JPH11292213A - Outlet rack selecting method and outlet rack selecting device in automatic warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an outlet rack selecting method in an automatic warehouse capable of improving the working efficiency of a stacker crane by shortening a time required for carriage during outlet operation. SOLUTION: Cargoes are carried in and out of a number of storage parts in framed racks by a slacker crane furnished with a cargo transfer device. In selecting an outlet rack, a distance from each storage part to the standby position of the transfer device in a serial direction is compared for all storage parts in which a desired cargo is stored in accordance with standby position information for the transfer device and information for cargoes stored in the storage parts. Then, the storage part closest to the standby position of the transfer device in a serial direction is selected for the outlet rack. If the position in a serial direction is the same, a storage part closer to the position in a stepwise direction is selected for the outlet rack.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an outgoing shelves selection method and an outgoing shelves selecting apparatus in an automatic warehouse. More specifically, the present invention relates to a stacker crane equipped with a transfer device such as a fork device and the like. Carry out,
The present invention relates to an outgoing shelves selection method and an outgoing shelves selecting device in an automatic warehouse suitable for using each storage section as a place where a load is temporarily stored rather than stored for a long time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an automatic warehouse has a plurality of storage sections (shelf) for storing loads, a frame shelf (rack) having a plurality of storage sections, a load receiving table for temporarily loading and unloading loads, and a load receiving section. A stacker crane for carrying and transferring the load between the table and the storage unit. Loading and unloading work in this automatic warehouse is performed by a stacker crane that stops at a position corresponding to the load receiving table or the storage unit and transfers the load onto a transfer device, and transports the load to a desired storage location. And a loading / unloading operation for stopping and transferring the load at a position corresponding to the part or the loading tray.

In an automatic warehouse, many kinds of stored items are stored for a predetermined period of time, and when necessary, the desired stored items are carried out of the storage unit (shipment). In general, since the storage period is relatively long, conventionally, when the storage items to be taken out are stored in a plurality of storage units, based on the management data of the inventory management computer, the storage items with the oldest storage time are taken out first. The order of delivery was decided.

[0004]

That is, in the prior art, the articles should be delivered in the order of delivery, that is, next, without taking into account the position of the storage section in which the products that have been required to be delivered and the position of the stacker crane are considered. The storage unit (shipping shelf) was selected. Therefore, even if the required product is stored in the storage unit (shelf) immediately adjacent to the current position of the stacker crane, if there is another storage unit with a storage time that is older than the storage time of the storage unit, the storage unit with the old storage time is stored. Even if the position of the unit is far from the current position of the stacker crane, the storage unit with the old entrance time is selected as the exit shelf. As a result, in some cases, it takes time to move the stacker crane, and the work efficiency of the stacker crane may be reduced. When using an automatic warehouse for the purpose of temporarily storing items to be stored for a short period of time rather than for a long period of time, for example, for the purpose of temporarily pooling parts etc. in the middle of the production line, the order of delivery is the order of oldest arrival time. There is little value in managing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to reduce the time required for transportation at the time of unloading and improve the efficiency of stacker crane operation. An object of the present invention is to provide a selection method and a shelf selection device.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads a load into a plurality of storage portions of a frame shelf. In an automatic warehouse performing unloading, when unloading a desired load from the automatic warehouse, based on a standby position of the transfer device and information on the load stored in each of the storage units,
From among the storage units in which the desired load is stored, the storage unit whose position in the continuous direction is closest to the position in the continuous direction of the standby position of the transfer device is selected as the shelf. Here, the “standby position of the transfer device” means an end position of the loading or unloading operation instructed before the transfer device performs the unloading operation based on the current unloading instruction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, for each of the storage sections in which a desired load is stored based on the load information, each storage section and the transfer device The distance from the standby position is compared, and the storage unit closest to the standby position of the transfer device is selected as the shelf.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, it is determined whether or not a desired load is stored in each storage unit based on the load information by the transfer device. The search is sequentially performed from the storage units closer to the position, and when one storage unit storing the desired load is searched, the search is stopped, and the storage unit is selected as a storage shelf.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in an automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads loads from and to a large number of storage sections of a frame shelf, the stacker crane is provided with the stacker crane. Position information holding means for holding the standby position information of the transfer device, storage means having information on the load stored in each storage section of the automatic warehouse, and retrieval is required based on the load information in the storage means. Retrieval means for retrieving a storage unit in which a load is stored, based on standby position information of the transfer device held by the position information holding means, and information on the load stored in the storage means. Selecting means for selecting, from among the storage sections in which the loads requiring the storage are stored, the storage section whose position in the continuous direction is closest to the position in the continuous direction of the standby position of the transfer device as the shelf.

According to the invention described in claim 5, in an automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads loads to and from a large number of storage sections of a frame shelf, a desired load is transferred from the automatic warehouse. When unloading, the transfer device waits for each storage unit in which a desired load is stored based on the standby position of the transfer device and information on the load stored in each storage unit. Calculate the sum of the moving time or moving distance from the position in the continuous direction to the position in the connecting direction of each storage unit and the moving time or moving distance in the continuous direction of the transfer device from each storage unit to the exit. The storage unit having the smallest value is selected as the storage shelf.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads loads from and to a large number of storage sections of a frame shelf. Position information holding means for holding the standby position information of the transfer device, storage means having information on the load stored in each storage section of the automatic warehouse, and retrieval is required based on the load information in the storage means. Search means for searching for a storage unit in which a load is stored, standby position information of the transfer device held by the position information holding means, and a load requiring retrieval retrieved by the search means are stored. Based on the position data of each storage unit, the moving time or the moving distance from the continuous position of the standby position of the transfer device to the continuous position of each storage unit for each storage unit, From the department to the exit Calculating means for calculating the sum of the moving time or moving distance in the continuous direction, and selecting means for selecting the storage unit having the smallest value of the sum from the storage units based on the calculation result as the delivery shelf. Equipped.

Therefore, in the inventions according to the first to sixth aspects, a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads loads to and from a large number of storage sections of the frame shelf. According to the first aspect of the present invention, based on the standby position of the transfer device and information on the load stored in each of the storage units,
From among the storage units in which the desired load is stored, the storage unit whose consecutive position is closest to the continuous position of the standby position of the transfer device is selected as the outgoing shelf.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, with respect to all the storage units storing the desired load based on the information on the load, each storage unit and the transfer device are on standby. The distance to the position is compared. Then, the storage unit closest to the standby position of the transfer device is selected as the storage shelf.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, whether or not a desired load is stored in each storage unit based on the information on the load is determined by a standby position of the transfer device. Are sequentially searched from the storage unit close to. Then, the search is stopped when one storage unit storing the desired load is searched, and the storage unit is selected as a storage shelf.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the storage unit storing the load that needs to be delivered is searched by the search unit based on the information on the load in the storage unit. And, standby position information of the transfer device held by the position information holding means,
Based on the position information of the storage unit in which the load requiring retrieval is stored, the position in the continuous direction from the storage units in which the load requiring retrieval is stored is selected by the selection unit as the standby position of the transfer device. The storage unit closest to the position in the continuous direction is selected as the storage shelf.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, based on the standby position of the transfer device and information on the load stored in each storage section, the transfer to each storage section in which a desired load is stored. The sum of the travel time or travel distance from the continuous position of the standby position of the device to the continuous position of each storage unit, and the travel time or travel distance of the transfer device from each storage unit to the exit port in the continuous direction. Is calculated. Then, the storage unit having the smallest value is selected as the storage shelf.

According to the invention described in claim 6, the storage unit storing the load that needs to be delivered is searched by the search unit based on the information on the load in the storage unit. Next, based on the standby position information of the transfer device held by the position information holding unit and the searched position data of each storage unit, the calculation unit determines the standby position of the transfer device for each storage unit with respect to each storage unit. The moving time or moving distance from the position in the direction to each storage unit,
The sum of the moving time or the moving distance in the continuous direction from each storage unit to the exit is calculated. Then, the storage unit having the smallest sum of the moving time or the moving distance in the continuous direction is selected as the storage shelf from among the storage units in which the loads requiring retrieval are stored by the selection unit.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 2, in the automatic warehouse 1, framed shelves (rack) 2a, 2b are provided side by side on both sides of the passage. In the frame shelves 2a and 2b, a plurality of storage units 4 each constituted by a pair of shelves 3 are arranged in the longitudinal direction (continuous direction) and the height direction (step direction) of the passage. At the first end of the passage, a loading table 5 as an entrance / exit port (entrance / exit section)
Are arranged. The load receiving table 5 is configured to be able to place the load W at the same height as the storage section 4 located at the lowermost stage of the frame shelf 2a. In addition, the frame shelf 2b on one side shows only the frame at the first end.

A traveling rail 6 is laid on the floor of the passage along the longitudinal direction thereof, and a stacker crane 7 is provided on the traveling rail 6 so as to be able to travel. The stacker crane 7 includes a traveling platform 8 having traveling wheels (not shown), a pair of masts 9 erected thereon, and a carriage 10 arranged between the masts 9 so as to be vertically movable. . A fork device 11 as a transfer device is provided on the carriage 10 so as to be horizontally movable on the carriage 10 in a horizontal direction (a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the stacker crane 7).

The stacker crane 7 is provided with a crane controller 12 as a control unit at a position corresponding to a lower part of the mast 10. The crane controller 12 controls a driving motor, a driving motor of the carriage 10, a driving motor of the fork device 11, and the like based on a command signal from a control device 13 disposed at a first end of the passage. ing.

The stacker crane 7 and the control device 13
Transmission / reception devices 14a and 14b for transmitting and receiving signals between the crane controller 12 and the control device 13 are provided.
The transmission / reception devices 14a and 14b transmit and receive signals by optical communication, and the transmission / reception device 14a constitutes transmission means for transmitting position information of the stacker crane 7 and the fork device 11 to the control device 13.

Next, the electrical configuration of the retrieval shelf selection device for selecting from which storage section 4 the storage item requested to be retrieved should be retrieved will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the crane controller 12 is a central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as a CPU).
15, a program memory 16 composed of a read-only memory (ROM), and a working memory 17 composed of a readable and rewritable memory (RAM).
The CPU 15 includes the program memory 16 and the working memory 1
7 and executes various processes according to predetermined program data stored in the program memory 16. The program memory 16 stores control programs for the stacker crane 7 and the fork device 11, and the like. The working memory 17 temporarily stores various calculation results of the CPU 15, command data from the control device 13, and the like.

The crane controller 12 has a counter 1
8 and 19 are provided, and the counter 18 is connected to the first position detecting means 20, and the counter 19 is connected to the second position detecting means 21, respectively. The first position detecting means 20 is connected to a measuring wheel (not shown) provided on the traveling platform 8, and the second position detecting means 21 is connected to a measuring wheel (not shown) provided on the carriage 10. It has a rotary encoder and outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the amount of rotation of the measuring wheel.

Both counters 18 and 19 are up
Each of the counters 18 and 19 functions as an up counter when the stacker crane 7 and the carriage 10 move away from the home position, and functions as a down counter when the stacker crane 7 and the carriage 10 move toward the home position. The count value of the up / down counter is set to 0 at each origin position of the stacker crane 7 and the carriage 10. The original position of the stacker crane 7 is determined by the stacker crane 7
The origin position of the carriage 10 is set to a position where the carriage 10 is located at the lowest position.

Based on the count values of the counters 18 and 19, the CPU 15 determines whether or not the stacker crane 7 and the fork device 11 have reached the position corresponding to the commanded storage unit 4 for performing the load transfer operation. Make a decision. And
When the stacker crane 7 and the fork device 11 stop at the position corresponding to the commanded storage unit 4, the CPU 15 stores the position of the fork device 11 in a predetermined storage area of the working memory 17 as a coordinate position in a continuous direction and a step direction. . This storage area indicates the standby position of the fork device 11 (transfer device), and the work memory 17 functions as position information holding means for holding standby position information of the transfer device. Regarding the coordinates, the number of the storage units 4 in the connection direction is the coordinate of the connection direction at the position where the origin 0 of the connection direction faces the load receiving table 5, and the number of the storage units 4 in the step direction is the coordinate of the step direction.

The control device 13 includes an inventory management computer 22
Is connected to The inventory management computer 22 includes a memory 23 storing inventory management data as load information including the position data of each storage unit 4 of the automatic warehouse 1 and the product number of the storage item stored in each storage unit 4. Have. The memory 23 constitutes storage means having information on the load stored in each storage unit 4.

The control device 13 includes a CPU 24 as search means, calculation means and selection means, a program memory 25 comprising ROM, a working memory 26 as storage means comprising RAM, and an input device 27. CPU
Reference numeral 24 is connected to a program memory 25 and a work memory 26, and executes various processes according to predetermined program data stored in the program memory 25. The program memory 25 has a flowchart shown in FIG. 1 as an outgoing shelf selection processing program for selecting an outgoing shelf for the stacker crane 7 based on the inventory management data of the inventory management computer 22 and the standby position information of the fork device 11. It is remembered. The input device 27 is composed of, for example, a keyboard.

When a retrieval request is input from the input device 27, the CPU 24 searches the storage unit 4 in which a load requiring retrieval is stored based on the inventory management data stored in the memory 23. In addition, the CPU 24 determines, based on the standby position information of the fork device 11 and the information of the load, the storage unit 4 that is closest to the standby position of the fork device 11 from the storage units 4 that store the load that needs to be unloaded. Is selected as a shelf. In the flowchart of FIG.
The PU 24 functions as search means in steps S4 and S5, and functions as selection means in steps S6 to S10.

Next, the operation of the device configured as described above will be described. The crane controller 12 inputs a storage / reception command from the control device 13 via the transmission / reception device 14a, and controls the stacker crane 7 according to the command. The stacker crane 7 stops at the position corresponding to the load receiving table 5 upon entry, transfers the load W to the fork device 11, travels to the position corresponding to the commanded storage unit 4, and then moves to the storage unit 4.
The load W is unloaded from the fork device 11. At the time of unloading, the vehicle travels to the position corresponding to the commanded storage unit 4, stops at the position, and transfers the load W to the fork device 11. afterwards,
The vehicle travels to a position corresponding to the loading tray 5 and stops at the position, and the load W is unloaded from the fork device 11 to the loading tray 5. When the transfer of the load W onto the storage unit 4 or the receiving tray 5 is completed, the stacker crane 7 stops at that position and waits for the next command.

When the transfer of the load W by the fork device 11 to the storage section 4 or the load receiving table 5 is completed, the CPU 15 of the crane controller 12
To output a work completion signal. CPU 24 of control device 13
Outputs this to the management computer 22, and the management computer 22 updates the management data in the memory 23 based on the signal.

Next, the procedure of the shelf selection process by the CPU 24 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. CP
When U24 receives the retrieval request input signal from the input device 27, the U24 starts execution of the retrieval shelf selection process according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The CPU 24 inputs the article number of the load to be delivered specified by the operator through the input device 27 in step S1. Next, the CPU 24 executes the crane controller 12 in step S2.
, The standby position information of the fork device 11 is received. Next, the CPU 24 proceeds to step S3, clears the retrieval candidate shelf storage area provided in the work memory 26, and then selects one unsearched storage unit 4 (shelf) in step S4. In this embodiment, the CPU 24 selects the storage units 4 in ascending order of coordinates in the continuous direction and the step direction. Next, in step S5, it is determined whether or not there is a storage product of the required product number in the storage unit 4, and if there is, the process proceeds to step S6, and if not, to step S9.

The CPU 24 calculates the distance between the standby position of the fork device 11 and the storage section 4 in step S6. At this time, the CPU 24 calculates the distance separately in the continuous direction and the stepwise direction, and stores the respective values in the working memory 26 as the continuous direction distance data Dx and the stepwise distance data Dy of the storage unit. The distance data Dx and Dy are calculated by assuming that the coordinate of the standby position of the fork device 11 in the continuous direction is Xf, the coordinate of the step direction is Yf, the coordinate of the storage unit 4 in the continuous direction is Xs, and the coordinate of the step direction is Ys. Dx = | Xf-Xs |, Dy = |
Yf−Ys |.

Next, the CPU 24 compares the distance data of the storage section 4 stored in the retrieval candidate shelf storage area with the current distance data of the storage section 4 in step S7. In this comparison, first, the distance data in the continuous direction is compared, and it is determined that the smaller distance data in the continuous direction is closer regardless of the size of the distance data in the step direction. If the distances in the direction are the same,
The distance data in the column direction is compared, and it is determined that the smaller distance data is closer. If the distance data in the continuous direction and the distance data in the step direction are the same, it is determined that the current storage unit 4 is close.

The moving speed of the stacker crane 7 is lower than the moving speed of the fork device 11, and the fork device 11 is moved up and down in parallel with the movement of the stacker crane 7. Therefore, by making a determination based on the moving distance of the stacker crane 7, that is, the shorter distance in the continuous direction,
Simple and accurate decisions are made.

When the CPU 24 determines that the current storage section 4 is closer to the storage section 4 stored in the storage area, the process proceeds to step S8, and the storage section 4 stores the storage area 4 in the storage area. To be stored. If it is determined that the storage unit 4 stored in the retrieval candidate shelf is closer, the process proceeds to step S9.

In step 9, the CPU 24 determines whether or not the search for all the storage units 4 has been completed. If not, the process proceeds to step S4 to repeat the above processing. If the search for all the storage units 4 has been completed, the process proceeds to step S10. Then, the CPU 24 selects the storage section 4 stored in the retrieval candidate shelf storage area as a retrieval shelf in step S10, and issues a retrieval instruction to the crane controller 12.

For example, assuming that the storage unit 4 storing the required number of storage items is located at the hatched position in FIG. 4, there are three storage units 4 as A, B, and C which are storage shelf candidates. However, the storage section 4 of B close to the fork device 11 is finally selected. Therefore, even if the storage time of the storage items stored in the storage unit 4 at the farthest position C is old, the storage unit 4 is not selected as a storage shelf, and the time required for the stacker crane 7 to perform storage is shorter than that of the conventional device. It is shortened in comparison.

In this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) When selecting an outgoing shelf, based on the standby position of the fork device 11 and information on the load stored in each storage unit 4, the storage unit 4 in which a desired load (required product) is stored is stored. The storage section 4 whose position in the continuous direction from the middle is closest to the position in the continuous direction of the standby position is selected as the shelf. Therefore, as compared with the case where the shelves are selected in the order of chronological storage, the time required for completing the unloading operation is reduced, and the in-out efficiency of the stacker crane 7, that is, the in-out capacity per unit time is improved.

(2) When there are a plurality of storage portions 4 in the same direction as the standby position of the fork device 11 in the continuous direction, the storage portion 4 closest to the standby position of the fork device 11 including the position in the step direction is the storage shelf. Is selected as Therefore, the loading / unloading efficiency of the stacker crane 7 is further improved.

(3) Since the moving speed of the stacker crane 7 is slower than the elevating speed of the fork device 11, the fork is determined based on the smaller moving distance of the stacker crane 7, that is, the distance in the continuous direction. A simple and accurate determination is made to determine the distance between the device 11 and the storage section 4.

(4) The CPU 24 calculates the distance between the standby position of the fork device 11 and the position of the storage section 4 instead of calculating the actual distance. Since the calculation is performed using the absolute value, the calculation is simplified.

(5) Since the storage means of the inventory management data of the load is not provided in the control device 13 but the one stored in the memory 23 of the management computer 22 is used, the control device 13
Contributes to downsizing.

(6) The control device 13 can obtain the positions of the stacker crane 7 and the fork device 11 from the crane controller 12, so that the operator can
Can be selected based on an accurate standby position of the fork device 11 even when the device is moved manually without a command from the control device 13.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the hardware configuration is the same as that of the previous embodiment, and the processing program for picking up a shelf stored in the program memory 25 is different. In this embodiment, when selecting a storage shelf, the storage unit 4 in which the sequential position is closest to the continuous position of the standby position of the fork device 11 is selected as the storage shelf from the storage units 4 in which desired loads are stored. This is the same as in the first embodiment, but the method of searching for the storage unit 4 is different. Instead of the flowchart shown in FIG. 1, the program memory 25 stores a flowchart shown in FIG.

Next, the procedure of the shelf selection process by the CPU 24 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. CP
Upon input of the retrieval request input signal from the input device 27, the U24 starts execution of the retrieval shelf selection process according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In step S11, the CPU 24 inputs the article number of the load which the operator wants to retrieve from the input device 27.
Next, the CPU 24 receives the standby position information of the fork device 11 from the crane controller 12 at step S12.
Next, the CPU 24 proceeds to step S13 to select the storage unit 4 corresponding to the standby position of the fork device 11, that is, the storage unit 4 having coordinates equal to the coordinates of the standby position in the continuous and step directions. Next, the CPU 24 proceeds to step S14, and determines whether or not there is a storage item of the required part number in the storage unit 4. If there is a storage product of the required product number in the storage unit 4 in step 14, the process proceeds to step S15. In step S15, the storage unit 4 is selected as a storage shelf, and a crane controller 12 is instructed to leave.

If there is no stored article of the required product number in step S14, the CPU 24 proceeds to step 16 to determine whether or not there is an unsearched storage section 4 having the same coordinate in the continuous direction as the storage section 4 previously searched as the storage section 4. Judge. If there is a storage unit 4 having the same coordinate in the continuous direction, the CPU 24 proceeds to step S17,
After selecting one of them, the process proceeds to step S14. If there is no storage unit 4 having the same coordinate in the continuous direction, the CPU 24 proceeds to step S18, and in the storage unit 4 that has not been searched, the storage unit 4 whose coordinate in the continuous direction is closest to the coordinate of the standby position of the fork device 11.
After selecting one of the above, the process proceeds to step S14. After that, the same processing is repeated until the storage unit 4 storing the storage item of the required product number is searched.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (1) to (3) and (5) and (6) of the above embodiment. (7) Instead of selecting all of the storage units 4 in which the desired loads (required products) are stored, the storage units 4 are sequentially searched from the storage units 4 near the standby position of the fork device 11 and the required products are stored. The search is stopped at the stage where the number 4 exists. Therefore, the time required for the search is reduced, and as a result, the loading / unloading efficiency of the stacker crane 7 is further improved.

(8) Since the CPU 24 does not calculate the distance between the standby position of the fork device 11 and the position of the storage unit 4, the time required for the retrieval shelf selection process is reduced as compared with the above embodiment. At the same time, the processing program for selecting a shelf is simplified.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, the configuration of the hardware is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the processing program for selecting a retrieval shelf stored in the program memory 25 is different. In the above-described embodiments, the relationship between the position of the stacker crane 7 and the position of the receiving tray 5 is not considered. Therefore, when the position of the storage unit 4 closest to the standby position of the fork device 11 in the direction of connection is away from the receiving table 5 with respect to the standby position, the stacker crane 7 moves by the completion of unloading. The moving distance is not the shortest. For example, even if it is far from the standby position of the fork device 11 in the continuous direction, if the storage unit 4 is located on the side closer to the load receiving table 5 with respect to the standby position, until the stacker crane 7 is completely unloaded. Is shorter than that of the storage section 4 that is away from the receiving tray 5 with respect to the standby position. This embodiment aims to eliminate such inconvenience.

In this embodiment, when selecting a delivery shelf, the storage unit 4 in which the desired load is stored is connected to the storage unit 4 which is closest to the standby position of the fork device 11 in the continuous direction. Instead of selecting the storage shelf, the storage unit 4 in which the moving distance of the stacker crane 7 until the completion of the unloading of the load is selected as the storage shelf. The program memory 25 stores a flowchart shown in FIG. 6 instead of the flowchart shown in FIG.

Next, the procedure of the shelf selection process by the CPU 24 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG.
Steps S21 to S2 in the flowchart shown in FIG.
5 is substantially the same as steps S1 to S5 in the flowchart of FIG. 1, and steps S28 to S30 are substantially the same as steps S8 to S10 in the flowchart of FIG. That is, the processing contents of steps S26 and S27 are different from the processing contents of steps S6 and S7.

When the CPU 24 inputs a retrieval request input signal from the input device 27, the CPU 24 starts execution of a retrieval shelf selection process according to the flowchart shown in FIG. In step S26, the CPU 24 calculates the sum of the movement distance of the fork device 11 from the continuous position of the standby position to the storage unit 4 and the movement distance of the fork device 11 from the storage unit 4 to the load receiving tray 5, that is, unloading from the standby position. The movement distance of the stacker crane 7 until completion is calculated. The calculation of the moving distance is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, based on the coordinates of the standby position of the fork device 11, the coordinates of the storage unit 4, the coordinates of the storage unit 4, and the coordinates of the loading table 5.

Next, at step 27, the CPU 24 determines whether or not the moving distance in the storage section 4 is equal to or less than the corresponding moving distance of the delivery candidate shelf. When the moving distances are the same, the moving distances in the stepped direction are compared, and the smaller moving distance in the stepped direction is determined to be smaller (considered). Then, if it is the following, the CPU 24 proceeds to step S28, and stores the current storage unit 4 in the retrieval candidate shelf storage area as a retrieval candidate shelf. If the corresponding moving distance of the storage unit 4 stored in the retrieval candidate shelf is smaller, the process proceeds to S29.
Proceed to.

Then, as in the first embodiment, the CPU 24 determines in step 29 whether or not all the storage sections 4 have been searched, and if not, step S24.
To repeat the above processing. If the search for all the storage units 4 has been completed, the process proceeds to step S30. And C
The PU 24 selects the storage unit 4 stored in the retrieval candidate shelf storage area as a retrieval shelf in step S30, and issues a retrieval instruction to the crane controller 12.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects (3) to (6) of the first embodiment. (9) The moving distance from the continuous position of the standby position of the fork device 11 to the continuous position of each storage unit 4 with respect to each storage unit in which a desired load is stored, and the load receiving platform from each storage unit 4 The storage unit 4 having the smallest sum with the moving distance of the fork device 11 in the continuous direction up to 5 is selected as the storage shelf. That is, the shelves are selected in consideration of the positional relationship between the standby position of the stacker crane 7 and the load receiving tray 5, so that the loading / unloading efficiency of the stacker crane 7 is further improved as compared with the first embodiment. .

(10) When the moving distance of the stacker crane 7 is the same, the shorter moving distance of the fork device 11 in the step direction is selected as the outgoing shelf, so that the time required for outgoing can be further shortened. Become.

The embodiment is not limited to the above, and may be embodied as follows, for example. In place of the processing in step S18 of the second embodiment, the search order of the unsearched storage units 4 may be selected in order from the storage unit 4 whose position in the continuous direction is closer to the receiving tray 5. In this case, the distance in the linked direction to the selected shelf is not necessarily the shortest from the position in the linked direction of the fork device 11 at the standby position, but the moving distance of the stacker crane 7 until the completion of the delivery is minimized. , First and second
As compared with the embodiment, the loading / unloading efficiency of the stacker crane 7 is further improved.

In the third embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which the comparison is made based on the travel time instead of the travel distance. The stacker crane 7 travels at the maximum speed when the moving distance to the target position is large, but may decelerate without reaching the maximum speed when the moving distance to the target position is short. Therefore, even if the moving distance is the same, the time required for the moving may be different. Therefore, comparing with the moving time improves the loading / unloading efficiency of the stacker crane 7.

In the first and third embodiments,
When considering the distance in the continuous direction without considering the stepwise distance between the fork device 11 and the storage unit 4, if the distance in the continuous direction is the same, any storage unit 4 in the same is selected as the shelf. It is good also as a structure which performs. The lifting speed of the fork device 11 is higher than the moving speed of the stacker crane 7,
Is moved up and down in parallel during the movement of the stacker crane 7, so that the ratio of the time required to complete the up and down movement to the completion of the ascent / descent is small. Therefore, even with this configuration, the storage and retrieval efficiency of the stacker crane 7 is improved as compared with the conventional apparatus.

Instead of the configuration in which the control device 13 obtains the standby position information of the fork device 11 from the crane controller 12, the position of the fork device 11 at the time of completion of the previous entry or exit instruction is stored in the working memory 26. The data may be used as standby position information of the fork device 11. This data is updated when the next entry or exit command is issued to the crane controller 12. This data becomes standby position information of the fork device 11 (transferring device), and the work memory 26 functions as a position information holding unit.

In place of the configuration in which the load information is obtained from the memory 23 of the management computer 22, the control device 13 may be provided with a storage device for managing the load information. In the first and third embodiments, the distance between the fork device 11 and the storage unit 4 and the distance between the storage unit 4 and the receiving table 5 may be calculated based on the actual distance in the continuous direction and the step direction.

The fork device 1 for scooping and transferring the load W
The present invention is not limited to the automatic warehouse using the storage device 1, and may be applied to an automatic warehouse using a transfer device that transfers a load by sliding it on a shelf and a transfer device. Further, a belt conveyor or a roller conveyor may be used as the transfer device instead of the fork device.

The automatic warehouse 1 may be used for the purpose of temporarily pooling products and the like in the course of assembly on the assembly line. ○ It may be applied to an automatic warehouse that has a separate entrance and exit.

The technical ideas (inventions) other than those described in the claims that can be understood from the above embodiments will be described below together with their effects. (1) In an automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads a large number of storage units on a frame shelf, when a desired load is unloaded from the automatic warehouse, the stacker crane is used. Automatically selecting a storage unit closest to the standby position of the stacker crane from among the storage units in which desired loads are stored, based on the standby position and information on the loads stored in the storage units, as an outgoing shelf. Outgoing shelf selection method in the warehouse. In this case as well, the time required for delivery is reduced,
The working efficiency of the stacker crane, that is, the storage capacity per unit time, is improved.

(2) In an automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads loads from and to a number of storage sections on a frame shelf, when a desired load is unloaded from the automatic warehouse. A search is made sequentially for whether there is a storage unit in which a desired load is stored from the storage unit whose position in the continuous direction is close to the exit, and the search is stopped when one storage unit in which the desired load is stored is searched. And a storage shelf selection method in an automatic warehouse for selecting the storage unit as a storage shelf. In this case, claim 1
Compared with the third aspect of the invention, the working efficiency of the stacker crane, that is, the storage and retrieval capacity per unit time is improved.

(3) Claims 1 to 3 and 5
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the automatic warehouse is an automatic warehouse used for temporarily pooling products and the like that are being assembled on an assembly line. Also in this case, the working efficiency of the stacker crane, that is, the loading / unloading capacity per unit time is improved.

[0069]

As described in detail above, claims 1 to 6 are provided.
According to the invention described in (1), in an automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device is used to load and unload loads to and from a large number of storage sections of a frame shelf, the time required for transport during unloading is reduced. Thus, the working efficiency of the stacker crane can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the time required for the search is reduced as compared with the case where all of the storage sections storing the desired loads (required items) are searched, and as a result, the stacker crane is obtained. Entry and exit efficiency is further improved.

According to the fifth and sixth aspects of the present invention, the shelf is selected in consideration of the positional relationship between the standby position of the stacker crane and the outlet, so that the shelves are selected. As compared with the invention described in (1), the loading / unloading efficiency of the stacker crane is further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a retrieval shelf selection procedure according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic warehouse.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a relationship between a fork device and a storage unit.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an outgoing shelf selection procedure according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an outgoing shelf selection procedure according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automatic warehouse, 2a, 2b ... Frame shelf, 4 ... Storage part, 5 ...
Receiving stand as exit, 7 ... Stacker crane, 11 ...
Fork device as a transfer device, 17 ... Work memory as position information holding means, 23 ... Memory as storage means, 24 ... C as search means, calculation means and selection means
PU, W… Load.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An automatic warehouse, in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads a large number of storage units on a frame shelf, when unloading a desired load from the automatic warehouse. Based on the standby position of the transfer device and the information of the load stored in each of the storage units, the position in the continuous direction from the storage unit storing the desired load is the serial position of the standby position of the transfer device. Outgoing shelf selection method in an automatic warehouse that selects the storage unit closest to the position in the direction as the outgoing shelf. 2. A distance between each storage unit and a standby position of the transfer device is compared for all storage units in which a desired load is stored based on the information of the load, and the distance is set to a standby position of the transfer device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the closest storage unit is selected as a shelf. 3. A storage device according to claim 2, wherein said storage unit sequentially searches for a desired load stored in each storage unit from a storage unit close to a standby position of said transfer device. 2. The retrieval shelf selection method in an automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the retrieval is stopped when one of the storage units is retrieved, and the retrieval unit is selected as a retrieval shelf. 4. An automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads loads from and to a plurality of storage sections of a frame shelf, wherein a standby position of the transfer device mounted on the stacker crane. Position information holding means for holding information, storage means having information on the load stored in each storage unit of the automatic warehouse, and a load which needs to be discharged based on the load information in the storage means is stored. A search unit for searching for a storage unit; a load that needs to be unloaded is stored based on standby position information of the transfer device held in the position information holding unit and the load information stored in the storage unit. Selecting means for selecting a storage unit whose position in the continuous direction is closest to the continuous position of the standby position of the transfer device from among the stored storage units, as a storage shelf. 5. An automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads loads from and to a large number of storage sections of a frame shelf, when a desired load is unloaded from the automatic warehouse. Based on the standby position of the transfer device and information on the load stored in each of the storage units, a position in the continuous direction of the standby position of the transfer device with respect to each of the storage units storing the desired load. Calculate the sum of the moving time or moving distance of each storage unit to the continuous direction and the moving time or moving distance of the transfer device from each storage unit to the exit from the storage unit. Outgoing shelves selection method in an automated warehouse that selects a part as an outgoing shelf. 6. An automatic warehouse in which a stacker crane equipped with a load transfer device loads and unloads loads from and to a number of storage sections of a frame shelf, wherein a standby position of the transfer device mounted on the stacker crane. Position information holding means for holding information, storage means having information on the load stored in each storage unit of the automatic warehouse, and a load which needs to be discharged based on the load information in the storage means is stored. Search means for searching for a storage unit; standby position information of the transfer device held by the position information holding means; and position data of each storage section in which a load requiring retrieval retrieved by the search means is stored. Based on the above, the moving time or moving distance from the continuous position of the standby position of the transfer device to the continuous position of each storage unit for each storage unit, and the movement from each storage unit to the exit port Time or distance traveled Shelving selection device in an automatic warehouse, comprising: calculation means for calculating the sum of the above, and selection means for selecting a storage part having the smallest value of the sum as a storage shelf from each storage part based on the calculation result. .