Automatic conveyance-type high-rise warehouse and warehouse system

Abstract

This warehouse system: includes a high-rise warehouse comprising a plurality of cells that are arranged contiguously in the longitudinal, transverse, and height directions; comprises a rooftop that has formed thereon a horizontal plane allowing a robot, which is for automatically conveying an article, to move horizontally thereon, and cooling plates that are provided to the outer wall surface of the high-rise warehouse; and comprises storage cells that are each provided with a cooling plate on at least one lateral surface thereof and that can store an article therein, and passage cells that each form a passage allowing a lifting / lowering device extending from the robot to convey an article in the vertical direction and that each have two or more lateral surfaces adjacent to the corresponding storage cells.

Description

Automated transport multi-story warehouse and warehouse system

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated transport type multi-story warehouse and a warehouse system.

[0002] Conventional refrigerated and frozen warehouses are equipped with retractable doors or curtains for workers and forklifts to enter and exit. When the doors or curtains are open, outside air enters the warehouse, causing the cold air inside the warehouse to leak out, resulting in an unavoidable loss of cold energy and making it difficult to achieve high cooling efficiency. At the same time, there is also the issue of condensation occurring when humid outside air enters the warehouse and cools it. Under these circumstances, automated transport multi-story warehouses using automated transport robots are attracting attention as warehouses that do not require people to enter and exit the warehouse and do not require the installation of doors or curtains.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a warehouse in which storage containers are stacked and stored within a grid of a framework structure composed of multiple upright members and multiple horizontal members supported by the upright members. The automated warehouse system includes a container handling vehicle that automatically transports storage containers horizontally on the rooftop floor of the warehouse, and a lifting device on the container handling vehicle raises or lowers the storage containers for pickup or drop-off. While the invention of Patent Document 1 is not a warehouse system for freezing or refrigeration purposes, it provides an automated transport-type multi-story warehouse that eliminates the need for workers to enter or exit the warehouse. Having a robot work outside the warehouse in a warehouse where no human traffic is required offers significant benefits when considering an automated transport system for a refrigerated warehouse. This is because a warehouse without human traffic prevents the intrusion of high-temperature, high-humidity outside air through the doors and reduces malfunctions that battery-powered robots are prone to in extremely low-temperature environments.

[0004] Special Publication No. 2021-504265

[0005] However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, if another storage container is placed above the target storage container to be picked up, the lifting device must perform an operation called digging, in which the upper storage container is raised and temporarily moved aside, and then the target storage container must be picked up. Furthermore, after picking up the target storage container, the temporarily moved storage container must be relocated back into the stack. This digging operation requires the temporary evacuation and relocation of storage containers other than the target storage container, resulting in poor work efficiency. Furthermore, in a refrigerated or frozen warehouse, if the location where the storage container is temporarily moved is not low-temperature controlled, the low-temperature controlled storage container may warm up, causing the cold air inside the warehouse to escape.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an automatically transported multi-story warehouse and warehouse system that is highly efficient in automatically transporting goods and prevents cool air from escaping from within the warehouse.

[0007] The invention described in claim 1 is an automated transportable multi-story warehouse composed of multiple cells arranged continuously in the horizontal and vertical directions, including a rooftop formed with a surface along which a robot for automatically transporting items can move horizontally, and cooling plates attached to the outer wall surfaces of the warehouse, wherein the cells include storage cells capable of storing the items, with the cooling plates arranged on at least one side, and aisle cells with at least two sides adjacent to the storage cells, forming an aisle along which an elevator device of the robot can transport the items vertically.The invention described in claim 2 is the automated transportable multi-story warehouse described in claim 1, wherein a cover plate arranged on an upper surface of the aisle cell is in an open state before the elevator device extending from the robot descends vertically from the rooftop, and the cover plate is in a closed state after the elevator device extending from the robot rises from the aisle cell to the rooftop.The invention described in claim 3 is the automated transportable multi-story warehouse described in claim 1, wherein a pipe through which a refrigerant circulates is in contact with the cooling plate. The invention described in claim 4 is the automatically transported multi-story warehouse described in claim 3, in which the refrigerant is ice slurry. The invention described in claim 5 is the automatically transported multi-story warehouse described in claim 1, in which the cooling plates are provided on at least two or more side surfaces of the storage cells. The invention described in claim 6 is the automatically transported multi-story warehouse described in claim 1, in which the cooling plates are provided on at least three or more side surfaces of the storage cells. The invention described in claim 7 is the automatically transported multi-story warehouse described in claim 1, in which a plurality of temperature zone plates are arranged on the outer periphery of the side surfaces of the multi-story warehouse. The invention described in claim 8 is the automatically transported multi-story warehouse described in claim 7, in which the temperature zone plates in the lower layers are set to lower temperatures. The invention described in claim 9 is the automatically transported multi-story warehouse described in claim 3, in which the path formed by the pipes abutting the cooling plates is not a path that circulates in a single line from the ice making machine, but is a path that has multiple parallel paths.The invention described in claim 10 is a warehouse system including the automatically transported multi-story warehouse described in any one of claims 1 to 9, which has the robot that automatically transports the items, a rail mechanism that supports the robot installed on the roof, and an area for transferring the items to outside the automatically transported multi-story warehouse.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automated transport type multi-story warehouse and warehouse system that is highly efficient in automatically transporting goods and prevents cool air from escaping from within the warehouse.

[0009] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a warehouse system to which the present embodiment is applied; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a unit cell; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a storage box; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a lifting device of a robot lifting up and down an aisle cell; FIG. 5A is a diagram showing the lifting device in the middle of lowering a storage box, and FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the storage box being moved into a storage cell; FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the movement of a robot; FIG. 7A is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse showing rails and a loading / unloading pit, and FIG. 7B is a side view of the loading / unloading pit; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the structure of a cooling plate; and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an ice slurry manufacturing apparatus; FIG. 10A is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse for explaining an example of the arrangement of storage cells and aisle cells, and FIG. 11B is a XB-XB cross-sectional view of a portion of the multi-story warehouse for explaining an example of the arrangement of storage cells and aisle cells. FIG. 11A is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse for explaining an example of the arrangement of storage cells and aisle cells, and FIG. 11B is a XIB-XIB cross-sectional view of a portion of the multi-story warehouse for explaining an example of the arrangement of storage cells and aisle cells. (A) is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse for explaining an example of the arrangement of storage cells and aisle cells, and (B) is a XIIB-XIIB cross-sectional view of a portion of the multi-story warehouse for explaining an example of the arrangement of storage cells and aisle cells. A plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse for explaining an example of the arrangement of storage cells and aisle cells. A plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse for explaining an example of the arrangement of storage cells and aisle cells. A side view of a multi-story warehouse in which cooling plates for different temperature zones are arranged. A diagram showing the circulation path of ice slurry.

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the exterior of a warehouse system to which this embodiment is applied. The warehouse system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an automated transportable multi-story warehouse 10, which is formed into a three-dimensional shape by stacking rectangular parallelepiped cells, a robot 20 that automatically transports items on the roof of the warehouse, rails 30 that support the robot 20, a loading / unloading pit 40, a cooling plate 50, a robot area 80, and other components. The cooling plates are provided on the exterior walls of the automated transportable multi-story warehouse 10. As shown in FIG. 1, except for openings for loading and unloading items, there are no openings such as doors for people or forklifts to enter or exit the warehouse. This prevents outside air from entering the warehouse when the doors are opened or closed, which could increase humidity and cause condensation. Furthermore, the automated transportable multi-story warehouse 10 can suppress the leakage of cold air. For example, the exterior walls of the multi-story warehouse, including the floor, are all surrounded by insulating material (walls), and the cooling plate 50 is provided on the inner surface of the exterior walls. Furthermore, when the cooling plate 50 is installed on the wall of a storage cell other than the "exterior surface of the warehouse," insulation is not required. In other words, in a space surrounded by insulation, two adjacent storage cells are cooled by cold radiation from both the front and rear surfaces of the cooling plate 50. The robot 20 is a cart whose wheels support the robot 20 body. It moves on rails 30 installed on the roof of the automated transport multi-story warehouse 10, moving items horizontally and also raising and lowering items on vertical paths. The loading / unloading pit 40 is an area set up for the purpose of transferring items, bringing in and unloading items from the outside. Here, the "roof" refers to the surface that forms the outermost shell of the multi-story warehouse, and rails 30 are laid on the roof to support the robot 20 that automatically transports items. The temperature and humidity of the air in the robot area 80, a closed space where the robot 20 moves on the roof, are controlled. For example, the temperature is controlled to about 15°C and the relative humidity is controlled to a low level of 50% or less. This is because extremely low or high temperatures or humidity can hinder the robots' work, and it is necessary to maintain low humidity to prevent condensation if air enters the warehouse from the roof.In this way, if the temperature and humidity of the air in a space, including the rooftop, are properly managed, even in cases where items need to be temporarily evacuated, such as in the digging described above, it is possible to maintain items in a cool, dry state to a certain extent, and condensation can also be suppressed.

[0011] The automatic control of the robot 20 will now be described. Information received from an external article management station via a network at the relay station of the automated transportable multi-story warehouse 10 is then transmitted from the relay station to the robot 20 on the roof via wireless communication. The robot 20 has a receiving device and receives information from the relay station on whether the item is being transported or brought in, information on the target cell, information on the access route, etc. Then, based on the received information, the robot 20 automatically performs tasks such as transporting, retrieving, and storing items.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a unit cell. The cells constituting the automated transportable multi-story warehouse 10 are the size of a unit cell 11, and are, for example, rectangular parallelepiped spaces measuring 130 cm in length, 130 cm in width, and 100 cm in height. Beams and columns are placed along the edges of the rectangular parallelepiped of each cell, providing a frame structure. A "multi-story warehouse composed of cells" is a multi-story warehouse that includes a frame structure supporting a space in which cells the size of the unit cell 11 are stacked. The rectangular parallelepiped faces of the cells may be open, or the bottom, top, and sides may be closed with insulating walls or the like. The cells constituting the automated transportable multi-story warehouse 10 include storage cells, which are spaces for storing and storing items, and aisle cells, which are spatial units providing paths for moving items. The sizes of the storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13 follow the size of the unit cell in FIG. 2, but the arrangement of each cell will be described later in the description of FIG. 6.

[0013] The storage cell 12 is a space consisting of a top, bottom, and four side surfaces for storing frozen or refrigerated items. The top and bottom surfaces of the storage cell 12 may be provided with thermal insulation and / or a cooling plate 50. The bottom surface of the storage cell 12 does not have to be entirely covered with a floor, but may instead be a U-shaped partial floor extending a predetermined distance (e.g., 15 cm) from the side adjacent to the passage cell 13 and the two adjacent sides so as to be able to hold a storage box 60 (described later). Furthermore, the underside of the storage cell may have holes formed therein other than the U-shaped floor, and the holes may extend to the storage cell below. The side surfaces not adjacent to the passage cell 13 are provided with thermal insulation and / or a cooling plate 50. The side surfaces that are the boundary surfaces with the passage cell 13 are provided with retractable doors made of thermal insulation. The retractable doors are normally closed, but are opened only when items are being loaded or unloaded. The door opening / closing control device controls the opening and closing of the door by receiving a door opening / closing signal from the robot 20 or the relay station. As described above, the storage cell 12 is a space whose top, bottom, and four sides are closed with insulating material. This provides a structure that prevents cold air from escaping. For example, the storage cell 12 is a rectangular parallelepiped space measuring 130 cm in length, 130 cm in width, and 100 cm in height. Note that the storage cell 12 can also be an open surface without installing the above-mentioned door. In this case, cold air leaks from the storage cell 12 into the aisle cell 13, but does not leak from the inside of the multi-story warehouse to the outside.

[0014] Since the aisle cell 13 is a unit space of a moving passageway for transporting stored items, a moving passageway is formed by arranging multiple aisle cells 13 in succession. Beams and columns are arranged along the edges of the rectangular parallelepiped of the aisle cell 13 to provide a frame structure. In this embodiment, the moving passageway is formed by stacking the aisle cells 13 vertically, and the top and bottom surfaces of the aisle cells 13 are open except for the cells at the top and bottom of the passageway. The top surface of the aisle cell 13 at the top end of the passageway is normally covered with a cover plate 70 to prevent cool air from leaking out (see FIG. 6 ). However, the cover plate 70 is retractable. The cover plate 70 is open when moving items from the rooftop into the aisle cell 13 or when removing items from the aisle cell 13 to the rooftop, and closes when the storage or removal of items is completed. In other words, the cover plate 70 opens only when necessary for storing or removing items, but remains closed otherwise, preventing cool air from escaping. From a design perspective, it is preferable that the size of the passage cell 13 is the same as that of the storage cell 12, but this is not particularly limited, and it is also possible to change only the width while keeping the length and height the same as those of the storage cell 12. In addition, since the loading / unloading pit 40 is a passage for moving items to be brought in from the outside and to be unloaded to the outside, it may be configured as a passage cell 13.

[0015] In the automated transport type multi-story warehouse 10 of the warehouse system 1 to which this embodiment is applied, no storage cell 12 is placed above an aisle cell 13. Nor is the aisle cell 13 placed above a storage cell 12. Except for the cells on the top floor, storage cells 12 are stacked above storage cells 12, and aisle cells 13 are stacked above aisle cells 13. For this reason, the arrangement of the storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13 is the same in a horizontal cross section of the automated transport type multi-story warehouse 10 at any height.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a storage box. The storage box 60 is a box for storing frozen or refrigerated items. Items are transported in units of storage boxes 60, and for frozen or refrigerated storage, the storage boxes 60 are placed in the storage cells 12 as they are. For this reason, the storage boxes 60 must be smaller than the storage cells 12. For example, the storage box 60 is a rectangular, insulating box measuring 110 cm in length, 110 cm in width, and 80 cm in height, and is provided with an openable lid on its top. The lid is opened only when frozen or refrigerated items are placed in or taken out of the storage box 60. When the storage box 60 is placed in, kept in, or taken out of the automated transport type multi-story warehouse 10, the lid is in a closed state.

[0017] 4 is a perspective view showing the robot's lifting device ascending and descending in an aisle cell. The robot 20 includes wheels that support the main body and a lifting device 21. The lifting device 21 is composed of a cantilever beam 22, a lifting shaft 23, a storage box support floor 24, and other components. The cantilever beam 22 is a plate-shaped beam with one end fixed to the main body of the robot 20. A lifting shaft 23 extending downward is fixed to the cantilever beam 22. The lower end of the lifting shaft 23 is fixed to the storage box support floor 24, and other components. The lifting shaft 23 is an extendable shaft, and therefore the storage box support floor 24 can be raised and lowered by extending and contracting the lifting shaft 23.

[0018] 5A is a diagram showing the lifting device 21 while lowering a storage box 60. The storage box 60 is placed on a storage box support floor 24 supported by a lifting shaft 23. The lifting shaft 23 is extendable and retractable, allowing the storage box 60 to be transported and moved vertically. The lifting shaft 23 may be an extendable columnar member, but is not limited to this as long as it allows for lifting and lowering. For example, a belt-type lifting shaft can be used, and the length of the belt can be controlled by a motor in the cantilever beam 22 winding up the belt.

[0019] FIG. 5B shows how a storage box is moved to a storage cell. First, the lifting device 21 delivers the storage box 60 to a position at the height of the storage cell 12 where the storage box 60 is to be stored. That is, the lifting device 21 adjusts the position so that the storage box 60 is positioned in the passage cell 13 adjacent to the storage cell 12 where the storage box 60 is to be stored. Then, of the four effectors 25 stored on the storage box support floor 24 on which the storage box 60 is placed, the effector 25 on the opposite side of the target storage cell extends to push the storage box 60. That is, the pushing of the effector 25 allows the storage box 60 to be placed in the storage cell 12. On the other hand, when the storage box 60 is to be picked up from the storage cell 12, the hook at the tip of the effector 25 is hooked onto a ring-shaped or hook member (not shown) attached to the storage box 60 placed in the storage cell 12, and the effector 25 then moves the storage box 60 by pulling it from the storage cell 12 to the storage box support floor 24. Since the storage box support floor 24 has effectors 25 stored in four locations, it is possible to move the storage box 60 in four directions: forward, backward, left, and right. Therefore, the storage box 60 can be freely moved to and removed from the storage cell 12 adjacent to the passage cell 13. The means for moving the storage box 60 placed on the storage box support floor 24 to the storage cell 12 and the means for picking up the storage box 60 from the storage cell 12 are not limited to the above means, and known means such as a moving belt can also be used. For example, although not shown, these may be two pairs of moving gears that are built into the storage box support floor 24 and partially protrude from the top surface of the storage box support floor 24 and rotate when the storage box 60 is stored in or removed from the storage cell 12, and a pair of moving belts (driven by a motor or the like built into the storage box support floor 24 when the storage box 60 is stored in or removed from the storage cell 12) that are installed on the floor and provided on two sides of the storage cell 12 adjacent to the side that contacts the passage cell 13 of the storage cell 12.

[0020] As described above, the lifting device 21 can freely raise and lower the storage box support floor 24 in the vertical path formed by the passage cells 13, and after moving the storage box support floor 24 to the passage cell 13 adjacent to the target storage cell 12, it can move the storage box 60 to the storage cell 12 or remove the storage box 60 from the storage cell 12. Because the storage box support floor 24 can move in four directions, front, back, left, and right, the lifting device 21 can access the storage cell 12 adjacent to the passage cell 13 regardless of whether it is in the front, back, left, or right direction.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the movement of a robot. For simplicity of explanation, FIG. 6 illustrates a multi-story warehouse in which three cells are arranged in a row horizontally (X-axis), vertically (Y-axis), and vertically (Z-axis). In this embodiment, the robot 20 moves only in the Y-axis direction, and the lifting device 21 (see FIG. 5 ), which is part of the robot 20, moves in the Z-axis direction. In the example of FIG. 6 , the storage cells 12 adjacent to the aisle cell 13 are only adjacent to the aisle cell 13 in the X-axis direction, so the storage box support floor 24 moves only in the X-axis direction. Even if the storage cells 12 are adjacent to each other in the front, back, left, and right directions surrounding the aisle cell, the storage box 60 can be moved in the X-axis direction by the effector 25 (not shown), and depending on the arrangement of the storage cells 12, the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

[0022] When the coordinates of the target storage cell 12 are identified, an adjacent passage cell 13 that can access the storage cell 12 is identified, and the cover plate 70 covering the ceiling of the uppermost passage cell 13 is controlled to open. Next, the robot 20 moves so that the storage box support floor 24 is positioned where the cover plate 70 is opened. The lifting device 21 lowers the storage box support floor 24 so that it is at the same height as the target storage cell 12. The storage box support floor 24 moves to the target storage cell 12 and removes or places a storage box 60 thereon. When the storage box 60 is to be removed from the storage cell 12, the lifting shaft 23 (see FIG. 5 ) is operated to align the height of the storage box support floor 24 with the floor surface of the specific storage cell 12, and the effector 25 provided on the storage box support floor 24 pulls the storage box 60 from the storage cell 12 onto the storage box support floor 24 to remove it. After the series of operations of removing or storing the storage box 60 is completed and all components of the lifting device 21 are returned to the rooftop, the cover plate 70 is closed, thereby preventing the intrusion of outside air and the leakage of cold air.

[0023] FIG. 7(A) is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse showing rails and loading / unloading pits, and FIG. 7(B) is a side view showing the loading / unloading pits. In the example of FIG. 7(A), aisle cells 13 are arranged in a row in the Y-axis direction, and rails supporting the wheels of the robot 20 are laid above the aisle cells 13. Furthermore, a loading / unloading pit 40 is located at the end of the Y-axis direction. The loading / unloading pit 40 is an area used for loading and unloading storage boxes 60 from outside the warehouse. As shown in the side view of FIG. 7(B), the loading / unloading pit 40 is a space extending vertically, and like the aisle cells 13, the lifting device 21 can raise and lower the storage boxes 60. Therefore, the loading / unloading pit 40 can also be considered an aisle cell 13. As shown in Figure 7(B), the lower end of the loading / unloading pit reaches the floor or just above the floor, and storage boxes 60 waiting to be loaded or unloaded are temporarily placed on a tray placed on the floor. In this embodiment, a cooling plate 50 is placed outside the cells that form the loading / unloading pit. The cells of the lowest loading / unloading pit 40 are open to the outside, so below that, a cooling plate 50 is placed on the outer wall of the inner cell. The loading / unloading pit 40 is basically a structure located outside the multi-story warehouse, but the portion consisting of the aisle cells can also be considered part of the multi-story warehouse.

[0024] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the structure of a cooling plate. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an ice slurry production apparatus. A serpentine aluminum pipe 51 abuts an aluminum plate 52 on the backside of the cooling plate 50, and ice slurry 53 circulates through the pipe as a refrigerant. Although not shown, the cooling plate 50 may be a flat-plate tank consisting of two closely facing plates, with four closed sides and an inlet and outlet. This flat-plate tank is preferably manufactured by aluminum casting. The ice slurry 53 is produced and stored in a slurry tank 55 of an ice slurry ice maker 54 as shown in FIG. 9 , and is pumped by a pump (not shown) to circulate through a pipe 51, which serves as a refrigerant distribution pipe. The ice slurry ice maker 54 may have a structure described in JP 2022-108702, a patent application filed by the applicant. The plate 52 and pipe 51 do not have to be made of aluminum; any material with high thermal conductivity will suffice. The refrigerant flowing through the pipe 51 is preferably an ethanol ice slurry, and its concentration can be adjusted depending on the target cooling temperature. For example, an ethanol concentration of 32 wt% is preferable for -20°C, and an ethanol concentration of 40 wt% is preferable for -30°C. The ice slurry is a solid-liquid two-phase mixture of fine ice and liquid.

[0025] Because the cooling plate 50 is maintained at the same low temperature as the refrigerant, the effect of cold radiation from its surface is significant. The radiant energy emitted from an object is proportional to the fourth power of the absolute temperature. The difference between the radiant energy of the cooling plate and the radiant energy of the object being cooled corresponds to the energy that produces the cooling effect of cold radiation. Therefore, the lower the temperature of the cooling plate, the greater the effect of cold radiation. Of course, the surrounding air cooled by the cooling plate also has the effect of cooling the object being cooled. However, as described above, because the cooling effect of cold radiation is significant, the surface on which the cooling plate 50 is installed is sometimes referred to as a cold radiation wall. The emissivity of the surface of the cooling plate 50 is preferably 0.8 or higher, and more preferably 0.9 or higher. Furthermore, in air-cooled refrigerated warehouses that use air as a refrigerant, the cooling efficiency is significantly reduced if the cold air leaks outside. However, in refrigerated warehouses where the cooling effect of cold radiation is significant, the leakage of cold air does not reduce the cooling effect as much as in air-cooled warehouses.

[0026] FIG. 10(A) is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse illustrating an example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13. In the example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13 in FIG. 10(A), two accessible storage cells 12 correspond to one aisle cell 13. Cooling plates 50 are arranged to surround a nine-cell (3 x 3) block in which storage cells 12 are arranged on both sides of a row of three aisle cells 13. Therefore, the storage cells 12 at the corners of the nine-cell (3 x 3) block have cooling plates 50 arranged on two side surfaces, and the storage cells 12 between the four corner storage cells 12 have one cooling plate 50 arranged on a side surface. The aisle cell 13 in the center of the nine-cell (3 x 3) block does not contact the cooling plate 50 on its side surface, but the other two aisle cells 13 contact the cooling plate on one side surface.

[0027] In other words, in the state shown in Figure 10 (A), the storage cell 12 is arranged as "a storage cell having a cooling plate on at least one side surface and capable of storing items," and the aisle cell 13 is arranged as "an aisle cell having at least two or more sides adjacent to the storage cell, forming an aisle along which the robot's lifting device can transport items vertically."

[0028] Figure 10(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XB-XB in Figure 10(A). Considering 27 Rubik's cube-shaped cells (3x3x3) as one unit, cooling plates are placed on all outer surfaces except for the floor.

[0029] Figure 11(A) is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse to explain an example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13. The example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13 in Figure 11(A) is the same as the example in Figure 10(A) in that two accessible storage cells 12 correspond to one aisle cell 13. However, the cooling plates are arranged so as to surround a block of six cells (2 x 3) in which storage cells 12 are arranged on both sides of a row of two aisle cells 13. Therefore, cooling plates are arranged on two side surfaces of the storage cells 12. One side surface of the aisle cell 13 is in contact with the cooling plate.

[0030] In other words, in the state shown in Figure 11 (A), the storage cell 12 has "cooling plates provided on at least two or more sides," and the aisle cell 13 is arranged as "an aisle cell that forms a passageway along which the robot's lifting device can transport items vertically, and has at least two or more sides adjacent to the storage cell."

[0031] Figure 11(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIB-XIB in Figure 11(A). Considering 18 cells (3 x 2 x 3) as one unit, cooling plates are placed on all outer surfaces except for the floor.

[0032] Figure 12(A) is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse to explain an example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13. The example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13 in Figure 12(A) is the same as the examples in Figures 10(A) and 11(A) in that two accessible storage cells 12 correspond to one aisle cell 13. However, cooling plates are arranged on three sides of the storage cell 12. Two sides of the aisle cell 13 are in contact with the cooling plates.

[0033] In other words, in the state shown in Figure 12 (A), the storage cell 12 has "cooling plates provided on at least three or more sides," and the aisle cell 13 is arranged as "an aisle cell that forms a passageway along which the robot's lifting device can transport items vertically, and at least two or more sides are adjacent to the storage cell."

[0034] Figure 12(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIIB-XIIB of Figure 12(A). Considering nine cells (3 x 1 x 3) as one unit, cooling plates are placed on all outer surfaces except for the floor.

[0035] Figure 13 is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse to explain an example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13. The example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13 in Figure 13 is a configuration in which all of the cells in eight directions around one aisle cell 13 are storage cells 12. However, since storage cells in diagonal directions when viewed from the aisle cell 13 are inaccessible, the storage boxes 60 can actually be moved and stored in only four storage cells adjacent to the aisle cell 13. In the configuration in Figure 13, a maximum of four storage cells are arranged surrounding one aisle cell 13, thereby realizing a warehouse with an extremely high maximum storage rate.

[0036] In the example arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13 in Fig. 13, cooling plates are provided on two side surfaces of each storage cell 12. In other words, in the state of Fig. 13, the storage cells 12 are "provided with cooling plates on at least two or more side surfaces," and the aisle cells 13 are arranged as "aisle cells in which an elevating device extending from a robot forms an aisle along which articles can be transported vertically, and at least two or more side surfaces are in contact with the opening surfaces of the storage cells." Note that Fig. 13 is a diagram showing some sections of the entire multi-story warehouse, and among the aisle cells 13 accessible to the storage cells 12 shown in Fig. 13, there are also aisle cells 13 that are not shown in Fig. 13.

[0037] Fig. 14 is a plan view of a portion of a multi-story warehouse to explain an example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13. The example of the arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13 in Fig. 14 is the same as the example of the arrangement in Fig. 13, but the arrangement of cooling plates is different. In Fig. 14, cooling plates are arranged on all side surfaces of the storage cell 12 except for the open surface of the side surface adjacent to the aisle cell 13.

[0038] In the example arrangement of storage cells 12 and aisle cells 13 in Fig. 14, cooling plates 50 are provided on three side surfaces of each storage cell 12. In other words, in the state of Fig. 14, the storage cells 12 are "provided with cooling plates on at least three or more side surfaces," and the aisle cells 13 are arranged as "aisle cells in which an elevating device extending from a robot forms an aisle along which articles can be transported vertically, and at least two or more side surfaces are in contact with the opening surface of the storage cell." Note that Fig. 14 is a plan view showing a portion of the entire multi-story warehouse, and among the aisle cells 13 accessible to the storage cells 12 shown in Fig. 14, there are also aisle cells 13 that are not shown in Fig. 14.

[0039] Figure 15 is a side view of a multi-story warehouse equipped with cooling plates for different temperature ranges. The first and second floors from the bottom are covered with cooling plates for a -30°C temperature range. The third to fifth floors from the bottom are covered with cooling plates for a -20°C temperature range. The sixth to eighth floors from the bottom are covered with cooling plates for a -10°C temperature range. The top two floors are covered with cooling plates for a -5°C temperature range. In other words, the embodiment shown in Figure 15 provides "temperature range plates" that supply radiation at a predetermined temperature to a zone with a predetermined height. The temperature range plates are composed of multiple cell-unit cooling plates of the same temperature. Air at lower temperatures has a higher specific gravity and tends to stagnate at the bottom. Therefore, by placing cooling plates for lower temperature ranges in the lower floors, the air inside the multi-story warehouse forms a stable stratified state, making convection less likely. Therefore, if you want to control the temperature differently depending on the height, placing cooling plates with lower temperatures in the lower layers will stabilize the air and make it easier to control the temperature stably.Cooling plates for different temperature ranges can be achieved by changing the temperature of the ice slurry.

[0040] FIG. 16 shows the circulation path of the ice slurry. To circulate the ice slurry, a slurry supply pump and a slurry return pump must be operated. The longer the circulation path of the ice slurry, the greater the pressure loss. Therefore, pressure loss can be reduced by configuring the circulation path in multiple parallel rows rather than a single continuous flow path. For example, the circulation path shown in FIG. 16 is a parallel path that branches into four paths along the way. Instead of supplying ice slurry to all four parallel paths, the supply is controlled by solenoid valves installed near the inlets and outlets of the parallel paths, and the pump operates to supply ice slurry to each path individually. By circulating the ice slurry through the multiple parallel paths individually while switching between them using solenoid valves, the supply pump can operate at a constant, low pressure. This also reduces the power consumption required for slurry circulation.

[0041] 1...warehouse system, 10...automated transport multi-story warehouse, 11...unit cell, 12...storage cell, 13...passage cell, 20...robot, 21...lifting device, 22...cantilever beam, 23...lifting shaft, 24...storage box support floor, 25...effector, 30...rail, 40...loading / unloading pit, 50...cooling plate, 51...pipe, 52...plate, 53...ice slurry, 54...ice slurry ice maker, 55...slurry tank, 60...storage box, 70...cover plate, 80...robot area

Claims

1. An automatically transported multi-story warehouse composed of a plurality of cells arranged consecutively in the horizontal and vertical directions, comprising: a rooftop formed with a surface along which a robot that automatically transports goods can move horizontally; and cooling plates provided on the outer wall surfaces of the warehouse, wherein the cells include storage cells capable of storing the goods, with the cooling plates arranged on at least one or more sides; and aisle cells having at least two or more sides adjacent to the storage cells, wherein a lifting device of the robot forms an aisle along which the goods can be transported vertically.

2. The automatically transported multi-story warehouse according to claim 1, wherein a cover plate arranged on an upper surface of the aisle cell is in an open state before the lifting device extending from the robot descends vertically from the roof, and the cover plate is in a closed state after the lifting device extending from the robot rises from the aisle cell to the roof.

3. The automated transport multi-story warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the cooling plate is in contact with a pipe through which a refrigerant circulates.

4. The automated transport multi-story warehouse according to claim 3, wherein the refrigerant is an ice slurry.

5. An automated transport multi-story warehouse as described in claim 1, wherein the storage cell is provided with the cooling plate on at least two or more sides.

6. The automated transport multi-story warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the storage cell is provided with the cooling plate on at least three or more sides.

7. An automatically transported multi-story warehouse as claimed in claim 1, in which a plurality of temperature zone plates are arranged on the outer periphery of the side of the multi-story warehouse.

8. The automated transport multi-story warehouse according to claim 7, wherein the temperature of the temperature zone plates in the lower layers is set lower.

9. An automated transport multi-story warehouse as described in claim 3, wherein the path formed by the pipes abutting against the cooling plate is not a path that circulates in a single line from the ice-making machine, but a path having multiple parallel paths.

10. A warehouse system including an automated transport type multi-story warehouse as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: a robot that automatically transports the goods; a rail mechanism that supports the robot installed on the roof; and an area for transferring the goods to outside the automated transport type multi-story warehouse.

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