JP2001106304A - Automated high-rise warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automated high-rise warehouse constituted for conveying, storing and delivering freight to/from a high-rise storage system without palletizing unpackaged freight on a pallet or picking the freight delivered with the pallet. SOLUTION: This automated high-rise warehouse receives freight (a) carried in continuously, and supports and stores it, and consists of a high-rise storage system 1 on which case conveyors 6 for transporting the freight (a) to a delivery side are disposed in a plurality of stages and columns, a freight supply system 2 supplying the carried-in freight (a) to the high-rise storage system, and a freight delivery system 12 delivering the freight (a) stored in the high-rise storage system 1 therefrom. The freight supply system 2 consists of a supply apparatus 4 and a supply conveyor 5. The freight delivery system 12 consists of a delivery conveyor 15 and a delivery apparatus 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility capable of storing a plurality of cargoes and discharging the cargoes as needed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 shows an example of a conventional automatic three-dimensional warehouse facility. The three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment includes a three-dimensional storage warehouse 40 having storage shelves (rack) 45 configured in multiple stages and multiple rows.
And a stacker crane 50 is installed adjacent to this so as to be able to travel along the track 55. When storing the cargo a in this three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility, the stacker crane 50
After the cargo a is raised to a predetermined height along the column 51 via the lifting table 52, the fork 54 provided on the lifting table 52
Is used to store the cargo a on the rack 45 of the three-dimensional storage warehouse 40, or the cargo a on the rack 45 is discharged by the reverse procedure.

Conventional freight a using a stacker crane 50
Is generally stored on a pallet 5 as shown in FIG.
Basically, a unit load for stacking a predetermined number of cargoes a on the stack 3 and storing each of the pallets. For this reason, in the stage before the supply to the three-dimensional storage warehouse 40, it is necessary to load the bulk cargo a on the pallet 53 (palletizing work). Is bad and takes time.

[0004] Further, when the cargo a is shipped, the shipment is generally performed in bulk cargo units rather than in pallet units. Therefore, once the cargo is discharged from the three-dimensional storage warehouse 40 in pallet units, the required number of cargoes are discharged. The work of extracting a from the pallet (picking work) is required, which is time-consuming and inefficient, and requires a large site and dedicated hardware for the picking work, resulting in poor economic efficiency. There was a problem.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems of conventional three-dimensional automatic warehousing equipment, the present invention provides a method for palletizing loose cargo onto a pallet and for removing cargo discharged from a pallet. To provide a three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility that can transport, store and discharge cargo to a three-dimensional storage facility without picking work.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a multi-stage, multi-row case conveyor for receiving, supporting and storing cargo continuously carried in and transporting the cargo to a discharge side. A three-dimensional automatic storage system comprising: a three-dimensional storage facility arranged in a space, a cargo supply facility for supplying incoming cargo to the three-dimensional storage facility, and a cargo discharge facility for discharging the cargo stored in the three-dimensional storage facility from the same. Provide warehouse equipment.

[0007] As the cargo supply equipment in the automatic three-dimensional warehouse facility according to the present invention, a supply device that receives continuously supplied cargo and raises the cargo to a predetermined height, and receives the raised cargo from the supply device. And a supply conveyer that is lowered to a predetermined position and transferred to the case conveyor.

[0008] In addition, the cargo discharge equipment in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment according to the present invention includes: a discharge conveyor for receiving and transporting the goods discharged from the case conveyor;
And a discharge device that receives the cargo from the discharge conveyor, descends the cargo, and discharges the cargo to the outside.

Furthermore, the case conveyor in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment according to the present invention places and stores a plurality of cargoes on a belt rotating on an endless track and supports the weight of the cargo on the belt by air pressure. Configuration.

Alternatively, the case conveyor is configured such that a plurality of rollers are arranged horizontally close to each other, a plurality of cargoes are supported and stored on the upper surface of the roller row, and the roller row is lowered in the discharge direction. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which it is installed with a gentle inclination.

In the three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the cargo to be stored in the three-dimensional storage facility is sent to a sorting device or the like by the cargo supply facility and sorted, and then the designated three-dimensional storage facility is designated. It is delivered to the case conveyor and packed at the front side for storage. On the other hand, in the automatic three-dimensional warehouse facility according to the present invention, in order to discharge the cargo stored in the three-dimensional storage facility, a case conveyor storing the cargo specified to be discharged is driven, and the cargo on the case conveyor is driven. Are sorted by a sorting device or the like, delivered to a cargo discharge facility, transported, and discharged.

As described above, according to the automatic three-dimensional warehouse facility of the present invention, bulk cargo to be stored can be continuously and automatically supplied to and stored in the three-dimensional storage warehouse in the state of bulk cargo, Work efficiency is greatly improved. Further, when shipping cargo from the three-dimensional storage warehouse, it is possible to continuously and automatically ship the cargo without performing a picking operation as in the related art, and the work efficiency is greatly improved.

Further, in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment of the present invention, in which the cargo weight on the case conveyor provided with the storage function and the transportation function is supported by air pressure, the cargo is continuously supplied. In addition to being able to be stored stably, it has the effect of being able to continuously and smoothly discharge in the stored state.

Further, in the three-dimensional automatic warehousing equipment of the present invention, if the case conveyor is constituted by a row of rollers that are gently inclined so as to be lowered in the direction of discharging the cargo, the cargo can be gravity moved without using a dedicated driving device. In this case, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS.

(First Embodiment) First, an automatic three-dimensional warehouse facility according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1 showing the overall configuration of a three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility according to the first embodiment of the present invention, reference numeral 1 denotes a three-dimensional storage facility.
Case conveyors 6 having a transport function are arranged in multiple stages and multiple rows.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a cargo supply facility for supplying the cargo a to the three-dimensional storage facility 1, and reference numeral 12 denotes a cargo discharge facility for discharging the cargo a stored from the three-dimensional storage facility 1. As described above, the three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility according to the present embodiment includes the three-dimensional storage facility 1
, A cargo supply facility 2 and a cargo discharge facility 12.

The cargo supply equipment 2 comprises a supply device 4 and a supply conveyor 5. The supply device 4 is installed in the supply tower 3 erected to face the cargo supply side of the three-dimensional storage facility 1 and lifts the cargo a that is carried in via the carry-in conveyor 8 to a predetermined height, and then moves to the next step. It works to deliver to. Further, the supply conveyor 5 is connected to the supply tower 3 and erected, corresponding to each step height of the case conveyor 6 of the three-dimensional storage facility 1, and receives the cargo a received from the supply device 4 to the case conveyor 6. It works to pass.

The cargo discharge facility 12 includes a discharge conveyor 15 and a discharge device 14. Discharge conveyor 15
Are respectively erected between a pair of discharge towers 13 erected to face the cargo discharge side of the three-dimensional storage facility 1 in correspondence with each step height of the case conveyor 6, and the cargo discharged from the case conveyor 6 is provided. It functions to receive a and pass it to the next process. The discharge device 14 is installed in each of the pair of discharge towers 13 and receives the cargo a received from the discharge conveyor 15.
And carry out the work to the outside via the carry-out conveyor 18.

Next, the three-dimensional storage facility 1 will be described.
The three-dimensional storage facility 1 has a case conveyor 6, and FIG.
3 shows the configuration of the case conveyor 6. FIG. As shown in the figure, the case conveyor 6 includes a pair of pulleys 6a (one is a driving pulley), an endless belt 6b stretched between the pulleys 6a and rotating on an endless track, and an inner side of the rotation locus of the belt 6b. And an air chamber 6c having many air holes 6d.

The high-pressure air sent from the air hose 11 into the air chamber 6c is injected from the air holes 6d to the back surface of the belt 6b, and the air pressure supports the weight of the cargo a arranged and stored on the belt 6b. The pulley 6a is driven to rotate the belt 6b to convey the cargo a. In the three-dimensional storage facility 1, a maintenance space 7 is provided between the rows of the case conveyors 6.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the supply device 4. As shown in the figure, the supply device 4 includes a rotating rope 4c that rotates on an endless track.
And a supporting mechanism 4a provided with a plurality of supporting tables 4d supported at predetermined intervals, and a rotating cable 4e adjacent to and installed on the lifting mechanism 4a and rotating on an endless track, supported at predetermined intervals. And a lowering mechanism 4b having a plurality of receiving tables 4f.

The supply device 4 transfers the cargo a carried in through the carry-in conveyor 8 to the support 4d of the lifting mechanism 4a.
And then lifted to the top, received by the receiving table 4f of the descent mechanism 4b and lowered, and the supply conveyor 5 at the designated stage
Is reached, the stopper 4g is operated and the
The cargo a on the receiving table 4f is delivered to the supply conveyor 5 by inclining f.

Next, the configuration of the discharge device 14 shown in FIG. 5 will be described. As shown in the drawing, the discharge device 14 includes a plurality of receiving stands 14b supported at predetermined intervals by a rotating rope 14a that rotates on an endless track. This discharging device 14
Is the cargo a delivered from the discharge conveyor 15 at an arbitrary stage.
Is received and lowered by the receiving stand 14b, and when it reaches the lowermost position, the stopper 14c is actuated to tilt the receiving base 14b to deliver the cargo a on the receiving base 14b to the unloading conveyor 18 and to unload the outside. Has become.

In the three-dimensional automatic warehousing facility according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, in principle, a set of case conveyors 6 is provided.
The same kind and size of cargo a are stored, and the storage status, that is, the presence or absence of a storage space, is constantly detected by a sensor (not shown). The cargo a is given an individual identification number, and the cargo a is identified by a sensor (not shown) provided at a cargo transfer section between each process, sorted by product type and dimensions, and finally finished. Can be stored on the case conveyer 6 designated. Alternatively, the designated cargo can be taken out from the specific case conveyor 6. Such detection, identification and sorting of the cargo are all automatically performed based on the command signal, but the details thereof are not directly related to the invention of the present application, and therefore the description thereof is omitted.

Hereinafter, a procedure for storing cargo by the three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment of the present embodiment will be described. The cargo a carried in by the carry-in conveyor 8 is first delivered to the supply device 4 of the cargo supply equipment 2 and rises, and is delivered from the support 4d of the lifting mechanism 4a to the receiving platform 4f of the descending mechanism 4b. Thereafter, the stopper 4g operates at a specific position and is delivered to and conveyed to the supply conveyor 5 at the designated stage.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the cargo a on the supply conveyor 5 which has reached the designated position is sorted by a sorting device (not shown), smoothly delivered to the designated case conveyor 6, and packed forward. Stored. When the storage space of the case conveyor 6 becomes full, a sensor (not shown) detects this, and based on the signal, the flow of the cargo a is switched to another case conveyor 6 and stored. Is done.

Next, a description will be given of a procedure for discharging cargo by the three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment of the present embodiment. When the discharged cargo a to be discharged is designated, the case conveyor 6 storing the corresponding cargo a is driven, and as shown in FIG. 7, the cargo a on the case conveyor 6 is sorted by a sorting device (not shown). The paper is sorted, smoothly delivered to the discharge conveyor 15, and transported. Next, the cargo a on the discharge conveyor 15 is transferred to the receiving table 14b of the discharge device 14 and descends. At the lowest position (discharge position), the stopper 14c operates to be transferred to the discharge conveyor 18 and discharged to the outside. Is done.

As described above, according to the three-dimensional automatic warehousing equipment of this embodiment, the bulk cargo a transported by truck or container can be converted into bulk cargo without performing palletizing work as in the prior art. It is possible to continuously and automatically supply and store the data to the three-dimensional storage facility 1 as it is, thereby greatly improving work efficiency. When shipping the cargo a from the three-dimensional storage facility 1, it is possible to ship the cargo a continuously and automatically without performing a picking operation as in the related art, and the work efficiency is greatly improved as described above.

Further, since the cargo is stored on the case conveyor 6 having a storage function and a transport function, and the weight of the cargo is supported by pneumatic pressure, the cargo can be continuously supplied and stably stored. In addition, there is an effect that discharge can be performed continuously in the storage state.

(Second Embodiment) Next, an automatic three-dimensional warehouse facility according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, a case conveyor 6 of a three-dimensional storage facility having a configuration different from that of the first embodiment is adopted. As shown in FIG. 8, the case conveyor 16 of the second embodiment includes a horizontal support frame 16.
b, a plurality of rollers 16a are arranged in close proximity to each other.
A plurality of cargoes a are configured to be supported and stored on the upper surface of the row 6a, and the rows of the rollers 16a are installed with a gentle inclination angle θ so as to be lower in the discharge direction.

The three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment according to the second embodiment is the same as the one according to the first embodiment except for the configuration of the case conveyor 6 in the three-dimensional storage equipment. In the three-dimensional storage facility according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the cargo a delivered from the supply conveyor 5 to the case conveyor 16 is supported on the upper surface of the roller row. The cargo a
Are slid alone and stored on the case conveyor 16 in order from the front side.

A stopper (not shown) is provided at the front end of the case conveyor 16, and the front row of the cargo a is prevented from sliding by the stopper during storage. When discharging the cargo a, when the stopper is released, the cargo a in the front row is slid by gravity alone, delivered to the discharge conveyor 15, and carried out through the discharge device 14 to the outside.

As described above, according to the case conveyor 16 of the present embodiment, the cargo a performs the transport operation by itself without using a dedicated driving device, so that the configuration of the device is simplified and the production cost is reduced. This has the effect.

As described above, the present invention has been specifically described based on the illustrated embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and specific structures within the scope of the present invention shown in the claims are set forth. Needless to say, various changes may be made to the configuration.

For example, the three-dimensional storage facility used in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment of the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments, but may be a generally used roller conveyor, chain conveyor, or the like. You may have.

[0037]

As described above, the present invention provides a three-dimensional storage in which case conveyors for receiving, supporting and storing continuously carried cargo, and transporting the cargo to the discharge side are arranged in multiple stages and in multiple rows. Provided is a three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility comprising: equipment, a cargo supply facility for supplying carried cargo to the three-dimensional storage facility, and a cargo discharge facility for discharging the cargo stored in the three-dimensional storage facility from the same facility. .

In the automatic three-dimensional warehouse facility of the present invention, the cargo to be stored in the three-dimensional storage facility is sent to a sorting device or the like by the cargo supply facility, sorted, and then delivered to the designated case conveyor of the three-dimensional storage facility. Stored in front.

Further, when discharging the cargo stored in the three-dimensional storage facility in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment of the present invention, the case conveyor storing the cargo designated to be discharged is driven, and the case conveyor is driven. The above cargo is sorted by a sorting device or the like, delivered to a cargo discharge facility, transported and discharged.

As described above, according to the three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment of the present invention, the cargo to be stored can be continuously and automatically supplied to and stored in the three-dimensional storage warehouse in the state of bulk cargo. , Work efficiency is greatly improved. Further, when shipping cargo from the three-dimensional storage warehouse, it is possible to continuously and automatically ship the cargo without performing a picking operation as in the related art, and the work efficiency is greatly improved.

In the automatic three-dimensional warehouse facility of the present invention, in which the weight of the cargo on the case conveyor of the three-dimensional storage facility is supported by air pressure, the cargo can be continuously supplied and stably stored. This has the effect of enabling continuous and smooth discharge in the storage state.

Further, in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse equipment of the present invention, if the case conveyor is constituted by a row of rollers which are gently inclined so as to be lowered in the direction of discharging the cargo, the cargo can be gravity moved without using a dedicated driving device. In this case, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of a case conveyor in the three-dimensional storage facility of the three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a cargo supply facility in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a cargo discharge facility in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the delivery and storage of cargo from the supply conveyor of the cargo supply facility to the case conveyor of the three-dimensional storage facility in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the delivery and discharge of cargo from the case conveyor of the three-dimensional storage facility to the discharge conveyor of the cargo discharge facility in the three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a configuration of a case conveyor of a three-dimensional storage facility according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an example of a conventional three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a cargo for explaining a cargo storage mode in a conventional three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Three-dimensional storage equipment 2 Cargo supply equipment 3 Supply tower 4 Supply device 4a Elevating mechanism 4b Descending mechanism 4c Rotating cable 4d Support base 4e Rotating cable 4f Receiving stand 4g Stopper 5 Supply conveyor 6 Case conveyor 6a Pulley 6b Belt 6c Air chamber 6d Air hole 7 Maintenance space 8 Carry-in conveyor 11 Air hose 12 Cargo discharge equipment 13 Discharge tower 14 Discharge device 14a Rotating cable 14b Cradle 14c Stopper 15 Discharge conveyor 16 Case conveyor 16a Roller 16b Horizontal support frame 18 Unload conveyor

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A three-dimensional storage facility in which case conveyors for receiving, supporting and storing continuously carried cargo, and transporting the cargo to the discharge side are arranged in multiple stages and in multiple rows. A three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility comprising: a cargo supply facility for supplying to a storage facility; and a cargo discharge facility for discharging the cargo stored in the three-dimensional storage facility from the facility. 2. A supply device for receiving the continuously supplied cargo and raising the cargo to a predetermined height, receiving the raised cargo from the supply device, and lowering the cargo supply device to a predetermined position. 2. The three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility is constituted by a supply conveyor that is transferred to a case conveyor. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the cargo discharge facility comprises a discharge conveyor for receiving and transporting the cargo discharged from the case conveyor, and a discharge device for receiving the cargo from the discharge conveyor, descending the cargo, and discharging the cargo to the outside. The three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: 4. A case conveyor, wherein a plurality of cargoes are placed and stored on a belt rotating on an endless track,
The three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the weight of the cargo on the belt is supported by air pressure. 5. The case conveyor, wherein a plurality of rollers are arranged horizontally close to each other, and a plurality of cargoes are supported and stored on an upper surface of the roller row, and the roller row is lowered in a discharge direction. The three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the three-dimensional automatic warehouse facility is installed with a gentle inclination.