Automatic warehouse

• US 20020018705A1
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: Kawaguchi, Masatomi
• Application Number:
  US09/880,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20020018705A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/274
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A hoisting table 31 of a stacker crane 4 in an automated is provided with two units of bar code readers 36,37 for a long distance and a short distance, and an article 20 in a rack is attached with bar codes on the front face and the side face, The bar code reader for a long distance 36 reads bar codes of articles in the rack, and the bar code reader for a short distance 37 reads bar codes of articles loaded on the stacker crane. It is possible to reduce the number of the bar code and make an inventory without taking articles out of the station.

Claims

1. An automatic warehouse, provided with a conveyer which travels without restraint and has a hoisting table for transferring with an article and a mast moving up and down and supporting the hoisting table, wherein the hoisting table is equipped with a plurality of ID readers to read a plurality of ID codes attached to a different face of the article.

2. An automatic warehouse according to claim 1, comprising;

the ID code attached to a front face of an article and another face of the article; and

the hoisting table including an ID reader for a long distance to read the ID code on the front face of the article and an ID reader for a short distance to read the ID code on a face other than the front face of the article held by a transfer equipment installed on the hoisting table.

3. An automatic warehouse according to claim 2, wherein the ID reader for a short distance is provided and capable of reading the ID code attached on a side face of the article at the position where the article is taken in on the hoisting table side by the transfer equipment.

4. An automatic warehouse according to claim 2, wherein the transfer equipment is comprised of a flexible scalar arm and a hand linked to a front end of the scalar arm to hold the article.