Plate-shaped object storage device

Abstract

To provide a plate-like object storage device capable of suitably storing plate-like objects in a storage area partitioned by a partition wall provided in a container. [Solution] The ice storage agent storage device includes a magazine 73. The magazine 73 also includes a front-side first drop guide portion 143b that guides one side edge portion 11e of the ice storage agent 11 when the ice storage agent 11 is dropped into a storage area partitioned in a container 12, and a front-side central drop guide portion 147b that guides a side edge portion 11d on the opposite side to the one side edge. The front-side central drop guide portion 147b is formed to protrude in the falling direction of the ice storage agent 11 more than the front-side first drop guide portion 143b, and an end portion in the protruding direction enters the bottom plate 13 side of the container 12 from the container opening portion 12a when the ice storage agent 11 is dropped into the storage area.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plate-like object storage device for storing plate-like objects in a container. [Background technology]

[0002] In the home delivery of chilled and frozen foods, etc., plate-shaped refrigerant is used to prevent the temperature of the foods, etc., contained in the delivery box from rising. A device has also been proposed that drops a frozen plate-shaped refrigerant from the top of the delivery box while maintaining a horizontal position, and sets it near the upper opening of the delivery box (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] A container in which plate-shaped ice storage material collected after use is stored is provided with a partition wall for partitioning a storage area for the ice storage material. The ice storage material is placed in a storage area partitioned inside the container and frozen in a freezer or the like. When the ice storage material is frozen, it becomes usable again. If a container used for freezing the plate-shaped ice storage material is configured so that the contact area between the ice storage material and the partition wall of the container is large, the ice storage material will stick to the partition wall after being frozen in the container, which will make it difficult to remove the ice storage material. For this reason, a container in which the protruding dimension and area of ​​the partition wall provided in the container for partitioning the storage area are reduced is known as a container used for freezing the ice storage material. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-118675 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The task of storing a large amount of ice packs collected after use in a container is a task that places a heavy burden on the worker and takes a lot of time. For this reason, a device that can perform this task automatically is required. However, the posture of the ice packs stored in the container is different from the posture of the ice packs set near the upper opening of the delivery box described above, so even if the device described in Patent Document 1 is used, the ice packs cannot be stored in the container without shifting from the storage area defined in the container. In addition, if the protruding dimension or area of ​​the partition wall provided in the container to partition the storage area is limited, there is a high possibility that the storage position of the ice packs will shift from the storage area even if the plate-shaped ice packs are dropped from the opening of the container toward the storage area. As such, there is still room for improvement in the plate-shaped object storage device.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the circumstances exemplified above, and aims to provide a plate-shaped object storage device that is capable of suitably storing plate-shaped objects in a storage area partitioned by a partition wall provided inside a container. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 provides a plate-like object storage device for storing plate-like objects in a container having a storage area partitioned by a partition wall, the storage area being open to the outside through a predetermined opening, the plate-like object storage device comprising: a storage execution means for holding the predetermined plate-like object and dropping the held predetermined plate-like object into the predetermined storage area, thereby storing the predetermined plate-like object in the predetermined storage area; the storage execution means includes a guide portion that, when dropping the predetermined plate-like object into the predetermined storage area, at least a portion of which enters the interior of the predetermined container from the predetermined opening and guides the dropping of the predetermined plate-like object toward the predetermined storage area; the predetermined partition wall of the predetermined container has a predetermined protruding wall that protrudes from a predetermined side wall of the predetermined container toward the center and faces a predetermined peripheral edge portion of the predetermined plate-like object stored in the predetermined storage area, the predetermined peripheral edge portion being located on the side of the predetermined side wall; The guide portion is a first guide portion that guides a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object on which the predetermined peripheral portion is located when the predetermined plate-like object is dropped into the predetermined storage area; a second guide portion that guides a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object opposite to a side edge on which the predetermined peripheral portion is present when the predetermined plate-like object is dropped into the predetermined storage area; Equipped with The second guide portion is formed so as to protrude in the falling direction when the specified plate-shaped object falls into the specified storage area more than the first guide portion, and its end in the protruding direction penetrates into the bottom side of the specified container from the specified opening when the specified plate-shaped object is dropped into the specified storage area. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to suitably store plate-like objects in a storage area partitioned by a partition wall provided in a container. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cooling storage agent storage system according to a first embodiment, as viewed from above. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1A is a front view of the refrigerant, FIG. 1B is a side view of the refrigerant, and FIG. 1C is a perspective view of an empty container seen obliquely from above. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of an empty container. [Figure 4] (a) is a side view of an empty container seen from the first upright wall side, (b) is a side view of an empty container seen from the second upright wall side, (c) is a plan view of the container seen from above when a cooling agent is stored inside, and (d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the ice storage agent storage system. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cooling storage agent transport device as seen from above. [Figure 7](a) is a plan view of the ice storage material transport device showing an enlarged view of the area around the first ice storage material stopping device, (b) is a cross-sectional view along line BB, and (c) is a cross-sectional view of the first ice storage material stopping device and the first conveyor in a state in which the first ice storage material stopping device prevents the ice storage material from moving in the transport direction. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the container transport device as seen from above. [Figure 9] 5(a) to 5(g) are explanatory diagrams for explaining the movement of a container in a container transport device. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a front view of the magazine in the cooling storage agent containing position as viewed from the magazine inlet side. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the magazine in the cooling storage material containing position as viewed from above. [Figure 12] (a) is a side view of the magazine in the ice storage material storage position as seen from the front first side guide side, (b) is a cross-sectional view along line CC, (c) is a cross-sectional view along line DD, and (d) is a side view of the magazine in the ice storage material storage position as seen from the rear second side guide side. [Figure 13] 1 is a front view of the support pillars, the lift table, and the horizontal arm as viewed from the container transport device side. [Figure 14] 5(a) to 5(d) are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of the cooling storage agent storage device. [Figure 15] 1 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view of a magazine and a container in a storage execution state, with a portion of the container cut away. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the ice storage agent storage system. [Figure 17] 1A is a flowchart showing main processing in the CPU, and FIG. 1B is a flowchart showing timer interrupt processing in the CPU. [Figure 18] 13 is a flowchart showing a first refrigerant transfer process in a CPU. [Figure 19] 13 is a flowchart showing a second refrigerant transfer process in a CPU. [Figure 20] 13 is a flowchart showing a first container transfer side process in a CPU. [Figure 21]13 is a flowchart showing a second container transfer side process in the CPU. [Figure 22] 13 is a flowchart showing a first cooling agent storage side process in a CPU. [Figure 23] 13 is a flowchart showing a second cooling agent storage side process in a CPU. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] <First embodiment> A first embodiment of the flat object storage system will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view of a cooling storage agent storage system 10 as viewed from above.

[0011] The plate-shaped refrigerant 11 used for transporting products such as chilled foods and frozen goods is frozen and then placed in a delivery box (refrigerated box) made of, for example, polystyrene foam in order to prevent the temperature of the product from increasing during transport or storage. The refrigerant 11 that has returned to room temperature after use is collected and stored in a container 12 capable of storing multiple (specifically, 18) refrigerant agents 11. The container 12 storing the multiple refrigerant agents 11 is then placed in a freezer, whereby the multiple refrigerant agents 11 are frozen and can be used again. In warehouses and the like that handle a large amount of refrigerant agents 11, workers are required to store the collected refrigerant agents 11 in the container 12, which takes time. In addition, the weight of the refrigerant agent 11 is 0.65 kg, and the work of storing a large amount of refrigerant agents 11 in the container 12 is a burden for the workers. The refrigerant storage system 10 in this embodiment is used in warehouses and the like where the collected refrigerant agents 11 are stored in the container 12.

[0012] Prior to the description of the ice storage agent storage system 10, the configuration of the ice storage agent 11 and the configuration of the container 12 in which the ice storage agent 11 is stored will be described. FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the ice storage agent 11, and FIG. 2(b) is a side view of the ice storage agent 11. As shown in FIG. 2(a) and FIG. 2(b), the ice storage agent 11 has a hollow outer case 11a. The outer case 11a is made of resin. The outer case 11a has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the outer case 11a has a pair of parallel upper and lower edge portions 11b and 11c, and a pair of parallel side edge portions 11d and 11e extending in a direction perpendicular to the upper and lower edge portions 11b and 11c. The longitudinal dimension of the outer case 11a (the vertical dimension in FIG. 2(a)) is 220 mm, and the lateral dimension of the outer case 11a (the horizontal dimension in FIG. 2(a)) is 140 mm. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the thickness of the outer case 11a is 25 mm. As shown in FIG. 2(a), a spout 11f for pouring a cooling liquid into the outer case 11a is provided in the center of the upper part of the outer case 11a, and the cooling liquid is poured into the outer case 11a. The spout 11f is sealed with a cap 11g.

[0013] <Container configuration> Next, the configuration of the container 12 will be described. The container 12 is made of resin. FIG. 2(c) is a perspective view of the empty container 12 as viewed obliquely from above, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the empty container 12 as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 2(c), the container 12 has a rectangular bottom plate 13. The bottom plate 13 has a pair of parallel first short sides 13a and second short sides 13b, and a pair of parallel first long sides 13c and second long sides 13d perpendicular to the short sides 13a and 13b. The container 12 also has a first standing wall 14 provided on the first short side 13a side of the bottom plate 13, a second standing wall 15 provided on the second short side 13b side, a third standing wall 16 provided on the first long side 13c side, and a fourth standing wall 17 provided on the second long side 13d side. The first to fourth standing walls 14 to 17 are integrally formed with the bottom plate 13. A container opening 12a is provided at the upper ends of the first to fourth upright walls 14 to 17. The container 12 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is open upward via the container opening 12a.

[0014] 4(a) is a side view of the empty container 12 seen from the first upright wall 14 side, FIG. 4(b) is a side view of the empty container 12 seen from the second upright wall 15 side, FIG. 4(c) is a plan view of the container 12 in a state in which the refrigerant 11 is stored, and FIG. 4(d) is a cross-sectional view of line AA in FIG. 4(c). As shown in FIG. 2(c), the length (vertical dimension) of the short sides 13a and 13b of the bottom plate 13 is 305 mm, and the length (horizontal dimension) of the long sides 13c and 13d is 380 mm. As shown in FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b), the thickness of the bottom plate 13 is 7 mm. The first to fourth upright walls 14 to 17 extend 268 mm above the upper surface of the bottom plate 13. The distance from the upper surface of the bottom plate 13 to the upper ends of the first to fourth upright walls 14 to 17 is 28 mm longer than the longitudinal dimension (220 mm) of the refrigerant 11. As shown in FIG. 4(d), the refrigerant 11 is stored in the container 12 with the entire refrigerant 11 inserted into the container 12.

[0015] As shown in Figures 2(c) and 3, the bottom plate 13 is provided with first to eighth bottom-side partitions 21-28 which are integrally formed and protrude upward. The first to eighth bottom-side partitions 21-28 extend from the first upright wall 14 to the second upright wall 15. The maximum upward protrusion dimension of the first to eighth bottom-side partitions 21-28 is 18 mm. The upward protrusion dimension of the first to eighth bottom-side partitions 21-28 is smaller than 18 mm in the vicinity of the first upright wall 14, the vicinity of the second upright wall 15, and near the center of the container (the intermediate position between the first upright wall 14 and the second upright wall 15). The upward protruding dimensions of the first to eighth bottom side partitions 21 to 28 are 18 mm in the area between the first upright wall 14 and the center of the container (the intermediate position between the first upright wall 14 and the second upright wall 15), and 18 mm in the area between the second upright wall 15 and the center of the container (the intermediate position between the first upright wall 14 and the second upright wall 15).

[0016] 2(c), the first standing wall 14 is provided with first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 which are integrally formed and protrude toward the second standing wall 15. The second standing wall 15 is provided with eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41 to 48 which are integrally formed and protrude toward the first standing wall 14. The first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 extend from a position 80 mm below the upper end of the first standing wall 14 toward the bottom plate 13 for 130 mm, and the eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41 to 48 extend from a position 80 mm below the upper end of the second standing wall 15 toward the bottom plate 13 for 130 mm.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 4(d), the first side partition 31 has a first upper inclined surface 31a on the container opening 12a side that is inclined downward toward the second standing wall 15 side. Similarly to the first side partition 31, the second to eighth side partitions 32 to 38 have second to eighth upper inclined surfaces 32a to 38a (FIG. 3) on the container opening 12a side that are inclined downward toward the second standing wall 15 side. The protruding dimension of the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 toward the second standing wall 15 side is largest on the lower side than the first to eighth upper inclined surfaces 31a to 38a. The maximum protruding dimension of the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 toward the second standing wall 15 side is 20 mm. The second standing wall 15 is disposed 346 mm away from the first standing wall 14. The dimension from the first upright wall 14 to the midpoint between the first upright wall 14 and the second upright wall 15 (the center of the container 12) is 173 mm, and the maximum protruding dimension of the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 toward the second upright wall 15 is smaller than 1 / 8 of this 173 mm. In this manner, the protruding dimension of the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 toward the second upright wall 15 is restricted, so that the contact area between the ice storage material 11 stored in the container 12 and the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 is reduced.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4(d), the eleventh side partition 41 has an eleventh upper inclined surface 41a on the container opening 12a side that is inclined downward toward the first standing wall 14 side. Similarly to the eleventh side partition 41, the twelfth to eighteenth side partitions 42-48 have twelfth to eighteenth upper inclined surfaces 42a-48a (FIG. 3) on the container opening 12a side that are inclined downward toward the first standing wall 14 side. The protruding dimension of the eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41-48 toward the first standing wall 14 side is largest on the lower side than the upper inclined surfaces 41a-48a. The maximum protruding dimension of the eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41-48 toward the first standing wall 14 side is 20 mm. The dimension from the second upright wall 15 to the midpoint between the first upright wall 14 and the second upright wall 15 (the center of the container 12) is 173 mm, and the maximum protruding dimension of the 11th to 18th side partitions 41-48 toward the first upright wall 14 is smaller than 1 / 8 of this 173 mm. In this manner, the protruding dimension of the 11th to 18th side partitions 41-48 toward the first upright wall 14 is restricted, so that the contact area between the ice storage material 11 stored in the container 12 and the 11th to 18th side partitions 41-48 is reduced.

[0019] As described above, the contact area between the refrigerant 11 stored in the container 12 and the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 or the eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41 to 48 is reduced. This reduces the possibility that the frozen refrigerant 11 will stick to and become unable to separate from the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 or the eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41 to 48 after the container 12 containing a plurality of refrigerant agents 11 is placed in a freezer or the like.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the first side partition 31, the eleventh side partition 41, and the first bottom partition 21 are arranged at intervals of 28 mm from the third upright wall 16 toward the fourth upright wall 17. The interval of 28 mm is slightly larger than the thickness dimension (25 mm) of the cooling storage material 11 already described with reference to Fig. 2(b). The (n+1)th side partition (n is any one of "1" to "7"), the (n+11)th side partition, and the (n+1)th bottom partition are arranged at intervals of 28 mm from the nth side partition, the (n+10)th side partition, and the nth bottom partition toward the fourth upright wall 17. As an example of the case where n is "1", the second side partition 32, the twelfth side partition 42, and the second bottom partition 22 are arranged at intervals of 28 mm from the first side partition 31, the eleventh side partition 41, and the first bottom partition 21 toward the fourth upright wall 17. Thus, the first upright wall 14 has eight side partitions 31-38 spaced at intervals of 28 mm in the direction from the third upright wall 16 toward the fourth upright wall 17, and the second upright wall 15 has eight side partitions 41-48 spaced at intervals of 28 mm in the direction from the third upright wall 16 toward the fourth upright wall 17. In addition, the bottom plate 13 has eight bottom partitions 21-28 spaced at intervals of 28 mm in the direction from the third upright wall 16 toward the fourth upright wall 17. Additionally, the eighth side partition 38, the eighteenth side partition 48 and the eighth bottom partition 28 are disposed at intervals of 28 mm from the fourth upright wall 17 toward the third upright wall 16.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, a central bulge 51 is formed by bulging the bottom plate 13 upward in the center between the first upright wall 14 and the second upright wall 15. As shown in FIG. 4(d), the central bulge 51 bulges upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 13 by 9 mm. The central bulge 51 is provided between the third upright wall 16 and the first bottom side partition 21, between the (n+1)th bottom side partition (n is any one of "1" to "7") and the nth bottom side partition, and between the eighth bottom side partition 28 and the fourth upright wall 17. As shown in FIG. 4(d), a drainage through hole 51a is provided in the center of the central bulge 51 by penetrating the bottom plate 13 in the plate thickness direction. The drainage through hole 51a is used to drain the liquid used for washing from the inside of the container 12 when the cooling storage agent 11 stored in the container 12 is washed with a liquid such as water. As shown in FIG. 3, there are nine drainage through holes 51a, and the nine drainage through holes 51a are arranged in a direction from the third upright wall 16 toward the fourth upright wall 17 at predetermined intervals.

[0022] The central bulge 51 has a first inclined surface 51b that is located closer to the first standing wall 14 than the drainage through hole 51a, and a second inclined surface 51c that is located closer to the second standing wall 15 than the drainage through hole 51a. The first inclined surface 51b is inclined downward toward the first standing wall 14. The first inclined surface 51b is an inclined surface that guides the cooling storage material 11 that comes into contact with the first inclined surface 51b from the first standing wall 14 side to the first standing wall 14 side. The second inclined surface 51c is inclined downward toward the second standing wall 15 side. The second inclined surface 51c is an inclined surface that guides the cooling storage material 11 that comes into contact with the second inclined surface 51c from the second standing wall 15 side to the second standing wall 15 side. The distance between the first standing wall 14 and the end of the first inclined surface 51b on the first standing wall 14 side is slightly larger than the dimension (140 mm) of the refrigerant 11 in the short side direction already described with reference to Fig. 2(a). Also, the distance between the second standing wall 15 and the end of the second inclined surface 51c on the second standing wall 15 side is slightly larger than the dimension (140 mm) of the refrigerant 11 in the short side direction.

[0023] As shown in Figure 3, in the container 12, the first storage space 62 is defined by the bottom plate 13, the first upright wall 14, the third upright wall 16, the fourth upright wall 17, and the central bulge 51, and is divided into nine areas by the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 and the first to eighth bottom partitions 21 to 28. Specifically, the first storage space 62 includes a first storage area 62a partitioned by the third upright wall 16, the first side partition 31, and the first bottom partition 21; a second storage area 62b partitioned by the first side partition 31, the first bottom partition 21, the second side partition 32, and the second bottom partition 22; a third storage area 62c partitioned by the second side partition 32, the second bottom partition 22, the third side partition 33, and the third bottom partition 23; a fourth storage area 62d partitioned by the third side partition 33, the third bottom partition 23, the fourth side partition 34, and the fourth bottom partition 24; and a fifth storage area 62e partitioned by the fourth side partition 34, the fourth bottom partition 24, the fifth side partition 25, the fifth bottom partition 26, the fifth side partition 27, the fifth bottom partition 28, the fifth side partition 29, the fifth bottom partition 30, the fifth side partition 31, the fifth bottom partition 22, the fifth side partition 32, the fifth bottom partition 23, the fifth side partition 33, the fifth bottom partition 24, the fifth side partition 34, the fifth bottom partition 25, the fifth side partition 35, the fifth bottom partition 26, the fifth side partition 36, the fifth bottom partition 27, the fifth side partition 37, the fifth bottom partition 28, the fifth side partition 39, the fifth bottom partition 29, the fifth side partition 31, the fifth bottom partition 29, the fifth side partition 31, the fifth bottom partition 29, the fifth side partition 32, the fifth bottom partition 22, the fifth side partition 32, the fifth bottom partition 22, the fifth side partition 33, the fifth bottom partition 23, the fifth side partition 34, the fifth bottom partition 24, the fifth side partition 35, the fifth bottom partition 25, the fifth bottom partition 26, the fifth side partition 31, There is a fifth storage area 62e partitioned by partition 35 and fifth bottom side partition 25, a sixth storage area 62f partitioned by fifth side partition 35, fifth bottom side partition 25, sixth side partition 36 and sixth bottom side partition 26, a seventh storage area 62g partitioned by sixth side partition 36, sixth bottom side partition 26, seventh side partition 37 and seventh bottom side partition 27, an eighth storage area 62h partitioned by seventh side partition 37, seventh bottom side partition 27, eighth side partition 38 and eighth bottom side partition 28, and a ninth storage area 62i partitioned by eighth side partition 38, eighth bottom side partition 28 and fourth upright wall 17. In this manner, the first storage space 62 is divided into nine storage areas, namely, the first to ninth storage areas 62a to 62i. Each of the storage areas 62a to 62i is capable of storing one ice storage agent 11. As shown in FIG. 4(c), nine ice storage agents 11 are stored in the first storage space 62.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, in the container 12, the second storage space 63 is partitioned by the bottom plate 13, the second upright wall 15, the third upright wall 16, the fourth upright wall 17, and the central bulge 51, and nine areas are partitioned by the 11th to 18th side partitions 41 to 48 and the 1st to 8th bottom partitions 21 to 28. Specifically, an eleventh storage area 63a is defined by the third upright wall 16, the eleventh side partition 41, and the first bottom partition 21; a twelfth storage area 63b is defined by the eleventh side partition 41, the first bottom partition 21, the twelfth side partition 42, and the second bottom partition 22; a thirteenth storage area 63c is defined by the twelfth side partition 42, the second bottom partition 22, the thirteenth side partition 43, and the third bottom partition 23; a fourteenth storage area 63d is defined by the thirteenth side partition 43, the third bottom partition 23, the fourteenth side partition 44, and the fourth bottom partition 24; and a fifteenth storage area 63e is defined by the fourteenth side partition 44, the fourth bottom partition 24, the fifteenth side partition 45, and the fourth bottom partition 26. There are a 15th storage area 63e partitioned by the 5th and 5th bottom side partitions 25, a 16th storage area 63f partitioned by the 15th side partition 45, the 5th bottom side partition 25, the 16th side partition 46, and the 6th bottom side partition 26, a 17th storage area 63g partitioned by the 16th side partition 46, the 6th bottom side partition 26, the 17th side partition 47, and the 7th bottom side partition 27, an 18th storage area 63h partitioned by the 17th side partition 47, the 7th bottom side partition 27, the 18th side partition 48, and the 8th bottom side partition 28, and a 19th storage area 63i partitioned by the 18th side partition 48, the 8th bottom side partition 28, and the fourth upright wall 17. In this manner, the second storage space 63 is divided into nine storage areas, ie, the eleventh to nineteenth storage areas 63a to 63i. Each of the storage areas 63a to 63i is capable of storing one ice storage agent 11. As shown in FIG. 4(c), nine ice storage agents 11 are stored in the second storage space 63.

[0025] As described above, nine storage areas 62a to 62i are provided in the first storage space 62. Nine storage areas 63a to 63i are provided in the second storage space 63 arranged in parallel to the first storage space 62. This allows the container 12 to store a total of 18 ice storage agents 11 in two columns and nine rows.

[0026] The first inclined surface 51b of the central bulge 51 is located closer to the second standing wall 15 than the refrigerant 11 stored in the first to ninth storage regions 62a to 62i. This reduces the possibility that the refrigerant 11 falling toward the first to ninth storage regions 62a to 62i will move closer to the second standing wall 15 than the first inclined surface 51b, and restricts the movement of the refrigerant 11 stored in the first to ninth storage regions 62a to 62i toward the second standing wall 15. In addition, the second inclined surface 51c of the central bulge 51 is located closer to the first standing wall 14 than the refrigerant 11 stored in the eleventh to nineteenth storage regions 63a to 63i. This reduces the possibility that the ice storage material 11 falling toward the eleventh to nineteenth storage areas 63a to 63i will move toward the first upright wall 14 rather than the second inclined surface 51c, and also restricts the movement of the ice storage material 11 stored in the eleventh to nineteenth storage areas 63a to 63i toward the first upright wall 14.

[0027] In the first storage space 62, between two consecutive ice storage agents 11 aligned along the first upright wall 14, there are any of the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 and any of the first to eighth bottom partitions 21 to 28. In the second storage space 63, between two consecutive ice storage agents 11 aligned along the second upright wall 15, there are any of the eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41 to 48 and any of the first to eighth bottom partitions 21 to 28. This reduces the possibility that two ice storage agents 11 will stick together when frozen. In addition, the contact area between the ice storage agents 11 when the two ice storage agents 11 stick together is reduced. In addition, by reducing the contact area between the refrigerant 11 and the side partitions 31-38, 41-48 or the bottom partitions 21-28, the possibility that the refrigerant 11 will stick to the side partitions 31-38, 41-48 during freezing is reduced, and the possibility that the refrigerant 11 will stick to the bottom partitions 21-28 is reduced. In addition, the contact area between the refrigerant 11 and the side partitions 31-38, 41-48 or the bottom partitions 21-28 in the case where the refrigerant 11 will stick to the side partitions 31-38, 41-48 or the bottom partitions 21-28 is reduced.

[0028] <Configuration of the ice pack storage system> Next, the configuration of the ice storage agent storage system 10 will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the ice storage agent storage system 10 includes an ice storage agent transport device 71 that transports the ice storage agent 11, a container transport device 72 that transports the container 12, an ice storage agent storage device 74 that moves, changes the attitude and state of a magazine 73 in which a plurality of ice storage agents 11 (specifically, 36 ice storage agents 11) supplied from the ice storage agent transport device 71 are set, so that the ice storage agents 11 are dropped from the magazine 73 into two empty containers 12 on the container transport device 72 and stored therein, and a storage control device 75. The ice storage agent transport device 71 is supplied with ice storage agents 11 at room temperature that have been collected after use. Also, the container transport device 72 is supplied with empty containers 12.

[0029] The transport direction of the ice storage agent 11 in the ice storage agent transport device 71 is the right direction in FIG. 1. The transport direction of the container 12 in the container transport device 72 is a direction perpendicular to the ice storage agent transport direction, and is the upward direction in FIG. 1. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the transport direction of the ice storage agent 11 in the ice storage agent transport device 71 is also referred to as the "ice storage agent transport direction". The transport direction of the container 12 in the container transport device 72 is also referred to as the "container transport direction". The container transport device 72 is disposed on the ice storage agent transport direction side (right side in FIG. 1) of the ice storage agent transport device 71 and the storage control device 75. The storage control device 75 is disposed on the opposite side of the container transport direction (lower side in FIG. 1) of the ice storage agent transport device 71 and the ice storage agent storage device 74.

[0030] <Cooling agent transport device> First, the configuration of the ice storage agent transport device 71 in the ice storage agent storage system 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a side view of the ice storage agent storage system 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the ice storage agent transport device 71 includes a base frame 71a. The base frame 71a is supported from below by ice storage agent transport legs 71b provided at multiple locations in the extension direction of the base frame 71a (left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 5), spaced above the floor surface of the facility. The ice storage agent transport legs 71b are fixed to the floor of the facility. This prevents the ice storage agent storage device 74 and the ice storage agent transport device 71 from being misaligned.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the refrigerant transport device 71 as seen from above. As shown in FIG. 6, the refrigerant transport device 71 includes first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 arranged in parallel on a base frame 71a. The transport direction of the refrigerant 11 in the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 is the right direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6. Of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84, the first conveyor 81 is disposed closest to the container transport direction (upper side in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6). The second conveyor 82 is disposed on the opposite side of the container transport direction from the first conveyor 81, the third conveyor 83 is disposed on the opposite side of the container transport direction from the second conveyor 82, and the fourth conveyor 84 is disposed on the opposite side of the container transport direction from the third conveyor 83.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 6, the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 are electric belt conveyors. The first conveyor 81 includes a first belt portion 81a, the second conveyor 82 includes a second belt portion 82a, the third conveyor 83 includes a third belt portion 83a, and the fourth conveyor 84 includes a fourth belt portion 84a. The first to fourth belt portions 81a to 84a are endless, and the widths of the first to fourth belt portions 81a to 84a are slightly larger than the short-side dimension (140 mm) of the above-mentioned cooling storage agent 11. The upper surfaces of the belt portions 81a to 84a of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 are located at a height of 800 mm from the floor of the facility such as a warehouse.

[0033] The first conveyor 81 includes a first conveying guide 81b provided on one side (upper side in FIG. 6) of the first belt portion 81a, and a second conveying guide 81c provided on the opposite side of the first belt portion 81a to the first conveying guide 81b. The pair of first conveying guide 81b and second conveying guide 81c protrudes 25 mm above the upper surface of the first belt portion 81a. The first conveying guide 81b and second conveying guide 81c are provided over the entire area of ​​the first conveyor 81 in the cooling storage agent conveying direction. This restricts the movement of the cooling storage agent 11 conveyed by the first belt portion 81a in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. Like the first conveyor 81, the second conveyor 82 is provided with a pair of third conveying guides 82b and fourth conveying guides 82c that regulate the movement of the ice storage material 11 transported by the second belt portion 82a in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, the third conveyor 83 is provided with a pair of fifth conveying guides 83b and sixth conveying guides 83c that regulate the movement of the ice storage material 11 transported by the third belt portion 83a in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and the fourth conveyor 84 is provided with a pair of seventh conveying guides 84b and eighth conveying guides 84c that regulate the movement of the ice storage material 11 transported by the fourth belt portion 84a in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

[0034] As described above, the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 are supplied with the cold storage agent 11 at room temperature that has been collected after use. Each of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 transports the cold storage agent 11 in a single row in the cold storage agent transport direction, with the short side of the cold storage agent 11 perpendicular to the cold storage agent transport direction (the right direction in Figs. 1 and 6) and the long side of the cold storage agent 11 parallel to the cold storage agent transport direction. In this way, the cold storage agent transport device 71 transports the cold storage agents 11 in this orientation in four rows.

[0035] 1, the refrigerant transport device 71 includes a first conveyor drive section 85 for operating the first conveyor 81, a second conveyor drive section 86 for operating the second conveyor 82, a third conveyor drive section 87 for operating the third conveyor 83, and a fourth conveyor drive section 88 for operating the fourth conveyor 84. The storage control device 75 can set the refrigerant 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 in a state where it is transported in the refrigerant transport direction by driving the first to fourth conveyor drive sections 85 to 88, and can set the transport of the refrigerant 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 to a state where it is stopped by setting the first to fourth conveyor drive sections 85 to 88 in a non-driving state.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, the end of the refrigerant transport device 71 in the refrigerant transport direction is a refrigerant transport outlet 71c for supplying the refrigerant 11 toward the magazine 73 of the refrigerant storage device 74 (FIG. 1).

[0037] The refrigerant transport device 71 includes a first refrigerant stopping device 91 capable of stopping the movement of the leading refrigerant 11 on the first conveyor 81 in the transport direction (rightward in Figs. 1 and 6), a second refrigerant stopping device 92 capable of stopping the movement of the leading refrigerant 11 on the second conveyor 82 in the transport direction, a third refrigerant stopping device 93 capable of stopping the movement of the leading refrigerant 11 on the third conveyor 83 in the transport direction, and a fourth refrigerant stopping device 94 capable of stopping the movement of the leading refrigerant 11 on the fourth conveyor 84 in the transport direction. The refrigerant transport device 71 also includes a first plate 101 to which the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94 are fixed, and a pair of first and second support plates 102 and 103 standing upright from the floor of the facility. The first support plate 102 is disposed on the container transport direction side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the first conveyor 81, and the second support plate 103 is disposed on the opposite side of the container transport direction of the fourth conveyor 84. The first support plate 102 and the second support plate 103 extend from the vicinity of the end of the refrigerant transport direction side (right side in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6) of the refrigerant transport device 71 to the opposite side of the refrigerant transport direction. The end of the first plate 101 on the container transport direction side (upper side in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6) is fixed to the upper end of the first support plate 102, and the end of the first plate 101 on the opposite side of the container transport direction is fixed to the upper end of the second support plate 103. As a result, the first plate 101 is located at a position spaced upward from the upper surfaces of the first to fourth belt parts 81a to 84a. The first plate 101 is present at a predetermined distance (specifically, 180 mm) from the vicinity of the end of the refrigerant transport device 71 in the refrigerant transport direction to the opposite side to the refrigerant transport direction.

[0038] The first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94 are fixed to the underside of the first plate 101. The first refrigerant stopping device 91 is disposed at a distance above the first belt portion 81a, the second refrigerant stopping device 92 is disposed at a distance above the second belt portion 82a, the third refrigerant stopping device 93 is disposed at a distance above the third belt portion 83a, and the fourth refrigerant stopping device 94 is disposed at a distance above the fourth belt portion 84a.

[0039] The ice storage agent transport device 71 includes a fifth ice storage agent stopping device 95 capable of stopping the movement of the second ice storage agent 11 from the front on the first conveyor 81 in the ice storage agent transport direction, a sixth ice storage agent stopping device 96 capable of stopping the movement of the second ice storage agent 11 from the front on the second conveyor 82 in the ice storage agent transport direction, a seventh ice storage agent stopping device 97 capable of stopping the movement of the second ice storage agent 11 from the front on the third conveyor 83 in the ice storage agent transport direction, and an eighth ice storage agent stopping device 98 capable of stopping the movement of the second ice storage agent 11 from the front on the fourth conveyor 84 in the ice storage agent transport direction. The ice storage agent transport device 71 also includes a plate-shaped second plate 104 to which the fifth to eighth ice storage agent stopping devices 95 to 98 are fixed. The end of the second plate 104 on the container transport direction side is fixed to the upper end of the first support plate 102 described above, and the end of the second plate 104 on the opposite side to the container transport direction is fixed to the upper end of the second support plate 103 described above. As a result, the second plate 104 is located at a position spaced upward from the upper surfaces of the first to fourth belt parts 81a to 84a. The second plate 104 is also disposed spaced from the first plate 101 on the opposite side to the refrigerant transport direction. The dimension of the second plate 104 in the short direction (left-right direction in Figs. 1 and 6) is 120 mm. The interval between the first to fourth belt parts 81a to 84a and the second plate 104 is larger than the thickness dimension (25 mm) of the refrigerant 11 and smaller than twice the thickness dimension (50 mm) of the refrigerant 11. This prevents two or more ice storage agents 11 from passing between the first to fourth belt portions 81a to 84a and the second plate 104 while being stacked vertically. This prevents two layers of ice storage agents 11 from being supplied to the magazine 73 from the ice storage agent transport outlet 71c.

[0040] The fifth to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 95 to 98 are fixed to the lower side of the second plate 104. The fifth refrigerant stopping device 95 is disposed at a distance above the first belt portion 81a, the sixth refrigerant stopping device 96 is disposed at a distance above the second belt portion 82a, the seventh refrigerant stopping device 97 is disposed at a distance above the third belt portion 83a, and the eighth refrigerant stopping device 98 is disposed at a distance above the fourth belt portion 84a.

[0041] The configurations of the first to eighth ice storage agent stopping devices 91 to 98 will be described taking the first ice storage agent stopping device 91 as an example. Fig. 7(a) is a plan view of the ice storage agent transport device 71 showing an enlarged view of the periphery of the first ice storage agent stopping device 91, Fig. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 7(a), and Fig. 7(c) is a cross-sectional view of the first ice storage agent stopping device 91 and the first conveyor 81 in a state in which the first ice storage agent stopping device 91 prevents the ice storage agent 11 from moving in the transport direction.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 7(a), the first refrigerant stopping device 91 includes a pair of electric first actuator 91a and second actuator 91b. The first actuator 91a is disposed closer to the first transport guide 81b than the second actuator 91b. The first actuator 91a includes a first movable plate 91c that can move in a direction perpendicular to the refrigerant transport direction (left-right direction in FIG. 7(a)), and the second actuator 91b includes a second movable plate 91d that can move in a direction perpendicular to the refrigerant transport direction (left-right direction in FIG. 7(a)). When the first actuator 91a is in a driven state, the first movable plate 91c moves toward the first transport guide 81b, and when the first actuator 91a is in a non-driven state, the first movable plate 91c moves to the opposite side to the first transport guide 81b. In addition, when the second actuator 91b is in a driven state, the second movable plate 91d moves toward the second transport guide 81c, and when the second actuator 91b is in a non-driven state, the second movable plate 91d moves to the side opposite the second transport guide 81c.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 7(b), a first rod 91e extending downward to the vicinity of the upper surface of the first belt portion 81a is fixed to an end of the first movable plate 91c on the first transport guide 81b side, and a second rod 91f extending downward to the vicinity of the upper surface of the first belt portion 81a is fixed to an end of the second movable plate 91d on the first transport guide 81b side. When the first actuator 91a and the second actuator 91b are in a non-driven state, as shown in Fig. 7(c), the lower part of the first rod 91e is in a position contacting the end of the refrigerant 11 on the first transport guide 81b side, and the lower part of the second rod 91f is in a position contacting the end of the refrigerant 11 on the second transport guide 81c side, that is, the first refrigerant stopping device 91 is in a blocking execution state in which the movement of the refrigerant 11 in the transport direction is blocked. Furthermore, when the first actuator 91a and the second actuator 91b are in a driven state, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the lower part of the first rod 91e is located closer to the first transport guide 81b than the end of the ice storage material 11 facing the first transport guide 81b, and the lower part of the second rod 91f is located closer to the second transport guide 81c than the end of the ice storage material 11 facing the second transport guide 81c, i.e., the first ice storage material stopping device 91 is not prevented from moving the ice storage material 11 in the transport direction, thereby permitting movement.

[0044] In this manner, in the blocking execution state of the first refrigerant stopping device 91 where the pair of actuators 91a, 91b are in the non-driven state, the movement of the refrigerant 11 in the transport direction is blocked. In the movement permitted state of the first refrigerant stopping device 91 where the pair of actuators 91a, 91b are in the driven state, the movement of the refrigerant 11 in the transport direction is permitted.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 6, similarly to the first refrigerant stopping device 91 described above, the second refrigerant stopping device 92 has a pair of a third actuator 92a and a fourth actuator 92b, the third refrigerant stopping device 93 has a pair of a fifth actuator 93a and a sixth actuator 93b, the fourth refrigerant stopping device 94 has a pair of a seventh actuator 94a and an eighth actuator 94b, the fifth refrigerant stopping device 95 has a pair of a ninth actuator 95a and a tenth actuator 95b, the sixth refrigerant stopping device 96 has a pair of an eleventh actuator 96a and a twelfth actuator 96b, the seventh refrigerant stopping device 97 has a pair of a thirteenth actuator 97a and a fourteenth actuator 97b, and the eighth refrigerant stopping device 98 has a pair of a fifteenth actuator 98a and a sixteenth actuator 98b. Furthermore, as explained using the first refrigerant stopping device 91 as an example, when the pth refrigerant stopping device (p is any of "1" to "8") is in a blocking execution state, the pth refrigerant stopping device is in a state where it blocks the movement of the refrigerant 11 in the transport direction, and when the pth refrigerant stopping device (p is any of "1" to "8") is in a movement permitted state, the pth refrigerant stopping device is in a state where it does not block the movement of the refrigerant 11 in the transport direction.

[0046] When the first refrigerant stopping device 91 is switched to the blocking execution state while the refrigerant 11 on the first conveyor 81 is passing through the first refrigerant stopping device 91, the refrigerant 11 continues to move in the refrigerant transport direction, and the next refrigerant 11 after the refrigerant 11 is blocked by the first refrigerant stopping device 91. The second to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 92-98 are similar to the first refrigerant stopping device 91. Specifically, when the refrigerant 11 on the conveyors 81-84 is passing through the refrigerant stopping devices 92-98, the refrigerant 11 continues to move in the refrigerant transport direction, and the next refrigerant 11 after the refrigerant 11 is blocked by the refrigerant stopping devices 92-98.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 6, a first refrigerant detection sensor 105 for detecting the refrigerant 11 on the first conveyor 81 moving toward the refrigerant transport outlet 71c, a second refrigerant detection sensor 106 for detecting the refrigerant 11 on the second conveyor 82 moving toward the refrigerant transport outlet 71c, a third refrigerant detection sensor 107 for detecting the refrigerant 11 on the third conveyor 83 moving toward the refrigerant transport outlet 71c, and a fourth refrigerant detection sensor 108 for detecting the refrigerant 11 on the fourth conveyor 84 moving toward the refrigerant transport outlet 71c are provided near the end of the first plate 101 on the side of the refrigerant transport outlet 71c. The first to fourth refrigerant detection sensors 105 to 108 are located on the refrigerant transport direction side (right side in Figs. 1 and 6) of the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94.

[0048] The first to fourth refrigerant detection sensors 105 to 108 are fixed to the lower side of the first plate 101. The first refrigerant detection sensor 105 is disposed above and spaced apart from the upper surface of the first belt portion 81a, the second refrigerant detection sensor 106 is disposed above and spaced apart from the upper surface of the second belt portion 82a, the third refrigerant detection sensor 107 is disposed above and spaced apart from the upper surface of the third belt portion 83a, and the fourth refrigerant detection sensor 108 is disposed above and spaced apart from the upper surface of the fourth belt portion 84a. The first to fourth refrigerant detection sensors 105 to 108 are ultrasonic sensors that measure distance based on the time from transmission to reception of ultrasonic waves. The storage control device 75 can grasp whether the refrigerant 11 is detected or not based on the information received from the first to fourth refrigerant detection sensors 105 to 108.

[0049] Near the end of the first plate 101 on the opposite side to the ice storage agent transport outlet 71c (the left side in Figures 1 and 6), there are provided a first ice storage agent preparation detection sensor 111 which detects the leading ice storage agent 11 on the first conveyor 81 before the first ice storage agent stopping device 91, a second ice storage agent preparation detection sensor 112 which detects the leading ice storage agent 11 on the second conveyor 82 before the second ice storage agent stopping device 92, a third ice storage agent preparation detection sensor 113 which detects the leading ice storage agent 11 on the third conveyor 83 before the third ice storage agent stopping device 93, and a fourth ice storage agent preparation detection sensor 114 which detects the leading ice storage agent 11 on the fourth conveyor 84 before the fourth ice storage agent stopping device 94. The first to fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensors 111 to 114 are located on the opposite side of the refrigerant transport direction from the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94.

[0050] The first to fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensors 111 to 114 are fixed to the lower side of the first plate 101. The first refrigerant preparation detection sensor 111 is disposed above and spaced apart from the upper surface of the first belt portion 81a, the second refrigerant preparation detection sensor 112 is disposed above and spaced apart from the upper surface of the second belt portion 82a, the third refrigerant preparation detection sensor 113 is disposed above and spaced apart from the upper surface of the third belt portion 83a, and the fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensor 114 is disposed above and spaced apart from the upper surface of the fourth belt portion 84a. The first to fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensors 111 to 114 are ultrasonic sensors that measure distances based on the time from transmission to reception of ultrasonic waves. The storage control device 75 can grasp whether the refrigerant 11 is detected or not based on information received from the first to fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensors 111 to 114.

[0051] Next, an operation of supplying one piece of ice storage agent 11 to the magazine 73 of the ice storage agent storage device 74 from each of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 using the first to eighth ice storage agent stopping devices 91 to 98 will be described. This operation is performed in a state where the magazine 73 (FIG. 1) is arranged ahead of the ice storage agent transport outlet 71c in the ice storage agent transport device 71.

[0052] First, in a state where the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91-94 are in a blocking execution state and the fifth to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 95-98 are in a movement permission state, the first to fourth conveyors 81-84 are operated to stop the leading refrigerant 11 by the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91-94. The storage control device 75 (FIG. 1) can grasp that the leading refrigerant 11 has been stopped by the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91-94 based on the first to fourth refrigerant preparation detection signals received from the first to fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensors 111-114.

[0053] Thereafter, the fifth to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 95-98 are put into a blocking execution state. As a result, the movement of the second and subsequent refrigerant storage materials 11 from the front on the first to fourth conveyors 81-84 in the conveying direction beyond the fifth to eighth refrigerant storage material stopping devices 95-98 is blocked. Thereafter, in a state in which the first to fourth conveyors 81-84 are operating, the first to fourth refrigerant storage material stopping devices 91-94 are put into a movement permitted state. As a result, in a state in which the second and subsequent refrigerant storage materials 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81-84 cannot move in the conveying direction beyond the fifth to eighth refrigerant storage material stopping devices 95-98, the front refrigerant storage material 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81-84 can be supplied to the magazine 73 arranged beyond the refrigerant conveying outlet 71c. In this way, in a situation where the leading ice storage material 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 is stopped by the first to fourth ice storage material stopping devices 91 to 94 and the second-from-the-leading ice storage material 11 is stopped by the fifth to eighth ice storage material stopping devices 95 to 98, the first to fourth ice storage material stopping devices 91 to 94 are set in a movement permitted state so that only the leading ice storage material 11 can be moved to the magazine 73, thereby allowing one ice storage material 11 to be supplied to the magazine 73 from each of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84.

[0054] One second after the first to fourth refrigerant detection sensors 105 to 108 detect the passage of the refrigerant 11, the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94 are set to the blocking execution state, and the fifth to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 95 to 98 are set to the movement permitted state. By setting a period of one second from when the first to fourth refrigerant detection sensors 105 to 108 detect the passage of the refrigerant 11 to when the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94 are set to the blocking execution state, it is possible to prevent the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94 from entering the blocking execution state before the leading refrigerant 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 is supplied to the magazine 73. Furthermore, by configuring the ice storage agent 11 to be set in the magazine 73 in a state in which the movement of the second and subsequent ice storage agents 11 from the front in the direction toward the ice storage agent conveying direction is restricted by the fifth to eighth ice storage agent stopping devices 95-98, it is possible to prevent multiple ice storage agents 11 from being supplied to the magazine 73 from one conveyor 81-84.

[0055] After four ice storage agents 11 are supplied from the ice storage agent transport device 71 to the magazine 73, the first to fourth ice storage agent stopping devices 91 to 94 are in the blocking execution state and the fifth to eighth ice storage agent stopping devices 95 to 98 are in the movement permission state, and the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 are returned to the operating state. As a result, the leading ice storage agent 11 is stopped by the first to fourth ice storage agent stopping devices 91 to 94, and the next operation for supplying one ice storage agent 11 from each of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 to the magazine 73 can be started. As will be described in detail later, nine stages of ice storage agents 11 are set in the magazine 73. The operation of supplying one ice storage agent 11 to the magazine 73 from each of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 is repeated each time the tier in which the ice storage agent 11 is to be set in the magazine 73 is updated, until ice storage agent 11 is set in all tiers of the magazine 73.

[0056] <Container transport equipment> Next, a description will be given of the container transport device 72 in the ice storage agent storage system 10. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the container transport device 72 as viewed from above. As already described with reference to Fig. 1, the container transport device 72 is disposed on the ice storage agent transport direction side (right side in Fig. 1) of the ice storage agent transport device 71.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 1, the container transport device 72 includes a pair of first and second conveyor frames 72a and 72b. The conveyor frames 72a and 72b are supported from below by container transport legs 72c provided at multiple locations in the extension direction of the conveyor frames 72a and 72b (the vertical direction in Figs. 1 and 8) at a distance above the floor surface of the facility. The container transport legs 72c are fixed to the floor of the facility. This prevents the container transport device 72 and the refrigerant transport device 71 from being misaligned.

[0058] A plurality of transport rollers 72d are rotatably fixed between the first conveyor frame 72a and the second conveyor frame 72b. The transport rollers 72d are arranged at a predetermined interval in the extension direction of the conveyor frames 72a and 72b. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper ends of the transport rollers 72d are located at a height of 600 mm from the floor surface of the facility.

[0059] The container transport device 72 is an electric roller conveyor. As shown in FIG. 8, a transport motor 72e is built into about 1 / 3 of the transport rollers 72d used in the container transport device 72. In addition, a drive is transmitted to free rollers (transport rollers 72d not incorporating a transport motor 72e) arranged before and after the transport rollers 72d (motor rollers) incorporating the transport motor 72e in the container transport direction via a drive transmission mechanism (specifically, a chain or belt) not shown. The empty container 12 supplied to the container transport device 72 is guided by the rotating transport rollers 72d and moves in the container transport direction (upward in FIG. 1 and FIG. 8). The container transport direction in the container transport device 72 is the direction from the storage control device 75 toward the refrigerant transport device 71 (upward in FIG. 1 and FIG. 8) among the extension directions of the conveyor frames 72a and 72b.

[0060] Although the details will be described later, the ice storage agent storage device 74 drops the ice storage agent 11 from the magazine 73 into two containers 12 stopped at the storage execution position in the container transport device 72 and stores them therein. In this way, in the container transport device 72, two containers 12 are targets for storing the ice storage agent 11 at one time. As shown in FIG. 1, the container transport device 72 is provided with a target container stopping device 115 for stopping the leading container 12 that is the target for storing the ice storage agent 11 at the leading storage execution position and stopping the second container 12 from the leading to be stored at the second storage execution position. The leading storage execution position is a position where an operation of dropping the ice storage agent 11 from the magazine 73 into the leading container 12 and storing it therein is performed. The second storage execution position is a position where an operation of dropping the ice storage agent 11 from the magazine 73 into the second container 12 from the leading to be stored therein is performed. 1, when a container 12 is stopped at the leading storage execution position, the leading container 12 is disposed at a predetermined interval in the refrigerant transport direction from the ends of the first conveyor 81 and the second conveyor 82 of the refrigerant transport device 71 on the side of the refrigerant transport outlet 71c. When a container 12 is stopped at the second storage execution position, the second container 12 from the leading is disposed at a predetermined interval in the refrigerant transport direction from the ends of the third conveyor 83 and the fourth conveyor 84 of the refrigerant transport device 71 on the side of the refrigerant transport outlet 71c.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 8, the target container stopping device 115 includes a plate-shaped target container stopper 115a and a target stopper drive unit 115b capable of raising and lowering the target container stopper 115a. The target stopper drive unit 115b is a solenoid having a movable iron core (not shown). The target container stopper 115a is fixed to the tip of the movable iron core in the solenoid. The target stopper drive unit 115b is disposed below the conveying roller 72d in the container conveying device 72. The target container stopper 115a can protrude upward from the gap between the conveying rollers 72d. The target container stopper 115a can move between a target stopper waiting position where the upper end of the target container stopper 115a is below the upper end of the conveying roller 72d and a target stop execution position where the upper end of the target container stopper 115a is above the upper end of the conveying roller 72d.

[0062] The upper end of the target container stopper 115a arranged at the target stop execution position is located 50 mm above the upper end of the conveying roller 72d. As a result, when the target container stopper 115a is arranged at the target stop execution position, if the container 12 moves in the conveying direction and contacts the target container stopper 115a, the container 12 cannot move in the conveying direction even if the conveying roller 72d is rotating. In addition, when the rear end of the container 12 in the conveying direction is located above the target container stopper 115a and the conveying roller 72d continues to rotate, if the target container stopper 115a moves from the target stopper standby position to the target stop execution position, the container 12 moves in the conveying direction due to the rotation of the conveying roller 72d, and the next container 12 after the container 12 comes into contact with the target container stopper 115a and stops. As a result, the container 12 that should move toward the conveying direction side of the target container stopper 115a is prevented from being stopped by the target container stopper 115a.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 1, the container transport device 72 is provided with a pre-container stopping device 116 for making the container 12 wait behind the second storage execution position in the transport direction. The pre-container stopping device 116 is disposed on the opposite side of the container transport direction from the target container stopping device 115 (lower side in Fig. 1).

[0064] The advance container stopping device 116 is a device for preventing the movement of the third container 12 from the front in the conveying direction, leaving only the leading container 12 and the second container 12 from the front, i.e., the two containers 12 to be stored. As shown in FIG. 8, the advance container stopping device 116 includes a plate-shaped advance container stopper 116a and an advance stopper driving unit 116b capable of raising and lowering the advance container stopper 116a. The advance stopper driving unit 116b is a solenoid having a movable iron core (not shown). The advance container stopper 116a is fixed to the tip of the movable iron core in the solenoid. The advance stopper driving unit 116b is disposed below the conveying roller 72d in the container conveying device 72. The advance container stopper 116a can protrude upward from a gap between the conveying rollers 72d and the conveying rollers 72d. The advance container stopper 116a is movable between an advance stopper waiting position where the upper end of the advance container stopper 116a is lower than the upper end of the conveying roller 72d and an advance stop execution position where the upper end of the advance container stopper 116a is higher than the upper end of the conveying roller 72d.

[0065] The upper end of the advance container stopper 116a arranged at the advance stop execution position is located 50 mm above the upper end of the conveying roller 72d. As a result, when the advance container stopper 116a is arranged at the advance stop execution position, if the container 12 moves in the conveying direction and comes into contact with the advance container stopper 116a, the container 12 cannot move in the conveying direction even if the conveying roller 72d is rotating. In addition, when the vicinity of the rear end of the container 12 in the conveying direction is located above the advance container stopper 116a and the conveying roller 72d continues to rotate, if the advance container stopper 116a moves from the advance stopper standby position to the advance stop execution position, the container 12 moves in the conveying direction due to the rotation of the conveying roller 72d, and the container 12 next to the container 12 comes into contact with the advance container stopper 116a and stops.

[0066] Next, a configuration for preventing misalignment of two containers 12 to be stored will be described. When the leading container 12 is stopped at the leading storage execution position and the second container 12 from the leading is stopped at the second storage execution position, the distance between the rear end of the second container 12 from the leading and the advance container stopper 116a is 60 mm. As shown in Fig. 8, the container transport device 72 is provided with a rear positioning device 117. The rear positioning device 117 is a device for restricting movement of the container 12 present at the second storage execution position in the opposite direction to the transport direction (downward in Figs. 1 and 8).

[0067] The rear positioning device 117 includes a rear positioning cylinder 117a and a rear positioning leg 117b for fixing the rear positioning cylinder 117a. The rear positioning cylinder 117a is an air cylinder. The rear positioning leg 117b extends from the lower end of the rear positioning cylinder 117a to the floor surface of the facility. The rear positioning cylinder 117a is fixed at a height position spaced upward from the floor surface by the rear positioning leg 117b. The rear positioning leg 117b is disposed on the opposite side of the conveyor frames 72a, 72b from the cooling storage agent transport device 71. The rear positioning leg 117b is fixed to the floor of the facility. This prevents the rear positioning device 117 from being displaced relative to the conveyor frames 72a, 72b.

[0068] The rear positioning cylinder 117a includes a hollow cylindrical rear positioning main body 117c and a rear positioning rod 117d. The rear positioning main body 117c is inclined toward the refrigerant transport device 71 in the container transport direction. One end of the rear positioning rod 117d is accommodated inside the rear positioning main body 117c, and the other end of the rear positioning rod 117d extends from the rear positioning main body 117c toward the rear end of the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position in the transport direction. A rear positioning plate 117e is fixed to the other end of the rear positioning rod 117d to restrict movement of the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position in the opposite direction to the transport direction.

[0069] The rear positioning plate 117e moves between a rear standby position where it does not come into contact with the container 12 being transported by the container transport device 72 and a rear positioning execution position where it comes into contact with the rear end of the container 12 from diagonally behind in the transport direction of the container 12 located at the second storage execution position. When the rear positioning cylinder 117a is in a non-driven state, the rear positioning plate 117e is disposed at the rear standby position, and when the rear positioning cylinder 117a is in a driven state, the rear positioning plate 117e is disposed at the rear positioning execution position.

[0070] 1, the container transport device 72 is provided with a first side positioning device 118 and a second side positioning device 119. The first side positioning device 118 and the second side positioning device 119 are disposed near the boundary between the container 12 stopped at the first storage execution position and the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 8, the first side positioning device 118 includes a first side positioning cylinder 118a and a first side positioning leg 118b for fixing the first side positioning cylinder 118a. The second side positioning device 119 includes a second side positioning cylinder 119a and a second side positioning leg 119b for fixing the second side positioning cylinder 119a. The first side positioning cylinder 118a and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are air cylinders. The first side positioning leg 118b extends from the lower end of the first side positioning cylinder 118a to the floor surface of the facility. The first side positioning cylinder 118a is fixed at a height position spaced upward from the floor surface by the first side positioning leg 118b. The second side positioning leg 119b extends from the lower end of the second side positioning cylinder 119a to the floor surface of the facility. The second side positioning cylinder 119a is fixed at a height position spaced above the floor surface by the second side positioning leg 119b. The first side positioning leg 118b and the second side positioning leg 119b are fixed to the floor of the facility. This prevents the first side positioning device 118 and the second side positioning device 119 from shifting relative to the conveyor frames 72a and 72b.

[0072] The first side positioning leg 118b is disposed closer to the refrigerant storage agent transport device 71 (left side in Figs. 1 and 8) than the conveyor frames 72a and 72b. The second side positioning leg 119b is disposed on the opposite side to the refrigerant storage agent transport device 71 (right side in Figs. 1 and 8) across the conveyor frames 72a and 72b.

[0073] The first side positioning cylinder 118a includes a hollow cylindrical first side positioning body 118c and a first side positioning rod 118d. The first side positioning body 118c extends toward the container transport device 72. One end of the first side positioning rod 118d is accommodated inside the first side positioning body 118c, and the other end of the first side positioning rod 118d extends from the first side positioning body 118c toward the container transport device 72. A first side positioning plate 118e is fixed to the other end of the first side positioning rod 118d to restrict the movement of the container 12 located at the leading storage execution position and the second storage execution position toward the cooling storage agent transport device 71.

[0074] The first side positioning plate 118e moves between a first side standby position where it does not come into contact with the container 12 being transported by the container transport device 72, and a first side positioning execution position where it restricts the movement of the container 12 present at the first storage execution position and the second storage execution position toward the refrigerant transport device 71. When the first side positioning cylinder 118a is in a non-driven state, the first side positioning plate 118e is disposed at the first side standby position, and when the first side positioning cylinder 118a is in a driven state, the first side positioning plate 118e is disposed at the first side positioning execution position.

[0075] The second side positioning cylinder 119a includes a hollow cylindrical second side positioning body 119c and a second side positioning rod 119d. The second side positioning body 119c extends toward the container transport device 72. One end of the second side positioning rod 119d is accommodated in the second side positioning body 119c, and the other end of the second side positioning rod 119d extends from the second side positioning body 119c toward the container transport device 72. A second side positioning plate 119e is fixed to the other end of the second side positioning rod 119d to restrict the movement of the container 12 located at the leading storage execution position and the second storage execution position toward the cooling storage agent transport device 71.

[0076] The second side positioning plate 119e moves between a second side standby position where it does not come into contact with the container 12 being transported by the container transport device 72, and a second side positioning execution position where it restricts the movement of the container 12 present at the first storage execution position and the second storage execution position toward the refrigerant transport device 71. When the second side positioning cylinder 119a is in a non-driven state, the second side positioning plate 119e is disposed at the second side standby position, and when the second side positioning cylinder 119a is in a driven state, the second side positioning plate 119e is disposed at the second side positioning execution position.

[0077] The first side positioning plate 118e and the second side positioning plate 119e extend from near the front end of the leading container 12 stopped at the storage execution position to near the rear end of the second container 12. Furthermore, the upper ends of the first side positioning plate 118e and the second side positioning plate 119e are located above the center in the height direction of the two containers 12 to be stored.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 8, below the conveying roller 72d in the container conveying device 72, there are provided a leading container detection sensor 121 capable of detecting the container 12 present at the leading storage execution position, a second container detection sensor 122 capable of detecting the container 12 present at the second storage execution position, and a preliminary container detection sensor 123 capable of detecting the container 12 in a state in which the movement in the conveying direction is prevented by the preliminary container stopper 116a. Also, below the conveying roller 72d in the container conveying device 72, there is provided an intermediate container detection sensor 124 between the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122. The intermediate container detection sensor 124 can detect the container 12 moving toward the leading container detection sensor 121 after the refrigerant 11 is stored at the second storage execution position. The container detection sensors 121 to 124 are ultrasonic sensors that measure distance based on the time from transmission to reception of ultrasonic waves. The storage control device 75 can grasp whether the container 12 is in a detected state based on the information received from the container detection sensors 121 to 124.

[0079] The second container detection sensor 122 is disposed on the opposite side to the conveying direction from the leading container detection sensor 121 (the lower side in Figs. 1 and 8) at a distance of 400 mm, which is slightly larger than the longitudinal dimension (380 mm) of the container 12, and the advance container detection sensor 123 is disposed on the opposite side to the conveying direction from the second container detection sensor 122 at a distance of 420 mm, which is larger than the longitudinal dimension (380 mm) of the container 12. In addition, the distance between the leading container detection sensor 121 and the intermediate container detection sensor 124, and the distance between the intermediate container detection sensor 124 and the second container detection sensor 122 are shorter than the longitudinal dimension of the container 12.

[0080] After the refrigerant 11 is stored in the container 12 stopped at the leading storage execution position and the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position, the two containers 12 move in the container transfer direction. Since the distance between the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122 is longer than the longitudinal dimension of the container 12, when the second container 12 exists between the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122, the second container 12 cannot be detected by these two container detection sensors 121, 122. In response to this, an intermediate container detection sensor 124 is provided between the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122. This makes it possible to know whether the container 12 exists between the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122.

[0081] Next, a description will be given of an operation for stopping two containers 12 at the leading storage execution position and the second storage execution position using the target container stopping device 115 and the advance container stopping device 116. Figures 9(a) to 9(g) are explanatory diagrams for explaining the movement of the container 12 in the container transport device 72.

[0082] 9(a), in a state where the target container stopper 115a is disposed at the target stop execution position and the advance container stopper 116a is disposed at the advance stop execution position, the conveying roller 72d is rotated to make the empty container 12 supplied to the container conveying device 72 come into contact with the advance container stopper 116a and stop. Since the container 12 is detected by the advance container detection sensor 123, the storage control device 75 can grasp that the container 12 comes into contact with the advance container stopper 116a and stops.

[0083] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9(b), while the conveying roller 72d continues to rotate, the advance container stopper 116a is lowered to the advance stopper waiting position. As a result, one container 12 that has been waiting in contact with the advance container stopper 116a moves closer to the target container stopper 115a than the advance container stopper 116a. One second after the advance container stopper 116a is lowered to the advance stopper waiting position, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the advance container stopper 116a is returned to the advance stop execution position. As a result, the container 12 next to the container 12 that has moved closer to the target container stopper 115a than the advance container stopper 116a cannot move in the conveying direction due to the advance container stopper 116a. After that, the storage control device 75 can grasp that the leading container 12 has come into contact with the target container stopper 115a and is stopped, based on the fact that the leading container detection sensor 121 detects the container 12.

[0084] Thereafter, when the second container detection sensor 122 does not detect the container 12 and the advance container detection sensor 123 does not detect the container 12, the advance container detection sensor 123 waits while the conveying roller 72d continues to rotate until the container 12 is detected by the advance container detection sensor 123. When the second container detection sensor 122 does not detect the container 12, that is, when the second container 12 from the front is not present at the second storage execution position, the advance container stopper 116a is lowered to the advance stopper standby position as shown in FIG. 9(d) on the condition that the container 12 is detected by the advance container detection sensor 123. As a result, one container 12 that has been waiting in contact with the advance container stopper 116a moves toward the conveying direction side of the advance container stopper 116a. After one second has elapsed since the advance container stopper 116a was lowered to the advance stopper standby position, the advance container stopper 116a is returned to the advance stop execution position as shown in FIG. 9(e). As a result, the container 12 next to the container 12 that has moved closer to the target container stopper 115a than the advance container stopper 116a cannot move in the conveying direction due to the advance container stopper 116a. Based on the state in which the container 12 is detected by the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122, the storage control device 75 can grasp that the leading container 12 and the second container 12 from the leading are stopped at the storage execution position, i.e., the two containers 12 to be stored are stopped at the storage execution position.

[0085] As described above, the operation of lowering the advance container stopper 116a to the advance stopper standby position and returning the advance container stopper 116a to the advance stop execution position after one second has elapsed is executed on the condition that the container 12 is detected by the advance container detection sensor 123. When the container 12 is not detected by the advance container detection sensor 123, the configuration waits until the container 12 is detected by the advance container detection sensor 123. This reduces the possibility that the container 12 will not move from the advance container stopper 116a to the target container stopper 115a side even when the operation of lowering the advance container stopper 116a to the advance stopper standby position and returning the advance container stopper 116a to the advance stop execution position after one second has elapsed is executed.

[0086] The storage control device 75 stops the rotation of the conveying roller 72d when the container 12 is detected by the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122, that is, when the container 12 is stopped at the leading storage execution position and the second storage execution position. This reduces the possibility of misalignment of the two containers 12 to be stored.

[0087] Next, we will explain the operation of fixing two containers 12 in the first storage execution position and the second storage execution position using the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e and the second side positioning plate 119e.

[0088] As shown in Fig. 8, the target container stopper 115a is placed at the target stop execution position, and after the rotation of the transport roller 72d stops, the rear positioning plate 117e is placed at the rear positioning execution position, so that the rear end in the transport direction of the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position is in contact with the rear positioning plate 117e. This prevents the two containers 12 to be stored from shifting in the opposite direction to the container transport direction. In addition, because the target container stopper 115a is placed at the target stop execution position, the two containers 12 to be stored are also prevented from shifting in the container transport direction.

[0089] After the target container stopper 115a and the rear positioning plate 117e restrict the forward and backward movement of the two containers 12 in the conveying direction, the first side positioning plate 118e is positioned at the first side positioning position and the second side positioning plate 119e is positioned at the second side positioning position, thereby restricting the two containers 12 from shifting toward the refrigerant storage agent conveying device 71 and toward the opposite side from the refrigerant storage agent conveying device 71.

[0090] In this manner, in a state where the two containers 12 are fixed to the leading storage execution position and the second storage execution position by the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e, and the second side positioning plate 119e, an operation is executed in which the ice storage material 11 stored in the magazine 73 is dropped into the two containers 12 to be stored therein. This reduces the possibility that the ice storage material 11 will fall to a position deviated from the storage areas 62a-62i, 63a-63i (FIG. 3) in the container 12.

[0091] Next, an operation for transporting the two containers 12 downstream of the container transport device 72 after the refrigerant 11 has been stored in the two containers 12 to be stored will be described.

[0092] Although the details will be described later, after the refrigerant 11 is stored from the magazine 73 into the two containers 12, the magazine 73 rises and does not contact the containers 12. After the magazine 73 rises, the first side positioning plate 118e returns to the first side waiting position, the second side positioning plate 119e returns to the second side waiting position, and the rear positioning plate 117e returns to the rear waiting position. Then, as shown in FIG. 9(f), the target container stopper 115a is placed in the target stop waiting position, and the conveying roller 72d starts to rotate. As a result, the two containers 12 in which the refrigerant 11 is stored move in the conveying direction. When one second has elapsed after the container 12 is not detected by the leading container detection sensor 121, the storage control device 75 places the target container stopper 115a in the target stop execution position, as shown in FIG. 9(g). This allows the container 12 containing the ice storage agent 11 to be transported downstream of the target container stopping device 115, and also prepares the next container 12 to be stored to be set at the storage execution position.

[0093] In this manner, the container transport device 72 places two containers 12 to be stored at the storage execution position, and after the refrigerant 11 is stored in the two containers 12 and they are transported out of the storage execution position, the container transport device 72 places the next two containers 12 at the storage execution position. This allows two empty containers 12 to be supplied to the storage execution position.

[0094] <Cooling agent storage device> Next, the configuration of the refrigerant storage device 74 will be described. The refrigerant storage device 74 is a device that stores the refrigerant 11 set in the magazine 73 from the refrigerant transport device 71 in the empty container 12 stopped at the first storage execution position and the second storage execution position in the container transport device 72. As already described, the refrigerant storage device 74 includes the magazine 73 in which the refrigerant 11 supplied from the refrigerant transport device 71 is set. As shown in FIG. 1, the magazine 73 is rotatably supported by a magazine support part 125. The magazine support part 125 is fixed to a horizontal arm 126, and the horizontal arm 126 is fixed to a lifting table 127. The refrigerant storage device 74 also includes a lifting mechanism 129 that can lift and lower the lifting table 127 along a support 128, and a running mechanism 132 that can run a base 131 to which the support 128 is fixed toward the container transport device 72 or the opposite side to the container transport device 72.

[0095] <Magazine configuration> First, the configuration of the magazine 73 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the magazine 73 includes a magazine entrance 73a for allowing the refrigerant 11 supplied from the refrigerant transport device 71 to enter the magazine 73, and a magazine exit 73b for allowing the refrigerant 11 contained in the magazine 73 to fall into the container 12. The magazine exit 73b is provided on the opposite side to the magazine entrance 73a. When the refrigerant 11 is set in the magazine 73 from the refrigerant transport device 71, the magazine 73 is in a refrigerant containing position. The refrigerant containing position is a position in which the magazine entrance 73a is open toward the refrigerant transport device 71, and the magazine exit 73b faces the opposite side to the refrigerant transport device 71. In the magazine 73 in the refrigerant containing position, the direction from the magazine entrance 73a toward the magazine exit 73b is horizontal. In addition, in a situation where the ice storage agent 11 contained in the magazine 73 is dropped into the container 12 and stored in the container 12, the magazine 73 is in a ice storage agent dropping position. The ice storage agent dropping position is a position after the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent storage position is rotated 90 degrees, and is a position in which the magazine entrance 73a faces upward and the magazine exit 73b faces downward. In the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent dropping position, the direction from the magazine entrance 73a to the magazine exit 73b is vertical.

[0096] FIG. 10 is a front view of the magazine 73 in the refrigerant storage position as seen from the magazine inlet 73a side, and FIG. 11 is a plan view of the magazine 73 in the refrigerant storage position as seen from above. The magazine 73 is made of metal. As shown in FIG. 10, the magazine 73 includes a front magazine unit 137 capable of accommodating 18 pieces (two columns and nine rows) of refrigerant 11 to be stored in the container 12 stopped at the front storage execution position, and a rear magazine unit 138 capable of accommodating 18 pieces (two columns and nine rows) of refrigerant 11 to be stored in the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position. The front magazine unit 137 and the rear magazine unit 138 are arranged side by side. The front magazine unit 137 is located on the container transport direction side (upper side in FIG. 1, left side in FIG. 10) of the rear magazine unit 138.

[0097] The magazine 73 includes a pair of parallel plate-like common front guide 141 and common back guide 142. The common front guide 141 and the common back guide 142 are substantially rectangular. The thickness of the common front guide 141 and the common back guide 142 is 6 mm. In the cooling storage material storage position, the common front guide 141 is an upper outer wall of the front magazine unit 137 and the rear magazine unit 138, and the common back guide 142 is a lower outer wall of the front magazine unit 137 and the rear magazine unit 138.

[0098] The leading magazine unit 137 includes a leading first side guide 143, a leading second side guide 144, and a leading central guide 147, which are parallel plates perpendicular to the common front guide 141 and the common back guide 142. The leading first side guide 143, the leading second side guide 144, and the leading central guide 147 are substantially rectangular. The leading first side guide 143 is an outer wall on the container transport direction side (upper side in FIG. 1, left side in FIG. 10) of the leading magazine unit 137, and is also an outer wall on the container transport direction side of the magazine 73. The leading second side guide 144 is an outer wall on the opposite side to the container transport direction of the leading magazine unit 137 (lower side in FIG. 1, right side in FIG. 10). In the magazine 73, the rear magazine unit 138 is present on the opposite side to the container transport direction from the leading second side guide 144. Further, the leading central guide 147 is disposed at a midpoint between the leading first side guide 143 and the leading second side guide 144. Thus, the leading magazine unit 137 has a pair of the leading first side guide 143 and the leading second side guide 144, sandwiching the leading central guide 147 therebetween. The leading first side guide 143 and the leading second side guide 144 each have a thickness of 6 mm, and the leading central guide 147 has a thickness of 36 mm.

[0099] As shown in Fig. 10, in the leading magazine unit 137, the leading first side guide 143 is disposed on the container transport direction side (left side in Fig. 10) from the leading central guide 147 at a distance (specifically 150 mm) that is one size larger than the short-side dimension (140 mm) of the refrigerant 11 already described with reference to Fig. 2(a). The leading second side guide 144 is disposed on the opposite side of the container transport direction from the leading central guide 147 at a distance (150 mm) that is one size larger than the short-side dimension (140 mm) of the refrigerant 11. This allows the refrigerant 11 to be stored on the leading first side guide 143 side from the leading central guide 147 and on the leading second side guide 144 side from the leading central guide 147.

[0100] In the front magazine unit 137, a front first storage space 133 capable of storing nine ice storage agents 11 is defined by the common front guide 141, the common back guide 142, the front first lateral guide 143, and the front central guide 147, and a front second storage space 134 capable of storing nine ice storage agents 11 is defined by the common front guide 141, the common back guide 142, the front central guide 147, and the front second lateral guide 144. In this manner, the front first storage space 133 is provided on the front first lateral guide 143 side (container transport direction side) and the front second storage space 134 is provided on the front second lateral guide 144 side (opposite to the container transport direction) across the front central guide 147, so that the front magazine unit 137 can store 18 ice storage agents 11.

[0101] The rear magazine unit 138 has a configuration similar to that of the leading magazine unit 137. Specifically, the rear magazine unit 138 includes a rear first side guide 145, a rear second side guide 146, and a rear central guide 148, which are parallel plate-like and perpendicular to the common front guide 141 and the common back guide 142. The rear first side guide 145, the rear second side guide 146, and the rear central guide 148 are substantially rectangular. The rear first side guide 145 is an outer wall on the container transport direction side (upper side in FIG. 1, left side in FIG. 10) of the rear magazine unit 138. In the magazine 73, the leading magazine unit 137 is present on the container transport direction side of the rear first side guide 145. The rear second side guide 146 is an outer wall of the rear magazine unit 138 on the opposite side to the container transport direction (the lower side in FIG. 1, the right side in FIG. 10), and is also an outer wall of the magazine 73 on the opposite side to the container transport direction. The rear central guide 148 is disposed at an intermediate position between the rear first side guide 145 and the rear second side guide 146. In this manner, the rear magazine unit 138 includes a pair of the rear first side guide 145 and the rear second side guide 146, with the rear central guide 148 sandwiched between them. The thickness of the rear first side guide 145 and the rear second side guide 146 is 6 mm, and the thickness of the rear central guide 148 is 36 mm.

[0102] Similarly to the front magazine unit 137, in the rear magazine unit 138, the rear first side guide 145 is disposed on the container transport direction side from the rear central guide 148 at a distance (specifically, 150 mm) that is one size larger than the dimension (140 mm) of the refrigerant 11 in the short direction, and the rear second side guide 146 is disposed on the opposite side to the container transport direction from the rear central guide 148 at a distance (150 mm) that is one size larger than the dimension (140 mm) of the refrigerant 11 in the short direction. This makes it possible to store the refrigerant 11 on the rear first side guide 145 side of the rear central guide 148 and on the rear second side guide 146 side of the rear central guide 148.

[0103] In the rear magazine unit 138, a rear first storage space 135 capable of storing nine ice storage agents 11 is defined by the common front guide 141, the common back guide 142, the rear first lateral guide 145, and the rear central guide 148, and a rear second storage space 136 capable of storing nine ice storage agents 11 is defined by the common front guide 141, the common back guide 142, the rear central guide 148, and the rear second lateral guide 146. In this manner, the rear first storage space 135 is provided on the rear first lateral guide 145 side (container transport direction side) and the rear second storage space 136 is provided on the rear second lateral guide 146 side (opposite to the container transport direction) across the rear central guide 148, so that the rear magazine unit 138 can store 18 ice storage agents 11.

[0104] The dimension of the leading first side guide 143, the leading second side guide 144, the rear first side guide 145, and the rear second side guide 146 in the direction from the magazine entrance 73a to the magazine exit 73b is 340 mm. Also, the dimension of the leading central guide 147 and the rear central guide 148 in the direction from the magazine entrance 73a to the magazine exit 73b is 500 mm. As shown in Fig. 11, the central guides 147 and 148 protrude further toward the magazine exit 73b than the side guides 143 to 146.

[0105] The front second side guide 144 is disposed 42 mm away from the rear first side guide 145 in the container transport direction. The 42 mm distance is shorter than the short dimension (140 mm) of the ice storage material 11. The ice storage material 11 is not accommodated between the front second side guide 144 and the rear first side guide 145.

[0106] The front magazine unit 137 includes a first front partition plate 151 to an eighth front partition plate 158 that divide the front first storage space 133 into nine stages in the up-down direction (specifically, in the direction from the common front guide 141 to the common back guide 142) in the refrigerant storage position. The first to eighth front partition plates 151 to 158 are parallel to the common front guide 141 and the common back guide 142. The first to eighth front partition plates 151 to 158 each have a plate thickness of 2 mm. Nine pieces of refrigerant 11 are stored in the front first storage space 133 in a substantially horizontal position. The first front partition plate 151 is disposed at an interval of 28 mm from the common front guide 141 toward the common back guide 142. The interval of 28 mm is one size larger than the thickness (25 mm) of the refrigerant 11 already described. Moreover, the (n+1)th leading side partition plate (n is any of "1" to "7") is disposed 28 mm apart from the nth leading side partition plate on the common back guide 142 side. Moreover, the eighth leading side partition plate 158 is disposed 28 mm apart from the common back guide 142 on the common front guide 141 side. This allows the leading side first storage space 133, which is partitioned by the common front guide 141, the common back guide 142, the leading side first lateral guide 143, and the leading side central guide 147, to store the refrigerant 11 in one row and nine stages. Each stage of the leading side first storage space 133 stores one refrigerant 11.

[0107] Similarly to the front-side first storage space 133, the front-side second storage space 134, the rear-side first storage space 135, and the rear-side second storage space 136 are vertically partitioned into nine stages. Nine ice storage agents 11 are stored in a substantially horizontal position in each of the front-side second storage space 134, the rear-side first storage space 135, and the rear-side second storage space 136. The front-side magazine unit 137 includes an eleventh front-side partition plate 161 to an eighteenth front-side partition plate 168 that vertically partition the front-side second storage space 134 into nine stages in the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent storage position. The rear magazine unit 138 includes the first rear partition plate 171 to the eighth rear partition plate 178 that divide the rear first storage space 135 into nine stages in the vertical direction when the magazine 73 is in the cooling storage agent storage position, and the eleventh rear partition plate 181 to the eighteenth rear partition plate 188 that divide the rear second storage space 136 into nine stages in the vertical direction. The eleventh to eighteenth leading partition plates 161 to 168, the first to eighth rear partition plates 171 to 178, and the eleventh to eighteenth rear partition plates 181 to 188 are parallel to the common front guide 141 and the common back guide 142. The plate thickness of the eleventh to eighteenth leading partition plates 161 to 168, the first to eighth rear partition plates 171 to 178, and the eleventh to eighteenth rear partition plates 181 to 188 is 2 mm. The eleventh leading partition plate 161, the first rear partition plate 171, and the eleventh rear partition plate 181 are arranged at an interval of 28 mm from the common front guide 141 toward the common rear guide 142. The (q+1)th leading partition plate (q is any one of "11" to "17") is arranged at an interval of 28 mm from the qth partition plate toward the common rear guide 142, and the (r+1)th rear partition plate (r is any one of "1" to "7" and "11" to "17") is arranged at an interval of 28 mm from the rth partition plate toward the common rear guide 142. The 18th leading partition plate 168, the eighth rear partition plate 178, and the 18th rear partition plate 188 are arranged at an interval of 28 mm from the common rear guide 142 toward the common front guide 141. This allows the ice storage agent 11 to be stored in one row and nine stages in each of the front second storage space 134, the rear first storage space 135, and the rear second storage space 136. One ice storage agent 11 is stored in each stage of the front second storage space 134, the rear first storage space 135, and the rear second storage space 136.In this manner, the magazine 73 in the refrigerant storage attitude stores 36 refrigerant materials 11 in four rows and nine stages.

[0108] In the magazine 73 in the refrigerant storage attitude, the storage positions of the refrigerant 11 in the p-th row (p is any one of "1" to "8") are at the same height in the front first storage space 133, the front second storage space 134, the rear first storage space 135, and the rear second storage space 136. As an example in which p is "1", in the magazine 73 in the refrigerant storage attitude, the storage positions of the refrigerant 11 in the first row of the front first storage space 133, the first row of the front second storage space 134, the first row of the rear first storage space 135, and the first row of the rear second storage space 136 are at the same height. In this way, in the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent storage position, the storage positions of the ice storage agents 11 in each tier are configured to be at the same height in each storage space 133-136, thereby preventing the operation of setting one tier (four pieces) of ice storage agents 11 from the ice storage agent transport device 71 into the magazine 73 from becoming complicated.

[0109] As already explained, in a state where the refrigerant 11 is set in the magazine 73 from the refrigerant transport device 71, the magazine 73 is in a refrigerant storage position. As shown in FIG. 1, in this state, the front-side first storage space 133 is located at a position spaced apart from the first conveyor 81 of the refrigerant transport device 71 in the refrigerant transport direction (rightward in FIG. 1). The nine pieces of refrigerant 11 stored in the front-side first storage space 133 are stored in the eleventh to nineteenth storage areas 63a to 63i (FIG. 3) of the container 12 stopped at the front storage execution position of the container transport device 72. In this state, the front-side second storage space 134 is located at a position spaced apart from the second conveyor 82 in the refrigerant transport direction (rightward in FIG. 1). The nine ice storage agents 11 stored in the front second storage space 134 are stored in the first to ninth storage areas 62a to 62i (FIG. 3) of the container 12 stopped at the front storage execution position. Furthermore, in this state, the rear first storage space 135 exists at a position spaced apart from the third conveyor 83 in the ice storage agent transport direction by a predetermined distance. The nine ice storage agents 11 stored in the rear first storage space 135 are stored in the eleventh to nineteenth storage areas 63a to 63i of the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position of the container transport device 72. Furthermore, in this state, the rear second storage space 136 exists at a position spaced apart from the fourth conveyor 84 in the ice storage agent transport direction by a predetermined distance. The nine ice storage agents 11 stored in the rear second storage space 136 are stored in the first to ninth storage areas 62a to 62i of the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position.

[0110] Next, a configuration will be described that allows switching between a state in which the refrigerant 11 contained in the magazine 73 is supported and a state in which the refrigerant 11 falls without being supported when the magazine 73 is in the refrigerant dropping position. As shown in Fig. 11, the magazine 73 includes a metallic front side rotating member 191, a middle rotating member 192, and a rear side rotating member 193. The front side rotating member 191 includes a front side first stopper portion 194 that can restrict the movement of the refrigerant 11 contained between the front side first lateral guide 143 and the front side central guide 147 in the front side magazine unit 137 toward the magazine outlet 73b. The intermediate rotating member 192 is provided with a front second stopper portion 195 capable of restricting the movement of the refrigerant 11 accommodated between the front central guide 147 and the front second lateral guide 144 in the front magazine unit 137 toward the magazine outlet 73b, and a rear first stopper portion 196 capable of restricting the movement of the refrigerant 11 accommodated between the rear first lateral guide 145 and the rear central guide 148 in the rear magazine unit 138 toward the magazine outlet 73b. The rear rotating member 193 is provided with a rear second stopper portion 197 capable of restricting the movement of the refrigerant 11 accommodated between the rear central guide 148 and the rear second lateral guide 146 in the rear magazine unit 138 toward the magazine outlet 73b. The magazine 73 is provided with a front rotating shaft 201 for rotatably fixing the front rotating member 191, a middle rotating shaft 202 for rotatably fixing the middle rotating member 192, and a rear rotating shaft 203 for rotatably fixing the rear rotating member 193. These rotating shafts 201 to 203 are made of metal.

[0111] As already explained, in the leading magazine unit 137, the leading first side guide 143 is an outer wall on the container transport direction side (left side in FIG. 10, right side in FIG. 11), and the leading second side guide 144 is an outer wall on the opposite side to the container transport direction. Also, as already explained, in the rear magazine unit 138, the rear first side guide 145 is an outer wall of the rear magazine unit 138, and the rear second side guide 146 is an outer wall on the opposite side to the container transport direction. The leading rotating shaft 201 is disposed on the outside of the leading first side guide 143 (opposite side from the leading first storage space 133). Also, the intermediate rotating shaft 202 is disposed between the leading second side guide 144 and the rear first side guide 145. Furthermore, the rear rotating shaft 203 is disposed on the outside of the rear second side guide 146 (opposite side from the rear second storage space 136). The front rotating shaft 201, the middle rotating shaft 202 and the rear rotating shaft 203 are located at positions 80 mm away from the ends of the common front guide 141 and the common back guide 142 on the magazine exit 73b side toward the magazine entrance 73a.

[0112] As already explained, in the magazine 73 in the cooling storage agent storage position, the common front guide 141 is an upper outer wall of the front magazine unit 137 and the rear magazine unit 138, and the common back guide 142 is a lower outer wall of the front magazine unit 137 and the rear magazine unit 138. The rotating shafts 201 to 203 extend from the vicinity of the common front guide 141 to the vicinity of the common back guide 142. The end of the front rotating shaft 201 on the common front guide 141 side is fixed to the front front fixing plate 204, and the front front fixing plate 204 is fixed to the outside of the common front guide 141 (the opposite side to the storage spaces 133 to 136). In addition, the end of the front rotating shaft 201 on the common back guide 142 side is fixed to the front back fixing plate 205 (FIG. 10), and the front back fixing plate 205 is fixed to the outside of the common back guide 142 (the opposite side to the storage spaces 133 to 136). In addition, an end portion of the intermediate rotating shaft 202 on the common front guide 141 side is fixed to an intermediate front side fixing plate 206, and the intermediate front side fixing plate 206 is fixed to the outside of the common front guide 141 (the opposite side to the accommodation spaces 133-136). In addition, an end portion of the intermediate rotating shaft 202 on the common back guide 142 side is fixed to an intermediate back side fixing plate 207 (FIG. 10), and the intermediate back side fixing plate 207 is fixed to the outside of the common back guide 142 (the opposite side to the accommodation spaces 133-136). Furthermore, an end portion of the rear rotating shaft 203 on the common front guide 141 side is fixed to a rear front side fixing plate 208, and the rear front side fixing plate 208 is fixed to the outside of the common front guide 141 (the opposite side to the accommodation spaces 133-136). In addition, the end of the rear pivot shaft 203 on the common back guide 142 side is fixed to a rear back fixing plate 209 (Figure 10), and the rear back fixing plate 209 is fixed to the outside of the common back guide 142 (the side opposite the storage spaces 133-136).

[0113] As shown in Fig. 10, the magazine 73 is provided with a pair of a first leading front cylinder 211 and a first leading back cylinder 212 for opening and closing the leading first stopper portion 194 (Fig. 11), a pair of a second leading front cylinder 213 and a second leading back cylinder 214 for opening and closing the leading second stopper portion 195 (Fig. 11), a pair of a first rear front cylinder 215 and a first rear back cylinder 216 for opening and closing the rear first stopper portion 196 (Fig. 11), and a pair of a second rear front cylinder 217 and a second rear back cylinder 218 for opening and closing the rear second stopper portion 197 (Fig. 11). The cylinders 211 to 218 are electric cylinders. The front cylinders 211, 213, 215, 217 are fixed to the outside of the common front guide 141 (the side opposite the accommodation spaces 133-136), and the back cylinders 212, 214, 216, 218 are fixed to the outside of the common back guide 142 (the side opposite the accommodation spaces 133-136).

[0114] FIG. 12(a) is a side view of the magazine 73 in the cooling agent storage position as viewed from the front-side first lateral guide 143 side. As shown in FIG. 11, the front-side rotating member 191 has a substantially cylindrical front-side stopper fixing portion 221 on the magazine inlet 73a side of the front-side first stopper portion 194. The front-side stopper fixing portion 221 is a fixing portion for fixing the front-side rotating member 191 to the front-side rotating shaft 201. As shown in FIG. 12(a), the front-side stopper fixing portion 221 extends from the outside of the common front guide 141 (the opposite side to the storage spaces 133-136) to the outside of the common back guide 142 (the opposite side to the storage spaces 133-136). As shown in FIG. 11, the front-side rotating member 191 is fixed to the front-side rotating shaft 201 in a state in which the front-side rotating shaft 201 is inserted through the front-side stopper fixing portion 221. This allows the front side rotating member 191 to rotate around the front side rotating shaft 201 .

[0115] As shown in FIG. 12(a), the leading side first stopper portion 194 includes a plate-shaped leading side first stopper body portion 194a extending from the leading side stopper fixing portion 221 toward the magazine outlet 73b side. A leading side first protrusion portion 194b (FIG. 11) protruding toward the leading side central guide 147 (FIG. 11) is integrally formed on the rotating tip side of the leading side first stopper body portion 194a. The leading side first protrusion portion 194b extends from a position between the common front guide 141 and the first leading side partition plate 151 (FIG. 10) to a position between the common back guide 142 and the eighth leading side partition plate 158 (FIG. 10). The leading side first lateral guide 143 is formed with a leading side first through hole 143a through which the leading side first protrusion portion 194b can be inserted, and the leading side first protrusion portion 194b is inserted into the leading side first through hole 143a.

[0116] As shown in Fig. 10, the first leading front side cylinder 211 includes a first leading front side rod 211a, and the first leading back side cylinder 212 includes a first leading back side rod 212a. As shown in Fig. 11, the end of the first leading front side cylinder 211 opposite to the first leading front side rod 211a is rotatably fixed to a first leading front side rotating shaft 231, and the first leading front side rotating shaft 231 is fixed to the outside of the common front guide 141 in such a manner that its axis is perpendicular to the outer plate surface of the common front guide 141 (the plate surface opposite to the leading side first accommodation space 133). In addition, the tip of the first leading front side rod 211a is fixed to a plate-shaped first leading front side connecting piece 232, and the first leading front side connecting piece 232 is fixed to the end of the leading side first stopper main body portion 194a on the common front guide 141 side. In this manner, the tip of the first leading front side rod 211a is fixed to the leading side first stopper body 194a via the first leading front side connecting piece 232. The first leading front side cylinder 211 and the first leading front side rod 211a are inclined toward the magazine outlet 73b side toward the leading side first lateral guide 143. As with the first leading front side cylinder 211, the end of the first leading back side cylinder 212 opposite to the first leading back side rod 212a is rotatably fixed to a first leading back side rotating shaft (not shown), and the first leading back side rotating shaft is fixed to the outside of the common back guide 142 in a manner that the axis line is perpendicular to the outer plate surface of the common back guide 142 (the plate surface opposite to the leading side first housing space 133). Further, the tip of the first leading back side rod 212a is fixed to a plate-shaped first leading back side connecting piece 233, and the first leading back side connecting piece 233 is fixed to the end of the leading side first stopper body part 194a on the common back guide 142 side. In this manner, the tip of the first leading back side rod 212a is fixed to the leading side first stopper body part 194a via the first leading back side connecting piece 233. The first leading back side cylinder 212 and the first leading back side rod 212a are inclined toward the magazine outlet 73b side toward the leading side first lateral guide 143.The first leading front side rod 211a and the first leading back side rod 212a move the leading first stopper portion 194 from the closed position to the open position by pushing the leading first stopper body portion 194a toward the outside of the leading magazine unit 137 (the side opposite the leading first storage space 133), and move the leading first stopper portion 194 from the open position to the closed position by pulling the leading first stopper body portion 194a toward the inside of the leading magazine unit 137 (towards the leading first storage space 133).

[0117] As shown in Fig. 11, when the first front front cylinder 211 and the first front back cylinder 212 (Fig. 10) are in a non-driven state, the front rotating member 191 is disposed at the closed position. When the front first stopper portion 194 is in the closed position, the front first protrusion portion 194b inserted through the front first through hole 143a protrudes toward the front central guide 147 side beyond the front first side guide 143. As a result, in the magazine 73 in the cooling storage agent dropping position, the corners of the lower edge portions 11c of the nine cooling storage agents 11 accommodated in the front first accommodation space 133 on the front first side guide 143 side are in contact with and supported by the front first protrusion portion 194b, that is, the movement of the cooling storage agents 11 toward the magazine outlet 73b side is restricted.

[0118] When the first leading front cylinder 211 and the first leading back cylinder 212 are switched to the driving state, the leading rotating member 191 rotates around the leading rotating shaft 201 to the open position in the opposite direction to the leading first side guide 143 (see FIG. 15). When the leading first stopper portion 194 is in the open position, the leading first protrusion 194b inserted through the leading first through hole 143a does not protrude further toward the leading central guide 147 than the leading first side guide 143. This causes the corners of the lower edge portions 11c of the nine pieces of cooling storage agent 11 housed in the leading first housing space 133 in the cooling storage agent dropping posture not to come into contact with the leading first protrusion 194b, i.e., the cooling storage agent 11 can be dropped from the magazine outlet 73b side. Furthermore, when the first leading front side cylinder 211 and the first leading back side cylinder 212 are switched to a non-driven state, the leading side turning member 191 returns to a state in which it is disposed at the closed position.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 12(a), the leading side first side guide 143 has a leading side first drop guide portion 143b on the magazine outlet 73b side of the leading side first through hole 143a when the magazine 73 is in the cooling storage agent drop position, which guides the side edge portion 11e (FIG. 11) of the cooling storage agent 11 dropping from the leading side first storage space 133 on the leading side first side guide 143 side. The leading side first drop guide portion 143b has a length dimension of 80 mm in the guide direction (downward in FIG. 11, leftward in FIG. 12(a)). The leading side central guide 147 also has a leading side central drop guide portion 147b. The leading side central drop guide portion 147b guides the side edge portion 11d (FIG. 11) of the cooling storage agent 11 dropping from the leading side first storage space 133 on the leading side central guide 147 side. The length of the front-side central drop guide portion 147b in the guide direction (downward in FIG. 11, leftward in FIG. 12(a)) is 250 mm. The length of the front-side central drop guide portion 147b in the guide direction is greater than the length (220 mm) of the refrigerant 11 in the longitudinal direction. This reduces the possibility that the falling position of the refrigerant 11 will shift toward the front-side central guide 147 when the refrigerant 11 is dropped from the front-side first housing space 133 into a container that does not have a partition wall on the front-side central guide 147 side of the refrigerant 11 or into a container in which the protruding dimension of the partition wall on the front-side central guide 147 side of the refrigerant 11 is reduced.

[0120] FIG. 12(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12(c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12(b), in the common front guide 141, a common front recess 141a is provided between the leading magazine unit 137 and the rear magazine unit 138, which allows the intermediate rotating member 192 and the intermediate rotating shaft 202 to enter from the magazine exit 73b side. As shown in FIG. 11, the common front recess 141a is formed in such a manner that the end of the common front guide 141 on the magazine exit 73b side is recessed toward the magazine entrance 73a side. As in the common front guide 141, in the common rear guide 142, a common rear recess 142a (FIG. 12(b) and FIG. 12(c)) is provided between the leading magazine unit 137 and the rear magazine unit 138, which allows the intermediate rotating member 192 and the intermediate rotating shaft 202 to enter from the magazine exit 73b side. The common back side recess 142a is formed in such a manner that the end portion of the common back guide 142 on the magazine outlet 73b side is recessed toward the magazine inlet 73a side. By providing the common front side recess 141a and the common back side recess 142a in this manner, the intermediate rotation shaft 202 can be disposed closer to the magazine inlet 73a side than the end portions of the common front guide 141 and the common back guide 142 on the magazine outlet 73b side.

[0121] As shown in FIG. 11, in the intermediate rotating member 192, a semi-cylindrical intermediate stopper fixing portion 222 is integrally formed on the magazine inlet 73a side of the leading second stopper portion 195 and the rear first stopper portion 196. In this manner, the magazine inlet 73a side of the leading second stopper portion 195 and the magazine inlet 73a side of the rear first stopper portion 196 are connected by the intermediate stopper fixing portion 222. As shown in FIG. 10, the intermediate stopper fixing portion 222 is a fixing portion for fixing the intermediate rotating member 192 to the intermediate rotating shaft 202. The intermediate stopper fixing portion 222 extends from the outer side of the common front guide 141 (the opposite side of the common back guide 142) to the outer side of the common back guide 142 (the opposite side of the common front guide 141). As shown in Fig. 11, the intermediate rotating member 192 is fixed to the intermediate rotating shaft 202 with the intermediate rotating shaft 202 inserted through the intermediate stopper fixing portion 222. This allows the intermediate rotating member 192 having the leading second stopper portion 195 and the rear first stopper portion 196 to rotate around the intermediate rotating shaft 202. The leading second stopper portion 195 faces the rear first stopper portion 196 across the intermediate rotating shaft 202. The leading second stopper portion 195 is disposed closer to the leading second lateral guide 144 than the intermediate rotating shaft 202, and the rear first stopper portion 196 is disposed closer to the rear first lateral guide 145 than the intermediate rotating shaft 202.

[0122] As shown in FIG. 12(b), the leading side second stopper portion 195 includes a plate-shaped leading side second stopper body portion 195a extending from the intermediate stopper fixing portion 222 toward the magazine outlet 73b. A leading side second protrusion portion 195b (FIG. 11) protruding toward the leading side central guide 147 is integrally formed at the end portion of the leading side second stopper body portion 195a on the rotation tip side. The leading side second protrusion portion 195b extends from a position between the common front guide 141 and the eleventh leading side partition plate 161 (FIG. 10) to a position between the common back guide 142 and the eighteenth leading side partition plate 168 (FIG. 10). A leading side second through hole 144a through which the leading side second protrusion portion 195b can be inserted is formed in the leading side second lateral guide 144, and the leading side second protrusion portion 195b is inserted into the leading side second through hole 144a.

[0123] As shown in Fig. 10, the second leading front side cylinder 213 includes a second leading front side rod 213a, and the second leading back side cylinder 214 includes a second leading back side rod 214a. As shown in Fig. 11, the end of the second leading front side cylinder 213 opposite to the second leading front side rod 213a is rotatably fixed to a second leading front side rotating shaft 234, and the second leading front side rotating shaft 234 is fixed to the outside of the common front guide 141 in such a manner that its axis is perpendicular to the outer plate surface of the common front guide 141 (the plate surface opposite to the leading side second accommodation space 134). In addition, the tip of the second leading front side rod 213a is fixed to a plate-shaped second leading front side connecting piece 235, and the second leading front side connecting piece 235 is fixed to the end of the leading side second stopper main body portion 195a on the common front guide 141 side. In this way, the tip of the second leading front side rod 213a is fixed to the leading side second stopper body 195a via the second leading front side connecting piece 235. The second leading front side cylinder 213 and the second leading front side rod 213a are inclined toward the magazine outlet 73b side toward the leading side second lateral guide 144. As with the second leading front side cylinder 213, the end of the second leading back side cylinder 214 opposite to the second leading back side rod 214a is rotatably fixed to a second leading back side rotating shaft (not shown), and the second leading back side rotating shaft is fixed to the outside of the common back guide 142 in a manner that the axis line is perpendicular to the outer plate surface of the common back guide 142 (the plate surface opposite to the leading side second accommodation space 134). The tip of the second leading back side rod 214a is fixed to a plate-shaped second leading back side connecting piece 236, and the second leading back side connecting piece 236 is fixed to the end of the leading side second stopper body part 195a on the common back guide 142 side. In this way, the tip of the second leading back side rod 214a is fixed to the leading side second stopper body part 195a via the second leading back side connecting piece 236. The second leading back side cylinder 214 and the second leading back side rod 214a are inclined toward the magazine outlet 73b side toward the leading side second lateral guide 144.The second leading front side rod 213a and the second leading back side rod 214a move the leading side second stopper portion 195 from the closed position to the open position by pushing the leading side second stopper body portion 195a toward the outside of the leading side magazine unit 137 (the side opposite the leading side second storage space 134), and move the leading side second stopper portion 195 from the open position to the closed position by pulling the leading side second stopper body portion 195a toward the inside of the leading side magazine unit 137 (towards the leading side second storage space 134).

[0124] As shown in Fig. 11, when the second leading front cylinder 213 and the second leading back cylinder 214 (Fig. 10) are in a non-driven state, the leading second stopper portion 195 is disposed in a closed position. When the leading second stopper portion 195 is in the closed position, the leading second protrusion portion 195b inserted through the leading second through hole 144a protrudes toward the leading central guide 147 side beyond the leading second side guide 144. As a result, in the magazine 73 in the cooling storage agent dropping position, the corners of the lower edge portions 11c of the nine cooling storage agents 11 accommodated in the leading second accommodation space 134 on the leading second side guide 144 side are in contact with and supported by the leading second protrusion portion 195b, that is, the movement of the cooling storage agents 11 toward the magazine outlet 73b side is restricted.

[0125] When the second leading front cylinder 213 and the second leading back cylinder 214 are switched to the driving state, the leading second stopper portion 195 rotates around the intermediate rotating shaft 202 to the open position in the opposite direction to the leading central guide 147 (see FIG. 15). When the leading second stopper portion 195 is in the open position, the leading second protrusion portion 195b inserted through the leading second through hole 144a does not protrude further toward the leading central guide 147 than the leading second lateral guide 144. This causes the corners of the lower edge portions 11c of the nine ice storage agents 11 housed in the leading second housing space 134 in the ice storage agent dropping posture, on the leading second lateral guide 144 side, not to come into contact with the leading second protrusion portion 195b, i.e., the ice storage agents 11 can be dropped from the magazine outlet 73b side. Furthermore, when the second leading front side cylinder 213 and the second leading back side cylinder 214 are switched to a non-driven state, the leading side second stopper portion 195 returns to a state in which it is disposed in the closed position.

[0126] As shown in FIG. 12(b), the leading side second side guide 144 has a leading side second drop guide portion 144b on the magazine outlet 73b side of the leading side second through hole 144a when the magazine 73 is in the cooling storage agent drop position, which guides the side edge portion 11d (FIG. 11) of the cooling storage agent 11 dropping from the leading side second storage space 134 on the leading side second side guide 144 side. The leading side second drop guide portion 144b has a length dimension of 80 mm in the guide direction (downward in FIG. 11, rightward in FIG. 12(b)). As already described, the leading side central guide 147 has a leading side central drop guide portion 147b. The leading side central drop guide portion 147b guides the side edge portion 11e (FIG. 11) of the cooling storage agent 11 dropping from the leading side second storage space 134 on the leading side central guide 147 side. As already explained, the length dimension (250 mm) in the guide direction of the front side central drop guide portion 147b is larger than the length dimension (220 mm) in the longitudinal direction of the ice storage agent 11. This reduces the possibility that the falling position of the ice storage agent 11 will shift to the front side central guide 147 side when the ice storage agent 11 is dropped from the front side second housing space 134 into a container that does not have a partition wall on the front side central guide 147 side of the ice storage agent 11 or into a container in which the protruding dimension of the partition wall on the front side central guide 147 side of the ice storage agent 11 is reduced.

[0127] The configuration of the rear first stopper portion 196 is the same as that of the front second stopper portion 195 described above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12(c), the rear first stopper portion 196 includes a plate-shaped rear first stopper body portion 196a extending from the intermediate stopper fixing portion 222 toward the magazine outlet 73b side. In addition, a rear first protruding portion 196b (FIG. 11) protruding toward the rear central guide 148 side is integrally formed at the end portion on the rotation tip side of the rear first stopper body portion 196a. The rear first protruding portion 196b extends from a position between the common front guide 141 and the first rear partition plate 171 (FIG. 10) to a position between the common back guide 142 and the eighth rear partition plate 178 (FIG. 10). Further, the rear first lateral guide 145 is formed with a rear first through hole 145a into which the rear first protrusion 196b can be inserted, and the rear first protrusion 196b is inserted into the rear first through hole 145a.

[0128] As shown in FIG. 10, the first rear front cylinder 215 includes a first rear front rod 215a, and the first rear back cylinder 216 includes a first rear back rod 216a. The fixing manner of the first rear front cylinder 215 and the first rear back cylinder 216 in the rear magazine unit 138 is similar to the fixing manner of the first front front cylinder 211 and the first front back cylinder 212 in the front magazine unit 137. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the end of the first rear front cylinder 215 opposite to the first rear front rod 215a is rotatably fixed to the first rear front rotating shaft 237. In addition, the tip of the first rear front rod 215a is fixed to the rear first stopper main body portion 196a via the first rear front connecting piece 238. The end of the first rear back cylinder 216 opposite to the first rear back rod 216a is rotatably fixed to a first rear back rotation shaft (not shown). The tip of the first rear back rod 216a is fixed to the rear first stopper body part 196a via the first rear back connection piece 239. The first rear front rod 215a and the first rear back rod 216a move the rear first stopper part 196 from the closed position to the open position by pushing the rear first stopper body part 196a toward the outside of the rear magazine unit 138 (the side opposite to the rear first storage space 135), and move the rear first stopper part 196 from the open position to the closed position by pulling the rear first stopper body part 196a toward the inside of the rear magazine unit 138 (the rear first storage space 135 side).

[0129] As shown in Fig. 11, when the first rear front cylinder 215 and the first rear back cylinder 216 (Fig. 10) are in a non-driven state, the rear first stopper portion 196 is disposed in a closed position. When the rear first stopper portion 196 is in the closed position, the rear first protrusion portion 196b inserted through the rear first through hole 145a protrudes toward the rear central guide 148 side beyond the rear first side guide 145. As a result, in the magazine 73 in the cooling storage agent dropping position, the corners of the lower edge portions 11c of the nine cooling storage agents 11 accommodated in the rear first accommodation space 135 on the rear first side guide 145 side are in contact with and supported by the rear first protrusion portion 196b, that is, the movement of the cooling storage agents 11 toward the magazine outlet 73b side is restricted.

[0130] When the first rear front cylinder 215 and the first rear back cylinder 216 are switched to the driving state, the rear first stopper portion 196 rotates around the intermediate rotating shaft 202 to the open position in the opposite direction to the rear central guide 148 (see FIG. 15). When the rear first stopper portion 196 is in the open position, the rear first protrusion portion 196b inserted through the rear first through hole 145a does not protrude further toward the rear central guide 148 than the rear first lateral guide 145. This results in a state in which the corners of the lower edge portions 11c of the nine ice storage agents 11 housed in the rear first housing space 135 in the ice storage agent dropping posture, on the rear first lateral guide 145 side, do not come into contact with the rear first protrusion portion 196b, i.e., the ice storage agents 11 can be dropped from the magazine outlet 73b side. Furthermore, when the first rear front-side cylinder 215 and the first rear back-side cylinder 216 are switched to a non-driven state, the rear first stopper portion 196 returns to a state in which it is disposed in the closed position.

[0131] As described above, the leading second stopper portion 195 and the rear first stopper portion 196 are provided in one member, the intermediate rotating member 192. In a configuration in which a rotating member having the rear first stopper portion 196 is provided as a member separate from the rotating member having the leading second stopper portion 195, and a rotating shaft for fixing the rotating member having the rear first stopper portion 196 is provided as a rotating shaft separate from the rotating shaft for fixing the rotating member having the leading second stopper portion 195, it becomes necessary to arrange two rotating shafts between the leading magazine unit 137 and the rear magazine unit 138 (specifically, between the leading second lateral guide 144 and the rear first lateral guide 145). In contrast, in this configuration, the intermediate rotating member 192 having the leading second stopper portion 195 and the rear first stopper portion 196 is rotatably fixed to the intermediate rotating shaft 202. This allows the distance between the front magazine unit 137 and the rear magazine unit 138 to be short. Therefore, for two containers 12 stopped on the container transport device 72 with the containers 12 in contact with each other, the magazine 73 in the refrigerant dropping position can be lowered until a part of the magazine 73 enters the container 12.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 12(c), the rear first side guide 145 has a rear first drop guide portion 145b that guides the side edge portion 11e (FIG. 11) of the cooling storage agent 11 that falls from the rear first storage space 135 on the rear first side guide 145 side when the magazine 73 is in the cooling storage agent drop posture. The length dimension of the rear first drop guide portion 145b in the guide direction (downward in FIG. 11, leftward in FIG. 12(c)) is 80 mm. The rear central guide 148 also has a rear central drop guide portion 148b. The rear central drop guide portion 148b guides the side edge portion 11d (FIG. 11) of the cooling storage agent 11 that falls from the rear first storage space 135 on the rear central guide 148 side. The length of the rear central fall guide portion 148b in the guide direction (downward in FIG. 11, leftward in FIG. 12(c)) is 250 mm. The length of the rear central fall guide portion 148b in the guide direction is greater than the length (220 mm) of the cold storage agent 11 in the longitudinal direction. This reduces the possibility that the fall position of the cold storage agent 11 will shift toward the rear central guide 148 when the cold storage agent 11 is dropped from the first rear housing space 135 into a container that does not have a partition wall on the rear central guide 148 side of the cold storage agent 11 or into a container in which the protruding dimension of the partition wall on the rear central guide 148 side of the cold storage agent 11 is reduced.

[0133] FIG. 12(d) is a side view of the magazine 73 in the cooling storage agent storage position as viewed from the rear second lateral guide 146 side. The configuration of the rear second stopper portion 197 is the same as the configuration of the front first stopper portion 194 described above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the rear rotating member 193 has a substantially cylindrical rear stopper fixing portion 223 on the magazine inlet 73a side of the rear second stopper portion 197. The rear stopper fixing portion 223 is a fixing portion for fixing the rear rotating member 193 to the rear rotating shaft 203. As shown in FIG. 12(d), the rear stopper fixing portion 223 extends from the outer side of the common front guide 141 to the outer side of the common back guide 142. As shown in FIG. 11, the rear rotating member 193 is fixed to the rear rotating shaft 203 in a state in which the rear rotating shaft 203 is inserted through the rear stopper fixing portion 223. This allows the rear rotating member 193 to rotate around the rear rotating shaft 203 .

[0134] As shown in FIG. 12(d), the rear second stopper portion 197 includes a plate-shaped rear second stopper body portion 197a extending from the rear stopper fixing portion 223 toward the magazine outlet 73b. A rear second protruding portion 197b (FIG. 11) protruding toward the rear central guide 148 is integrally formed on the rotation tip side of the rear second stopper body portion 197a. The rear second protruding portion 197b extends from a position between the common front guide 141 and the eleventh rear partition plate 181 (FIG. 10) to a position between the common back guide 142 and the eighteenth rear partition plate 188 (FIG. 10). The rear second lateral guide 146 is formed with a rear second through hole 146a through which the rear second protruding portion 197b can be inserted, and the rear second protruding portion 197b is inserted into the rear second through hole 146a.

[0135] As shown in FIG. 10, the second rear front cylinder 217 includes a second rear front rod 217a, and the second rear back cylinder 218 includes a second rear back rod 218a. The fixing manner of the second rear front cylinder 217 and the second rear back cylinder 218 in the rear magazine unit 138 is similar to the fixing manner of the second front front cylinder 213 and the second front back cylinder 214 in the front magazine unit 137. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the end of the second rear front cylinder 217 opposite to the second rear front rod 217a is rotatably fixed to the second rear front rotating shaft 241. In addition, the tip of the second rear front rod 217a is fixed to the rear second stopper main body portion 197a via the second rear front connecting piece 242. The end of the second rear back cylinder 218 opposite to the second rear back rod 218a is rotatably fixed to a second rear back rotation shaft (not shown). The tip of the second rear back rod 218a is fixed to the rear second stopper body part 197a via the second rear back connection piece 243. The second rear front rod 217a and the second rear back rod 218a move the rear second stopper part 197 from the closed position to the open position by pushing the rear second stopper body part 197a toward the outside of the rear magazine unit 138 (the side opposite to the rear second storage space 136), and move the rear second stopper part 197 from the open position to the closed position by pulling the rear second stopper body part 197a toward the inside of the rear magazine unit 138 (the rear second storage space 136 side).

[0136] As shown in Fig. 11, when the second rear front cylinder 217 and the second rear back cylinder 218 (Fig. 10) are in a non-driven state, the rear second stopper portion 197 is disposed in the closed position. When the rear second stopper portion 197 is in the closed position, the rear second protrusion portion 197b inserted through the rear second through hole 146a protrudes toward the rear central guide 148 side beyond the rear second side guide 146. As a result, in the magazine 73 in the cooling storage agent dropping position, the corners of the lower edge portions 11c of the nine cooling storage agents 11 accommodated in the rear second accommodation space 136 on the rear second side guide 146 side are in contact with and supported by the rear second protrusion portion 197b, that is, the movement of the cooling storage agents 11 toward the magazine outlet 73b side is restricted.

[0137] When the second rear front cylinder 217 and the second rear back cylinder 218 are switched to the driving state, the rear second stopper portion 197 rotates around the rear rotating shaft 203 to the open position in the opposite direction to the rear central guide 148 (see FIG. 15). When the rear second stopper portion 197 is in the open position, the rear second protrusion portion 197b inserted through the rear second through hole 146a does not protrude further toward the rear central guide 148 than the rear second lateral guide 146. This results in a state in which the corners of the lower edge portions 11c of the nine ice storage agents 11 housed in the rear second housing space 136 in the ice storage agent dropping posture, on the rear second lateral guide 146 side, do not come into contact with the rear second protrusion portion 197b, i.e., the ice storage agents 11 can be dropped from the magazine outlet 73b side. Furthermore, when the second rear front-side cylinder 217 and the second rear back-side cylinder 218 are switched to a non-driven state, the rear second stopper portion 197 returns to a state in which it is disposed in the closed position.

[0138] In this way, when the cylinders 211-218 of the magazine 73 are in a non-driven state, the front first stopper portion 194, the front second stopper portion 195, the rear first stopper portion 196, and the rear second stopper portion 197 are arranged in the closed position. Also, when the cylinders 211-218 are in a driven state, the stopper portions 194-197 move from the closed position to the open position. This allows the refrigerant 11 to move toward the magazine outlet 73b. Also, when the cylinders 211-218 are switched from a driven state to a non-driven state, the stopper portions 194-197 return to the closed position. In a situation where the refrigerant 11 is set from the refrigerant transport device 71 to the magazine 73, the stopper portions 194-197 are arranged in the closed position. This prevents the refrigerant 11 from moving toward the magazine outlet 73b side from the protruding portions 194b-197b.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 12(d), the rear second side guide 146 has a rear second drop guide portion 146b that guides the side edge portion 11d (FIG. 11) of the cooling storage agent 11 that falls from the rear second storage space 136 on the rear second side guide 146 side when the magazine 73 is in the cooling storage agent drop posture. The length dimension of the rear second drop guide portion 146b in the guide direction (downward in FIG. 11, rightward in FIG. 12(d)) is 80 mm. As already described, the rear center guide 148 has a rear center drop guide portion 148b. The rear center drop guide portion 148b guides the side edge portion 11e (FIG. 11) of the cooling storage agent 11 that falls from the rear second storage space 136 on the rear center guide 148 side. As already explained, the length dimension (250 mm) in the guide direction of the rear central fall guide portion 148b is larger than the length dimension (220 mm) in the longitudinal direction of the ice storage agent 11. This reduces the possibility that the falling position of the ice storage agent 11 will shift to the rear central guide 148 side when the ice storage agent 11 is dropped from the rear second housing space 136 into a container that does not have a partition wall on the rear central guide 148 side of the ice storage agent 11, or into a container in which the protruding dimension of the partition wall on the rear central guide 148 side of the ice storage agent 11 is reduced.

[0140] As already explained, the first to eighth leading side partition plates 151 to 158 are present on the leading side first side guide 143 side, and the eleventh to eighteenth leading side partition plates 161 to 168 are present on the leading side second side guide 144 side, sandwiching the leading side central guide 147. The pth leading side partition plate and the (p+10)th leading side partition plate (p is any of "1" to "8") form a pair. As shown in FIG. 11, the first leading side partition plate 151 has a first leading side inclined portion 151a on the magazine outlet 73b side, which is inclined from the leading side first side guide 143 toward the leading side central guide 147 toward the magazine outlet 73b side, and the eleventh leading side partition plate 161 has an eleventh leading side inclined portion 161a on the magazine outlet 73b side, which is inclined from the leading side second side guide 144 toward the leading side central guide 147 toward the magazine outlet 73b side. The first leading side inclined portion 151a is inclined from the end of the leading side first side guide 143 on the magazine outlet 73b side to the vicinity of the end of the leading side central guide 147 on the magazine outlet 73b side, and the eleventh leading side inclined portion 161a is inclined from the end of the leading side second side guide 144 on the magazine outlet 73b side to the vicinity of the end of the leading side central guide 147 on the magazine outlet 73b side. As a result, the pair of first leading side inclined portion 151a and eleventh leading side inclined portion 161a have a shape that tapers toward the vicinity of the tip 147a on the magazine outlet 73b side of the leading side central guide 147.

[0141] The second to eighth leading side partition plates 152 to 158 have the same shape as the first leading side partition plate 151 described above, and the twelfth to eighteenth leading side partition plates 162 to 168 have the same shape as the eleventh leading side partition plate 161 described above. A pair of pth leading side inclined portion and (p+10) leading side inclined portion (p is any of "1" to "8") have a shape that tapers toward the vicinity of the tip 147a on the magazine outlet 73b side of the leading side central guide 147. This makes it possible to make the leading side magazine unit 137 of the magazine 73 in the cooling storage agent dropping posture enter the container 12 stopped at the leading storage execution position while avoiding contact with the first to eighth side partition parts 31 to 38 and the eleventh to eighteenth side partition parts 41 to 48 provided on the container 12.

[0142] The leading central guide 147 protrudes 10 mm toward the magazine outlet 73b side beyond the ends of the first to eighth leading inclined portions 151a to 158a and the eleventh to eighteenth leading inclined portions 161a to 168a on the magazine outlet 73b side. This makes it possible to bring the leading end 147a on the magazine outlet 73b side of the leading central guide 147 close to the central bulge 51 (FIG. 3) of the container 12 when the ice storage agent 11 is dropped from the magazine 73 into the container 12.

[0143] The shapes of the first to eighth rear partitions 171 to 178 are the same as the shapes of the first to eighth leading partitions 151 to 158 described above, the shapes of the eleventh to eighteenth rear partitions 181 to 188 are the same as the shapes of the eleventh to eighteenth leading partitions 161 to 168 described above, and the shape of the rear central guide 148 is the same as the shape of the leading central guide 147 described above. Specifically, as already described, the first to eighth rear partitions 171 to 178 are present on the side of the rear first lateral guide 145, and the eleventh to eighteenth rear partitions 181 to 188 are present on the side of the rear second lateral guide 146, with the rear central guide 148 in between. As shown in FIG. 11, the pth rear partition and the (p+10)th rear partition (p is any one of "1" to "8") form a pair. 11, the first rear partition plate 171 has a first rear inclined portion 171a on the magazine outlet 73b side, which is inclined from the rear first side guide 145 toward the rear central guide 148, and the eleventh rear partition plate 181 has an eleventh rear inclined portion 181a on the magazine outlet 73b side, which is inclined from the rear second side guide 146 toward the rear central guide 148. The first rear inclined portion 171a is inclined from the end of the magazine outlet 73b side of the rear first side guide 145 to the vicinity of the end of the magazine outlet 73b side of the rear central guide 148, and the eleventh rear inclined portion 181a is inclined from the end of the magazine outlet 73b side of the rear second side guide 146 to the vicinity of the end of the magazine outlet 73b side of the rear central guide 148. As a result, the pair of first rear inclined portion 171a and eleventh rear inclined portion 181a have a shape that tapers toward the vicinity of the tip 148a on the magazine outlet 73b side of the rear central guide 148. Similarly, the pair of pth rear inclined portion and (p+10)th rear inclined portion (p is any of "1" to "8") have a shape that tapers toward the vicinity of the tip 148a on the magazine outlet 73b side of the rear central guide 148.Therefore, it is possible to insert the rear magazine unit 138 of the magazine 73 in the ice storage material dropping position into the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position while avoiding contact with the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 and the eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41 to 48 provided on the container 12.

[0144] The rear central guide 148 protrudes 10 mm toward the magazine outlet 73b side beyond the ends of the first to eighth rear inclined portions 171a to 178a and the eleventh to eighteenth rear inclined portions 181a to 188a on the magazine outlet 73b side. This makes it possible to bring the tip 148a on the magazine outlet 73b side of the rear central guide 148 close to the central bulge 51 (FIG. 3) of the container 12 when the ice storage agent 11 is dropped from the magazine 73 into the container 12.

[0145] <Travel mechanism> Next, the traveling mechanism 132 in the refrigerant storage device 74 will be described. As described above, the refrigerant storage device 74 includes the base 131 and the support 128 extending upward from the base 131. As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom surface of the base 131 is a horizontal plane parallel to the floor surface of the facility. As shown in FIG. 1, a traveling nut member 251 is fixed to the center of the lower side of the base 131. The traveling nut member 251 is fixed to the base 131 in a manner that protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the base 131. In addition, a traveling ball screw shaft 253 that is fitted into the traveling nut member 251 is disposed on the traveling base 252 disposed below the base 131. The traveling base 252 is disposed between the refrigerant transport device 71 and the storage control device 75. The traveling base 252 extends from the vicinity of the container transport device 72 to the opposite side to the container transport device 72. Further, the traveling ball screw shaft 253 extends from the vicinity of the container transport device 72 to the opposite side to the container transport device 72. An end of the traveling ball screw shaft 253 on the opposite side to the container transport device 72 is connected to a traveling servo motor 254, and an end of the traveling ball screw shaft 253 on the container transport device 72 side is connected to a traveling bearing portion 255.

[0146] A screw thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the traveling ball screw shaft 253. In addition, a screw thread is also formed on the inner peripheral surface of the traveling nut member 251 in correspondence with the screw thread of the traveling ball screw shaft 253. The traveling ball screw shaft 253 is inserted into the traveling nut member 251 in such a manner that the screw thread formed on the outer peripheral surface of the traveling ball screw shaft 253 is meshed with the screw thread formed on the inner peripheral surface of the traveling nut member 251. The traveling servo motor 254 rotates the traveling ball screw shaft 253 in the forward direction or the reverse direction. When the traveling servo motor 254 rotates the traveling ball screw shaft 253 in the forward direction, the traveling nut member 251 fitted to the traveling ball screw shaft 253 moves to the container transport device 72 side (the right side in FIG. 1). As a result, the pedestal 131 to which the traveling nut member 251 is fixed can be moved to the container transport device 72 side. In addition, by the traveling servo motor 254 rotating the traveling ball screw shaft 253 in the reverse direction, the traveling nut member 251 fitted to the traveling ball screw shaft 253 moves to the opposite side (left side in FIG. 1) from the container transport device 72. As a result, the base 131 to which the traveling nut member 251 is fixed can be moved to the opposite side from the container transport device 72. Since the traveling bearing portion 255 is provided at the end of the traveling ball screw shaft 253 on the opposite side from the traveling servo motor 254, the traveling ball screw shaft 253 is rotatable and the rotation axis of the traveling ball screw shaft 253 is prevented from being misaligned.

[0147] Next, a configuration for stabilizing the posture of the base 131 that moves toward the container transport device 72 side or the opposite side to the container transport device 72 by the rotation of the traveling ball screw shaft 253 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, first to fourth traveling slide guides 256 to 259 are provided on the underside of the base 131. The first to fourth traveling slide guides 256 to 259 are arranged at the four corners of the base 131. The first traveling slide guide 256 and the second traveling slide guide 257 are arranged at a predetermined interval on the container transport device 72 side from the third traveling slide guide 258 and the fourth traveling slide guide 259. The traveling base 252 is provided with a pair of first traveling guide rails 261 and second traveling guide rails 262 that are parallel to the traveling ball screw shaft 253. The first traveling guide rail 261 is disposed closer to the refrigerant transport device 71 than the traveling ball screw shaft 253, and the second traveling guide rail 262 is disposed on the opposite side of the refrigerant transport device 71 across the traveling ball screw shaft 253. The first traveling slide guide 256 and the third traveling slide guide 258 are slidably fitted into the first traveling guide rail 261, and the second traveling slide guide 257 and the fourth traveling slide guide 259 are fitted into the second traveling guide rail 262. When the traveling ball screw shaft 253 rotates forward or backward, the first to fourth traveling slide guides 256 to 259 slide along the traveling guide rails 261 and 262. This allows the base 131 to travel toward the container transport device 72 or the opposite side to the container transport device 72 in a stable posture.

[0148] The base 131 is movable between a cold storage agent setting position and a cold storage agent storage position that is set at a position 700 mm toward the container transport device 72 from the cold storage agent setting position. The cold storage agent setting position is a stop position of the base 131 in a situation where the cold storage agent 11 is set from the cold storage agent transport device 71 to the magazine 73. The cold storage agent storage position is a stop position of the base 131 in a situation where the container transport device 72 performs an operation of dropping the cold storage agent 11 from the magazine 73 into two containers 12 stopped at the first storage execution position and the second storage execution position to store them therein.

[0149] The refrigerant storage device 74 includes a traveling servo driver 263 connected to the storage control device 75 and a traveling encoder 264 connected to the traveling servo driver 263. The traveling encoder 264 detects the rotation position of the traveling ball screw shaft 253. The storage control device 75 transmits to the traveling servo driver 263 a first traveling drive signal for rotating the traveling ball screw shaft 253 forward or a second traveling drive signal for rotating the traveling ball screw shaft 253 backward. The traveling servo driver 263 drives the traveling servo motor 254 according to the received drive signal. In addition, the traveling servo driver 263 feeds back the rotation information of the traveling ball screw shaft 253 detected by the traveling encoder 264 to the traveling servo driver 263. Then, the traveling servo driver 263 feeds back the received rotation information to the storage control device 75. The storage control device 75 can grasp the position of the base 131 based on the rotation information received from the traveling servo driver 263.

[0150] <Lifting mechanism> Next, the lifting mechanism 129 of the refrigerant storage device 74 will be described. As described above, the refrigerant storage device 74 includes the lifting table 127 that lifts and lowers along the support 128 extending upward from the base 131. As shown in FIG. 1, the lifting table 127 is provided upright on the peripheral surface of the support 128 on the container transport device 72 side. FIG. 13 is a front view of the support 128, the lifting table 127, and the horizontal arm 126 as viewed from the container transport device 72 side. As shown in FIG. 13, a lifting nut member 271 is fixed to the center of the support 128 side of the lifting table 127. The lifting nut member 271 is fixed to the lifting table 127 in a manner that protrudes from the plate surface of the lifting table 127 on the support 128 side to the support 128 side. As a result, the lifting nut member 271 is present between the support 128 and the lifting table 127. Further, a lifting ball screw shaft 272 that fits into the lifting nut member 271 is disposed on the support 128. The lifting ball screw shaft 272 extends in the vertical direction along the support 128. The lifting ball screw shaft 272 is disposed on the support 128 side relative to the lifting table 127. As shown in FIG. 5, an upper end of the lifting ball screw shaft 272 is connected to a lifting servo motor 273, and a lower end of the lifting ball screw shaft 272 is connected to a lift bearing portion 274.

[0151] A screw thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lifting ball screw shaft 272. In addition, a screw thread is also formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lifting nut member 271 in correspondence with the screw thread of the lifting ball screw shaft 272. The lifting ball screw shaft 272 is inserted into the lifting nut member 271 in such a manner that the screw thread formed on the outer peripheral surface of the lifting ball screw shaft 272 is meshed with the screw thread formed on the inner peripheral surface of the lifting nut member 271. The lifting servo motor 273 rotates the lifting ball screw shaft 272 in the forward direction or the reverse direction. When the lifting servo motor 273 rotates the lifting ball screw shaft 272 in the forward direction, the lifting nut member 271 fitted to the lifting ball screw shaft 272 moves upward. This allows the lifting table 127 to which the lifting nut member 271 is fixed to be raised. Furthermore, the lifting servo motor 273 rotates the lifting ball screw shaft 272 in the reverse direction, whereby the lifting nut member 271 fitted to the lifting ball screw shaft 272 moves downward. This allows the lifting table 127 to which the lifting nut member 271 is fixed to be lowered. The lifting bearing portion 274 is provided at the end of the lifting ball screw shaft 272 opposite to the lifting servo motor 273, which allows the lifting ball screw shaft 272 to rotate and prevents the rotation axis of the lifting ball screw shaft 272 from shifting.

[0152] Next, a configuration for stabilizing the posture of the lift table 127 that moves upward or downward by the rotation of the lift ball screw shaft 272 will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, first to fourth lift slide guides 275 to 278 are provided at the four corners of the lift table 127. The first to fourth lift slide guides 275 to 278 are arranged on the support column 128 side. The third lift slide guide 277 and the fourth lift slide guide 278 are arranged at a predetermined interval downward from the first lift slide guide 275 and the second lift slide guide 276. The support column 128 is provided with a pair of first and second lift guide rails 281 and 282 that are parallel to the lift ball screw shaft 272. The first and second lift guide rails 281 and 282 are arranged between the support column 128 and the lift table 127. Further, the first lift guide rail 281 is disposed closer to the refrigerant transport device 71 than the lift ball screw shaft 272, and the second lift guide rail 282 is disposed on the opposite side of the lift ball screw shaft 272 from the refrigerant transport device 71. The first lift slide guide 275 and the third lift slide guide 277 are slidably fitted into the first lift guide rail 281, and the second lift slide guide 276 and the fourth lift slide guide 278 are fitted into the second lift guide rail 282. When the lift ball screw shaft 272 rotates forward or backward, the first to fourth lift slide guides 275 to 278 slide along the lift guide rails 281 and 282. This allows the lift table 127 to be raised or lowered in a stable position.

[0153] The lifting table 127 can be raised and lowered between a first set height position and a rotation execution height position that is set above the first set height position. Although details will be described later, the first set height position is a stop position of the lifting table 127 in a situation where an operation of setting the ice storage agent 11 on the top stage (first stage) of the magazine 73 is performed. The rotation execution height position is a stop position of the lifting table 127 in a situation where an operation of rotating the magazine 73 between the magazine storage position and the magazine drop position is performed.

[0154] As shown in FIG. 5, the cooling agent storage device 74 includes a lifting servo driver 283 connected to the storage control device 75, and a lifting encoder 284 connected to the lifting servo driver 283. The lifting encoder 284 detects the rotation position of the lifting ball screw shaft 272. The storage control device 75 transmits to the lifting servo driver 283 a first lifting drive signal for rotating the lifting ball screw shaft 272 forward or a second lifting drive signal for rotating the lifting ball screw shaft 272 backward. The lifting servo driver 283 drives the lifting servo motor according to the received drive signal. In addition, the lifting servo driver 283 feeds back the rotation information of the lifting ball screw shaft 272 detected by the lifting encoder 284 to the lifting servo driver 283. Then, the lifting servo driver 283 feeds back the received rotation information to the storage control device 75. The storage control device 75 can grasp the height position of the lift table 127 based on the rotation information received from the lift servo driver 283.

[0155] <Configuration for Rotatably Supporting Magazine> Next, a configuration for rotatably supporting the magazine 73 will be described. As described above, the magazine 73 is rotatably supported by the magazine support portion 125. As shown in FIG. 1, a horizontal arm 126 is fixed to the lift table 127, extending from the opposite side (lower side in FIG. 1) from the support column 128 to the side of the ice storage agent transport device 71 (upper side in FIG. 1). The horizontal arm 126 is disposed closer to the container transport device 72 than the lift table 127. The horizontal arm 126 extends from near the end of the running base 252 on the opposite side to the container transport direction (lower side in FIG. 1) to the container transport direction side of the end of the ice storage agent transport device 71 on the container transport direction side (upper side in FIG. 1). The above-mentioned magazine support portion 125 includes a pair of parallel first and second connection plates 285 and 286 that connect the horizontal arm 126 and the magazine 73.

[0156] The first connecting plate 285 and the second connecting plate 286 are plate-shaped members whose plate surfaces are vertical and whose plate thickness is 10 mm. The first connecting plate 285 is disposed on the container transport direction side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the refrigerant transport device 71, and the second connecting plate 286 is disposed on the opposite side of the container transport direction (lower side in FIG. 1) of the refrigerant transport device 71. The end of the first connecting plate 285 on the horizontal arm 126 side is screwed to the horizontal arm 126 from the opposite side of the horizontal arm 126. The end of the second connecting plate 286 on the horizontal arm 126 side is screwed to the horizontal arm 126 using a hinge 287. The first connecting plate 285 and the second connecting plate 286 extend in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm 126 from the horizontal arm 126 and in a direction inclined downward toward the container transport device 72.

[0157] A first bearing 288 is fixed to the plate surface of the first connecting plate 285 on the magazine 73 side. A first rotating shaft 291 is fixed to the outer plate surface of the leading side first side guide 143 of the magazine 73, that is, the plate surface on the first connecting plate 285 side. The end of the first rotating shaft 291 on the first connecting plate 285 side is inserted through the first bearing 288. A second bearing 292 is fixed to the plate surface of the second connecting plate 286 on the magazine 73 side. A second rotating shaft 293 is fixed to the outer plate surface of the rear side second side guide 146 of the magazine 73, that is, the plate surface on the second connecting plate 286 side. The end of the second rotating shaft 293 on the second connecting plate 286 side is inserted through the second bearing 292. The center lines of the first rotating shaft 291 and the second rotating shaft 293 are on the same straight line. As a result, the magazine 73 is rotatably supported by the first connecting plate 285 and the second connecting plate 286. A magazine rotation motor 294 for rotating the magazine 73 about the first rotation shaft 291 and the second rotation shaft 293 is provided on the plate surface of the second connecting plate 286 opposite to the magazine 73. The magazine rotation motor 294 is a stepping motor. The magazine 73 is rotatable between a cold storage agent storing position for setting the cold storage agent 11 supplied from the cold storage agent transport device 71 in the magazine 73 and a cold storage agent dropping position for dropping the cold storage agent 11 set in the magazine 73 into the container 12 for storage.

[0158] The storage control device 75 can rotate the magazine 73 in the forward direction by outputting a forward rotation signal to the magazine rotation motor 294, and can rotate the magazine 73 in the reverse direction by outputting a reverse rotation signal to the magazine rotation motor 294. The magazine 73 in the ice storage agent containing position is rotated 90 degrees in the forward direction to assume the ice storage agent dropping position. The magazine 73 in the ice storage agent dropping position is rotated 90 degrees in the reverse direction to assume the ice storage agent containing position.

[0159] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the ice storage agent 11 supplied from the ice storage agent transport device 71 until it is set in the magazine 73 and a part of the magazine 73 enters the containers 12 stopped at the first storage execution position and the second storage execution position in the container transport device 72. Figures 14(a) to 14(d) are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation of the ice storage agent storage device 74.

[0160] When the initialization operation is performed after power-on, as shown in Fig. 5, the magazine 73 is in the refrigerant storage position, the lift table 127 is in the first set height position, and the base 131 is in the refrigerant setting position. When the lift table 127 is in the first set height position, the top surfaces of the first leading partition plate 151, the eleventh leading partition plate 161, the first rear partition plate 171, and the eleventh rear partition plate 181 (Fig. 8) in the magazine 73 in the refrigerant storage position are in the same height position as the top surfaces of the first to fourth belt parts 81a to 84a (Fig. 2) in the refrigerant transport device 71. This makes it possible to set the refrigerant 11 in the first stage storage position in the magazine 73 in the refrigerant storage position. Further, when the lift table 127 is arranged at the first set height position and the base 131 is arranged at the refrigerant setting position, the distance between the end portions of the first to fourth belt portions 81a to 84a on the side of the refrigerant transport outlet 71c and the magazine inlet 73a is 30 mm. In this manner, when the lift table 127 is arranged at the first set height position and the base 131 is arranged at the refrigerant setting position, one refrigerant 11 is set in the first stage of the magazine 73 from each of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84. As a result, four refrigerant agents 11 are set in the first stage of the magazine 73.

[0161] After four ice storage agents 11 are set in the first stage of the magazine 73 from the ice storage agent transport device 71, a one-stage lifting operation is performed to lift the lift table 127 by one stage (specifically, 30 mm). As a result, the lift table 127 is placed at the second ice storage agent setting position. The second setting height position is a height position where the upper surfaces of the second leading side partition plate 152, the twelfth leading side partition plate 162, the second rear side partition plate 172, and the twelfth rear side partition plate 182 (FIG. 8) in the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent storage position are at the same height position as the upper surfaces of the first to fourth belt parts 81a to 84a (FIG. 2) in the ice storage agent transport device 71, and is a height position for setting the ice storage agent 11 at the second stage storage position in the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent storage position. In this manner, when the lift table 127 is disposed at the second set height position and the base 131 is disposed at the ice storage agent setting position, one ice storage agent 11 is set in the second tier of the magazine 73 from each of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84. As a result, four ice storage agents 11 are set in the second tier of the magazine 73.

[0162] In this manner, by repeating the operation of setting one level of refrigerant 11 in the magazine 73 from the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 and lifting the lift table 127 by one level, the magazine 73 in the refrigerant containing position is filled with refrigerant 11 up to the lowest level (the ninth level).

[0163] Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 14(a), an operation is performed to move the lift table 127, which is at the ninth set height position, 400 mm upward to the rotation execution height position. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 14(b), an operation is performed to move the base 131 700 mm toward the container transport device 72 side. This moves the base 131 from the ice storage agent setting position to the ice storage agent storing position. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 14(c), an operation is performed to rotate the magazine 73, which is in the ice storage agent storing position, by 90 degrees in the forward direction to switch it to the ice storage agent dropping position. Thereafter, in the container conveying device 72, under the condition that the two containers 12 are stopped at the storage execution position and the containers 12 are prevented from being displaced by the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e, and the second side positioning plate 119e, an operation is performed to lower the lift table 127, which is present at the rotation execution height position, by 293 mm to the storage execution height position as shown in FIG. 14(d). This results in a storage execution state in which a part of the magazine 73 is inserted into the container 12. Thereafter, an operation is performed to move the front side first stopper portion 194, the front side second stopper portion 195, the rear side first stopper portion 196, and the rear side second stopper portion 197 from the closed position to the open position. This causes the ice storage agent 11 to drop from the magazine outlet 73b into the container 12 and be stored in the container 12.

[0164] At the timing when the magazine 73 is switched from the ice storage material receiving position to the ice storage material dropping position, if the container 12 is not being positioned by the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e, and the second side positioning plate 119e, the lowering operation of the lift table 127 to the storage execution height position is held until the container 12 is positioned. This prevents the magazine 73 from lowering to the storage execution position even though there is no empty container 12 when the supply of empty containers 12 to the container transport device 72 is cut off.

[0165] In this way, the second set height position to the ninth set height position and the storage execution height position are set as stop positions of the lift table 127 between the first set height position and the rotation execution height position. The sth set height position (s is any of "1" to "9") is a stop position for setting the ice storage agent 11 in the sth stage of the magazine 73. The (p+1)th set position (p is any of "1" to "8") is set one stage above the pth set position. Also, the rotation execution height position is set 400 mm above the ninth set height position.

[0166] The first to eighth leading side partition plates 151 to 158 extend from the leading side first lateral guide 143 to the leading side central guide 147. As a result, compared to a configuration in which the protruding dimension of the first to eighth leading side partition plates 151 to 158 from the leading side first lateral guide 143 to the leading side central guide 147 is reduced, or a configuration in which the protruding dimension of the first to eighth leading side partition plates 151 to 158 from the leading side central guide 147 to the leading side first lateral guide 143 is reduced, the possibility of the ice storage agent 11 being displaced in the magazine 73 is reduced in an operation of lifting the lift table 127 by one step (30 mm), an operation of running the base 131 toward the container conveying device 72, an operation of switching the position of the magazine 73 from the ice storage agent containing position to the ice storage agent dropping position, or an operation of lowering the magazine 73 toward the container 12. The eleventh to eighteenth leading side partition plates 161-168, the first to eighth rear side partition plates 171-178, and the eleventh to eighteenth rear side partition plates 181-188 are similar to the above-mentioned first to eighth leading side partition plates 151-158. Specifically, the eleventh to eighteenth leading side partition plates 161-168 extend from the leading side second lateral guide 144 to the leading side central guide 147. In addition, the first to eighth rear side partition plates 171-178 extend from the rear side first lateral guide 145 to the rear side central guide 148, and the eleventh to eighteenth rear side partition plates 181-188 extend from the rear side second lateral guide 146 to the rear side central guide 148.

[0167] In this configuration, after the refrigerant 11 is set in the magazine 73 when the magazine 73 is in the refrigerant storage position, the magazine 73 is rotated to set the magazine 73 in the refrigerant dropping position. As a result, even if a part of the refrigerant 11 supplied from the refrigerant transport device 71 to the magazine 73 protrudes outside the magazine inlet 73a, the entire refrigerant 11 can be accommodated in the accommodation spaces 133-136 in the process of switching the magazine 73 to the refrigerant dropping position. Therefore, in the storage execution state, the refrigerant 11 can be dropped into the container 12 at the timing when the stopper parts 194-197 of the magazine 73 are switched from the closed position to the open position.

[0168] Next, the relationship between the magazine 73 and the container 12 in the storage execution state will be described. FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view of the magazine 73 and the container 12 in the storage execution state, with a part of the container 12 cut away. As already described, in the storage execution state, the magazine 73 is in the cooling agent dropping position. As shown in FIG. 15, in the storage execution state, a part of the leading center guide 147 and the rear center guide 148 enter the container 12, and further a part of the leading first side guide 143, the leading second side guide 144, the rear first side guide 145, and the rear second side guide 146 enter the container 12. As already described, in the leading magazine unit 137, a pair of the first to eighth leading partition plates 151 to 158 and the eleventh to eighteenth leading partition plates 161 to 168 that are present on either side of the leading center guide 147 are tapered toward the magazine outlet 73b. This allows the front magazine unit 137 to enter deeply into the container 12 stopped at the front storage execution position in a storage execution state. As already described, in the rear magazine unit 138, a pair of the first to eighth rear partition plates 171 to 178 and the eleventh to eighteenth rear partition plates 181 to 188 that are present on either side of the rear central guide 148 are configured to taper toward the magazine outlet 73b. This allows the rear magazine unit 138 to enter deeply into the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position in a storage execution state.

[0169] In the storage execution state, a part of the front central drop guide portion 147b, a part of the front first drop guide portion 143b, and a part of the front second drop guide portion 144b are inserted into the container 12 stopped at the front storage execution position, and a part of the rear central drop guide portion 148b, a part of the rear first drop guide portion 145b, and a part of the rear second drop guide portion 146b are inserted into the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position. In addition, in the storage execution state, the lower ends of the front first side guide 143, the front second side guide 144, the rear first side guide 145, and the rear second side guide 146 are located 30 mm above the side partition portions 31-38, 41-48 (FIG. 3) on the container 12 side. In addition, in the storage execution state, the stopper portions 194 to 197 of the magazine 73 are located above the upper end of the container 12, and the front side cylinders 211, 213, 215, 217 and the rear side cylinders 212, 214, 216, 218 (FIG. 10) are located above the upper end of the container 12.

[0170] In a storage execution state, the inclination angles of the 11th to 18th leading inclined portions 161a to 168a of the 11th to 18th leading partition plates 161 to 168 in the leading magazine unit 137 are approximately the same as the inclination angles of the 1st to 8th upper inclined surfaces 31a to 38a of the 1st to 8th side partition portions 31 to 38 in the leading container 12, and the inclination angles of the 1st to 8th leading inclined portions 151a to 158a of the 1st to 8th leading partition plates 151 to 158 are approximately the same as the inclination angles of the 11th to 18th upper inclined surfaces 41a to 48a of the 11th to 18th side partition portions 41 to 48 in the container 12. The leading inclined portions 161a-168a face the first to eighth upper inclined surfaces 31a-38a at intervals of 30 mm in the vertical direction, and the leading inclined portions 151a-158a face the eleventh to eighteenth upper inclined surfaces 41a-48a at intervals of 30 mm in the vertical direction. The intervals of 30 mm are less than 1 / 5 of the longitudinal dimension (220 mm) of the cooling storage agent 11 already described with reference to FIG. 2(a). Since the distance between the leading inclined portions 151a-158a, 161a-168a and the upper inclined surfaces 31a-38a, 41a-48a is less than 1 / 2 of the longitudinal dimension of the refrigerant 11, the possibility that the falling position of the refrigerant 11 and the storage position after the falling are shifted toward the third upright wall 16 or the fourth upright wall 17 of the container 12 is reduced in the leading container 12. Furthermore, since the distance between the leading inclined portions 151a-158a, 161a-168a and the upper inclined surfaces 31a-38a, 41a-48a is less than 1 / 5 of the longitudinal dimension of the refrigerant 11, the falling position of the refrigerant 11 and the storage position after the falling are prevented from shifting.

[0171] The relationship between the rear magazine unit 138 and the second container 12 from the front in the storage execution state is the same as the relationship between the front magazine unit 137 and the front container 12. Specifically, the inclination angles of the 11th to 18th rear inclined portions 181a to 188a of the 11th to 18th rear partition plates 181 to 188 in the rear magazine unit 138 are approximately the same as the inclination angles of the 1st to 8th upper inclined surfaces 31a to 38a of the 1st to 8th side partition portions 31 to 38 in the second container 12 from the front, and the inclination angles of the 1st to 8th rear inclined portions 171a to 178a of the 1st to 8th rear partition plates 171 to 178 are approximately the same as the inclination angles of the 11th to 18th upper inclined surfaces 41a to 48a of the 11th to 18th side partition portions 41 to 48 in the container 12. The rear inclined portions 181a-188a face the first to eighth upper inclined surfaces 31a-38a at an interval of 30 mm in the vertical direction, and the rear inclined portions 171a-178a face the eleventh to eighteenth upper inclined surfaces 41a-48a at an interval of 30 mm in the vertical direction. The interval of 30 mm is less than 1 / 5 of the longitudinal dimension (220 mm) of the refrigerant 11. Since the interval between the rear inclined portions 171a-178a, 181a-188a and the upper inclined surfaces 31a-38a, 41a-48a is less than 1 / 2 of the longitudinal dimension of the refrigerant 11, the possibility that the falling position of the refrigerant 11 and the storage position after the falling in the second container 12 from the front are shifted toward the third upright wall 16 or the fourth upright wall 17 of the container 12 is reduced. Furthermore, since the distance between the rear inclined portions 171a-178a, 181a-188a and the upper inclined surfaces 31a-38a, 41a-48a is less than 1 / 5 of the longitudinal dimension of the refrigerant 11, the falling position of the refrigerant 11 and the shifting of the stored position after falling are prevented.

[0172] In the storage execution state, the tips 147a, 148a of the central guides 147, 148 are located at a position spaced 22 mm above the center of the first to eighth bottom-side partitions 21-28. In addition, in the storage execution state, the tips 147a, 148a of the central guides 147, 148 face the central bulge 51 at a vertical interval of 25 mm. The interval of 25 mm is less than 1 / 5 of the longitudinal dimension (220 mm) of the refrigerant 11 already described with reference to FIG. 2(a). Since the interval between the central guides 147, 148 and the central bulge 51 is less than 1 / 2 of the longitudinal dimension of the refrigerant 11, the possibility that the drop position of the refrigerant 11 and the storage position after the drop are shifted toward the center of the container 12 is reduced. Furthermore, the distance between the central guides 147, 148 and the central bulge 51 is less than 1 / 5 of the longitudinal dimension of the refrigerant 11, thereby preventing the refrigerant 11 from falling and shifting from its stored position after falling.

[0173] In a storage execution state, the front first stopper portion 194 is switched from the closed position to the open position, so that the nine ice storage agents 11 present in the front first storage space 133 (Figure 10) of the magazine 73 are guided by the front first lateral guide 143, the front central guide 147, and the first to eighth front partition plates 151 to 158, and fall into the 11th to 19th storage areas 63a to 63i (Figure 3) in the front container 12 and are stored therein. In addition, in a storage execution state, the front second stopper portion 195 is switched from the closed position to the open position, so that the nine ice storage agents 11 present in the front second storage space 134 (Figure 10) of the magazine 73 are guided by the front central guide 147, the front second lateral guide 144, and the 11th to 18th front partition plates 161 to 168, and fall into the first to ninth storage areas 62a to 62i (Figure 3) of the front container 12 and are stored therein. Furthermore, in a storage execution state, the rear first stopper portion 196 is switched from the closed position to the open position, so that the nine ice storage agents 11 present in the rear first storage space 135 (Figure 10) of the magazine 73 are guided by the rear first lateral guide 145, the rear central guide 148, and the first to eighth rear partition plates 171 to 178, and fall into the 11th to 19th storage areas 63a to 63i in the second container 12 from the front, and are stored therein. In addition, when storage is being performed, the rear second stopper portion 197 is switched from the closed position to the open position, and the nine ice storage agents 11 present in the rear second storage space 136 (Figure 10) of the magazine 73 are guided by the rear central guide 148, the rear second lateral guide 146, and the 11th to 18th rear partition plates 181 to 188, and fall into the first to ninth storage areas 62a to 62i in the second container 12 from the front, where they are stored.

[0174] During storage, the front central guide 147 and the rear central guide 148 are configured to protrude downward further than the front first side guide 143, the front second side guide 144, the rear first side guide 145 and the rear second side guide 146. This reduces the possibility that the falling position of the ice storage agent 11 will shift toward the center of the container 12 (towards the central bulge 51) even in a configuration in which the upward protruding dimension of the central bulge 51 or the bottom partitions 21-28 at the center of the container 12 is reduced, or even in a configuration in which no partition is provided in the center of the container 12.

[0175] In the storage execution state, the common front guide 141 and the common back guide 142 are present outside the container 12 (above the container 12). In the storage execution state, if a part of the common front guide 141 is configured to be in the container 12, it is necessary to prepare a container in which the interval between the third standing wall 16 and the first bottom partition 21, the first side partition 31, and the eleventh side partition 41 is set to be wider than the interval between the nth bottom partition (n is any one of "1" to "7"), the nth side partition, and the (n+10)th side partition, and the (n+1)th bottom partition, the (n+1)th side partition, and the (n+11)th side partition. In contrast, in the storage execution state, the common front guide 141 is configured to be in the outside of the container 12. This makes it possible to store ice storage agent 11 in a container 12 in which the distance between the third upright wall 16 and the first bottom partition 21, the first side partition 31 and the eleventh side partition 41 is the same as the distance between the nth bottom partition (n is any one of "1" to "7"), the nth side partition and the (n+10)th side partition, and the (n+1)th bottom side partition, the (n+1)th side partition and the (n+11)th side partition. In addition, if a configuration is adopted in which a part of the common back guide 142 is inserted into the container 12 in the storage execution state, it is necessary to prepare a container in which the interval between the 8th bottom partition 28, the 8th side partition 38, and the 18th side partition 48 and the 4th upright wall 17 is set to be wider than the interval between the nth bottom partition (n is any one of "1" to "7"), the nth side partition, and the (n+10)th side partition, and the (n+1)th bottom partition, the (n+1)th side partition, and the (n+11)th side partition. In contrast, this is a configuration in which the common back guide 142 is present outside the container 12 in the storage execution state. This makes it possible to store ice storage agent 11 in a container 12 in which the distance between the 8th bottom partition 28, the 8th side partition 38 and the 18th side partition 48, and the 4th upright wall 17 is the same as the distance between the nth bottom partition (n is any one of "1" to "7"), the nth side partition and the (n+10)th side partition, and the (n+1)th bottom side partition, the (n+1)th side partition and the (n+11)th side partition.

[0176] In the front magazine unit 137, the pair of the first to eighth front partition plates 151 to 158 and the eleventh to eighteenth front partition plates 161 to 168 sandwiching the front central guide 147 are configured to taper toward the magazine outlet 73b side, so that in a storage execution state, the front inclined portions 151a to 158a, 161a to 168a can be in a state of being inserted into the container 12. This allows the cooling storage agent 11 dropping from the front first housing space 133 or the front second housing space 134 to be guided by the front inclined portions 151a to 158a, 161a to 168a. Therefore, compared with a configuration in which the first to eighth leading side partition plates 151-158 and the eleventh to eighteenth leading side partition plates 161-168 are present only up to the lower ends of the leading side first side guide 143 and the leading side second side guide 144, the possibility that the falling position of the ice storage agent 11 will shift toward the third standing wall 16 (FIG. 3) side or the fourth standing wall 17 (FIG. 3) side is reduced in the container 12 stopped at the leading storage execution position. As in the leading side magazine unit 137, in the rear magazine unit 138, a pair of the first to eighth rear side partition plates 171-178 and the eleventh to eighteenth rear side partition plates 181-188 that are present across the rear central guide 148 are configured to taper toward the magazine outlet 73b side, so that the rear inclined portions 171a-178a, 181a-188a can be in a state in which they are inserted into the container 12 in the storage execution state. This allows the refrigerant 11 dropping from the rear first housing space 135 or the rear second housing space 136 to be guided by the rear inclined portions 171a-178a, 181a-188a. Therefore, compared with a configuration in which the first to eighth rear partition plates 171-178 and the eleventh to eighteenth rear partition plates 181-188 only extend up to the lower ends of the rear first side guide 145 and the rear second side guide 146, the possibility that the drop position of the refrigerant 11 will shift to the third upright wall 16 (FIG. 3) side or the fourth upright wall 17 (FIG. 3) side is reduced in the container 12 stopped at the second storage execution position.

[0177] In the storage execution state, in the front magazine unit 137, the front first side guide 143 extends from the front first stopper portion 194 to the vicinity of the eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41 to 48 of the container 12. This reduces the possibility that the falling position of the ice storage agent 11 shifts to the first standing wall 14 side or the second standing wall 15 side of the container 12, compared to a configuration in which no guide exists between the front first stopper portion 194 and the eleventh to eighteenth side partitions 41 to 48. In addition, in the storage execution state, the front second side guide 144 extends from the front second stopper portion 195 to the vicinity of the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 of the container 12. As a result, compared to a configuration in which no guide exists between the front second stopper portion 195 and the first to eighth side partition portions 31 to 38, the possibility that the falling position of the refrigerant 11 will be shifted toward the first standing wall 14 side or the second standing wall 15 side is reduced. As with the front magazine unit 137, in the storage execution state, in the rear magazine unit 138, the rear first side guide 145 extends from the rear first stopper portion 196 to the vicinity of the eleventh to eighteenth side partition portions 41 to 48 of the container 12. As a result, compared to a configuration in which no guide exists between the rear first stopper portion 196 and the eleventh to eighteenth side partition portions 41 to 48, the possibility that the falling position of the refrigerant 11 will be shifted toward the first standing wall 14 side or the second standing wall 15 side is reduced. In addition, in the storage execution state, the rear second side guide 146 extends from the rear second stopper portion 197 to the vicinity of the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38 of the container 12. This reduces the possibility that the falling position of the ice storage agent 11 will shift to the first standing wall 14 side or the second standing wall 15 side, compared to a configuration in which no guide exists between the rear second stopper portion 197 and the first to eighth side partitions 31 to 38.

[0178] In this configuration, the four stopper parts 194-197 provided on the magazine 73 are moved from the closed position to the open position at the same time. This allows 36 ice storage agents 11 to be dropped simultaneously from the magazine 73 into the two containers 12. If the ice storage agents 11 are dropped in a plurality of batches, for example, 18 ice storage agents 11 are dropped into the leading container 12 and then the next 18 ice storage agents 11 are dropped into the second container 12 from the front, there is a risk that the second container 12 from the front may be displaced due to the impact of the first 18 ice storage agents 11 being dropped. In contrast, by dropping 36 ice storage agents 11 simultaneously, the possibility that the ice storage agents 11 will be displaced from the storage areas 62a-62i, 63a-63i is reduced.

[0179] In the front magazine unit 137, when the front first stopper portion 194 is positioned in the closed position in the ice storage material drop posture, the corner of the lower edge portion 11c of the ice storage material 11 contained in the front first storage space 133 on the front first side guide 143 side is supported from below by the front first stopper portion 194, and the side edge portion 11d of the ice storage material 11 on the opposite side to the front first stopper portion 194 is supported by the front central guide 147. In addition, when the front-side second stopper portion 195 is positioned in the closed position in the ice storage material drop posture, the corner of the lower edge portion 11c of the ice storage material 11 contained in the front-side second storage space 134 on the front-side second lateral guide 144 side is supported from below by the front-side second stopper portion 195, and the side edge portion 11e of the ice storage material 11 on the opposite side to the front-side second stopper portion 195 is supported by the front-side central guide 147. As with the front magazine unit 137 described above, with respect to the rear magazine unit 138, when the rear first stopper portion 196 is positioned in the closed position in the ice storage material drop posture, the corner of the lower edge portion 11c of the ice storage material 11 contained in the rear first storage space 135 on the side of the rear first side guide 145 is supported from below by the rear first stopper portion 196, and the side edge portion 11d of the ice storage material 11 on the opposite side to the rear first stopper portion 196 is supported by the rear central guide 148. In addition, in the cooling storage agent dropping posture, when the rear second stopper portion 197 is disposed at the closed position, the corner of the lower edge portion 11c of the cooling storage agent 11 contained in the rear second housing space 136 on the side of the rear second lateral guide 146 is supported from below by the rear second stopper portion 197, and the side edge portion 11e of the cooling storage agent 11 on the opposite side to the rear second stopper portion 197 is supported by the rear central guide 148. Thus, in the cooling storage agent dropping posture, the stopper portions 194 to 197 support one corner of the lower edge portion 11c of the cooling storage agent 11, and the other side of the cooling storage agent 11 is supported by the front central guide 147 or the rear central guide 148.The stopper portions 194-197 support one corner of the magazine 73, which simplifies the magazine 73 configuration compared to a configuration in which the stopper portions 194-197 are provided on both sides of the refrigerant 11. Also, the protruding dimension of the stopper portions 194-197 when the stopper portions 194-197 move to the open position is reduced compared to a configuration in which the stopper portions 194-197 support substantially the entire lower edge portion 11c of the refrigerant 11. This improves safety.

[0180] As already explained, the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e and the second side positioning plate 119e prevent horizontal positional shifting of the two containers 12 to be stored, thereby reducing the possibility that the ice storage material 11 will fall to a position other than the storage areas 62a-62i, 63a-63i within the container 12.

[0181] Next, an operation of dropping the refrigerant 11 from the magazine 73 into the container 12 and storing it therein until a new refrigerant 11 can be set in the magazine 73 will be described.

[0182] After storing the ice storage agent 11 in the container 12, the lift table 127, which is at the storage execution height position, is raised by 293 mm to the rotation execution height position as shown in FIG. 14(c). This allows the magazine 73 to be rotated without coming into contact with the container 12. Then, the magazine 73 (FIG. 14(c)) in the ice storage agent dropping position is rotated 90 degrees in the opposite direction to switch to the ice storage agent storing position (FIG. 14(b)). Then, the base 131, which is at the ice storage agent storing position, is moved in the opposite direction to the container conveying device 72 to the ice storage agent setting position as shown in FIG. 14(a). Then, the lift table 127 is lowered to the first set height position. This results in the magazine 73 being in a refrigerant storage position, the lift table 127 being at the first set height position, and the base 131 being at the refrigerant set position, i.e., the magazine 73 being able to store refrigerant 11 from the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84.

[0183] As already explained, the ice storage agent storage system 10 includes the storage control device 75. As shown in Fig. 1, the storage control device 75 is provided on the opposite side of the traveling base 252 to the ice storage agent transport device 71. On the front side of the storage control device 75, an operation start button 301, an operation stop button 302, and an initialization execution button 303 are provided.

[0184] When the power supply of the storage control device 75 is turned on while the initialization execution button 303 is being operated, the initialization operation of the ice storage agent storage system 10 is executed. Then, by executing the initialization operation of the ice storage agent storage system 10, the ice storage agent transport device 71 is in a state where the transport operation by the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 is stopped. In addition, the first to fourth ice storage agent stopping devices 91 to 94 and the fifth to eighth ice storage agent stopping devices 95 to 98 are in a movement permitted state. Furthermore, the container transport device 72 is in a state where the transport operation by the roller conveyor is stopped. In addition, the preliminary container stopper 116a, the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning cylinder 117a, the first side positioning cylinder 118a, and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are in a non-driven state. Furthermore, the ice storage agent storage device 74 is in a state where the magazine 73 is in a ice storage agent storing position, the base 131 is in a ice storage agent setting position, and the lift table 127 is in a first set height position.

[0185] After the power is turned on, the operation of the ice storage agent storage system 10 is started by operating the operation start button 301. The operation of the ice storage agent storage system 10 is stopped by operating the operation stop button 302. The operation stop button 302 is operated by an operator when the work of storing the ice storage agent 11 in the container 12 is to be interrupted, such as when there is no more collected ice storage agent 11 to be supplied to the ice storage agent transport device 71, when there is no more empty container 12 to be supplied to the container transport device 72, or when a person has entered the vicinity of the ice storage agent storage device 74. After the operation stop button 302 is operated to stop the operation of the ice storage agent storage system 10, the operation start button 301 is operated to start the operation of the ice storage agent storage system 10.

[0186] If the initialization operation is performed when the power is turned on, the initialization operation may be performed when the refrigerant 11 is stored in the magazine 73, and an operation to store the refrigerant 11 may be performed in the magazine 73 that already contains the refrigerant 11. To cope with this, an initialization execution button 303 is provided, and the configuration allows the user to select whether or not to execute the initialization operation after the power is turned on. This makes it possible to avoid the execution of the initialization operation when the supply of operating power to the storage control device 75 starts after the supply of operating power to the storage control device 75 is stopped due to a power outage or the like.

[0187] 16 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the ice storage agent storage system 10. The storage control device 75 is equipped with a storage control board 304. The storage control board 304 is equipped with a CPU 305, a ROM 306 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 305, and a RAM 307 that is a memory for temporarily storing various data and the like when the control programs stored in the ROM 306 are executed.

[0188] The operating power for the storage control device 75, ice storage material transport device 71, container transport device 72, ice storage material storage device 74, first to eighth ice storage material stopping devices 91 to 98, target container stopping device 115, advance container stopping device 116, rear positioning device 117, first side positioning device 118, second side positioning device 119, and cylinders 211 to 218 for opening and closing stopper portions 194 to 197 of the magazine 73 is supplied from a power supply unit (not shown) built into the storage control device 75.

[0189] The storage control board 304 is provided with an input port and an output port (not shown). As shown in Fig. 16, the input side of the storage control device 75 is connected to an operation start button 301, an operation stop button 302, an initialization execution button 303, the first to fourth refrigerant detection sensors 105 to 108, the first to fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensors 111 to 114, the leading container detection sensor 121, the second container detection sensor 122, the advance container detection sensor 123, and the intermediate container detection sensor 124. The output side of the storage control device 75 is connected to the first to fourth conveyor drive units 85 to 88 of the refrigerant transport device 71, and also to a transport motor 72e built into the transport roller 72d of the container transport device 72. The output side of the storage control device 75 is connected to the actuators 91a-98a, 91b-98b of the first to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 91-98, the target stopper driving unit 115b, the advance stopper driving unit 116b, the rear positioning cylinder 117a, the first side positioning cylinder 118a, and the second side positioning cylinder 119a. The output side of the storage control device 75 is connected to the cylinders 211-218 for opening and closing the stopper units 194-197 of the magazine 73. The input and output sides of the storage control device 75 are connected to the traveling servo driver 263 and the lifting servo driver 283. The storage control device 75 may be configured to include a remote control provided with an operation start button 301, an operation stop button 302, and an initialization execution button 303, and a receiving unit for receiving operation information of the buttons transmitted from the remote control.

[0190] Next, before describing the main processing (FIG. 17(a)) executed by the CPU 305, the configuration of the RAM 307 used in the main processing will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, the RAM 307 is provided with a stop state flag 307a. The stop state flag 307a is a flag that enables the CPU 305 to grasp that the operation is stopped. In the operation stopped state, the operation of transporting the refrigerant 11 in the refrigerant storage agent transport device 71 is stopped, and the operation of transporting the container 12 in the container transport device 72 is stopped. In the operation stopped state, the operation of the refrigerant storage agent storage device 74 is stopped.

[0191] <Main processing> Next, the main processing executed by the CPU 305 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 17(a). The main processing is executed when the supply of operating power to the storage control device 75 is started. The main processing is started in a state in which interrupts due to timer interrupt processing (Fig. 17(b)) described later are prohibited.

[0192] First, it is determined whether the initialization execution button 303 is operated (step S101). If the determination is affirmative in step S101, that is, if the supply of operating power to the storage control device 75 is started while the initialization execution button 303 is being operated, an initialization operation execution process is executed (step S102). In the initialization operation execution process, the initialization operation of the ice storage agent storage system 10 is executed. By executing the initialization operation, the magazine 73 is in the ice storage agent storage posture. In addition, the base 131 is in a state where it is present at the ice storage agent set position, and the lift table 127 is in a state where it is present at the first set height position. Furthermore, the first to eighth ice storage agent stopping devices 91 to 98 are in a movement permitted state. In addition, the target stopper driving unit 115b, the advance stopper driving unit 116b, the rear positioning cylinder 117a, the first side positioning cylinder 118a, and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are in a non-driven state. The initialization operation execution process is ended when the initialization operation of the ice storage agent storage system 10 is ended.

[0193] When a negative determination is made in step S101 or when the process of step S102 is performed, the stop state flag 307a is set to "1" (step S103). This allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the operation is stopped. In this way, the operation is stopped in both cases where the initialization operation is performed or not performed after the supply of operating power to the CPU 305 is started. This allows the transport of the refrigerant 11 in the refrigerant transport device 71 and the transport of the container 12 in the container transport device 72 to be stopped until the operation start button 301 is operated, and allows the operation of the refrigerant storage device 74 to be stopped.

[0194] After executing the process of step S103, an interrupt by a timer interrupt process is permitted (step S104). This causes an interruption to the main process (FIG. 17(a)) at a cycle of 4 milliseconds, and a timer interrupt process (FIG. 17(b)) to be described later is executed. Thereafter, a stop operation response process is executed in steps S105 to S111. In the stop operation response process, if the stop state flag 307a is set to "1" (step S105: YES), it is determined whether or not an operation of the operation start button 301 has been detected (step S106), and if an operation of the operation start button 301 has not been detected (step S106: NO), the process returns to step S105.

[0195] When the operation of the operation start button 301 is detected (step S106: YES), the stop state flag 307a is cleared to "0" (step S107). This ends the operation stop state. After that, the operation start process is executed (step S108). In the operation start process, when the operation interruption information is stored in the RAM 307, the operation that has been interrupted in the ice storage agent transport device 71, the container transport device 72, and the ice storage agent storage device 74 is resumed based on the operation interruption information. The operation interruption information is stored in the RAM 307 in step S111 described later. Also, when the operation interruption information is not stored in the RAM 307, such as when the operation start process (step S108) is executed for the first time after the supply of operating power to the CPU 305 is started, the operation start process (step S108) is terminated as it is. After the operation start process is executed in step S108, the process returns to step S105.

[0196] If it is determined in step S105 that the value of the stop state flag 307a is "0", it is determined whether or not the operation of the operation stop button 302 is detected (step S109). If the operation of the operation stop button 302 is not detected (step S109: NO), the process returns to step S105. If the operation of the operation stop button 302 is detected (step S109: YES), the stop state flag 307a is set to "1" (step S110). This allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the operation is in a stopped state. Thereafter, the operation stop process is executed (step S111), and the process returns to step S105. In the operation stop process (step S111), the operation interruption information referred to in the above-mentioned operation start process (step S108) is stored in the RAM 307. This makes it possible to resume the operation that is interrupted this time after the operation stop state ends. In the operation stop process (step S111), the operation of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 in the refrigerant transport device 71 is stopped, and the rotation of the transport roller 72d in the container transport device 72 is stopped. In the operation stop process (step S111), the operation of the refrigerant storage device 74 is stopped.

[0197] In this way, in the main process (FIG. 17(a)), after the interrupt permission process is executed in step S104, the stop operation response process (steps S105 to S111) is executed. This makes it possible to quickly start the operation stop state when the operation stop button 302 is operated. Also, when the operation start button 301 is operated in the operation stop state, the operation stop state can be ended.

[0198] Next, the timer interrupt process executed by the CPU 305 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 17(b). As already described, the timer interrupt process is executed periodically at a cycle of 4 milliseconds after the interrupt permission process is executed in step S104 of the main process (Fig. 17(a)).

[0199] When the stop state flag 307a is set to "1" (step S201: YES), the timer interrupt process (FIG. 17(b)) is terminated without executing the processes of steps S202 to S204. As a result, in the operation stop state, the transport of the refrigerant 11 in the refrigerant transport device 71 and the transport of the container 12 in the container transport device 72 can be prevented. Also, in the operation stop state, the operation of the refrigerant storage device 74 can be stopped.

[0200] If the value of the stop state flag 307a is “0” (step S201: NO), a first refrigerant transport side process described later is executed in step S202, a first container transport side process described later is executed in step S203, and a first refrigerant storage side process described later is executed in step S204, and this timer interrupt process (FIG. 17(b)) is terminated.

[0201] Next, before describing the first refrigerant transfer process (FIG. 18) executed in step S202 of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 17(b)), the configuration of the RAM 307 used in the first refrigerant transfer process will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, the RAM 307 is provided with a first refrigerant preparation flag 307b, a second refrigerant preparation flag 307c, a third refrigerant preparation flag 307d, a fourth refrigerant preparation flag 307e, and a refrigerant side status counter 307f. The first refrigerant preparation flag 307b is a flag that allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the leading refrigerant 11 on the first conveyor 81 is stopped by the first refrigerant stopping device 91 and the second leading refrigerant 11 is stopped by the fifth refrigerant stopping device 95. The second refrigerant preparation flag 307c allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the first refrigerant 11 on the second conveyor 82 is stopped by the second refrigerant stopping device 92 and the second refrigerant 11 from the top is stopped by the sixth refrigerant stopping device 96. The third refrigerant preparation flag 307d allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the first refrigerant 11 on the third conveyor 83 is stopped by the third refrigerant stopping device 93 and the second refrigerant 11 from the top is stopped by the seventh refrigerant stopping device 97. The fourth refrigerant preparation flag 307e allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the first refrigerant 11 on the fourth conveyor 84 is stopped by the fourth refrigerant stopping device 94 and the second refrigerant 11 from the top is stopped by the eighth refrigerant stopping device 98.

[0202] The refrigerant side status counter 307f is set with any one of numerical values ​​"0" to "2" according to the operation status of the refrigerant transport device 71. The state where the value of the refrigerant side status counter 307f is "0" corresponds to a stage where an operation is performed to make the leading refrigerant 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 of the refrigerant transport device 71 stop at the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94. The state where the value of the refrigerant side status counter 307f is "1" corresponds to a stage where an operation is performed to make the second leading refrigerant 11 stop at the fifth to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 95 to 98 in a state where the leading refrigerant 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 is stopped at the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94. In addition, the state where the value of the ice storage material side status counter 307f is "2" corresponds to a stage where an operation is performed to move the leading ice storage material 11 toward the magazine 73 when the second leading ice storage material 11 from the front on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 is stopped by the fifth to eighth ice storage material stopping devices 95 to 98.

[0203] Next, the first cooling storage agent delivery process executed in step S202 of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 17(b)) will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0204] First, it is determined whether the value of the refrigerant side state counter 307f is "0" (step S301). As already described, the state where the value of the refrigerant side state counter 307f is "0" corresponds to the stage where an operation is performed to make the leading refrigerant 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 of the refrigerant transport device 71 stop at the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94. When the first refrigerant transport side process (FIG. 18) is executed for the first time after the supply of operating power to the CPU 305 is started, the value of the refrigerant side state counter 307f is "0". Also, the value of the refrigerant side state counter 307f is cleared to "0" in step S709 of the first refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 22) described later.

[0205] If the value of the ice storage agent side state counter 307f is "0" (step S301: YES), the first to fourth ice storage agent stopping devices 91-94 are set to the blocking execution state (step S302). Then, the ice storage agent transport start process is executed to start the operation of the first to fourth conveyors 81-84 (step S303). Then, the ice storage agent side state counter 307f is set to "1" (step S304), and the first ice storage agent transport side process (FIG. 18) is terminated. By setting the ice storage agent side state counter 307f to "1" in step S304, in the next first ice storage agent transport side process (FIG. 18), a positive determination is made in step S305, and the process of steps S306 to S318 is executed.

[0206] If the value of the refrigerant side state counter 307f is "1" (step S301: NO, step S305: YES), it is determined whether the first to fourth refrigerant preparation flags 307b to 307e are set to "1" (step S306). The process of setting the first to fourth refrigerant preparation flags 307b to 307e to "1" is executed in steps S309, S312, S315, and S318 described later. If the first to fourth refrigerant preparation flags 307b to 307e are set to "1" (step S306: YES), the first refrigerant transport process (FIG. 18) is ended.

[0207] When the value of one or more of the first to fourth ice storage agent preparation flags 307b to 307e is "0" (step S306: NO), it is determined whether the state of the first ice storage agent preparation detection sensor 111 has changed from not detecting the ice storage agent 11 to detecting the ice storage agent 11 (step S307). Since the first ice storage agent stopping device 91 is set to the blocking execution state in the above-mentioned step S302, when the first ice storage agent preparation detection sensor 111 starts detecting the ice storage agent 11, the first ice storage agent 11 at the top of the first conveyor 81 is stopped by the first ice storage agent stopping device 91. When the first ice storage agent preparation detection sensor 111 starts detecting the ice storage agent 11 (step S307: YES), the fifth ice storage agent stopping device 95 is set to the blocking execution state (step S308). As a result, the second refrigerant 11 from the front on the first conveyor 81 is stopped by the fifth refrigerant stopping device 95. After that, the first refrigerant preparation flag 307b is set to "1" (step S309). As a result, the CPU 305 can grasp that the first refrigerant 11 on the first conveyor 81 is stopped by the first refrigerant stopping device 91 and the second refrigerant 11 from the front is stopped by the fifth refrigerant stopping device 95.

[0208] When the negative determination is made in step S307 or when the process of step S309 is performed, it is determined whether the state of the second refrigerant preparation detection sensor 112 has changed from not detecting the refrigerant 11 to detecting the refrigerant 11 (step S310). Since the second refrigerant stopping device 92 is set to the blocking execution state in the above-mentioned step S302, when the second refrigerant preparation detection sensor 112 starts detecting the refrigerant 11, the first refrigerant 11 on the second conveyor 82 is stopped by the second refrigerant stopping device 92. When the second refrigerant preparation detection sensor 112 starts detecting the refrigerant 11 (step S310: YES), the sixth refrigerant stopping device 96 is set to the blocking execution state (step S311). As a result, the second refrigerant 11 from the front on the second conveyor 82 is stopped by the sixth refrigerant stopping device 96. Thereafter, the second refrigerant preparation flag 307c is set to "1" (step S312). This allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the first refrigerant 11 on the second conveyor 82 is stopped by the second refrigerant stopping device 92 and that the second refrigerant 11 from the front is stopped by the sixth refrigerant stopping device 96.

[0209] When a negative determination is made in step S310, or when the process of step S312 is performed, it is determined whether or not the state in which the third refrigerant preparation detection sensor 113 detects the refrigerant 11 has changed from not detecting the refrigerant 11 to detecting the refrigerant 11 (step S313). Since the third refrigerant stopping device 93 is set to the blocking execution state in the above-mentioned step S302, when the third refrigerant preparation detection sensor 113 starts detecting the refrigerant 11, the leading refrigerant 11 is stopped by the third refrigerant stopping device 93 on the third conveyor 83. When the third refrigerant preparation detection sensor 113 starts detecting the refrigerant 11 (step S313: YES), the seventh refrigerant stopping device 97 is set to the blocking execution state (step S314). As a result, the second refrigerant 11 from the leading refrigerant 11 on the third conveyor 83 is stopped by the seventh refrigerant stopping device 97. Thereafter, the third refrigerant preparation flag 307d is set to "1" (step S315). This allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the leading refrigerant 11 on the third conveyor 83 is stopped by the third refrigerant stopping device 93 and that the second leading refrigerant 11 is stopped by the seventh refrigerant stopping device 97.

[0210] When the negative determination is made in step S313 or when the process of step S315 is performed, it is determined whether the state in which the fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensor 114 detects the refrigerant 11 has changed from not detecting the refrigerant 11 to detecting the refrigerant 11 (step S316). Since the fourth refrigerant stopping device 94 is set to the blocking execution state in the above-mentioned step S302, when the fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensor 114 starts detecting the refrigerant 11, the leading refrigerant 11 is stopped by the fourth refrigerant stopping device 94 on the fourth conveyor 84. When the fourth refrigerant preparation detection sensor 114 starts detecting the refrigerant 11 (step S316: YES), the eighth refrigerant stopping device 98 is set to the blocking execution state (step S317). As a result, the second refrigerant 11 from the leading refrigerant 11 on the fourth conveyor 84 is stopped by the eighth refrigerant stopping device 98. Thereafter, the fourth refrigerant preparation flag 307e is set to "1" (step S318). This allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the leading refrigerant 11 on the fourth conveyor 84 is stopped by the fourth refrigerant stopping device 94 and that the second leading refrigerant 11 is stopped by the eighth refrigerant stopping device 98.

[0211] If a negative determination is made in step S305, that is, if the value of the ice storage agent side counter 307f is "2", a second ice storage agent transport side process (FIG. 19) described later is executed in step S319, and the first ice storage agent transport side process (FIG. 18) is terminated. The process of setting the ice storage agent side counter 307f to "2" is executed in step S704 of a first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) described later.

[0212] Next, before describing the second refrigerant transfer process (FIG. 19) executed in step S319 of the first refrigerant transfer process (FIG. 18), the configuration of the RAM 307 used in the second refrigerant transfer process will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, the RAM 307 is provided with a refrigerant setting completion flag 307g, a first refrigerant setting flag 307h, a second refrigerant setting flag 307j, a third refrigerant setting flag 307k, a fourth refrigerant setting flag 307m, and a refrigerant timer counter 307n. The refrigerant setting completion flag 307g is a flag that enables the CPU 305 to grasp that the refrigerant 11 has been set in the magazine 73 from each of the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84, that is, that one stage (four pieces) of the refrigerant 11 has been set in the magazine 73 from the refrigerant transfer device 71.

[0213] The first ice storage agent set flag 307h is a flag that enables the CPU 305 to grasp that the leading ice storage agent 11 on the first conveyor 81 has moved closer to the magazine 73 than the detection range of the first ice storage agent detection sensor 105. The second ice storage agent set flag 307j is a flag that enables the CPU 305 to grasp that the leading ice storage agent 11 on the second conveyor 82 has moved closer to the magazine 73 than the detection range of the second ice storage agent detection sensor 106. The third ice storage agent set flag 307k is a flag that enables the CPU 305 to grasp that the leading ice storage agent 11 on the third conveyor 83 has moved closer to the magazine 73 than the detection range of the third ice storage agent detection sensor 107. The fourth ice storage agent set flag 307m is a flag that enables the CPU 305 to grasp that the leading ice storage agent 11 on the fourth conveyor 84 has moved closer to the magazine 73 than the detection range of the fourth ice storage agent detection sensor 108. The refrigerant side timer counter 307n is a timer counter that can grasp whether one second has passed since the passage of the refrigerant 11 was detected by the first to fourth refrigerant detection sensors 105 to 108. When the value of the refrigerant side timer counter 307n is 1 or more, the refrigerant side timer counter 307n is updated at a cycle of 4 milliseconds. "1" in the refrigerant side timer counter 307n corresponds to 4 milliseconds.

[0214] Next, the second refrigerant transfer process executed in step S319 of the first refrigerant transfer process (FIG. 18) will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0215] When the ice storage agent setting completion flag 307g is set to "1" (step S401: YES), the second ice storage agent transport process (FIG. 19) is terminated without executing the processes in and after step S402. When the ice storage agent setting completion flag 307g is not set to "1" (step S401: NO), that is, when the setting of one stage (four pieces) of ice storage agents 11 from the ice storage agent transport device 71 to the magazine 73 is not completed, it is determined whether the values ​​of the first to fourth ice storage agent setting flags 307h, 307j, 307k, 307m are "1" (step S402). When the value of one or more of the first to fourth ice storage agent set flags 307h, 307j, 307k, and 307m is "0" (step S402: NO), it is determined whether the state where the ice storage agent 11 is detected by the first ice storage agent detection sensor 105 has changed to a state where the ice storage agent 11 is not detected (step S403). When the detection of the ice storage agent 11 by the first ice storage agent detection sensor 105 has ended (step S403: YES), that is, when the leading ice storage agent 11 on the first conveyor 81 has passed the detection range of the first ice storage agent detection sensor 105, the first ice storage agent set flag 307h is set to "1" (step S404). This allows the CPU 305 to know that the leading ice storage agent 11 on the first conveyor 81 has moved to the magazine 73 side beyond the detection range of the first ice storage agent detection sensor 105.

[0216] When the negative determination is made in step S403, or when the process of step S404 is performed, it is determined whether the state in which the second refrigerant detection sensor 106 detects the refrigerant 11 has changed to a state in which the refrigerant 11 is not detected (step S405). When the second refrigerant detection sensor 106 has finished detecting the refrigerant 11 (step S405: YES), that is, when the leading refrigerant 11 on the second conveyor 82 has passed the detection range of the second refrigerant detection sensor 106, the second refrigerant set flag 307j is set to "1" (step S406). This allows the CPU 305 to know that the leading refrigerant 11 on the second conveyor 82 has moved to the magazine 73 side beyond the detection range of the second refrigerant detection sensor 106.

[0217] When the negative determination is made in step S405 or when the process of step S406 is performed, it is determined whether the state where the refrigerant 11 is detected by the third refrigerant detection sensor 107 has changed to a state where the refrigerant 11 is not detected (step S407). When the detection of the refrigerant 11 by the third refrigerant detection sensor 107 is finished (step S407: YES), that is, when the leading refrigerant 11 on the third conveyor 83 has passed the detection range of the third refrigerant detection sensor 107, the third refrigerant set flag 307k is set to "1" (step S408). This enables the CPU 305 to know that the leading refrigerant 11 on the third conveyor 83 has moved to the magazine 73 side beyond the detection range of the third refrigerant detection sensor 107.

[0218] When the negative determination is made in step S407, or when the process of step S408 is performed, it is determined whether the state in which the fourth refrigerant detection sensor 108 detects the refrigerant 11 has changed from a state in which the refrigerant 11 is detected to a state in which the refrigerant 11 is not detected (step S409). When the detection of the refrigerant 11 by the fourth refrigerant detection sensor 108 is finished (step S409: YES), that is, when the leading refrigerant 11 on the fourth conveyor 84 has passed the detection range of the fourth refrigerant detection sensor 108, the fourth refrigerant set flag 307m is set to "1" (step S410). This enables the CPU 305 to know that the leading refrigerant 11 on the fourth conveyor 84 has moved to the magazine 73 side beyond the detection range of the fourth refrigerant detection sensor 108.

[0219] If a negative judgment is made in step S409, or if the processing of step S410 is performed, it is judged whether or not the first to fourth ice storage agent set flags 307h, 307j, 307k, and 307m are set to "1" (step S411). If the value of one or more of the first to fourth ice storage agent set flags 307h, 307j, 307k, and 307m is "0" (step S411: NO), the second ice storage agent transport side processing (Figure 19) is terminated. If the first to fourth ice storage agent setting flags 307h, 307j, 307k, and 307m are set to "1" (step S411: YES), numerical information ("250") corresponding to a waiting period (specifically, 1 second) for waiting until the ice storage agent 11 that has passed through the detection ranges of the first to fourth ice storage agent detection sensors 105-108 is set in the magazine 73 is set in the ice storage agent timer counter 307n (step S412), and the second ice storage agent transport process (FIG. 19) is terminated. If the first to fourth ice storage agent setting flags 307h, 307j, 307k, and 307m are set to "1", a positive determination is made in step S402 in the second ice storage agent transport process (FIG. 19) from the next time onwards, and the process from step S413 onwards is executed. Furthermore, by setting the refrigerant side timer counter 307n to "250" in step S412, the CPU 305 can grasp whether one second has passed since the first to fourth refrigerant detection sensors 105 to 108 detected the passage of the refrigerant 11.

[0220] If the determination in step S402 is affirmative, the value of the ice storage agent side timer counter 307n is decremented by 1 (step S413), and if the value of the ice storage agent side timer counter 307n after decrementing by 1 is equal to or greater than 1 (step S414: NO), the second ice storage agent transport side process (FIG. 19) is terminated. If the value of the ice storage agent side timer counter 307n is "0" (step S414: YES), that is, if one second has elapsed since the first to fourth ice storage agent detection sensors 105 to 108 detected the passage of the ice storage agent 11 and the setting of one stage (four ice storage agents) of the ice storage agent 11 in the magazine 73 has been completed, the first to fourth ice storage agent setting flags 307h, 307j, 307k, and 307m are cleared to "0" (step S415), and the ice storage agent setting completion flag 307g is set to "1" (step S416). This allows the CPU 305 to grasp that one stage (four pieces) of the ice storage agent 11 has been set from the ice storage agent transport device 71 to the magazine 73. In addition, by setting the ice storage agent setting completion flag 307g to "1", a state is created in which a positive determination is made in step S707 of the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) described later.

[0221] Thereafter, the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91-94 are set to the blocking execution state (step S417), and the fifth to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 95-98 are set to the movement permission state (step S418), and the second refrigerant transport process (FIG. 19) is terminated. In this manner, in a situation where the first to fourth conveyors 81-84 are operating, the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91-94 are set to the blocking execution state and the fifth to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 95-98 are set to the movement permission state, so that the leading refrigerant 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81-84 can be stopped by the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91-94.

[0222] Next, prior to the description of the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20) executed in step S203 of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 17(b)), the configuration of the RAM 307 used in the first container transfer side process will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, the RAM 307 is provided with a container side preparation completion flag 307p, a container side status counter 307q, and a container side timer counter 307r. The container side preparation completion flag 307p is a flag that enables the CPU 305 to grasp that the target stopper drive unit 115b, the rear positioning cylinder 117a, the first side positioning cylinder 118a, and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are in a driving state in the container transfer device 72, that is, that the two containers 12 to be stored are fixed by the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e, and the second side positioning plate 119e.

[0223] The container side status counter 307q is set with any one of numerical values ​​"0" to "7". The state where the value of the container side status counter 307q is "0" corresponds to a stage where the target stopper driving unit 115b and the advance stopper driving unit 116b (FIG. 8) are driven and the operation of the container transport device 72 is started. The state where the value of the container side status counter 307q is "1" corresponds to a stage where the advance container stopper 116a is placed at the advance stopper standby position on the condition that the container 12 is detected by the advance container detection sensor 123. The state where the value of the container side status counter 307q is "2" corresponds to a stage where the advance container stopper 116a is returned to the advance stop execution position based on the fact that one second has elapsed since the advance container stopper 116a was placed at the advance stopper standby position. In addition, the state in which the value of the container side status counter 307q is "3" corresponds to a stage in which, one second has elapsed since the pre-container stopper 116a was placed at the pre-stop execution position, if there are no two containers 12 lined up at the storage execution position, the value of the container side status counter 307q is returned to "1," and if two containers 12 are lined up at the storage execution position, the rear positioning cylinder 117a is put into an actuated state.

[0224] The state where the value of the container side state counter 307q is "4" corresponds to a stage where the first side positioning cylinder 118a and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are driven one second after the rear positioning cylinder 117a is driven. The state where the value of the container side state counter 307q is "5" corresponds to a stage where the container side preparation completion flag 307p is set to "1" one second after the first side positioning cylinder 118a and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are driven. The state where the value of the container side state counter 307q is "6" corresponds to a stage where the container 12 is not detected by the leading container detection sensor 121, the second container detection sensor 122, and the intermediate container detection sensor 124 after the ice storage agent 11 is stored in the container 12 and the target container stopper 115a is placed in the target stopper waiting position. In addition, the state in which the value of the container side status counter 307q is "7" corresponds to the stage in which the target container stopper 115a is placed at the target stop execution position one second after the container 12 is no longer detected by the leading container detection sensor 121, the second container detection sensor 122, and the intermediate container detection sensor 124.

[0225] The container side timer counter 307r is a timer counter that enables the CPU 305 to grasp whether or not a waiting period set in the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20) or the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) described later has elapsed. When the value of the container side timer counter 307r is 1 or more, the value of the container side timer counter 307r is updated at a cycle of 4 milliseconds. "1" in the container side timer counter 307r corresponds to 4 milliseconds.

[0226] Next, the first container transfer side process executed in step S203 of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 17(b)) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0227] First, it is determined whether the container side preparation completion flag 307p is set to "1" (step S501), and if the container side preparation completion flag 307p is set to "1" (step S501: YES), that is, if the two containers 12 to be stored are fixed by the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e, and the second side positioning plate 119e, the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20) is terminated without executing the processes from step S502 onwards. This makes it possible to maintain the state.

[0228] When the value of the container side preparation completion flag 307p is "0" (step S501: NO), it is determined whether the value of the container side status counter 307q is "3" or more (step S502). When the value of the container side status counter 307q is "0" (step S502: NO, step S503: YES), that is, when the state is before the operation of the container transport device 72 starts after the supply of operating power to the CPU 305 starts, the advance stopper driving unit 116b is set to a driving state (step S504), and the target stopper driving unit 115b is set to a driving state (step S505). Then, the container transport start process is executed so that the transport roller 72d in the container transport device 72 starts to rotate (step S506). Then, the container side status counter 307q is set to "1" (step S507), and the first container transport side process (FIG. 20) is terminated. By setting "1" to the container side state counter 307q, a negative determination is made in step S503 in the next first container transfer side process (FIG. 20), and the process of steps S508 to S512 is executed.

[0229] When the value of the container side state counter 307q is "1" (step S503: NO, step S508: YES), it is determined whether or not the container 12 is detected by the advance container detection sensor 123 (step S509). When the container 12 is not detected by the advance container detection sensor 123 (step S509: NO), the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20) is terminated. When the container 12 is detected by the advance container detection sensor 123 (step S509: YES), the advance stopper drive unit 116b is put into a non-driven state (step S510). As a result, the advance container stopper 116a is placed in the advance stopper standby position, and the leading container 12 can move toward the container transfer direction side from the advance container stopper 116a.

[0230] Then, the CPU 305 sets the container side timer counter 307r with numerical information ("250") corresponding to the waiting time (specifically, 1 second) from when the advance container stopper 116a is placed at the advance stopper waiting position until when it is returned to the advance stop execution position (step S511). This enables the CPU 305 to grasp whether 1 second has elapsed since the advance container stopper 116a was placed at the advance stopper waiting position. Then, the container side status counter 307q is set to "2" (step S512), and the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20) is terminated. By setting the container side status counter 307q to "2", a negative determination is made at step S508 in the next first container transfer side process (FIG. 20), and the process of steps S513 to S517 is executed.

[0231] If a negative determination is made in step S508, that is, if the value of the container side state counter 307q is "2", the value of the container side timer counter 307r is subtracted by 1 (step S513), and if the value of the container side timer counter 307r after subtraction of 1 is 1 or more (step S514: NO), the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20) is terminated as it is. Also, if the value of the container side timer counter 307r is "0" (step S514: YES), that is, if one second has elapsed since the advance container stopper 116a was placed at the advance stopper waiting position, the advance stopper driving unit 116b is put into a driving state (step S515). As a result, the advance container stopper 116a is placed at the advance stop execution position.

[0232] Then, the CPU 305 sets the container side timer counter 307r to numerical information ("250") corresponding to the waiting period (specifically, one second) after the advance container stopper 116a is placed at the advance stop execution position (step S516). This enables the CPU 305 to grasp whether one second has passed since the advance container stopper 116a was placed at the advance stop execution position. Then, the CPU 305 sets the container side status counter 307q to "3" (step S517), and ends the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20). By setting the container side status counter 307q to "3", a positive determination is made in step S502 in the next first container transfer side process (FIG. 20), and the process of step S518 is executed.

[0233] If the value of the container side status counter 307q is "3" or more (step S502: YES), the second container transfer side process is executed (step S518), and the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20) is terminated. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the second container transfer side process (step S518).

[0234] In the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21), if the value of the container side state counter 307q is "3" (step S601: YES), the value of the container side timer counter 307r is subtracted by 1 (step S602), and if the value of the container side timer counter 307r after subtraction of 1 is 1 or more (step S603: NO), the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated. Also, if the value of the container side timer counter 307r is "0" (step S603: YES), that is, if one second has elapsed since the advance container stopper 116a was placed at the advance stop execution position, it is determined whether or not the container 12 is detected by the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122 (step S604). In step S604, if the container 12 is detected by both the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122, a positive determination is made.

[0235] If a negative determination is made in step S604, the container side status counter 307q is set to "1" (step S605), and the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated. By setting the container side status counter 307q to "1", a positive determination is made in step S508 of the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20) already described, and the process of steps S509 to S512 is executed.

[0236] When the container 12 is detected by the leading container detection sensor 121 and the second container detection sensor 122 (step S604: YES), that is, when the container 12 is present at the leading storage execution position and the second storage execution position, the rear positioning cylinder 117a is set to the driving state (step S606). After that, the container side timer counter 307r is set to numerical information ("250") corresponding to the waiting period (specifically, 1 second) from when the rear positioning cylinder 117a is set to the driving state until when the side positioning cylinders 118a, 119a are set to the driving state (step S607). After that, the container side status counter 307q is set to "4" (step S608), and the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated. By setting "4" to the container side status counter 307q, a negative determination is made in step S601 in the next second container transfer side process (FIG. 21), and the process of steps S609 to S614 is executed.

[0237] If the value of the container side state counter 307q is "4" (step S601: NO, step S609: YES), the value of the container side timer counter 307r is subtracted by 1 (step S610), and it is determined whether the value of the container side timer counter 307r after subtraction of 1 has become "0" (step S611). If the value of the container side timer counter 307r is 1 or more (step S611: NO), the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated as it is. Also, if the value of the container side timer counter 307r is "0" (step S611: YES), that is, if a waiting period of 1 second has elapsed since the rear positioning cylinder 117a was put into the driving state, the first side positioning cylinder 118a and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are put into the driving state (step S612). Thereafter, the container side timer counter 307r is set to numerical information ("250") corresponding to the waiting period (specifically, 1 second) from when the lateral positioning cylinders 118a, 119a are driven until the container side preparation completion flag 307p is set to "1" (step S613). Thereafter, the container side status counter 307q is set to "5" (step S614), and the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated. By setting the container side status counter 307q to "5", a negative determination is made in step S609 in the next second container transfer side process (FIG. 21), and the process of steps S615 to S619 is executed.

[0238] If the value of the container side status counter 307q is "5" (step S609: NO, step S615: YES), the value of the container side timer counter 307r is subtracted by 1 (step S616), and it is determined whether the value of the container side timer counter 307r after subtraction of 1 has become "0" (step S617). If the value of the container side timer counter 307r is 1 or more (step S617: NO), the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated as it is. If the value of the container side timer counter 307r is "0" (step S617: YES), that is, if a waiting period of 1 second has elapsed since the side positioning cylinders 118a, 119a were put into the driving state, the container side preparation completion flag 307p is set to "1" (step S618). This allows the CPU 305 to grasp that the target stopper driving portion 115b, the rear positioning cylinder 117a, the first side positioning cylinder 118a, and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are in a driving state. In addition, a state is reached in which a positive determination is made in step S802 of the second cooling storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) described later.

[0239] In this manner, the process of setting the container side preparation completion flag 307p to "1" is not executed until a waiting period of one second has elapsed since the side positioning cylinders 118a, 119a were driven. This prevents the magazine 73 from starting to lower before the two containers 12 are fixed at the leading storage execution position and the second storage execution position by the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e, and the second side positioning plate 119e.

[0240] After the process of step S618 is performed, the container side status counter 307q is set to "6" (step S619), and the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated. By setting the container side status counter 307q to "6", a negative determination is made in step S615 in the next second container transfer side process (FIG. 21), and the process of steps S620 to S623 is executed.

[0241] If the value of the container side status counter 307q is "6" (step S615: NO, step S620: YES), it is determined whether or not the container 12 is not being detected by the leading container detection sensor 121, the second container detection sensor 122, and the intermediate container detection sensor 124 (step S621). In step S621, a positive determination is made if the container 12 is not being detected by any of the leading container detection sensor 121, the second container detection sensor 122, and the intermediate container detection sensor 124. If a negative determination is made in step S621, that is, if the container 12 containing the ice storage agent 11 has not been completely carried out downstream of the detection range of the leading container detection sensor 121, this second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated. Furthermore, if a positive determination is made in step S621, that is, if the two containers 12 containing the ice storage agent 11 are transported downstream of the detection range of the leading container detection sensor 121, numerical information ("250") corresponding to the waiting period (specifically, 1 second) after the container 12 is transported is set in the container side timer counter 307r (step S622). Thereafter, "7" is set in the container side status counter 307q (step S623), and the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated. By setting "7" in the container side status counter 307q, a negative determination is made in step S620 in the next second container transfer side process (FIG. 21), and the process of steps S624 to S627 is executed.

[0242] If a negative determination is made in step S620, that is, if the value of the container side state counter 307q is "7", the value of the container side timer counter 307r is subtracted by 1 (step S624), and it is determined whether the value of the container side timer counter 307r after subtraction of 1 has become "0" (step S625). If the value of the container side timer counter 307r is 1 or more (step S625: NO), the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated as it is. Also, if the value of the container side timer counter 307r is "0" (step S625: YES), that is, if a waiting period of 1 second has elapsed since the container 12 was not detected by all of the leading container detection sensor 121, the second container detection sensor 122, and the intermediate container detection sensor 124, and the conveyance of the container 12 containing the ice storage agent 11 has been completed, the target stopper driving unit 115b is set to a driving state (step S626). As a result, the target container stopper 115a is positioned at the target stop execution position. After that, the container side status counter 307q is set to "1" (step S627), and the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) is terminated. By setting the container side status counter 307q to "1" in step S627, a positive determination is made in step S508 of the first container transfer side process (FIG. 20) already described, and the process of steps S509 to S512 is executed.

[0243] Next, prior to describing the first refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 22) executed in step S204 of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 17(b)), the configuration of the RAM 307 used in the first refrigerant storage side process will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, the RAM 307 is provided with a storage side status counter 307s. Any one of "0" to "12" is set in the storage side status counter 307s. The state where the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "0" corresponds to the stage where an operation of setting one layer of refrigerant 11 from the refrigerant transport device 71 to the magazine 73 is started. Also, the state where the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "1" corresponds to the stage where an operation of setting one layer of refrigerant 11 to the magazine 73 is executed. In addition, the state where the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "2" corresponds to the stage where the process of setting the next level of ice storage material 11 in the magazine 73 is started on the condition that the operation of raising the lift table 127 by one level (specifically, 30 mm) has been completed.

[0244] The state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "3" corresponds to a stage where a pre-storage ascent operation is performed in which the lift table 127 is raised by 400 mm until the lift table 127 is at the rotation execution height position. The state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "4" corresponds to a stage where a pre-storage travel operation is performed in which the pedestal 131 travels by 700 mm toward the container transport device 72 until the pedestal 131 is at the ice storage agent storage position. The state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "5" corresponds to a stage where a drop preparation rotation operation is performed in which the attitude of the magazine 73 is switched from the ice storage agent storage attitude to the ice storage agent dropping attitude. The state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "6" corresponds to a stage where a pre-storage descent operation is started in which the magazine 73 is lowered toward the container 12. The state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "7" corresponds to a stage where a pre-storage descent operation is performed. Moreover, the state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "8" corresponds to the stage where the stopper portions 194 to 197 of the magazine 73 are moved to the open position.

[0245] The state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "9" corresponds to a stage where a post-storage ascent operation is performed in which the lift table 127 is raised until the lift table 127 is at the rotation execution height position. The state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "10" corresponds to a stage where a storage preparation rotation operation is performed in which the attitude of the magazine 73 is switched from the ice storage agent dropping attitude to the ice storage agent storing attitude. The state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "11" corresponds to a stage where a post-storage traveling operation is performed in which the pedestal 131 is traveled 700 mm toward the opposite side to the container transport device 72 until the pedestal 131 is at the ice storage agent setting position. The state where the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "12" corresponds to a stage where an operation is performed to lower the lift table 127 until the lift table 127 is at the first set height position.

[0246] Next, the first cooling agent storage side process executed in step S204 of the timer interrupt process (FIG. 17(b)) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0247] First, it is determined whether the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "0" (step S701). When the first refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 22) is executed for the first time after the supply of operating power to the CPU 305 is started, the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "0". When the process of step S715 described later is executed, or when the process of step S831 of the second refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 23) described later is executed, the value of the storage side status counter 307s becomes "0". When the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "0" (step S701: YES), it is determined whether the first to fourth refrigerant preparation flags 307b to 307e are set to "1" (step S702).

[0248] When the value of one or more of the first to fourth refrigerant preparation flags 307b to 307e is "0" (step S702: NO), the first refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated. When the first to fourth refrigerant preparation flags 307b to 307e are set to "1" (step S702: YES), that is, when the leading refrigerant 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 is stopped by the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94 and the second leading refrigerant 11 is stopped by the fifth to eighth refrigerant stopping devices 95 to 98, the first to fourth refrigerant preparation flags 307b to 307e are cleared to "0" (step S703), and the refrigerant side state counter 307f is set to "2" (step S704). As a result, a negative determination is made in step S305 of the first refrigerant transport side process (FIG. 18) already described, and the second refrigerant transport side process (FIG. 19) is executed in step S319. Thereafter, the storage side state counter 307s is set to "1" (step S705), and the first refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated. By setting the storage side state counter 307s to "1", a negative determination is made in step S701 in the next first refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 22), and the process of steps S706 to S710 is executed.

[0249] If the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "1" (step S701: NO, step S706: YES), it is determined whether the ice storage agent setting completion flag 307g is set to "1" (step S707). The process of setting the ice storage agent setting completion flag 307g to "1" is executed in step S416 of the second ice storage agent transport side process (FIG. 19) already described. If the value of the ice storage agent setting completion flag 307g is "0" (step S707: NO), the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated as it is. Also, if the ice storage agent setting completion flag 307g is set to "1" (step S707: YES), that is, if one stage (four pieces) of ice storage agents 11 are set from the ice storage agent transport device 71 to the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent storage position, the ice storage agent setting completion flag 307g is cleared to "0" (step S708). Thereafter, the refrigerant side state counter 307f is cleared to "0" (step S709). As a result, the process returns to the stage of executing the operation for making the leading refrigerant 11 on the first to fourth conveyors 81 to 84 of the refrigerant transport device 71 stop at the first to fourth refrigerant stopping devices 91 to 94.

[0250] Then, based on the rotation information received from the lifting servo driver 283, it is determined whether the lifting table 127 is disposed at the ninth set height position (step S710). If a negative determination is made in step S710, that is, if an empty stage remains in the magazine 73, a one-stage lift start process is executed to start a one-stage lift operation to lift the lifting table 127 by one stage (specifically, 30 mm) (step S711). Then, the storage side status counter 307s is set to "2" (step S712), and the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated. By setting the storage side status counter 307s to "2", a negative determination is made in step S706 in the next first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22), and the process of steps S713 to S715 is executed.

[0251] If the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "2" (step S706: NO, step S713: YES), it is determined whether or not the one-stage upward movement has been completed (step S714). In step S714, if the CPU 305 determines that the lift table 127 has been raised by one stage based on the rotation information received from the lift servo driver 283, a positive determination is made. If the one-stage upward movement has been completed (step S714: YES), the value of the storage side status counter 307s is cleared to "0" (step S715), and the first refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated. By clearing the value of the storage side status counter 307s to "0", a positive determination is made in step S701 in the next first refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 22), and the process of steps S702 to S705 is executed. This allows the process of setting one level of ice storage agent 11 from the ice storage agent transport device 71 into the magazine 73 to be repeated until ice storage agent 11 is set in the bottommost level (ninth level) of the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent containing position.

[0252] When the lift table 127 is in a state of being arranged at the ninth set height position (step S710: YES), that is, when 36 pieces (four rows and nine stages) of ice storage agents 11 are set in the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent storing position, the storage side status counter 307s is set to "3" (step S716), and the first ice storage agent storing side process (FIG. 22) is terminated. By setting the storage side status counter 307s to "3", a negative determination is made in step S713 in the next first ice storage agent storing side process (FIG. 22), and the process of steps S717 to S720 is executed.

[0253] If the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "3" (step S713: NO, step S717: YES), a pre-storage ascent process is executed (step S718). In the pre-storage ascent process, a process is executed to raise the lift table 127 to the rotation execution height position. After the pre-storage ascent process is executed in step S718, it is determined whether the pre-storage ascent operation has ended (step S719). The pre-storage ascent operation ends when the lift table 127 has risen 400 mm and is in the rotation execution height position. In step S719, if the CPU 305 has grasped that the lift table 127 has reached the rotation execution height position based on the rotation information received from the lift servo driver 283, it makes a positive determination. If the pre-storage ascent operation has not ended (step S719: NO), the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) ends as it is. Furthermore, when the pre-storage lifting operation is completed (step S719: YES), the storage side state counter 307s is set to "4" (step S720), and the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated. By setting the storage side state counter 307s to "4", a negative determination is made in step S717 in the next first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22), and the process of steps S721 to S724 is executed.

[0254] If the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "4" (step S717: NO, step S721: YES), a pre-storage travel process is executed (step S722). In the pre-storage travel process, an operation of traveling the base 131 toward the container conveying device 72 to the ice storage agent storage position is executed. After executing the pre-storage travel process in step S722, it is determined whether the pre-storage travel operation has ended (step S723). The pre-storage travel operation ends when the base 131 has traveled 700 mm toward the container conveying device 72 and is in the storage execution position. In step S723, if the CPU 305 grasps that the base 131 has reached the ice storage agent storage position based on the rotation information received from the traveling servo driver 263, it makes a positive determination. If the pre-storage travel operation has not ended (step S723: NO), the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) ends as it is. Furthermore, when the pre-storage traveling operation is completed (step S723: YES), the storage side state counter 307s is set to "5" (step S724), and the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated. By setting the storage side state counter 307s to "5", a negative determination is made in step S721 in the next first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22), and the process of steps S725 to S728 is executed.

[0255] If the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "5" (step S721: NO, step S725: YES), a drop preparation rotation process is executed (step S726). In the drop preparation rotation process, if the drop preparation rotation table has not been read, the drop preparation rotation table stored in the ROM 306 is read, and the output of a forward rotation signal to the magazine rotation motor 294 is started according to the drop preparation rotation table. Also, in the drop preparation rotation process (step S726), if the drop preparation rotation table has been read, the output of a forward rotation signal to the magazine rotation motor 294 is executed according to the drop preparation rotation table.

[0256] After performing the drop preparation rotation process in step S726, it is determined whether the drop preparation rotation operation has been completed (step S727). In step S727, a positive determination is made when the output of a signal for rotating the magazine 73 90 degrees in the forward direction has been completed. If the drop preparation rotation operation has not been completed (step S727: NO), the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated as it is. If the drop preparation rotation operation has been completed (step S727: YES), that is, if the magazine 73 in the ice storage agent storage position has been rotated 90 degrees in the forward direction and switched to the ice storage agent dropping position, the storage side status counter 307s is set to "6" (step S728), and the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated. By setting "6" to the storage side status counter 307s, a negative determination is made in step S725 in the next first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22), and the second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) in step S729 is executed.

[0257] When the value of the storage side state counter 307s is equal to or greater than "6" (step S725: NO), the second ice storage agent storage side process is executed (step S729), and the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) is terminated.

[0258] Next, before describing the second refrigerant storage process (FIG. 23) executed in step S729 of the first refrigerant storage process (FIG. 22), the configuration of the RAM 307 used in the second refrigerant storage process will be described. As shown in FIG. 16, the RAM 307 is provided with a storage timer counter 307t. The storage timer counter 307t is a timer counter that allows the CPU 305 to grasp whether or not a waiting period (specifically, one second) has elapsed since the stopper parts 194-197 of the magazine 73 are moved from the closed position to the open position until the magazine 73 is lifted. When the value of the storage timer counter 307t is 1 or more, a process of updating the value of the storage timer counter 307t is executed at a cycle of 4 milliseconds. "1" in the storage timer counter 307t corresponds to 4 milliseconds.

[0259] Next, the second refrigerant storage side process executed in step S729 of the first refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 22) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0260] When the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "6" (step S801: YES), it is determined whether or not the container side preparation completion flag 307p is set to "1" (step S802). The process of setting the container side preparation completion flag 307p to "1" is executed in step S618 of the second container transfer side process (FIG. 21) already described. When the value of the container side preparation completion flag 307p is "0" (step S802: NO), that is, when the two containers 12 to be stored have not been fixed by the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e, and the second side positioning plate 119e, the second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) is terminated as it is. This makes it possible to keep the process of step S803 from being executed until the container side preparation completion flag 307p is set to "1". Therefore, the ice storage material 11 is prevented from being transferred from the magazine 73 to the container 12 when the container 12 is not prevented from shifting in position by the target container stopper 115a, the rear positioning plate 117e, the first side positioning plate 118e and the second side positioning plate 119e.

[0261] When the container side preparation completion flag 307p is set to "1" (step S802: YES), a pre-storage descent start process is executed (step S803). In the pre-storage descent start process, an operation of lowering the lift table 127 is started in order to lower the magazine 73 toward the container 12 to be stored that is stopped by the container transport device 72. Thereafter, the storage side status counter 307s is set to "7" (step S804), and the second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) is terminated. By setting the storage side status counter 307s to "7", a negative determination is made in step S801 in the next second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23), and the process of steps S805 to S810 is executed.

[0262] If the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "7" (step S801: NO, step S805: YES), a pre-storage descending process is executed (step S806). In the pre-storage descending process, an operation of lowering the lift table 127 toward the storage execution height position is executed. After executing the pre-storage descending process in step S806, it is determined whether the pre-storage descending operation has ended (step S807). The pre-storage descending operation ends when the lift table 127 has been lowered by 293 mm and is in a state of being at the storage execution height position. In step S807, if the CPU 305 has grasped that the lift table 127 has reached the storage execution height position based on the rotation information received from the lift servo driver 283, it makes a positive determination. If the pre-storage descending operation has not ended (step S807: NO), the second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) ends as it is. If the pre-storage lowering operation is completed (step S807: YES), a stopper release process is executed (step S808). In the stopper release process, the cylinders 211-218 for opening and closing the stopper portions 194-197 of the magazine 73 are driven. This allows the stopper portions 194-197 to be moved from the closed position to the open position. Then, by moving the stopper portions 194-197 to the open position, 36 pieces (four columns and nine rows) of ice storage agents 11 can be dropped from the magazine 73 into two containers 12 and stored therein.

[0263] Thereafter, the storage-side timer counter 307t is set to numerical information ("250") corresponding to the waiting period (specifically, 1 second) from when the stopper portions 194-197 are moved to the open position until when the magazine 73 is raised (step S809), the storage-side status counter 307s is set to "8" (step S810), and the second ice storage agent storage-side process (FIG. 23) is terminated. By setting the storage-side status counter 307s to "8", a negative determination is made in step S805 in the next second ice storage agent storage-side process (FIG. 23), and the process of steps S811 to S814 is executed.

[0264] If the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "8" (step S805: NO, step S811: YES), the value of the storage side timer counter 307t is subtracted by 1 (step S812), and if the value of the storage side timer counter 307t after subtraction of 1 is 1 or more (step S813: NO), the second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) is terminated. If the value of the storage side timer counter 307t is "0" (step S813: YES), that is, if one second has elapsed since the stopper parts 194-197 of the magazine 73 were placed in the open position, the storage side status counter 307s is set to "9" (step S814), and the second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) is terminated. By setting "9" in the storage side state counter 307s, a negative determination is made in step S811 in the next second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23), and the process of steps S815 to S820 is executed.

[0265] If the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "9" (step S811: NO, step S815: YES), the post-storage rising process is executed (step S816). In the post-storage rising process, a post-storage rising operation is executed to raise the lift table 127 to the rotation execution height position. After the post-storage rising process is executed in step S816, it is determined whether the post-storage rising operation has been completed (step S817). The post-storage rising operation is completed when the lift table 127 has been raised to the rotation execution height position. In step S817, if the CPU 305 grasps that the lift table 127 has reached the rotation execution height position based on the rotation information received from the lift servo driver 283, it makes a positive determination. If the post-storage rising operation has not been completed (step S817: NO), the second cooling agent storage side process (FIG. 23) is terminated as it is. Also, if the post-storage rising operation has been completed (step S817: YES), the drive state end process is executed (step S818).

[0266] In the drive state end process (step S818), the target stopper drive unit 115b, the rear positioning cylinder 117a, the first side positioning cylinder 118a, and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are put into a non-driven state. As a result, the target container stopper 115a is placed in the target waiting position. In addition, the rear positioning plate 117e is placed in the rear waiting position. Furthermore, the first side positioning plate 118e is placed in the first side waiting position, and the second side positioning plate 119e is placed in the second side waiting position. However, even if the drive state end process (step S818) is executed, the state in which the advance container stopper 116a is placed in the advance stop execution position is maintained. After that, the container side preparation completion flag 307p is cleared to "0" (step S819). This allows the CPU 305 to know that the target stopper driving portion 115b, the rear positioning cylinder 117a, the first side positioning cylinder 118a, and the second side positioning cylinder 119a are not in a driving state. After that, the storage side state counter 307s is set to "10" (step S820), and the second refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 23) is terminated. By setting the storage side state counter 307s to "10", a negative determination is made in step S815 in the next second refrigerant storage side process (FIG. 23), and the process of steps S821 to S824 is executed.

[0267] If the value of the storage side status counter 307s is "10" (step S815: NO, step S821: YES), a storage preparation rotation process is executed (step S822). In the storage preparation rotation process, if the storage preparation rotation table has not been read, the storage preparation rotation table stored in ROM 306 is read, and output of a reverse rotation signal to the magazine rotation motor 294 is started in accordance with the storage preparation rotation table. Also, in the storage preparation rotation process (step S822), if the storage preparation rotation table has been read, output of a reverse rotation signal to the magazine rotation motor 294 is executed in accordance with the storage preparation rotation table.

[0268] After the storage preparation rotation process is executed in step S822, it is determined whether or not the storage preparation rotation operation has been completed (step S823). In step S823, a positive determination is made when the output of a signal for rotating the magazine 73 in the reverse direction by 90 degrees has been completed. If the storage preparation rotation operation has not been completed (step S823: NO), the second ice storage agent storage process (FIG. 23) is terminated as is. If the storage preparation rotation operation has been completed (step S823: YES), that is, if the magazine 73 has been switched to the ice storage agent storage posture, the storage side status counter 307s is set to "11" (step S824), and the second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) is terminated. By setting "11" to the storage side status counter 307s, a negative determination is made in step S821 in the next second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23), and the process of steps S825 to S828 is executed.

[0269] If the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "11" (step S821: NO, step S825: YES), a post-storage travel process is executed (step S826). In the post-storage travel process, a post-storage travel operation is executed to travel the base 131 to the ice storage agent setting position in the opposite direction to the container conveying device 72. After the post-storage travel process is executed in step S826, it is determined whether or not the post-storage travel operation has ended (step S827). The post-storage travel operation ends when the base 131 has traveled 700 mm in the opposite direction to the container conveying device 72 and is in the ice storage agent setting position. In step S827, if the CPU 305 has grasped that the base 131 has reached the ice storage agent setting position based on the rotation information received from the traveling servo driver 263, it makes a positive determination. If the post-storage travel operation has not ended (step S827: NO), the second ice storage agent storage process (FIG. 23) ends as it is. If the post-storage traveling operation has ended (step S827: YES), the storage side state counter 307s is set to "12" (step S828), and the second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) is ended. By setting the storage side state counter 307s to "12", a negative determination is made in step S825 in the next second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23), and the process of steps S829 to S831 is executed.

[0270] If a negative determination is made in step S825, that is, if the value of the storage side state counter 307s is "12", a first set position return process is executed (step S829). In the first set position return process, a first set position return operation is executed to lower the lift table 127 toward the first set height position. After the first set position return process is executed in step S829, it is determined whether or not the first set position return operation has been completed (step S830). The first set position return operation is completed when the lift table 127 has been lowered to the first set height position. In step S830, an affirmative determination is made when the CPU 305 has grasped that the lift table 127 has reached the first set height position based on the rotation information received from the lift servo driver 283. If the first set position return operation has not been completed (step S830: NO), the second cooling agent storage side process (FIG. 23) is terminated as it is. If the first set position return operation is completed (step S830: YES), the value of the storage side status counter 307s is cleared to "0" (step S831), and the second ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 23) is terminated. By clearing the value of the storage side status counter 307s to "0" in step S831, a positive determination is made in step S701 of the first ice storage agent storage side process (FIG. 22) already described, and the process of steps S702 to S705 is executed.

[0271] In this manner, the stopper opening process is executed in step S808, and 36 ice storage agents 11 are stored in the two containers 12. After the stopper opening process (step S808) is executed, the value of the storage side state counter 307s is cleared to "0" in step S831, and the operation of setting the ice storage agent 11 from the ice storage agent transport device 71 to the magazine 73 is started without the condition of the operation of the operation start button 301. This makes it possible to repeat the operation of storing the ice storage agent 11 in the container 12 without the need for an operation by the operator. Therefore, the operational burden on the operator is reduced compared to a configuration in which the operation of setting the ice storage agent 11 from the ice storage agent transport device 71 to the magazine 73 is not started until the operation of the operation start button 301 is detected after the stopper opening process (step S808) is executed.

[0272] According to the embodiment described above in detail, the following excellent effects are obtained.

[0273] The container 12 has an eleventh storage area 63a partitioned by the third upright wall 16 and the eleventh side partition 41. The eleventh storage area 63a is open to the outside through the container opening 12a. The ice storage agent storage device 74 is a device that stores the plate-shaped ice storage agent 11 in the container 12. By having the ice storage agent storage device 74 perform the operation of storing the ice storage agent 11 in the eleventh storage area 63a of the container 12, it is possible to reduce the workload of the worker compared to when the operation is performed by an operator. In addition, the time required for the operation can be shortened.

[0274] The ice storage agent storage device 74 includes a magazine 73 that holds the ice storage agent 11 and allows the ice storage agent 11 to be dropped into the eleventh storage area 63a to be stored in the eleventh storage area 63a. The container 12 has an eleventh side partition 41 that protrudes from the second standing wall 15 toward the center and faces a predetermined peripheral portion (side edge portion 11e of the ice storage agent 11) that is present on the second standing wall 15 side of the ice storage agent 11 stored in the eleventh storage area 63a. The magazine 73 includes a front first drop guide portion 143b that guides the side edge where the predetermined peripheral portion of the ice storage agent 11 is present when the ice storage agent 11 is dropped into the eleventh storage area 63a. This reduces the possibility that the refrigerant 11 falls to a position shifted from the eleventh storage area 63a where the predetermined peripheral portion of the refrigerant 11 faces the eleventh side partition portion 41 of the container 12. The magazine 73 also includes a leading central drop guide portion 147b that guides the side edge (side edge portion 11d of the refrigerant 11) opposite to the side edge where the predetermined peripheral portion of the refrigerant 11 exists when the refrigerant 11 is dropped into the eleventh storage area 63a. This reduces the possibility that the refrigerant 11 falls to a position shifted from the eleventh storage area 63a to the side opposite to the second standing wall 15 (toward the center of the container 12).

[0275] The ice storage material 11 is dropped in such a manner that the side edge where the specified peripheral portion of the ice storage material 11 exists is guided by the leading side first fall guide portion 143b, and the side edge opposite the side edge where the specified peripheral portion of the ice storage material 11 exists is guided by the leading side central fall guide portion 147b. This reduces the possibility that the drop position and storage position of the ice storage material 11 will deviate from the eleventh storage area 63a, compared to a configuration in which only one of the two side edges is guided.

[0276] The front-side central drop guide portion 147b is formed to protrude further in the drop direction of the refrigerant 11 than the front-side first drop guide portion 143b. This reduces the possibility that the refrigerant 11 will fall from the eleventh storage area 63a to a position shifted to the opposite side from the second standing wall 15, as compared with a configuration in which the protruding dimension in the drop direction of the front-side central drop guide portion 147b is the same as the protruding dimension in the drop direction of the front-side first drop guide portion 143b.

[0277] When the refrigerant 11 is dropped into the eleventh storage area 63a, the tip 147a of the front-side central drop guide portion 147b enters the bottom plate 13 of the container 12 from the container opening 12a. This makes it possible to shorten the distance from when the edge of the refrigerant 11 in the dropping direction (the lower edge 11c of the refrigerant 11) leaves the front-side central drop guide portion 147b until it comes into contact with the bottom plate 13, as compared with a configuration in which the refrigerant 11 is dropped while the front-side central drop guide portion 147b is present outside the container 12. This reduces the possibility that the drop position and storage position of the refrigerant 11 will shift from the eleventh storage area 63a to the opposite side of the second standing wall 15.

[0278] In the second upright wall 15 of the container 12, an area where the eleventh side partition 41 does not exist is provided on the container opening 12a side. When the refrigerant 11 is dropped into the eleventh storage area 63a, the edge of the leading first drop guide 143b on the side of the direction of the refrigerant 11 is inserted into the bottom plate 13 of the container 12 from the container opening 12a. This makes it possible to shorten the distance from when the edge of the refrigerant 11 on the direction of the refrigerant 11 (the lower edge 11c of the refrigerant 11) leaves the leading first drop guide 143b to when it comes into contact with the bottom plate 13 of the container 12, as compared with a configuration in which the leading first drop guide 143b exists outside the container 12 when the refrigerant 11 is dropped into the eleventh storage area 63a. This reduces the possibility that the drop position and storage position of the refrigerant 11 will deviate from the eleventh storage area 63a.

[0279] When the refrigerant 11 is dropped into the eleventh storage area 63a, the end of the leading first drop guide portion 143b on the drop directi...

Claims

1. A plate-like object storage device for storing plate-like objects in a container having a storage area partitioned by a partition wall, the storage area being open to the outside through an opening, the container comprising: a storage execution means for holding the predetermined plate-like object and dropping the held predetermined plate-like object into the predetermined storage area, thereby storing the predetermined plate-like object in the predetermined storage area; the storage execution means includes a guide portion that, when dropping the predetermined plate-like object into the predetermined storage area, at least a portion of which enters the interior of the predetermined container from the predetermined opening and guides the dropping of the predetermined plate-like object toward the predetermined storage area; the predetermined partition wall of the predetermined container has a predetermined protruding wall that protrudes from a predetermined side wall of the predetermined container toward the center and faces a predetermined peripheral edge portion of the predetermined plate-like object stored in the predetermined storage area, the predetermined peripheral edge portion being located on the side of the predetermined side wall; The guide portion is a first guide portion that guides a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object on which the predetermined peripheral portion is located when the predetermined plate-like object is dropped into the predetermined storage area; a second guide portion that guides a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object opposite to a side edge on which the predetermined peripheral portion is present when the predetermined plate-like object is dropped into the predetermined storage area; Equipped with The second guide portion is formed so as to protrude in the falling direction when the specified plate-shaped object falls into the specified storage area more than the first guide portion, and the end portion in the protruding direction penetrates into the bottom side of the specified container through the specified opening when the specified plate-shaped object is dropped into the specified storage area.

2. a region where the predetermined protruding wall does not exist is provided on the predetermined side wall on the predetermined opening side, A plate-shaped object storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the specified plate-shaped object is dropped into the specified storage area, the end portion of the first guide portion in the dropping direction enters the bottom side of the specified container through the specified opening.

3. The plate-like object storage device described in claim 2, characterized in that when the specified plate-like object is dropped into the specified storage area, the end portion of the first guide portion facing the dropping direction is located on the opposite side of the specified protruding wall to the dropping direction without contacting the specified protruding wall of the specified container.

4. the predetermined partition wall of the predetermined container has a bottom partition wall portion that bulges from the bottom of the predetermined container toward the predetermined opening and partitions the opposite side of the predetermined storage area from the predetermined side wall, A plate-like object storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the specified plate-like object is dropped into the specified storage area, the end of the second guide portion in the protruding direction is located on the opposite side of the bottom partition wall portion to the dropping direction without contacting the bottom partition wall portion.

5. The storage execution means includes: a predetermined support means capable of supporting a predetermined corner on a side in a falling direction of the predetermined plate-like object before the predetermined plate-like object falls into the predetermined storage area and on a side on which the predetermined peripheral portion exists; a predetermined switching means for dropping the predetermined plate-like object into the predetermined storage area by switching from a state in which the predetermined corner of the predetermined plate-like object is supported by the predetermined support means to a state in which the predetermined corner of the predetermined plate-like object is not supported by the predetermined support means; Equipped with 5. The plate-like object storage device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined support means is provided on the side of the first guide portion in the storage execution means.

6. A plate-like object storage device as described in claim 5, characterized in that when the specified plate-like object is dropped into the specified storage area, the specified support means is located on the opposite side of the dropping direction from the specified opening of the specified container.

7. The predetermined container has a specific side wall that is located on the opposite side to the predetermined side wall across the center of the predetermined container, The predetermined storage area of ​​the predetermined container is A first predetermined storage area that is located closer to the predetermined side wall than the center of the predetermined container; A second predetermined storage area is provided on the specific side wall side of the container from the center thereof and is arranged in parallel with the first predetermined storage area; having The predetermined partition wall of the predetermined container is A first predetermined partition wall that partitions the first predetermined storage area; A second predetermined partition wall that partitions the second predetermined storage area; having the first predetermined partition wall has the predetermined protruding wall, the predetermined protruding wall is provided so as to protrude from the predetermined side wall of the predetermined container toward the center and to face the predetermined peripheral edge portion of the predetermined plate-like object stored in the first predetermined storage area, the predetermined peripheral edge portion being located on the side of the predetermined side wall; The second predetermined partition wall has a specific protruding wall that protrudes from the specific side wall toward the center and faces a specific peripheral portion of the specific plate-like object stored in the second predetermined storage area that is located on the side of the specific side wall, the storage execution means includes a third guide portion, disposed on the opposite side of the second guide portion from the first guide portion, for guiding a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object on which the specific peripheral portion exists when the predetermined plate-like object is dropped into the second predetermined storage area; When the predetermined plate-like object is dropped into the first predetermined storage area, a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object on which the predetermined peripheral portion exists is guided by the first guide portion, When the predetermined plate-like object is dropped into the first predetermined storage area, a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object opposite to a side edge on which the predetermined peripheral portion is present is guided by the second guide portion, The plate-shaped object storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the specified plate-shaped object is dropped into the second specified storage area, the side edge opposite to the side edge on which the specific peripheral portion of the specified plate-shaped object is located is guided by the second guide portion.

8. The predetermined storage area of ​​the predetermined container has a first storage area and a second storage area aligned along the predetermined side wall, The predetermined protruding wall of the predetermined container has an intermediate protruding wall that is present between the predetermined plate-like object stored in the first storage area and the predetermined plate-like object stored in the second storage area, a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object to be dropped into the first storage area, on which the predetermined peripheral portion exists, and a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object to be dropped into the second storage area, on which the predetermined peripheral portion exists, are guided by the first guide portion; a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object to be dropped into the first storage area opposite to a side edge where the predetermined peripheral portion is present, and a side edge of the predetermined plate-like object to be dropped into the second storage area opposite to a side edge where the predetermined peripheral portion is present are guided by the second guide portion, the storage execution means includes a predetermined partition portion that divides a space between the first guide portion and the second guide portion into a space through which the predetermined plate-like object to be dropped into the first storage area passes and a space through which the predetermined plate-like object to be dropped into the second storage area passes, A plate-shaped object storage device as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the specified plate-shaped object is dropped into each of the first storage area and the second storage area, a portion of the specified partition portion penetrates into the bottom side of the specified container through the specified opening.

9. The intermediate protruding wall of the predetermined container has a specific inclined portion on the predetermined opening side, which is inclined from the predetermined side wall toward the center of the predetermined container toward the bottom side of the predetermined container, the predetermined partition section includes a predetermined inclined portion inclined from the first guide section side toward the second guide section side toward a falling direction side when the predetermined plate-like object is dropped into each of the first storage area and the second storage area, The plate-like object storage device according to claim 8, characterized in that when the specified plate-like object is dropped into each of the first storage area and the second storage area, the specified inclined portion faces the specific inclined portion.

Images