Material or article handling – Plural – static structures for supporting discrete loads and... – Load-underlying members
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-31
2001-05-01
Brahan, Thomas J. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Plural, static structures for supporting discrete loads and...
Load-underlying members
C414S225010, C414S940000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224313
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
present invention relates to an improved automatic warehouse.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical automatic warehouse, a pair of racks are disposed on a floor surface in a parallel at an interval, a rail is laid on the floor surface in the space between the racks, and a travelling body including a loading apparatus travels on the rail. In this configuration, however, when the racks are high, the height of a mast on the loading apparatus must be increased, resulting in unstable loading. In addition, the floor surface in the space between the racks is occupied by the rail and travelling body, preventing easy maintenance.
It is an object of the present invention to allow the space between the racks to be used easily for maintenance and to enable an article to be transferred and loaded appropriately between the travelling body and racks.
It is an additional object of the present invention to further stabilize the elevation and lowering by means of the elevating rail.
It is an additional object of the present invention to enable an article to be loaded on both racks appropriately even if the space between the racks is narrower than in a conventional type.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a structure of an automatic warehouse with an increased capacity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an automatic warehouse in which a pair of opposed racks are disposed in parallel at an interval, characterized in that elevation drive sections provided near opposite ends of one of the racks support, elevate and lower an elevating rail, and in that a travelling body is provided that travels along the elevating rail to load an article on each of the racks.
Preferably, a guide member for guiding the elevation and lowering of the elevating rail is provided near the center of the rack on which the elevation drive sections are provided.
Preferably, a turntable is provided on the travelling body that has a first arm, that oscillates relative to the turntable, a second arm that oscillates in a direction opposite the oscillating direction of the first arm, and a hand member borne on the second arm by an oscillating shaft to support an article, to transfer and load an article between the travelling body and the racks.
To increase the capacity, the racks are extended at their respective end and the elevating rail protrudes from the elevation drive section toward the end of the rack.
According to the present invention, the elevation drive sections are provided near the opposite ends of one of the racks to elevate and lower the elevating rail. He travelling body travels along the elevating rail to load an article onto each of the racks. As a result, the need for the rail to be laid on the floor in the space between the racks is eliminated to allow the travelling body to pause at the upside of the elevation rail, thereby enabling the automatic warehouse to be maintained easily. Since the elevating rail is supported near both its opposite ends by the elevation drive sections, the elevating rail is supported stably and articles can be transferred and loaded appropriately compared to the transfer and loading of articles between the travelling body supported on the floor surface and on the racks via a high mast. Since the elevation drive sections in the present invention are provided on only one of the racks, the automatic warehouse can be installed easily and the space occupied by the elevation drive sections can be reduced, compared to an installation on both racks.
According to the present invention, the guide member for guiding the elevation and lowering of the elevating rail is provided near the center of the rack on which the elevation drive sections are provided. Thus, the elevating rail is supported at three points, that is, by the elevation drive sections near the opposite ends and the guide member near the center, thereby further stabilizing the elevation and lowering of the elevating rail.
According to the present invention, a turntable is provided on the travelling body and a first arm that oscillates relative to the turntable; a second arm that oscillates in a direction opposite to the oscillating direction of the first arm; ;and the hand member borne on the second arm by the oscillating shaft to support an article are provided. When the first arm is oscillated, the second arm oscillates in the opposite direction and the oscillation of the first arm causes the oscillating arm bearing the hand member to linearly move back and forth to enable an article to be transferred and loaded smoothly. In addition, since the oscillating shaft bearing the hand member can oscillate relative to the second arm, the direction of the hand member is fixed despite the oscillation of the second arm, thereby preventing the hand member from colliding against the racks.
The present invention has a structure where the capacity of the warehouse can be increased by extending the racks. The racks are preferably extended from both ends, or at least from their respective end, and the elevating rail protrudes from the elevation drive section toward the end of the rack. The extension of the racks increases the capacity, and the elevating rail can be elevated and lowered stably despite its protrusion from the elevation drive sections because it is supported at at least two points near the respective ends of the original rack. dr
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a schematic top view of an automatic warehouse according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a schematic top view of an automatic warehouse according to a variation.
FIG. 3
is a schematic side view of the automatic warehouse according to the one embodiment.
FIG. 4
is a top view of a loading apparatus in the automatic warehouse according to the one embodiment.
FIG. 5
is a top view of the loading apparatus in the automatic warehouse according to another embodiment.
FIG. 6
is a side view of the automatic warehouse according to the one embodiment.
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patent: 5466109 (1995-11-01), Iizuka
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patent: 5628604 (1997-05-01), Murata et al.
patent: 6024425 (2000-02-01), Imai et al.
patent: 92504 (1988-04-01), None
patent: 405294410 (1993-11-01), None
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Fukushima Masazumi
Shiwaku Tamotsu
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Brahan Thomas J.
Murata Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha
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