JP5365597B2 - Stacker crane - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reinforce a mast by suppressing the weight of a stacker crane from increasing as much as possible. <P>SOLUTION: A stacker crane 3 can travel along the upper guide rail and the lower guide rail 21b. The stacker crane 3 is provided with: a travel carriage 23; a left mast 25a and a right mast 25b; a lift 27; a control panel 31; and a bracket. The travel carriage 23 has a left travel wheel 23a and a right travel wheel 23b which are guided by the lower guide rail 21b at both ends in the travel direction. The left mast 25a and the right mast 25b are fixed to the inside of the right and left travel wheels of the travel carriage 23. The left mast 25a and right mast 25b extend up and down. The lift 27 can move up and down along the left mast 25a and right mast 25b. The control panel 31 controls the stacker crane 3. The bracket is fixed to the right mast 25b and the travel carriage 23 to load the control panel 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a stacker crane, and more particularly to a stacker crane that is movable along a guide rail to transfer articles between a plurality of shelves provided in a rack disposed along the guide rail.

  A conventional automatic warehouse includes, for example, a pair of racks, a stacker crane, a warehouse station, and a warehouse station. The pair of racks are provided at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. The rack has a large number of luggage storage shelves vertically and horizontally. The stacker crane is guided by guide rails arranged between the front and rear racks and is movable in the left-right direction. The warehousing station is arranged on the side of one rack. The delivery station is arranged on the side of the other rack. The stacker crane includes a traveling carriage, a pair of masts fixed to the traveling carriage, and a lifting platform that can be moved up and down along the mast. The lifting platform is provided with a transfer device for transferring articles to and from the shelf.

  A control board for controlling the stacker crane is provided on the traveling cart of the stacker crane (see, for example, Patent Document 1). It is conventionally known that such a control panel is attached to a bracket fixed to a mast.

JP 2003-237911 A

  When the speed of the stacker crane is increased, a strong bending force is applied to the mast extending in the vertical direction when starting or stopping, due to the inertial force. In particular, a bending force is increased in a stacker crane in which a control panel is provided on the mast. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures such as improving the rigidity of the mast or reinforcing the mast. Increasing the rigidity of the mast causes an increase in the weight of the mast. Further, if the mast is reinforced by the reinforcing member, a space for arranging the reinforcing member is required, and the traveling carriage becomes large. This causes an increase in the weight of the stacker crane.

  An object of the present invention is to reinforce the mast while suppressing an increase in the weight of the stacker crane as much as possible.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of modes will be described as means for solving the problems. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.

A stacker crane according to an aspect of the present invention is movable along a guide rail. The stacker crane includes a traveling carriage, a mast, a lifting platform, a control panel, and a bracket. The traveling carriage has a pair of traveling wheels guided by guide rails at both ends in the traveling direction. The mast is fixed to the traveling carriage inside the pair of traveling wheels. The mast extends in the vertical direction. The lifting platform can be moved up and down along the mast. The control panel controls the stacker crane. The bracket is fixed to the mast and the traveling carriage and is used for mounting the control panel.
In this stacker crane, a bracket for mounting the control panel is fixed not only to the mast but also to the traveling carriage. Thus, since the bracket is fixed to the mast and the traveling carriage, the mast can be reinforced. Here, the mast is reinforced by fixing a bracket for mounting the control panel to the traveling carriage, instead of providing a dedicated member for reinforcement. For this reason, it is possible to reinforce the mast while suppressing an increase in the weight of the stacker crane as much as possible.

The bracket may include a vertical fixing plate, a mounting plate, a horizontal fixing plate, and two ribs. The vertical fixing plate is fixed to the outer surface of the mast. A mounting board is a board for mounting a control board. The lateral fixing plate is fixed to the upper surface of the traveling carriage. The two ribs connect the vertical fixing plate, the mounting plate, and the horizontal fixing plate with the traveling wheel interposed therebetween.
In this case, since the two ribs are disposed with the traveling wheel interposed therebetween, the bracket can be easily disposed on the traveling carriage without providing a special space for the bracket.

The outer sides of the two ribs are connected to each other by a first side that extends obliquely downward from the mounting plate toward the mast at the connecting portion of the mounting plate and the horizontal fixing plate, and the first side is connected by an arc. And a second side extending toward the distal end side.
In this case, the outer sides of the two ribs are not linearly directed from the placement plate to the tip of the lateral fixing plate. That is, on the outer side of the rib, the first side is once connected to the second side by an arc from the direction toward the mast, and the second side is directed to the tip of the lateral fixing plate. For this reason, an increase in the weight of the rib can be suppressed as much as possible while maximizing the effect of reinforcing the rib.

The mast has a square pipe shape, and may further include a reinforcing plate for fixing the vertical fixing plate to the mast. The reinforcing plate has a plurality of female screw portions and is fixed to the inner surface of the mast. The reinforcing plate fixes the vertical fixing plate to the mast by a plurality of bolt members that are mounted from the vertical fixing plate and screwed into the female screw portion.
In this case, the reinforcing plate fixes the vertical fixing plate to the mast with the mast sandwiched by the bolt member screwed to the reinforcing plate. For this reason, even if an inertial force acts on the mast at the time of starting or the like, the load is evenly transmitted to the vertical fixing plate of the bracket.

  According to the present invention, the mast is reinforced by fixing a bracket for placing the control panel to the traveling carriage, instead of providing a dedicated member for reinforcement. For this reason, it is possible to reinforce the mast while suppressing an increase in the weight of the stacker crane as much as possible.

1 is a schematic plan view of an automatic warehouse in which an embodiment of the present invention is adopted. It is an II-II arrow line view of FIG. 1, and is a figure for demonstrating a rack and a stacker crane. FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1 for explaining a rack and a stacker crane. The enlarged front view of the control panel mounting part of a stacker crane. The enlarged side view.

(1) Whole automatic warehouse Hereinafter, the automatic warehouse 1 as one Embodiment which concerns on this invention is demonstrated. In this embodiment, the vertical direction in FIG. 1 is the front-rear X direction of the automatic warehouse 1, and the horizontal direction in FIG. 1 is the left-right Y direction of the automatic warehouse 1.
In FIG. 1, an automatic warehouse 1 is mainly composed of a front rack 2a and a rear rack 2b, and a stacker crane 3 traveling between them.

(2) Rack The front rack 2a and the rear rack 2b are arranged at the front and back so as to sandwich the travel path 5 of the stacker crane 3 extending in the left-right Y direction. The front rack 2a and the rear rack 2b have a large number of first support columns 7 arranged on the left and right sides of the passage 5 at predetermined intervals, a second support column 9 arranged on the opposite side of the passage 5 with a predetermined interval, and adjacent first support columns. 7 and a plurality of luggage support portions 11 provided between the second support column 9 and the second support column 9. In this embodiment, one luggage support 11 has two luggage storage shelves 13. As apparent from FIG. 1, the stacker crane 3 places the load W on the load storage shelf 13 with reference to the center and the front end (the end of the travel path 5).

  In the lowermost stage on the left side of the front rack 2a, a storage station 17 for storing the luggage W is disposed. An exit station 19 for unloading the luggage W is disposed at the lowermost stage on the left side of the rear rack 2b. Accordingly, the two cargoes W can be entered / exited at the entry station 17 and the exit station 19.

(3) Stacker crane In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, an upper guide rail 21a and a lower guide rail 21b are provided along the traveling path 5, and the stacker crane 3 is provided on the upper guide rail 21a and the lower guide rail 21b. Is guided so as to be movable in the left-right Y direction. The stacker crane 3 conveys the load W between a large number of load storage shelves 13, a storage station 17 and a discharge station 19.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stacker crane 3 includes a traveling carriage 23, a left mast 25 a and a right mast 25 b, a lifting platform 27, two transfer devices 29, a control panel 31, and a bracket 33. And have. The traveling carriage 23 has a left traveling wheel 23a and a right traveling wheel 23b at both ends in the left-right Y direction. The left traveling wheel 23a and the right traveling wheel 23b are rotatably supported by bearings on the traveling carriage 23 and travel on the lower guide rail 21b. The traveling carriage 23 is guided to the lower guide rail 21b by a front guide roller 23c and a rear guide roller 23d disposed at both ends with the lower guide rail 21b interposed therebetween. The right traveling wheel 23b is driven by a traveling motor 38. The left mast 25a and the right mast 25b are fixed to the traveling carriage 23 inside the left traveling wheel 23a and the right traveling wheel 23b. The left mast 25 a and the right mast 25 b extend in the vertical direction, and the upper ends thereof are connected by a connecting member 35. The connecting member 35 is guided to the upper guide rail 21a by a pair of left and right front guide rollers 35a and a rear guide roller 35b arranged with the upper guide rail 21a interposed therebetween. The left mast 25a and the right mast 25b are made of square pipes having a rectangular cross section, and their long sides are arranged along the left and right Y directions.

  The lifting platform 27 is mounted on the left mast 25a and the right mast 25b so as to be movable up and down. The two transfer devices 29 are provided side by side along the left-right Y direction on the lifting platform 27. The transfer device 29 transfers the load W between the load storage shelf 13, the storage station 17, and the output station 19.

  The control panel 31 controls the stacker crane 3. The control panel 31 houses therein a control device (not shown) that can communicate with a controller (not shown) that controls the entire automatic warehouse 1. The control device includes computer hardware such as a CPU and a memory. The control device controls the traveling carriage 23, the lifting platform 27, and the transfer device 29. The control panel 31 is placed on the bracket 33. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower surface of the control panel 31 is fixed to the bracket 33 with vibration-proof rubber interposed therebetween. Moreover, the upper end part and the intermediate part of the control panel 31 are being fixed to the outer surface 25c of the right mast 25b with the fixing metal fitting 54 which has anti-vibration rubber.

(4) Bracket The bracket 33 is for mounting the control panel 31. The bracket 33 is fixed to both the right mast 25 b and the traveling carriage 23. Therefore, the bracket 33 has a function of placing the control panel 31 and a function of reinforcing the right mast 25b on the left and right Y-direction side that is the traveling direction. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the bracket 33 includes a vertical fixing plate 40, a mounting plate 42, a horizontal fixing plate 44, and two ribs 46. The vertical fixing plate 40 is made of, for example, a steel plate having a thickness of about 6 mm to 12 mm, and has approximately the same lateral length as the length of the short piece of the right mast 25b. The length of the vertical fixing plate 40 in the vertical direction is longer than the length in the horizontal direction. The vertical fixing plate 40 is fixed to the outer surface 25c of the right mast 25b in FIG. 2 by a plurality of (for example, four) bolt members 50. Inside the four corners of the vertical fixing plate 40, through holes 40a through which the screw portions of the bolt members 50 can pass are formed. A reinforcing plate 52 for reinforcing the screw hole is fixed to the inner side surface of the right mast 25b by an appropriate fixing means such as adhesion or welding. The reinforcing plate 52 has a female screw portion 52a into which the bolt member 50 is screwed. The right mast 25b is also formed with a female screw portion 25d. The female screw portion 52a and the female screw portion 25d are integrally formed with a female screw.

  The mounting plate 42 is made of, for example, a steel plate having a thickness of about 3.2 mm to 4.5 mm, and both ends in the front-rear direction are bent downward. The control panel 31 is mounted on the upper surface of the mounting plate 42 via vibration-proof rubber, and is fixed by, for example, four bolt members 53. The mounting plate 42 is disposed at an intermediate portion between the upper end and the lower end of the vertical fixing plate 40.

  The lateral fixing plate 44 is made of, for example, a steel plate having a thickness of about 19 mm to 25 mm. Two horizontal fixing plates 44 are provided on the front and rear sides of the right traveling wheel 23b. The two horizontal fixing plates 44 are fixed to the upper surface on the right side of the right mast 25b fixing portion of the traveling carriage 23 by two bolt members 56, respectively.

  The ribs 46 are made of a steel plate having a thickness of about 6 mm to 12 mm, for example, and two ribs 46 are provided on the front and rear sides of the right traveling wheel 23b. The outer side 46a of the rib 46 includes a first side 46b that extends diagonally downward from the mounting plate 42 toward the right mast 25b, a first side 46b, and a circular arc at the connecting portion of the mounting plate 42 and the lateral fixing plate 44. And a second side 46c extending toward the distal end side of the lateral fixing plate.

  A reinforcing bracket 55 is fixed to the left mast 25a and the traveling carriage 23 on the left traveling wheel 23a side of the left mast 25a.

(5) Features (A) The stacker crane 3 is movable along the upper guide rail 21a and the lower guide rail 21b. The stacker crane 3 includes a traveling carriage 23, a left mast 25a and a right mast 25b, a lifting platform 27, a control panel 31, and a bracket 33. The traveling carriage 23 has a left traveling wheel 23a and a right traveling wheel 23b guided by the lower guide rail 21b at both ends in the traveling direction. The left mast 25a and the right mast 25b are fixed inside the left traveling wheel 23a and the right traveling wheel 23b of the traveling carriage 23. The left mast 25a and the right mast 25b extend in the vertical direction. The lifting platform 27 can be moved up and down along the left mast 25a and the right mast 25b. The control panel 31 controls the stacker crane 3. The bracket 33 is fixed to the right mast 25b and the traveling carriage 23, and is used for mounting the control panel 31.

  In the stacker crane 3, a bracket 33 for mounting the control panel 31 is fixed not only to the right mast 25b but also to the traveling carriage 23. Thus, since the bracket 33 is fixed to the right mast 25b and the traveling carriage 23, the right mast 25b can be reinforced. Here, the right mast 25 b is reinforced by fixing a bracket 33 for placing the control panel 31 to the traveling carriage 23 instead of providing a dedicated member for reinforcement. For this reason, the right mast 25b can be reinforced while suppressing an increase in the weight of the stacker crane 3 as much as possible.

(B) The bracket 33 may include a vertical fixing plate 40, a mounting plate 42, a horizontal fixing plate 44, and two ribs 46. The vertical fixing plate 40 is fixed to the outer surface 25c of the right mast 25b. The mounting plate 42 is a plate for mounting the control panel 31. The lateral fixing plate 44 is fixed to the upper surface of the traveling carriage 23. The two ribs 46 connect the vertical fixing plate 40, the mounting plate 42, and the horizontal fixing plate 44 with the right traveling wheel 23b interposed therebetween.
In this case, since the two ribs 46 are disposed with the right traveling wheel 23b interposed therebetween, it is easy to dispose the bracket 33 on the traveling carriage 23 without providing a special space for the bracket 33.

(C) The outer side 46 a of the two ribs 46 may have a first side 46 b and a second side 46 b at the connecting portion between the mounting plate 42 and the lateral fixing plate 44. The first side 46b extends obliquely downward from the placement plate 42 toward the right mast 25b. The second side 46 c is connected to the first side 46 b by an arc and extends toward the distal end side of the lateral fixing plate 44.
In this case, the outer sides 46 a of the two ribs 46 are not linearly directed from the mounting plate 42 to the tip of the lateral fixing plate 44. That is, in the outer side 46 a of the rib 46, the first side 46 b is once connected to the second side 46 c by an arc from the direction toward the right mast 25 b, and the second side 46 c is directed to the tip of the lateral fixing plate 44. For this reason, the weight increase of the rib 46 can be suppressed as much as possible while maximizing the effect of reinforcing the rib 46.

(D) The right mast 25b has a rectangular pipe shape, and may further include a reinforcing plate 52 for fixing the vertical fixing plate 40 to the mast. The reinforcing plate 52 has a plurality of female screw portions 52a and is fixed to the inner surface of the right mast 25b. The reinforcing plate 52 is fixed from the vertical fixing plate 40 to the right mast 25b by a plurality of bolt members 56 that are mounted from the vertical fixing plate 40 and screwed into the female screw portion 52a.
In this case, the reinforcing plate 52 fixes the vertical fixing plate 40 to the right mast 25b with the right mast 25b sandwiched by the bolt member 56 screwed into the reinforcing plate 52. For this reason, even when an inertial force acts on the right mast 25 b at the time of starting or the like, the load is evenly transmitted to the vertical fixing plate 40 of the bracket 33.

(6) Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, a plurality of embodiments and modifications described in the present specification can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.

  (A) In the above embodiment, the left mast 25a is reinforced solely by the reinforcing bracket 55, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an elevating or traveling motor or the like may be placed on the reinforcing bracket.

  (B) In the said embodiment, although the stacker crane which has the transfer apparatus which clamps both sides of the load W and transfers the load W was illustrated, the stacker crane which concerns on this invention is not limited to this. For example, a stacker crane having a transfer device that scoops a load placed on a pallet with a fork that extends and contracts may be used.

  The present invention can be widely applied to a stacker crane having a mast extending in the vertical direction and a lifting platform that can be moved up and down along the mast.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic warehouse 2a Front rack 2b Rear rack 3 Stacker crane 5 Traveling passage 7 1st support | pillar 9 2nd support | pillar 11 Luggage support part 13 Luggage storage shelf 17 Warehousing station 19 Unloading station 21a Upper guide rail 21b Lower guide rail 23 Traveling carriage 23a Left Traveling wheel 23b Right traveling wheel 23c Front guide roller 23d Rear guide roller 25a Left mast 25b Right mast 25c Outer surface 25d Female screw part 27 Lifting table 29 Transfer device 31 Control panel 33 Bracket 35 Connecting member 35a Front guide roller 35b Rear guide roller 38 travel motor 40 vertical fixing plate 40a through hole 42 mounting plate 44 horizontal fixing plate 46 rib 46a outer side 46b first side 46c second side 50 bolt member 52 reinforcing plate 52a female screw part 53 bolt member 54 fixing bracket 55 reinforcing bracket Door 56 the bolt member

Claims (4)

A stacker crane movable along a guide rail,
A traveling carriage having a pair of run line wheels that are guided by the guide rails at both ends of the traveling direction,
A mast extending vertically is fixed to the traveling carriage in the running direction inside of the pair of vehicle wheels,
A lifting platform capable of moving up and down along the mast;
A control panel for controlling the stacker crane;
A bracket for mounting the control panel, fixed to the mast and the traveling carriage;
Stacker crane equipped with. The bracket is
A vertical fixing plate fixed to the outer surface of the mast;
A mounting plate for mounting the control panel;
A lateral fixing plate fixed to the upper surface of the traveling carriage;
Two ribs connecting the vertical fixing plate, the mounting plate and the horizontal fixing plate with one traveling wheel interposed therebetween;
The stacker crane according to claim 1, comprising:   The outer sides of the two ribs are a first side extending obliquely downward from the mounting plate toward the mast at the connecting portion of the mounting plate and the lateral fixing plate, and the first side and the arc. The stacker crane according to claim 2, further comprising a second side connected to each other and extending toward a distal end side of the lateral fixing plate. The mast is a square pipe shape,
In order to fix the vertical fixing plate to the mast by a plurality of bolt members that have a plurality of female screw portions, are fixed to the inner surface of the mast, and are fitted from the vertical fixing plate side and screwed into the female screw portions The stacker crane according to claim 2, further comprising a reinforcing plate.

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