JPH11301807A - Automatic warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic warehouse capable of carrying articles in and out relative to one main conveyer without stopping a flow of the articles, reducing time required for the article carrying in and out, and decreasing the whole footprint. SOLUTION: A pair of article storage blocks, each comprising an article storage device and transfer devices are provided. A plurality of carrying-in/ carrying-out conveyers 4, 5 are arranged between main conveyer 3 located between the pair of article storage blocks, and each of the transfer devices in the article storage device. The main conveyer 3 comprises a carrier body 14 for carrying an article (A) and pusher shoes 15 which move in conjunction with the carrier body 14 in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the carrier body 14. A carrying-in conveyer is formed as an orthogonal type carrying-in conveyer 4 branching off in a direction perpendicular to the main conveyer 3. When the article (A) is transferred to the perpendicular type carrying-in conveyer 4, a plurality of pusher shoes 15 are arranged in a line extending along a conveying direction of the main conveyer 3 and push the article to transfer it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plurality of article storage devices having a large number of article storage sections for storing articles,
A pair of article storage blocks including a transfer device that moves along the frontage of the plurality of article storage devices and transfers the article to and from each article storage unit is provided in a pair facing each other. A main conveyor having an article carry-in section and an article carry-out section is provided between a pair of article storage blocks, and is located between the main conveyor and each transfer device in the pair of article storage blocks. And a plurality of carry-in conveyors for carrying the article into the transfer apparatus, and the articles from the transfer apparatus located between the main conveyor and the transfer apparatuses in the pair of article storage blocks are carried out onto the main conveyor. The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse provided with a plurality of unloading conveyors.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In such an automatic warehouse, conventionally,
An article storage device in which the main conveyor is constituted by a roller conveyor having a large number of rollers, and the carry-in conveyor is constituted by a chain conveyor having a rotatable chain, and articles conveyed by the main conveyor are to be stored. Once it reaches the location of the carry-in conveyor corresponding to, the conveyance of the goods by the main conveyor is stopped once, the chain of the carry-in conveyor is rotated and raised, and the goods on the main conveyor are picked up by the chain of the carry-in conveyor and transferred. An arrangement configured to carry the information is known.

Further, the main conveyor and the carry-in conveyor are both constituted by roller conveyors having a large number of rollers, and the carry-in conveyor is branched so as to be bent obliquely forward with respect to the main conveyor conveyance direction. Compositions are also known.

[0004]

However, in the former of the prior art described above, when the articles on the main conveyor are transferred to the carry-in conveyor, the articles are temporarily stopped by the main conveyor and the articles are transferred to the carry-in conveyor. Due to the need to transfer, the flow of goods stops when transferring to the carry-in conveyor,
Therefore, there is an inconvenience that it takes time to carry in the articles.

In the latter case, articles can be transferred to a carry-in conveyor without stopping the flow of articles. However, articles conveyed by a main conveyor are gradually directed by a curved roller-type carry-in conveyor. The length of the carry-in conveyor becomes longer because it is necessary to change the length of the carry-in conveyor.Therefore, a certain distance is required between the main conveyor and the article storage devices of both article storage blocks, and the installation area of the entire automatic warehouse is reduced. There was an inconvenience of becoming larger.

The present invention focuses on such a conventional problem, and its purpose is to transfer articles from a main conveyor to a carry-in conveyor and to transfer articles from a carry-out conveyor to the same main conveyor. And the transfer of the article can be performed without stopping the flow of the article, and the time required for the transfer of the article can be reduced, and
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic warehouse capable of shortening the length of a carry-in conveyor and reducing an installation area.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an article on the main conveyor is positioned between a pair of article storage blocks. Since a plurality of carry-in conveyors for carrying in the article storage device of each article storage block and a plurality of carry-out conveyors for carrying out the articles stored in the article storage device of each article storage block onto the main conveyor are provided, the same. The articles can be carried in and out of the article storage devices of both article storage blocks using the main conveyor. The main conveyor includes a transporter on which articles are placed and transported, and a pressing shoe that moves integrally with the transporter and can move in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction of the transporter, Is composed of an orthogonal carry-in conveyor that branches in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main conveyor with respect to the main conveyor, and when the articles on the main conveyor are transferred to the orthogonal carry-in conveyor, a plurality of pressing shoes are provided. Since the articles are pressed and transferred in a substantially straight line along the conveying direction of the main conveyor, when transferring the articles from the main conveyor to the carry-in conveyor, the articles can be transferred without stopping the flow, In addition to shortening the time required for transfer, by making the carry-in conveyor orthogonal, the carry-in conveyor can be made relatively short, and the warehouse including both article storage blocks can be used. It is possible to reduce the overall floor space.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of unloading conveyors are also constituted by the orthogonal unloading conveyors for unloading articles from the main conveyor in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction. In addition to the carry-in conveyor, the length of the carry-out conveyor can also be shortened, and the article storage device and the main conveyor can be brought close to each other to further reduce the installation floor area of the entire warehouse.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the main conveyor has a pressing shoe for pressing and transferring the article only to the carry-in conveyor on the one article storage block side, and only the press shoe for carrying the article on the other article storage block side. Since the press shoe is provided with a press shoe for pressing and transferring the article, the movement of each press shoe is relatively simplified, the control of the press shoe is facilitated, and the both article storage blocks intersect the main conveyor, Even when the mold carrying conveyors are arranged opposite to each other, articles can be simultaneously pressed and transferred to the opposed orthogonal carrying conveyors.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the main conveyor presses and transfers the article to the carry-in conveyor on one article storage block side and transfers the article to the carry-in conveyor on the other article storage block side. Since the movement of each pressing shoe is somewhat complicated, the number of the pressing shoes can be reduced by reducing the number of the pressing shoes, so that the cost can be reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the carrier is composed of a large number of slats, and the pressing shoe is movably supported on each slat. For example, the pressing shoe is separate from the slat. The structure can be simplified as compared with the case where the supporting member is provided.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An automatic warehouse according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. This automated warehouse, as shown in Figure 1,
Article storage shelves 1 as an article storage device are installed in pairs with their fronts facing each other, and a plurality of paired article storage shelves 1 are installed in parallel to form an article storage block. Such article storage blocks B1, B2
Are provided in a pair facing each other. In each of the article storage blocks B1 and B2, a stacker crane 2 as a transfer device that can move along the frontage of the article storage shelf 1 is disposed between the pair of article storage shelves 1. Is provided with an elevating platform equipped with a fork that can be moved in and out. The stacker crane 2 is self-propelled, and the elevating platform is vertically moved up and down, and the fork is moved in and out, such as a container or a cardboard box storing various articles. It is configured such that a simple article A can be placed and carried into the article storage section of the article storage shelf 1 and can be carried out of the article storage section.

A main conveyor 3 for carrying in / out the articles A is provided between the article storage blocks B1 and B2, that is, on the carry-in / out side of each article storage shelf 1, and the main conveyors 3 are adjacent to each other. And a pair of main conveyor portions 3a and 3b that convey the articles A in the same direction. In FIG. 1, between each pair of the article storage shelves 1 in the left article storage block B1 and the left main conveyor section 3a, the articles A on the main conveyor section 3a are stacked on the left article storage block B1. There are provided a carry-in conveyor 4 for carrying in the crane 2 and a carry-out conveyor 5 for carrying out the articles A from the stacker crane 2 to the main conveyor portion 3a.
A similar carry-in conveyor 4 and a similar carry-out conveyor 5 are provided between the right article storage block B2 and the right main conveyor portion 3b, and both article storage blocks B1, B are provided.
The two carry-in conveyors 4 and the carry-out conveyors 5 are arranged to face each other with the main conveyor 3 interposed therebetween.

Each of the carry-in conveyors 4 is constituted by an orthogonal type conveyor that branches in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the main conveyor portions 3a and 3b and conveys the articles A. At the end in the transport direction, a carry-in lifter 6 for transferring the article A to and from the stacker crane 2 is provided. Each of the unloading conveyors 5 is also composed of an orthogonal type conveyor for unloading the article A from a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction of the main conveyor portions 3a and 3b. And a carry-out lifter 7 for transferring the articles A to and from the stacker crane 2.

At the beginning of the main conveyor 3 in the conveying direction, there is provided a carry-in conveyor 8 as an article carry-in section for carrying the goods A while allocating the goods A to the left and right main conveyor parts 3a, 3b. Main conveyor 3
The main conveyor portions 3a, 3
b for unloading as an article unloading unit that unloads the article A conveyed by b while distributing it to the first unloading unit 9a located on the left, the second unloading unit 9b located at the center, and the third unloading unit 9c located on the right. A conveyor 10 is provided. The pair of left and right main conveyor portions 3a, 3b constituting the main conveyor 3 are both constituted by slat conveyors, and are configured to be driven at the same transport speed.

The main conveyor portions 3a and 3b made of the slat conveyor have the same structure, and as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a pair of left and right frames 11 are provided when viewed from the conveying direction. A drive sprocket and an idle sprocket are provided at both ends, and a pair of left and right endless chains 12 is wound between the two sprockets. The pair of right and left chains 12 is rotated by driving the drive sprocket by an electric motor 13. , Frame 11
Is configured to move in the transport direction above the frame 11 and to move in the opposite direction below the frame 11. Between the pair of left and right chains 12, a plurality of elongated slats 14 as a transporting body for mounting and transporting the article A are attached, and each slat 14 presses the article A to the orthogonal carrying conveyor 4 side. A pressing shoe 15 to be pressed and transferred is externally fitted to be movable integrally with each slat 14.

A pin 16 protrudes below each pressing shoe 15, and a guide wheel 17 is slidably mounted on the pin 16. Inside the pair of left and right frames 11, a guide wheel of each pressing shoe 15 is provided. The main guide 18 guiding the 17
A pair of right and left is provided along the chain 12. Above the pair of left and right main guides 18, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of branch guides 19 are provided in a state where the two main guides 18 are obliquely connected, corresponding to each of the orthogonal carry-in conveyors 4. Is provided. Further, below the main guide 18, one return guide 20 (see FIG. 3) for connecting the two main guides 18 at an angle is provided, and one of the pair of left and right main guides 18 is an endless chain 12. Is arranged along the entire length of the chain, and the other ends along the chain 12 located above and at the return guide 20 portion. In the vicinity of the branch guide 19, a direction change tool 21 having a plurality of direction change portions 21a is provided in order to turn the plurality of guide wheels 17 guided by the main guide 18 toward the branch guide 19 at a time. The direction changing tool 21 is provided so as to be able to move back and forth by an air cylinder 22.

The main conveyor sections 3a and 3b are constructed as described above, but the left main conveyor section 3a places the article A on the left and the right main conveyor section 3b on the right.
In order to branch the article A to the right, the mounting direction of the branch guide 19 and the mounting position of the direction changing tool 21 are reversed left and right. And both main conveyor parts 3a, 3
b, when the pair of left and right chains 12 is rotationally driven by the driving sprocket, each slat 14
The pressing shoe 15 fitted on the slat 14 is also driven to rotate together with the chain 12, and conveys the articles A placed on the slats 14 at the same speed.

When the articles A conveyed by the main conveyor portions 3a and 3b are transferred to the orthogonal carry-in conveyor 4, as shown in FIG.
2, the direction changing tool 21 is projected toward the main guide 18 side, and the pins 16 supporting the plurality of guide wheels 17 that have moved along the main guide 18 are brought into contact with and guided by the respective direction changing portions 21a. Guide wheels 17 are turned to the respective branch guides 19 at once. Then, due to the movement of each slat 14 in the transport direction and the guide action of the branch guide 19 to each guide wheel 17, as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of pressing shoes 15 are moved along the transport direction of the main conveyor portions 3a, 3b. In a state of being substantially linear, the article A is pressed to the left in the left main conveyor portion 3a, and pressed to the right in the right main conveyor portion 3b,
The pressing shoe 15 that has been transferred to the orthogonal carrying conveyor 4 and then used for transferring the article A is returned to the original main guide 18 side by the return guide 20.

Each of the orthogonal conveyors 4 is constituted by a roller conveyor having a plurality of rollers, and a plurality of conveyor rollers 23 having different lengths are arranged so as to change the angle rapidly. The rollers 23 are configured to be rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown) in synchronization with each other. Each orthogonal discharge conveyor 5 has a first roller conveyor 24 having a plurality of rotationally driven rollers and a second roller conveyor 25 having a plurality of idle rollers, and the second roller conveyor 25 includes: A horizontally long pressing member 26 that moves along the conveying direction of the main conveyor portions 3a and 3b and presses the article A is provided, and a pressing body 27 is rotatably provided on the pressing member 26 so as to protrude. In the posture, it is configured to move along the longitudinal direction of the pressing member 26 and press the article A.

When the article A is sent from the first roller conveyor 24, the pressing member 26 moves in the conveying direction of the main conveyor portions 3a, 3b, and protrudes along the pressing member 26. Is moved toward the main conveyor portions 3a and 3b. Therefore, article A
Is the second roller conveyor 2 as shown by the arrow in FIG.
5 diagonally across the top and the main conveyor part 3
At a speed synchronized with the transport speeds a and 3b, the left main conveyor portion 3a is transferred from the left side and the right main conveyor portion 3b is transferred from the right side.

The unloading conveyor 10 is also formed of a slat conveyor like the main conveyor portions 3a and 3b, and details thereof are omitted, but the main guide 18, the branch guide 19, the return guide 20, and the direction change tool as described above. 21 are provided as appropriate, and as shown in FIG. 2, an unloading pressing shoe 29 is externally fitted to the unloading slat 28. Then, when the article A is unloaded to the first unloading section 9a, the plurality of unloading pressing shoes 29 are substantially linearly pushed along the transport direction of the unloading conveyor 10 and pressed to the left to push the first unloading section 9a. When it is carried out to the third carrying-out section 9c, it is pushed to the right and carried out to the third carrying-out section 9a. Therefore, a pressing surface for pressing the article A is provided on each of the left and right sides of the unloading pressing shoe 29, and when unloading to the second unloading portion 9b, the unloading pressing shoe 29 is not used. It is configured to carry out only by the carrying force of the carrying-out conveyor 10.

The operation of the automatic warehouse having the above configuration is controlled by a control device (not shown) using a microcomputer. Specifically, when the articles A are to be carried in from the carry-in conveyor 8, information about the articles A to be carried in is input to an operation device (not shown). Storage block B
1, B2, and each article storage block B1, B
The article storage shelf 1 and its article storage section in 2 are selected. Then, based on the selection, the carry-in conveyor 8
Is divided into left and right articles A, and both main conveyor parts 3
a and 3b.

Thereafter, the articles A conveyed by the main conveyor portions 3a and 3b are transferred to the article storage shelf 1 to be carried in.
When a predetermined position is reached with respect to the orthogonal carry-in conveyor 4 corresponding to the above, the air cylinder 22 is actuated to project the direction changing tool 21 toward the main guide 18 based on a signal from the presence detecting means (not shown). Let it. Then, a predetermined number of pressing shoes 15
Guide wheel 17 is turned from the main guide 18 to the branch guide 19 side, and a predetermined number of pressing shoes 15 are linearly formed along the conveying direction of the main conveyor portions 3a and 3b. The articles A are pressed to the left in the case of the conveyor section 3a and to the right in the case of the main conveyor section 3b on the right side, and are branched and transferred to the orthogonal carry-in conveyor 4.

When the article A reaches the carry-in lifter 6, the carry-in lifter 6 is raised based on a signal from the presence detection means, and the article A is scooped by the fork of the stacker crane 2. Thereafter, the fork of the stacker crane 2 is retracted, the article A is transferred onto the lift of the stacker crane 2, the self-propelled movement of the stacker crane 2 and the vertical movement of the lift,
Further, the article A is placed and stored in the article storage section of the article storage shelf 1 by the withdrawal operation of the fork, and the loading operation of the article A is completed.

When carrying out the article A, information on the article A is input to the operation device. Then, based on the input information, the control device selects the article storage blocks B1 and B2 in which the articles A to be carried out are stored, and also selects the article storage shelf 1 and the article storage section. Which one of the first to third unloading sections 9a, 9b, 9c is to be unloaded is selected. And contrary to the above-mentioned loading work,
The stacker crane 2 unloads the article A from the article storage section of the selected article storage shelf 1 and transfers the article A onto the unloading lifter 7, and then lowers the unloading lifter 7 to transfer the article A onto the orthogonal unloading conveyor 5. Put on. Then, the pressing member 26 and the pressing body 27 are actuated based on a signal from an unillustrated presence detecting means provided on the second roller conveyor 25 of the orthogonal-type carry-out conveyor 5 to move the article A to the main conveyor portion 3a. , 3b, the two main conveyor sections 3a, 3b
3b.

Then, the articles A are transferred from the first to third unloading sections 9.
a, 9b, or 9c, based on the information on whether to carry out, to the right or left side in advance, the carry-out pressing shoe 29 is moved to the right side to carry out to the first carry-out portion 9a. The unloading pressing shoe 29 is moved to the left and is unloaded to the first unloading section 9a. If it is carried out to the third carry-out part 9c, the carry-out pressing shoe 29 moved to the left is moved to the right and carried out to the third carry-out part 9a, and if carried out to the second carry-out part 9b, The unloading press shoe 29 is moved directly from the unloading conveyor 10 to the second unloading section 9b without moving.

[Other Embodiments] (1) In the above embodiment, the main conveyor 3 is constituted by a pair of main conveyor portions 3a and 3b composed of slat conveyors, and each of the main conveyor portions 3a and 3b is provided separately. Although the example of driving by the electric motor 13 has been described, both main conveyor portions 3a and 3b may be configured to be driven by one electric motor, and the cost may be reduced by sharing the electric motor.

(2) The main conveyor 3 is constituted by one slat conveyor and driven by one electric motor, and a pressing shoe 15 for pressing the article A to the left on the one slat conveyor. The pressing shoe 15 for pressing to the right side can be separately provided and implemented. Further, the pressing shoe 15 can be shared, and an example is shown in FIG. Although another embodiment of FIG. 6 will be described, since each component is almost the same as that of the previous embodiment,
The description will be given with the same reference numerals, without showing the details.

In this alternative embodiment, the entire main conveyor 3 is composed of one slat conveyor, and a pair of left and right chains 12 driven by one electric motor 13.
A plurality of slats 14 are attached between the slats, and each slat 14 is fitted with one pressing shoe 15a. Three main guides 18 are provided at the center and left and right in the width direction of the main conveyor 3, and return guides 20 are provided between the central main guide 18 and the left and right main guides 18, respectively. , A plurality of branch guides 1 corresponding to each of the right and left orthogonal carry-in conveyors 4.
9, a direction change tool 21, an air cylinder 21 and the like are also provided.

For example, when the article A conveyed by the main conveyor 3 is transferred to the left-side orthogonal carry-in conveyor 4, the direction change tool 2 by the air cylinder 22 is used.
By the operation of 1, the plurality of pressing shoes 15a are pressed and transferred while moving leftward from the center position in a state of being substantially linear along the conveying direction of the main conveyor 3. , Pressing shoe 15 used for transferring article A
a is the central main guide 18 by the return guide 20.
Returned to the side.

According to this alternative embodiment, the electric motor 13
However, since the pressing shoe 15a can be shared, the cost can be further reduced. However, since it is necessary to press the article A to the left or right by the same pressing shoe 15a, pressing surfaces are provided on the left and right sides of each pressing shoe 15a, respectively. It is different from the form.

(3) In the above embodiment, the carry-out conveyor 5
Has been shown as an example of an orthogonal conveyor, but the conveyor 5 is, for example, a roller conveyor having a large number of rollers, and the main conveyor 3 is bent obliquely from the rear in the conveying direction. It is also possible to configure so as to merge and transfer.

(4) In the above embodiment, each slat 14
The example in which the pressing shoes 15, 15a are fitted to the outside is shown,
In addition to the slats 14, a support member for supporting the pressing shoes 15, 15a may be provided, and the support member may be mounted between the pair of left and right chains 12 to implement.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which the carry-out conveyor 10 is constituted by a slat conveyor. However, the carry-out conveyor 10 may have various structures. Although the example in which the first to third unloading sections 9a, 9b, and 9c are provided has been shown, the number of unloading sections can be changed as appropriate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of an automatic warehouse.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main conveyor and a carry-in / out conveyor.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a slat conveyor.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a slat conveyor.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a guide rail of the slat conveyor.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main conveyor and a carry-in / out conveyor according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Article storage apparatus 2 Transfer apparatus 3 Main conveyor 4 Orthogonal carry-in conveyor 5 Orthogonal carry-out conveyor 8 Article carry-in part 10 Article carry-out part 14 Slat as a conveyance body 15, 15a Pressing shoe A Article B1, B2 Article storage block

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of article storage devices having a plurality of article storage sections for storing articles, and moving along the frontage of the plurality of article storage apparatuses to transfer the articles between the respective article storage sections. An article storage block having a transfer device for transferring
A pair of main conveyors are provided opposite each other, and a main conveyor having an article carry-in section and an article carry-out section is provided between the pair of article storage blocks, and each of the transfer devices in the main conveyor and the pair of article storage blocks is provided. And a plurality of carry-in conveyors that carry articles on the main conveyor into the transfer device between the main conveyor and each of the transfer devices in the pair of article storage blocks. An automatic warehouse provided with a plurality of unloading conveyors for unloading articles from a main conveyor, wherein the main conveyor moves and transports the articles integrally with the transporting body on which the articles are placed and transported. And a pressing shoe movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of conveyance by the conveyance body, wherein the plurality of carry-in conveyors are arranged in the conveyance direction with respect to the main conveyor. It is composed of an orthogonal carry-in conveyor that branches in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main conveyor, and when transferring the articles on the main conveyor to the orthogonal carry-in conveyor, a plurality of the pressing shoes are arranged along the conveying direction of the main conveyor. An automatic warehouse configured to press-transfer the article in a substantially linear shape. 2. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of unloading conveyors are constituted by an orthogonal unloading conveyor that unloads articles from the main conveyor in a direction substantially orthogonal to a transport direction thereof. 3. A pressing shoe in which said main conveyor presses and transfers an article only to a loading conveyor on one article storage block side, and a pressing shoe which presses and transfers an article only to a loading conveyor on the other article storage block side. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, comprising: 4. A pressing shoe for pressing and transferring an article to a carry-in conveyor on one article storage block side and a pressing shoe for pressing and transferring an article to a carry-in conveyor on the other article storage block side. 3. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the automatic warehouse is also used. 5. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is constituted by a plurality of slats, and the pressing shoe is movably supported by each slat.