Luggage lift

Abstract

To provide a parcel elevating device that can enhance the efficiency of luggage transport in a multi-story building, while achieving space-saving.SOLUTION: A parcel elevating device 1 has: a luggage basket section 3 with a plurality of in-car accommodation sections 10 that can each accommodate a tray (luggage) L; a plurality of station sections 4 with a plurality of shelves 20 that can each accommodate the tray L; and a transfer section 40. The in-car accommodation sections 10 are provided so as to be arranged at a plurality of stages in a vertical direction and in a plurality of rows in a horizontal direction. The shelves 20 are provided so as to be arranged at least one stage in the vertical direction and in a plurality of rows in the horizontal direction. The parcel elevating device 1 is also provided with a moving mechanism 11 capable of moving the tray L accommodated in a predetermined in-car accommodation section 10 into an in-car accommodation section 10 horizontally adjacent to the predetermined in-car accommodation section 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a parcel elevator that is installed in a multi-story building and that transports parcels by lifting them up and down. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in hospitals, package elevators are sometimes installed to transport packages such as medicines, specimens, gauze, etc. from one floor to another. Patent Document 1 discloses a package elevator having a package basket that moves up and down within a shaft. The shaft of this package elevator extends vertically across each floor of a building. Entrances leading to the shaft are formed in the wall of each floor of the building, and these entrances are provided with doorways.

[0003] With the parcel elevator of Patent Document 1, after a parcel has been transported to a specified floor, an operator must remove the parcel from the elevator and carry it out before the next parcel can be brought in and transported. For this reason, if an attempt is made to transport parcels frequently using the parcel elevator of Patent Document 1, the efficiency of transporting parcels will decrease and the workload of the operator will increase.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a parcel elevator installed between a kitchen and a dining room on different floors. In the parcel elevator of Patent Document 2, a car that ascends and descends in an elevator shaft is provided with multiple in-car conveyors that are spaced apart in the vertical direction. Entrances and exits in the elevator shaft are equipped with entrance and exit conveyors corresponding to each of the in-car conveyors. Food to be served from the kitchen is carried into the car by the upper conveyor and transported to the dining room, and used tableware is carried out into the car by the lower conveyor and transported to the kitchen.

[0005] In the parcel elevator of Patent Document 2, one of the upper and lower conveyors is dedicated to carrying in, and the other is dedicated to carrying out, and carrying out and carrying out can be performed simultaneously on a given floor, improving the efficiency of transporting parcels compared to Patent Document 1. In addition, the conveyors can automatically carry out and take in parcels to and from the car, reducing the workload of workers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6258129 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-302362 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the parcel elevator of Patent Document 2, the parcel to be transported cannot be loaded onto the conveyor dedicated to carrying in, and the only conveyor actually used for transporting is the conveyor dedicated to carrying out. For this reason, the parcel elevator of Patent Document 2 is not able to use a single conveyor to carry in and carry out parcels, and therefore the transport efficiency is not very high.

[0008] One way to improve transport efficiency is to load multiple packages to be transported onto a dedicated transport conveyor as packages waiting to be transported, and then transport them in multiple batches. In this case, additional space must be provided on the conveyor to load the packages waiting to be transported, which increases the length of the conveyor. However, in buildings with limited space, such as hospitals, space saving is traditionally required, and increasing the length of the conveyor is undesirable.

[0009] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a parcel elevator that can improve the efficiency of transporting parcels in multi-story buildings while realizing space savings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The parcel elevator of the present invention comprises a hoistway provided on multiple floors of a multi-story building and having multiple entrances that connect the interior of the hoistway with the outside, a luggage car section configured to be able to move up and down the interior of the hoistway between the multiple entrances and having multiple in-car storage sections each capable of storing luggage, and transports the luggage between the multiple entrances, and comprises a plurality of station sections arranged outside the multiple entrances of the hoistway and each having a plurality of shelves each capable of storing luggage and configured to be able to communicate with the multiple in-car storage sections, and a plurality of station sections provided in at least one of the luggage car section or the station sections and having access from the in-car storage sections to the shelves. The system has a transfer section that transfers the luggage and transfers the luggage from the shelf to the car storage section, and the car storage section is arranged inside the luggage basket so as to have at least one level in the vertical direction and multiple rows in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction in which the luggage is carried in and out, and has a moving mechanism that can move the luggage stored in a specific car storage section to an internal car storage section adjacent to the specific car storage section in the horizontal direction, and the multiple shelves are arranged so as to have at least one level in the vertical direction and multiple rows in the horizontal direction, and each of the shelves is used for both carrying in and carrying out the luggage at the multiple station sections.

[0011] According to this configuration, multiple pieces of luggage can be stored together in multiple car storage compartments provided inside the luggage car unit, and the multiple pieces of luggage can be transported together between multiple entrances and exits provided on multiple floors of a multi-story building. Note that the entrances and exits may or may not be provided on multiple floors of the multi-story building, as long as they are provided on multiple floors of the multi-story building. Furthermore, the luggage stored in the car storage compartments can be moved to horizontally adjacent car storage compartments. Therefore, at the destination station, the luggage stored in the multiple car storage compartments can be transported from a shelf position different from the shelf position at the source station. Furthermore, the multiple shelves of the station can be used for both loading and unloading luggage. Furthermore, since the multiple shelves are not divided into those dedicated to loading and unloading luggage, even if luggage waiting for transport remains stored on some shelves at the source station or luggage remains stored on some shelves at the destination station without being removed, luggage can be loaded and unloaded at the station by using shelves other than those shelves. Therefore, by arranging stations with multiple shelves at multiple entrances and exits, it becomes unnecessary to install a long conveyor in the direction of luggage loading and unloading to provide space for loading luggage awaiting transport, as was previously required. Therefore, the parcel elevator of the present invention can improve the efficiency of luggage transportation in multi-story buildings while realizing space savings.

[0012] In addition, in the parcel elevator of the present invention, it is preferable that the in-car storage sections are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction inside the luggage car, and that the moving mechanism is capable of moving the parcel stored in a specified in-car storage section to an in-car storage section adjacent to the specified in-car storage section in the vertical direction.

[0013] According to this configuration, parcels stored in an in-car storage section can be moved to an adjacent in-car storage section in the vertical direction. Therefore, the vertical positions of a shelf housing parcels waiting to be transported and an empty in-car storage section, or the vertical positions of an empty shelf and an in-car storage section housing parcels, can be aligned by vertically moving the parcels inside the parcel car. This alignment is more accurate and efficient than vertical alignment performed by raising and lowering the parcel car in the hoistway. Furthermore, when vertical alignment is performed by raising and lowering the parcel car in the hoistway, additional space must be secured near the top and bottom of the hoistway for the parcel car to be raised and lowered. In contrast, with the configuration of the present invention, vertical alignment is performed by moving the parcels in the parcel car, eliminating the need for additional space in the hoistway. Therefore, the parcel elevator of the present invention can further improve the efficiency of parcel transport in multi-story buildings while saving space.

[0014] In addition, in the parcel elevator of the present invention, it is preferable that the moving mechanism is capable of rotating and moving the parcel stored in a specified car storage section so that the parcel passes through each of the multiple car storage sections, which are arranged in multiple rows and multiple stages, and returns to the specified car storage section.

[0015] This configuration allows the horizontal and vertical positions of the luggage in the luggage car to be adjusted easily and efficiently, thereby enabling the luggage elevator of the present invention to achieve space savings and more efficiently transport luggage in multi-story buildings.

[0016] Furthermore, in the parcel elevator of the present invention, it is preferable that the station section has a detection means for detecting whether or not the parcel is stored on each of the plurality of shelves, and the moving mechanism moves the parcel based on the detection results of the detection means of the station section at the source of the parcel and the station section at the destination of the parcel so that the storage section within the car corresponding to the shelf where the parcel is stored at the station section at the source of the parcel is empty, and the storage section within the car corresponding to the shelf where the parcel is not stored at the station section at the destination of the parcel is stored with the parcel to be transported.

[0017] If a shelf containing a parcel does not correspond to an empty car storage unit at the source station, or if a shelf not containing a parcel does not correspond to an empty car storage unit containing the parcel to be transported at the destination station, the parcel cannot be transferred between the shelf and the car storage unit. According to the present invention, it is possible to detect whether a parcel is stored on each shelf at the station and move the parcel in the baggage car based on the detection result. This prevents situations in which parcels cannot be transferred between shelves and car storage units. The parcel elevator of the present invention thus achieves space savings while further improving the efficiency of parcel transport in multi-story buildings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a parcel elevator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a parcel elevator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a luggage basket according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a luggage basket according to a first modified example. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a luggage basket according to a second modified example. [Figure 6]FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a luggage basket according to a third modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a specific configuration of a moving mechanism according to a second modified example. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0019] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a parcel elevator 1 of this embodiment. Figure 2 is a side view of the parcel elevator 1 as viewed from the horizontal direction. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a parcel car section 3 (described later) according to this embodiment. The following description will be based on the vertical direction, horizontal direction, and loading / unloading direction indicated by arrows in Figure 1.

[0020] The parcel elevator 1 according to this embodiment is for transporting parcels between multiple floors and is installed, for example, in a multi-story hospital. The parcel elevator 1 includes an elevator shaft 2, a parcel car unit 3, a station unit 4, and a control unit (not shown).

[0021] The elevator shaft 2 extends vertically across multiple floors of the building. In this embodiment, the luggage refers to trays L containing, for example, medicines, specimens, and supplies such as gauze and syringes. As shown in FIG. 2 , the elevator shaft 2 has multiple entrances 30 connecting its interior to the exterior. The multiple entrances 30 are provided at positions corresponding to each floor of a multi-story building. Note that the entrances 30 may be provided on multiple floors of the multi-story building, and may be provided at positions corresponding to all floors of the building, or may be provided at positions corresponding to at least two floors of the building but not all floors of the building. As shown in FIG. 2 , the elevator shaft 2 has doors 50 at positions corresponding to the multiple entrances 30 on each floor of the building. The doors 50 are made of a single plate-like member and move vertically upward to open the entrances 30 and vertically downward to close the entrances 30. The movement of the doors is automatically controlled by a control unit, allowing the multiple entrances 30 to be opened and closed. The entrance / exit 30 is in an open state when the tray L is transferred from the in-car storage section 10 to the shelf 20 by the transfer section 40 described later, and when the tray L is transferred from the shelf 20 to the in-car storage section 10.

[0022] The luggage car unit 3 is installed inside the hoistway 2. The luggage car unit 3 is configured to be able to move up and down vertically inside the hoistway 2 between a plurality of entrances and exits 30 by a drive device (not shown) (see the solid arrows in Figures 1 and 2 for the direction of movement). The drive device includes, for example, a traction rope and a hoist, and the luggage car unit 3 rises when the traction rope attached to the luggage car unit 3 is wound up by the hoist installed at the top of the hoistway 2, and the luggage car unit 3 falls when the traction rope is let out by the hoist.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the luggage car section 3 has six in-car storage sections 10, each capable of storing a tray L. The six in-car storage sections 10 are arranged inside the luggage car section 3 in three vertical rows and two horizontal rows. Of the six in-car storage sections 10, the top left row is designated 10a, the top right row is designated 10b, the middle left row is designated 10c, the bottom right row is designated 10d, and the bottom left row is designated 10e, the bottom right row is designated 10f. The multiple in-car storage sections may be arranged in two or more vertical rows and two or more horizontal rows. However, if there are three or more horizontal rows, the number of trays L that can be transported at one time increases, but the horizontal length of the elevator shaft 2 must be increased. Therefore, if the luggage elevator 1 is to be installed in a smaller space, two horizontal rows are preferable.

[0024] In this embodiment, the size of the trays L to be transported is slightly smaller than the size of each of the in-basket storage sections 10. Since the luggage basket section 3 has the in-basket storage sections 10 arranged in multiple vertical rows and multiple horizontal rows, multiple trays L of approximately the same size as the in-basket storage sections 10 can be transported together. The size of the trays L may be any size as long as it is smaller than the in-basket storage sections 10. Also, for example, multiple items such as medicines can be stored directly in the in-basket storage sections 10 without being stored in trays L. However, it is generally preferable to transport items such as medicines for each patient together, and it is preferable to store multiple items such as medicines for each patient in one tray L and then store the tray L in the in-basket storage section 10.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3 , the luggage car unit 3 has a moving mechanism 11 capable of moving a tray L stored in a predetermined car storage section 10 to an empty car storage section 10 horizontally adjacent to the predetermined car storage section 10. The moving mechanism 11, for example, moves a tray L stored in a car storage section 10a to an empty car storage section 10b horizontally adjacent to the car storage section 10a. The moving mechanism 11 may include, for example, a conveyor extending from the bottom surface of the car storage section 10 (e.g., 10a) to the bottom surface of the car storage section 10 (e.g., 10b) horizontally adjacent to the car storage section 10, and a drive device that drives the conveyor. By driving the conveyor with the drive device, the tray L stored in the car storage section 10 (e.g., 10a) moves to the car storage section 10 (e.g., 10b) horizontally adjacent to the car storage section 10. 1 and 2. The moving mechanism 11 may be a roller or the like instead of a conveyor.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the station units 4 are arranged outside the elevator shaft 2. The station units 4 are arranged on at least two floors of a multi-story building. More specifically, the station units 4 are arranged on floors of the multi-story building corresponding to the positions where the entrances / exits 30 and doors 50 are provided. FIG. 2 shows three station units 4a, 4b, and 4c arranged on floor surfaces 90 of three floors. Note that the floor surfaces 90 are not shown in FIG. 1.

[0027] The station 4 has multiple shelves 20 each capable of accommodating a tray L and configured to communicate with multiple entrances / exits 30. Each shelf 20 is used for both loading and unloading trays L in the station 4. The multiple shelves 20 are arranged in multiple vertical rows and multiple horizontal rows. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the station 4a has six shelves 20 capable of accommodating trays L. The six shelves 20 are arranged in three vertical rows and two horizontal rows in the station 4a. Of the six car storage sections 10, the top left row is designated 10a, the right row is designated 10c, the middle left row is designated 10c, the right row is designated 10d, and the bottom left row is designated 10e, the right row is designated 10f. As shown in FIG. 2, the station 4b has a similar configuration to the station 4a. As shown in FIG. 3, the station 4c has four shelves 20 arranged in two vertical rows and two horizontal rows. The plurality of shelves 20 need only have at least one vertical row and two or more horizontal rows, and are not limited to the configuration of the stations 4a, 4b, and 4c. The plurality of entrances 30 described above are provided at positions corresponding to the positions of the plurality of shelves provided in the station 4 on each floor.

[0028] Each shelf 20 is also provided with a detection sensor 60 (detection means) for detecting whether or not a tray L is stored therein. The detection sensor 60 is electrically connected to a control unit (described later). Note that the detection sensor does not necessarily have to be installed. Each shelf 20 is also provided with a display unit (not shown) capable of displaying a reception state indicating that the stored tray L has been transported by the luggage basket unit 3, and a transport standby state indicating that the stored tray L is waiting to be transported to another station unit 4 by the luggage basket unit 3. The display unit is, for example, an LED lamp, and is configured to change the color it lights up in between the reception state and the transport standby state. The display unit may also be capable of displaying that the tray L stored on the shelf 20 is not in the reception state or the transport standby state, but in a temporary storage state indicating that it is temporarily stored.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2 , the parcel elevator 1 also has a transfer unit 40 that transfers trays L from the multiple car storage units 10 to the multiple shelves 20, and transfers trays L from the multiple shelves 20 to the multiple car storage units 10. The transfer unit 40 includes, for example, a conveyor and a motor that drives it. Note that the transfer unit 40 may include rollers, a timing belt, or the like instead of a conveyor. In this embodiment, the transfer unit 40 is provided in the station unit 4. However, the transfer unit 40 may be provided in the luggage car unit 3, or in both the luggage car unit 3 and the station unit 4.

[0030] The control unit (not shown) controls the raising and lowering of the luggage basket unit 3, the movement of the tray L between adjacent basket storage units 10 by the moving mechanism 11, the opening and closing of the entrance / exit 30 by the movement of the door 50, the transfer of the tray L by the transfer unit 40, etc.

[0031] In this embodiment, the station unit 4 has an operator 21. The operator 21 is, for example, a touch panel. After storing the tray L on a predetermined shelf 20, the worker can operate the operator 21 to input destination information (e.g., the third floor) of the tray L stored on the predetermined shelf 20 into a control unit (not shown). The destination information may be information linked to patient information in the control unit. The patient information is, for example, information for identifying a patient, such as a patient number assigned to the patient, the patient's name, and the patient's room number. The patient information is input into the control unit by an operator in, for example, the pharmacy department of a hospital. The operator also issues a command to start transport using the operator 21. The operator 21 may be, instead of a touch panel, a plurality of operation buttons and a monitor.

[0032] The following describes the transport operation of the trays L by the parcel elevator 1 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, one tray L contains items such as medicines, specimens, gauze, and syringes related to one patient. This is to prevent items such as medicines from being mixed up between multiple patients. Common equipment may be placed together in one tray L. Each tray L is also affixed with a label that contains patient information about the patient who will be using the items in the tray L. The label is, for example, a two-dimensional barcode. The label is affixed by an operator in the pharmacy department of the hospital.

[0033] First, a worker on a predetermined floor places a tray L containing medicines and the like on a predetermined shelf 20 of the station unit 4 based on the patient's prescription information. At this time, multiple trays L may be placed on multiple shelves 20. Then, the worker operates the operating device 21 to input destination information regarding the destination floor of each tray L, and then inputs a command to start transport. At this time, different destination information may be input for each of the multiple trays L. When the command to start transport is input, the control unit automatically moves the door 50 corresponding to the shelf 20 containing the tray L to open the entrance / exit 30. Then, the control unit controls the drive of the transfer unit 40 to transfer the tray L from the shelf 20 to the car storage unit 10. Note that the destination information may be previously input to the control unit in association with the tray. In this case, when the multiple trays L are placed on the multiple shelves 20, the control unit may automatically start transport based on the destination information.

[0034] When the tray L is transferred to the in-car storage section 10, the control unit starts raising and lowering the luggage car unit 3. Then, the control unit moves the tray L between adjacent in-car storage sections 10 by the movement mechanism 11 as necessary so that the tray L is stored in the in-car storage section 10 corresponding to the vacant shelf 20 in the station unit 4 at the destination floor detected by the detection sensor. The raising and lowering of the luggage car unit 3 and the movement of the tray L by the movement mechanism 11 may be performed simultaneously or sequentially. Note that the movement of the tray L by the movement mechanism 11 may be performed simultaneously with the opening and closing of the entrance / exit 30 by the movement of the door 50.

[0035] When the baggage car unit 3 reaches the destination floor, the control unit moves the door 50 of the destination floor and opens the entrance / exit 30 of the destination floor. Then, the control unit controls the driving of the transfer unit 40 to transfer the tray L from the in-car storage unit 10 to the shelf 20.

[0036] Thereafter, if other trays L remain in the luggage car section 3, the control section repeats the process of raising and lowering the luggage car section 3, moving the trays L with the movement mechanism 11, and transferring the trays L with the transfer section 40. If no other trays L remain in the luggage car section 3, the control section makes the parcel elevator 1 wait until an instruction to start the next transfer is input. Note that in the above-mentioned transfer operation, when trays L are transferred between the luggage car section 3 and the station section 4c, which has shelves 20 arranged in two vertical levels, only the top two or bottom two levels of the in-car storage section 100, which has three vertical levels, are used.

[0037] As described above, the parcel elevator 1 of this embodiment includes a luggage car section 3 having a plurality of in-car storage sections 10 each capable of storing a tray L, a plurality of station sections 4 having a plurality of shelves 20 each capable of storing a tray L, and a transfer section 40. The in-car storage sections 10 are arranged in a plurality of vertical stages and a plurality of horizontal rows. The luggage car section 3 includes a moving mechanism 11 capable of moving a tray L stored in a predetermined in-car storage section 10 to another in-car storage section 10 horizontally adjacent to the predetermined in-car storage section 10.

[0038] According to the configuration of this embodiment, multiple trays L can be stored together in multiple in-cage storage sections 10 provided inside the luggage car section 3, and the multiple trays L can be transported together between multiple entrances / exits 30 provided on multiple floors of a multi-story building. Furthermore, the trays L stored in the in-cage storage sections 10 can be moved horizontally to adjacent in-cage storage sections 10. Therefore, at the destination station section 4, the trays L stored in the multiple in-cage storage sections 10 can be transported from a position on a shelf 20 that is different from the position on the shelf 20 of the source station section 4. Furthermore, the multiple shelves 20 of the station section 4 can be used for both loading and unloading the trays L. Furthermore, because the multiple shelves 20 are not divided into those dedicated to loading and unloading trays L, even if trays L waiting to be transported remain stored on some of the shelves 20 at the source station 4, or if trays L remain stored on some of the shelves 20 at the destination station 4 without being removed, it is possible to load and unload trays L at those stations 4 by using shelves 20 other than those shelves 20. Therefore, by arranging stations 4 with multiple shelves at multiple entrances and exits, it is no longer necessary to install a long conveyor in the direction of loading and unloading luggage to provide space for loading trays L waiting to be transported, as in the past. Therefore, the parcel elevator 1 of this embodiment can improve the efficiency of transporting trays L in multi-story buildings while realizing space savings.

[0039] While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. In the following description of each modification, the same components as those in the embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] (First Modification) In the above embodiment, the luggage car unit 3 has a moving mechanism 11 capable of moving the tray L stored in a predetermined car storage unit 10 to another car storage unit 10 horizontally adjacent to the predetermined car storage unit 10. However, the luggage car unit may have a moving mechanism capable of moving the tray L stored in a predetermined car storage unit to another car storage unit horizontally adjacent to the predetermined car storage unit and to another car storage unit vertically adjacent to the predetermined car storage unit. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , a luggage car unit 103 according to a first modified example has a moving mechanism 101 that moves the tray L stored in a predetermined car storage unit 100 among the multiple car storage units 100 (100a to 100f) to another car storage unit 100 horizontally adjacent to the predetermined car storage unit 100 and another car storage unit 100 vertically adjacent to the predetermined car storage unit 100. For example, the moving mechanism 101 can move the tray L stored in the in-car storage section 100a to an empty in-car storage section 100b that is horizontally adjacent to the in-car storage section 100a, and to an in-car storage section 100c that is vertically adjacent to the in-car storage section 100a. The moving mechanism 101 can also move the tray L stored in the in-car storage section 100c to an in-car storage section 100d that is horizontally adjacent to the in-car storage section 100c, and to the in-car storage sections 100a and 100e that are vertically adjacent to the in-car storage section 100c. The mechanism of the moving mechanism 101 that moves the tray L in the vertical direction includes, for example, a traction rope directly or indirectly connected to the bottom surface of each in-car storage section 100 on which the tray L is placed, and a hoist. Then, by winding or letting out the traction rope with the hoist, the bottom surfaces of the in-car storage sections 100 in the same row, including the in-car storage sections 100 in which the tray L is stored and the empty in-car storage sections 100 in which no tray L is stored, are moved vertically together with the tray L. This makes it possible to move the tray L stored in one of the in-car storage sections 100 to the in-car storage section 100 adjacent to that in-car storage section 100 in the vertical direction. The mechanism of the movement mechanism 101 that moves the tray L in the horizontal direction has a configuration similar to that of the above embodiment, for example.

[0041] According to the configuration of the first modified example, the tray L stored in the in-car storage section 10 can be moved vertically to an adjacent in-car storage section 10. Therefore, the vertical positions of the shelf 20 storing the tray L waiting to be transported and the empty in-car storage section 10, or the vertical positions of the empty shelf 20 and the in-car storage section 10 storing the tray L, can be aligned by vertically moving the tray L inside the luggage car section 3. This alignment is more accurate and efficient than vertical alignment performed by raising and lowering the luggage car section 3 in the hoistway 2. Furthermore, when vertical alignment is performed by raising and lowering the luggage car section 3 in the hoistway 2, additional space must be secured near the top and bottom of the hoistway 2 for raising and lowering the luggage car 3. In contrast, according to the configuration of the first modified example, vertical alignment is performed by moving the tray L in the luggage car section 3, so additional space does not need to be secured in the hoistway 2. Therefore, the parcel elevator 1 of the first modified example can transport trays L in a multi-story building with high precision and efficiency while realizing space saving.

[0042] (Second Modification) 5, the luggage car section 203 according to the second modification includes a moving mechanism 201 that rotates and moves a tray L accommodated in a predetermined car storage section 200 among the plurality of car storage sections 200 (200a to 200f) to an adjacent car storage section 200 horizontally or vertically adjacent to the predetermined car storage section 200 so that the tray L rotates clockwise when viewed from the loading / unloading direction. For example, the moving mechanism 201 can move the tray L accommodated in the car storage section 200a to the adjacent car storage section 200b horizontally adjacent to the car storage section 200a so that the tray L rotates clockwise when viewed from the loading / unloading direction. The moving mechanism 201 can also move the tray L accommodated in the car storage section 200b to the adjacent car storage section 200d vertically adjacent to the car storage section 200b so that the tray L rotates clockwise when viewed from the loading / unloading direction. The moving mechanism 201 includes, for example, a roller chain 211 (described later) directly or indirectly coupled to the bottom surface of each in-car storage section 200 on which the tray L is placed, and a sprocket 212 (described later) that rotates the roller chain 211. By driving the sprocket 212 to rotate the roller chain 211, the tray L is rotated clockwise when viewed from the loading / unloading direction.

[0043] The moving mechanism 201 according to the second modified example will be described in detail below with reference to Fig. 7. Note that in Fig. 7, the illustration of the luggage car section 203 and the illustration of the in-car storage sections 200 other than the in-car storage section 200a among the multiple in-car storage sections 200 are omitted for the sake of explanation.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 7 , the moving mechanism 201 has two frames 221 extending in the loading / unloading direction and a plurality of motorized rollers 222 incorporated between the two frames 221. The horizontal distance between the two frames 221 is greater than the horizontal width of the tray L. The plurality of motorized rollers 222 are connected to the two frames 221, and for example, seven motorized rollers 222 are provided. The tray L can be placed on the plurality of motorized rollers 222. For example, when the in-car storage section 200 and the shelf 20 are connected to each other, the control unit can drive the motorized rollers 222 to transfer the tray L between the in-car storage section 200 and the shelf 20. In other words, the motorized rollers 222 also correspond to the transfer unit of the present invention.

[0045] Six sets, each consisting of two frames 221 and seven motor rollers 222, are provided corresponding to the six in-car storage sections 200. For the sake of explanation, only one set is shown in Fig. 7 .

[0046] The movement mechanism 201 also has two chain units 210 (210a, 201b). One of the chain units 210, 210a, is provided at a position corresponding to the three in-car storage sections 200a, 200c, and 200e on the left side. The other chain unit 210b is provided at a position corresponding to the three in-car storage sections 200b, 200d, and 200f on the right side. Each chain unit 210 has a roller chain 211 and four sprockets 212.

[0047] The upper left sprocket 212 of the four sprockets 212 of chain unit 210b rotates via a drive chain 214 and a drive roller 213. As a result, the rotation of the upper left sprocket 212 of chain unit 210b rotates the roller chain 211 (the direction of rotation is indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 7). The upper right sprocket 212 of the four sprockets 212 of chain unit 210a is connected to the upper left sprocket 212 of the four sprockets 212 of chain unit 210b via a connecting shaft 215. The lower right sprocket 212 of the four sprockets 212 of chain unit 210a is connected to the lower left sprocket 212 of the four sprockets 212 of chain unit 210b via a connecting shaft 215. Therefore, the roller chain 211 of chain unit 210a rotates in complete synchronization with the rotation of the roller chain 211 of chain unit 210b (the direction of rotation is indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 7). That is, the roller chain 211 of the chain unit 210a is a driven chain, and the roller chain 211 of the chain unit 210b is a driving chain.

[0048] The roller chain 211 of the chain unit 210a is connected to the left frame 221 of the two frames 221. The roller chain 211 of the chain unit 210a is connected to the right frame 221 of the two frames 221. When the drive roller 213 is driven to rotate the two roller chains 211, the tray L placed on the motor roller 222 rotates together with the motor roller 222 in a clockwise direction when viewed from the loading / unloading direction. The tray L placed on the other five sets of frames 221 and motor rollers 222, which are not shown in FIG. 7, behaves in a similar manner. That is, the movement mechanism 201 can rotate and move the tray L stored in a predetermined in-car storage section 200 so that the tray L passes through each of the multiple in-car storage sections 200 provided in multiple rows and multiple stages and returns to the predetermined in-car storage section 200.

[0049] According to the configuration of the second modified example, it is possible to easily and efficiently adjust the horizontal and vertical positions of the tray L in the luggage car section 3. Therefore, the parcel elevator 1 of the second modified example can more efficiently transport the tray L in a multi-story building while realizing space saving.

[0050] (Third Modification) In the above embodiment, the luggage car unit 3 has six in-car storage compartments 100 (100a-100f) arranged in three vertical rows and two horizontal rows. However, the luggage car unit is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and may have multiple in-car storage compartments arranged in multiple vertical rows and multiple horizontal rows. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a luggage car unit 303 according to a third modified example has nine in-car storage compartments 300 (300a-300i) arranged in three vertical rows and three horizontal rows. Of the nine in-car storage compartments 300, the left side of the top row is designated 300a, the middle is designated 300b, and the right side is designated 300c; the left side of the middle row is designated 300d, the middle is designated 300e, and the right side is designated 300f; and the left side of the bottom row is designated 300g, the middle is designated 300h, and the right side is designated 300i. In the third modified example, the moving mechanism 301 can move, for example, the tray L stored in the in-cage storage section 300ba to the in-cage storage sections 300a and 300c that are horizontally adjacent to the in-cage storage section 300b. In this case, if the plurality of shelves 20 of the station section 4 are arranged in two horizontal rows, the in-cage storage sections through which the tray L is transferred between the plurality of shelves 20 are limited to the in-cage storage sections 300a, 300b, 300d, 300e, 300g, and 300h. In other words, when transferring the tray L stored in the in-cage storage sections 300c, 300f, and 300i to the shelf 20, the tray L is first moved by the moving mechanism 301 to one of the in-cage storage sections 300a, 300b, 300d, 300e, 300g, and 300h, and then transferred by the transfer section 40.

[0051] In the present invention, the parcel elevator does not necessarily have to have a moving mechanism. In this case, the parcel elevator includes a hoistway with an entrance / exit, a luggage car unit having multiple in-car storage compartments arranged in multiple vertical stages and multiple horizontal rows, multiple stations having multiple shelves arranged in at least one vertical stage and multiple horizontal rows, and a transfer unit (see FIG. 1). This configuration allows multiple parcels to be stored together in the multiple in-car storage compartments arranged inside the luggage car unit, allowing for the simultaneous transport of multiple parcels. Furthermore, the station unit has multiple shelves and can store multiple parcels. Therefore, each of the multiple in-car storage compartments and the multiple shelves can be used for both loading and unloading, eliminating the need for a long conveyor as in the past. Therefore, the parcel elevator of the present invention can achieve space savings while improving the efficiency of parcel transport in multi-story buildings.

[0052] In the present invention, the worker may use the operator to specify only the destination floor of tray L, or may also specify the destination shelf in the station section on the destination floor. When the worker specifies only the destination floor, for example, the control unit uses the movement mechanism to move tray L between adjacent in-car storage sections as necessary so that tray L is stored in the in-car storage section corresponding to an empty shelf in the station section on the destination floor detected by the detection sensor. When the worker specifies a destination shelf, for example, the worker specifies an empty shelf displayed on the operation panel as the destination shelf. Then, the control unit uses the movement mechanism to move tray L between adjacent in-car storage sections as necessary so that tray L is stored in the in-car storage section corresponding to the destination shelf.

[0053] In the present invention, the tray L that has become empty after being transported to a predetermined shelf may be collected by the parcel elevator of the present invention, or may be collected manually by an operator.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the door 50 is made of a single plate-like member and moves vertically to open and close the entrance 30. However, the door may be a single plate-like member divided into two vertically. The upper portion of the door moves upward and the lower portion moves downward to open the entrance. Furthermore, in a configuration in which the door is divided into two, if the station section is provided with three vertical shelves, when transferring trays L between the top two shelves and the car storage section, only the upper portion of the door may be moved to open the entrance corresponding to the top two shelves, and when transferring trays L between the bottom shelf and the car storage section, only the lower portion of the door may be moved to open the entrance corresponding to the bottom shelf.

[0055] In the first modified example, the moving mechanism 101 is capable of moving the tray L accommodated in a predetermined in-cage storage section 100 among the multiple in-cage storage sections 100 to an in-cage storage section 100 horizontally adjacent to the predetermined in-cage storage section 100 and an in-cage storage section 100 vertically adjacent to the predetermined in-cage storage section 100. However, the moving mechanism may be capable of moving the tray L accommodated in a predetermined in-cage storage section 100 among the multiple in-cage storage sections 100 only to an in-cage storage section 100 vertically adjacent to the predetermined in-cage storage section 100.

[0056] In the present invention, the moving mechanism 11 may move the tray L based on the detection results of the detection sensors 60 at the station 4 from which the tray L is carried and the station 4 to which the tray L is delivered so that the car storage section 10 corresponding to the shelf 20 storing the tray L at the station 40 from which the tray L is carried becomes empty, and the tray L to be transported is stored in the car storage section 10 corresponding to the shelf 20 not storing the tray L at the station 40 to which the tray L is delivered. If the shelf 20 storing the tray L and the empty car storage section 10 at the station 40 from which the tray L is carried are not positioned corresponding to each other, or if the shelf 20 not storing the tray L and the car storage section 10 storing the tray L to be transported are not positioned corresponding to each other at the station 4 to which the tray L is delivered, the tray L cannot be transferred between the shelf 20 and the car storage section 10. According to the above configuration, it is possible to detect whether or not the tray L is stored for each shelf 20 at the station 4, and to move the tray L in the luggage car 3 based on the detection result. This makes it possible to prevent situations in which the tray L cannot be transferred between the shelf 20 and the car storage section 10. As a result, the parcel elevator 1 can further improve the efficiency of transporting the tray L in a multi-story building while achieving space saving. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Luggage elevator 2 elevator shaft 3 Luggage basket 4 Station Section 10. Car storage area 11 Moving mechanism 20 shelves 30 Entrance / Exit 40 Transfer section 60 Detection sensor L Tray

Claims

1. an elevator shaft provided on a plurality of floors of a multi-story building and having a plurality of entrances that connect the interior of the elevator shaft to the exterior of the elevator shaft; a luggage car section configured to be able to ascend and descend inside the elevator shaft between the plurality of entrances and exits, the luggage car section having a plurality of internal storage sections each capable of storing luggage, and the luggage elevator transporting the luggage between the plurality of entrances and exits, a plurality of station units each having a plurality of shelves that are arranged outside the plurality of entrances and exits of the elevator shaft and are each capable of accommodating the luggage and are configured to be able to communicate with the plurality of in-car storage units; a transfer unit provided in at least one of the luggage basket unit and the station unit, for transferring the luggage from the in-car storage unit to the shelf and from the shelf to the in-car storage unit; The car storage section includes: a moving mechanism provided inside the luggage car section so as to have at least one stage in the vertical direction and a plurality of rows in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the direction in which the luggage is carried in and out, and capable of moving the luggage stored in a predetermined storage section in the car to an storage section in the car adjacent to the predetermined storage section in the horizontal direction; The plurality of shelves include: the shelves are provided in at least one stage in the vertical direction and in a plurality of rows in the horizontal direction, and each of the shelves is used for both loading and unloading the luggage at the plurality of station units; the station unit has a detection means for detecting whether or not the luggage is stored on each of the plurality of shelves, The moving mechanism is characterized in that, based on the detection results of the detection means of the station section at the source of the luggage and the station section at the destination of the luggage, the moving mechanism moves the luggage so that the storage section within the car corresponding to the shelf where the luggage is stored at the station section at the source of the luggage is empty, and the storage section within the car corresponding to the shelf where the luggage is not stored at the station section at the destination of the luggage is stored with the luggage to be transported.

2. A parcel elevator as described in Claim 1, characterized in that the transfer section transfers the parcel from the multiple storage sections within the cage to the multiple shelves, and transfers the parcel from the multiple shelves to the multiple storage sections within the cage.

3. The in-cage storage section is provided in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction inside the luggage cage section, The parcel elevator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the moving mechanism is capable of moving the parcel stored in a specified car storage section to a car storage section adjacent to the specified car storage section in the vertical direction.

4. The parcel elevator according to claim 3, characterized in that the moving mechanism is capable of rotating and moving the parcel stored in a predetermined storage section in the car so that the parcel passes through each of the plurality of storage sections in the car, which are arranged in multiple rows and multiple stages, and returns to the predetermined storage section in the car.

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