JPS6243927Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to an automatic loading and unloading device that automatically takes out disc-shaped articles such as magnetic tapes from shelves and stores them therein.

Conventionally, a transport platform was provided so that it could move vertically and horizontally along the front of the storage shelf, an address code was assigned to each shelf position, and the transport platform was controlled to move according to the specified address code. , an article transfer device for transferring articles to or taking out articles from the shelves is provided, and the article transfer device is controlled to operate when the conveyor is stopped, thereby taking out articles from the shelves and taking articles to the shelves. Devices that automatically perform storage are known.

In such an automatic storage/retrieval device, when taking out or storing an article, the address code of the storage shelf position of the article is inputted using a keyboard or the like.

In addition, a code reading device is installed at the warehouse entrance to read the code mark attached to the stored item and automatically input the address code of the shelf position of the item.
In some cases, confirmation is performed by comparing input with keyboard input.

However, in conventional devices, if a power outage occurs after the warehousing operation has started, the device will stop with the items still on the conveyance platform, and even after the power outage ends, the address code that has already been entered will disappear. As a result, there was an inconvenience that the warehousing operation did not continue and stopped in that state.
To solve this problem, a storage device that does not lose its memory even in the event of a power outage may be used, but this increases the cost of the device.

The present invention provides a gripping device that firmly grips a disc-shaped article on a conveyance table to prevent it from rolling, and a reading head for reading a code mark attached to the gripped disc-shaped article. It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks by reading code marks on articles on a conveyor table.

The present invention provides an article transport platform that is provided to be controlled to move vertically and horizontally along the front surface of a storage shelf for disc-shaped articles, and an article transport platform that is installed on the carrier and when the transport platform is stopped at a predetermined position on the shelf. a conveyance platform device characterized by an article delivery device that takes out articles from a shelf or transfers articles on a conveyance platform to a shelf;
In the automatic loading/unloading device for articles, which has a drive source for operating the article conveyance table device and a control circuit for controlling predetermined operations of the conveyance table device, the article delivery device operates on the circumferential outer surface of the disk-shaped article. and a finger portion for gripping the disk-shaped article from both sides, and the conveyance table device is loaded onto the conveyance table by the article delivery device. A holding plate for gripping an article, a reading head for reading a code mark attached to an article on the conveyance table, and a positioning plate that positions the article and the reading head relative to each other on the conveyance table when reading the code mark. The device is equipped with a moving mechanism that moves a predetermined one of the gripping device and the reading head in order to move the object to a certain position. It is a stand device.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

This example is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 52-32794 and Japanese Patent Application No. 52-32794.
67342, Japanese Patent Application No. 52-67343, Utility Application No. 53-11631, etc., this example is applied to a conveyance table in an automatic magnetic tape storage.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the present invention applied to a transport platform of this type of automatic magnetic tape storage. Referring to the figure, as is well known, the conveyance table 1 is mounted on a not-shown traveling column so as to be vertically slidable. By controlling the horizontal movement of the traveling column and the vertical movement of the conveyance table, the conveyance table can be positioned at any desired shelf position.

A pick-up device 2 is provided on the conveyor table 1 so as to be controlled to move back and forth to pick up magnetic tapes on a shelf. This pick-up device has a protrusion 21 and a finger part 22. The protrusion 21 lifts up the magnetic tape, and the interval between the finger parts 22 narrows, thereby pinching the magnetic tape.

The pick-up device 2, as shown in FIG.
When moving to the front end of the conveyance table, the magnetic tape MT on the corresponding shelf is grasped by the protrusion 21 and the finger part 22, and then it is retreated and pulled out onto the conveyance table as shown in FIG.

A reading head 4 is attached to one side plate 3 that defines a storage chamber in which the magnetic tape pulled out and held by the pickup device 2 is contained.

Referring to FIG. 4 at the same time, a shaft 5 protruding from the outer surface to the inner surface is rotatably supported on the side plate 3, and a lever 6 is pivotally supported by a pin at the inner end of the shaft 5, and one end of the lever extends toward the storage chamber. A reading head 4 is attached. The other end of the lever 6 is connected to the rotating shaft 5 by a tension spring 7, thereby urging the reading head 4 to protrude into the receiving chamber.

The lever 6 is provided with a roller 8 near the reading head 4 that protrudes toward the storage chamber side from the reading head 4, so that when the magnetic tape MT is inserted into the storage chamber, the end surface of the magnetic tape MT and The distance from the reading head 4 is maintained constant.

Corresponding to the initial position of rotation of the lever 6 due to the rotation of the rotation shaft 5, that is, the standby position, a push rod 9 that passes through the side plate 3 and projects toward the end of the lever 6 opposite to the reading head 4 is inserted into the side plate. 3, this push rod 9 is connected via a lever 11 to a solenoid 10 provided on the side plate 3, and normally the tip is placed at a position away from the lever 6 by a compression spring 12, and the solenoid When the roller 10 is biased, it protrudes toward the lever 6, rotates the lever 6 against the biasing force of the tension spring 7, and operates to retract the reading head 4 and roller 8 from the storage chamber side.

A pulley 13 is installed on the rotating shaft 5,
It is rotationally driven by the motor 14 via a belt 16 stretched between it and a pulley 15 provided on the output shaft of a motor 14 separately provided on the side plate 3 .

In order to stably support the magnetic tape MT taken out by the pick-up device 2 within the storage chamber, a holding plate 17 is provided which is pivotally supported on the upper wall of the storage chamber. It is pulled up by the tension spring 18, and is engaged with the pick-up device 2 at its most retracted position so that the magnetic tape protrudes into the storage chamber and presses the magnetic tape when it is completely pulled out onto the conveyor table. A lever 19 to be operated is provided on the conveyor table, and the lever 19 and the presser plate 17 are connected by a chain or string 2.
They are joined by 0.

The operation of this device will be explained.

From the normal state shown in FIG. 1, the pick-up device 2 moves forward to take out the magnetic tape as shown in FIG. At this time, the micro switch B, which is provided as shown in the drawing to engage with the pick-up device, is turned off and the micro switch A is turned on, thereby operating the solenoid 10, and as described above, the micro switch B is turned off and the micro switch A is turned on.
With this action, the lever 6 is pivoted, and the reading head 4 and roller 8 are moved back (see FIG. 2b).

The finger section 2 is controlled by the operation of a control circuit (not shown).
2 operates to grasp the magnetic tape MT while supporting the lower end of the magnetic tape MT with the protrusion 21, and retreat. During this retraction operation, the solenoid 10 is kept on. Therefore, collision between the magnetic tape MT and the reading head 4 or the roller 8 is prevented.

When the pickup device 2 is moved backward and reaches the most rearward position as shown in Fig. 3, the lever 19 is operated, and the presser plate 17 rotates downward to press the magnetic tape MT from above, so that the magnetic tape MT is firmly supported stationary by the protrusion 21, the finger portion 22 and the presser plate 17 of the pickup device 2.
At this time, the micro switch C is turned on by the pickup device 2, and as a result, the solenoid 10 is turned off.
The push rod 9 retracts, and as shown in FIG. 3b, the lever 6 rotates under the action of the tension spring 7, and presses the roller 8 against the end face of the magnetic tape MT. As a result, the reading head 4 reads the magnetic tape MT.
Then, the motor 14 is driven to rotate the rotary shaft 5, so that the reading head 4 scans the end face of the magnetic tape.

In this way, no matter what angular position the code mark is placed on the end surface of the magnetic tape, it can be reliably read by scanning with the rotational movement of the reading head 4. It should be noted that the design must be such that the center of the magnetic tape and the center of the rotating shaft 5 at the most retracted position of the pickup device 2 coincide with each other.

Incidentally, the rotational angle range for scanning of the reading head 4 may be set in any manner as long as it is within a range that can reliably read the code mark attached to the end surface of the magnetic tape MT.

Referring to FIG. 5, assuming that the length of the code mark 3a attached to the end surface of the magnetic tape MT spans an angular range of α° (α°=120° in this example), the reading head 4 The rotation is (360° + α
By performing rotational scanning of the code mark 3a (°), no matter what angular position the code mark on the magnetic tape is placed with respect to the reading head 4, it is possible to ensure that the code mark 3a is scanned once from the tip to the end of the code mark 3a. It is possible to perform scanning across the range. Therefore, the motor 14 may be controlled so that the reading head 4 is rotated over a rotation angle range of at least (360°+α°). This control method can also be performed by controlling with a timer in relation to the rotational speed of the lever 6, but in this embodiment, this is achieved by providing a switch that detects the rotational angular position of the rotational shaft 5. are doing.

Referring to FIG. 4, an optical switch 2 consisting of a light source and a light receiving element is placed on the side plate 3 at a position adjacent to the rotating shaft 5.
3, and a light shielding plate 24 for blocking the light source and the light receiving element is provided on the rotating shaft 5 so that the light shielding plate 24 blocks the light source and the light receiving element every rotation of the rotating shaft. The angular relationship between the lever 6 equipped with the reading head 4, the optical switch 23, and the light shielding plate 24 is as follows.
When the end opposite to the reading head 4 is in a position facing the push rod 9, the light shielding plate 24 is connected to the optical switch 23.
is determined to be located.

Similarly, a similar optical switch 25, which is turned on and off by a light shielding plate 24, is provided at an angular position shifted from the optical switch 23 by α° (=120°) in the direction of rotation of the rotation axis.

As a result, with the off state of the optical switch 23 as the initial position, the motor 14 is activated by the scanning start signal, rotation of the reading head 4 is started, and when the reading head 4 rotates (360°+α°), the optical Switch 25 generates a second off signal. This 2
The motor 14 is reversed by the second OFF signal, and the motor 1 is rotated by the subsequent OFF signal from the switch 23.
4, the reading head 4 will be at (360° + α
After performing the scanning of ゜), it is returned to the initial position.

In this way, the code mark provided on the end surface of the magnetic tape can be reliably read.

FIG. 6 shows a control system diagram, in which the pick-up device control circuit 26 receives an article retrieval command signal and an article storage command signal from the main control circuit of the automatic hangar, and signals from microswitches A, B, and C.
Reciprocating motion of pick-up device 2 and finger section 22
When a pick-up command signal is input to this circuit, the motor 27 that moves the pick-up device 2 is rotated in one direction, and the pick-up device 2 is advanced toward the shelf, and is stopped by the ON signal from the micro switch A. , drive device 2 for the finger section 22
8 is turned on, and then the motor 27 is reversed, and the motor 27 is turned on by the on signal of the micro switch C.
performs a series of control operations to stop the Thus,
The pickup device 2 is stopped at its most retracted position while holding the magnetic tape MT, as shown in FIG. 3a. When a storage command signal is input from this state, the pickup device control circuit 26
In this case, the motor 27 is rotated in the normal direction and the pick-up device 2 is
is moved toward the shelf, the motor 27 is temporarily stopped by the on signal from micro switch A, and the finger drive unit 28 is turned off.Then, the motor 27 is reversed and the motor 27 is temporarily stopped by the on signal from micro switch B. A series of controls are performed to stop the rotation of the motor 27. In this way, magnetic tape
The MT is pushed out to the shelf (or the delivery section), and the pick-up device 2 is returned to the initial position shown in FIG. 1a.

The solenoid control circuit 29 receives a take-out command signal,
Storage command signal and micro switches A, B,
It controls the operation of the solenoid 10 in response to a signal from C. When a take-out command signal is input, a solenoid-on signal is output to the solenoid drive circuit 30 to maintain the solenoid 10 in an operating state. Thereafter, when an on signal is input to the micro switch C, a reset signal is generated to the solenoid drive circuit 30, and the solenoid 10 is made inactive. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, the reading head 4 is placed in the reading position. When the storage command signal is input, the solenoid drive circuit 29 similarly outputs an on signal to the solenoid drive circuit 30 to maintain the solenoid 10 in the operating state, and the signals from the micro switches B and A change from B→A→ When input in the order of B, an off signal is generated to put the solenoid 10 in a non-operating state. In this way, the reading head is placed in the initial state of FIG.

The reading head control circuit 31 controls the operation of the motor 14 and the reading head 4, and generates an activation signal at the same time as a reset signal that is generated when the solenoid control circuit 29 receives an ON signal from the microswitch C after receiving a take-out command signal. When the reading head control circuit 31 inputs an activation signal, it provides a reading operation signal to the reading head 4 and also provides a signal to the motor drive circuit 32 to rotate the motor 14 in the forward direction. Thus, the reading head 4 rotates and scans opposite the surface of the magnetic tape MT. During this time, the optical switches 23 and 25 are controlled by the light shielding plate 24, and when the optical switch 25 generates a second OFF signal, the reading head control circuit 31 generates a reading stop signal to the reading head 4 and outputs a reverse rotation signal to the motor drive circuit 32. Thus, the motor 14 rotates in the reverse direction, and when an OFF signal is input from the microswitch 23, a motor stop signal is output to the motor drive circuit 32 and a read end signal is output to the above-mentioned main control circuit.

In this way, the reading head 4 completes the code reading operation and returns to the state shown in FIG. 3.

The aforementioned storage command signal from the main control circuit is generated after the main control circuit receives this reading completion signal.

The read output from the reading head 4 is used to confirm the retrieved article or to input the warehousing position code.

In the above embodiment, since the reading head 4 rotates, the cord connected to the reading head must also move accordingly.
This is simply undesirable because it may cause the cord to get caught. Therefore, in this embodiment, the lever 6 and the rotary shaft 5 are hollow bodies, the cord is drawn out through the hollow part, and the end of the rotary shaft 5, as best shown in the exploded view of FIG. A cord winding reel 61 is provided at the slit 6, and the cord 62 pulled out from the hollow part of the rotating shaft 5 is passed through the slit 6 from inside the reel 61.
3 and connect it to a flat cable 64, wind this flat cable 64 loosely onto a reel 61, and fix its end with a cord attachment block 65 fixed on a fixing block 3' on the side plate.
From there, it is extracted to the outside.

With this structure, the cord 62 does not sag, and when the reading head rotates,
Since the flat cable 64 operates like a clockwork, the cord will not be twisted and will not break.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the reading head 4 is rotated relative to the magnetic tape taken out onto the transport table, but conversely, the reading head 4 may be fixed and the magnetic tape 3 rotated. good. Examples in this case are shown in FIGS. 7-9.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the carrier 1 is also equipped with a pick-up device 2. As shown in FIGS. The configuration and operation of this pickup device 2 are similar to those in the previous embodiment.

Each side plate 3, 3' has a shaft 33, 33' rotatably supported therethrough, and a disk 34, 34' is attached to the inner end of each. The shafts 33, 33' are urged to protrude outward by springs 35, 35', while rollers 37, 37' provided at the ends of levers 36, 36' engage with the shaft heads. lever 36,3
The other end of 6' is connected by a chain or string 38, 38' to a lever 39 which is engaged and operated when the pick-up device 2 reaches its fully retracted position.

Therefore, when the pick-up device 2 reaches the most retracted position, the shafts 33, 33' are pushed down inward to the side plates 3, 3', thereby removing the magnetic tape MT held by the pick-up device 2. Disc 3 from both sides
4, 34' are clamped. In addition, the shafts 33, 3
3' is provided at a position opposite to the center of the magnetic tape MT when the pickup device 2 reaches the most retracted position.

A gear 40 is fixed to one shaft 33,
This gear meshes with a gear 42 supported on the output shaft of a motor 41 supported on the side plate, so that rotation of the motor 41 causes the disc 34 to
The magnetic tape MT crimped and clamped at 34' is rotated.

On one side plate 3', during the rotation of the magnetic tape,
A reading head 4 for reading code marks attached to the end surface of the magnetic tape is fixed.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the control system diagram in FIG.

The operation of the pick-up device 2 is as described above except that when the pick-up device 2 is in the most retracted position, that is, when the micro switch C is on, the finger section 22 releases the gripping operation of the magnetic tape MT. This is the same as in the embodiment.
That is, the pickup control device 26' differs from the control circuit in FIG. 6 in that it outputs a reset signal for the finger drive circuit 28 when the microswitch C is on. As a result, at the most retracted position of the pickup device, the magnetic tape MT is supported by the crimp clamps of the disks 34, 34'. On the other hand, when the signal from the micro switch C is input after the eject command signal is input to the reading head control circuit 31', the motor 4
1 operation signal is supplied to the motor drive circuit 43, and a read command signal is also given to the read head 4, thus rotating the magnetic tape. During this time,
The reading head reads the code marks.

In the case of this embodiment, the reading head 4 is fixed, and there is no need to return it to its original position as in the previous embodiment.
゜) Just rotate it. Therefore, the reading head control circuit 31' controls the motor 41 after a certain period of time determined by taking into account the rotational speed of the magnetic tape MT caused by the rotation of the motor 41, that is, (360°+α).
After the time required to rotate the motor drive circuit 4
3 and the read head 4;
At the same time, a reading end signal is generated to the main control circuit.

As shown in FIG. 7, the magnetic tape MT is crimped and clamped by the pivoting action of the lever 39 caused by the engagement between the lever 39 and the pick-up device 2. However, instead of this, a solenoid may be used to clamp the magnetic tape MT. It's okay. In this case, the solenoid may be operated when the micro switch C is turned on to clamp the magnetic tape between the discs.

10 and 11 show a modification of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, in which the magnetic tape MT is grasped and rotated using the center hole of the magnetic tape MT. That is, a shaft tube 44 is rotatably and slidably supported in the axial direction by penetrating one side plate 3' of the conveyance platform.

The outer end of the shaft tube 44 is rotatably supported by an air cylinder 45, and the shaft tube 44 is moved back and forth by the operation of the cylinder. Further, a gear 46 is attached to the shaft cylinder 44, and the gear 46 is a gear 47 of the output shaft of the motor 41 installed on the side plate 3'.
As a result, the shaft cylinder 44 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 41.

Three arm cylinders 48a, 48b, and 48c are provided at the inner end of the shaft cylinder 44 and extend at 120° intervals in the radial direction, and a rod 49 is slidably supported within each arm cylinder. ing. The rod 49 has a V block 50 with a V groove at its outer end and an inclined surface 51 at its inner end.

A shaft 53 that is moved back and forth by a solenoid 52 is disposed within the shaft cylinder 44, and a triangular pyramid (or cone) 54 that engages with the inclined surface 51 of the rod 49 is provided at the tip of the shaft 53. Therefore, when the shaft 53 is pulled by the operation of the solenoid 52, the rod 49 is pushed out in the axial direction by the sliding contact between the triangular pyramid 54 and the inclined surface 51, and the V groove at the tip of the rod is inserted into the magnetic tape MT. The magnetic tape is supported by engaging the edge of the center hole of the magnetic tape.

When the solenoid 52 is deenergized, the shaft 53 is returned to its original position by the force of a spring (not shown), and the rod 50 is also pulled back into the arm cylinder by a tension spring 55.

A reading head 4 for reading code marks attached to the end surface of the magnetic tape MT is fixedly supported on the inner surface of the side plate 3.

In the case of this embodiment, the ninth
In addition to the control circuit shown in the figure, a cylinder control circuit and a solenoid control circuit are added.

The operation will be explained with reference to FIG.

As before, the pickup device is operated under the control of a pickup device control circuit 26''.
However, here, the pickup device control circuit 2
6'' applies a cylinder operation signal to the cylinder drive circuit 56 to move the shaft cylinder 44 inward when the pickup device moves to the magnetic tape pickup retreat position and the micro switch C is turned on.

The cylinder drive circuit 56 generates a drive signal to the solenoid 52 and activates the read head control circuit 31' when the shaft cylinder 44 is moved to the final position in which the tip arm cylinder 48 is located in the center hole of the magnetic tape MT. The pickup control circuit 26'' generates a signal to the pickup control circuit 26'', thereby causing the pickup control circuit 26'' to control the finger section control circuit 2.
8, the reading head control circuit 31' gives an operation signal to the motor drive circuit 43 and the reading head 4 to rotate the magnetic tape MT supported by the V block 50, and during this time the magnetic tape MT is rotated.
A reading head 4 continues reading the code mark made on the end face. After the magnetic tape MT has rotated (360°+α°), the operations of the motor 41 and the reading head 4 are stopped, and a reading end signal is output from the reading head control circuit.

Thereafter, when the storage command signal is input to the pickup device control circuit 26'', the pickup device control circuit 26'' operates the finger drive circuit 28 and generates a recovery signal to the cylinder drive circuit 56. At this time, the cylinder drive circuit 56 restores the solenoid 52, thereby releasing the support of the magnetic tape MT by the V block 50, and then restores the cylinder, and the cylinder 4
5, a recovery signal is given to the pickup device control circuit 26'', which causes the pickup device control circuit 26'' to reverse the motor 27 and send out the magnetic tape.

As described above, according to the conveyance table device according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably hold the disk-shaped article with the protrusion and the finger portion and take it out onto the conveyance table, and furthermore, the disk-shaped article can be held on the conveyance table with the presser plate. , tumble, fall,
It is possible to reliably and stably support the article to prevent it from slipping off, and the code mark of the gripped article can be automatically read on the conveyance table, so the article can be easily held while the conveyance table is moving. Not only is there no risk of the device falling, but the code mark can be read even while the device is being transported on a transport platform. Therefore, when leaving the warehouse, you can check when the item you want to take out is taken out from the shelf and onto the conveyor table, when you enter the warehouse, you can check the goods that have been taken from the storage entrance onto the conveyor table, or when you enter the warehouse, you can automatically input the address code of the storage location, or when there is a power outage. There are various applications and advantages, such as automatic input of the address code of the storage position of the article on the conveyor table when re-operating later.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 6 are views showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 1 to 3 are views showing a schematic configuration and different operating states, respectively, in which figure a is a front view, figure b is a sectional view, and figure 4 is a cross-sectional view.
The figures are partially enlarged views: a is a front view, b is a rear view, c is a side view, d is a partially exploded view, Fig. 5 is an end view of the magnetic tape, and Fig. 6 is a control system diagram. It is. 7 to 9 show other embodiments, FIG. 7 is a front view, FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial sectional view, and FIG. 9 is a control system diagram. 10 to 12 show still another embodiment, in which FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged sectional view, FIG. 11 is a partially front view, and FIG. 12 is a control system diagram. 1... Transport platform device, 2... Pick up device,
3...Side plate, 4...Reading head, MT...Magnetic tape, 3a...Code mark.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] An article conveyance table provided to be controlled to move vertically and horizontally along the front surface of a storage shelf for disc-shaped articles; A conveyance table device characterized by an article delivery device for taking out or transferring articles on the conveyance table to a shelf, a drive source for operating the article conveyance device, and controlling a predetermined operation of the conveyance table device. In the automatic loading and unloading device for articles, the article delivery device has a protrusion that supports the circumferential outer surface of the disk-shaped article from below, and a finger section that grips the disk-shaped article from both sides. The conveyance table device has a presser plate for gripping the article taken onto the conveyance table by the article delivery device, and a code mark attached to the article on the conveyance table. a reading head for reading the code mark; and a moving mechanism for moving a predetermined one of the gripping device and the reading head in order to move the article and the reading head relative to each other on the conveyance table when reading the code mark. A conveyance table device in an automatic storage/retrieval device, which is equipped with a conveyance table and thereby enables confirmation of articles on the conveyance table.