Stacker crane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9586757-B2
Application number	US-201514625715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2015
Priority date	Sep 4, 2012
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A stacker crane includes a platform disposed between a pair of front and back masts disposed in a vertical direction. The platform includes a horizontal frame with a transfer device mounted thereon and vertical frames extending from front and back ends of the horizontal frame along the masts. The platform is raised or lowered with the vertical frames suspended. The vertical frames each include a pair of first guide rollers sandwiching one of the masts in a lateral direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a front-back direction and are each connected to the horizontal frame to be rotatable with respect to the horizontal frame using the lateral direction as an axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stacker crane comprising:
a pair of front and back masts disposed in a vertical direction;
a platform located between the pair of front and back masts and including a horizontal frame including a transfer device mounted thereon and vertical frames extending from front and back ends of the horizontal frame along the pair of front and back masts; wherein
the platform is configured to be raised or lowered with the vertical frames suspended;
each of the vertical frames includes a pair of first guide rollers sandwiching one of the pair of front and back masts in a lateral direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a front-back direction and is connected to the horizontal frame to be rotatable with respect to the horizontal frame about an axis extending along the lateral direction; and
each of the vertical frames includes a hook spaced from one of the pair of front and back masts and configured to be stopped by the one of the pair of front and back masts spaced from the hook when the vertical frame rotates in a direction in which the vertical frame moves away from the one of the pair of front and back masts.

2. The stacker crane of claim 1 , wherein the horizontal frame includes second guide rollers in contact with opposite surfaces of the pair of front and back masts and configured to elastically expand and contract in the front-back direction.

3. The stacker crane of claim 1 , wherein each of the vertical frames includes a stopper configured to contact one of the pair of front and back masts when the vertical frame rotates in a direction in which the vertical frame approaches the one of the pair of front and back masts.

4. The stacker crane of claim 1 , wherein the hook includes an operation portion configured to activate a limit switch when the platform exceeds a lower-limit position or an upper-limit position.

5. A method for using a stacker crane comprising:
providing a platform between a pair of front and back masts disposed in a vertical direction, the platform including a horizontal frame including a transfer device mounted thereon and vertical frames extending from front and back ends of the horizontal frame along the pair of front and back masts; and
raising or lowering the platform with the vertical frames suspended; wherein
each of the vertical frames includes a pair of first guide rollers sandwiching one of the pair of front and back masts in a lateral direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a front-back direction and is connected to the horizontal frame to be rotatable with respect to the horizontal frame about an axis extending along the lateral direction; and
each of the vertical frames includes a hook spaced from one of the pair of front and back masts and configured to be stopped by the one of the pair of front and back masts spaced from the hook when the vertical frame rotates in a direction in which the vertical frame moves away from the one of the pair of front and back masts.

Assignees

• Murata Machinery Ltd

Inventors

• Kainuma Hiroyuki
• Tanahashi Tetsuji

Classifications

• B65G1/06

  with means for presenting articles for removal at predetermined position or level (B65G1/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65G1/0407 Primary

  using stacker cranes (constructional features of stacker cranes B66F9/06) · CPC title

• B66B7/047

  Shoes, sliders · CPC title

• B66F9/07

  Floor-to-roof stacking devices, e.g. "stacker cranes", "retrievers" · CPC title