JPH10139108A - Article storing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable workers to work efficiently as far as possible in the case where carrying in/out of articles from/to storing shelves is carried out by hand labor of the worker as well as by means of a conveying device. SOLUTION: An article storing device is provided with a storing shelf 2 equipped with a plurality of storing parts 1 for storing an article C and a conveying device TR for conveying the article between each of the storing parts 1 and an article carrying out/in part. In this case, the conveying device TR is arranged either on the right side or on the left side of the storing shelf 2, when the storing shelf is viewed in the lateral direction. In addition, a passage for workers WS, which is for a worker to take out the article from the storing part 1, is prepared on the side opposite to the side on which there exists the conveying device TR of the storing shelf 2. The conveying device TR is constituted in such a way that, when a human detecting sensor HS, which detects the presence of a human in the passage for workers WS through the direct action of the human body, detects the existence of a human, the taking in/out of the article C to/from the storing part 1 near to the place where the human stands is not conducted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage shelf provided with a plurality of storage sections for storing articles in a state in which the storage sections are provided in a vertical and horizontal direction, each of the storage sections, and an article in the storage shelf. A transport device for transporting the article between the article transport port for carrying in and out is provided, and the transport device is disposed on one of the right and left sides of the storage shelf in a storage shelf lateral view. Related to article storage facilities.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Such an article storage facility is a facility for transporting articles between each storage section of a storage shelf and an article carrying-in / out section by a transport device and storing various articles on the storage shelf.
In such an article storage facility, since the article transport device is disposed on one of the right and left sides of the storage shelf when viewed from the lateral side of the storage shelf, conventionally, an operator manually works from the side opposite to the side where the transport device is present. Therefore, the operation is performed such that the articles are appropriately taken out.

[0003]

However, according to the above-mentioned prior art, when an operator takes out an article from the side opposite to the side where the transporting device is present, the storage unit in which the transporting device is performing the loading / unloading operation is required. It was necessary to perform the work while avoiding it, and the work was troublesome, and improvement was desired. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and its purpose is to carry out taking-out and entry of articles into and out of storage shelves by a transport device, and also to take out articles manually by an operator. The point is that the worker can perform the work as efficiently as possible.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a worker is present in a worker passage provided on the side opposite to the side where the transport device exists, the human detecting sensor is provided. The presence of a person is detected by the direct action of the worker's human body. When the human detection sensor detects the presence of a person, the transport device does not carry out / in the article to / from a storage unit near the location of the person. In other words, since the human detection sensor detects the presence of a person by the direct action of the human body, the presence of the worker is accurately detected even if the worker does not perform any special operation, and the transfer device is located at the location where the worker exists. Since the operation is performed while avoiding the vicinity, the operator can take out the article without worrying about the operation of the transport device. Thus, when carrying out and taking out articles to and from the storage shelves by the transport device, the workers can perform the work as efficiently as possible in the case where the articles are also taken out manually. .

[0005] Further, by providing the configuration described in the second aspect, the worker can take out an article from the storage shelf in each of the worker paths arranged in a vertically arranged state. Since the storage shelves are provided in a state where a plurality of storage units are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction,
In such a case, it is generally tall. In such a case, by providing the worker passages in a vertically arranged state, the worker can access not only the lower storage section but also the upper storage section. Can carry out the work of taking out articles, and the article storage facility can be made more convenient.

Further, by providing the structure according to the third aspect, when the worker passages are arranged in a state of being arranged in the up-down direction, a plurality of workers pass from the storage section in any one of the worker passages. When an article is taken out, the plurality of articles are stored in a take-out storage section provided on a storage shelf.
Since the transport device can also transport the articles stored in the unloading storage unit, the plurality of articles stored in the unloading storage unit as described above are transported by the transport device to the article loading / unloading unit with respect to the storage shelf. Can be carried out. That is, a plurality of articles taken out of the storage section in the worker passages lined up and down are carried out using the originally provided transport device as it is, so that the equipment is made as complicated as possible. In this way, it is possible for the worker to take out the article as efficiently as possible while preventing the problem.

[0007] Further, with the configuration of the fourth aspect, the article is stored in each storage section and the take-out storage section in a state where a plurality of the articles are stored in the storage body. Therefore, a plurality of articles taken out of the storage section by the worker in the worker passage are stored in the storage section for removal in the form of a package stored in the storage body. As described above, since the storage mode of the articles in the storage section and the storage mode of the articles in the removal storage section are common, it is possible to configure the storage section and the removal storage section to have the same shape. This makes it possible to prevent the configuration of the storage shelf from becoming complicated as much as possible.

[0008] Further, with the configuration of the fifth aspect, the human detection sensor is constituted by a mat switch laid on the floor surface of the worker passage, and the worker present in the worker passage is provided. The presence of the worker can be accurately detected by directly acting on the mat switch by stepping on the mat switch. Since this mat switch can detect the presence of the worker as a surface, even if the worker performs the work of taking out articles while moving the worker passage as appropriate, the worker has a simple configuration of laying it on the floor surface. Presence can be accurately detected.

In addition, with the configuration according to the sixth aspect, when the human detection sensor detects the presence of a person by the direct action of the human body of the worker, the transport device stores the person near the location where the person exists. When no entry / exit of articles into / from the storage unit is performed, and furthermore, the entry block provided on the worker's passage side in the storage unit is in a state in which a person is allowed to enter the storage unit, Do not carry goods in and out.
That is, when the worker performs the work of taking out an article from the worker passage side, depending on the size of the storage section, the worker enters the storage section and performs the work, and as a result, the human detection sensor detects the worker. It may not be possible. Even in such a case, the presence of the worker can be accurately detected depending on whether the entry blocking body is in a state of preventing or allowing the entry of a person into the storage unit, and thus the worker can be accurately detected. Work can be performed as efficiently as possible.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an article storage facility according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3
In addition, the article C can be stored in any one of the storage sections 1 of the storage section 2 of the storage shelf 2 and the article C stored in a predetermined storage shelf 2 can be taken out. 1 shows an article storage facility according to the invention.

Six storage shelves 2 are arranged side by side at predetermined intervals, and a plurality of storage portions 1 of each storage shelf 2 are provided in a state of being vertically arranged and being arranged side by side. In each of the spaces between the storage shelves 2, a stacker crane 3 which is a transport device TR for carrying in and out of each storage part 1 of the storage shelves 2, and an operator manually works with respect to each storage part 2. The worker passages WS for taking out the C are alternately arranged. That is, the stacker crane 3 and the worker's passage WS are arranged with the storage shelf 2 interposed therebetween, except for those at both ends in the storage shelf arrangement direction,
Each storage unit 1 is also provided on the stacker crane 3 side,
It is formed so as to be open also to the worker passage WS side. As shown in FIG. 4, the articles C are stored in the respective storage sections 1 in the form of being stored in a stacked state on a pallet P which is a storage body, and the stacker crane 3
Are carried in and out, and from the worker's passage WS side, each article C is mainly taken out manually.

The stacker crane 3 travels while being guided by a guide rail 3a on the ceiling side and a traveling rail 3b on the ground side. Is lifted and guided by the two masts 3c arranged in each of the storage sections 1d.
It is freely movable to a position opposite to. The lift 3d is provided with a slide fork 3e, and the slide fork 3e transfers the articles C between each of the storage units 1 and the lift 3d.

As shown in FIG. 5, the stacker crane 3 has a lifting motor M1 for driving the lifting platform 3d up and down, a traveling motor M2 for driving the stacker crane 3 and a crane side for controlling the slide fork 3e and the like. The crane-side control unit C1 is provided with a storage unit 2 based on detection information of various sensors (not shown).
Control for receiving and transporting the articles C placed on the receiving conveyor device 4a installed adjacent to the end of the receiving section to one of the storage sections 1, and transferring the articles C from any of the storing sections 1 to the exit conveyor And control to carry out delivery to the device 4b. Accordingly, the conveyer 4a and the conveyer 4b function as an article carry-in / out section IO. Crane side control unit C1
When the storage unit 1 to be entered or exited from the ground side control unit C2 is specified, the control unit controls the elevating motor M1 and the like to carry out the loading / unloading of the article C (specifically, the pallet P) as described above. Do. An instruction to enter or leave the article storage facility is input by the operator directly to the ground-side control unit C2, or is instructed online from an external computer or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the worker passage WS is
As shown in FIG. 2, the width of the three widths of the storage unit 1 is provided on the floor surface of the worker's passage WS on each floor with a space corresponding to three stages of the storage unit 1 as shown in FIG. Are laid out side by side, and function as a human detection sensor HS that detects the presence or absence of a person by the direct action of the human body. The detection signal of the mat switch 5 is input to the ground control unit C2 as shown in FIG. As described above, in parallel with the loading and unloading of the articles C by the stacker crane 3 in accordance with the instruction from the ground-side control unit C2, the worker appropriately uses the load transport vehicle or the like in the worker's passage WS. A so-called picking operation for taking out a necessary article C from each storage section 1 can be performed.

During this work, the worker moves while stepping on the mat switch 5, but when the mat switch 5 is stepped on and the presence of the worker is detected,
The ground-side controller C2 does not carry in / out the storage unit 1 even if there is an article C to be taken in and out of the storage unit 1 near the location where the worker is present, and the other storage unit 1 The transfer or the processing of the article C to be moved in and out next is executed. Note that the storage unit 1 near the location where the worker is present is, specifically, in the case of the present embodiment, the storage unit 1 located on both sides of the mat switch 5 which is stepped on by the worker, A total of 18 storage units 1 correspond, but the ground side control unit C
The range can be changed in a wide or narrow manner by inputting an instruction to the device 2.

Further, when the operator takes out the article C from each storage section 1, there is a possibility that the limb touches the pallet P or the like and pushes the pallet P toward the passage side of the stacker crane 3. As shown in FIG. 1, an optical sensor 6 including a light-emitting device 6a and a light-receiving device 6b is provided at the end of the storage unit 1 on the passage side of the stacker crane 3 in a state where the range of the height of the pallet P is detected. When the pallet P moves to the passage side of the stacker crane 3 and blocks the light beam from the light emitting device 6a to the light receiving device 6b, the ground side control unit C2
Receives the signal and immediately stops the stacker crane 3 to prevent the stacker crane 3 from colliding with the pallet P or the like. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, one set of the optical sensors 6 sets three storage units 1 as detection ranges.

In addition, below the support 20 supporting the pallet P in each storage section 1, a fall prevention net 21 for preventing the article C from being dropped even if the article C is dropped by mistake during the work of taking out the article C is provided. A pallet P is provided at an end of the support 20 on the side of the worker passage WS.
A stopper 22 for preventing the side from protruding is formed.

When the worker finishes taking out the article C in the worker's passage WS, the worker stores the collected article C in the take-out storage section 1a set at the end of the delivery conveyor device 4b on the existing side. . The unloading storage section 1a has the same shape as that of the other storage section 1 without any difference, and the pallet P in which the articles C are stored in the other storage section 1 is provided.
A pallet P having the same shape as that of the pallet is placed. When the collected articles C are transferred to the pallet P of the storage section 1a for taking out,
The operator instructs the ground-side control unit C2 to carry out the pallet P. The unloading instruction is sent to the unloading storage unit 1a.
May be provided with a switch for unloading instruction, and the switch may be used to issue an instruction, or a wireless device carried by the operator may be used to transmit the unloading instruction to the ground-side control unit C2. The ground-side control unit C2 receives the unloading instruction,
The pallet P in the unloading storage unit 1a is carried out to the unloading conveyor device 4a.

[Other Embodiments] Other embodiments will be listed below. In the above-described embodiment, the presence or absence of the worker in the work passage WS is detected by the mat switch 5 laid in the worker passage WS. In addition to the detection by the mat switch 5, As shown in FIG. 6, on the worker's passage WS side of each storage unit 1, an entry blocking body SB that can be switched between a state in which a person enters the storage unit 1 and a state in which entry is prevented is provided. When the entry blocking body SB is in a state of allowing a person to enter, the ground-side control unit C2 issues an instruction to the crane-side control unit C1 so as not to carry in / out the article C into / from the storage unit 1. May be.

More specifically, the above-mentioned entry blocking body SB is formed by supporting cylinders 10a, 10a fixed to the left and right columns of the storage section 1.
b, is constituted by a rod-shaped body 11 into which an end bent at 90 degrees can be inserted, and a limit switch (not shown) in which a detection piece is positioned on the inner surface side of the supporting cylinders 10a and 10b. The rod 11 is inserted into the supporting cylinders 10a and 10b to prevent the entry of a person, or the rod 11 is removed from the supporting cylinders 10a and 10b and allows the entry of a person. Is detected. The reason why the loading / unloading is not performed when the rod-shaped body 11 is removed is that the loading / unloading is not performed not only to the storage unit 1 from which the rod-shaped body 11 is removed but also to the adjacent storage unit 1. Is also good. Further, the specific shape of the entry blocking body SB is, for example,
Various changes can be made, such as forming with an openable door. However, it is preferable that the shape is such that the worker can take out the article C from the worker's passage WS even when the entry blocking body SB is in a state of preventing entry of a person.

In the above-described embodiment, the presence or absence of a person in the worker passage WS is detected by the mat switch 5. However, the light emitter and the light receiver are separately arranged on the left and right across the worker passage WS. In this state, a large number of optical sensors may be installed at short intervals in the longitudinal direction of the worker passage WS.

In the above-described embodiment, the transport device TR that transports the articles is configured by the stacker crane 3. For example, a lift table having substantially the same width as the width of the storage shelf 2 can be moved up and down. The specific configuration of the transport device TR is variously changed, for example, by configuring a transfer device having a transfer mechanism such as a fork device on the lift table so as to be movable in the lateral direction of the storage shelf so as to transport the articles C. It is possible.

In the above embodiment, the case where the articles C stored in the storage shelf 2 are stored in the storage unit 1 in the form of stacked products on a pallet P as a storage body is exemplified. For example, a container or the like may be used, or a configuration in which the articles C are stored in the respective storage sections 1 one by one without using the storage body may be used. In the configuration in which the articles C are stored one by one in each storage section 1, the unloading storage section 1 a for taking out the articles C collected from each storage section 1 in the worker passage is larger than the other storage sections 1. It is desirable to form as.

In the above embodiment, the worker passage W
The article C collected in S is taken out of the storage shelf 2 via the unloading storage section 1a.
Separately, a lifter or the like for carrying out may be installed. or,
By extending the expansion / contraction stroke of the slide fork 3e of the stacker crane 3, it is possible to transfer the pallet P located in the worker's passage WS, and transfer the articles C collected by the worker to the worker's passage WS. A configuration in which the pallets P are stacked on the placed pallets P and carried out by the stacker crane 3 may be adopted. When the stacker crane 3 is carried out in this way, the detection signal of the mat switch 5 is separated from the ground-side control unit C2 by an operator's manual operation, and the pallet P on the mat switch 5 is separated from the stacker crane. 3 may be switched to a state in which the transfer operation is possible.

In the above-described embodiment, the mat switch 5 has a width equivalent to three widths of the storage unit 1.
The optical sensor 6 also covers three storage sections 1 as the detection charge range. However, the specific configuration can be changed as appropriate, such as providing a mat switch 5 and an optical sensor 6 for each storage section 1. Further, in the above embodiment, the optical sensor 6 detects only the presence or absence of the pallet P. However, the optical sensors 6 may be arranged vertically and the whole of the article C and the pallet P may be detected.

In the above embodiment, the article carry-in / out section I
O is composed of a conveyer conveyor 4a and a conveyer conveyor 4b installed at both ends of the storage shelf 2 in the horizontal direction. For example, the conveyer conveyor 4a is also used as a conveyer. The article carrying-in / out section IO may be constituted by only the 4a. In addition, a simple cargo receiving table may be provided instead of the conveyer 4a and the conveyer 4b.

In the above embodiment, the human detection sensor H
The mat switch 5 which is S is arranged in a line in the worker's passage WS and when the mat switch 5 is stepped on by the worker, the mating switch 5 is placed in the storage section 1 located on both sides of the stepped mat switch 5. Although the stacker crane 3 is configured not to be carried in and out, the mat switches 5 are arranged in two rows along the lateral direction of the storage shelf 2 and when any of the mat switches 5 is stepped on, The stacker crane 3 may be configured so that only the storage unit 1 located on the side close to the stepped mat switch 5 is not carried in and out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an article storage facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the article storage facility according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the article storage facility according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of the article storage facility according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a control block diagram according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Storage part 1a Removal storage part 2 Storage shelf 5 Mat switch C Article HS Person detection sensor IO Article carry-in / out part P Storage body SB Entry preventing body TR Transport device WS Worker passage

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A storage shelf provided with a plurality of storage sections for storing articles in a state of being arranged in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, each of the storage sections and an article for carrying articles in and out of the storage shelf. A transport device for transporting articles to and from the article carrying-in / out section; and the transport device is an article storage facility that is disposed on one of the left and right sides of the storage shelf when viewed from the side of the storage shelf. On the opposite side of the storage shelf from the side where the transfer device is present, a worker passage is provided for the worker to perform an article removal operation with respect to the storage portion, and the worker's body is directly operated by the human body. A person detection sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a person in the passage is provided, and when the person detection sensor detects the presence of a person, the carrying device carries out the loading / unloading of an article into / from a storage unit near the location of the person. Not configured Goods storage facilities. 2. The article storage facility according to claim 1, wherein the worker passages are arranged in a plurality of stages in a vertical direction. 3. A plurality of articles taken out from said storage section in said worker passage on said storage shelf corresponding to each step of said worker passage can be transported by said transport device. 3. The article storage facility according to claim 2, further comprising a take-out storage section for storing the article in a state. 4. The article is stored in the storage section and the removal storage section in a state where a plurality of articles can be stored in a storage body, and the storage section and the removal storage section have the same shape. The article storage facility according to claim 3, wherein the article storage facility is configured. 5. The article storage facility according to claim 1, wherein the human detection sensor is configured by a mat switch laid on a floor of the worker passage. 6. An entry blocking body which is switchable between a state in which entry of a person into the storage section is prevented and a state in which a person is allowed to enter the storage section is provided on the worker's passage side of the storage section. The article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the entry preventing body is configured not to carry out and carry out the article into and out of the storage section in a state in which a person is allowed to enter the storage section. Storage equipment.