CN116081151A - Article conveying device - Google Patents
Article conveying device Download PDFInfo
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- CN116081151A CN116081151A CN202211390810.3A CN202211390810A CN116081151A CN 116081151 A CN116081151 A CN 116081151A CN 202211390810 A CN202211390810 A CN 202211390810A CN 116081151 A CN116081151 A CN 116081151A
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- article
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
- B65G1/02—Storage devices
- B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
- H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
- H01L21/67733—Overhead conveying
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G1/00—Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines
- B65G1/02—Storage devices
- B65G1/04—Storage devices mechanical
- B65G1/137—Storage devices mechanical with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
- B65G1/1373—Storage devices mechanical with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed for fulfilling orders in warehouses
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/67242—Apparatus for monitoring, sorting or marking
- H01L21/67253—Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
- H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
- H01L21/6773—Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
- H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
- H01L21/67736—Loading to or unloading from a conveyor
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Platform Screen Doors And Railroad Systems (AREA)
- Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
- Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)
Abstract
The invention provides an article conveying device. The article conveying device (1) is provided with a moving body (2), a cover part (3), a transfer mechanism (4) and a control part (5); the transfer mechanism comprises: a holding unit (10) capable of changing the state between a holding state in which the article (W) is held and a release state in which the holding of the article is released; a turning part (20) for turning the holding part around a turning axis (4 b) along the up-down direction; and a moving unit (30) for moving the holding unit between an inner position in the storage area (S) and an outer position outside the storage area; in the maintenance mode, when an operation instruction of the transfer mechanism is received from the operation terminal, the control unit executes the operation of the transfer mechanism in accordance with the operation instruction when the rotation angle of the holding unit is within the non-interference angle range, and causes the operation terminal to issue a notification error message when the rotation angle of the holding unit is an angle outside the non-interference angle range or when the rotation angle of the holding unit is unknown.
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an article conveying apparatus that conveys articles.
Background
A transport system is disclosed in, for example, international publication No. 2019/035286 (patent document 1). In the following description of the background art, the names and reference numerals in patent document 1 are referred to in parentheses.
The conveying system (SYS) is provided with an article conveying device (ceiling-mounted conveying vehicle 10), and the article conveying device (ceiling-mounted conveying vehicle 10) is provided with a moving body (traveling part 11), a cover part (main body part 12), a transfer mechanism (transfer part 13) and a control part (14). The moving body (traveling unit 11) travels along the track, and the cover unit (main body unit 12) is attached to the moving body (traveling unit 11) so as to be able to house the article (M). The transfer mechanism (transfer unit 13) has a holding unit (15) for holding the article (M), a turning unit (turning mechanism 19) for turning the holding unit (15) around the axis of the rotation Axis (AX), and a moving unit (moving mechanism 16) for moving the holding unit (15) and the turning unit (turning mechanism 19) relative to the cover unit (main body unit 12); the control unit (14) controls the operation of each unit of the moving body (travel unit 11) and the transfer mechanism (transfer unit 13). The article conveying device (ceiling conveying vehicle 10) allows rotation by the turning part (rotation mechanism 19) when the article (M) held by the holding part (15) is at a release position released from the cover part (main body part 12), and prevents the article (M) from contacting with the inner wall (23 a) of the cover part (main body part 12).
Disclosure of Invention
Here, in a case where maintenance (maintenance) of the article transport device is performed, a case where a failure of the article transport device occurs, or the like, the article transport device may be operated by an operation instruction from an operation terminal operated by an operator. In such a case, for example, if the transfer mechanism is operated in response to an operation command for moving the holding portion to a predetermined posture in a state where the holding portion is held in a holding area covered by the cover portion, there is a possibility that the transfer mechanism interferes (contacts) with the inner wall of the cover portion according to the rotation angle of the holding portion at the time of the operation command.
In view of this, it is desirable to realize an article conveying apparatus capable of avoiding interference of the transfer mechanism described above with the inner surface structure of the cover portion facing the storage area.
In view of the above, the object conveying device is characterized in that it conveys an object; the device is provided with: a moving body that moves for conveying the article; a cover portion supported by the movable body and covering at least a part of a side periphery of a storage area for storing the article being conveyed; a transfer mechanism for holding the article and transferring the article between the article and a transfer target site; and a control unit that controls the moving body and the transfer mechanism; the transfer mechanism includes: a holding unit supported by the movable body, the holding unit being capable of changing a state between a holding state in which the article is held and a release state in which the article is released; a turning part for turning the holding part around a turning axis along the up-down direction; and a moving unit configured to move the holding unit between an inner position in the housing area and an outer position outside the housing area; the cover part is provided with an inner surface structure facing the accommodating area; when the rotation angle of the holding portion by the rotation portion is within a predetermined non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism does not interfere with the inner surface structure even if the holding portion is moved by the moving portion, and when the rotation angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism interferes with the inner surface structure depending on a movement path of the holding portion by the moving portion; the control unit is capable of executing a maintenance mode in which the transfer mechanism is operated in accordance with an instruction from an operation terminal operated by an operator; in the maintenance mode, when an operation instruction of the transfer means is received from the operation terminal, the control unit determines whether or not the turning angle is within the non-interference angle range, executes the operation of the transfer means in accordance with the operation instruction when the turning angle is within the non-interference angle range, and causes the operation terminal to issue a notification error message when the turning angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range or when the turning angle is unknown.
According to this feature, even when an operator issues an erroneous operation instruction of the transfer mechanism in the maintenance mode, the operator can issue an error message when the transfer mechanism is operated and the transfer mechanism may interfere with the inner surface structure of the cover. Therefore, even when the operator gives an incorrect operation instruction to the transfer mechanism, the operator can be given an opportunity to confirm the operation, and therefore, the transfer mechanism can be prevented from interfering with the inner surface structure of the cover.
Further features and advantages of the technology of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of illustrative and non-limiting embodiments, which is described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a view showing a use mode of the article transport device.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the article transport device.
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a state of an article stored in the storage area.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a non-interference angle range.
Fig. 5 is a control block diagram of control of the transfer mechanism by the control unit.
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of notification of the notice call information.
Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of control of the transfer mechanism by the control unit.
Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of control of the transfer mechanism by the control unit.
Detailed Description
1. Embodiments of an article conveying device
Embodiments of the article conveying device will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in fig. 1, the article conveying apparatus 1 is configured to convey articles W along a movement path R between a plurality of conveyance target places 90 provided in, for example, a factory or factory equipment (plant), and to be able to change the posture of the articles W when conveying the articles W.
Hereinafter, a direction in which the article conveying device 1 travels along the movement path R will be referred to as a "traveling direction X", and a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction X in plan view will be referred to as a "width direction Y". The direction orthogonal to both the traveling direction X and the width direction Y will be described as the "vertical direction Z". Here, the explanation will be given with the front side in the traveling direction X being "front side X1", and the rear side being "rear side X2". The left and right are defined with reference to a state of the front side X1 facing the traveling direction X, specifically, the left side in the width direction Y is referred to as "left side Y1" and the right side is referred to as "right side Y2" facing the front side X1 of the traveling direction X.
The article W corresponds to an object to be conveyed by the article conveying device 1. In the present embodiment, the article W is a container for storing semiconductor substrates, and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is configured to be capable of storing a plurality of semiconductor substrates in multiple layers. The upper surface and the bottom surface of the article W are in a closed state, and particularly, the upper surface is provided with a flange portion W1 (see fig. 2) to be held by the article conveying device 1 at the time of conveying the article W. Further, an opening for taking and placing the semiconductor substrate is provided on one of the four side surfaces of the article W. The remaining three sides of the article W are set to be blocked.
The conveyance target location 90 is a location that becomes a conveyance source of the article W and a conveyance destination of the article W. As shown in fig. 1, the conveyance target site 90 is provided at a plurality of locations along the movement path R. At the conveyance target location 90, for example, processing of the article W is performed. The conveyance target site 90 includes a processing apparatus 90a for performing processing on a semiconductor substrate, and a delivery section 90b for delivering the article W to and from the article conveyance apparatus 1. The interface 90b is a so-called load port (load port). If the semiconductor substrate stored in the article W received by the delivery unit 90b is taken out by a take-out device or the like provided in the processing apparatus 90a, processing such as substrate cleaning, baking, resist (resist) coating, stripping, or the like is performed in the processing apparatus 90 a.
The movement path R is a path along which the article conveying device 1 moves. In the present embodiment, the movement path R is defined by a rail 99 (see fig. 2), and the rail 99 is suspended and supported from the ceiling of the building using the article conveying device 1. Thus, in the present embodiment, the article conveying device 1 is configured as a so-called ceiling-mounted conveyor.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the article conveying device 1 in a state of conveying the article W. As shown in fig. 2, the article transport apparatus 1 includes a moving body 2, a cover 3, a transfer mechanism 4, and a control unit 5. The moving body 2 moves for conveying the article W. In the present embodiment, the moving body 2 is located above the rail 99, and has a travel motor 2M for driving the wheels 2A. By rotationally driving the wheels 2A by the travel motor 2M, a propulsive force is imparted to the moving body 2 with respect to the traveling direction X. The movement for conveying the article W means traveling along a movement path R from a conveying source of the article W to a conveying destination of the article W. Thus, the moving body 2 travels along the moving path R from the conveyance source of the article W to the conveyance destination of the article W.
The cover 3 is supported by the movable body 2 and covers at least a part of the periphery of the storage area S for storing the articles W being conveyed. The term "supported by the movable body 2" means that the cover 3 is coupled to the movable body 2 and fixed to the movable body 2 so as to move integrally with the movable body 2. In the present embodiment, the cover 3 is suspended and supported by the movable body 2 in a state of being positioned below the rail 99. The storage area S for storing the articles W being conveyed is an area of the article conveying device 1 in which the articles W are disposed and covered by the cover 3 during conveyance from the conveyance source of the articles W to the conveyance destination of the articles W along the movement path R. The region where the article W is disposed is referred to as a storage region S because it is covered by the cover 3 from the side. The covering (covering) of the storage area S by the cover 3 may be all (entire periphery) of the side of the article W or may be a part of the entire side.
In the present embodiment, the cover 3 includes a pair of side cover portions 3B that cover the article W from the side (horizontal direction) and an upper cover portion 3C that covers the article W from above. In the example of fig. 2, the upper cover 3C and each of the pair of side cover 3B are connected to each other to form the cover 3. The side cover 3B extends downward from each of both ends of the upper cover 3C in the direction along the movement path R (the traveling direction X). Thereby, the articles W held by the holding portions 10 are covered from both sides in the traveling direction X by the pair of side cover portions 3B. The cover 3 is formed in an open shape on both sides and below in the width direction Y, and is formed in an inverted U shape having corners when viewed from the outside in the width direction Y. Therefore, the storage area S communicates with the outside of the cover 3 on both sides and the lower side in the width direction Y.
The transfer mechanism 4 holds the article W and transfers the article W to and from the transfer target portion. The holding of the article W means holding the article W so as not to drop when the moving body 2 moves along the movement path R. For example, such holding is preferably performed so as to hold the flange portion W1 provided on the article W. The transfer target portion corresponds to the conveyance source of the article W and the conveyance destination of the article W, that is, the conveyance target location 90. The transfer of the article W corresponds to the delivery of the article W. Accordingly, when the moving body 2 moves along the movement path R, the transfer mechanism 4 grips the flange portion W1 provided on the article W from above so that the article W does not fall, and transfers the article W to and from the conveyance target location 90, which is the conveyance source of the article W and the conveyance destination of the article W.
In the present embodiment, the transfer mechanism 4 includes a holding unit 10, a turning unit 20, and a moving unit 30. The holding unit 10 is supported by the movable body 2, and can be changed to a holding state in which the article W is held and a release state in which the holding of the article W is released. The term "supported by the movable body 2" means that the holding portion 10 is coupled to the movable body 2 and moves in response to the movement of the movable body 2, as in the case of the cover 3. The holding state in which the article W is held means a state in which the flange portion W1 provided on the article W is gripped. The released state in which the holding of the article W is released means a state in which the flange portion W1 provided on the article W is not gripped. In the present embodiment, the holding portion 10 includes a motor 10M for gripping and a pair of gripping claws 10C. The pair of holding claws 10C can be driven by the holding motor 10M to change the posture between the holding posture and the releasing posture. The pair of gripping claws 10C move in directions approaching each other to assume a gripping posture, and move in directions separating from each other to assume a releasing posture. The pair of holding claws 10C hold the flange portion W1 of the article W in a holding posture, the holding portion 10 is in a holding state for holding the article W, and the pair of holding claws 10C are in a releasing posture from a state of holding the flange portion W1, so that the holding portion 10 is in a releasing state for releasing the holding of the article W. The holding portion 10 holds the flange portion W1, and thus corresponds to a chuck (chuck).
The turning part 20 turns the holding part 10 around a turning axis 4b along the up-down direction. In the present embodiment, the turning unit 20 is configured to change the posture of the article W by turning the article W around the turning axis 4b along the vertical direction Z. In the present embodiment, the turning unit 20 is provided with a turning shaft (not shown) along the vertical direction Z, and a turning motor 20M for driving the turning shaft. The rotation shaft is coupled to the holding portion 10, and is driven by the rotation motor 20M to rotate together with the holding portion 10. This enables the holding portion 10 and the article W held by the holding portion 10 to rotate around the rotation axis 4b along the vertical direction Z.
The moving unit 30 moves the holding unit 10 between an inner position in the storage area S and an outer position outside the storage area S. As described above, in the present embodiment, the housing area S is covered with the cover 3 in a state where both sides and the lower side in the width direction Y are opened. The position within the storage area S (i.e., the position included in the storage area S) corresponds to the internal position. Accordingly, the article W shown by the solid line in fig. 2 is supported at the inner position. On the other hand, the position outside the storage area S (i.e., the position not included in the storage area S) corresponds to the external position. As indicated by a broken line in fig. 2, when the article W is placed on the delivery portion 90b, the article W is supported at an external position. The moving unit 30 is configured to be able to move the holding unit 10 (the article W held by the holding unit 10) between such an internal position and an external position.
In the present embodiment, the moving section 30 includes a lifting section 31 and a sliding section 32. The lifting/lowering unit 31 lifts/lowers the holding unit 10. In the present embodiment, the article W held by the holding portion 10 is lifted and lowered between the position inside the storage area S and the position where the transfer portion 90b is provided in response to the lifting and lowering movement of the holding portion 10 by the lifting and lowering portion 31. In the present embodiment, the lifting unit 31 includes a lifting belt 30A connected to the holding unit 10, and a lifting motor 31M for driving a lifting pulley (not shown) to wind up or unwind the lifting belt 30A. By driving the lifting motor 31M, the article W held by the holding portion 10 can be lifted up or down between the internal position in the storage area S and the delivery portion 90 b. By moving the article W up and down by the up-and-down section 31, the article W can be transferred to the conveyance target location 90, and the conveyance target location 90 is located at a different position (lower side in this example) in the up-and-down direction with respect to the movement path R. In this case, by adjusting the height of the holding portion 10 by the lifting portion 31, the positional deviation of the holding portion 10 with respect to the conveyance target location 90 can be adjusted in the vertical direction Z.
The sliding portion 32 slides the holding portion 10 in the horizontal direction. In the present embodiment, the article W held by the holding portion 10 is slid in accordance with the sliding movement of the holding portion 10 by the sliding portion 32. In the present embodiment, the slide portion 32 is attached to the cover portion 3, and includes a slide belt (not shown) and a slide motor 32M that drives a slide pulley (not shown) to wind up or unwind the slide belt. The slide portion 32 slides the holding portion 10 and the article W held by the holding portion 10 in the width direction Y in response to the driving of the slide motor 32M. By sliding the article W in the width direction Y by the slide portion 32, the positional deviation with respect to the conveyance target location 90 can be adjusted in the width direction Y at the time of transferring the article W.
The control unit 5 controls the movable body 2 and the transfer mechanism 4. The control of the moving body 2 means control of running or stopping along the movement path R by the moving body 2. The control of the transfer mechanism 4 means control of holding the article W by the transfer mechanism 4 and delivery of the article W to and from the source of conveyance of the article W and the destination of conveyance of the article W. Specifically, the control unit 5 performs control of holding and releasing the article W by the holding unit 10, or control of moving and turning the article W by the turning unit 20, the lifting unit 31, and the sliding unit 32, and performs transfer of the article W to and from the conveyance source and the conveyance destination. Although the control unit 5 is shown in fig. 2 as being provided in the cover 3, the control unit 5 may be provided in a different portion from the cover 3.
Here, as described above, the housing area S is formed by the cover 3, but the cover 3 has an inner surface structure facing the housing area S. The "inner surface structure facing the storage area S" is a surface that defines the outer edge of the storage area S. The inner surface structure includes an inner wall surface 3A of the cover 3 and all structures disposed on the storage area S side of the inner wall surface 3A. Specifically, the inner surface structure includes an inner wall surface 3A of the cover 3, a drop restricting portion 6 for restricting downward drop of the article W, a swing restricting mechanism 7 for restricting swing of the article W held by the holding portion 10, a sensor provided so as to protrude to the storage area S, and the like.
The fall limiter 6 is disposed below the article W stored in the storage area S so as to protrude from the inner wall surface 3A of the cover 3 toward the storage area S. The fall restriction portion 6 is provided on a pair of side surfaces of the inner wall surface 3A of the cover portion 3, which are opposed to each other with the article W held by the holding portion 10 interposed therebetween. The drop limiting portion 6 includes a link mechanism, not shown, and is operated by each of the pair of limiting body driving portions 6M in a state where the article W held by the holding portion 10 is held in the holding area S, and is in a protruding posture protruding toward the holding area S. The drop limiting portion 6 is disposed so that at least a part thereof overlaps with the article W when viewed in the vertical direction along the vertical direction Z in a state of being in such a protruding posture. Accordingly, even when the holding portion 10 is in the released state during conveyance of the article W, the fall restriction portion 6 supports the article W from below, so that, for example, the falling of the article W to the floor can be restricted. The fall restraint portion 6 is set to a retracted posture when the transfer mechanism 4 moves the article W to an external position of the storage area S, for example, during transfer of the article W. The fall limiter 6 is disposed so as not to overlap the article W when viewed in the vertical direction along the vertical direction Z in the state of being in the retracted posture.
The swing restricting mechanism 7 includes a support portion 7A, an abutment portion 7B, and an abutment driving portion 7M. The support portion 7A supports the abutment portion 7B. The swing restricting mechanism 7 is provided on a pair of side surfaces of the inner wall surface 3A of the cover 3, which are opposed to each other with the article W held by the holding portion 10 interposed therebetween. In this example, the swing restricting mechanism 7 is provided on each of the pair of side surfaces on which the fall restricting portion 6 is provided. In the present embodiment, the support portion 7A is driven by the contact driving portion 7M, so that the posture is changed to a protruding posture in which the contact portion 7B protrudes from the cover portion 3 to the storage area S side and a retreating posture in which the contact portion 7B retreats (retreats) to the cover portion 3 side than the protruding posture. In a state where the article W held by the holding portion 10 is stored in the storage area S, the pair of contact portions 7B are brought into a protruding posture, and the pair of contact portions 7B are brought into contact with the side surfaces of the article W from both sides. Thus, the swing of the article W is restricted during conveyance of the article W and during transfer by the transfer mechanism 4. On the other hand, when the transfer mechanism 4 moves the article W to the outer position of the storage area S at the time of transferring the article W or the like, the pair of abutment portions 7B are set in the retracted posture, and the pair of abutment portions 7B are separated from the article W. This makes it possible to appropriately move the article W.
Here, fig. 3 is a view showing a state of the article W stored in the storage area S, and fig. 4 is an explanatory view of the non-interference angle range of the present embodiment. When the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 by the rotation unit 20 is within a predetermined non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism 4 does not interfere with the inner surface structure even if the holding unit 10 is moved by the movement unit 30, but when the rotation angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism 4 may interfere with the inner surface structure depending on the movement path of the holding unit 10 by the movement unit 30. As described above, the holding portion 10 is rotated around the rotation axis 4b along the vertical direction Z by the rotation portion 20. Thus, the rotation angle of the holding portion 10 by the rotation portion 20 corresponds to the rotation angle of the holding portion 10 rotated by the rotation portion 20. In fig. 3, such a rotation angle is indicated as θ. In the present embodiment, the "movement of the holding portion 10 by the moving portion 30" corresponds to the lifting movement of the article W by the lifting portion 31 and the sliding movement of the article W by the sliding portion 32. The inner surface structure is a surface constituting the storage area S, and in the present embodiment, the inner wall surface 3A of the cover 3, the fall restriction portion 6, the swing restriction mechanism 7, and a sensor or the like provided so as to protrude into the storage area S correspond to this. The interference means contact in the present embodiment. The "movement path of the holding unit 10" is a path through which the holding unit 10 passes when the holding unit 10 performs a pivoting movement, when the holding unit performs a lifting movement, and when the holding unit performs a sliding movement.
Here, as shown in fig. 3, when the center in the traveling direction X and the position of the end edge of the article W held by the transfer mechanism 4 on the left side Y1 in the width direction Y are set as point Q, and the rotation center at the time of the rotation movement of the article W is set as point O, the line segment OQ is set to have a rotation angle parallel to the width direction Y of 0 degrees. When the rotation angle is within the predetermined angle range (α°) on both sides in the rotation direction with reference to 0 degrees, the transfer mechanism 4 does not come into contact with the inner surface structure (the inner wall surface 3A, the fall restriction portion 6, the swing restriction mechanism 7, the sensor provided so as to protrude toward the storage area S, and the like) of the cover 3 even when the lifting/lowering movement of the article W by the lifting/lowering portion 31 and the sliding movement of the article W by the sliding portion 32 are performed. However, when the rotation angle is not included in the predetermined angle range (±α°) on both sides in the rotation direction with reference to 0 degrees, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in fig. 3, when the lifting movement of the article W by the lifting unit 31 and the sliding movement of the article W by the sliding unit 32 are performed, the transfer mechanism 4 may be in structural contact with the inner surface of the cover 3.
The range of the rotation angle at which the transfer mechanism 4 does not contact the inner surface structure is within the non-interference angle range, and the range of the rotation angle at which the transfer mechanism 4 contacts the inner surface structure is outside the non-interference angle range. Such a non-interference angle range is shown in fig. 4. As shown in fig. 4, the non-interference angle ranges are set in four directions. In the present embodiment, the four non-interference angle ranges are respectively set as a first non-interference angle range R1, a second non-interference angle range R2, a third non-interference angle range R3, and a fourth non-interference angle range R4. If the rotation angle of the line segment OQ toward the left side Y1 in the width direction Y is set to 0 degrees, the range of "0±α°" becomes the first non-interference angle range R1. Even when the line segment OQ is directed toward the front side X1 in the traveling direction X, the transfer mechanism 4 does not come into contact with the inner surface structure. Therefore, the range of "90±α°" becomes the second non-interference angle range R2. Similarly, even if the line segment OQ is directed to the right side Y2 in the width direction Y, the transfer mechanism 4 does not contact the inner surface structure, and therefore the range of "180±α°" is the third non-interference angle range R3, and even if the line segment OQ is directed to the rear side X2 in the traveling direction X, the transfer mechanism 4 does not contact the inner surface structure, and therefore the range of "270±α°" is the fourth non-interference angle range R4. Therefore, if the point Q set on the article W is included in any of the four non-interference angle ranges, the transfer mechanism 4 does not interfere with the inner surface structure of the cover 3 even when the article W is lifted by the lifting/lowering unit 31 or slid by the slide unit 32. Here, the predetermined angle range "α°" on both sides in the rotation direction, which defines the magnitude of the interference angle range, is, for example, 8 °.
As shown in fig. 5, in the article conveying apparatus 1, the control unit 5 is configured to be able to operate the transfer mechanism 4 in accordance with a command from the operation terminal 100 operated by the operator. The worker is a person who performs management, maintenance, and the like of the article transport device 1. The operation terminal 100 is a terminal that can remotely operate the functional units of the article transport device 1, including the transfer mechanism 4, and is connected to the control unit 5 by wired or wireless. When maintenance and inspection of the article transport device 1 is performed, when a failure of the article transport device 1 occurs, or the like, the operator operates the operation terminal 100 to transmit an operation command, and can operate the moving body 2 of the article transport device 1 and the transfer mechanism 4, which includes the holding unit 10, the turning unit 20, and the moving unit 30 (the moving unit 30 including the lifting unit 31 and the sliding unit 32). In particular, a mode in which the transfer mechanism 4 is operated in accordance with a command from the operation terminal 100 operated by the operator is referred to as a maintenance mode.
In such a maintenance mode, when receiving an operation instruction of the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the rotation angle is within the non-interference angle range. In this example, the operation command of the transfer mechanism 4 is a command for a reference posture recovery operation for setting the postures of the moving unit 30 and the turning unit 20 to predetermined reference postures. As described above, since the moving unit 30 includes the lifting unit 31 and the sliding unit 32, the operation command of the transfer mechanism 4 includes commands for the lifting unit 31, the sliding unit 32, and the turning unit 20. When receiving the above-described command for the reference posture restoration operation, the control unit 5 sets the lifting unit 31 to the reference posture, sets the sliding unit 32 to the reference posture, and sets the turning unit 20 to the reference posture. The predetermined reference posture is a posture that becomes a predetermined reference. For example, the reference posture of the elevating portion 31 is a posture in which the holding portion 10 is located near the upper limit of the elevating movement range. For example, the reference posture of the sliding portion 32 is a posture in which the holding portion 10 is located near the center of the sliding movement range. For example, the reference posture of the turning unit 20 is a posture in which the turning angle is 0 degrees. Therefore, in this example, when all of the lifting portion 31, the sliding portion 32, and the turning portion 20 are in the reference posture, the entire article W held by the holding portion 10 is accommodated in the accommodation area S. Thus, the reference posture is a posture called a home position (home position). The command for the movement of the moving unit 30 and the turning unit 20 to return to the reference posture corresponds to the command for the reference posture return operation. When receiving a command for the reference posture restoration operation from the operation terminal 100, the control unit 5 determines whether or not the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 is within the non-interference angle range. The determination of the turning angle may be performed by acquiring information indicating the current turning angle from the turning unit 20, or the control unit 5 itself may acquire information indicating the turning angle in advance in accordance with the turning by the turning unit 20, and may perform the determination based on the information.
When the rotation angle is within the non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism 4 is not in structural contact with the inner surface of the cover 3 even when the moving unit 30 moves the holding unit 10 between the inner position in the storage area S and the outer position outside the storage area S. In view of this, when the rotation angle is within the non-interference angle range as a result of the above-described determination, the control unit 5 executes the operation of the transfer mechanism 4 in accordance with the operation command from the operation terminal 100. Specifically, the control unit 5 drives the grip motor 10M, the swing motor 20M, the lift motor 31M, and the slide motor 32M. Thus, the transfer mechanism 4 operates in accordance with an instruction from an operator who operates the operation terminal 100.
On the other hand, if the rotation angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range or if the rotation angle is unknown, the transfer mechanism 4 may be in structural contact with the inner surface of the cover 3 when the moving unit 30 moves the holding unit 10 between the inner position in the storage area S and the outer position outside the storage area S. In view of this, the control unit 5 causes the operation terminal 100 to issue a notification error message when the rotation angle is an angle other than the interference angle range or when the rotation angle is unknown. Here, the case where the rotation angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range is a case where the rotation angle is outside the non-interference angle range as a result of the above-described determination. In the case where the rotation angle is unknown, the case where the information indicating the current rotation angle cannot be acquired from the rotation unit 20 in the above-described determination, and the rotation angle cannot be calculated as a result, and the case where the control unit 5 cannot recognize the rotation angle, such as the case where the power supply to the control unit 5 is stopped and the information indicating the rotation angle is lost, corresponds to the case where the rotation angle cannot be recognized. The error information is information for indicating to the operator that the rotation angle is out of the non-interference angle range and that the rotation angle is unknown, and is a display of characters and graphics displayed on the operation screen of the operation terminal 100, or an output of sound, warning sound, or the like, which is emitted from the operation terminal 100. Specifically, for example, as shown in fig. 6, a message such as "the rotation angle is out of the non-interference angle range" may be displayed on the display screen 100A of the operation terminal 100, or a pattern indicating that the transfer mechanism 4 is in a contact position or a contact position with the inner surface structure of the cover 3 may be displayed. Alternatively, a sound such as "the rotation angle is out of the non-interference angle range" may be output from the speaker 100B of the operation terminal 100. Of course, other message display and voice output are also possible.
In this way, when the moving unit 30 moves the holding unit 10 between the inner position in the storage area S and the outer position outside the storage area S, the control unit 5 issues a notification instruction to cause the operation terminal 100 to issue a notification error message when the current posture of the transfer mechanism 4 is a possibility that the transfer mechanism 4 is in contact with the inner surface structure of the cover 3. This can prevent the transfer mechanism 4 from being brought into structural contact with the inner surface of the cover 3 by an operator's operation mistake or the like.
In the maintenance mode, the control unit 5 may be configured to report the notice-call information when the operation instruction of the transfer mechanism 4 is received from the operation terminal 100, and to execute the operation of the transfer mechanism 4 in accordance with the operation instruction when the operation instruction of the transfer mechanism 4 is received again after the notification of the notice-call information and the rotation angle is within the non-interference angle range. The maintenance mode is a mode in which the transfer mechanism 4 is operated in accordance with a command from the operation terminal 100 operated by the operator. When receiving an operation instruction of the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100, the control unit 5 notifies the notice call information. The notice call information is information for calling the attention of whether or not an instruction for an operation performed by the operator is an instruction desired by the operator, such as a display of characters or graphics displayed on an operation screen of the operation terminal 100 or an output of a sound, a warning sound, or the like from the operation terminal 100. When the operation terminal 100 is notified of the notice call information and the operation instruction is received again from the operation terminal 100 and the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 is within the non-interference angle range, the control unit 5 determines that the transfer mechanism 4 is not in contact with the inner surface structure of the cover 3 even when the transfer mechanism 4 is operated, and can estimate that the operation instruction is again performed via the operation terminal 100. In view of this, the control unit 5 operates the lifting unit 31, the sliding unit 32, and the turning unit 20 in accordance with the newly received operation command. This allows the transfer mechanism 4 to be operated in accordance with an operation instruction given from the operation terminal 100 by the operator.
Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control unit 5 described above. First, if the control unit 5 receives an operation instruction from the operation terminal 100 (yes in step # 10), the control unit 5 instructs the operation terminal 100 to report the notice of the notice call information (step # 11). Thereby, the operation terminal 100 notifies the notice of the call information. The notification may be a content for confirming whether or not the operation instruction from the operation terminal 100 is an instruction desired by the operator. For example, "whether or not the transfer mechanism can be operated" is preferable
"such display of a message, sound output, etc. prompting the operator to confirm such contents. After the instruction to report the notice call information is issued, the control unit 5 receives a new operation instruction to operate the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100 (step #12: yes), and the control unit 5 determines the rotation angle of the holding unit 10. When the rotation angle is within the non-interference angle range (yes in step # 13), the control unit 5 operates the transfer mechanism 4 in accordance with the received operation command (step # 14). If the operation according to the operation command is completed, the control unit 5 ends the processing. For example, the operation of the transfer mechanism 4 by the control unit 5 in step # 14 may be enabled in response to detection by the sensor that no person is present around the transfer mechanism 4.
In step # 13, when the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 determined by the control unit 5 is not within the non-interference angle range (step #13: no), the control unit 5 instructs the operation terminal 100 to issue an error message and notifies it (step # 15). As a result, the operation terminal 100 notifies information indicating that the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 is not within the non-interference angle range as the error information.
On the other hand, if the control unit 5 does not newly receive an operation instruction to operate the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100 after the instruction to report the notice of the notice information in step #12 (step #12: no) continues until a preset set time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses (step #16: yes), the control unit 5 ends the process. If the control unit 5 newly receives an operation instruction to operate the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100 (step #12: yes) before the preset set time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses in step #16 (step #16: no), the control unit 5 continues the processing from step # 13.
When an operation instruction is received from the operation terminal 100, the control unit 5 causes the operation terminal 100 to report the notice call information, and then, when there is a further operation instruction from the operation terminal 100 and the swing angle is not an angle within the non-interference angle range, the control unit 5 issues a report of an error message, whereby the transfer mechanism 4 can be prevented from coming into contact with the inner surface structure of the cover 3. Further, when there is a further operation instruction from the operation terminal 100 and the swing angle is within the non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism 4 can be operated in accordance with the operation instruction.
Alternatively, as another embodiment, in the maintenance mode, when the operation instruction of the transfer mechanism 4 is received from the operation terminal 100 and the rotation angle is an angle other than the non-interference angle range, the control unit 5 may be configured to execute the operation of the transfer mechanism 4 in accordance with the operation instruction by rotating the holding unit 10 by the rotating unit 20 so that the rotation angle is within the non-interference angle range after the notification of the error information is issued. In this case, after notifying the operation terminal 100 of the notice information, the control unit 5 rotates the holding unit 10 by the operation of the operation terminal 100 by the operator before executing the operation based on the operation command received from the operation terminal 100. Then, the control unit 5 may execute the operations of the transfer mechanism 4 other than the swing operation in the operation command in accordance with the operation command. This can avoid contact with the inner surface structure of the cover 3 by the transfer mechanism 4.
Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing of the control unit 5 in this case. First, if the control unit 5 receives an operation instruction from the operation terminal 100 (yes in step # 20), the control unit 5 instructs the operation terminal 100 to report the notice of the notice information (step # 21). Thereby, the operation terminal 100 notifies the notice of the call information. The notification may be a content for confirming whether or not the operation instruction from the operation terminal 100 is an instruction desired by the operator. For example, "whether or not the transfer mechanism can be operated" is preferable 
"such display of a message, sound output, etc. for prompting the operator to confirm such contents. After the instruction to report the notice call information is issued, the control unit 5 receives a new operation instruction to operate the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100 (step #22: yes), and the control unit 5 determines the rotation angle of the holding unit 10. When the rotation angle is within the non-interference angle range (yes in step # 23), the control unit 5 operates the transfer mechanism 4 in accordance with the received operation command (step # 24). If the operation according to the operation command is completed, the control unit 5 ends the processing. For example, the operation of the transfer mechanism 4 by the control unit 5 in step # 24 may be enabled in response to detection by the sensor that no person is present around the transfer mechanism 4.
In step # 22, if the control unit 5 does not receive a new operation instruction to operate the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100 after the instruction to report the call information is issued (step #22: no), the control unit 5 continues until a preset set time (for example, 30 seconds) has elapsed (step #31: yes), and the processing ends. If the control unit 5 newly receives an operation instruction to operate the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100 (step #22: yes) before the preset set time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses in step #31 (step #31: no), the control unit 5 continues the process from step # 23.
When the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 determined by the control unit 5 in step # 23 is not within the non-interference angle range (step #23: no), the control unit 5 instructs the operation terminal 100 to issue an error message and notifies it (step # 25). As a result, the operation terminal 100 notifies information indicating that the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 is not within the non-interference angle range as the error information.
After the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 is adjusted to be within the non-interference angle range in response to the operation of the operation terminal 100 by the operator who recognizes the notice call information (error issue report) reported by the operation terminal 100 (step #26: yes), if the control unit 5 receives an operation instruction from the operation terminal 100 (step #27: yes), the control unit 5 instructs the notice call information report to the operation terminal 100 (step # 28). Thereby, the operation terminal 100 notifies the notice of the call information. The notification may be performed by checking whether or not the operation instruction from the operation terminal 100 is an instruction desired by the operator, as in the case described above. In addition, for example, the rotation of the holding unit 10 corresponding to the operation of the operator in step #26 may be enabled when no person is detected around the holding unit 10 by the sensor.
When the control unit 5 receives a new operation instruction to operate the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100 after the instruction to report the notice call information (step #29: yes), the control unit 5 operates the transfer mechanism 4 in accordance with the received operation instruction (step # 24). If the operation according to the operation command is completed, the control unit 5 ends the processing.
If the control unit 5 does not receive an operation instruction to operate the transfer mechanism 4 from the operation terminal 100 after the instruction to report the notice information in step #29 (step #29: no) continues until the preset set time elapses (step #30: yes), the control unit 5 ends the process. In addition, in the case where the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 is not adjusted to be within the non-interference angle range in step #26 (step #26: no) or in the case where the control unit 5 does not receive an operation command from the operation terminal 100 in step #27 (step #27: no), the control unit 5 also ends the processing. Although not shown, the determination in step # 27 may determine whether or not an operation instruction is received during a period of time until a predetermined time elapses.
When the rotation angle can be recognized, after the rotation angle is adjusted in response to the operation of the operation terminal 100 by the operator, the control unit 5 operates the transfer mechanism 4 in this manner when there is a series of operations (specifically, the reception of the operation instruction, the notification of the notice information, and the reception of the operation instruction), and thereby the transfer mechanism 4 can be operated in accordance with the operation instruction while preventing the contact between the transfer mechanism 4 and the inner surface structure of the cover 3.
The controller 5 may automatically perform the turning of the holding unit 10 by the operation of the operator in step #26 in fig. 8. In this case, the control unit 5 may rotate the holding unit 10 by the rotating unit 20 so that the rotation angle of the holding unit 10 falls within the non-interference angle range. Then, the control unit 5 may execute the operations of the transfer mechanism 4 other than the swing operation in accordance with the operation command. This can avoid contact with the inner surface structure of the cover 3 by the transfer mechanism 4.
2. Other embodiments of the article conveying device
Next, another embodiment of the article conveying device 1 will be described.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made as an example in which the article conveying device 1 is configured as a so-called ceiling-mounted conveyor. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the article conveying device 1 may be, for example, various kinds of conveying vehicles such as an unmanned conveying vehicle and a rail car. Further, a conveyor (for example, a drone) or the like) that does not move along the rail 99 may be used.
(2) In the above embodiment, the case where the moving unit 30 includes the lifting unit 31 and the sliding unit 32 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the moving unit 30 may be configured to have only a function of moving the holding unit 10 up and down, or the moving unit 30 may be configured to have only a function of sliding the holding unit 10 in the horizontal direction.
(3) In the above embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the inner surface structure is a surface constituting the storage area S, and the inner wall surface 3A of the cover portion 3, the fall restriction portion 6, the swing restriction mechanism 7, the sensor provided so as to protrude to the storage area S, and the like correspond to this. However, in the case where the fall restriction portion 6, the swing restriction mechanism 7, the sensor provided so as to protrude to the storage area S, and the like are not provided, only the inner wall surface 3A of the cover portion 3 corresponds to this.
(4) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the four non-interference angle ranges are "0±α°", the range of "90±α°", the range of "180±α°", the range of "270±α°", and "α=8" has been described as an example. However, these values are merely examples, and are preferably set appropriately according to the interval between the inner wall surface 3A of the cover 3 and the inner surface structure.
(5) In the above-described embodiment, the description has been given assuming that the operation command is a reference posture recovery operation for setting the postures of the moving unit 30 and the turning unit 20 to predetermined reference postures. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the operation command may be another posture (for example, a posture that facilitates maintenance) different from the predetermined reference posture.
(6) The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments may be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in the other embodiments, as long as no contradiction occurs. The embodiments disclosed in the present specification are merely examples of other configurations in all aspects. Thus, various modifications can be made as appropriate within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure.
3. Summary of the above embodiments
The outline of the article conveying device described above will be described below.
The article conveying device is an article conveying device for conveying articles; the device is provided with: a moving body that moves for conveying the article; a cover portion supported by the movable body and covering at least a part of a side periphery of a storage area for storing the article being conveyed; a transfer mechanism for holding the article and transferring the article between the article and a transfer target site; and a control unit that controls the moving body and the transfer mechanism; the transfer mechanism includes: a holding unit supported by the movable body, the holding unit being capable of changing a state between a holding state in which the article is held and a release state in which the article is released; a turning part for turning the holding part around a turning axis along the up-down direction; and a moving unit configured to move the holding unit between an inner position in the housing area and an outer position outside the housing area; the cover part is provided with an inner surface structure facing the accommodating area; when the rotation angle of the holding portion by the rotation portion is within a predetermined non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism does not interfere with the inner surface structure even if the holding portion is moved by the moving portion, and when the rotation angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism interferes with the inner surface structure depending on a movement path of the holding portion by the moving portion; the control unit is capable of executing a maintenance mode in which the transfer mechanism is operated in accordance with an instruction from an operation terminal operated by an operator; in the maintenance mode, when an operation instruction of the transfer means is received from the operation terminal, the control unit determines whether or not the turning angle is within the non-interference angle range, executes the operation of the transfer means in accordance with the operation instruction when the turning angle is within the non-interference angle range, and causes the operation terminal to issue a notification error message when the turning angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range or when the turning angle is unknown.
According to this configuration, even when an operator issues an erroneous operation instruction of the transfer mechanism in the maintenance mode, the operator can issue an error message when the transfer mechanism is operated and the transfer mechanism may interfere with the inner surface structure of the cover. Therefore, even when the operator gives an incorrect operation instruction to the transfer mechanism, the operator can be given an opportunity to confirm the operation, and therefore, the transfer mechanism can be prevented from interfering with the inner surface structure of the cover.
Here, it is preferable that the control unit, in the maintenance mode, notify the notice call information when the operation instruction of the transfer means is received from the operation terminal, and execute the operation of the transfer means in accordance with the operation instruction when the operation instruction of the transfer means is received again after the notification of the notice call information and the rotation angle is within the non-interference angle range.
According to this configuration, when the operator is given an opportunity to confirm the operation instruction again and the swing angle is within the non-interference angle range, the operation of the transfer mechanism is performed in accordance with the instruction of the operator. Thus, the transfer mechanism can be operated in accordance with an operation instruction given by the operator. For example, when power supply is started to an article conveying device in a state in which power is not supplied, the control unit often becomes a state in which the rotation angle cannot be recognized. It is preferable to perform this operation when the rotation angle is not clear.
In the maintenance mode, it is preferable that the control unit, when receiving an operation instruction of the transfer mechanism from the operation terminal and when the turning angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range, turns the holding unit by the turning unit so that the turning angle falls within the non-interference angle range after the error message is issued and reports the error message, and executes the operation of the transfer mechanism in accordance with the operation instruction.
According to this configuration, since the operation of the transfer mechanism is performed in accordance with the operation command after the rotation angle is set within the non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism can be operated in accordance with the operation command given by the operator while avoiding interference between the transfer mechanism and the inner surface structure of the cover.
Preferably, the operation command is a command for a reference posture recovery operation for setting the postures of the moving unit and the turning unit to predetermined reference postures.
In the article conveying device, the complex operation of the moving part and the turning part is performed in the reference posture restoring operation, so that the operator is hard to notice the interference of the transfer mechanism. In this way, according to the present configuration, the operator can be appropriately given the opportunity to confirm.
Further, it is preferable that the moving portion includes a lifting portion for lifting and lowering the holding portion, and a sliding portion for sliding and moving the holding portion in a horizontal direction; when receiving the command for the reference posture restoration operation, the control unit sets the lifting unit to the reference posture, sets the sliding unit to the reference posture, and sets the turning unit to the reference posture.
When a command for the reference posture recovery operation is received, if the rotation by the rotation unit is performed first, the holding unit may interfere with the inner surface structure due to the rotation. In view of this, according to the present configuration, by setting the lifting portion to the reference posture first, interference is easily prevented even when the swing portion swings.
Further, the inner surface structure may include a drop restricting portion for restricting downward drop of the article; the drop limiting portion is disposed below the article stored in the storage area so as to protrude from an inner wall surface of the cover portion toward the storage area.
In the case where the drop regulating portion is provided as in the present configuration, interference between the transfer mechanism and the inner surface structure is particularly likely to occur during movement of the holding portion by the moving portion. In view of this, it is particularly preferable if the control as described above is performed.
Industrial applicability
The technology relating to the present disclosure can be utilized for an article conveying device that conveys an article.
Description of the reference numerals
1: article conveying device
2: moving body
3: cover part
3A: inner wall surface
4: transfer mechanism
4 b: rotation axis
5: control unit
6: drop limiting part
10: holding part
20: rotary part
30: moving part
31: lifting part
32: sliding part
100: operation terminal
S: storage area
W: an article.
Claims (6)
1. An article conveying device for conveying articles, characterized in that,
the device is provided with:
a moving body that moves for conveying the article;
a cover portion supported by the movable body and covering at least a part of a side periphery of a storage area for storing the article being conveyed;
a transfer mechanism for holding the article and transferring the article between the article and a transfer target site; and
a control unit that controls the movable body and the transfer mechanism;
the transfer mechanism includes: a holding unit supported by the movable body, the holding unit being capable of changing a state between a holding state in which the article is held and a release state in which the article is released; a turning part for turning the holding part around a turning axis along the up-down direction; and a moving unit configured to move the holding unit between an inner position in the housing area and an outer position outside the housing area;
The cover part is provided with an inner surface structure facing the accommodating area;
when the rotation angle of the holding portion by the rotation portion is within a predetermined non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism does not interfere with the inner surface structure even if the holding portion is moved by the moving portion, and when the rotation angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range, the transfer mechanism interferes with the inner surface structure depending on a movement path of the holding portion by the moving portion;
the control unit is capable of executing a maintenance mode in which the transfer mechanism is operated in accordance with an instruction from an operation terminal operated by an operator;
in the maintenance mode, when an operation instruction of the transfer means is received from the operation terminal, the control unit determines whether or not the turning angle is within the non-interference angle range, executes the operation of the transfer means in accordance with the operation instruction when the turning angle is within the non-interference angle range, and causes the operation terminal to issue a notification error message when the turning angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range or when the turning angle is unknown.
2. The article transport device of claim 1, wherein,
in the maintenance mode, the control unit notifies the notice-call information when the operation instruction of the transfer means is received from the operation terminal, and executes the operation of the transfer means in accordance with the operation instruction when the operation instruction of the transfer means is received again after the notification of the notice-call information and the rotation angle is within the non-interference angle range.
3. The article transport device of claim 1, wherein,
in the maintenance mode, when an operation instruction of the transfer mechanism is received from the operation terminal and the turning angle is an angle outside the non-interference angle range, the control unit turns the holding unit by the turning unit so that the turning angle falls within the non-interference angle range after the error message is issued and the error message is notified, and executes the operation of the transfer mechanism in accordance with the operation instruction.
4. The article transport device according to any one of claim 1 to 3, wherein,
the operation command is a command for a reference posture restoration operation for setting the postures of the moving section and the turning section to predetermined reference postures.
5. The article transport device of claim 4, wherein the article transport device comprises,
the moving part comprises a lifting part for lifting and moving the holding part and a sliding part for sliding and moving the holding part along the horizontal direction;
when receiving the command for the reference posture restoration operation, the control unit sets the lifting unit to the reference posture, sets the sliding unit to the reference posture, and sets the turning unit to the reference posture.
6. The article transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,
the inner surface structure includes a drop limiting portion for limiting downward drop of the article;
the drop limiting portion is disposed below the article stored in the storage area so as to protrude from an inner wall surface of the cover portion toward the storage area.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2021-182136 | 2021-11-08 | ||
| JP2021182136A JP7487721B2 (en) | 2021-11-08 | 2021-11-08 | Item transport device |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN116081151A true CN116081151A (en) | 2023-05-09 |
Family
ID=86207035
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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| CN202211390810.3A Pending CN116081151A (en) | 2021-11-08 | 2022-11-08 | Article conveying device |
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| JP (1) | JP7487721B2 (en) |
| KR (1) | KR20230067513A (en) |
| CN (1) | CN116081151A (en) |
| TW (1) | TW202330368A (en) |
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| US9122272B2 (en) | 2006-10-06 | 2015-09-01 | Dynamic Micro Systems | Redundantable robot assembly for workpiece transfer |
| CN111032535B (en) | 2017-08-16 | 2022-02-25 | 村田机械株式会社 | Overhead conveyance vehicle, conveyance system, and control method for overhead conveyance vehicle |
| JP6939651B2 (en) | 2018-03-08 | 2021-09-22 | 株式会社ダイフク | Transport device |
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| JP7487721B2 (en) | 2024-05-21 |
| KR20230067513A (en) | 2023-05-16 |
| TW202330368A (en) | 2023-08-01 |
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