JP-7855307-B1 - Pallet transport four-way shuttle

JP7855307B1JP 7855307 B1JP7855307 B1JP 7855307B1JP-7855307-B1

Abstract

[Problem] This invention relates to a four-way pallet transport shuttle suitable for a pallet-type automated storage warehouse where a system is in operation to automatically manage and control the storage, handling, and inbound/outbound of pallets loaded with goods. [Solution] A four-way pallet transport shuttle 1000 is provided, which is mounted on a chassis 1100 and includes a travel mechanism including lateral travel wheels 1204 and longitudinal travel wheels 1308, a lateral drive mechanism for moving the lateral travel wheels 1204, a longitudinal drive mechanism 1300 for moving the longitudinal travel wheels, a pallet platform lifting mechanism 1400 for moving a pallet platform 1500 on which pallets 4000 are loaded, and a shuttle control mechanism that operates the lateral drive mechanism, the longitudinal drive mechanism 1300, and the pallet platform lifting mechanism 1400, and also operates the pallet platform lifting mechanism 1400 with precision and efficiency in accordance with the configuration of the pallet rack. [Selection Diagram] Figure 4

Inventors

上野拓也

Assignees

トーヨーカネツ株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20250618

Claims (11)

Chassis and A running mechanism including lateral-traveling wheels and longitudinal-traveling wheels, A lateral drive mechanism that moves the lateral wheels mounted on the chassis, A longitudinal drive mechanism that moves the longitudinally traveling wheels mounted on the chassis, A pallet platform lifting mechanism is mounted on the chassis and moves the pallet platform on which pallets are loaded, A four-way pallet transport shuttle equipped with sensors, comprising a shuttle control mechanism mounted on the chassis and capable of operating the lateral drive mechanism, the vertical drive mechanism, and the pallet platform lifting mechanism, The shuttle control mechanism is characterized in that, based on the morphological information of the pallet rack acquired from the sensor, when the pallet platform lifting mechanism is operated within a specific lifting range of the pallet platform, the lifting motion of the lateral or longitudinal wheels is controlled to be linked to the lifting motion of the pallet platform.
The pallet transport four-way shuttle according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor is one or more selected from LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), millimeter-wave radar, laser scanner, camera, infrared camera, AI (Artificial Intelligence) camera, image sensor, and ultrasonic sensor.
The pallet transport four-way shuttle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the method for raising and lowering the pallet platform of the pallet platform lifting mechanism is an actuator selected from one of the following: cylinder type, cam type, ball screw type, link type, crank type, and rack and pinion type.
The pallet transport four-way shuttle according to claim 1, characterized in that the pallet platform lifting mechanism and the wheel lifting mechanism that controls the lifting motion of the lateral or longitudinal wheels are each configured to be independently drivable.
The pallet transport four-way shuttle according to claim 1, characterized in that the lateral travel wheels and the actuators related to the pallet platform lifting mechanism are connected by the lateral drive wheel connecting shaft and the lateral driven wheel connecting shaft constituting the lateral drive mechanism, and by the pallet platform fixing portion of the pallet platform support portion that supports the pallet platform.
A four-way pallet transport shuttle comprising a chassis, a running mechanism including lateral and longitudinal wheels, a lateral drive mechanism for moving the lateral wheels, a longitudinal drive mechanism for moving the longitudinal wheels, a pallet platform lifting mechanism for moving a pallet platform on which pallets are loaded, and a shuttle control mechanism capable of operating the lateral drive mechanism, the longitudinal drive mechanism, and the pallet platform lifting mechanism, A pallet rack is configured to allow the aforementioned four-way pallet transport shuttle to enter, and has support columns and pallet support beams spanning across the columns, A rail configured to allow the aforementioned longitudinally traveling wheels to make contact with the ground and travel, The system includes a sensor for acquiring structural information of the pallet rack, The shuttle control mechanism is characterized in that, based on the morphological information of the pallet rack acquired from the sensor, when the pallet platform lifting mechanism is operated within a specific lifting range of the pallet platform, the lifting motion of the lateral or longitudinal wheels is controlled to be linked to the lifting motion of the pallet platform.
The shuttle-type pallet automated warehouse according to claim 6, characterized in that a pallet is loaded onto the pallet platform of the four-way pallet transport shuttle, the pallet platform is raised to a position higher than the pallet support beam of the pallet rack, the four-way pallet transport shuttle travels along the rail, enters directly below the partition shelves of a predetermined level and row of the pallet rack, the pallet makes contact with the pallet support beam of the pallet rack, and the pallet platform is lowered to such an extent that the lateral wheels do not make contact with the rail surface, thereby completing the loading process.
The shuttle-type pallet-type automated storage warehouse according to claim 6, characterized in that the sensor is one or more selected from LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), millimeter-wave radar, laser scanner, camera, infrared camera, AI (Artificial Intelligence) camera, image sensor, and ultrasonic sensor.
The shuttle-type pallet-type automated storage warehouse according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the method for raising and lowering the pallet platform of the pallet platform lifting mechanism is an actuator selected from a cylinder type, cam type, ball screw type, link type, crank type, and rack and pinion type.
The shuttle-type pallet-type automated storage warehouse according to claim 6, characterized in that the pallet platform lifting mechanism and the wheel lifting mechanism that controls the lifting motion of the lateral or longitudinal wheels are each configured to be independently drivable.
The shuttle-type pallet-type automated warehouse according to claim 6, characterized in that the actuators relating to the lateral travel wheels and the pallet platform lifting mechanism are connected by the lateral drive wheel connecting shaft and the lateral driven wheel connecting shaft constituting the lateral drive mechanism, and by the pallet platform fixing part of the pallet platform support part that supports the pallet platform.

Description

This invention relates, for example, to a pallet transport vehicle, and more particularly to a four-way pallet transport shuttle suitable for a pallet-type automated storage warehouse where a system for automatically managing and controlling the storage, warehousing, and inbound/outbound movement of pallet units loaded with goods is in operation. In large-scale logistics centers, automated warehouses (S/RS) that manage the storage, warehousing, and inbound/outbound movement of goods using computer-controlled automated warehouse systems are becoming common (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). Such automated warehouses are broadly classified into pallet type and case type based on the storage method of goods and cargo (hereinafter referred to as "goods") in the distribution process (for example, Non-Patent Document 2). The former is a warehouse that stores goods in pallet units, where containers or cardboard boxes containing goods are stacked. The latter is a warehouse that stores goods in case units, such as containers or cardboard boxes containing goods. Conventionally, regardless of the method of storing goods in the goods storage facility, the mainstream method for loading and unloading pallets or cases into and out of the storage shelves has been to use a stacker crane equipped with a traveling mechanism that moves vertically and horizontally on guide rails, and a lifting mechanism that has both a goods placement function and a goods transfer function (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). This is because, with a stacker crane, if storage shelves consisting of partitioned shelves with predetermined widths, heights, and depths are arranged on both sides of its traveling space, one SRM can access all partitioned shelves with specified locations for two rows of storage shelves, and it has the advantage of simple operation. However, the significant advantage of this stacker crane type automated warehouse—that a single stacker crane can access all the storage shelves in the two rows of shelves arranged on either side of its travel space—conversely presents a disadvantage: if the number of storage shelves to be accessed becomes excessive, the work efficiency of a single stacker crane decreases. This demonstrates the limitations of the processing capacity of stacker crane type automated warehouses. As a result of the dramatic increase in e-commerce (EC), the use of online retail businesses, there has been a growing demand for automated storage and warehousing systems with extremely high loading and unloading capacity per unit of time. This has led to numerous instances where the advantages of stacker crane-type automated storage and warehousing systems have become apparent as disadvantages. Therefore, improving the efficiency and rationalization of automated storage and warehousing systems has become an urgent issue, and development of shuttle-type automated storage and warehousing systems, which are considered to have high processing capacity, has progressed. First, regarding case-type automated storage warehouses, a shuttle-type item transport system has been developed that has the function of loading and transporting items in each row and tier, as well as the function of transferring items to partitioned shelves, thereby enabling access to partitioned shelves at all locations on each tier of the storage shelves. Furthermore, for the transport of items in the vertical direction, elevators or lifters are provided to enable access to partitioned shelves at all locations on each row, row, and tier of the storage shelves (for example, Patent Documents 3 and 4). A typical case-type automated storage warehouse of this system has the following configuration: Storage shelves, consisting of grid-like partitioned shelves that allow locations to be identified between the longitudinal (Y-axis, row) direction and the vertical (Z-axis, tier) direction, are installed facing each other with a predetermined space in the vertical (X-axis, column) direction of the YZ plane. The side of the opposing storage shelves with space serves as the item loading/unloading surface, and guide rails are attached at predetermined positions on this item loading/unloading surface, allowing the item transport shuttle to travel in the Y-axis direction, thus forming an item storage block. Multiple of these item storage blocks are arranged adjacently in the X-axis direction at the back of their storage shelves. Elevators equipped with item loading/unloading platforms for item transport in the Z-axis direction are attached to predetermined positions adjacent to the guide rails at the ends of these item storage blocks and/or within them, forming an item storage zone, which is a single unit for storing items. The item transport shuttle has an arm controlled by an actuator capable of horizontally transferring items in the X-axis direction. It travels along guide rails positioned in the Y-axis direction of the storage shelves, traversing the space fo