JP2018030702A - Vanning/devanning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vanning/devanning device that is designed to be operated by an operator, which can ensure safety of the operator.SOLUTION: A vanning/devanning device 1 comprises a first conveyor 9, a conveyor lifting portion 8, an angle sensor 61, a laser scanner 77 and a control portion 31. The first conveyor 9 can be turned in a lateral direction. The conveyor lifting portion 8 liftably drives the first conveyor 9. The angle sensor 61 detects turning angles of the first conveyor 9. The laser scanner 77 detects presence and a position of a peripheral object present in a periphery of the first conveyor 9. The control portion 31 restricts lowering of the conveyor by the conveyor lifting portion 8 on the basis of the turning angles of the first conveyor 9 and the presence and the position of the peripheral object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

  The present invention relates to a vanning and devanning apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus that operates together with an operator's load loading and unloading operations.

Conventionally, luggage in a container that has arrived at a destination is taken out of the container and transshipped to a pallet. In order to enable this transshipment, a vanning and devanning apparatus for unloading (devanning) a load from a container is used.
Specifically, the tip of the conveyor of the apparatus is placed in a container, and an operator places a load on the conveyor. The conveyor then transports the package out of the container, and finally another worker loads the package onto the pallet.
The picking apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is an apparatus for unloading articles loaded on a truck or the like one by one. This apparatus automatically picks up a plurality of articles when the articles to be picked are collectively designated from a remote place.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-370806

The picking device described in Patent Document 1 employs intrusion prevention means in order to enable the automatic operation of the picking device even in a manned environment.
However, in the vanning and devanning apparatus that is premised on the worker performing the work instead of the automatic operation, the worker's safety measures are not specifically proposed.

  An object of the present invention is to perform safety measures for workers in a vanning and devanning apparatus based on the premise that the worker performs work.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of modes will be described as means for solving the problems. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.

The vanning and devanning apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a conveyor, a conveyor lifting / lowering unit, an angle sensor, an object detection sensor, and a controller.
The conveyor can be rotated in the left-right direction.
The conveyor lifting unit drives the conveyor up and down.
The angle sensor detects the rotation angle of the conveyor.
The object detection sensor detects the presence and position of a peripheral object existing around the conveyor.
The controller limits the lowering of the conveyor by the conveyor lifting unit based on the rotation angle of the conveyor and the presence and position of surrounding objects.
In this apparatus, it is difficult for an operator to be caught between the conveyor and the work table.

The vanning / devanning apparatus may further include a workbench and a workbench elevating unit.
The work table may be provided below the conveyor and support the worker.
The work table elevating unit may drive the work table up and down.
The controller may limit the raising of the work table by the work table elevating unit based on the rotation angle of the conveyor and the presence and position of the surrounding objects.
In this apparatus, it is difficult for an operator to be caught between the conveyor and the work table.

The controller may detect an obstacle using an object detection sensor when the vanning / devanning apparatus travels.
With this device, the number of sensors can be reduced.

The controller may switch the detection area of the object detection sensor when the rotation angle of the conveyor is changed.
In this apparatus, the detection area of the object detection sensor can be appropriately set according to the rotation angle of the conveyor. Therefore, only an appropriate area can be set as a detection area, and thus erroneous detection can be reduced.

  In the vanning and devanning apparatus according to the present invention, safety measures for workers are taken.

1 is a perspective view of a vanning / devanning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The side view of a vanning and a debanning apparatus. Top view of vanning and devanning. The perspective view of a vanning and a debanning apparatus. The perspective view of a vanning and a debanning apparatus. The perspective view of a vanning and a debanning apparatus. The top view of a vanning and a debanning apparatus. The block diagram which shows the control structure of a vanning and a debanning apparatus. The flowchart which shows detection area switching control operation | movement. The top view of a vanning and a debanning apparatus. The top view of a vanning and a debanning apparatus. The top view of a vanning and a debanning apparatus. The flowchart which shows operation | movement restriction | limiting control at the time of button operation. Schematic diagram of conveyor and workbench. Schematic diagram of conveyor and workbench. The top view of the conveyor front-end | tip. The top view of the conveyor front-end | tip. The top view of the conveyor front-end | tip.

1. First Embodiment (1) Mechanism Configuration of Vanning / Devanning Device A vanning / devanning device 1 (hereinafter referred to as “device 1”) of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vanning / devanning apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the vanning and devanning apparatus. FIG. 3 is a top view of the vanning and devanning.
The device 1 is used to execute, for example, unloading a load W from a container (devanning) or loading a load W into a container (vanning), for example. As shown in FIG. 2, the worker S1 loads the load W into the apparatus 1 from, for example, a container. Then, the apparatus 1 moves the load W by a predetermined distance by the conveyor 5 (described later). Thereafter, the worker S2 unloads the load from the conveyor 5. The worker S2 loads the cargo W onto another conveyor or loads it on a pallet.

  The device 1 has a traveling unit 3. The traveling unit 3 is a known technique, and includes a traveling unit body, traveling wheels, a traveling motor, and a power transmission unit. Thereby, the traveling unit 3 can turn forward, backward, and right and left. Further, the traveling unit 3 can travel at a low speed and a high speed.

The device 1 has a conveyor 5. The conveyor 5 is a device that conveys the load W from the load input portion to the load discharge portion with the load W placed on the upper surface.
The conveyor 5 is composed of a plurality of conveyors that can operate independently. Specifically, the conveyor 5 includes a first conveyor 9, a second conveyor 11, a third conveyor 13, a fourth conveyor 15, and a fifth conveyor 17. The first to fourth conveyors 9, 11, 13, 15 are driven by separate motors. The fifth conveyor 17 is a free roller. However, the fifth conveyor 17 may be driven by a motor.

The first conveyor 9 realizes a luggage input unit for the worker S1 to place the luggage W. In this embodiment, the first conveyor 9 is a belt conveyor. The first conveyor 9 is disposed, for example, inside a container or a truck when performing vanning or devanning.
The second conveyor 11 is continuous from the first conveyor 9 and has a relatively long configuration. In this embodiment, the second conveyor 11 is a belt conveyor.

The third conveyor 13 is continuous from the second conveyor 11 and has a relatively short configuration. In this embodiment, the third conveyor 13 is a roller conveyor.
The 4th conveyor 15 is following the 3rd conveyor 13, and is a comparatively short structure. In this embodiment, the fourth conveyor 15 is a roller conveyor. In addition, the 4th conveyor 15 may become long depending on the container length or the waiting position of worker S2.

  The fifth conveyor 17 is continuous from the third conveyor 13 and has a relatively short configuration. In this embodiment, the fifth conveyor 17 is a roller conveyor. The fifth conveyor 17 realizes a luggage discharge unit for the operator S2 to take out the luggage W.

The apparatus 1 has a work table 7. The work table 7 is disposed below the first conveyor 9 and supports the worker S1. “Supporting the worker” means maintaining the state where the worker S 1 is placed on the work table 7. Accordingly, the load W can be placed on the first conveyor 9 by the worker S1 being placed on the work table 7.
The work table 7 extends in the left-right direction. Therefore, when the first conveyor 9 is in the vicinity of the center position in the left-right direction of the work table 7, the worker S1 can be viewed from either the left or right side with respect to the first conveyor 9. Is accessible.

The first conveyor 9 needs to be movable in the vertical direction according to the position of the load when the worker S1 loads the load W on the conveyor 5. As a structure for this purpose, the base end of the second conveyor 11 is attached to the traveling unit 3 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. Furthermore, the conveyor raising / lowering part 8 which rotates the base end of the 2nd conveyor 11 is provided. The conveyor lifting / lowering unit 8 is a known technique for driving the first conveyor 9 up and down, and includes a lifting / lowering motor, a rotation driving unit including a plurality of gears, and the like. Thereby, worker S1 can move the 1st conveyor 9 to the up-and-down desired position.
FIG. 4 shows a state where the first conveyor 9 is disposed above, and FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a state where the first conveyor 9 is disposed below. 4 to 6 are perspective views of the vanning and devanning apparatus.

The first conveyor 9 needs to be movable in the left-right direction according to the position of the load when the worker S1 loads the load W on the conveyor 5. As a structure for this purpose, the base end of the second conveyor 11 is attached to the traveling unit 3 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction. More specifically, the various structures of the conveyor elevating unit 8 described above are rotatable with respect to the traveling unit 3. Thereby, worker S1 can move the 1st conveyor 9 to the left and right desired positions manually, for example.
FIG. 7 shows a state in which the first conveyor 9 is moved to one side in the left-right direction. FIG. 7 is a top view of the vanning and devanning apparatus.

  The work table 7 needs to be movable in the vertical direction according to the position of the first conveyor 9 when the worker S1 loads the cargo W onto the conveyor 5. As a structure for that purpose, the work table 7 is connected to the traveling unit 3 by a work table elevating unit 10. The work table elevating unit 10 is a known technique for moving the work table 7 up and down, and includes a cylinder, a drive direction conversion mechanism, and the like. Thereby, worker S1 can move work table 7 to a desired position up and down.

The device 1 has an operation device 49. The operation device 49 is a device for the operator S1 to input an operation signal for operating the device 1, and is, for example, a touch panel. The operation device 49 may be a mechanical button device. In this embodiment, the operating device 49 is provided in the vicinity of the first conveyor 9. Specifically, the operating device 49 is arranged on both the left and right sides of the first conveyor 9. In addition, the operating device 49 is drawn in drawings having a configuration only in FIGS. 1 to 3 and is omitted in other drawings.
In the operation device 49, for example, a conveyor up button 51, a conveyor down button 53, a work table up button 55, a work table down button 57, and an operation stop button 67 (see FIG. 8) are displayed.

(2) Control Configuration of the Vanning / Devanning Device The control configuration of the device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the vanning / devanning apparatus.
The device 1 includes a control unit 31 (an example of a controller). The control unit 31 includes a processor (eg, CPU), a storage device (eg, ROM, RAM, HDD, SSD, etc.), and various interfaces (eg, A / D converter, D / A converter, communication interface, etc.). It is a computer system. The control unit 31 performs various control operations by executing a program stored in the storage unit (corresponding to a part or all of the storage area of the storage device).

The control unit 31 may be configured by a single processor, but may be configured by a plurality of independent processors for each control.
Some or all of the functions of the elements of the control unit 31 may be realized as a program that can be executed by a computer system that constitutes the control unit. In addition, some of the functions of the elements of the control unit 31 may be configured by a custom IC.

The control unit 31 is connected to a conveyor up button 51, a conveyor down button 53, a work platform up button 55, and an operation stop button 67.
While the conveyor raising button 51 is being pushed, the first conveyor 9 is raised. While the conveyor lowering button 53 is being pressed, the first conveyor 9 is lowered. While the work table raising button 55 is being pressed, the work table 7 is raised. While the work platform lowering button 57 is being pressed, the work platform 7 is lowered.

Furthermore, a conveyor vertical position sensor 12 and a work table vertical position sensor 14 are connected to the control unit 31. The conveyor vertical position sensor 12 and the work table vertical position sensor 14 are encoders, for example.
An angle sensor 61 is connected to the control unit 31. The angle sensor 61 is a sensor for detecting the rotation angle (rotation angle in the horizontal plane) around the vertical axis of the second conveyor 11 and is, for example, an encoder.

A laser scanner 77 (an example of an object detection sensor) is connected to the control unit 31. The laser scanner 77 detects the presence and position of peripheral objects existing around the first conveyor 9 and the work table 7. The laser scanner 77 is a non-contact type distance measuring device. As shown in FIG. 3, the laser scanner 77 is attached to the front part of the traveling unit 3 and detects the presence of an object within a scan angle (detection area). More specifically, the laser scanner 77 is disposed near the rear of the work table 7. The laser scanner 77 detects an object below the first conveyor 9, that is, between the first conveyor 9 and the work table 7.
The laser scanner 77 includes, for example, a light projecting mirror and a light receiving mirror that are directed in the same direction and simultaneously rotated by a motor, a light projecting element that irradiates a detection object with high-frequency pulsed light through the light projecting mirror, and reflected light thereof. It comprises a light receiving element that receives light through a light receiving mirror.

The principle of distance detection of the laser scanner 77 is as follows. The light projecting mirror and the light receiving mirror are rotated by a motor. At every predetermined pitch, the phase delay of the pulsed light emitted from the light projecting element, reflected by the detection object and returned to the light receiving element is measured.
The control unit 31 registers a plurality of detection area patterns within the measurement range of the laser scanner 77. As will be described later, the control unit 31 selects and sets a pattern to be used from among a plurality of detection area patterns in accordance with the rotation angle in the horizontal plane of the first conveyor 9 (that is, the detection area pattern is determined). Switched). The control unit 31 determines that the object has been detected when the distance to the detected object is within the pattern of the selected detection area. In this way, object detection by an appropriate detection area is possible for each rotation angle in the horizontal plane of the first conveyor 9.

Further, although not shown, the control unit 31 is connected to sensors and switches for detecting the state of each device, and an information input device.
The control unit 31 is connected to the conveyor elevating unit 8 and the work table elevating unit 10. The control unit 31 transmits a drive signal and a stop signal to the conveyor elevating unit 8 and the work table elevating unit 10.

(3) Control Operation of Banning Device / Devanning Device (3-1) Detection Area Switching Control Operation The detection area switching control operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the detection area switching control operation.

The control flowchart described below is an example, and each step can be omitted or replaced as necessary. Also, a plurality of steps may be executed simultaneously, or some or all of them may be executed in an overlapping manner.
Furthermore, each block of the control flowchart is not limited to a single control operation, and can be replaced with a plurality of control operations represented by a plurality of blocks.

In step S1, it is determined whether or not the conveyor rotation angle has been changed. Specifically, the control unit 31 makes the above determination based on the output from the angle sensor 61. If Yes in step S1, the process moves to step S2.
In step S2, whether or not the conveyor rotation angle has changed beyond the boundary angle, that is, whether or not the detected angle has changed from an angle corresponding to a certain detection area to an angle corresponding to another detection area. Is judged. Specifically, the control unit 31 compares the angle obtained by the output from the angle sensor 61 with the angle range corresponding to the detection area, and makes the above determination. If Yes in step S2, the process proceeds to step S3, and if No, the process returns to step S1.
In step S3, detection area switching is executed. Specifically, the control unit 31 sets a detection area corresponding to the detected angle. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1.

The switching of the detection area will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12 are top views of the vanning and devanning apparatus.
In FIG. 10, the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9 is zero degrees, and the detection area A is set below the first conveyor 9, that is, above the central portion in the left-right direction of the work table 7.

In FIG. 11, the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9 is +20 degrees, and the detection area B is set below the first conveyor 9, that is, above one side portion of the work table 7 in the left-right direction.
In FIG. 12, the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9 is −20 degrees, and the detection area C is set below the first conveyor 9, that is, on the upper side in the left and right direction opposite side of the work table 7.

  As described above, the control unit 31 switches the detection area of the laser scanner 77 when the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9 is changed. Therefore, the detection area of the laser scanner 77 can be appropriately set according to the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9. As a result, only an appropriate area can be set as a detection area, and thus erroneous detection can be reduced.

(3-2) Operation Limit Control During Button Operation The operation limit control during button operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation restriction control during button operation.

In step S4, it is determined whether an object has been detected. Specifically, the control unit 31 makes the above determination based on an output signal from the laser scanner 77. Note that the detection of an object means that the object is determined to exist within the detection area. If Yes in step S4, the process moves to step S5, and if No, the process moves to step S8.
In step S5, it is determined whether any button has been operated. Specifically, the control unit 31 makes the above determination based on the output signal from each button.

If the conveyor up button 51 is pressed in step S5, the process proceeds to step S6.
In step S6, the first conveyor 9 is raised. Specifically, the control unit 31 transmits a drive signal to the conveyor lifting unit 8 to control the operation of the conveyor lifting unit 8. The process returns to step S4.

If the conveyor down button 53 is pressed in step S5, the process returns to step S4. That is, even if the conveyor lowering button 53 is pressed, the conveyor lowering is not executed. As described above, the control unit 31 restricts the lowering of the first conveyor 9 by the conveyor lifting unit 8 based on the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9 and the presence and position of surrounding objects. As a result, it is difficult for the worker S1 to be sandwiched between the first conveyor 9 and the work table 7.
If the work platform up button 55 is pressed in step S5, the process returns to step S4. That is, even if the work table raising button 55 is pressed, the work table is not raised. As described above, the control unit 31 restricts the raising of the work table 7 by the work table elevating unit 10 based on the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9 and the presence and position of surrounding objects. As a result, it is difficult for the worker S1 to be sandwiched between the first conveyor 9 and the work table 7.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 14, the first conveyor 9 cannot be lowered, and the work table 7 cannot be raised. In this way, the movement toward the sides approaching each other is restricted. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a conveyor and a work table.

If the work platform lowering button 57 is pressed in step S5, the process proceeds to step S7.
In step S7, the work table 7 is lowered. Specifically, the control unit 31 transmits a drive signal to the work table elevating unit 10 to control the operation of the work table elevating unit 10.

In step S8, it is a normal operation mode, and operation of all the buttons is effective. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the first conveyor 9 can be raised and lowered, and the work table 7 can be raised and lowered. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a conveyor and a workbench.
As a modification, if an object is detected in step S4, not only the conveyor lowering button 53 and the work table raising button 55 but also one or both of the conveyor raising button 51 and the work table lowering button 57 may be invalidated.
Control is made to allow the conveyor to descend or raise the platform until the distance between the conveyor and the platform is less than a predetermined value, and to limit the conveyor descend or platform rise when the interval is less than the predetermined value. Also good.

(3-3) Obstacle Detection Control During Traveling The control unit 31 detects an obstacle using the laser scanner 77 when the vanning / devanning device 1 travels. In this apparatus 1, the number of sensors can be reduced.
Hereinafter, an example will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18 are top views of the conveyor tip.

At the time of high speed advance in FIG. 16, an entry prohibition area D and a warning area E are set. The invasion prohibition area D includes the first conveyor 9 and the work table 7 and occupies the front side and the left and right sides thereof. The warning area E is arranged on the front side and the left and right sides of the entry prohibition area D.
If an obstacle is detected in the warning area E, the device 1 decelerates. If an obstacle is detected in the intrusion prohibited area D, the device 1 stops traveling.

At the time of low speed advance in FIG. 17, only the entry prohibition area D is set. The invasion prohibition area D includes the first conveyor 9 and the work table 7 and occupies the front side and the left and right sides thereof.
If an obstacle is detected in the intrusion prohibited area D, the device 1 stops traveling.

In the backward movement of FIG. 18, an entry prohibition area F is set. The intrusion prohibited area F is arranged at two places on the rear side of the work table 7.
If an obstacle is detected in the intrusion prohibited area F, the device 1 stops traveling.

2. Features of Embodiments The above embodiments can also be expressed as follows.
A vanning and devanning apparatus 1 (an example of a vanning and devanning apparatus) according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first conveyor 9 (an example of a conveyor), a conveyor elevating unit 8 (an example of a conveyor elevating unit), and an angle sensor 61 ( An example of an angle sensor), a laser scanner 77 (an example of an object detection sensor), and a control unit 31 (an example of a controller) are provided.
The first conveyor 9 can be rotated in the left-right direction.
The conveyor elevating unit 8 drives the first conveyor 9 up and down.
The angle sensor 61 detects the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9.
The laser scanner 77 detects the presence and position of a peripheral object present around the first conveyor 9.
The control unit 31 restricts the lowering of the first conveyor 9 by the conveyor lifting unit 8 based on the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9 and the presence and position of surrounding objects. Note that “based on the rotation angle of the conveyor and the presence and position of surrounding objects” specifically means that the detection area of the laser scanner 77 is set according to the rotation angle of the first conveyor 9, and further the object is in the detection area. When it is judged that it exists in the inside.
In this apparatus 1, it is difficult for the worker S <b> 1 to be sandwiched between the first conveyor 9 and the work table 7.

3. Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, a plurality of embodiments and modifications described in this specification can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.
The structure of the conveyor elevating unit and the work table elevating unit is not limited to the above embodiment.
The apparatus for operating the conveyor lifting part and the work table lifting part is not limited to the above embodiment.

  The present invention can be widely applied to a vanning and devanning apparatus.

1: Vanning and devanning device 3: Traveling unit 5: Conveyor 7: Work table 8: Conveyor lifting unit 9: First conveyor 10: Work table lifting unit 11: Second conveyor 12: Conveyor vertical position sensor 13: Third conveyor 14 : Work table vertical position sensor 15: Fourth conveyor 17: Fifth conveyor 31: Control unit 49: Operating device 51: Conveyor up button 53: Conveyor down button 55: Work table up button 57: Work table down button 61: Angle sensor 67: Operation stop button 77: Laser scanner W: Luggage

Claims (4)

A conveyor that can rotate in the left-right direction;
A conveyor lifting section for driving the conveyor up and down;
An angle sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the conveyor;
An object detection sensor for detecting the presence and position of a peripheral object existing around the conveyor; a controller for restricting the lowering of the conveyor by the conveyor lifting unit based on the rotation angle of the conveyor and the presence and position of the peripheral object; ,
A vanning and devanning device. A workbench provided below the conveyor and supporting an operator;
A work table elevating unit for moving the work table up and down;
2. The vanning and devanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller restricts the raising of the work table by the work table elevating unit based on the rotation angle of the conveyor and the presence and position of an object.   3. The vanning / devanning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller detects an obstacle using the object detection sensor when the vanning / devanning apparatus travels.   The said controller is a vanning and debunning apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3 which switches the detection area of the said object detection sensor, if the rotation angle of the said conveyor is changed.

Images