JPH0797010A - Automatic warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent collision of stacker cranes with each other by protruding a rod-like dog in one of the stacker cranes adjacent to each other, and disposing a switch for run emergency stop actuated by the dog in the other. CONSTITUTION:A pair of a front and a back rack devices 1 are provided with a number of article containing racks 3, in/out roller conveyors 8 are disposed on both of the right and left sides, and a stacker crane passage 10 is formed between them. A pair of an upper and a lower guide rails 11 are disposed in the stacker crane passage 10, and plural stacker cranes 13 are guided along these to be movable right and left freely. In this case, for the stacker cranes adjacent to each other, one has a rod-like dog protruded, and the other has a limit switch 22 having a contact actuated by the dog 21 for run emergency stop. Collision of the stacker cranes with each other can thus be prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to automated warehouses.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the following types of automatic warehouses are known. That is, it is known that at least two stacker cranes are provided so as to be movable left and right in front of a rack device having a large number of article storage shelves.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic warehouse in the conventional automatic warehouse having a mechanism for reliably preventing two adjacent stacker cranes from colliding with each other. .

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following means. According to the present invention, each stacker crane adjacent to each other is provided with a rod-shaped dog projecting toward the other stacker crane, and the other stacker crane is provided with a switch for traveling emergency stop operated by the dog. It is a thing.

[0005]

The present invention has the following functions. When the stacker cranes are too close to each other and the rod-shaped dog pushes the switch for traveling emergency stop, both stacker cranes will make an emergency stop.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. In this specification, the front means the lower side in FIG. 1, the rear means the upper side in FIG. 1, the left means the left side in FIG. 1, and the right means the right side.

A pair of front and rear rack devices 1 are erected on the floor so as to open the stacker crane passage 10. The rack device 1 includes a large number of front columns 2 arranged at right and left at predetermined intervals, rear columns 2 arranged behind the front columns 2 with a predetermined space therebetween, and front and rear columns 2. And a plurality of article support members 4 provided at predetermined intervals in the height direction, and the article storage shelves 3 are formed by a pair of left and right article support members 4 that face each other without the support columns 2.
Is configured. A fork passage gap 5 is provided between the pair of left and right article support members 4 to allow a slide fork 17 to be described later to move in the vertical direction. The access ports 6 of the article storage shelves 3 of the front and rear rack devices 1 face each other.

On the left and right sides of the rack device 1, there are provided loading and unloading roller conveyors 8 with the transport direction oriented in the left and right directions. A known article elevator (not shown) is provided on the rack device 1 side of the loading / unloading roller conveyor 8. This article lifter is a lift table that can be raised and lowered by a known lift device below the rollers of the loading and unloading roller conveyor 8 and a pair of bearings that are erected on the lift table and are positioned between the rollers of the loading and unloading roller conveyor 8. And a frame. This article lifter forms a fork insertion gap between the transport surface of the loading / unloading roller conveyor 8 and the bottom surface of the article W by lifting the article W by the support frame, or the slide fork 1 by the support frame in the raised position.
The article W is received from the article 7, and then descends to have the function of lowering the article W on the loading / unloading roller conveyor 8.

A pair of upper and lower guide rails 11 are arranged in the stacker crane passage 10 so that their longitudinal directions are oriented in the left and right directions, and at least two stacker cranes 13 are guided by these guide rails 11 so as to be movable left and right. Has been done. The stacker crane 13
Is a traveling carriage 14 traveling by a well-known traveling device (not shown), an elevating stand 16 which can be raised and lowered by a mast 15 provided on the traveling carriage 14, and a forward and backward movement mechanism which is well known for the elevating stand 16. The slide fork 17 is provided so as to be horizontally slidable in the direction. As is well known, the slide fork 17 projects downward from the article W.
Lifting / lifting the article W by raising the lift 16
The article W can be retracted to the side to pull the article W into the lift table 16, and the article W can be unloaded onto the article storage rack 3 or the like by the reverse operation.

Each of the adjacent stacker cranes 13 is provided with a rod-shaped dog 21 having a sloped surface projecting toward the other stacker crane 13 and having its tip end climbing from the base side toward the tip end. The stacker crane 13 is provided with a limit switch 22 for traveling emergency stop having a contactor operated by a dog 21. Then, when the limit switch 22 is operated by the dog 21, that is, when the stacker cranes 13 are too close to each other, the traveling device of the stacker crane 13 (traveling carriage 14) is brought to an emergency stop. The length of the dog 21 is such that the stacker cranes 13 can be stopped so as not to collide with each other.

One of the adjacent stacker cranes 13 is provided with a distance detector 24 having a transmitter for transmitting signals such as light, radio waves and sound waves toward the other stacker crane 13 and a receiver for receiving the signals. A reflecting plate 25 that reflects a signal is provided on the other side. And
Normally, the distance detector 24 detects the strength of the received signal,
When it reaches a predetermined value, the stacker crane 1 in motion
Decelerate and stop 3. In addition, deceleration with the distance detector 24
As for the interval to stop, the dog 21 is the limit switch 22.
It is set to be longer than the interval for hitting. That is, the dog 21 is provided with the stacker crane 1 even if the distance detector 24 does not operate normally for some reason.
It is installed so that the three do not collide with each other.

[0012]

The present invention has the following effects due to the above-mentioned configuration. When the stacker cranes are too close to each other and the rod-shaped dog presses the switch for traveling emergency stop, both stacker cranes are stopped, and thus the collisions between the stacker cranes can be reliably prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view with an intermediate omitted, showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Rack Device 3 Article Storage Shelf 13 Stacker Crane 14 Traveling Cart 21 Dog 22 Limit Switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automatic warehouse in which at least two stacker cranes are provided to be movable left and right in front of a rack device having a large number of article storage shelves, each stacker crane adjacent to each other faces the other stacker crane. An automated warehouse equipped with a projecting rod-shaped dog, and the other stacker crane equipped with a switch for traveling emergency stop that is activated by the dog.