JPH0626964B2 - Automatic storage and retrieval device for storage boxes - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has storage compartments for accommodating storage boxes arranged in a matrix in the vertical and horizontal directions. The storage compartments in any of the storage compartments are used for storage. It relates to a device for extracting or pushing boxes in a random or at least an irregular sequence.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an automatic storage and retrieval device for a storage box of this type has been disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 3,840,313, US Pat. No. 3,490,616 and US Pat.
It is disclosed in the specification of 4,358,239. The storage and retrieval device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,239 of these U.S. patents is rotationally driven by a retrieval mechanism adapted to move along the front face of each storage compartment on a platform. An endless chain is provided by being wound between a sprocket on one end side and a sprocket on the other end side, and a finger block removably engageable with the storage box is attached to the endless chain. , Assisting in configuring the finger block to engage with the storage box at one sprocket of both sprockets at both ends of the endless chain and disengage from the storage box at the other sprocket. An endless chain is provided so as to extend in parallel with the endless chain, and the finger block is also attached to the auxiliary endless chain so that the finger block. Is held upright with respect to the endless chain, the storage box is pulled out from the storage compartment to the take-out mechanism side or from the take-out mechanism side to the storage compartment by the rotation of the both endless chains. It is configured to be pushed in.

[0003]

The storage and retrieval device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,239 relates to the storage of a finger block with respect to a storage box by a series of operations called rotation of an endless chain. In this case, since the storage box is pulled out or pushed in, as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,324 or Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 54-1750, the bunga block is not attached to the storage box. In addition, there is an advantage that the operation can be speeded up as compared with the case where the storage box is extracted or pushed in by separate operations.

However, the storage and retrieval device disclosed in the above-mentioned US Pat. No. 4,358,239 is provided with an auxiliary endless chain in parallel with the endless chain to which a finger block is attached, and the auxiliary endless chain is also provided with the above endless chain. By engaging the inger block, the finger block is configured to be held in an upright state with respect to the endless chain, in other words, by engaging with the storage box by the finger block. In order to extract and push in the storage box, two parallel endless chains are used.

For this reason, there is a problem that the structure of the take-out mechanism becomes extremely complicated, the manufacturing cost thereof is greatly increased, and the take-out mechanism is considerably large and its weight is increased. In addition, a relatively large clearance must be provided between the storage boxes housed in each storage compartment so that two parallel endless chains can be inserted at the same time. However, there is also a problem that the entire array in each storage compartment becomes significantly large.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide an automatic storage and retrieval device that solves these problems.

[0007]

In order to achieve this technical object, the present invention provides a storage box to be stored in a plurality of storage compartments arranged in a matrix in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the storage compartments. A platform for moving the take-out mechanism in the vertical and horizontal directions along the front surface of the storage box for storage, wherein the take-out mechanism is provided with an endless chain rotatably driven, with a sprocket on one end side and a sprocket on the other end side. A finger block that can be detachably engaged with the storage box is attached to the endless chain, and the finger block is provided between the sprockets at both ends of the endless chain. In the automatic storage and removal device that engages the storage box at one sprocket and disengages from the storage box at the other sprocket, To mechanism, the finger support member for slidably holding the disengagement direction with respect to storage for boxes the full Inga block, and a configuration in which to slide freely along a longitudinal direction of the endless chain.

[0008]

[Operation] According to this structure, the finger support member holds the finger block attached to the endless chain slidably in the engagement / disengagement direction with respect to the storage box. Since it follows the rotation and moves together with the endless chain, the finger support member can hold the finger block in an upright state with respect to the endless chain. The auxiliary endless chain in the storage and retrieval device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,239 can be replaced by a finger support member.

[0009]

Therefore, according to the present invention, Since the structure of the take-out mechanism can be simplified, the manufacturing cost thereof can be greatly reduced, and the take-out mechanism can be significantly reduced in size and weight. ． Since the clearance between the storage boxes housed in the respective storage compartments can be narrowed, the useless space in the arrangement in the storage compartments can be reduced, and the entire arrangement in the respective storage compartments can be greatly miniaturized. Has the effect of saying.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Referring to FIG. 1, the system generally includes a two-dimensional array 3 of storage bins 10 held in a matrix in the up-down, left-right direction held by a suitable frame or partition means not shown.

The platform, generally designated as 2, and including the ejection mechanism 20 attached to its stanchions, is provided with control means which first place the platform 2 in the proper column. It is then moved longitudinally and then vertically along the mast of the ejection mechanism 20 in the proper rom to bring it closer to the particular storage bin 10.

Any suitable means may be used to control the movement of the platform 2 and its removal mechanism 20. Non-limiting examples include the means disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,490,616. The operation of the present invention can be specifically described once the proper horizontal and vertical positions of the ejection mechanism 20 have been reached and the selected storage bin 10 has been designated.

The following description is for a storage box 1 from a storage position.
It should be understood that the extraction of 0 is described, but the reverse of the same description will describe the insertion of the storage bin 10 into the desired storage position or other position. Referring to FIG. 2, the take-out mechanism 20 is located at a position facing the storage box 10 due to the action of the control system.
It is moved vertically along the mast 5 of. The control system is not shown but is well known to those skilled in the art.

Each of the storage boxes 10 has a small opening 12 which is one embodiment as an engageable means, near either end on both the left and right sides thereof. Please note. The openings 12 on both the left and right outer sides are recessed from both the left and right outer sides, and it is convenient to have a rectangular shape for the reasons described below, but other shapes may be used. The part 12 in this embodiment provides the means for grasping the storage bin 10 for movement by the elements of the dispensing device 20. Furthermore, the openings 12 are preferably located near the lower edges of the left and right side walls of the storage box 10.

The frame of the take-out mechanism 20 is composed of a side member 32 and an end member 31 which are firmly attached to each other. At the top of the withdrawal mechanism 20 and along each side thereof, two extending arms 30 of the withdrawal means.
Is located, which slides over the upper surface of the frame consisting of the side members 32 and the end members 31, towards and away from the storage box 10, as described below. To reciprocate. Between and rigidly connected to the arms 30 is a storage box support assembly consisting of a bottom wall 41 and a side wall 43, each of which has a number of spaced-apart attachments thereto. It has a plastic sliding piece 45.
Also, two end wall members 47 connect to the bottom wall 41 and provide rigidity to the storage bin support assembly.

Each arm 30 has a top member 34a and a bottom member 34b having the same shape, a plurality of side members 36 integrally connecting the top member 34a and the bottom member 34b on the side surface thereof, and the top member. The rear member 35 integrally connects the rear ends of the bottom member 34b and the bottom member 34b. The front end of each arm 30 remains open for explanatory reasons. Each arm 30 includes two endless chains 42 and 44 mounted on a sprocket 46 near the first end of the arm 30. Further, the lower endless chain 42 of each arm 30 extends to a second sprocket (not shown) to a partial distance along the longitudinal direction of the arm 30, and an appropriate transmission mechanism (not shown) is provided in the second sprocket. The motive power is received from the motor 70 to rotate.

On the other hand, the upper endless chain 44 in each arm 30 extends to the front end sprocket 61 over substantially the entire length of the arm 30, and the storage box 1
Causes the actual movement of the engagement with respect to zero. A finger support member 48 having an opening 49 penetrating therethrough is provided on the side surface of each arm 30 so as to be reciprocally slidable along the longitudinal direction of the arm 30 by a guide rail (not shown). Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 2, each arm 30 includes a finger block 50, which is connected to an upper endless chain 44, and FIG.
Associated with the finger support member 48 in the manner described below in connection with FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.

When the ejection mechanism 20 is properly positioned in the vertical and horizontal planes in front of the storage bin 10 to be extracted, the motor 80 is started by the control system.
As seen in FIG. 2, the motor 80 transmits power via the chain 94 to a reciprocating mechanism 95 for reciprocating the storage box support assembly comprising the bottom wall 41 and the side wall 43 as described above. The reciprocating mechanism 95 includes the side member 32.
A sprocket 96 supported by a shaft 99, which is attached via a bracket 98, is provided on the upper surface of a frame composed of the end member 31 and the chain member 9.
4, while the pin 97 protruding from the upper surface of the sprocket 96 is slidably engaged with the channel 100 fixed to the storage box support assembly, whereby the sprocket 96 rotates. The storage box support assembly and arm 30 are reciprocated so that they move forward toward storage box 10 and then back. In this manner, the storage box support assembly and arm 30 with the finger support members 48 positioned adjacent to the storage box 10 to be extracted and near its ends are in the position shown in FIG. Is moved toward the storage box 10 and the storage box support assembly and arm 30 are attached to the upper surface of the frame composed of the side members 32 and the end members 31 as described above. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, it is guided by the guide rail 37 and the slit-shaped groove 38.

Comparing FIGS. 2 and 3, the motor 70 moves with the storage bin support assembly and arm 30, but the motor 80 remains stationary with respect to the platform posts. Similarly, the guide rail 37 and the slit-shaped groove 3
8 appear in FIG. 3, whereas they are hidden in FIG. 2 by the position of the elements. Each arm 30
Reaches the position shown in FIG. 3, the finger support member 4
The opening 49 in 8 is the opening 12 in the storage box 10.
Located adjacent to. In this respect, the motor 7
Further rotation of the upper endless chain 44 by 0 will cause engagement of the finger block 50 with the storage bin 10 as described with respect to FIGS.

As described above and shown in these figures, the finger support member 48 is not connected to the upper endless chain 44, but is connected to the arm 3 by a guide rail (not shown).
It is reciprocally slidable along the longitudinal direction of 0,
This allows the finger support member 48 to move freely along and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the upper endless chain 44. On the other hand, the finger block 50 is attached to the upper endless chain 44 by the upright pin 52 attached to the upper endless chain 44. Further, this finger block 50 includes two fingers 51 and 53,
The fingers 51 and 53 are slidably fitted in the opening 49 of the finger support member 48, and the plunger 52a rotatably fitted to the upright pin 52 is slidably inserted therebetween. , Is biased toward the finger support member 48 by a spring means 54 interposed between the plunger 52a and the plunger 52a.

As the upper endless chain 44 is rotated by the motor 70, the finger block 50 that interlocks with the upper endless chain 44 via the upright pins 52 is slidably fitted in the opening 49 of the finger support member 48. In this state, by reciprocating along the longitudinal direction of the arm 30 together with the finger support member 48, the upper endless chain 44 is maintained in a standing state at all times.

FIG. 4 illustrates a storage box support assembly and arm 3.
0 indicates a state in which the motor 80 is started to move forward toward the storage box 10 in the storage state. In this case, the finger block 50 is in a state in which it does not protrude from the finger support member 48. FIG. 5 shows the finger support member 4
8 and the relative position of the associated parts when the finger block 50 is moved towards the storage bin 10.
In this position, the finger block 50 is driven so as to project inwardly from the finger support member 48 toward each other by the rotating action of the upper endless chain 44 in the arrow direction. As shown in FIG. 5, one finger 53 of the finger block 50 is the storage box 1
The storage box 10 is engaged by being fitted into the openings 12 on both the left and right outer sides of 0.

FIG. 6 shows the relative position of the elements when the upper endless chain 44 and the lower endless chain 42 are still pivoting in the same direction. The finger block 50 has now reached the most protruding position from the finger support member 48, at which time the spring means 54 is maximally compressed,
By the spring force of the spring means 54, the storage box 1
It is held in a state of being fitted in the opening 12 at 0.

FIG. 7 shows that the finger blocks 50 and, of course, their associated finger support members 48 are retracted away from the storage position of the storage bin 10 by pivoting the upper endless chain 44 in the same direction. It is noted that this retracting motion causes storage bin 10 to be sufficiently withdrawn from the storage position and fully seated on the storage bin support assembly described in connection with FIG. Will. At that point, further pivoting of the upper endless chain 44 guides the upstanding pin 52 around the sprocket 46, away from the bin 10 and into the finger block from the opening 12. Will cause 50 withdrawals. Thus, when the finger block 50 is withdrawn from the opening 12 in the storage bin 10, the motor 70 stops while the motor 80 is started instead, causing the storage bin support assembly and arm to move. 30 is moved back to its original position. As a result, the entire extracted storage box 10 can be completely placed on the take-out mechanism 20.

The take-out mechanism 20 is the platform 2
When the storage box 10 is positioned at the new position, the storage box 10 is inserted into the new position by reversing the operation just described. 1 of this structure that can give a smoother action
One of the characteristics is that the distance between the sprockets 46 and 61 is modified in consideration of the sprocket radius, and preferably the space between the storage boxes 10 in the depth direction in the openings 12 provided on both the left and right outer sides of the storage boxes 10. It means that it is almost the same as the distance. Careful adjustment of these dimensions can achieve the result that the set of openings not used in the withdrawal operation are ideally positioned for use during subsequent insertion operations in the opposite direction. That is, each said distance is such that when the upright pin 52 of the finger block 50 reaches one sprocket and is moved around the sprocket from the outer path to the inner path,
The opening 12 has one finger 51 or the other finger 5
3 can be set to be correctly positioned and to engage it without delay.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automatic storage and retrieval device using one aspect of the present invention.

2 is a detailed perspective view of the invention in the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the take-out mechanism prior to engaging the storage bin.

FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective view similar to FIG. 2 showing the arms of the retrieval mechanism engaging the storage bin.

FIG. 4 is a partial plan view of the storage box and the take-out device of the device of the present invention showing the first operation state.

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view of the storage box and the take-out device of the device of the present invention showing the second operation state.

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view of a storage box and a take-out device of the device of the present invention showing a third operation state.

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of the storage box and take-out device of the device of the present invention showing a fourth operation state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 platform 3 two-dimensional array of storage box 5 support 10 storage box 12 opening 20 extraction mechanism 30 arm 44 endless chain 46 sprocket at the other end 48 finger support member 50 finger block 51, 53 finger 52 upright pin 52a flanger 54 Spring means 61 Sprocket at one end 70 Motor 80 Motor

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --Continued from the front page (56) Reference JP-A-57-121501 (JP, A) JP-A-55-146114 (JP, A) JP-A-58-122669 (JP, A) US Pat. No. 4394104 (US) , A) US Patent 4010855 (US, A) US Patent 4116324 (US, A) US Patent 4358239 (US, A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A storage box stored in a plurality of storage compartments arranged in a matrix in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a take-out mechanism in the vertical and horizontal directions along the front surface of the storage box for storage in each of the storage compartments. And a platform that moves to an end of the sprocket. The endless chain that is driven to rotate is provided around the take-out mechanism by winding it between a sprocket on one end side and a sprocket on the other end side. A finger block removably engageable with the box is attached, and the finger block is engaged with the storage box at the position of one sprocket of both sprockets at both ends of the endless chain and the other. In the automatic storage and retrieval device which is detached from the storage box at the location of the sprocket of the above, in the retrieval mechanism, the finger block is engaged with the storage box. The finger support member for slidably held in de direction, automatic storage and retrieval device of the storage for boxes, characterized in that provided to slide freely along a longitudinal direction of the endless chain.