JPH1189643A - Moving shelf device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To safely and reliably operate devices by informing it by voice from a shelf by selecting a signal to express an actuating condition of moving shelf device traveling by a motor. SOLUTION: The proper number of guide rails are laid on a floor of a warehouse or the like, and moving shelf devices 1 mounted with a voice generating circuit and a loudspeaker are arranged in a plurality. When a passage switch 23 of a passage wished to be opened is pushed, the passage switch 23 is lighted, and a carriage moves while uttering voice like 'This is about to move' together with a chime sound. When either passage switch 23 is pushed when a moving shelf moves, the whole carriages stop. At this time, voice is uttered like 'This is stopped'. When the moving shelf moves up to a prescribed passage width, the carriage automatically stops. At this time, the passage is interlocked, and the passage switch 23 is flashed, and an illuminating lamp 37 arranged above the moving shelf is lighted. When an unflashing passage switch 23 is pushed in a condition where the moving shelf is not completely moved up to the prescribed passage width, a chime sound rings, and a message of 'in use' is simultaneously uttered by voice.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile shelf apparatus which can be used as a book shelf of a library or the like or can store various articles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A plurality of electric movable shelves are arranged so as to be able to travel on guide rails, and work passages are provided only between shelves necessary for loading and unloading of articles and shelves adjacent thereto. Is formed, and the other shelves are converged, so that the limited space can be effectively used as the article storage space. In recent years, an example of constructing a space-efficient logistics warehouse or the like by combining such an electric movable shelf with a cargo handling machine such as a stacker crane or a manned / unmanned forklift has been increasing.

The above-mentioned electric movable shelf is generally used by an unspecified number of people. In this case, it is considered that most people have little experience in operating the electric movable shelf. Therefore, in the conventional moving shelf, there is a high risk of an operational error or an accident. In such a situation, it would be convenient if the user could be informed of the necessary information by voice, and by issuing a timely voice message according to the movement of the mobile shelf, operational errors and accidents could be prevented. In addition, it is possible to improve the operational convenience and safety even for a user with little experience of operation.

[0004] For example, in an elevator that is used on a daily basis, voice is generated to provide necessary information to a user or to alert the user. Also, in large vehicles such as trucks,
By generating a sound, the movement of the vehicle is informed to a third party to ensure safety. On the other hand, although there has been a moving shelf that emits a chime sound or a buzzer sound until now, it is necessary to provide necessary information to the user etc. by emitting a sound and call attention. Had not been done. However, electric powered shelves are large machines and are powered by electricity, so you need to be careful about their operation,
It is necessary to take all possible measures to prevent unexpected accidents. Although various safety devices are provided in the electric movable shelf, it is desirable to notify a user of necessary information by voice in order to further secure safety.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived in view of the above background, and is capable of operating safely and reliably by generating sound from a moving shelf. It is intended to provide a shelf device.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle having a traveling wheel and a motor for driving the traveling wheel to rotate the traveling wheel. A mobile shelf device that can travel by being driven to rotate is characterized by having a voice generating circuit for notifying an operating state of the mobile shelf device by voice and a speaker for generating the voice.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the mobile shelf apparatus according to the first aspect, the audio generating circuit has various audio signals in advance, and switches the operation state of the mobile shelf from the audio signals. It is characterized in that a corresponding audio signal is selected.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the mobile shelf apparatus according to the first aspect, when the operation of the mobile shelf apparatus is started or completed, the audio generating circuit emits an audio signal to that effect. It is characterized by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the mobile shelf apparatus according to the first aspect, when the safety device operates, the sound generating circuit emits a sound signal to that effect. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the mobile shelf apparatus according to the first aspect, when an error occurs in the mobile shelf apparatus, an audio signal indicating the error is issued. Features.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a moving shelf apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the underframe portion at the bottom of the mobile shelf device that can be used in the present invention. In FIG. 1, the movable shelf device 1 has a base frame formed by bending an iron plate or the like at the bottom, and an appropriate number of beam members 5 are laid in the width direction of the base frame to reinforce the base frame. And high rigidity is maintained. The appropriate beam members 5 form a pair, and the traveling wheel 3 or the traveling wheel 4 is rotatably supported between the paired beam members 5 and 5 via a bearing 6. The traveling wheels 3 are wheels with flanges, and are disposed on both sides in the left-right direction when viewed from the traveling direction of the moving shelf device 1 (vertical direction in FIG. 1), and before and after the traveling direction. The traveling wheel 4 is a wheel without a flange, and is disposed at a central portion when viewed from the traveling direction of the moving shelf device 1 and before and after the traveling direction.

Since the small-diameter gear 8 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 30 is engaged with the large-diameter gear 9 fixed to the connecting shaft 32 which is an integral shaft with the traveling wheels 3, 4, 3, the motor 30 Is transmitted to the connection shaft 32 via the gears 8 and 9 constituting the reduction gear train, and the traveling wheels 3, 4, 3
Is driven to rotate. That is, the rotational force of the motor 30 is transmitted to the connecting shaft 32, and the rotational force of the connecting shaft 32 is
The electric movable shelf 1 is moved along the rails by the rotation of the wheels 3, 4 and 3.

The motor 30 may be a geared motor incorporating a reduction gear train. In that case, the motor 30
May be directly connected to the connection shaft 32. The motor 30 may also be of a type having an output shaft in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the motor itself.
In addition, the type of the motor 30 is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected and used according to required specifications. For example, it may be selected from an induction motor, a reversible motor, an inverter control or chopper control motor, a servomotor, or the like. Further, a configuration in which the traveling wheels 3, 4, 3 and the motor 30 are combined, that is, a configuration in which the traveling wheels 3, 4, 3 constitute a rotor of the motor may be used.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a mobile shelf apparatus provided with a plurality of mobile shelf apparatuses 1 configured as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, an appropriate number of guide rails 10 are laid on the floor of a building, a warehouse or other structures in parallel with each other and in a straight line. The traveling wheels 3 and 4 of the moving shelf device 1 described with reference to FIG. It is designed to be able to move in the orthogonal direction. A plurality of movable shelf devices 1 are arranged, and a fixed shelf 2 is installed so as to face the outer surface of the outermost movable shelf device 1. The fixed shelf 2 is not essential, and the outermost shelf may be the mobile shelf device 1. Alternatively, instead of the fixed shelf 2, a wall of a structure may be provided, or a partition, a rail end, a stopper, or the like may be provided. In the example shown in FIG.
When the user wants to converge to the side and to put articles in and out, he or she can move the appropriate moving shelf device 1 in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 to form a work passage in front of the desired moving shelf device 1. it can.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the component arrangement of the moving shelf apparatus. The moving shelf device is divided into a moving shelf main body 19 and an operation panel section 20 attached to one side surface of the moving shelf main body 19. The operation panel unit 20 includes a power switch 2
1, a reset switch 22, a passage switch 23, and an emergency operation switch 24 are provided. Power switch 21
Is a switch with a key for turning on the power when the mobile shelf device is used. The reset switch 22 is a switch used when restoring from an alarm or error state to the original state. The passage switch 23 is a switch for performing an operation of forming a passage between shelves. Emergency operation switch 24
Is a switch for directly moving a shelf without a control circuit in an emergency.

The moving shelf main body portion 19 and the operation panel portion 20 are provided with passage entry sensors 25, 25 on the opening side of the shelf, that is, on the side facing the work passage formed between the shelves. ing. The passage entry sensor 25 is a photoelectric sensor that detects that a person has entered the work passage. An underframe safety bar 26 is provided horizontally below the movable shelf body 19 on the side facing the work passage. The underframe safety bar 26 is a bar for detecting an obstacle in the passage. A shelf safety bar 27 is provided in a horizontal direction substantially at the center in the vertical direction on the side facing the work passage of the movable shelf main body 19. The shelf board safety bar 27 is a bar for ensuring the safety of workers in the passage. The stop sensor 28 provided above the underframe safety bar 26 is a photoelectric sensor that detects the stop position of the shelf. The drive motor 30 is the motor that moves the carriage. On the back side of the operation panel section 20, a main control panel 29 and a voice control panel 31 are attached.
The main control panel 29 and the voice control panel 31 house a voice generating circuit. The illumination lamp 37 is provided on the upper part of the movable shelf for the convenience of the user. Although not shown, an earth leakage breaker as a protection device for preventing an electric shock or a fire accident, or a passage width sensor as a sensor for detecting a passage width when using an automatic multi-passage may be provided.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the content of a message issued from the voice generating circuit. For example, when the moving shelf starts moving, a message such as “moving” is produced together with a chime sound to call attention to a person near the moving shelf. When an error occurs in the mobile shelf device, a message such as "Trouble has occurred" is issued along with an alarm sound to notify the occurrence of the trouble. When the safety device on the moving shelf is activated, a message such as "The safety device has been activated" is issued together with the alarm sound to notify the occurrence of the alarm. When the power is turned on or an emergency operation is performed, a message such as "Please be careful" is uttered together with an alarm sound to call attention to a person near the moving shelf. When the passage entry sensor is disconnected, a message such as "A passage entry sensor is being disconnected" is produced along with an alarm sound to inform the operating state of the mobile shelf. If another aisle is being used, a message such as "busy" is produced along with a chime sound to indicate the use status of the mobile shelf. If moving shelves are manually stopped,
A message such as "stopped" is uttered to inform the operating status of the mobile shelf. At the time of restarting after resetting the mobile shelf, a message such as "usable" is uttered to inform the operating status of the mobile shelf. If a parameter is being set, a message such as "Parameter setting is in progress" is issued to inform the operating status of the mobile shelf. When the mobile shelf is equally divided and converged, a message such as "turn off the power" is uttered to inform the operating status of the mobile shelf.
When the display is out of order, a message such as “screen cannot be used” is uttered to inform the operating status of the mobile shelf. If the user enters the aisle, utter a message such as "Interlocked"
The operating status of the mobile shelf can be notified. When the interlock is released, a message such as "Interlock has been released" can be uttered to notify the operating status.

Hereinafter, an example of the operation of the mobile shelf and an audio function at this time will be described. First, when the user of the moving shelf presses the passage switch 23 of the passage that he wants to open, the passage switch 23 lights up and "moves" with the chime sound.
The truck moves while saying the message (#
1). If any of the passage switches 23 is pressed while the movable shelf is moving, all the trucks stop. At this time, a message "stopped" is generated (# 7).

When the movable shelf moves to a predetermined passage width, the bogie stops automatically. At this time, the passage is interlocked, the passage switch 23 flashes, and the illuminator provided on the upper part of the moving shelf is turned on. If the non-flashing passage switch 23 is pressed in a state where the movable shelf has not completely moved to the predetermined passage width, a chime sound is emitted, and a message “in use” is simultaneously emitted (#).
6).

On the other hand, when the blinking passage switch 23 is pressed, the interlock of the passage is released, and a message "interlock released" is issued (# 13).

FIG. 5 schematically shows a functional block diagram relating to the sound generation function of the mobile shelf apparatus according to the present invention. It mainly comprises a moving shelf control circuit 33, a voice function control circuit 34, and a speaker 35 as voice utterance means. When the predetermined voice utterance timing as shown in FIG.
A signal is sent from the moving shelf control circuit 33 to the voice function control circuit 34 via the / O port 36. Thereafter, the voice function control circuit 34 selects a voice corresponding to the transmitted signal,
The voice is output to the speaker 35, and a message is uttered.

In the present invention, the type of the moving shelf is not limited to the above embodiment, and the number and arrangement of the motors can be arbitrarily changed. In addition, the moving shelf device is not limited to the type that travels with the traveling wheels on the bottom thereof, and the traveling wheels provided on the upper portion of the moving shelf move along the rails installed on the ceiling or the like of the structure. An overhead traveling type that can move may be used. Further, the driving method of the movable shelf device itself is arbitrary. For example,
A plurality of moving shelves may move simultaneously as a group, or a single moving shelves may be started and then the next moving shelves may be started to reduce the current at the time of starting. Alternatively, a sequential drive system in which the moving units are sequentially started may be used, or a combination of a simultaneous drive system in which the first movable unit is started and then the subsequent moving shelves start simultaneously in a group and a sequential drive system may be used. Furthermore, the component configuration and the message content in the embodiment of the moving shelf can be appropriately changed.

[0023]

According to the present invention, there is provided a moving shelf apparatus having traveling wheels and a motor for rotating the traveling wheels, and capable of traveling by rotating the traveling wheels with the motor. It has a voice generating circuit for informing the operating state of the mobile shelf apparatus by voice, and a speaker for generating the voice, and the voice generating circuit has various voice signals in advance, and the voice signal A voice signal according to the operating state of the mobile shelf is selected from among the above, and when the device operation is completed or the safety device is activated, an audio signal to that effect is issued, so that according to the operating condition of the mobile shelf By outputting a message in a timely manner, operational mistakes and accidents can be prevented beforehand, and it is possible to improve the operational convenience and safety for users with little experience of operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a bottom view showing an embodiment of an electric moving shelf that can be used in the moving shelf device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing still another embodiment of an electric moving shelf that can be used in the moving shelf device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a component arrangement configuration of an electric moving shelf that can be used in the moving shelf device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a table showing an example of a sound emitted from the mobile shelf device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the mobile shelf device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 moving shelf device 30 motor

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A moving shelf device having traveling wheels and a motor for rotating the traveling wheels, and capable of traveling by rotating the traveling wheels with the motor, operates the moving shelf device. A mobile shelf device comprising: a voice generating circuit for notifying a state by voice; and a speaker for generating the voice. 2. The audio generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the audio generation circuit has various types of audio signals in advance, and selects an audio signal according to an operation state of the moving shelf from the audio signals. Moving shelf equipment. 3. The mobile shelf device according to claim 2, wherein the voice generating circuit issues a voice signal to that effect when the operation of the mobile shelf device is started or completed. 4. The mobile shelf apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said sound generation circuit emits a sound signal when the safety device operates. 5. The mobile shelf apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the voice generating circuit issues an audio signal indicating that an error has occurred in the mobile shelf apparatus.