Storage system and storage method

• US 8,006,824 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hirata Corporation
• Original Assignee: Hirata Corporation
• Inventors: Wada, Ryoichi, Isaka, Issei, Katayanagi, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Bidwell; James R
• Application Number:
  US12/514,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 198/347.1, 198/468.6, 414/277, 414/286, 414/792.9
• US Class Current: 198/347.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 61/00 Use of pick-up or transfer devices or of manipulators for stacking or de-stacking articles not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A storage system of the present invention includes a storage area for arranging and storing articles (W), a carrying-in line (200) for carrying in the articles (W) toward the storage area, and a transfer mechanism (300) arranged on an upper region of the storage area in order to transfer the articles (W) carried in by the carrying-in line to the storage area. The storage area includes a supporting table (100) for arranging and supporting a plurality of pallets (P) capable of loading the articles (W), and the transfer mechanism (300) transfers the articles (W) to the pallets (P) supported on the supporting table (100). Since an operation for transferring the articles stored directly on the floor face as before to the pallets is not required, a carrying-out process is simplified and efficiency of storage process of the articles as a whole (carrying-in from the outside, transfer to the storage area, carrying-out to the outside) is improved.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a storage area for arranging and storing an article;

a carrying-in line for carrying in the article toward the storage area; and

a transfer mechanism arranged in an upper region of the storage area, for transferring the article which was carried in by the carrying-in line to the storage area, wherein

the storage area includes a supporting table for supporting a plurality of pallets on which the article can be loaded in an arranged state;

the transfer mechanism includes a fixed frame extending in a X direction and a Y direction so as to surround an upper region of the storage area, a movable frame movably supported in the Y direction with respect to the fixed frame, a slider movably supported in the X direction with respect to the movable frame, an elevating arm supported capable of elevation in a vertical direction with respect to the slider, and a holding unit provided at a lower end of the elevating arm and capable of holding the article, further comprising;

a pallet conveying line arranged along the supporting table in order to carry in the pallet toward the supporting table and/or for carrying out the pallet from the supporting table; and

a reading means provided at the carrying-in line in order to read information of an information medium attached to the article, wherein

the transfer mechanism transfers the article to a predetermined position on a predetermined pallet supported on the supporting table on a basis of the information read by the reading means.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein

the pallet conveying line includes a guide rail extending along the supporting table, and a movable unit movably supported by the guide rail and on which a pallet can be loaded;

and

the movable unit includes a driving unit for feeding out or taking in of the pallet with the supporting table.

3. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein

the pallet conveying line includes a pallet carrying-in unit arranged adjacent to one side of the guide rail, for carrying in a pallet into the movable unit;

and a pallet carrying-out unit arranged adjacent to the other side of the guide rail, for carrying out the pallet from the movable unit.

4. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein

the driving unit includes a belt conveyer on which a pallet can be loaded, and a driving motor for driving the belt conveyer.

5. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein

the carrying-in line includes a feeding portion for feeding articles, and a gate-like leg portion for supporting the feeding portion above the pallet conveying line at a height position enabling feeding by the pallet conveying line in a state where the articles are stacked on the pallet.

6. The storage system according to claim 5, wherein

the carrying-in line is arranged in parallel with a longitudinal direction of the supporting table.

7. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein

the carrying-in line is arranged so as to orthogonally cross the longitudinal direction at an intermediate position equally dividing the supporting table into two parts in the longitudinal direction.

8. The storage system according to claim 6, wherein

the storage area includes a plurality of the supporting tables arranged in parallel so as to form plural rows;

and

the carrying-in line and the pallet conveying line are arranged between the supporting tables forming the plural rows.

9. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein

the carrying-in lines are arranged in opposing two in a direction orthogonally crossing the longitudinal direction at an intermediate position equally dividing the supporting table into two parts in the longitudinal direction;

and

the pallet conveying line is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the supporting table between the two carrying-in lines.

10. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein

the supporting table includes a reading/writing means for reading information of an information medium attached to a pallet being to be supported thereby or writing the information in the information medium;

and

the reading/writing means updates the information of the information medium when loading information of the article which is loaded on the pallet supported by the supporting table is changed.

17. The storage system according to claim 5, wherein

the supporting table includes a reading/writing means for reading information of an information medium attached to a pallet being to be supported thereby or writing the information in the information medium;

and

the reading/writing means updates the information of the information medium when loading information of the article which is loaded on the pallet supported by the supporting table is changed.

11. A storage method for carrying in an article by a carrying-in line and transferring the article by a transfer mechanism to a storage area for storage or for carrying out the article in response to a request, comprising:

a pallet carrying-in step for carrying in a plurality of pallets supported by a supporting table arranged in the storage area defined by a transfer range of the transfer mechanism by means of a pallet conveying line;

an address-space setting step for reading information of an information medium relating to the plurality of pallets supported by the supporting table and for setting a address space corresponding to each of the pallets;

a reading step of an article for reading the information of the information medium relating to the article which has been carried in by the carrying-in line;

a carrying-in/transfer step for transferring the article to a predetermined pallet on the supporting table by the transfer mechanism on a basis of the information obtained by the reading step of an article and address-space setting step; and

an address-space updating step for updating the information relating to the address space for the pallet to which the article was transferred by the carrying-in/transfer step.

12. The storage method according to claim 11, further comprising:

a pallet carrying-out step, when a carrying-out request for an article which is stored on a predetermined pallet of the storage area is made, for carrying out the article for which the carrying-out is requested by a carrying-out means or the pallet conveying line for each pallet; and

a pallet carrying-in step for carrying in different pallets at positions of the pallets carried out by the pallet carrying-out step.

13. The storage method according to claim 11, wherein

the address-space setting step sets address spaces corresponding to a plurality of pallets on a basis of a size of the article for each pallet.

14. The storage method according to claim 11, wherein

the address-space setting step sets address spaces corresponding to a plurality of pallets in advance in accordance with assumed types of the articles.

15. The storage method according to claim 11, wherein

the address-space setting step sets an address space corresponding to each of a plurality of pallets on a basis of a type of the article which was transferred first.

16. The storage method according to claim 11, wherein

the reading step of an article is performed at a taking-out position on the carrying-in line for taking out an article by the transfer mechanism.