Automated warehouse system

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automated warehouse system that achieves high accommodation efficiency.　This automated warehouse system comprises: a plurality of article transport carriages (140); a storage rack (110) equipped with multiple tiers of storage shelves (111) at differing height levels relative to an installation surface; and horizontal movement paths (120) that are configured so as to allow the article transport carriages (140) to travel thereon and that are accessible to the respective storage shelves (111). The storage shelves (111) are configured to include those arranged at a shelf-tier spacing smaller than the height of the article transport carriages (140). The horizontal movement paths (120) are configured to include those arranged in parallel in the height direction at spacing greater than the height of the article transport carriages (140) on one side and the other side of the storage rack (110), and are arranged in a staggered manner in the height direction on the one side and the other side of the storage rack (110).

Description

Automated Warehouse System

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated warehouse system in which articles are loaded into and unloaded from a storage facility configured three-dimensionally by article transport vehicles.

[0002] An automated warehouse system is known that can efficiently store and retrieve a large number of items in as small a space as possible by using an item transport vehicle to transport items to a storage warehouse that is configured as a three-dimensional structure and has multiple storage shelves at different height levels relative to the installation surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such an automated warehouse system, horizontal travel paths on which the item transport vehicle can travel are laid out corresponding to the storage shelves at each height level, and items are stored in and retrieved from the storage shelves. Also known is an automated warehouse system that is configured to provide an elevator device on the item transport vehicle to enable movement of the item transport vehicle between storage shelves at different height levels.

[0003] In an automated warehouse system, the shelves in the warehouse must be spaced apart at intervals greater than the height of the article transport carts when they are carrying articles, so that the article transport carts do not interfere with the horizontal path. This creates a problem of wasted space in the vertical direction, resulting in poor storage efficiency.

[0004] To address this problem, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses that storage efficiency can be improved by using an article transport cart equipped with a lift mechanism for raising and lowering articles, and by providing one or more storage shelves at different heights to form multiple shelf levels between deck levels.

[0005] Even in the automated warehouse system described in Patent Document 2, the pitch between adjacent deck levels in the vertical direction needs to be set to be greater than or equal to the height of the goods transport cart. However, if the goods transport cart is equipped with a lift mechanism, the height of the goods transport cart itself will increase, resulting in the storage facility itself becoming larger.

[0006] JP 2022-172392 A Patent No. 7000506 A

[0007] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an automated warehouse system with high storage efficiency.

[0008] The present invention solves the above problem by providing an automated warehouse system comprising a plurality of item transport carts, a storage rack with multiple storage shelves at different height levels relative to the installation surface, and a horizontal movement path configured to allow the item transport carts to travel and to access each of the storage shelves, wherein the storage shelves include those arranged with shelf spacing smaller than the height of the item transport carts, and the horizontal movement path includes those arranged side by side in the height direction at spacing greater than the height of the item transport carts on one side and the other of the storage rack, and arranged in different height levels on one side and the other of the storage rack.

[0009] According to the invention of claim 1, the storage rack includes storage shelves arranged with shelf spacing smaller than the height of the item transport cart, and the horizontal transport paths provided on both sides of the storage rack include staggered arrangements on one side and the other side of the storage rack. This increases the storage volume of items per unit area of ​​the automated warehouse and enables the storage and retrieval of multiple types of items of different sizes. This allows items to be stored in the storage rack with high density and efficiency. Furthermore, the storage rack offers greater flexibility in the arrangement of storage shelves, allowing for the storage of items of various sizes, including items whose height dimension is smaller than the height of the item transport cart, simply by changing the number of storage shelves and the shelf spacing between the storage shelves, thereby achieving high versatility. Changing the shelf spacing between the storage shelves and the arrangement of the horizontal transport paths in the storage rack can accommodate items of various sizes, eliminating the need to change the configuration of the item transport cart depending on the size of the items. This allows all item transport carts to have the same height, avoiding cumbersome control of the item transport carts and improving the efficiency of storing and retrieving items (operating efficiency of the automated warehouse).

[0010] According to the invention of claim 2, the item transport cart is equipped with a lifting and moving mechanism that moves up and down the lifting and moving path, making it possible to circulate the item transport cart within the automated warehouse, thereby improving the efficiency of storing and retrieving items.

[0011] According to the invention of claim 3, by including a structure that allows access from only one of the horizontal movement paths on one side of the storage rack and the horizontal movement path on the other side of the storage rack, even when multiple types of items of different sizes are being stored or retrieved, the movement of other item transport carts is not hindered, and the efficiency of storing and retrieving items can be improved.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a schematic front view showing the configuration of a storage cabinet in an embodiment of the automated warehouse system of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the storage cabinet shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic front view showing a part of the configuration of storage racks in the storage cabinet shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of an article transport cart.

[0013] An automated warehouse system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. For ease of explanation, an XYZ three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system will be defined, with the "X direction" representing the direction of travel of an article transport cart traveling on a horizontal transport path in a horizontal plane, the "Y direction" representing the direction perpendicular to the X direction in the horizontal plane, and the "Z direction" representing the height direction, and the structure of each part will be described.

[0014] The automated warehouse system according to the present invention uses item transport vehicles to transport items into and out of a multi-level storage facility. The item transport vehicles are circulated between the storage facility and a work area where items are picked. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the storage facility 100 is configured with a plurality of storage racks 110 arranged in parallel in the X and / or Y directions, forming aisles (aisles) Ai between adjacent storage racks 110 along which item transport vehicles 140 can travel. Although not shown, the storage facility 100 also includes a travel path that allows the item transport vehicles 140 to move between the aisles Ai. The number and arrangement of the storage racks 110 are not particularly limited and can be varied as needed depending on the size of the installation space. For convenience, only a portion of the storage facility 100 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .

[0015] The storage rack 110 is configured three-dimensionally and includes multiple storage shelves 111 at different height levels relative to the installation surface FL of the storage rack 110. As shown in FIG. 3 , the storage shelves 111 include those arranged with shelf intervals that are smaller than the height of the item transport vehicle 140. Here, the "height of the item transport vehicle 140" refers to the maximum height of the item transport vehicle 140. For example, referring to FIG. 4 , when item W1 is being held, the "height of the item transport vehicle 140" is the height H1 of the item transport vehicle 140 itself, and when item W2 is being held, the "height of the item transport vehicle 140" is the height H2 to the top surface of item W2. Furthermore, when no item is being held, the "height of the item transport vehicle 140" is the height H1 of the item transport vehicle 140 itself. The shelf spacing in the storage rack 110 can be set appropriately depending on the size of the items to be stored, and the storage rack 110 may be configured so that all storage shelves 111 are arranged with uniform shelf spacing, or so that some storage shelves 111 are arranged with shelf spacing different from that of the other storage shelves 111. In this embodiment, the storage rack 110 is configured to include storage shelves 111 arranged with shelf spacing P1 that is smaller than the height of the item transport cart 140 and storage shelves 111 arranged with shelf spacing P2 that is larger than the height of the item transport cart 140, and is capable of storing two types of items W1 and W2 that are different in height size.

[0016] A passage Ai formed between adjacent storage racks 110 in the Y direction is provided with a horizontal movement path that is configured to allow the item transport vehicle 140 to travel and to access each of the storage shelves 111. The horizontal movement path includes a first horizontal movement path 120a that is arranged side by side in the height direction at intervals (pitch) D1, D2 that are greater than the height of the item transport vehicle 140 on one side of the storage rack 110 in the Y direction, and a second horizontal movement path 120b that is arranged side by side in the height direction at intervals (pitch) D1 that are greater than the height of the item transport vehicle 140 on the other side of the storage rack 110 in the Y direction. Note that hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the first horizontal movement path 120a and the second horizontal movement path 120b will be simply referred to as horizontal movement path 120. In this embodiment, the horizontal movement path 120 is configured in a rail-like manner by providing a running rail 121 with an L-shaped cross section on the surface facing the aisle Ai of each adjacent storage rack 110, but the horizontal movement path may also be configured in the form of a flat slope, for example, as long as it is configured to allow the item transport cart 140 to run on it.

[0017] The horizontal transfer paths 120 may be arranged at different height levels on one side and the other side of the storage rack 110. In this embodiment, the first horizontal transfer path 120a and the second horizontal transfer path 120b are provided at different height levels. Therefore, each storage shelf 111 in the storage rack 110 is accessible from only one of the first horizontal transfer path 120a and the second horizontal transfer path 120b, thereby improving the operating efficiency of the storage warehouse 100. However, the horizontal transfer paths 120 may be arranged at the same height level on one side and the other side of the storage rack 110.

[0018] Between adjacent storage racks 110 in the Y direction, there is provided an elevation transfer path 130 that allows article transport carts 140 to enter horizontal transfer paths 120 at different height levels. The elevation transfer path 130 is composed of a pair of support rails 131 that are arranged opposite each other and spaced apart in the Y direction so as to extend in the Z direction. A rack gear 132 that is formed, for example, in a substantially rectangular column shape and has rack teeth on one surface along the YZ plane is fixed to each support rail 131.

[0019] The automated warehouse system according to this embodiment is configured to include multiple item transport carts 140, but because the storage racks 110 have the above configuration, it is possible to configure all of the item transport carts 140 to have the same height. In other words, even storage shelves 111 that are arranged with shelf spacing smaller than the height of the item transport carts 140 can be accessed without using item transport carts 140 of different heights, which simplifies the control of the item transport carts 140 and improves the operating efficiency of the storage warehouse 100.

[0020] 4, the item transport cart 140 has a main body 141 equipped with item holding sections 142 that hold items W1 and W2, a horizontal movement mechanism equipped with running wheels 147 that are configured to be drivable in forward and reverse directions for running on the running surfaces of running rails 121 that make up the horizontal movement path 120, an elevation movement mechanism that raises and lowers the elevation movement path 130 in the storage facility 100, and a control section (not shown). By providing the item transport cart 140 with an elevation movement mechanism that raises and lowers the elevation movement path 130, it becomes possible to circulate the item transport cart 140 within the storage facility 100, thereby improving the efficiency of storing and retrieving items.

[0021] The lifting drive mechanism includes a lifting gear 152 configured to be engageable with the rack gear 132 in the lifting movement path 130 .

[0022] The control unit is configured to enable the article transport cart 140 to move independently, and to control a transfer mechanism (not shown) provided in the article holding unit 142 to enable the transfer operation of the articles W1 and W2.

[0023] In the above-described automated warehouse system, an operator enters the work area and places the items W1, W2 to be stored on the item transport cart 140, and then moves the item transport cart 140 from the work area toward a designated storage shelf 111 (designated storage shelf) in the storage warehouse, and transfers the items from the item transport cart 140 to the designated storage shelf, thereby performing the warehousing work of the items. After the items have been transferred, the item transport cart 140 may be moved to the work area to receive the next items W1, W2, or may be moved to another designated storage shelf 111 within the storage warehouse 100 to remove the stored items W1, W2 or to change the storage position of the stored items W1, W2.

[0024] According to the above-described automated warehouse system, the storage rack 110 includes storage shelves 111 arranged at shelf intervals that are smaller than the height of the article transport cart 140, and the horizontal transport paths 120a, 120b provided on both sides of the storage rack 110 include those that are arranged at staggered levels on one side and the other side of the storage rack 110, thereby making it possible to increase the storage volume of articles per unit area of ​​the storage facility 100 and to store and retrieve a plurality of types of articles W1, W2 of different sizes. This allows articles to be stored in the storage facility 100 efficiently and with high density.

[0013] Furthermore, if a lifting device provided on an article transport vehicle were used to perform a loading operation on a storage shelf that is arranged with a shelf interval smaller than the height of the article transport vehicle, there is a risk that this would interfere with the travel of other article transport vehicles traveling on the same traveling rail. However, in the above-described automated warehouse system, each of the storage shelves 111 that are arranged with a shelf interval smaller than the height of the article transport vehicle 140 and are adjacent in the vertical direction are accessed from different horizontal movement paths 120a, 120b, so the above-described problem does not occur and the efficiency of storing and retrieving items can be improved. Furthermore, because the arrangement of the storage shelves 111 in the storage rack 110 is more flexible, it is possible to accommodate various sizes of items, including those whose height dimension is smaller than the height of the article transport vehicle 140, simply by changing the number of storage shelves 111 installed and the shelf intervals of the storage shelves 111, thereby achieving high versatility.

[0025] Although the above describes embodiments of the present invention in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. For example, in the above embodiments, the storage rack was described as being capable of storing two types of items with different height sizes. However, the storage rack may be configured with storage shelves and horizontal movement paths so as to be capable of storing three or more types of items with different height sizes. Furthermore, the storage rack may be configured such that all storage shelves are arranged with shelf spacing that is smaller than the height of the item transport vehicle. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the item transport vehicle is described as being raised and lowered using a rack-and-pinion system. However, the item transport vehicle may be configured to enter a horizontal movement path at a different height level using another lifting device. Furthermore, the horizontal movement path may be configured so that the item transport vehicle is horizontally moved using a rack-and-pinion system.

[0026] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100: Storage cabinet 110: Storage rack 111: Storage shelf 120: Horizontal movement path 120a: First horizontal movement path 120b: Second horizontal movement path 121: Traveling rail 130: Lifting movement path 131: Support rail 132: Rack gear 140: Article transport cart 141: Main body 142: Article holding portion 147: Traveling wheel 152: Lifting gear Ai: Passage (aisle) FL: Installation surface W1: Article W2: Article

Claims

1. An automated warehouse system comprising a plurality of item transport carts, a storage rack with a plurality of storage shelves at different height levels relative to a mounting surface, and a horizontal movement path configured to allow the item transport carts to travel and accessible to each of the storage shelves, wherein the storage shelves include those arranged with shelf-level spacing smaller than the height of the item transport carts, and the horizontal movement path includes those arranged in parallel in the height direction at spacing greater than the height of the item transport carts on one and the other sides of the storage rack, and arranged in staggered heights on one and the other sides of the storage rack.

2. The automated warehouse system described in claim 1, further comprising a lifting and lowering path that enables the article transport cart to enter horizontal movement paths at different height levels, and the article transport cart has a lifting and lowering mechanism that raises and lowers the article transport cart on the lifting and lowering path.

3. The automated warehouse system according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage shelves are configured to be accessible only from either a horizontal movement path provided on one side of the storage rack or a horizontal movement path provided on the other side of the storage rack.

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