KR102569769B1 - Stacker Crane and Automated Warehouse System - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stacker crane and an automated warehouse system that are disposed in a warehouse and store and release goods. The stacker crane of the present invention includes a lower frame; A pair of masts extending vertically from the top of the lower frame parallel to each other; An upper frame connecting the upper ends of a pair of masts and extending in a horizontal direction; and a carriage installed in a space defined by the lower frame, the upper frame, and the mast and capable of loading an article, wherein the carriage includes a fork capable of loading an article on an upper portion and extending laterally, and an article loaded on the fork in a lateral direction. It is provided with a fall prevention guide to prevent fall over. According to the stacker crane of the present invention, it is possible to safely store and retrieve items that tend to fall sideways.

Description

Stacker crane and automated warehouse system including it {Stacker Crane and Automated Warehouse System}

The present invention relates to a stacker crane for loading or taking out goods on a shelf and an automated warehouse system including the same.

An automated warehouse system (hereinafter, referred to as an 'automated warehouse system') is known. In the automatic warehouse system, incoming goods are automatically loaded on the shelf at the designated location, and when there is a request for release, the product is automatically taken out of the shelf at the loaded location and released. Here, a device that automatically loads and takes out items is called a stacker. In particular, when the shelf is made up of multiple levels in the vertical direction and the stacker also serves as a lifter that lifts and moves items up and down to load or take out items on the desired level of the shelf, the stacker called a crane

On the other hand, in semiconductor factories or chemical factories that use a large amount of chemicals, chemical containers (typically, drums) may be used when supplying desired chemicals to process lines or storage tanks in factories that require them. In this case, a chemical supply device (typically, a hose is coupled to the discharge port of the drum and the chemical container is transported by means such as a forklift truck) to supply the chemical to the process line or storage tank. A drum coupler that sucks and supplies to the storage tank) should be transported, but in recent years, a facility that automatically transfers a chemical container has been used in order to increase productivity or to require safety (e.g., chemical container as disclosed in Patent Document 1 automatic feeder).

The chemical container automatic transfer device of Patent Document 1 includes a transfer line (transfer conveyor) for transferring the chemical container to the chemical supply device, and the transfer line is formed as a loop in which the chemical container can be circulated, so that the chemical container is transferred to the chemical supply device. It provides a buffer part, which is a space that can wait while being transported to.

However, as the production volume of factories has recently increased, the number of chemical containers that must be brought in and out per day has increased, making it difficult to cope with the increasing transport demand with only buffers provided in conventional transfer lines. Of course, the buffer unit can be further expanded by making the transfer line longer to cope with the increasing transfer demand, but the space occupied by the transfer facility increases in proportion to this, and additional extension of the transfer line may not be possible depending on the site.

Moreover, the types of chemicals (chemical containers) that have recently been brought in and out have also diversified, and even if the buffer unit is expanded, in order to transfer the desired type of chemical (chemical container) to the corresponding chemical supply device, the buffer unit (circulation loop) is required. It is inevitable to waste time and energy to unnecessarily transport (circulate) to other chemical containers in standby.

Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1947450

The present invention has been made in view of this situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automated warehouse system capable of flexibly coping with increasing transport demand.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a stacker crane particularly suitable for such an automated warehouse system.

A stacker crane according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a lower frame; a pair of masts extending vertically from an upper portion of the lower frame in parallel with each other; an upper frame connecting upper ends of the pair of masts and extending in a horizontal direction; and a carriage installed in a space defined by the lower frame, the upper frame, and the mast and capable of loading an article, wherein the carriage includes a fork capable of loading the article on an upper portion and extending laterally, and a fork on the fork. An anti-falling guide is provided to prevent the loaded articles from being overturned laterally.

According to the embodiment, the carriage includes a carriage base, a pair of carriage columns extending vertically from both ends of the carriage base, and a carriage roof connecting upper ends of the pair of carriage columns and extending in a horizontal direction, , The fall prevention guide is provided on the roof of the carriage.

In addition, the fall prevention guide is made of a pair of wings rotatable around a pivot axis parallel to the extending direction of the carriage roof, and when each end of the pair of wings is rotated downward, Each end of the pair of wings is close to an outer surface of at least an upper end of the article to prevent the article from tipping over to the side.

In this case, the pair of wings may operate independently of each other.

Alternatively, the pair of wings may operate in conjunction with each other at the same time.

Further, according to an embodiment, the fork is extensible in both directions.

Further, according to the embodiment, the carriage can be moved up and down.

Further, according to the embodiment, the stacker crane can travel in a horizontal direction.

An automated warehouse system according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a warehouse including at least one row of racks capable of loading goods and arranged in a horizontal direction; And a stacker crane disposed in the warehouse to receive the goods and load them into the racks or to release the goods loaded in the racks, including the stacker crane according to any one of claims 1 to 8, The stacker crane is disposed adjacent to the at least one row of racks side by side so as to be able to travel in a horizontal direction.

According to the embodiment, the racks are composed of two rows arranged in parallel with each other, the stacker crane is disposed between the two rows of racks, and the fork is extensible in both directions, so that any row of racks among the two rows of racks Goods can be loaded.

In addition, according to the embodiment, the racks are stacked in two or more stages in the vertical direction, and the carriage of the stacker crane can be moved up and down in the vertical direction, so that goods can be loaded into any rack of the racks stacked in two or more stages. do.

In addition, an operator passage through which an operator can move along the rack may be provided on a side surface of the rack opposite to the stacker crane.

In addition, a plurality of stacker cranes may be provided along the travel path of the stacker crane.

According to the automated warehouse system according to one aspect of the present invention, by utilizing a warehouse (rack) and a stacker crane, it is possible to simply, flexibly and space-efficiently cope with the increasing transportation demand.

In addition, the stacker crane according to one aspect of the present invention can be particularly suitably used in the above-described automated warehouse system.

In addition, the stacker crane according to the embodiment can safely store and retrieve items that tend to fall sideways.

The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and together with the detailed description of the present invention serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention, the present invention is the details described in such drawings should not be construed as limited to
1 is a plan view illustrating an automatic warehouse system according to an embodiment of the present invention and an automatic chemical container transfer system that can be used in conjunction with the automatic warehouse system.
FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of FIG. 1 .
Figure 3 is a side view of Figure 1;
4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a stacker crane according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed in an automated warehouse system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a disassembled perspective view of only the carriage of the stacker crane shown in FIG. 4;
6 is a front view showing a modified example of the fall prevention guide of the stacker crane shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;
FIG. 7 is a side view showing the carriage elevating mechanism of the stacker crane shown in FIG. 4 by omitting or cutting away some components in order to describe it.
8 is a front view showing only the fork and the fork drive unit disassembled from the carriage of the stacker crane shown in FIG. c) shows a state in which the fork is extended to the other side.
FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the operation of the fork shown in FIG. 8, where (a), (b) and (c) correspond to (a), (b) and (c) of FIG. 8, respectively.

Hereinafter, it will be described in detail according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventors may appropriately define the concept of terms in order to explain their invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as a meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that there is. Therefore, since the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, various alternatives can be made at the time of this application. It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

In the drawings, the size of each component or a specific part constituting the component is exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for convenience and clarity of explanation. Therefore, the size of each component does not fully reflect the actual size. If it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, such description will be omitted.

Further, in the following description, the X-axis is described as the left-right direction, the Y-axis as the front-back direction, and the Z-axis as the up-and-down direction, but the directions may vary depending on the position and time of the observer.

1 is a plan view showing an automatic warehouse system according to an embodiment of the present invention and an automatic chemical container transfer system that can be used in conjunction with the warehouse system, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view, and FIG. 3 is a side view.

Meanwhile, hereinafter, the automatic warehouse system is simply referred to as a 'warehouse system', and the automatic chemical container transfer system is simply referred to as a 'transfer system'. Also, when referring collectively to the 'warehouse system' and 'transport system', it is simply referred to as the 'system'.

Hereinafter, a transfer system, a warehouse system, and a stacker crane will be described in order.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 , the transport system is a system that carries in a chemical container containing a chemical therein and transports the chemical container to the chemical supply device for input or transports and takes out the chemical container discharged from the chemical supply device. The transfer system may be installed outdoors depending on the installation environment of the chemical supply device, but is preferably installed inside the factory building 1 so as not to be affected by external pollutants such as weather conditions or dust.

Meanwhile, the transport system described below is not limited to a system that automatically transports a chemical container, which is an article, and a warehouse system of the present invention is implemented in conjunction with a system that automatically transports an article. In addition, the warehouse system of the present invention is not necessarily limited to being implemented in conjunction with a transport system, whether automatic or manual.

In addition, in the following description, the chemical container, which is an article, is described as a drum (10; see FIG. 2) having a capacity of several tens of liters to several hundred liters and a weight of several tens of kg to several hundred kg, but the present invention is a form, capacity, and type of the article. is not limited by However, the stacker crane of the present invention is effective in handling items that are easily overturned because of their considerable weight and height greater than their width. In addition, hereinafter, four drums 10 containing the same chemicals are loaded and transported together on one pallet 20 (see FIG. 2), but whether the pallet 20 is used or not and the drum loaded on one pallet The present invention is not limited by the number of (10). Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, chemical containers include four drums 10 and pallets 20 that are transported in units of pallets 20 .

The transport system largely includes a transport conveyor 100 for transporting chemical containers and a control unit (not shown) for controlling each element and overall operation of the transport system. Here, the control unit may be a control unit that controls only the transfer system, or may be a control unit that controls the transfer system, the warehouse system, and/or the stacker crane in an integrated manner. In addition, the present transport system may include a forklift 30 that carries in or out of the chemical container into or out of the transport system, and a chemical supply device 40 that supplies the chemical contained in the chemical container to a storage tank or production line in a factory.

Here, terms related to 'transport' of chemical containers in this transfer system are defined. First, the introduction and removal of chemical containers into and out of the system by the forklift 30 are referred to as 'input' and 'output', respectively, and the introduction and removal of chemical containers into and out of the chemical supply device 40 are referred to as 'input' and 'discharge', respectively. It is called In addition, introducing and removing chemical containers from the warehouse 200 of the warehouse system is referred to as 'warehousing' and 'shipping', respectively. On the other hand, 'transport' means to include everything that moves the chemical container, including the above carrying in, carrying out, inputting, discharging, warehousing, and shipping, but in a narrow sense, the chemical container is moved by the conveyor 100 means to do

The transfer conveyor 100 extends horizontally according to the arrangement of the entrance 2 and exit 3, the warehouse 200, and the chemical supply device 40. That is, the transfer conveyor 100 includes a loading port 2 and a chemical supply device 40, a carrying port 3 and a chemical supply device 40, a loading port 2 and a warehouse 200, and a carrying port 3 It extends along the path connecting the warehouse 200 and the warehouse 200 and the chemical supply device 40, and may be arranged on two or more lines that cross each other vertically and horizontally, if necessary. Therefore, by the arrangement of the transfer conveyor 100, the chemical container is transported between the loading port 2 and the chemical supply device 40, between the carrying port 3 and the chemical supply device 40, and between the loading port 2 and the chemical supply device 40. It can be transported through any desired route, such as between warehouses 200, between the export outlet 3 and the warehouse 200, or between the warehouse 200 and the chemical supply device 40.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the transfer conveyor 100 may be configured by connecting and arranging a plurality of standardized conveyor modules 100a and 100b. Here, the conveyor module 100a is a conveyor module in which the chemical containers loaded thereon are transported only in a straight line, and the conveyor module 100b is disposed at a location where transfer lines diverge or intersect so that the chemical containers loaded thereon move in a straight line. and a conveyor module capable of being transported on another straight line intersecting therewith.

In this way, by constructing the transfer conveyor 100 using the conveyor modules 100a and 100b, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the transfer conveyor can be increased and the arrangement can be easily changed later. In addition, the conveyor modules 100a and 100b constituting the transfer conveyor 100 are provided with transfer rollers to transfer the chemical container loaded thereon in a horizontal direction. It is preferable that the surface of the transfer roller is coated with acid resistance and alkali resistance so as not to be damaged by corrosion or the like by chemicals that may leak from the chemical container.

The transfer roller is controlled by a control unit (not shown) and driven by a motor (not shown) rotatable in one direction or both forward and reverse directions, thereby automating the transfer of the chemical container by the transfer conveyor 100 . Meanwhile, an arrow shown in FIG. 2 indicates a transport direction of the chemical container by the transport conveyor 100 . In the drawing, the transfer conveyor 100 near the entrance 2, the exit 3, the entrance 202, and the exit 203 is shown as one-way transfer, but it may be configured to allow bi-directional transfer.

On the other hand, the chemical supply device 40 separates the stopper fastened to the outlet of the chemical container introduced by the conveyor 100, that is, the drum 10, and connects the hose to the outlet to suck the chemicals in the drum 10. It is supplied to the storage tank, and when the supply of the chemical is completed, the stopper is fastened to the empty drum 10, and the chemical container is discharged to the transfer conveyor 100. Operations such as opening and closing the stopper in the chemical supply device 40 , coupling/separating hoses, and supplying chemicals, except for inputting and discharging the chemical container, may be performed manually by a worker or by automated equipment. The controller may control part of input/discharge operations, such as opening and closing the door of the chemical supply device 40 for inputting and discharging the chemical container. In addition, when operations such as opening and closing the cap, coupling/separating the hose, and supplying chemicals in the chemical supply device 40 are automated, these chemical supply operations may be controlled by the control unit of the chemical supply device 40. and may be controlled by the control unit of the entire system.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of chemical supply devices 40 may be arranged in the form of independent booths. In this case, the types of chemicals supplied by the plurality of chemical supply devices 40 may be the same or different. When the types of chemicals supplied by the plurality of chemical supply devices 40 are different from each other, information such as the type of chemical is recorded in a barcode or RFID on the drum 10, and each chemical supply device 40 records the barcode or barcode of the input drum. RFID can be checked to ensure that the wrong type of chemical is not supplied.

The chemical supply device 40 (40a) is disposed adjacent to the side of the transfer conveyor 100 in the extending direction. Therefore, the chemical container can be directly put in/out of the chemical container between the transport conveyor 100 and the chemical supply device 40 without a relaying means such as a transport vehicle of Patent Document 1. In addition, in this case, a waiting space 110 in which a chemical container can wait may be provided at an end, that is, at a dead end, of the transfer conveyor 100 arranged in a line. In this waiting space 110, the chemical container to be put into the nearby chemical supply device 40 can be put on standby until the chemical container discharged from the nearby chemical supply device 40 is taken out (or stored). there is. In this way, since chemical containers containing the same type of chemical to be injected into the nearby chemical supply device 40 are waiting in each waiting space 110, a buffer unit is provided in a transfer line (transfer conveyor) in the form of a circulation loop. Unlike 1, a desired type of chemical container can be directly put into the corresponding chemical supply device 40.

Meanwhile, some of the chemical supply devices 40b may be disposed adjacent to the warehouse 200 as shown in FIG. 1 . In this case, the chemical container can be directly put in or discharged between the warehouse 200 and the chemical supply device 40b.

Also, although not shown in the drawing, the chemical supply device 40a may be disposed adjacent to an end of the conveyor 100 in the extension direction. In this case, since switching of the conveying direction is unnecessary, the conveyor module 100a having a simple structure may be used as a conveyor module disposed immediately before the chemical supply device 40a.

On the other hand, the chemical container, in particular, the drum 10 has a horizontal width, that is, a height greater than a diameter, so that it may fall outside the conveyor 100 by being overturned by vibration or internal chemical sloshing during transport. As shown in FIG. 1 , a worker enters and exits the interior space of the building 1 to access the transport conveyor 100 or the chemical supply device 40 . Accordingly, a safety fence 106 may be provided on the side of the transfer conveyor 100 to protect workers and surrounding structures from the overturned drum 10 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the safety fence 106 may be formed in a fence-like shape on the side of the conveyor modules 100a and 100b in the transport direction. In addition, the safety fence 106 is installed not only on the side of the transfer conveyor 100 but also on the side of the operator's passage 220 (to be described in detail later) provided on the side of the warehouse 200 so that the operator does not fall in the operator's passage 220. It can also be prevented.

Meanwhile, ends of the transport conveyor 100 toward the chemical container inlet 2 and the outlet 3 constitute a carry-in unit 100A and a carry-out unit 100B for carrying in and carrying out chemical containers. The carrying-in unit 100A and the carrying-out unit 100B may include a carrying in/out conveyor 120, an inspection/sorting unit 130, and an air shower 140, respectively.

The carry-in/out conveyor 120 may be formed of a conveyor module 100a equipped with a transfer roller to match the height at which the chemical container is transferred. Therefore, the forklift 30 can carry in or take out the chemical container into the transport system by placing the chemical container on the transport roller of the carry-in/out conveyor 120 or by collecting the chemical container loaded on the transport roller. .

The inspection/sorting unit 130 inspects whether the chemical container brought into the transport system is a chemical container required by the chemical supply device 40, and transports the chemical container so that it can be smoothly transported by the transport conveyor 100. It is to align in the center of the conveyor 100.

The inspection/alignment unit 130 includes a scanner (not shown) for recognizing chemical information by scanning a barcode or RFID attached to the conveyor module 100a, for example, on the upper surface of the drum 10, and a pallet 20 on both sides. It may be provided with a push rod (not shown) that pushes to the center of the conveyor module (100a).

In addition, the inspection/aligning unit 130 may further include a function of inspecting the size of the chemical container including the pallet 20 and the drum 10 . To this end, a size sensor (not shown) including a light receiving unit and a light emitting unit is installed above and below the four corners of the inspection/aligning unit 130, or a scanner (not shown) installed on the upper part of the frame is implemented as a line type sensor and a line type sensor The size of the chemical container can be inspected by moving in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and scanning the lower drum 10 and the pallet 20.

On the other hand, some functions and components of the inspection/alignment unit 130, for example, a push rod for alignment or a size sensor for inspecting the size of a chemical container, are carried in/out conveyor 120, not inspection/alignment unit 130. may be provided in

The air shower 140 removes foreign substances, such as dust, from the surface of the chemical container brought into the system by spraying clean air, and can be implemented as a general air shower. Also, in the air shower 140, in addition to the space through which the chemical container passes, a space through which a worker passes to remove foreign substances attached to the worker entering and exiting the transfer system may be separately provided.

Meanwhile, the arrangement order of the air shower 140 and the inspection/aligning unit 130 may be interchanged, and the air shower 140 and the inspection/aligning unit 130 may be integrated into one unit. In addition, the function of the air shower may be implemented as an air curtain installed at the entrance 2 and/or the exit 3. Furthermore, the loading/unloading conveyor 120 is omitted, and the forklift 30 directly carries/inserts the chemical container into the inspection/sorting unit 130, the air shower 140, or a unit in which the air shower and the inspection/sorting unit are integrated. It can also be configured to export.

In addition, in the above description, it has been described that the carrying in unit 100A and the carrying unit 100B are separately provided and exclusively responsible for carrying in and out of chemical containers, respectively. By allowing the rotation direction of the rollers to be changed in both forward and reverse directions, the carry-in unit 100A and the carry-out unit 100B may arbitrarily carry in and carry out depending on circumstances. Furthermore, the carry-in unit 100A and the carry-out unit 100B may be integrated to form a single carry-in unit.

On the other hand, next to the carrying-in unit 100A and the carrying-out unit 100B, there is an emergency carry-in port 2' in case of an emergency, that is, when the forklift truck 30 or the carrying-in unit 100A or the carrying-out unit 100B is unavailable due to a breakdown or the like. An emergency carry-in/out unit 100E may be further provided to carry in or take out chemical containers to the transfer conveyor 100 through ). Like the carry-in/out unit 100A and the carry-out unit 100B, the emergency carry-in/out section 100E may include a carry-in/out conveyor 120', an inspection/sorting unit 130, and an air shower 140.

However, unlike the conventional forklift 30, the carry-in/out conveyor 120' of the emergency carry-in/out unit 100E uses a simple forklift 30' in which the fork cannot be lifted in preparation for carrying in/out of the chemical container. Thus, a lifting function may be provided. That is, when the simple forklift 30' can carry in/out the chemical container to/from the conveyor 120' only at a fixed low height, the chemical container brought in/out at a low height of the carry-in/out conveyor 120' It may be configured to raise the container to the transport height or to lower the chemical container transported to the transport height to the transport height.

In addition, it is preferable that the emergency carry-in/out unit 100E is configured to use a power source independent of the normal carry-in/out units 100A and 100B so as not to be affected by power failure or the like of the normal carry-in/out units 100A and 100B.

Next, a warehouse system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The warehouse system of the present embodiment includes a warehouse 200 for storing goods, that is, chemical containers, and a stacker crane disposed in the warehouse 200 to automatically load (receive) and take out (out) chemical containers at a desired location ( 300).

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the warehouse 200 includes a rack 210 capable of loading chemical containers in units of pallets 20 loaded with a plurality of drums 10 .

The rack 210 is connected to the input/output ports 2 and 3 of the transfer conveyor 100 and is connected to the input port 202 and the output port 203, which are opposite ends, and is disposed in a horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the racks 210 are arranged in two rows parallel to each other in the horizontal direction (see FIG. 1), and are stacked in two or more stages in the vertical direction (see FIG. 3). In addition, a travel path in which the stacker crane 300 can move in a horizontal direction is disposed between the racks 210 arranged in two rows, and the stacker crane 300 moves along the travel path and the racks disposed on both sides of the travel path. A chemical container may be loaded on any rack of 210 or on a desired stage among the first stage and the second stage.

In the warehouse 200 shown in FIG. 1, the number of cells, which are spaces in which pallets 20 can be loaded, is 96 (= 2 rows * 2 columns * 24 addresses) connected to the conveyor 100 at the entrance and exit (202, 203) and the number of entrances and exits 204 dedicated to the chemical supply device 40b disposed adjacent to the above-described warehouse 200 (5), the number is 91. This is a number greater than the number of all spaces in which the pallets 20 can be located on the transfer conveyor 100, including the waiting space 110, and the transportation demand that increases much more space-efficiently than the buffer unit of Patent Document 1. can be found to be able to cope with Moreover, when the demand for transportation further increases and expansion of the waiting space is required, the system of the present embodiment can cope simply and flexibly by adding one more rack 210 of the warehouse 200.

In addition, the side of the rack 210 may be provided with a worker's passage 220 through which the worker can move. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, on the outside side of the warehouse (opposite to the stacker crane) of the racks 210 arranged in two rows, worker passages 220 through which workers can move are provided for each stage. , The condition of the chemical containers loaded in the rack 210 may be checked, and maintenance of the rack 210 or the chemical container having a problem may be taken if necessary.

Meanwhile, as described above, the stacker crane 300 is disposed to be movable in the horizontal direction between the racks 210 arranged in two rows. To this end, as shown in FIG. 4, a lower rail 206 is fixed to the floor of the warehouse 200 along the travel path of the stacker crane 300, and the lower rail 206 is attached to the stacker crane 300. Since wheels 301 are mounted so as to be able to travel along, the stacker crane 300 can travel in a horizontal direction along the lower rail 206 . In addition, the stacker crane 300 is provided with a separation prevention wheel 303 caught on both sides of the lower rail 206 so that the stacker crane 300 does not depart from the lower rail 206, so that the stacker crane 300 runs stably. this is possible Furthermore, an upper rail 205 is fixed to the ceiling of the warehouse 200 along the travel path of the stacker crane 300, and the stacker crane 300 is hooked on both sides of the upper rail 205 to the stacker crane 300. A departure prevention wheel 305 is provided so as not to be separated from the upper rail 205, so that the stacker crane 300 can run stably without being overturned left and right.

In addition, in the warehouse 200, a trolley bar 207 for supplying power is provided along the travel path of the stacker crane 300, and the stacker crane 300 contacts the trolley bar 207 to receive power ( A power receiving unit for receiving power is provided, and power required by the stacker crane 300 can be supplied.

In addition, stoppers 208 (see FIG. 2) may be provided at both ends of the traveling path of the stacker crane 300 to prevent the stacker crane 300 from traveling any further. In addition, a stacker crane waiting space 209 (see FIG. 1) in which the stacker crane 300 stands by or where maintenance of the stacker crane 300 can be performed may be provided at one or both ends of the travel path of the stacker crane 300.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of stacker cranes 300 are provided, and the chemical containers are stored, shipped, and put into/discharged from the chemical supply device 40b adjacent to the warehouse 200 simultaneously and in parallel. Alternatively, when one stacker crane 300 is unavailable due to a breakdown or the like, another stacker crane 300 can be used.

Next, the stacker crane 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

The stacker crane 300 includes a lower frame 310, a pair of masts 330, an upper frame 320, and a carriage 340.

The lower frame 310 is a base frame on which all parts constituting the stacker crane 300 are mounted or coupled, and is disposed to be able to travel on the lower rail 206 by the wheels 301 and the separation prevention wheels 303. do. The lower frame 310 may be implemented as a pair of parallel I-beams that are spaced apart in the left-right direction (X-axis direction).

A pair of masts 330 are spaced apart from each other at the top of the lower frame 310 and extend in parallel in the vertical direction. The pair of masts 330 define a height at which the carriage 340 can move up and down. Accordingly, the height of the pair of masts 330 is set in proportion to the number of stages of the rack 210 . A pair of masts 330 may be implemented in the form of a hollow steel pipe.

The upper frame 320 connects the upper ends of the pair of masts 330 and extends in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction). The upper frame 320 is movably disposed along the upper rail 205 by the anti-separation wheel 305 . The upper frame 320 may be implemented as a hollow steel pipe or a pair of joined I-beams.

The upper and lower frames 310 and 320 coupled in this way and the pair of masts 330 form an approximate 'ㅁ' or 'P' shape when viewed from the side (X-axis direction).

The carriage 340 is installed in a space limited by the upper and lower frames 310 and 320 and the mast 330 to load articles, and a fork 350 capable of loading articles on the top and extending laterally (X-axis direction), and an anti-falling guide 370 preventing an article loaded on the fork from being overturned in a lateral direction (X-axis direction).

Specifically, referring to FIG. 5 , which is an exploded perspective view of only the carriage 340 , the carriage 340 includes a carriage base 341 and a pair of carriage pillars extending vertically from both ends of the carriage base 341 . 343 and a carriage roof 345 connecting the upper ends of the pair of carriage pillars 343 and extending in the horizontal direction. The carriage 340 configured in this way, similar to the upper and lower frames 310 and 320 and the mast 330, forms an approximate 'square' shape when viewed from the side (X-axis direction), and the carriage 340 as a whole It is possible to move up and down within the space defined by the upper and lower frames 310 and 320 and the mast 330 .

A part of the carriage elevating mechanism is received inside the carriage column 343 (specific carriage elevating mechanism will be described later), and outside the carriage column 343, along the outer circumferential surface of the mast 330 when the carriage 340 moves up and down. A guide roller 347 may be provided to stably ascend and descend.

A fork 350 is fixed on the carriage base 341, and a fork driving unit 360 is disposed inside the carriage base 341. The specific configuration and operation of the fork 350 and the fork driving unit 360 will be described later.

A fall prevention guide 370 is provided on the carriage roof 345 . The tipping prevention guide 370 may be composed of a pair of wings 373 rotatable around a rotation axis 371 parallel to the front-back direction (Y-axis direction), which is the extending direction of the carriage roof 345, respectively. While the stacker crane 300 is running, the end of the wing 373 rotates downward so that the end of the wing 373 is close to the product, that is, at least the outer surface of the upper end of the drum 10, to move the product to the side. Conversion can be prevented (see left wing 373 in FIG. 4 ). In addition, while the fork 350 extends and loads or unloads the article on the carriage 340, the wing 373 rotates around the rotation axis 371 so that the article is not caught on the end of the wing 373 so that the end is upward. (see right wing 373 in FIG. 4).

A pair of wings 373 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be operated independently of each other by using respective rotational shafts 371 and respective driving units (eg, motors 375).

Meanwhile, FIG. 6 is a front view (a view in the Y-axis direction) showing a fall prevention guide 370' of a modified example. The fall prevention guide 370' of the modified example is composed of a pair of wings 373' similar to the fall prevention guide 370 of the above-described embodiment. However, the fall prevention guide 370' of the modified example can operate in conjunction with a common pivot 371' and a common driving unit (eg, a pneumatic cylinder 375') using a link structure. That is, in the state in which the pneumatic cylinder 375' is extended (FIG. 6(a)), each end of the pair of wings 373' is rotated in a state capable of preventing the overturning of the article, and the pneumatic cylinder 375' ) is in a contracted state (FIG. 6(b)), each end of the pair of wings 373' is in a state of being tilted upward so that items can be loaded and unloaded with the carriage 340. Meanwhile, a pair of wings 373' of the tipping prevention guide 370' of the modified example also serves as a carriage roof.

As described above, when the rack 210 is stacked in two or more stages in the vertical direction, the carriage 340 according to the present embodiment can move up and down in order to access a rack of a desired stage. Hereinafter, the carriage elevating mechanism will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7 .

7 is a side view of the stacker crane 300 according to the present embodiment, in which parts of the upper and lower frames 310 and 320, the mast 330, and the carriage column 343 are cut away to explain the carriage elevating mechanism. am.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the carriage elevating mechanism is fixed to the carriage 340 and is a lift drive unit for driving the first and second chains 381 and 382 disposed along a predetermined path, and the first and second chains 381 and 382 . (385).

Specifically, the first chain 381 (shown in red in FIG. 7) has one end 381a on the left in FIG. It is fixed to a portion of the carriage 340 within the carriage column 343 and passes through the inside of the right mast 330 via two sprocket wheels 383a and 383b rotatably fixed within the upper frame 320, , the sprocket wheel 383c under the right mast 330 in the lower frame 310, the drive sprocket wheel 383d driven by the lifting driver 385, and the sprocket wheel 383e in the lower frame 310 in order. Through this, the other end 382b is fixed to another part of the carriage 340 within the right carriage post 343.

The second chain 382 (shown in blue in FIG. 7) has one end 382a fixed to a portion of the carriage 340 in the right side carriage post 343 and is rotatably within the upper frame 320. Passing through the inside of the right mast 330 via the fixed sprocket wheel 383b, driving driven by the sprocket wheel 383c under the right mast 330 in the lower frame 310, and the lifting drive unit 385 The other end 382b is fixed to another part of the carriage 340 within the right carriage column 343 via the sprocket wheel 383d and the sprocket wheel 383e in the lower frame 310 in order. That is, the second chain 382 has an overlapping path with the first chain 381 except that the fixing point of one end 382a is different and it does not pass through the sprocket wheel 383a in the upper frame 320. .

Meanwhile, in FIG. 7 , the overlapping portion of the first chain 381 and the second chain 382 is shown as a line that is adjacently divided on the YZ plane for convenience of understanding, but is actually adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction. are placed in parallel

The lifting driving unit 385 is composed of a motor 385a and a power transmission mechanism (gear box) 385b and rotates the first and second chains 381 and 382 by rotating the drive sprocket wheel 383d to rotate the first and second chains. (381, 382) elevates the fixed carriage (340).

Next, with reference to FIGS. 5, 8 and 9, the fork 350 for loading or unloading articles will be described in detail.

5 is a perspective view showing only the carriage 300 of the stacker crane 300 disassembled, FIG. 8 is a front view showing only the fork 350 and the fork driving unit 360 disassembled, and FIG. 9 is a view of the fork 350 It is a conceptual diagram to explain the operation. 8 and 9, (a) shows a state in which the fork is in its original position, (b) a state in which the fork is extended to one side, and (c) a state in which the fork is extended to the other side.

Referring to FIG. 5 , a pair of forks 350 are spaced apart in the front-back direction (Y-axis direction) on the carriage base 341 and parallel to each other. A pair of forks 350 have the same structure and are configured to operate simultaneously. On the other hand, the fork 350 is not made of a pair as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, but may be made of one or three or more identical to each other.

Specifically, the fork 350 is disposed inside the fixed arm 351 so as to slide left and right (in the X-axis direction) with respect to the fixed arm 351 fixed on the carriage base 341 and the fixed arm 351. A first movable arm 352 and a second movable arm 353 disposed on the first movable arm 352 so as to slide left and right (X-axis direction) with respect to the first movable arm 352 . Articles are loaded on the second movable arm 353 .

The fork driving unit 360 is fixed inside the carriage base 341 to drive the first movable arm 352 left and right, and includes a motor 361 capable of forward and reverse rotation, a power transmission mechanism 362, and a power transmission mechanism 362 It includes a rotation shaft 363 extending in both directions of the Y axis, a drive gear 364 rotating by the rotation of the rotation shaft 363, and a driven gear 365 rotating in engagement with the drive gear 364. Meanwhile, on the bottom of the first movable arm 352, a rack gear (not shown in the drawing) meshes with the driven gear 365 to linearly move the first movable arm 352 left and right according to the rotation of the driven gear 365. is formed. Therefore, when the motor 361 rotates, the first movable arm 352 moves to the left (Figs. 8 and 9(c)) or to the right (Figs. 8 and 9(c)) according to the rotation direction of the motor 361. b)) will move.

When the first movable arm 352 moves to the left or right, the second movable arm 353 moves by twice the distance the first movable arm 352 moves. To this end, the fixed arm 351, the first movable arm 352, and the second movable arm 353 are connected so as to interlock by chains 355 and 356 and sprocket wheels 354a and 354b.

Specifically, the first sprocket wheel 354a (see FIGS. 5 and 9) is at the right end of the first movable arm 352, and the second sprocket wheel 354b (see FIG. 9, not visible in FIG. 5) is at the left end of the first movable arm 352. is fitted In addition, the first chain 355 (shown by a blue line in FIG. 9) has one end 355a fixed near the left end of the fixed arm 351 and passed through the first sprocket wheel 354a to the second movable arm. Near the left end of 353, the other end 355b is fixed. In addition, the second chain 356 (shown by a red line in FIG. 9) has one end 356a fixed near the right end of the fixed arm 351 and passed through the second sprocket wheel 354b to the second movable arm. Near the right end of 353, the other end 356b is fixed.

On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows slightly different sizes of the first and second sprocket wheels 354a and 354b for convenience of understanding, and the overlapping portion of the first and second chains 355 and 356 is vertically adjacently divided. shown with a line. However, in reality, the first and second sprocket wheels 354a and 354b have the same size, but are displaced from each other in the Y-axis direction. Accordingly, the first and second chains 355 and 356 respectively wound around the first and second sprocket wheels 354a and 354b are adjacent to each other in the Y-axis direction and disposed in parallel.

Due to the configuration of the fork 350 and the fork driving unit 360 as described above, the fork 350 expands and contracts in a desired direction among both sides (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the running direction (Y-axis direction) of the stacker crane 300. Therefore, it is possible to load or take out goods from the racks 210 on either side of the racks 210 disposed on both sides of the running direction of the stacker crane 300.

However, the stacker crane of the present invention is not limited by the arrangement of the rack 210 or the type of articles to be handled. That is, as described above, although two rows of racks 210 are arranged in two stages, one row each on both sides of the stacker crane 300, one row of racks 210 may be disposed only on one side of the stacker crane. In this case, the fork 350 may be configured to be stretchable only to one side where the rack 210 is disposed. Also, the rack may be disposed in only one stage. In this case, the height of the carriage 340 in the vertical direction may be fixed, and the lifting mechanism for lifting the carriage 340 vertically, that is, the lifting driver 385 shown in FIG. 7 , the first and second chains ( 381 and 382) and sprocket wheels 383a to 383e may be omitted. Furthermore, the stacker crane may be disposed fixedly at one point without traveling in a horizontal direction. In this case, components for driving the stacker crane 300, that is, the upper and lower rails 205 and 206, the trolley bar 207, the stopper 208 (see FIG. 2), the wheels 301, the wheel driving motor 307, Components such as the departure prevention wheels 303 and 305 may be omitted.

On the other hand, although illustration or detailed description in the drawing is omitted, the stacker crane 300 includes various sensors, for example, a traveling limit sensor for detecting forward and backward limits along the Y-axis direction of the stacker crane 300, and a carriage 340 An elevation limit sensor for detecting an elevation limit, an object detection sensor for detecting whether an item is properly loaded on the carriage 340, a fork extension limit sensor for detecting the left and right extension limits of the fork 350, and the fork 350 properly positioned in its original position. A fork home position sensor for detecting whether or not there is an obstacle or an operator in the travel path of the stacker crane 300, a fork extension sensor for detecting left and right extension of the fork 350, and the like may be provided. Such a sensor is electrically connected to the control device 390 to transmit a detection signal to the control device, and according to the detection signal of the sensor, the control device 390 controls the driving of the stacker crane 300 and the movement of the carriage lifting and lowering driving unit 385. The lifting operation and the fork extension operation of the fork driving unit 360 are controlled.

In addition, the stacker crane 300 can detect the exact position of each cell of the rack 210 to load or take out goods, and correct the position of the cell according to the detection result, that is, correct the position to load or take out the goods. To this end, the stacker crane 300 is provided with a sensor for detecting two posts (pillars) defining each cell, and the control device 390 is configured to run in the stacker crane driving direction (Y-axis) of the two posts detected by the post detection sensor. Direction) By calculating the median value of the coordinates as the center of the cell and correcting the position of the stacker crane 300 in the driving direction (Y-axis direction) accordingly, it is possible to load or take out the product accurately at the center of the cell at all times. This position correction function is particularly useful when the position of a cell located on a high floor is greatly displaced in the running direction (Y-axis direction) of the stacker crane 300 even if the post is slightly tilted as the rack 210 becomes larger and taller.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, so various alternatives can be made at the time of this application. It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

1: building
10: drum
20: Palette
100: transfer conveyor
200: warehouse
205: upper rail
206: lower rail
207: trolley bar
210: rack
300: stacker crane
301: wheel
303, 305: departure prevention wheel
307: wheel drive motor
310: lower frame
320: upper frame
330: mast
340: carriage
341: carriage base
343: carriage column
345 Carriage roof
347: guide roller
350: fork
360: fork drive unit
370: fall prevention guide
371: pivot axis
373: wings
385: lifting drive unit

Claims (13)

lower frame;
a pair of masts extending vertically from an upper portion of the lower frame in parallel with each other;
an upper frame connecting upper ends of the pair of masts and extending in a horizontal direction; and
A carriage installed in a space limited by the lower frame, the upper frame, and the mast to load articles,
The carriage has a fork capable of loading the article on the top and extending laterally, and a tipping prevention guide for preventing the article loaded on the fork from being overturned laterally,
The carriage includes a carriage base, a pair of carriage pillars extending vertically from both ends of the carriage base, and a carriage roof connecting upper ends of the pair of carriage pillars and extending in a horizontal direction,
The fall prevention guide is a stacker crane provided on the roof of the carriage. delete According to claim 1,
The fall prevention guide is composed of a pair of wings rotatable around a rotational axis parallel to the extension direction of the carriage roof, and when each end of the pair of wings is rotated downward, the above one A stacker crane in which each end of a pair of wings is close to the outer surface of at least the upper end of the article to prevent the article from tipping over laterally. According to claim 3,
A stacker crane in which the pair of wings can operate independently of each other. According to claim 3,
A stacker crane in which the pair of wings are operated in conjunction with each other. According to claim 1,
A stacker crane in which the fork is extensible in both directions. According to claim 1,
A stacker crane in which the carriage can be moved up and down. According to claim 1,
The stacker crane is a stacker crane capable of traveling in a horizontal direction. A warehouse including at least one row of racks capable of loading goods and arranged in a horizontal direction; and
A stacker crane disposed in the warehouse, receiving the goods and loading them into the racks or releasing the goods loaded in the racks, the stacker crane according to any one of claims 1 and 3 to 8 include,
The stacker crane is disposed adjacent to the at least one row of racks side by side and movable in a horizontal direction. According to claim 9,
The rack consists of two rows arranged parallel to each other,
The stacker crane is disposed between the two rows of racks, and the fork can be stretched in both directions to load goods in any row of the two rows of racks. According to claim 9,
The rack is stacked in two or more stages in the vertical direction,
The automated warehouse system of claim 1 , wherein the carriage of the stacker crane is capable of moving up and down to load goods in any rack of the racks stacked in two or more stages. According to claim 9,
An automated warehouse system having an operator passage through which an operator can move along the rack on a side of the rack opposite to the stacker crane. According to claim 9,
The automated warehouse system is provided with a plurality of stacker cranes along the travel path of the stacker crane.

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