TWI701413B - Automated storage and retrieval system and air pressure regulating method in the system - Google Patents

Abstract

An automated storage and retrieval system comprises a shelf, a handling device, displacement detector, air blast supply devices, exhaust devices, and a control device. The shelf is disposed in parallel to a moving route, and includes storage spaces. The handling device receives a moving command to move on the moving route. Each air blast supply device is disposed at one of the storage spaces to blast air to the storage space. The control device is electrically connected to the handling device, the displacement detector, the air blast supply devices, and the exhaust deices. The control device generates the moving command, and receives a displacement signal to derive a location and a moving direction of the handling device. Defining the moving direction being directing to the front of the handling device; when the handling device moves, the control device determines which one of the exhaust devices is in front of the handling device and then controls at least one of the exhaust devices in front of the handling device to exhaust air, and controls at least one of the air blast supply devices to raise flow rate of air blasting.

Description

Automatic storage system and automatic storage pressure adjustment method

The present invention relates to automatic storage, in particular to an automatic storage system and an automatic storage pressure adjustment method.

Automatic storage is a computer-controlled processing equipment that memorizes the storage location of materials, and uses an unmanned handling system to move the goods to place the goods in the designated storage location or take the designated goods out of the storage location.

In factories that have dust-free requirements, such as semiconductor factories, whether they store finished or semi-finished products in automatic storage, the storage environment also has dust-free requirements. Normally, when the automatic storage is not carrying out cargo storage and retrieval operations, even if there are particles (dust) in the environment, they usually settle due to the relatively stable air flow. However, when the truck without the transportation system starts to move, the truck will act like a piston, pushing forward air and attracting air from the rear, resulting in an air flow in the same direction as the truck. The airflow at this time will blow up the settled particles and greatly increase the amount of particles in the air. Even when the truck attracts air from the rear, the local pressure drop behind the truck will cause the air with lower cleanliness to be sucked in, and the amount of particulates will increase significantly.

In the automatic storage of the prior art, the pressure change generated when the truck of the unmanned handling system moves increases the amount of particles in the air and affects the cleanliness. The moving speed of the truck must be reduced to reduce the increase in the amount of particles, thereby reducing the operating speed of the unmanned transport system.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention proposes an automatic storage system, which includes at least one shelf, a transport device, a displacement detector, a plurality of air supply devices, a plurality of air exhaust devices, and a control device. The shelf is arranged parallel to a moving path, and has an inner side and an outer side opposite to each other. The inner side faces the moving path; the shelf further includes a plurality of storage positions and a plurality of openings, and is connected to the inner and outer sides of the shelf . The conveying device is used for receiving a displacement command and moving along the moving path. The displacement detector is used to detect the position of the conveying device on the moving path and generate a displacement signal corresponding to the position. A plurality of air supply devices are respectively arranged in one of the plurality of storage positions to supply air to the plurality of storage positions. A plurality of exhaust devices are arranged along a direction parallel to the moving path to exhaust a space on the moving path. The control device is electrically connected to the conveying device, the displacement detector, the air supply device and the exhaust device; the control device is used for generating displacement instructions and receiving the displacement signal to obtain the position and moving direction of the conveying device.

The direction pointed to by the defined moving direction is the front of the conveying device. When the conveying device moves, the control device is among the multiple exhaust devices to determine which one is in front of the conveying device, and control at least one exhaust device located in front of the conveying device to start the pumping And control at least one blowing device located behind the conveying device to increase the blowing flow.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic storage system includes two shelves, the two shelves are arranged parallel to the moving path, and the moving path is located between the two shelves.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust device is arranged at intervals on the bottom of the shelf, and exhausts air on the inner side of the shelf.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the control device may further include a main controller and a transport controller; the main controller is electrically connected to the air supply device, the air exhaust device, and the transport controller, and is used for generating displacement instructions and controlling the air supply device. And the exhaust device is controlled and switched; the transport controller is electrically connected to the transport device and the displacement detector, and is used to control the movement of the transport device according to the displacement command, and receive the displacement signal to obtain the position and movement direction of the transport device and send it to the host Controller.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, when the conveying device moves, the control device closes the exhaust device already located behind the conveying device.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, among the multiple exhaust devices located in front of the conveying device, the control device activates the exhaust device closest to the conveying device, and the control device closes the exhaust that is no longer in front of the conveying device on the moving path Device.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, in the air blowing device located behind the conveying device, the control device switches a blowing flow rate of the blowing device closest to the conveying device to increase.

In the air supply device located behind the conveying device, the control device decreases the air supply flow of each corresponding air supply device to a preset air supply flow as the distance between each air supply device and the transportation device increases.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic storage system further includes at least one airflow detecting device disposed at the opening and electrically connected to the control device; the airflow detecting device is used to detect a wind direction and an airflow flow rate of the opening, The control device adjusts a supply air flow rate of each air supply device and a suction air flow rate of each suction device according to the wind direction and the air flow rate.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, when the opening is located in front of the conveying device, the wind direction is outward, and the air flow rate continues to rise, the control device switches the exhaust device located in front of the conveying device to increase the air flow rate; and when the air flow rate has gradually increased Reduce, or change the wind direction to inward, the control device switches the exhaust device located in front of the conveying device to reduce the exhaust flow or close the exhaust device.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, when the opening is located at the rear of the conveying device, the wind direction is inward, and the air flow continues to rise, the control device switches the air blowing device located behind the conveying device to increase the air flow; and when the air flow has gradually increased Reduce or change the wind direction to the outside, the control device switches the air supply device located in front of the conveying device to reduce the air flow or close the air supply device.

The present invention also provides an automatic storage pressure adjustment method, which is suitable for a storage space in which a shelf, a plurality of air supply devices and a conveying device are arranged, the shelf is arranged parallel to a moving path, and an inner side faces the moving path; The rack has a plurality of storage positions, and the plurality of air supply devices are respectively used to send air to the plurality of storage positions at a blowing flow rate, and the conveying device is used to move back and forth along the moving path; the automatic storage pressure adjustment method includes: obtaining that the conveying device is moving A position and a moving direction of the path; define that the direction pointed by the moving direction is a front of the conveying device, and the opposite direction is a rear; and among multiple exhaust devices, determine which one is in front of the conveying device, and control is located in the conveying device At least one air extraction device in front of the venting device starts air extraction to extract air from the space in front of the conveying device, and to increase the at least one air blowing device located behind the conveying device to increase the air flow.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one air extraction device that starts air extraction is the air extraction device closest to the handling device.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the step of exhausting the space in front of the conveying device further includes: judging whether at least one exhaust device that has started pumping is no longer in front of the conveying device; and closing it is no longer located in the conveying device At least one exhaust device in front of the device.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the step of increasing at least one blowing device located behind the conveying device to increase the blowing flow includes: among the plurality of exhaust devices, judging which one is located behind the conveying device; and raising the blowing closest to the conveying device The supply air flow of the device.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the step of increasing at least one blowing device located behind the conveying device to increase the blowing flow is further included in the plurality of blowing devices located behind the conveying device, as each blowing device and the conveying device increase As the distance increases, the air supply flow rate of each corresponding air supply device is decreased to a preset air supply flow rate.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic storage pressure adjustment method further includes detecting a wind direction and an air flow of an opening of the shelf; wherein the opening is connected to the inner side and an outer side of the shelf; and the control device is based on the wind direction and the air flow , Adjust a supply air flow of each air supply device and a suction flow of each air extraction device.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, when the opening is located in front of the conveying device, the wind direction is outward, and the air flow rate continues to rise, switching the exhaust device located in front of the conveying device to increase the air flow rate; and when the air flow rate has gradually decreased, Or the wind direction changes to inward, and the exhaust device located in front of the conveying device is switched to reduce the exhaust flow or close the exhaust device.

In at least one embodiment of the present invention, when the opening is located at the rear of the conveying device, the wind direction is inward, and the air flow continues to increase, the air blowing device located behind the conveying device is switched to increase the air flow; and when the air flow has gradually decreased , Or the wind direction changes to outward, switch the air supply device located behind the conveying device to reduce the air flow or close the air supply device.

By pumping air at the front of the conveying device, and raising the air supply at the back of the conveying device, the pressure change caused by the movement of the conveying device can be effectively balanced, avoiding violent air flow on the moving channel, and avoiding storage The number of particles in the air in the space has increased significantly. The flow rate of suction and air supply can be adjusted according to the moving speed of the conveying device. Therefore, the conveying device does not need to reduce the moving speed in order to avoid dust, but can increase the operating speed.

100: automatic storage system

110: Shelves

110a: inside

110b: outer side

112: Reserve

114: opening

116: Pick and Place Platform

120: Handling device

130: Motion Detector

132: Optical reader

134: Marking Pattern

134a: Location mark

140: air supply device

150: Ventilation device

160: control device

162: Main Controller

164: Transport Controller

170: Airflow detection device

M: moving path

Cm: displacement command

Sm: Displacement signal

S110~S160: steps

S210~S250: steps

S310~S350: steps

Fig. 1 is a top view of an automatic storage system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the automatic storage system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the automatic storage system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic diagram of the displacement detector combined with the transport device in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the automatic storage system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, revealing that the conveying device moves on the moving path.

Fig. 6 is a top view of the automatic storage system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, revealing the correspondence between the conveying device and the airflow.

Figures 7 to 9 are side views of the automatic storage system of the first embodiment of the present invention, revealing the switching of the air supply device and the air extraction device.

Fig. 10 is a top view of an automatic storage system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a circuit block diagram of an automatic storage system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart of the automatic storage pressure adjustment method of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a flow chart of adjusting the suction flow according to the air flow and flow direction of the opening in the automatic storage pressure adjustment method of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a flow chart of adjusting the supply air flow according to the air flow and flow direction of the opening in the automatic storage pressure adjustment method of the present invention.

In the following drawings and throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same elements. It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on" or "connected to" another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element, or intermediate elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, there are no intervening elements.

In addition, relative terms such as “lower” or “bottom surface” and “upper” or “top surface” may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another element, as shown in the figure. It should be understood that relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device other than those shown in the figures. For example, if the device in one figure is turned over, elements described as being on the "lower" side of other elements will be oriented on the "upper" side of the other elements. Therefore, the exemplary term "lower" may include an orientation of "lower" and "upper", depending on the specific orientation of the drawing. Similarly, if the device in one figure is turned over, elements described as "below" other elements will be oriented "above" the other elements. Thus, the exemplary terms "below" or "below" can include an orientation of above and below.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which is an automatic storage system 100 disclosed in the first embodiment of the present invention, which is set in a storage space. The storage space normally maintains a positive pressure state, so that the pressure in the storage space is greater than the external pressure, avoids the entry of particles such as external dust, and maintains a dust-free storage environment.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the automatic storage system 100 includes at least one shelf 110, a transport device 120, a displacement detector 130, a plurality of air supply devices 140, a plurality of air exhaust devices 150, and a control device 160 .

As shown in FIG. 1, in a specific embodiment, the automatic storage system 100 includes two shelves 110. The two shelves 110 are arranged parallel to a moving path M, and the moving path M is located between the two shelves 110; therefore, the two sides of the shelf 110 can be respectively defined as the inner side 110a and the outer side 110b that are opposite to each other, and the inner side 110a Face the movement path M. Each shelf 110 has a plurality of storage positions 112 and a plurality of openings 114. The storage position 112 is used for storing items, and the opening 114 is connected to the inner surface 110a and the outer surface 110b of the shelf 110. The opening 114 is connected to a pick-and-place platform 116 located on the outer side 110b of the shelf 110, the pick-and-place platform 116 is used for temporary placement of items, and the opening 114 is used for items to pass through, so as to move the items from the pick-and-place platform 116 to the transport device 120, or The transport device 120 moves the objects to the picking and placing platform 116.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the conveying device 120 is used to receive a displacement command Cm and move back and forth along the movement path M. According to the displacement command Cm, the conveying device 120 takes out the article from the storage position 112 and moves the article to the opening 114. Or the opening 114 can receive items and move to the designated storage location 112.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the displacement detector 130 is used to detect the position of the conveying device 120 on the movement path M, generate a displacement signal Sm corresponding to the position, and transmit the displacement The signal Sm is sent to the main controller 160. The displacement detector 130 may be an independent component installed on the shelf 110 or the moving path M, integrated with an integrated component built in the conveying device 120, or separately installed on the shelf 110/moving path M and the conveying device 120. The detection assembly.

As shown in FIG. 4, it is a specific implementation of the displacement detector 130. The conveying device 120 is driven by a linear motor located on the moving path M, and moves back and forth. The displacement detector 130 includes an optical reader 132 disposed on the conveying device 120 and a marking pattern 134 disposed along the moving path M. The mark pattern 134 has positioning marks 134a arranged at intervals. The positioning mark is read through the optical reader 132, and the relative position of the read positioning mark in the marking pattern 134 is determined, and the position of the conveying device 120 can be obtained.

The displacement detector 130 shown in FIG. 4 is only an example, and is not intended to limit the specific implementation of the displacement detector 130. The displacement detector 130 may also be a counter to detect the number of forward and reverse rotations of a stepping motor of the transport device 120. According to the number of forward and reverse rotations of the stepping motor and the starting point of movement of the conveying device 120, the control device 160 converts the position and the moving direction of the conveying device 120 on the moving path M. Taking the stand-alone components installed on the shelf 110 or the moving path M as an example, the displacement detector 130 can be a combination of multiple sensors arranged along the moving path M, by sensing the setting of the sensor of the conveying device 120 The position is used by the control device 160 to determine the position and direction of the movement path M. For another example, the displacement detector 130 may be a distance measuring device directly used to measure the distance between the displacement detector 130 and a marked point on the conveying device 120, so that the conveying control device 160 can determine that the conveying device 120 is in a moving path. M's location.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, each air blowing device 140 is disposed in one of the storage positions 112. Each air supply device 140 is used to provide filtered clean air flow and continuously supply air to each storage position 112 to prevent particles from falling into the storage position 112 and blown off. Reservoir 112 of the particles. Specifically, each air supply device 140 is individually controlled and independent of other air supply devices 140, so that each air supply device 140 can adjust its speed according to storage conditions. The specific embodiment of the air blowing device 140 is a fan filter unit (FFU), which includes a fan and a filter material combined with the fan; however, the implementation of the air blowing device 140 is not limited to the fan filter unit.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the air exhaust device 150 is arranged along a direction parallel to the moving path M to extract air from the space on the moving path M. In a specific embodiment, the air exhaust device 150 can be arranged at intervals on the bottom of the shelf 110, and the air is drawn on the inner side 110a of the shelf 110, and the extracted gas is sent to the automatic storage system 100 by the pipeline configuration. The air is directly pumped to the outer surface 110b of the shelf 110. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the automatic storage system 100 actually has two shelves 110, and each shelf 110 is equipped with a row of exhaust devices 150.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 160 is electrically connected to the carrying device 120, the displacement detector 130, the air blowing device 140 and the air exhaust device 150. The control device 160 is used for generating a displacement command Cm to drive the conveying device 120 to move back and forth, and the displacement detector 130 receives the displacement signal Sm to obtain the position and moving direction of the conveying device 120.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 160 may further include a main controller 162 and a transport controller 164. The main controller 162 is electrically connected to the air blowing device 140, the air exhaust device 150 and the transport controller 164. The transport controller 164 is electrically connected to the transport device 120 and the displacement detector 130.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main controller 162 generates a displacement command Cm and transmits it to the transport controller 164. According to the displacement command, the transport controller 164 controls the transport device 120 to move to a specified Location, carry out handling operations. The transport controller 164 receives the displacement signal Sm, obtains the position and the moving direction of the transport device 120, and transmits it to the main controller 162. The main controller 162 controls and switches the air supply device 140 and the air exhaust device 150 according to the position and the moving direction. The main controller 162 and the transport controller 164 may be independent controllers, or may be different functional modules in a single controller.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the conveying device 120 is not moving, the air blowing device 140 performs air blowing at a preset air flow; that is, the air blowing device 140 operates at a preset speed, as shown in FIG. 4, 2500 per minute. Turn (2500RPM). The exhaust device 150 is in a static state. In the figure, the exhaust device 150 is drawn with a dashed line, which represents that the exhaust device 150 is in a closed static state.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 160 issues a displacement command Cm to drive the conveying device 120 to move in a predetermined direction to a predetermined position. According to the location of the driving and conveying device 120, the displacement detector 130 returns a displacement signal Sm. The control device 160 determines the moving direction and position of the conveying device 120 according to the displacement signal Sm.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the direction defined by the movement direction is the front of the conveying device 120, and the opposite direction is the rear of the conveying device 120. Due to the movement of the conveying device 120, along the movement path M, the air in front of the conveying device 120 will be pushed and squeezed to increase the pressure, generating a forward airflow (flowing away from the conveying device 120), and these airflows will flow to the conveying device The nearest opening 114 in front of 120. Similarly, along the moving direction, the air behind the conveying device 120 is drawn to reduce the pressure, and a forward air flow (flows toward the conveying device 120) is also generated, and at the same time, it drives the air flow from the rear of the conveying device 120 and the closest distance The opening 114 sucks. At this time, due to the flow of the airflow, the particles that have settled steadily on the moving path M will be driven by the airflow to form a suspension dispersed in the air. particle. In addition, when the airflow is sucked in from the opening 114 which is located at the back of the conveying device 120 and is closest to it, the suspended particles from the outside will be sucked in, causing the suspended particles to rise. Take a dust-free Class 10 storage environment as an example. When the handling device 120 is not activated, the actual number of particles (≧5μm) measured in the space may be close to zero; after the handling device 120 is started, dust is caused by the airflow. The number of particles measured in front of 120 (≧5μm) will be increased to 10~30; if the outside is a dust-free Class 1000 environment, the inhaled airflow will make the measured number of particles (≧5μm) as high as 100.

Referring to Figures 8 and 9, in order to solve the significant increase in the number of particles, according to the moving direction and position of the conveying device 120, the control device 160 determines which of the plurality of exhaust devices 150 is located in front of the conveying device 120, and the control is located in the conveyance At least one air extraction device 150 in front of the device 120 initiates air extraction. And during the movement of the conveying device 120, the control device 160 continuously closes the exhaust device 150 that is already behind the conveying device 120. At this time, the pressure increased due to the movement of the conveying device 120 can be offset by the operation of the air exhaust device 150 to reduce the pressure, thereby eliminating the airflow in front of the conveying device 120.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, similarly, the control device 160 determines which of the plurality of air blowing devices 140 is located behind the conveying device 120, and controls at least one blowing device 140 located behind the conveying device 120 to increase the blowing flow rate (lift The rotation speed is increased to 3000RPM as shown in the figure, so that the pressure reduced by the movement of the conveying device 120 can be compensated, eliminating the air flow behind the conveying device 120 and avoiding the suction of the outside air through the rear opening 114.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, during the movement of the conveying device 120, the control device 160 continues to determine the position of the conveying device 120, and judges the relative position of the plurality of blowing devices 140, the plurality of exhaust devices 150, and the relative position of the conveying device 120 , Other exhaust devices have been activated continuously 150 and close the originally operating exhaust device 150, while continuously controlling the air blowing device 140 behind the conveying device 120 to increase the blowing flow, and switching the blowing device 140 far away from the conveying device 120 to operate at the preset blowing flow.

Referring again to Figures 8 and 9, the pressure changes caused by the movement of the conveying device 120 are mainly concentrated in the area closer to the conveying device 120. Therefore, the control device 160 does not switch all the air supply devices 140 and exhaust devices at the same time. 150 make changes.

During the movement of the conveying device 120, among the plurality of ventilation devices 150 located in front of the conveying device 120, the control device 160 preferentially activates the ventilation devices 150 closest to the conveying device 120, such as the closest one or two. At the same time, when the exhaust device 150 that starts the air extraction is no longer in front of the transport device 120 on the moving path M, the control device 160 turns off the exhaust device 150 that is no longer in front of the transport device 120, and then starts the next distance transport device 120 The nearest exhaust device 150.

Similarly, during the movement of the conveying device 120, among the plurality of blowing devices 140 located behind the conveying device 120, the control device 160 switches the blowing device 140 closest to the conveying device 120 to increase the blowing flow rate to the highest, that is, to increase the speed to the highest. (3000RPM as shown in the figure), then as the distance between each air supply device 140 and the conveying device 120 increases, the air flow of the corresponding air supply device 140 is decreased, and finally the speed is restored to the preset speed, as shown in the figure 2800RM to 2500RPM shown. As the relative positions of the conveying device 120 and the blowing device 140 change, the blowing flow of the plurality of blowing devices 140 is continuously switched according to the aforementioned principle.

10 and FIG. 11 show an automatic storage system 100 disclosed in the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the automatic storage system 100 further includes one or more airflow detection devices 170. The airflow detection device 170 is installed in each An opening 114 is electrically connected to the control device 160. The airflow detecting device 170 is used to detect whether the wind direction of the opening 114 is flowing to the inner surface 110a of the shelf 110 or to the outer surface 110b of the shelf 110, and at the same time measures the air flow. According to the wind direction and air flow measured at each opening 114, the control device 160 adjusts the air supply flow rate of each air supply device 140 and the suction air flow rate of each air extraction device 150.

For example, when the opening 114 is located in front of the conveying device 120, the wind direction is outward, and the air flow rate still continues to rise, it means that the suction flow cannot keep up with the forward displacement of the conveying device 120. At this time, the control device 160 switches the exhaust device 150 located in front of the conveying device 120 to increase the exhaust flow. Conversely, if the air flow of the opening 114 in front of the conveying device 120 has gradually decreased, or the wind direction starts to change to inward, it indicates that the exhaust air flow has exceeded the demand, and the control device 160 switches the exhaust device 150 located in front of the conveying device 120 to reduce the air exhaust. The flow even closes the exhaust device 150.

Similarly, when the opening 114 is located behind the conveying device 120, the wind direction is inward, and the air flow rate continues to rise, it indicates that the amount of gas replenishment is insufficient, and the control device 160 switches the air blowing device 140 located behind the conveying device 120 to increase the air flow rate. Strengthen the supplementary air. Conversely, if the air flow of the opening 114 at the rear of the conveying device 120 has gradually decreased, or the wind direction starts to change outward, it indicates that the amount of gas replenishment exceeds the demand, and the control device 160 switches the air blowing device 140 behind the conveying device 120 Reduce the supply air flow or even close the exhaust device 150.

Through the flow detection of the opening 114, the flow of air suction and air supply can be adjusted more accurately according to the moving speed of the conveying device 120.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 12, based on the above embodiments, the present invention further proposes an automatic storage pressure adjustment method, which is suitable for a storage space. A shelf 110, a plurality of air blowing devices 140, and a conveying device 120 are provided in the storage space. The automatic storage pressure adjustment method includes the following steps.

The control device 160 determines whether the transport device 120 is moving, as shown in step S110. In the foregoing determination step, the control device 160 determines whether the displacement detector 130 continues to feedback the displacement signal Sm after the displacement command Cm is issued.

The control device 160 obtains a position and a moving direction of the conveying device 120 on the moving path M, as shown in step S120. The method of obtaining the position and the moving direction is also based on the displacement signal Sm returned by the displacement detector 130, and the detailed process is as described above, and will not be repeated hereafter.

The control device 160 defines the direction of the movement direction as a front of the conveying device 120, and the opposite direction is a rear; according to the definition, the control device 160 determines which of the plurality of exhaust devices 150 is located in front of the conveying device 120, and determines the Which of the air blowing devices 140 is located behind the conveying device 120 is shown in step S130 and step S140. The aforementioned step S130 and step S140 have no restriction on the execution order, and they can also be executed simultaneously.

The control device 160 activates at least one exhaust device 150 located in front of the carrying device 120 to exhaust the space in front of the carrying device 120, as in step S150. The at least one exhaust device 150 that starts the air extraction is the exhaust device 150 closest to the carrying device 120, and it is not necessary to activate all the exhaust devices 150 located in front of the carrying device 120, so as to avoid the pressure drop of the area not affected by the carrying device 120 and the external Inhale the airflow. In addition, since the conveying device 120 is continuously moving, the control device 160 also closes at least one exhaust device 150 that is no longer in front of the conveying device 120 at the same time.

The control device 160 raises the at least one air blowing device 140 located behind the conveying device 120 to increase the air flow rate, and step S160 is shown. The control device 160 increases the air flow of the air blowing device 140 closest to the conveying device 120 to a maximum air flow; at the same time, the control device 160 varies with the distance between each blowing device 140 and the conveying device 120 according to the distance from the conveying device 120 As shown in FIG. 6, the air supply flow rate of each air supply device 140 is decreased to the preset air supply flow rate, and the rotation speed of the air supply device 140 changes as shown in FIG. 6.

The aforementioned step S150 and step S160 have no restriction on the execution order, and they can also be executed simultaneously. After step S150 and step S160 are completed, the flow of the method returns to step S110 to re-determine the position and moving direction of the conveying device 120.

As shown in Figures 11, 13, and 14, the control device 160 can detect the wind direction and air flow of an opening 114 of the shelf 110 through the air flow detecting device 170, so as to adjust the air supply device 140 according to the wind direction and air flow. A supply air flow rate and a suction flow rate of each exhaust device 150.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the opening 114 is located in front of the conveying device 120, the control device 160 determines whether the wind direction is outward or inward, as shown in step S210. When the wind direction is outward, the control device 160 determines whether the air flow continues to rise, as shown in step S220.

When the wind direction is outward and the air flow rate continues to rise, the control device 160 switches the air suction device 150 located in front of the conveying device 120 to increase the air flow rate, as shown in step S230.

When the air flow has gradually decreased, or the wind direction has changed to inward, the control device 160 switches the exhaust device 150 located in front of the conveying device 120 to reduce the exhaust flow or close the exhaust device 150, as shown in step S240 and step S250.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the opening 114 is located behind the conveying device 120, the control device 160 also determines whether the wind direction is outward or inward, as shown in step S310. When the wind direction is inward, the control device 160 determines whether the air flow continues to rise, as shown in step S320.

When the wind direction is inward and the air flow rate continues to increase, the control device 160 switches the air blowing device 140 located behind the conveying device 120 to increase the air flow rate, as shown in step S330.

When the air flow has gradually decreased, or the wind direction has changed to outward, the control device 160 switches the air blowing device 140 located behind the conveying device 120 to reduce the air flow or turn off the air blowing device 140, as shown in steps S340 and S350.

By pumping air in front of the conveying device 120 and raising the air supply at the rear of the conveying device 120, the pressure change caused by the movement of the conveying device 120 can be effectively balanced and avoid violent air flow in the moving channel. Therefore, the number of particles in the air in the storage space is prevented from increasing significantly. Therefore, the conveying device 120 does not need to reduce the moving speed in order to avoid dust, but can increase the operating speed.

100: automatic storage system

110: Shelves

110a: inside

110b: outer side

112: Reserve

114: opening

116: Pick and Place Platform

120: Handling device

140: air supply device

150: Ventilation device

M: moving path

Claims (19)

An automatic storage system includes: at least one shelf, which is arranged parallel to a moving path, has an inner side and an outer side opposite to each other, the inner side faces the moving path; the shelf further includes a plurality of storage positions and A plurality of openings are connected to the inner side and the outer side of the shelf; a conveying device for receiving a displacement command and moving along the moving path; a displacement detector for detecting the conveying device At the position of the moving path, a displacement signal corresponding to the position is generated; a plurality of air supply devices are respectively arranged in one of the storage positions to supply air to the storage positions; a plurality of air exhaust devices are arranged along a Arranged in parallel to the direction of the moving path to exhaust air from a space on the moving path; and a control device electrically connected to the conveying device, the displacement detector, the air supply device and the air exhaust device; the The control device is used to generate the displacement command and receive the displacement signal to obtain the position and a moving direction of the conveying device; wherein the direction pointed by the moving direction is defined as a front of the conveying device, when the conveying device moves When the control device is among the plurality of exhaust devices, it is determined which is located in the front of the conveying device, so as to control at least one of the exhaust devices located in the front of the conveying device to start the pumping, and to control a rear of the conveying device At least one of the air blowing devices increases the air flow rate. The automatic storage system according to claim 1, wherein the automatic storage system includes two shelves, the two shelves are arranged parallel to the moving path, and the moving path is located between the two shelves. The automatic storage system according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust devices are arranged at intervals on the bottom of the shelf, and exhaust air is performed on the inner side of the shelf. The automatic storage system according to claim 1, wherein the control device may further include a main controller and a transport controller; the main controller is electrically connected to the air supply device, the air exhaust device and the transport controller, Is used to generate the displacement instruction and control and switch the air supply device and the exhaust device; the conveying controller is electrically connected to the conveying device and the displacement detector to control the movement of the conveying device according to the displacement command, And receiving the displacement signal to obtain the position and the moving direction of the conveying device and send it to the main controller. The automatic storage system according to claim 1, wherein, when the conveying device is moved, the control device closes the exhaust device that is already located behind the conveying device. The automatic storage system according to claim 1, wherein, among the exhaust devices located in the front of the conveying device, the control device activates the exhaust device closest to the conveying device, and the control device is closed at the moving The exhaust device that is no longer in the front of the conveying device on the path. The automatic storage system according to claim 1, wherein, in the air blowing device located at the rear of the conveying device, the control device switches a blowing flow rate of the blowing device closest to the conveying device to increase. The automatic storage system according to claim 7, wherein, in the air blowing device located at the rear of the conveying device, the control device decreases correspondingly as the distance between each blowing device and the conveying device increases The air supply flow rate of each air supply device reaches a preset air supply flow rate. The automatic storage system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one airflow detection device disposed at the opening and electrically connected to the control device; the airflow detection device is used to detect a wind direction of the opening and a For the air flow, the control device adjusts a supply air flow of each air supply device and a suction flow of each air exhaust device according to the wind direction and the air flow flow. The automatic storage system according to claim 9, wherein, when the opening is located in the front of the conveying device, the wind direction is outward, and the air flow continues to rise, the control device switches to the front of the conveying device The suction device increases the suction flow; and when the air flow has gradually decreased, or the wind direction changes to inward, the control device switches the suction device located in the front of the conveying device to reduce the suction flow or close the suction Device. The automatic storage system according to claim 9, wherein when the opening is located at the rear of the conveying device, the wind direction is inward, and the air flow continues to rise, the control device switches to the rear of the conveying device The air supply device increases the air flow rate; and when the air flow rate has gradually decreased or the wind direction turns outward, the control device switches the air supply device located in the front of the conveying device to decrease the air supply flow rate or close the air supply device . An automatic storage pressure adjustment method is suitable for a storage space in which a shelf, a plurality of air supply devices and a conveying device are arranged, the shelf is arranged parallel to a moving path, and an inner side faces the moving path; the The rack has a plurality of storage positions, the air supply devices are respectively used to send air to the storage positions at an air flow rate, and the conveying device is used to move back and forth along the moving path; the automatic storage pressure adjustment method includes: obtaining the A position and a moving direction of the conveying device on the moving path; Define that the direction pointed by the moving direction is a front of the conveying device, and the opposite direction is a rear; and among a plurality of exhaust devices, determine which is located in the front of the conveying device, and control the one located in the front of the conveying device At least one of the air extraction devices activates air extraction to extract air from the front space of the conveying device, and to increase the at least one air blowing device located behind the conveying device to increase the air flow rate. The automatic storage pressure adjustment method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one air extraction device that starts air extraction is the air extraction device closest to the handling device. The automatic storage pressure adjustment method according to claim 12, wherein the step of exhausting the space in front of the conveying device further comprises: determining whether at least one of the exhausting devices that has started pumping is no longer located in the conveying device And close at least one of the ventilation devices that are not already located in the front of the conveying device. The automatic storage pressure adjustment method according to claim 12, wherein the step of increasing at least one of the air supply devices located at the rear of the conveying device to increase the air supply flow includes: among a plurality of exhaust devices, determining which one is located in the conveying device The rear of the; and to increase the air flow of the air blowing device closest to the conveying device. The automatic storage pressure adjustment method according to claim 15, wherein the step of increasing the at least one air supply device located behind the conveying device to increase the air supply flow further comprises: In the air blowing devices located at the rear of the conveying device, as the distance between each blowing device and the conveying device increases, the blowing flow rate of each blowing device corresponding to the blowing device is decreased to a preset blowing flow rate . The automatic storage pressure adjustment method of claim 12, further comprising: detecting a wind direction and an air flow of an opening of the shelf; wherein the opening is connected to the inner side and an outer side of the shelf; and the control device According to the wind direction and the airflow flow rate, a blowing flow rate of each blowing device and a suction flow rate of each blowing device are adjusted. The automatic storage pressure adjustment method according to claim 17, wherein: when the opening is located in the front of the conveying device, the wind direction is outward, and the air flow continues to rise, switch to the front of the conveying device The exhaust device increases the exhaust flow; and when the air flow has gradually decreased, or the wind direction changes to inward, the exhaust device located in the front of the conveying device is switched to reduce the exhaust flow or close the exhaust device. The automatic storage pressure adjustment method according to claim 17, wherein: when the opening is located at the rear of the conveying device, the wind direction is inward, and the air flow continues to rise, switch to the rear of the conveying device The air blowing device increases the air flow; and when the air flow has gradually decreased or the wind direction changes to outward, the air blowing device located behind the conveying device is switched to reduce the air blowing flow or the air blowing device is closed.

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