Patent ID: 8162585
Filing Date: 2012-04-24
Classification: B65G,Y10S

Abstract:
1. An article storage facility comprising: a first storage rack that includes a plurality of storage units that store articles and that are aligned in vertical and horizontal directions; a second storage rack that is spaced apart from the first storage rack such that the second storage rack faces the first storage rack, and that includes a plurality of storage units that store articles and that are aligned in the vertical and horizontal directions; a path formed between and extending along the first and second storage racks; a first rail provided in the path at a location closer to the first storage rack than to the second storage rack in a lateral direction of the path; a second rail provided in the path at a location closer to the second storage rack than to the first storage rack in the lateral direction of the path; wherein each of the first and second rails includes a top portion which generally extends in a horizontal direction and a support portion which generally extends in a vertical direction, when viewed in the lengthwise direction of the path, for supporting the respective top portion; a first article transport that includes a first vertically movable body guided by a first vertical guide extending in the vertical direction to allow the first vertically movable body to move vertically and a first transit body configured to travel on the first rail, the first vertical guide being provided in said first article transport so as to be located closer to the first storage rack than a center of the first rail, when viewed in the lengthwise direction of the path, wherein a width of the first vertical guide in the lateral direction of the path is less than a width of the top portion of the first rail in the lateral direction, wherein the first vertical movable body is when viewed in the lengthwise direction of the path, supported only by the first vertical guide and protrudes toward the second vertical guide; and a second article transport that includes a second vertically movable body guided by a second vertical guide extending in the vertical direction to allow the second vertically movable body to move vertically and a second transit body configured to move travel on the second rail, the second vertical guide being provided in said second article transport so as to be located closer to the second storage rack than a center of the second rail, when viewed in the lengthwise direction of the path, wherein a width of the second vertical guide in the lateral direction of the path is less than a width of the top portion of the second rail in the lateral direction, wherein the second vertically movable body is, when viewed in the lengthwise direction of the path, supported only by the second vertical guide and protrudes toward the first vertical guide; a controller for controlling an operation of the first article transport and the second article transport; wherein said first transit body and said second transit body are configured so as to be able to pass each other; when viewed in the lengthwise direction of the path, said first vertical guide has a first surface that opposes said second vertical guide, said second vertical guide has a second surface that opposes said first vertical guide, and a distance between the first surface and the second surface when viewed in the lengthwise direction of the path is a set distance; when the first vertically movable body is supported by the first vertical guide in an article transfer orientation for transferring one or more articles to or from one of the storage units in one of the first storage rack and the second storage rack, and the second vertically movable body is supported by the second vertical guide in its article transfer orientation, a first dimension at which the first vertically movable body protrudes with respect to the first surface of the first vertical guide is less than the set distance, and a second dimension at which the second vertically movable body protrudes with respect to the second surface of the second vertical guide is less than the set distance; and a sum of the first dimension and the second dimension is greater than the set distance, wherein a distance between the first vertically movable body and the second surface is less than the width of the top portion of the first rail in the lateral direction, wherein a distance between the second vertically movable body and the first surface is less than the width of the top portion of the first rail in the lateral direction, wherein when the first article transport is transferring an article to or from one of the plurality of storage units in the first storage rack or when the second article transport is transferring an article to or from one of the plurality of storage units in the second storage rack, the controller is configured to control the one of the first and second article transports that is not transferring the article to allow the vertically movable bodies of the respective article transports to pass each other with the vertically movable bodies being positioned in different positions in the vertical direction so as to avoid interference with each other, and wherein when the first article transport is transferring an article to or from one of the plurality of storage units in the second storage rack or when the second article transport is transferring an article to or from one of the plurality of storage units in the first storage rack, the controller is configured to issue a command to the one of the first and second article transports that is not transferring the article for preventing the article transports from passing each other.