JPH01150607A - Automatic article storing apparatus and operation method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an automatic article storage device that utilizes dead spaces such as ceilings, under floors, towers, vacant rooms, and vertical shafts of buildings.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, the amount of various types of information such as documents, disks, tapes, etc. has increased dramatically, especially in offices, and the storage space required has also continued to increase. To solve this problem,
Use dead space in the building to store various items.
The present applicant has already proposed an article storage device that allows articles to be taken in and out of a room automatically. This item storage device can effectively utilize dead space in buildings that would otherwise be difficult to use, which increases the efficiency of living space usage, and allows for rational storage and management of information. , has many advantages.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The above-mentioned goods storage device is characterized by its ability to utilize dead space in buildings, but this dead space is originally a space where it is difficult for people to enter and exit, so the storage device installed there must be operated unattended, and therefore the equipment must be reliable and require as little repair and maintenance as possible. Furthermore, since a dead space is essentially a narrow space, it is desirable that the structure of the storage device that needs to be installed there be as simple and small as possible.

An object of the present invention is to improve the conventional article storage apparatus in these respects, and to provide an automatic article storage apparatus that is highly reliable and has a simple structure, and a method for operating the same.

[Means for solving problems]

According to the present invention, this purpose is to provide a transport vehicle that runs on guide rails arranged in a dead space of a building and that places containers for storing articles so that they can be transferred in a direction perpendicular to the guide rails. , a lifting device that raises and lowers the container between the room and the dead space, a container storage section formed along the guide rail, a control device installed inside the transport vehicle, and a central control system installed inside the room. 1 device, the control device and the central control device each have a transmitter/receiver for mutually exchanging information, and the central control device controls the lifting and lowering of the lifting device and gives instructions for container removal to the control device via the transmitter/receiver. The control device controls the travel and transfer of the transport vehicle based on the stored container unloading command given from the central control device via the transmitter/receiver, stores the control results, and transmits and receives the stored contents. This is accomplished by configuring the automatic article storage device to deliver the material through the container to the center side '41' device.

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned purpose is to provide a transport system that travels on guide rails arranged in a dead space of a building and places containers for storing articles so that they can be transferred in a direction perpendicular to the guide rails. A dolly, a lifting device that raises and lowers the container between the room and the dead space, a container storage section formed along the guide rail, a control device provided inside the transport cart, and a central portion provided inside the room. In an automatic article storage device equipped with a control device, the control device controls the movement of a transport vehicle located at a reference position based on a container removal command given by the central control device, and in response to a container storage command, When the detector detects that there is no container at the scheduled storage location in the container storage section, the transport vehicle is controlled to be transferred, and when the presence of a container is detected, the transport vehicle is returned to the reference position. Travel control is performed, and when the detector detects that there is a container at the scheduled storage location in the container storage section in response to a container delivery command, the transfer control of the transport vehicle is performed, and when it is detected that there is no container. This is accomplished by operating the automatic article storage device to perform travel control to return the carrier to the reference position.

[Effect]

In the automatic article storage device of the present invention, when storing articles, the central controller controls the lifting device to move the container storing the articles from the room to the punto space, and the transmitter of the central controller Transport vehicle control mIl
The device is given an instruction to receive the container via its receiver. The control device stores the command, runs the transport vehicle according to the contents of the command, and performs an operation to transfer the container from the transport vehicle at the place where it should be stored in the container storage section.
The container is placed in a storage state (the results of the travel and transfer operations of the transport vehicle are stored in the controller of the transport vehicle, and then sent from the transmitter of this control device to the central control device via its receiver. .

When taking out an article stored in the container storage section, a command to take out the container is given from the transmitter of the central control device to the control device of the transport vehicle via its receiver. The control device memorizes the command and drives the transport vehicle to the location where the container storage area is to be unloaded according to the contents of the command.
Then, the container is transferred from the container storage section to the transport vehicle, and the transport vehicle is driven to the lifting device. The results of the travel and transfer operations of the transport vehicle are stored in the controller of the transport vehicle, and then sent from the transmitter of the controller to the central controller via its receiver. The central control unit controls the lifting device, and containers in dead spaces are moved into the room, and stored items are taken out.

In the method of operating an automatic article storage device of the present invention, when storing a container, the control device of the transport vehicle follows the storage command given from the central control device, and moves the transport vehicle at the reference position into the container storage section. Drive it to the right place. Therefore, a detector installed on the transport vehicle detects whether or not there is a container in the place where it should be stored.
If there are no containers and it is possible to store the container, the control device transfers the container from the transport vehicle to the container storage area, and if there is a container and it is not possible to store the container, the control device does not perform transfer control and immediately returns the transport vehicle to the reference position. .

When a container is to be unloaded, the controller of the transport vehicle moves the transport vehicle located at the reference position to the location in the container storage section where the container is to be unloaded, in accordance with a retrieval command given by the central control device. Therefore, a detector installed on the transport vehicle detects whether there is a container to be delivered at that location, and if there is a container and it is possible to take it out, the transport vehicle's control device moves the container from the container storage area to the transport vehicle. If there are no containers to be loaded and unloaded, transfer control is not performed and the transport vehicle is immediately returned to the reference position.

〔Example〕

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration of the automatic article storage device of the present invention, in which 1 is a station placed on the floor in an office space for taking out articles, and 2 is a station for storing articles. A container, 3 is a transport vehicle that carries the container 2, 4 is a lifting device that lifts and lowers the container 3 between the station 1 and the ceiling 5, 6 is a container storage section arranged in the ceiling 5, and 7 is a container storage section. 6 is an indoor rail provided along 6, 8 is a course change device for changing the course of the transport vehicle 3, and 9 is a central control device placed within the office space.

The station 1 is a conveyance system consisting of a feeding board 1o for sending instructions for loading and unloading containers, a barcode reader 11 for reading barcodes attached to containers, and a belt conveyor for loading and unloading containers into and out of the lifting device. A mechanism 12 is provided. The lifting device 4 has an entrance/exit 13 on the ceiling side, an entrance/exit 14 on the ceiling side, and an elevator car 15 that moves up and down between the re-entrances. transmitter 16,
A receiver 17 is arranged. The container storage 6 has several racks 6-1.6-2. ..., 6-10
Each rack can accommodate one container.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the transport vehicle 3 and the rack storage section 6, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the rack storage section 6. Each rack in the container storage section 6 is partitioned from each other by a partition wall 18, and the racks are separated from each other by a partition wall 18. The table 19 for storing the container is divided into two parts with a gap 2o formed in the center, a container guide section 21 is provided along the partition wall 18 of the table 19, and a container is placed in a rack at the back corner of the table 19. A reflecting mirror 22 is disposed to detect whether or not the transport vehicle is stopped, and a detector 23, for example, a ferromagnetic material, is fixed to the front lower part of the platform 19 to detect the stop position of the transport vehicle. In addition to the rails 7-1 and 7-2 on which the drive wheels of the transport vehicle are mounted, the guide rail 7 has a signal line 24 connected to the central control unit, and this signal line 24 is connected to a block 24 corresponding to each rack. -1.24-2.・
..., and a running or stopping signal is given to each block by the central control unit 9.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the carrier, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the container being transferred to a rack in the container storage section. 1.25-2, and these can be sequentially extended and retracted from side to side with respect to the running direction of the truck by a motor mounted on the truck. In addition, at both left and right ends of the upper arm 25-2 when viewed in the direction of carriage running, and at both front and rear ends when viewed in the direction of extension and contraction of the arm, there are two operable arms that can be protruded above the surface of the arm and retracted below the surface of the arm. Two pickers 26 are provided, which have the function of preventing the containers from falling out while the trolley is running and holding the containers when moving the containers between the trolley and the container storage section.

The carriage 3 further moves the reflector 2 of the rack at the stop position.
Reflective photo sensors 27 (see Figure 2) for detecting containers in the rack are provided on both left and right sides when viewed in the running direction, and transmissive photo sensors 27 for detecting containers in the trolley are provided to face the containers 2. Sensors 28 are provided at both front and rear ends when viewed in the running direction, and detectors 29, for example, magnetic proximity sensors, corresponding to the detectors 23 of the platform 19 are provided at the lower center of both left and right sides when looking in the running direction. Fixed.

30 is a drive wheel of the truck; 31 is a drive motor; 32 is a clutch inserted between the two; 33 is a container guide provided at both front and rear ends of the truck when viewed in the running direction; and at both left and right ends when viewed from the direction of extension and contraction of the arm; 34 and 35 are installed on the sides of the trolley, and transmit signals to and from the central control device 9; receivers and transmitters 36 and 36 are mounted on the trolley and transmit and receive signals between them and the receiver 17; This is a control device for controlling travel, transfer and storage of information.

Next, the operation of this device will be explained.

Consider the case where a container in the command room is stored in the rank storage section in the ceiling.

Each container shall be numbered and shall correspond to each position address of the rack in the container storage section. The container 2 containing the articles is placed on the transport mechanism 12 of the station 1, the container number is input using the ten keys on the operation panel 10, and the warehousing button is pressed. In this case, if the entered container number and the ID of the container sold by the barcode reader 11 do not match, an error is detected and a warning is issued by flashing a lamp or sounding a buzzer.

If the container number is correctly input, the central controller 9 drives the transport mechanism 12 of the station 1, and the container 2 is drawn into the lifting device 4 and placed on the lifting car 15. Next, the elevator car 15 rises and transfers the elevator car 15 to the transfer carriage 3 which is waiting at the reference position 37 in front of the ceiling side entrance 14 of the elevator device 4.
-2 moves the container. At the reference position, the transmitter 16 and receiver 17 of the central control device 9 are connected to the transport vehicle 3.
A receiver 34 and a transmitter 35 are facing each other, and the warehousing command sent from the central control device 9 is sent to the control device 36 of the transport vehicle 3 via the transmitter 16 and receiver 34 and stored there. . Further, each block 24-1, 24-2, . A running signal is applied from the reference position to the position of the rack to be stocked. In this state, the container 2 is correctly placed on the carrier 3, and the transfer arm 25-1, 25-2 is also in the correct position. ), the transport vehicle 3
The circuit of the drive motor 31 is closed, and the carriage is moved to the guide rail 7.
Drive to the front of the rack you are aiming for. When the carrier 3 stops, the interaction between the detector 29 for detecting the stop position of the carrier 3 and the detector 23 of the platform 19 causes the carrier 3 to move within the working range where it can carry out the transfer operation, that is, within the second range A. If it is within this work range, the reflective photosensor 27 of the transport vehicle 3 operates, and when it receives the reflected light from the reflector 22 of the rack to be stocked, it detects that there is a container within that rank. Since it is confirmed that the transfer arm 25-1 and 25-2 are not present, the drive motor of the transfer arm 25-1 and 25-2 is activated, and the lower arm 25-1 and the upper arm 25-2 sequentially extend toward the rack, and eventually the arm Gap 2 between pedestals 19
0, and the bottom surface of the container 2 comes into contact with the stand 19.

The level of the stand 19 is slightly higher than the level of the upper arm 25-2, except for the tip, and as the arm 25-2 extends, the container 2 moves deeper into the rack while being pushed by the binker 26 of the arm. At this time, if the container 2 is placed correctly in the center of the rack, the container 2 will advance without touching the guide part 21 of the rack, but if it is off the center of the rack, the container 2 will hit the front part of the guide part and move along it. I try to move on. On the other hand, when the truck stops, the drive wheels 30 are separated from the drive motor 31 by the operation of the clutch 32 and rotate freely, so the truck moves slightly due to the lateral force generated by the container 2 moving forward along the guide section 21. Then, the container 2 is repositioned toward the center of the rack, and the guide portion 21
can proceed without encountering any resistance.

When the transfer of the container 2 is completed, the picker 26 is pulled down under the arm, and the arm 25-1.25-2 is pulled into the transport vehicle by its drive motor. At this time, as mentioned above, since the level of the arm is slightly lower than the level of the stand, no load is applied to the arm and it can be easily retracted.

When it is detected that the upper arm 25-1 and the lower arm 25-2 have been completely retracted into the carriage 3, the carriage 3 is controlled to return to the reference position 37, and the carriage 3 is moved back to the guide rail. The vehicle travels on top of the vehicle, returns to the reference position 37, and waits. In the above case, if the carrier 3 does not stop within the rack transfer operation work range A for some reason, the carrier 3 is controlled to return to the reference position 37 again without moving to the transfer operation. Then, the trolley 3 travels on the guide rail again, once returns to the reference position 37, starts traveling toward the target rack again, and repeats the same operation as described above. In which section of each block of the signal line 24 should the bogie run?
The central control unit always gives a signal to run or stop depending on where to stop, but this signal is interlocked depending on the conditions on the transport vehicle, so the signal alone will not stop the transport vehicle. It cannot run. That is, when the conditions on the transport vehicle side are satisfied, the control device of the transport vehicle operates under the AND condition of both to perform traveling and transfer control, thereby increasing the reliability of the apparatus. When the transport vehicle 3 returns to the reference position 37, the transmitter 35 and the receiver 17 transmit the control result stored in the control device 36, that is, the number of the container safely stored in the rack number.
The results are sent to the central control device 9 via the central control device 9, and the central control device 9 displays the results on the operation panel 10 or other display so that the operator can confirm them.

Next, a case will be described in which a container located in a rack storage section in the ceiling is taken out.

When the desired container number is input on the operation panel 10 and the exit button is pressed, the central control device 9 sends a signal to the receiver 3'4 of the transport vehicle 3 via the transmitter 16 located at the reference position N37.
The container number and the shipping command are stored in the control device 36 of the transport vehicle 3. When the storage is completed, the control device 36 sends a signal to that effect to the central control device 9 via the transmitter 35 and the receiver 17, and in response to this, the central control device 9 issues a running signal to the transport vehicle 3. At the same time, the central control device 9 issues a running signal to the carrier vehicle 3 via the signal line 24, and the carrier vehicle 3 travels to the position of the rack to be delivered. At the stop position, the stop position is detected by the detector 29 of the transport vehicle 3 and the detector 23 of the rack stand 19, as in the case of storage. When the transfer operation stops within the working range A, if there is a container 2 to be unloaded in the rack, the photosensor 27 of the transport vehicle 3 detects it;
The photo sensor 28 detects that there is no container in the trolley, and the drive motor of the transfer arm 25-1, 25-2 operates to move the lower arm 25-1 and the upper arm 2.
5-2 sequentially extend toward the rack, and eventually the arm enters the gap 20 between the stands 19 and is located below the container 2.

When the arm 25-1.25-2 is fully extended, the picker 26 of the arm is pulled up, and when the drive motor operates again and pulls the arm toward the platform, the container 2 is moved to the picker 26.
Move onto the trolley while being pushed by. At this time, the drive wheels 30 of the truck are separated from the drive motor 31 of the truck and can rotate freely, so the container 2 can be easily transferred onto the truck by the guide portion 33 of the truck. As a result, the photosensor 27 of the cart detects that there is no longer a container on the rack, the photosensor 28 detects that there is a container on the cart, and the transport cart 3 is moved to the reference position 37.
The carriage 3 is controlled to return to the position shown in FIG. Here, the trolley control device 36 is connected to a central control device W9 via a transmitter 35 and a receiver 17.
A signal is sent to indicate that the container has been released. The central control device 9 controls the lifting device 4 to lower the container 2 received from the carrier 3 into the room using the lifting cage 15.
It is sent to the stage 1 through the doorway 13 on the indoor side.

In the above case, if the transport vehicle 3 does not stop within the rank transfer operation work range A for some reason, the transport vehicle 3 does not move to the container transfer operation as in the case of warehousing, but stops once. After returning to the reference position 37, the vehicle starts traveling again and repeats the same operation as described above.

In the above-described embodiment, the container number and the rack position address are associated in advance. It is also possible to use a so-called free location method to store the items in a desired rack.

In the present invention, all (
Although it is possible to store any item in any rack without setting a ranking, it is possible to set a ranking on the rack and, for example, divide the storage range of the container storage section depending on the importance level or type of item. Items of high importance should be stored in fireproof containers, and passwords and IDs should be stored.
The D card may be used as a security measure so that only a limited number of people can take in and out a specific range of containers. When handling information in the form of , a new filing system with security measures and automatic storage, classification, and management can be obtained.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, the dead space of a building can be used extremely effectively as a storage space for goods, and in the dead space, which is normally unmanned, the only driving unit is the transport vehicle. The control device of the transport vehicle controls travel and container transfer based on its own judgment based on loading and unloading commands from the central control device, so it is extremely reliable and requires little maintenance. Since the structure of the container storage section is quite simple, the equipment cost is low, and the layout can be easily changed and expansions can be made.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 5 show embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the overall configuration. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the transport cart and rack storage section, Fig. 3 is a front view of the rack storage section, Fig. 4 is a front view of the transport cart, and Fig. 5 is a front view of the transport cart.
The figure is a side view of the container being transferred to a rack in the container storage section. 1...Station, 2...Container,
3... Transport vehicle, 4... Lifting device, 5... Ceiling, 6... Rack storage section, 6-1.6-2.
..., 6-10... Rack, 7... Guide rail, 8... Route change device, 9... Central control device, 16... Central control device transmitter, 17.
...Central control unit receiver, 19...Rack stand,
22...rack reflector, 23...detectors,
24... Signal line, 25-1゜25-2... Transfer arm, 26... Picker, 27... Photo sensor, 28... Photo sensor, 29... Detection of transport vehicle 30... Drive wheel, 31... Drive motor, 34... Control device receiver, 35...
Transmitter of control device, 3G...control device of transport vehicle,
37...Reference position. Figure 2 Figure 3 , 57-a O, 4 Amagaridake Stone Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A transport vehicle that travels on guide rails arranged in a dead space of a building and that places containers for storing articles so that they can be transferred in a direction perpendicular to the guide rails;
a lifting device that lifts and lowers the container between a room and a dead space; a container storage section formed along the guide rail; a control device provided in the transport vehicle; and a center provided in the room. a control device, the control device and the central control device each have a transmitter/receiver for mutually exchanging information, and the central control device controls the lifting and lowering of the lifting device and controls the control device via the transmitter/receiver. The control device controls the travel and transfer of the transport vehicle based on the stored container loading/unloading instructions given by the central controller via the transmitter/receiver, and stores the control results. An automatic article storage device characterized in that the stored contents are sent to a central control device via the transmitter/receiver. 2) A transport trolley that runs on guide rails arranged in the dead space of the building and places containers for storing goods so that they can be transferred in a direction perpendicular to the guide rails;
a lifting device that lifts and lowers the container between a room and a dead space; a container storage section formed along the guide rail; a control device provided in the transport vehicle; and a center provided in the room. In the automatic article storage device equipped with a control device, the control device controls the traveling of the transport vehicle at the reference position based on a container storage/retrieval command given by the central control device, and in response to the container storage command, the controller is configured to When the detector detected by the sensor detects that there is no container at the scheduled storage location of the container storage section, the transport vehicle is controlled to be transferred, and when it is detected that there is a container, the transport vehicle is moved to the reference position. In response to a container unloading command, when the detector detects that there is a container at the storage location scheduled for unloading in the container storage section, transfer control of the transport vehicle is performed to confirm that there is no container. 1. A method of operating an automatic article storage apparatus, characterized in that, when the transport vehicle is detected, travel control is performed to return the transport vehicle to the reference position.