JP7762583B2 - warehouse - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a warehouse comprising a building and racks installed in the interior space of the building.

Conventionally, automated rack warehouses with a unit (freestanding) rack structure have been available. Such automated rack warehouses include, for example, a building consisting of a floor, pillars, and a roof, and racks arranged in the interior space of the building. Multiple racks are arranged approximately parallel to each other. Between the racks, there are passages along which stacker cranes can travel to remove cargo from the racks.
In recent years, the efficiency of logistics has improved, and large automated rack warehouses are in demand as inventory bases. In this case, the roofs of the modular rack structures described above are large, so the cross-sections of the roof beams and pillars and other structural components must be large.

Therefore, a building-type rack structure has been proposed in which the roof is supported at the top end of the rack (see Patent Documents 1 to 3).
Patent Document 1 proposes a rack warehouse in which the rack groups are composed of a first group of rack groups and a second group of rack groups whose shafts have greater rigidity than the racks in the first group, and the upper ends of the second group of rack groups are connected to the roof beams.
Patent Document 2 proposes a warehouse in which a vibration control device consisting of a viscoelastic damper or a viscous damper and a friction damper is interposed between the rack and the building that covers the rack.
However, when the roof is supported at the upper end of the rack as in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the components of the rack must have a large cross section in order to support a large roof.
Furthermore, Patent Document 3 shows that the interior of an automated warehouse building is composed of structure-integrated racks with supports that form part of the building, and freestanding racks that are erected independently of the building (in a state where they do not bear the force acting on the building).
However, in the automated warehouse of Patent Document 3, the structure-integrated racks are installed on the periphery of the building, and all of the interior of the building are freestanding racks. Therefore, when the structure-integrated racks located on the periphery have a long span between them, it is necessary to make the cross members that make up the roof of the automated warehouse large in cross section.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-236618 JP 2013-159450 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-236109

The present invention aims to provide a warehouse that can be enlarged without increasing the cross-section of the building's components.

The inventors came up with the present invention by focusing on the fact that a warehouse in which item storage shelves (racks) are installed inside a building can be configured to include unit racks that are freestanding and separated from the roof beams, and that by placing partition posts that support the beams within the unit rack area where the unit racks are located, it is possible to increase the size of the warehouse without reducing, as much as possible, the number of shelves that can be installed in the warehouse.
A warehouse (for example, warehouse 1 described later) of the first invention is a warehouse that includes a building (for example, building 10 described later) that includes a floor (for example, floor 11 described later), a plurality of interior columns (for example, interior columns 12 described later), and a roof (for example, roof 14 described later), and racks (for example, racks 30A and 30B described later) that are provided in an internal space of the building (for example, internal space 20 described later), and at least a part of the internal space of the building is separated from a cross member of the roof (for example, cross member 15 described later). The roof is divided into a unit type rack area (for example, unit type rack area 22 described below) in which racks (for example, rack 30B described below) are arranged, and an aisle (for example, aisle 23 described below) through which a stacker crane passes, and at predetermined locations in the unit type rack area, partitions (for example, partitions 40 described below) that support the cross members of the roof are arranged, and the partitions are characterized in that they include the plurality of internal columns and connecting members (for example, connecting members 41 described below) that connect the internal columns together.

According to this invention, partitions made by connecting internal columns are placed in the modular rack area where racks separated from the roof beams are placed, and these partitions support the roof beams. This shortens the distance between the supports supporting the roof beams, eliminating the need to make the roof beams larger in cross section, and allowing for larger warehouses.
In addition, because the partitions are placed in the modular rack area, there is no need to reserve space for the partitions separately from the rack area, making it possible to effectively use the interior space of the building and place many racks inside. Also, because the partitions do not protrude into the aisles, stacker cranes can travel smoothly through the aisles and easily remove cargo from the racks.

In the warehouse of the second invention, the interior space of the building is divided into a building-type rack area (e.g., building-type rack area 21, described below) in which racks (e.g., rack 30A, described below) are arranged on the outer periphery in the beam direction and support the roof girders (e.g., girders 15, described below), a unit-type rack area (e.g., unit-type rack area 22, described below) in which racks (e.g., rack 30B, described below) are arranged on the inner periphery in the beam direction and separated from the roof girders, and an aisle (e.g., aisle 23, described below) through which a stacker crane passes, and I-shaped studs, when viewed from above, that support the roof girders are arranged in predetermined locations in the unit-type rack area.

According to this invention, by supporting the roof girders with racks on the exterior perimeter of the building and studs on the interior perimeter of the building, the distance between the supports supporting the roof girders is shorter than when the roof girders are supported only by racks on the exterior perimeter of the building, so there is no need to make the roof girders larger in cross section, making it possible to increase the size of the warehouse.
Furthermore, the roof ribs are supported by studs on the perimeter of the building and racks in the building-style rack area on the perimeter of the building, making it possible to create a warehouse with excellent structural safety.

In the warehouse of the third invention, the entire interior space of the building is divided into a modular rack area (e.g., modular rack area 22 described below) in which racks (e.g., rack 30B described below) separated from the roof beams are arranged, and an aisle along which a stacker crane passes, and studs supporting the roof beams are arranged in predetermined locations in at least one of the center of the interior of the building and along the exterior wall of the modular rack area, and the studs include the plurality of interior columns and connecting members connecting the interior columns together.

Here, the studs are configured to include a plurality of interior studs and connecting members, and are, for example, approximately I-shaped, C-shaped, E-shaped, or T-shaped in plan view.
According to this invention, studs supporting the roof beams are placed in the center of the building interior and at predetermined locations along the exterior walls of the modular rack area. This shortens the distance between the supports supporting the roof beams compared to when the roof beams are supported only by racks on the exterior perimeter of the building, eliminating the need to make the roof beams larger in cross section, allowing for larger warehouses.

The warehouse of the fourth invention is characterized in that each of the partitions includes a pair of interior columns, which are provided in the same unit rack area (e.g., unit rack area 22A described below) and connected to the rack.

According to this invention, since a pair of interior columns that make up the partitions are arranged in the same modular rack area, there is no need to reserve space for the interior columns separately from the rack area, making it possible to effectively utilize the interior space of the building and place many racks inside the building. Also, because the partitions do not protrude into the aisles, stacker cranes can travel smoothly through the aisles and easily remove cargo from the racks.
Furthermore, if the partition studs and the rack supports are connected at a predetermined height with braces or the like, the partition studs will be supported by the supports at the height of the braces. Therefore, compared to when the partition studs are not connected to the supports with braces along their entire length, the spacing between the braces will be the distance between the supports when the partition buckles, which increases the buckling strength of the partition studs and also improves the structural stability of the partition studs.

The warehouse of the fifth invention is characterized in that the racks provided in the unit rack area are composed of racks connected to the partition walls and racks arranged separately from the racks connected to the partition walls.

According to this invention, in the modular rack area, racks that are connected to studs and racks that are not connected to studs are arranged separately. Therefore, it is only necessary to increase the rigidity of the racks that are connected to studs, making it possible to build large-scale warehouses at low cost.

This invention makes it possible to provide a warehouse that can be enlarged without increasing the cross-section of the building's components.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a warehouse according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the warehouse of FIG. 1 taken along line AA. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the warehouse of FIG. 1 taken along line B-B. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the area of the warehouse enclosed by the dashed line C in FIG. 1 . FIG. 10 is a plan view of a warehouse stud according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side view of a warehouse stud according to a second reference example . FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the portion of the warehouse of FIGS. 5 and 6 surrounded by dashed line D. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of a warehouse according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view of a warehouse according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the warehouse of FIG. 9 taken along the line E-E. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of a part of a warehouse according to a modified example of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of a part of a warehouse according to another modified example of the present invention.

The present invention is a rack-type automated warehouse in which the racks in the automated warehouse are composed of building-type racks whose supports support the roof beams, and unit-type racks that are freestanding and separated from the roof beams, and in which studs that support the beams are arranged in the unit-type rack area where the unit-type racks are arranged. In other words, the studs are structural column members that support the beams, and include multiple internal columns that directly support the beams, and connecting members that correspond to beams that connect these internal columns together.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the embodiments, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted or simplified.
[First reference example ]
Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a warehouse 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the warehouse 1 taken along line A-A in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the warehouse 1 taken along line B-B in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the part of the warehouse 1 surrounded by dashed line C in Fig. 1.
The warehouse 1 is an automated warehouse in which a stacker crane travels on rails laid in an aisle 23 to pick up cargo 36 from racks 30A and 30B.
As shown in Figure 2, the warehouse 1 comprises a box-shaped building 10 and racks 30A and 30B provided in an internal space 20 of the building 10. The building 10 comprises a floor 11, internal columns 12, an exterior wall 13, and a roof 14. The roof 14 is supported by cross members 15 extending in the span direction. Hereinafter, the span direction of the building 10 is referred to as the X direction, and the longitudinal direction of the building 10 is referred to as the Y direction.

The interior space 20 of the building 10 is divided into building-type rack areas 21 provided on the outer periphery at both ends in the X direction (beam direction) and extending in the Y direction, unit-type rack areas 22 provided on the inner periphery between the building-type rack areas 21 and extending in the Y direction, and aisles 23 extending in the Y direction and through which stacker cranes pass. That is, each aisle 23 extends linearly in the Y direction, and the rack areas 21, 22 are arranged on both sides of this aisle 23.
Racks 30A and 30B are composed of rack 30A, which is a building-type rack placed in building-type rack area 21 and supports cross members 15 of roof 14, and rack 30B, which is a unit-type rack placed in unit-type rack area 22 and separated from cross members 15 of roof 14.

4, the rack 30B separated from the roof cross members includes support posts 31, horizontal ties 32 connecting the support posts 31 together, horizontal braces 33, and vertical braces (rear braces) 34. This forms a plurality of shelves 35 arranged vertically and horizontally, and box-shaped packages 36 are stored on the shelves 35.
Rack 30A, which supports the roof cross members, has the same configuration as rack 30B, but differs from rack 30B in that the upper ends of the pillars 31 are joined to the cross members 15, and the pillars 31 support the cross members 15.
The support pillars 31 of the rack 30A support the cross members 15 of the roof 14, and therefore must be designed to be able to withstand the load acting during an earthquake while taking into consideration the location conditions of the warehouse (hardness of the ground, wind pressure, amount of snow, etc.).
In contrast, the support pillars 31 of the rack 30B are not joined to the cross members 15 of the roof 14, so they only need to bear the load of the rack 30B, making the design easier and allowing the support pillars 31 to have a thinner diameter.

Studs 40, each of which is composed of a plurality of interior columns 12 and connecting members 41 and has a generally I-shape in plan view, are dispersed and arranged at three predetermined intervals in the central modular rack area 22A. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the studs 40 are arranged in a space 30C that is one rack width in the Y direction (row direction) of the rack 30B and two rack widths in the X direction (span direction) in plan view. As a result, racks 30B separated from the cross members 15 are arranged on both sides of the space 30C.
Each partition 40 includes a pair of interior columns 12 and a connecting member 41 that connects the interior columns 12. The pair of interior columns 12 that make up each partition 40 are provided in the same modular rack area 22A. The interior columns 12 and connecting member 41 are formed from square steel pipes.

The cross members 15 that make up the roof 14 are supported by these studs 40 in addition to the racks 30A. The upper ends of these studs 40 are directly joined to the cross members 15 of the roof 14. However, this is not limiting, and the studs 40 may also be joined to the cross members 15 of the roof 14 via viscoelastic dampers or oil dampers that attenuate horizontal vibrations.
Furthermore, the studs 40 are joined to the cross members 15 of the roof 14, but are not connected to the supports 31 of the rack 30B. Therefore, the studs 40 do not bear the load of the rack 30B, which makes the design easier and allows for a thinner diameter.

This reference example has the following effects.
(1) Studs 40 are placed in the central modular rack area 22A where the racks 30B are arranged, and these studs 40 support the cross members 15 of the roof 14. Therefore, the distance between the supports supporting the cross members 15 of the roof 14 is shortened, and therefore, compared to when the cross members 15 of the roof 14 are supported only at the exterior perimeter of the building, there is no need to make the cross members 15 of the roof 14 larger in cross section, and the warehouse 1 can be made larger in scale.
Because studs 40 are arranged in the central unit rack area 22A where racks 30B are arranged, there is no need to reserve space for installing studs 40 separately from the rack area, and therefore the interior space 20 of building 10 can be used effectively, allowing many racks to be arranged inside building 10. Also, because studs 40 do not protrude into the aisle, stacker cranes can travel smoothly through aisle 23, allowing cargo 36 to be smoothly removed from racks 30B in unit rack area 22A.
Furthermore, by arranging the studs 40 that support the cross members 15 at predetermined intervals in the unit rack area 22A, there is no need to provide a separate space for installing the studs that support the cross members, separate from the unit rack area 22A, and it is possible to increase the size of the warehouse 1 without reducing the number of shelves that can be installed in the warehouse 1 as much as possible.

(2) By supporting the cross members 15 of the roof 14 with the studs 40 and the racks 30A of the building-type rack area 21, it is not necessary to make the cross members 15 of the roof 14 larger in cross section than when the cross members 15 of the roof 14 are supported only on the exterior perimeter of the building, and this makes it possible to increase the scale of the warehouse 1.
Furthermore, since the cross members 15 of the roof 14 are supported by the studs 40 on the perimeter of the building and the racks 30A of the building-type rack area 21, a warehouse 1 with excellent structural safety can be realized.
(3) Since a pair of internal columns 12 that make up the partition 40 are arranged in the same central unit rack area 22A, the internal space 20 of the building 10 can be effectively utilized, allowing many racks to be arranged inside the building 10.

[Second reference example ]
This embodiment differs from the first reference example in that the studs 40 are connected to the support posts 31 that constitute the rack 30B.
Fig. 5 is a plan view of a stud 40 of a warehouse 1A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a side view of the stud 40. Fig. 7(a) is a perspective view of a portion of the warehouse 1A in Figs. 5 and 6 surrounded by a dashed line D.
The interior columns 12 that make up the partition 40 and the columns 31 of the rack 30B are connected by support braces 42 at predetermined heights. Specifically, a column fixing hardware 50 is attached to the columns 31. This column fixing hardware 50 includes a pair of clamping members 52 that can be opened and closed by hinges 51 provided on the base end side, and a bolt 53 and a nut 54 that connect the tip ends of the pair of clamping members 52. One of the clamping members 52 is provided with a hook 55.
The procedure for attaching the support brace 42 to the support column 31 of the rack 30B is as follows: As shown in Figure 7(b), first, the pair of clamping members 52 of the column fixing hardware 50 are opened to clamp the column 31, and in this state, the tip ends of the clamping members 52 are fastened together with bolts 53 and nuts 54 to attach the column fixing hardware 50 to the column 31. Then, the support brace 42 is attached to the hooks 55 of the column fixing hardware 50.

In addition to the above-mentioned effects (1) to (3), this reference example has the following effects.
(4) Because the studs 40 and the supports 31 of the rack 30B are connected by the support braces 42 at predetermined heights, the studs 40 are supported by the supports 31 at the height of the support braces 42. Therefore, compared to when the studs are not connected to the supports by braces over their entire length, the spacing between the support braces 42 becomes the distance between the supports when the studs 40 buckle, which increases the buckling strength of the studs 40 and also increases the structural stability of the studs 40.

[Third reference example ]
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a warehouse 1B according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
This reference example differs from the second reference example in that the rack 30B provided in the central unit rack area 22A is composed of a rack 61 connected to the partition 40 and a rack 62 arranged separately from the rack 61 connected to the partition 40.
Between the racks 61 and 62, a space of one rack width is provided in the Y direction (row direction) of the rack 30B.
In addition to the above-mentioned effects (1) to (4), this reference example has the following effects.
(5) The racks 30B in the central modular rack area 22A are separated into racks 61 that are connected to the partition studs 40 and racks 62 that are not connected to the partition studs 40. Therefore, the displacement of rack 61 during an earthquake can be absorbed by the space between racks 61 and 62. Furthermore, if arms and supports are attached to this space to form shelves, the reduction in the amount of cargo stored can be suppressed. Furthermore, by separating racks 30B into racks 61 and 62, it is only necessary to increase the rigidity of racks 61 that are connected to the partition studs 40, making it possible to build a large-scale warehouse at low cost.

First Embodiment
Fig. 9 is a plan view of a warehouse 1C according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the warehouse 1C taken along line EE in Fig. 9.
In this embodiment, a building-type rack area is not provided, and the arrangement of racks in the interior space 20 of the building 10, the arrangement of studs, and the planar shape of the studs are different from those in the first reference example .
That is, the interior space 20 of the building 10 is divided into a modular rack area 22 extending in the Y direction and an aisle 23 extending in the Y direction through which a stacker crane passes. That is, each aisle 23 extends linearly in the Y direction, and rack areas 22 are arranged on both sides of this aisle 23. In addition, spaces 70 are formed between the modular rack areas 22B along the outer walls 13 at both ends of the building 10 in the X direction (beam direction) and the outer walls 13.
The interior columns 12, which make up the studs 40, 80, and 81 arranged along the exterior wall 13, support the exterior wall 13. However, this is not limited to this, and peripheral columns supporting the exterior wall may be provided separately from the interior columns 12. In this case, after the overall framework of the warehouse is formed by the studs, including the interior columns, and the cross members, it becomes possible to install unit-type racks or building-type racks relatively freely inside the building.

At four locations at predetermined intervals in the unit rack area 22A in the center of the building 10 in the X-direction (beam direction), partition posts 40 are dispersed, each of which is composed of a plurality of internal columns 12 and connecting members 41 and has an approximately I-shape when viewed from above.
Studs 80 that are approximately C-shaped in plan view are dispersedly arranged in the modular rack areas 22B along the exterior walls 13 at both ends in the X direction (span direction) of the building 10. The studs 80 that are approximately C-shaped in plan view have the same structure as the studs 40, and include four interior posts 12 and connecting members 41 that connect the interior posts 12 to each other. Here, the interior posts 12 at both ends of the approximately C-shaped studs 80 are arranged in a space 71 that is one rack width in the Y direction (span direction) of the rack 30B and one rack width in the X direction (span direction) in plan view.

9 in the Y direction (beam direction) of the building 10, a stud 81 that is approximately E-shaped in plan view and a stud 40 that is approximately I-shaped in plan view are provided. Specifically, the stud 81 that is approximately E-shaped in plan view is arranged in the center of the space 72 in the Y direction (beam direction), and the studs 40 that are approximately I-shaped in plan view are arranged at predetermined intervals on both sides of this stud 81. The stud 81 that is approximately E-shaped in plan view has the same structure as the stud 40, and includes six interior studs 12 and connecting members 41 that connect the interior studs 12 together.
9 in the Y direction (beam direction) of the building 10, a single interior column 12 and a substantially I-shaped stud 40 are provided. Specifically, studs 40 that are substantially I-shaped in plan view are arranged at both ends of the space 73 in the Y direction (beam direction), and single interior columns 12 are arranged at predetermined intervals between these studs 40.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned advantages (1), (3), and (4), the following advantages are also achieved.
(6) Studs 40 that support the cross members 15 of the roof 14 are placed at predetermined locations in the central unit rack area 22A, and further, studs 80 that support the cross members 15 of the roof 14 are placed at predetermined locations in the unit rack area 22B along the exterior wall. Therefore, compared to when the roof cross members are supported only by racks on the exterior perimeter of the building, the distance between the supports that support the cross members 15 of the roof 14 is shorter, so there is no need to make the cross members 15 of the roof 14 larger in cross section, and the warehouse 1 can be made larger in scale.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications and improvements within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.
In the above-described reference examples and first embodiment, the interior columns 12 are formed from square steel pipes, but they are not limited to this and may be formed from H-shaped steel, concrete-filled steel pipes, reinforced concrete, or the like.
Furthermore, in the first to third reference examples described above, the studs 40 are arranged in one row near the center in the X direction (beam direction), but this is not limitative and they may be arranged in two or more rows.

In addition, in the first embodiment described above, a stud 81 comprising a plurality of interior columns 12 and connecting members 41 and having a substantially E-shape in plan view was arranged in the upper space 72 in the Y direction (girder direction) of the building 10 in Fig. 9, but this is not limiting, and a stud 80 having a substantially C-shape in plan view may be arranged as shown in Fig. 11, or a stud 82 having a substantially T-shape in plan view may be arranged as shown in Fig. 12. Here, the stud 82 has the same structure as the stud 40, and includes four interior columns 12 and connecting members 41 that connect the interior columns 12 together.
In addition, in the first embodiment described above, the studs 40, 80, 81 are arranged in the center of the building 10 and along the exterior wall 13, but this is not limited to this, and they may be arranged only in the center of the building or only along the exterior wall.
Furthermore, in the first to third reference examples described above, no studs are provided in the building-style rack area 21, but this is not limited thereto, and the building-style rack area 21 may be provided with studs 40 that are approximately I-shaped in plan view, studs 80 that are approximately C-shaped in plan view, studs 81 that are approximately E-shaped in plan view, and studs 82 that are approximately T-shaped in plan view.

1, 1A, 1B, 1C... warehouse 10... building 11... floor 12... internal column 13... exterior wall 14... roof 15... horizontal member 20... internal space 21... building-type rack area 22... unit-type rack area 22A... unit-type rack area in the center of the X direction 22B... unit-type rack area at both ends of the X direction 23... aisle 30A... rack (building-type rack) supporting the horizontal member of the roof
30B: Rack separated from the roof beam (unit rack)
30C...Space where partition posts are arranged within the unit rack area in the center in the X direction 31...Support 32...Horizontal joint 33...Horizontal brace 34...Vertical brace 35...Shelf 36...Luggage 40...Partition post that is approximately I-shaped in plan view 41...Connecting member 42...Support brace 50...Partition post fixing hardware 51...Hinge 52...Clamping member 53...Bolt 54...Nut 55...Hook 61...Rack connected to partition post 62...Rack separated from the rack connected to the partition post 70...Space between the unit rack area and the outer wall 71...Space where partition posts are arranged within the unit rack areas at both ends in the X direction 72...Space above the Y direction of the internal space 73...Space below the Y direction of the internal space 80...Partition post that is approximately C-shaped in plan view 81...Partition post that is approximately E-shaped in plan view 82...Partition post that is approximately T-shaped in plan view

Claims (3)

A warehouse comprising: a building having a floor, a plurality of internal columns, and a roof; and a rack provided in an internal space of the building,
The interior space of the building is divided into a modular rack area in which racks separated from the cross members of the roof are arranged, and an aisle through which a stacker crane passes,
studs supporting cross members of the roof are arranged in a central portion of the interior of the building of the modular rack area and at predetermined locations along the outer wall;
The warehouse is characterized in that the partition comprises the plurality of interior columns and connecting members that connect the interior columns to each other. Each of the studs is configured by arranging a pair of interior studs in an I-shape in plan view,
The warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the pair of interior columns are provided in the same unit rack area and connected to the rack. A warehouse as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the racks provided in the unit rack area consist of racks connected to the partition walls and racks arranged separately from the racks connected to the partition walls.