Control method for horizontal circulating parking system

Abstract

To provide means for improving overall smoothness by making effective use of a one-way area, which is a low-ceiling area where vehicles cannot be stored.SOLUTION: A vehicle storage floor 6A has a vehicle storage area 7A that can store actual vehicle pallets 2A and a one-way area 7C which is a low-ceiling area that can store empty pallets 2B. A horizontal circulation type parking device 100 comprises a plurality of drive cells 4 that moves the pallets 2 in two directions, a one-way drive cell 9 that is installed in the one-way area and moves the empty pallets in only one-way, a smaller number of pallets than the drive cells located in the vehicle storage area, and a control device 20 that controls the drive cells. The drive cells are installed adjacent to each other in both the vehicle storage area and the one-way area 7C. The control device 20 moves the empty pallets in both the vehicle storage area and the one-way area 7C when the vehicle 1 enters or exits the storage area, and also moves the empty pallets to empty cells 4b in the one-way area 7C to increase the number of the empty cells 4b in the vehicle storage area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control method for a horizontal circulation type parking device that effectively utilizes a one-way area, which is a low-ceiling area where vehicles cannot be stored. Place

Background Art

[0002] [[ID=!15]]A "horizontal circulation type parking device" is a mechanical parking facility that moves a pallet carrying a vehicle (e.g., a passenger car) in a horizontal plane to perform vehicle storage and retrieval (storage and retrieval). Such a device is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0003] In addition, means for effectively utilizing the parking space by having a high-ceiling space for parking high-roof vehicles and a low-ceiling space for parking ordinary vehicles with a height difference in the ceiling is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 2.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [[ID=!29]]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a horizontal circulation type parking device, a drive cell that can perform both "lateral feed" for moving a pallet carrying a vehicle in its width direction and "longitudinal feed" for moving it in its length direction is used. This drive cell includes a frame corresponding to the size of the pallet in plan view and a pallet drive device installed on this frame.

[0006] Note: In the translation, the text marked with "!" has been adjusted according to the context to make the English translation more fluent. The original text may have some minor issues in grammar or expression. If you have any specific requirements or corrections, please feel free to let me know.In horizontally circulating parking garages, there may be areas within the vehicle storage floor where the ceiling is too low to accommodate vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "low-ceiling areas," such as the areas beneath elevator pits, horizontal beams, exhaust ducts, etc.). If the ceiling is higher than that of such low-ceiling areas and it is possible to store low-profile vehicles (for example, regular cars), the parking space can be effectively utilized according to Patent Document 2. However, the method described in Patent Document 2 cannot be applied to low-ceiling areas where vehicles cannot be stored; therefore, low-ceiling areas have traditionally been unusable.

[0007] This invention was devised to solve the above-mentioned problems. In other words, the objective of this invention is to improve the overall smoothness of a horizontal circulating parking system by effectively utilizing low-ceiling areas where the ceiling is too low to accommodate vehicles. Place The objective is to provide a control method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the present invention, in a horizontal circulating parking system that moves a pallet on which a vehicle is placed in two orthogonal directions in a horizontal plane to move the vehicle in and out of the parking space, The vehicle storage floor includes a vehicle storage area capable of storing the actual vehicle pallet on which the vehicle is placed, It has a one-directional area, which is a low-ceiling area adjacent to the vehicle storage area in only one of the two directions, and capable of storing only empty pallets, which are pallets on which no vehicles are placed, The horizontal circulating parking device comprises a plurality of drive cells that carry the pallet and move it in the two directions, A one-way drive cell is installed in the aforementioned one-way region and moves the empty pallet on it in only one direction, A number of pallets less than the number of drive cells located in the vehicle storage area, The system comprises a control device for controlling the aforementioned drive cell, Multiple of the drive cells are installed adjacent to each other in both the vehicle storage area and the unidirectional area. The control device is a horizontal circulating parking system that moves the empty pallet in both the vehicle storage area and the unidirectional area when the vehicle enters or leaves the parking area. A control method, A control method for a horizontal circulating parking system, which moves the empty pallet in both the vehicle storage area and the one-way area when the vehicle enters or leaves the parking area. It will be provided.

[0009] Also , book According to the invention, a control method for the above-described horizontal circulating parking device is provided, which involves moving the empty pallet to an empty drive cell in the one-way region that does not have the pallet on it, thereby increasing the number of empty cells in the vehicle storage area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, since the vehicle storage floor has fewer pallets than the drive cells located in the vehicle storage area, the vehicle pallet loaded with the vehicle can be moved in two directions within the vehicle storage area to carry out vehicle loading and unloading.

[0011] Furthermore, since the vehicle storage floor also has a unidirectional area with a lower ceiling, and multiple drive cells are installed adjacent to each other in both the vehicle storage area and the unidirectional area, empty pallets without vehicles can be moved in both the vehicle storage area and the unidirectional area.

[0012] Therefore, by moving empty pallets in both the vehicle storage area and the unidirectional area during vehicle entry and exit, the degree of freedom in the movement path of the empty pallets can be increased, shortening entry and exit times and improving overall smoothness. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] These are a side view (A) and a top view (B) showing an example of the horizontal circulating parking system of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a horizontal circulation type parking system (parking system). [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a horizontal circulating parking system according to the present invention. [Figure 4] This is an overall flowchart of a control method for a horizontal circulation type parking device according to the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing a specific example of the "low ceiling usage path A". [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing the first half of a specific example of the "low ceiling non - usage path B". [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing the second half of a specific example of the "low ceiling non - usage path B". [Figure 8] This is a plan view showing a second example of a horizontal circulation type parking device according to the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a plan view showing a third example of a horizontal circulation type parking device according to the present invention.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the respective figures, the same reference numerals are given to common parts, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a side view (A) and a plan view (B) showing an example of a horizontal circulation type parking device. A horizontal circulation type parking device (hereinafter simply referred to as "parking device") is a mechanical parking facility that moves a pallet 2 on which a vehicle 1 is placed in a horizontal plane to perform the entry and exit (entry and exit) of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 is, for example, a passenger car. The vehicle 1 is a small car, a medium - sized car, a large - sized car, a high - roof car, etc.

[0016] In FIGS. 1(A) and (B), the parking device is underground and has two upper and lower storage areas underground. Also, a lift 3 is provided that vertically moves between the above - ground entry / exit section and the upper and lower sections underground, and raises and lowers the pallet 2 therebetween. In each of the two upper and lower stages (each storage area), in this example, there is a vehicle storage space for 11 vehicles in a range other than the position where the lift 3 raises and lowers the pallet 2.

[0017] In this diagram, each vehicle storage space is equipped with a drive cell 4 that moves the pallet 2 on which the vehicle 1 is placed in both its width and length directions. In this example, the lift 3 is also equipped with a drive cell 4.

[0018] The drive cell 4 is configured to allow movement of the pallet 2 on which the vehicle 1 is placed in two directions: "lateral movement" in the width direction and "longitudinal movement" in the length direction. The drive cell 4 also has a "mechanism for changing the transport direction" between "lateral movement" and "longitudinal movement".

[0019] In Figure 1, each of the two upper and lower levels has one drive cell 4 for each of the 11 vehicle storage spaces in this example. Each drive cell 4 has a frame (not shown) that corresponds to the size of the pallet 2 in a plan view. In each of the two upper and lower tiers, multiple frames are arranged at regular intervals from each other and are horizontally supported at their four corners. In each tier, at least one drive cell 4 does not have a pallet 2 on it, while the other drive cells 4 do have pallets 2 on them. A drive cell 4 that does not have a pallet 2 on it will be referred to below as an "empty cell 4b".

[0020] With the parking device configuration described above, at least one drive cell 4 in each level is an empty cell 4b, so a pallet 2 on a drive cell 4 adjacent to an empty cell 4b can be moved horizontally (laterally or vertically) onto the empty cell. This horizontal movement causes the position of the empty cell 4b to move to an adjacent position. Therefore, by repeating this process, each pallet 2 on each level can be freely moved horizontally (either horizontally or vertically).

[0021] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the horizontal circulating parking system (parking system) described above. In this figure, 5 indicates the lift position. Note that the arrangement of drive cells 4 in this figure differs from that in Figure 1.

[0022] Figure 2 shows the operation of moving vehicle 1 (hereinafter referred to as vehicle a), indicated by symbol a, horizontally to lift position 5 in the order of (A), (B), (C), and (D), and then transporting it to the ground-level loading / unloading area by lift 3. As shown in this diagram, the horizontal movement of pallet 2 in this parking system is controlled by a computer to determine the shortest entry and exit route, efficiently moving vehicles 1 horizontally one after another like a puzzle, and achieving the shortest possible waiting time for entry and exit.

[0023] Figure 3 shows an example of a horizontal circulating parking system 100 according to the present invention. In this figure, (A) is a plan view, and (B) is a view along the line BB. In this figure, the horizontal circulating parking device 100 according to the present invention is a device that moves a pallet 2 on which a vehicle 1 is placed in two orthogonal directions in the horizontal plane to move the vehicle 1 in and out of the vehicle storage floors 6A and 6B.

[0024] In this example, the vehicle storage floors 6A and 6B are two-tiered vehicle storage areas located underground. The upper vehicle storage floor 6A has a vehicle storage area 7A capable of storing pallets 2 with vehicles 1 on them (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle pallets 2A"), and a low-ceiling area 7B capable of storing only pallets 2 without vehicles 1 on them (hereinafter referred to as "empty pallets 2B"). Furthermore, the vehicle storage floors 6A and 6B are not limited to underground locations but may also be located above ground. The low-ceiling area 7B is located in a part of the vehicle storage floor 6A and is an area with a low ceiling where vehicle 1 cannot be stored. However, the low-ceiling area 7B has a ceiling height that allows for the storage of the drive cell 4 and empty pallet 2B. The low-ceiling area 7B is, for example, the area below the elevator pit, horizontal beams, exhaust ducts, etc. In this example, 8 is a column located in part of the vehicle storage floor 6A.

[0025] In Figure 3, the horizontal circulating parking system 100 comprises a plurality of drive cells 4, a plurality of pallets 2, and a control device 20.

[0026] Multiple drive cells 4 (23 in this example) are installed adjacent to each other in both the vehicle storage area 7A and the low-ceiling area 7B. Each drive cell 4 is also configured to be movable in two directions with a pallet 2 on it. "Two directions" refers to the "horizontal feed" direction and the "vertical feed" direction as described above. Also, the 23 drive cells 4 are omitted from this diagram. Furthermore, the drive cell 4 located at the outer edge of the vehicle storage floor 6A does not require "lateral feeding" or "longitudinal feeding" toward the outside, so it may be omitted.

[0027] Furthermore, fewer pallets 2 (22 in this example) than the number of drive cells 4 located in the vehicle storage area 7A are provided in the vehicle storage area 7A. Figure 3(A) shows a state in which one pallet 2 to be stored in the vehicle storage area 7A is resting on the drive cell 4 provided on the lift 3. In this example, the drive cells 4 on the lift 3 are configured to allow the pallet 2 to move between the drive cells 4 in three directions, excluding the outer edge (upper side in the diagram).

[0028] In Figure 3(A), 22 pallets 2 are shown as rectangles, with 20 fully loaded pallets 2A shown as gray rectangles and 2 empty pallets 2B shown as white rectangles. The small numbers (1-22) on each pallet represent the pallet number n.

[0029] The horizontal circulating parking system 100 shown in Figure 3 above can store 22 vehicles 1 on the upper vehicle storage floor 6A, including the actual vehicle pallet 2A (n=22) placed on the lift 3. In addition, Figure 3(A) has two empty cells 4b corresponding to two pallets 2. Furthermore, when the actual vehicle pallet 2A (n=22) of lift 3 is stored in the vehicle storage area 7A, there will be only one empty cell 4b.

[0030] In Figure 3, the control device 20 controls all of the drive cells 4 in the vehicle storage floor 6A. The control device 20 is, for example, a computer (PC) and has the function of moving the empty pallet 2B in both the vehicle storage area 7A and the low ceiling area 7B when the vehicle 1 enters or leaves the storage area. The control details of the control device 20 will be described later.

[0031] In Figure 3, the horizontal circulating parking system 100 is further equipped with a vehicle pallet detection device 22. The actual vehicle pallet detection device 22 is installed at the boundary between the vehicle storage area 7A and the low ceiling area 7B, and detects the actual vehicle pallet 2A moving from the vehicle storage area 7A to the low ceiling area 7B. In Figure 3(A), the vehicle pallet detection device 22 is installed on both sides in the width direction of the low ceiling area 7B and on the side of the lift 3. The actual vehicle pallet detection device 22 may be, for example, a photoelectric sensor that detects the actual vehicle pallet 2A when the vehicle 1 blocks the sensor light, or a rope-type limit switch that detects the actual vehicle pallet 2A when the vehicle 1 comes into contact with a rope or the like. The photocell may be, for example, a through-beam, retro-reflecting, diffuse-reflecting, or distance-setting type. The rope-type limit switch may be, for example, a pull-cord switch or a rope-type emergency stop switch.

[0032] When the control device 20 detects a vehicle pallet 2A using the vehicle pallet detection device 22, it performs an emergency stop on the operation of all drive cells 4. Alternatively, instead of using the control device 20, the actual vehicle pallet 2A may be detected by the actual vehicle pallet detection device 22, and the operation of all drive cells 4 may be emergency stopped. The above configuration makes it possible to prevent the actual vehicle pallet 2A from moving into the low-ceiling area 7B due to an incorrect route plan.

[0033] Figure 4 is an overall flowchart of the control method for the horizontal circulating parking system according to the present invention. In this figure, the control method for the horizontal circulating parking system has steps (processes) S1 to S5.

[0034] In step S1, the person using vehicle 1 gives instructions for entering or exiting the storage facility and designates a pallet, for example, by pressing a start button. This operation is performed using the control panel at the entrance / exit or a smartphone. In step S2, the control device 20 reads the current layout of each pallet based on the receiving or shipping command.

[0035] In step S3, the retrieval procedure for the specified pallet is calculated based on the current layout of each pallet. Step S3 in this example consists of steps S31 to S33. In step S31, a route plan A using the low ceiling area 7B (hereinafter referred to as "low ceiling route A") is created. In low ceiling route A, when vehicle 1 enters or leaves the storage area, the empty pallet 2B is moved in both the vehicle storage area 7A and the low ceiling area 7B. In step S32, route plan B (hereinafter referred to as "route B without low ceiling") is created, which does not use the low ceiling area 7B. In step S33, route plans A and B are compared, and the one that is advantageous for retrieving the specified pallet 2 is selected. The "advantageous one" is preferably the one with a shorter vehicle entry and exit time. In situations such as when the parking lot is full, it may be difficult to effectively utilize the low-ceiling area 7B, making route plan B potentially more advantageous. However, generally, route plan A is more advantageous.

[0036] In step S4, each drive cell 4 is activated based on the selected path plan. In step S5, the system checks whether the specified pallet 2 has been removed. If removal is not complete (NO), the system repeats step S4. If removal is complete (YES), the system terminates.

[0037] The control device 20 performs steps 2 to 5 described above. The control device 20 may consist of a control PC and a parking control device. Furthermore, it is preferable that the software for executing each of the above steps is installed on the control device 20.

[0038] Figure 5 shows a specific example of the "low ceiling usage route A" in the horizontal circulating parking system 100 shown in Figure 3. This example shows steps T1 to T4 from the layout of each pallet shown in Figure 3 (step T0) to moving the empty pallet 2B with pallet number n 1 to lift 3. Each of steps T1 to T4 is an operation in only one of two orthogonal directions ("horizontal movement" and "vertical movement") in the horizontal plane.

[0039] In step T0, an empty pallet 2B (n=1) is ordered for a new incoming shipment. Steps T1 to T4 correspond to route A, which is used for low ceilings. In step T1, the actual vehicle pallet 2A (n=12) is moved vertically using two empty cells 4b as indicated by the arrows. In step T2, two empty pallets (n=1,5) are moved horizontally through the low-ceiling area 7B. In step T3, the actual vehicle pallet (n=22) on the lift is moved laterally to create an empty cell 4b on the lift. In step T4, an empty pallet (n=1) is moved vertically onto the lift. Then, the lift is raised to the receiving floor (for example, the ground floor), and a new vehicle 1 can be placed on the empty pallet (n=1). In the low-ceiling route A described above, an empty pallet 2B (n=1) can be moved onto the lift in four steps, from step T0 to step T4.

[0040] Figures 6 and 7 show specific examples of the "low ceiling non-use route B" in the horizontal circulating parking system 100 shown in Figure 3. This example, similar to Figure 4, shows steps T1 to T20 from the layout of each pallet shown in Figure 3 (T0) to moving the empty pallet 2B with pallet number n 1 to lift 3. Each of steps T1 to T20 is an operation in only one of two orthogonal directions ("horizontal movement" and "vertical movement") in the horizontal plane.

[0041] (Comparison of low-ceiling route A in Figure 5 and low-ceiling route B in Figures 6 and 7) According to the present invention, when a vehicle 1 is moved in or out of storage, the empty pallet 2B is moved in both the vehicle storage area 7A and the low ceiling area 7B, which significantly increases the degree of freedom of the movement path of the empty pallet 2B (low ceiling usage path A), thereby shortening the time required for loading and unloading and improving overall smoothness.

[0042] Figure 8 is a plan view showing a second example of the horizontal circulating parking system 100 according to the present invention. In this diagram, the vehicle storage area 7A consists of the upper four rows, and the low-ceiling area 7B consists of the lower single row. That is, the low-ceiling area 7B is, for example, the area below the horizontal beam, and only the drive cell 4 is installed in this part.

[0043] The horizontal circulating parking system 100 shown in Figure 8 above can store 17 vehicles 1 on the upper vehicle storage floor 6A, including the actual vehicle pallet 2A (n=17) placed on the lift 3. In this figure, the vehicle storage area 7A has two empty cells 4b corresponding to two pallets 2. Furthermore, when the actual vehicle pallet 2A (n=17) of lift 3 is stored in the vehicle storage area 7A, there will be only one empty cell 4b.

[0044] In this example, the control method of the present invention moves empty pallets (for example, n=13~16) to empty cells 4b in the low ceiling area 7B when the vehicle 1 enters or leaves the storage area, or before, thereby increasing the number of empty cells 4b in the vehicle storage area 7A. As a result, the number of empty cells 4b in the vehicle storage area 7A when vehicle 1 enters or leaves the facility can be increased from, for example, two to six as shown in the diagram. This significantly increases the degree of freedom of the low-ceiling unused route B during entry and exit, shortening entry and exit times and improving overall efficiency.

[0045] Figure 9 is a plan view showing a third example of the horizontal circulating parking system 100 according to the present invention. In this example, in addition to the configuration shown in Figure 8, the vehicle storage floor 6A further has a one-way region 7C that is adjacent to the vehicle storage area 7A (or low ceiling region 7B) in only one of the two directions, "horizontal movement" and "vertical movement," and is capable of storing only empty pallets 2B. In this example, one of the two unidirectional regions 7C allows only "horizontal feed," while the other allows only "vertical feed." In this example, the horizontal circulating parking system 100 also has a unidirectional drive cell 9 installed in the unidirectional area 7C that carries an empty pallet 2B and moves it in only one direction. In this example, one of the two unidirectional drive cells 9 can move only horizontally, while the other can move only vertically. With the configuration of the third example described above, the one-way drive cell 9 does not require the "mechanism for changing the transport direction" that is necessary for the drive cell 4, thus simplifying its structure.

[0046] According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, since the vehicle storage floor 6A has fewer pallets 2 than the number of drive cells 4 located in the vehicle storage area 7A, the vehicle 1 can be moved in two directions within the vehicle storage area 7A to carry out the loading and unloading of the vehicle 1.

[0047] Furthermore, since the vehicle storage floor 6A also has a low ceiling area 7B, and multiple drive cells 4 are installed adjacent to each other in both the vehicle storage area 7A and the low ceiling area 7B, the empty pallet 2B can be moved in both the vehicle storage area 7A and the low ceiling area 7B.

[0048] Therefore, when vehicle 1 is being moved in or out of storage, moving the empty pallet 2B in both the vehicle storage area 7A and the low-ceiling area 7B increases the degree of freedom in the movement path of the empty pallet 2B, shortening the time required for loading and unloading and improving overall smoothness.

[0049] Furthermore, by moving empty pallets 2B to empty cells 4b in the low-ceiling area 7B, the number of empty cells 4b in the vehicle storage area 7A can be increased, significantly increasing the flexibility of the unused low-ceiling route B during loading and unloading, thereby shortening loading and unloading times and improving overall efficiency.

[0050] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1 Vehicle, 2 Pallet, 2A Vehicle pallet, 2B Empty pallet, 3 Lift, 4 Drive cell, 4b Empty cell, 5 Lift position, 6A, 6B Vehicle storage floor, 7A Vehicle storage area, 7B Low ceiling area, 7C One-way area, 8 Column, 9 One-way drive cell, 20 Control device, 22 Vehicle pallet detection device, 100 Horizontal circulating parking system

Claims

1. In a horizontal circulating parking system on a vehicle storage floor, in which a pallet on which a vehicle is placed is moved in two orthogonal directions within a horizontal plane to move the vehicle in and out, The vehicle storage floor includes a vehicle storage area capable of storing the actual vehicle pallet on which the vehicle is placed, It has a one-directional area which is a low-ceiling area adjacent to the vehicle storage area in only one of the two directions and capable of storing only empty pallets, which are pallets on which no vehicles are placed, The horizontal circulating parking device comprises a plurality of drive cells that place the pallet on it and move it in the two directions, A one-way drive cell is installed in the aforementioned one-way region and moves the empty pallet on it in only one direction, A number of pallets less than the number of drive cells located in the vehicle storage area, The system includes a control device for controlling the aforementioned drive cell, Multiple of the drive cells are installed adjacent to each other in both the vehicle storage area and the unidirectional area. The control device is a control method for a horizontal circulating parking system that moves the empty pallet in both the vehicle storage area and the one-way area when the vehicle enters or leaves the parking area, A control method for a horizontal circulating parking system, which moves the empty pallet in both the vehicle storage area and the one-way area when the vehicle enters or leaves the parking area.

2. A control method for a horizontal circulating parking device according to claim 1, wherein the empty pallet is moved to an empty drive cell in the unidirectional region that does not have the pallet on it, thereby increasing the number of empty cells in the vehicle storage region.

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