Item transport device and storage facility including same

Abstract

To realize highly accurate guiding in regard to movement in a traveling direction according to an article conveyance device.SOLUTION: An article conveyance device 1 comprises a first rail 2, a second rail 3, a movable body 10, a slider 6, and a roller mechanism part 7. The first rail 2 comprises a rail part 2a provided with a circular cross-section. The second rail 3 comprises a groove 31 opened on a first rail 2 side. The slider 6 fixed to the movable body 10 slides in a traveling direction with respect to the rail part 2a, and is connected so as to be rotatable around a center axis line X1 of the rail part 2a. The roller mechanism part 7 comprises: a reference part 71 fixed to the movable body 10; a fixed roller part 72 comprising a first roller 721 capable of rolling along one inner side face 31a of the groove 31, that is fixed to the reference part 71; and a movable roller part 73. The movable roller part 73 comprising a second roller 731 capable of rolling the other inner side face 31b of the groove 31, and an energization part 734 that generates energization force for separating the reference part 71 from the second roller 731 inside the groove 31 is attached to the reference part 71.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article transport device that is installed in a storage facility or the like that has storage shelves for storing a plurality of articles. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a file folder management system (hereinafter referred to as a "storage cabinet"). This storage cabinet has two storage shelves facing each other at a distance from each other, each having a plurality of storage sections for storing items, a loading / unloading section provided in part of one of the storage shelves, and an item transport device that transports items between the storage shelves and the loading / unloading section. This item transport device has a lower rail and an upper rail that are arranged spaced apart from each other, a transport vehicle that moves along the lower rail, and a transport unit that is mounted on the transport vehicle and raises and lowers items in the vertical direction. In this item transport device, a movable body consisting of the transport vehicle and the transport unit travels along the upper and lower rails (lower rail, upper rail) by sandwiching the rails between a pair of guide rollers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-261110 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional structure in which a pair of guide rollers is used to sandwich the upper and lower rails, it can be difficult to provide high-precision guidance for the movement of the movable body in the running direction along the rails, and some ingenuity is required. Also, it is necessary to avoid excessive sliding resistance by adopting a high-precision guide structure.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an article transport device that can easily achieve high-precision guidance for movement in the traveling direction without generating excessive sliding resistance, and a storage facility equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article transport device including first and second rails arranged vertically and spaced apart from each other, and a movable body arranged between the first and second rails, supported for travel along each rail, and capable of raising and lowering articles in the vertical direction. In this article transport device, the first rail has a rail portion with a circular cross section extending in the travel direction, and the second rail has a groove extending in the travel direction and opening toward the first rail. The article transport device also includes a slider and a roller mechanism. The slider is fixed to the movable body and is coupled to the rail portion so as to slide in the travel direction and to be rotatable about the central axis of the rail portion. The roller mechanism includes a reference portion fixed to the movable body, a fixed roller portion, and a movable roller portion. The fixed roller portion has a first roller capable of rolling along one inner surface of the groove and is fixed to the reference portion. The movable roller portion has a second roller that can roll along the other inner surface of the groove, and a biasing portion for positioning the movable body that generates a biasing force that pulls the second roller and the reference portion away from each other within the groove, and is fixed to the reference portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the first rail has a rail portion with a circular cross section extending in the travel direction, and the slider connects the movable body to the rail portion so that the movable body can slide relative to the rail portion in the travel direction and rotate about the central axis of the rail portion. That is, a sliding structure using a slider slidably connected to the rail is adopted as a guide structure between the movable body and the first rail, thereby providing high-precision guidance for movement along the first rail in the travel direction. The second rail has a groove extending in the travel direction and opening toward the first rail, and the roller mechanism includes a reference portion fixed to the movable body, a fixed roller portion fixed to the reference portion and having a first roller that can roll along one inner surface of the groove, and a movable roller portion attached to the reference portion and having a second roller that can roll along the other inner surface of the groove and a movable body positioning biasing portion that generates a biasing force within the groove to separate the second roller and the reference portion from each other. That is, a simple guide structure using rollers with relatively low sliding resistance is adopted as the guide structure between the movable body and the second rail.

[0008] According to the guide structure for each rail described above, on the first rail side, the slider is coupled to the rail portion, thereby positioning the movable body with high precision, but rotation of the movable body about the central axis of the rail portion is permitted. Therefore, when the roller mechanism is positioned in the groove on the second rail side, the movable body assumes a position in which both the first roller and the second roller abut against the inner surface of the groove according to the position of the second rail due to the biasing force of the biasing portion for positioning the movable body. Therefore, even if the positioning precision of the second rail relative to the first rail is somewhat poor, the movable body is guided along the first rail with high precision in the running direction while movement in the up-down direction and movement in the groove width direction is prevented via the slider on the first rail side. On the second rail side, the movable body is guided along the second rail with the first roller and the second roller pressed against the inner surface of the second rail so as to roll stably without generating excessive sliding resistance. As a result, the movable body can be moved in the traveling direction without generating excessive sliding resistance, while ensuring high-precision guiding on the first rail side for movement of the movable body in the traveling direction and absorbing positioning accuracy errors with respect to the first rail on the second rail side.In this way, it is possible to provide an article transport device and a storage cabinet equipped with the same that can easily achieve high-precision guiding of movement in the traveling direction without generating excessive sliding resistance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of a storage facility including an item transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the article transport device. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a first rail of the article transport device. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a second rail of the article transport device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a frame unit of the article transport device. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a movable body of the article transport device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the movable body from another angle. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the upper side of the movable body. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the lower side of the movable body. [Figure 11] 3A and 3B are a side view (right side view) and a partially enlarged view of the article transport device. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a lower part of the article transport device. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an upper portion of the article transport device. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a modified example of the article transport device. [Figure 15] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a lower roller mechanism of the article transport apparatus 1 according to the first modified example. [Figure 16] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating another modified example of the article transport device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the internal structure of a storage cabinet 100 including an item transport apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Note that Fig. 1 is shown as a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the storage cabinet 100. First, the storage cabinet 100 to which the item transport apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is applied will be described.

[0011] [Storage] The storage 100 is configured to carry in and store a plurality of items P, and to carry out the stored plurality of items P. The stored items P may be any suitable type of item, such as medicines, books, stationery, beverages, or food. The storage 100 is installed, for example, inside a pharmacy building and used for inventory management of merchandise (items P) such as medicines to be sold. For example, a store clerk is a user of the storage 100, and the user performs operations of putting items P in and taking items P out of the storage 100. However, the installation location and use of the storage 100 are not limited to this, and the storage 100 may be installed in an appropriate location depending on the type of items to be stored, and may be used for an appropriate purpose (mode of use) depending on the installation location and the type of items.

[0012] In this embodiment, a user accesses the storage cabinet 100 from the front side in the front-to-rear direction of the storage cabinet 100. Inside the storage cabinet 100, the items P are stored while being placed on a portable tray T, and are transported together with the tray T. For ease of explanation, the front-to-rear, left-to-right, and up-to-down directions are shown appropriately in the drawings, and the left-to-right directions are shown as viewed from the user side standing in front of the storage cabinet 100.

[0013] The storage facility 100 has a box 101, a storage shelf 102 for storing items P, a work station 103, and an item transport device 1 arranged in parallel along the storage shelf 102 and transporting items P between the storage shelf 102 and the work station 103.

[0014] The box 101 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and constitutes the housing of the storage cabinet 100. The box 101 has exterior panels consisting of a front panel 101a on the front side, a rear panel 101b on the rear side, a left panel 101c (shown at the back in FIG. 1), a right panel (not shown), a top panel 101d, and a bottom panel 101e. For example, a frame material (not shown) is provided inside the exterior panels.

[0015] The storage shelf 102 is a shelf for storing multiple items P, and is arranged along the item transport device 1 so that the items P transported by the item transport device 1 are placed on it. The storage shelf 102 stores the items P placed on trays T, and is configured to be able to store multiple items P (more specifically, multiple trays T with an item P placed on each). In this embodiment, two storage shelves 102 are arranged facing each other with a gap in the front-to-rear direction within the box 101, and the item transport device 1 is arranged in the area between the two storage shelves 102.

[0016] Each storage shelf 102 has a plurality of shelf boards 102a (11 in the figure) arranged at intervals in the vertical direction and extending in the left-right direction, and a plurality of partition boards 102b arranged at intervals in the left-right direction on each shelf board 102a and extending in the vertical direction. The components that make up the storage shelf 102 (the shelf boards 102a, partition boards 102b, etc.) form a plurality of article storage chambers H arranged vertically and horizontally, and articles P (trays T) can be placed in each article storage chamber H. Each article storage chamber H is formed in a cylindrical shape that is open in the front-to-rear directions.

[0017] The work station 103 is used by a user to carry out operations of putting in and taking out items P, such as storing and taking out items P from the storage facility 100. In this embodiment, the work station 103 is configured using a part of the front storage shelf 102. In this embodiment, the work station 103 corresponds to the "storage and retrieval section" according to the present invention.

[0018] For example, among the multiple item storage chambers H of the front storage shelf 102, multiple rows of multiple levels (in the figure, two levels, one above the other, on the fourth and fifth levels from the bottom) are used as work stations 103. The portion of the front panel 101a corresponding to the work stations 103 has a rectangular opening that is long from side to side, and each item storage chamber H for the work stations 103 is accessible by both users and the item transport apparatus 1. However, the opening on the user side (front side) and the opening on the item transport apparatus 1 side (rear side) of the item storage chamber H for the work stations 103 are configured to be opened and closed by doors D1 and D2. When a user accesses the work station 103, the front door D1 is open and the rear door D2 is closed, and when the item transport apparatus 1 accesses the work station 103, the front door D1 is closed and the rear door D2 is open.

[0019] [Overview of the item transport device] Next, a detailed description will be given of the item transport apparatus 1. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the item transport apparatus 1, and Fig. 3 is a front view of the item transport apparatus 1. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are partially enlarged perspective views of the item transport apparatus 1, with Fig. 4 showing the lower right portion and Fig. 5 showing the upper right portion.

[0020] In this embodiment, the item transport device 1 is disposed between two storage shelves 102, and is used as a device for transporting (transferring) items P within the box 101 between an item placement room H of a work station 103 and another item placement room H. Therefore, in addition to the function of moving items P up and down and left and right between the two storage shelves 102, the item transport device 1 also has a transfer function of moving items P (more specifically, trays T) back and forth so that they can be transferred to and from the corresponding item placement room H.

[0021] The item transport device 1 includes a first rail 2 and a second rail 3 arranged at a distance from each other above and below, a movable body 10 arranged between the first rail 2 and the second rail 3 and supported so as to be able to run along each rail (2, 3) and capable of raising and lowering items, a slider 6 (see Figure 11, etc., described below), and a roller mechanism unit 7 (see Figure 11, etc.), and is arranged along the storage shelf 102.

[0022] In this embodiment, the first rail 2 is a rail (i.e., a lower rail) located below the second rail 3. Therefore, the second rail 3 is a rail (an upper rail) located above the first rail 2. Also, in this embodiment, the movable body 10 includes a running platform 4 supported so as to be able to run along the first rail 2, and a lifting device 5 provided on the running platform 4 for raising and lowering an article in the vertical direction.

[0023] In this embodiment, the article transport apparatus 1 further includes a frame unit 20 to which the first rail 2 and the second rail 3 are fixed. Here, when assembling the article transport apparatus 1, for example, the traveling platform 4 and the lifting device 5 are assembled together to form the movable body 10. The frame unit 20 forms an area capable of accommodating the movable body 10 formed by the assembly of the traveling platform 4 and the lifting device 5, and also forms the housing (outer shell) of the article transport apparatus 1, and the movable body 10 is assembled within the frame unit 20.

[0024] [First and second rails] The first rail 2 is arranged parallel to the storage shelves 102 that store articles, and extends along the storage shelves 102. In other words, the first rail 2 extends linearly between the two storage shelves 102 across the entire width of the storage shelves 102. The width of the storage shelves 102, which is the extension direction of the first rail 2, is the travel direction of the traveling platform 4 (movable body 10). In this embodiment, the left-right direction of the storage warehouse 100, the width of the storage shelves 102, the travel direction of the traveling platform 4 (movable body 10), the extension direction of each rail (2, 3), and the longitudinal direction of each rail (2, 3) are all the same. The first rail 2 is fixed to the upper surface of a first base 21 (described later) of the frame unit 20.

[0025] In this embodiment, the first rail 2 has a rail portion 2a with a circular cross section extending in the running direction, and a rail support plate 2b that supports the rail portion 2a. Specifically, the rail portion 2a is formed in a cylindrical shape. The rail support plate 2b is located below the rail portion 2a and has a length in the longitudinal direction (i.e., the running direction) approximately equal to that of the rail portion 2a. It consists of a support plate portion 2b1 formed in a rectangular plate shape in a plan view, and a connection portion 2b2 that connects the support plate portion 2b1 and the rail portion 2a. The connection portion 2b2 protrudes obliquely upward from the upper surface of the support plate portion 2b1 and extends to a predetermined angular position around the central axis X1 of the rail portion 2a on the outer circumferential surface of the rail portion 2a, connecting the predetermined angular position on the outer circumferential surface of the rail portion 2a to the support plate portion 2b1 throughout the entire longitudinal direction (running direction) of the rail portion 2a.

[0026] The second rail 3 is a rail that guides the movable body 10 so that it can move in the traveling direction of the traveling platform 4. The second rail 3 is spaced above the first rail 2, and is disposed opposite and parallel to the first rail 2. In other words, the movable body 10 is located between the first rail 2 and the second rail 3, and runs (moves) along the rails (2, 3) with both the upper and lower ends of the movable body 10 guided by the corresponding rails (2, 3). The second rail 3 is fixed to the underside of a second base 22 (described later) of the frame unit 20.

[0027] The second rail 3 has a groove 31 (hereinafter referred to as the guide groove 31) that extends in the running direction and opens toward the first rail 2. In this embodiment, the second rail 3 is disposed above the first rail 2, and therefore the guide groove 31 is a groove that opens downward. Specifically, the second rail 3 is made of, for example, a long steel material with a grooved cross section, and is composed of a bottom plate 3a, one side plate 3b that protrudes from one side of the bottom plate 3a in the width direction, and the other side plate 3c that protrudes from the other side of the bottom plate 3a in the width direction and faces the one side plate 3b. In this embodiment, the description will be given assuming that the one side plate 3b is the front side plate and the other side plate 3c is the rear side plate.

[0028] [Frame unit] 6 is a perspective view of the frame unit 20. As described above, the frame unit 20 forms the housing (outer shell) of the item transport device 1, and is formed, for example, with an outer shape that is approximately the same as the outer shape of the storage shelf 102 when viewed from the front.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the frame unit 20 has a first base 21 to which the first rail 2 is fixed, a second base 22 to which the second rail 3 is fixed, a first frame 23 connecting one end of the first base 21 to one end of the second base 22, and a second frame 24 connecting the other end of the first base 21 to the other end of the second base 22, and is configured to form an accommodation area between the first base 21 and the second base 22 that can accommodate the movable body 10. In the present embodiment, the first base 21 is located below the second base 22. Although not particularly limited, the following description will be given assuming that the first frame 23 is located on the left side and the second frame 24 is located on the right side.

[0030] In this embodiment, an opening 20a for inserting the movable body is formed in either the first frame 23 or the second frame 24. As will be described later, the slider 6, the roller mechanism 7, and the brackets (87a, 87b, 88a, 88b) are fixed to the lower and upper parts of the movable body 10. The opening 20a for inserting the movable body is larger than the overall outer shape (outline) of the slider 6, the roller mechanism 7, the brackets (87a, 87b, 88a, 88b), and the movable body 10 in a plan view in the travel direction (in other words, a side view of the frame unit 20). When assembling the article conveying apparatus 1, the movable body 10 is inserted into the frame unit 20 through the opening 20a and is easily positioned within the frame unit 20, thereby achieving efficient assembly. Note that, although not particularly limited, the opening 20a is formed in the second frame 24 on the right side.

[0031] Specifically, the first base 21 and the second base 22 are arranged parallel to and facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction, and are each formed as a roughly rectangular plate elongated in the left-right direction. The first frame 23 and the second frame 24 are arranged parallel to and facing each other with a gap in the left-right direction. The first frame 23, which does not have the opening 20a, is formed as a rectangular plate elongated in the vertical direction in side view, while the second frame 24, which has the opening 20a, is formed as a rectangular frame elongated in the vertical direction in side view. The first frame 23 has connecting plates 23a protruding to the right at both its upper and lower ends. The left end of the first base 21 is fixed to the upper surface of the lower connecting plate 23a of the first frame 23, the right end of the first base 21 is fixed to the upper surface of the lower frame plate of the second frame 24, the left end of the second base 22 is fixed to the lower surface of the upper connecting plate 23a of the first frame 23, and the right end of the second base 22 is fixed to the lower surface of the upper frame plate of the second frame 24.

[0032] [Movable body] Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views of the movable body 10. Figure 9 is a partial perspective view of the upper side of the movable body 10, and Figure 10 is a partial perspective view of the lower side of the movable body 10. Figures 11 to 13 are views mainly for explaining the running structure and the lifting structure of the item transport device 1, with Figure 11 being a side view (right side view with some parts omitted), Figure 12 being an exploded perspective view of the lower part, and Figure 13 being an exploded perspective view of the upper part of the item transport device 1. Note that the first base 21 has been removed in Figure 11, and the second base 22 has been removed together with the second rail 3 in Figure 13.

[0033] As shown in Figures 7 to 12, the running platform 4 is a base supported so as to be able to run along the first rail 2, and constitutes the lower part of the movable body 10. An elevator device 5 is fixed to the upper part of the running platform 4. The running platform 4 has, for example, a rectangular base bottom plate portion 4a that constitutes the bottom wall of the movable body 10, and base side plate portions 4b that protrude upward from both the left and right ends of the base bottom plate portion 4a.

[0034] The lifting device 5 is a device that is provided on the running platform 4 and raises and lowers the article P in the vertical direction, and constitutes the portion of the movable body 10 above the running platform 4. The lifting device 5 has an upper wall 51 that faces the second rail 3, a left column body 52 and a right column body 53 (in other words, a pair of columns 52, 53) that face each other with a gap in the left-right direction and connect the running platform 4 and the upper wall 51, a lifting platform 54 that is supported between the left column body 52 and the right column body 53 along the left column body 52 and the right column body 53 so that it can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction, and a lifting drive mechanism 55 that drives the lifting platform 54 to rise and lower up and down.

[0035] Specifically, the upper wall 51 has a rectangular plate-shaped device top plate portion 51a that forms the top plate of the lifting device 5 (in other words, the movable body 10), and device side plate portions 51b that protrude downward from both the left and right ends of the device top plate portion 51a.

[0036] The left column 52 and the right column 53 are each formed as a rectangular plate that is long in the vertical direction in a plan view. The left column 52 connects the left base side plate 4b and the device side plate 51b, and the right column 53 connects the right base side plate 4b and the device side plate 51b. Therefore, in the movable body 10, the running platform 4, the upper wall 51, the left column 52, and the right column 53 form a frame structure that is a vertically elongated rectangular cylinder (in other words, a rectangular frame that is long in the vertical direction) that is open in the front-to-rear direction, and the movable body 10 has this frame structure. Attached to the inner surfaces of the left column 52 and the right column 53 are lift guide sections 56, each having a lift guide groove 56a formed therein to support the lift platform 54 so that it can move up and down.

[0037] The lifting platform 54 is a platform on which the article P is placed. More specifically, a holder is fixed on the lifting platform 54 to hold the tray T, on which the article P is placed, so that the tray T can be moved back and forth in the forward and backward directions and can be transferred between the target article placement chamber H. In FIGS. 2, 3, 7 to 9, and 13, the tray T and the holder are shown together with the article P as a single unit for simplicity of illustration. The lifting platform 54 includes a left plate 54a supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the lifting guide groove 56a of the lifting guide portion 56 attached to the left column 52, a right plate 54b supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the lifting guide groove 56a of the lifting guide portion 56 attached to the right column 53, and a lifting plate 54c supported by the left plate 54a and the right plate 54b in a position parallel to the base bottom plate 4a of the running platform 4. The holder that holds the tray T is fixed on the lifting plate 54c.

[0038] The lifting drive mechanism 55 is, for example, a belt-driven lifting mechanism, and has a lifting drive motor M1, a lifting power transmission shaft 551, a pair of upper and lower first pulleys 552, 552 (see Figures 7 and 9), a first belt 553, a pair of upper and lower second pulleys 554, 554 (see Figure 8), and a second belt 555.

[0039] The lift drive motor M1 is fixed to the upper surface of the running platform 4 (base bottom plate portion 4a) via a motor box 556. The lift power transmission shaft 551 is connected to the drive shaft of the lift drive motor M1 via multiple gears (not shown), and passes through the motor box 556 in the left-right direction, extending across the entire width of the running platform 4. A pair of upper and lower first pulleys 552, 552 are provided on both upper and lower ends of the inner surface of the left pillar body 52 so as to be rotatable around a central axis extending in the left-right direction, and a first belt 553 is stretched around these first pulleys 552. A left plate 54a is fixed to a first predetermined position in the circumferential direction of the first belt 553. Similarly, a pair of upper and lower second pulleys 554, 554 are provided on both upper and lower ends of the inner surface of the right pillar body 53 so as to be rotatable around a central axis extending in the left-right direction, and a second belt 555 is stretched around these second pulleys 554. A right plate 54b is fixed to a second predetermined position in the circumferential direction of the second belt 555, which corresponds to the first predetermined position. The lower first pulley 552 and the lower second pulley 554 are connected to each other via an elevation power transmission shaft 551.

[0040] The lifting drive mechanism 55 is configured to rotate a lower first pulley 552 and a lower second pulley 554 via a lifting power transmission shaft 551 using a lifting drive motor M1, thereby moving (raising and lowering) the lifting platform 54 to which the holder is fixed up and down within the frame structure of the movable body 10. Note that the lifting mechanism in the lifting device 5 described here is merely an example, and mechanisms of various configurations that can raise and lower the holder can be used.

[0041] [Slider and roller mechanism] As described above, the article transport device 1 has a slider 6 and a roller mechanism 7. In this embodiment, as will be described in detail below, a sliding guide structure using a slider slidably coupled to the rail is employed on the lower rail side (first rail 2 side), and a simple guide structure using rollers with relatively low sliding resistance and a relatively high tolerance for rail positioning accuracy is employed on the upper rail side (second rail 3 side).

[0042] Slider 11 and 12, the slider 6 is fixed to the movable body 4 (the lower surface of the base bottom plate portion 4a) and is coupled to the rail portion 2a of the first rail 2 so as to be able to slide in the running direction and rotate about the central axis X1 of the rail portion 2a. The slider 6 constitutes a guide structure for movement of the movable body 10 in the running direction along the first rail 2.

[0043] The slider 6 has an insertion hole 6a into which the rail portion 2a of the first rail 2 is inserted and a slit 6b through which the connection portion 2b2 of the first rail 2 passes, and is formed to be rotatable around the central axis X1 of the rail portion 2a. In this embodiment, the slider 6 is fixed to both end portions in the left-right direction on the underside of the base bottom plate portion 4a.

[0044] The slider 6 is fixed to the center in the front-to-rear direction on the underside of the movable body 10 (base bottom plate portion 4a). Specifically, when the rail portion 2a is inserted into the bearing 6d of the slider 6 on the underside of the movable body 10, the slider 6 is fixed to the underside of the movable body 10 so that the center line X2 passing through the center in the front-to-rear direction of the movable body 10 passes through the central axis line X1 of the rail portion 2a. In other words, the slider 6 is fixed to the underside of the movable body 10 so that the hole center line of its insertion hole 6a passes through the center line X2 passing through the center in the front-to-rear direction of the movable body 10.

[0045] Specifically, the slider 6 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped appearance. The slider 6 is formed to surround most of the outer circumferential surface of the rail portion 2a and has a length sufficiently shorter than the length of the rail portion 2a. The lower corners (front corners in the figure) of the rectangular parallelepiped slider 6 are inclined obliquely over the entire left-right direction. The slits 6b penetrate the inclined surfaces 6c of the lower front corners of the slider 6 to communicate with the insertion hole 6a and are formed to cut out portions corresponding to the connection portions 2b2 on the periphery of the insertion hole 6a over the entire left-right direction. In addition, a bearing 6d, for example, is inserted between the inner wall surface of the insertion hole 6a of the slider 6 and the outer circumferential surface of the rail portion 2a of the first rail 2. The bearing 6d is made of, for example, a resin material, fits into the insertion hole 6a of the slider 6, and is integrated with the slider 6. The bearing 6d has a curvature and thickness corresponding to the curvature radius of the insertion hole 6a and the curvature radius of the rail portion 2a, and is formed so as to extend in one direction with an arc-shaped cross section (generally a C-shaped cross section). The inner peripheral surface of the bearing 6d is also provided with serrations to reduce sliding resistance.

[0046] The slider 6 is connected to the rail portion 2a of the first rail 2 via a bearing 6d so as to be slidable in the running direction and rotatable about the central axis X1 of the rail portion 2a. In this connected state, the slider 6 and the running platform 4 (in other words, the movable body 10) are allowed to rotate about the central axis X1 of the rail portion 2a, and movement in the running direction along the first rail 2 of the slider 6 and the running platform 4 (movable body 10) is guided with high precision along the first rail 2 while movement in the up-down direction and the front-back direction is prevented.

[0047] The article transport device 1 has a travel drive mechanism 8 that drives the travel of the travel platform 4 (in other words, the movable body 10). This travel drive mechanism 8 will be described later.

[0048] [Roller mechanism] As shown in Figures 11 and 13, the roller mechanism unit 7 is attached to the upper surface of the movable body 10 (device top plate portion 51a) and is positioned within the guide groove 31 of the second rail 3, forming a guide structure for movement of the movable body 10 in the running direction along the second rail 3.

[0049] The roller mechanism 7 has a reference portion 71, a fixed roller portion 72, and a movable roller portion 73. In this embodiment, the roller mechanism 7 is attached to both left and right end portions of the upper surface of the movable body 10 (device top panel portion 51a) (see FIGS. 7, 8, and 13). Each roller mechanism 7 is disposed approximately in the center in the front-to-rear direction of the upper surface of the movable body 10 (upper wall 51).

[0050] The reference portion 71 is fixed to the movable body 10 (the device top plate portion 51a). The reference portion 71 is fixed to the device top plate portion 51a of the upper wall 51 and protrudes upward. The reference portion 71 has a first surface 71a facing one of the pair of opposing inner surfaces 31a, 31b of the guide groove 31, and a second surface 71b facing the other inner surface 31b. Specifically, the reference portion 71 is formed into a generally hat shape overall, and includes a protruding plate portion 71c having a U-shaped cross section with a downward opening, and flange portions 71d projecting forward and backward from the lower end of the protruding plate portion 71c. The flange portions 71d are fixed to the movable body 10. The first surface 71a and the second surface 71b are provided on the protruding plate portion 71c.

[0051] In this embodiment, in the guide groove 31, one inner surface 31a is the inner surface of the front side plate 3b of the second rail 3, and the other inner surface 31b is the inner surface of the rear side plate 3c of the second rail 3.

[0052] In this embodiment, the fixed roller portion 72 has a first roller 721 and a fixed roller support portion 722, and is fixed to the reference portion 71.

[0053] The first roller 721 is a roller that can roll along one inner surface 31a of the guide groove 31. That is, the first roller 721 is disposed between the one inner surface 31a and the first surface 71a of the reference portion 71.

[0054] The fixed roller support part 722 supports the first roller 721 rotatably around a first roller central axis 72X extending in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the first surface 71a of the reference part 71. The fixed roller support part 722 has, for example, a U-shaped cross section that opens toward one inner surface 31a, with a bottom wall part 722a facing the inner surface 31a being fixed to the first surface 71a, and side wall parts 722b facing each other above and below supporting the first roller central axis 72X.

[0055] In this embodiment, the movable roller portion 73 has a second roller 731, a movable roller support portion 732, a horizontal slide shaft portion 733, and an urging portion 734 for positioning the movable body, and is attached to the reference portion 71.

[0056] The second roller 731 is a roller that can roll along the other inner surface 31b of the pair of inner surfaces 31a, 31b of the guide groove 31. The second roller 731 and the first roller 721 are arranged to protrude in opposite directions from each other with the reference portion 71 as a reference. In other words, the reference portion 71 is located between the first roller 721 and the second roller 731, the first roller 721 is arranged between one inner surface 31a of the guide groove 31 and the first surface 71a of the reference portion 71, and the second roller 731 is arranged between the other inner surface 31b of the guide groove 31 and the second surface 71b of the reference portion 71.

[0057] The movable roller support portion 732 is a member that supports the second roller 731 rotatably around a second roller central axis 73X that extends in the vertical direction, and is attached to the second surface 71b of the reference portion 71 via a horizontal slide shaft portion 733. The movable roller support portion 732 has, for example, a U-shaped cross section that opens toward the other inner surface 31b, and rotatably supports the second roller 731. A bottom wall portion 732a of the movable roller support portion 732 is located between the other inner surface 31b and the second surface 71b in an attitude that is generally parallel to these surfaces (31b, 72a), and upper and lower opposing side wall portions 732b of the movable roller support portion 732 support the second roller central axis 73X.

[0058] The horizontal slide shaft 733 is a member that supports the movable roller support part 732 so that the movable roller support part 732 can move in the groove width direction (i.e., the front-rear direction) of the guide groove 31 relative to the reference part 71. The horizontal slide shaft 733 is made up of, for example, a movable shaft part 733a and a fixed shaft part 733b that is inserted into the movable shaft part 733a.

[0059] The movable shaft 733a is composed of a cylindrical portion 733a1 and a flange portion 733a2 that protrudes radially outward from one end of the cylindrical portion 733a1. The cylindrical portion 733a1 is inserted into a hole that opens in the bottom wall portion 732a of the movable roller support portion 732. In this state, the flange portion 733a2 of the movable shaft 733a faces the surface of the bottom wall portion 732a of the movable roller support portion 732 on the other inner surface 31b side.

[0060] The fixed shaft portion 733b is, for example, a stepped bolt consisting of a screw portion 733b1 that screws into the second surface 71b of the reference portion 71, a shaft portion 733b2 that is larger in diameter than the screw portion 733b1 and longer than the cylindrical portion 733a1 of the movable shaft portion 733a, and a head portion 733b3 that is larger in diameter than the shaft portion 733b2.

[0061] With the head 733b3 of the fixed shaft portion 733b positioned on the flange portion 733a2 side of the movable shaft portion 733a, the fixed shaft portion 733b and the movable shaft portion 733a are inserted into holes in the bottom wall portion 76a of the movable bracket 76, and the threaded portion 733b1 of the fixed shaft portion 733b is screwed into the reference portion 71. As a result, the horizontal slide shaft portion 733 supports the movable roller support portion 732 so as to be movable in the groove width direction (front-rear direction) of the guide groove 31 relative to the reference portion 71.

[0062] The biasing portion 734 for positioning the movable body is a biasing member that generates a biasing force that separates the second roller 731 and the reference portion 71 from each other within the guide groove 31. The biasing portion 734 is, for example, a coil spring, and is disposed between the movable roller support portion 732 and the reference portion 71. When the biasing portion 734 is compressed, the biasing portion 734 is assembled to surround the horizontal slide shaft portion 733 between the bottom wall portion 732a of the movable roller support portion 732 and the second surface 71b of the reference portion 71. When the roller mechanism unit 7 is mounted in the guide groove 31 of the second rail 3, the gap between the reference portion 71 and the bottom wall portion 732a of the movable roller support portion 732 narrows, causing the biasing portion 734 to be compressed. In this state, the biasing portion 734 generates a biasing force that separates the second roller 731 and the reference portion 71 from each other within the guide groove 31.

[0063] Roller mechanism 7 is movably connected to guide groove 31 of second rail 3 via first roller 721 and second roller 731, which are arranged in opposite directions relative to reference portion 71. In this state, movable body 10 assumes a posture on the second rail 3 side in which both first roller 721 and second roller 731 abut against inner surfaces 31a, 31b of guide groove 31 in accordance with the positioning accuracy of second rail 3 due to the biasing force of movable body positioning biasing portion 734. Therefore, even if the positioning accuracy of second rail 3 relative to first rail 2 is poor, movable body 10 is movably guided in the running direction along second rail 3 in a posture on the second rail 3 side in which first roller 721 and second roller 731 are pressed so as to roll stably along inner surfaces 31a, 31b of second rail 3 without generating excessive sliding resistance. As a result, on the second rail 3 side, the movable body 10 is guided along the second rail 3 in a position in which the first roller 721 and the second roller 731 are pressed against the inner surfaces 31a, 31b of the second rail 3 so as to roll stably without generating excessive sliding resistance.

[0064] [Travel drive mechanism] As described above, the traveling drive mechanism 8 is a drive unit for driving the movable body 10 (traveling platform 4) to travel. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 and 11 to 13, in this embodiment, the traveling drive mechanism 8 is provided in the frame unit 20.

[0065] The travel drive mechanism 8 is, for example, a belt-driven lifting mechanism, and has a travel drive motor M2, a travel power transmission shaft 81, a pair of left and right third pulleys 82, 82, a third belt 83, a pair of left and right fourth pulleys 84, 84, and a fourth belt 85.

[0066] As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 12, the traveling drive motor M2 is fixed to the lower end portion of the inner surface of the first frame 23 of the frame unit 20 via a motor box 86. The traveling power transmission shaft 81 is connected to the drive shaft of the traveling drive motor M2 via multiple gears G, passes through the motor box 86 in the vertical direction, and extends over the entire vertical height of the movable body 10. A pair of left and right third pulleys 82, 82 are provided on both left and right ends of the upper surface of the first base 21 so as to be rotatable about a central axis extending in the vertical direction, and a third belt 83 is stretched across these third pulleys 82. One end of the third belt 83 is fixed to the right end portion of the lower surface of the movable body 10 (the lower surface of the base bottom plate 4a of the traveling platform 4) via a lower right bracket 87a, and the other end of the third belt 83 is fixed to the left end portion of the lower surface of the movable body 10 (the lower surface of the base bottom plate 4a of the traveling platform 4) via a lower left bracket 87b (see FIG. 12). Similarly, a pair of left and right fourth pulleys 84, 84 are provided on both left and right ends of the lower surface of the second base 22 so as to be rotatable about a central axis extending in the up-down direction, and a fourth belt 85 is stretched across these fourth pulleys 84. A predetermined range in the circumferential direction of the fourth belt 85 is fixed to the upper surface of the movable body 10 (the upper surface of the device top plate portion 51a of the upper wall 51 of the lifting device 5) via an upper right bracket 88a and an upper left bracket 88b (see FIG. 13). The left third pulley 82 and the left fourth pulley 84 are connected to each other via a traveling power transmission shaft 81.

[0067] The traveling drive mechanism 8 is configured to rotate the third pulley 82 and the fourth pulley 84 on the left side via the traveling power transmission shaft 81 using the traveling drive motor M2, thereby moving (traveling) the movable body 10 left and right along each rail (2, 3) between the first rail 2 and the second rail 3. Note that the mechanism in the traveling drive mechanism 8 described here is merely one example, and mechanisms of various configurations that can move the movable body 10 in a direction along each rail (2, 3) can be used.

[0068] Next, a method for assembling the article transport device 1 will be described.

[0069] For example, the movable body 10 and the frame unit 20 are assembled separately. The assembly of the movable body 10 is completed by assembling the traveling platform 4 and the lifting device 5 together. Then, accessories such as the slider 6, the roller mechanism 7, and each bracket (87a, 87b, 88a, 88b) are fixed to the movable body 10. At this time, the slider 6 is fixed to the underside of the movable body 10 so that the center line of its insertion hole 6a passes through the center line X2 that passes through the center of the movable body 10 in the front-rear direction. Then, the roller mechanism 7 is attached to the center of the movable body 10 in the front-rear direction. Then, for example, the first rail 2, the second rail 3, the traveling drive motor M2, the traveling power transmission shaft 81, and the motor box 86 are first attached to the frame unit 20. In this state, the movable body 10 to which the accessories such as the slider 6 are attached is inserted into the frame unit 20 through the opening 20a. At this time, on the first rail 2 side, the rail portion 2a of the first rail 2 is inserted into the bearing 6d of the insertion hole 6a of the slider 6 below the movable body 10, and on the second rail 3 side, the roller mechanism unit 7 above the movable body 10 is attached to the guide groove 31 of the second rail 3. In this state, the biasing unit 734 of the roller mechanism unit 7 generates a biasing force that separates the second roller 731 and the reference unit 71 from each other, and the first roller 721 and the second roller 731 are each pressed against the corresponding inner surfaces (31a, 31b) of the guide groove 31 so as to be able to roll, and the distance between the first surface 71a of the reference unit 71 and one inner surface 31a of the guide groove 31 (the inner surface 31a on the first roller 71 side) is maintained constant by the biasing force of the biasing unit 734. As a result, on the second rail 3 side, movement in the running direction along the second rail 3 is guided with high accuracy and linearity comparable to that of the first rail 2, which employs a sliding system between a rail and slider 6. After the movable body 10 is housed in the frame unit 20 in this manner, for example, the pulleys (82, 84) and belts (83, 85) of the travel drive mechanism 8 are attached. This completes the assembly of the article transport device 1.

[0070] According to the article transport device 1 of this embodiment, a sliding structure using a slider 6 slidably coupled to the rail is employed as the guide structure between the movable body 10 and the first rail 2, thereby providing highly accurate guidance for movement in the running direction along the first rail 2. Furthermore, a simple guide structure using a fixed roller unit 72 and a movable roller unit 73 with relatively low sliding resistance is employed as the guide structure between the movable body 10 and the second rail 3. With these guide structures, on the first rail 2 side, the slider 6 is coupled to the rail unit 2a, thereby positioning the movable body 10 with high accuracy, but rotation of the movable body 10 about the central axis X1 of the rail unit 2a is permitted. Therefore, when the roller mechanism unit 7 is positioned within the guide groove 31 on the second rail 3 side, the biasing force of the biasing unit 734 for positioning the movable body causes both the first roller 721 and the second roller 731 to abut against the inner surfaces (31a, 31b) of the guide groove 31 according to the position of the second rail 3. Therefore, for example, even if the positioning accuracy of the second rail 3 relative to the first rail 2 is somewhat poor, on the front first rail 2 side, movable body 10 is prevented from moving up and down and in the groove width direction via slider 6, and is guided in the running direction along first rail 2 with high precision. On the second rail 3 side, first roller 721 and second roller 731 are guided along second rail 3 in a position where they are pressed against the inner surfaces (31a, 31b) of second rail 3 so as to roll stably without generating excessive sliding resistance. As a result, while high-precision guiding of movable body 10 in the running direction is ensured on the first rail 2 side, positioning accuracy errors relative to the first rail 2 are absorbed on the second rail 3 side, and movable body 10 can be moved in the running direction without generating excessive sliding resistance. In this way, it is possible to provide an item transport device 1 and a storage unit 100 equipped with the same that can easily achieve high-precision guiding of movement in the running direction without generating excessive sliding resistance.

[0071] In this embodiment, the article transport apparatus 1 has a frame unit 20 that forms a storage area capable of storing the movable body 10. This allows the article transport apparatus 1 to be separated into a main movable portion and a fixed portion, providing an article transport apparatus 1 with a structure that is easy to assemble. Also, in this embodiment, a large opening 20a for inserting the movable body is formed in the first frame 23 of the frame unit 20, so that the movable body 10 can be easily stored and assembled within the frame unit 20, further improving ease of assembly.

[0072] In this embodiment, the sliding guide structure on the first rail 2 side provides highly accurate positioning in the running direction and guides movement in the running direction, but at the same time, the rail portion 2a of the first rail 2 also supports the weight of the movable body 10 (including the weight of the article P being transported). Therefore, the heavier the weight of the movable body 10, the greater the sliding resistance. Therefore, if sliding resistance occurs that could hinder smooth running, measures may be required. In response to this, the article transport device 1 may preferably further include a lower roller mechanism 9 as described below.

[0073] 14 to 16 are diagrams illustrating a modified example (modification 1) of item transport apparatus 1. In this modification 1, item transport apparatus 1 further includes a lower roller mechanism 9. Fig. 14 is a partially enlarged side view of the lower part of item transport apparatus 1, Fig. 15 is a perspective view of lower roller mechanism 9, and Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in Fig. 14. Note that second frame 24 of frame unit 20 is not shown in Fig. 14.

[0074] The lower roller mechanism 9 has, for example, a third roller 91, a lower support portion 92, and a lower biasing portion 93. In this embodiment, the lower roller mechanism 9 is attached to both the front and rear ends in the front-to-rear direction of the base bottom plate portion 4a of the running platform 4 of the movable body 10, and the lower part of the movable body 10 is supported by the two lower roller mechanism portions 9 in addition to the first rail 2.

[0075] The third roller 91 is a roller that can roll along a reference surface S to which the first rail 2 is fixed. In this embodiment, the reference surface S is the upper surface of the first base 21 of the frame unit 20.

[0076] The lower support portion 92 is fixed to the lower portion of the movable body 10 (the front and rear ends of the base bottom plate portion 4a of the running platform 4), and supports the third roller 91 so that it can roll and move up and down.

[0077] Specifically, the lower support portion 92 has a lower bracket 921, an upper bracket 922, a pair of left and right restriction pin / slide shaft portions 923, and a fixed bracket 924 that fixes the upper bracket 922 to the lower portion of the movable body 10 (the base bottom plate portion 4a). The lower bracket 921 supports the third roller 91 rotatably about a third roller central axis 91X extending in the front-to-rear direction, and is a member formed with a generally U-shaped cross section with an upper opening. The upper bracket 922 is a member that has a generally U-shaped cross section with a lower opening, and is combined with the lower bracket 921 so as to sandwich the lower bracket 921 from above. The upper bracket 922 is fixed to the lower portion of the movable body 10 (the front and rear ends of the base bottom plate portion 4a of the running platform 4) via the fixed bracket 924. Each of the regulating pins and slide shafts 923 is a pin that penetrates the lower bracket 921 and the upper bracket 922 and regulates movement of the upper bracket 922 relative to the lower bracket 921 in the travel direction. The regulating pins and slide shafts 923 are members that support the lower bracket 921 so that the lower bracket 921 can move up and down relative to the upper bracket 922. The regulating pins and slide shafts 923 are, for example, shoulder bolts that include a threaded portion 923a that screws into the lower bracket 921, a shaft portion 923b that has a larger diameter than the threaded portion 923a, and a head portion 923c that has a larger diameter than the shaft portion 923b. The shaft portion 923b of the regulating pin and slide shaft 923 is inserted into a hole that opens in the upper bracket 922. In this state, the threaded portion 923a is screwed into the lower bracket 921, and the head portion 923c is positioned above the upper bracket 922. As a result, the pair of restriction pins / slide shafts 923 support the lower bracket 921 so as to be movable up and down relative to the upper bracket 922 .

[0078] The lower biasing portion 93 is a member that generates a biasing force that separates the movable body 10 and the third roller 91 from each other, and is made of, for example, a coil spring, and is assembled so as to surround the restriction pin / slide shaft portion 923 (shaft portion 923b) between the lower bracket 921 and the upper bracket 922. When the slider 6 of the movable body 10 is coupled to the rail portion 2a of the first rail 2, the lower biasing portion 93 is compressed between the lower bracket 921 and the upper bracket 922, and generates a biasing force that separates the movable body 10 and the third roller 91 from each other in the vertical direction.

[0079] In an article transport device 1 equipped with a lower roller mechanism 9, the movable body 10 (including the article P being transported) is urged upward by the urging force of the lower urging part 93. The urging force of the lower urging part 93 reduces the sliding resistance between the first rail 2 and the slider 6 (more specifically, the resin bearing 6d), and by appropriately setting this urging force according to the load of the movable body 10 (including the article being transported), the movable body 10 can travel more smoothly along the first rail 2.

[0080] In this embodiment, the first rail 2 is disposed below the second rail 3. However, this is not limiting, and the first rail 2 may be disposed above the second rail 3, as in another modified example (modified example 2) shown in FIG. 17 . That is, a sliding-type guide structure using a slider slidably coupled to the rail may be employed in the upper part of the movable body 10, and a simple guide structure using rollers with relatively low sliding resistance may be employed in the lower part of the movable body 10. In this case, the first base 21 is disposed above the second base 22, the first rail is fixed to the lower surface of the first base 21 with the rail portion 2a facing downward, the second rail is fixed to the upper surface of the second base 22 with the opening of the guide groove 31 facing upward, the slider 6 is fixed to the upper surface of the movable body 10 (the upper surface of the device top plate portion 51a of the upper wall 51 of the lifting device 5), and the roller mechanism unit 7 is attached to the lower surface of the movable body 10 (the lower surface of the base bottom plate portion 4a of the running platform 4).

[0081] Furthermore, the opening 20a may be formed in the second frame 24 instead of the first frame 23. In this case, the travel drive motor M2 and the travel power transmission shaft 81 of the travel drive mechanism 8 may be attached to the first frame 23.

[0082] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and further modifications and changes are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1...article transport device, 2...first rail, 2a...rail portion, 3...second rail, 31...guide groove (groove), 31a...one inner surface, 31b...other inner surface, 6...slider, 6a...insertion hole, 7...roller mechanism portion, 71...reference portion, 72...fixed roller portion, 721...first roller, 73...movable roller portion, 731...second roller, 734...urging portion for positioning movable body, 9...lower roller mechanism portion, 91...third roller, 93...lower urging portion, 10...movable body, 100...storage, P...article, X1...central axis

Claims

1. An article transport device including: a first rail and a second rail arranged vertically and spaced apart; and a movable body arranged between the first rail and the second rail, supported so as to be able to run along each rail, and capable of raising and lowering articles in the vertical direction, the first rail has a rail portion having a circular cross section and extending in a running direction, the second rail extends in the running direction and has a groove that opens toward the first rail, a slider fixed to the movable body, slidable relative to the rail portion in the traveling direction and rotatable about a central axis of the rail portion; a roller mechanism unit having a reference unit fixed to the movable body, a fixed roller unit having a first roller capable of rolling along one inner surface of the groove and fixed to the reference unit, and a movable roller unit attached to the reference unit having a second roller capable of rolling along the other inner surface of the groove and a biasing unit for positioning the movable body that generates a biasing force that separates the second roller and the reference unit from each other within the groove; An article transport device comprising:

2. 2. The article transport device according to claim 1, wherein the slider has an insertion hole into which the rail portion is inserted, and is formed to be rotatable about the central axis of the rail portion.

3. The first rail is configured to be disposed below the second rail, a third roller that can roll along a reference surface to which the first rail is fixed, and a lower biasing portion that generates a biasing force that separates the movable body and the third roller from each other, and a lower roller mechanism portion attached to a lower portion of the movable body; 3. An article transport device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The article transport apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first rail is disposed above the second rail.

5. a first base to which the first rail is fixed; a second base to which the second rail is fixed; a first frame connecting one end of the first base and one end of the second base; a second frame connecting the other end of the first base and the other end of the second base; a frame unit having a housing area capable of housing the movable body, The article transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

6. The article transport device according to claim 5 , wherein one of the first frame and the second frame has an opening for inserting a movable body.

7. A storage facility including the article transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a storage shelf for storing articles, and an entry / exit section, the article transport device is arranged along the storage shelf and transports articles between the storage shelf and the loading / unloading section; Storage.

Images