JPH04256607A - Automated storage and retrieval warehouse device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To largely reduce facilities cost by providing plural stages of upper and lower zones of difference load storage block cross width in the mobile carriage running direction to handle a belonging load corresponding to the storage block cross width. CONSTITUTION:Load of large cross width WL on a lift carriage 25 of a large cross width load delivering lift device 12 is taken onto a mobile carriage 7, and made to run by itself and stop to a load storing block 2 for storage in the lower zone 3 of a solid rack 1A or 1B on carriage running routes 6A-6D. Then a running folk 7a which supports the load WL carries out the forking motion for unloading, and the load WL is moved onto a pair of load receiving devices in the storing block 2. For storing the load of small width WS, the load of small cross width WS is moved to a load storing block 4 in the upper zone 5 of the solid rack 1A or 1B in the same way as the storing work of the load of large cross width WL by using a load of small cross width delivering lift device 16 and a mobile carriage 10 which carries out storage work in one of mobile carriage running passages 9A-9C.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention provides a traveling path for a self-propelled cart equipped with a load transfer device that can horizontally travel along a shelf, and is provided with a plurality of upper and lower stages. The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse apparatus provided with a loading/unloading lifting device for transferring loads to and from the self-propelled carts on each stage travel route.

0002

[Prior Art] This type of automated warehouse system uses self-propelled carts at each stage, compared to systems that use a large traveling crane equipped with a lifting carriage with a load transfer device that can cover all levels of the shelves. This type of conventional automated warehouse system has the feature that it is possible to increase the number of warehouses that can be handled per unit time for the entire shelf by allowing each vehicle to travel at high speed. It was constructed so that it could only handle one type of load with the same width in both directions.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional automated warehouse system as described above, even if the number of cargo handled is small,
If the width is different, a dedicated automatic storage device will be required.
There was a drawback that the installation floor surface was required and the equipment cost was extremely high.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention provides an automated warehouse system in which the self-propelled carts are arranged on the shelves for each zone in the direction of travel of the self-propelled trolleys. An automatic warehouse system comprising a plurality of upper and lower zones with different widths of cargo storage compartments, and the self-propelled cart is configured to handle cargo with a width corresponding to the width of the cargo storage compartment of the zone to which it belongs. This is what we propose.

[0005]

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the attached illustrative drawings.
are three-dimensional shelves erected at intervals, each comprising a lower zone 3 with a large width cargo storage compartment 2 in four vertical stages, and a small width cargo storage compartment 4 in three vertical stages. upper zone 5
It is equipped with 6A to 6D are four-stage self-propelled carts in the vertical direction set between the three-dimensional shelves 1A and 1B corresponding to each stage of the large width cargo storage section 2 in the lower zone 3 of the three-dimensional shelves 1A and 1B. On each of the traveling routes 6A to 6D, a self-propelled truck 7 for transporting a large width load WL is supported via a pair of left and right guide rails 8. 9A to 9C are small width cargo storage compartments 4 in the upper zone 5 of the three-dimensional shelves 1A and 1B.
A self-propelled trolley travel route with three vertical stages set between the three-dimensional shelves 1A and 1B corresponding to each stage of the travel route 9A.
~9C, a self-propelled trolley 10 for transporting a small width load WS is supported via a pair of left and right guide rails 11.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a lifting device for carrying in large width loads, and 13 refers to a lifting device for carrying out large width loads, which are distributed and installed at both ends of the three-dimensional shelf 1A. It is connected to a carry-in conveyor 14 and a large width load carry-out conveyor 15. In addition, 16 is a lifting device for carrying in small width cargo, 17
is a lifting device for carrying out small width loads, which is installed separately at both ends of the three-dimensional shelf 1B, and the lower ends thereof are connected to a ground-mounted conveyor 18 for carrying in narrow width loads and a conveyor 19 for carrying out narrow width loads, which are installed on the ground.
is connected to. In addition, each stage travel route 6A to 6D, 9
A to 9C are from between the two three-dimensional shelves 1A and 1B to between the two loading/unloading lifting devices 12 and 16 and between the loading/unloading lifting devices 13.
, has been extended to 17 spaces.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the self-propelled cart 7
, 10 is equipped with drive wheels 20 and idle wheels 21 on both left and right sides that fit into the guide rails 8 and 11 and roll, and on the upper side of the self-propelled trolley 7 is a load transfer device that can be raised and lowered. A large width running fork 7a is provided, and a small width running fork 10a that can be raised and lowered is provided above the self-propelled cart 10 as a load transfer device. The driving wheel 1
8 and the running forks 7a, 10a are driven via a control device by electric power supplied from an onboard battery or a power supply line installed beside the running route. Therefore, the running forks 7a, 10
As is well known in the past, a is advance at the lower limit level, rise,
and a forking operation for scooping up the load, which consists of a backward movement at the upper limit level, and, conversely, a forking operation for unloading, which consists of advancing and lowering at the upper limit level, and a backward movement at the lower limit level.

[0008] Each large width cargo storage compartment 2 of the three-dimensional shelves 1A and 1B
is a large wide load W having a large width in the running direction of the self-propelled trolley 7.
Each of the small width load storage compartments 4 supports a small width load WS having a small width in the running direction of the self-propelled cart 10, and each of the load storage compartments 2, 4 A pair of left and right load receiving devices 22 are installed at a distance that allows the running fork 7a or 10a that has advanced into the load storage compartments 2 and 4 to move up and down. Furthermore, the running forks 7a or 10a in the extended state are arranged in parallel at intervals such that the running forks 7a or 10a in the extended state can be moved up and down between the lifting devices 12, 13 for loading and unloading large width loads and the lifting devices 16, 17 for loading and unloading narrow width loads. Elevating carriages 25, 26 are provided with a pair of left and right drive roller conveyors 23a, 23b and 24a, 24b, and elevating guide columns 27, 28 for guiding the elevating carriages 25, 26.

[0009] The loading of large width loads WL into the load storage section 2 in the lower zone 3 of the three-dimensional shelves 1A, 1B is carried out as follows. That is, when the elevating carriage 25 of the elevating device 12 for carrying in large width loads is at the lowering limit level where it connects with the conveyor 14 for carrying in large width loads, the pair of left and right driving rollers on the conveyor 14 and the elevating carriage 25 Once the large width load WL is transferred from the conveyor 14 onto the elevating carriage 25 by the conveyors 23a and 23b,
The elevator carriage 25 is moved along the self-propelled trolley travel routes 6A to 6D.
Among them, raise the vehicle to the same level as the driving route of the level targeted for warehousing. Then, in a state where the self-propelled cart 7 on the traveling route of the warehousing target level is at the end of the path connecting with the elevating device 12 for carrying in large width goods, the elevating carriage is attached to the running fork 7a of the self-propelled cart 7. The load scooping forking operation is carried out between the pair of left and right drive roller conveyors 23a and 23b of 25, and the large width load WL on the elevating carriage 25 is taken onto the self-propelled cart 7.

The self-propelled cart 7 that has taken in the large width cargo WL to be stocked is adjacent to the cargo storage compartment 2 to be stocked in the lower zone 3 of the three-dimensional shelf 1A or 1B on the trolley travel path 6A to 6D. The robot moves along the guide rail 8 to the desired position, and then stops. Thereafter, by causing the running fork 7a supporting the large width load WL to perform the unloading forking operation for the cargo storage compartment 2 to be warehoused, the large width load WL is transferred to the load storage compartment 2 to be warehousing. The cargo can be transferred onto the pair of cargo receivers 22 in the container 2.

[0011] The warehousing work of the small width cargo WS is carried out using the lifting device 16 for carrying in the small width cargo, the conveyor 18 for carrying in the small width cargo, and the traveling route at the level to be warehoused among the traveling routes 9A to 9C of the self-propelled carts. Using the self-propelled trolley 10 above, in the same procedure as the above-mentioned warehousing operation for the large-width cargo WL, the small-width cargo is placed in the cargo storage compartment 4 to be stocked in the upper zone 5 of the three-dimensional shelf 1A or 1B. WS
This is done by transferring.

The unloading operation of the large wide cargo WL stored in the cargo storage section 2 in the lower zone 3 of the three-dimensional shelves 1A, 1B is performed as follows. That is, the self-propelled trolley travel route 6A~
6D, the self-propelled cart 7 on the travel route at the level to be delivered is made to travel along the guide rail 8 to a position adjacent to the cargo storage section 2 to be delivered, and then stopped. Thereafter, by causing the running fork 7a to carry out the forking operation for scooping up the load with respect to the load storage compartment 2 to be shipped, the load is supported on the pair of load receiving tools 22 in the load storage compartment 2 to be shipped. The large width load WL is received on the self-propelled cart 7.

The self-propelled cart 7 that has received the large width load WL to be delivered is driven to the end of the travel path adjacent to the lift device 13 for carrying out the large width load and then stopped. On the other hand, the elevating carriage 25 of the large width load unloading elevating device 13 is raised to a level where it is connected to the self-propelled cart 7 at the level to be delivered, and then the running fork 7a of the self-propelled cart 7 is attached to the unloading fork. By performing the king operation, the large width load WL to be discharged on the self-propelled cart 7 is transferred onto the elevating carriage 25 of the elevating device 13 for carrying out the large width load. Next, after lowering the lifting carriage 25 of the lifting device 13 for carrying out large width loads to the lowering limit level connected to the conveyor 15 for carrying out large width loads, a pair of left and right driving roller conveyors 23a on the lifting carriage 25 are moved. , 23b and the large width load carrying conveyor 15, it is possible to carry out the large width load WL to be discharged from the elevating carriage 25.

[0014] The unloading work of the small wide cargo WS stored in the load storage compartment 4 in the upper zone 5 of the three-dimensional shelves 1A and 1B is performed by traveling at the level to be unloaded among the self-propelled trolley travel routes 9A to 9C. Using the self-propelled cart 10 on the route, the elevating device 17 for carrying out small-width loads, and the conveyor 19 for carrying out small-width loads, the procedure is similar to the procedure for unloading the large-width loads WL.

[0015] Incidentally, a lifting device 1 exclusively used for carrying in large width loads WL is provided.
2 and a conveyor 14, and an elevating device 13 and a conveyor 15 exclusively for carrying out, and for the small width load WS, an elevating device 16 and a conveyor 18 exclusively for carrying in, and an elevating device 17 and a conveyor 19 exclusively for carrying out were provided. It is also possible to provide a lifting device and a conveyor for carrying in and out, respectively, for the large width load WL and for the small width load WS.

Furthermore, it is also possible to provide a common lifting device and conveyor for both the large width load WL and the small width load WS. An example of this will be explained based on FIGS. 6 and 7.
is a lifting device for carrying in both large width loads WL and small width loads WS, and on the lift carriage 31 that can be raised and lowered along the guide column 30, there are a pair of left and right lifts for positioning the large width loads WL. A pair of left and right drive roller conveyors 33 for large width loads WL equipped with large width load guides 32, and small width load WS.
A pair of left and right drive roller conveyors 35 for small width loads WS equipped with a pair of left and right narrow width load guides 34 for positioning.
are arranged so that the small width load WS is supported at a level one step lower than the large width load WL and with their centers substantially coincident, and a drive roller conveyor for the small width load WS is provided. 35 and between the pair of left and right small width load guides 34, a space 36 is secured in which the running fork 7a of the self-propelled cart 7 for transporting large width loads moves up and down, and the small width load WL A space 37 is secured between the pair of left and right drive roller conveyors 35, in which the running fork 10a of the self-propelled cart 10 for transporting small width loads moves in and out and up and down.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a conveyor for carrying in the large width load WL and the small width load WS, and the elevator carriage 3
1 is at the lowering limit level, the lifting carriage 31
It is connected at the same level to a pair of left and right drive roller conveyors 33 for large width loads WL located on the upper stage. A centering device 39 for small width loads WS is also provided at the exit of this carry-in conveyor 38.

The large width load WL conveyed by the carry-in conveyor 38 is moved to the lift carriage 31 by the drive roller conveyor 33 on the lift carriage 31 which is waiting at the lowering limit level and by the carry-in conveyor 38. You can move it to the top. At this time, the large width load WL is positioned by the large width load guide 32. The small width load WS transported by the carry-in conveyor 38 is centered at the center position of the conveyor 38 by the centering device 39, and then transferred to the drive roller conveyor 35 on the lifting carriage 31 waiting at the lowering limit level. The lifting carriage 3 is moved by the loading conveyor 38.
You can move it to 1. At this time, the small width load W
S is supported at a level one step lower and positioned by a small width load guide 34.

[0019] The elevating carriage 31 is used for carrying a large width load WL.
When carrying in a small cargo WS, the self-propelled trolley rises to the traveling route of the storage target level among the traveling routes 6A to 6D in the lower zone 3 and stops, and when carrying in a small width cargo WS, it moves to the upper zone 5. The self-propelled trolley moves up to the warehousing target level of the travel routes 9A to 9C and stops. Thereafter, the running fork 7a of the self-propelled vehicle 7 on the travel routes 6A to 6D or the running fork 10a of the self-propelled vehicle 10 on the travel routes 9A to 9C moves between the drive roller conveyor 33 on the elevating carriage 31. By performing a load scooping forking operation in the space 36 or the space 37 between the drive roller conveyors 35, the large width load WL is taken onto the self-propelled cart 7, and the small width load WS is loaded onto the self-propelled cart 7. 10
captured above.

The elevating device and conveyor for carrying out can also be constructed in the same manner as the elevating device 29 for carrying in and the conveyor 38 for carrying in. In this case, a carry-out conveyor is arranged at the same level as the drive roller conveyor 35 that handles the small width load WS in the lower stage. In addition, a pair of left and right drive roller conveyors that are used for both the large width load WL and the small width load WS are arranged in the elevating carriage 31, and the space between the left and right pair of drive roller conveyors is used for conveying the large width load. The running fork 7a of the self-propelled trolley 7 for transportation and the running fork 10a of the self-propelled trolley 10 for transporting small-width loads are used as a space in which the running fork 7a of the self-propelled truck 10 for transporting small-width cargo moves in and out, and the small-width cargo transferred onto the pair of left and right drive roller conveyors. A centering device for centering the WS can also be provided on the elevating carriage 31.

[0021]

As described above, according to the automatic warehouse apparatus of the present invention, the shelves adjacent to the upper and lower travel paths of the self-propelled carts equipped with load transfer devices are arranged so that the self-propelled carts run in each zone. A plurality of upper and lower zones having different widths of the load storage compartments in different directions are provided, and the self-propelled cart is configured to be able to handle loads whose width corresponds to the width of the load storage compartment of the zone to which it belongs. Although it is a single automated warehouse device, it can at least store multiple types of cargo with different widths,
Compared to the case where separate automated warehouse equipment must be installed for each type, equipment costs can be significantly reduced.

Furthermore, since the self-propelled carts on each stage handle loads of the same width as in the past, rather than handling loads of various widths, the work of transporting loads and transferring them between shelves is very simple. In addition to being able to safely and reliably handle small width loads, self-propelled trolleys that handle small width loads can be downsized as a whole including the transfer device, and all trolleys can handle large width loads as well. It is possible to reduce costs compared to the case where the configuration has to be configured as follows.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view in which the right side of the shelf shows an upper zone for storing small width loads, and the left side of the shelf shows a lower zone for storing large width loads.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view with the front three-dimensional shelf etc. omitted.

FIG. 3 is a side view of essential parts showing a self-propelled cart with a transfer device and a lift device for carrying out (carrying in) cargo.

FIG. 4 is a front view of main parts showing a self-propelled cart and a shelf.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of main parts showing a shelf, a self-propelled cart, a lift device for carrying out (carrying in) cargo, a conveyor for carrying out (carrying in) cargo, etc.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of main parts showing another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the main parts of the lifting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1A, 1B...Three-dimensional shelf, 2...Storage compartment for large width load WL, 3
...Lower zone, 4...Storage compartment for small width cargo WS, 5...Upper zone, 6A to 6D, 9A to 9C...Self-propelled trolley travel route,
7...Self-propelled trolley for transporting large lateral loads, 7a, 10a...Running fork (load transfer device), 8, 11...Guide rail,
10...Self-propelled trolley for transporting small width loads, 12...Elevating device for carrying in large width loads, 13...Elevating device for carrying out large width loads, 14...Conveyor for carrying in large width loads, 15...Large width loads unloading conveyor,
16...Lifting device for carrying in small width cargo, 17...Lifting device for carrying out small width cargo, 18...Conveyor for carrying in small width cargo, 19...Conveyor for carrying out small width cargo, 23a, 23b, 33...Large width Drive roller conveyor for wide loads, 24a, 24b, 35... Drive roller conveyor for small width loads, 25, 26, 31...
Elevating carriage, 29... Elevating device for carrying in both large and small width loads, 39... Centering device.

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claim 1: A traveling path for a self-propelled cart equipped with a load transfer device capable of horizontally traveling along a shelf is provided in multiple stages above and below, and adjacent to an end of the traveling path, a traveling path for a self-propelled cart equipped with a load transfer device that can horizontally travel along a shelf is provided. In the automated warehouse system provided with a loading/unloading lifting device for transferring loads to and from the self-propelled trolley, the shelf has a different width of the load storage compartment in the traveling direction of the self-propelled trolley for each zone. An automatic warehouse system is provided with a plurality of upper and lower zones, and the self-propelled cart is configured to be able to handle loads having a width corresponding to the width of the load storage section of the zone to which it belongs. 2. The automatic warehouse apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lifting device for loading and unloading goods is installed separately for each load of different width. 3. The automatic warehouse apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lifting device for loading and unloading cargo is configured to be able to handle a plurality of types of cargo having different widths.