JP3897295B2 - Automatic warehouse - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse provided with a station for rotating a workpiece received from a stacker crane.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a workpiece 102 provided with a joint box 101 protruding outward at a predetermined position on the upper part of a rectangular housing is received and managed on a shelf 1 of an automatic warehouse. There are things to do. The workpiece 102 is a container for storing, for example, a chemical substance that needs to be heated and stored, and the joint box 101 supplies, for example, electric power necessary for heating the chemical substance from the outside to the inside of the workpiece 102. It is a receiving part in the case of supplying to. In addition, when the chemical substance is additionally supplied into the workpiece 102 from the outside, for example, the joint box 101 may be a receiving port for the chemical substance from the outside.
[0003]
When the workpiece 102 having the joint box 101 is received and managed on the shelf 1 of the automatic warehouse, the workpiece 102 is stored in the storage frame 5 of the shelf 1 via the joint box 101 in the state where the workpiece 102 is received. It is necessary to supply power and chemicals to Therefore, based on a signal from the stacker crane 202 indicating that the work 102 is placed at a predetermined position of the storage frame 5, the arm is extended and connected to the joint box 101 of the work 102, and electric power and chemical substances are supplied to the work 102. A supply unit for supplying the inside is provided in the storage frame 5.
[0004]
If the supply section having such a configuration is provided on the front side of each storage frame 5 (the traveling path 22 side of the stacker crane 202), it becomes an obstacle to the loading and unloading of the workpiece 102. The stacker crane 202 is provided on the opposite side of the travel path 22 (outside the storage frame 5).
[0005]
Therefore, the workpiece 102 having the joint box 101 is arranged in the storage frame 5 so that the joint box 101 is positioned outside the storage frame 5 as shown in FIG. When the workpiece 102 is unloaded, as shown in FIG. 8, the joint box 101 is placed on the conversion machine 6 of the station 201 with the joint box 101 facing away from the traveling path 22 of the stacker crane 202.
[0006]
The workpiece 102 placed on the conversion machine 6 is conveyed onto the workpiece placement unit 7 of the station 201 by a conveyor, is received by the forklift, and is carried out of the automatic warehouse by the forklift, but is placed on the ground. In order to make it easier for the user to handle the workpiece 102, the workpiece 102 immediately before being received by the forklift is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, with the joint box 101 facing the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse. 7 has to be placed on top.
[0007]
Therefore, the optical sensor A and the optical sensor B are installed in the station 201, and the conversion machine 6 is rotated clockwise or so that the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 placed on the conversion machine 6 faces the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse. Rotate 90 ° counterclockwise. That is, when the optical sensor A or B is blocked by the joint box 101, it is determined in which direction the workpiece 102 is placed with respect to the station 201, and the rotation direction of the converter 6 is determined according to the determination, and the rotation is performed. It is something to be made.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, conventionally, when the work 102 that has been stored in the storage frame 5 of the shelf 1 is unloaded from the shelf 1, in order to determine the rotation direction when the work 102 is rotated by the conversion machine 6 of the station 201. In addition, it is necessary to provide the optical sensor A and the optical sensor B around the converter 6.
[0009]
The optical sensor A and the optical sensor B have a relatively large structure, and the provision of the optical sensor A and the optical sensor B causes a problem that the entire station 201 becomes large.
[0010]
In view of the above-described problems, the present invention has an object to provide an automatic warehouse in which no optical sensor is provided in a station.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems and achieve the above object, an automatic warehouse according to the present invention includes a shelf having a plurality of storage frames, a stacker crane including a carriage for unloading a work from a specific storage frame of the shelf, and the stacker. It is assumed that the work station received from the crane has a station having a conversion machine for rotating the work in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle.
[0012]
In addition, the stacker crane includes an optical sensor for detecting a placement state of the workpiece when the workpiece is placed on the carriage. In addition, the station includes a control unit that controls the rotation of the conversion machine based on information on the detection result of the optical sensor obtained from the stacker crane.
[0013]
If such an automatic warehouse of the present invention is used, a work placed on the conversion machine of the station is rotated in a direction corresponding to the placement state by a stacker crane without providing an optical sensor in the station. Is possible.
[0014]
In addition, the stacker crane of the present invention includes a carriage that unloads a workpiece from a specific storage frame of a predetermined shelf, and a light for detecting the loading state of the workpiece when the workpiece is loaded on the carriage. It is characterized by comprising a sensor and a rotation direction determination unit for determining the direction of rotation of the changer of the station where the workpiece is received based on the detection result of the optical sensor.
[0015]
If the information on the direction of rotation of the conversion machine obtained by the stacker crane of the present invention is used, the station is placed on the conversion machine of the station by the stacker crane even if no optical sensor is provided. It is possible to rotate the workpiece in a direction corresponding to the mounting state.
[0016]
In addition, the station of the present invention is configured so that a workpiece received from a stacker crane provided with an optical sensor for detecting a placement state of a workpiece taken out from a specific storage frame of a predetermined shelf is in a predetermined direction at a predetermined angle. It is characterized by comprising a converter to be rotated and a control unit for controlling the rotation of the converter based on information on the detection result of the optical sensor obtained from the stacker crane.
[0017]
If such a station of the present invention is used, the station is placed on the converter in a direction corresponding to the detection result of the optical sensor that identifies the placement state of the workpiece placed on the station converter. The workpiece can be rotated.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Below, the structure and operation | movement of the automatic warehouse of embodiment of this invention are demonstrated with reference to drawings.
[0019]
FIG. 1 shows a simplified view of the automatic warehouse of the present embodiment as viewed from above, FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the stacker crane and station in the automatic warehouse of the present embodiment, and FIG. A block diagram of the automatic warehouse of the embodiment is shown, and FIG. 4 shows an operation procedure of the automatic warehouse of the present embodiment.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic warehouse according to the present embodiment is similar to the conventional automatic warehouse between the left shelf 1a and the right shelf 1b installed in parallel and the left and right shelves 1a and 1b. The stacker crane 2 travels back and forth, the station 3 that delivers the work 102 to be loaded / unloaded to the stacker crane 2, and the management device 4 that manages the loading / unloading state of the work 102. Thus, the automatic warehouse of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the conventional automatic warehouse, and the stacker crane 2 is identified from the specific storage frame 5 of the left shelf 1a or the right shelf 1b. 6 is common to the conventional automatic warehouse in that the workpiece 102 shown in FIG. 6 is delivered with the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 facing the outside of the shelf 1.
[0021]
However, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the configuration of the station 3 in the automatic warehouse of the present embodiment is different from the configuration of the station 201 in the conventional automatic warehouse in the following points. That is, the station 3 in the automatic warehouse according to the present embodiment includes the conversion machine 6, the workpiece placement unit 7, and the conveyor as in the conventional station 201, but is placed on the conversion machine 6 by the stacker crane 2. There are no optical sensors A and B for determining the direction in which the workpiece 102 is rotated, and the placement detector 8 and the management device 4 for detecting that the workpiece 102 is placed on the conversion machine 6. The second receiving unit 9 that receives information from the control unit 10 and the control unit 10 that controls the rotation of the converter 6 based on the position information received by the second receiving unit 9 are provided.
[0022]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the configuration of the stacker crane 2 in the automatic warehouse of the present embodiment is also different from the configuration of the stacker crane 202 in the conventional automatic warehouse in the following points.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 2, in the stacker crane 2 in the automatic warehouse according to the present embodiment, the workpiece 102 to be loaded / unloaded is placed on the changer 6 of the station 3 or the designated storage frame 5 as in the past. A carriage 13 is provided for transmitting and receiving. The carriage 13 includes, for example, plate-like first side frame 130a and second side frame 130b that are orthogonal to the traveling path 22 of the stacker crane 2 and face each other. In the carriage 13 having such a configuration, an optical sensor X and an optical sensor Y, which will be described later, are attached to portions of the first side frame 130a and the second side frame 130b that face each other.
[0024]
The optical sensor X includes a light emitting means 31x that is provided at a predetermined height of one of the first and second side frames 130a (130b) and emits light, and the other side frame 130b (130a). And a light receiving means 32x for receiving light. The light emitting means 31x and the light receiving means 32x are provided at the opposing portion of the first side frame 130a or the second side frame 130b so that the optical path of the optical sensor X is parallel to the traveling path 22 of the stacker crane 2 and is horizontal. It has been.
[0025]
The light sensor Y includes a light emitting means 31y that emits light and is provided at a predetermined height of one of the first and second side frames 130a (130b), and the other side frame 130b ( 130a) and light receiving means 32y for receiving light. The light emitting means 31y and the light receiving means 32y are also provided at the opposing portion of the first side frame 130a or the second side frame 130b so that the optical path of the optical sensor Y is parallel to the traveling path 22 of the stacker crane 2 and is horizontal. It has been.
[0026]
In addition, the light emitting means 31x and the light receiving means 32x of the optical sensor X, and the light emitting means 31y and the light receiving means 32y of the optical sensor Y are arranged at positions that satisfy the relationship described later. That is, when the workpiece 102 delivered from the specific storage frame 5 is placed on a predetermined position on the bottom surface 131 of the carriage 13 of the stacker crane 2, as shown in FIG. If the joint box 101 is directed to the left shelf 1a, the light emitted from the light emitting means 31x is blocked by the joint box 101 and is not received by the light receiving means 32x, and the light sensor X is in a light shielding state. The light emitted by 31y is received by the light receiving means 32y, and the optical sensor Y is in the light projection state. On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 5B, if the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 faces the right shelf 1b, the light emitted from the light emitting means 31x is received by the light receiving means 32x, and the light sensor X Is in a light projecting state, the light emitted from the light emitting means 31y is blocked by the joint box 101 and not received by the light receiving means 32y, and the optical sensor Y is in a light shielding state.
[0027]
Further, in the stacker crane 2 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, when the workpiece 102 taken out from the specific storage frame 5 by the carriage 13 is placed on the conversion machine 6 of the station 3, A rotation direction determination unit 16 that determines the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 and a transmission unit 17 that transmits information related to the rotation direction determined by the rotation direction determination unit 16 to the management device 4 are provided. In addition, although mentioned later, the rotation direction determination part 16 determines the rotation direction of the converter 6 according to which of the optical sensors X and Y is in a light-shielding state, and which of others is in a light projection state.
[0028]
Hereinafter, the procedure in the case of letting out the work 102 stored in the specific storage frame 5 of the specific shelf 1a (1b) from the shelf 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
[0029]
In that case, the user inputs the position information and the delivery instruction of the storage frame 5 in which the work 102 to be delivered on the left shelf 1a or the right shelf 1b is received into the input unit 11 of the management device 4. (Step 1 in FIG. 4)
As shown in FIG. 3, the position information and the leaving instruction input to the input unit 11 are wirelessly transmitted to the stacker crane 2 by the transmission / reception unit 12 of the management device 4.
[0030]
In the stacker crane 2, the first receiving unit 14 receives the position information and the leaving instruction from the management device 4, and the drive control unit 15 takes out the workpiece 102 from the storage frame 5 specified by the position information. The stacker crane 2 main body is moved, and the carriage 13 is moved to a predetermined height. When the movement is completed, the carriage 13 takes out the workpiece 102 from the storage frame 5 specified by the position information (step 2 in FIG. 4).
[0031]
When the work 102 taken out by the carriage 13 is placed on a predetermined position on the bottom surface 131 of the carriage 13, the light emitting means 31x and the light emitting means 31y emit light. It is detected which one of the sensor X and the optical sensor Y is in a light shielding state and which the other is in a light projecting state. Then, based on the detection result, the rotation direction determination unit 16 uses the conversion machine 6 when the work 102 later taken out from the specific storage frame 5 by the carriage 13 is placed on the conversion machine 6 of the station 3. The rotation direction is determined (step 3 in FIG. 4).
[0032]
That is, if the optical sensor X is in a light-shielding state and the optical sensor Y is in a light-projecting state, the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 taken out from the storage frame 5 and placed on the bottom surface 131 of the carriage 13 is The work 102 is placed on the conversion machine 6 of the station 3 by the carriage 13 in this state. Therefore, the rotation direction determination unit 16 determines that the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 is counterclockwise so that the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 placed on the conversion machine 6 faces the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse. decide.
[0033]
On the other hand, if the optical sensor X is in the light projecting state and the optical sensor Y is in the light shielding state, the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 taken out from the storage frame 5 and placed on the bottom surface 131 of the carriage 13 is The work 102 is placed on the conversion machine 6 of the station 3 by the carriage 13 in this state. Therefore, the rotation direction determination unit 16 determines that the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 is clockwise in order to point the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 placed on the conversion machine 6 toward the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse. To do.
[0034]
When the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 is determined in this way, the transmission unit 17 transmits information on the determined direction to the management device 4. And the transmission / reception part 12 of the management apparatus 4 transmits the information to the station 3 by wire or radio | wireless, after receiving the information of the rotation direction of the converter 6 from the transmission part 17 (step 4 of FIG. 4).
[0035]
By the way, when the work 102 is unloaded from the storage frame 5 specified by the position information by the carriage 13, as described above, while the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 is determined by the rotation direction determination unit 16, The drive control unit 15 moves the stacker crane 2 main body to the station 3, and the carriage 13 places the taken workpiece 102 on the conversion machine 6. In the station 3, the placement detection unit 8 detects that the work 102 is placed on the conversion machine 6 by using, for example, a signal when the fork of the carriage 13 is retracted, and information to that effect. Is sent to the control unit 10.
[0036]
On the other hand, by the time the workpiece 102 is placed on the conversion machine 6, as described above, the information regarding the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 has been transmitted from the management device 4 to the station 3, and the second receiving unit 9 The information is received.
[0037]
Therefore, when it is detected that the workpiece 102 that has been stored in the specific storage frame 5 is placed on the conversion machine 6, the control unit 10, based on the information received by the second receiving unit 9, The converter 6 is rotated 90 ° clockwise or counterclockwise so that the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 faces the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse (step 5 in FIG. 4).
[0038]
For example, if the second receiving unit 9 has received information that the turning direction of the conversion machine 6 is counterclockwise, the control unit 10 rotates the conversion machine 6 by 90 ° counterclockwise, The joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 placed on the conversion machine 6 is directed to the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse.
[0039]
On the other hand, if the second receiving unit 9 has received information that the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 is clockwise, the control unit 10 rotates the conversion machine 6 by 90 ° clockwise to change the conversion direction. The joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 placed on the machine 6 is directed to the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse.
[0040]
In this way, the control unit 10 rotates the converter 6 by 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise according to the information received by the second receiving unit 9, so that the joint box 101 faces the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse. Then, the workpiece 102 is conveyed to the workpiece placement unit 7 by the conveyor with the joint box 101 facing the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse.
[0041]
And the workpiece | work 102 conveyed to the workpiece | work mounting part 7 is carried out of an automatic warehouse by a forklift.
[0042]
As described above, if the automatic warehouse of the present embodiment is used, the optical sensors X and Y are provided on the carriage 13 of the stacker crane 2 even if the optical sensors A and B are not provided on the station 201 as in the prior art. Then, by detecting which one of the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y is in a light-shielding state and which the other is in a light-projecting state, the goods are discharged from the shelf 1 onto the conversion machine 6 of the station 3. The workpiece 102 can be rotated so that the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 faces the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse.
[0043]
In the above-described embodiment, the stacker crane 2 is provided with the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y. However, only one of the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y is provided in the stacker crane 2. It is good also as a structure. Even in such a case, by detecting whether the optical sensor X or the optical sensor Y is in a light-shielding state or a light-projecting state, the goods are delivered from the specific shelf 1a (1b) onto the conversion machine 6 of the station 3. It is possible to determine the direction of rotating the workpiece 102 so that the joint box 101 of the workpiece 102 faces the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse.
[0044]
In the above-described embodiment, when the information on the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 determined by the rotation direction determination unit 16 is transmitted from the transmission unit 17 of the stacker crane 2 to the station 3 via the management device 4. However, the information may be transmitted directly from the transmission unit 17 to the station 3.
[0045]
In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the rotation direction determination unit 16 is provided in the stacker crane 2, but the rotation direction determination unit 16 is not provided in the stacker crane 2, and the station 3 May be provided. In that case, the transmission unit 17 of the stacker crane 2 transmits to the management device 4 information indicating which one of the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y is in the light shielding state and which of the other is in the light projecting state. Then, the second receiving unit 9 of the station 3 receives information indicating which one of the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y is in a light-shielding state and which is in a light-projecting state from the management device 4, and the rotation direction The determination part 16 determines the rotation direction of the converter 6 based on the information. According to the determination, the control unit 10 rotates the converter 6 by 90 ° clockwise or counterclockwise, so that the joint box 101 faces the front side 21 of the automatic warehouse. Note that the transmission unit 17 may directly transmit information indicating which of the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y is in a light shielding state and which of the other is in a light projecting state to the station 3.
[0046]
Alternatively, the rotation direction determination unit 16 may be provided in the management device 4. In that case, the transmission unit 17 of the stacker crane 2 transmits to the management device 4 information indicating which one of the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y is in the light shielding state and which of the other is in the light projecting state. In the management device 4, the rotation direction determination unit 16 determines the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 based on the information, and the transmission / reception unit 12 transmits the rotation direction information to the station 3.
[0047]
When the conversion machine 6 does not rotate endlessly, the control unit 10 sets the conversion machine 6 in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the conversion machine 6 before the workpiece 102 is placed on the conversion machine 6. Is preferably rotated 90 ° or more. If the conversion machine 6 rotates only 180 °, the workpiece 102 is placed on the conversion machine 6 in a state where it has already been rotated 180 ° in the clockwise direction, and the conversion machine 6 is rotated 90 ° in the clockwise direction. This is to prevent the situation where the control unit 10 cannot rotate the converter 6 by 90 ° in the clockwise direction when it is necessary to rotate it.
[0048]
In the above-described embodiment, as described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, when one of the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y is in a light shielding state and the other is in a light projecting state. However, in reality, as shown in FIG. 5C, both the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y may be in a light shielding state. However, this is because the work 102 is not placed at a predetermined position on the pallet 103 and the work 102 is placed on the pallet 103 so as to be shifted to the left shelf 1a side or the right shelf 1b side. It is a phenomenon that occurs. In this way, if the pallet 103 on which the workpiece 102 is placed is handled in a state where the workpiece 102 is shifted from a predetermined position on the pallet 103, there is a risk that the workpiece 102 falls from the pallet 103. Therefore, in order to avoid the danger, the stacker crane 2 and / or the management device 4 is provided with a warning unit that issues a warning by sound or color when both the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y are in a light shielding state. It is preferable. In addition, it is preferable that the stacker crane 2 is provided with an operation stop unit that stops an operation such as traveling when both the optical sensor X and the optical sensor Y are in a light shielding state.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention has a relatively small structure with a stacker crane that obtains information for determining the rotation direction of a workpiece received by the station and a station that rotates the workpiece based on the information. We can provide automated warehouses.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which an automatic warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a stacker crane and a station in the automatic warehouse according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the operation procedure of the automatic warehouse according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows the light in the stacker crane of the automatic warehouse according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining whether the sensor X and the optical sensor Y are in a light shielding state or in a light projecting state. FIG. 6 is provided with a joint box protruding outward at a predetermined position on the upper part of a rectangular parallelepiped housing. Fig. 7 A simplified diagram showing the state of a conventional automatic warehouse as viewed from above. Fig. 8 A configuration diagram of a station and stacker crane in a conventional automatic warehouse.
1a Left shelf 1b Right shelf 2 Stacker crane 3 Station 4 Management device 5 Storage frame 6 Converter 7 Work placement unit 8 Placement detection unit 9 Second reception unit 10 Control unit 11 Input unit 12 Transmission / reception unit 13 Carriage 14 First 1 instruction receiving unit 15 drive control unit 16 rotation direction determining unit 17 transmitting unit 21 near side 22 traveling path X light sensor 31x light emitting unit 32x light receiving unit Y light sensor 31y light emitting unit 32y light receiving unit 101 joint box 102 work 103 palette

Claims (6)

A shelf having a plurality of storage frames;
A stacker crane comprising: a carriage for unloading a work from a specific storage frame of the shelf; and an optical sensor for detecting a placement state of the work when the work is placed on the carriage;
A converter that rotates the workpiece received from the stacker crane in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle, and a control unit that controls the rotation of the converter based on information on the detection result of the optical sensor obtained from the stacker crane. A station with
An automatic warehouse characterized by having. The stacker crane includes a rotation direction determination unit that determines a rotation direction of the converter based on a detection result of the optical sensor,
2. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the detection result of the optical sensor is information related to the direction of rotation of the conversion machine determined by the rotation direction determination unit. The station includes a rotation direction determination unit that determines a rotation direction of the converter based on a detection result of the optical sensor,
2. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the detection result of the optical sensor is information related to the direction of rotation of the conversion machine determined by the rotation direction determination unit. The carriage includes two side frames that are orthogonal to the traveling path of the stacker crane and that face each other.
The optical sensor is provided at a portion of the two side frames of the carriage facing a different counterpart, so that the optical path of the optical sensor and the travel path of the stacker crane are in a parallel relationship. ,
The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the detection result of the optical sensor is information indicating whether or not the optical sensor is activated. There are two sets of the photosensors, and the two sets of photosensors are arranged at different locations,
The automatic warehouse according to claim 4, wherein the detection result of the optical sensor is information indicating which of the two sets of optical sensors is activated. The control unit rotates the conversion machine by a predetermined angle in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction before the workpiece is placed on the conversion machine based on information on the detection result of the optical sensor. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein:

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