JPH0321443B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention provides a shelf having a three-dimensional cargo storage section, a plurality of loading/unloading cargo racks, and a space between each of the cargo receiving racks and the cargo storage section of the shelf. In an automated warehouse consisting of a traveling crane for loading and unloading, which transports cargo, the elevating carriage installed on the traveling crane for loading and unloading is
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a traveling crane for loading and unloading warehouses, which can be utilized to accurately correspond to any one of the plurality of cargo receiving platforms.

(Prior art and its problems) For example, in a conventional automated warehouse equipped with a receiving platform for warehousing and a receiving platform for unloading, the two receiving platforms are located at home positions set at the ends of the travel path. When the traveling crane is stopped, the cranes are arranged oppositely on the left and right sides of the traveling passage at the same level, or are arranged at different heights on the same side so as to be adjacent to the traveling crane.

Therefore, unless both loading platforms are positioned and installed accurately so that their centers coincide with the center of the traveling crane that is stopped at its home position, there will be a gap between this loading platform and the lifting carriage of the traveling crane. It is not possible to transfer cargo safely and efficiently. In addition, if both cargo receiving platforms are arranged at different heights, the lifting path of the lifting carriage on the traveling crane side must be completely vertical, and if the guide column of the lifting carriage is even slightly inclined, It becomes impossible to safely transfer loads between either one of the loading platforms and the elevating carriage.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The control method of the present invention has been made in order to solve the conventional problems as described above, and its feature is that the home position of the traveling crane is Position detection, which is set outside the shelves and cargo receiving platform, and detects the traveling position of the traveling crane with respect to this home position and the lifting/lowering position of the elevating carriage provided on the traveling crane by replacing them with pulse count values. Means is provided, and the traveling crane traveling position and the lifting/lowering carriage lifting position when the lifting carriage is associated with each loading tray are stored for each loading tray using the pulse count value of the position detecting means, and during actual operation. , based on a comparison process between the pulse count value of the position detection means corresponding to the current traveling position of the traveling crane and the current lifting position of the lifting carriage and the stored count value, the lifting carriage is made to correspond to an arbitrary loading platform. Its purpose is to control the traveling of the traveling crane and the lifting and lowering of the lifting carriage.

(Function) In the control method of the present invention as described above, a memory value corresponding to a specific cargo receiving platform selected in advance as a work target among a plurality of receiving platforms is searched in advance as an absolute address, and the traveling crane is controlled in advance. and the pulse count value of the position detecting means, which changes every moment as the elevating carriage moves up and down, that is, the current address coincides with the absolute address. The lifting carriage of the traveling crane stops in a state that accurately corresponds to the platform.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described below based on the attached illustrative drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a three-dimensional shelf, and 2 is a moving crane for loading and unloading that runs along the three-dimensional shelf 1. This traveling crane 2 is provided with an elevating carriage 4 that ascends and descends along a support 3, and a load transfer means 5 is provided to transfer loads between the elevating carriage 4 and each storage section 1a of the three-dimensional shelf 1. It is provided.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a loading rack for receiving cargo, and numeral 7 denotes a loading rack for shipping, which are arranged in upper and lower stages in a loading rack installation space 8 formed at the bottom of one end of the three-dimensional shelf 1. A warehousing conveyor and a warehousing conveyor (not shown) are connected to both of the load receiving tables 6 and 7. A traveling crane passage provided with upper and lower guide rails 9a and 9b for guiding the traveling crane 2 protrudes outward by an appropriate length beyond the portion adjacent to the three-dimensional shelf 1 including the cargo receiving platforms 6 and 7. A home position 10 of the traveling crane 2 is set at the end of the passage.

As shown in FIG. 2, pulse encoders 13 and 14 are interlocked and connected to a motor 11 that drives the traveling crane 2 and a motor 12 that drives the lifting carriage 4 up and down, respectively. The addition/subtraction counter 15 counts to add when the crane 2 moves forward and subtracts when it moves backward, and the output pulses from the pulse encoder 14 are configured to add when the elevator carriage 4 goes up and subtract when it goes down. An addition/subtraction counter 16 for counting is provided.

Next, the traveling crane control computer 17
Now, the learning work for setting the traveling crane control data regarding the receiving platforms 6 and 7 will be explained based on the flowchart of FIG.

A learning mode is set on the operation panel 18 shown in FIG. 2, and the traveling crane 2 is manually operated (including raising and lowering the elevating carriage 4) from the home position 10. That is, the travel drive motor 11 shown in FIG. 2 is operated by manual operation of the travel control panel 19, and the elevation drive motor 12 is operated by manual operation of the elevation control panel 20. When the traveling crane 2 is run in this manner and the elevating carriage 4 is moved up and down, the pulse count value of the addition/subtraction counter 15 changes corresponding to the travel distance of the traveling crane 2 from the home position 10, and the addition/subtraction counter 16 The pulse count value changes in accordance with the lifting distance of the lifting carriage 4 from the lowering limit. In this state, when the traveling crane 2 travels and the elevating carriage 4 moves up and down, the elevating carriage 4 reaches the position for transferring the load to each cargo receiving platform 6, 7.
By turning on the learning completion switch on the operation panel 18, the addition/subtraction counter 1 at that point
5 and 16 (pulse count values corresponding to the distances 6L and 7L from the center of the home position 10 to the center of each loading platform 6 and 7 shown in FIG. The height 6H of each load receiving platform 6, 7 with respect to the load transfer means 5,
7H) is stored in the memory of the computer 17 as the absolute address in the traveling direction of the traveling crane 2 and the absolute address in the ascending/descending direction of the elevating carriage 4 for each loading platform 6, 7.

When performing actual loading/unloading work, set the type of loading/unloading work and the load receiving platform number on the operation panel 18, and then set the traveling crane 2 for the loading platform 6 or 7 to stop the elevating carriage 4. The absolute running direction address and the lifting direction absolute address of the lifting carriage 4 are retrieved from the memory of the computer 17. In such a state, by operating the start switch on the operation panel 18, the pulse count value of the addition/subtraction counter 15 (current address in the traveling direction) corresponding to the current position of the traveling crane 2 and the absolute address in the traveling direction (destination address in the traveling direction) are displayed. ), and an addition/subtraction counter 1 corresponding to the current height of the lifting carriage 4
The pulse count value of No. 6 (current address in the up/down direction) and the absolute address in the up/down direction (destination address in the up/down direction) are compared and calculated in the computer 17, and a travel direction command is issued to the travel control panel 19. Lifting direction commands are outputted to the control panel 20, and the motors 11 and 12 rotate in the specified rotational directions, so that the traveling crane 2 and the lifting carriage 4 move towards the set loading platform 6 or 7. Go up and down.

This traveling crane 2 and traveling and elevating carriage 4
The pulse count values of the addition/subtraction counters 15 and 16, that is, the current address in the running direction and the current address in the up/down direction, change every moment due to the up/down movement of the up/down direction. The difference between the address and the destination address in the lifting direction is constantly calculated, and the necessary speed change command is output to the traveling control panel 19 and the lifting control panel 20 according to the magnitude of the difference, and the traveling speed of the traveling crane 2 is adjusted. The lifting speed of the lifting carriage 4 can be automatically changed.

Then, when each of the differences becomes zero, that is, when the current address in the traveling direction and the destination address in the traveling direction match, a traveling stop command is output to the traveling control panel 19, and the current address in the ascending and descending direction is By outputting a lifting stop command to the lifting control panel 20 when the direction and destination address match,
The elevating carriage 4 of the traveling crane 2 is stopped in a position where the load transfer means 5 can perform a predetermined operation with respect to the set load receiving platform 6 or 7.

In this state, the load transfer means 5 is automatically operated, and the work of receiving the load on the loading platform 6 onto the elevating carriage 4 or transferring the load on the elevating carriage 4 onto the outgoing loading platform 7 is carried out. be exposed.

When the traveling crane 2 is used to carry out loading/unloading work to a specific cargo storage section 1a of the three-dimensional shelf 1, the traveling of the traveling crane 2 and the lifting and lowering of the elevating carriage 4 are automatically controlled using the same control method as described above. You can make it happen.

Incidentally, the loading platforms 6 and 7 can also be installed between the three-dimensional shelf 1 and the home position 10 of the traveling crane 2. Of course, the number of cargo receiving stands is not limited to two.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the control method of the present invention that can be implemented as described above, no matter how many loading platforms are installed, and in what position each loading platform is installed in the crane traveling direction and the vertical direction. However, by using the pulse count value corresponding to the position in the crane running direction and the pulse count value corresponding to the position in the lifting direction of the elevating carriage, which are stored for each receiving platform,
The travel of the traveling crane and the lifting and lowering of the elevating carriage are automatically controlled, and the elevating carriage can be positioned with extremely high accuracy with respect to any set loading platform. Therefore, the load can always be safely transferred between the load receiving platform and the top of the elevating carriage, and the load receiving platform can be easily and easily installed in any position.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the entire system, FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control system, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the control procedure during learning work. 1... Three-dimensional shelf, 2... Traveling crane for loading and unloading,
4... Lifting carriage, 5... Load transfer means, 6...
... Receiving rack for warehousing, 7... Receiving rack for shipping, 10
...The home position of the traveling crane.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automated warehouse consisting of a shelf with a three-dimensional cargo storage area, a plurality of loading and unloading receiving platforms, and a loading/unloading traveling crane that transports cargo between each of the receiving platforms and the shelf's cargo storage area. , the home position of the traveling crane is set outside of the shelf and loading platform, and the traveling position of the traveling crane with respect to this home position and the elevating position of the elevating carriage provided on the traveling crane are pulsed. A position detecting means is provided for detecting by replacing the counted value with the pulse count value of the position detecting means, and the traveling crane traveling position and the lifting carriage lifting position when the lifting carriage is associated with each load receiving platform are detected by the pulse count value of the position detecting means. It is stored for each crane, and during actual operation, the elevating carriage is determined based on a comparison process between the pulse count value of the position detecting means and the memorized count value corresponding to the current traveling position of the traveling crane and the current elevating position of the elevating carriage. 1. A method for controlling a traveling crane for loading and unloading warehouses, characterized in that the traveling of the traveling crane and the lifting and lowering of a lifting carriage are controlled so as to correspond to an arbitrary loading platform.