JP2020117351A - Article conveying facility - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an article conveying facility capable of easily carrying in or out an article to and from a port part while enhancing conveyance efficiency.SOLUTION: In an article conveying facility, each of a plurality of storage parts 1 is formed so as to be able to store N articles W in a state in which they are aligned in a depth direction X. An article conveying device 4 has a conveyance support part 16 for supporting a target article group WG which consists of the N articles W to be conveyed in a state in which it is aligned in the depth direction X. A port part 3 comprises a support body 21 for supporting the target article group WG in a state in which it is aligned in a row, and a turning part for turning the support body 21 about a shaft center in the vertical direction. The turning part turns the support body 21 so as to change a state between a first state in which the target article group WG supported by the support body 21 is aligned in a lateral width direction Y and a second state in which the target article group WG is aligned in the depth direction X.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an article storage rack provided with a plurality of storage sections for storing articles in a line in the vertical direction and the lateral width direction, a port section for performing at least one of loading and unloading of articles, and the port. The present invention relates to an article transport facility, comprising: an article transport device that transports an article from a storage section to the storage section or transports an article from the storage section to the port section.

As such an article transport facility, for example, one described in JP-A-2016-196361 (Patent Document 1) is known. In the following description of the background art, parenthesized symbols or names are those in prior art documents. In the article transport facility described in Patent Document 1, the article (B) carried into the port section is transported by the article transport apparatus (C) to the storage section, and the article stored in the storage section is ported by the article transport apparatus. To the department. Further, in the article transport facility described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-174335 (Patent Document 2), each of the storage units in the article storage shelf (storage shelf 2) stores two articles (stored object 9) in the depth direction. In addition to increasing the storage efficiency by being configured so that the articles can be stored side by side, the article conveying apparatus (stacker apparatus 4) includes a support section (hand 47) that supports two articles in the depth direction, By configuring the article transporting device to transport two articles at the same time, the transport efficiency is improved.

JP, 2016-196361, A JP, 2008-174335, A

In order to improve the storage efficiency of the article storage shelves and the transfer efficiency of the article transfer device, in the article transfer facility having the port portion described in Patent Document 1, as in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, the article storage (EN) A storage section of a shelf that allows two articles to be stored in a state in which two articles are arranged in the depth direction, and also allows two articles to be supported by a conveyance support of an article conveying apparatus in a state in which the articles are arranged in the depth direction. Is possible. However, even if the configuration described in Patent Document 2 is adopted in the article transport facility of Patent Document 1 as described above, since the support body of the port portion is configured to support only one article, it is difficult to improve transport efficiency. It was Therefore, it is conceivable to arrange two articles side by side in the depth direction also in the port section, but when carrying in and out articles from the outside of the article transport facility to and from the port section, the depth direction There is a problem in that it is difficult to carry in and carry out articles at a position far from the outside.

Therefore, it is desired to realize an article transporting facility that facilitates loading and unloading of articles into and from a port while improving transport efficiency.

In view of the above, the characteristic configuration of the article transport facility is at least one of an article storage rack provided with a plurality of storage sections for storing articles in a state of being aligned in the vertical direction and the lateral width direction, and loading and unloading of articles. An article transport facility comprising: a port section for carrying out the above; and an article transport apparatus for transporting articles from the port section to the storage section or transporting articles from the storage section to the port section,
N (where N is an integer of 2 or more) articles in a state in which each of the plurality of storage units is aligned in the depth direction, with a direction orthogonal to the lateral width direction as viewed in the vertical direction along the vertical direction being the depth direction. Is configured to be able to be stored, and the article transporting device includes a transport support section that supports the target article group in a state where the target article group that is N articles to be transported is lined up in the depth direction, and the port section is A support body that supports the target article group in a state in which the target article group is arranged in a line, and a swivel portion that swivels the support body around an axis along the vertical direction. There is a point in which the support body is turned so as to change the state between a first state in which the target article group supported by the body is arranged in the lateral width direction and a second state in which the target article group is arranged in the depth direction. ..

According to these characteristic configurations, since N articles can be arranged and stored in the depth direction in each of the plurality of article storage shelves, the storage efficiency of the article storage shelves can be improved. In addition, since the transport support unit of the article transport apparatus can support the target article groups, which are N articles to be transported, in the depth direction, it is possible to enhance the transport efficiency of the article transport apparatus. Then, by changing the state of the port portion to the second state, it is possible to arrange the support so that the target article group is arranged in the depth direction. Therefore, the article conveying apparatus can collectively convey N articles to the port section or convey N articles collectively from the port section, and the conveyance efficiency of the article conveying apparatus can be improved. Further, by changing the state of the port portion to the first state, it is possible to arrange the support so that the target article group is arranged in the lateral width direction. Therefore, when the work is performed from one side in the depth direction with respect to the port portion, the work of loading the article into the support or the work of unloading the article from the support becomes easy. As described above, according to the present configuration, it becomes easy to carry in and carry out articles to and from the port section while improving the transportation efficiency of the article transportation apparatus.

Top view of article transport facility Side view of article transport facility Front view of carry-in port and carry-out port Plan view of the carrying-in port portion in the first state Plan view of the carrying-in port portion in the second state Front view of the loading port in the first state and at the first height Front view of the loading port in the second state and at the second height Control block diagram Flow chart of article transport control Flowchart of import port control Flowchart of unloading port control Emergency stop control flowchart

1. Embodiment An embodiment of the article transport facility will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article transport facility includes an article storage shelf 2 that includes a plurality of storage units 1 that store articles W in a row in the vertical direction Z and the lateral width direction Y. At least one of carrying out W is carried out, and an article carrying device 4 carrying the article W from the port section 3 to the storage section 1 or carrying the article W from the storage section 1 to the port section 3. And are equipped with.

A pair of article storage shelves 2 are installed so as to face each other. In the present embodiment, a stacker crane is installed as the article transporting device 4, and the article transporting device 4 travels along the lateral direction Y along the travel route L formed between the pair of article storage shelves 2. Further, in this example, the article transporting apparatus 4 transports a cassette containing a plurality of glass substrates as the article W. Further, in the present embodiment, the article transport facility includes a pair of port sections 3 including a carry-in port section 3A used for carrying in the article W and a carry-out port section 3B used for carrying out the article W. .. The article transport device 4 carries the article W from the carry-in port section 3A to the storage section 1 and the article W from the storage section 1 to the carry-out port section 3B.

The container storage facility 100 is provided with a wall 5 that covers the area A side periphery, and a fan filter unit 6 (see FIG. 2) installed above the area A. The article storage rack 2, the port unit 3, and the article transport device 4 are installed in the area A, and the action of the fan filter unit 6 causes the clean air to flow in the area A from the ceiling side to the floor side.

Hereinafter, the article transport facility will be described, but a direction orthogonal to the lateral width direction Y in the vertical direction along the vertical direction Z will be referred to as a depth direction X for description. Further, in the depth direction X, a direction in which the traveling path L exists with respect to the article storage rack 2 is referred to as a front side X1, and a side opposite to the front side X1 is referred to as a back side X2.

[Storage part]
Each of the plurality of storage units 1 is configured to be able to store N (N is an integer of 2 or more) articles W in a state of being aligned in the depth direction X. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 1 is provided with a first storage position 1A and a second storage position 1B that is set on the back side X2 from the first storage position 1A. The storage unit 1 is configured to store two articles W in a state of being lined up in the depth direction X by storing the articles W in each of the first storage position 1A and the second storage position 1B.

[Goods transport device]
As shown in FIG. 2, the article transporting device 4 includes a traveling body 8 traveling along the lateral direction Y along the traveling route L, a mast 9 standing on the traveling body 8, and a vertical direction Z along the mast 9. An elevating body 10 that elevates and descends along a moving body, a transfer device 11 that is supported by the elevating body 10 and transfers an article W between the storage unit 1 and the port unit 3 and itself, and the transfer device 11 And a swivel device 12 that rotates about an axis along the vertical direction Z. The article transport device 4 transports the article W between the storage unit 1 and the port unit 3 by the traveling of the traveling body 8, the elevation of the elevating/lowering body 10, and the operation of the transfer device 11 and the turning device 12.

The transfer device 11 includes a transport support portion 16 that supports the article W, and a retreat portion 17 that moves the transport support portion 16 in and out along the depth direction X. The retreat portion 17 has a retracted position (position shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) retracted to the front side X1 where the lifting body 10 exists, and a projecting position protruded to the back side X2 where the storage part 1 exists (FIG. (Not shown), the transport support 16 is moved in and out. The transfer device 11 transfers the article W between the storage part 1 or the port part 3 and itself by moving the transfer support part 16 back and forth and elevating the transfer device 11 by elevating the elevating part 23. To do. Further, the transfer device 11 can transfer the article W between any of the storage sections 1 of the pair of article storage shelves 2 by rotating the entire transfer apparatus 11 by 180 degrees by the turning device 12. ing.

The transport support unit 16 is configured to be able to support the target article group WG in a state where the target article group WG, which is N articles W to be transported, are arranged in the depth direction X. In the present embodiment, the transport support portion 16 has a first transport support portion 16A and a second transport support portion 16B arranged in the depth direction X with respect to the first transport support portion 16A. The transport support portion 16 supports the article W to be transported by the first transport support portion 16A and the second transport support portion 16B, respectively, and thereby the two transport target articles W are arranged in the depth direction X. It can be supported by. In the present example, these two articles W to be conveyed constitute the target article group WG. As described above, the article transport device 4 includes the transport support unit 16 that supports the target article group WG in a state where the target article group WG is aligned in the depth direction X.

When the transfer unit 11 stores two articles W in the storage unit 1, the transfer apparatus 11 sets the two articles W as the articles W (target article group WG) to be conveyed and moves the conveyance support section 16 back and forth. By moving the transfer device 11 up and down, the transfer device 11 can be transferred from the storage part 1 to the transport support part 16. Further, when only one article W is stored in the storage unit 1, the transfer device 11 sets the one article W as the transfer target article W and moves the transfer support section 16 back and forth and transfers it. It is configured so that it can be transferred from the storage section 1 to the transport support section 16 by raising and lowering the apparatus 11. Further, even when two articles W are stored in the storage section 1, by changing the protrusion amount of the transport support section 16, the first one of the two articles W stored in the storage section 1 is changed. Only the article W in the storage position 1A can be transferred from the storage section 1 to the transport support section 16 by moving the transport support section 16 up and down and moving the transfer device 11 up and down as the article W to be transported. It is configured. In this way, the transfer device 11 is configured to transfer one or two articles W from the storage part 1 to the transport support part 16.

Further, the transfer device 11 transfers one or two articles W by a procedure reverse to the case of transferring the articles W from the storage section 1 to the conveyance support section 16 to transfer one or two articles W. It is configured so that it can be transferred from 16 to the storage unit 1. Further, the transfer device 11 conveys and supports one or two articles W from the support 21 of the loading port section 3A in the second state, as in the case of transferring the articles W to the storage section 1. It is configured so that it can be transferred to the section 16 and one or two articles W can be transferred from the transport support section 16 to the support 21 of the unloading port section 3B in the second state. .. As described above, in the present embodiment, the article transporting device 4 is configured to transport an arbitrary number of articles W from 1 to N as a transport target. When there are a plurality of articles W to be conveyed, the plurality of articles W are referred to as a target article group WG.

[Port part]
As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 7, the port portion 3 includes a support 21 that supports the target article group WG in a state where the target article group WG is arranged in a line, It includes a revolving unit 22 for revolving in a vertical direction and an elevating unit 23 for raising and lowering the support body 21 in the vertical direction Z. In the present embodiment, the support 21 is configured to support the target article group WG in a state where the N articles W forming the target article group WG are arranged in a line at the same height. Here, the support surface of the support 21 that supports the article W is a surface along the horizontal direction. In addition, in the present embodiment, the support body 21 has a first port support portion 21A and a second port support portion 21B that is adjacent to the first port support portion 21A in a vertical direction. The port section 3 supports the articles W by the first port support section 21A and the second port support section 21B, respectively, so that the target article group WG including the two articles W to be transported is arranged in a line. It is configured to be supported in the state.

The swivel portion 22 is provided in the first state (state of the loading port portion 3A shown in FIGS. 1, 5 and 7) in which the target article group WG supported by the support body 21 is lined up in the lateral width direction Y, and in the support body 21. A state in which the supported target article group WG is arranged in the depth direction X in a second state (state of the carry-in port portion 3A shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 and state of the carry-out port portion 3B shown in FIG. 2). The support 21 is swung so as to change. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the turning axis P is set at a position overlapping the article W supported by the second port support portion 21B in the vertical direction. The swivel unit 22 turns the support 21 from the second state shown in FIG. 4 clockwise by 90 degrees around the swivel axis P to change the state to the first state shown in FIG. 5, and the first state shown in FIG. From the state, the support 21 is turned counterclockwise about the turning axis P by 90 degrees to change the state to the second state shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a loading opening 26 is formed in the wall body 5 at a position corresponding to the loading port 3A. The carry-in opening portion 26 is formed at a position adjacent to the back side X2 with respect to the carry-in port portion 3A. In this embodiment, the worker carries in the article W to the carry-in port section 3A. Specifically, the worker puts the article W into the first installation area A1 through the loading opening 26 and puts the article W into the first port support portion 21A or the second port support portion 21B of the loading port section 3A. The article W is carried in as it is placed. In this way, the work of loading the article W from the back side X2 (outside the container storage facility 100) is carried out into the loading port section 3A. The worker may carry in the article W by directly holding the article W by his/her hand, or may be carried out by the operator by operating a carriage supporting the article W. Further, the first installation area A1 is a part of the area A in the container storage facility 100, and is an area in which the carry-in port portion 3A is installed. The first installation area A1 is provided between the travel route L and the loading opening 26.

An unloading opening 27 is formed in the wall body 5 at a position corresponding to the unloading port 3B. The carry-out opening portion 27 is formed at a position adjacent to the back side X2 with respect to the carry-out port portion 3B. In this embodiment, the worker carries out the article W from the carry-out port section 3B. Specifically, the worker lifts the article W placed on the first port support portion 21A or the second port support portion 21B of the unloading port portion 3B in the first state, and the article W is passed through the unloading opening portion 27. The article W is carried out so that W is taken out from the second installation area A2. In this way, the work of carrying out the article W from the back side X2 (outside the container storage facility 100) is carried out with respect to the carry-out port portion 3B. The worker may carry out the article W by directly holding the article W by his/her hand, or may be carried out by the operator operating a carriage supporting the article W. The second installation area A2 is a part of the area A in the container storage facility 100, and is an area in which the carry-out port portion 3B is installed. The second installation area A2 is provided between the traveling route L and the unloading opening 27.

In the article transport facility, a sensor 28 that detects that a foreign object has entered the area where the port unit 3 is installed, an alarm device 29 that operates when the sensor 28 detects the foreign object, and work for the port unit 3 are performed. The operation unit 30 that is operated by the operator when the operation is completed is provided. As the sensor 28, there are provided a first sensor 28A that detects that a foreign matter has entered the first installation area A1, and a second sensor 28B that detects that a foreign matter has entered the second installation area A2. As the notification device 29, there are provided a first notification device 29A that operates when the first sensor 28A detects a foreign matter, and a second notification device 29B that operates when the second sensor 28B detects a foreign matter. .. As the operation unit 30, the first operation unit 30A operated by the operator when the work of loading the article W into the carry-in port unit 3A is finished, and the work of carrying out the article W from the carry-out port unit 3B is finished. And a second operation unit 30B operated by an operator.

In the present embodiment, the sensor 28 is installed so as to detect the foreign matter when the foreign matter enters the installation area (the first installation area A1 and the second installation area A2) from the back side X2. Specifically, the first sensor 28A is installed in the carry-in opening 26, and detects the foreign matter that has entered the first installation area A1 through the carry-in opening 26. In addition, the second sensor 28B is installed in the carry-out opening 27, and detects a foreign substance that has entered the second installation area A2 through the carry-out opening 27. That is, in the present embodiment, the worker is a foreign substance, and when the worker enters the installation area, the worker is detected by the sensor 28. Further, in the present embodiment, the sensor 28 does not detect the article transport device 4 as a foreign matter.

〔Control device〕
As shown in FIG. 8, the article transport facility includes a control apparatus H that controls the article transport apparatus 4 and the port unit 3. The control device H has a function as a port control unit H1 that controls the port unit 3. In addition, the first operation unit 30A transmits a carry-in completion signal to the control device H when the first operation unit 30A is pressed. That is, the control device H has a function as a carry-in completion receiving unit H2 that receives a carry-in completion signal indicating that the carry-in of the article W into the port unit 3 is completed. Further, the second operation unit 30B transmits a carry-out completion signal to the control device H when the second operation unit 30B is pushed. That is, the control device H has a function as the carry-out completion receiving unit H3 that receives the input of the carry-out completion signal indicating that the carry-out of the article W from the port unit 3 is completed.

The control device H executes carry-in control and carry-out control. In the carry-in control, the control device H controls the article carrying device 4 so as to carry the article W from the carry-in port section 3A to the storage section 1 upon receipt of the carry-in completion signal. In the carry-out control, the control device H conveys the product W from the storage unit 1 to the carry-out port unit 3B in response to receiving a carry-out command from a higher-order controller or the like (not shown). Control 4

The controller H executes the first change control, the second change control, the third change control, and the fourth change control. The first change control is control for turning the support 21 so as to change the state from the first state to the second state when the control device H receives the input of the carry-in completion signal. The second change control is a control for rotating the support body 21 so as to change the state of the port section 3 from the second state to the first state as the article W is conveyed from the port section 3 by the article conveying apparatus 4. Is. The third change control is a control for turning the support body 21 so as to change the state of the port section 3 from the second state to the first state as the article W is conveyed to the port section 3 by the article conveying device 4. Is. The fourth change control is control for turning the support 21 so as to change the state of the port portion 3 from the first state to the second state when the control device H receives the input of the carry-out completion signal.

The first change control and the second change control are executed for the port section 3 when the port section 3 is used to carry in the article W. That is, in the present embodiment, the first change control and the second change control are executed for the carry-in port unit 3A. Further, the third change control and the fourth change control are executed for the port section 3 when the port section 3 is used for carrying out the article W. That is, in the present embodiment, the third change control and the fourth change control are executed on the carry-out port unit 3B.

Further, the control device H executes stop control and notification control. In the stop control, when the sensor 28 detects that a foreign object has entered the area where the port unit 3 is installed, when the port unit 3 is not in the first state, the port unit 3 and the article conveying device 4 are brought to an emergency stop. Control. Here, when the port portion 3 is not in the first state, the port portion 3 is turning for changing the state from the first state to the second state, and for changing the state from the second state to the first state. Including turning. Therefore, by this stop control, the control device H stops the turning of the support 21 when the sensor 28 detects the worker during the turning of the support 21 by the turning unit 22. In the present embodiment, the stop control is performed when the first sensor 28A detects that a foreign object has entered the first installation area A1, and when the carry-in port section 3A is not in the first state, the carry-in port section 3A. And the control for stopping the article transport device 4 in an emergency. In addition, the stop control is performed when the second sensor 28B detects that a foreign object has entered the second installation area A2 and when the carry-out port unit 3B is not in the first state, the carry-out port unit 3B and the article conveyance This is a control for stopping the device 4 in an emergency.

The notification control is control for activating the notification device 29 when the sensor 28 detects that a foreign object has entered the area where the port unit 3 is installed. In this embodiment, when the sensor 28 detects that a foreign object has entered the area where the port unit 3 is installed, the control unit operates the notification device 29 when the port unit 3 is not in the first state. More specifically, the notification control operates the first notification device 29A when the first sensor 28A detects that a foreign object has entered the first installation area A1 and the carry-in port portion 3A is not in the first state. It is a control to make. Further, the notification control is a control for activating the second notification device 29B when the second sensor 28B detects that a foreign object has entered the second installation area A2 and the carry-out port portion 3B is not in the first state. is there.

Next, based on the flowchart shown in FIG. 9, the control of the article carrying device 4 by the control device H (article carrying control) will be described. The control device H receives the conveyance completion signal (S1: Yes), and carries out the carry-in control with the completion of the first change control executed in response to the reception of the conveyance completion signal (S2: Yes). Execute (S3). Further, the control device H executes the carry-out control in response to the receipt of the carry command (S4: Yes) (S5).

Next, control of the carry-in port unit 3A (carry-in port control) by the control device H will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. The controller H executes the first change control in response to the receipt of the carry-in completion signal (S11: Yes) (S12). Then, the second change control is executed (S14) in accordance with the completion of the carry-in control executed in response to the reception of the carry-in completion signal (S13: Yes).

Next, control of the carry-out port unit 3B by the control device H (carry-out port control) will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. The control device H executes the third change control with the completion of the carry-out control (S21: Yes) (S22). Then, when the carry-out completion signal is received (S23: Yes), the fourth change control is executed (S24).

Next, the emergency stop control executed by the control device H will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. When the first sensor 28A detects a foreign object (S31: Yes) and the carry-in port unit 3A is not in the first state (S32: No), the control device H executes stop control and notification control (S35). ), when the first sensor 28A detects a foreign substance (S31: Yes) and the carry-in port unit 3A is in the first state (S32: Yes), the stop control and the notification control are not executed. In addition, when the second sensor 28B detects a foreign substance (S33: Yes) and the carry-out port unit 3B is not in the first state (S34: No), the control device H executes stop control and notification control. In (S35), when the second sensor 28B detects a foreign substance (S33: Yes) and the carry-out port section 3B is in the first state (S34: Yes), the stop control and the notification control are not executed.

2. Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of the article transport facility will be described.

(1) In the above embodiment, the port unit 3 has the configuration including the carry-in port unit 3A and the carry-out port unit 3B as an example. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the port unit 3 may be configured to include only one of the carry-in port unit 3A and the carry-out port unit 3B. In addition, one port unit 3 may be configured to both carry in the article W and carry out the article W. In addition, in a configuration including a single port unit or a plurality of port units 3, the function of each port unit 3 may be configured to be appropriately changeable between loading and unloading by changing settings.

(2) In the above embodiment, N is set to 2 and the target article group WG is set to two articles W to be conveyed. However, N may be set to 3 or more, and the target article group WG may be configured by three or more articles W at the maximum.

(3) In the above embodiment, the structure in which the support 21 supports N articles W at the same height has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the support body 21 may be configured to support some or all of the N articles W at different heights. For example, when the support body 21 supports two articles W, the article W supported by the first port support portion 21A and the article W supported by the second port support portion 21B have different heights. May be configured to be supported by.

(4) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the port section 3 includes the elevating section 23 has been described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the port unit 3 may not have the elevating unit 23. For example, the height of the support 21 when loading or unloading the article W with respect to the support 21, and the height of the support 21 when the article transporting device 4 transfers the article W to or from the support 21. , And the like, the port unit 3 may not include the elevating unit 23.

(5) In the above embodiment, the signal transmitted from the first operation unit 30A as the first operation unit 30A is operated is the carry-in completion signal. However, the carry-in completion signal is not limited to this. For example, a loading sensor for detecting the presence of the article W supported by the support 21 of the carry-in port section 3A is provided, and a signal transmitted from the loading sensor when the loading sensor detects the article W. May be used as the carry-in completion signal. Further, when the article W is carried into the carry-in port section 3A by the carry-in carrying apparatus separately installed, the carry-in is carried out as the carry-in of the article W into the carry-in port section 3A by the carry-in carrying apparatus is completed. A signal transmitted from the carrier device may be the carry-in completion signal.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the signal transmitted from the second operation unit 30B as the second operation unit 30B is operated is the carry-out completion signal. However, the carry-out completion signal is not limited to this. For example, a stock sensor for detecting the presence of the article W supported by the support 21 of the carry-out port portion 3B is provided, and the stock sensor transmits the inventory sensor when the stock sensor no longer detects the article W. The signal may be the transport completion signal. Further, when the article W is unloaded from the unloading port section 3B by the unloading transporting apparatus installed separately, the article W is unloaded as the article W is completely unloaded from the unloading port section 3B. A signal transmitted from the carrier device may be used as the carry-out completion signal.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, when the sensor 28 detects that the worker has entered the area where the port 3 is installed while the support 21 is being swung by the swivel unit 22, the support 21 moves. The configuration for stopping the turning has been described as an example. However, the condition for stopping the turning of the support 21 is not limited to this. For example, in addition to or in place of the sensor 28, the article transport facility includes an operation unit for emergency stop, and when the operation unit for emergency stop is operated, the turning of the support 21 by the turning unit 22 is stopped. May be

(8) The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in the other embodiments as long as no contradiction occurs. Regarding other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications can be appropriately made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

3. Outline of Embodiments The outline of the article transport facility described above will be described below.

The article transport facility includes an article storage shelf provided with a plurality of storage sections for storing articles in a row in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, a port section for performing at least one of loading and unloading of articles, and An article transporting device comprising: an article transporting device for transporting an article from a port section to the storage section or for transporting an article from the storage section to the port section; A direction orthogonal to the lateral width direction is defined as a depth direction, and each of the plurality of storage units is configured to be capable of storing N (N is an integer of 2 or more) articles in a state of being aligned in the depth direction. The transport device includes a transport support unit that supports the target article group in a state in which the target article group, which is N articles to be transported, are aligned in the depth direction, and the port unit includes the target article group in a line. A support body that supports the target article group in a state, and a swivel unit that swivels the support body around an axis along the vertical direction, and the swivel unit is the target article group supported by the support body. The support is turned so as to change the state between a first state in which the objects are arranged in the lateral width direction and a second state in which the target article group is arranged in the depth direction.

According to this configuration, since N articles can be stored side by side in the depth direction in each of the plurality of article storage shelves, the storage efficiency of the article storage shelves can be improved. In addition, since the transport support unit of the article transport apparatus can support the target article groups, which are N articles to be transported, in the depth direction, it is possible to enhance the transport efficiency of the article transport apparatus. Then, by changing the state of the port portion to the second state, it is possible to arrange the support so that the target article group is arranged in the depth direction. Therefore, the article conveying apparatus can collectively convey N articles to the port section or convey N articles collectively from the port section, and the conveyance efficiency of the article conveying apparatus can be improved. Further, by changing the state of the port portion to the first state, it is possible to arrange the support so that the target article group is arranged in the lateral width direction. Therefore, when the work is performed from one side in the depth direction with respect to the port portion, the work of loading the article into the support or the work of unloading the article from the support becomes easy. As described above, according to the present configuration, it becomes easy to carry in and carry out articles to and from the port section while improving the carrying efficiency of the article carrying apparatus.

Here, it is preferable that the supporter supports the target article group in a state where N articles are arranged in a line at the same height.

According to this configuration, by changing the state of the port section to the first state, N articles are lined up in a row in the width direction at the same height, so that N articles can be carried into the port section or from the port section. It becomes easy to carry out N articles. Further, by changing the state of the port portion to the second state, since N articles are lined up in a row in the depth direction at the same height, it is possible to collectively convey the N articles to the port portion by the article conveying device. It becomes easy to collectively carry N articles to the port section.

Further, it is preferable that the port section includes an elevating section that moves the support body in the vertical direction.

According to this configuration, by moving the support in the up-and-down direction by the elevating body, the height of the support in the first state is set to a height at which the loading and unloading of the article can be easily performed, while the support in the second state is moved. The height can be set so that the article conveying device can easily convey the article.

Further, a port for controlling the port unit when the port unit is used for carrying in an article, further comprising a carry-in completion receiving unit for receiving an input of a carry-in completion signal indicating that the carrying-in of the article into the port unit is completed. The control unit turns the support so as to change the state from the first state to the second state in response to receiving the input of the carry-in completion signal, and the articles are conveyed from the port section by the article conveying device. It is preferable that the support is turned so as to change the state from the second state to the first state as it is conveyed.

According to this configuration, when the port portion is used for loading the article, the loading completion signal indicating that the article is placed on the support of the port portion in the first state and the loading of the article into the port portion is completed is input. When accepting, the port control unit changes the state of the port unit from the first state to the second state. As a result, the article can be conveyed from the port section by the article conveying device. Then, with the article being conveyed from the port section by the article conveying apparatus, the port control section changes the state of the port section from the second state to the first state. In this way, the port portion automatically changes its state from the second state to the first state, so that articles can be smoothly carried into the port portion.

A port for controlling the port unit when the port unit is used for unloading an article, further including an unloading completion receiving unit that receives an input of a unloading completion signal indicating that unloading of the article from the port unit is completed. The control unit turns the support so as to change the state from the first state to the second state in response to receiving the input of the carry-out completion signal, and the articles are transferred to the port section by the article transport device. It is preferable that the support is turned so as to change the state from the second state to the first state as it is conveyed.

According to this configuration, when the port section is used to carry out the article, when the input of the carry-out completion signal indicating that the carry-out of the article placed on the support body of the port section in the first state is completed is accepted, the port control The section changes the state of the port section from the first state to the second state. As a result, the next article can be conveyed to the port section by the article conveying device. Then, with the article being conveyed to the port section by the article conveying apparatus, the port control section changes the state of the port section from the second state to the first state. Thereby, it becomes possible to easily carry out the article from the port section. In this way, the port portion automatically changes its state from the second state to the first state, so that the article can be smoothly carried out from the port portion.

Further, a sensor for detecting that an operator has entered the area in which the port section is installed is provided, and the port control section for controlling the port section is configured to detect the sensor while the supporting section is rotating by the rotating section. It is preferable to stop the turning of the support when the worker is detected by.

According to this configuration, when the worker enters the area where the port is installed while the support is turning, the sensor detects that and the port controller stops the turning support. It Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the worker comes into contact with the supporting body that is turning.

The technology according to the present disclosure can be used for an article transport facility including an article storage shelf, a port unit, and an article transport device.

1: Storage section 2: Article storage shelf 3: Port section 4: Article conveyance device 16: Conveyance support section 21: Support body 22: Revolving section 23: Elevating section 28: Sensor H1: Port control section H2: Carrying completion acceptance section H3 : Carrying out completion receiving section W: Article WG: Target article group X: Depth direction Y: Width direction Z: Vertical direction

Claims (6)

An article storage shelf provided with a plurality of storage sections for storing articles in a line in the vertical direction and the lateral width direction,
A port section for carrying out at least one of loading and unloading of articles;
An article transport apparatus comprising: an article transport device that transports an article from the port section to the storage section or transports an article from the storage section to the port section,
The depth direction is a direction orthogonal to the lateral width direction when viewed in the vertical direction along the vertical direction,
Each of the plurality of storage units is configured to be capable of storing N (N is an integer of 2 or more) articles in a state of being arranged in the depth direction,
The article transport apparatus includes a transport support unit configured to support the target article group in a state where the target article group, which is N articles to be transported, are arranged in the depth direction,
The port section includes a support body that supports the target article group in a state where the target article group is arranged in a line, and a swivel section that swivels the support body around an axis along the vertical direction.
The swivel unit supports the target article group supported by the support so as to change the state between a first state in which the target article group is aligned in the lateral width direction and a second state in which the target article group is aligned in the depth direction. An article transportation facility that turns the body. The article carrier according to claim 1, wherein the supporter supports the target article group in a state where N articles are arranged in a line at the same height. The article transport facility according to claim 1, wherein the port unit includes an elevating unit that moves the support body in the vertical direction. Further comprising a carry-in completion receiving unit that receives an input of a carry-in completion signal indicating that the carrying-in of the article to the port unit is completed,
When the port section is used for carrying in articles,
A port control unit that controls the port unit rotates the support so as to change the state from the first state to the second state in response to receiving the input of the carry-in completion signal, and the article transport apparatus. The article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support is turned so as to change the state from the second state to the first state when the article is conveyed from the port section by Transport equipment. Further comprising a carry-out completion receiving unit that receives an input of a carry-out completion signal indicating that the carry-out of the article from the port unit is completed,
When the port section is used for carrying out articles,
The port control unit that controls the port unit rotates the support so as to change the state from the first state to the second state in response to receiving the input of the carry-out completion signal, and the article transport apparatus. The article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the support is turned so as to change the state from the second state to the first state when the article is transported to the port section by Transport equipment. Further comprising a sensor for detecting that an operator has entered the area where the port section is installed,
The port control unit that controls the port unit stops the turning of the support when the operator detects the worker during the turning of the support by the turning unit. Item transportation equipment according to one item.

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