JP2001187603A - Dolly housing unit for automated storage and retrieval warehouse - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the generating of collision of a wheel of a caster or a main body frame of a dolly with a main body cover when drawing the dolly form a dolly housing unit of n automated storage and retrieval warehouse using dollies for putting articles into or out of a housing and provided with eccentric turning casters. SOLUTION: A turning guide means like a projection 36 is provided in front of a main guide body 22 for holing a wheel 12 while preventing the turning of the wheel 12 in the horizontal direction for guiding the turning of the wheel 12 so that a front end 12a of the wheel 12 is moved toward the center line 24 of the dolly housing unit 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a bogie storage section in an automatic warehouse.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of an automatic warehouse, there is an automatic medical chart warehouse for hospitals using a file holder. The file holder used for this is provided with a pair of openable and closable covers. And a hanging plate extending along the longitudinal direction thereof.

On the other hand, an automatic medical chart warehouse is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-35107 and shown in FIGS.
As shown in (A), a pair of hangars 1 arranged opposite to each other.
And a stacker crane 2 movably arranged in a passage between the two hangars 1. The shelves 3 are arranged in multiple stages in the hangar 1, and the file holders F are suspended from the respective shelves 3 so that they can be inserted and removed. Rails are provided in parallel along the frontage direction.

The stacker crane 2 includes a column (post) 5 that runs along a passage and a lift 6 that is attached to the column 5 so as to be able to move up and down. A transfer device 7 for changing the position is provided so as to be horizontally pivotable.

In this automatic medical chart warehouse, a truck 8 shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is used for loading and unloading the file holder F. The carriage 8 includes a main body frame 9 having an open front surface. Inside the main body frame 9, a large number of rail groups 10 along which the hanging plate F1 of the file holder F is freely detachably inserted are arranged along the frontage direction. are doing. The cart 8 has a total of four casters 11 each of which is a pair of front and rear.
Is provided.

As shown in FIG. 7, the caster 11 comprises a bracket 32 on which wheels 12 are rotatably mounted, a mounting plate 14 for supporting the bracket 13 so as to be able to turn horizontally, and
It has bolts 15 and nuts 16 for fixing them, and a ball 16 disposed between the bracket 13 and the mounting plate 14. The wheel 12 is separated from the turning center 17 of the bracket 13 by an appropriate distance L. It is attached to the part where it was. That is, the casters 11 are of an eccentric swivel type.

The reason why the eccentric swivel type casters 11 are used is that the direction of the carriage 8 can be easily changed. Reference numeral 18 shown in FIG. 5B is a turning locus of the outer peripheral surface of the wheel 12 far from the turning center 17, and in this example, the wheel 12 turns while partially protruding to the front and rear outside and the left and right outside.

A lock 19 which can be operated by a human foot is provided on the brackets 13 of all the casters 11 or on each of the front and rear brackets 15.

At the front portion of both hangars 1, there is formed a bogie storage portion 20 into which the bogie 8 can be freely inserted and removed. Also, for example, as shown in FIG.
One is set. In addition, the part near the front end of the bottom plate 21 is
It may be formed as an inclined surface whose height decreases toward the near side.

As shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 and FIG.
The main guide body 22 which guides is provided.

Incidentally, the main guide means of the carriage 8 may have a structure shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, for example.

In FIG. 11, a pair of upper and lower main guide bodies are provided which contact the inner surface of the main body cover 1 a (or the plate member provided inside the bogie storage unit 20) and the upper and lower surfaces of the wheel 12 with the axle therebetween. 22 are provided. In the case of this example, the left and right wheels 12 hit the side surfaces of the wheels 12 from outside, so that the wheels 12 are held unturnable.

In FIG. 12, a pair of left and right main guide bodies 22a and 22b are provided so as to be shifted toward the inner surface of the main body cover 1a (or a plate material provided inside the carriage housing portion 20).

[0014]

When the cart 8 is moved by pushing, the turning center 17 of the wheel 12 is located ahead of the center of rotation 23. Therefore, in a state where the cart 8 is inserted into the cart storage section 20, the turning center 17 of the wheel 12 is located on the back side of the rotation center 23 as shown in FIG.

The leading end of the main guide body 22 is located behind the front end of the bottom plate 21. 5A, the main body of the hangar 1 is provided with a main body guide body 22 'for correcting the posture of the main body 9 when the trolley 8 is inserted into the trolley storage section 20, and First, after the main body 9 is inserted into the insertion posture by the main body guide body 22 ′, the wheel 12 is caused to enter between the left and right main guide bodies 22.

Further, while being placed on the front end of the bottom plate 21,
The wheels 12 are in a state where they can freely turn.

When the cart 8 is pulled out, the ground contact point of the wheel 12 is located before the turning center.
Is turned so that the turning center 17 is located on the near side, and becomes selfish. However, when the wheel 12 is sandwiched between the main guide bodies 22, the vehicle cannot make a horizontal turn, and both the front wheels and the rear wheels turn when they come off the main guide body 22.

In this case, the direction in which the wheel 12 turns is not fixed, and the wheel 12 turns counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 9, and turns clockwise as shown in FIG.
Alternatively, although not shown, both wheels 12 may turn in opposite directions.

However, when the wheel 12 turns so that the front end 12a far from the turning center 17 moves away from the center line 24 of the bogie storage unit 20, the wheel 12 may collide with the main body cover 1a. In other words, when the cart 8 is pulled out, a phenomenon of shaking the head or shaking the hips occurs, and the wheels 12 may collide with the main body cover 24.

[0020] In this regard, it is considered that the width of the frontage of the bogie storage unit 20 should be increased.
This is not a good idea because the dead space increases and the automatic warehouse becomes larger than necessary.

An object of the present invention is to improve the above situation.

[0022]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a hangar capable of storing a large number of articles, a trolley for taking articles in and out of the hangar, and a trolley storage section provided at an end of the hangar. The trolley is supported by three or more casters, and at least a pair of left and right casters of these casters are of an eccentric revolving type in which the center of rotation of the wheels and the center of rotation are separated in plan view. On the other hand, a main guide body for guiding wheels of each caster of the truck is provided on the floor of the truck storage unit.

Then, the bogie is placed on the floor surface of the bogie accommodating portion near the front end of the main guide body for the horizontal revolving caster or at a position in front of the main guide body and along the traveling path of the wheels. Turning guide means is provided for guiding the turning direction of the wheel when being pulled out.

The turning guide means can be embodied in various ways. According to the second aspect, a narrow projection extending in a direction inclined in a plan view with respect to a center line of the bogie storage portion, or in a plan view. It is configured with a step inclined toward the direction of the center line of the bogie storage unit, and the projection or the step is set so that the front end of the wheel is turned toward the direction of the center line of the bogie storage unit. ing.

In the present invention, the center line of the bogie storage section is a center line extending along the direction of the carriage.

[0026]

According to the present invention, even if the wheels are turned when the bogie is pulled out of the bogie storage section, the wheels can be turned, for example, such that the front end portion is directed to the center line of the bogie storage section. Further, it is possible to prevent the wheel from hitting a member such as the main body cover which is located near the entrance in the bogie storage unit.

Further, when the turning locus of the wheel is hidden on the lower surface of the bogie, the bogie main body collides with a member located near the entrance of the bogie storage section even if the wheel does not hit a member such as a body cover. However, in the present invention,
Because the direction of rotation of the wheels can be regulated, the bogie can be prevented or significantly restrained from shaking the head or the buttocks in either direction. Also, it is possible to prevent the bogie main body from colliding.

[0028]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 3). The same members as those in the related art are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the above-described conventional example, and the description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows a projection 36 for a turning guide.
The protrusion 36 is extremely slightly inclined with respect to the center line 24 of the bogie storage unit 20, and the center line of the bogie storage unit 20 in a portion in front of the main guide body 22. It is provided at a position distant from 24.

The distance between the front ends of the projections 36 is set equal to or slightly larger than the distance between the outer surfaces of the left and right wheels 12 so that the wheels 12 do not interfere with each other when the carriage 8 is inserted. In the present embodiment, the projection 36 is fixed separately from the bottom plate 21 by welding or the like, but may be formed by expanding or cutting the bottom plate 21 upward. The projecting dimension of the projection 36 may be much smaller than the upward projecting dimension of the main guide body 22. Therefore, the worker does not trip.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, before and after the front, rear, left and right wheels 12 come off the main guide body 22, the ground contact portion of the wheels 12 hits the side surface of the projection 36. The turning of the wheel 12 is guided such that the front end 12 a far from the turning center 17 is directed toward the center line 24 of the bogie storage unit 20.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the projection 36 is provided so as to cross the traveling path of the wheel 12. In this embodiment, the wheels 12 pass over the protrusions 36 when the carriage 8 is pushed or pulled out. When the carriage 8 is extracted, the posture of the wheel 12 hitting the protrusion 36 is regulated so that the rotation center thereof extends in the same direction as the protrusion 36.
Is guided in the direction of the center line 24 of the bogie storage unit 20.

In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the front end of the bottom plate 21 is cut away so that the portion of the bottom plate 21 in front of the two main guides 22 is moved to the center line 24 of the bogie storage unit 20.
And an inclined surface 21b inclined in the direction of. That is, a step is formed at the front end of the bottom plate 21 so as to enter the depth direction of the bogie storage portion 20.

For this reason, the wheels 12 are
Is released, the front end 12a of the wheel 12 is moved to the center line 2
The turning is guided so as to head to the fourth direction.

When the front end 21a of the bottom plate 21 is inclined so as to be higher rearward from the front end,
The portion of the bottom plate 21 in front of the main guide body 22 may be inclined so that the height gradually decreases in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG.

{Others} The present invention can be embodied in forms other than those described above. For example, a recess may be formed instead of the protrusion 36. Also, guide means such as protrusions and dents,
A plurality of the carts 8 may be formed so as to be scattered along the traveling direction.

Further, a shallow groove extending longitudinally in front of and behind the main guide body may be formed, or a pair of left and right guide members having a small projecting dimension may be provided.

When the wheel or the bogie main body collides only with a member located on one side of the entrance of the bogie storage section, it is sufficient to guide the front end of the wheel in a direction opposite to the member (see FIG. 4). That is, it is sufficient to guide the left and right wheels to turn in the same direction), and the turning direction of the wheels also differs depending on the structure of the entrance of the bogie storage unit.

Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the prevention of the collision of the wheels or the bogie main body, but also to the case where the bogie is to be pulled out of the bogie storage part, and for some reason, it is desired to have a direction in the pulling direction of the bogie. In this case, the turning is guided so that the left and right wheels face in the same direction.

In the above-described embodiment, two eccentric revolving casters are provided at the front and rear portions of the bogie, however, any one of a pair of front and rear casters is used. May be configured as a non-eccentric revolving type or a type in which the revolving center coincides with the rotation center of the wheel, and the other pair of left and right casters may be configured as an eccentric revolving type.

The present invention can also be applied to a three-wheel type bogie having a pair of left and right casters provided at one of the front and rear portions of the bogie and one caster at the other left and right intermediate portion (in this case, the present invention is also applicable to the present invention). Generally, a pair of left and right casters is configured to be eccentric swivel type).

Further, the present invention is applicable not only to an automatic warehouse for medical charts, but also to various automatic warehouses having a cart and a hangar. Further, in the present invention, the trolley is not limited to performing both entry and exit, but also includes a trolley that performs only entry or exit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of a third embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of an automatic medical chart warehouse.

FIG. 5 (A) is a plan sectional view of a conventional automatic medical charter warehouse having a cart storage unit, and FIG. 5 (B) is a plan view of casters.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a cart.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a partial left side view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing a defect of the conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a defect of the conventional example.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the main guide means.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the main guide means.

[Brief description of reference numerals]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hangar 2 Stacker crane 11 Caster 12 Wheel 13 Bracket 14 Mounting plate 17 Wheel turning center 20 Bogie storage part 22 Main guide body 23 Wheel rotation center 30 Projection

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A hangar capable of storing a large number of articles, a trolley for taking articles in and out of the hangar, and a trolley storage section provided at an end of the hangar, wherein three or more trolleys are provided. The eccentric revolving type in which the center of rotation of the wheels and the center of rotation of the wheels are separated from each other in a plan view is used, and the floor of the bogie storage unit is used. Surface, in an automatic warehouse provided with a main guide body for guiding wheels of each caster in the bogie, the floor surface of the bogie storage unit, near the front end of the main guide body for the horizontal swivel caster or The bogie collection of an automatic warehouse provided with turning guide means for guiding the turning direction of the wheels when pulling out the bogie at a position in front of the main guide body and along the traveling route of the wheels. Part. 2. The swivel guide means is a narrow-width projection extending in a direction inclined in plan view with respect to a center line of the bogie storage portion, or is directed toward a center line direction of the bogie storage portion in plan view. 2. The automatic warehouse according to claim 1, wherein the step is an inclined step, and the protrusion or the step is set so that the front end of the wheel is turned toward the center line of the bogie storage unit. 3. Cart storage section.