JPS6279103A - Automatic storehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent accident with cable by performing handover/receipt of command and response data using a fixed transmitter and a fixed receiver when a transporter has come to a certain specified position, and thereby eliminating use of cables for controller and transporter. CONSTITUTION:A transporter 3 moves to a specified position, and if takeout command is being given, the object is grasped by a hand 7. If accommodation command is given, the object is placed on a rack 1 by the hand 7. Then, CPU judges where the transporter 3 lies in the vertical direction, and a transport table 4 is sunk by a motor 9 to stop when a vertical sensing pulse Pv is sensed. Further the CPU judges the horizontal position of the transporter 3, which is moved horizontally by a motor 11, and when a horizontal sensing pulse Ph is sensed, it is stopped. When the transporter 3 moves to the point of origin, the hand 7 is controlled according to the takeout and accommodation commands. If operation is out, a photosignal is emitted from a light projector 12a to be converted into a finish signal at a light receiver 14b and be sent for a controller, that should eliminate use of cable.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, an automated warehouse has shelves that can take out and store a plurality of items, and a conveyance device that takes out and stores items on the shelves according to instruction data from a controller.

Conventionally, in this type of automated warehouse, data is exchanged between the controller and the transport device.

Connect the controller and transport device with a cable.

In order to move this cable in a plane parallel to the front surface of the shelf, the cable was attached to a bendable conveyor or the like.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in such a structure, the cable is bent every time the conveyance device moves, so there is a drawback that the cable may be disconnected. Also, there is a limit to the minimum bendable radius of the cable.

A necessary range must be provided for this purpose, which has the disadvantage that the storage capacity of the shelf becomes small.

[Means for solving problems]

An automatic warehouse according to the present invention includes a shelf capable of taking out and storing a plurality of items, and a conveying device that takes out or stores the items on the shelf according to instruction data from a controller. A first transmitting means for transmitting the instruction data from the controller to the conveying device and a first receiving means for receiving response data from the conveying device and transmitting it to the controller are fixedly installed, and , when the conveying device of the conveying device is at the predetermined position, a second receiving means for receiving the instruction data is located at a position facing the first transmitting means and facing the first receiving means. a second transmitting means for transmitting the response data is fixedly installed at the position,
The controller and the conveying device transmit and receive the instruction and response data to the first transmitting means, the second receiving means, and the second transmitting means, respectively, when the conveying device reaches the predetermined position. It is characterized in that it is performed via the first receiving means.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to one drawing.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an automated warehouse according to the present invention, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a shelf from which a plurality of items 2 can be taken out and stored. 3 is a transport device. The conveyance device 3 has a hand 7 for gripping and releasing the article 2 attached to the tip of a hand support device 6 rotated by a hand rotation motor 5 fixed to the conveyance table 4. .

Further, the conveyance device 3 includes a conveyance table vertical movement motor 9 for moving the conveyance table 4 in the vertical direction along the column 8, and a column 8.
It is equipped with a column self-propelled motor 11 for moving the (conveyance table 4) in the left-right direction along the rail IOK. Furthermore, an optical coupling device 12 having a light emitter 12a and a light receiver 12b is fixedly installed on the tip side of the conveyance table 4. Although not shown in FIG.

The transport device 3 controls the driving of the vertical position detector provided on the column 8 for detecting the vertical code, the horizontal position detector provided on the rail 10 for detecting the horizontal code, and the transport device 3. It has a transport drive control circuit for this purpose.

When the conveyance device 3 is near the article loading/unloading port 13, a light receiver 14b facing the light emitter 12a and a light emitter 14a facing the light receiver 12b are placed at a position facing the optical coupling device 12.
An optical coupling device 14 having the following is fixedly installed. The optical coupling device 14 is connected to a controller 15 via a signal line, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the transport drive control circuit of the transport device 3. As shown in FIG. The transport drive control circuit 20 includes a read-only memory (ROM) 21 in which a program is stored.
and random access memory (R) as a work area.
AM) 22, and a hand rotation motor drive unit 23 that drives the hand rotation motor 5.

A hand drive section 24 that drives the hand 7 , a vertical motion motor drive section 25 that drives the conveyance table vertical motion motor 9 , a self-propelled motor drive section 26 that drives the column self-propelled motor 11 , and a horizontal position detector 31 . horizontal detection/vertical detection pulse Pv from the vertical position detector 32 and the light receiver 12
Receive data from b.

According to the program stored in the ROM 21, each drive unit 2.3 to 26 is controlled, and the projector 12a is controlled.
It has a processor (CPU) 27 through which data is sent.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a program stored in the ROM 21. Referring to the following 9 drawings,
Explain the operation.

In the initial state, the transport device 3 has its optical coupling device 12 indicated by 12' in FIG. It is located near the entry/exit port 13 and at a position (origin) facing the optical coupling device 14 . In this Q state, when the power of the transport drive control circuit 20 is turned on,
As the initial value! Zero (x, y)=(0,0) is set for the horizontal position X and vertical position y of the transport device 3 (step 41).

The controller 15 provides article position information (X, Y) and
When the instruction data including storage side information TA is sent to the light projector 14a of the optical coupling device 14, the light projector 14a converts the instruction data into an optical signal and emits it.

This optical signal is converted into original instruction data by the optical receiver 12b of the optical coupling device 12, and received by the transport drive control circuit 20 (YES in step 42). This instruction data is R
Stored at AM 22.

Next, the CPU 27 determines whether or not the retrieval/storage side information T/R is the retrieval information T (step 43).

If the storage information is π, then the rotation motor drive unit 23
Then, via the hand drive section 24, the hand rotation motor 5 and the hand 7 are controlled to grip the article at the storage entrance 13 (step 44).

Next, the CPU 27 determines whether the horizontal position information X of the article is equal to the horizontal position information X of the transport device 3 (step 45). If they are not equal, the column 8 is driven to the right by the column self-propelled motor 1 via the self-propelled motor drive unit 26 until the horizontal position detector 31 detects the horizontal position. Stella f47). When the horizontal detection pulse Ph is detected (step 47: JYES), the column self-propelled motor 1 is stopped via the self-propelled motor drive unit 26,
Increase the horizontal position information
The article is driven in the horizontal direction to a position where its horizontal position information X is equal to the horizontal position information X of the article.

Next, the CPU 27 determines whether the vertical position information Y of the article is equal to the vertical position information y of the conveyance device 3 (Stella f49). If not equal9. I: The conveyance table 4 is driven upward by the conveyance table vertical movement motor 9 via the lower movement motor drive unit 25 until the vertical detection i4 pulse Pv is detected by the vertical position detector 32 (Stella 7'50 and step 5
1). Vertical detection pulse Pv is detected (Stella 7°5
1), the conveyance table vertical movement motor 9 is stopped via the vertical movement motor drive unit 25, and the vertical position information y of the conveyance device 3 is increased by '1'' (step 52), and the process returns to step 49. Therefore, the conveying device 3 is driven in the vertical direction to a position where its vertical position information y is equal to the vertical position information Y of the article.

In this way, the transport device 3 receives article position information (x, y)
when it is moved to the position specified by .

The CPU 27 determines whether the take-out/storage information type is take-out information T or storage information π (step 53). Retrieval information T
In this case, the CPU 27 operates through the hand rotation motor drive unit 23 and the hand drive unit 24.

The hand rotation motor 5 and the knife 7 are controlled to grasp the article from the shelf 1 at that position (step 54). On the other hand, if the storage information is 100, the CPU 27 moves the article loaded with the hand rotation motor 5 and the handle 7 to the shelf 1 at that position via the hand rotation motor drive unit 23 and the handle drive unit 24. Control to place (Stella f
55).

Next, the CPU 27 obtains vertical position information y of the transport device 3
If it is not equal, the conveyance table 4 is moved downward by the conveyance table vertical movement motor 9 via the vertical movement motor drive unit 25 and the vertical position detector 32 detects the vertical position. Drive is performed until pulse Pv is detected (steps 57 and 58).

Vertical detection pulse Pv is detected (YE in step 58)
S) and the CPU 27 are the vertical motor drive unit 25
The conveyor table vertical movement motor 9 is stopped via the conveyor bag 3.
It is driven vertically until its vertical position is '°0#.

Next, the CPU 27 obtains horizontal position information X of the transport device 3
is "0" or not, and if it is not equal to step 60)9, the column self-propelled motor 1 is
1, the column 8 is driven to the left until the horizontal detection pulse Ph is detected by the horizontal position detector 31 (step 6
1 and step 62).

Horizontal detection pulse Ph is detected (Y of Stella 7'62
ES) and the CPU 27 are self-propelled motor drive units 26
The column self-propelled motor 11 is stopped via the step 63), and the horizontal position information X of the conveyance device 3 is decreased by °'1# (step 63), and the process returns to step 59. Therefore, the conveying device 3 is driven in the horizontal direction until its horizontal position is '0''.

In this way, when the conveyance device 3 is moved to the origin position (0*O), the CPU 27 displays the takeout/storage information V
Step 64) to determine whether π is the extraction information T;
If the retrieval information is T, the hand rotation motor drive section 23 and the knife drive section 24 are used to move the knife rotation motor 5 and knife 7 so that the article that has been gripped is placed away from the storage entrance 13. control (step 65).

Next, the CPU 27 sends a termination signal to the light projector 12a of the optical coupling device 12 (Stella f66). The light projector 12a converts this termination signal into an optical signal and emits it.

This emitted light is converted into the original end signal by the light receiver 14b of the optical coupling device 14 and sent to the controller 15. Upon receiving this completion signal, the controller 15 knows that the removal or storage process by the transport device 3 has been completed and that the transport device 3 is waiting near the storage entrance 13. Therefore, the controller 15 again sends the next instruction data to the light projector 14a of the optical coupling device 14, and the above-described operation is repeated again.

In addition, although the above embodiment shows an example in which data is exchanged between the transport device and the controller by optical coupling via an optical coupling device, the present invention is not limited to this. You can do it like this. or,
Conveyance drive control circuit.

Returns response data indicating whether or not the received instruction data was correctly received to the controller, and if the response data is a negative response, the controller.

The instruction data may be sent again to the transport drive control circuit.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, the present invention eliminates the need for a cable for connecting the controller and the transport device, and therefore has the advantage that there is no problem with the cables as in the prior art. Also, signal changes and reduction in noise resistance that tend to occur when long signal cables are used are avoided. Furthermore, data is exchanged between the controller and the transport device at a predetermined location.

Since this is done only when the transmitting/receiving means are close to each other, it also has the effect of requiring less power to transmit data.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an automated warehouse according to the present invention, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and Fig. 2 shows the connection relationship between the controller and the optical coupling device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the transport drive control circuit, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a program stored in the ROM of the transport drive control circuit. 1... Shelf, 2... Article, 3... Conveyance device, 12.
...Optical coupling device, 12a... Emitter, 12b... Light receiver, 13... Input/exit entrance, 14... Optical coupling device, 1
4a... Floodlight. 14b... Light receiver. Agent (7783) Patent attorney Noriyasu Ikeda %3 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automated warehouse having shelves capable of taking out and storing a plurality of items, and a conveyance device that takes out or stores items on the shelves according to instruction data from a controller, the A first transmitting means for transmitting instruction data to the conveying device and a first receiving means for receiving response data from the conveying device and transmitting it to the controller are fixedly installed, and When the conveying device is at the predetermined position, a second receiving means for receiving the instruction data is placed at a position facing the first transmitting means, and a second receiving means for receiving the instruction data is placed at a position facing the first receiving means. and a second transmitting means for transmitting the data, and the controller and the conveyance device transmit and receive the instruction and response data, respectively, when the conveyance device reaches the predetermined position. An automatic warehouse characterized in that the automatic warehouse is operated through means and said second receiving means and said second transmitting means and said first receiving means.