Vertical automatic conveyor

Abstract

To provide a vertical automatic transport machine capable of simplifying the configuration, reducing the installation space, and facilitating the transport operation. [Solution] The vertical automatic conveying machine of the present invention comprises a cage that moves within a conveying path that extends in the vertical direction, and a pallet that is housed within the cage, and the pallet moves independently to enter and exit the cage, thereby achieving the effects of simplifying the configuration, reducing installation space, and facilitating conveying operations.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vertical automatic transport machine that transports objects to multiple floors, and more particularly to a machine that is devised to simplify the structure, reduce the installation space, and facilitate the transport operation. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the configuration of a conventional vertical automatic transport machine. The vertical automatic transport machine described in Patent Document 1 is roughly configured as follows. First, a transport lift is installed in a transport path that extends vertically inside a building so that it can ascend and descend. Carriages loaded with cargo are carried in and out of the transport lift. The transport lift stops on the first or second floor of the building. The transport vehicles are carried in and out by a chain conveyor installed in the transport lift and auxiliary chain conveyors installed on the first and second floors of the building. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 55-92682 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above conventional configuration has the following problems. The transfer lift is equipped with a chain conveyor for loading and unloading transport vehicles, and auxiliary chain conveyors are also installed on the first and second floors of the building to load and unload transport vehicles onto and from the transfer lift, creating a problem in that the overall configuration was large-scale and complex. In addition, the operator must place the carrier on the auxiliary chain conveyor, which makes the carrier operation cumbersome. In addition, a long slope must be installed to eliminate the step, corresponding to the height of the auxiliary chain conveyor, which poses the problem of a large area being required for the vertical automatic transport machine.

[0005] The present invention has been made based on the above points, and its object is to provide a vertical automatic conveying machine that can simplify the configuration, reduce the installation space, and facilitate the conveying operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a cage that is moved within a conveying path that extends in the vertical direction, and a pallet that is accommodated within the cage, and the pallet moves in and out of the cage by self-propelling. The pallet is self-propelled by an endless track, the endless track being a looped chain, the looped chain being installed on each side of the width direction of the pallet, both of the looped chains being driven by one motor, and the looped chains surrounding the outer shape of the pallet. It is characterized by the above. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 2 further comprises: The conveyor includes a cage that is moved in a conveying path that extends in a vertical direction, and a pallet that is accommodated in the cage, and the pallet moves in and out of the cage by self-propelling. The pallets are self-propelled by caterpillar tracks. The endless track is a looped chain, and the looped chain is installed on each of both sides of the pallet in the width direction, and is driven by a motor corresponding to each of the looped chains. The looped chains surround the outer shape of the pallet. It is characterized by the above. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 3 is Claim 1 or claim 2 In the vertical automatic conveyor described above, The cage is stopped at each floor, and a cage deceleration position detection sensor is provided to detect the position where the cage starts to decelerate. The present invention is characterized in that: The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 4 is Claim 1 or claim 2 In the vertical automatic conveyor described above, The cart stops at each floor, the above A cage stop position detection sensor is provided to detect the cage stop position. The present invention is characterized in that: The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 5 is Claim 1 or claim 2 In the vertical automatic conveyor described above, The cart stops at each floor, the above The pallet can enter and exit the cage when the cage is stopped. , A pallet deceleration position detection sensor is provided in the cage to detect the position at which the pallet starts to decelerate. The present invention is characterized in that: The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 6 is Claim 1 or claim 2 In the vertical automatic conveyor described above, The cage is stopped at each floor, and the pallet can enter and leave the cage when the cage is stopped. A pallet stop position detection sensor is provided in the cage to detect the stop position of the pallet. It is characterized by the above. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 7 is also Or claim 2 In the vertical automatic conveyor described above, the cage is stopped at each floor, and The pallet can enter and exit the cage when the cage is stopped, and each floor has a pallet device that detects the position where the pallet starts to decelerate.A deceleration position detection sensor is provided. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 8 is also Or claim 2 In the vertical automatic conveying machine described above, the cage is stopped at each floor, and the pallet can enter and leave the cage when the cage is stopped; the above Each floor has a pallet that detects the stopping position of the pallet. A stop position detection sensor is provided. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 9 is also Or claim 2 In the vertical automatic conveyor described above, Detects whether the pallet is protruding from the basket. A detection sensor is provided. Effect of the Invention

[0007] As described above, the vertical automatic conveying machine according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a cage that is moved within a conveying path that extends in the vertical direction, and a pallet that is housed within the cage, and the pallet is self-propelled to move in and out of the cage, thereby making it possible to simplify the structure, reduce the installation space, and facilitate the conveying operation. According to the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 2, since the pallet in the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 1 is self-propelled by an endless track, the structure can be further simplified. According to the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 3, since the endless track in the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 2 is a loop-shaped chain, the structure can be further simplified. According to claim 4, the loop-shaped chains in the vertical automatic conveyor of claim 3 are installed on both sides of the pallet in the width direction, and both loop-shaped chains are driven by one motor, so that the structure can be further simplified. Also, the chains on both sides can be driven accurately at the same time. According to claim 5, in the vertical automatic conveyor of claim 3, the loop-shaped chains are installed on both sides of the pallet in the width direction, and are driven by motors corresponding to each of the loop-shaped chains. This makes it possible to reliably drive the chains on both sides and to miniaturize the motors. Furthermore, according to claim 6, in the vertical automatic conveying machine described in claim 4 or 5, the loop-shaped chain is configured to surround the outer shape of the pallet, so that a large opening can be secured and the loading and unloading of transported objects can be facilitated. Furthermore, according to the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 7, in the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 1, the cage is stopped at each floor, and a cage deceleration position detection sensor is provided which detects the position at which the cage starts to decelerate, so that the cage can be appropriately decelerated. Furthermore, according to the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 8, in the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 1, the cage is stopped at each floor, and a cage stop position detection sensor is provided for detecting the stopping position of the cage, so that the cage can be stopped appropriately. Furthermore, according to the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 9, in the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 1, the cage is stopped at each floor, and the pallet can enter and exit the cage when the cage is stopped, and a pallet deceleration position detection sensor is provided within the cage for detecting the position at which the pallet starts to decelerate, so that the pallet can be appropriately decelerated. Furthermore, according to the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 10, in the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 1, the cage is stopped at each floor, and the pallet can enter and exit the cage when the cage is stopped, and a pallet stop position detection sensor is provided within the cage for detecting the stopping position of the pallet, so that the pallet can be stopped appropriately. Furthermore, according to the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 11, in the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 1, the cage is stopped at each floor, and the pallet can enter and exit the cage when the cage is stopped, and a pallet deceleration position detection sensor is provided on each floor for detecting the position at which the pallet starts to decelerate, so that the pallet can be appropriately decelerated. Furthermore, according to the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 12, in the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 1, the cage is stopped at each floor, and the pallet can enter and exit the cage when the cage is stopped, and a pallet stop position detection sensor that detects the stopping position of the pallet is provided on each floor, so that the pallet can be stopped appropriately. Furthermore, according to the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 13, in the vertical automatic conveying machine of claim 1, an overhang detection sensor is provided which detects the pallet protruding from the basket, thereby making it possible to prevent the pallet from protruding from the basket. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a front view of a vertical automatic conveyor. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a view showing the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along the line II-II in FIG. [Diagram 3] 3A and 3B are views showing a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 3A is a view of a pallet as seen from the traveling direction, and FIG. 3B is a view as seen in the direction of arrows IIIb-IIIb in FIG. 3A. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of a pallet. [Diagram 5] 5(a) shows a first embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 5(a) shows a pallet being lowered onto the second floor of a building, FIG. 5(b) shows the pallet being carried into a basket which has been moved to the second floor, FIG. 5(c) shows the basket containing the pallet being moved to the first floor, and FIG. 5(d) shows the pallet being lowered onto the first floor of a building. [Figure 6]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of the second floor of a building with pallets lowered onto the second floor. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of the first floor of a building with pallets lowered onto the first floor. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a chain configuration according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 9A and 9B are diagrams showing a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 9A is an enlarged view of a portion IXa in FIG. 3B, and FIG. 9B is an enlarged view of portion IXb in FIG. 3A. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the pallet is viewed from the traveling direction side. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of a pallet. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a side view of a pallet according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of a pallet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vertical automatic transport machine 1 according to the first embodiment is installed in a two-story building 3. Within the building 3, there is a transport path 5 that extends in the vertical direction in Figure 1. Within the building 3, a frame 7 is installed. The left side of the frame 7 in Figure 1 is located within the transport path 5.

[0010] Pulleys 11 and 13 are provided on the upper left side of the frame 7 in Fig. 1. Also, a pulley 15 and an electric hoist 17 are provided on the upper right side of the frame 7 in Fig. 1. A cage 21 is installed in the transport path 5. A tip end of a lifting wire 23 is connected to the upper side of the cage 21 in FIG. 1. The lifting wire 23 is wound around the pulleys 11, 13, 15, and is wound from the base end side onto a drum 25 of the electric hoist 17. The cage 21 is lifted by winding up the lifting wire 23 with the electric hoist 17, and the cage 21 is lowered by unwinding the lifting wire 23 from the drum 25 of the electric hoist 17. A balancer 16 is attached to the pulley 15 to stabilize the raising and lowering movement of the cage 21.

[0011] The cage 21 is raised and lowered within the conveying path 5 and stops on the first and second floors of the building 3. A descending side cage deceleration position detection sensor 27 is installed near the center in the vertical direction in Fig. 1 within the conveying path 5, which detects the position where the cage 21 starts to decelerate when it is lowered toward the first floor of the building 3. In addition, a descending side cage stop position detection sensor 29 is installed below the descending side cage deceleration position detection sensor 27 in Fig. 1, which detects the stop position of the cage 21 on the first floor of the building 3. 1, an ascending side cage deceleration position detection sensor 31 is installed in the upper part of the conveying path 5, which detects the position where the cage 21 starts to decelerate when it is ascended toward the second floor of the building 3. In addition, an ascending side cage stop position detection sensor 33 is installed above the ascending side cage deceleration position detection sensor 31 in FIG. 1, which detects the stop position of the cage 21 on the second floor of the building 3.

[0012] The vertical automatic conveyor 1 has a pallet 41 accommodated in the cage 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the pallet 41 has an outer frame 43 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and a bottom plate 45 provided at the bottom of the outer frame 43 (lower side in FIG. 3). Sprockets 47, 49, 51, 53 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the outer frame 43. The sprockets 47, 49, 51, 53 are arranged at the corners of the outer frame 43. A loop-shaped chain 55 is wound around the sprockets 47, 49, 51, 53 as an endless track. Since the sprockets 47, 49, 51, 53 are arranged at the corners of the outer frame 43, the loop-shaped chain 55 is arranged to surround the outer periphery of each side in the width direction (the direction of the paper surface in FIG. 3(b)) of the outer frame 43.

[0013] The loop-shaped chain 51 has a configuration as shown in Figure 8. There are multiple roller units 52, and each roller unit 52 is configured by attaching a roller 58 via a bush 56 between a pair of inner plates 54, 54. The chain 51 is configured by connecting such roller units 52 via a pair of outer links 60, 60 and pins 62, 62.

[0014] 9, ground contact members 64 are attached to appropriate positions on the lower end of the outer frame 43, and these ground contact members 64 abut against the rollers 58 of each roller unit 52 of the chain 51. Also, gaps are formed between the ground contact members 64 and the inner plate 54 and the outer link 60. This configuration allows the chains 51, 51 to rotate smoothly.

[0015] The pallet 41 has two hollow motors 57. The hollow motors 57 are installed on both sides in the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 3) of the bottom side (lower side in FIG. 3) of the pallet 41. The hollow motors 57, 57 rotate the sprockets 47, 47 to drive the loop-shaped chains 55, 55, thereby allowing the pallet 41 to move by itself.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 4, double doors 61, 61 and double doors 63, 63 are installed on both sides in the width direction (vertical direction in Fig. 4) of the pallet 41. Furthermore, wire meshes 65, 67 are installed on both sides in the traveling direction of the pallet 41 (horizontal direction in Fig. 4).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 5, the cage 21 is stopped on the first or second floor of the building 3, and the pallet 41 moves in and out of the cage 21 on the first or second floor of the building 3 by self-propelling.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, a first-floor safety fence 71 is installed on the first floor of the building 3, on the right side of the transport path 5 in Fig. 1. The first-floor safety fence 71 has an outer frame 73, and the side of the outer frame 73 opposite the transport path 5 (the right side in Fig. 1) is blocked by a wire mesh 75. The outer frame 73 has openings 77, 77 on both sides in the width direction (toward the paper surface in Fig. 1), and each of the openings 77, 77 is equipped with an accordion-shaped retractable door 79, 79. In addition, on the first floor floor 81 of the building 3, outside the openings 77, 77 of the first floor safety fence 71, there are installed ramps 83, 83 used when loading and unloading cargo (not shown) from the pallet 41. In addition, near the openings 77, 77 of the first floor safety fence 71, there are installed operation panels 85, 85 for raising and lowering the cage 21, loading and unloading the pallet 41, and opening and closing the telescopic doors 79, 79.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 1, a second floor safety fence 91, slopes 93, 93, and operation panels 95, 95 are also installed on the second floor of the building 3 on the left side of the transport path 5 in Fig. 1. The second floor safety fence 91 has the same configuration as the first floor safety fence 71, and the slopes 93, 93 and operation panels 95, 95 are arranged in the same manner as the slopes 83, 83 and operation panels 85, 85 on the first floor side.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 6, when the pallet 41 is lowered onto the second floor of the building 3 and the retractable doors 79, 79 of the second floor safety measure 91 are opened, the double doors 61, 61, 63, 63 of the pallet 41 can be opened. Also, as shown in Figure 7, when the pallet 41 is lowered on the first floor of the building 3 and the retractable doors 79, 79 of the first floor safety measure 71 are opened, the double doors 61, 61 and double doors 63, 63 of the pallet 41 can be opened, just as in the case when the pallet 41 is lowered on the second floor of the building 3.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, a pallet deceleration position detection sensor 101 is provided within the cage 21 to detect the position at which the pallet 41 starts to decelerate, and a pallet stop position detection sensor 103 is provided to detect the stop position of the pallet 41. In addition, a protrusion detection sensor 105 for detecting the protrusion of the pallet 41 from the basket 21 is provided in the conveying path 5.

[0022] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a pallet deceleration position detection sensor 111 is provided on the first floor side of the building 3 to detect the position where the pallet 41 starts to decelerate, and a pallet stop position detection sensor 113 is provided to detect the stop position of the pallet 41. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a pallet deceleration position detection sensor 121 is provided on the second floor side of the building 3 to detect the position where the pallet 41 starts to decelerate, and a pallet stop position detection sensor 123 is provided to detect the stopping position of the pallet 41.

[0023] 5, a cable 131 is laid for supplying power to the hollow motors 57, 57 of the pallet 41. The cable 131 is arranged so as not to be broken even when the pallet 41 is moved through the conveyor path 5, the first floor side safety fence 71, and the second floor side safety plank 91.

[0024] Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. The cage 21 of the vertical automatic conveying machine 1 is raised within the conveying path 5 of the building 3 by winding up the lifting wire 23 with the electric hoist 17, and is lowered within the conveying path 5 of the building 3 by paying out the lifting wire 23 with the electric hoist 17.

[0025] The cage 21 is stopped on the first or second floor of the building 3. When the cage 21 is moving from the first floor to the second floor of the building 3, the cage 21 starts to decelerate when the ascending side cage deceleration position detection sensor 31 is turned on, and the cage 21 is stopped on the second floor of the building 3 when the ascending side cage stop position detection sensor 33 is turned on. When the cage 21 is moving from the second floor to the first floor of the building 3, the cage 21 starts to decelerate when the descending side cage deceleration position detection sensor 27 is turned on, and the cage 21 is stopped on the first floor of the building 3 when the descending side cage stop position detection sensor 29 is turned on.

[0026] The pallet 41 moves by itself by driving the looped chains 55, 55 by hollow motors 57, 57, and moves in and out of the cage 21. When the pallet 41 is stored in the cage 21, it starts to decelerate when the pallet deceleration position detection sensor 101 is turned on, and stops when the pallet stop position detection sensor 103 is turned on. When the pallet 41 leaves the cage 21 and moves into the first floor safety fence 71, it starts to decelerate when the pallet deceleration position detection sensor 111 turns on, and stops when the pallet stop position detection sensor 113 turns on. In addition, when the pallet 41 moves out of the cage 21 and into the second floor safety fence 91, it begins to decelerate when the pallet deceleration position detection sensor 121 turns on, and stops when the pallet stop position detection sensor 123 turns on.

[0027] Next, a case where an unillustrated load is moved from the second floor to the first floor of the building 3 using the vertical automatic carrier 1 will be described. First, as shown in Fig. 5(a), the pallet 41 is moved to the second floor safety fence 91 side of the building 3. The retractable door 79 of the second floor safety fence 91 is opened, and the double doors 61, 61 or the double doors 63, 63 of the pallet 41 are opened, and cargo (not shown) is moved along the slope 93 and carried into the pallet 41. Next, the double doors 61, 61 or the double doors 63, 63 of the pallet 41 are closed and the retractable door 79 of the second floor safety fence 91 is closed, and the pallet 41 is self-propelled and stored in the cage 21 as shown in Figure 5 (b). Next, the lifting wire 23 is paid out by the electric hoist 17 to lower the cage 21 to the first floor of the building 3 as shown in FIG. 5(c). Next, the pallet 41 is self-propelled and removed from the cage 21, and is moved into the first floor safety fence 71, as shown in Fig. 5(d). Next, the retractable door 79 of the first floor safety fence 71 is opened, and the double doors 61, 61 or the double doors 63, 63 of the pallet 41 are opened, and the cargo (not shown) in the pallet 41 is moved along the slope 83 and out of the pallet 41.

[0028] Next, a case where an unillustrated load is moved from the first floor to the second floor of the building 3 using the vertical automatic carrier 1 will be described. First, as shown in Fig. 5(d), the pallet 41 is moved to the first floor safety fence 71 side of the building 3. The retractable door 79 of the first floor safety fence 71 is opened, and the double doors 61, 61 or the double doors 63, 63 of the pallet 41 are opened, and luggage (not shown) is moved along the slope 83 and carried into the pallet 41. Next, the double doors 61, 61 or the double doors 63, 63 of the pallet 41 are closed and the retractable door 79 of the first floor safety fence 71 is closed, and the pallet 41 is self-propelled and stored in the cage 21 as shown in Figure 5 (c). Next, the lifting wire 23 is sent out by the electric hoist 17 to lower the cage 21 to the first floor of the building 3 as shown in FIG. 5(b). Next, the pallet 41 is self-propelled and carried out of the cage 21, and is moved into the second floor safety fence 91, as shown in Fig. 5(a). Next, the retractable door 79 of the second floor safety fence 91 is opened, and the double doors 61, 61 or the double doors 63, 63 of the pallet 41 are opened, and the cargo (not shown) in the pallet 41 is moved along the slope 93 and out of the pallet 41.

[0029] Next, the effects of the first embodiment will be described. The vertical automatic conveyor 1 has a pallet 41 that moves in and out of the cage 21 by itself, so there is no need for an operator to load the pallet 41 onto or unload it from the conveyor, which simplifies the configuration, reduces the installation space, and facilitates the conveying operation. Since the pallet 41 is self-propelled by loop-shaped chains 55, 55 serving as an endless track, the pallet 41 can be made even more simple in structure. The loop-shaped chains 55, 55 are installed on both sides of the width of the pallet 41, and each of the loop-shaped chains 55 is driven by one hollow motor 57, so that the pallet 41 can be effectively self-propelled. Since the loop-shaped chain 55 is arranged to surround the outer shape of the pallet 41, a large opening for loading and unloading can be secured on the side of the pallet 41, making it easier to load and unload cargo (not shown). Furthermore, since the descending side cage deceleration position detection sensor 27 and the ascending side cage deceleration position detection sensor 31 are provided to detect the position at which the cage 21 starts to decelerate, the cage 21 can be decelerated appropriately. Further, since a descending side cage stop position detection sensor 29 and an ascending side cage stop position detection sensor 33 are provided for detecting the stop position of the cage 21, the cage 21 can be stopped appropriately. Further, since a pallet deceleration position detection sensor 101 for detecting the position at which the pallet 41 starts to decelerate is provided within the cage 21, the pallet 41 can be appropriately decelerated within the cage 21. Further, since a pallet stop position detection sensor 103 for detecting the stop position of the pallet 41 is provided within the cage 21, the pallet 41 can be stopped appropriately within the cage 21. A pallet deceleration position detection sensor 111 is provided on the first floor side of the building 3 to detect the position where the pallet 41 starts to decelerate, and a pallet deceleration position detection sensor 121 is provided on the second floor side of the building 3 to detect the position where the pallet 41 starts to decelerate, so that the pallet 41 can be appropriately decelerated even after it is carried out of the cage 21. A pallet stop position detection sensor 113 that detects the stopping position of the pallet 41 is also provided on the first floor side of the building 3, and a pallet stop position detection sensor 123 that detects the stopping position of the pallet 41 is also provided on the second floor side of the building 3, so that the pallet 41 can be stopped appropriately even after it is transported out of the cage 21. Further, since a protrusion detection sensor 105 for detecting the protrusion of the pallet 41 from the basket 21 is provided in the transport path 5, the pallet 41 can be prevented from protruding from the basket 21.

[0030] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The vertical automatic transporter according to the second embodiment uses a pallet 201. This pallet 201 has a configuration substantially similar to that of the pallet 41 in the first embodiment, but hollow motors 57, 57 are installed on the ceiling side of the pallet 201 (upper side in FIG. 10). The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

[0031] The second embodiment also provides the same functions and effects as the first embodiment.

[0032] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The vertical automatic transporter according to the third embodiment uses a pallet 301. This pallet 301 has a configuration substantially similar to that of the pallet 41 in the first embodiment, but in addition to double doors 61, 61 and double doors 63, 63 on both sides in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 11) of the pallet 301, double doors 303, 303 are also provided on one side in the traveling direction (right side in FIG. 11).

[0033] In the case of this third embodiment, in addition to providing the same functions and effects as the first embodiment, double doors are provided on three sides of the pallet 301, so that cargo can be loaded and unloaded from the pallet 301 more effectively.

[0034] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The vertical automatic transporter according to the fourth embodiment uses a pallet 401. This pallet 401 has a configuration substantially similar to that of the pallet 41 in the first embodiment, but has only one hollow motor 57 installed on the ceiling side (upper side in FIG. 12), and the loop-shaped chains 55, 55 are driven by only this hollow motor 57. In addition, in the pallet 401, compared to the pallet 41, three sprockets 403, 405, 407 are added on each side of the width direction (the direction of the paper in Figure 12) on the ceiling side, and the loop-shaped chains 55, 55 are driven by rotating the sprockets 405, 405 by the hollow motor 57.

[0035] In the case of the fourth embodiment, in addition to providing the same functions and effects as the first embodiment, the structure of the pallet 401 can be simplified since there is only one hollow motor 57.

[0036] Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The vertical automatic transporter according to the fifth embodiment uses a pallet 501. This pallet 501 has a configuration substantially similar to that of the pallet 41 in the first embodiment, but double doors 503, 503 are provided on only one side of the width of the pallet 501 (the upper side in FIG. 13). Incidentally, a wire mesh 505 is provided on the other side of the pallet 501 in the width direction (the lower side in FIG. 13).

[0037] The fifth embodiment also provides the same functions and effects as the first embodiment, but since the double doors 503, 503 are provided in only one place, the places where luggage can be carried in and out are limited, but the structure of the pallet 501 is simpler.

[0038] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the first to fifth embodiments. For example, a battery may be installed on the pallet, allowing the pallet to move on its own without receiving power from an external source. Moreover, various other types of endless tracks for the pallets, such as belts, may be used in addition to chains. It is also possible to provide guide rails for guiding the cage within the conveying path. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated configurations, and various other configurations are possible. [Industrial Applicability]

[0039] The present invention relates to a vertical automatic conveying machine that conveys objects to multiple floors, and in particular to a machine that is devised to simplify the configuration, reduce the installation space, and facilitate the conveying operation, and is suitable, for example, for use as a vertical automatic conveying machine in a warehouse. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. Vertical automatic conveyor 5. Transport Path 21 Cage 27 Lowering side cage deceleration position detection sensor 29 Lowering side cage stop position detection sensor 31 Ascending side cage deceleration position detection sensor 33 Ascending side cage stop position detection sensor 41 Palette 55 Looped Chain (Crawler) 57 Hollow Motor 101 Pallet deceleration position detection sensor 103 Pallet stop position detection sensor 105 Protrusion detection sensor 111 Pallet deceleration position detection sensor 113 Pallet stop position detection sensor 121 Pallet deceleration position detection sensor 123 Pallet stop position detection sensor

Claims

1. A cage that is moved within a conveying path that extends in a vertical direction; a pallet contained within the cage; Equipped with The pallet moves in and out of the basket by itself, The pallet is self-propelled by caterpillar tracks. The above-mentioned endless track is a looped chain, The loop-shaped chains are installed on both sides of the pallet in the width direction, Both of the looped chains are driven by a single motor; A vertical automatic conveyor, wherein the loop-shaped chain surrounds the outer shape of the pallet.

2. A cage that is moved within a conveying path that extends in the vertical direction; a pallet contained within the cage; Equipped with The pallet moves in and out of the basket by itself, The pallet is self-propelled by caterpillar tracks. The above-mentioned endless track is a looped chain, The loop-shaped chains are installed on both sides of the pallet in the width direction, Each of the loop-shaped chains is driven by a corresponding motor, A vertical automatic conveying machine characterized in that the loop-shaped chain surrounds the outer shape of the pallet.

3. 3. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 1, The car stops at each floor, a cage deceleration position detection sensor for detecting a position at which the cage starts to decelerate;

4. 3. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 1, The car stops at each floor, A vertical automatic conveyor further comprising a basket stop position detection sensor for detecting a stop position of the basket.

5. 3. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 1, The car stops at each floor, the pallet is capable of moving in and out of the cage when the cage is stopped; a pallet deceleration position detection sensor provided within said basket for detecting a position at which said pallet starts to decelerate;

6. 3. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 1, The car stops at each floor, the pallet is capable of moving in and out of the cage when the cage is stopped; a pallet stop position detection sensor for detecting a stop position of the pallet is provided within the basket;

7. 3. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 1, The car stops at each floor, the pallet is capable of moving in and out of the cage when the cage is stopped; a pallet deceleration position detection sensor for detecting a position at which the pallet starts to decelerate is provided on each floor of the vertical automatic conveyor;

8. 3. The vertical automatic conveying machine according to claim 1, The car stops at each floor, the pallet is capable of moving in and out of the cage when the cage is stopped; a pallet stop position detection sensor for detecting a stop position of the pallet on each floor;

9. 3. The vertical automatic conveyor according to claim 1, a protrusion detection sensor for detecting the protrusion of the pallet from the basket;

Images