JP4826781B2 - Sorting cart - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sorting work cart that sorts articles between an article storage shelf and an article storage container while being pushed and pulled along an article storage shelf (not shown).

An example of a sorting work cart is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
In Patent Document 1, an elevator base (load receiving portion) on which an article storage container (article storage body) is placed is movably provided on a carriage, and the elevator base is associated with a predetermined sorting work position. The lifting platform is lowered from the position of the sorting operation by the weight of the lifting platform. At that time, in order to prevent the lifting platform from falling freely, speed control is performed by a hydraulic damper device that is inclined between the lifting platform and the base portion of the carriage and is provided in a pair on the left and right. ing. Further, when returning the elevator to the predetermined sorting work position (raising), the operator lifts it by hand.
JP 2000-255723 A

  However, in the conventional cart for sorting work, a pair of left and right damper devices are provided below the elevator, so that the space below the elevator (article storage unit) is used to place the article storage container flat. Because it is narrow (the size of the lifting platform is a size that closely matches the size (bottom area) of the article storage container in order to eliminate rattling when the article storage container is placed), An empty article storage container is placed vertically below the elevator platform. For this reason, the number of empty article storage containers that can be stored is reduced, and the number of times the empty article storage containers are replenished increases. Therefore, the work for replacing the article storage containers is increased, which deteriorates workability.

  Further, in the conventional sorting work cart, the height position of the lifting platform is only one of the predetermined sorting positions, and it is impossible to work according to the optimum height of the worker and the size of the article storage container. There was a problem that workability was bad. In particular, in the case of an article storage container having a high height, for example, a container for storing a bottle of bottles, it can be used only at a position where the lifting platform is lowered, and workability is poor.

  Further, since the hydraulic damper device is used, there is a problem that when the lift is lifted, the resistance when the shaft is extended acts, so that the lift becomes heavy and cannot be lifted easily.

  Therefore, the present invention can reduce the work of replacing the article storage container by allowing the empty article storage container to be laid flat, and can adjust the height of the lifting platform to a position according to the size of the article storage container (container). An object of the present invention is to provide a sorting cart capable of improving workability.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is a sorting work cart provided with an article storage portion for storing an article storage container in the vertical direction on the front and rear sides of the vehicle body. In order to move the container mounting table up and down, at least one of the front and rear article storage units is provided with a container mounting table of the article storage container that is suspended by a rope and is movable in the vertical direction. A rotation shaft on which the cable body is hung above the vehicle body, a rotation lock release mechanism capable of locking and releasing the rotation of the rotation shaft is provided on the vehicle body, and one-way clutches are provided at both ends of the rotation shaft. A rotary damper having a viscous body is provided, and when the rotation shaft is unlocked by the rotation lock release mechanism, the one-way clutch is attached to the rotation shaft when the container mounting table is lowered. Combined and acts certain braking force by the viscous resistance of the viscous body in the rotary damper, the rotate shaft slowly rotated, the ascent of the container placing table, the one-way clutch with free rotation, a rotation axis It is characterized by being configured to freely rotate.

According to the above configuration, since the rotary damper is used to prevent free fall of the container mounting table, it is obstructive to mount the article storage container in the space (article storage unit) below the container mounting table. Thus, for example, the conventional hydraulic damper device is eliminated, the article storage container can be laid flat, and the number of empty article storage containers to be stored can be increased. Further, since the one-way clutch freely rotates and the rotation shaft is freely rotated when the container mounting table is raised, the container mounting table can be easily and smoothly lifted lightly without resistance.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the rotation lock release mechanism includes a claw wheel fixed to the rotation shaft, and a tooth mesh with respect to teeth of the claw wheel. A feed claw that is detachable, and when the rotation shaft is unlocked by the rotation lock release mechanism, the feed claw is detached from the teeth of the claw wheel and the rotation shaft is rotatable. When the rotation of the rotation shaft is locked by the rotation lock release mechanism, the rotation of the rotation shaft is prevented by the feed claw meshing with the teeth of the claw wheel, and the lowering of the container mounting table is stopped. And the position is maintained.

  According to the above configuration, when the rotation of the rotation shaft is locked by the rotation unlocking mechanism while the container mounting table is lowered, the container mounting table is stopped and maintained in its position, thereby the height of the article storage container. According to the size, the container mounting table can be stopped at a height suitable for the operator's sorting operation, and the efficiency of the sorting operation is improved.

Since the cart for sorting work according to the present invention uses a rotary damper to prevent free fall of the container mounting table, it interferes with mounting the article storing container in the space (article storage unit) below the container mounting table. Can be placed flat, the quantity of empty article storage containers that can be stored can be increased, and the number of empty article storage containers can be reduced, and the article storage can be reduced. The container replacement work can be reduced and workability can be improved, and when the container mounting table is raised, the one-way clutch is freely rotated and the rotating shaft is freely rotated. It has the effect of being able to lift lightly smoothly .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a sorting work cart according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the sorting work cart.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the sorting cart 1 includes four (plural) article storage units 3 in which containers (an example of an article storage container) 2 are stored in two rows in the front and rear rows. Each of the upper and lower article storage units 3 includes a lifting platform 4 (an example of a container mounting table) 4 that can freely move up and down, and an operator P along an article storage shelf (not shown). Is a cart that sorts articles between the article storage shelf and the container 2 while being pushed and pulled using the handle 6 of the carriage. The sorting work cart 1 exclusively performs a picking work for storing the articles on the article storage shelf in the container 2. Further, the traveling direction of the sorting cart 1 is the front-rear direction X, the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction is the left-right direction Y, and the front side of the worker P in the front-rear direction X is the front and the opposite side is the rear.

  In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, reference numeral 11 denotes a vehicle body of the sorting work cart 1. The vehicle body 11 includes a frame-shaped lower frame body 12, a lid-shaped upper member 13 that forms a mounting table, and both the left and right ends of the lower frame body 12 and the upper member 13. It is formed from a pair of left and right side members 14 connected at a part.

  The lower frame 12 is composed of a frame having a size that allows the sorting containers 2 to be placed on the front and rear sides, and constitutes a lower article storage unit 3 on which the containers 2 can be placed on the front and rear. Also, below the lower frame 12, a pair of left and right front wheels 16, a pair of left and right intermediate wheels 17, and a pair of left and right are provided to support the sorting work cart 1 and run the sorting work cart 1 along the floor surface 7. A rear wheel 18 is rotatably attached.

  In addition, the upper member 13 is limited to a size in which the front (worker P side) is widely opened so as not to hinder the input of articles into the container 2 arranged in the upper front stage. A terminal 21 for displaying picking work data and the like and instructing the worker P to perform the picking work, and a printer 22 for issuing a label to be attached to the container 2 are mounted. Is installed.

In addition, two convex guide rails 25 for vertically guiding each lifting platform 4 are formed in the pair of side members 14 in the front-rear direction.
Each lifting platform 4 extends in the front-rear direction X, and a pair of left and right free roller conveyors 31 on which the container 2 is placed, a lower frame 32 that supports the free roller conveyors 31, and a rear side (side portion) of the lower frame 32. The member 14 side) is formed of a pair of left and right vertical plates 33 which are attached to the left and right end portions and form the guide portion of the lifting platform 4. The guide rails 25 are sandwiched between the vertical plates 33 at two upper and lower portions. A pair of guide rollers 34 is attached to the main body. Each lifting platform 4 has a suspension structure that can be moved up and down along the guide rail 25 of the side member 14 by a chain 46 described later.

The lower frame 12 and the upper member 13 are provided with a lifting mechanism 41 for the lifting platform 4.
That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a rotating shaft 42 is disposed inside the upper member 13 in order to move each lifting platform 4 up and down in the left-right direction. Each rotary shaft 42 is rotatably supported by a pair of left and right bearings 43 fixed to the lower portion of the upper member 13 at a position above the vertical plate 33, and is attached to the left and right ends of the rotary shaft 42. It is supported by a damper 44. The structure of the rotary damper 44 with a one-way clutch is the same as that of the one-way rotary damper disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-74277, and has a built-in one-way clutch and a viscous body (for example, a viscous liquid). .

  The one-way clutch of the rotary damper 44 is engaged with the rotating shaft 42 when the elevator 4 is lowered, and the rotating shaft 42 rotates slowly by a predetermined braking force due to the viscous resistance of the viscous body in the rotary damper 44. The one-way clutch freely rotates when the elevator 4 is raised, and the rotating shaft 42 is freely rotated.

  A sprocket (gear) 45 is fixed to each rotary shaft 42 at a position above the vertical plate 33, and one end of the chain (an example of a cable body) 46 guided by the sprocket (gear) 45 is connected to the vertical plate 33. Connected to the upper end, the other end of the chain 46 is connected to the lower end of the vertical plate 33 through a guide roller 47 disposed on the lower plate 12 so as to face the rotary damper 44.

  A claw wheel 51 is fixed to each rotating shaft 42. Then, the L-shaped feeding claw 52 is prevented from rotating with respect to the teeth of each of the claw wheels 51 so that the rotation shaft 42 is prevented from rotating when the elevator 4 is lowered, and the rotation shaft 42 is freely rotated when the container 2 is raised. A rotation lock release mechanism 50 configured to lock and release the rotation of the rotary shaft 42 by attaching the feed claw 52 to the teeth of the claw wheel 51 and disengaging it from the tooth of the claw wheel 51 is provided. Yes. In other words, the refracted portion of the L-shaped feeding claw 52 (the lower end meshes with the teeth of the claw wheel 51) is rotatably supported by the lower portion of the upper member 13, and the feeding claw 52 is supported on the upper end of the L-shaped feeding claw 52. A wire 53 is connected to a spring 53 that urges the pinion 51 in the direction to disengage it from the teeth of the claw wheel 51, one end is connected to the upper end of the feed claw 52, and the other end is connected to a knob 54 disposed on the front surface of the upper member 13. 55 is provided, and the feed claw 52 is engaged with the teeth of the claw wheel 51 by pulling the knob 54 against the urging force of the spring 53 and pulling the wire 55. Further, the knob 54 is formed so that the pulling position is locked on the front surface of the upper member 13 by rotating 90 degrees.

  The operation of raising and lowering the lifting platform 4 with the above configuration will be described. It is assumed that the lift 4 is in the upper sorting position, the knob 54 is pulled and locked, the feed claw 52 is engaged with the teeth of the claw wheel 51, and the lift is locked.

  The operator P unlocks the knob 54 and releases his / her hand when the elevator 4 is lowered. Then, the feeding claw 52 is detached from the teeth of the claw wheel 51 by the urging force of the spring 53, and the rotating shaft 42 is freely rotatable. To descend. At this time, the one-way clutch of the rotary damper 44 is engaged with the rotating shaft 42, and a predetermined braking force is exerted by the viscous resistance of the damper, so that the rotating shaft 42 rotates slowly and is guided by a sprocket (gear) 45. 46 descends slowly and the elevator 4 descends slowly.

  The worker P locks the knob 54 by pulling the knob 54 when the lifting platform 4 is stopped while the lifting platform 4 is being lowered. Then, the feeding claw 52 is meshed with the teeth of the claw wheel 51, the rotation of the rotating shaft 42 is stopped, and the lifting platform 4 is stopped. Thus, the lifting platform 4 can be stopped at an arbitrary position.

  The operator P unlocks the knob 54 and lifts his hand when the elevator 4 is raised. Then, the feeding claw 52 is detached from the teeth of the claw wheel 51 by the urging force of the spring 53, and the rotary shaft 42 becomes rotatable. Then, the worker P lifts the lifting platform 4 by hand. At this time, the elevator 4 is lifted vertically along the guide rail 25, the one-way clutch is freely rotated, and the rotating shaft 42 is freely rotated, so that it can be lifted smoothly without any resistance. Then, when the worker P lifts up to the sorting work position, he pulls the knob 54 to lock it. Then, the feed claw 52 is meshed with the teeth of the claw wheel 51, the rotation of the rotary shaft 42 is stopped, and the lifting platform 4 is stopped and fixed at that position.

  Hereinafter, the operation in the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the front and rear lifting platforms 4 are both in a predetermined upper sorting position, and the free roller conveyors 31 of the front and rear lifting platforms 4 are located at the same height. In addition, it is assumed that four empty containers 2 are stored in a folded state in the lower article storage unit 3 in the front (worker P side). The empty container 2 is laid flat.

  First, the empty container 2 stored in the folded state in the article storage unit 3 at the lower front is opened (assembled) and placed on the front lifting platform 4. In such a state, that is, as shown in FIG. 4A, the sorting work cart 1 is pushed and pulled along an article storage shelf (not shown), and based on an instruction on the terminal 21 side. Order picking is performed from the article storage shelf and the container is placed in the container 2 on the front lifting platform 4. After the desired order picking is performed on the container 2 or after the container 2 is full, the container 2 is moved in the front-rear direction between the rear lifting platforms 4 as indicated by arrows in FIG. Move horizontally to X. At this time, using the rolling of the free roller conveyor 31, it can be performed lightly and easily.

  Thus, after moving the container 2 on the front lifting platform 4 onto the rear lifting platform 4, as shown in FIG. 4B, the empty container 2 is assembled and mounted on the front lifting platform 4. Then, after order picking is performed in the same manner and the desired order picking is performed, or after the container 2 becomes full, the rear lifting platform 4 is first lowered. As described above, the lowering is performed by releasing the lock of the knob 54 of the rear lifting platform 4. Thereby, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 4B, the rear lifting platform 4 is lowered by its own weight and the weight of the container 2. At this time, the rotary damper 44 descends slowly and the free fall is prevented. Next, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 4C, the container 2 on the front lifting platform 4 is moved laterally to the container 2 that has been lowered rearward. According to this, the containers 2 that have been picked are stacked in two upper and lower stages.

  Then, the container 2 is assembled again and placed on the lifting platform 4 in the front, and the order picking is performed in the same manner. After the desired order picking is performed, or the container 2 is full, the lower empty space The container 2 is taken out, and the front lifting platform 4 is lowered as shown by the arrow in FIG. As described above, this lowering is performed by releasing the lock of the knob 54 of the front lifting platform 4. As a result, the front lifting platform 4 is lowered by its own weight and the weight of the container 2. At this time, the rotary damper 44 descends slowly and the free fall is prevented.

And as shown in FIG.4 (e), the container 2 is assembled again and it mounts on the container 2 of the front which descended, and order picking is performed similarly.
When all the picking operations are completed, the worker P moves the sorting cart 1 using the handle 6 to move to the shipping place or a conveyor (both not shown) that contacts the shipping place, and picks the picking work. Wholesale all containers 2 that have finished. Subsequently, the front and rear lifting platforms 4 are respectively lifted to the sorting work position, the respective knobs 54 are pulled and locked, and the lifting platforms 4 are fixed at the sorting work position. Then, the empty container 2 is loaded in a folded state (flatly placed) in the lower front stage, and the process returns to the next picking operation.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the rotary damper 44 provided on the rotary shaft 42 above the vehicle body 11 is used to prevent the elevator 4 from falling freely. Since there is no obstacle to placing the container 2 in the space (the lower article storage unit 3), for example, the conventional hydraulic damper device is eliminated, the container 2 (empty folding container) can be placed flat. The number of empty collapsible containers 2 that can be stored can be increased, so that the number of times of moving to the shipping site or the conveyor that contacts the shipping site and replenishing the empty collapsible containers 2 can be reduced, and the container 2 can be replaced. Can be reduced, and workability can be improved.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the lifting platform 4 is raised, the one-way clutch is freely rotated and the rotating shaft 42 is freely rotated. Therefore, the lifting platform 4 can be easily lifted lightly without resistance. The burden of P can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the rotation of the rotary shaft 42 is locked by the rotation lock release mechanism 50 while the elevator 4 is descending, the elevator 4 stops and maintains its position, thereby With the height size of 2, the lifting platform 4 can be stopped at a height suitable for the picking work of the worker P, and the efficiency of the picking work can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, each of the upper and lower article storage units 3 is configured by an elevator platform (an example of a container mounting table) 4 that can be raised and lowered. That is, only the upper upper article storage section 3 or the rear upper article storage section 3 can be configured from the lifting platform 4 (an example of a container mounting table) 4. At this time, the other upper article storage section 3 is fixed and does not have a lifting / lowering function, and the rotation unlocking mechanism 50 is provided only for the upper article storage section 3 constituted by the lifting platform 4. It is done.

The operation when only the upper upper article storage unit 3 is composed of the lifting platform 4 is as follows.
The container 2 is placed on the front lifting platform 4 to perform order picking, and articles are put into the container 2 on the front lifting platform 4. After the desired order picking is performed on the container 2 or when the container 2 becomes full, the container 2 is moved laterally in the front-rear direction X between the article storage units 3 (fixed) 4 in the upper rear stage.

  Subsequently, the empty container 2 is placed on the front lifting platform 4, and the same order picking is performed. After the desired order picking is performed or the container 2 is full, the front lifting platform 4 is Lower. At this time, the front lifting platform 4 is lowered by its own weight and the weight of the container 2.

Subsequently, the empty container 2 is placed on the lowered container 2 and the order picking is performed in the same manner.
In this way, order picking is performed on the three containers 2.

The operation when only the rear upper article storage unit 3 is composed of the lifting platform 4 is as follows.
The container 2 is placed on the article storage unit 3 (fixed) in the upper front stage, order picking is performed, and articles are put into the container 2 on the article storage unit 3 in the upper front stage. After the desired order picking is performed on the container 2 or when the container 2 becomes full, the container 2 is moved laterally in the front-rear direction X between the rear lifting platforms 4.

  Subsequently, the empty container 2 is placed on the article storage unit 3 in the upper front part, and after order picking is performed in the same manner and the desired order picking is performed, or after the container 2 is full, the rear lifting platform 4 is lowered. At this time, the rear lifting platform 4 is lowered by its own weight and the weight of the container 2.

Subsequently, the container 2 of the article storage unit 3 in the upper front stage is horizontally moved in the front-rear direction X and placed on the lowered container 2.
Subsequently, the empty container 2 is placed on the article storage unit 3 on the upper front side, and order picking is performed in the same manner.

In this way, order picking is performed on the three containers 2.
Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the container 2 is raised / lowered as an article | item storage container, the corrugated cardboard which can be folded may be sufficient.

In the present embodiment, the sorting cart 1 is provided with four article storage units 3 in two rows in the front and rear, but it is possible to increase the number of the article storage units 3 by increasing the number of front and rear rows. is there.
In this embodiment, the lifting platform 4 has a suspension structure using the chain 46, but is not limited to the chain 46, and can be a suspension structure using a rope or other rope.

  In this embodiment, the sorting cart 1 is exclusively used for picking work for sorting articles from the article storage shelf to the container 2. It can also be used for work.

It is a partially cutaway side view of the sorting work cart in the embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the cart for the sorting work. It is a figure which shows the raising / lowering mechanism of the cart for the said classification work, (a) is a principal part side view in a vehicle body upper part, (b) is a principal part front view in a vehicle body upper part. It is explanatory drawing explaining the movement of the container at the time of the sorting work by the cart for the sorting work.

Explanation of symbols

1 Cart for sorting work 2 Container (an example of an article storage container)
3 article storage part 4 lifting platform (an example of a container mounting table)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Car body 12 Lower frame 13 Upper member 14 Side member 31 Free roller conveyor 32 Lower frame 33 Vertical plate 34 Guide roller 41 Lifting mechanism 42 Rotating shaft 43 Bearing 44 Rotary damper with one-way clutch 45 Sprocket (gear)
46 Chain (an example of a rope)
47 Guide roller 50 Rotation lock release mechanism 51 Claw wheel 52 Feeding claw 53 Spring 54 Knob 55 Wire P Worker

Claims (2)

A sorting work cart provided in the up and down direction with an article storage section for storing an article storage container in front and rear of the vehicle body,
At least one of the front and rear article storage units is provided with a container mounting table for the article storage container that is suspended by a rope and is movable in the vertical direction,
In order to move the container mounting table up and down, a rotation shaft on which the rope body is hung is provided above the vehicle body,
The vehicle body is provided with a rotation lock release mechanism capable of locking and releasing the rotation of the rotation shaft,
Provided at both ends of the rotary shaft is a rotary damper with a built-in one-way clutch and a viscous body,
When the rotation shaft is unlocked by the rotation lock release mechanism, when the container mounting table is lowered, the one-way clutch is engaged with the rotation shaft, and a predetermined restriction is applied by the viscous resistance of the viscous material in the rotary damper . A sorting work cart characterized in that power is applied, the rotating shaft is rotated slowly, and the one-way clutch freely rotates to freely rotate the rotating shaft when the container mounting table is raised. The rotation lock release mechanism is composed of a claw wheel fixed to the rotation shaft, and a feed claw that can be freely engaged and detached from the teeth of the claw wheel,
When the rotation shaft is unlocked by the rotation lock release mechanism, the feed claw is detached from the teeth of the claw wheel, and the rotation shaft is rotatable.
Wherein when the rotation of the rotating shaft by rotation lock release mechanism is locked, the rotation of the rotary shaft by the feed pawl is engaged with the teeth of the ratchet wheel is prevented, said lowering of the container placing table is stopped 2. The cart for sorting work according to claim 1, wherein the position is maintained.

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