JP2009007100A - Article processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article processing system capable of extremely efficiently operating a plurality of article processing parts. <P>SOLUTION: This article processing system is constituted so that a carrier 7 existing in a traveling passage arranged to a plurality of respective article processing parts 1a and 1b, is constituted to be movable to the traveling passage in the other article processing part via a passage changing relay part TR, and an operation control means H is freely changed to ordinary operation for controlling operation of the carrier for carrying an article between a carrying-in-and-out conveyor 4 and inlet-outlet ports 13 and 14 in the article processing part provided with the carrier, and passage switching operation for controlling the operation of the carrier for carrying the article between the inlet-outlet ports in the article processing part provided with the carrier and the carrying-in-and-out conveyor in the other article processing part or carrying the article between the carrying-in-and-out conveyor in the article processing part provided with the carrier and the inlet-outlet ports in the other article processing part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides a plurality of article processing units including a transport vehicle that travels along a travel route between a conveyor for loading / unloading articles and a loading / unloading port of an automatic warehouse and conveys articles. The present invention relates to an installed article processing system.

  The above article processing system transports articles with a transport vehicle between the carry-in / out conveyor and the warehouse's entrance / exit, while receiving the articles carried from the outside into the automated warehouse and storing them in the automated warehouse. The article being carried out is carried out to the outside (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Incidentally, although not described in Patent Document 1, in the case of the article processing system as described above, a plurality of the article processing units are often provided. In the case where a plurality of article processing units are provided, conventionally, the traveling routes in the respective article processing units are provided independently of each other, and the conveyance provided in each of the plurality of article processing units. An operation control means for managing the operation of the car is arranged in each of the plurality of article processing units so as to convey the articles between the carry-in / out conveyor and the loading / unloading port of the article processing unit in which the transport vehicle is arranged. The operation of the transported vehicle was controlled separately for each article processing unit.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-181588 (FIG. 1)

However, in the conventional configuration, the transport vehicle disposed in each of the plurality of article processing units transfers the article between the carry-in / out conveyor and the loading / unloading port of the article processing unit in which the conveyance vehicle is disposed. Since it is transported, there are the following disadvantages.
That is, when an abnormality occurs in the carry-in / out conveyor or the loading / unloading port in any of the plurality of article processing units, the article can be carried in or out by the carry-in / out conveyor in the article processing unit. In some cases, it may not be possible to enter the automatic warehouse or take out from the automatic warehouse in the article processing unit. In such a case, even if the article can be carried in from the outside, the article cannot be received into the automatic warehouse, or Even if an article can be delivered from an automatic warehouse, the article cannot be carried out to the outside, so the article processing section where the abnormality has occurred cannot process the article, and only the other article processing section where no abnormality has occurred Since the article processing has to be performed, the article processing capability in the article processing system is reduced.

  In addition, when an abnormality occurs in the article transporting means for loading / unloading such as a stacker crane provided in the automatic warehouse in any one of the plurality of article processing units, goods are loaded / unloaded with respect to the automatic warehouse. In the same way, the article processing section where the abnormality has occurred cannot process the article, and the article processing must be performed only by another article processing section where the abnormality has not occurred. The article handling capacity in the system is reduced.

  Furthermore, when distributing and storing a specific article in an automatic warehouse of a plurality of article processing units, the specific article must be carried separately by a carry-in / out conveyor in each article processing unit. There is a risk of temporarily reducing the article processing capability in the article processing system due to the time taken to carry in the specific article.

  As described above, in the conventional configuration, since the plurality of article processing units are operated separately, there is a disadvantage that the plurality of article processing units may not be operated efficiently.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an article processing system capable of operating a plurality of article processing units as efficiently as possible.

In order to achieve this object, an article processing system according to the present invention includes:
A plurality of article processing units equipped with a transport vehicle that travels along a traveling route between a conveyor for loading / unloading articles and a loading / unloading port of an automatic warehouse and conveys articles. The first characteristic configuration is
The transport vehicle existing on the travel route disposed for each of the plurality of article processing units is configured to be able to move to the travel route in another article processing unit through the route change relay unit,
Operation control means for managing the operation of the transport vehicle disposed in each of the plurality of article processing units,
In order to convey the article between the loading / unloading conveyor and the loading / unloading port for the article processing unit in which the conveyance vehicle disposed in each of the plurality of article processing units is disposed, The normal operation for controlling the operation of the transporting vehicle, and the loading / unloading port and other articles for the transporting vehicle disposed in each of the plurality of article processing units. The article is transported to or from the conveyor for loading / unloading of the processing unit, or between the loading / unloading conveyor for the article processing unit in which the article is disposed and the loading / unloading port of the other article processing unit. Therefore, in order to transport the article, it can be changed to a path switching operation for controlling the operation of the transport vehicle.

  That is, the transport vehicle is configured to be able to move to a travel route in another article processing unit through the route change relay unit, and the operation control means is configured to be freely changeable between a normal operation and a route switching operation. The operation state of the control means is changed from the normal operation to the route switching operation, and the transport vehicle is arranged so as to move to the travel route in another article processing unit through the route change relay unit. Conveys articles between the loading / unloading port for the article processing unit and the carry-in / out conveyor for the other article processing unit, or the carry-in / conveyor and the like for the article processing unit in which the article processing unit is disposed Articles can be transported to / from the entrance / exit for the article processing unit.

  Therefore, in each article processing unit, a normal operation is performed when no abnormality occurs in each article processing unit, and a path switching operation is performed when an abnormality occurs in any article processing unit. By switching the operation state of the operation control means according to the presence or absence of occurrence of abnormality, when an abnormality occurs in the carry-in / out conveyor in a specific article processing unit, it is not possible to carry in / out the article with respect to the article processing unit, Even if an abnormality occurs at the entrance / exit of an automatic warehouse in a specific article processing unit and goods cannot be entered / exited for that article processing unit, the conveyor for loading / unloading of other article processing units and the entry / exit port are used. Thus, it is possible to carry in / out articles and store / unload articles with respect to the article processing unit in which an abnormality has occurred.

  That is, when an abnormality occurs in any of the article processing units, a path switching operation is performed, and an article to be processed in the article processing unit in which the abnormality has occurred is changed to a carry-in / out conveyor in another article processing unit, Processing can be performed while substituting the entrance / exit of the automatic warehouse, and it is possible to avoid the function of the article processing unit in which an abnormality has occurred and to maintain the processing capacity of the article processing system as much as possible.

  As described above, according to the first characteristic configuration of the present invention, an article processing system capable of operating a plurality of article processing units as efficiently as possible has been obtained.

  According to a second characteristic configuration of the article processing system of the present invention, in the first characteristic configuration, a manual input unit is provided for instructing a command to switch the operation control unit to the normal operation and the path switching operation. It is in.

  That is, the manual input means can command the operation control means to switch from the normal operation to the path switching operation, so that the operator should switch the operation control means from the normal operation to the path switching operation. When the determination is made, the operation control means can be switched to the path switching operation by commanding the manual input means. When the operator determines that the operation control means should be switched from the path switching operation to the normal operation, the operation control means can be switched to the path switching operation by commanding the manual input means.

  As described above, according to the second characteristic configuration of the present invention, an article processing system capable of switching the operation state of the operation control means between the normal operation and the path switching operation as required is obtained.

  The third feature configuration of the article processing system according to the present invention is the first or second feature configuration, comprising: an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality of the carry-in / out conveyor in the article processing unit; and an abnormality detection unit thereof An alarm means for alarming when an abnormality is detected is provided.

  That is, the abnormality detection unit can detect an abnormality of the carry-in / out conveyor in the article processing unit, and when the abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality, the alarm unit can issue an alarm.

  Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the carry-in / out conveyor in the article processing unit, the operator can recognize the occurrence of the abnormality by the alarm operation of the alarm means, and can take measures against the abnormality that occurred early. Become.

  As described above, according to the third characteristic configuration of the present invention, an article processing system capable of quickly taking measures when an abnormality occurs has been obtained.

  According to a fourth feature configuration of the article processing system of the present invention, in the first feature configuration, the operation control unit distributes and stores the information on a carry-in / out conveyor of a specific article processing unit among the plurality of article processing units. When a specific article to be loaded is loaded, the specific article is distributed and conveyed to the loading / unloading port in the article processing unit where the conveyor for loading / unloading is arranged and the loading / unloading port in another article processing unit. Accordingly, the route switching operation is performed.

  That is, the operation control means performs a path switching operation when a specific article to be distributed and stored in an automatic warehouse in a plurality of article processing units is loaded on the carry-in / out conveyor of the specific article processing unit. The specific article is distributed and conveyed to the loading / unloading port in the article processing unit in which the carry-in / out conveyor is disposed and to the loading / unloading port in the other article processing unit.

  Therefore, a specific article can be brought into a carry-in / out conveyor for a certain article processing unit without bothering and carrying the specific article into a carry-in / out conveyor of a plurality of article processing units. Can be distributed and stored in automatic warehouses in a plurality of article processing units. It is easy to simply carry the article into the conveyor.

  As described above, according to the fourth characteristic configuration of the present invention, an article processing system capable of distributing and storing a specific article in each automatic warehouse in a plurality of article processing units by a simple carrying-in operation has been obtained.

  According to a fifth characteristic configuration of the article processing system of the present invention, in the first characteristic configuration, the operation control unit manages an article storage rate of the automatic warehouse in the plurality of article processing units, and the articles in the automatic warehouse The path switching operation is performed in order to suppress the uneven storage rate.

  That is, the operation control means manages the article storage rate for the automatic warehouse in the plurality of article processing units, and performs the path switching operation to suppress the bias in the article storage rate in the automatic warehouse. Articles can be stored uniformly in each automatic warehouse.

  Further, since the operation control means performs the path switching operation to suppress the deviation of the article storage rate in the automatic warehouse, when the automatic warehouse in the plurality of article processing units has the same storage capacity, The free space of the automatic warehouse in each of the article processing units can be made equal.

  Therefore, for example, when it is necessary to concentrate or eject a large amount of articles at a time, approximately the same number of articles are unloaded from each of the plurality of article processing units, or each of the plurality of article processing units. As compared with the case where approximately the same number of articles are carried in, and the total number of articles to be processed is processed by one article processing unit, the time required for article processing can be shortened.

  Thus, according to the fifth feature configuration of the present invention, the processing load in the article processing system is distributed to a plurality of article processing units and processed in parallel, thereby reducing the processing time of the entire article processing system. It came to obtain the article processing system which can do.

  According to a sixth feature configuration of the article processing system of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth feature configurations, the transport vehicle travels while being guided by a guide rail provided along the travel route. And is arranged in the route changing relay unit so as to move the vehicle body between the traveling route of the article processing unit in which it is disposed and the traveling route of another article processing unit. By being moved by the vehicle body moving means, it is configured to be able to move between the traveling route of the article processing unit on which it is disposed and the traveling route of the other article processing unit.

  In other words, if the transport vehicle is guided by a guide rail provided along the travel route, the transport vehicle can be operated based on the target position information and the like without having a steering means for autonomous travel. It can be controlled, and the configuration of the transport vehicle can be simplified.

  The transport vehicle that is guided by the guide rail travels to change the route so that the vehicle moves between the travel route of the article processing unit in which the transport vehicle is disposed and the travel route of the other product processing unit. By being moved by the vehicle body moving means arranged in the section, it is possible to move between the traveling route of the article processing section where it is disposed and the traveling path of the other article processing section.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a means for moving the vehicle body between the travel route of the article processing unit where the transport vehicle is disposed and the travel route of the other article processing unit. Since the configuration of the transport vehicle does not become complicated, it is possible to move between the travel routes with a simple configuration that travels while being guided by the guide rail.

  Thus, according to the sixth characteristic configuration of the present invention, the configuration of the transport vehicle is simplified, and an article processing stem that is advantageous in terms of cost and manufacturing is obtained.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an article processing system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, a distribution warehouse SU as an article processing system is provided with a pair of automatic warehouse facilities 1 as article processing units. One automatic warehouse facility 1 (hereinafter referred to as the first automatic warehouse facility 1a) is located at a position adjacent to the platform 2 on which the truck for landing goods is provided, and the other automatic warehouse facility 1 (hereinafter referred to as the automatic warehouse facility 1). The second automatic warehouse facility 1b) is provided at a position adjacent to the first automatic warehouse facility 1a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first automatic warehouse facility 1 a includes an automatic warehouse 3 for storing articles provided with a stacker crane 11, and an article to be carried into the automatic warehouse facility 1 a from the outside via the platform 2. A plurality of loading / unloading conveyors 4 for conveying unloading articles carried out from the automatic warehouse facility 1 a via the platform 2, and an annular shape extending between the loading / unloading conveyors 4 and the loading / unloading port 5 of the automatic warehouse 3. A pair of guide rails 6 provided along the first travel route L1, and travels clockwise along the first travel route L1 while being guided by the guide rails 6, and the article A (actually, the pallet P and the load placed thereon). The necessary number of packages W or the pallet P) is taken out from the plurality of transport vehicles 7 and the plurality of packages constituting the load W of the article A transported by the transport vehicle. It is provided with a plurality of picking locations 8 or the like for Tsumeawaseru picking work in the container boxes and cardboard cases for unloading the Luo package.

  The automatic warehouse 3 is provided with a plurality of storage shelves 10 in which a plurality of storage units 9 that store articles A are arranged side by side. The storage shelves 10 are arranged in a plurality of pairs so that the article loading / unloading ports in the storage unit 9 face each other, and the stacker crane 11 travels between each pair of storage shelves 10. A traveling rail 12 for traveling and guiding the stacker crane 11 is laid on the floor side of the traveling space.

  Incidentally, in this embodiment, three to six storage shelves 10 are installed, and three stacker cranes 11 travel while being guided by the travel rails 12 through the travel space corresponding to each pair of storage shelves 10. It is provided movably.

  A loading / unloading conveyor 13 and a loading / unloading conveyor 14 are provided at the loading / unloading port 5 of the automatic warehouse 3. If explanation is added, both the entrance conveyor 13 and the exit conveyor 14 are comprised by the roller conveyor, and are installed between the guide rail 6 and the edge part by the side of the said guide rail 6 of the storage shelf 10. FIG. . Then, the article A placed on the transport surface by the rotational drive of the conveyor motor (not shown) is transported in the transport direction set for each conveyor.

  An entrance / exit controller H <b> 1 is installed in the vicinity of the end of each traveling rail 12 on the guide rail 6 side. The entry / exit controller H1 is connected so as to be communicable with a management control device H (to be described later) (see FIG. 6). Based on the entry / exit command commanded by the management control device H, the corresponding stacker crane 11, the receipt conveyor 13 and The operation of the delivery conveyor 14 is controlled.

  The warehousing conveyor 13 conveys the article A placed at the warehousing transfer start position 13 s to the warehousing conveyance end position 13 e by the conveyance vehicle 7 that stops at the corresponding stop position. Then, the article A conveyed to the warehousing conveyance end position 13e is transferred by the stacker crane 11 and stored in the storage unit 9 of the storage shelf 10. Further, the unloading conveyor 14 conveys the article A placed at the unloading transfer start position 14s by the stacker crane 11 to the unloading transfer end position 14e. Then, the article A transported to the unloading conveyance end position 14e is transferred by the transport vehicle 7 stopped at the stop position corresponding to the unloading conveyor 14, and is transported to the position where the unloading / incoming conveyor 4 is located.

  The carry-in / out conveyor 4 is configured by a roller conveyor, and is configured to be switchable independently of the other carry-in / out conveyors 4 in the carrying direction between the carrying-in conveyance direction and the carrying-out conveyance direction. A carry-in / out controller H <b> 2 that collectively controls the conveying operations of the plurality of carry-in / out conveyors 4 is provided.

  The carry-in / out controller H2 is communicably connected to the management control device H (see FIG. 6), and based on the carry-in / out command instructed by the management control device H, the conveyance direction for each of the plurality of carry-in / out conveyors 4 And the start and stop of the transfer operation are controlled. Specifically, when the management control device H instructs the carry-in / out controller H2 to carry out a carry-in / fill-in command including the conveyance direction information of each carry-in / out conveyor 4 according to the number of carry-out articles and carry-in articles, the carry-in / out controller H2 The incoming conveyor 4 is configured to be transported in the commanded transport direction.

  At the end of the carry-in / out conveyor 4 on the guide rail 6 side, the article A is transferred to / from the transport vehicle 7 that stops at the stop position corresponding to the carry-in / out conveyor 4, and the platform 2 of the carry-in / out conveyor 4. At the side end, the article A is transferred to and from a forklift or the like.

  The alarm rotary lamp 21 is connected to the carry-in / out controller H2 (see FIG. 6). The carry-in / out controller H2 monitors whether or not each of the plurality of carry-in / out conveyors 4 is performing a transport operation according to the control command, and detects a carry-in / out conveyor 4 that is not performing the transport operation according to the control command. Is configured to stop the operation of the carry-in / out conveyor 4 and to operate the rotating lamp 21 to warn the worker of the occurrence of the abnormality, assuming that an abnormality has occurred in the carry-in / out conveyor 4. .

  That is, the carry-in / out controller H2 functions as an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality in the carry-in / out conveyor 4, and the rotating lamp 21 is an alarm means for alarming when an abnormality is detected by the carry-in / out controller H2. Is functioning as

  Each picking point 8 is provided with a U-shaped conveyor 15 configured by combining three one-way linear conveyors. The U-shaped conveyor 15 is configured to be able to command the start and stop of the transport operation by manual operation.

  The picking work at the picking location 8 will be described. A picking worker located on the opposite side of the guide rail 6 with respect to the U-shaped conveyor 15 is delivered from the automatic warehouse 3 and conveyed by the conveyor 7 with the U-shaped conveyor 15. The conveyance operation of the U-shaped conveyor 15 is started and stopped in order to position the article A conveyed to the entrance 15s at a position where the picking work can be easily performed. Then, a specified quantity of picking target articles indicated on the picking slip are taken out from the article A on the U-shaped conveyor 15 and packed in a container box or a cardboard case for carrying on the pallet P, and the article A is placed in a U-shape. The conveyance operation of the U-shaped conveyor 15 is restarted and stopped so as to be positioned at the conveyance outlet 15e of the conveyor 15. After that, the article A is transported to the position corresponding to the warehousing conveyor 13 at the loading / unloading port 5 of the automatic warehouse 3 by the transport vehicle 7 and stored in the automatic warehouse 3.

  Note that the picking target article at the picking location 8 may be a single product or a plurality of products. That is, the picking slip in the above picking work may indicate each specified quantity for a plurality of types of picking target articles. In this case, the plurality of types of articles A are sequentially U-shaped on the transport vehicle 7. It is conveyed to the conveyance inlet 15s of the conveyor 15, and a plurality of types of articles A are packed in a container box or cardboard case for carrying out.

  The container box and the cardboard case for unloading in which all the objects to be picked indicated in the picking slip at the picking point 8 are packed are placed on the pallet P by the unloading conveyor 16 to the vicinity of the unloading / conveying conveyor 4 The pallet P is transferred by a forklift or the like and conveyed to the platform 2 in the same manner as the article A conveyed and carried out by the carry-in / out conveyor 4.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the transport vehicle 7 includes a traveling wheel 18 provided below the vehicle body 17 and guided by the traveling rail 6, and a transfer conveyor 19 provided on the upper surface of the vehicle body 17. Yes. The transfer conveyor 19 is configured to be able to switch the conveyance direction so that the article A placed on the transfer conveyor 19 can be drawn or pushed out in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the conveyance vehicle 7.

  The height of the transfer surface of the transfer conveyor 19 from the floor surface is as follows: the carry-in / out conveyor 4, the U-shaped conveyor 15 at the picking location 8, and the loading conveyor 13 and the loading conveyor 14 at the loading / unloading port 5. The height is substantially the same as the conveyor surface of the conveyor, and the transfer conveyor 19 and each conveyor are in a state in which the transport vehicle 7 is stopped at the article transfer stop position set corresponding to each conveyor. The article A can be transferred between the two.

  The configuration of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b is substantially the same as that of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a except that the positional relationship between the automatic warehouse 3 and the guide rail 6 and the number of picking locations 8 are different. To do.

  And the management control apparatus H as an operation control means which manages the driving | operation of each conveyance vehicle 7 is located between the guide rail 6 of the 1st automatic warehouse equipment 1a, and the guide rail 6 of the 2nd automatic warehouse equipment 1b. It is provided in the place.

  The management control device H commands a driving command to each transport vehicle 7 with a radio signal, and based on this driving command, an in-vehicle controller mounted on each transport vehicle 7 controls the driving wheels 18d of the transport vehicle 7. The drive and the transfer operation of the transfer conveyor 19 are controlled.

  The distribution warehouse SU is configured such that the transport vehicles 7 existing on the first traveling route L1 and the second traveling route L2 arranged for the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b change the route. It is configured to be able to move to a traveling route in the automatic warehouse facility on the opposite side through the traverser unit TR as the relay unit for use.

  The traverser unit TR will be described as a vehicle body moving means for moving the vehicle body of the transport vehicle 7 between the first travel route L1 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second travel route L2 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. The traverser 23 is provided on the floor.

  When the transport vehicle 7 is moved by a traverser 23 as a vehicle body moving means provided in the traverser unit TR, the automatic warehouse facility 1 (for example, the first automatic warehouse facility 1a) in which the transport vehicle 7 is disposed. The travel route (in the previous example, the first travel route L1) and the other automatic warehouse facility 1 (in the previous example, the second automatic warehouse facility 1b) travel route (in the previous example, The vehicle body is moved between the two travel routes L2).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the traverser 23 includes a first path shifter 24, a second path shifter 26, and a slide turntable 25. Each of these includes a base 30 embedded in a correspondingly formed pit 27 formed on the floor surface, and a slide moving mechanism that slides the base 30 in the left-right direction in FIG. .

  Each base 30 of the first path shifter 24, the second path shifter 26, and the slide turntable 25 is provided with a pair of movement guide rails 36 having a length approximately equal to the length of the transport vehicle 7. With the vehicle 7 stopped on the base 30, the transport vehicle 7 can be moved in the left-right direction on the paper surface of FIG. 4. The base 30 of the slide turntable 25 is provided with a turntable 35 so that the direction of the transport vehicle 7 can be rotated 180 degrees. That is, the slide turntable 25 can turn the transport vehicle 7 in the opposite direction in the front-rear direction while sliding the transport vehicle 7 in the lateral direction.

  The floor located between the pit 27a of the first path shifter 24 and the pit 27b of the slide turntable 25 guides the travel of the transport vehicle 7 when connecting the first path shifter 24 and the slide turntable 25. The first path-side connecting rail 37 is located between the pit 27c of the second path shifter 26 and the pit 27b of the slide turntable 25. The second path shifter 26 and the slide turn A second path-side connecting rail 38 that guides the travel of the transport vehicle 7 when connecting to the table 25 is provided. Each pit 27 is provided with a slide guide rail 40 that is aligned with a guide groove (not shown) formed on the back surface of the base 30 along the left and right slide path of the base 30.

  Taking the first path shifter 24 as an example, a description will be given of a slide moving mechanism that slides the base 30 left and right. As shown in FIG. 5, the slide moving mechanism includes a rack 28 provided on the bottom surface of the pit 27, a pinion gear 29 that meshes with the rack 28, a drive motor 31 provided on the base 30, and a base Detecting the right position of the base 30 by detecting the right end of the paper 30 and detecting the normal position optical sensor 32 as a normal position detecting means for detecting that the base 30 is positioned at the normal position. And the switching position optical sensor 33 as a switching position detecting means for detecting that the base 30 is located at the switching position, and the management control apparatus H are communicably connected (see FIG. 6). And a slide controller H3 for controlling the driving of the drive motor 31 based on the slide command to be performed.

  When a slide command is commanded from the management control device H to the slide controller H3, the slide controller H3 starts driving the drive motor 31, and the normal position light sensor 32 is positioned at the base position 30. If the switching position optical sensor 33 detects that the base 30 is located at the switching position, the slide controller H3 stops driving the driving motor 31.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the normal position of the first route shifter 24 with respect to the base 30 is the inner side of the annular first traveling route L1, and the outer side moving guide rail in the base 30 in a state of being inward. The position of the base 30 when 36a is positioned on the first travel route L1 is assumed, and the switching position of the base 30 of the first route shifter 24 is outward in the inner and outer directions of the annular first travel route L1. In the state where it approached, the position of the base 30 when the inner side movement guide rail 36b in the base 30 is located in the 1st driving | running route L1 shall be said. When the base 30 of the first path shifter 24 is positioned at the switching position, the outer side movement guide rail 36a of the base 30 and the first path-side transfer rail 37 are positioned on the same straight line. It has become.

  The same applies to the normal position and the switching position of the base 30 of the second path shifter 25. The normal position and the switching position of the base 30 of the slide turntable 25 are the positions shown in FIG. 4, that is, the movement guide rail 36 of the slide turntable 25 and the first path-side connecting rail 37. A position located on the same straight line is a normal position, and a position where the movement guide rail 36 of the slide turntable 25 and the second path side connecting rail 38 are located on the same straight line is a switching position.

  The slide commands commanded by the management control device H include a switching slide command and a return slide command. When the switching slide command is commanded to the slide controller H3 of the first path shifter 24, the slide controller H3 In order to position the base 30 of the path shifter 24 at the switching position, and when a return slide command is instructed, the slide controller H3 positions the base 30 of the first path shifter 24 at the normal position. Based on the detection information of the normal position light sensor 32 and the switching position light sensor 33, the operation of the drive motor 31 is controlled.

  Therefore, when the switching slide command is instructed, the first path shifter 24 is in a position at the switching position, and when the return slide command is instructed, the first path shifter 24 is in the normal position (see FIG. 4). The same applies when a switching slide command and a return slide command are commanded to the slide controller H3 of the second path shifter 26.

  When a switching slide command is commanded to the slide controller H3 of the slide turntable 25, the base 30 of the slide turntable 25 is in a switching position, and when a return slide command is commanded, the slide turntable The 25 bases 30 are in a state (state shown in FIG. 4) located at the normal position.

  The second automatic warehouse facility 1b has the same configuration as the first automatic warehouse facility 1a. As shown in FIG. 6, the management control device H includes the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility. Each controller of 1b is connected so that communication is possible.

  The management control device H is arranged between the loading / unloading conveyor 4 and the loading / unloading port 5 for the automatic warehouse facility 1 in which the transport vehicle 7 disposed in each of the plurality of automatic warehouse facilities 1 is disposed. Normal operation for controlling the operation of the conveyance vehicle 7 to convey the article A, and the automatic warehouse facility 1 in which the conveyance vehicle 7 disposed in each of the plurality of automatic warehouse facilities 1 is disposed. The article A is transported between the loading / unloading port 5 and the loading / unloading conveyor 4 for the other automatic warehouse equipment 1, or the loading / unloading conveyor 4 and other automatics for the automatic warehouse equipment 1 in which the article A is disposed. It is configured to be changeable to a path switching operation for controlling the operation of the transport vehicle 7 so as to transport the article A between the warehouse facility 1 and the entrance / exit 5.

  If it adds explanation, management control device H will carry out conveyance vehicles 7 arranged in the 1st automatic warehouse equipment 1a with carrying-in / out conveyor 4 and entrance / exit 5 about 1st automatic warehouse equipment 1a in normal operation. In order to convey the article A between the two, the conveyance vehicle 7 disposed in the second automatic warehouse equipment 1b is moved between the carry-in / out conveyor 4 and the entrance / exit 5 for the second automatic warehouse equipment 1b. To control the operation of the transport vehicle 7.

  That is, in normal operation, the vehicle body is not moved between the first travel route L1 and the second travel route L2, and each transport vehicle 7 travels along the travel route on which it is disposed. Thus, the article A is conveyed between the loading / unloading conveyor 4 and the loading / unloading port 5 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and between the loading / unloading conveyor 4 and the loading / unloading port 5 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. .

  On the other hand, in the route switching operation, the management control device H moves the transport vehicle 7 disposed in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a to the loading / unloading port 5 for the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. The article A is conveyed between the carry-in / out conveyor 4 or the article A is conveyed between the carry-in / out conveyor 4 for the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the loading / unloading port 5 for the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. Therefore, the operation of the transport vehicle 7 is controlled.

  That is, in the route switching operation, the vehicle body is moved between the first travel route L1 and the second travel route L2 as necessary, and each transport vehicle 7 is moved from the first travel route L1 to the second travel route. By moving to the L2 or from the second travel route L2 to the first travel route L1, the goods between the loading / unloading port 5 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b A is conveyed, and the article A is conveyed between the loading / unloading port 5 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b and the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the management control device H is provided with an operation changeover switch 20 as manual input means for instructing a command to switch between normal operation and path switching operation. The operation changeover switch 20 is configured by a toggle switch that can be switched between a normal operation command state for instructing normal operation and a switching operation command state for instructing path switching operation.

  When the management control device H is operating in a normal operation, when any abnormality occurs in the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, or the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. When an abnormality occurs in any of the above, the operator who recognizes the abnormality by the alarm operation of the rotating lamp 21 of the corresponding automatic warehouse equipment 1 switches the operation changeover switch 20 to change to the switching operation command state. By operating H in the path switching operation, the article processing capacity of the distribution warehouse SU can be maintained as much as possible.

  For example, when an abnormality occurs in a part or all of the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, the operation switch 20 is switched to operate the management control device H in the path switching operation. As a result, the article A delivered from the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is transferred to the first traveling route L1, the traverser 23, and the second by the transport vehicle A disposed in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a. The second normal operation is carried out in place of the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a which has been transported to the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b via the travel route L2. The article A can be carried out by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the automatic warehouse facility 1b, so that the article A unloaded from the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is transferred into the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. At It can be out.

  Further, instead of the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a in which an abnormality has occurred, the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is moved by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b operating normally. The article A to be received is carried in, and the transport vehicle A arranged in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is transferred to the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b via the traverser 23 and the second travel route L2. And transport the article A to the warehousing conveyor 13 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a via the second traveling route L2, the traverser 23, and the first traveling route L1. Therefore, the article A carried in by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b can be loaded into the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a.

  Further, when an abnormality occurs in a part or all of the incoming conveyor 13 in the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, the operation control switch H is operated to operate the management control device H in the path switching operation. In the transport vehicle A arranged in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, from the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a via the first travel route L1, the traverser 23, and the second travel route L2. Thus, the article A that has been carried by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a can be transferred to the warehouse 13 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. Can be received.

  Further, when an abnormality occurs in a part or all of the delivery conveyor 14 in the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, the operation control switch H is switched to operate the management control device H in the path switching operation. The transport vehicle A disposed in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is caused to travel to the delivery conveyor 14 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b via the traverser 23 and the second travel route L2, and the second automatic warehouse. The article A is unloaded from the automatic warehouse 3 of the facility 1b, and the article A is transferred to the first automatic warehouse facility 1a via the second traveling route L2, the traverser 23, and the first traveling route L1 by the transport vehicle 7. It is possible to carry the article A out of the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse equipment 1b on the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse equipment 1a. Kill.

  In each of the above examples, the case where an abnormality has occurred in the carry-in / out conveyor 4 or the warehousing conveyor 13 or the warehousing conveyor 14 of the first automatic warehouse equipment 1a has been described. However, the carry-in / out conveyor 4 or the warehousing conveyor 13 of the second automatic warehouse equipment 1b. Alternatively, when an abnormality occurs in the delivery conveyor 14, similarly, the operation switch 20 is switched to operate the management control device H in the path switching operation, so that the transport vehicle disposed in the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. 7 conveys the article A between the loading conveyor 13 or the unloading conveyor 14 of the second automatic warehouse facility and the loading / unloading conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, or unloading of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b The article A is transported between the entry conveyor 4 and the entry conveyor 13 or the exit conveyor 14 for the first automatic warehouse facility 1a. Controlled.

  In the following, regarding the control operation in the path switching operation of the management control device H, when an abnormality occurs in the carry-in / out conveyor 4 in the first automatic warehouse equipment 1a, the article A delivered from the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse equipment 1a Will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. 7, taking as an example the case of unloading from the second automatic warehouse facility 1b.

  In step # A1, along the first travel route L1, the transport vehicle 7 corresponds to the delivery conveyor 14 (hereinafter referred to as the target delivery conveyor 14) for the storage shelf 10 in which the articles A to be delivered this time are stored. Drive to the stop position.

  In step # A2, a delivery command is issued to the delivery controller H1 for the target delivery conveyor 14. Based on this delivery command, the entry / exit controller H1 controls the operation of the stacker crane 11 to transport the article A to the delivery start position 14s for delivery of the target delivery conveyor 14 (step # A3). Is controlled so that the article A is transported to the unloading transport end position 14e (step # A4).

  In step # A5, in a state where the transport vehicle 7 is stopped at the stop position corresponding to the target delivery conveyor 14, both the transfer conveyor 19 and the target delivery conveyor 14 of the transport vehicle 7 are transported and operated. It is assumed that the article A is placed on the machine.

  In step # A6, the transport vehicle 7 is caused to travel along the first travel route L1 to the first route shifter 24. At this time, if the first path shifter 24 is the switching position and not the normal position, a return slide command is instructed to the slide controller H3 of the first path shifter 24, and the first path shifter 24 is set to the normal position. By returning, the transport vehicle 7 can be positioned on the first path shifter 24 at the normal position. When the other base 30 in the traverser 23 is in the switching position, as in the case of the first path shifter 24, the corresponding slide controller H3 is instructed to return to the normal position. Let

  In step # A7, a switching slide command is commanded to the slide controller H3 of the first path shifter 24. Since the transport vehicle 7 is transferred from the first travel route L1 to the first route shifter 24 at the normal position in Step # A6, when the first route shifter 24 slides to the switching position, the transport vehicle 7 moves to the first travel route. In a state of being placed on the outer movement guide rail 36a in the inner and outer directions of the route L1, the state is located on the travel route corresponding to the first route side connecting rail 37.

  In Step # A8, the transport vehicle 7 is caused to travel forward and travel to the slide turntable 25 at the normal position while being guided by the first path-side connecting rail 37.

  After the transport vehicle 7 has completely transferred to the slide turntable 25, a switching slide command is commanded to the slide controller H3 of the slide turntable 25 in step # A9. As a result, the turntable 35 rotates 180 degrees clockwise while the base 30 of the slide turntable 25 moves sideways to the switching position on the second travel path L2 side, and the transport vehicle 7 moves to the second travel path L2. In a state in which the traveling direction is facing, the vehicle is positioned on the traveling path corresponding to the second path-side connecting rail 38.

  In step # A10, the transport vehicle 7 is caused to travel forward and travel to the second path shifter 26 that is in the normal position while being guided by the second path side connecting rail 38.

  In step # A11, a switching slide command is commanded to the slide controller H3 of the second path shifter 26. Since the transport vehicle 7 is transferred from the slide turntable 25 to the second path shifter 26 at the normal position in Step # A10, when the second path shifter 26 slides to the switching position, the transport vehicle 7 moves to the second travel path L2. In a state of being placed on the outer movement guide rail 36a in the inner and outer directions, the state is located on the second travel route L2.

  In step # A12, the transport vehicle 7 is caused to travel along the second travel route L2 to a stop position corresponding to the carry-in / out conveyor 4 (hereinafter referred to as the target carry-in / out conveyor 4) assigned to carry out the article A.

  In step # A13, a carry-in / out command is commanded to the carry-in / out controller H2 of the carry-in / out conveyor 4, and the target carry-in / out conveyor 4 is moved in the carrying direction for carrying out.

  In step # A14, the transfer conveyor 19 and the target loading / unloading of the transfer vehicle 7 are transported and operated while the transfer vehicle 7 is stopped at the stop position corresponding to the target load / unload conveyor 4. By both conveying operations of the conveyor 4, the article A placed on the conveyance vehicle 7 is carried out.

  As described above, even when an abnormality occurs in the carry-in / out conveyor 4 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, the management control device H is operated by the path switching operation, and the goods are discharged from the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a. By carrying out the article A from the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, the article processing capacity of the distribution warehouse SU can be maintained as much as possible.

  Moreover, the traverser unit TR is provided with a traverser 23 for moving the vehicle body of the transport vehicle 7 between the first travel route L1 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second travel route L2 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. Therefore, the management control device H can be operated in the route switching operation without providing the carriage A with a special function for changing the travel route.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the article processing system of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the configuration of the management control device H is different from that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of points that are the same as those of the first embodiment is omitted, and is different from the first embodiment. The point will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the management control device H uses the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b at the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a or the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. When a specific article A to be distributed and stored is loaded, the loading / unloading port 5 in the automatic warehouse facility 1 where the loading / unloading conveyor 4 is disposed and the loading / unloading port 5 in another automatic warehouse facility 1 are loaded. In order to distribute and convey a specific article A, a path switching operation is performed.

  In other words, if an article A is stored only in one of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, the automatic warehouse facility 1 in which the article A is stored breaks down. Has a risk that the article A stored in the automatic warehouse 3 cannot be delivered or carried out. In order to disperse this risk, the first automatic warehouse equipment 1a and the second automatic warehouse equipment are used for a specific article A. It is designed to be stored in both 1b.

  Then, after the operator operates the operation changeover switch 20 and the management control device H is switched from the normal operation to the route switching operation, the specific article A is carried in / out the conveyor 4 of any of the automatic warehouse facilities 1. When the product is carried in, the specific article A is distributed and conveyed to the loading / unloading port 5 in the automatic warehouse facility 1 where the loading / unloading conveyor 4 is arranged and the loading / unloading port 5 in the other automatic warehouse facility 1. It is like that.

  Below, the control operation | movement in the path | route switching operation of the management control apparatus H is demonstrated based on the flowchart of FIG. 8 for the case where the articles | goods A are carried in by the carrying in / out conveyor 4 in the 1st automatic warehouse equipment 1a.

  When the article A to be distributed and stored in both the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b is carried in by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, first, in step # B1, the number of carry-in is determined. The carry-in counter i for counting is reset. In Step # B2, the transport vehicle 7 disposed in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a travels to a stop position corresponding to the conveyor in which the article A is loaded among the plurality of carry-in / out conveyors 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a. Let In Step # B3, the carry-in / out conveyor 4 is carried in the carrying-in conveyance direction, and the transfer conveyor 19 of the carrying vehicle 7 is carried in the pulling-in direction to place the article A on the carrying vehicle 7. In step # B4, the value of the carry-in number counter i is referred to and it is determined whether it is an even number or an odd number.

  If the value of the carry-in counter i is an odd number, in step # B5, the transport vehicle 7 is caused to travel along the first travel route L1 to the entrance / exit 5 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, and in step # B6, the first automatic A warehouse command is commanded to the warehouse controller H1 of the warehouse facility 1a. By this warehousing instruction, the article A is pushed out from the transfer conveyor 19 of the transport vehicle 7 to the warehousing start position 13 a of the warehousing conveyor 13 and is transported to the warehousing transport end position 13 e by the warehousing conveyor 13. It is stored in a predetermined storage section 9 in the storage shelf 10.

  If the value of the carry-in / out counter i is an even number, in step # B7, using the traverser 23, the transporter 7 enters the second automatic warehouse facility 1b along the first travel route L1 and the second travel route L2. It is made to drive to the exit port 5, and an entry / exit command is commanded to the entry / exit controller H1 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b at step # B8. By this warehousing instruction, the article A is pushed from the transfer conveyor 19 of the transport vehicle 7 to the warehousing start position 13a of the warehousing conveyor 13, and is transported by the warehousing conveyor 13 to the warehousing transport end position 13e. Thus, it is stored in a predetermined storage section 9 in the storage shelf 10.

  When the article A is received in the automatic warehouse 3 in step # B6 or step # B8, the value of the carry-in number counter i is incremented in step # B9, and in step # B10, there is a command for switching to normal operation. Is determined, and if there is a switching command to normal operation, the path switching operation is terminated. If there is no command to switch to normal operation, the process returns to step # B2, and the article A that is next carried in by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 is transferred to the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse equipment 1a or the second automatic warehouse equipment 1b. Processing for entering the automatic warehouse 3 is executed.

  As described above, the odd-numbered articles A among the articles A carried in by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a are received in the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, and the even-numbered articles are stored. A is stored in the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b.

  By doing in this way, the goods A are carried out by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of one of the automatic warehouse facilities 1 without bothering the specific goods A by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of both automatic warehouse equipment 1. Can be distributed and stored in the automatic warehouse 3 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. Therefore, the specific article A can be stored in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse. Carrying in the article A for distributed storage in each automatic warehouse 3 of the facility 1b is as simple as carrying the article A into the carry-in / out conveyor 4 of any of the automatic warehouse facilities 1.

  Thus, with the article processing system of this embodiment, a specific article A can be distributed and stored in each automatic warehouse 3 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b by a simple carry-in operation. .

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the article processing system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the configuration of the management control device H is different from that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of points that are the same as those of the first embodiment is omitted, and is different from the first embodiment. The point will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the management control device H manages the article storage rate for the automatic warehouse 3 in the first article processing unit 1a and the second article processing unit 1b, and suppresses the bias of the article storage rate in these automatic warehouses. Therefore, it is configured to perform a path switching operation.

  In addition, if there is a bias in the article storage rate in the automatic warehouse, the following inconvenience occurs. For example, if the same kind of article A is stored in the automatic warehouse 3 of both the first automatic warehouse 1a and the second automatic warehouse 1b, and the storage capacities of these automatic warehouses 3 are equivalent, the first automatic warehouse 3 If the storage rate of the article A in the automatic warehouse 3 in the facility 1a is smaller than the storage ratio of the automatic warehouse 3 in the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, the article is sent in parallel from both the first automatic warehouse 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. When A is unloaded, after all the articles A in the automatic warehouse 3 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a are unloaded, the article A is unloaded from only the automatic warehouse 3 in the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. Unloading efficiency is reduced.

  Further, if the storage rate of the article A of the automatic warehouse 3 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is smaller than that of the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, the storage capacities of these automatic warehouses 3 are equal. Since the free capacity of the automatic warehouse 3 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is larger than the free capacity of the automatic warehouse 3 in the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, the article A is transferred to the first automatic warehouse 1a and the second automatic warehouse 1b. In the case of carrying in by parallel processing, after the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b reaches the storage limit, the article A is carried into only the first automatic warehouse 1a, and the carry-in efficiency decreases.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, as described above, the automatic storage 3 in the first article processing unit 1a and the second article processing unit 1b is managed to manage the article storage rate and perform the path switching operation, so that these automatic warehouses. It is possible to maintain high carry-in / out efficiency by suppressing the unevenness of the article storage rate.

  Specifically, the management control device H executes a storage rate management process during a standby period when there is no carry-in / out process in the carry-in / out conveyor 4, and an automatic warehouse in the first article processing unit 1a and the second article processing unit 1b. 3 is checked, and if there is a difference greater than the allowable value, a route switching operation is performed to correct the difference, and the automatic warehouse 3 and the second automatic in the first automatic warehouse equipment 1a The article A is transferred to and from the automatic warehouse 3 of the warehouse facility 1b.

  Hereinafter, the control operation in the storage rate management process of the management control device H will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10. For easy understanding, it is assumed that only one type of article A is processed in the distribution warehouse SU of the present embodiment, and the management control device H manages the storage rate for this type of article A. To do.

  In the storage ratio management process, the management control device H calculates the article storage ratio R1 of the article A for the automatic warehouse 3 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a in step # C1, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The article storage rate R1 is calculated based on a warehousing number counter whose initial value is zero.

  In other words, the receipt counter for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is incremented according to the number of receipts when the article A is received in the automatic warehouse 3, and the article A is delivered from the automatic warehouse 3. Is decremented according to the number of shipments so as to grasp the number of articles A stored in the automatic warehouse 3, and the value of the warehousing number counter for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a The ratio of the automatic warehouse facility 1a to the value representing the storage capacity of the automatic warehouse 3 is the article storage rate R1 for the automatic warehouse 3 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a.

  In step # C2, as in step # C1, based on the value of the warehousing number counter for the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, the article A is stored in the automatic warehouse 3 in the second automatic warehouse facility 2a. The rate R2 is calculated.

  In step # C3, the article storage rate R1 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a calculated in step # C1 and the article storage rate R2 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b calculated in step # C2. An average storage rate ABR is calculated.

  In the processing of Step # C4 and Step # C5, at least one of the difference between the article storage rate R1 and the average storage rate ABR or the difference between the article storage rate R2 and the average storage rate ABR is larger than the threshold value Rth for determining the average deviation. For example, it is determined that there is a bias in the article storage rate in the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the automatic warehouse 3 in the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, and the storage rate leveling in step # C6 is performed to correct the bias. Execute the conversion process. If both the difference between the article storage rate R1 and the average storage rate ABR and the difference between the article storage rate R2 and the average storage rate ABR are equal to or less than the threshold Rth for determining the average deviation, the storage rate leveling process is not executed. Then, the storage rate management process is terminated.

  Next, in the storage rate management processing, the storage rate leveling executed when it is determined that there is a bias in the article storage rates in the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. The conversion process will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step # D1, it is determined which item storage rate is higher in the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a or the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility. Depending on the determination result, the process of step # D2 to step # D7 or the process of step # D8 to step # D13 is selectively executed.

  That is, when the article storage rate R1 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is higher than the article storage rate R2 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, the steps # D2 to # D7 are performed. By executing the processing, the article storage rate R1 decreases, and at the same time, the article storage rate R2 increases, thereby correcting the bias in the article storage rate, and the articles for the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. When the storage rate R2 is higher than the article storage rate R1 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a, the processing of step # D8 to step # D13 is executed, so that the article storage rate R2 decreases. At the same time, the increase in the article storage rate R1 corrects the bias in the article storage rate.

  In the following description, step # D2 is executed when the article storage rate R1 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is higher than the article storage rate R2 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. -The process of step # D7 is demonstrated and description is abbreviate | omitted about the process of step # D8-step # D13.

  In step # D2, a command to leave is issued to the loading / unloading controller H1 in order to unload the article A from the automatic warehouse 3 in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a to the loading / unloading port 5. Thereby, the article A to be transferred is transported to the unloading transfer end position 14e of the unloading conveyor 14 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a.

  In step # D3, the transport vehicle 7 disposed in the first automatic warehouse facility 1a corresponds to the corresponding unloading conveyor 14 in the loading / unloading port 5 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a along the first travel route L1. Drive to the stop position.

  In step # D4, in a state where the transport vehicle 7 is stopped at the stop position corresponding to the corresponding delivery conveyor 14, both the transfer conveyor 19 and the target delivery conveyor 14 of the transport vehicle 7 are transported and operated. 7, the article A is placed.

  In step # D5, the operation of the transport vehicle 7 is controlled by the route switching operation, and the transport vehicle 7 is moved from the loading / unloading port 5 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a to the first travel route L1, the traverser TR, and the first 2 It travels to the entrance / exit 5 of the 2nd automatic warehouse equipment 1b through the travel route L2. Since the control content of the operation of the traverser 23 in the path switching operation is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here.

  In step # D6, in order to store the article A placed on the transport vehicle 7 into the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, the corresponding conveyor 13 at the loading / unloading port 5 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. A warehousing command is issued in a state where the transport vehicle 7 is stopped at the corresponding stop position. As a result, the goods A is pushed out from the transfer conveyor 19 of the transport vehicle 7 to the warehousing transfer start position 13s of the warehousing conveyor 13 by this warehousing command, and is transported to the warehousing transport end position 13e by the warehousing conveyor 13. It is stored in a predetermined storage unit 9 in the storage shelf 10 by the crane 11.

  In step # D7, it is determined whether or not the magnitude of the difference between the article storage rate R1 and the average storage rate ABR for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is equal to or less than the threshold value Rth for determining the average deviation. If it is larger than the average deviation determination threshold Rth, the storage rate leveling process is continued on the assumption that the deviation of the article storage rate has not yet been corrected to an appropriate state. If the magnitude of the difference between the article storage rate R1 and the average storage rate ABR for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a is equal to or less than the threshold Rth for determining the average deviation, the bias in the article storage rate is corrected. The storage rate leveling process ends.

  In this way, the processing from step # D2 to step # D7 is repeatedly executed, the article storage rate R1 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a decreases, and at the same time, the automatic operation of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. The article storage rate R2 for the warehouse 3 increases, and as a result, the article storage rate R1 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the article storage rate R2 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. The bias is corrected.

  As described above, the storage rate management process and the storage rate leveling process are executed, whereby the article storage rate R1 for the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. The unevenness with the article storage rate R2 is suppressed, and the articles A can be uniformly stored in each automatic warehouse.

  As described above, in the article processing system according to the present embodiment, for example, when it is necessary to concentrate or deliver a large amount of articles A at a time, the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse. Approximately the same number of articles A are unloaded from each of the facilities 1b, or approximately the same number of articles A are loaded into the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, respectively. Compared with the case where all the items are processed by one automatic warehouse facility 1, it is possible to shorten the time required for article processing, and the processing load in the distribution warehouse SU is applied to the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. By dispersing and processing in parallel, the processing time of the entire distribution warehouse SU can be shortened.

[Another embodiment]
Hereinafter, other embodiments are listed.

(1) In the first to third embodiments, the manual input means and the abnormality detection means and the alarm means are exemplified, but not limited thereto, the manual input means is not provided, The operation control means is configured to automatically switch from the normal operation state to the path switching operation state based on the detection information of the abnormality detection means, or a manual input means is provided, and the abnormality detection means and The alarm means may not be provided.

(2) In the first to third embodiments, the vehicle body moving means is configured by the traverser 23, but instead of this, a crane or the like in which the vehicle body moving means moves the carrier vehicle in a suspended state. It may be provided with.

(3) In said 1st-3rd embodiment, by moving with a vehicle body moving means, between the travel path | route of the article | item process part in which a conveyance vehicle is arrange | positioned, and the travel path | route of another article | item process part. Although illustrated as being configured to be movable, instead of this, a path connection state that connects the travel route of the article processing unit on which the transport vehicle is disposed and the travel route of another article processing unit, and the connection Route switching means that can be switched to a route independent state is provided, and the conveyance vehicle self-travels with the route switching means switched to the route connection state, so that the article processing unit in which the conveyance vehicle is disposed travels. It may be configured to be movable between a route and a travel route of another article processing unit.

(4) In the second embodiment, the specific article processing unit is exemplified as all the article processing units among the plurality of article processing units. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as the plurality of article processing units. The first to third article processing units may be provided, and the specific article processing unit may be the first and second article processing units.

(5) In the second embodiment, after the article A is received in the automatic warehouse 3 in step # B6 or step # B8, the value of the carry-in counter i is incremented and then carried in by the carry-in / out conveyor 4. The article A to be stored in the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a or the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this. Before the process of loading the conveyed article A into the automatic warehouse 3, for example, the article A is transferred from the carry-in / out conveyor 4 to the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a or the automatic warehouse of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. At the same time or immediately after starting to transport toward 3, the value of the carry-in number counter i is incremented, and the article A carried in by the carry-in / out conveyor 4 next to the article A is transferred to the first automatic warehouse facility 1a. Automatic warehouse 3 or Processing for received into the automated warehouse 3 of 2 automatic warehouse facility 1b may be configured to run.

(6) In the third embodiment, the article processed by the article processing system is one kind of article, and the operation control means manages the article storage rate for the article in each automatic warehouse, and the bias However, when the article processed by the article processing system is a plurality of types of articles, the operation control means includes a plurality of items in each automatic warehouse. It may be configured to manage the article storage rate for the total of the types of articles and perform the path switching operation to suppress the bias, or for each of a plurality of types of articles in each automatic warehouse It may be configured to manage the article storage rate and perform the path switching operation to suppress the bias for all or some types of articles.

(7) In the third embodiment, two automatic warehouse facilities 1 are provided, and the management control device H has two automatic warehouses 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. If the article storage rate for the automatic warehouse is compared with the average storage rate ABR and the article storage rate for any of the automatic warehouses is greater than the threshold Rth for determining the average deviation, the article storage in those automatic warehouses 3 As an example, there is a bias in the rate, and in order to suppress the bias, the storage rate leveling process is exemplified, but not limited to this, three or more automatic warehouse facilities 1 are provided, By comparing each article storage rate and average storage rate for the automatic warehouse of these automatic warehouse facilities 1, if the article storage rate for any of the automatic warehouses is greater than the threshold Rth for determining average deviation, those Automatic warehouse 3 In order to suppress the bias, the storage rate leveling process may be executed in order to suppress the bias.

(8) In the third embodiment, the management control device H determines that at least one of the difference between the storage rate R1 and the average storage rate ABR or the difference between the storage rate R2 and the average storage rate ABR is the threshold Rth for determining the average deviation. If it is larger than the above, an example is shown in which it is determined that there is a bias in the article storage rate in the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. Instead, if the difference between the storage rate R1 and the storage rate R2 is greater than the relative deviation determination threshold value Rth ′, the management control device H automatically detects the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a and the second automatic warehouse facility 1b. It may be configured to determine that there is a bias in the article storage rate in the warehouse 3.

(9) In the third embodiment, in the storage rate averaging process, the management control device H transfers articles from an automatic warehouse with a high storage rate to an automatic warehouse with a low storage rate. When controlling the operation of a transport vehicle by route switching operation, every time an article is received in an automatic warehouse with a low storage rate, the deviation between the storage rate of the automatic warehouse with a high storage rate and the average storage rate is calculated. An example is shown that is configured to evaluate and determine whether to continue the storage rate averaging process thereafter, but is not limited to this, for example, from an automatic warehouse with a higher storage rate to a side with a lower storage rate The number of articles to be transferred to the automatic warehouse is calculated in advance, and the operation of a plurality of transport vehicles is controlled by the path switching operation so that the number of articles are stored in the automatic warehouse with the lower storage rate. It may be configured as follows.

(10) In the third embodiment, the management control device H executes the storage rate management process during the standby period when there is no carry-in / out process in the carry-in / out conveyor 4, and the first article processing unit 1a and the second article The article storage rates of each of the automatic warehouses 3 in the processing unit 1b are checked, and if there is a difference greater than an allowable value, the automatic warehouse 3 of the first automatic warehouse facility 1a can be corrected to correct the difference. In order to transfer the article A to and from the automatic warehouse 3 of the second automatic warehouse facility 1b, an example is shown in which the path switching operation is performed in the storage rate leveling process. A plurality of article processing units so that the bias of the article storage rate for each automatic warehouse is reduced when the control device H enters an automated warehouse for an article carried by a conveyor for carrying in / out of an article processing unit. Goods in automatic warehouse The route switching operation may be configured to perform route switching operation in order to sort and enter, and the execution time of the route switching operation performed to suppress the deviation of the article storage rate in the automatic warehouse in the plurality of article processing units is It can be changed as appropriate.

Overall plan view of a distribution warehouse equipped with the article processing system of the present invention Plan view around the entrance / exit of the first automatic warehouse facility Elevation view showing the transport vehicle stopped at the stop position corresponding to the carry-in / out conveyor Top view of the traverser 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. Block diagram showing input and output for the management controller Flowchart of path switching operation in the first embodiment Flowchart of path switching operation in the second embodiment Flowchart of storage rate management processing in the third embodiment Flowchart of storage rate leveling process in the third embodiment

Explanation of symbols

A article H operation control means H2 abnormality detection means L1, L2 travel route R1, R2 article storage rate SU article processing system TR route changing relay part 1 article processing part 3 automatic warehouse 4 loading / unloading conveyor 5 loading / unloading port 6 guide rail 7 Conveyor 20 Input means 21 Alarm means 23 Car body moving means

Claims (6)

Articles having a plurality of article processing units provided with a transport vehicle that travels along a traveling path between a conveyor for carrying in or out an article and a loading / unloading port of an automatic warehouse and conveys the article. A processing system,
The transport vehicle existing on the travel route disposed for each of the plurality of article processing units is configured to be able to move to the travel route in another article processing unit through the route change relay unit,
Operation control means for managing the operation of the transport vehicle disposed in each of the plurality of article processing units,
In order to convey the article between the loading / unloading conveyor and the loading / unloading port for the article processing unit in which the conveyance vehicle disposed in each of the plurality of article processing units is disposed, The normal operation for controlling the operation of the transporting vehicle, and the loading / unloading port and other articles for the transporting vehicle disposed in each of the plurality of article processing units. The article is transported to or from the conveyor for loading / unloading of the processing unit, or between the loading / unloading conveyor for the article processing unit in which the article is disposed and the loading / unloading port of the other article processing unit. The article processing system is configured to be changeable to a path switching operation for controlling the operation of the transport vehicle so as to convey the article.   2. The article processing system according to claim 1, further comprising manual input means for instructing a command to switch the operation control means between the normal operation and the path switching operation.   The abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality of the carry-in / out conveyor in the article processing unit, and an alarm means for alarming when an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection means, are provided. Article processing system. The operation control means is
When a specific article to be distributed and stored in a carry-in / out conveyor of a specific article processing unit among the plurality of article processing units is loaded in the article processing unit in which the carry-in / out conveyor is arranged 2. The article processing system according to claim 1, wherein the route switching operation is performed to distribute and convey the specific article to the entry / exit port and the entry / exit port in another article processing unit. The operation control means is
The article according to claim 1, wherein the article switching rate is controlled so as to manage the article storage rate of the automatic warehouse in the plurality of article processing units and to suppress the deviation of the article storage rate in the automatic warehouse. Processing system.   The transport vehicle is configured to travel while being guided by a guide rail provided along the travel route, and a travel route of an article processing unit on which the transport vehicle is disposed and a travel route of another article processing unit. The vehicle is moved by the vehicle body moving means disposed in the route changing relay unit so as to move the vehicle body between the vehicle and the traveling route of the article processing unit in which the vehicle is moved and other article processing The goods processing system of any one of Claims 1-5 comprised so that it can move between the driving | running | working routes of a part.

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