Article storage apparatus and article moving device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10486902-B2
Application number	US-201515533723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2015
Priority date	Dec 17, 2014
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

Provided is an article storage apparatus capable of effectively utilizing the capacity of a building. The article storage apparatus includes an article moving device 3 . The article moving device 3 includes an X-direction travel wheel 38 , a Y-direction travel wheel 48 , a travel wheel lifting and lowering unit that lifts and lowers the travel wheels, and an article lifting and lowering unit that lifts and lowers an article. It is possible to lower the X-direction travel wheel 38 or the Y-direction travel wheel 48 so as to be set down on a travel passage by the travel wheel lifting and lowering unit and rotate the set-down travel wheel to cause the article moving device to travel in an X direction or a Y direction. It is possible to lift the article lifting and lowering unit to pick up an article on an article supporting member or lower the article lifting and lowering unit to transfer the article previously lifted by the article lifting and lowering unit onto the article supporting member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An article storage apparatus comprising:
an article moving device that is self-propelled and that moves an article; and
a rack member on which a plurality of the articles can be placed,
wherein the article moving device comprises:
an X-direction travel wheel with a posture of allowing the article moving device to travel in an X direction, the X-direction travel wheel having at least one travel wheel;
a Y-direction travel wheel with a posture of allowing the article moving device to travel in a Y direction, the Y-direction travel wheel having at least one travel wheel;
travel wheel lifting and lowering units that separately lift and lower the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels; and
an article lifting and lowering unit that lifts and lowers the article,
at least one wheel of the X-direction travel wheel being rotatable by power,
at least one wheel of the Y-direction travel wheel being rotatable by power,
wherein the rack member comprises:
a travel area having a linear travel passage that linearly extends and supports the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels when lowered; and
a storage area located beside the linear travel passage,
the storage area being divided into a section,
the section comprising:
an in-section travel passage that supports the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels when lowered; and
an article supporting member disposed above the in-section travel passage,
wherein the article storage apparatus lowers the X-direction travel wheel or the Y-direction travel wheel to set down on the travel passage with a respective travel wheel lifting and lowering unit, then rotating the set-down travel wheel to run the article moving device in either X-direction or Y-direction,
wherein the article storage apparatus lowers either the X-direction travel wheel or the Y-direction travel wheel to set down on the linear travel passage in the travel area, rotating the set-down travel wheel to run the article moving device, stopping the article moving device near a desired one of the sections, changing the set-down travel wheel to another travel wheel to be set down with a respective travel wheel lifting and lowering unit, rotating the another set-down travel wheel to cause the article moving device to enter the section and travel on the in-section travel passage,
thus the article storage apparatus lifting the article lifting and lowering unit to pick up the article on the article supporting member, or lowering the article lifting and lowering unit to transfer the article previously lifted with the article lifting and lowering unit onto the article supporting member,
wherein the travel wheel lifting and lowering unit for one of the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels comprises: a swinging member that swings around a swinging shaft; and a cam,
the swinging member comprising: a cam abutment part; and a wheel attachment part to which the one of the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels is attached, and
wherein the cam is brought into contact with the cam abutment part and moved to swing the swinging member for lifting or lowering the one of the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels attached to the wheel attachment part,
wherein a pressing member is disposed on a back face side of the swinging, member and biases the swinging member in a direction that brings the cam abutment part into contact with the cam,
wherein the pressing member is located between an axle of the one of the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels and the swinging shaft, and
wherein the pressing member presses the swinging member upward, so that the one of the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels is constantly biased upward.

2. The article storage apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the article moving device comprises a battery and a receiver, and is wirelessly operated.

3. The article storage apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a layout storage unit that stores a layout of the rack member, wherein the article moving device is moved based on information stored in the layout storage unit.

4. The article storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the travel area comprises an intersection where a plurality of the linear travel passages intersect in an L shape or a cross shape, and
wherein the article storage apparatus is capable of operating the travel wheel lifting and lowering units to change a respective travel wheel to be set down in the intersection and rotating the set-down travel wheel to change a traveling direction of the article moving device.

5. The article storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the travel area comprises an intersection where a plurality of the linear travel passages intersect in an L shape or a cross shape, and
wherein the linear travel passages and the intersection form an annular travel passage in the travel area.

6. The article storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the rack member is provided on a plurality of floors in a height direction,
wherein a lifter moving in an up-down direction is provided, and
wherein the article storage apparatus enables the article moving device to enter the lifter, lifts or lowers the lifter to move to another floor, and rotates the travel wheel to move the article moving device to the rack member on the another floor.

7. The article storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the article lifting and lowering unit comprises: a rotation shaft; and a cam member attached to the rotation shaft, and
wherein the cam member is rotated by rotating the rotation shaft to move a part of the cam member up and down.

8. The article storage apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the article storage apparatus includes:
a first state where the X-direction travel wheel is set down on the linear travel passage and the Y-direction travel wheel is not set down; and
a second state where the Y-direction travel wheel is set down on the linear travel passage and the X-direction travel wheel is not set down, and
wherein both the X-direction travel wheel and the Y-direction travel wheel are temporarily set down on the linear travel passage during a change from the first state to the second state, or a change from the second state to the first state.

9. An article moving device that is self-propelled and that travels with an article placed thereon, the article moving device comprising:
an X-direction travel wheel with a posture of allowing the article moving device to travel in an X direction, the X-direction travel wheel having at least one travel wheel;
a Y-direction travel wheel with a posture of allowing the article moving device to travel in a Y direction, the Y-direction travel wheel having at least one travel wheel;
travel wheel lifting and lowering units that separately lift and lower the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels; and
an article lifting and lowering unit that lifts and lowers the article,
at least one wheel of the X-direction travel wheel being rotatable by power,
at least one wheel of the Y-direction travel wheel being rotatable by power,
one of the travel wheel lifting and lowering units comprising: a swinging member that swings around a swinging shaft; and a cam,
the swinging member comprising: a cam abutment part; and a wheel attachment part to which one of the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels is attached,
wherein the cam is brought into contact with the cam abutment part and moved to swing the swinging member for lifting or lowering the one of the X-direction and Y-direction travel wheels attached to the wheel attachment part,
wherein the article moving device lowers the X-direction travel wheel or the Y-direction travel wheel t

Assignees

• Itoh Denki Co Ltd

Inventors

• Itoh Kazuo
• Nakamura Tatsuhiko
• MIKI Kazuwo

Classifications

• B65G1/0492 Primary

  with cars adapted to travel in storage aisles · CPC title

• B65G1/0478

  for matrix-arrangements · CPC title

• B65G1/00

  Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines (conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops B65G37/00; stacking of articles B65G57/00; removing articles from stacks B65G59/00; loading machines B65G65/02) · CPC title

• B65G1/04

  mechanical · CPC title