JP2017047994A - Conveyance device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem in which automatic transfer of a conveyance object cannot be performed in a place other than a station.SOLUTION: A conveyance device 1 includes: a movement mechanism 11 having a plurality of wheels and driving means for driving the wheels; a loading/unloading part 12 provided at the movement mechanism 11 and for loading/unloading a conveyance object 2; a detection part 13 for detecting a mark 4 attached on the conveyance object 2; and a control part 15 for controlling the loading/unloading part 12 so as to load the conveyance object 2 on which the mark 4 is attached detected by the detection part 13, and at the conveyance destination, for controlling the loading/unloading part 12 so as to unload the loaded conveyance object 2. By including the loading/unloading part 12, loading/unloading of the conveyance object 2 becomes possible even in a place without a station.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1A

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device that transports a transport target, which has a loading / unloading mechanism for the transport target.

  Conventionally, in order to transport loads in factories or warehouses, a transport device that travels with loads has been used. Such a transport device was loading and unloading luggage at the station. When loading and unloading luggage at such a station, the loading and unloading of the station has been performed appropriately by adjusting the positional relationship between the station and the traveling carriage (for example, Patent Documents). 1 and 2).

JP-A-6-156140 JP 2012-206787 A

  However, in the conventional transfer apparatus, a station is essential to perform automatic transfer of transfer objects to the transfer apparatus. Therefore, automatic transfer could not be performed at a place where there was no station.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport device that can automatically load and unload a transport target at an arbitrary location.

In order to achieve the above object, a transport apparatus according to the present invention includes a moving mechanism having a traveling unit and a driving unit that drives the traveling unit, a loading / unloading unit that is provided in the moving mechanism and loads and unloads a conveyance target, and a conveying unit. The detection unit for detecting the sign attached to the object and the loading / unloading part to load the conveyance object attached with the sign detected by the detection part are controlled so that the loaded conveyance object is lowered at the conveyance destination. And a control unit for controlling the loading / unloading unit.
With such a configuration, it is possible to appropriately identify the conveyance target by detecting the conveyance target using the detection unit. Further, the loading / unloading unit can load / unload the detected conveyance object even at a place where there is no station. As a result, for example, in a factory, a warehouse, or the like, a transfer target placed at an arbitrary place can be automatically transferred to an arbitrary place.

In the transport device according to the present invention, the sign is visually detectable, and the detection unit is an image capturing unit that captures an image and an image that detects the sign included in the captured image captured by the image capturing unit. And a detection unit.
With such a configuration, for example, by sticking a sign to a conveyance target, the conveyance target can be automatically conveyed.

In the transport apparatus according to the present invention, the loading / unloading unit is provided in the holding unit for holding the transfer target, one or more wires having one end connected to the holding unit, a pedestal provided in the moving mechanism, and the pedestal. And one or more length adjustment mechanisms that adjust the length of each of the one or more wires by winding or unwinding the one or more wires, respectively, and the control unit adjusts the length of one or more. The loading and unloading of the conveyance target may be performed by moving the holding unit by controlling the mechanism.
With such a configuration, automatic conveyance can be realized with a simple configuration using a wire, a length adjustment mechanism, and the like.

In the transport device according to the present invention, the number of wires may be plural, and the number of length adjusting mechanisms may be the same as the number of wires.
With such a configuration, the position of the holding portion can be changed more finely by adjusting the lengths of the plurality of wires.

Further, the transfer device according to the present invention has a mounting table on which the transfer target is mounted, and the control unit sets the transfer target held by the holding unit before the movement by the moving mechanism is started. A plurality of length adjusting mechanisms may be controlled so as to be placed on the head.
If the transfer target is in a suspended state during movement, the transfer target may be shaken by vibration accompanying the movement. With such a configuration, the transfer target can be placed on the mounting table during movement. Become. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the conveyance target shakes during movement.

In the transport device according to the present invention, the sign includes position information indicating a holding position, which is a position where the holding unit holds the object to be transported, and the control unit is included in the sign detected by the detection unit. The holding unit may be moved to the holding position using the position information.
With such a configuration, the process of holding the conveyance target by the holding unit can be more reliably performed.

  According to the transfer apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically load and unload a transfer object even at a location where no station exists.

The figure which shows the external appearance of the conveying apparatus by embodiment of this invention Bottom view of the transfer device according to the embodiment The figure which shows the relationship between the holding | maintenance part and wire in the embodiment The top view which shows the relationship between the holding | maintenance part and wire in the embodiment The block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of the conveying apparatus by the embodiment The perspective view which shows an example of the to-be-held member with a label in the same embodiment The flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the conveying apparatus by the embodiment The side view which shows another example of the external appearance of the conveying apparatus by the embodiment The front view which shows another example of the external appearance of the conveying apparatus by the embodiment

  Hereinafter, a transport device according to the present invention will be described using embodiments. In the following embodiments, components and steps denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and repetitive description may be omitted. The transport apparatus according to the present embodiment automatically loads a transport target by detecting a sign attached to the transport target.

  FIG. 1A is an external perspective view showing a transport apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a bottom view of a moving mechanism 11 of the transport apparatus 1. 2A is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the holding unit 32 of the transport device 1 and the wires 33a to 33c, and FIG. 2B is a top view illustrating a relationship between the holding unit 32 of the transport device 1 and the wires 33a to 33c. . FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control-related configuration of the transport apparatus 1. The transport apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a moving mechanism 11, a loading / unloading unit 12, a detection unit 13, a reception unit 14, and a control unit 15. The moving mechanism 11 includes motors 21 a and 21 b that are driving means, a plurality of wheels 22 a to 22 d that are traveling units, and a base 23. The loading / unloading unit 12 includes a gantry 31, a holding unit 32, three wires 33a to 33c, and three length adjustment mechanisms 34a to 34c. The detection unit 13 includes a photographing unit 41 and an image detection unit 42. Note that the motors 21a and 21b are referred to as motors 21 unless otherwise distinguished. Further, when the wires 33a to 33c are not particularly distinguished, they are referred to as wires 33. Further, when the length adjusting mechanisms 34a to 34c are not particularly distinguished, they are referred to as length adjusting mechanisms 34. In addition, a configuration related to control of the control unit 15 and the like may exist on the back side of the base 23.

  Wheels 22 a to 22 d are attached to the back side of the base 23. Of the four wheels 22a to 22d, the wheels 22a and 22d are fixed wheels driven by motors 21a and 21b, respectively, and the wheels 22b and 22c are turnable free wheels (steering wheels). Here, the case where two wheels 22a and 22d among four wheels 22a to 22d are respectively driven by motors 21a and 21b will be described. However, the wheels driven by the motor are all included in the moving mechanism 11. Or a part of the wheels. Further, the number of wheels that the moving mechanism 11 has may not be four, for example, three or five or more. Further, the number of fixed wheels and universal wheels may not be two each. For example, all the wheels 22a to 22d may be universal wheels. In that case, the transport device 1 is a device that can move in any direction. The direction of the moving mechanism 11 may be determined depending on, for example, whether the rotation speeds of the two motors 21a and 21b are the same or different, or determined by means for controlling the direction of the universal wheels 21b and 21c. May be. In the latter case, the two wheels 22 a and 22 d may be driven by one motor 21. Further, the upper surface 23 a of the base 23 may be a mounting table on which the transport target 2 is placed when the transport target 2 is transported. Hereinafter, the upper surface 23a may be referred to as a mounting table. Although a case where a part of the moving mechanism 11 is a mounting table will be described here, it goes without saying that a mounting table may be provided separately from the moving mechanism 11. Further, the moving mechanism 11 may or may not be an automatic guided vehicle. In the case of an automatic guided vehicle, for example, the moving mechanism 11 may detect a derivative and travel according to the derivative, or may travel according to a route without the derivative. . The derivative may be, for example, a magnetic type such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic bar, an optical type, or another type. Moreover, when it is not an automatic guided vehicle, even if the moving mechanism 11 moves by rotating the wheels 22a and 22d according to the instruction | indication of the user (operator) received by the reception part 14, for example. Good. The movement instruction by the user may be performed near the transport apparatus 1 or may be performed in a remote place. In addition, an instruction for movement may be given by an information processing apparatus such as a computer instead of a user. The moving mechanism 11 is preferably capable of traveling on a floor surface or the like without a track. Further, the moving mechanism 11 may be, for example, one having three degrees of freedom (omnidirectional moving mechanism), or a non-holonomic system having two degrees of freedom (similar to a general cart or automobile). There may be. 1A and the like show a case where the base 23 has a rectangular shape, but the base 23 may have a shape other than a rectangle. Moreover, although this Embodiment demonstrates the case where the traveling part which the moving mechanism 11 has is the some wheels 22a-22d, a traveling part may be other than that. For example, the traveling unit may be an endless track, may have a ball such as a ball caster, or may be other traveling units. Note that the moving mechanism 11 having an endless track and the moving mechanism 11 having a traveling unit having a ball are already known and will not be described in detail.

  The loading / unloading unit 12 is provided in the moving mechanism 11. The loading / unloading unit 12 loads and unloads the conveyance object 2. In the present embodiment, the case where the loading / unloading section 12 includes the gantry 31, the wires 33a to 33c, etc. will be mainly described. However, the loading / unloading section 12 may have other configurations, and the loading / unloading section 12 may be The mechanism for loading and unloading the conveyance object 2 is not limited. For example, the loading / unloading unit 12 may be a serial link robot, a parallel link robot, or the like. In that case, the hand part of the robot may be the same as the holding part 32.

  The gantry 31 is provided in the moving mechanism 11, and includes four leg portions extending upward from the four corners of the base 23, and a rectangular upper surface frame connected to the upper end side of the four leg portions, And two arms extending horizontally in the same direction from two adjacent vertices of the upper surface frame. Although FIG. 1A shows a case where the gantry 31 has a frame shape, this need not be the case. The gantry 31 may be a structure constituted by a planar member, for example. The gantry 31 is provided with three length adjusting mechanisms 34a to 34c. The length adjusting mechanisms 34a to 34c adjust the lengths of the three wires 33a to 33c by winding or unwinding the wires 33a to 33c, respectively. In each length adjusting mechanism 34, winding and unwinding of the wire 33 may be performed by driving means such as a motor. A holding portion 32 is connected to one end of the three wires 33a to 33c opposite to the length adjusting mechanism 34. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2A, the position of the holding portion 32 is changed by adjusting the length of each wire 33. The holding unit 32 holds the conveyance target 2 when the conveyance target 2 is unloaded. Note that the holding unit 32 may or may not hold the transfer object 2 all the time after the transfer object 2 is stacked on the transfer apparatus 1. In the latter case, for example, the transport apparatus 1 sequentially loads a plurality of transport targets 2 by the holding unit 32 and then moves to the transport destination. It may be lowered on the floor. In FIG. 1A and the like, a case where the holding unit 32 is a hook that can hold and hold the conveyance target 2 is shown, but the holding unit 32 may be other than that. The holding unit 32 capable of holding the transport target 2 may be, for example, an electromagnet capable of magnetizing the transport target 2, a vacuum suction unit capable of attracting the transport target 2, or the transport target 2. It may be a clamping means capable of clamping. In the state where the holding unit 32 holds the conveyance target 2, the conveyance target 2 can be lifted by the length adjustment mechanism 34 winding up each wire 33. Conversely, in a state where the conveyance target 2 is lifted, the length adjustment mechanism 34 unwinds each wire 33 so that the conveyance target 2 can be suspended. As described above, since the transport target 2 is lifted or hung by the wire 33, the length adjusting mechanism 34 is at a high position where the transport target 2 held on the other end side of the wire 33 can be lifted. It is preferable that it is attached. Therefore, it is preferable that the gantry 31 also has such a height. Moreover, since the movable range of the holding | maintenance part 32 becomes wide, so that the position of the length adjustment mechanism 34 is separated, the length adjustment mechanism 34 may be provided in the position as distant as possible. Further, as apparent from FIG. 1A, when the transport target 2 is lifted, the weight of the transport target 2 is entirely applied to the base 31, so that the base 31 is strong enough to withstand the weight. It is preferable that The gantry 31 may be made of metal such as iron, for example. Needless to say, the gantry 31 is not limited to the shape and structure shown in FIG. 1A as long as the length adjusting mechanism 34 can be attached to an appropriate position.

  The transport target 2 may be anything as long as it can be transported by the transport device 1. The transport object 2 may be, for example, a transformer or a welder, may be a solid, liquid, or gas placed in a container, may be a cardboard box, a container, or the like. It may be. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, the conveyance target 2 may or may not have a held member that is a ring-shaped member that can be hooked by a hook. This is because even if there is no member to be held, there is a case where the conveyance object 2 can be held by a clamping means, an electromagnet, a vacuum suction means, or the like.

  A sign 4 is attached to the conveyance object 2. In addition, the label | marker 4 may be visually detectable, and may not be so. In the present embodiment, the case where the marker 4 is visually detectable is mainly described. In addition, the label | marker 4 which is not visually detectable may be a thing which emits an electromagnetic wave, a thing which emits a magnetism, etc., for example. The radio beacon that emits radio waves may emit a beacon, for example. The indicator 4 emitting such a beacon may be, for example, an active RFID (radio frequency identifier). The marker 4 that emits magnetism may have a permanent magnet or an electromagnet. In addition, the visually detectable label 4 may be, for example, one marker or may include a plurality of markers. The marker 4 that is one marker may be, for example, a barcode, a two-dimensional code, a marker used in motion capture, or the like. Examples of the two-dimensional code include a QR code (registered trademark). In addition, the marker 4 that is two or more markers may be configured by a plurality of markers such as a plurality of color balls used in motion capture, for example. The indicator 4 may or may not contain information. In the latter case, the indicator 4 may be used only to be able to identify the position where it is attached. When information is included in the sign 4, the information may be, for example, position information indicating a holding position, an identifier for identifying the conveyance target 2, and a transport destination of the transport target 2. It may be the destination information shown, or may be information relating to other transport targets 2. The holding position may be a position where the holding unit 32 holds the conveyance target 2. By using the holding position, the transport device 1 can move the holding unit 32 to the holding position when picking up the transport target 2, and as a result, the transport target 2 can be easily picked up. In the case where the sign 4 is visually detectable, such information may be included in, for example, a barcode or a two-dimensional code. Further, when the sign 4 emits a radio wave, the radio wave may include a signal indicating the information. In addition, when the sign 4 emits magnetism, the magnetism may include a signal indicating the information. In addition, the sign 4 may be attached to the conveyance target 2 at a position that is in a predetermined positional relationship with the held member. In that case, by acquiring the position of the marker 4, as a result, the position of the held member can be specified.

  The detection unit 13 detects the sign 4 attached to the conveyance target 2. When the sign 4 is visually detectable, the detection unit 13 may detect the sign 4 by photographing the sign 4. On the other hand, when the sign 4 emits radio waves, the detection unit 13 may detect the sign 4 by receiving the radio waves. The detection may be, for example, receiving radio waves and acquiring information corresponding to signals included in the radio waves, for example, the above-described position information, or receiving radio waves at a plurality of locations. Thus, the position of the radio wave transmission source may be detected. Detection of the position of the transmission source using radio waves can be performed by a known method using, for example, a difference in arrival times of radio waves, the arrival direction of radio waves, or the like. At that time, reception of radio waves may be performed simultaneously at a plurality of locations in the transport device 1 or may be performed at different times at a plurality of locations as the transport device 1 moves around. In this way, the position of the sign 4 can be specified by detecting the position of the transmission source using radio waves. Moreover, when the label | marker 4 emits magnetism, the detection part 13 may detect the label | marker 4 by detecting the magnetism. In addition, by detecting the sign 4, the conveyance object 2 to which the sign 4 is attached can also be detected.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, in order to mainly describe the visually detectable sign 4, the detection unit 13 captures an image and captures an image captured by the capturing unit 41. A case will be described in which the image detecting unit 42 that detects the included marker 4 is included. The imaging unit 41 may shoot a moving image or a still image. The photographing unit 41 may be a camera having an image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS, for example. The number of cameras may be one or plural. In the latter case, photographing with a stereo camera may be performed. In that case, the distance to the sign 4 can be acquired more accurately. In addition, by using a plurality of imaging units 41 to perform imaging in a plurality of directions such as front, rear, left, and right of the transport device 1, the marker 4 may be detected in a wider range. In addition, the photographing unit 41 may or may not be able to change the photographing direction, that is, the direction of the optical axis of the photographing unit 41. Moreover, it is preferable that the imaging | photography part 41 is attached to the position which can image | photograph the label | marker 4 attached to the conveyance target 2 set | placed on the floor surface or the ground. Therefore, the photographing unit 41 may be attached downward at a high position of the gantry 31. Moreover, the imaging | photography part 41 may be provided in the position of the holding | maintenance part 32, for example. The image detection unit 42 may detect the marker 4 in the captured image using a known method such as pattern matching. Strictly speaking, the detection of the marker 4 in the captured image may be considered as detecting a figure or shape corresponding to the marker 4 included in the captured image. Further, the image detection unit 42 may acquire information included in the sign 4 from the sign 4 detected in the captured image. Such acquisition of information can also be performed using a known method such as reading of information from a two-dimensional code. Further, the image detection unit 42 may acquire the relative positional relationship between the sign 4 and the transport device 1 using the detected sign 4. In order to acquire such a positional relationship, for example, information on the size of the sign 4 (for example, information on the length of one side when the sign 4 is a square) is stored in the transport device 1 in advance. Alternatively, the information may be included in the sign 4. As a method for calculating the position of the square marker 4 in the local coordinate system of the transport device 1, a known method may be used. When the marker 4 is composed of a plurality of markers such as a color ball, the image detection unit 42 may detect the position of the marker such as a color ball using a known motion capture technique. Information acquired by the image detection unit 42, information on the position of the marker 4, and the like may be stored in a recording medium (not shown).

  The accepting unit 14 may accept instructions and information related to the operation of the transport device 1. When the transport device 1 is an automatic guided vehicle, the reception unit 14 may receive an instruction to transport the transport target 2 placed in a certain place to another place, for example. Further, when the transport device 1 is not an automatic guided vehicle, the reception unit 14 may receive an instruction to load the transport target 2, an instruction to lower the transport target 2, an instruction regarding movement, and the like. For example, the reception unit 14 may receive an instruction or the like from an input device (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.), or may receive an instruction or the like transmitted via a wired or wireless communication line. The teaching position read from the recording medium (for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, etc.) may be received. Note that the reception unit 14 may or may not include a device (for example, a touch panel or a network card) for reception. In addition, the reception unit 14 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver that drives a predetermined device.

  The control unit 15 controls the plurality of length adjustment mechanisms 34 in order to change the position of the holding unit 32. Then, the control unit 15 may load and unload the conveyance target 2 by controlling the length adjusting mechanism 34 and moving the holding unit 32. Specifically, the control unit 15 controls the loading / unloading unit 12 so as to load the conveyance object 2 to which the mark 4 detected by the detection unit 13 is attached. When picking up the conveyance target 2, the control unit 15 may control the holding unit 32 to move to the position of the conveyance target 2. Here, a method for calculating the length of each wire 33 will be briefly described. Assume that the local coordinate system of the transport apparatus 1 is the xyz orthogonal coordinate system shown in FIG. 2B. Further, it is assumed that the holding unit 32 is moved to (x, y, z) = (α, β, γ). The control unit 15 can calculate the length of each wire 33 by calculating the distance between each coordinate of the length adjustment mechanisms 34a to 34c that are known in advance and (α, β, γ). . Therefore, the control unit 15 controls the length adjusting mechanisms 34a to 34c so that the lengths of the wires 33a to 33c become the calculated lengths, thereby controlling the holding unit 32 (α, β, γ). It can be moved to the position. The length of the wire 33 is usually the length of the wire 33 from the holding unit 32 to the length adjusting mechanism 34. For example, the control unit 15 uses the position information included in the marker 4 detected by the detection unit 13 to control the length adjustment mechanism 34 so that the holding unit 32 moves to the holding position indicated by the position information. Also good. In addition, when the positional relationship between the sign 4 and the held member is determined in advance, the control unit 15 acquires the position of the held member using the position of the sign 4 acquired by the detection unit 13, for example. The holding part 32 may be moved to the position of the held member. After moving the holding unit 32 to the position of the conveyance target 2, the control unit 15 may control the holding unit 32 to hold the conveyance target 2. For example, when the holding unit 32 is a hook, the control unit 15 may move the holding unit 32 slightly so that the hook is caught by a member to be held such as a lifting tool of the conveyance target 2. The movement may be performed by adjusting the length of the wire 33 or may be performed by the moving mechanism 11. For example, when the holding unit 32 is an electromagnet, a vacuum suction unit, or a clamping unit, the control unit 15 turns on the electromagnet so that the holding unit 32 holds the object to be transported 2 or sets the vacuum suction unit. It may be operated or controlled so that the conveyance object 2 is clamped by the clamping means. As described above, after the conveyance target 2 is held by the holding unit 32, the control unit 15 may pick up the conveyance target 2 by controlling the length adjustment mechanism 34 to lift the conveyance target 2. In that case, it is suitable for the control part 15 to control so that the conveyance object 2 may not contact the mount 31 and the base 23 of the conveying apparatus 1. Therefore, for example, the control unit 15 may adjust the length of each wire 33 such that the conveyance target 2 is lifted upward in the vertical direction from the position where the holding unit 32 holds the conveyance target 2. This is because it can be avoided that the conveyance target 2 hits a part of the conveyance device 1 in such a manner.

  Further, the control unit 15 controls the length adjusting mechanism 34 so that the transport target 2 held by the holding unit 32 is placed on the mounting table 23a after the transport target 2 is lifted from the floor or the ground. May be. Specifically, the control unit 15 adjusts the length of each wire 33 so that the transport target 2 lifted from the floor or the like moves above the mounting table 23a, and then the transport target 2 is set on the mounting table 23a. You may adjust the length of each wire 33 so that it may be mounted. As described above, it is preferable that the lifted transport target 2 is placed on the placing table 23a before the movement by the moving mechanism 11 is started. This is because the conveyance object 2 can be prevented from shaking during movement.

  Moreover, the control part 15 may control the unloading part 12 so that the conveyance object 2 loaded in the conveyance destination may be lowered. At that time, when the transport target 2 is placed on the mounting table 23a, the control unit 15 first controls the length adjusting mechanism 34 so that the transport target 2 is lifted from the mounting table 23a. Good. Also in that case, the conveyance target 2 may be lifted so as to move vertically upward from the placement position. Thereafter, the control unit 15 may control the length adjustment mechanism 34 so that the conveyance target 2 is moved from above the mounting table 23a to above the floor or the ground. Further, when the conveyance target 2 is positioned above the floor surface or the like, the control unit 15 may control the length adjustment mechanism 34 so that the conveyance target 2 is suspended. The control unit 15 controls the length adjusting mechanism 34 so that the conveyance target 2 is lifted from the floor or the like and moves in the reverse direction along the same route as the route from the placement target 23 to the placement table 23a. The conveyance target 2 may be lowered. Further, for example, the transport destination may be determined in advance, may be received from a user or the like, or may be included in the sign 4. In addition, when the holding unit 32 does not hold the transfer target 2 after the transfer target 2 is placed on the mounting table 23a, the control unit 15 also sets the holding unit 32 when the transfer target 2 is lowered. You may control so that the conveyance target 2 may be hold | maintained. At this time, for example, the detection unit 13 may detect the marker 4 of the conveyance target 2 on the mounting table 23a. And the conveyance target 2 on the mounting table 23a to which the detected sign 4 is attached may be held.

  Even when the loading / unloading unit 12 is a robot, the control unit 15 loads or unloads the transfer target 2 by controlling the position of the holding unit provided at the hand of the robot. It can be mounted on the mounting table 23a, or the conveyance target 2 can be lowered to the floor surface or the like.

  The control unit 15 may also control the moving mechanism 11. At the time of the control, the control unit 15 may acquire the current position and current direction of the transport apparatus 1 and may control the moving mechanism 11 so that the current position and current direction become the target position and direction. Alternatively, the movement mechanism 11 may be controlled to move along the detected derivative. Note that the control unit 15 may acquire the current position using, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) or an autonomous navigation device, and acquire both the current position so as to compensate for each other's drawbacks. May be. Moreover, the control part 15 may acquire a present position by using a triangulation etc. about the radio wave from a beacon, a base station, etc., for example. The control unit 15 may acquire the current direction using, for example, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an electronic compass, or the like. The movement from the current position or current direction to the target position or direction may be performed by, for example, normal feedback control. In addition, when the transport apparatus 1 moves, the control unit 15 may perform a route search from the current position to the destination when it has to pass through a passage or a road. As the route search processing, a known method in a navigation device or the like can be used. Further, when changing the position of the holding unit 32, the control unit 15 may control only the length adjusting mechanism 34, may control only the moving mechanism 11, or may control both. Good. Further, for example, when the marker 4 is positioned at a predetermined position of the photographed image, the control is performed when the transport device 1 and the transport target 2 are set to have a predetermined positional relationship. The unit 15 controls the moving mechanism 11 so that the marker 4 is positioned at a predetermined position of the photographed image, and controls the length adjusting mechanism 34 so that the holding unit 32 is at the predetermined position. May be. By doing so, the holding unit 32 may be moved to the position of the conveyance target 2 so that the conveyance target 2 is picked up.

  Further, when the control unit 15 moves the holding unit 32 from one position to another position by controlling the length adjusting mechanism 34, for example, each wire 33 so that the holding unit 32 moves linearly. May be adjusted, or the length of each wire 33 may be adjusted so that the holding part 32 moves along other paths.

  The control unit 15 holds the transport target 2 when the control unit 15 controls the transport target 2 to be lifted or when the transport target 2 is placed on the mounting table 23a or the destination position. It may be determined whether or not the conveyance target 2 has reached the mounting table 23a or the floor surface. By making the determination, for example, it is avoided to move to the transport destination in a state where the transport target 2 cannot be held, or to leave the transport destination in a state where the transport target 2 cannot be lowered. Can be. The determination may be made, for example, by measuring the weight of the object on which the holding unit 32 is suspended by a weight scale that the holding unit 32 has. The length adjustment mechanism 34 winds the wire 33. It may be made by using the torque of a motor or the like that takes up or unwinds, and is made by determining whether the change in the position of the marker 4 detected by the detection unit 13 is the same as the change in the position of the holding unit 32. Alternatively, it may be performed using other sensors or the like. For example, the control unit 15 may determine that the holding unit 32 holds the conveyance target 2 when the weight of the target on which the holding unit 32 is suspended is larger than the threshold value. It may be determined that the holding unit 32 does not hold the conveyance target 2 when the weight of the target is smaller than the threshold value. Further, for example, when the torque applied to the motor of the length adjustment mechanism 34 is larger than the threshold value, the control unit 15 may determine that the holding unit 32 holds the conveyance target 2, and the torque is the threshold value. If it is smaller, it may be determined that the holding unit 32 does not hold the conveyance target 2. In addition, for example, when the difference between the change in the position of the marker 4 detected by the detection unit 13 and the change in the position of the holding unit 32 is smaller than the threshold, the control unit 15 holds the conveyance target 2. If the difference is larger than the threshold value, it may be determined that the holding unit 32 does not hold the conveyance target 2. In addition, in the above determination, the control unit 15 may determine that the conveyance target 2 has not reached the mounting table 23a or the like instead of determining that the holding unit 32 holds the conveyance target 2. Instead of determining that the part 32 does not hold the conveyance target 2, it may be determined that the conveyance target 2 has reached the mounting table 23a or the like. In addition, the control unit 15 may make the determination in a state where the length adjustment mechanism 34 has wound the wire 33, that is, in a state where the holding unit 32 is positioned above, or while the holding unit 32 is moving. Also good.

  Further, when the identifier of the transport object 2 is included in the sign 4, the control unit 15 specifies, for example, a predetermined transport object 2 using the identifier, and only the identified transport object 2 is used. May be conveyed. The predetermined transport target 2 may be, for example, a predetermined type of transport target 2 or a specific transport target 2 determined in advance. By using such an identifier, the transport device 1 can transport only a specific type of transport target 2 or a specific transport target, for example, in a situation where there are a plurality of transport targets 2 to which signs 4 are attached. 2 can be transported, or a plurality of transport objects 2 can be transported in a predetermined order. Moreover, the control part 15 may acquire the predetermined information corresponding to each conveyance object 2 by accessing the information which matches the identifier of the conveyance object 2 and predetermined information, for example. The predetermined information may be, for example, a transport destination, or may be the type or attribute of the transport target 2.

  Next, the movement of the holding part 32 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 2B. As shown in FIG. 2B, the position of the holding portion 32 that can be moved by adjusting the length of the wire 33 is limited within the range 5. Therefore, when picking up the conveyance target 2 placed at a certain position, it is preferable that the movement mechanism 11 moves so that the conveyance target 2 is positioned within the range 5. Further, in order to make the range 5 larger, as described above, the distance between the length adjusting mechanisms 34 may be made larger. When it is determined that the conveyance target 2 is picked up at a predetermined position in the local coordinate system, the control unit 15 controls the movement by the moving mechanism 11 so that the conveyance target 2 is at that position. Is preferred.

  Here, a method for attaching the marker 4 to the conveyance object 2 will be briefly described. For example, you may attach by sticking the label | marker 4 with respect to the conveyance object 2. FIG. For example, the label 4 is provided with an adhesive layer on the back surface side, and may be easily attached by removing the release paper. Further, for example, the marker 4 may be attached to the transport object 2 or may be attached by fastening the marker 4 with a screw or a nail. Further, for example, the marker 4 may be attached to the conveyance target 2 with a magnet. In that case, the sign 4 itself may or may not be a magnet. Further, for example, by attaching the to-be-held member 6 with the label shown in FIG. 4 includes a plate-like member 51, a held portion 52 attached to the plate-like member 51, and a sign 4 attached to the plate-like member 51. The plate-like member 51 is provided with a plurality of attachment holes 51a to 51d. Therefore, the labeled held member 6 may be screwed to the conveyance target 2 or tied with a string through the attachment holes 51a to 51d. 4 shows the case where the held portion 52 is a ring-shaped member held by the holding portion 32 that is a hook, but when the holding portion 32 is an electromagnet or a vacuum suction means, In the to-be-held member 6 with the label, the to-be-held portion 52 does not exist, and the plate-like member 51 may also serve as the to-be-held portion. In that case, when the holding portion 32 is an electromagnet, the plate-like member 51 that also serves as the held portion is preferably an object to be magnetized by an electromagnet, such as an iron plate. In addition, when the holding part 32 is a vacuum suction means, it is preferable that the plate-like member 51 that also serves as the held part is a flat member having no irregularities on the surface. By using such a to-be-held member 6 with a label, for example, even if it is a conveyance object 2 that does not have a lifting tool, a conveyance object 2 that is not a magnetic adhesion object, a conveyance object 2 that has a non-smooth surface, the conveyance apparatus 1 Can be transported. Further, the labeled held member 6 may be used repeatedly.

Next, operation | movement of the conveying apparatus 1 is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG.
(Step S101) The accepting unit 14 determines whether or not a transport instruction that is an instruction to transport the transport target 2 has been received. If a conveyance instruction is accepted, the process proceeds to step S102. If not, the process of step S101 is repeated until a conveyance instruction is accepted. The transport instruction may include, for example, information indicating an outline of the position of the transport target 2, information indicating the transport destination, and the like.

  (Step S <b> 102) The control unit 15 controls the moving mechanism 11 to move the transport device 1 to a place where the transport target 2 is placed in accordance with a transport instruction. In this control, the control unit 15 may use, for example, the acquired current position and current direction of the transport apparatus 1.

  (Step S <b> 103) The detection unit 13 determines whether or not the marker 4 attached to the conveyance target 2 has been detected. If the sign 4 is detected, the process proceeds to step S104. If not, the process returns to step S102 to continue the movement process. Specifically, the detection of the sign 4 may be performed by photographing by the photographing unit 41 and determination of whether the photographed image by the image detecting unit 42 includes the sign 4. When it is instructed to pick up the transport object 2 to which the sign 4 including the specific identifier is attached, the detection unit 13 may determine whether the sign 4 including the identifier is detected.

  (Step S104) The control unit 15 controls the moving mechanism 11 so that the position of the marker 4 included in the captured image is a predetermined position on the captured image. This control may be performed, for example, so that the position of the marker 4 detected by the image detection unit 42 on the captured image becomes a predetermined position. By doing so, for example, the positional relationship between the transport apparatus 1 and the transport target 2 can be set to a predetermined positional relationship.

  (Step S105) The control unit 15 controls the length adjusting mechanism 34 so that the length of each wire 33 becomes a predetermined length. Note that the predetermined length is set at a position suitable for picking up the transport object 2 when the transport apparatus 1 and the transport object 2 have a predetermined positional relationship at the pickup location. May be for positioning. Moreover, when holding the conveyance target 2 by the hook, the control unit 15 may move the position of the conveyance device 1 or the position of the holding unit 32 slightly so that the conveyance target 2 is picked up. In addition, when the conveyance target 2 is held by magnetic force, suction force, or clamping force, the control unit 15 may operate an electromagnet, a vacuum suction unit, or a clamping unit. Further, the control unit 15 controls the length adjusting mechanism 34 so that the conveyance target 2 is lifted. The control unit 15 may control the length adjusting mechanism 34 so that the position of the holding unit 32 moves vertically upward, for example, so that the conveyance target 2 does not contact the conveyance device 1.

  (Step S106) The control unit 15 controls the length adjusting mechanism 34 so that the lifted conveyance target 2 is placed on the placement table 23a. For example, the control unit 15 may control the length adjustment mechanism 34 so that the holding unit 32 moves along a predetermined route so that the conveyance target 2 is placed on the placement table 23a. Further, when the control unit 15 suspends the conveyance target 2 from the mounting table 23a, the control unit 15 uses the weight of the suspension target, the torque applied to the motor of the length adjusting mechanism 34, and the like to make the conveyance target 2 the mounting table 23a. It may be determined whether or not In addition, when the conveyance object 2 is mounted on the mounting table 23a, the holding unit 32 is preferably in a state where the conveyance object 2 is held. This is because it is necessary to lift the conveyance object 2 again at the conveyance destination.

  (Step S <b> 107) The control unit 15 controls the moving mechanism 11 so that the transport device 1 is positioned at the transport destination. Also in this control, the control unit 15 may use, for example, the acquired current position and current direction of the transport apparatus 1.

  (Step S108) The control unit 15 controls the length adjusting mechanism 34 so that the conveyance target 2 is lifted from the mounting table 23a. For example, the control unit 15 may control the length adjustment mechanism 34 so that the position of the holding unit 32 moves vertically upward.

(Step S109) The control unit 15 controls the length adjustment mechanism 34 so that the lifted transport target 2 is suspended from the floor or the ground. For example, in steps S108 and S109, the control unit 15 may control the length adjustment mechanism 34 so that the holding unit 32 passes the same path in the reverse direction as the path passed in steps S105 and S106. In addition, when the control unit 15 suspends the conveyance target 2 from the floor or the ground, the control unit 15 uses the weight of the suspension target, the torque applied to the motor of the length adjustment mechanism 34, or the like to determine whether the conveyance target 2 is the floor surface. Or whether it has reached the ground. Further, after the transport target 2 reaches the floor surface or the like, the control unit 15 may prevent the holding unit 32 from holding the transport target 2. Specifically, the control unit 15 may slightly move the position of the holding unit 32 so that the hook of the holding unit 32 is removed from the conveyance target 2, and turns off the electromagnet and the vacuum suction unit of the holding unit 32. Alternatively, the holding means of the holding unit 32 may not hold the conveyance target 2. Then, the process returns to step S101.
In the flowchart of FIG. 5, the process ends when the power is turned off or the process ends.

  Next, the operation of the transport apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described using a specific example. First, it is assumed that the user inputs a transport instruction including the current position of the transport target 2 in the global coordinate system and the position of the transport destination to the transport apparatus 1. Then, the conveyance instruction is accepted by the accepting unit 14 and passed to the control unit 15 (step S101). Note that the current position may not be an exact position but may indicate an approximate position of the conveyance target 2. When receiving the transport instruction, the control unit 15 controls the moving mechanism 11 to move the transport device 1 to a position where the transport target 2 is picked up (step S102). When the marker 4 is detected by the detection unit 13 during the movement (step S103), the control unit 15 uses the marker 4 to determine the positional relationship between the transport device 1 and the transport target 2 in advance. The moving mechanism 11 is controlled so as to become (step S104). When the transport apparatus 1 and the transport target 2 have a predetermined positional relationship, the control unit 15 controls the length adjustment mechanism 34 so that each wire 33 has a predetermined length. At that time, the control unit 15 controls the holding unit 32 to hold the conveyance target 2. For example, the control unit 15 may move the moving mechanism 11 a little so that the hook of the holding unit 32 is caught by the ring-shaped member of the conveyance target 2, and controls the electromagnet or the like to operate. May be. Thereafter, the control unit 15 controls the length of the wire 33 so that the transport target 2 moves vertically upward, and controls the transport target 2 to be placed on the mounting table 23a (steps S105 and S106). When the transport target 2 is placed on the mounting table 23a, the control unit 15 controls the moving mechanism 11 to move the transport device 1 to the transport destination position designated by the transport instruction (step S107). When the transport device 1 moves to the transport destination, the control unit 15 controls the length adjustment mechanism 34 so that the transport target 2 is lifted from the mounting table 23a and suspended from the floor or the ground (Steps S108 and S109). . In this way, the transport object 2 is automatically transported from the current position to the transport destination.

  In this specific example, the case where all the conveyance processes are automatically performed has been described, but this need not be the case. Only the loading / unloading of the conveyance target 2 may be performed automatically. In that case, for example, the user moves the transport device 1 to a place where the transport target 2 is placed by operating the transport device 1. At that time, it is assumed that the transport device 1 has been moved to a place where the detection unit 13 can detect the sign 4. Thereafter, when the user inputs an instruction to pick up the conveyance target 2, the conveyance device 1 detects the sign 4 and automatically uses the detected sign 4 in response to the instruction. 2 is lifted and placed on the placing table 23a. When the conveyance target 2 is loaded, the user moves the conveyance device 1 to the conveyance destination by operating the conveyance device 1. When the user inputs an instruction to suspend the conveyance target 2 after reaching the conveyance destination, the conveyance device 1 automatically lifts the conveyance target 2 from the mounting table 23a in accordance with the instruction, and the conveyance destination Hanging on the floor or ground. Even in this case, since the loading and unloading of the conveyance target 2 is automated, the user's labor is greatly reduced.

  As described above, according to the transfer apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the transfer object 2 can be automatically loaded and unloaded at a location where there is no station. As a result, the user's labor is reduced as compared with the case where the user performs an unloading operation. In addition, in a factory, a warehouse, or the like, the transfer object 2 can be automatically transferred from an arbitrary place to an arbitrary place. Moreover, even if there is no pallet or the like, it is possible to load and unload the transport object 2. In addition, when the sign 4 is visually detectable, attaching the sign 4 to the conveyance object 2 makes the conveyance object 2 an automatic conveyance object. Moreover, the unloading part 12 can be made into a simple structure by comprising the unloading part 12 with the wire 33 grade | etc.,. As a result, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire transport apparatus 1. In addition, when the transfer device 1 is moving, the transfer target 2 is placed on the mounting table 23a, so that the transfer target 2 can be prevented from shaking during the movement.

  In addition, although this Embodiment demonstrated the case where the number of the wires 33 which the unloading part 12 has was three, it may not be so. The number of the wires 33 may be one, two, or four or more. When the number of the wires 33 is one, the holding part 32 is normally movable only in the vertical direction. On the other hand, when the number of the wires 33 is plural, the holding unit 32 can also move in the horizontal direction. The number of length adjusting mechanisms 34 is preferably the same as the number of wires 33.

  Moreover, although this Embodiment mainly demonstrated the case where the conveying apparatus 1 was used in a factory or a warehouse, it may not be so. It may be used in schools, office buildings, houses, residential areas, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the transport device 1 transports the small transport target 2 shown in FIG. 1A or the like has been mainly described, but this need not be the case. The transport apparatus 1 may be, for example, a straddle carrier that transports a cargo container. FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are external views showing a transport device 1 that is a straddle carrier that transports a transport object 2 that is a cargo container. Usually, a driver is on the straddle carrier, and the driver visually selects a container and the like. However, in the transport device 1 that is a straddle carrier as an automatic guided vehicle, the photographing unit 41 is placed on the upper surface of the container 2. The container 2 may be identified by photographing the attached sign 4 and automatically transported to the transport destination. The transport destination may be determined in advance or may be included in the sign 4, for example. In this case, the holding portion 32 has a rectangular frame shape, and may have lock pins that can be inserted into the corner pockets of the container 2 at four corners (four vertices). And holding | maintenance of the container 2 by the holding | maintenance part 32 may be performed by inserting and rotating a lock pin in a corner pocket. Since the holding part 32 has a rectangular frame shape, the visually detectable sign 4 attached to the upper surface of the container 2 can be photographed by the photographing part 41 provided above the straddle carrier. . Further, when the transport apparatus 1 is a straddle carrier, the transport destination may not be the floor or the ground. That is, the transport destination may be the upper surface of another container 2. Even when the transport apparatus 1 is not a straddle carrier, the transport target 2 may be transported to the upper surface of another transport target 2 as in the case of the straddle carrier.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when placing the conveyance target 2 on the placement table 23a, the case where the placement is performed by adjusting the length of the wire 33 and moving the conveyance target 2 in the horizontal direction will be described. But it doesn't have to be. For example, after lifting the transport target 2 with the wire 33, the mounting table 23 a and the gantry 31 are relatively moved so that the mounting table 23 a is positioned below the transport target 2, and then the transport target 2 is suspended. You may make it mount the conveyance object 2 on the mounting base 23a by dropping. The relative movement of the mounting table 23a and the gantry 31 may be the movement of only the gantry 23a, the movement of only the gantry 31 or both. There may be.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the conveyance target 2 is placed on the placement table 23a during the movement of the conveyance device 1 has been mainly described, but this need not be the case. The transport device 1 may move in a state where the transport target 2 is suspended by the wire 33. In that case, it is preferable that the conveyance target 2 is not greatly shaken when the conveyance device 1 is moved. Therefore, for example, the moving speed may be slowed, or it may be made difficult to shake by pulling up the conveyance target 2 as much as possible. When the number of the wires 33 is one, the length of the wire 33 during the movement of the transport device 1 may be set so as not to be a length corresponding to the natural vibration generated during the movement. .

  Moreover, although the case where the length adjustment mechanism 34 is fixed to the gantry 31 has been described in the present embodiment, this need not be the case. The length adjustment mechanism 34 may be provided so as to be movable in a predetermined direction (for example, a horizontal direction). For example, when the transport object 2 is picked up from the floor or the like, the length adjusting mechanism 34 is present at a location away from the mounting table 23a, and when the transport object 2 is mounted on the mounting table 23a, the length is adjusted. The adjusting mechanism 34 may be moved so as to exist above the mounting table 23a. In addition, it may be considered that such movement of the length adjusting mechanism 34 is included in the above-described movement of the mount 31 relative to the mounting table 23a.

  In the above embodiment, each process or each function may be realized by centralized processing by a single device or a single system, or may be distributedly processed by a plurality of devices or a plurality of systems. It may be realized by doing.

  In the above embodiment, the information exchange between the components is performed by one component when, for example, the two components that exchange the information are physically different from each other. It may be performed by outputting information and receiving information by the other component, or when two components that exchange information are physically the same, one component May be performed by moving from the phase of the process corresponding to to the phase of the process corresponding to the other component.

  In the above embodiment, information related to processing executed by each component, for example, information received, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component In addition, information such as threshold values, mathematical formulas, addresses, and the like used by each constituent element in processing may be temporarily or for a long time held in a recording medium (not shown), even if not specified in the above description. Further, the storage of information on the recording medium (not shown) may be performed by each component or a storage unit (not shown). Further, reading of information from the recording medium (not shown) may be performed by each component or a reading unit (not shown).

  In the above embodiment, when information used by each component, for example, information such as a threshold value, an address, and various setting values used by each component may be changed by the user, Even if it is not specified in the description, the user may be able to change the information as appropriate, or may not be so. If the information can be changed by the user, the change is realized by, for example, a not-shown receiving unit that receives a change instruction from the user and a changing unit (not shown) that changes the information in accordance with the change instruction. May be. The change instruction received by the receiving unit (not shown) may be received from an input device, information received via a communication line, or information read from a predetermined recording medium, for example. .

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, when two or more components contained in the conveying apparatus 1 have a communication device, an input device, etc., two or more components may have a physically single device. Or you may have separate devices.

  In the above-described embodiment, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component can be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. At the time of execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing the storage unit or the recording medium. The program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or may be executed by reading a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like). Good. Further, this program may be used as a program constituting a program product. Further, the computer that executes the program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, according to the transfer device of the present invention, it is possible to load and unload the transfer object even at a place other than the station. For example, an apparatus that automatically loads and unloads the transfer object in a factory or a warehouse. Useful as such.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance apparatus 2 Object to be conveyed 4 Marking 11 Moving mechanism 12 Loading / unloading part 13 Detection part 14 Reception part 15 Control part 21, 21a, 21b Motor 22, 22a-22d Wheel 23 Base 23a Mounting base 31 Mounting base 32 Holding part 33, 33a -33c wire 34, 34a-34c length adjustment mechanism 41 imaging | photography part 42 image detection part

Claims (6)

A moving mechanism having a traveling unit and a driving means for driving the traveling unit;
A loading / unloading unit provided in the moving mechanism, for loading / unloading a conveyance target;
A detection unit for detecting a sign attached to the conveyance target;
A control unit that controls the unloading unit to load the conveyance target attached with the sign detected by the detection unit, and controls the unloading unit to unload the loaded conveyance target at the conveyance destination; Conveying device equipped with. The label is visually detectable;
The detector is
A shooting section for shooting images;
The conveyance apparatus of Claim 1 provided with the image detection part which detects the label | marker contained in the picked-up image image | photographed by the said imaging | photography part. The unloading part is
A holding unit for holding a conveyance target;
One or more wires connected at one end to the holding portion;
A gantry provided in the moving mechanism;
One or more length adjustment mechanisms that are provided on the gantry and adjust the respective lengths of the one or more wires by winding or unwinding the one or more wires, respectively,
The transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit performs loading and unloading of the transfer target by controlling the one or more length adjusting mechanisms to move the holding unit. The number of the wires is plural,
The conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the number of the length adjusting mechanisms is the same as the number of the wires. Having a mounting table on which the object to be transported is mounted;
The control unit controls the plurality of length adjustment mechanisms so that a conveyance target held by the holding unit is placed on the mounting table before the movement by the moving mechanism is started. 4. The transfer device according to 4. The sign includes position information indicating a holding position, which is a position where the holding unit holds a conveyance target,
The said control part is a conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 3-5 which moves the said holding | maintenance part to the said holding position using the positional information contained in the label | marker detected by the said detection part.

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