Automatic warehouse

Abstract

To reduce power supply capacity by leveling out power consumption.SOLUTION: An automatic warehouse 1 includes a rack 2, a plurality of conveyance vehicles 5, rails 6, a power supply line 7 capable of supplying power to the plurality of conveyance vehicles 5, and a main controller 10 that controls the plurality of conveyance vehicles. The main controller 10 performs a switching control to switch between a first charge, in which the conveyance vehicles 5 on the power supply line 7 are charged with a first power, and a second charge in which the conveyance vehicles are charged with a second power greater than the first power, and a start-up charge control to adjust the number of conveyance vehicles 5 that perform the second charge so as not to exceed a predetermined upper limit power amount in a state that all of the plurality of conveyance vehicles 5 have moved to positions capable of power supply from the power supply line 7, and to perform the switching control at the start-up while sequentially switching the conveyance vehicles 5 that perform the second charge, so that all of the plurality of vehicles 5 are charged to a predetermined amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to an automated warehouse.

Background Art

[0002] An automated warehouse is known in which a transport vehicle for transporting articles is provided corresponding to each step of a plurality of shelves of a rack for storing articles (for example, Patent Document 1). There is a demand to replace the transport vehicle of such an automated warehouse with a rechargeable transport vehicle equipped with a secondary battery. In an operating automated warehouse, the rechargeable transport vehicle performs charging at an appropriate timing when the charge amount decreases. However, since the rechargeable transport vehicle self-discharges from the end of the previous day to the start of the current day and the charge amount decreases, it is necessary to charge all the transport vehicles before the start of business.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when charging such transport vehicles all at once, a power supply capacity capable of supplying the power during charging to all the transport vehicles is required, and it is costly to prepare a power supply facility with such a power supply capacity.

[0005] Therefore, an object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an automated warehouse capable of leveling the power consumption and reducing the power supply capacity.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (1) The automated warehouse according to one aspect of the present invention includes a rack for storing articles, a plurality of carrier vehicles for loading and unloading articles to and from the rack, a rail for guiding the carrier vehicles, a power supply line arranged along the rail and capable of supplying power to the plurality of carrier vehicles, and a controller for controlling the plurality of carrier vehicles. The controller performs switching control for switching between a first charging for charging a carrier vehicle on the power supply line with a first power and a second charging for charging with a second power greater than the first power, and adjusts the number of carrier vehicles to perform the second charging so as not to exceed a predetermined upper limit power amount in a state where all of the plurality of carrier vehicles have moved to positions where they can be powered from the power supply line, and performs start-up charging control for executing the switching control so that all of the plurality of carrier vehicles reach a predetermined charge amount while sequentially switching the carrier vehicles to perform the second charging.

[0007] In the automated warehouse with this configuration, even when charging all carrier vehicles to a predetermined charge amount at the start of business, the number of carrier vehicles charged by the second charging with a large power consumption is limited. As a result, the power consumption is leveled (the peak power can be reduced), so the power supply capacity can be reduced.

[0008] (2) In the automated warehouse described in (1) above, the controller has a first controller for controlling the conveyance of articles in the automated warehouse and a second controller provided in each of the plurality of carrier vehicles. In the start-up charging control, the first controller may transmit an instruction to execute switching control to the carrier vehicle to the second controller based on a preset upper limit number, and the second controller may receive the instruction and execute the switching control. In this configuration, the first controller can execute the switching control in each carrier vehicle so as not to exceed a predetermined upper limit power amount.

[0009] (3) In the automated warehouse described in (1) or (2) above, the first controller may acquire the charge amount of the carrier vehicle monitored by each of the second controllers. In this configuration, since the start-up charging control is completed when all carrier vehicles reach a predetermined charge amount, there is no waiting for the operator to pick the articles shipped from the automated warehouse.

[0010] (4) In the automated warehouse according to any one of (1) to (3) above, the controller may execute end-of-business control to move all of the plurality of carrier vehicles onto the power supply line before stopping the operation of the automated warehouse. In this configuration, by moving all the carrier vehicles at the end of business, the start-of-business charging control can be started quickly.

[0011] (5) In the automated warehouse according to any one of (1) to (4) above, the power supply lines are arranged at a plurality of locations, and the controller may switch the power supply line that supplies power in the charging control. In this configuration, even if the automated warehouse is configured with a plurality of power supply lines, the power supply line that supplies power can be switched, so that the power consumption can be leveled.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to level the power consumption and reduce the power supply capacity.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, an automatic warehouse 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic warehouse 1 includes a pair of racks 2, 2, a warehousing device 3, a shipping device 4, a plurality of carrier vehicles 5, and a main controller 10. The objects to be transported and stored by the automatic warehouse 1 are containers in which articles are stored, empty containers, and the like.

[0016] The pair of racks 2, 2 are installed so as to face each other in the X direction. Each rack 2 has a plurality of shelves 2a arranged along the Z direction. Each shelf 2a extends along the Y direction and can store a plurality of containers.

[0017] The warehousing device 3 is provided at one end of one of the racks 2 in the Y direction. The warehousing device 3 includes a warehousing conveyor 3A, a lifting conveyor 3B, and a plurality of loading conveyors 3C. The warehousing conveyor 3A is arranged at a predetermined height. The loading conveyor 3C is provided at one end of each shelf 2a of one of the racks 2. The lifting conveyor 3B is arranged between the warehousing conveyor 3A and the loading conveyor 3C when viewed from the Z direction. The lifting conveyor 3B is provided so as to be able to move up and down along a rail 8 extending along the Z direction. A gear connected to a drive source is provided on the lifting conveyor 3B and meshes with a rack provided on the rail 8.

[0018] The warehousing device 3 warehouses containers on the plurality of shelves 2a. Specifically, first, the lifting conveyor 3B moves up and down and stops at the same height as the warehousing conveyor 3A. In this state, the container is transported from the warehousing conveyor 3A onto the lifting conveyor 3B. Subsequently, the lifting conveyor 3B with the container on it moves up and down and stops at the same height as the shelf 2a where the storage location of the container exists. In this state, the container is transported from the lifting conveyor 3B to the loading conveyor 3C.

[0019] The discharging device 4 is provided at one end of the other rack 2 in the Y direction. The discharging device 4 has a discharging conveyor 4A, a lifting conveyor 4B, and a plurality of carrying-out conveyors 4C. The discharging conveyor 4A is arranged at a predetermined height. The carrying-out conveyor 4C is provided at one end of each shelf 2a of the other rack 2. The lifting conveyor 4B is arranged between the discharging conveyor 4A and the carrying-out conveyor 4C when viewed from the Z direction. The lifting conveyor 4B is provided so as to be able to move up and down along a rail 8 extending along the Z direction. A gear connected to a drive source is provided on the lifting conveyor 4B and meshes with a rack provided on the rail 8.

[0020] The discharging device 4 discharges containers from the plurality of shelves 2a. Specifically, first, the lifting conveyor 4B moves up and down and stops at the same height as the shelf 2a where the storage location of the container exists. In this state, the container is conveyed from the carrying-out conveyor 4C onto the lifting conveyor 4B. Subsequently, the lifting conveyor 4B with the container placed thereon moves up and down and stops at the same height as the discharging conveyor 4A. In this state, the container is conveyed from the lifting conveyor 4B onto the discharging conveyor 4A.

[0021] Between the pair of racks 2, 2, a plurality of stages of rails 6 arranged along the Z direction corresponding to the plurality of stages of shelves 2a are provided. Each rail 6 extends along the Y direction. At least one carrier 5 can travel on one stage of the rail 6. In this embodiment, three carriers 5 can travel.

[0022] In a partial section along the rail 6, a power supply section 70 is provided where a power supply line 7 for supplying power to the carrier 5 is arranged. In this embodiment, power is supplied to the charger of the carrier 5 by directly contacting a current collector provided on the carrier 5 with the power supply line 7 which is a trolley wire.

[0023] The transfer cart 5 can transfer and convey containers to and from the shelves 2a arranged on both sides of the running rail 6. That is, in the automated warehouse 1, at least one (three in this embodiment) transfer cart 5 is provided for each of the shelves 2a of a plurality of tiers, and the transfer cart 5 transfers and conveys containers for each of the plurality of tiers of shelves 2a. The transfer cart 5 of this embodiment is equipped with a secondary battery. The traveling motor provided on the transfer cart 5 is driven by the electrical energy charged in the secondary battery. Examples of secondary batteries include lithium-ion batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lead-acid batteries, and the like.

[0024] In the automated warehouse 1 of this embodiment, a plurality (18 in this embodiment) of transfer carts 5 are provided. Each of the plurality of transfer carts 5 is equipped with a transfer cart controller (controller · second controller) 51. That is, for each transfer cart 5, one transfer cart controller 51 for controlling its own transfer cart 5 is provided. The transfer cart controller 51 controls each part of the transfer cart 5 equipped with the transfer cart controller 51. The transfer cart controller 51 is an electronic control unit composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The transfer cart controller 51 can be configured as software in which, for example, a program stored in the ROM is loaded onto the RAM and executed by the CPU. The transfer cart controller 51 may also be configured as hardware by an electronic circuit or the like.

[0025] In the automated warehouse 1 of this embodiment, when the transfer cart 5 enters the power supply section 70, charging of the secondary battery is started. Note that when the transfer cart 5 enters the power supply section 70, power supply to the traveling motor provided on each of the transfer carts 5 may be started simultaneously. The transfer cart controller 51 controls the charging of the transfer cart 5 when the transfer cart 5 enters the power supply section 70. The transfer cart controller 51 switches between a first charge that charges with a first power and a second charge that charges with a second power greater than the first power.

[0026] The transport vehicle 5 consumes power by self-discharge even when it is not in operation. The first charging mentioned here refers to charging (low-power charging) that supplies power of a minimum necessary magnitude so that the amount of charge charged to the secondary battery by such self-discharge does not decrease. Further, the second charging mentioned here refers to charging that supplies a second power greater than the first power supplied in the first charging in order to increase the amount of charge in the secondary battery. Details of the timing for switching between the first charging and the second charging will be described in detail later.

[0027] The transport vehicle controller 51 monitors the amount of charge of the secondary battery mounted on the transport vehicle 5. The amount of charge monitored by the transport vehicle controller 51 is acquired by the main controller (controller, first controller) 10. Each transport vehicle 5 is given an ID (identification), and the transport vehicle controller 51 periodically transmits information regarding the position, state, etc. of the transport vehicle 5 together with the ID in response to an inquiry from the main controller 10.

[0028] The main controller 10 is an electronic control unit composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The main controller 10 controls various operations in the automatic warehouse 1 in accordance with the incoming and outgoing commands transmitted from the upper controller. The main controller 10 controls the transport vehicle 5, the incoming device 3, and the outgoing device 4. The main controller 10 can be configured as software in which, for example, a program stored in the ROM is loaded onto the RAM and executed by the CPU. The main controller 10 may be configured as hardware by an electronic circuit or the like.

[0029] Based on the incoming and outgoing commands transmitted from the upper controller and the information etc. periodically transmitted from the transport vehicle 5, the main controller 10 grasps the position and state (presence or absence of holding an article, amount of charge) of each transport vehicle 5.

[0030] The main controller 10 of this embodiment executes startup charging control to charge all of the plurality of carrier vehicles 5 until they reach a predetermined charge level simultaneously with or after the start of operation of the automated warehouse 1. The main controller 10 controls the charging of each of the plurality of carrier vehicles 5. When a carrier vehicle 5 enters the power supply section 70 and charging of the secondary battery starts, the main controller 10 can execute switching control to switch, for the carrier vehicle 5 positioned on the power supply line 7, between primary charging and secondary charging in which charging is performed with a second power greater than the first power supplied in the primary charging.

[0031] When executing the startup charging control, the main controller 10 of this embodiment adjusts the number of carrier vehicles 5 that undergo secondary charging so as not to exceed a predetermined upper limit power (for example, 90% of the rating of the power supply line 7) in a state where all of the plurality of carrier vehicles 5 are positioned on the power supply line 7 (a state in which they have moved to a position where power can be supplied from the power supply line 7), and executes the above-described startup charging control so that all of the plurality of carrier vehicles 5 reach a predetermined charge level (for example, 90% of the full charge level of the secondary battery) while sequentially switching the carrier vehicles 5 that undergo secondary charging. The main controller 10 of this embodiment adjusts the number of carrier vehicles 5 that undergo secondary charging based on a preset upper limit number in the startup charging control. The above power limit (upper limit number) is set based on, for example, the specifications, limitations, and circumstances of the power supply equipment provided in the factory.

[0032] In addition, the main controller 10 transmits a switching command (instruction) for the first charging and the second charging to all the carrier vehicles 5. The carrier vehicle controller 51 of the carrier vehicle 5 that has received this switching command controls the charging mechanism of its own secondary battery to execute the switching between the first charging and the second charging. Here, the switching command means an instruction for switching the charging power of the carrier vehicle 5, and includes not only an instruction for instructing the switching between the first charging and the second charging, but also an instruction for only instructing the charging rate (power value) to be charged after the switching. Since the main controller 10 acquires the charging amounts of the carrier vehicles 5 monitored by each of the carrier vehicle controllers 51, the charging status of each vehicle can be grasped. Therefore, the switching from the second charging to the first charging is appropriately executed, for example, when the fully charged amount of the secondary battery reaches 90%. The carrier vehicle controller 51 controls the charger provided in the carrier vehicle 5 based on the switching command (for example, the charging rate) acquired from the main controller 10, and switches the charging power by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control or the like.

[0033] In addition, before stopping the operation of the automated warehouse 1, the main controller 10 executes end-of-work control to move all of the plurality of carrier vehicles 5 onto the power supply line 7. That is, after all the carrier vehicles 5 provided in the automated warehouse 1 are moved to the power supply section 70 by the main controller 10, the main power supply of the automated warehouse 1 is turned off or the like, and the operation of the automated warehouse 1 stops.

[0034] Next, the operation of loading and unloading containers in such an automated warehouse 1 will be described. In the automated warehouse 1, when a container is received, first, the transport vehicle 5 corresponding to the shelf 2a where the storage location of the container exists travels and stops beside the loading conveyor 3C. In this state, the transport vehicle 5 picks up the container from the loading conveyor 3C. Subsequently, the transport vehicle 5 carrying the container travels and stops beside the storage location on the shelf 2a. In this state, the transport vehicle 5 transfers the container to the storage location. Also, when a container is shipped out, first, the transport vehicle 5 corresponding to the shelf 2a where the storage location of the container exists travels and stops beside the storage location on the shelf 2a. In this state, the transport vehicle 5 picks up the container from the storage location. Subsequently, the transport vehicle 5 carrying the container travels and stops beside the unloading conveyor 4C. In this state, the transport vehicle 5 transfers the container onto the unloading conveyor 4C. When the transport vehicle 5 travels in the power supply section 70, power is supplied from the power supply line 7 by the current collector provided on the transport vehicle 5 coming into contact with the power supply line 7, and the secondary battery mounted on the transport vehicle 5 is appropriately charged.

[0035] Next, the operations at the time of stopping and starting the operation of such an automated warehouse 1 will be described. For example, before the operation of the automated warehouse 1 stops, such as in the evening, the main controller 10 executes end-of-business control to move all of the plurality of transport vehicles 5 onto the power supply line 7. The end-of-business control may be executed based on an end-of-business control start command input by a work vehicle or the like via an input section (not shown), or may be configured to be executed at a preset predetermined time.

[0036] For example, before the operation of the automated warehouse 1 stops in the early morning or the like, the main controller 10 executes start-of-business charging control to charge the carrier vehicles 5 so that all the carrier vehicles 5 provided in the automated warehouse 1 reach a predetermined charge amount. The main controller 10 adjusts the number of carrier vehicles 5 to be secondarily charged based on a preset upper limit number (for example, one in each power supply section 70). As shown in FIG. 4(A), the main controller 10 sends a switching command to each of the carrier vehicles 5A, 5B, and 5C to cause the second charging to be executed on the carrier vehicle 5A located at the left end among the three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in each power supply section 70, and to cause the first charging to be executed on the remaining carrier vehicles 5B and 5C. Specifically, the main controller 10 sends a command to cause the second charging to be executed on the carrier vehicle 5A, and sends a command to cause the first charging to be executed on the carrier vehicles 5B and 5C. The carrier vehicle controller 51A of the carrier vehicle 5A that has received this switching command executes the second charging, the carrier vehicle controller 51B of the carrier vehicle 5B executes the first charging, and the carrier vehicle controller 51C of the carrier vehicle 5C executes the first charging.

[0037] Each of the carrier vehicle controllers 51A, 51B, and 51C sends the charge amount of the secondary battery being monitored to the main controller 10. When the main controller 10 confirms that the carrier vehicle 5A being secondarily charged has been charged to a predetermined charge amount, it switches the carrier vehicle 5 to be the target of the second charging from the carrier vehicle 5A to the carrier vehicle 5B. That is, as shown in FIG. 4(B), a switching command is sent to each of the carrier vehicles 5A, 5B, and 5C to cause the second charging to be executed on the carrier vehicle 5B located in the middle among the three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in each power supply section 70, and to cause the first charging to be executed on the remaining carrier vehicles 5A and 5C. The carrier vehicle controller 51A of the carrier vehicle 5A that has received this switching command executes the first charging, the carrier vehicle controller 51B of the carrier vehicle 5B executes the second charging, and the carrier vehicle controller 51C of the carrier vehicle 5C executes the first charging.

[0038] When the main controller 10 confirms that the carrier vehicle 5B undergoing the second charging has been charged to a predetermined charge amount, it switches the carrier vehicle 5 to be the target of the second charging from the carrier vehicle 5B to the carrier vehicle 5C. That is, as shown in FIG. 4(C), among the three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in each power supply section 70, a switching command is transmitted to each of the carrier vehicles 5A, 5B, and 5C to cause the carrier vehicle 5C located at the right end to execute the second charging and the remaining carrier vehicles 5A and 5B to execute the first charging. The carrier vehicle controller 51A of the carrier vehicle 5A that has received this switching command executes the first charging, the carrier vehicle controller 51B of the carrier vehicle 5B executes the first charging, and the carrier vehicle controller 51C of the carrier vehicle 5C executes the second charging.

[0039] When the main controller 10 confirms that the carrier vehicle 5C undergoing the second charging has been charged to a predetermined charge amount, it terminates the charging control at the start of business. Thereafter, the main controller 10 controls the storage device 3, the delivery device 4, and the carrier vehicle 5 so as to convey articles in the automatic warehouse 1 according to the incoming / outgoing commands transmitted from the upper controller.

[0040] The operation and effect of the automatic warehouse 1 in the above embodiment will be described. In the automatic warehouse 1 of the above embodiment, even when all the carrier vehicles 5 are charged to a predetermined charge amount at the start of business, the number of carrier vehicles 5 charged by the second charging with a large power consumption is limited. Thereby, the power consumption is leveled (the peak power can be reduced), so that the power supply capacity can be reduced.

[0041] In the automatic warehouse 1 of the above embodiment, the main controller 10 transmits a switching command between the first charging and the second charging to the carrier vehicle controller 51 based on a preset upper limit number, and the carrier vehicle controller 51 receives the switching command and executes the above switching control. Thereby, the main controller 10 can execute the switching control for each carrier vehicle 5 so as not to exceed a predetermined upper limit power amount.

[0042] In the automated warehouse 1 of the above-described embodiment, the main controller 10 acquires the charge levels of the carrier vehicles 5 that each of the carrier vehicle controllers 51 monitors. As a result, the end-of-business charging control is completed when all of the carrier vehicles 5 reach a predetermined charge level. As a result, the outgoing operation does not stop for charging the carrier vehicles 5, and there is no waiting for the operator who picks the articles to be shipped from the automated warehouse 1.

[0043] In the automated warehouse 1 of the above-described embodiment, the main controller 10 executes end-of-business control to move all of the plurality of carrier vehicles 5 onto the power supply line 7 before stopping the operation of the automated warehouse 1. In this configuration, since all of the carrier vehicles 5 are moved at the end of business, for example, the start-of-business charging control can be quickly started after the power is turned on to the automated warehouse 1.

[0044] Although one embodiment has been described above, one aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0045] (Modification 1) In the automated warehouse 1 of the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4(A) to 4(C), the main controller 10 has been described by way of example as executing switching control so that all of the three carrier vehicles 5 for each stage reach a predetermined charge level while sequentially switching the carrier vehicles 5 to be secondarily charged for each stage, but is not limited to such switching control. For example, the main controller 10 may execute start-of-business charging control so as to secondarily charge the carrier vehicles 5 one by one, while sequentially switching the power supply line 7 that supplies power from the uppermost stage to the lowermost stage, and further, like the start-of-business charging control shown in the above-described embodiment.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 5(A), the main controller 10 according to Modification 1 first supplies power only to the uppermost power supply line 7. Further, as shown in Fig. 4(A), among the three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in the uppermost power supply section 70, a switching command is transmitted to the carrier vehicle 5A located at the left end to perform secondary charging, and primary charging is performed on the remaining carrier vehicles 5B and 5C. The charging operations of the three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in the uppermost power supply section 70 after this are the same as those in the above embodiment. The secondary charging is sequentially performed on the carrier vehicles 5B and 5C one by one, and all three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in the uppermost power supply section 70 reach a predetermined charge amount.

[0047] Each of the carrier vehicle controllers 51 of the three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in the uppermost power supply section 70 transmits the charge amount of the secondary battery being monitored to the main controller 10. When the main controller 10 confirms that all the carrier vehicles 5 located in the uppermost stage where the secondary charging is being performed have been charged to a predetermined charge amount, it stops the power supply to the uppermost power supply line 7 and starts the power supply to the second - from - the - top power supply line 7. That is, the main controller 10 switches the power supply line 7 that supplies power from the uppermost power supply line 7 to the second - from - the - top power supply line 7. The charging operations of the three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in the second - from - the - top power supply section 70 after this are the same as those in the above embodiment. The secondary charging is sequentially performed on the carrier vehicles starting from the left - end carrier vehicle 5 one by one, and all three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in the second - from - the - top power supply section 70 reach a predetermined charge amount. The main controller 10 according to Modification 1 performs start - of - business charging control by sequentially switching the power supply line 7 that supplies power from the uppermost stage to the lowermost stage, and by sequentially performing secondary charging on the carrier vehicle 5C located at the right end among the three carrier vehicles 5 stopped in the lowermost power supply section 70 as shown in Fig. 5(B).

[0048] In the main controller 10 of the above embodiment, where there is a possibility that the number of carrier vehicles 5 corresponding to the number of stages of the rack 2 (6 in the above embodiment) can be simultaneously secondarily charged, the main controller 10 of such Modification 1 allows only one carrier vehicle 5 to be secondarily charged. As a result, in the automated warehouse 1 according to Modification 1, the power consumption is further leveled, so that the power supply capacity can be further reduced.

[0049] (Modification 2) In the above embodiment and the above modification, an example has been described in which the carrier vehicle 5 provided on each stage and moving along the horizontal direction is moved onto the power supply line 7, and the start-of-business charging control is executed for the carrier vehicle 5 that has become capable of being powered from the power supply line 7, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the automated warehouse 1 according to Modification 2, the elevating conveyor (carrier vehicle) 3B of the warehousing device 3 and the elevating conveyor (carrier vehicle) 4B of the shipping device 4 may be configured by a battery drive device equipped with a secondary battery. In the automated warehouse 1 according to Modification 2, two elevating conveyors 3B and two elevating conveyors 4B are provided, and a power supply line 9 is provided in a partial section of the rail 8 along the rail 8 extending in the vertical direction. That is, a power supply section 90 is provided in a partial section of the rail 8. In such a configuration, the main controller 10 may execute the above-described start-of-business charging control for the elevating conveyor 3B and the elevating conveyor 4B.

[0050] In such a configuration, the main controller 10 may move all the elevating conveyors 3B and the elevating conveyors 4B to the power supply section 90 and execute the above-described start-of-business charging control for the elevating conveyors 3B and the elevating conveyors 4B that are in a chargeable state.

[0051] (Other Modifications) In the above embodiment, an example in which the above-described start-of-work charging control is executed for the carrier 5 that moves in the horizontal direction, the elevating conveyors 3B and 4B that move in the vertical direction has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the start-of-work charging control may be executed for a carrier that can move in both the vertical and horizontal directions, or the power supply line 7 may be arranged on the rail 8 extending in the vertical direction. Further, the power supply line 7 may be provided only along the rail 8 extending in the vertical direction, and the above-described start-of-work charging control may be executed only for the elevating conveyors 3B and 4B that can move in the vertical direction. Further, the carrier 5 may move between floors (between the shelves 2a arranged in the vertical direction) by an elevating platform provided so as to be movable between floors. Further, the start-of-work charging control may be executed for the traveling part or the elevating device of a carrier such as a stacker crane.

[0052] In the above embodiment, an example in which the second charging is performed one by one in order has been described, but the second charging may be performed two by two in order. The number of carriers 5 for which the second charging is performed can be appropriately set based on, for example, the specifications, restrictions, and circumstances of the power supply equipment provided in the factory.

[0053] In the above embodiment, an example in which power is supplied to the charger of the carrier 5 by directly contacting the current collector provided on the carrier 5 with the power supply line 7 that is a trolley wire has been described, but an alternating current may be supplied from the power supply device 75 to the power supply line 7, and power may be supplied to the charger of the carrier 5 in a non-contact manner using electromagnetic induction.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0054] 1... Automated warehouse, 2... Rack, 2a... Shelf, 3... Inlet device, 3A... Inlet conveyor, 3B... Elevating conveyor (carrier), 3C... Loading conveyor, 4... Outlet device, 4A... Outlet conveyor, 4B... Elevating conveyor (carrier), 4C... Unloading conveyor, 5(5A, 5B, 5C)... Carrier, 6... Rail, 7... Power supply line, 8... Rail, 9... Power supply line, 10... Main controller (controller / First controller), 51(51A, 51B, 51C)... Carrier controller (controller / Second controller), 70... Power supply section, 75... Power supply device, 90... Power supply section.

Claims

1. A rack for storing articles, A plurality of carrier vehicles for loading and unloading articles into and from the rack, A rail for guiding the carrier vehicles, A power supply line arranged along the rail and capable of supplying power to the plurality of carrier vehicles, And a controller for controlling the plurality of carrier vehicles, The controller Performs switching control for switching between a first charging for charging the carrier vehicle on the power supply line with a first power and a second charging for charging with a second power greater than the first power, In a state where all of the plurality of carrier vehicles have moved to positions where they can be powered from the power supply line, while adjusting the number of the carrier vehicles for which the second charging is performed so as not to exceed a predetermined upper limit power amount, and while sequentially switching the carrier vehicles for which the second charging is performed, start-up charging control for executing the switching control so that all of the plurality of carrier vehicles reach a predetermined charge amount. An automated warehouse that performs

2. The controller Has a first controller for controlling the conveyance of the articles in the automated warehouse, And a second controller provided in each of the plurality of carrier vehicles, In the start-up charging control, The first controller transmits an instruction to execute the switching control to the second controller for the carrier vehicle based on a preset upper limit number, The second controller receives the instruction and executes the switching control. The automated warehouse according to claim 1.

3. The first controller acquires the charge amount of the carrier vehicle monitored by each of the second controllers. The automated warehouse according to claim 2.

4. The controller executes end-of-operation control for moving all of the plurality of carrier vehicles onto the power supply line before stopping the operation of the automated warehouse. The automated warehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The power supply wire is arranged at a plurality of positions, The controller switches the power supply wire for supplying power in the charging control, and the automatic warehouse according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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