Automatic warehouse for supplying air to a clean air space

• US 6,251,155 B1
• Filed: 03/30/1999
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: Fukushima, Masazumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Simmons, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hopkins, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US09/280,696
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 553/852, 554/71, 554/73, 554/84, 554/16, 454/187
• US Class Current: 55/385.2
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/00 Filters or filtering processes specially modified for separating dispersed particles from gases or vapours filtering elements B01D24/00-B01D35/00; filtering material B01D39/00; their regeneration outside the filters B01D41/00

Abstract

To supply clean air throughout entire racks even if the height of the racks in an automatic warehouse is increased. A blower motor 18 is provided at the bottom of racks 10 and 11 to suck air in a loading space 12 and supply it to a clean air path 20. In addition, air flows from a ceiling clean fan unit 8 to the racks 10 and 11 via an air intake port 24, and the air flowing from the racks 10 and 11 to the loading space 12 is sucked by means of a blower motor 18.

Claims

1. An automatic warehouse that has a wall facing the outside rear of a rack for forming a clean air path to the rack, the automatic warehouse comprising:

an air intake port for introducing clean air from a ceiling section of a clean room at the top of said clean air path; and

a rectifying plate located on a rear side of the rack for supplying clean air to the rack;

said automatic warehouse being disposed so as to penetrate through at least two floors of the clean room, and has an entrance for carrying an article of each floor in and out.

2. An automatic warehouse as claimed in claim 1, wherein an air supply means and a filter for sucking and purifying air from a loading space in front of the rack, and for supplying air to said clean air path, wherein said air supply means and said filter are provided at the bottom of said rack.

3. An automatic warehouse as claimed in claim 1, wherein an air supply means is constructed so as to eject a part of air from a loading space in front of the rack to the outside of the automatic warehouse.

4. An automatic warehouse as claimed in claim 2, wherein an air supply means is constructed so as to eject a part of air from the loading space in front of the rack to the outside of the automatic warehouse.

5. An automatic warehouse for a clean room having an upper ceiling, a ceiling of at least one lower floor, a floor of at least one upper floor, a bottom floor, walls and an entrance on each floor, the automatic warehouse comprising:

vertical racks for supporting articles extending from a location approximate the bottom floor to a location proximate the upper ceiling, the racks are positioned to define a loading space in between two racks and positioned to define a clean air path between each rear face of the racks and the opposing wall of the automatic warehouse;

an air intake port provided in the vicinity of the upper ceiling for intaking air from an upper clean fan unit in the upper ceiling into the automatic warehouse;

the upper clean fan unit for blowing air from the upper ceiling to the floor of the at least one upper floor;

a middle clean fan unit in the ceiling of the at least one lower floor for sucking air through the floor of the at least one upper floor and blowing the air sucked through the floor of the at least one upper floor to the bottom floor;

an air supply means provided at a bottom portion of each rack for sucking air into the loading space from the clean air path and discharging air from the loading space back into the clean air path through a clean air filter; and

the clean air filter for purifying air discharged from the air supply means;

wherein an air flow path is created for circulating air from the loading space through the air supply means up into the clean air path and into the loading space via the racks.

6. The automatic warehouse of claim 5, wherein the air supply means is a blower motor.

7. The automatic warehouse of claim 5, further comprising a bottom clean fan unit in the bottom floor for sucking air from the loading space through the bottom floor and blowing the air sucked through the bottom floor outside the automatic warehouse,

wherein two air flows coexist, a first air flow for circulating air from the loading space through the air supply means up into the clean air path and into the loading space via the racks and a second air flow for circulating air from the loading space through the bottom floor to outside of the automatic warehouse via the bottom clean fan unit, for preventing air from settling at an upper part of the racks.

8. The automatic warehouse of claim 5, wherein the automatic warehouse has one upper floor and one lower floor.

9. The automatic warehouse of claim 5, wherein the automatic warehouse has an upper entrance on the upper floor and an entrance on the lower floor for carrying articles in and out of the automatic warehouse.

10. The automatic warehouse of claim 5, further comprising an intake port located in the vicinity of the ceiling of the lower floor.

11. The automatic warehouse of claim 5, further comprising a rectifying plate located on each rear face of the racks for treating air.

12. The automatic warehouse of claim 5, wherein the racks have a plurality of steps and a plurality of arrays.

13. The automatic warehouse of claim 5, further comprising a movable loading device located in the loading space for loading articles into the racks.

14. The automatic warehouse of claim 5, further comprising a ceiling traveling cart located on at least one ceiling for delivering articles to the automatic warehouse.

15. The automatic warehouse of claim 6 wherein some of the blower motors are positioned to blow air into the bottom floor to be ejected from the automatic warehouse to increase the amount of air ejected from the automatic warehouse and subsequently increase the amount of air introduced into the air intake port.

16. An automatic warehouse for a clean room having an upper ceiling, a ceiling of at least one lower floor, a floor of at least one upper floor, a bottom floor and walls having an air flow gap, the automatic warehouse comprising:

vertical racks for supporting articles extending from a location approximate the bottom floor to a location proximate the upper ceiling, the racks are positioned to define a loading space in between two racks and positioned to define a clean air path between each rear face of the racks and the opposing wall of the automatic warehouse;

an air intake port provided in the vicinity of the upper ceiling for intaking air from an upper clean fan unit in the upper ceiling into the automatic warehouse;

the upper clean fan unit for blowing air from the upper ceiling to the floor of the at least one upper floor;

a middle clean fan unit in the ceiling of the at least one lower floor for sucking air through the floor of the at least one upper floor and blowing the air sucked through the floor of the at least one upper floor to the bottom floor;

an air supply means provided at a bottom portion of each rack for sucking air into the loading space from the clean air path and discharging air from the loading space back into the clean air path through a clean air filter; and

the clean air filter for purifying air discharged from the air supply means;

wherein an air flow path is created for circulating air from the loading space through the air supply means up into the clean air path and into the loading space via the racks.

17. The automatic warehouse of claim 16, wherein the air flow gap in the walls is located between the top of the walls and the upper ceiling.

18. The automatic warehouse of claim 16, wherein the air flow gap in the walls is located proximate the upper ceiling.

19. The automatic warehouse of claim 18, further comprising air intake ports leading from the rear surfaces of the racks to the clean air path.