front-rear traveling direction. Further, in FIG. 3, reference numeral 44 denotes a pressing member for pressing the lower tension line of the endless chain 25 in the slide arm 21 against the drive sprocket 26 side, whereby the drive sprocket 26 is always meshed with the endless chain 25. Is configured to keep.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the slide arm 21 and the guide box 23, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the structure of the engaging body 31 in the slide arm 21. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view showing the structure of the engaging body.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the picking arm 33 of the engagement body 31 includes a pair of upper and lower link pieces 50 and 51, and a claw piece 52 pivotally attached to the tip ends of the link pieces 50 and 51. Consists of parallel links constructed by. That is, each link piece 50, 51
Has its base portion pivotally attached to the vertical wall portion of the engaging body 31 by pins 53 and 54, and the tip end portions of the link pieces 50 and 51 are pins 55 and 56, respectively.
The picking arm 33 is pivotally attached to the claw piece 52 by means of one link piece 50, and the entire picking arm 33 is changed from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 7 to the state shown by an imaginary line (the claw piece 53 sticks out to the side and descends). It has been changed to the state). The rotation of the link piece 50 is performed by a solenoid provided separately in the engagement body 31.
Done by 49. That is, the solenoid 49 is arranged so that its rotary shaft 49a is coaxially aligned with the pin 53 of the link piece 50, and with respect to the fork 49b fixed to the rotary shaft 49a,
The action pin 57 projecting from the middle part of the link piece 50 is engaged, and the rotation of the rotary shaft 49a of the solenoid 49 causes the fork 49 to rotate.
b, transmitted to the link piece 50 via the action pin 57. In addition, an eighth portion is provided between the base of the engaging body 31 and the action pin 57.
As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 9, a torsion coil spring 58 is interposed, and when the drive of the solenoid 49 is released, the restoring force of the torsion coil spring 58 causes the picking arm.
33 is returned to the waiting posture shown by the solid line in FIG. Further, a stopper pin 59 is projectingly provided on the middle body portion of the link piece 51, and the pin receiving portion 60 provided separately in the engaging body 31 receives the stopper pin 59 to project the picking arm 33. The amount of descent is limited.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a transmission / reception system of signals between the main computer 10 and the inner picker 6 described above. A traveling command signal output from the main computer 10 is given to the traveling motor 16 via the motor driver 45. , A traveling position sensor provided on the inner picker 6
The detection signal of 43 is transmitted to the main computer 10. On the other hand, the input / output mechanism drive command signal output from the main computer 10 is given to the extraction motor 17 via the motor driver 46, and the engaging body sensors 40a, 40b and the container sensor 41 of the inner picker 6 are supplied.
The detection signal detected by is also transmitted to the main computer 10. Further, the moving amount of the engagement body 31 detected by the rotary encoder 42 is counted by the counting circuit 47, the count value is input to the main computer 10, and further output from the main computer 10.
The engagement / disengagement drive command signal of 31 is input to the solenoids 49 of the left and right engaging bodies 31 via the solenoid driver 48.

Next, the operation of this automatic storage / retrieval device will be described with reference to FIGS.
The operation will be described with reference to the operation explanatory diagram of the access mechanism shown in the figure.

(1) Taking out of pallet 5 When a request for taking out a desired article from the storage areas 2 and 3 shown in FIG. 1 is requested by an input to the main computer 10 online or from a floppy disk from an external computer, the main computer 10 Then, from the item number of the article, the location address of the pallet 5 on which the article is placed, that is, the pallet 5
The number of columns and the column number of the shelves 4 that are stored are determined. Then, the command is transmitted to the inner picker 6 of the relevant stage through the optical communication unit 9. This command is transmitted, for example, in parallel to the inner pickers 6 of the respective tiers when there are many requested articles to be taken out and the number of tiers of the corresponding target shelves is different. Inner picker 6 that received this command
Starts traveling toward a position on the target shelf 4. Before the running of the inner picker 6, the inner picker 6 waits at an arbitrary position where the previous operation is finished in the relevant stage. When the inner picker 6 arrives in front of the target shelf 4 and the traveling is stopped, the loading / unloading mechanism of the inner picker 6 is activated to start taking out the pallet 5 from the shelf 4.

The taking-out operation of the pallet 5 by the above-mentioned taking-out mechanism is performed in the following order. First, as shown in FIG. 2, in the state where the slide arm 21 is in the initial position where the slide arm 21 is accommodated in the main body of the inner picker 6, the engagement body 31 is in the initial position detected by one engagement body sensor 40a or the other engagement body sensor. Waiting in one of the initial positions detected in 40b. Now, when it is instructed to take out the container 5 from the shelf 4 on the left side (the shelf 4 on the upper side in FIG. 2), as shown in FIG.
When 31 is waiting at the initial position on the side of the engagement sensor 40a, the forward movement of the extraction motor 17 causes the engagement body 31 to move to the initial position on the side of the engagement sensor 40b as shown in FIG. Be transferred. This movement is performed by the drive sprocket 26 receiving the driving force of the extraction motor 17 driving the endless chain 25 meshing with the drive sprocket 26 in the normal direction.

From this initial position, the extraction motor 17
When the endless chain 25 is driven to rotate in the forward direction, the engaging body 31 connected to the endless chain 25 alone moves on the slide arm 21 and hits the rubber stopper 32 shown in FIG. Go to where. When the advance is blocked, the endless chain 35 cannot rotate and the endless chain 25 and the drive sprocket 26 have a rack and pinion relationship, and hence the slide arm 21 moves forward together with the engaging body 31. . The amount of advance of the engaging body 31 is detected by the rotary encoder 42, and based on the detection signal, the 12th
As shown in FIG. 3C, the picking arm 33 of the engaging body 31
When reaches the position of the engaging groove 5a _{1 on} the corresponding outer side surface of the pallet 5, the advancing operation is stopped.

On the other hand, in the above operation, the slide arm 21 does not perform the advancing operation until the engaging body 31 is prevented from advancing on the slide arm from the initial position, so that FIGS. Although the return coil springs 35a and 35b in the guide box 23 do not change as shown in FIG.
When 1 starts to move out, the coil spring 35a is pressed by the contact piece 36a of the connecting portion 24a of the slide arm 21 and is compressed and deformed, as shown in FIG.

Then, the solenoid 49 of the engaging body 31 is supplied with electric power, and the picking arm 33 of the engaging body 31 projects as shown in FIG. 12 (d) and engages with the engaging groove 5a _{1 of the} pallet 5. The projecting motion of the picking arm 33 at this time follows the process of descending while projecting laterally from the waiting position shown by the solid line in FIG. 8 by the action of the parallel link, as shown by the phantom line. Picking arm occupy inside 33
The picking arm 33
It is possible to sufficiently lower the engaging claws 52 to a lowering position where the engaging claws 52 reach the engaging grooves 5a of the pallet 5. Then, when the extraction motor 17 is started in the reverse direction under this state, as shown in FIG. 14 (d), the restoring force of the coil spring 35a cannot be used, that is, the slide arm 21 is in its original position. Until the engaging body 31
Will retreat. Thereafter, the endless chain 25 rotates in the reverse direction, whereby the engagement body 31 moves on the slide arm 21 and the initial position detected by the engagement body sensor 40a as shown in FIGS. 12 (e) and 14 (e). It moves backwards by itself. By this operation, the pallet 5 together with the engaging body 31 is transferred from the shelf 4 onto the mounting plate 20 of the inner picker 6. The amount of retreat of the engagement body 31 is detected by the rotary encoder 42, and the pallet 5 is positioned at the correct position on the mounting plate 20 based on the detection signal. After this, the engaging body
The picking arm 33 of 31 is returned to the original posture (the posture shown by the solid line in FIG. 7) as shown in FIG. 12 (f), the engagement with the pallet 5 is released, and then the extraction motor
When 17 is restarted in the reverse direction, the engagement body 31 further retracts to the initial position detected by the engagement body sensor 40a as shown in FIG. 8 (g), and stops there.

When the pallet 5 is loaded onto the inner picker 6 and the unloading is completed, the inner picker 6 starts traveling toward the loading / unloading home position in FIG. 1, that is, the loading / unloading shelf group 4'in the front row. When the inner picker 6 arrives at the home position and the traveling is completed, the loading / unloading mechanism of the inner picker 6 is activated again and the pallet 5 is carried.
Is inserted into the shelf 4 of the loading / unloading shelf group 4 '. This inserting operation is performed according to the operation shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 (b) shows the state of FIG. 12 (g) when the loading of the container 5 from the shelf 4 to the left side is finished as described above,
Contrary to this, FIG. 13 (a) shows the right side shelf 4 to the container 5
This is the state when the capture is completed. When inserting the container 5 into the left side shelf 4 from the state shown in FIG. 13 (a),
After the engaging body 31 is once moved to the initial position shown in FIG. 13 (b), the operation described below is performed.

From the state of FIG. 13 (b), the picking arm of the engaging body 31
33 protrudes and is engaged with the engaging groove 5a _{1 of the} pallet 5 (13th
(C)), as described above, the engaging body 31 first advances independently by the forward rotation of the extraction motor 17, and the slide arm 21 advances integrally with the engaging body 31. As shown in d), the pallet 5 together with the engaging body 31 is a mounting plate for the inner picker 6.
Transferred to shelf 4 from above 20. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6E, the engagement of the picking arm 33 of the engaging body 31 with the pallet 5 is released, and then the reverse rotation drive of the extraction motor 17 causes the engagement as shown in FIG. Coalescing sensor
The engaging body 31 retracts to the initial position detected by 40b and stops there. At this time, the movement of the return coil spring 35a associated with the forward / backward movement of the slide arm 21 is the same as that in the previous pallet 5 taking-out operation. And the above operation is
The same applies not only to the shelf 4 of the loading / unloading shelf group 4 ', but also to the other shelf 4. In addition, in the operation of putting the pallet 5 in and out of the shelf 4 on the right side, the other coil spring 35b is similarly compressed and restored in place of the coil spring 35a.

The pallet 5 inserted into the shelf 4 of the loading / unloading shelf group 4 ′ is taken out by the outer picker 11 which operates asynchronously with the movement of the inner picker 6, transferred to the external conveyor 12 and carried out to the outside.

(2) Return of pallet 5 The pallet 5 carried by the external conveyor 12 is first transferred to the outer picker 6 and inserted into the rack 4 of the front shelf storage rack group 4 '. In this work, if the method of returning the pallet 5 to the shelves 4 of the storage areas 2 and 3 is the fixed location method, that is, the method of returning the pallets 5 to the shelf 4 at the designated position, the shelves of the loading / unloading shelf group 4 ' The pallet 5 is inserted into the designated number of shelves 4 out of 4.

On the other hand, in the case of the free location system in which the pallet 5 to be returned to the shelf 4 is specified by specifying an empty shelf 4 that can return the pallet 5 in the shortest time each time without specifying the shelf 4 to return the pallet 5 to,
Follow the procedure below to load and unload pallets 5 into shelf group 4 '
Is transferred. That is, first, the pallet 5 is transferred from the external conveyor 12 to the outer picker 11. Then, the standby position of the inner picker 6 which has completed its operation and is currently on standby is checked, and the positions of the empty shelves 4 on each stage of the storage areas 2 and 3 are confirmed. Then, based on the data of the standby position and the position of the empty shelf 4, the inner picker 6 picks up the pallet 5 from the current standby position to the loading / unloading shelf group 4'and transfers it to the empty shelf 4. The shortest step of the reciprocating movement distance is determined. Based on this determination, the pallet 5 is inserted from the outer picker 11 into the shelf 4 at the relevant stage of the loading / unloading shelf group 4 '.

The operation of returning the pallet 5 transferred to the shelf 4 of the loading / unloading shelf group 4'to the empty shelf 4 in the storage areas 2 and 3 is performed according to the following procedure. First, when the return of the pallet 5 is requested, it is checked whether or not the pallet 5 is in the shelf 4 of the loading / unloading shelf group 4 '. Pallet 5
When it is confirmed that the pallet 5 is stored, the location address of the shelf 4 which stores the pallet 5 is determined. Then, a return command is transmitted to the inner picker 6 of the relevant stage through the optical communication unit 9 of FIG. Upon receiving this command, the corresponding inner picker 6 starts traveling toward the loading / unloading shelf group 4 '. When the inner picker 6 arrives in front of the loading / unloading shelf group 4'and stops, the loading / unloading mechanism of the inner picker 6 operates and the pallet 5 is taken into the inner picker 6 from the shelf 4 of the loading / unloading shelf group 4 '. Be done. When the loading of the pallet 5 into the inner picker 6 is completed, the inner picker 6 starts traveling toward the target shelf 4. When the inner picker 6 arrives in front of the target shelf 4 and the traveling is completed, the output mechanism of the inner picker 6 operates again and the carried pallet 5 is inserted into the shelf 4. When the insertion of the pallet 5 is completed, the inner picker 6 sends a signal of operation completion to the main computer 10 through the optical communication unit 9 of FIG. 1, and the inner picker 6 waits there until receiving the next command.

When traveling on the rail 7 of the inner picker 6,
Since the guide piece 7a of one rail 7 is sandwiched by the pair of sandwiching rollers 37a, 37b provided on the frame 13 of the inner picker 6, the inner picker 6 is guided by the guide piece 7a of the rail 7 and the inner picker 6 is moved to the rail 7a. Stable on the top. In this case, since the guide piece 7a is provided only on one of the left and right sides, its dimensional accuracy does not matter so much. Further, fine adjustment is possible by adjusting the lateral positions of the sandwiching rollers 37a, 37b. On the other hand, a current collector 38 is provided on the side of the frame 13 of the inner picker 6 opposite to the side where the sandwiching rollers 37a, 37b are attached, and the current collector 38 is provided along the lower surface of the rail 7 one step higher. Although it is engaged with the sliding contact groove of the trolley duct 39,
This engagement is maintained stably by the stable running of the inner picker 6, and stable power supply is secured.

It should be noted that in the above embodiment, the engaging member 31 is fitted in the engaging groove 5a of the pallet 5.
The case where the picker arm 33 is engaged to move the pallet 5 in and out has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the picker arm 33 may be attached to the front end or the rear end of the pallet 5 as shown in a plan view of FIG. 15, for example. You may make it hit and put in and out.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the picker arm 33 of the engaging body 31 projects and descends sufficiently by the action of the parallel link thereof, so that even if the pallet 5 having a low bulk is applied as the article container, the pallet 5 can be smoothly moved in and out. By appropriately adjusting the descending amount of the picker arm 33 in accordance with the height of the pick-up arm, it is possible to smoothly move in and out.

(Effect of Device) As described above, according to the automatic storage / retrieval device of this device,
A return spring that stores a restoring force that restores the slide arm to its original position as the slide arm moves forward is provided, and the drive sprocket is meshed with one of the tension line sides of the endless chain that stretches the slide arm. An engaging body is connected to a part of the other end of the endless chain on the side of the tension line so that the engaging body moves forward / backward by a combined operation of forward / backward drive of the engaging body alone and forward / backward drive of the engaging body and the slide arm integrally. Therefore, it is possible to realize a slide arm that can be engaged and disengaged on the side of a general-purpose pallet and has a simple structure. One forward / backward drive source for the engaging body can be used also, and the transmission mechanism for transmitting the forward / backward drive to the engaging body and its control system are extremely simple. Between 置空 mounting in picker reduces the bets can be widely ensured.

Further, since the engaging claws of the engaging body are parallel links, it is possible to reliably engage and disengage a pallet having a low bulk without securing a large accommodation space for the engaging claws.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic storage / retrieval apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an operating mechanism of the inner picker, FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of the operating mechanism, and FIG. Is a side view of the operating mechanism, FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing a guide box of the operating mechanism, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pallet, and FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing enlarged portions of a slide arm and a guide box. FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the structure of the engaging body in the slide arm, FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 8, and FIG. 10 is an enlarged structure of the engaging body. 11 is a block diagram showing the signal transfer system of the access mechanism and the main computer, and FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing the pallet taking out operation of this automatic storage and retrieval device,
FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a pallet insertion operation of this automatic storage and retrieval apparatus, FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing a movement of a coil spring in a pallet taking out operation of this automatic storage and retrieval apparatus,
The figure is a plan view showing another example of the engagement / disengagement mode of the engagement body with respect to the pallet. 2,3 ...... Storage area 4 ...... Shelf 5 ...... Pallet 5a ₁ , 5a ₂ ...... Engagement part 6 ...... Inner picker 21 ...... Slide arm 25 ...... Endless chain 26 ...... Drive sprocket 31 ...... Combined 33 …… Picker arm 35a, 35b …… Return coil spring 50,51 …… Link piece 52 …… Claw piece

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An automatic storage / retrieval device provided with a picker for moving a pallet in and out of a shelf along a shelf opening side of a storage area in which a plurality of shelves are arranged. A pair of slide arms that can move back and forth toward both sides of the slide arm, and a return spring that stores a restoring force that returns the slide arm to its original position as the slide arms move forward. An endless chain stretched in the advancing / retreating direction, an engaging body having an engaging claw formed of a parallel link that is movable in the same direction as the slide arm and is engaged / disengaged from above with respect to the engaging portion of the pallet, and its engagement. The picker includes a drive sprocket that drives the endless chain by engaging with a tension line of the endless chain by providing a stopper that blocks movement of the united body on the slide arm. It is provided on the main body side, and a part of the tension line is connected to the engaging body, and when the engaging body is not in contact with the stopper, the engaging body alone is driven forward and backward, and when the engaging body is in contact, An automatic storage / retrieval device characterized in that the engaging body is moved forward / backward by a combined operation with a forward / backward drive of a slide arm.