In-building storage apparatus and method of taking article out of the same

An in-building storage apparatus comprising:

• a guide rail mounted in a storage space in which articles are to be stored, and making slidal movement in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which main rails extend;
• a platform car including a travelling section through which the platform car runs on the guide rail, and a lifting/lowering section which lifts or lowers an article;
• suspenders each of which suspends an article at such a height that the platform car can pass below articles held by the suspenders at a storage position;
• and
• a control unit having functions of causing the guide rail to make slidal movement, causing the platform car to move along the guide rail, causing the lifting/lowering section to lift or lower for taking a target article out of the suspenders, and causing a target article to be suspended by the suspenders.

A method of taking an article out of an in-building storage apparatus including a guide rail, a platform car, and suspenders,

• wherein each of the suspenders suspends an article at such a height that the platform car for carrying an article can pass below articles,
• the guide rail is disposed below a storage space in which the suspenders are disposed, and make slidal movement in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which main rails extend,
• the platform car includes a travelling section through which the platform car runs on the guide rail, and a lifting/lowering section which lifts or lowers an article,
• the method comprising the steps of:
• causing the platform car to pass below other articles to move from an initial position to a target position, that is, a position situated below a target article by moving the platform to a position situated below the target article while the guide rail are being moved to a position situated below the target article;
• lifting the platform car for taking the target article out of the suspenders;
• and
• moving the platform car and causing the guide rail to make slidal movement for causing the platform car to leave the suspenders out of which the target article was taken and further for heading the platform car to an exit.