JP2020045215A - Transfer device and control method of transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a transfer device which prevents interference between an arm and a package by a sensor disposed outside a pair of arms.SOLUTION: A transfer device 100 has a first arm 111 which advances/retracts on one side of a package 200 and a second arm 112 which advances/retracts on the other side. The transfer device 100 comprises: advancing/retracting means 120 for advancing/retracting a pair of arms; opening/closing means 130 for moving the second arm 112 in the width direction; a detector 140 which is mounted on the outside of the second arm 112 and detects the presence/absence of the package in the longitudinal direction; and a controller which positions the second arm 112 at a preparation position before the pair of arms advance, and moves the second arm from the preparation position by a first distance when the package 200 is not detected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a side arm type transfer device for transferring a load and a method of controlling the transfer device.

  When a package stored in a rack is taken out by a side arm type transfer device provided in a stacker crane or the like, a pair of arms is made to advance to both sides of the load from the transfer device toward the rack. When the pair of arms advance, if the arms interfere with the load, the load may be damaged or the load may be dropped from the rack.

  For example, in a transfer device of a side arm type described in Patent Document 1, a so-called gap detection is performed in advance by using a rotatable laser sensor to detect whether the arm can advance without interfering with the luggage. To prevent interference.

JP 2016-113239 A

  However, a rotatable laser sensor has a problem that a mechanism for rotating the sensor is provided and the structure becomes complicated. Even when the load is not detected by the laser sensor, a situation may occur in which the load interferes with the inside of the arm when the arm is extended.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transfer device capable of preventing interference between a load and an arm by a sensor provided outside a pair of arms, and a control method of the transfer device. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a transfer device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first arm that advances and retreats in the front-rear direction of the load on one side of the load placed on the loading portion, A transfer device having a second arm that advances and retreats in the front-rear direction on the other side, wherein the first arm and the advancing and retreating means for advancing and retreating a pair of arms that are the second arm; On the other hand, opening / closing means for moving the second arm in the width direction of the luggage, and detection attached to the opposite side of the first arm with respect to the second arm in the width direction to detect the presence or absence of the luggage in the front-rear direction. Container, and before controlling the advance / retreat means so that the pair of arms advance to the side of the load placed on the placement unit, the second arm is positioned at a predetermined preparation position. Controlling the opening and closing means, If undetected information indicating that no baggage is detected from the output device, the opening / closing means is controlled so that the second arm moves a predetermined first distance from the preparation position in a direction away from the first arm. A controller.

  In order to achieve the above object, a method of controlling a transfer device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first arm that moves forward and backward in the front-rear direction of the load on one side of the load placed on the mounting portion. A second arm that moves back and forth in the front-rear direction on the other side of the baggage; a first arm and a reciprocating unit that reciprocates a pair of arms that are the second arm; Opening / closing means for moving an arm in the width direction of the load; and a detector attached to the second arm in the width direction on the opposite side of the first arm to detect presence / absence of the load in the front-rear direction. A method of controlling a transfer device, wherein the second arm is provided with a predetermined preparation before controlling the advance / retreat means so that the pair of arms advance to the side of the load placed on the placement unit. Position to be located before When opening / closing means is controlled and undetected information indicating that no baggage is detected from the detector is obtained, the second arm moves a predetermined first distance from the preparation position in a direction away from the first arm. The opening / closing means is controlled.

  According to these, a detector is arranged outside the pair of arms to avoid interference with the load, the gap is detected, and the movement of the arm is devised without providing an additional mechanism. Interference between the inside and the baggage can be prevented.

  In addition, the controller is further configured to control the advancing / retreating means so that the pair of arms advance to the side of the load placed on the placement unit, and the second arm moves the first distance. After controlling the opening and closing means so that the pair of arms advance when the undetected information is obtained from the detector.

  Thus, it is possible to prevent interference between the second arm and both of the load on the inside and the outside of the second arm by using one detector.

  In addition, when the pair of arms advance, the preparation position is determined in advance based on the width information of the baggage such that the second arm interferes with the baggage, but the detector does not detect the baggage. Position.

  According to this, by obtaining the width information of the luggage, the preparation position can be optimized according to the width of the luggage, and the gap of the luggage can be surely confirmed by the detector. Can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to improve the transportation efficiency of the load.

  In addition, the controller is configured such that the second arm is located at a predetermined preparation position before controlling the advance / retreat means so that the pair of arms advance toward the side of the load placed on the placement unit. Controlling the opening / closing means as described above, and when detecting information indicating that a package is detected from the detector, the second arm is separated from the first arm while obtaining the detection information from the detector. Controlling the opening and closing means so as to move in the direction, and when acquiring the undetected information from the detector, controlling the opening and closing means so that the second arm moves the first distance in a direction away from the first arm. May be.

  According to this, it is possible to flexibly cope with the state of the misalignment in which the luggage is detected at the preparation position, and to pick up the luggage to the transfer device.

  The controller further includes a moving unit that moves the pair of arms in the width direction, the controller controls the opening / closing unit so that the second arm is located at a predetermined preparation position, and detects a package from the detector. When obtaining the detection information indicating that has been performed, the control means controls the moving means so that the pair of arms move a second distance in a direction from the first arm to the second arm, from the detector after moving , Detected information, or undetected information may be acquired.

  According to this, when the transfer device is not properly arranged with respect to the loading portion of the baggage, or when the position of the baggage is greatly displaced with respect to the mounting portion, the detector is used. It is possible to appropriately adjust the positional relationship between the load and the transfer device.

  Each process included in the controller of the transfer device may be realized by a recording medium such as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable CD-ROM. It may be realized by any combination of a program and a recording medium. Further, the recording medium may be a non-transitory recording medium.

  According to the present invention, the state of the gap is detected in a relatively short time up to the far side of the baggage using the detector arranged at a position that does not interfere with the baggage to be transferred, and the baggage can be transferred with high transfer efficiency. It can be picked up by the transfer device.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automatic warehouse provided with a transfer device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a transfer device on which the transfer device is mounted. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the transfer device. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the transfer device from above. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional unit of the transfer device together with a mechanical unit. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of control by the controller. FIG. 7 is a first plan view showing the positional relationship between the baggage, the second arm, and the detector. FIG. 8 is a second plan view showing the positional relationship between the load, the second arm, and the detector. FIG. 9 is a third plan view showing the positional relationship between the load, the adjacent load, the second arm, and the detector. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of another part of the control by the controller. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of the transfer device 100.

  An embodiment of a transfer device and a control method of the transfer device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Each of the embodiments described below shows a comprehensive or specific example. Numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, arrangement positions and connection forms of constituent elements, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present invention. In addition, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept are described as arbitrary components.

  In addition, the drawings are schematic diagrams in which emphasis, omission, and adjustment of ratios are appropriately performed in order to show the present invention, and may be different from actual shapes, positional relationships, and ratios.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automatic warehouse provided with a transfer device. As shown in the figure, the automatic warehouse 210 is a facility that can automatically store the luggage 200 carried in from the outside and can automatically pull out and carry out the stored luggage 200. , A transfer device 203, and a transfer device 100. In the case of the present embodiment, the storage shelves 202 are arranged on both sides of the transport device 203, but illustration of one side is omitted.

  In this specification and in the claims, a direction corresponding to the width of the package 200 when the package 200 placed on the storage shelf 202 is viewed from the transfer device 100 is referred to as a width direction. The width direction corresponds to the Y-axis direction in the figure. The direction perpendicular to the width direction in the horizontal plane is described as the front-back direction. The front-back direction corresponds to the X-axis direction in the figure. Further, a direction perpendicular to the width direction and the front-back direction is described as a vertical direction. The vertical direction corresponds to the Z-axis direction in the figure.

  The storage shelf 202 is a facility having the placement units 201 for storing the luggage 200 arranged vertically (in the Z-axis direction in the drawing) and in the left-right direction (the Y-axis direction in the drawing). In the case of the present embodiment, the storage shelf 202 includes a plurality of rectangular plate-like shelves 221 extending in the left-right direction in a horizontal plane and arranged in the up-down direction, and the luggage 200 is placed at a predetermined position on the shelves 221. Is placed. Note that the placement unit 201 for storing the luggage 200 is an abstract concept that changes according to the width of the luggage 200 to be placed, not the part of the storage shelf 202 having a fixed shape.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a transfer device on which the transfer device is mounted. As shown in the figure, the transport device 203 is a device that transports the luggage 200 in the vertical direction (the Z-axis direction in the figure) and the width direction (the Y-axis direction in the figure) along the storage shelf 202. This is a so-called stacker crane. In the case of the present embodiment, the transport device 203 includes a mast 232, a lift 233, and the transfer device 100. The transfer device 100 includes a carriage 231 as a moving means, and the carriage 231 can also move the mast 232 and the elevating platform 233 in the width direction.

  The carriage 231 travels along a horizontal guide member 234 such as a rail provided on at least one of the floor and the ceiling, and the transfer device 100 via a mast 232 extending in the vertical direction (the Z-axis direction in the figure). Is moving means along the horizontal guide member 234. In the case of the present embodiment, the carriage 231 has a drive source 230 and two masts 232 attached to both ends in the width direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing). In addition, the drive source 230 provided in the carriage 231 also generates a driving force for elevating the elevating table 233 that moves up and down along the mast 232.

  The mast 232 is a long structural member for guiding the elevating platform 233 that moves up and down in the vertical direction, and extends in the vertical direction along the storage shelf 202. In the case of the present embodiment, two masts 232 are attached to the carriage 231 in a parallel state, and the lift 233 is held between the two masts 232 in a bridged state so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. I have.

  The shape of the mast 232 is not particularly limited, and may be a hollow member such as a square pipe. Further, the structure of the mast 232 is also arbitrary, and a part of a suspending member connected to the elevating table 233 and transmitting a driving force for elevating and lowering is inserted into a hollow portion of the mast 232, and a pulley (not shown) for guiding these members is provided. May be attached to the end of the mast 232. In addition, the mast 232 may be an aggregate of a plurality of structures to which a lift rail or the like that is engaged with the lift 233 and guides the lift 233 to move is attached.

  The elevating table 233 is a structural member that is guided by the mast 232 and moves up and down (in the Z-axis direction in the drawing). The elevating table 233 is a member that holds the transfer device 100, and is attached to each of the masts 232 erected at both ends of the carriage 231 in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) so as to be able to move up and down in a bridged state. The transfer device 100 can be moved up and down by moving up and down with respect to the mast 232.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the transfer device. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the transfer device from above. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional unit of the transfer device together with a mechanical unit. As shown in these drawings, the transfer device 100 takes the package 200 placed on the placement unit 201 of the storage shelf 202 into the transfer device, and removes the package 200 placed on the transfer device 100. This is a device that can be pushed out to the mounting portion, and includes a first arm 111, a second arm 112, an advancing / retreating unit 120, an opening / closing unit 130, a detector 140, and a controller 150.

  The first arm 111, which is one of a pair of arms, expands and contracts itself in the front-rear direction (the X-axis direction in the figure), so that the first arm 111 is located on one side of the luggage 200 placed on the placement unit 201 of the storage shelf 202. It is a member that moves forward and backward. In the case of the present embodiment, the first arm 111 has a rail-shaped first base arm 113 extending in the front-rear direction and fixed to the base 160, and a second arm sliding in the front-rear direction with respect to the first base arm 113. It has one middle arm 115 and a first top arm 117 that slides in the front-rear direction with respect to the first middle arm 115. The first arm 111 extends the first base arm 113, the first middle arm 115, and the first top arm 117 in a telescopic manner so that the end of the first top arm 117 is placed on the placement unit 201. 200 to the back side. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, since the storage shelves 202 are arranged on both sides in the traveling direction of the transfer device 100, the first arm 111 can move forward and backward in any of the front and rear directions. .

  The second arm 112, which is another one of the pair of arms, expands and contracts itself in the front-rear direction (the X-axis direction in the drawing), and thereby the other side of the luggage 200 placed on the placement unit 201 of the storage shelf 202. Is a member that advances and retreats in the front-rear direction. In the case of the present embodiment, the second arm 112 extends in the front-rear direction and is fixed to the base 160 so as to be movable in the width direction. And a second top arm 118 that slides in the front-rear direction with respect to the second middle arm 116. The second arm 112 extends the second base arm 114, the second middle arm 116, and the second top arm 118 in a telescopic manner so that the end of the second top arm 118 is placed on the placement unit 201. 200 to the back side. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, since the storage shelves 202 are arranged on both sides of the transfer device 100, the second arm 112 can move forward and backward in any of the front and rear directions.

  When picking up the luggage 200 from the mounting portion 201 to the transfer device 100, the engaging claw 119 abuts on a surface of the luggage 200 on the side opposite to the transfer device 100, and transfers the luggage 200 by retracting the pair of arms. It is a member that moves to the mounting device 100 side. Also, when pushing out the luggage 200 from the transfer device 100 to the placing portion 201, the engagement claw 119 abuts on the surface of the luggage 200 opposite to the storage shelf 202 and extends the pair of arms to extend the luggage 200. The member is moved to the storage shelf 202 side. The engaging claw 119 retreats to a position where it does not interfere with the load 200 when passing the side of the load 200, and projects to a position where it contacts one of the front and rear surfaces of the load 200 when moving the load 200. It is attached to the first top arm 117 and the second top arm 118 via a mechanism that can perform the operation. In the case of the present embodiment, since the storage shelves 202 are arranged on both sides of the transfer device 100, the engaging claws 119 are attached to both ends of the first top arm 117 and the second top arm 118 in the front-rear direction. It has both a function of pushing out the baggage 200 and a function of picking it up.

  The reciprocating means 120 is a device for reciprocating a pair of arms as the first arm 111 and the second arm 112. Although the reciprocating means 120 is not particularly limited, a combination of mechanical elements such as belts and gears capable of expanding and contracting each of the first arm 111 and the second arm 112, and a pair of arms are integrally expanded and contracted. A device having one drive source can be exemplified.

  The opening / closing means 130 is a device that opens and closes a pair of arms by moving the second arm 112 relative to the first arm 111 in the width direction. Although the opening / closing means 130 is not particularly limited, a combination of mechanical elements such as a belt and a gear capable of moving the second base arm 114 of the second arm 112 in parallel with respect to the base 160, and a second arm A device provided with a drive source for moving the 112 can be exemplified.

  The detector 140 is a device that is attached to the opposite side of the first arm 111 with respect to the second arm 112 in the width direction, that is, outside the pair of arms of the second arm 112, and detects the presence or absence of the baggage 200 in the front-rear direction. . The reason why the detector 140 is provided outside the pair of arms is that if the detector 140 is provided inside the pair of arms, the load 200 contacts the detector 140 when the load 200 is transferred. When the detector 140 is to be arranged inside a pair of arms, for example, the detector 140 is shifted vertically and installed at a position where it does not interfere with the baggage 200, and the optical axis of the detector 140 is tilted vertically. However, in this case, since the optical axis is oblique, a portion that cannot be detected in the depth direction occurs, and thus the detector 140 is disposed outside the pair of arms. The method of detecting the package 200 by the detector 140 is not particularly limited. However, the method of detecting the package 200 placed on the placement unit 201 of the storage shelf 202 from the position of the transfer device 100 on the side opposite to the transfer device 100 is not particularly limited. The ability to detect whether a package 200 is present up to the surface is required. In the case of the present embodiment, the detector 140 emits laser light from the transfer device 100 toward the storage shelf 202 such that the optical axis is parallel to the front-rear direction (X-axis direction in the figure), and converts the laser light into reflected light. Then, it is detected whether or not the package 200 exists. In the case of the present embodiment, since the storage shelves 202 are arranged on both sides of the transfer device 100, two detectors 140 are arranged in the front-rear direction so as to emit laser light toward the respective storage shelves 202. Are located. Further, the detection width of the detector 140 is smaller than the width of the second arm 112.

  The controller 150 is connected to the transfer device 100, controls the forward / backward means 120 and the opening / closing means 130 included in the transfer device 100, and acquires information from the detector 140 and adjusts the control timing and order. And includes an advance / retreat control unit 151, an opening / closing control unit 152, an information acquisition unit 153, and a determination unit 154. In the case of the present embodiment, the controller 150 also includes a movement control unit 155. The controller 150 operates, for example, a microprocessor in accordance with an instruction included in a computer program stored in a storage device, and thereby controls at least one of a device that executes each process and a hardware circuit that executes each process. It is a device provided. Note that the controller 150 may control the operation of the transport device 203 other than the carriage 231, for example, the operation of the elevator 233.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of control by the controller. As shown in the figure, the controller 150 receives the instruction to pull out the luggage 200 from the host computer or the like, and controls the transport device 203 to arrange the transfer device 100 in front of the luggage target 200 (S101). ). At this stage, the pair of arms has not advanced.

  Next, the opening / closing control unit 152 controls the opening / closing means 130 so that the second arm 112 is located at the predetermined preparation position (S102). Steps S101 and S102 may overlap. Here, as shown in FIG. 7, when the second arm 112 of the pair of arms is virtually advanced toward the load 200 as shown in FIG. 7, the leading end of the advanced second arm 112 is normal. Although it virtually interferes with the luggage 200 when it is assumed that the luggage 200 is placed at the position, the detector 140 is preferably located at a position where the luggage 200 is not detected. For example, a position where the second arm 112 is moved to the inside by the first distance from the position of the second arm 112 to which the load placed in the normal position can be transferred may be set as the preparation position. Thereby, it is possible to recognize the pole near the side of the load 200 in the width direction, and thereafter, it is possible to pass the second arm 112 to the pole near the load 200 after moving the second arm 112. . Therefore, even if the distance between the load 200 and the adjacent load 200 is reduced, the second arm 112 can be inserted into the gap, so that the storage density of the load 200 on the storage shelf 202 can be improved. The preparation position can be determined in advance based on width information indicating the width (length in the X-axis direction in the figure) of the package 200 acquired by the controller 150. According to this, it is possible to flexibly cope with a case where packages 200 having different widths are stored in the storage shelf 202.

  After disposing the second arm 112 at the preparation position, the presence or absence of the luggage 200 is detected using the detector 140 that has moved in the width direction together with the second arm 112 (S103). When the information acquisition unit 153 acquires undetected information indicating that the package 200 is not detected from the detector 140 (S103: no), the second arm 112 is moved away from the first arm 111 as shown in FIG. The opening / closing control section 152 controls the opening / closing means 130 so as to move a predetermined first distance D1 from the preparation position (S104). The control so far is executed before the advance / retreat control unit 151 controls the advance / retreat means 120 so that the pair of arms advance to the side of the load 200 placed on the placement unit 201. The undetected information includes not only the case where undetected information is acquired, but also the case where detected information is not acquired.

  Next, before the advance / retreat control unit 151 controls the advance / retreat means 120 so that the pair of arms advance, the presence or absence of the baggage 200 is detected using the detector 140 as shown in FIG. 9 (S105). When the information acquisition unit 153 acquires the undetected information from the detector 140 (S105: No), the advance / retreat control unit 151 controls the advance / retreat means 120 so that the pair of arms advance (S106). Accordingly, if the baggage 200 placed next to the baggage 200 to be withdrawn is shifted to the baggage 200 to be withdrawn, the detection is detected by the detector 140 (S105: Yes), and the process is stopped. Can be reported to a host computer or the like.

  Next, after the pair of arms advance to the luggage 200 side of the pair of arms until they pass through the luggage 200, the engaging claws 119 are protruded toward the luggage 200 to be pulled out, and the pair of arms are retracted. Then, the package 200 is picked up by the transfer device 100 (S107).

  As described above, after confirming that the second arm 112 does not interfere with the luggage 200 over the entire longitudinal direction of the luggage 200, the luggage 200 can be picked up, and the luggage 200 can be safely transferred from the storage shelf 202 to the transfer device 100. It becomes possible.

  On the other hand, when the information acquisition unit 153 acquires the detection information indicating that the package 200 has been detected from the detector 140 at the stage when the second arm 112 is located at the preparation position (S103: Yes), the detector 140 The opening / closing control unit 152 controls the opening / closing means 130 so that the second arm 112 gradually moves away from the first arm 111 while detecting the presence or absence of the luggage 200 (S108). During the acquisition (S109: Yes), the movement of the second arm 112 is continued. When the information acquisition unit 153 acquires the undetected information from the detector 140 (S109: No), the determination unit 154 acquires the position of the second arm 112 at the time of acquiring the undetected information from the opening / closing control unit 152, and The information is updated so that the position becomes a new preparation position.

  As described above, by detecting the presence or absence of the luggage 200 while moving the detector 140 together with the second arm 112, the widthwise end of the luggage 200 can be found, and the luggage target 200 to be withdrawn has shifted. Even in this case, the pair of arms can be advanced at an appropriate position to pull out the load 200.

  Further, in the case of the present embodiment, since the carriage 231 is provided as a moving means capable of simultaneously moving the pair of arms in the width direction, the controller 150 moves the second arm 112 to the preparation position as shown in FIG. When the information acquisition unit 153 acquires the detection information from the detector 140 (S103: Yes) at the position of the first arm 111, the information acquisition unit 153 moves in the direction from the first arm 111 to the second arm 112 (the positive direction of the X axis in the figure). The movement control unit 155 (see FIG. 5) may control the carriage 231 serving as a moving unit so that the pair of arms move by the second distance, and may acquire detection information or undetection information from the detector 140. . Specifically, the movement control unit 155 controls the carriage 231 so as to gradually move the pair of arms while causing the detector 140 to detect the presence or absence of the baggage 200 (S208), and acquires detection information from the detector 140. During the interval (S209: Yes), the movement of the pair of arms is continued. When the information acquisition unit 153 acquires the undetected information from the detector 140 (S209: No), the determination unit 154 acquires from the movement control unit 155 the position of the second arm 112 at the time when the undetected information is acquired. The information is updated so that the position becomes a new preparation position.

  As described above, by detecting the presence or absence of the baggage 200 with the detector 140 while moving the first arm 111 and the second arm 112 integrally by the cart 231, even if the baggage 200 to be withdrawn is greatly shifted. The pair of arms can advance at appropriate positions to pull out the load 200. If the moving distance from the detected information to the undetected information is longer than expected, it is possible to determine that a package different from the package to be transferred is stored.

  According to the transfer device 100 in the above-described embodiment, the detector 140 is disposed outside the pair of arms that does not interfere with the load 200 when the load 200 is transferred, and the load 140 is straight in the direction in which the arms move. Since the detector 140 that detects the presence / absence of the package 200 is used, the gap of the package 200 can be confirmed up to the opposite side of the transfer device 100. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the second arm 112 from interfering with the load 200.

  Further, since the detector 140 does not move in the front-back direction and is fixed to the base 160, the wiring can be easily arranged, and the luggage 200 stored in the storage shelf 202 and the detector 140 interfere with each other. Not even.

  Further, after confirming the extreme vicinity of the side of the load 200 by the detector 140, the second arm 112 is moved by the first distance. Distance in consideration of the width of the laser beam and the emission position of the laser beam from the detector 140, for example, in the width direction, to a distance obtained by adding a margin to the distance from the inner surface of the second arm 112 to the detection position of the detector 140. By setting, the moving distance of the second arm 112 can be kept to a minimum, and the second arm 112 can be passed in the vicinity of the side of the load 200. Therefore, the second arm 112 can be pierced into the gap of the luggage 200 even when the width of the luggage 200 with the luggage 200 arranged next is narrow. With this feature, the luggage 200 can be stored in the storage shelf 202 with the gap between the luggage 200 narrowed, and the storage efficiency of the luggage 200 can be increased.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, another embodiment that is realized by arbitrarily combining the components described in this specification and excluding some of the components may be an embodiment of the present invention. The gist of the invention of the present application with respect to the above-described embodiment, that is, modified examples obtained by performing various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art without departing from the meaning indicated by the words described in the claims are also included in the present invention. It is.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cart 231 that is a moving unit included in the transfer device 100 has been described as moving the mast 232 and the elevating platform 233 of the transport device 203 in the width direction. However, as illustrated in FIG. The transfer device 100 may include, for example, a dedicated moving unit 190 that can move in the width direction with respect to the lift 233. Further, a transport device having only a carriage without the lifting table 233 may be used.

  In addition, when the second arm advances the preparation position, the position may not interfere with the luggage 200 and may be an undetected position.

  Further, although the first arm 111 is described as being fixed to the base 160 in the width direction, the first arm 111 may also be movable in the width direction.

  Further, a detector that detects the presence or absence of the package 200 stored in the storage shelf 202 may be provided on the first arm 111 side.

  Also, a case has been described where the pair of arms is gradually moved while the detector 140 detects the presence or absence of the baggage 200, and the pair of arms is stopped based on undetected information. It is difficult to stop immediately. However, if it is lightweight, such as when the dedicated moving means 190 is provided, it can be stopped immediately on the spot. Alternatively, the second distance may be a fixed distance, and the detector 140 may detect the presence or absence of the luggage 200 after the movement of the second distance.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is applicable to a carrier such as a stacker crane used for an automatic warehouse that automatically stores, manages, carries in and out a large number of packages, and a station that receives packages from the carriers.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Transfer device 111 First arm 112 Second arm 113 First base arm 114 Second base arm 115 First middle arm 116 Second middle arm 117 First top arm 118 Second top arm 119 Engagement claw 120 Advance / retreat means 130 Opening / closing means 140 Detector 150 Controller 151 Forward / backward control section 152 Opening / closing control section 153 Information acquisition section 154 Judging section 155 Movement control section 160 Base 190 Moving means 200 Luggage 201 Loading section 202 Storage shelf 203 Transport device 210 Automatic warehouse 221 Shelf 230 Drive source 231 Bogie 232 Mast 233 Elevating platform 234 Horizontal guide member

Claims (6)

A transfer device having a first arm that moves forward and backward in the front-rear direction of the load on one side of the load placed on the mounting portion, and a second arm that moves forward and backward in the front-rear direction on the other side of the load. So,
The first arm, and reciprocating means for reciprocating a pair of arms as the second arm,
Opening and closing means for moving the second arm relative to the first arm in the width direction of the load,
A detector attached to the second arm in the width direction on the opposite side of the first arm and detecting the presence or absence of luggage in the front-back direction,
Before controlling the advance / retreat means so that the pair of arms advance to the side of the load placed on the placement section, the opening / closing means may be arranged such that the second arm is located at a predetermined preparation position. Controlling, when the undetected information indicating that no baggage is detected from the detector, the opening and closing so that the second arm moves a predetermined first distance from the preparation position in a direction away from the first arm. And a controller for controlling the means. The controller further comprises:
The opening and closing means is controlled before the control of the retreating means so that the pair of arms advances to the side of the load placed on the placing part, and the second arm moves a first distance. The transfer device according to claim 1, wherein after the control, when the undetected information is acquired from the detector, the pair of arms is controlled so that the pair of arms advance. The preparation position is a position where the second arm interferes with the load when the pair of arms are advanced, but the detector is a position that does not detect the load and that is determined in advance based on the width information of the load. Is,
The transfer device according to claim 1. The controller is
Before controlling the advance / retreat means so that the pair of arms advance to the side of the load placed on the placement section, the opening / closing means is arranged so that the second arm is located at a predetermined preparation position. Controlling, when obtaining detection information indicating that a package is detected from the detector, the second arm moves in a direction away from the first arm while obtaining the detection information from the detector. 4. The control unit controls the open / close unit so that the second arm moves the first distance in a direction away from the first arm when the control unit controls the open / close unit and acquires undetected information from the detector. 5. The transfer device according to any one of the above. Moving means for moving the pair of arms in the width direction,
The controller is
Controlling the opening and closing means so that the second arm is located at a predetermined preparation position, and when the detection information indicating that the baggage is detected from the detector is obtained, from the first arm to the second arm The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit controls the moving unit so that the pair of arms moves a second distance in a direction toward the head, and acquires detection information or undetection information from the detector. Transfer equipment. A first arm that moves back and forth in the front-rear direction of the load on one side of the load placed on the mounting portion, a second arm that moves in the front-rear direction on the other side of the load, the first arm, Advancing and retreating means for moving a pair of arms as the second arm, opening and closing means for moving the second arm relative to the first arm in the width direction of the load, and A detector attached to the opposite side of the first arm, and a detector for detecting the presence or absence of the baggage in the front-rear direction, comprising:
Before controlling the advance / retreat means so that the pair of arms advance to the side of the load placed on the placement section, the opening / closing means is arranged so that the second arm is located at a predetermined preparation position. Controlling, when the undetected information indicating that the baggage is not detected from the detector, the opening and closing so that the second arm moves a predetermined first distance from the preparation position in a direction away from the first arm. A method for controlling a transfer device for controlling means.

Images