Storage facility, and building

Abstract

To provide a storage facility that can reduce the burden of transporting stored items in a building having a plurality of floors, and to provide a building having the storage facility.SOLUTION: A storage facility 10 includes: a movable floor 12 which constitutes a part of a floor of a first floor of a building and can be opened and closed, and a transport mechanism 16 for transporting storage boxes 14, from one of a second floor located below the first floor and the first floor, to the other, through an opening 13 formed when the movable floor 12 is opened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage facility, and more particularly to a storage facility capable of transporting storage boxes. The present invention also relates to a building equipped with the storage facility described above. [Background technology]

[0002] In buildings such as houses, there has long been a strong need to improve the efficiency of housework related to clothing storage and shorten the traffic lines when carrying dried laundry or clothes taken off when returning home to a designated location. In response to such needs, proposals have been made for decentralized storage and floor plans in two-story or higher houses that minimize the need to move between floors for storage purposes.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes how the laundry room, where laundry is done and dried indoors, the closet, and the living room, where outerwear is often left after being removed, are located close together on the same floor, thereby reducing the burden of moving around when transporting clothes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-311316 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a building such as a house with two or more floors, for example, if the place for drying laundry and the place for storing the dried laundry are on different floors, or the place for taking off coats and the place for storing the taken off clothes are on different floors, it is difficult to improve the efficiency of housework and shorten the movement lines with the building structure (layout) described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide storage equipment that can reduce the burden involved when transporting stored items in a building with multiple floors, and a building having such storage equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above-mentioned problems are solved by the storage facility of the present invention, which has a movable floor that forms part of the floor of the first floor of a building and can be opened and closed, and a transport mechanism for transporting storage boxes from one of the second floor, located below the first floor, and the first floor to the other through an opening formed when the movable floor is opened.

[0008] In the storage facility of the present invention configured as described above, the storage boxes can be moved up and down, thereby reducing the burden involved when transporting items to be stored in a building with multiple floors.

[0009] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned storage facility, it is preferable that the storage box is fitted with an engagement portion that engages with a guide rail attached to the wall of the building, the guide rail including a portion extending across the first and second floors, and the transport mechanism transports the storage box by pushing and moving the engagement portion along the guide rail. According to the above configuration, the engaging portion attached to the storage box can be engaged with a guide rail attached to the wall of the building and moved vertically, thereby enabling the storage box to be appropriately moved between the first and second floors.

[0010] Furthermore, in the above-described storage facility, it is more preferable that the transport mechanism further has wheels that rotate while abutting against the wall of the building in order to move the engagement portion. According to the above configuration, it is possible to move the engaging portion along the guide rail with a simpler configuration.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned storage facility, it is preferable that the transport mechanism transports the storage boxes from one of the second floor and the first floor to the other, and transports the storage boxes horizontally on the second floor and the first floor. According to the above configuration, the storage box can be moved both up and down (vertical direction) and horizontally, and the movement range of the storage box can be further expanded.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned storage facility, it is preferable that the movable floor includes a first movable floor that opens to transport a storage box located on the second floor to the first floor, and a second movable floor that opens to transport a storage box located on the first floor to the second floor. According to the above configuration, the first and second movable floors are opened only when the storage box is transported in the vertical direction, which makes it possible to prevent the storage box or the like from falling from the open part of the movable floor while the storage box is not being transported.

[0013] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned storage facility, when the storage boxes arranged on the first floor and the storage boxes arranged on the second floor are arranged at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the wall of the building, it is preferable that the transport mechanism transports the storage boxes arranged on the first floor to the second floor, and transports the storage boxes arranged on the second floor to the first floor. According to the above configuration, the storage boxes on the first floor and the storage boxes on the second floor are arranged in different positions in a direction perpendicular to the wall of the building, making it possible to move each storage box smoothly in the vertical direction.

[0014] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned storage facility, when a first arrangement position where a storage box is arranged on the first floor and a second arrangement position where a storage box is arranged on the second floor overlap vertically, it is preferable that the transport mechanism evacuates the storage box arranged at the second arrangement position on the second floor to a first evacuation position on the second floor that is different from the second arrangement position, transports the storage box arranged on the first floor to the second floor, and then moves it to a second evacuation position on the second floor that is different from the first evacuation position and the second arrangement position, transports the storage box arranged at the first evacuation position to the first floor, and moves the storage box arranged at the second evacuation position to the second arrangement position. According to the above configuration, even if a first placement position where storage boxes are placed on a first floor and a second placement position where storage boxes are placed on a second floor overlap vertically, the storage boxes placed at each placement position can be moved smoothly in the vertical direction.

[0015] The above problem is solved by the building of the present invention, which has the above storage facility, in that at least a portion of the storage box placement space on the first floor and at least a portion of the storage box placement space on the second floor overlap in the vertical direction. In the building of the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to improve the efficiency of housework and shorten the traffic lines, and it is also possible to reduce the burden when transporting stored items in the building. Effect of the Invention

[0016] The storage facility of the present invention and the building having the storage facility make it possible to reduce the burden involved in transporting stored items. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a location in a building where the storage facility of FIG. 1 is installed. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a front view of a storage facility according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic view of a transport mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from diagonally above on the left side. [Figure 3B] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a transport mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams showing a drive unit according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 4A is a side view, FIG. 4B is a rear view of the drive unit main body, and FIG. 4C is a perspective view of a protrusion receiver. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a transport mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic diagram of a transport mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 illustrates a control mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 4 is an apparatus control flow according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing storage box management data. [Figure 11] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing a corresponding relationship between storage box information and arrangement space information, with FIG. 11A being a diagram showing storage box information and FIG. 11B being a diagram showing arrangement space information. [Figure 12] 12A and 12B show a first state when the storage box is moved, in which FIG. 12A is a diagram showing the movement of the storage box, and FIG. 12B is a diagram showing the operation of the transport mechanism. [Figure 13] 13A and 13B show a second state when the storage box is moved, in which FIG. 13A is a diagram showing the movement of the storage box, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing the operation of the transport mechanism. [Figure 14] 14A and 14B show a third state when the storage box is moved, in which FIG. 14A is a diagram showing the movement of the storage box, and FIG. 14B is a diagram showing the operation of the transport mechanism. [Figure 15] 15A and 15B show a fourth state when the storage box is moved, in which FIG. 15A is a diagram showing the movement of the storage box, and FIG. 15B is a diagram showing the operation of the transport mechanism. [Figure 16]16A and 16B show a fifth state when the storage box is moved, in which FIG. 16A is a diagram showing the movement of the storage box, and FIG. 16B is a diagram showing the operation of the transport mechanism. [Figure 17] 17A and 17B are diagrams showing a storage facility according to Modification 1, in which FIG. 17A is a front view and FIG. 17B is a side view. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a movement flow of storage boxes when a storage facility according to the first modified example is used. [Figure 19] 19A and 19B are diagrams showing a storage facility according to a second modified example, in which FIG. 19A is a front view and FIG. 19B is a side view. [Figure 20] 13 is a diagram showing a movement flow of storage boxes when a storage facility according to the second modification is used. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] <<Regarding storage facilities according to one embodiment of the present invention>> Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, this embodiment) will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, the structure of each component is simplified and illustrated in a schematic manner to make the description easier to understand. Furthermore, the size (dimension) of each component and the interval between components shown in the drawings are different from the actual ones.

[0019] In addition, in this specification, "horizontal," "vertical," "orthogonal," and "parallel" include the range of error generally accepted in the technical field of the present invention, and also include states where the directions are shifted by less than a few degrees (e.g., 2 to 3°) from the strictly horizontal, vertical, orthogonal, and parallel directions. In the following description, the up-down direction is the vertical direction, the width direction of the storage box corresponds to the left-right direction of the storage box when viewed from the front, and the front-rear direction of the storage box corresponds to the direction perpendicular to both the up-down direction and the width direction of the storage box.

[0020] <<Example of storage facility configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention>> The storage facility of the present invention can be applied to buildings such as houses having two or more floors. In the following explanation, an example will be given in which a two-story detached house (hereinafter, house) is provided with storage facilities capable of transporting storage boxes for storing clothes and household goods. Here, the second floor of the house corresponds to the first floor of the present invention, and the first floor corresponds to the second floor of the present invention. The storage facility of the present invention can also be used in buildings other than residences, such as buildings, stores, factories, and public or commercial facilities.

[0021] In explaining the storage facility 10, as shown in FIG. 1, the house in which the storage facility 10 is installed has closets 18 and 20 on the first and second floors, respectively. The closets 18 and 20 are spaces (rooms) arranged to store clothes and household goods on each floor of the house. As shown in FIG. 2, the closet 18 on the first floor has a space 15A for storing a plurality of (five in FIG. 2) storage boxes 14, and the closet 20 on the second floor has a space 15B for storing a plurality of (five in FIG. 2) storage boxes 14. The space 15A for storing the storage boxes 14 in the closet 18 and the space 15B for storing the storage boxes 14 in the closet 20 are positioned so as to overlap each other in the vertical direction. In other words, the space 15B on the second floor is located directly above the space 15A on the first floor, sandwiched between the floor of the second floor and the ceiling of the first floor. The closet 20 on the second floor is a so-called family closet, and is a larger space than the regular closet 18 provided on the first floor. It is sufficient that at least a portion of the storage box arrangement space 15A on the first floor overlaps in the vertical direction with at least a portion of the storage box arrangement space 15B on the second floor.

[0022] Storage box 14 is a box-shaped piece of furniture, such as a chest of drawers or a wardrobe case, capable of storing clothes and household goods, and has a height, for example, the same as the height of an average adult male (approximately 1.5 m to 2 m).

[0023] The storage facility 10 according to this embodiment is configured so that the storage boxes 14 arranged in the closets 18, 20 can be moved vertically to change their positions between the closets (in other words, between the first and second floors). The storage facility 10 includes a movable floor 12 shown in FIG. 2 and a transport mechanism 16 shown in FIG. 3.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the movable floor 12 constitutes a part of the floor of the arrangement space 15B on the second floor, and is configured to slide horizontally to open and close the entrance (opening) 13 of the storage box 14 moving between the first floor and the second floor. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the movable floor 12 is provided at two places on the floor of the second floor, in other words, the movable floor 12 is configured to include two movable floors (hereinafter, the first movable floor 12A and the second movable floor 12B). The first movable floor 12A slides in a direction to form a first opening 13A through which the storage box 14 passes when the storage box 14 is transported from the arrangement space 15B on the second floor to the arrangement space 15A on the first floor. The second movable floor 12B slides in a direction to form a second opening 13B through which the storage box 14 passes when the storage box 14 is transported from the arrangement space 15A on the first floor to the arrangement space 15B on the second floor.

[0025] The first movable floor 12A and the second movable floor 12B are normally closed and form part of the second floor when closed. Meanwhile, the first movable floor 12A and the second movable floor 12B slide to form openings (first opening 13A and second opening 13B) when the storage box 14 moves, and slide back to the position where the openings are closed after the movement of the storage box 14 is completed.

[0026] The transport mechanism 16 moves the storage box 14 up and down to transport it between the first and second floors. As shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the transport mechanism 16 according to this embodiment includes a guide rail 24 fixed to the wall 22, an engagement part 26 attached to the back surface of the storage box 14, and a drive part 28 shown in Figure 4 that moves the engagement part 26 along the guide rail 24. For convenience of illustration, Fig. 3A illustrates only one storage box 14. For convenience of illustration, Fig. 3B illustrates the conveying mechanism 16 in a simplified manner, and specifically, the driving unit 28 is not illustrated.

[0027] The guide rail 24 is a member that defines a path for moving the storage box 14, and is made of a steel material such as a lip steel. As shown in Fig. 3B, the guide rail 24 has a sideways T-shaped cross section. Also, on the inside of the guide rail 24, there is provided a locking hole 25 with which the locking protrusion 26b forming the tip portion of the engagement portion 26 can be engaged.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3A, guide rail 24 is fixed to the wall surface (inner wall surface) of wall 22 facing closets 18, 20 in the house at a position opposite engaging portion 26. Also, as shown in Fig. 3A, guide rail 24 is disposed in a square shape, in other words, has a pair of vertical portions 24a extending in the up-down direction (vertical direction) relative to the floor surface and a pair of horizontal portions 24b extending horizontally relative to the floor surface.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 3A, the pair of vertical portions 24a are provided at positions separated in the horizontal direction. Also, each vertical portion 24a is formed across a wall surface 22A of the arrangement space 15A for the storage box 14 on the first floor and a wall surface 22B of the arrangement space 15B for the storage box 14 on the second floor.

[0030] One of the pair of horizontal parts 24b is provided on the wall surface 22A of the arrangement space 15A of the storage box 14 on the first floor, and the other is provided on the wall surface 22B of the arrangement space 15B of the storage box 14 on the second floor. Each horizontal part 24b connects the ends of the vertical parts 24a. As shown in FIG. 3A, the guide rail 24 configured in this manner is arranged in a square shape when viewed from the front, as described above. As a result, the storage box 14 can move vertically and horizontally (more specifically, in the width direction of the storage box 14) along the guide rail 24 with the engagement part 26 attached to the storage box 14 engaged with the guide rail 24, in other words, it can move around between the first and second floors along the guide rail 24.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3B, the engagement portion 26 is composed of an arm 26a attached to the back surface 14b of the storage box 14 and extending toward the wall surfaces 22A, 22B, and a locking protrusion 26b provided at the tip of the arm 26a and engaging with the guide rail 24. The arm 26a is a portion that protrudes toward the guide rail 24, and when the locking projection 26b is inserted (engaged) into the guide rail 24, it is adjacent to the free end 24c of the guide rail 24 in the vertical direction. When the arm 26a moves in the vertical direction, it is in a state where it can be locked by the free end 24c. Note that the arm 26a is not particularly limited in length as long as it has a length that allows the locking projection 26b to be placed on the projection receiver 30 described later when the storage box 14 is pushed into the wall 22 side.

[0032] The locking projection 26b is a spherical portion larger than the outer shape of the arm 26a, but the shape is not particularly limited as long as it is a shape that can be easily received in the projection receiver 30 arranged on the front wall side of the locking projection 26b. Then, the locking projection 26b enters and fits into the locking hole 25 of the guide rail 24, so that the engaging portion 26 can be locked to the guide rail 24. In this state, the storage box 14 can be stably supported, and further, the storage box 14 can be stably transported without the engaging portion 26 falling off the guide rail 24. In addition, all of the multiple storage boxes 14 arranged in the arrangement spaces 15A and 15B are arranged in a state in which the engagement portion 26 attached to the back surface 14b is engaged with the guide rail 24, in other words, in a state in which the engagement protrusion 26b is fitted into the engagement hole 25.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4(a), the drive unit 28 is composed of a protrusion receiver 30 on which the spherical locking protrusion 26b of the engagement portion 26 can be placed, a drive unit main body 32 connected to the protrusion receiver 30, and a tire 34 attached to the drive unit main body 32.

[0034] 4(c), the protrusion receiver 30 has a semi-open shape consisting of three mutually perpendicular side faces 30a to 30c out of six substantially cubic side faces, and can accommodate the locking protrusions 26b of the engagement portion 26 when the storage box 14 is moved by the transport mechanism 16. To explain in more detail, the ends of the protrusion receiver 30 facing the respective side faces 30a, 30b, 30c are open, and the locking protrusions 26b enter the protrusion receiver 30 from the open ends.

[0035] The drive unit body 32 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and one end face in the long axis direction is connected to the above-mentioned projection receiver 30 via a connecting shaft 32a. The connecting shaft 32a is a rotatable shaft body, and when the connecting shaft 32a rotates, the projection receiver 30 rotates integrally with the connecting shaft 32a. This changes the attitude of the projection receiver 30, and as a result, the position of the surface that contacts the locking projection 26b of the engagement portion 26 is switched. In addition, a motor (not shown) for rotating the connecting shaft 32a is mounted inside the drive unit body 32.

[0036] Moreover, tires 34 are attached to the side surfaces of the drive unit body 32. More specifically, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), a tire unit 34U consisting of four tires 34 is attached to each of the middle and end portions (more specifically, the end portions opposite the connecting shaft 32a) in the longitudinal direction of the drive unit body 32.

[0037] One tire unit 34UA is disposed at a position where it abuts against the wall surfaces 22A and 22B on the indoor side of the wall 22, as shown in FIG. 5. The other tire unit 34UB is accommodated in a hollow portion (hereinafter, wall hole 23) provided in the wall 22, and disposed at a position where it abuts against the wall surface of the wall hole 23. The wall hole 23 is provided along the guide rail 24 in the same path as the installation path of the guide rail 24, and the drive unit main body 32 is disposed so that the end opposite to the connecting shaft 32a in the longitudinal direction enters the wall hole 23. The wall hole 23 is provided only in the locking hole 25 of the guide rail 24 in a range 36A where the drive unit 28 moves when the storage box 14 is transported to the first floor and in a range 36B where the drive unit 28 moves when the storage box 14 is transported to the second floor, as shown in FIG. 6, among the installation path of the guide rail 24. For ease of explanation, FIG. 6 illustrates one side of the projection receivers 30A and 30B as being larger than the width of the guide rail 24 (the same applies to the following FIGS. 12 to 16).

[0038] As shown in FIG. 4(a), each tire unit 34U has two sets of tires 34 on the opposing sides of the drive unit body 32, specifically, a pair of horizontally moving tires 34a and a pair of vertically moving tires 34b. The horizontally moving tires 34a and vertically moving tires 34b of one tire unit 34UA and the horizontally moving tires 34a and vertically moving tires 34b of the other tire unit 34UB are arranged with the wall 22 between them, as shown in FIG. 5. As a result, when the tire in contact with the wall 22 rotates, each tire unit 34U moves in the vertical direction or horizontal direction (more specifically, in the width direction of the storage box 14) while sliding against the wall 22. As a result, the drive unit 28 can move along the guide rail 24 on the wall surfaces 22A and 22B of the wall 22.

[0039] In this embodiment, the movable floor 12 and the drive unit 28 are controlled by a control unit 40 shown in FIG. 8, and the control unit 40 controls the movable floor 12 and the drive unit 28 in response to an operation performed by a user through an operation panel 38. To be more specific, a user operates an operation panel 38 as shown in FIG. 7 in a house. The operation panel 38 specifies the storage box 14 to be transported and the location of the destination. When a user operation is performed on the operation panel 38, a signal (operation signal) corresponding to the operation content is output from the operation panel 38 to the control unit 40. The control unit 40 controls the movable floor 12 and the drive unit 28 based on the output signal of the operation panel 38 and control information related to the movement of the storage box stored in a memory unit 41 of the control unit 40, and transports the storage box 14 specified as the storage box to be transported to a predetermined location.

[0040] <<Control flow for moving storage boxes>> Next, a control flow for moving the storage box 14 by the user's remote control operation, in which the storage equipment 10 according to this embodiment controls the movement of the storage box 14, will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the control flow described below is merely an example, and some of the steps in the flow may be changed, new steps may be added, or the order in which the steps are performed may be rearranged, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0041] In the control flow, the control unit 40 controls the movable floor 12 and the driving units 28A and 28B while referring to data stored in a memory unit 41 provided in the control unit 40. The driving unit 28A is a driving unit 28 that moves along the left region of the guide rail 24 arranged in a square shape, and the driving unit 28B is a driving unit 28 that moves along the right region of the guide rail 24 (see FIG. 6). The memory unit 41 includes storage box management data shown in FIG. 10. The storage box management data is data that associates the identification information of the storage box 14 with its arrangement position, and specifically includes an arrangement ID that indicates a position (space) where the storage box can be arranged in the arrangement spaces 15A and 15B as shown in FIG. 11(a), a box ID that is the identification information of the storage box as shown in FIG. 11(b), and information on the storage box currently arranged in the center position in the storage box arrangement space on each floor.

[0042] In the control flow, first, the user operates the operation panel 38 to instruct the storage box 14 to be transported to be moved from its current location to its destination. In the following, an example will be described in which a storage box 14 with a box ID of "G" and located at a location corresponding to location ID "7" is moved to the center of the first floor (i.e., the location corresponding to location ID "1") (hereinafter, this case).

[0043] When the user operates the operation panel 38, the control unit 40 receives the user's designation of the storage box 14 to be transported from the operation panel 38 (S001). In the above case, information on the storage box 14 to be placed in the center of the first floor (i.e., the position corresponding to the placement ID "1"), specifically, the box ID "G" of that storage box 14, is received. Next, based on the received box ID, the control unit 40 identifies the placement ID (in this case, placement ID "7") of the location where the storage box 14 linked to the received box ID is currently located from the storage box management data stored in the memory unit 41 (S002).

[0044] After the placement ID of the current placement position of the storage box 14 is specified, the control unit 40 calculates the number of times (i.e., the number of repetitions n) that the storage box 14 should be conveyed up and down in order to move the storage box 14 from the current placement position, which is the placement ID 7, to the destination position, which is the placement ID 1 (S003). More specifically, the number of times n that the drive unit 28A should be driven to convey the storage box 14 from the second floor to the first floor is calculated. 1 , and the number of times the storage box 14 is transported from the first floor to the second floor using the driving unit 28B, n 2 In this case, the number of times that the storage box 14 is transported from the second floor to the first floor in order to move the storage box 14 from the position with the placement ID "7" to the position with the placement ID "1" is n 1 = 6, the number of times that the storage box 14 is transported from the first floor to the second floor is n 2 =6.

[0045] When the number of repetitions is calculated, the control unit 40 slides the first movable floor 12A in the direction indicated by the arrow <1> in Fig. 12(a) and (b) to open the first opening 13A through which the storage box 14 moves. Then, the control unit 40 drives the drive unit 28A to move the storage box 14 with box ID "C" currently located at the position of arrangement ID "3" from the second floor to the first floor in the direction indicated by the arrow <2> in the figures. When the movement of the storage box 14 is completed, the control unit 40 slides the first movable floor 12A in the direction indicated by the arrow <3> in the figures to close the first opening 13A (S004).

[0046] Next, as shown in Fig. 13(a) and (b), the control unit 40 drives the drive unit 28B to horizontally move the storage box 14 with the box ID "G" currently located at the position of the arrangement ID "7" in the direction indicated by the arrow <4> in the figure, that is, to the left, thereby moving the storage boxes 14 (storage boxes with the box IDs "D" to "F") located at the positions of the arrangement IDs "4", "5", and "6" respectively to the positions of the arrangement IDs "3", "4", and "5" (S005). After the movement of the storage box 14 is completed, the control unit 40 moves the projection receiver 30B of the drive unit 28B to the right end of the second floor along the direction indicated by the arrow <5> in the figure. At this time, the projection receiver 30B is in a position in which the upper end, the left end, and the front end are open.

[0047] 14(a) and 14(b), the control unit 40 rotates the projection receiver 30B of the drive unit 28B at the right end by 90 degrees in the direction indicated by the arrow <6> in the figures, i.e., counterclockwise, and moves the drive unit 28B from the second floor to the first floor along the direction indicated by the arrow <7> in the figures. Then, the control unit 40 again rotates the projection receiver 30B of the drive unit 28B by 90 degrees in the direction indicated by the arrow <8> in the figures, i.e., clockwise, to store the locking projection 26b attached to the storage box 14 with box ID "H" currently located at the location ID "8" and support the locking projection 26b from below.

[0048] Next, as shown in Figures 15(a) and (b), the control unit 40 slides the second movable floor 12B in the direction indicated by the arrow <9> in the figure to open the second opening 13B through which the storage box 14 moves. When the second opening 13B is opened, the control unit 40 drives the drive unit 28B in which the locking protrusion 26b is housed in the protrusion receiver 30B to move the storage box 14 from the first floor to the second floor in the direction indicated by the arrow <10> in the figure. When the movement of the protrusion receiver 30B, i.e., the movement of the storage box 14, is completed, the control unit 40 slides the second movable floor 12B in the direction indicated by the arrow <11> in the figure to close the second opening 13B through which the storage box 14 moves (S006).

[0049] Next, as shown in Fig. 16(a) and (b), the control unit 40 drives the drive unit 28A to horizontally move the storage box 14 with the box ID "C" currently located at the left end of the first floor to the right, specifically, to the position of the arrangement ID "2" along the direction indicated by the arrow <12> in the figure. In addition, the control unit 40 moves the storage boxes 14 (with the box IDs "B", "A" and "I") located at the positions of the arrangement IDs "2", "1" and "9" to the positions of the arrangement IDs "1", "9" and "8" (S007). After the movement of the storage box 14 is completed, the control unit 40 moves the projection receiver 30A of the drive unit 28A to the left end of the first floor along the direction indicated by the arrow <13> in the figure, and further moves the drive unit 28A from the first floor to the second floor along the direction indicated by the arrow <14> in the figure.

[0050] Next, after completing step S007, the control unit 40 determines whether the above series of steps have been repeated the number of times calculated in step S002, specifically, whether the operation of transporting the storage box 14 from the second floor to the first floor using the drive unit 28A has been performed n times. 1 The number of times that the storage box 14 is transported from the first floor to the second floor using the driving unit 28B is n 2 It is determined whether the above has been carried out (S008). If the above number of times has not been repeated, the process returns to step S004, and if the above number of times of repetition of the process has been completed, the placement information of each storage box stored in the storage unit 41, i.e., the information included in the storage box management data, is updated (S009), at which point the control flow ends.

[0051] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden of transporting stored items in a building having multiple floors. Specifically, in a house having multiple floors, since a storage box can be moved between two adjacent floors, it is possible to reduce the amount of movement between floors to store laundry and other clothes, thereby improving the efficiency of housework and shortening the traffic line.

[0052] <<Other embodiments>> Although one embodiment of the storage facility of the present invention and a building having the storage facility have been described above, the above embodiment is merely an example for facilitating understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. In other words, the present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention naturally includes its equivalents.

[0053] In addition, other embodiments (variations) different from the above-described embodiment may be considered for the present invention. The following describes the variations. Note that the following mainly describes the differences from the above-described embodiment, and omits a description of the commonalities.

[0054] (Variation 1) In the storage facility 10 according to the embodiment described above, the storage space 15A for the storage box 14 on the first floor and the storage space 15B for the storage box 14 on the second floor are located at positions that overlap each other in the up-down direction (vertical direction), and the drive unit 28 is used to move the storage box 14 in the up-down direction or horizontal direction along the guide rail 24. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in Figs. 17(a) and (b), the storage space 15A for the storage box on the first floor and the storage space 15B for the storage box on the second floor may be located at different positions (in other words, positions that do not overlap in the up-down direction) in the direction perpendicular to the wall 22. Even in this case, the burden of transporting the stored items can be reduced by transporting the storage boxes on each floor in the up-down direction. Hereinafter, the embodiment shown in Figs. 17 and 18 will be referred to as Modification 1, and a storage facility 50 according to Modification 1 will be described.

[0055] In the first modification, the storage boxes 54A and 54B are boxes having approximately the same width as the storage box placement spaces 15A and 15B on each floor, and are placed one by one in each placement space 15A and 15B. Also, in the first modification, each of the storage boxes 54A and 54B is movable in the vertical direction.

[0056] Storage box 54B is adjacent to wall 22 and is disposed on the rear side of storage box 54A. Storage box 54A is disposed on the front side of storage box 54B, and has movable floor 42, which is disposed at the same height as fixed floor 45 of the second floor floor when storage box 54A is on the first floor, on its upper surface via support pillars 43. In other words, movable floor 42 is disposed directly above storage box 54A, and is fixed in a state of being connected to the upper surface of storage box 54A via support pillars 43. Therefore, when storage box 54A moves in the vertical direction, movable floor 42 moves vertically together with storage box 54A.

[0057] In addition, in the first modification, the control unit 40 controls the movable floor 42 and the mechanism for transporting the storage boxes 54A and 54B, etc., based on an output signal from the operation panel 38. Note that the mechanism for transporting the storage boxes 54A and 54B is not particularly limited.

[0058] 18(a), in storage equipment 50 according to the first modification, control unit 40 moves storage box 54B to the first floor and moves storage box 54A to the second floor in the directions indicated by arrows <1> and <2> in the figure. At this time, storage box 54A is positioned so that opening 44 located directly below it is closed, and storage box 54B is positioned along the wall surface of the first floor. Also, as shown in Fig. 18(b), the control unit 40 moves the storage box 54B to the second floor and the storage box 54A to the first floor along the directions indicated by the arrows <3> and <4> in the figure. At this time, the storage box 54A is disposed in front of the space 46S in which the storage box 54B was disposed in the state of Fig. 18(a) so as to block the space 46S. Also, in front of the storage box 54B, the movable floor 42 is disposed at the same height as the fixed floor 45 due to the lowering of the storage box 54A. As a result, the opening 44A located at the front of the storage box 54A is blocked, so that it is possible to prevent accidents such as falling from the opening 44A.

[0059] (Variation 2) In the storage facility 10 according to the embodiment described above, the arrangement space 15B for the storage boxes 14 on the second floor and the arrangement space 15A for the storage boxes 14 on the first floor are provided at positions that overlap each other in the vertical direction. In addition, in the storage facility 10 according to the embodiment described above, the drive unit 28 is driven to move each storage box 14 in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction along the rectangular guide rail 24 (that is, the storage facility 10 is configured to be able to move in a circular motion). However, this is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in Figs. 19(a) and (b), when moving two storage boxes 54A and 54B in the vertical direction, a space may be provided to temporarily retreat the storage boxes 14 in the front-rear direction. Hereinafter, the embodiment shown in Figs. 19(a) and (b) and Fig. 20 will be referred to as Modification 2, and a storage facility 60 according to Modification 2 will be described.

[0060] In storage facility 60 according to modification 2, storage boxes 54A and 54B have substantially the same width as storage box placement spaces 15A and 15B on each floor, respectively, and are placed one by one in placement spaces 15A, 15B on each floor. Also, in modification 2, each of storage boxes 54A, 54B is movable in the vertical direction.

[0061] In the second modification, the storage boxes 54A and 54B are arranged so as to overlap each other in the up-down direction (vertical direction). The storage equipment 60 in the second modification also has a first evacuation space 47S in which the storage boxes 54A and 54B can be temporarily arranged, located closer to the wall 22 (toward the rear) than the arrangement space 15A on the first floor. A second evacuation space 48S in which the storage boxes 54A and 54B can be temporarily arranged is provided in front of the arrangement space 15A on the first floor, i.e., on the opposite side of the first evacuation space 47S as seen from the arrangement space 15A.

[0062] 19(b), when storage box 54B is on the second floor, the bottom surface of storage box 54B is continuous with the floor surface of the second floor, and when storage box 54B moves to the first floor, the bottom surface moves to form opening 44 in the floor surface of the second floor. In other words, in modification 2, the bottom surface of storage box 54B corresponds to the movable floor. In the second modification, the control unit 40 controls a mechanism for transporting the storage boxes 54A and 54B, etc., based on an output signal from the operation panel 38. The mechanism for transporting the storage boxes 54A and 54B is not particularly limited.

[0063] In the storage facility 60, as shown by the arrow 〈1〉 in FIG. 20, the control unit 40 moves the storage box 54A located in the placement space 15A on the first floor (corresponding to the second placement position) to a position in the second evacuation space 48S (first evacuation position). After that, the control unit 40 moves the storage box 54B located in the placement space 15B on the second floor down from the second floor along the direction shown by the arrow 〈2〉 in the figure, and further moves it to a position in the first evacuation space 47S on the first floor (second evacuation position). Then, the control unit 40 moves the storage box 54A from the second evacuation space 48S to the placement space 15B on the second floor along the direction shown by the arrow 〈3〉 in the figure. Furthermore, the control unit 40 can move the storage box 54B to a position in the placement space 15A on the first floor along the direction shown by the arrow 〈4〉 in the figure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 10, 50, 60 Storage facilities 12, 42 Movable floor 12A 1st movable floor 12B 2nd movable floor 13, 44, entrance / exit 13A 1st opening 13B 2nd opening 44A First transport port 44B 2nd transport entrance 14, 54 Storage box 14b Back 15A Storage space on the first floor 15B Storage space on the second floor 16 Conveyor mechanism 18, 20 Closet 22 Wall 22A, 22B Wall 23 Hole in the Wall 24 Guide rail 24a Vertical section 24b horizontal part 24c free end 25 Locking hole 26 Engagement part 26a Arm 26b Locking protrusion 28 Drive unit 30 Protrusion holder 32 Drive unit body 32a Connecting shaft 34 Tires 34U, 34UA, 34UB Tire Unit 34a Horizontal movement tire 34b Vertically Moving Tire 36 Wall hole installation range 36A range 36B range 38 Operation Panel 40 Control section 41 Storage section 43 Post 45 Fixed floor 46S space 47S First Evacuation Space 48S Second Evacuation Space

Claims

1. a movable floor that constitutes a part of the first floor of the building and that can be opened and closed; a transport mechanism for transporting a storage box from one of the first floor and a second floor located below the first floor through an opening formed when the movable floor is opened, to the other; Storage facility having:

2. The storage box is provided with an engagement portion that engages with a guide rail attached to a wall of the building, The guide rail includes a portion extending across the first floor and the second floor, The storage facility according to claim 1 , wherein the transport mechanism transports the storage box by pushing and moving the engagement portion along the guide rail.

3. The storage facility according to claim 2 , wherein the transport mechanism further includes wheels that rotate while abutting against a wall of the building to move the engagement portion.

4. The storage facility of claim 1 , wherein the transport mechanism transports the storage box from one of the second floor and the first floor to the other, and transports the storage box horizontally on the second floor and the first floor.

5. 2. The storage facility according to claim 1, wherein the movable floor includes a first movable floor that opens to transport the storage box located on the second floor to the first floor, and a second movable floor that opens to transport the storage box located on the first floor to the second floor.

6. When the storage box arranged on the first floor and the storage box arranged on the second floor are arranged at different positions from each other in a direction perpendicular to the wall of the building, The storage facility according to claim 1 , wherein the transport mechanism transports the storage box arranged on the first floor to the second floor, and transports the storage box arranged on the second floor to the first floor.

7. When a first arrangement position where the storage box is arranged on the first floor and a second arrangement position where the storage box is arranged on the second floor overlap each other vertically, The transport mechanism includes: The storage box arranged at the second arrangement position on the second floor is retreated to a first retreat position different from the second arrangement position on the second floor, The storage box arranged on the first floor is transported to the second floor, and then moved to a second evacuation position on the second floor that is different from the first evacuation position and the second arrangement position; The storage box arranged at the first evacuation position is transported to the first floor; The storage facility according to claim 1 , wherein the storage box arranged in the second retracted position is moved to the second arranged position.

8. The storage facility according to any one of claims 1 to 7, A building, wherein at least a portion of the storage box placement space on the first floor and at least a portion of the storage box placement space on the second floor overlap in the vertical direction.

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