JP2002114372A - Stacking apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stacking apparatus 11 capable of surely arranging articles 12 in a stacking pattern, and stabilizing the stacked state of the articles 12 stacked on a pallet. SOLUTION: The articles 12 are transferred corresponding to an array of a stacking pattern for one stage to be stacked on the pallet by a transfer robot 14. In the transfer device main body 15, the articles 12 arranged in the stacking pattern by the transfer robot 14 are shaped into a stacking attitude for stacking on the pallet by a shaping means 24, and the articles 12 shaped into the stacking attitude is stacked on the pallet by a stacking means 23. The articles 12 can be surely arranged in the stacking pattern by the transfer robot 14, and shaped into the stacking attitude by the shaping means 24 of the transfer device main body 15, and the articles 12 can be stabilized in the state of being stacked on the pallet.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a loading device for stacking articles on a pallet in a plurality of stages.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a stacking apparatus for stacking articles on a pallet in a plurality of stages, a palletizer or a transfer robot is used to sequentially stack a plurality of articles on a pallet one by one in a predetermined stacking pattern. At the same time, the upper and lower articles are overlapped in an intersecting manner by changing the stacking pattern of the upper and lower parts so as to prevent the collapse of the load.

A palletizer extrudes articles sequentially conveyed by a supply conveyor toward a patterning conveyor, and conveys the articles by the patterning conveyor while substantially changing the direction of the articles that need to be changed in direction according to the loading pan. 9
Converted by 0 °, conveyed to an alignment conveyor, aligned a plurality of articles according to the loading pattern on the alignment conveyor, extruded the stacking conveyor, and loaded a plurality of articles on a pallet on the loading conveyor. The one-stage articles arranged in the stacking pattern are pressed from all sides and shaped into a stowage posture for stacking on a pallet, and the one-stage articles shaped in this stowage posture are stowed on a stowage conveyor. They are stacked on pallets from above. In this way, by shaping the articles for one stage into the stacking posture and then stacking them on the pallet, the stacked state of the articles stacked on the pallet in a plurality of stages can be stabilized and the collapse of the load can be suppressed.

[0004] The patterning conveyor of the palletizer is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-31320. And the turn stopper hooks one end of the front surface of the article in the conveyance direction to restrict the movement in the conveyance direction, so that the other end of the article changes direction while moving in the conveyance direction.

[0005] The transfer robot is an articulated robot or the like in which a plurality of arms are rotatably connected, and is provided with a hand for detachably holding an article at the end of the arm, and is sequentially conveyed by a supply conveyor. One or more incoming articles are held by a hand, the articles are lifted and moved above the pallet, the orientation is adjusted according to the stow pattern, and the articles are stacked on the pallet.

[0006]

However, in the conventional palletizer, in order to arrange the articles in a stacking pattern, the direction of the articles which need to be changed in direction by a turn stopper on the patterning conveyor is changed by approximately 90 °. However, the direction of the article can be accurately adjusted by adjusting the positional relationship between the article and the turn stopper and the advance / retreat timing of the turn stopper.
There is a problem that a complicated adjustment work is required to perform the 0 ° conversion, and furthermore, even if the adjustment can be performed, there is a possibility that the direction may be shifted depending on the article, and there is a problem that the stowage pattern is disturbed. In particular, when the article is a bag, there is a problem that it is difficult to accurately change the direction by about 90 ° as compared with a box.
Moreover, there is a problem that a complicated adjustment operation is required every time the type of the article changes. In addition, when the articles are moved between the conveyors, the articles are pushed out on the conveyor, so that the bottom of the articles is rubbed on the conveyor, a printed portion printed on the bottom of the articles is removed, or the packaging material of the articles is worn. There's a problem.

In the transfer robot, since one or a plurality of articles are held by hand and stacked on a pallet, complicated adjustment is not required, and only the setting and input of the kind of the article and the stacking pattern are performed. Can be handled by the control unit of the transfer robot, and even if the type of article changes, it can be easily handled only by changing and inputting the settings. However, there is a tendency that the packing of articles stacked in a plurality of stages tends to spread in the horizontal direction without being gathered at the center, and the stacking state is unstable, and the load easily collapses. In particular, when the article is a bag, there is a problem in that the article is less likely to be centered on the pallet than the box, the loading state is unstable, and the load is easily collapsed. For this reason, when transporting over long distances, it is necessary to take measures such as wrapping the goods stacked on the pallet to prevent collapse of the load.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and does not rub the articles, does not require complicated adjustments, and can easily cope with a change in the type of the articles. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stowage device which can be arranged in a pallet and stabilize a stowed state in which articles are stowed on a pallet.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stowage apparatus, comprising: a transfer robot for transferring an article in accordance with an arrangement of a one-stage stowage pattern for stacking articles on a pallet; Shaping means for shaping the articles arranged in the stowage pattern into a stowage position to be stowed on the pallet, and stowage for stowing the articles of the stowage pattern shaped into the stowage posture by the shaping means on the pallet And a stowage device main body having means.

The transfer robot transfers the goods in accordance with the arrangement of the stacking patterns for one step of stacking the goods on the pallet, so that the goods are not rubbed, no complicated adjustment is required, and the type of the goods is reduced. Can be easily coped with, and articles can be reliably arranged in a stowage pattern. Further, by the transfer device body, the transfer robot shapes the articles arranged in the stowage pattern into a stowage posture for stacking on the pallet by the shaping means, and the shaped articles are stowed on the pallet by the stowage means. By stacking the articles on the pallet, it is possible to stabilize the state of stacking the articles on the pallet and prevent the collapse of the load.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the stowage apparatus according to the first aspect further includes a robot control unit for controlling the transfer robot, and a stowage apparatus main body control unit for controlling the stowage apparatus main body. The robot control section inputs data relating to stowage and outputs the input data relating to stowage to the stowage apparatus main body control section.

Then, by outputting the data relating to the stowage inputted to the robot control unit for controlling the transfer robot to the control unit for controlling the stowage apparatus main body, the data relating to the stowage is shared. In this case, it is only necessary to input the data relating to the stowage only to the robot control unit, which facilitates the input operation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stowage apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising: a robot control unit for controlling the transfer robot; a stowage apparatus main body control unit for controlling the stowage apparatus main body; A robot control unit and an overall control unit for overall control of a stow device main body control unit, wherein the overall control unit inputs data relating to stowage, and transmits the input data relating to stowage to the robot control unit and the stowage. These are output to the apparatus main body control unit.

The data relating to the stowage input to the general control unit is output to the robot control unit for controlling the transfer robot and the stowage device main unit control unit for controlling the stowage device main body, respectively. Data on stowage can be shared and data on stowage can be input only to the overall control unit, which facilitates the input operation.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the stowage apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the stowage means is provided from a transfer area in which articles are transferred by the transfer robot. One end moves forward and backward to the stowage area where articles are stacked on the pallet, and the transferred article is placed at one end and moves forward from the transfer area to the stowage area and retreats from the stowage area to the transfer area. A loading conveyor for delivering articles from one end when moving and stacking the articles on a pallet; and while the one end of the loading conveyor advances and retreats with respect to the loading area, the other end of the loading conveyor in the loading area. Stop means for keeping the next article transferred by the transfer robot on the side of the loading conveyor moving forward and backward in a state of being stopped in the transfer area.

Then, the article transferred to the transfer conveyor is placed on one end side, moves forward from the transfer area to the loading area, and when the article is moved backward from the loading area to the transfer area, the article is moved from one end side. During the loading operation to be sent out and loaded on the pallet, the stopping means causes the loading robot to advance and retreat the next article transferred by the transfer robot to the other end of the loading conveyor in the transfer area. When the stowage operation is completed and the stowage conveyor is moved backward from the stowage area to the transfer area after the stowage operation is completed, the articles stopped by the stopping means are moved to one end side of the stowage conveyor. In other words, the loading operation of the articles transferred to the stowage conveyor and the transferring operation of the next article to the stowage conveyor are executed in parallel to transfer the next article. Immediate transition to the next loading operation is possible without waiting And then, the processing capacity can be improved.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the stowage device 11 comprises:
The bag 12 containing the contents as a product in the bag is placed on a pallet.
A stacking robot 14 serving as a stacking means for arranging the bags 12 in a stacking pattern, and a bag 12 arranged on a pallet 13. It has a loading device main body 15 for loading.
In the stacking pattern according to the present embodiment, six bags 12 are arranged for each stage on the pallet 13 and the directions of the bags 12 that are vertically stacked are changed by 90 ° to thereby form the upper and lower bags 12.
Are stacked so that they intersect with each other, and are stacked so that they do not collapse.

The stowage apparatus main body 15 has a gantry 21 on which a supply conveyor 22 for supplying the bag 12 and a stowage conveyor as stowage means for stacking the bag 12 on the pallet 13.
23, and shaping means 24 for shaping the bags 12 arranged in the stowage pattern into the stowage posture are provided, and according to the height at which the bags 12 are received from the stowage conveyor 23 on the pallet 13 below the gantry 21. Pallet elevating means 25 for elevating and lowering the pallet 13 is provided.

The gantry 21 has a plurality of columns 28 installed on the floor 27 and a gantry 29 erected by the columns 28 at a position higher than the floor 27. On the gantry 21, a supply section A1 for supplying the bag 12; a transfer section A2 adjacent to the supply section A1 for arranging the bag 12 in a stacking pattern; and a stacking section 12 adjacent to the transfer section A2. Shaping unit A3 to shape to the attached posture,
And a stowage unit A4 for stacking the bags 12 shaped in the stowage posture at the same position as the shaping unit A3 on the pallet 13.

The supply conveyor 22 sequentially supplies a plurality of bags 12 to the supply section A1 on the gantry 21. The supply conveyor 22 is constituted by, for example, a belt conveyor. The surface 22a is set.

The stowage conveyor 23 is, for example, a belt conveyor and has a conveyor frame (not shown). The conveyor frame is provided on the gantry 21 between the transfer section A2 and the shaping section A3. It is arranged movably along 31. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, rollers are provided at both ends in the moving direction of the conveyor frame.
An endless belt 33 is stretched between these rollers 32 at both ends. The upper surface of the belt 33 is a mounting surface 23a on which the bags 12 arranged in the stacking pattern by the transfer robot 14 in the transfer section A2 are mounted. As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting surface 23a is disposed at substantially the same level as the transport surface 22a of the supply conveyor 22.

Further, the shaping means 24 stacks the bags 12 on the stowage conveyor 23 onto the pallet 13 after the loading conveyor 23 on which the bags 12 arranged in the transfer section A2 are moved to the shaping section A3. Side shape pressing means 41 for shaping the side of the bag object 12 from four sides toward the center and pressing the side of the bag object 12 from above, and upper surface pressing means 42 for pressing the bag object 12 from above.
have.

The side pressing means 41 includes four pressing plates 43a to 43d.
And a pressing plate 43 located between the transfer section A2 and the shaping section A3.
a is a downwardly advanced position where the bag body 12 can be pressed, and a retracted position where the bagging conveyor 23 on which the bag body 12 is loaded is allowed to move from the transfer unit A2 to the shaping unit A3. It is configured to be swingable.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the pressing plate 43a is swingably supported by a supporting portion 44 via a swinging arm 45 which is rotatable. The swinging lever 46 is swung between an advanced position and a retracted position by an advancing / retracting cylinder 46 connected therebetween. The support portion 44 is screwed to a screw shaft 48 of a support frame 47 attached to the gantry 21, and the screw shaft 48 is driven to rotate by a pressing motor 49. By driving the pressing motor 49, the screw shaft
The pressing plate 43a is moved to a standby position before pressing the bag body 12 and to a pressing position for pressing the bag body 12 through the screwing of the support member 44 with the pressing member 43.

As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the remaining pressing plates 43b to 43d are attached to the distal end of a rod 52 of a pressing cylinder 51 attached to a support portion 50. It is moved to a standby position before pressing the bag 12 and a pressing position for pressing the bag body 12. The support portion 50 is screwed to a screw shaft 54 of a support frame 53 attached to the gantry 21 side.
54 is driven to rotate by the adjustment motor 55. Adjustment motor 55
Drive, through the screwing of the screw shaft 54 and the support portion 50,
The pressing positions of the pressing plates 43b to 43d are adjusted according to the type of the article.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper surface pressing means 42 has a pressing plate 56 formed in a slightly smaller shape by the upper surfaces of the plurality of bags 12 arranged in a stow pattern. Is raised and lowered by a cylinder (not shown) and presses the bag body 12 at the time of lowering.

The pallet elevating means 25 includes a base 61 installed on the floor 27, an expansion mechanism 62 disposed on the base 61 and capable of extending and contracting in the vertical direction.
And a pallet support 63 for supporting the pallet 13 attached to the upper part of the pallet. The expansion / contraction mechanism 62 employs a mechanism in which a plurality of links 64 are rotatably connected in an X-shape and a plurality of the links 64 are connected and connected, that is, a mechanism that expands / contracts by a so-called pantograph structure. The pallet support 63 is raised and lowered while maintaining a substantially horizontal state.

The transfer robot 14 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, with an articulated robot, a base 69 installed on the gantry 21 in the vicinity of the supply part A1 and the transfer part A2, a main body part 70 that turns horizontally on the base 69, A plurality of arms (first to third arms) 71 to 7 rotatably connected to the main body 70 from the base end side to the front end side so as to be successively rotatable.
3, and the bag 12 supported by the third arm 73 on the distal end side
Has a hand 74 as a holding body for detachably holding.

The main body 70 is supported on the base 69 so as to be pivotable in a horizontal direction about a vertical pivot shaft 75.
The base end of the arm 71 is pivotally supported by the main body 70 via a first horizontal shaft 76 so as to be vertically swingable.
An intermediate portion on the base end side of the first arm 71 is pivotally supported by a tip end of a first arm 71 via a second horizontal shaft 77 so as to be vertically swingable. The arm 72 is rotatably supported in the up and down direction via a third shaft 78 in the horizontal direction.

A drive lever 79 protruding from the main body 70 and a base end of the second arm 72 are connected by a link 80, and the drive lever 79 is oscillated in the vertical direction so that the second arm 72 is swung up and down.

Turning of the main body 70, swinging of the first arm 71,
The swing of the drive lever is performed by driving a motor (not shown).

A lever 81 protruding from the main body 70 and a link 82 rotatably supported by a second shaft 77 are connected by a link 83, and the link 82 and the third arm 73 The projecting lever 84 is connected by a link 85, and the links 82, 83, 85 and the respective arms 71, 72, 73 form a parallel link. The swing of the first arm 71 and the second arm 72
The direction of the third arm 73 is always kept constant with respect to the swing of.

At the tip of the third arm 73, a rotating shaft 87 that is rotated by a motor 86 is provided to protrude substantially vertically, and a hand 74 is attached to the lower end of the rotating shaft 87.

The hand 74 is, as shown in FIG.
A base 91 attached to the base 91, a substantially L-shaped hand body 92 swingably supported at both ends of the base 91, and a cylinder 93 for swinging the hand body 92.
The bag object 12 is grasped and released by closing and opening the bag.

Next, the stowage operation by the stowage device 11 will be described.

A plurality of bags 12 are sequentially conveyed by the supply conveyor 22 and sequentially supplied to the supply section A1.

The hand 74 is supplied by the transfer robot 14 to the supply unit.
A1 and hold the bag 12 with both hand bodies 92, raise it from the conveying surface 22a of the supply conveyor 22, and move the hand 74 above the position corresponding to the arrangement of the stowage pans on the transfer unit A2 Then, both hand bodies 92 are opened to release the bag 12 and the transfer unit A2
Is transferred onto the loading surface 23a of the loading conveyor 23 that has been moved in advance. In this way, the transfer robot 14 sequentially transfers the bags 12 sequentially conveyed by the supply conveyor 22 to positions corresponding to the arrangement of the stacking patterns on the stacking conveyor 23.

When the transfer of the plurality of bags 12 to the stacking pattern of one stage on the stacking conveyor 23 is completed, the stacking conveyor 23 is moved from the transfer section A2 to the alignment section A3. At this time,
The pressing plate 43a between the transfer unit A2 and the alignment unit A3 is previously retracted to the upper evacuation position, and the loading conveyor on which the bag 12 is placed.
Allow 23 moves.

When the movement of the loading conveyor 23 to the alignment section A3 is completed, the pressing plate 43a is advanced to the lower advanced position,
The four pressing plates 43a to 43d are moved simultaneously or in a predetermined order from the standby position to the pressing position, and the four pressing plates 43a to 43d are moved.
Then, the bags 12 arranged in the stacking pattern for one stage are pressed toward the center and put together. Further, the upper surface pressing means 42
The bag 12 is pressed from above by the pressing plate 56. In this manner, the bags 12 arranged in the stacking pattern for one stage on the stowage conveyor 23 are shaped into a stowage posture for stacking on the pallet 13.

After the shaping to the loading position is completed, the pallet
13 Perform the loading operation of loading on the top. The stowage operation is roughly classified into two stowage methods.

In the first stowage method, the four pressing plates 43a to 43a-4
3d is moved from the pressing position to the outside standby position, and the pressing plate 56 of the upper surface pressing means 42 is raised. afterwards,
As shown in FIG. 4, while moving the loading conveyor 23 from the alignment section A3 to the transfer section A2, the belt 33 moves the mounting surface 23a from the transfer section A2 side to the alignment section A3 side. The movement of the stow conveyor 23 and the movement of the belt 33 are synchronized. As a result, while the bag 12 is stopped at the fixed position, the loading conveyor 23 supporting the lower surface is removed, and the bag 12 directly or already loaded on the pallet 13 is removed.
It is dropped on the top of 12 and transferred.

In the second stowage method, the four pressing plates 43a to 43a-4
3d is not moved from the pressing position to the outside standby position, and while the bags 12 arranged in the stacking pattern for one stage are pressed in the loading position at the pressing position, as described above, the stacking conveyor 23 By synchronizing the movement with the movement of the belt 33, the bags 12 arranged in the stacking pattern for one stage are transferred directly onto the pallet 13 or dropped onto the upper surface of the already stacked bags 12. In the second stowage method, since the bags 12 arranged in a one-stage stowage pattern fall in a state where the four sides are regulated, it is possible to accurately drop the bags 12 on the pallet 13 by the first stowage method. More surely.

At the time of this loading operation, the height of the upper surface for receiving the bag 12 on the pallet 13 is previously positioned near the lower surface of the loading conveyor 23 by the pallet lifting means 25, so that the loading conveyor 23 From the pallet 13
Reduce the drop of 12 to reduce disturbance of loading posture due to falling. Therefore, the bags 12 arranged in the stacking pattern for one stage can be stacked on the pallet 13 in the stowed posture.

After the bags 12 for one stage are stacked on the pallet 13, the pallet 13 is lowered by one stage by the pallet elevating means 25, and the process waits for stacking the bags 12 on the next stage.

As described above, the bag 12 is supplied by the supply conveyor 22.
Are sequentially supplied, and the supplied bags 12 are transferred by the transfer robot 14 onto the stowage conveyor 23 of the transfer section A2 in an arrangement of one-stage stowage pattern, and are arranged in the one-stage stowage pattern. The formed bags 12 are shaped into the loading position by the shaping means 24, and the bags 12 shaped into the loading position are sequentially stacked on the pallet 13 from the loading conveyor 23. The stacking patterns arranged by the transfer robot 14 are arranged so that the directions of the bags 12 vertically stacked on the pallet 13 are different from each other by 90 °, so that the upper and lower bags 12 cross each other on the pallet 13. And stack them so that they do not collapse.

The transfer robot 14 lifts the bags 12 on the transfer surface 22a supplied by the supply conveyor 22 from the transfer surface 22a, and corresponds to the arrangement of the stacking pattern for one stage to be stacked on the pallet 13. To be transferred to the transfer section A2.
12 does not need to be rubbed, does not require complicated adjustments, and can easily respond to changes in the type of bag 12; the bags 12 can be securely arranged in a stowage pattern; and the transfer robot 15 The bags 12 arranged in the loading pattern at 14 are shaped into a loading position for loading on the pallet 13 by the shaping means 24,
Since the bags 12 shaped in the stacking posture are stacked on the pallet 13 from the stacking conveyor 23, the state of stacking the bags 12 on the pallet 13 can be stabilized, and the collapse of the load can be prevented.

Further, since the transfer surface 22a of the supply conveyor 22 and the mounting surface 23a of the loading conveyor 23 of the transfer section A2 are provided at substantially the same plane height, the height at which the transfer robot 14 lifts the bag 12 Can be reduced, the deflection of the gantry 21 supporting the transfer robot 14 can be suppressed, and the vertical operation range can be suppressed.

Further, the transfer robot 14 and the transfer device main body 15 are installed at a position higher than the floor surface 27 by the gantry 21, and the pallet lifting / lowering means 25 is set to a height at which the bag material 12 is received from the loading conveyor 23 onto the pallet 13. Since the pallet 13 is moved up and down in response, the structure can be simplified only by moving up and down the pallet 13 side.

Next, control of the stowage device 11 will be described.

The control configuration shown in FIG. 7 or the control configuration shown in FIG. 8 is employed.

In the control configuration shown in FIG. 7, the stowage device 11
A robot control unit 101 for controlling the transfer robot 14 and a stowage device main unit control unit 102 for controlling the stowage device main unit 15 are provided.
The control processing is performed by mutually communicating with and. The robot control unit 101 has a function of inputting data relating to stowage such as a product type and a stowage pattern, and outputting the input data relating to stowage to the stowage apparatus main unit control unit 102. The stowage apparatus main body control section 102 has a shaping section control section 103 for controlling the shaping operation by the shaping section 24 and the like. The shaping section control section 103 responds by inputting data related to stowage from the robot control section 101. Execute control.

As described above, the data related to the stowage input to the robot control unit 101 for controlling the transfer robot 14 is
By outputting to the stowage apparatus main body control unit 102 that controls the stowage apparatus main body 15, the stowage-related data can be shared, and the stowage-related data can be input only to the robot control unit 101. it can.

Further, in the control configuration shown in FIG.
11 is a robot control unit 101 for controlling the transfer robot 14,
A stowage device main body control unit 102 for controlling the stowage device main body 15, and a general control unit 104 for integrally controlling the robot control unit 101 and the stowage device main body control unit 102, the robot control unit 101 and the stowage device Main unit control unit 102 and general control unit 10
The control processing is performed by mutually communicating with the control unit 4. The general control unit 104 has a function of inputting data relating to stowage such as a product type and a stowage pattern, and outputting the input stowage data to the robot control unit 101 and the stowage device main unit control unit 102, respectively. are doing. Stowage unit control unit 10
2 has a shaping means control section 103 for controlling the shaping operation by the shaping means 24 and the like. The shaping means control section 103 inputs data relating to stowage from the robot control section 101 and executes corresponding control.

As described above, the data relating to the stowage input to the general control unit 104 is transmitted to the robot control unit 101 for controlling the transfer robot 14 and the stowage device main unit control unit 102 for controlling the stowage device main body 15. By outputting the respective data, the data relating to the stowage can be shared, and the data relating to the stowage can be input only to the general control unit 104, thereby facilitating the setting operation.

An example of the process of switching the type of article by the control configuration of FIG. 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In the control configuration shown in FIG.
In response to this, a program corresponding to the type of the article to be processed is specified from a plurality of programs created in advance for each type of article.

The robot controller 101 controls the transfer robot 14 based on a designated program.

On the other hand, the robot control unit 101 calculates the external dimensions of the stowage according to the designated program, and sends the data of the external dimensions of the stowage to the shaping means control unit 103 of the control unit 102 of the stowage apparatus. The shaping unit control unit 103 obtains the position data of the pressed position of each side pressing unit 41 of the shaping unit 24 from the data of the stowed outer dimensions, and controls each side pressing unit 41 of the shaping unit 24 based on the position data. .

In the case of the control configuration shown in FIG. 8, a program corresponding to the type of the article to be processed is designated to the general control unit 104 from a plurality of programs created in advance for each type of article. I do. In the general control unit 104,
According to the specified program, the external dimensions to be stowed on the robot controller 101 are calculated, and this data is stored in the robot controller 10.
1 and the shaping means control section 103 of the stowage apparatus main body control section 102
The external dimensions of the stowage are calculated, and this data is sent to the shaping means control unit 103. Robot control unit 101 and shaping unit control unit
In 103, control is performed based on data sent from the overall control unit 104.

By the way, when articles are transferred from the supply section A1 to the transfer section A2 by the transfer robot 14, it is easier to transfer the article by providing a gap between adjacent articles than by providing no gap. . On the other hand, when the articles are stacked on the pallet 13 at the alignment section A3 and the stacking section A4, in order to stably stack, there is no gap in the case of a box between adjacent articles, and in the case of a bag. It is said that there is no gap or a state where they are pressed against each other.

Therefore, in the case of the control configuration shown in FIG. 7, the data of the external dimensions of the stacking when the transfer robot 14 stacks from the supply section A1 to the transfer section A2 is transmitted from the robot control section 101 to the shaping means control section 103. When transmitted to the shaping unit control unit 103, for example, the shaping unit 24 is deduced by subtracting a constant value from the received stowage dimension or multiplying the stowage dimension by a constant multiplication factor (1 or less). The position data of the pressed position of each side pressing means 41 is obtained.

In the case of the control configuration shown in FIG.
In the case of the setting in which there is a gap between the adjacent articles, the stowage dimensions input to 104 are the same as those in the control configuration of FIG. 7 described above. On the other hand, in the case of the setting where there is no gap between the adjacent articles In the robot controller 101, a fixed value is added to the stowed outer dimension, or a constant multiplication factor (1 or more) is multiplied by the stowed outer dimension, so that the supply unit A1
To obtain the data of the external dimensions of the stowage when the stowage is performed on the transfer section A2. Further, when the stowed outer dimension is an ideal value, the robot controller 101 performs control to increase the stowed outer dimension by a certain value, and controls the shaping means controller 103 to decrease the certain value.

For example, the dimensions of an article are 600 mm long and 40 mm wide.
Consider a case in which a bag 12 of 0 mm is stacked on a pallet 13 having a length of 1200 mm and a width of 1200 mm in the packing form shown in FIG.

In the control configuration shown in FIG. 7, when 1280 mm × 1280 mm is input to the robot controller 101 as a stowed outer dimension by a predetermined program prepared in advance, the stapled outer dimension of the shaping control means 103 is changed to By subtracting and calculating the data of the external dimensions of the stowage input to the robot control unit 101, for example, 1180 mm × 1180 mm
(In the case of a box, the length and width are 1200 mm x 1200 mm).

In the control configuration shown in FIG. 8, when 1200 mm × 1200 mm in vertical and horizontal dimensions are input to the overall control unit 104 by a predetermined program created in advance, the external dimensions of the robot control unit 101 are changed to By adding and calculating the input data, for example,
× 1280 mm, and the outer dimensions of the stowage of the shaping means control unit 103 are, for example, 1180 mm × 1180 mm (no subtraction in the case of a box) by subtraction calculation of the input data.

In this way, by specifying a program created in advance for each type of article, the switching setting of the type to be processed can be facilitated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the stowage device 11 supplies the arrangement conveyor 111 to the transfer section A2,
May be arranged at substantially the same height as the transfer surface 22a, and the loading conveyor 23 may be moved between the transfer unit A2 and the alignment unit A3 below the arrangement conveyor 111. .

Then, in the transfer section A2, the bags 12 are arranged on the arrangement conveyor 111 in accordance with the stow pattern, and when the arrangement of the bags 12 is completed, the bags 1 on the arrangement conveyor 111 are arranged.
2 is transferred to the stowage conveyor 23, and in the alignment section A3, it is shaped into a stowage posture on the stowage conveyor 23 and stowed on the pallet 13. Conveyor 2 stows bags 12 on array conveyor 111
For transfer to 3, the rotation of the arrangement conveyor 111 and the movement of the stow conveyor 23 moved to the lower side of the arrangement conveyor 111 in the stacking operation to the alignment unit A3 are synchronized, or the arrangement is performed. By synchronizing the rotation of the conveyor 111 with the rotation of the loading conveyor 23 located in the alignment section A3, the bag body 12 can be transferred in the loading pattern.

By using the arranging conveyor 111 in this way, the arranging process of the bag 12 into the stacking pattern,
The shaping process of 12 and the stowage process on the pallet 13 can be separated and performed in parallel, and the processing capacity can be improved.

The stowage device 11 is similar to that shown in FIGS.
By adopting the configuration of the stow conveyor 23 shown in FIG.

The stowage conveyor 23 is a roller slat conveyor, and has a not-shown conveyor frame. The conveyor frame includes a transfer unit A2, a shaping unit A3, and a stowage unit A4.
The sprockets 121 are rotatably provided at both ends in the conveyor movement direction on both sides intersecting the conveyor movement direction, and a chain 122 is stretched between the sprockets 121 at both ends. Have been. A plurality of rollers 123 are rotatably connected between the chains 122 on both sides, and an endless body 124 is formed by the chains 122 and the rollers 123 on both sides. The upper surface of the plurality of rollers 123 of the endless body 124 is
In A2, a loading surface 23a on which the bags 12 arranged in the loading pattern by the loading robot 14 are placed is set. The mounting surface 23a is disposed at substantially the same height as the transfer surface 22a of the supply conveyor 22.

In the transfer section A2, a plurality (two in the present embodiment) of areas E in the conveyor moving direction in which the bag 12 is transferred by the transfer robot 14 in accordance with the arrangement of the stacking patterns.
Corresponding to E1 and E2, brake pads 125 and 126 abutting on the rollers 123 in the respective areas E1 and E2 are arranged so as to be able to move up and down by a brake mechanism (not shown). These brake pads
While the one end side of the loading conveyor 23 moves forward and backward with respect to the loading section A4 as the loading area by the 125, 126 and the brake mechanism in the loading area A2. Stop means 127 is configured to keep the next bag 12 transferred by the transfer robot 14 at the other end of the conveyor 23 in a transfer area with respect to the loading conveyor 23 moving forward and backward.

Note that the stow pattern is, for example, in each area E
1. One of E2, three bags 12 are arranged in the transverse direction, and the other two bags 12 are arranged in the longitudinal direction. Five bags 12 are arranged at each stage on the pallet 13, and up and down. Bag that overlaps
By changing the direction of 12 by 180 °, the upper and lower bags 12
Are overlapped so as to intersect each other to prevent collapse of the load.

Then, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), each area E of the transfer section A2 of the loading conveyor 23 is moved by the transfer robot 14.
The bag 12 is transferred to E1 and E2 in accordance with the arrangement of the stowage pattern. When the bags 12 are transferred onto the areas E1 and E2 of the transfer section A2, one end of the loading conveyor 23 is located at the transfer section A2.

As shown in FIG. 12B, after the transfer of the bag 12 is completed, the loading conveyor 23 is moved from the transfer section A2 to the alignment section A3. During the movement of the loading conveyor 23,
When the bag 12 on the area E1 moves out of the area E1, the brake pad 125 is brought into contact with the roller 123 of the area E1 by the brake mechanism, and the transfer robot 14 transfers the bag 12 to the area E1. In the area E1, the roller 123 is moved from the loading conveyor 2
11, but rolls counterclockwise in FIG. 11 when the upper surface of the roller 123 contacts the brake pad 125. That is, the roller 123 moves in response to the rightward movement of the loading conveyor 23. It rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 11, which is the opposite direction. Therefore, the bag 12 placed on the roller 123 in the area E1 is kept substantially stopped.

As shown in FIG. 12C, the stowage conveyor 23
Is moved to the alignment section A3, the shaping means 24 shapes the stowed posture, and then, as shown in FIG.
3 is moved from the alignment portion A3 toward the transfer portion A2, and the chain 122 of the endless body 124 is rotated so that the mounting surface 23a moves from the transfer portion A2 side toward the alignment portion A3 side, By synchronizing the movement of the loading conveyor 23 and the movement of the endless body 124, the bag 12 is directly stopped on the pallet 13 while the loading conveyor 23 supporting the lower surface comes off while remaining at a fixed position. Or, it is dropped on the upper surface of the already loaded bag 12 and transferred.

During the movement of the loading conveyor 23, the brake pad 126 is moved by the brake mechanism to the rollers 123 in the area E2.
And the transfer robot 14 transfers the bag 12 to the area E2. In the region E2, the roller 123 moves integrally with the loading conveyor 23, but rolls clockwise in FIG. 11 when the upper surface of the roller 123 contacts the brake pad 126, that is, the left side of the loading conveyor 23. The roller 123 rotates clockwise in FIG. 11, which is the opposite direction to the movement in the direction. Therefore, the bag 1 placed on the roller 123 in the area E2
2 is kept substantially stopped. Similarly, area E1
The bag 12 already placed on the roller 123 is also substantially stopped.

As shown in FIG. 12 (e), the stow conveyor 23
The bag 12 is transferred onto each of the areas E1 and E2 of the transfer section A2 until one end of the bag is located at the transfer section A2. Therefore, the bag 12
Without waiting for the transfer operation, the operation can immediately shift to the next stowage operation, and the processing capacity can be improved. Moreover, the bags 12 can be continuously stacked without increasing the moving speed of the loading conveyor 23, and the moving speed of the loading conveyor 23 is reduced, thereby preventing damage and displacement of the bags 12. be able to.

As described above, the bag 12 transferred to the transfer conveyor 23 is placed on one end side, moves forward from the transfer section A2 to the stacking section A4, and moves backward from the stacking section A4 to the transfer section A2. During the loading operation in which the bag 12 is sent out from one end and stacked on the pallet 13, the stopping means 127 transfers the bag 12 to the other end of the loading conveyor 23 in the transfer section A2 by the transfer robot 14. Since the next bag 12 to be moved is kept stopped at the transfer unit A2 with respect to the loading conveyor 23 moving forward and backward, the loading operation is completed and the loading conveyor 23 is transferred from the loading unit A4 to the transfer unit A2. When the bag is moved backward, the bag 12 stopped by the stopping means 127 can be transferred to one end of the loading conveyor 23, and the loading operation of the bag 12 transferred to the loading conveyor 23 and the loading conveyor are performed. The transfer operation of the next bag 12 to 23 can be performed in parallel with the next bag 12
Can immediately move to the next stowage operation without waiting for the transfer operation of
Processing capacity can be improved.

The transfer robot 14 is not limited to the articulated robot, but has a mechanism for moving the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis, and transfers the bag 12 by moving the hand 74 in the XYZ-axis directions. The same operation and effect can be obtained.

The transfer robot 14 is provided with a stowage device main body 15.
May be installed on a stand separate from the stand of the transfer robot.
And the vibration of the stowage apparatus main body 15 and the like can be reduced from affecting each other.

In addition, articles can be handled not only in bags but also in boxes.

[0084]

According to the stowage device of the first aspect, since the transfer robot transfers the goods in accordance with the arrangement of the one-stage stowage pattern for stacking the goods on the pallet, the goods are not rubbed. It does not require complicated adjustments and can easily respond to changes in the type of articles. The articles can be arranged in a stowage pattern with certainty. The goods in the loading position on the pallet by the shaping means, and the goods shaped in the loading position are loaded on the pallet by the loading means. Can be
Load collapse can be prevented.

According to the stowage device of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the stowage device of the first aspect, the stowage data input to the robot control unit for controlling the transfer robot is stowed. Since the data is output to the stowage apparatus main body control section that controls the apparatus main body, data related to stowage can be shared, and data regarding the stowage need only be input to the robot control section, thereby facilitating the input operation.

According to the stowage device of the third aspect, in addition to the effect of the stowage device of the first aspect, the data relating to stowage input to the general control unit is controlled by a robot control for controlling a transfer robot. Output to the stowage unit control unit that controls the stowage unit and the stowage unit main body, so that data related to stowage can be shared, and data related to stowage can be input only to the overall control unit, making input work easy. it can.

According to the stowage device according to the fourth aspect, in addition to the effects of the stowage device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the articles transferred on the transfer conveyor are placed on one end and transferred. When moving forward from the area to the stowage area and moving backward from the stowage area to the transfer area, the goods are sent out from one end side and stowed on the pallet. The next article to be transferred by the transfer robot to the other end of the loading conveyor is kept at the transfer area with respect to the loading conveyor moving forward and backward, so that the loading operation is completed and the loading area is completed. When the loading conveyor moves backward from the loading area to the loading area, the articles stopped by the stopping means can be transferred to one end of the loading conveyor, and the loading operation of the articles transferred to the loading conveyor can be performed. Parallel transfer operation of next article to stowage conveyor Can Te, immediately can shift to the next operation stowage without waiting for transfer operation for the next article can be improved throughput.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a stowage apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the stowage device.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a relationship between a supply conveyor and a transfer unit of the stowage apparatus.

FIG. 4 shows the stowage operation by the stowage means of the stowage device (a).
It is explanatory drawing shown in order of (b).

5A and 5B show the shaping means of the stowage device, wherein FIG. 5A is a side view of a side pressing means between the transfer section and the alignment section, and FIG. 5B is a side view between the transfer section and the alignment section. FIG. 4 is a side view of a side pressing unit other than the pressing unit.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a holder of the transfer means of the stowage apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control system of the stowage apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing another example of the control system of the stowage apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of changing the type of article of the stowage apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a stowage apparatus showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a part of a stowage device showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a stowage operation by the stowage means in the order of (a) to (e).

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Loading device 12 Bags as articles 14 Transfer robot 15 Loading device body 23 Loading conveyor as loading means 24 Shaping means 101 Robot control unit 102 Loading device body control unit 104 Overall control unit 127 Stopping means A2 Transfer Transfer area as loading area A4 Loading area as loading area

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masafumi Kitaguchi 900 Kouchi, Noguchi-cho, Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture Inside Okura Transport Aircraft Co., Ltd. Within Okura Transport Aircraft Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroaki Takagi 900 Furuouchi, Noguchi-cho, Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture F-term within Okura Transport Aircraft Co., Ltd. (reference) 3F029 AA01 AA04 AA09 AA10 BA01 BA13 CA03 CA05 CA06 CA24 CA52 CA57 CA60 CA91 EA05 3F059 AA02 BB02 FA03 3F072 AA30 GC01 GC04 GC05 GD05 GE03 GE05 GE09 GG12 JA06 JA09 KA01 KA49 KD01 KD19 KD23 KD28 KE01 KE04 KE11

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A transfer robot for transferring articles corresponding to an arrangement of a stacking pattern for one stage for stacking articles on a pallet, and articles arranged in a stacking pattern by the transfer robot are stacked on the pallet. Shaping means to shape the stowage posture to attach,
And a stowage apparatus main body having stowage means for stowing, on the pallet, articles having a stowage pattern shaped into a stowage posture by the shaping means. 2. A robot control unit for controlling a transfer robot, and a stowage device main unit control unit for controlling a stowage device main unit, wherein the robot control unit inputs data relating to stowage and receives the input data. The stowage apparatus according to claim 1, wherein data relating to the stowage is output to the stowage apparatus main body control unit. 3. A robot control unit for controlling a transfer robot, a stowage device main unit control unit for controlling a stowage device main unit, and an overall control unit for integrally controlling the robot control unit and the stowage unit main unit control unit. 2. The general control unit according to claim 1, wherein the general control unit inputs data regarding stowage and outputs the input data regarding stowage to the robot control unit and the stowage apparatus main unit control unit, respectively. Stowage equipment. 4. The loading means, wherein one end side moves forward and backward from a transfer area where the articles are transferred by the transfer robot to a loading area where the articles are stacked on the pallet of the stacking device body. A loading conveyor for loading articles on one end and moving forward from the transfer area to the loading area and for retreating the loading area from the loading area to the loading area for delivering the articles from one end side and stacking them on the pallet; While the one end side of the loading conveyor moves forward and backward with respect to the loading area, the loading conveyor moves forward and backward the next article transferred by the transfer robot to the other end side of the loading conveyor in the transfer area. The stowage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a stopping means for keeping the state stopped in the transfer area.