JPH04201908A - Transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention is a method for measuring the position of a three-dimensional storage shelf in an automated warehouse, etc., which is composed of a three-dimensional storage shelf for storing loads and a transport device such as a stacker crane for transporting the loads. It is related to.

[Conventional technology]

An automated warehouse consists of a three-dimensional shelf in which a large number of shelves are arranged three-dimensionally to store cargo, and a transport device such as a stacker crane that arranges the cargo between the shelf and the warehouse entrance.

The three-dimensional shelf consists of a plurality of columns arranged along the traveling direction of the stacker crane and cargo seats arranged in multiple stages on the columns.

A stacker crane consists of a traveling body, an elevating body that moves up and down along the column of the traveling body, a fork device installed on the elevating body, and a position detector for stopping the fork device at a predetermined position on a shelf. There are two types of position detectors: one for traveling and one for lifting. The position detector detects the current position from the origin, and generally uses a pulse encoder.

The control wheel M of the stacker crane counts the pulses of the pulse encoder, and stops the stacker crane when the count value reaches a predetermined set value for each column.

(JP-A-63-51202, JP-A-63-123
(No. 703, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-147701) [Problem that Tomei is trying to solve] The setting value described in 1 can be set for each column by measuring the dimensions of the shelf, but it is generally set as an average value. ing.

For this reason, it is necessary to increase the distance between the pair of pillars and the vertical distance between the shelves.

An object of the present invention is to make the size of the shelf as small as possible.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention includes a moving body installed with a transfer device for loading a load, a means for generating pulses as the moving body moves, and a means for counting the pulses of the pulse generating means and stopping the moving body at a target shelf position. In a conveying device consisting of a control device, a pair of distance-limited reflective photoelectric detectors installed on the conveying device facing a pair of palept receivers, and a bait recording photoelectric detector that is turned on while the moving object is moving. , means for determining the count value of the pulse of the pulse generation means that is OFF, and means for determining the count value of the position of the target shelf from the count value and setting the count value as the shelf position during normal cargo handling. It is characterized by having been configured.

[For production]

Since the position of the shelf is determined using a photoelectric detector, the position of the shelf can be determined accurately. After determining this value while the vehicle is running, this value is used as the shelf position for normal cargo handling operations.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

lO Busta Shizuku Crane, running body U and running body U
It consists of an elevating body opening that moves up and down along a pillar provided on the body B, and a fork device 114 as a transfer device provided on the upper surface of the elevating body B. The traveling means of the traveling body H and the elevating means of the elevating body 13 are as known.

To explain the three-dimensional shelf (9), stacker crane 1
Pillars 31m and 31b are arranged along the travel path of 0.

Brackets 32m and 32b are installed at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction on the second pillars 31a and 31b. The rear brackets 32m and 32b are connected by pallet seats 33a and 33b. One space constituted by four pillars 31a, 31b, 31a, 31b and two pallet barley skins 33a, 33b becomes one shelf.

Uke I! 1k33a and 33b are channel-shaped shaped materials, and the plate thickness is 2 to 3 m or more.

The elevating body 13 has two photoelectric detectors L facing the three-dimensional shelf I side.
8a and 18b are installed. Photoelectric detector 181°L8
b is a distance-limited reflective sensor. Photoelectric detector 1
8a and 18b consist of a light projector and a light receiver. The distance-limited type detects reflected light from a comparative distance #1 (for example, 701Ell) as thermal light.

Such detectors are known. Photoelectric detectors 18a and 1
8b is the distance from the center of the horizontal piece of catch 33m to catch 3.
It is equal to the distance to the center of the horizontal piece 3b.

In addition, two (four) detectors 18m, 18b (18a
.

1sb) are installed at the same height. Therefore, when the elevating body opening is raised and lowered, the light from the photoelectric detectors 18m and 18b crosses the two horizontal pieces of the seats 33a and 33b.

When the stacker crane 10 is run, the photoelectric detector 18
The lights a and 18b intersect the vertical pieces of the seats 33a and 33b. Further, the center of the interval between the pair of photoelectric detectors 11 and 18b in the traveling direction coincides with the center of the fork device in the same direction.

The photoelectric detectors 18a and 18b can detect a plate thickness of 1 to 2 m.

The stacker crane control system @41) is connected to the photoelectric detectors 18a, 18b, 18a, 18b, a pulse encoder core that detects the traveling position, a pulse encoder core that detects the lifting position, and a keyboard that commands the operation mode. has been done. The relationship with other devices is as known.

Pulse encoders 42,41 are connected to the respective drive motor or are tangential to the rail.

This is well known.

The operation mode consists of a known normal cargo handling operation mode and a measurement mode for measuring the position of each shelf.

The measurement modes include a running direction measurement mode that measures the position of the vertical pieces of the seats 33a and 33b, an elevation direction measurement mode that measures the position of the horizontal pieces of the seats Kla and 33b, a running direction measurement mode, and an elevation direction measurement mode. It consists of a setting mode that sets the shelf position based on the shelf measured in the mode. These modes are commanded using keyboard techniques.

Next, the traveling direction measurement mode will be explained with reference to FIG.

First, the photoelectric detectors 18a and 18b are placed on the seats 3 of the lowest shelf.
The position of the elevating body B is determined so as to intersect the vertical pieces of 3a and 33b. The positions of the receivers 33m and 33b in each stage are stored in advance based on calculated values.

The photoelectric detectors 18a and 18b are the seats 33a and 33 of the Nth stage.
After the elevating body opening is fixed so as to match the vertical piece b, the stacker crane IO is caused to travel from one end to the other end in the traveling direction (Sll, 813).

During this traveling, the photoelectric detectors 18a and 18b are placed on the catch 33a.

Since it crosses the vertical piece of 33b, it turns ON-OFF.

Since the pulses of the running pulse encoder are counted from the origin, the bait records at each time point of NEON-OFF are memorized. This is recorded in correspondence with the shelf position!i (number). Ste, Pu 515).

Once it has traveled to the other end, the one step above the catch plate a, 33
The elevating body B is moved so that the photoelectric detectors 18a and 18b face the vertical piece of b, and then stopped. Next, while moving the stacker crane IO in the reverse direction, measurements are taken in the same manner as in 1illr. Do this in all stages (Step, Pu 817.819, 8
21).

In the vertical direction measurement mode, after fixing the traveling position so that the photoelectric detectors 18a and 18b face the horizontal pieces of the seats 33m and 33b of one shelf, the photoelectric detectors 18a and 18b move from below the lowest shelf to the highest shelf. Raise the elevating body port towards the
Measure the positions of 33m and 33b. This measurement uses the count value of the pulse encoder center for lifting and lowering. Once all the shelves made up of the left and right columns have been measured, measurements are taken for all the adjacent shelves. The position of the shelf in the running direction is stored in advance based on a calculated value. The flowchart is similar to Figure 7.

When the traveling direction measurement mode and the ascending/descending direction traveling mode are completed, the setting mode is executed.

Setting mode! Based on the count value measured in the measurement mode described in Section 1III, the position of the shelf in the traveling direction and the position of the shelf in the ascending and descending direction are determined and stored. This is done for all axes.

Regarding the position of the shelf in the running direction, since there are four count values in the running direction for each column, the shelf position i1 (count value) is determined from this. The second position is a value for stopping the stacker crane 10 so that the center position of the fork mounting M14 faces the center position of the pair of seats 331 and 33b. For example, the shelf position MS at address N is determined by the following formula.

Here, P, ,: count value P of the photoelectric detector 18a on the shelf at address N at 08 o'clock, 2: OFF of the photoelectric detector 18a on the shelf at address N
Time count value Pbl: 0NF of the photoelectric detector 18b on the shelf at address N
Count value Pbz of R: OFF of photoelectric detector 18b on shelf at address N
The count value "al+" 712 indicates the positions of the left and right sides of the vertical piece of the seat 33a of the shelf at address N. Pb□r Pbz indicates the positions of the left and right sides of the vertical piece of the seat 33b of the shelf at address N.

The position of the shelf in the vertical direction is calculated using the ON and OFF count values corresponding to the upper horizontal pieces of the seats 33g and 33b. That is, the average position in the height direction of the upper pieces of the seats 33a and 33b is taken as the position of the shelf. Calculation of this position is similar to equation (1).

Once the positions of all the axes have been determined as described above, these are set as the positions of the shelves in the normal cargo handling operation mode. In the normal cargo handling operation mode, the vehicle travels and ascends and descends with the second position as the target position.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, since the position of the receiving seat on which the load (pallet) is placed is determined for each shelf as the position of the shelf, it is possible to stop the fork at the position of each shelf. Therefore, the tolerance of the shelf relative to the load can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of the elevating body and shelf of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the elevating body of a stacker crane, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of one shelf. Figure 4 is a front view of Figure 3, Figure 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the catch and the photoelectric detector, Figure 6 is a configuration diagram of the control device, and Figure 7 is the running direction of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of measurement mode. lO...Stacker crane, L3...
Elevating R body, 14-...Fork device, 18a, 18b...
... Distance-limited reflective photoelectric detector, 31a, 31b
・・・・・・Pillar, 33a, 33b・・・・・・Reception 1-゛2＼ The agent/patent attorney is Katsuo Kawa-〇,′. <-1/ Figure 31, Figure 5, Figure O, 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A moving body equipped with a transfer device for loading loads, a means for generating pulses as the moving body moves, and a control device that counts the pulses of the pulse generating means and stops the moving body at the desired shelf position. a pair of distance-limited reflective photoelectric detectors installed on the conveyor to face a pair of pallet seats; and a controller for turning on and off the photoelectric detectors while the movable body is moving. A conveyance device comprising: means for determining a pulse count value of a pulse generating means; and means for determining a count value of a target shelf position from the count value and setting the count value as a shelf position during normal cargo handling.