JP2019006517A - Package delivery system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a package delivery system capable of saving a space.SOLUTION: A package delivery system 200 is a system for delivering a package 40 between a loading and unloading rack 61 and a package placement part 210. The loading and unloading rack 61 is arranged along a path of stacker cranes 100A and 100B. A plurality of packages 40 are possible to be placed on the package placement part 210. The package delivery system 200 comprises a drawer shelf 201 and a robot 250. The drawer shelf 201 is a shelf capable of transferring the package with the stacker crane 100B, and of being drawn out to an opposite side of the path, in a state of being stored in the loading and unloading rack 61. The robot 250 performs replacing of the package 40 in a state of being drawn from the loading and unloading rack 61 from one of the drawer shelf 201 and the package placement part 210 to the other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a package delivery system that delivers packages between a rack and a package placement unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, there is an automatic warehouse that includes a stacker crane that transports and transfers a load, and a rack that is disposed along the route of the stacker crane and can store a plurality of loads. In such an automatic warehouse, for example, a work (depalletizing work) for unloading individual luggage from a pallet on which a plurality of luggage is stacked is performed.

  For example, the automatic warehouse disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a depallet picking station, and the deparet picking station has a luggage transfer section. The luggage transfer unit has a conveyor and a robot. The robot unloads the load from the pallet, and the unloaded load is transported to a predetermined place by a conveyor, and then accommodated in a rack.

Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-210547

  In the conventional automatic warehouse described above, in order to accommodate a plurality of packages received in units of pallets in the racks in units of packages, at least a robot that unloads the packages from the pallet and a conveyor that carries the packages unloaded from the pallets. is necessary. For this reason, for example, there arises a problem that a space that is substantially required for delivery of a load from a pallet to a rack increases.

  The present invention is a baggage delivery system that delivers a baggage between a baggage placement unit on which a plurality of packages are placed in consideration of the above-described conventional problems and a rack that accommodates individual packages, and saves space. It is an object to provide a package delivery system that can be converted into a package.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a baggage delivery system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a rack placed along a path along which one or more stacker cranes move, and a load placement on which a plurality of loads can be placed. A package delivery system for delivering packages to and from a section, wherein the packages are transferred by one of the one or more stacker cranes in a state of being stored in the rack, and the route is A drawer shelf that can be pulled out to the opposite side, the drawer shelf in a state of being pulled out from the rack, and a robot for transferring the cargo from one of the luggage placement units to the other.

  According to this configuration, for example, each of the plurality of luggage placed on the luggage placement section can be placed on the drawer shelf by the robot. Further, for example, a load placed on a drawer shelf by a stacker crane can be transferred to a load placement portion by a robot. That is, it is possible to directly transfer the unit of the individual luggage between the luggage placement unit and the rack by the robot. Therefore, for example, a transfer device such as a conveyor is not required between the robot and the rack. Therefore, according to the package delivery system according to this aspect, space can be saved.

  Further, in the luggage delivery system according to one aspect of the present invention, the robot may perform the drawer of the drawer shelf from the rack and the storage of the drawer shelf in the pulled-out state in the rack.

  According to this configuration, since the drawer shelf is taken in and out of the rack by the robot, for example, it is not necessary to provide the rack with a mechanism for driving the drawer shelf. Thereby, for example, space saving of the package delivery system can be realized without complicating the configuration of the rack.

  Further, in the package delivery system according to one aspect of the present invention, the robot has an arm that delivers the package by holding and moving the package, and the arm further pulls the drawer shelf. Then, the drawer shelf may be pulled out from the rack, and the drawer shelf may be stored in the rack by pushing the drawer shelf in the pulled-out state.

  According to this configuration, since the drawer shelf is taken in and out by the arm used for changing the load, it is not necessary to separately provide the robot with a mechanism for moving the drawer shelf. Thereby, for example, space saving of the package delivery system can be realized without complicating the configuration of the robot.

  The luggage delivery system according to an aspect of the present invention further includes a first stacker crane that is one of the one or more stacker cranes, and the plurality of luggage is placed on the luggage placement unit. The transport member can be placed, the rack is disposed between the path and the luggage placement unit, and the first stacker crane has a placement table on which the transport member is placed; A transfer device for transferring the transport member may be provided between the mounting table and the luggage placement unit.

  According to this configuration, the stacker crane can transfer the transport member on which a plurality of loads are placed between the stacker crane placing table and the load placing unit over the rack. In other words, for example, using a stacker crane that carries and transfers pallets in an automatic warehouse, the carrying member can be carried into and out of the load placing unit. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately prepare equipment for carrying in and carrying out. This also saves space in the package delivery system.

  Further, in the luggage delivery system according to one aspect of the present invention, the rack is a plurality of the drawer shelves arranged in the vertical direction, each independently pulling out from the rack and storing in the rack. It is good also as having a plurality of the above-mentioned drawer shelves.

  According to this configuration, for example, the robot can place one or more packages on each of a plurality of drawer shelves arranged in the vertical direction, and can receive one or more packages from each of the plurality of drawer shelves. it can. As a result, for example, the number of packages delivered per unit time between the rack and the package placement unit can be improved. Further, by arranging a plurality of drawer shelves in the vertical direction, a plurality of baggage delivery locations can be provided in a limited space. In other words, by efficiently using the space in the vertical direction, it is possible to improve the efficiency and space saving of the package delivery work.

  In the luggage delivery system according to one aspect of the present invention, the drawer shelf and the luggage placement unit may be arranged on both sides of the robot.

  According to this configuration, for example, the robot can transfer the load between the one or more drawer shelves and the load placement units arranged on the left and right sides. For example, the robot can place a package received from one of the two left and right luggage placement units on one of the two right and left drawer shelves. Further, for example, the robot can change the load between the two left and right load placement units. In other words, according to the package delivery system according to this aspect, the efficiency of the package delivery work can be improved and various requests relating to the package delivery can be handled.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a package delivery system for delivering a package between a package placing unit on which a plurality of packages are placed and a rack that accommodates individual packages, and the package can save space. A delivery system can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration outline of an automatic warehouse according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration outline of the stacker crane according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a first plan view showing a schematic configuration of the package delivery system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a configuration outline of the package delivery system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a second plan view showing an outline of the configuration of the package delivery system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing a configuration outline of the stacker crane according to the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a package delivery system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below shows a specific example of the present invention. Therefore, numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of components, contents and order of information processing, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. . Therefore, among the constituent elements according to the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims showing the highest concept of the present invention are described as optional constituent elements.

  Each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily shown strictly. Moreover, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to substantially the same structure, and the overlapping description may be abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

(Outline of automatic warehouse configuration)
First, the outline of the configuration of the automatic warehouse 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration outline of an automatic warehouse 10 according to the embodiment.

  The automatic warehouse 10 according to the present embodiment includes stacker cranes 100A and 100B that move along a track 20, and a plurality of racks (rack group 50) each of which can accommodate a plurality of loads 40. The rack group 50 includes a first rack 51, a second rack 52, and a third rack 53 for storing a plurality of loads 40. The luggage 40 in the present embodiment is, for example, a cardboard box containing one or more items.

  Each of the first rack 51, the second rack 52, and the third rack 53 has a plurality of shelves 55. For example, one luggage 40 is placed on each of the plurality of shelves 55. Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of pallet shelves 56 are provided in a part of each of the first rack 51, the second rack 52, and the third rack 53 to accommodate the pallets 45 in which a plurality of loads 40 are stacked. It has been. The pallet 45 is an example of a conveying member.

  In other words, the rack group 50 includes a shelf 55 that individually accommodates a plurality of luggage 40 and a pallet shelf 56 that accommodates the plurality of luggage 40 stacked on the pallet 45 together with the pallet 45. More specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, two pallet shelves 56 are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction in the first rack 51. That is, the first rack 51 has a configuration in which the pallet 45 can be transferred from both the left and right sides of the first rack 51. The same applies to the second rack 52 and the third rack 53, and each of the second rack 52 and the third rack 53 has a configuration in which the pallet 45 can be transferred from both the left and right sides.

  The stacker crane 100 </ b> B can transfer the load 40 between each of the plurality of shelves 55. Further, the stacker crane 100A can transfer the pallet 45 (including the case where the luggage 40 is not loaded, the same applies hereinafter) between each of the plurality of pallet shelves 56. That is, in the present embodiment, the stacker crane 100B is a transport vehicle that transports and transfers the individual luggage 40, and the stacker crane 100A is a transport vehicle that transports and transfers the pallet 45. One stacker crane may have a function of handling each of the plurality of loads 40 as a single item and a function of handling the plurality of loads 40 in units of pallets 45.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, each of the first rack 51, the second rack 52, and the third rack 53 includes a plurality of shelves 55 or pallet shelves 56 in the height direction (Z-axis direction). They are arranged side by side.

  In the present embodiment, the automatic warehouse 10 includes one stacker crane 100A and a plurality of stacker cranes 100B. These stacker cranes (100A, 100B) receive instruction information including a destination from the system control device 300, move based on the instruction information, and perform operations such as transfer of the luggage 40 or the pallet 45. The system control device 300 is a host computer that controls and manages the automatic warehouse 10. For example, the system controller 300 exchanges information with a plurality of stacker cranes (100 </ b> A, 100 </ b> B), thereby loading / unloading the luggage 40 with respect to the rack group 50. Control etc.

  The track 20 that guides the movement of the stacker cranes 100A and 100B is a member that forms a path of the stacker cranes 100A and 100B. The track 20 includes a first track 21 disposed along the first rack 51, a second track 22 disposed along the second rack 52, and a shortcut track connecting the first track 21 and the second track 22. Including. The track 20 further includes a third track 23 disposed along the third rack 53. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the first track 21 and the second track 22 are connected by two shortcut tracks (25a, 25b).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first track 21 and the third track 23 partially overlap, and the second track 22 and the third track 23 partially overlap. That is, the straight line portion located between the first rack 51 and the third rack 53 in the track 20 is a portion shared by the first track 21 and the third track 23. Further, a straight line portion between the second rack 52 and the third rack 53 in the track 20 is a portion shared by the second track 22 and the third track 23.

  Further, the track 20 can move only in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1 (that is, one-way). Specifically, the first track 21 and the second track 22 are one-way counterclockwise, and the third track 23 is one-way clockwise.

  The track 20 in the present embodiment is, for example, a rail suspended from the ceiling or fixed to the ceiling, and the stacker cranes 100A and 100B move along the track 20 while being suspended from the track 20. It is a suspended stacker crane. Further, the stacker cranes 100A and 100B can receive the load 40 or the pallet 45 from both the left and right sides and can send the load 40 or the pallet 45 to the left and right sides when the moving direction is the front. The configurations of the stacker crane 100A and the stacker crane 100B will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The automatic warehouse 10 is further provided on both sides of the rack group 50 in the X-axis direction for temporary baggage 40 storage for loading the luggage 40 into the rack group 50 and for unloading the luggage 40 from the rack group 50. Certain loading / unloading racks 61 and 62 are arranged.

  In the present embodiment, the loading / unloading rack 61 is a rack that constitutes a part of the package delivery system 200. Specifically, the loading / unloading rack 61 has a pallet shelf 68 in which the pallet 45 is stored, and the pallet 45 placed on the pallet shelf 68 is, for example, of the first rack 51 by the stacker crane 100A. It is transferred to the pallet shelf 56. That is, the pallet 45 stored in the automatic warehouse 10 is temporarily stored (buffered) in the first rack 51.

  In addition, the warehousing rack 61 is provided with a pallet passage portion 66 that forms a passage through which the pallet 45 passes in the X-axis direction. When viewed from the side of the path of the stacker crane 100A (that is, the portion of the track 20 disposed along the loading / unloading rack 61), the load placement unit 210 is disposed at the tip of the pallet passage unit 66. Yes.

  For example, the stacker crane 100 </ b> A takes the pallet 45 buffered in the first rack 51, moves it to the front of the pallet passage part 66, and places it on the luggage placement part 210 via the pallet passage part 66. Can do. The stacker crane 100 </ b> A may transfer the pallet 45 placed on the pallet shelf 68 to the luggage placement unit 210 without buffering the first rack 51.

  Further, the pallet 45 exchanged between the stacker crane 100 </ b> A and the luggage placement unit 210 may be temporarily placed on the pallet passage unit 66. That is, the pallet passage portion 66 may have a configuration for buffering the pallet 45 (such as a support member that supports the pallet 45 from below).

  In the present embodiment, the robot 250 that replaces the load 40 from the pallet 45 placed on the load placement unit 210 takes out the individual load 40 and directly stores it in the loading / unloading rack 61. Works like this. Specifically, the loading / unloading rack 61 has one or more drawer shelves 201, and the luggage 40 taken out from the pallet 45 by the robot 250 is placed on the drawer shelves 201 in the pulled out state. The drawer shelf 201 on which one or more packages 40 are placed is stored in a storage rack 61. In this way, the package delivery system 200 according to the present embodiment executes delivery of the package 40 from the package placement unit 210 to the loading / unloading rack 61. In addition, the pallet 45 after the one or more loads 40 are removed by the robot 250 is taken up by the stacker crane 100A and stored in the pallet shelf 68 of the first rack 51, for example. Details of the operation of the package delivery system 200 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  The luggage 40 placed on the drawer shelf 201 by the operation of the luggage delivery system 200 is taken up by the stacker crane 100B and placed on one of the shelves 55 of the rack group 50, for example. As a result, the plurality of packages 40 received in units of pallets 45 are accommodated in the rack group 50 in units of individual packages 40.

  In the present embodiment, each of the loading / unloading racks 61 and 62 has a plurality of shelves 65, and the luggage 40 accommodated in the rack group 50 is loaded or unloaded by the stacker crane 100B. It is carried to one of the shelves 65 that 62 has. The luggage 40 placed on the shelf 65 is taken out of the rack by an operator, for example, and work for delivery to the destination is performed.

  Note that the luggage 40 placed on the shelf 65 of the loading / unloading rack 61 or 62 from the outside can be taken up by the stacker crane 100B and accommodated in the rack group 50. That is, in the automatic warehouse 10 according to the present embodiment, in addition to receiving a plurality of packages 40 in units of pallets 45 via the pallet shelf 68 as described above, the storage rack 61 or 62 is also provided. It is also possible to individually store a plurality of luggage 40 via the shelf 65.

  Further, in FIG. 1, the pallet passage portion 66 and the drawer shelf 201 are exposed to illustrate the positions of the pallet passage portion 66 and the drawer shelf 201, but above the pallet passage portion 66 and the drawer shelf 201. A plurality of shelves 65 may be arranged.

  The automatic warehouse 10 according to the present embodiment further includes a safety fence 170 arranged so as to surround the track 20 and the rack group 50 in plan view. The safety fence 170 includes an opening through which a person can pass, and a door 160 is disposed in the opening. The door unit 160 is normally locked. For example, when the stacker cranes 100A and 100B are stopped, the door unit 160 is unlocked by an instruction from the system control device 300. Thereby, an operator can open the door part 160, enter the area surrounded by the safety fence 170, and perform maintenance of the stacker cranes 100A and 100B.

  Note that various types of information processing executed by the system control device 300 are executed by a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device such as a memory, and an interface for inputting / outputting information, etc. It is realized by doing.

(Stacker crane (for pallet transportation / transfer))
Next, the stacker crane 100A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration outline of a stacker crane 100A according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2, the basic configuration of the stacker crane 100 </ b> A is simply illustrated, and the track 20 is cut and illustrated in order to show the structure of the track 20.

  The stacker crane 100A according to the present embodiment includes an upper carriage 101, a pair of masts 110 extending downward from the upper carriage 101, a lower carriage 107 connected to the lower ends of the pair of masts 110, and a pair of masts. 110 includes a lift 120 that moves up and down along a line 110 and a controller 150 that controls the stacker crane 100A. The stacker crane 100A is an example of a first stacker crane.

  The upper cart 101 is a cart that drives the movement of the stacker crane 100A, and includes a base portion 101a and two bogies 102 that are pivotally supported around the Z axis with respect to the base portion 101a. Each of the two bogies 102 is a carriage whose movement is driven by a linear motor, and includes a plurality of rollers that roll on a running surface 20 a formed by the inner surface of the track 20. For example, an on-vehicle primary linear motor in which a magnet is fixed to the ceiling side (track 20) and an electromagnet is disposed on the bogie 102 is employed as a drive source for each of the two bogies 102. Each of the two bogies 102 travels on the traveling surface 20 a of the track 20, so that the upper bogie 101 having the two bogies 102, a pair of masts 110 whose upper ends are connected to the upper bogie 101, etc. Move. That is, the stacker crane 100A moves along the track 20. Each of the two bogies 102 has a branch roller that can perform a branch switching operation (switching the traveling track). As a result, each of the two bogies 102 can change tracks such as transfer from the second track 22 to the shortcut track 25a.

  The lower carriage 107 connected to the lower ends of the pair of masts 110 is a carriage that moves along the lower rail 30. For example, the lower carriage 107 is guided to the lower rail 30 in a state where one or more rollers (not shown) are in contact with the lower rail 30. Move while being. The lower rail 30 is, for example, a rail disposed at a position facing the track 20 on the floor surface, and swings in a direction perpendicular to the track 20 about the track 20 of the suspended stacker crane 100A. It has a role to suppress.

  The lifting platform 120 is an example of a mounting table on which the pallet 45 is mounted. The lifting platform 120 is arranged in a state of being suspended from the upper carriage 101 by a plurality of wires (not shown), for example, and the lifting platform 120 moves up and down along the pair of masts 110 by winding and feeding these wires.

  The elevator 120 has a transfer device 130 that mainly transfers the pallet 45. In the present embodiment, the transfer device 130 includes a slide fork 131 that moves in and out in both the left and right directions when the moving direction of the stacker crane 100A is the front. In response to an instruction from the controller 150, the transfer device 130, for example, extends the slide fork 131 in front of the pallet shelf 68 of the loading / unloading rack 61, scoops up the pallet 45, and shrinks the slide fork 131 to lower the pallet 45. 120 can be withdrawn. Further, the transfer device 130 extends the slide fork 131 in front of the pallet shelf 56 of the first rack 51 and lowers the pallet 45 held on the slide fork 131 on the pallet shelf 56, for example. Can be placed.

  As described above, the transfer device 130 provided in the stacker crane 100A according to the present embodiment exchanges the pallet 45 with the load placing unit 210 via the pallet passing unit 66 of the loading / unloading rack 61. Have the ability to do That is, the transfer device 130 places the pallet 45 held on the slide fork 131 on the luggage placement unit 210 by, for example, extending and lowering the slide fork 131 in front of the pallet passage unit 66. be able to. Further, the slide fork 131 can be extended in front of the pallet passage portion 66 to scoop up the pallet 45 of the baggage placement unit 210, and the slide fork 131 can be retracted to pull the pallet 45 into the lifting platform 120.

(Luggage delivery system)
Next, the configuration and operation of the package delivery system 200 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a first plan view showing a configuration outline of the package delivery system 200 according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a configuration outline of the package delivery system 200 according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a second plan view showing a schematic configuration of the package delivery system 200 according to the embodiment. 3 to 5, each component is illustrated in a simplified manner. For example, for the loading / unloading rack 61, in order to clearly show the elements such as the drawer shelf 201, the loading / unloading rack 61 is provided. The configuration is simply illustrated by a dotted line.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the package delivery system 200 according to the present embodiment is a system that delivers the package 40 between the loading / unloading rack 61 and the package placement unit 210. The loading / unloading rack 61 is disposed along the path (track 20) of the stacker cranes 100A and 100B. A plurality of luggage 40 can be placed on the luggage placement unit 210. For example, the plurality of packages 40 are placed on the package placement unit 210 in a stacked state. The package delivery system 200 includes a drawer shelf 201 and a robot 250. The drawer shelf 201 is a shelf in which the loader 40 is transferred by the stacker crane 100B in a state of being stored in the loading / unloading rack 61 and can be pulled out on the side opposite to the path (track 20). The robot 250 is a device that transfers the load 40 from one of the pull-out shelves 201 pulled out from the loading / unloading rack 61 and the load mounting portion 210 to the other.

  In the package delivery system 200 having the above-described configuration, each of the plurality of packages 40 placed on the package placement unit 210 can be placed on the drawer shelf 201 by the robot 250. In addition, for example, the luggage 40 placed on the drawer shelf 201 by the stacker crane 100B can be transferred to the luggage placement unit 210 by the robot 250.

  In the present embodiment, the robot 250 is a robot of a kind called “articulated robot”, for example, and as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a holding unit 255 having a nozzle that sucks the load 40 and a holding unit 255. Has an arm 251 attached to the tip. The arm 251 is composed of a plurality of members that are rotatably connected, and can be bent at one or more locations. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the arm 251 can also rotate around the Z axis. That is, the robot 250 can move the load 40 held by suction by the holding unit 255 by expanding and contracting the arm 251 as a whole and rotating it.

  In the present embodiment, the robot 250 having the above configuration can directly transfer the unit of the individual luggage 40 between the luggage placement unit 210 and the loading / unloading rack 61. Therefore, for example, a transfer device such as a conveyor is not required between the robot 250 and the loading / unloading rack 61. Therefore, according to the package delivery system 200 according to this aspect, space saving is possible.

  In addition, dividing a plurality of packages 40 stacked on the pallet 45 into individual packages 40 is called “depalletizing”, for example, and stacking a plurality of packages 40 on the pallet 45 is called “palletizing”, for example. . Therefore, it can be said that the package delivery system 200 according to the present embodiment is a system that performs operations involving palletizing and depalletizing in a space-saving manner.

  Specifically, a pallet 45 on which a plurality of luggage 40 is placed can be placed on the luggage placement section 210, and the loading / unloading rack 61 has a path (track 20) and a luggage placement in plan view. It is arrange | positioned between the parts 210. The stacker crane 100 </ b> A includes an elevator 120 on which the pallet 45 is placed, and a transfer device 130 that transfers the pallet 45 between the elevator 120 and the luggage placement unit 210.

  In the present embodiment, the luggage placement unit 210 is defined as a predetermined area on the floor where the automatic warehouse 10 is installed, and supports the pallet 45 exchanged with the stacker crane 100A from below. A pair of support members 211 is provided.

  As described above, in the package delivery system 200 according to the present embodiment, the stacker crane 100A is used as a transport vehicle for carrying the pallet 45 into the baggage placement unit 210 and carrying out the pallet 45 from the baggage placement unit 210. We are using.

  Specifically, the stacker crane 100 </ b> A can transfer the pallet 45 between the lifting platform 120 and the luggage placement unit 210 via the pallet passage portion 66 of the loading / unloading rack 61. That is, the pallet 45 can be carried into and out of the luggage placement unit 210 by using the stacker crane 100A that carries and transfers the pallet 45 in the automatic warehouse 10. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately install equipment for carrying in and carrying out. This also saves space in the package delivery system 200.

  In the present embodiment, the robot 250 pulls out the drawer shelf 201 from the loading / unloading rack 61 and the loading / unloading rack 61 of the drawer shelf 201 in the pulled-out state as shown in FIG. Storing (pushing back).

  In other words, since the drawer 250 is taken in and out of the loading / unloading rack 61 by the robot 250, for example, it is not necessary to provide the loading / unloading rack 61 with a mechanism for driving the drawing rack 201. Thereby, for example, space saving of the package delivery system 200 is realized without complicating the configuration of the loading / unloading rack 61.

  More specifically, in the present embodiment, the robot 250 has an arm 251 that delivers and receives the luggage 40 by holding and moving the luggage 40. The arm 251 can further pull the drawer shelf 201 from the loading / unloading rack 61 by pulling the drawer shelf 201. Further, the arm 251 can store the drawer shelf 201 in the loading / unloading rack 61 by pushing the drawer shelf 201 in the pulled-out state.

  As described above, since the drawer ledge 201 is put in and out by the arm 251 used by the robot 250 to replace the load 40, it is not necessary to separately provide the robot 250 with a mechanism for taking in and out the drawer shelf 201. Thereby, for example, space saving of the package delivery system 200 is realized without complicating the configuration of the robot 250.

  Note that the robot 250 may pull the drawer shelf 201 using, for example, a suction nozzle that the holding unit 255 uses to hold the luggage 40. Further, for example, by providing a protrusion or hole that engages with the drawer shelf 201 in the holding unit 255, the drawer shelf 201 may be hooked on the holding unit 255 and pulled. That is, the method for connecting the arm 251 of the robot 250 and the drawer shelf 201 is not particularly limited, and an appropriate method can be selected and adopted from various methods such as vacuum suction, magnetic suction, and mechanical engagement. That's fine.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the loading / unloading rack 61 is a plurality of drawer shelves 201 arranged in the vertical direction, each independently pulling out from the loading / unloading rack 61, And it has the some drawer shelf 201 which can be accommodated in the rack 61 for loading / unloading.

  Therefore, for example, the robot 250 places one or more loads 40 on each of the plurality of drawer shelves 201 arranged in the vertical direction and receives one or more packages 40 from each of the plurality of drawer shelves 201. Can do. As a result, for example, the number of deliveries of the luggage 40 per unit time between the loading / unloading rack 61 and the luggage placement unit 210 can be improved. That is, by efficiently using the space in the vertical direction, it is possible to improve the efficiency and space saving of the delivery operation of the luggage 40.

  In the present embodiment, the drawer shelf 201 and the baggage placement unit 210 are disposed on both sides of the robot 250.

  Therefore, the robot 250 can transfer the load 40 between the one or more drawer shelves 201 and the load placement unit 210 arranged on the left and right sides (both sides in the Y-axis direction). For example, the robot 250 can place the luggage 40 picked up from one of the two left and right luggage placement units 210 on one of the two right and left drawer shelves 201. Further, for example, the robot 250 can transfer the load 40 between the two left and right load placement units 210. That is, according to the package delivery system 200 according to the present embodiment, the efficiency of the delivery operation of the package 40 can be improved, and various requests relating to the delivery of the package 40 can be handled.

  Here, for example, a case is assumed in which the pallet 45 is carried into the luggage placement unit 210 on the right side of the robot 250 in FIG. 4 by the stacker crane 100A. In this case, for example, the robot 250 pulls out the drawer shelf 201 on the right side and the lowermost stage of the robot 250 in FIG. 4 and places the luggage 40 taken out from the pallet 45 on the drawer shelf 201. In the present embodiment, two pieces of luggage 40 can be placed side by side on the drawer shelf 201 in the pull-out direction, and the robot 250 places two pieces of luggage 40 on the drawer shelf 201 and puts the drawer 201 into the drawer shelf 201. Push it back into the loading / unloading rack 61.

  Thereafter, the robot 250 pulls out the second drawer shelf 201 on the right side and the bottom of the robot 250 in FIG. 4 to place the two loads 40, and pushes the drawer 201 back to the loading / unloading rack 61. When the robot 250 sequentially executes the above-described operations for the plurality of drawer shelves 201, the two loads 40 lowered from the pallet 45 are placed on each of the drawer shelves 201. In the present embodiment, two pieces of luggage 40 are placed on each of the six drawer shelves 201, and a total of twelve pieces of luggage 40 are accommodated in the loading / unloading rack 61.

  In each drawer shelf 201, the luggage 40 taken out from the pallet 45 can be placed on the luggage placing section 210 on the left side of the robot 250 in FIG. Therefore, for example, the robot 250 takes out the luggage 40, which is a cardboard box containing the article A, from the right luggage placing section 210 and places it on one drawer shelf 201, and also stores the cardboard box containing the article B. It is also possible to take out the baggage 40 and remove it from the left baggage placement unit 210 and place it on the one drawer shelf 201.

  In the present embodiment, the stacker crane 100B collects a total of twelve loads 40 placed on a total of six drawer shelves 201 in three upper and lower rows and two left and right rows, and collects the first items in a lump. It can be accommodated in a rack such as the rack 51. The configuration of the stacker crane 100B that performs such an operation will be described with reference to FIG.

(Stacker crane (for transporting and transferring individual packages))
FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the stacker crane 100B according to the present embodiment. In addition, since the mechanism for moving along the track 20 of the stacker crane 100B is the same as that of the stacker crane 100A (see FIG. 2), the illustration and description thereof are omitted, and mainly the transfer of the load 40. The configuration is shown and described.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the stacker crane 100 </ b> B has a lifting platform 125 and a plurality of transfer devices 140. Specifically, a total of six transfer devices 140 in three stages of upper and lower and two rows on the left and right are arranged on the lifting platform 125, and these transfer devices 140 can operate independently of each other.

  The transfer device 140 has a pair of arms 141 that extend and contract in synchronization with each other. The transfer device 140 extends and contracts the pair of arms 141 in a state in which the load 40 is sandwiched between the pair of arms 141 or a state in which claws (not shown) provided on the pair of arms 141 are hooked on the load 40. Thus, the load 40 is transferred. Specifically, the transfer device 140 can transfer two packages 40 aligned in the direction in which the pair of arms 141 are moved in and out in a lump.

  That is, one transfer device 140 can transfer two packages 40 in a lump between one drawer shelf 201 and two shelves 55 (65) arranged in the exit / retreat direction. The transfer device 140 can transfer the load 40 in both the left and right directions when the moving direction is the front.

  In the present embodiment, the relative positions of the six transfer devices 140 included in the stacker crane 100B are positions corresponding to the six drawer shelves 201 of the loading / unloading rack 61. The relative positions of these six transfer devices 140 are positions corresponding to a total of six shelves 55 in the upper and lower three stages and the left and right two rows in the rack group 50.

  Therefore, for example, as described above, a maximum of twelve loads 40 transferred from one or more pallets 45 to six drawer shelves 201 by the robot 250 can be collectively collected by the stacker crane 100B. is there. Further, the stacker crane 100B can collectively store a maximum of twelve pieces of luggage 40 in a rack such as the first rack 51. Thereby, the operation | work which concerns on the receipt / extraction of the some luggage | load 40 in the automatic warehouse 10 can be performed efficiently.

  Note that the number of transfer devices 140 and the transfer method of the load 40 provided in the stacker crane 100B described above are examples, and the stacker crane 100B only needs to include at least one transfer device 140. Further, the stacker crane 100B may include a fork type transfer device similar to the transfer device 130 of the stacker crane 100A.

(Other embodiments)
As above, the package delivery system of the present invention has been described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Unless it deviates from the gist of the present invention, various modifications conceived by those skilled in the art have been made in the present embodiment, or forms constructed by combining a plurality of the above-described constituent elements are within the scope of the present invention. include.

  For example, in the above embodiment, as an example of an operation using the package delivery system 200, the operation of individually storing a plurality of packages received in units of pallets 45 in a rack such as the first rack 51 has been described. . However, the package delivery system 200 may also be used for stacking individual packages 40 accommodated in racks such as the first rack 51 on one pallet 45.

  For example, according to an instruction from the system control device 300, the stacker crane 100 </ b> B takes a plurality of loads 40 from the rack group 50 and places them on one or more drawer shelves 201 of the loading / unloading rack 61. The robot 250 pulls out the one or more drawer shelves 201 and takes out the plurality of packages 40. The robot 250 further places the plurality of luggage 40 on the pallet 45 placed on the luggage placement section 210. The pallet 45 on which the plurality of loads 40 are placed is taken up by the stacker crane 100A and transferred to the pallet shelf 68. The pallet 45 placed on the pallet shelf 68 is carried to a predetermined place by a transport vehicle such as a forklift. In this way, the package delivery system 200 can be used for the work of collecting the individual packages 40 accommodated in the automatic warehouse 10 and issuing them in units of pallets 45.

  Further, for example, the robot 250 need not be an articulated robot, and may be an orthogonal robot that moves along axes orthogonal to each other.

  In the above embodiment, the pallet 45 is exemplified as the conveying member. However, the conveying member handled by the package delivery system 200 may be a member of a different type from the pallet 45. For example, a case that can accommodate a plurality of loads 40 may be handled as a transport member. That is, the plurality of luggage 40 may be placed on the luggage placement section 210 while being accommodated in the case. Even in this case, the robot 250 can take out the individual luggage 40 from the case placed on the luggage placement section 210, and also put the individual luggage 40 in the case placed on the luggage placement section 210. Can be accommodated.

  The type of the luggage 40 is not limited to a cardboard box, and may be a resin container in which a plurality of articles are stored, for example.

  The luggage 40 may be a relatively small article. In this case, for example, the robot 250 takes out each of the plurality of luggage 40 placed on a tray as a conveying member and places it on the drawer shelf 201. It may be accommodated in a placed container.

  Further, the layout of the track 20 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the track 20 only needs to be arranged along a rack or the like where the load 40 or the pallet 45 needs to be transferred. The track 20 may not include, for example, the two shortcut tracks 25a and 25b.

  Further, the stacker cranes 100 </ b> A and 100 </ b> B may not be suspension type stacker cranes that move along the track 20 while being suspended from the track 20. The stacker cranes 100A and 100B may be, for example, floor-type stacker cranes that move when a lower carriage having driving wheels travels along a rail laid on the floor surface.

  In addition, the number of racks for storing (storage) the luggage 40 included in the automatic warehouse 10 is not limited to three, and the automatic warehouse 10 includes at least one rack for storing (storage) the luggage 40. Just do it.

  Further, it is not essential that the package delivery system 200 is provided in the automatic warehouse 10. For example, the package delivery system 200 may be employed as a package delivery system that involves palletizing or depalletizing in a factory that processes a plurality of packages received in units of pallets after being divided into individual packages. .

  The baggage delivery system of the present invention is a baggage delivery system that delivers a baggage between a baggage placement unit on which a plurality of stacked packages are placed and a rack that accommodates individual packages. It is a luggage delivery system that can be made space. Therefore, it is useful as a package delivery system for delivering packages at distribution warehouses and factories.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Automatic warehouse 20 Track 20a Traveling surface 21 First track 22 Second track 23 Third track 25a, 25b Short cut track 30 Lower rail 40 Luggage 45 Pallet 50 Rack group 51 First rack 52 Second rack 53 Third rack 55, 65 Shelf 56, 68 Pallet shelf 61, 62 Loading / unloading rack 66 Pallet passing part 100A, 100B Stacker crane 101 Upper carriage 101a Base part 102 Bogie truck 107 Lower carriage 110 Mast 120, 125 Lifting stage 130, 140 Transfer device 131 Slide fork 141 Arm 150 Controller 160 Door 170 Safety Fence 200 Baggage Delivery System 201 Drawer Shelf 210 Baggage Placement Unit 211 Support Member 250 Robot 251 Arm 255 Holding Unit 300 System Controller

Claims (6)

A luggage delivery system for delivering a luggage between a rack arranged along a path along which one or more stacker cranes move and a luggage placement section on which a plurality of luggage can be placed,
In a state where it is housed in the rack, a load shelf is transferred by any of the one or more stacker cranes, and a drawer shelf that can be pulled out on the opposite side of the path;
A package delivery system comprising: the drawer shelf in a state of being pulled out from the rack; and a robot for transferring packages from one to the other of the package placement units. The package delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the robot pulls out the drawer shelf from the rack, and stores the drawer shelf in the pulled-out state in the rack. The robot has an arm for delivering and delivering the luggage by holding and moving the luggage,
The arm further pulls the drawer shelf from the rack by pulling the drawer shelf, and stores the drawer shelf in the rack by pushing the drawer shelf in the pulled-out state. The package delivery system according to claim 2. And a first stacker crane that is one of the one or more stacker cranes,
In the luggage placing portion, a conveying member on which the plurality of luggage is placed can be placed,
The rack is disposed between the path and the luggage placement unit,
The first stacker crane is
A mounting table on which the conveying member is mounted;
The package delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a transfer device that transfers the transport member between the mounting table and the package mounting unit. The rack includes a plurality of drawer shelves arranged in a vertical direction, each having a plurality of drawer shelves that can be independently pulled out from the rack and stored in the rack. 5. The package delivery system according to any one of 4 above. The luggage delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drawer shelf and the luggage placement unit are arranged on both sides of the robot.

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