Goods transport equipment

Abstract

To provide an article conveyance facility for conveying articles over plural floors which can increase the conveyance efficiency of articles while securing an article storage space.SOLUTION: Provided is an article conveyance facility for conveying articles which comprises: a first lifting conveyance apparatus 2 provided with a first transfer device 22; and a second lifting conveyance apparatus 3 provided with a second transfer device 32. They are arranged so that a first lifting trajectory 4 as a lifting trajectory of the first transfer device 22 and a second lifting trajectory 5 as a lifting trajectory of the second transfer device 32 do not overlap in a vertical view, a first object region as a partial region including a lower end part of the first lifting trajectory 4 and a second object region as a partial region including an upper end part of the second lifting trajectory 5 are arranged in the same range in a vertical direction, and an overlapping region 6 arranged in the same range in a vertical direction as the first object region and the second object region is provided with a shared storage part 61 which can be lifted with articles W from the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 and can store the articles W.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an article transport facility for transporting articles across multiple levels. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-114618 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technology related to an article conveying facility that conveys articles across multiple floors. In the following description of the background art, the reference numerals in parentheses refer to those in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The article conveying facility of Patent Document 1 includes an interfloor conveying device (K) that conveys articles across multiple floors. The interfloor conveying device (K) includes a first guide body (first guide mast M1) and a second guide body (second guide mast M2) that are arranged to extend in the vertical direction, a first transfer device (first movable body T1) that ascends and descends while being guided by the first guide body, and a second transfer device (second movable body T2) that ascends and descends while being guided by the second guide body. The first guide body is provided across the first to third floors of the article conveying facility. The second guide body is provided across the third to fifth floors of the article conveying facility. Each of the first movable body and the second movable body includes a transfer device that can transfer articles to a transfer target location. The first movable body transports articles to the transfer target locations provided on each of the first to third floors, and the second movable body transports articles to the transfer target locations provided on each of the third to fifth floors. In addition, a relay support platform (N) on which items can be placed is provided in the third floor area, and the first moving body and the second moving body can transfer items via the relay support platform (N). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-114618 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The article transport facility disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an overlapping area (here, the third floor) where an area including the upper end of the movement trajectory of the first moving body and an area including the lower end of the movement trajectory of the second moving body overlap. However, because the movement trajectories of the first moving body and the second moving body are arranged so as to overlap in a vertical view, the first moving body and the second moving body cannot be positioned at the same height in this overlapping area without interfering with each other. As a result, the first moving body and the second moving body cannot simultaneously perform transfer operations, which poses a problem of making it difficult to improve the article transport efficiency of the facility as a whole. Furthermore, because many articles are transported to each floor in the article transport facility described above, it is conceivable to improve the article transport efficiency by securing a temporary storage area for the articles, for example, to avoid congestion of the transported articles or to change the transport order, but Patent Document 1 does not mention this.

[0006] Therefore, in an article transport facility that transports articles across multiple levels, an article transport facility that can increase the efficiency of transporting articles while ensuring storage space for the articles is desired. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The article transport equipment according to the present disclosure is an article transport equipment that transports articles across multiple levels, a first lifting and conveying device including a first guide body arranged to extend in the vertical direction and a first transfer device that moves up and down along the first guide body and transfers the item between a transfer target location; a second lifting and conveying device including a second guide body arranged to extend in the vertical direction and a second transfer device that moves up and down along the second guide body and transfers the item between the transfer target location, a first lifting / lowering trajectory that is a lifting / lowering trajectory of the first transfer device and a second lifting / lowering trajectory that is a lifting / lowering trajectory of the second transfer device are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed in the up-down direction, a first target area, which is a partial area of ​​the first lifting / lowering trajectory that includes a lower end of the first lifting / lowering trajectory, and a second target area, which is a partial area of ​​the second lifting / lowering trajectory that includes an upper end of the second lifting / lowering trajectory, are arranged in the same range in the up-down direction; A shared storage section is provided in an overlapping area arranged in the same vertical range as the first target area and the second target area, where the items can be transferred from both the first transfer device and the second transfer device and where the items can be stored.

[0008] According to this configuration, the first transfer device and the second transfer device can store items in the shared storage area and can transfer items via the shared storage area, making it easier to secure storage space for items and transporting items throughout the entire range of the first transfer device and the second transfer device. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the lifting and lowering trajectories of the first transfer device and the second transfer device are arranged so that they do not overlap in a vertical view, allowing both devices to be arranged at the same height. Therefore, when the first transfer device and the second transfer device move up and down, they are not restricted by each other, which makes it easier to improve the efficiency of transporting items throughout the entire facility. Thus, according to this configuration, in an article transport facility that transports articles across multiple levels, it is possible to increase the efficiency of transporting articles while ensuring storage space for the articles.

[0009] Further features and advantages of the article transport installation will become apparent from the following description of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments which are given with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] Overall front view of the goods transport facility [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically illustrating an overlapping region. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the arrangement of a first cylindrical body, a second cylindrical body, and an intermediate cylindrical body; [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing the transfer of an article by the first transfer device; [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a side view schematically showing the linking transport device; [Figure 6] Control Block Diagram [Figure 7] Control Flow Diagram [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing an overlapping region in another embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing an overlapping region in another embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view schematically showing the arrangement of a first cylindrical body, a second cylindrical body, and an intermediate cylindrical body in another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The article transport facility is a facility for transporting and storing, for example, raw materials, intermediate products, finished products, etc. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the article transport facility will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the article transport facility 100 is configured to transport an article W across multiple floors. In this embodiment, the article transport facility 100 is installed in a building having multiple floors F. The article transport facility 100 is configured to be able to transport multiple articles W to each of the multiple floors. The article transport facility 100 is also configured to be able to store multiple articles W. Examples of the articles W include storage containers (FOUPs (Front Opening Unified Pods), reticle pods, etc.) that store semiconductor substrates, reticle substrates, etc. It is expected that such article transport facility 100 will be installed, for example, in a clean room or the like where raw materials are processed in a clean environment.

[0013] In this embodiment, the article conveying equipment 100 includes a first lifting and conveying device 2 and a second lifting and conveying device 3. The article conveying equipment 100 also includes a first cylindrical body 7, a second cylindrical body 8, and an intermediate cylindrical body 9. Each of the first lifting and conveying device 2 and the second lifting and conveying device 3 is configured to be capable of conveying an article W across multiple floors and to be capable of transferring the article W to multiple transfer target locations 11, which will be described later. The configurations of the first lifting and conveying device 2 and the second lifting and conveying device 3 will be described below. The direction along the horizontal plane in which the first lifting and conveying device 2 and the second lifting and conveying device 3 are lined up will be referred to as an arrangement direction X, the side on which the first lifting and conveying device 2 is arranged relative to the second lifting and conveying device 3 will be referred to as an arrangement direction first side X1, and the opposite side (the side on which the second lifting and conveying device 3 is arranged relative to the first lifting and conveying device 2) will be referred to as an arrangement direction second side X2.

[0014] As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, the first lifting and conveying device 2 includes a first guide body 21 disposed to extend in the vertical direction, and a first transfer device 22 that moves up and down along the first guide body 21 and transfers an article W between the transfer target location 11. In this embodiment, the first guide body 21 is disposed across multiple floors. Therefore, the first transfer device 22 moves across multiple floors by being guided by the first guide body 21. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the first transfer device 22 includes a lifting platform 25 attached to the first guide body 21 so as to be able to move up and down, a transfer mechanism 24 supported by the lifting platform 25, and a support unit 23 that supports the article W. As the lifting platform 25 moves up and down along the first guide body 21, the transfer mechanism 24 and the support unit 23 move up and down. 4, the transfer mechanism 24 includes a rotation unit (not shown) that rotates the support unit 23 around an axis that extends in the vertical direction, and an extension / retraction unit (not shown) that moves the support unit 23 in the horizontal direction. Here, the transfer mechanism 24 is configured using a horizontal articulated arm (a so-called SCARA: Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm).

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the second lifting and conveying device 3 includes a second guide body 31 disposed to extend in the vertical direction, and a second transfer device 32 that moves up and down along the second guide body 31 and transfers an article W between the transfer target location 11. In this embodiment, the second guide body 31 is disposed across multiple floors. Therefore, the second transfer device 32 moves across multiple floors by being guided by the second guide body 31. Since the second transfer device 32 has the same structure as the first transfer device 22, detailed illustration of the second transfer device 32 is omitted. However, the second transfer device 32 includes a lifting platform 25 attached to the second guide body 31 so as to be able to move up and down, a transfer mechanism 24 supported by the lifting platform 25, and a support unit 23 that supports the article W. The lifting platform 25 moves up and down along the second guide body 31, causing the transfer mechanism 24 and the support unit 23 to move up and down. The transfer mechanisms 24 of the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 may be a fork-type mechanism that moves the support portion 23 horizontally, or a chuck-type mechanism that grips the item W with a gripping portion. Here, a case where the first transfer device 22 or the second transfer device 32 transfers the item W to the transfer target location 11 will be described. In the example of FIG. 4, the transfer target location 11 is a plate-shaped shelf. A portion of the shelf is cut out so that the support portion 23 can move up and down. When the horizontal articulated arm moves, the support portion 23 with the item W placed on it is positioned above the shelf, and the lifting platform 25 descends. As the lifting platform 25 descends, the support portion 23 descends and passes through the cutout portion of the shelf. The item W cannot pass through the cutout portion of the shelf, so it remains on the shelf, and the item W is then placed on the shelf. When the first transfer device 22 or the second transfer device 32 receives the article W on the shelf body, the reverse operation to the above is performed.

[0016] In this embodiment, the first guide body 21 and the second guide body 31 are disposed apart from each other in the arrangement direction X and at positions offset from each other in the up-down direction. More specifically, the first guide body 21 and the second guide body 31 are disposed apart from each other so that the lifting and lowering trajectories (first lifting and lowering trajectory 4, second lifting and lowering trajectory 5) of the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 do not interfere with each other. Furthermore, a portion including the lower end of the first guide body 21 and a portion including the upper end of the second guide body 31 are disposed in the same range in the up-down direction. In this example, the upper end of the first guide body 21 is disposed above the upper end of the second guide body 31, and the lower end of the first guide body 21 is disposed above the lower end of the second guide body 31 and below the upper end of the second guide body 31. In the example of FIG. 1, each of the first guide body 21 and the second guide body 31 is a mast that can move the lifting platform 25 along the up-down direction. The first guide body 21 is arranged over the entire area from the third floor floor F3 to the fifth floor ceiling of the five floors. The second guide body 31 is arranged over the entire area from the first floor floor F1 to the third floor ceiling. That is, the first guide body 21 and the second guide body 31 are arranged so as to occupy the same range in the vertical direction on the third floor (here, from the third floor floor F3 to the third floor ceiling). With the guide bodies arranged in this way, the first transfer device 22 moves up and down in the range from the third floor to the fifth floor, and the second transfer device 32 moves up and down in the range from the first floor to the third floor.

[0017] 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4, which is the lifting / lowering trajectory of the first transfer device 22, and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5, which is the lifting / lowering trajectory of the second transfer device 32, are arranged so as not to overlap in a vertical view. The first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 is formed along the first guide body 21. The second lifting / lowering trajectory 5 is formed along the second guide body 31. As described above, the first guide body 21 and the second guide body 31 are spaced apart from each other in the arrangement direction X so that the lifting / lowering trajectories of the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 do not interfere with each other. Therefore, the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5 do not overlap in a vertical view. In this example, the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 is the trajectory when the first transfer device 22 moves from the upper limit of lifting / lowering to the lower limit of lifting / lowering, and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5 is the trajectory when the second transfer device 32 moves from the upper limit of lifting / lowering to the lower limit of lifting / lowering. In the illustrated example, the first ascent / descent trajectory 4 is formed across multiple floors from the third floor to the fifth floor. The second ascent / descent trajectory 5 is formed across multiple floors from the first floor to the third floor.

[0018] 1 and 2, a first target area 42, which is a portion of the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 including a lower end 41 of the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4, and a second target area 52, which is a portion of the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5 including an upper end 51 of the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5, are arranged in the same range in the vertical direction. An overlapping area 6, which will be described later, is arranged in the same range in the vertical direction as the first target area 42 and the second target area 52. In this embodiment, the first target area 42 is an area below the center of the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 in the vertical direction and includes the lower end 41 of the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4, and the second target area 52 is an area above the center of the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5 in the vertical direction and includes the upper end 51 of the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5. That is, the upper end of the first lifting trajectory 4 is located above the upper end 51 of the second lifting trajectory 5, and the lower end 41 of the first lifting trajectory 4 is located above the lower end of the second lifting trajectory 5 and below the upper end 51 of the second lifting trajectory 5. Here, the overlapping area 6 includes an area where the first lifting trajectory 4 and the second lifting trajectory 5 overlap when viewed from the arrangement direction X. In the example of FIG. 1 , the first lifting trajectory 4 is formed over the entire vertical area of ​​the third to fifth floors. The second lifting trajectory 5 is formed over the entire vertical area of ​​the first to third floors. The first lifting trajectory 4 and the second lifting trajectory 5 are arranged to occupy the same range over the entire vertical area of ​​one of the multiple floors (here, the third floor). That is, in this example, the first target area 42 is the portion of the first ascent / descent trajectory 4 that is located on that one floor, and the second target area 52 is the portion of the second ascent / descent trajectory 5 that is located on that one floor. On that one floor among the multiple floors, the first ascent / descent trajectory 4 and the second ascent / descent trajectory 5 overlap when viewed from the arrangement direction X. In the example of FIG. 2 , the first ascent / descent trajectory 4 and the second ascent / descent trajectory 5 are arranged along the arrangement direction X and spaced apart from each other. Here, the overlapping area 6 is the entire internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9 that is located on one floor among the multiple floors. Note that a portion of the overlapping area 6 and a portion of the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9 may be offset in the vertical or horizontal direction. The specific configuration of the intermediate cylinder 9 will be described later.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the first cylindrical body 7 is disposed to extend in the vertical direction and is configured to accommodate the first lifting and conveying device 2. The first cylindrical body 7 is disposed across multiple levels along the first guide body 21. The first cylindrical body 7 is formed to have a size corresponding to the first lifting and conveying device 2 and the first lifting and conveying trajectory 4. Specifically, the first cylindrical body 7 is formed to have a size that accommodates the first lifting and conveying device 2 (the first guide body 21, the first transfer device 22) and includes the first lifting and conveying trajectory 4 therein. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the first cylindrical body 7 is disposed above the intermediate cylindrical body 9, and its lower end 71 is connected to the intermediate cylindrical body 9. Therefore, the first cylindrical body 7 is configured to accommodate a portion of the first guide body 21 that is above the portion accommodated in the intermediate cylindrical body 9 (the portion that exists in the overlapping region 6). Similarly, the first cylinder 7 is formed to include an upper portion of the first lifting trajectory 4 that is formed in the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9 (a portion formed in the overlapping region 6, which corresponds to the above-mentioned first target region 42). In this example, the first cylinder 7 is formed of a hollow (cylindrical) member that extends in the up-down direction. The first cylinder 7 is also provided so as to rise from the upper surface 91 of the intermediate cylinder 9. The internal space P1 of the first cylinder 7 and the overlapping region 6 (here, the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9) are in communication with each other.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the second cylindrical body 8 is disposed to extend in the vertical direction and is configured to accommodate the second lifting and conveying device 3. The second cylindrical body 8 is disposed across multiple levels along the second guide body 31. The second cylindrical body 8 is formed to have a size corresponding to the second lifting and conveying device 3 and the second lifting trajectory 5. Specifically, the second cylindrical body 8 is formed to have a size that accommodates the second lifting and conveying device 3 (the second guide body 31, the second transfer device 32) and includes the second lifting and conveying trajectory 5 therein. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , the second cylindrical body 8 is disposed below the intermediate cylindrical body 9, and its upper end portion 81 is connected to the intermediate cylindrical body 9. Therefore, the second cylindrical body 8 is configured to accommodate a portion of the second guide body 31 that is below the portion accommodated in the intermediate cylindrical body 9 (the portion that exists in the overlapping region 6). Similarly, the second cylinder 8 is formed to include a portion of the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5 that is formed in the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9 (a portion that is formed in the overlapping region 6 and corresponds to the second target region 52 described above). In this example, the second cylinder 8 is formed of a hollow (cylindrical) member that extends in the up-down direction. The second cylinder 8 is provided so as to hang downward from the lower surface of the intermediate cylinder 9. The internal space P2 of the second cylinder 8 and the overlapping region 6 (here, the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9) are connected to each other. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the term "include" means that the lifting / lowering trajectories (the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5) exist within a certain space (for example, the internal space P1 of the first cylinder 7 and the internal space P2 of the second cylinder 8).

[0021] 3, the first cylindrical body 7 and the second cylindrical body 8 are each formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, but are not limited to this and may be formed in, for example, a circular shape or a polygonal shape in a plan view. Also, the shapes of the first cylindrical body 7 and the second cylindrical body 8 in a plan view may be different from each other.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the intermediate cylinder 9 accommodates the first guide body 21 and the second guide body 31 in the overlapping region 6. The intermediate cylinder 9 is disposed between the first cylinder 7 and the second cylinder 8 in the vertical direction and connects the first cylinder 7 and the second cylinder 8. The intermediate cylinder 9 is formed to a size corresponding to the overlapping region 6. That is, the intermediate cylinder 9 is formed to surround the overlapping region 6. The intermediate cylinder 9 accommodates portions of the first guide body 21 and the second guide body 31 that are included in the same range as the overlapping region 6 in the vertical direction. This allows the intermediate cylinder 9 to include in its internal space P3 an area that is the same range as the overlapping region 6 in the vertical direction for each of the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the intermediate cylinder 9 is disposed to overlap the first cylinder 7 and the second cylinder 8 in a plan view. The first cylindrical body 7 and the second cylindrical body 8 (the broken line portion in FIG. 3) are arranged along the arrangement direction X, spaced apart from each other, and do not overlap in a plan view. In this manner, in this embodiment, the first cylindrical body 7 and the second cylindrical body 8 are arranged so as not to overlap in a vertical view.

[0023] In the example of FIG. 1, the intermediate cylinder 9 is provided on one of the multiple floors (here, the third floor). Specifically, the intermediate cylinder 9 is installed on the third floor floor F3 and extends from the third floor floor F3 to the third floor ceiling. The overlapping area 6 may be formed across multiple floors, and correspondingly, the intermediate cylinder 9 may also be provided across multiple floors. The intermediate cylinder 9 is formed of a hollow (cylindrical) member extending in the vertical direction. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 3, the intermediate cylinder 9 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, but is not limited to this and may be formed in a circular or polygonal shape in a plan view, for example.

[0024] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , a first arrangement space S1 in which other components or devices can be arranged is provided on the opposite side of the intermediate cylinder 9 from the first cylinder 7 in the vertical direction. In this example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the first arrangement space S1 is set below the intermediate cylinder 9 in a space that overlaps with the intermediate cylinder 9 in a plan view but does not overlap with the second cylinder 8. In other words, the first arrangement space S1 is set to be adjacent to the second cylinder 8 on the first side X1 in the arrangement direction. In the illustrated example, the space below the intermediate cylinder 9 and in the range that overlaps with the intermediate cylinder 9 in a plan view on the side where the first cylinder 7 is arranged with respect to the second cylinder 8 (the first side X1 in the arrangement direction with respect to the second cylinder 8) is set as the first arrangement space S1. In addition, the first arrangement space S1 is set on a floor (here, the second floor) below the floor on which the intermediate cylinder 9 is arranged.

[0025] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , a second arrangement space S2 in which other components or devices can be arranged is provided on the opposite side of the second cylinder 8 across the intermediate cylinder 9 in the vertical direction. In this example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the second arrangement space S2 is set above the intermediate cylinder 9 in a space that overlaps with the intermediate cylinder 9 in a plan view but does not overlap with the first cylinder 7. In other words, the second arrangement space S2 is set adjacent to the first cylinder 7 on the second side X2 in the arrangement direction. In the illustrated example, the second arrangement space S2 is set above the intermediate cylinder 9 in a range that overlaps with the intermediate cylinder 9 in a plan view, on the side where the second cylinder 8 is arranged relative to the first cylinder 7 in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the second arrangement space S2 is set on a floor (here, the fourth floor) above the floor on which the intermediate cylinder 9 is arranged. In this way, the second arrangement space S2 is set above the first arrangement space S1 across the intermediate cylinder 9.

[0026] In the example of FIG. 1, each of the first arrangement space S1 and the second arrangement space S2 can be configured to accommodate devices for processing the item W to be transported (for example, if the item W is a container, a processing device for semiconductor substrates, reticle substrates, etc. contained in the container), storage shelves for the item W, etc. Also, each of the first arrangement space S1 and the second arrangement space S2 can be configured to accommodate guide rails for an overhead transport vehicle, etc. In this way, the first arrangement space S1 and the second arrangement space S2 are configured as spaces in which various devices 98, guide rails, etc. can be arranged as needed. Note that, although each of the first arrangement space S1 and the second arrangement space S2 is configured on one level here, they may also be configured across multiple levels.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, a fire door 14 is provided at at least one of the connecting portion 72 between the first cylinder 7 and the intermediate cylinder 9 and the connecting portion 82 between the second cylinder 8 and the intermediate cylinder 9. In this example, the fire doors 14 are provided at both the connecting portion 72 between the first cylinder 7 and the intermediate cylinder 9 and the connecting portion 82 between the second cylinder 8 and the intermediate cylinder 9. In the illustrated example, the fire doors 14 are sliding doors. The fire door 14 provided at the connecting portion 72 between the first cylinder 7 and the intermediate cylinder 9 is configured to open and close an area that overlaps with the internal space P1 of the first cylinder 7 in a vertical view but does not overlap with the internal space P2 of the second cylinder 8 in a vertical view. In this example, the fire door 14 provided at the connecting portion 72 between the first cylinder 7 and the intermediate cylinder 9 is positioned so as to cover the entire boundary area between the internal space P1 of the first cylinder 7 and the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9 in a closed state (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1 ). Furthermore, the fire door 14 provided at the connecting portion 82 between the second cylinder 8 and the intermediate cylinder 9 is configured to open and close an area that overlaps with the internal space P2 of the second cylinder 8 when viewed in the vertical direction, but does not overlap with the internal space P1 of the first cylinder 7 when viewed in the vertical direction. In this example, the fire door 14 provided at the connecting portion 82 between the second cylinder 8 and the intermediate cylinder 9 is arranged so that, in the closed state, it covers the entire boundary area between the internal space P2 of the second cylinder 8 and the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9 (indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1).

[0028] In the example of FIG. 1, the article conveying facility 100 includes a conveyor unit 69 as the transfer target location 11. The conveyor unit 69 is provided on each floor F of a plurality of floors (first floor floor F1 to fifth floor floor F5). Each of the first lifting and conveying device 2 and the second lifting and conveying device 3 can transfer an article W to the conveyor unit 69 installed on these floors F. Here, the conveyor unit 69 is a known conveyor for transporting an article W between the first lifting and conveying device 2 and the second lifting and conveying device 3 on the floor on which it is installed. Also, in the example of FIG. 1, each of the first cylindrical body 7, the second cylindrical body 8, and the intermediate cylindrical body 9 is connected to a transport conveyor 95. Each of the first lifting and conveying device 2 and the second lifting and conveying device 3 may also be capable of transferring an article W to such a transport conveyor 95. For example, the transport conveyor 95 can be configured to transfer the article W to and from an overhead transport vehicle (not shown). In Fig. 1, for ease of understanding, the article W to be transported, the transfer devices (first transfer device 22, second transfer device 32), etc. are depicted larger than they actually are.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a shared storage section 61 is provided in the overlapping area 6, which is capable of transferring and storing items W from both the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32. In this embodiment, the shared storage section 61 is provided in the intermediate cylinder 9. The shared storage section 61 is used for transferring and temporarily storing items W between the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32. In this example, a plurality of shared storage sections 61 (two in this case) are provided inside the intermediate cylinder 9 (i.e., the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9), separated vertically. The shared storage sections 61 are also arranged in the overlapping area 6.

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 , the shared storage section 61 includes a first transfer location 62 where the first transfer device 22 transfers the item W, a second transfer location 63 where the second transfer device 32 transfers the item W, and a linking conveyance device 64 that conveys the item W between the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63. In this example, the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63 are disposed at the same height. The linking conveyance device 64 is disposed to connect the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63. Here, the linking conveyance device 64 is a conveyor device that conveys the item W in a horizontal direction. As shown in FIG. 2 , the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63 are disposed so as to be spaced apart in the arrangement direction X. The linking conveyance device 64 connects the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63 along the arrangement direction X. In this example, the first transfer location 62, the second transfer location 63, and the linking transport device 64 are arranged on the front side of the first lifting trajectory 4 and the second lifting trajectory 5 (the side where the support parts 23 of the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 are arranged relative to the first guide body 21 and the second guide body 31). Furthermore, the first transfer location 62 is arranged on the first side X1 in the arrangement direction relative to the second transfer location 63 so as to correspond to the first transfer device 22. As described above, in this embodiment, the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63 are also set as transfer target locations 11 where the item W is transferred by the transfer device (first transfer device 22, second transfer device 32). With this configuration, the transfer operations of the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 can be performed simultaneously. For example, while the first transfer device 22 is performing an operation of delivering the item W to the first transfer location 62, the second transfer device 32 can perform an operation of receiving the item W, which has been transported from the first transfer location 62 by the cooperative transport device 64, from the second transfer location 63. Therefore, the transport efficiency of the item W can be improved.

[0031] In the example of FIG. 5, the linked transport device 64 is configured as a cart-type conveyor. Specifically, the linked transport device 64 includes a cart section 64a, a platform 64b on which the article W is placed, and a linking guide 64c. The cart section 64a is guided by the linking guide 64c and moves in the arrangement direction X. The platform 64b is movable up and down relative to the cart section 64a, and transfers the article W by moving up and down between the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63. The linking guide 64c may include, for example, rails or the like, and guide the cart section 64a along the rails. Note that the linked transport device 64 may be a known conveyor such as a roller-type or belt-type conveyor other than a cart-type conveyor, or may be a fork-type transfer device. Furthermore, each of the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63 is a shelf that supports the article W from below. In the example of Fig. 5, the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63 are supported by the linking guide body 64c, but as shown in Fig. 4, they may be supported by the side wall of the intermediate cylinder body 9. Furthermore, such a shelf body may be configured to rotate around an axis along the vertical direction, so that the orientation of the article W can be freely changed.

[0032] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the shared storage section 61 has at least two article placement sections 65 on which an article W is placed, respectively. The at least two article placement sections 65 are arranged at the same height. In the example of FIG. 2, the shared storage section 61 has a plurality of (here, three) article placement sections 65. The article W can be transferred to these plurality of article placement sections 65 by both the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32. For example, the first transfer device 22 delivers the article W to a specific article placement section 65, and the second transfer device 32 can receive and transport the article W placed on the specific article placement section 65. In the example shown, the plurality of article placement sections 65 are arranged so as to be sandwiched between the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5. Furthermore, the multiple article placement sections 65 are arranged closer to the transfer devices (first transfer device 22, second transfer device 32) than the first transfer location 62, the second transfer location 63, and the cooperative conveyance device 64. As a result, the article placement sections 65 closer to the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 can be used as a shared shelf for the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32. Furthermore, the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63, which are farther from the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 than the article placement sections 65, are not used as a shared shelf, and articles W are delivered and received between the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63 by the cooperative conveyance device 64. In this way, the overlapping area 6 (here, the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9) can be effectively utilized. Furthermore, with the above configuration, even when there are a large number of articles W to be transported, the articles W can be efficiently handed over between the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32, and the articles W can be smoothly transported to the conveyor units 69 and transport conveyors 95 arranged on multiple levels. In this example, the multiple article placement units 65 and the first and second transfer locations 62 and 63 are arranged at the same height. Here, "the same height" does not necessarily mean that they are exactly the same height, and for example, they may be arranged at positions offset in the vertical direction by approximately the vertical dimension of the first transfer device 22 or the second transfer device 32. The article placement units 65 are shelves that support the articles W from below.In this manner, in this embodiment, each of the article placement sections 65 also serves as a transfer target location 11 to which the article W is transferred by the transfer device (first transfer device 22, second transfer device 32).

[0033] In this example, the shared storage section 61 also includes a plurality of general placement sections 68. The general placement sections 68 are arranged along a horizontal plane so as to surround the first lifting trajectory 4 and the second lifting trajectory 5. The general placement sections 68 are arranged on both outer sides of the first lifting trajectory 4 and the second lifting trajectory 5 in the arrangement direction X, and on both outer sides of the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63 in the arrangement direction X. The general placement sections 68 serve as transfer target locations 11, and an item W can be transferred to the general placement sections 68 by the first transfer device 22 or the second transfer device 32. For example, the first transfer device 22 transfers an item W to a general placement section 68 that is arranged closer to the first transfer device 22 than the second transfer device 32 in a plan view among the plurality of general placement sections 68. Furthermore, the second transfer device 32 transfers the item W to a general placement section 68, which is located closer to the second transfer device 32 than the first transfer device 22, among the multiple general placement sections 68 in a plan view. The general placement section 68 is a shelf that supports the item W from below. Since multiple items W can be stored in the shared storage section 61, it is possible, for example, to temporarily store the items W or change the order in which the items W are transported. In this example, the first transfer location 62, the second transfer location 63, multiple item placement sections 65, and multiple general placement sections 68 are arranged in the shared storage section 61 as transfer target locations 11, thereby enabling effective use of the overlapping area 6 (here, the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9). In FIG. 1, the multiple shared storage sections 61 provided inside the intermediate cylinder 9 have the same configuration. However, the configurations of these multiple shared storage sections 61 may be different from each other. For example, in multiple shared storage units 61, it is possible to combine the example of Figure 2 described above and the example of Figure 8 described below as needed, or to modify the configurations shown in these examples.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6, the article transport equipment 100 includes a control device H that controls the first elevating and conveying device 2, the second elevating and conveying device 3, the linked conveying device 64, the fire door 14, and the conveyor unit 69. The control device H includes a processor such as a microcomputer and peripheral circuits such as a memory, and each function of the control device H is realized by cooperation between this hardware and programs executed on the hardware such as the processor. The control device H is connected to a host controller C that controls the entire clean room or the like in which the article transport equipment 100 is installed so as to be able to communicate with each other. The control device H receives commands from the host controller C and controls the first elevating and conveying device 2, the second elevating and conveying device 3, the linked conveying device 64, the fire door 14, and the conveyor unit 69 in accordance with the contents of the received commands.

[0035] In the examples of Figures 1 and 2, the control device H can transport an item W received from a transport conveyor 95 or conveyor unit 69 on a specific floor to a transport conveyor 95 or conveyor unit 69 on a different floor. For example, the control device H can control the first transfer device 22 to transport an item W carried in from the conveyor unit 69 on a specific floor (here, the fourth or fifth floor) to one of multiple shared storage units 61 in the overlap area 6. Then, as shown in Figure 2, the control device H can control the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 to hand over the transported item W to the second transfer device 32 via the item placement unit 65 in the shared storage unit 61. The control device H can also control the first transfer device 22, the second transfer device 32, and the linked conveying device 64 so that the item W delivered from the first transfer device 22 to the first transfer location 62 is transported to the second transfer location 63, and then the second transfer device 32 receives the item W on the second transfer location 63. The control device H can also control the first transfer device 22 to deliver the item W to the general loading section 68, and can also control each device so that after another item W is transported to another floor via the shared storage section 61, the item W placed on the general loading section 68 is delivered to the second transfer device 32 via the item loading section 65 and the linked conveying device 64. The control device H can control the second transfer device 32 to transport the article W received from the first transfer device 22 to the transport conveyor 95 (1st floor) or conveyor section 69 (1st floor or 2nd floor) on a specified floor (here, the 1st or 2nd floor). The same applies when the article W is handed over from the second transfer device 32 to the first transfer device 22 for transportation.

[0036] In addition, the control device H can control the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 to transport the item W to a conveying conveyor 95 connected to the intermediate cylinder 9 or to a conveyor section 69 provided on the floor where the intermediate cylinder 9 is installed (here, the third floor).

[0037] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7 , when the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 are arranged at the same height, and one of the at least two article placement sections 65 arranged at the same height, the first transfer device 22 or the second transfer device 32, has started transferring an article W to a target placement section 66, the other transfer device is prohibited from transferring the article W to the target placement section 66. In the example of FIG. 2 , when one of the three article placement sections 65 is designated as the target placement section 66 of the first transfer device 22, the control device H prohibits the second transfer device 32 from transferring the article W to the target placement section 66. Similarly, when one of the three article placement sections 65 is designated as the target placement section 66 of the second transfer device 32, the control device H prohibits the first transfer device 22 from transferring the article W to the target placement section 66. Below, a description is provided using a control flow diagram.

[0038] When the control device H determines that there is a target placement section 66 to which transfer has started by either the first transfer device 22 or the second transfer device 32 (S01: Yes), it prohibits the other transfer device (the first transfer device 22 or the second transfer device 32) from transferring the item W to the target placement section 66 (S02). In this case, the control device H controls the other transfer device to transfer the item W to an item placement section 65 other than the target placement section 66. In the example of FIG. 2, the control device H can control the transfer device that is prohibited from transferring the item W to the target placement section 66 to transfer the item W to the general placement section 68.

[0039] 6, the control device H controls the fire doors 14 provided at both the connecting portion 72 between the first cylinder 7 and the intermediate cylinder 9 and the connecting portion 82 between the second cylinder 8 and the intermediate cylinder 9. For example, when the upper controller C receives a fire alarm signal, the control device H controls the fire door 14 to switch the fire door 14 from an open state to a closed state in accordance with command information received from the upper controller C.

[0040] Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the article transport facility will be described.

[0041] (1) In the above embodiment, the first lifting trajectory 4 and the second lifting trajectory 5 are arranged to cover the same range across the entire vertical area of ​​one floor (the third floor in the example of FIG. 1), but this is not limiting. For example, the first lifting trajectory 4 and the second lifting trajectory 5 may be arranged to cover the same range across multiple floors. Furthermore, the first lifting trajectory 4 and the second lifting trajectory 5 may be arranged to cover the same range within a portion of the vertical area of ​​one floor.

[0042] (2) In the above embodiment, the first cylindrical body 7 accommodates the first lifting and conveying device 2, and the second cylindrical body 8 accommodates the second lifting and conveying device 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first cylindrical body 7 may accommodate only the first transfer device 22 and be configured to include the first lifting and conveying trajectory 4 in the internal space P1, and the second cylindrical body 8 may accommodate only the second transfer device 32 and be configured to include the second lifting and conveying trajectory 5 in the internal space P2.

[0043] (3) In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the first arrangement space S1 in which other members or devices can be arranged is provided on the opposite side of the intermediate cylinder 9 from the first cylinder 7 in the vertical direction, and the second arrangement space S2 in which other members or devices can be arranged is provided on the opposite side of the intermediate cylinder 9 from the second cylinder 8 in the vertical direction, but this is not limiting. For example, a configuration in which only one of the first arrangement space S1 and the second arrangement space S2 is provided may also be used.

[0044] (4) In the above embodiment, the fire door 14 is provided at at least one of the connecting portion 72 between the first cylindrical body 7 and the intermediate cylindrical body 9 and the connecting portion 82 between the second cylindrical body 8 and the intermediate cylindrical body 9. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fire door 14 does not have to be provided at each of the connecting portion 72 between the first cylindrical body 7 and the intermediate cylindrical body 9 and the connecting portion 82 between the second cylindrical body 8 and the intermediate cylindrical body 9. In this case, for example, one or more fire doors 14 may be provided inside the intermediate cylindrical body 9 so as to partition the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylindrical body 9. Furthermore, the fire door 14 may be provided at a portion of the first cylindrical body 7 other than the connecting portion 72 with the intermediate cylindrical body 9, or at a portion of the second cylindrical body 8 other than the connecting portion 82 with the intermediate cylindrical body 9.

[0045] (5) In the above embodiment, the shared storage unit 61 has been described as having one first transfer location 62 where the first transfer device 22 transfers the item W, one second transfer location 63 where the second transfer device 32 transfers the item W, and one linking conveyance device 64 that conveys the item W between the first transfer location 62 and the second transfer location 63. However, this is not limiting. For example, the shared storage unit 61 does not necessarily have to have the first transfer location 62, the second transfer location 63, and the linking conveyance device 64. On the other hand, the shared storage unit 61 may also have a configuration including a plurality of each of the first transfer location 62, the second transfer location 63, and the linking conveyance device 64. Such an example is shown in FIG. 8. In the example of FIG. 8, three first transfer locations 62 and three second transfer locations 63 are provided, and three corresponding linking conveyance devices 64 are also provided.

[0046] (6) In the above embodiment, the shared storage section 61 is described as having at least two article placement sections 65 on which the articles W are respectively placed. However, this is not limiting. For example, the shared storage section 61 may be configured to have one article placement section 65. Such an example is shown in FIG. 8. In the example of FIG. 8, multiple linking conveyance devices 64 and a single article placement section 65 are arranged side by side between the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5. The article placement section 65 is also arranged at a position relatively far from the respective support sections 23 of the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32. In this way, the linking conveyance device 64 is used to transfer the articles W between the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 at a position relatively close to the respective support sections 23. By providing the article placement section 65 at a position far from the respective support sections 23 where it is difficult to transfer the articles W using the linking conveyance device 64, the overlapping area 6 (here, the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9) can be effectively utilized. Furthermore, the shared storage section 61 does not necessarily have to include an article placement section 65. Such an example is shown in FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, the article placement section 65 is not disposed between the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32. Instead, a set of a first transfer location 62, a second transfer location 63, and a linking transport device 64 is provided in front of the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5. By not disposing the article placement section 65 or the like between the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32, the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5 can be positioned close to each other in the arrangement direction X, as shown in FIG. 10. In this case, the first cylinder 7 and the second cylinder 8 can be positioned adjacent to each other in the arrangement direction X, and the intermediate cylinder 9 can also be made smaller. This allows the article transport equipment 100 to be more compact. 9, a wall K is provided between the first lifting / lowering trajectory 4 and the second lifting / lowering trajectory 5 in the overlapping region 6. This wall K may be provided as a part of the intermediate cylinder 9, or may be a common side wall portion of the adjacent first cylinder 7 and second cylinder 8. At least one of the first cylinder 7 and the second cylinder 8 may be disposed so as to penetrate into the internal space P3 of the intermediate cylinder 9 (two-dot chain line in FIG. 2).

[0047] (7) In the above embodiment, when the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 are arranged at the same height, and one of the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32, among at least two article placement sections 65 arranged at the same height, has started transferring an article W to a target placement section 66, the other transfer device is prohibited from transferring the article W to the target placement section 66. However, this is not limited to this. For example, both the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32 may simultaneously perform transfer operations on the target placement section 66. For example, after the first transfer device 22 starts the operation of delivering (placing) the article W to the target placement section 66, the second transfer device 32 may start the operation of receiving the article W from the target placement section 66 before the article W is placed on the target placement section 66. This shortens the period for transferring the article W between the first transfer device 22 and the second transfer device 32.

[0048] (8) Note that the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments (including combinations of embodiments described as other embodiments) as long as no contradictions arise. Regarding other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0049] [Summary of the above embodiment] An outline of the article transport facility described above will now be described.

[0050] The article transport equipment according to the present disclosure is an article transport equipment that transports articles across multiple levels, a first lifting and conveying device including a first guide body arranged to extend in the vertical direction and a first transfer device that moves up and down along the first guide body and transfers the item between a transfer target location; a second lifting and conveying device including a second guide body arranged to extend in the vertical direction and a second transfer device that moves up and down along the second guide body and transfers the item between the transfer target location, a first lifting / lowering trajectory that is a lifting / lowering trajectory of the first transfer device and a second lifting / lowering trajectory that is a lifting / lowering trajectory of the second transfer device are arranged so as not to overlap when viewed in the up-down direction, a first target area, which is a partial area of ​​the first lifting / lowering trajectory that includes a lower end of the first lifting / lowering trajectory, and a second target area, which is a partial area of ​​the second lifting / lowering trajectory that includes an upper end of the second lifting / lowering trajectory, are arranged in the same range in the up-down direction; A shared storage section is provided in an overlapping area arranged in the same vertical range as the first target area and the second target area, where the items can be transferred from both the first transfer device and the second transfer device and where the items can be stored.

[0051] According to this configuration, the first transfer device and the second transfer device can store items in the shared storage area and can transfer items via the shared storage area, making it easier to secure storage space for items and transporting items throughout the entire range of the first transfer device and the second transfer device. Furthermore, according to this configuration, the lifting and lowering trajectories of the first transfer device and the second transfer device are arranged so that they do not overlap in a vertical view, allowing both devices to be arranged at the same height. Therefore, when the first transfer device and the second transfer device move up and down, they are not restricted by each other, which makes it easier to improve the efficiency of transporting items throughout the entire facility. Thus, according to this configuration, in an article transport facility that transports articles across multiple levels, it is possible to increase the efficiency of transporting articles while ensuring storage space for the articles.

[0052] Here, a first cylindrical body is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction and accommodates the first lifting and conveying device; a second cylindrical body that is disposed to extend in the vertical direction and that houses the second lifting and conveying device; an intermediate cylinder that accommodates the first guide body and the second guide body in the overlapping area and is provided with the shared storage section; the first cylinder is disposed above the intermediate cylinder, and a lower end of the first cylinder is connected to the intermediate cylinder; the second cylinder is disposed below the intermediate cylinder, and an upper end of the second cylinder is connected to the intermediate cylinder; It is preferable that the first cylindrical body and the second cylindrical body are arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed in the up-down direction.

[0053] According to this configuration, the first cylinder does not need to be larger than the size required to accommodate the first lifting and conveying device above the intermediate cylinder. Therefore, by reducing the size of the first cylinder in a vertical view, the space around the first cylinder can be effectively utilized. The same applies to the second cylinder, allowing the space around the second cylinder to be effectively utilized. Furthermore, the intermediate cylinder is sized to accommodate the first guide body, the second guide body, and the shared storage section. In this way, by providing the first cylinder, the second cylinder, and the intermediate cylinder separately and arranging them so that the first cylinder and the second cylinder do not overlap in a vertical view, each cylinder can be sized appropriately, making it easier to improve the space efficiency of the entire facility.

[0054] Further, a first arrangement space in which other members or devices can be arranged is provided on the opposite side of the first cylinder with the intermediate cylinder in the vertical direction, It is preferable that a second arrangement space in which other members or devices can be arranged is provided on the opposite side of the second cylinder with the intermediate cylinder sandwiched between them in the vertical direction.

[0055] According to this configuration, other members and devices can be arranged in the first arrangement space and the second arrangement space, which makes it easy to effectively improve the space efficiency of the entire facility.

[0056] In addition, a fire door is provided at at least one of a connecting portion between the first cylinder and the intermediate cylinder and a connecting portion between the second cylinder and the intermediate cylinder, The fire door provided at the connection portion between the first cylinder and the intermediate cylinder is configured to open and close an area that overlaps with the internal space of the first cylinder when viewed in the vertical direction and does not overlap with the internal space of the second cylinder when viewed in the vertical direction, The fire door provided at the connection between the second cylinder and the intermediate cylinder is preferably configured to open and close an area that overlaps with the internal space of the second cylinder when viewed in the vertical direction, but does not overlap with the internal space of the first cylinder when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0057] With this configuration, the area that opens and closes when viewed from above can be kept small compared to when a fire door is provided that opens and closes the internal space of the intermediate cylinder, making it easier to reduce the weight and cost of the fire door.

[0058] It is also preferable that the shared storage section comprises a first transfer location where the items are transferred by the first transfer device, a second transfer location where the items are transferred by the second transfer device, and a linking transport device that transports the items between the first transfer location and the second transfer location.

[0059] According to this configuration, the first transfer device and the second transfer device can simultaneously transfer articles to the shared storage section. Furthermore, with this configuration, an item transferred from the first transfer device to the first transfer location can be moved to the second transfer location by the linked conveyance device and handed over to the second transfer device. Similarly, an item transferred from the second transfer device to the second transfer location can be moved to the first transfer location by the linked conveyance device and handed over to the first transfer device. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently transfer items while avoiding interference between the first transfer device and the second transfer device. This makes it easier to improve the efficiency of transporting items throughout the facility.

[0060] The shared storage section includes at least two article placement sections on which the articles are placed, Preferably, at least two of the article placement sections are arranged at the same height.

[0061] With this configuration, even when the first and second transfer devices are arranged at the same height, the first and second transfer devices can simultaneously transfer articles between separate article placement units arranged at the same height, which makes it easier to improve the article transport efficiency of the entire facility. Furthermore, with this configuration, it is easier to keep the installation area of ​​the equipment small when viewed from above and below compared to when a linking transport device is provided.

[0062] Furthermore, when the first transfer device and the second transfer device are arranged at the same height, if there is a target loading section to which one of the at least two item loading sections arranged at the same height, the first transfer device or the second transfer device, has started to transfer the item, it is preferable that the other transfer device be prohibited from transferring the item to the target loading section.

[0063] According to this configuration, when the first transfer device and the second transfer device are arranged at the same height, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the first transfer device and the second transfer device interfere with each other when attempting to transfer items to one item loading section at the same time.

[0064] It is sufficient for the article transport facility according to the present disclosure to achieve at least one of the above-described effects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 2: First lifting and transporting device 3: Second lifting and transport device 4: First ascending / descending trajectory 5: Second ascending / descending trajectory 6: Overlapping area 7: First cylinder 8:Second cylinder 9: Intermediate cylinder 11: Transfer location 14: Fire door 21: First guide 22: 1st transfer device 31: Second guide 32:Second transfer device 41: Lower end of first ascending / descending path 51: Upper end of second ascending / descending trajectory 61:Shared storage department 62: First transfer location 63: Second transfer location 64: Linked transport device 65: Item placement section 66: Target placement area 71: Lower end of the first cylinder 72: Connection portion between the first cylindrical body and the intermediate cylindrical body 81: Upper end of second cylindrical body 82: Connection portion between the second cylindrical body and the intermediate cylindrical body 100: Goods transport equipment P1: Internal space of the first cylinder P2: Internal space of the second cylinder P3: Internal space of the intermediate cylinder S1: 1st placement space S2:Second placement space W:Goods X: Alignment direction

Claims

1. An article transport facility that transports articles across multiple levels, a first lifting and conveying device including a first guide body arranged to extend in the vertical direction and a first transfer device that moves up and down along the first guide body and transfers the item between a transfer target location; a second lifting and conveying device including a second guide body arranged to extend in the vertical direction, and a second transfer device that moves up and down along the second guide body and transfers the item between the transfer target location, a first lifting / lowering trajectory that is a lifting / lowering trajectory of the first transfer device and a second lifting / lowering trajectory that is a lifting / lowering trajectory of the second transfer device are arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed in the up-down direction, a first target area, which is a partial area of ​​the first lifting / lowering trajectory that includes a lower end of the first lifting / lowering trajectory, and a second target area, which is a partial area of ​​the second lifting / lowering trajectory that includes an upper end of the second lifting / lowering trajectory, are arranged in the same range in the up-down direction; An item transport facility, wherein a shared storage section is provided in an overlapping area arranged in the same vertical range as the first target area and the second target area, where the items can be transferred from both the first transfer device and the second transfer device and the items can be stored.

2. a first cylindrical body that is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction and that houses the first lifting and conveying device; a second cylindrical body that is disposed to extend in the vertical direction and that houses the second lifting and conveying device; an intermediate cylinder that accommodates the first guide body and the second guide body in the overlapping area and is provided with the shared storage section, the first cylinder is disposed above the intermediate cylinder, and a lower end of the first cylinder is connected to the intermediate cylinder; the second cylinder is disposed below the intermediate cylinder, and an upper end of the second cylinder is connected to the intermediate cylinder; The article transport facility according to claim 1 , wherein the first cylinder and the second cylinder are arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed in the up-down direction.

3. a first arrangement space in which other members or devices can be arranged is provided on the opposite side of the first cylinder with the intermediate cylinder therebetween in the vertical direction; The article transport facility according to claim 2 , further comprising a second arrangement space in which other members or devices can be arranged, on the opposite side of the second cylinder with the intermediate cylinder sandwiched between them in the vertical direction.

4. a fire door is provided at at least one of a connecting portion between the first cylinder and the intermediate cylinder and a connecting portion between the second cylinder and the intermediate cylinder; The fire door provided at the connection portion between the first cylinder and the intermediate cylinder is configured to open and close an area that overlaps with the internal space of the first cylinder when viewed in the vertical direction and does not overlap with the internal space of the second cylinder when viewed in the vertical direction, 3. The article transport equipment according to claim 2, wherein the fire door provided at the connection between the second cylinder and the intermediate cylinder is configured to open and close an area that overlaps with the internal space of the second cylinder when viewed in the vertical direction and does not overlap with the internal space of the first cylinder when viewed in the vertical direction.

5. 5. The item transport equipment described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shared storage section comprises a first transfer location where the items are transferred by the first transfer device, a second transfer location where the items are transferred by the second transfer device, and a linking transport device that transports the items between the first transfer location and the second transfer location.

6. the shared storage section includes at least two article placement sections on which the articles are placed, respectively; The article transport facility according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of the article placement sections are arranged at the same height.

7. 7. The item transport equipment according to claim 6, wherein, when the first transfer device and the second transfer device are arranged at the same height, if there is a target loading section to which one of the at least two item loading sections arranged at the same height, the first transfer device or the second transfer device, has started transferring the item, the other transfer device is prohibited from transferring the item to the target loading section.

Images