Stocka

Abstract

To provide a stocker which has a compact configuration in which the height of the stocker is suppressed.SOLUTION: In a stocker which has a plurality of storage boxes whose doors are locked / unlocked by a lock device, the lock device comprises: a door side unit which has one of an engagement object part and an engagement part that can be operated to be engaged with the engagement object part and is attached to the door; and a storage body side unit which has the other of the engagement object part and the engagement part and is attached to a storage body of the storage box. The door side unit and the storage body side unit are attached in an attachment direction in which an overlapping amount of the units is larger in the height direction of the storage box in the attachment directions in which the engagement part can be engaged with the engagement object part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a stocker.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a stocker (locker device) having a plurality of storage boxes provided with a locking device such as an electric lock on a door has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this stocker, each of the storage boxes is provided with a touch panel used for inputting a password or the like and a control unit that controls locking and unlocking of the locking device. By the control unit of each storage box performing an authentication process based on the password input to the touch panel and performing unlocking control of the locking device, a user can take out the articles in the storage box.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The locking device of the stocker described above usually has a configuration in which a unit having an engaging portion is attached to one of the housing and the door of the storage box, and a unit having an engaged portion engaged with the engaging portion is attached to the other. Depending on the arrangement of these two units, it may not be possible to suppress the height of the locking device, and there is a risk that the height of each storage box becomes unnecessarily large. Since such a stocker may be installed in a place with limited height, it is required to have a configuration as compact as possible.

[0005] The main object of the present disclosure is to achieve a compact configuration with the height of the stocker suppressed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] This disclosure employs the following means to achieve the primary objectives described above.

[0007] The stocker in this disclosure is A storage unit equipped with multiple storage boxes whose doors are locked and unlocked by a locking device, The aforementioned locking device, A door-side unit attached to the door, having either an engaged portion or an engaging portion that can be operated to engage with the engaged portion, A storage box side unit having the engaged portion and the other of the engaged portion, which is attached to the storage box body, The door-side unit and the storage-side unit are mounted in a configuration where the amount of overlap between the units is greater in the height direction of the storage box, among the mounting orientations in which the engaging portion and the engaged portion can engage. This is the gist of it.

[0008] In the storage container of this disclosure, the door-side unit and the storage container-side unit of the locking device are mounted in a configuration where the overlap between the units is greater in the height direction of the storage box, among the mounting orientations in which the engaging portion and the engaged portion can engage. This allows the height of the locking device to be reduced, thereby preventing the height of each storage box from becoming higher than the height required to store the items. As a result, a compact configuration with a reduced height for the storage container can be achieved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A perspective view of the stocker 10 of this embodiment. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram showing the electrical configuration of Stocker 10. [Figure 3] A perspective view of the cabinet-side unit 31 of the electric locking device 30. [Figure 4] A perspective view of the door-side unit 41 of the electric locking device 30. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram showing the operation of the electric lock device 30. [Figure 6]An explanatory diagram showing the operation of the electric lock device 30. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing the required height H1 of the electric lock device 30 of this embodiment. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram showing the required height H2 of the comparative example electric lock device 30B. [Figure 9] A perspective view of Stocker 100, a modified example. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Next, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the stocker 10 of this embodiment. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the electrical configuration of the stocker 10. In this embodiment, the left-right direction, front-back direction, and up-down direction are as shown in each figure.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the Stocker 10 comprises multiple storage boxes 20 having storage spaces for various items, and a control box 50 containing a control unit 53 (see Figure 2) that manages each storage box 20. This Stocker 10 can be installed in various locations such as small stores like convenience stores and pharmacies, as well as offices, schools, apartments, and sports gyms, and may be installed both indoors and outdoors. The Stocker 10 consists of multiple storage boxes 20 stacked on a base 11 fixed to the installation surface, with a width W0. While not particularly limited, for example, the width W0 of the Stocker 10 is approximately 500 mm, the depth is approximately 400 mm, and the height is approximately 1500 mm. Furthermore, the control box 50 is positioned on top of the topmost storage box 20. That is, no storage boxes 20 are positioned on top of the control box 50. Furthermore, the storage unit 10 includes a front panel 12 that covers the front of the base 11, side panels 13 that cover the left and right sides of each storage box 20 and control box 50, and a top panel 14 that covers the top of the control box 50. The front panel 12 (base 11) is configured to be at a height that slightly raises the installation height (position) of the lowest storage box 20, making it easier to put items in and take them out of the lowest storage box 20.

[0012] The storage unit 10 of this embodiment includes storage boxes 20A and 20B with different widths. Storage box 20A (first storage box) is configured with a width W0 (a predetermined width, first width) and is arranged in the lower three of the multiple tiers (seven tiers in Figure 1). Storage box 20B (second storage box) is configured with a width smaller than W0 and is arranged in the remaining tiers of the multiple tiers, the upper four tiers in Figure 1. In this embodiment, two storage boxes 20B are arranged side by side, and one of them has a width W0 / 2 (second width) so that the two together have a width W0. Note that each storage box 20A and 20B has the same configuration except for the difference in width, so they will be referred to as storage box 20 below unless it is necessary to distinguish them.

[0013] The storage box 20 comprises a rectangular compartment 21 (see Figures 3 and 4) that forms a storage space for articles, a rectangular door 23 that is attached to the front of the compartment 21 so as to be openable and closable, and an electric locking device 30 for locking and unlocking the door 23. The detailed configuration and operation of the electric locking device 30 will be described later.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the control box 50 is configured to have the same width W0 as the housing box 20A, and includes a front panel 52 that covers the front of the housing space containing the control unit 53 and other components, and various devices attached to the front panel 52. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the various devices attached to the front panel 52 include a touch panel 55 positioned in the center of the panel surface, a code reader 56 positioned to the right of the touch panel 55 in Figure 1, and a camera 57 and a cylinder lock 58 positioned to the left of the touch panel 55 in Figure 1.

[0015] The touch panel 55 displays operation guidance related to the handling of articles and accepts input operations of users related to the handling of articles. The code reader 56 reads a QR code (registered trademark) or the like used for user authentication. The camera 57 is arranged to be able to image a predetermined range in front of the stocker 10 and images the face of the user or the like. The cylinder lock 58 unlocks or locks the front panel 52 by the operation of a key inserted into the keyhole by a user (administrator) or the like who manages the stocker 10. The front panel 52 is attached so as to be openable and closable and can be opened by unlocking the cylinder lock 58.

[0016] The control unit 53 performs display control and input control of the touch panel 55, and also inputs information read by the code reader 56, an image imaged by the camera 57, a detection signal from a sensor (not shown) that detects the opening and closing of the door 23 of each storage box 20, and the like. The control unit 53 accepts an input operation from the user on the touch panel 55 to obtain necessary information, images the face of the user with the camera 57, reads a necessary code with the code reader 56, and performs user authentication processing. Further, the control unit 53 identifies the storage box 20 that needs to be unlocked based on the information obtained via the touch panel 55, the result of the authentication processing, and the like, and performs an unlocking process of outputting an unlocking signal for the door 23 to the electric lock device 30 of the storage box 20. The user opens the unlocked door 23 to store or take out articles.

[0017] Next, the configuration and operation details of the electric lock device 30 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cabinet-side unit 31 of the electric lock device 30. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the door-side unit 41 of the electric lock device 30. FIGS. 5 and 6 are explanatory views showing the operation state of the electric lock device 30. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the electric lock device 30 includes a cabinet-side unit 31 attached to the inner wall surface 22 of the cabinet 21 and a door-side unit 41 attached to the back surface 24 of the door 23. Note that the cabinet-side unit 31 is partitioned from the article storage space by an in-cabinet cover (not shown), and in FIG. 3, a cover constituent member 28 that forms a part of the in-cabinet cover is shown.

[0018] The cabinet-side unit 31 includes a pair of left and right side plates 32 that constitute the unit body, a rotation lever 33 as an engaging portion, a drive unit 35 (see FIG. 2) that rotates the rotation lever 33, and a control unit 36 (see FIG. 2) that controls the drive unit 35. The cabinet-side unit 31 is provided with a housing portion 34 capable of housing the rotation lever 33 between the pair of side plates 32 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Although not shown, the drive unit 35 and the control unit 36 are also housed between the pair of side plates 32. The drive unit 35 includes an electric actuator such as a motor or a solenoid, and is configured to perform an unlocking operation by rotating the rotation lever 33 based on a drive signal from the control unit 36. The control unit 36 is communicably connected to the control unit 53 of the control box 50, and outputs a drive signal to the drive unit 35 based on an unlocking signal from the control unit 53. On the other hand, the door-side unit 41 includes an L-shaped member 42 as an engaged portion with which the rotation lever 33 engages, and a mounting member 44 that mounts the L-shaped member 42 to the back surface 24 of the door 23.

[0019] A substantially arc-shaped guide hole 32a is formed in the side plate 32 of the cabinet-side unit 31, and a recessed portion 32b that is partially recessed is provided at the lower part of the inside entrance side (the left side in FIGS. 5 and 6) of the storage box 20. The rotation lever 33 has an engaging claw 33a and a pressing claw 33b formed in a bifurcated shape, and is rotatably supported by the side plate 32 via a support shaft 33c and is provided with a guide pin 33d that engages with the guide hole 32a of the side plate 32. The rotation lever 33 is housed in the housing portion 34, but the engaging claw 33a and the pressing claw 33b protrude from the housing portion 34 and are positioned in the recessed portion 32b according to the state (rotation position) of the rotation lever 33.

[0020] The L-shaped member 42 of the door-side unit 41 has a fixed portion 42a that extends vertically along the back surface 24 of the door 23 and is fixed to the mounting member 44 with screws, and an extended portion 42b that extends horizontally perpendicular to the fixed portion 42a. That is, the extended portion 42b extends perpendicularly to the back surface 24 of the door 23. The L-shaped member 42 is attached to the door 23 (back surface 24) via the mounting member 44 such that the fixed portion 42a faces the storage portion 34 of the storage body-side unit 31 horizontally, and the extended portion 42b can enter the recessed portion 32b of the side plate 32 of the storage body-side unit 31. In addition, the extended portion 42b has an engagement hole 42c formed therein that penetrates vertically and into which the engaging claw 33a of the rotating lever 33 engages.

[0021] In a storage box 20 equipped with such an electric locking device 30, when the door 23 is open, the pressing claw 33b of the rotating lever 33 is located within the recessed portion 32b. When the open door 23 is closed, the extended portion 42b enters the recessed portion 32b of the storage unit 31 (see Figure 5). As a result, the extended portion 42b that has entered the recessed portion 32b presses the pressing claw 33b with its tip. When the pressing claw 33b is pressed, the rotating lever 33 rotates in the counterclockwise direction shown in Figure 5, with the guide pin 33d being guided by the guide hole 32a.

[0022] When the rotating lever 33 rotates counterclockwise, the pressing claw 33b is housed in the housing 34 and the engaging claw 33a extends out of the housing 34 and is positioned in the recess 32b, thus engaging with the engaging hole 42c of the extended portion 42b that has entered the recess 32b (see Figure 6). As a result, the rotating lever 33 and the L-shaped member 42 engage, and the door 23 is locked. The drive unit 35 also drives the rotating lever 33 to rotate clockwise in Figure 6. As a result, the drive unit 35 drives the rotating lever 33 back from the state in Figure 6 to the state in Figure 5. As a result, the engagement between the engaging claw 33a of the rotating lever 33 and the engaging hole 42c of the L-shaped member 42 is released, the door 23 is unlocked, and the pressing claw 33b pushes the L-shaped member 42 forward (in the opening direction of the door 23), opening the door 23.

[0023] Furthermore, the storage box 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a manual unlocking mechanism 45 that allows each storage box 20 to be unlocked by a manual unlocking operation, separate from the unlocking operation (automatic unlocking) driven by the drive unit 35. The manual unlocking mechanism 45 comprises a cylinder lock 46 with a keyhole provided on the front plate 12 of the storage box 10, a rod (not shown) that moves up and down in conjunction with the rotation of the lock shaft of the cylinder lock 46, and a plurality of unlocking levers 48 that move up and down in conjunction with the movement of the rod.

[0024] The unlocking levers 48 are arranged one by one in each storage box 20, in a row in the vertical direction. For example, in Figure 1, the unlocking lever 48 in the upper storage box 20A of the first row from the bottom, i.e., the front panel 12 on which the cylinder lock 46 is installed, and the unlocking lever 48 in the second row from the bottom storage box 20A are arranged vertically without any horizontal displacement. Similarly, the unlocking lever 48 in the second row from the bottom storage box 20A and the unlocking lever 48 in the third row from the bottom storage box 20A are arranged vertically without any horizontal displacement. Thus, in the case of the stocker 10 in Figure 1, the seven unlocking levers 48 in each of the three lower storage boxes 20A and each of the left storage boxes 20B of the four upper rows form a row (first row) in the vertical direction, and the four unlocking levers 48 in each of the right storage boxes 20B of the four upper rows form a row (second row) in the vertical direction. For each row of these unlocking levers 48, a rod that moves vertically is positioned to pass through the inside of the storage unit 10 in the vertical direction. That is, in the case of the storage unit 10, the first rod passes through the position corresponding to the first row, and the second rod passes through the position corresponding to the second row. The first rod moves vertically in conjunction with the rotation of the cylinder lock 46. The second rod is connected to the first rod via a connecting rod that extends horizontally between the third storage box 20A from the bottom and the storage box 20B above it (the fourth storage box from the bottom), and moves vertically in conjunction with the movement of the first rod. In addition, the electric locking device 30 of each storage box 20 is provided with an unlocking pin 38 for simultaneous unlocking on the storage unit side unit 31 (see Figure 3). The unlocking pin 38 protrudes downward when locked and is pushed up to rotate the rotating lever 33 in the clockwise direction shown in Figure 6. Each unlocking lever 48 is located below each unlocking pin 38 of each storage box 20 and moves upward as the rods (first rod, connecting rod, second rod) move, thereby pushing up the unlocking pins 38.

[0025] Therefore, the administrator of the stocker 10 can insert a key into the keyhole of the cylinder lock 46 and rotate it in a predetermined direction, thereby activating the unlocking pin 38 via the interlocking of the rod and the unlocking lever 48, and causing the rotating lever 33 to unlock. Such manual unlocking (bulk unlocking) is performed when authentication processing cannot be performed properly due to some abnormality in the stocker 10 or when the electric locking device 30 does not operate normally. Note that the cylinder lock 46 of the manual unlocking mechanism 45 is not limited to being provided on the front plate 12 of the base 11, which is the lowest part of the stocker 10, but may also be provided on the uppermost part of the stocker 10, for example, on the front plate 52 of the control box 50. Furthermore, the unlocking pin 38 may protrude upward when locked, and the electric locking device 30 may be unlocked when the unlocking lever 48 pushes down the unlocking pin 38.

[0026] Here, Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the required height H1 of the electric lock device 30 of this embodiment. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the required height H2 of the comparative example electric lock device 30B. Note that in Figures 7 and 8, the door-side units 41 and 41B are shown superimposed on the storage-side unit 31 to explain the required height of the electric lock device 30, but this differs from the actual engagement state. Also, the height Ha required for mounting the storage-side unit 31 is mainly determined by the height of the mounting plate 37 and is shown by a dotted line. The height Hb required for mounting the door-side unit 41 is mainly determined by the height of the mounting member 44 and is shown by a dashed line.

[0027] In this embodiment, as described above, the L-shaped member 42 is attached to the door 23 via the mounting member 44 such that the fixing portion 42a of the L-shaped member 42 faces the housing portion 34 of the storage unit 31 horizontally and the extended portion 42b enters the recessed portion 32b of the side plate 32. Therefore, the overlap amount OL between the height Ha of the storage unit 31 and the height Hb of the door unit 41 can be made relatively large. Consequently, the required height H1 of the electric lock device 30 is not significantly different from the height Ha of the storage unit 31 and the height Hb of the door unit 41, thus reducing the required height H1. On the other hand, in the comparative example electric lock device 30B shown in Figure 8, the door unit 41B is mounted in a orientation that is 180 degrees inverted vertically compared to the door unit 41 of this embodiment. This mounting orientation also allows the rotating lever 33 and the L-shaped member 42 to engage, but the overlap amount OL in the comparative example is smaller than in this embodiment. Therefore, the required height H2 of the comparative example electric lock device 30B is greater than the required height H1 of this embodiment.

[0028] As in the comparative example, if the required height H2 is large, it becomes impossible to reduce the height of the storage box 20, making it difficult to miniaturize in the height direction. Therefore, if the required number of storage boxes 20 is prioritized, the height of the stocker 10 becomes large, which may result in layout constraints such as not matching the height of surrounding shelves or limiting the installation location. Also, if the height of the stocker 10 is prioritized, it may become difficult to provide the required number of storage boxes 20. In contrast, in this embodiment, the required height H1 of the electric lock device 30 can be reduced, so the height of the storage box 20 can be prevented from becoming unnecessarily high in order to match the height required for storing items. Therefore, it is possible to achieve space saving by miniaturizing the height direction of the stocker 10 while securing the required number of storage boxes 20.

[0029] Here, the correspondence between the components of this embodiment and the components of the present disclosure will be clarified. The electric lock device 30 of this embodiment corresponds to the lock device of the present disclosure, the storage box 20 corresponds to the storage box, the stocker 10 corresponds to the stocker, the door-side unit 41 corresponds to the door-side unit, the storage body-side unit 31 corresponds to the storage body-side unit, the rotating lever 33 corresponds to the engaging part, and the L-shaped member 42 corresponds to the engaged part. The storage part 34 corresponds to the storage part, the fixing part 42a corresponds to the fixing part, the extending part 42b corresponds to the extending part, and the engaging hole 42c corresponds to the engaging hole. The recessed part 32b corresponds to the recessed part. The control unit 53 corresponds to the control unit, and the control box 50 corresponds to the control box. The camera 57 corresponds to the camera.

[0030] In the storage unit 10 of this embodiment described above, the storage unit 31 and the door unit 41 of the electric locking device 30 are mounted in a configuration where the overlap amount OL between the units is greater, among the mounting orientations in which the rotating lever 33 and the L-shaped member 42 can engage. This allows the height of the electric locking device 30 to be kept low, thereby preventing the height of each storage box 20 from becoming higher than the height required to store items. As a result, the storage unit 10 can be made compact with a reduced height.

[0031] Furthermore, the storage unit 31 and the door unit 41 are mounted so that the housing portion 34 for the rotating lever 33 and the fixing portion 42a for the L-shaped member 42 are facing each other horizontally. This allows for a mounting orientation with a greater overlap OL between the units to be achieved with a simple configuration, thereby reducing the height of the electric lock device 30.

[0032] Furthermore, by configuring the extension portion 42b of the L-shaped member 42 to enter the recess portion 32b of the storage unit 31, the space required for engagement can be contained within the height range of the storage unit 31, thus further reducing the height of the electric lock device 30.

[0033] Furthermore, since the control box 50 is positioned above the topmost storage box 20, it is easier to keep the height of the storage unit 10 low. Also, since two storage boxes 20 are placed side by side in the top four rows, the number of storage boxes 20 can be maintained while keeping the height of the storage unit 10 low. Moreover, since the two side-by-side storage boxes 20 together have a width W0, the storage unit 10 can be configured to be low not only in height but also in width.

[0034] Furthermore, even if the height of the storage unit 10 is reduced, the control box 50 is positioned at the top of the storage unit 10, making it easier for the camera 57 to capture images of the user's face.

[0035] It goes without saying that this disclosure is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0036] In the embodiment described above, the lower three storage boxes 20A are configured with a width W0, and the upper four storage boxes 20B are configured with a width W0 / 2, but the configuration is not limited to this. The number of each stage is illustrative, and it is sufficient that at least one storage box 20 is configured with a width W0 / 2. Furthermore, it is not limited to arrangements of two boxes side by side, but rather that two or more storage boxes 20 are arranged side by side. For example, three storage boxes 20 may be arranged side by side and configured with a width W0 / 3 so that their combined width is W0. Also, there may be stages with different numbers of storage boxes arranged side by side, such as a stage with two storage boxes 20 arranged side by side and a stage with three storage boxes 20 arranged side by side. In addition, multiple storage boxes 20 arranged side by side may have different widths, but be configured so that their combined width is W0. Furthermore, at least one of the multiple stages may have two or more storage boxes 20 arranged side by side, and all of the multiple stages may have two or more storage boxes 20 arranged side by side.

[0037] Here, Figure 9 is a perspective view of a modified example of the storage unit 100. As shown in the figure, the storage unit 100 is configured such that the lower four rows are storage boxes 20B and the upper three rows are storage boxes 20A. In Figure 9, the unlocking levers 48 in each storage box 20B of the first row from the bottom are arranged vertically alongside one of the unlocking levers 48 in each storage box 20B of the second row from the bottom. Similarly, the unlocking levers 48 in each storage box 20B of the second row from the bottom are arranged vertically alongside one of the unlocking levers 48 in each storage box 20B of the third row from the bottom. Thus, in the case of the storage unit 100, the seven unlocking levers 48 in the left storage boxes 20B of the lower four rows and the three storage boxes 20A of the upper three rows form a vertical row (first row), and the four unlocking levers 48 in the right storage boxes 20B of the lower four rows form a vertical row (second row). In the modified version, the first rod is positioned to correspond to the first row, and the second rod is positioned to correspond to the second row, with each rod moving independently. The manual unlocking mechanism 145 of the modified version has two cylinder locks 46 on the front plate 12. The first rod moves up and down in conjunction with the rotation of the left cylinder lock 46, and the second rod moves up and down in conjunction with the rotation of the right cylinder lock 46. That is, in the modified version, the administrator can manually unlock each of the storage boxes 20B on the left side of the lower four rows and each of the storage boxes 20A on the upper three rows by inserting a key into the left cylinder lock 46 and rotating it in a predetermined direction. The administrator can also manually unlock each of the storage boxes 20B on the right side of the lower four rows by inserting a key into the right cylinder lock 46 and rotating it in a predetermined direction.

[0038] In this modified configuration, the rows with a larger number of horizontally arranged storage boxes 20 are located on the side of the cylinder lock 46 in the vertical direction (the lower side in Figure 9). That is, the rows further from the cylinder lock 46 have fewer horizontally arranged storage boxes 20. As mentioned above, the cylinder lock 46 may also be provided on the front panel 52 of the control box 50. In that case, the rows closer to the control box 50 will have more horizontally arranged storage boxes 20, and the rows further from the control box 50 will have fewer horizontally arranged storage boxes 20.

[0039] In this embodiment, the control box 50 is placed on the top shelf of the stocker 10, and at least one of the multiple shelves has two or more storage boxes 20, but it is not limited to this. That is, the control box 50 may be placed on the top shelf, and one storage box 20 may be placed on each of the multiple shelves. Alternatively, the control box 50 may be placed on the second shelf from the top or later of the stocker 10, and at least one of the multiple shelves has two or more storage boxes 20. Alternatively, the control box 50 may be placed on the second shelf from the top or later, and one storage box 20 with width W0 may be placed on each of the multiple shelves. When the control box 50 is placed on the second shelf from the top or later, the storage boxes 20 will be placed on top of the control box 50. Also, the control box 50 is equipped with a camera 57, but it is not limited to this, and it does not need to be equipped with a camera 57.

[0040] In this embodiment, a recessed portion 32b is provided at the lower part of the storage unit 31 on the side facing the storage entrance. However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and a recessed portion may be provided at the upper part on the side facing the storage entrance, or a recessed portion (concave) may be provided in the center on the side facing the storage entrance. Furthermore, the recessed portion 32b is not required, and the side plate 32 may be formed in a rectangular shape, with a rotating lever 33 (engaging claw 33a) extending outward from the side plate 32 and engaging with the engagement hole 42c. Alternatively, the embodiment is not limited to one in which a rotating lever 33 is provided as the engaging part. For example, the engaging part may be configured to have an engaging pin that moves up and down, with the engaging pin protruding outward from the side plate 32 and engaging with the engagement hole 42c.

[0041] In this embodiment, the engaged portion is an L-shaped member 42, and the housing portion 34 and the fixing portion 42a are mounted facing each other horizontally, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the engaged portion may be a T-shaped member in which the fixing portion and the extending portion are perpendicular to each other, and part or all of the fixing portion may not face the housing portion 34.

[0042] In this embodiment, the door-side unit 41 has an engaged portion (L-shaped member 42) and the storage unit 31 has an engaging portion (rotating lever 33), but it is not limited to this, and the door-side unit 41 may have an engaging portion and the storage unit 31 may have an engaged portion. The engaging portion only needs to be operated by the drive unit and engage with the engaged portion. That is, the L-shaped member 42 as the engaged portion and the rotating lever 33 as the engaging portion are examples, and the door-side unit 41 and the storage unit 31 should be mounted in a mounting orientation in which the amount of overlap OL between the units is greater among the mounting orientations in which the engaging portion and the engaged portion can engage.

[0043] The storage device of the present disclosure may be configured as follows. For example, in the storage device of the present disclosure, the door-side unit has the engaged portion, the storage body-side unit has the engaged portion and is provided with a housing portion for housing the engaged portion, the engaged portion is configured to extend from the housing portion by operation, the engaged portion has a fixed portion that is directly or indirectly fixed to the back surface of the door, and an extended portion that extends perpendicularly to the back surface of the door and has an engaging hole formed therein into which the engaged portion that extends from the housing portion can engage, and the door-side unit and the storage body-side unit may be mounted in an orientation in which the fixed portion of the engaged portion and the housing portion face each other in the horizontal direction. In this way, a mounting orientation with a greater overlap between the units can be realized with a simple configuration, and the height of the locking device can be reduced.

[0044] In the storage device of this disclosure, the storage body side unit may have a partially recessed recess on the storage entrance side, the engaged portion may be configured such that when the door is closed, the extended portion enters the recess, and the engaging portion is configured to be located in the recess when it extends from the storage portion and to engage with the engaging hole of the engaged portion within the recess. In this way, the space required for the engagement between the engaging portion and the engaged portion (engagement hole) can be kept within the height range of the storage body side unit, thereby further reducing the height of the locking device.

[0045] In the storage unit of this disclosure, the plurality of storage boxes are stacked in multiple layers in the height direction to configure the storage unit to a predetermined width, and each of the plurality of storage boxes is equipped with a control box configured to the predetermined width, the control box is placed on top of the uppermost storage box of the plurality of layers, and at least one of the plurality of layers is configured such that two or more storage boxes are arranged side by side and the combined width of these two or more storage boxes equals the predetermined width. In this way, since no storage boxes are placed on top of the control box, it is easier to reduce the height of the storage unit. Also, since at least one layer has two or more storage boxes arranged side by side, the height of the storage unit can be reduced while ensuring a sufficient number of storage boxes. Furthermore, since the two or more side by side storage boxes are configured so that their combined width equals the predetermined width, the storage unit can be configured to reduce not only its height but also its width.

[0046] In the stocker of this disclosure, the control box may be equipped with a camera for capturing images of the user of the stocker. In this way, even if the height of the stocker is reduced, the control box is located at the top of the stocker, making it easier for the camera to capture images of the user's face. [Industrial applicability]

[0047] The present invention is applicable to the technical field of storage containers for articles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10,100 Stocker, 11 Base, 12 Front panel, 13 Side panel, 14 Top panel, 20,20A,20B Storage box, 21 Storage body, 22 Inner wall surface, 23 Door, 24 Back surface, 28 Cover component, 30,30B Electric lock device, 31 Storage body side unit, 32 Side panel, 32a Guide hole, 32b Recessed part, 33 Rotating lever, 33a Engaging claw, 33b Pressing claw, 33c Support shaft, 33d Guide pin, 34 Storage section, 35 Drive unit, 36 Control unit, 37 Mounting plate, 38 Unlocking pin, 41 Door side unit, 42 L-shaped member, 42a Fixing part, 42b Extension part, 42c Engaging hole, 45,145 Manual unlocking mechanism, 46 Cylinder lock, 48 Unlocking lever, 50 control box, 52 front panel, 53 control unit, 55 touch panel, 56 code reader, 57 camera, 58 cylinder lock.

Claims

1. A storage unit equipped with multiple storage boxes whose doors are locked and unlocked by a locking device, The aforementioned locking device comprises a first locking device and a second locking device. The first tablet device, A door-side unit having an engaging portion and attached to the door, A storage box side unit is attached to the storage box body and has an engaging portion that is operable to engage with the engaged portion and a storage portion that houses the engaging portion, The engaged portion is an L-shaped member having a fixed portion that is directly or indirectly fixed to the back surface of the door, and an extended portion that extends perpendicularly to the back surface of the door and has an engagement hole formed therein into which the engaged portion that extends from the housing portion can engage. The engagement portion has an engagement claw formed thereon, and is equipped with a rotating lever that engages the engagement claw with the engagement hole from above by rotation. The door-side unit and the storage body-side unit are mounted in the first mounting orientation, which is the orientation in which the overlap between the units in the height direction of the storage box is greater than in the second mounting orientation, among the first mounting orientation in which the extended portion extends from the lower end of the fixed portion and the second mounting orientation in which the extended portion extends from the upper end of the fixed portion, as mounting orientations in which the engaging portion and the engaged portion can engage. The second locking device has an unlocking pin that pushes up the rotating lever to perform the unlocking operation of the rotating lever. Stocker.

2. A stocker according to claim 1, The engaging portion is configured to extend from the housing portion upon operation. The door-side unit and the storage-side unit are mounted in such a way that the fixing portion of the engaged portion and the storage portion face each other horizontally. Stocker.

3. A stocker according to claim 2, The aforementioned storage body side unit has a partially recessed recess provided on the side facing the entrance to the storage compartment. The engaged portion is configured such that when the door is closed, the extended portion enters the recessed portion. The engaging portion is configured to extend from the housing portion and to be positioned in the recessed portion, and to engage with the engaging hole of the engaged portion within the recessed portion. Stocker.

4. A stocker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The aforementioned multiple storage boxes are stacked in multiple layers in the height direction to configure the storage unit to a predetermined width. The control box comprises a control unit that controls the locking device of each of the plurality of storage boxes, and is configured to have a predetermined width. The control box is placed on top of the housing box, which is the uppermost of the multiple stages. At least one of the multiple tiers is configured such that two or more storage boxes are arranged side by side, and the combined widths of the two or more storage boxes equal the predetermined width. Stocker.

5. A stocker according to claim 4, The control box includes a camera for capturing images of the users of the storage device. Stocker.

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