JPH033805A - Movable rack apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To move a large-load rack easily and simply by providing a supported surface brought into contact with the floor surface and an air bearing on the bottom portion of a movable rack, and supplying and discharging pressure air to and from the air bearing in a lateral moving device for forming a working passage between plural racks. CONSTITUTION:A solenoid switching valve 10b is opened by an operation panel 20b of a movable rack 3b which is a movable rack to be laterally moved to supply pressure air with a disignated pressure from a pressure air supply means 19 to the respective air bearings 7a - 8b (7b and 8a not shown) of the movable rack 3b. Thus, the air bearings 7a - 8b are expanded to lift up the rack 3b supported on a floor surface 14 by supported members 10a - 11b. Accordingly, the supported members 10a - 11b are floated from the floor surface 14 and moved along guide rails 4a, 4b by vertical axis rollers 5a - 6b for bracing. When the pressure air is let out, the members are landed on the floor surface.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention supports a plurality of racks on a rack lateral movement path so that they can be moved laterally so that a working path can be formed between arbitrary racks. This invention relates to a mobile rack device.

(Prior Art) This type of conventional mobile rack device has a drive wheel that is rotatably driven by a motor in any direction, forward or reverse, that is supported on each movable rack that is supported so as to be able to move laterally on a rack lateral movement path. However, this drive wheel was rotatably driven to move the movable rack laterally.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional movable rack device as described above, in the case of a rack for heavy loads, a drive device using a large motor with high horsepower must be installed for each movable rack. Moreover, since a complicated control device is required for automatic stopping at the end of the stroke and automatic stopping in the event of an abnormality, the entire equipment has the drawback of being extremely expensive.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the conventional problems as described above, the present invention has the following features:
At the bottom of each movable rack, a supported surface that contacts the floor side,
An air bearing is installed that expands with the supplied pressurized air to levitate the movable rack and forms an air film between the movable rack and the floor by the air discharged toward the floor. A mobile rack device is proposed which is provided with means for supplying pressurized air.

(Operation of the invention) When a specific movable rack is moved laterally in order to form a working passage adjacent to the rack to be loaded and unloaded, pressurized air is supplied from the compressed air supply means to the air bearing installed in the specific movable rack to be moved laterally. By supplying air at a predetermined pressure, the air bearing expands and the specific movable rack is lifted, and at the same time, the supported surface of the movable rack floats from the floor side, and at the same time, the air bearing expands from the floor side. Since the pressurized air discharged from the rack forms a very thin air film between the contact surfaces between the air bearing and the floor side, the lateral motion resistance of the specific movable rack is significantly reduced.

Therefore, by manually pulling or pushing the specific movable rack in the desired direction, the specific movable rack can be easily moved laterally even if it is a rack for heavy loads.

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

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a rack lateral movement path, with fixed racks 2a and 2b erected at both ends thereof, and a plurality of movable racks on the rack lateral movement path 1 between the fixed racks 2a and 2b. 3a to 3d are movably arranged in parallel.

At the bottom of each movable rack 3a to 3d, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a pair of left and right steady rest guide rails 4a, 41 are installed on both left and right sides of the rack lateral movement path 1.
), a pair of vertical shaft rollers 5a, 5b and 6 for steady rest are provided at each end of the rack in the longitudinal direction.
a and 6b are pivotally supported, and these rollers 5a to 6b
A pair of front and rear air bearings 7a, 7b and 8a, 8b are arranged near both ends in the rack length direction on the inner side of the rack. Supported members 10a, 10b and lla whose bottom surfaces are supported surfaces 9 on both sides,
llb is attached.

The air bearings 7a to 8b have a donut-shaped diaphragm 13 made of special synthetic rubber attached to a back plate 12 made of a metal plate, and are expanded by pressurized air supplied into the diaphragm 13, as shown in FIG. Supported member' as shown in
The movable rack is lifted so that it floats above the bottom surface (supported surface 9) of the tires 10 a to When flowing out through between the annular part facing the floor surface 14 around the floor surface 14 and the floor surface 14, an extremely thin air film is formed between the two. Air bearings etc. are known.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each movable rack 3a to 3
The plurality of air bearings 7a to 8b arranged at ~16d, flexible tubes 17a~1.7d, and fixed piping 18 on the floor side, pressurized air supply means 1
9 is connected. Each movable rack 3a to 3d is provided with an operation panel 2 for operating the electromagnetic on-off valves 16a to 16d.
0a to 20d are attached.

Although FIG. 1 shows a state in which a working passage 21 is formed between the movable racks 3a and 3b, for example, the movable racks 3b and 3
When loading and unloading the mutually facing cargo receivers 3c to the shelves, a work passage 21 is provided between the two movable racks 3b and 3c.
In order to form the movable rack 3b, the movable rack 3a
It must be moved sideways. In such a case, the electromagnetic on-off valve 16b is switched to the open state by the operation panel 20b of the movable rack 3b to be moved laterally, and the pressurized air supply means 1 is switched to the open state.
9 supplies pressurized air at a predetermined pressure to each air bearing 7a to 8b of the movable rack 3b.

As a result, as shown in FIG.
Movable rack 3b supported on floor surface 14 via b
However, as shown in FIG. 4, the air bearings 7a~
8b, supported member 10a~],
The supported surface 9, which is the bottom surface of lI::, floats up from the floor surface 14, and the air bearings 7a to 8b are in a state of supporting the movable rack 31. Of course, the movable rack 3b
Even if the vertical axis rollers 5a to 61 for steady rest
) is adjacent to the inside of the steady rest kite rails 4a, 4b. However, each of the expanded air bearings 7a to 8b
The pressurized air discharged from the diaphragm 1 to the floor surface 14 side is
Since an extremely thin air film is formed between the periphery of the movable rack 3b and the floor surface 14, the lateral motion resistance of the movable rack 3b is significantly reduced due to the lubricating effect of this air film.

In other words, the movable rack 3b supported by the air bearings 7a to 8b can be smoothly moved laterally along the steady rest guide rails 4a and 4b by applying a slight force in the desired direction. It becomes possible to do so. Therefore,
manually pull or push the movable rack 31] to bring the movable rack 31 close to the movable rack 3a,
A desired working passage 21 can be formed between the movable racks 3b and 3c. Other movable racks 3a, 3c,
3d can also be moved laterally in the same manner as above.

In addition, in order to form the supported surface 9, supported members 10a to
Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottom surface of the central support member 22 provided at the center of each air bearing 7a to 8b may be used as the supported surface 9. I can do it. In addition, the configuration is such that pressurized air is supplied from one pressurized air supply means 19 installed on the floor to the air bearings 7a to 81 of each movable rack 3a to 3d, but the imaginary line in FIG. As shown, each movable rack 3a-3
It is also possible to mount pressure air supply means 23a to 23d for each unit d.

There are no limitations on the number or arrangement of air bearings for one movable rack. It is also possible to configure the movable rack, which is suspended from the floor by air bearings, to be laterally moved by power.

For example, a wheel driven by a motor is pivotally supported on the bottom of the movable rack so that it can rise and fall, and is biased toward the floor by a spring, so that even when the movable rack is floating above the floor using air bearings, it remains on the floor. The movable rack can be forcibly moved laterally by rotating the wheel in pressure contact with the steady rest guide rail 4a or 4b. ~6b may also be used)
It is also possible to forcibly move the movable rack horizontally by providing a vertical axis roller and rotating the vertical axis roller with a motor. In either case, the frictional resistance in the lateral movement direction of the movable rack, which is suspended by air bearings, is extremely small, so a small motor with a small capacity can reliably and smoothly move the movable rack for heavy loads laterally.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the movable rack device of the present invention, even if the rack is for a large load, the movable rack can be moved laterally by hand by simply pulling or pushing it in the desired direction. Since the movable rack can be easily and easily moved laterally, a large-scale lateral movement drive device or a control device for automatic stopping, etc., such as a conventional large-load moving rack device, is not required. Furthermore, since there is no need to lay guide rails on the floor to support the weight of the movable rack, the installation work is simple, the construction period can be shortened, and the cost of the entire equipment can be reduced. Of course, even when the movable rack is laterally moved by power, it is possible to reliably move the movable rack laterally using a small and inexpensive lateral movement drive device. or,
Since there is no need for a road wheel that bears the weight of the movable rack, there are no tracks left by the road wheel on the floor.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the entire structure, Figure 2 is a bottom view of one movable rack, Figure 3 is a front view showing the main parts of the movable rack in a stable state on the floor, and Figure 4 is an air bearing. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the main parts of the movable rack in a floating state. ■... Rack lateral movement path, 3a to 3d... Movable rack, 4a, 4b... Steady rest guide rail, 5a to 6
b... Vertical shaft roller for steady rest, 7a to 8b...
Air bearing, 9...Supported surface, 10a-11b.
・Supported member, 16a to 16d...Solenoid on/off valve, 17a
-17d...Flexible tube, 19...Pressure air supply means. ■ N Blow 5a-6d 78-8d

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a movable rack device in which multiple racks are supported horizontally on a rack lateral movement path so as to be able to move laterally so as to form a work path between arbitrary racks, a rack is placed at the bottom of each movable rack on the floor side. An air bearing is disposed that forms an air film between the supported surface in contact with the supported surface and the floor side by expanding with supplied pressurized air to levitate the movable rack and discharged air to the floor side, A movable rack device comprising means for supplying pressurized air to the air bearings of each movable rack.