JP2023034718A - Storage shelf, pickup system, program and method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a storage shelf, a pickup system, a program and a method that can simplify a configuration of the pickup system.SOLUTION: A storage shelf according to the present disclosure is a storage shelf for storing articles to be picked up, and includes a shelf body, one or more trays for storing articles, a vertical moving mechanism for moving the trays vertically with respect to the shelf body, a tray moving mechanism for moving the trays in a pull-out direction intersecting the vertical direction with respect to the shelf body and an actuating mechanism which, in response to an operation input, operates at least one of the vertical moving mechanism and the tray moving mechanism based on the operation input.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to storage bins, pick-up systems, programs, and methods.

In recent years, in the field of domestic distribution, the amount of goods has been increasing due to the spread of electronic commerce. However, due to the progress of the declining birthrate and aging population, it is becoming difficult to secure workers at logistics sites. For this reason, each distribution company is actively working on automating distribution facilities, and the development of pick-up systems for performing picking work in distribution facilities is progressing.

Japanese Patent No. 6770128 Japanese Patent No. 6661181

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a storage shelf, a pickup system, a program, and a method that can simplify the configuration of the pickup system.

A storage shelf of an embodiment is a storage shelf for storing articles to be picked up, and has a shelf body, one or more trays, a vertical movement mechanism, a tray movement mechanism, and an operating mechanism. One or more trays store articles. The vertical movement mechanism moves the tray vertically with respect to the shelf body. The tray moving mechanism moves the tray with respect to the shelf body in a pull-out direction intersecting the vertical direction. The operating mechanism operates at least one of the vertical movement mechanism and the tray movement mechanism based on the operation input in response to the operation input.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a pickup system according to a first embodiment; FIG. The perspective view which shows the storage shelf which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 4A and 4B are perspective views showing an operation example of the storage shelf according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4A and 4B are perspective views showing an operation example of the storage shelf according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4A and 4B are perspective views showing an operation example of the storage shelf according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the storage shelf cut along line VI-VI in FIG. 2; 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams showing an example of operating principles of a first force transmission mechanism and a vertical movement mechanism according to the first embodiment; 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams showing an example of the principle of operation of the second force transmission mechanism according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the tray moving mechanism according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a side view showing the tray moving mechanism according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the tray moving mechanism cut along line XI-XI in FIG. 9; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a tray and a tray moving mechanism according to the first embodiment; 1 is a perspective view showing a storage shelf and a pick-up robot according to the first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of a pickup system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation flow of the pickup system according to the first embodiment; The perspective view which shows the storage shelf which concerns on the 1st modification of 1st Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the storage shelf which concerns on the 2nd modification of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the principle of operation of a vertical movement mechanism according to the second embodiment; The block diagram which shows the system configuration|structure of the pick-up system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation principle of a tray moving mechanism according to the third embodiment; The perspective view which shows the storage shelf which concerns on 5th Embodiment.

A storage shelf, a pickup system, a program, and a method according to embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Items with the same reference numerals indicate similar items. The drawings are schematic or conceptual, and the relationship between the thickness and width of each portion, the ratio coefficient of the size between portions, and the like are not necessarily the same as the actual ones. Moreover, even when the same part is shown, the dimensions and ratio coefficients may be shown differently depending on the drawing.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 15. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a pickup system 1 according to the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, an example will be described in which, in a warehouse in which a plurality of items G are stored, an item G corresponding to an order is taken out and sorted to the delivery destination of the item G. FIG. The application of the present embodiment is not limited to warehouses, but may be factories, backyards of restaurants, convenience stores, and the like. The article G is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a sandwich and its packaging film, small items, daily necessities, electronic equipment, light bulbs, parts and their storage boxes, and storage of toothpaste, facial soap, etc. It may be a tube, or it may be a rice ball and its storage film.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the pickup system 1 includes one or more storage racks 10 , one or more pickup robots 20 , a central control device 30 , a station terminal 40 and a WMS (Warehouse Management System) 50 . The storage shelf 10 is controlled by the control unit 114 as necessary and stores one or more articles G to be picked up. The pickup robot 20 is controlled by the robot control unit 250 as necessary, and picks up one or more articles G stored in the storage shelf 10 according to, for example, an order list. The integrated control device 30 recognizes the situation in the pickup system 1, and is connected to the control unit 114 and the robot control unit 250 to control the operations of the storage shelf 10 and the pickup robot 20, including pickup operations and movement operations. do. The station terminal 40, for example, displays an instruction for picking up the article G according to the order list to the worker. The WMS 50 manages data on articles G and data on work in warehouses and factories.

First, the storage shelf 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 12. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the storage shelf 10. FIG. 3 to 5 are perspective views showing operation examples of the storage shelf 10. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of storage shelf 10 taken along line VI--VI of FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the principle of operation of the first force transmission mechanism 108A and the vertical movement mechanism 110. As shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the principle of operation of the second force transmission mechanism 108B and the tray moving mechanism 112. As shown in FIG. 9 is a side view showing the tray moving mechanism 112. FIG. 10 is a side view showing the tray moving mechanism 112. FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing tray moving mechanism 112 taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the tray 104 and the tray moving mechanism 112. FIG.

Here, for convenience of explanation, +X direction, -X direction, +Y direction, -Y direction, +Z direction, and -Z direction are defined as the coordinate system of the storage shelf. The +X direction, −X direction, +Y direction, and −Y direction are, for example, directions along a substantially horizontal plane. The -X direction is the opposite direction to the +X direction. The +Y direction is a direction that intersects (for example, a substantially orthogonal direction) with the +X direction. The -Y direction is the opposite direction to the +Y direction. The +Z direction is a direction that intersects (for example, a substantially orthogonal direction) the +X direction and the +Y direction, and is, for example, a substantially vertically upward direction. The -Z direction is the opposite direction to the +Z direction, eg, a substantially vertically downward direction.

For convenience of explanation, terms such as "forward", "backward", "upward", and "downward" used in this specification refer to one direction of operation in the storage shelf 10 (that is, the direction of the operation of pulling out the tray). It is expressed from a standard viewpoint. However, the movement direction of the storage shelf is not limited to the +X direction. The storage shelf may be movable in the -X direction, +Y direction, -Y direction, +Z direction and -Z direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, the storage shelf 10 includes a shelf body 100, a support portion 102 provided to be vertically movable with respect to the shelf body 100, one or more trays 104 supported by the support portion 102, and a support A force input portion 106 for applying force for moving the portion 102 and the tray 104, and a force transmission mechanism 108 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) for transmitting the force applied to the force input portion 106 to other components. and a vertical movement mechanism 110 (described later with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7) that moves the support portion 102 in the vertical direction (eg, +Z direction and −Z direction) by the force received from the force transmission mechanism 108. , one or more tray moving mechanisms 112 (described later with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12) that move the tray 104 in the pull-out direction (eg, +X direction and −X direction) by the force received from the force transmission mechanism 108; and a control unit 114 (see FIG. 1) that controls each component of the shelf 10 . In the following description, it is assumed that the moving direction of the support section 102 by the vertical moving mechanism 110 is the Z direction, and the moving direction (pull-out direction) of the tray 104 by the tray moving mechanism 112 is the X direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the drawer direction of the tray 104 may be an oblique direction with respect to the horizontal direction.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the vertical movement mechanism 110 vertically moves the support portion 102 and the tray 104 with respect to the shelf body 100 . As shown in FIG. 4, the tray moving mechanism 112 is provided corresponding to each of the trays 104 movable in the pull-out direction, and moves the corresponding tray 104 in the pull-out direction with respect to the support section 102 . As shown in FIG. 5, the vertical movement mechanism 110 and the tray movement mechanism 112 cooperate to move the support section 102 and the tray 104 in the vertical direction, and move the tray 104 corresponding to the tray movement mechanism 112 in the pull-out direction. You can move it to

As shown in FIG. 2, the shelf main body 100 is the main body of the storage shelf 10, and can be fixed to, for example, a floor surface or the ground (hereinafter collectively referred to as "floor surface") (not shown). The shelf main body 100 is provided with a linear guide 120 that guides the vertical movement of the support section 102 and a self-weight compensation mechanism 122 that supports the self-weight of the support section 102 . The linear guide 120 is a rail-shaped member that extends vertically on the front surface of the shelf body 100 . The self-weight compensation mechanism 122 is provided on the top of the shelf body 100, and can use, for example, a spring or a weight.

The support part 102 is attached to the front surface of the shelf body 100 so as to be movable in the Z direction. The support portion 102 includes a support plate 124 arranged substantially parallel to the front surface of the shelf body 100, one or more shelf plates 126 extending from the front surface of the support plate 124 in the direction in which the tray 104 is pulled out (for example, the +X direction), Prepare. The support plate 124 slides vertically along the linear guide 120 on the front surface of the shelf body 100 by the operation of the vertical movement mechanism 110 . In the illustrated example, three shelf boards 126 are provided, and each shelf board 126 is provided with the tray moving mechanism 112 .

The tray 104 is supported by the support section 102 with the articles G to be picked up placed thereon. Each tray 104 has a placement portion 128 on which the article G is placed. Preferably, the mounting portion 128 is made of a transparent plate such as a glass plate. In this embodiment, five trays 104 are provided: first tray 104A, second tray 104B, third tray 104C, fourth tray 104D, and fifth tray 104E. It can be any number. In this embodiment, each of the first tray 104A, the third tray 104C, and the fifth tray 104E is configured to move in the pull-out direction with respect to the support section 102 with a tray moving mechanism 112 (hereinafter referred to as the first tray). It is connected to the shelf plate 126 via a moving mechanism 112A, a second tray moving mechanism 112B, and a third tray moving mechanism 112C. The trays 104A, 104C, 104E can move independently of each other in the pull-out direction. Each of the trays 104A, 104C, and 104E is movable between a stored position vertically overlapping another tray 104 and a drawn position displaced forward in the drawing direction with respect to the other tray 104 . On the other hand, the second tray 104B and the fourth tray 104D are directly fixed to the support plate 124 without the corresponding shelf plate 126 provided. However, the number of movable trays 104 is not limited to this, and any number of trays 104 may be provided with the tray moving mechanism 112 , or all the trays 104 may be provided with the tray moving mechanism 112 .

The force input portion 106 is an L-shaped member connected to the side portion of the shelf body 100 . The force input unit 106 includes, for example, four handles for receiving rotation operations as a first force input unit 106A, a second force input unit 106B, a third force input unit 106C, and a fourth force input unit 106D. Four force input sections 106A to 106D are provided in the operation section at the upper end of the force input section 106. As shown in FIG. The first force input section 106A is connected to the vertical movement mechanism 110 via the force transmission mechanism 108, and the second force input section 106B to the fourth force input section 106D are connected to each tray via the force transmission mechanism 108. 104 are connected to tray moving mechanisms 112A to 112C, respectively. Force input units 106A-106D can receive forces from, for example, human power or working machines. The working machine is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a horizontal multi-joint robot (SCARA robot) whose tip end rotates infinitely. Preferably. Preferably, the operation section provided with the force input sections 106A to 106D is arranged at a position that is easily accessible by the user or the robot. Note that the form of the force input portion 106 is not limited to a handle, and may be any structure that receives an external force.

The force transmission mechanism 108 is an example of an "actuating mechanism." As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the force transmission mechanism 108 transmits the external force to the vertical movement mechanism 110 and/or the tray movement mechanism 112 in response to external force being applied to the force input unit 106 as an operation input. By doing so, the vertical movement mechanism 110 and/or the tray movement mechanism 112 are operated. The force transmission mechanism 108 consists of a first force transmission mechanism 108A connected to a vertical movement mechanism 110, and three tray movement mechanisms 112A, 112B and 112C corresponding to the three movably provided trays 104A, 104C and 104E. and three second force transmission mechanisms 108B connected to each other. The force transmission mechanism 108 can, for example, convert an external force into another force in the process of transmitting the external force. Preferably, force transmission mechanism 108 is capable of converting rotational forces applied to force input portions 106A-106D in the form of handles into linear forces that translate support portion 102 and tray 104. FIG. In other words, force transmission mechanism 108 can convert rotational motion of force input portions 106A-106D into translational motion of support portion 102 and/or tray 104. FIG.

The vertical movement mechanism 110 receives the external force applied to the first force input portion 106A via the first force transmission mechanism 108A, and moves the support portion 102 vertically with respect to the shelf body 100. As shown in FIG. The tray moving mechanism 112 includes a first tray moving mechanism 112A, a second tray moving mechanism 112B, and a third tray moving mechanism 112C corresponding to the three trays 104A, 104C, and 104E movable in the pull-out direction. The first tray moving mechanism 112A receives the external force applied to the second force input portion 106B via the second force transmission mechanism 108B, and moves the first tray 104A with respect to the support portion 102 in the pull-out direction. Similarly, the second tray moving mechanism 112B uses the external force applied to the third force input section 106C as a driving force to move the third tray 104C in the pull-out direction. The fifth tray 104E is moved in the pull-out direction by using the external force applied to as a driving force.

The control unit 114 controls each component of the storage shelf 10 . In addition, the control unit 114 detects a failure or abnormality in the storage rack 10 by an arbitrary sensor (not shown), and notifies the operator or the like of the failure state of the storage rack 10 . Data regarding fault conditions can be accumulated. Note that the control unit 114 may be omitted when there is no need to control the constituent elements of the storage shelf 10 . In particular, in the first embodiment, the vertical movement of the support section 102 and the pull-out direction movement of the tray 104 can be realized by manual operation without using an actuator such as a motor, so a configuration in which control processing is not performed may be employed. .

Here, an example of the principle of operation of the first force transmission mechanism 108A and the vertical movement mechanism 110 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the first force transmission mechanism 108A includes a first input pulley 130, a first force transmission belt 131, and a first output pulley 132. As shown in FIG.

The first input pulley 130 is coupled to the first force input section 106A so as to rotate about the Z-axis in conjunction with the rotation of the first force input section 106A. The first output pulley 132 is connected to the first input pulley 130 by a first force transmission belt 131 so as to rotate about the Z-axis in conjunction with the rotation of the first input pulley 130 . An upper portion of the first output pulley 132 is connected to the vertical movement mechanism 110 , and the first output pulley 132 functions as a force input portion of the vertical movement mechanism 110 .

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the vertical movement mechanism 110 includes an electromagnetic brake 133 , a coupling 134 , a vertical movement feed screw 135 (an example of a “first converter”), and a vertical movable section 136 .
An electromagnetic brake 133 is provided above the first output pulley 132 , and the electromagnetic brake 133 is connected to a vertically moving feed screw 135 via a coupling 134 . The vertical movable portion 136 has an insertion hole through which the vertical movement feed screw 135 passes, and a female thread that meshes with the vertical movement feed screw 135 is formed on the inner wall of the insertion hole. Therefore, the vertically movable portion 136 moves along the axis of the vertically moving feed screw 135 and comes into contact with the upper end or the lower end of the vertically moving feed screw 135 and stops. Note that the vertically movable portion 136 may detect the position and amount of movement by a sensor (not shown) and stop before coming into contact with the upper end or the lower end of the vertically moving feed screw 135 . One end of the vertically movable portion 136 is fixed to the support plate 124 of the support portion 102 .

The vertical movement feed screw 135 rotates around the Z axis in conjunction with the rotation of the first output pulley 132, and along with this rotation, the vertical movable part 136 attached to the vertical movement feed screw 135 moves in the vertical direction. do. As a result, the support plate 124 also moves vertically together with the vertically movable portion 136 . In this manner, the rotational motion of the first force input portion 106A is converted into vertical translational motion of the support portion 102 via the first force transmission mechanism 108A. The electromagnetic brake 133 suppresses the rotation of the vertically moving feed screw 135 as necessary, and prevents the vertically movable portion 136 from moving downward due to its own weight. The driving and stopping of the electromagnetic brake 133 may be detected and controlled by a sensor, or may be operated by an operator.

Next, an example of operating principles of the second force transmission mechanism 108B and the tray moving mechanism 112 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 12. FIG. In the following, the first tray moving mechanism 112A connected to the second force input portion 106B via the second force transmission mechanism 108B will be described, and the second tray moving mechanism 112B and the third tray moving mechanism 112C will be described. is not repeated.

As shown in FIG. 8, the second force transmission mechanism 108B includes a second input pulley 140, a second force transmission belt 141, a second output pulley 142, a spline rod 143, a first bevel gear 144, and a second bevel gear 145. Prepare. The second input pulley 140 is coupled to the second force input portion 106B so as to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the second force input portion 106B. The second output pulley 142 is connected to the second input pulley 140 by a second force transmission belt 141 so as to rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the second input pulley 140 . A spline rod 143 having one or more longitudinal grooves formed by spline processing is provided on the upper portion of the second output pulley 142 so as to extend in the vertical direction. The spline rod 143 rotates around the Z-axis in conjunction with the rotation of the second output pulley 142 . The first bevel gear 144 has an insertion hole through which the spline rod 143 passes, and one or more ridges corresponding to the longitudinal grooves of the spline rod 143 are formed on the inner wall of the insertion hole. Due to the meshing of the longitudinal grooves and the ridges, the first bevel gear 144 rotates around the Z-axis in conjunction with the spline rod 143 and can transmit the rotational driving force of the second output pulley 142 . The first bevel gear 144 is vertically slidable on the axis of the spline rod 143 . The second bevel gear 145 is connected to the first tray moving mechanism 112A and arranged rotatably around the X axis. The second bevel gear 145 is arranged to mesh with the first bevel gear 144 and can convert rotational motion of the first bevel gear 144 about the Z-axis into rotational motion about the X-axis. In this way, the second force transmission mechanism 108B converts the rotational motion of the second force input portion 106B into the rotational motion of the second bevel gear 145 around the X axis via the second force transmission mechanism 108B, It is output to the first tray moving mechanism 112A.

As shown in FIG. 12, the tray moving mechanism 112 (here, the first tray moving mechanism 112A) is arranged on one side edge of the shelf plate 126 of the support section 102, and the tray 104 (here, the first tray) 104A) on one side. The edge on the other side of the first tray 104A is supported by a rail 127 provided on the edge on the other side of the shelf board 126 . The rail 127 translates the first tray 104A in the +X direction or the -X direction by the operation of the first tray moving mechanism 112A.

As shown in FIG. 9, the tray movement input unit 146 is a rotor rotatable around the X axis, and one end thereof is connected to the second bevel gear 145 (see FIG. 8) so as to rotate in conjunction with the second bevel gear 145. ). At the other end of the tray movement input section 146 , a tray movement feed screw 147 (an example of a “second conversion section”) is provided which is rotatable around the X-axis in conjunction with the tray movement input section 146 . A first pull-out direction movable portion 148 is arranged on the tray moving feed screw 147 so as to be slidable on the shaft. When the second bevel gear 145 rotates about the X-axis, the first pull-out direction movable part 148 interlocks with the rotation of the tray-moving feed screw 147, and moves along the axis of the tray-moving feed screw 147 in the +X direction or -. It translates in the X direction. An intermediate plate 149 is connected to the first pull-out direction movable portion 148, and the intermediate plate 149 translates together with the first pull-out direction movable portion 148 in the +X direction or the −X direction. On one side of the intermediate plate 149 (the outside of the tray; the side shown in FIG. 9), there are a first tray moving pulley 150 rotatable around the Y axis and two idlers 151 sandwiching the first tray moving pulley 150 . A one-tray moving belt 152 is provided. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, on the other side of the intermediate plate 149 (the inner side of the tray; the side shown in FIG. 10), there are a second tray moving pulley 154 and a third tray moving pulley 155 rotatable around the Y axis. and a second tray moving belt 156 are provided. The first tray moving belt 152 is an open end belt having both ends fixed to the shelf plate 126 of the support portion 102 . The toothed portion of the first tray moving belt 152 meshes with the first tray moving pulley 150 and two idlers 151, and rotates the first tray moving pulley 150 in conjunction with the translational motion of the intermediate plate 149, thereby generating driving force. It is transmitted to the first tray moving pulley 150 . The first tray moving pulley 150 is coaxially connected to the second tray moving pulley 154 via a shaft member 153 (see FIG. 11). As a result, the second tray moving pulley 154 rotates around the Y axis in conjunction with the first tray moving pulley 150 . The teeth of the second tray moving belt 156 mesh with the teeth of the second tray moving pulley 154 and the third tray moving pulley 155 , and the third tray moving pulley 155 interlocks with the second tray moving pulley 154 . Rotate around the Y axis. A second pull-out direction movable portion 157 is fixed to the second tray moving belt 156, and the second pull-out direction movable portion 157 rotates the second tray moving belt 156 (that is, rotates the second tray moving pulley 154 and the second tray moving pulley 154). 3 (rotation of tray moving pulley 155)). The second pull-out direction movable portion 157 is connected to the placement portion 128 of the first tray 104A, and the first tray 104A translates together with the second pull-out direction movable portion 157 in the +X direction or the −X direction. In this way, the rotational motion around the X axis output from the second bevel gear 145 of the second force transmission mechanism 108B is transferred to the +X direction or -X direction of the first tray 104A via the first tray moving mechanism 112A. is converted to translational motion of Seen as a whole, the rotational motion of the second force input section 106B is converted into +X direction or −X direction translational motion of the first tray 104A via the second force transmission mechanism 108B and the first tray moving mechanism 112A. be.

By realizing the movement of the first tray 104A with a combination of the three units of the shelf plate 126, the intermediate plate 149, and the placing portion 128, the placing portion 128 can move the tray moving feed screw 147 on the shelf plate 126. It is possible to obtain an amount of movement that is about twice the amount of movement of the one-pull-out direction movable portion 148 . In this manner, the tray moving mechanism 112 has an intermediate member that moves the tray 104 in the pull-out direction by translational movement in a plurality of stages, so that the displacement of the first stage caused by the driving force input to the tray moving mechanism 112 is reduced. Since the displacement magnifying mechanism that magnifies in the second stage is realized, the mechanism of each stage in the tray moving mechanism 112 can be designed compactly. This makes it possible to provide the storage shelf 10 with a compact design. Note that the amount of movement of the mounting portion 128 may be detected by a distance sensor, a displacement sensor, or the like, and adjusted as appropriate.

Note that the operating principles of the first force transmission mechanism 108A, the second force transmission mechanism 108B, the vertical movement mechanism 110, and the tray movement mechanism 112 are not limited to the above examples, and any known configuration including the configuration of the force input unit 106 can be used. A mechanism is available. For example, the force transmission mechanism 108 may consist of gears rather than belts and pulleys. When the force transmission mechanism 108 is composed of a belt and pulleys, there is an advantage that the arrangement of the mechanism structure can be easily adjusted by adjusting the length of the belt. On the other hand, when the force transmission mechanism 108 is composed of gears, there is an advantage that acceleration or deceleration can be easily achieved.

The storage shelf 10 according to the present embodiment has been described on the assumption that the handle of the force input unit 106 is operated by a human operator or a working machine (for example, the pickup robot 20 or other articulated robots). The movement direction of the vertical movement mechanism 110 and the movement direction of the tray movement mechanism 112 are operated by the handle of the force input unit 106 , and the movement of the vertical movement mechanism 110 is restricted by the electromagnetic brake 133 . Although the electromagnetic brake 133 has been described as an electric brake, it may be, for example, a type of brake that is stepped on by the operator's foot, and is not particularly limited as long as it can regulate the vertical movement of the support portion 102 .

Next, a pickup robot 20 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 13. FIG.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the storage shelf 10 and the pick-up robot 20. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 13, the pickup robot 20 includes a manipulator 200, a base 202 for fixing the manipulator 200, a holding mechanism 204 arranged at the tip of the manipulator 200 for holding an article G, and an article picked up by the holding mechanism 204. A pick-up tray 206 that accommodates G and a robot controller 250 that controls each component of the pick-up robot 20 are provided.

The manipulator 200 includes at least two links and a plurality of joints connecting ends of the links. The joint section is composed of, for example, a motor, an encoder, a speed reducer, and the like. The manipulator 200 can rotate or linearly move each link by driving a motor. Thereby, the manipulator 200 moves the holding mechanism 204 provided at the tip. The articulation is not limited to uniaxial rotation, but includes multiaxial rotation. The manipulator 200 is, for example, a so-called vertically articulated robot. The manipulator 200 may have a configuration in which a linear motion mechanism in three-axis (XYZ-axis) directions, a rotation shaft for rotating a link, and a joint portion are combined.

A base 202 secures the end of the manipulator 200 . The base 202 is installed, for example, on the floor. The base 202 is, for example, a movable trolley, and the pick-up robot 20 may be movable on the floor surface.

The holding mechanism 204 has a holding portion 208 capable of holding an article G and a support mechanism that supports the holding portion 208 . Articles G are placed on the tray 104 of the storage shelf 10 . Storage shelf 10 is controlled by control unit 114 of storage shelf 10 so as to move tray 104 of storage shelf 10 to an optimum position in consideration of the movable range of manipulator 200 . For example, the vertical movement mechanism 110 and/or the tray movement mechanism 112 move the tray 104 with respect to the shelf body 100, thereby moving the tray 104 from a position outside the movable range of the holding section 208 to a position within the movable range. . The holding mechanism 204 picks up the article G from the tray 104 of the storage shelf 10 and moves the article G to the pickup tray 206 . The holding mechanism 204 may be attached to a manipulator or the like, and may have a configuration in which it is attached to the upper surface of the article G so as to be suspended and supported, or may have a configuration in which the article G is sandwiched. The article G may be, for example, a flexible amorphous article such as paper sheets. In addition, the holding unit 208 may be a horizontal multi-joint (SCARA type) robot arm, or a horizontal multi-joint (SCARA type) robot arm with an advancing/retreating mechanism capable of advancing/retreating in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). .

In addition to the above, the pickup robot 20 includes a recognition unit for recognizing the position/orientation of the article G and the distance from the object, and an arm section for changing the orientation of the article G on the placement section 128 so that it is easy to grip. etc. may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 13, when picking up an article G, the pick-up robot 20 first moves to the vicinity of the storage shelf 10 . The pickup position where the pickup robot 20 picks up is determined according to the size and posture of the pickup robot 20, the movement performance of the manipulator 200, and the like. Based on this pickup position, the vertical movement mechanism 110 and the tray movement mechanism 112 of the storage shelf 10 move the article G to be picked up placed on the tray 104 to the pickup position. Here, the pickup robot 20 may move the article G to the pickup position by operating the force input unit 106 (for example, applying an external force) as necessary. The pickup robot 20 picks up the article G from the tray 104 and moves it to the pickup tray 206 . By repeating this operation according to the order list, the pickup robot 20 can transfer the desired article G from the storage shelf 10 to the pickup tray 206 .

In the pickup operation of the pickup robot 20 , the storage rack 10 moves the placement section 128 on which the article G to be picked up is placed out of the movable range of the holding section 208 of the pickup robot 20 by the vertical movement mechanism 110 and the tray movement mechanism 112 . can be moved within the movable range from For example, the placement section 128 is arranged at a position suitable for the pick-up operation by the holding section 208 in consideration of the movable range of the holding section 208 of the pickup robot 20 . This eliminates the need for the pickup robot 20 itself to move vertically. Therefore, the pickup robot 20 does not need to perform complicated operations such as controlling the vertical movement of the holding section 208 while detecting the height of the placing section 128 . This eliminates the need for a complicated motion planning program, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the pickup robot 20 and allowing the work to be performed simply and in a short time.

Preferably, the manipulator 200 has four degrees of freedom or less. The vertical movement mechanism 110 and the tray movement mechanism 112 move the article G stored in the storage shelf 10 to a desired pickup position, so that the pickup operation can be performed even when the degree of freedom of the pickup operation of the manipulator 200 is small. It is possible. This simplifies the pickup operation and simplifies the system configuration. For example, the pick-up robot 20 includes a main body portion whose movement in the vertical direction is restricted and a holding portion connected to the main body portion for picking up the article G. As shown in FIG.

Note that the holding unit 208 may change the posture of the article G before holding the article G so that the article G can be easily held. For example, the holding section 208 may move the article G by pressing the holding section 208 to change the posture of the article G. FIG. Alternatively, the tray moving mechanism 112 of the storage shelf 10 may vibrate the article G by moving the tray 104 back and forth in the pull-out direction, thereby changing the posture of the article G. FIG. The tray moving mechanism 112 may move the article G to a position that is easy to handle on the holding section 208 by moving the tray 104 so as to appropriately adjust the position of the article G on the placing section 128 . Further, for example, when the holding portion 208 is a gripping portion that can be opened and closed, the storage shelf 10 and the pickup robot 20 interlock the opening/closing operation of the holding portion 208 with the forward/backward movement of the placing portion 128, thereby moving the article G. You can change the position and posture. The robot control unit 250 determines whether the position and orientation of the article G are suitable for holding by the holding unit 208, based on, for example, the placement state of the article G and the result of recognizing a sign or tag attached to the article G in advance. It is possible to determine whether or not

Next, the robot control section 250 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the pickup system 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 14, the robot control unit 250 includes an input/output unit 252, a communication unit 254, a storage unit 256, and a processing unit 258. These are functional units realized by cooperation of hardware configurations including a processor, a memory, a storage, an input/output interface, a communication interface, and a bus interconnecting these, which the robot control unit 250 has.

The input/output unit 252 includes an input/output interface, receives input to the robot control unit 250 , and outputs the result of arithmetic processing in the processing unit 258 . In this specification, the term “input/output unit” is not limited to the configuration in which the input unit and the output unit are integrated, and the input unit and the output unit may be provided separately. The communication unit 254 includes a communication interface and performs communication between the robot control unit 250 and other devices.

The storage unit 256 stores a program 260 executed by the processor of the robot control unit 250, route data 262 including route information to a predetermined position, map data 264 including information such as a map of the warehouse, and the like. The route data 262 and the map data 264 may be created in advance and stored in the storage unit 256, may be generated by the processing unit 258, or may be externally received by the input/output unit 252. good.

The processing section 258 includes an operation control section 266 and a completion notification section 268 . The motion control section 266 controls the motion of the pickup robot 20 . For example, based on the route data 262 and the map data 264 received by the input/output unit 252, the operation control unit 266 controls the base unit 202 to move to the position of the storage rack 10 that stores the article G to be picked up. . The completion notification unit 268 notifies completion of the movement operation when it is determined that the pickup robot 20 has reached the target storage rack 10 position. This completion notification is transmitted to the overall control device 30 via the communication unit 254, for example. After the movement operation is completed, the operation control unit 266 acquires the pickup position for picking up the article G from the recognition result of the article G received by the input/output unit 252, and controls the manipulator to grip the article G at the pickup position. 200 , retention mechanism 204 , and retention portion 208 . Note that the operation control unit 266 may control each component based on the pickup position information directly received by the input/output unit 252 . In response to the completion of the individual pick-up operation or the entire transfer operation, the completion notification unit 268 can similarly notify the completion of the operation or operation.

Next, the integrated control device 30, the station terminal 40, and the WMS 50 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 14. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the integrated control device 30 includes a recognition section 300 and an integrated control section 302 .

The recognition unit 300 recognizes one or more articles G placed on placement areas such as the storage shelf 10 , the pickup robot 20 , the tray 104 and the pickup tray 206 . The recognition unit 300 has a first image sensor 310 , a second image sensor 312 and a third image sensor 314 . The overall control unit 302 is connected to each image sensor 310-314.

The first image sensor 310, the second image sensor 312, and the third image sensor 314 are positioned, for example, obliquely in front of, above, and obliquely behind the placement area where the plurality of articles G are placed. Image sensors 310-314 may be movable. As the image sensors 310 to 314, for example, a distance image sensor or a camera capable of three-dimensional position measurement such as an infrared dot pattern projection camera can be used. The infrared dot pattern projection camera projects an infrared dot pattern onto the target article G, and captures an infrared image of the article G placed in the placement area in that state. Three-dimensional information of the article G can be obtained by analyzing the infrared image. An infrared dot pattern projection camera may be capable of taking color or monochrome images. Further, in addition to the infrared dot pattern projection type camera, an optical sensor such as a camera for acquiring a color image or a monochrome image may be included. The image may be, for example, commonly used image data such as jpg, gif, png, and bmp. Although an example in which three image sensors are provided has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of image sensors may be one or more, or may be four or more.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the integrated control section 302 includes an input/output section 320 , a communication section 322 , a processing section 326 and a storage section 324 . These are functional units realized by cooperation of hardware configurations including a processor, a memory, a storage, an input/output interface, a communication interface, a bus that interconnects these, and the like provided in the overall control unit 302 .

The input/output unit 320 includes an input/output interface, receives input to the overall control unit 302 , and outputs the result of arithmetic processing in the processing unit 326 . The communication unit 322 includes a communication interface and performs communication between the overall control unit 302 and other devices. For example, the communication unit 322 has an interface for communicating data with the communication unit 254 of the robot control unit 250, an interface for communicating data with the station terminal 40, an interface for communicating data with the WMS 50, and the like. have. The central control device 30, the station terminal 40, and the WMS 50 may be wired or wirelessly connected to each other. The pick-up robot 20 and the general control device 30 may be wired or wirelessly connected to each other, but are preferably wirelessly connected.

The storage unit 324 stores a program 330 executed by the processor of the integrated control unit 302, order data 332 including order information specifying a group of articles to be transferred, and storage rack data including information on each storage rack 10 in the warehouse. 334, placement section data 336 including information on the placement section 128 of the tray 104 of each storage shelf 10, article data 338 including information on the article G stored in each storage shelf 10, and information such as a map of the warehouse. It stores map data 340 and the like. Various data may be stored in the storage unit 324 in advance, may be generated by the processing unit 326, or may be received by the input/output unit 320 from the outside. For example, information on the articles G stored in each storage shelf 10 is periodically transmitted to the general control section 302, and the article data 338 of the storage section 324 is updated in response to this.

The processing unit 326 includes a recognition processing unit 342, a data reception processing unit 344, an order selection processing unit 346, a storage rack search unit 348, a robot selection unit 350, a route generation unit 352, a transmission processing unit 354, and an instruction processing unit 356. .

The recognition processing unit 342 derives the position and orientation information of the article G and the position and orientation information of the pick-up robot 20 based on the data output from the image sensors 310-314. The three-dimensional position information of the article G is output to the robot control section 250 . The robot control section 250 controls the pickup robot 20 based on the position information of the article G. FIG.

The data reception processing unit 344 performs data reception processing in the input/output unit 320 . The order selection processing unit 346 selects an order to be processed based on the order data 332, and specifies a target article G to be picked up next based on the order. Based on the storage shelf data 334, the placement unit data 336, and the article data 338, the storage shelf search unit 348 searches for the storage shelf 10 in which the target article G is stored among the storage shelves 10 in the warehouse. The placement section 128 on which the article G is placed is specified. The robot selection unit 350 selects a pickup robot 20 that can easily reach the storage shelf 10 that stores the target article G from among the pickup robots 20 in the warehouse. The route generator 352 calculates the route from the selected pickup robot 20 to the specified storage shelf 10 based on the map data 340 and generates route data 262 . The transmission processing unit 354 performs processing for transmitting the generated route data 262 to the robot control unit 250 of the pickup robot 20 . The instruction processing unit 356 generates an instruction for the pickup operation by the pickup robot 20, transmits information including the instruction to the station terminal 40, and displays it to the operator. For example, the instruction processing unit 356 can pick up based on the order data 332, the placement unit data 336, the article data 338, information on the movable range of the holding unit 208 of the pickup robot 20, the current position and orientation of the pickup robot 20, and the like. It is possible to specify the storage position of the target article G to be picked up and the pickup position where the pickup robot 20 can perform the pickup operation, and generate information on the target article G to be picked up and information on the pickup position. The instruction processing unit 356 can generate a pick-up operation instruction based on this information. Note that the generated instruction may be transmitted to the robot control section 250 of the pickup robot 20 as an operation processing instruction.

The station terminal 40 displays an instruction for picking up the article G to the worker. The worker picks up the article G based on the work instructions displayed on the station terminal 40 . The station terminal 40 includes an input/output unit that receives input and outputs processing results, a communication unit that communicates with other devices, a storage unit that stores various data, a processing unit that performs arithmetic processing, and a worker It has a display section for displaying texts and images such as pick-up work instructions.

The WMS 50 manages data on articles G and data on work. Data related to the article G includes, for example, identification information of the article G, identification information of the storage shelf 10 storing the article G and the placement unit 128, and article storage data in which position information of the storage shelf 10 is registered. mentioned. Examples of the work-related data include an order in which the relationship between the delivery destination and the identification information of the article G to be delivered to the delivery destination is registered. The WMS 50 generates order data based on an order input via an input device (not shown), and transmits the order data to the general control section 302 of the general control device 30 . Also, it transmits article storage data to the integrated control unit 302 . The overall control unit 302 can generate storage shelf data 334, placement unit data 336, article data 338, etc. based on the article storage data. good.

The pick-up system 1 comprehensively manages the operation status, inventory status, and failure status of the storage shelves 10, the operation status and failure status of the pickup robot 20, etc. in the integrated control device 30 and the WMS 50, thereby improving the operation of the entire warehouse. It is possible to recognize a state, a safe state, and the like. As a result, the pick-up system 1 analyzes the recognition results of the physical state in the warehouse in cyberspace, and based on the analysis results, operates each device in the warehouse so as to achieve overall optimization, for example. can be controlled.

Next, referring to FIG. 15, the flow of pickup operation in pickup system 1 will be described.
FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing the operation flow of the pickup system.

First, at step 1501, the WMS 50 generates order data 332 based on the input order. At step 1502 , the order data 332 generated by the WMS 50 is transmitted to the integrated control section 302 , and the data reception processing section 344 receives the order data 332 . At step 1503 , the order selection processor 346 selects an order to be processed based on the order data 332 . At step 1504, the storage shelf searching unit 348 specifies the target article G to be picked up based on the selected order, and specifies the position of the storage shelf 10 in which the target article G is stored. At step 1505, the determination unit of the integrated control unit 302 determines whether or not the position of the storage shelf 10 has been specified. If it is determined that the position of the storage rack 10 has not been specified (1505: NO), step 1503 of selecting an order is executed again. If it is determined that the position of the storage shelf 10 has been specified (1505: YES), in step 1506, the robot selection unit 350 selects the pickup robot 20 that performs the pickup operation. At step 1507 , the route generation unit 352 generates route data 262 from the current position of the pickup robot 20 to the target storage shelf 10 . At step 1508 , the transmission processing unit 354 transmits the route data 262 and the control information for the movement operation according to the route data 262 to the pickup robot 20 . At step 1509 , the determination unit of the integrated control unit 302 determines whether the pickup robot 20 has reached the target storage shelf 10 . If it is determined that the pick-up robot 20 has not arrived at the storage rack 10 (1509: NO), step 1508 is executed again in which the transmission processing unit 354 transmits control information for the movement operation to the pick-up robot 20. FIG. Note that step 1507 in which the path generation unit 352 generates 262 may be redone. If it is determined that the pickup robot 20 has arrived at the storage rack 10 (1509: YES), the completion notification unit 268 notifies the completion of movement in step 1510. FIG. At step 1511, the instruction processing unit 356 generates an instruction for pick-up work. At step 1512 , the transmission processing unit 354 transmits a pickup operation instruction to the station terminal 40 . At step 1513 , the station terminal 40 displays to the operator the pickup operation instruction received from the transmission processing unit 354 . In step 1514, the vertical movement mechanism 110 vertically moves the support section 102 in order to move the target article G to the pickup position based on the pickup work instruction. At step 1515, the tray moving mechanism 112 moves the tray 104 on which the target article G is placed in the pull-out direction. As a result, the target article G moves to the pick-up position. At step 1516 , the pickup robot 20 picks up the target article G and transfers the article G to the pickup tray 206 . Note that the main body of the transfer work is not limited to the pick-up robot 20, and a human worker or any working machine may perform the pick-up work. At step 1517, the determination section of the integrated control section 302 determines whether or not all pickup operations in the selected storage shelf 10 have been completed. If it is determined that all pickup operations on the storage rack 10 have not been completed (1517: NO), the vertical movement mechanism 110 moves the support section 102 so as to move the next target article G to the pickup position. 1514 is re-executed. If it is determined that all the pick-up operations in the storage rack 10 have been completed (1517: YES), in step 1518, the determination section of the integrated control section 302 determines whether all the pick-up operations for the selected order have been completed. judge. If it is determined that all pick-up operations for the order have not been completed (1518: NO), step 1503 in which the order selection processing section 346 selects an order is re-executed. If it is determined that all pick-up operations for the order have been completed (1518: YES), then in step 1519 the completion notification unit 268 notifies the completion of the operations.

According to the embodiment as described above, the storage shelf 10 includes the vertical movement mechanism 110 for vertically moving the support portion 102, and the tray moving mechanism 112 for expanding and storing each tray 104 (moving back and forth in the pull-out direction). Since it is provided, the storage shelf 10 can adjust the position of the tray 104 .

On the other hand, conventionally, in the picking work of picking items from shelves in warehouses and factories according to orders, in order to improve the efficiency of the work of picking items from shelves where many items are stored, A method has been proposed in which stored shelves are mounted on a transport vehicle and the shelves are transported near the operator. However, in such prior art, the worker had to change his or her own posture to take out the article according to the height position of the shelf. A transfer system that replaces workers with manipulator robots has also been proposed for labor saving. I needed it. However, when an articulated manipulator robot is used to pick up an article from a fixed shelf, (1) a robot with a wide range of movement is required, (2) there is a risk of damage due to contact between the robot and the shelf, and (3) there is a risk of damage to the article. There was a problem that it was necessary to devise a way of arranging them.

Furthermore, when picking from a conventional fixed shelf, it was difficult to access the article from above the tray, so it was necessary to access the article from the side and grasp the side of the article. However, in this case, since the holding stability is low, there is a high risk that the article will fall. Also, when there is a tall article in front of the tray, it is difficult to pick up the article in the back.

On the other hand, according to the storage shelf 10 according to the present embodiment, by providing a vertical and forward movement mechanism in the shelf itself for storing the articles, it is possible to adjust the position of the articles so that the articles can be easily taken out. As a result, it is possible to provide a picking system capable of picking up a wide variety of articles even with an inexpensive manipulator with a low degree of freedom. Further, since the tray moving mechanism 112 can move the tray 104 forward, the end effector of the manipulator can approach the article from above and select the gripping position of the article from many candidates. Therefore, the article can be stably held, and the risk of the article dropping during transportation can be reduced. Furthermore, even if there is a tall article in front of the tray, the article in the back can be directly accessed and taken out from above the tray.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since it is not necessary to provide an actuator such as a motor in the storage shelf 10, it can be configured at a low cost and can be installed in a warehouse or the like without power supply equipment. Further, if the electromagnetic brake 133 of the vertical movement mechanism 110 is replaced by a manual brake, further cost reduction and improvement in installability and maintainability due to no need for a power source can be expected.

(First modification)
Next, a first modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below, and descriptions of common points with the first embodiment will not be repeated.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the storage shelf 10 according to the first modified example of the first embodiment.
In the first modification, the frame structure forming the shelf body 100 is changed, and the base portion of the shelf body 100 is not arranged in the space S located below the shelf board 126 of the support portion 102 . That is, the shelf body 100 is configured so that the support portion 102 can be lowered to the lowest position of the shelf body 100 (that is, to the installation surface of the shelf body 100). By descending until the lower surface of the shelf board 126 positioned at the bottom of the support part 102 touches the floor surface, access to the article G on the placing part 128 of the tray 104 positioned at the top of the support part 102 is facilitated. , making it easier for the worker to take out the article G. In addition, the vertical movement mechanism 110 raises the support section 102, so that the placing section 128 of the tray 104 positioned at the bottom of the support section 102 is raised to a position where the worker can easily take it out.

In the storage shelf 10 of the first modified example, the support part 102 can be lowered until the lowest stage of the support part 102 is in contact with the floor surface, and the support part 102 can be raised from that state. It has the advantage that the overall height of 10 can be reduced. This is useful in that, when the pickup robot 20 is used to pick up the article G, the risk of tipping over can be reduced by lowering the height of the pickup robot 20 . In addition, the storage shelf 10 of the first modified example can reduce the risk of overturning in that the lowest stage of the support portion 102 can be brought into contact with the floor surface.

(Second modification)
Next, with reference to FIG. 17, a second modification of the first embodiment will be described. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below, and descriptions of common points with the first embodiment will not be repeated.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a storage shelf 10 according to a second modified example of the first embodiment.
In the second modification, each tray 104 has a lid member 160 that covers the placement section 128 . The lid member 160 has an opening/closing mechanism 162 that switches between a closed state (FIG. 17 left) for closing the tray 104 and an open state (FIG. 17 right) for opening the tray 104 . Preferably, the opening/closing mechanism 162 operates in conjunction with forward and backward movement of the tray 104 in the pull-out direction. For example, when the tray moving mechanism 112 moves the tray 104 forward in the pull-out direction (for example, +X direction), the opening/closing mechanism 162 switches the tray 104 from the closed state to the open state, and the tray moving mechanism 112 pulls out the tray 104. It is configured to switch the tray 104 from the open state to the closed state when the tray 104 is moved rearward (for example, in the -X direction). As a structure of the tray moving mechanism 112, for example, when the tray 104 is positioned rearward in the pull-out direction, the cover member 160 is closed by biasing with a spring or the like. A structure in which the lid member 160 opens at . Although the rotating part is not particularly limited, a hinge with a spring can be used. As another structural example, a rack and pinion mechanism such as a gear may be used, and the lid member 160 may gradually open as the tray 104 moves forward. Alternatively, the lid member 160 may be opened manually by an operator.

Since the tray 104 has the lid member 160, it is possible to prevent the articles G from coming into contact with the surrounding environment when the tray 104 moves back and forth. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the article G falling over. This is particularly useful when a tall article G is placed on the placement section 128 . In addition, even when a flexible article G is placed on the placement section 128, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the flexible article G will come into contact with the surrounding environment and be damaged.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below, and descriptions of common points with the first embodiment will not be repeated.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the principle of operation of the vertical movement mechanism 110 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the pickup system 1 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 19, the configuration of the robot control unit 250 and the general control unit 302 are omitted because they are the same as in the first embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the driving force of the vertical moving mechanism 110 is applied by an actuator such as an electric motor, and the driving force of the tray moving mechanism 112 is applied via the force input unit 106 such as a handle as in the first embodiment. Given. As shown in FIG. 18 , the storage shelf 10 has a vertical movement drive section 164 as a drive source for the vertical movement mechanism 110 . In the second embodiment, the first force input section 106A in the first embodiment may be omitted. The vertical movement feed screw 135 of the vertical movement mechanism 110 functions as a first force transmission mechanism 108A that transmits the driving force of the vertical movement driving section 164 to the vertical movement mechanism 110 .

The vertical movement drive unit 164 is a drive source that generates driving force for the vertical movement mechanism 110 in response to an arbitrary operation input such as an electric signal or switch operation, and includes an actuator such as an electric motor. In this embodiment, the vertical movement driving section 164 rotates to generate a driving force in the rotational direction, and the tray movement feed screw 147 as the first force transmission mechanism 108A rotates the vertical movement driving section 164. The driving force is transmitted to the vertical movement mechanism 110 by converting it into a translational movement of the 1-pull-out direction movable portion 148 .

As shown in FIG. 19 , the control unit 114 of the storage shelf 10 includes an input/output unit 180 , a communication unit 182 , a storage unit 184 and a processing unit 186 . These are functional units realized by cooperation of hardware configurations including a processor, a memory, a storage, an input/output interface, a communication interface, and a bus that interconnects these, which are provided in the control unit 114 .

Accepting unit 180 includes an input/output interface, accepts input to control unit 114 , and outputs the result of arithmetic processing in processing unit 186 . The communication unit 182 includes a communication interface and performs communication between the control unit 114 and other devices. For example, the control unit 114 can communicate with the pick-up robot 20 and the general control device 30 via the communication unit 182 to coordinate operations.

The storage unit 184 stores a program 188 executed by the processor of the control unit 114, article data 190 including information on the articles G stored in each tray 104 of the storage shelf 10, and an order designating a group of articles to be transferred. It stores order data 192 containing information, pickup position data 194 containing information about the position where the pickup robot 20 picks up, and the like. Various data may be stored in advance in the storage unit 184, may be generated by the processing unit 186, or may be received by the input/output unit 180 from the outside.

For example, the item data 190 may be input to the input/output unit 180 by any method when storing the item G in the storage shelf 10 . The processing section 186 can recognize and identify the article G on the placement section 128 by an arbitrary sensor (not shown) or the like, and update the article data 190 of the storage section 184 . Also, the input/output unit 180 can receive the order data 332 generated by the WMS 50 from the WMS 50 , and the storage unit 184 can store the order data as the order data 192 . Alternatively, the input/output unit 180 may receive the order selected by the order selection processing unit 346 as the order data 192 . Further, the input/output unit 180 receives, as the pickup position data 194, information about the pickup positions where the pickup robot 20 can perform the pickup operation, generated by the instruction processing unit 356. FIG. In addition to the order data 192 or instead of the order data 192, the input/output unit 180 may receive information about the target article G to be picked up generated by the instruction processing unit 356. FIG.

The processing section 186 includes a calculation section 196 and a drive control section 198 . Based on the order data 192 and the pick-up position data 194, the calculation section 196 can determine the amount of movement of the support section 102 by the vertical movement mechanism 110. FIG. The drive control unit 198 controls the vertical movement driving unit 164 to generate driving force for the vertical movement mechanism 110 based on the amount of movement of the support unit 102 determined by the calculation unit 196 . The drive control unit 198 controls the vertical movement driving unit 164 via the vertical movement driving unit 164 based on the detection result of a sensor (not shown) that detects the driving amount of the vertical movement driving unit 164 and/or the movement amount of the vertical movement mechanism 110, for example. The operation of the vertical movement mechanism 110 can be controlled. For example, the drive control section 198 controls the vertical movement driving section 164 so that the vertical movement mechanism 110 moves the target article G to the same height as the pickup position.

In this embodiment, by using the vertical movement drive unit 164 as a drive source for the vertical movement mechanism 110, the operation of the vertical movement mechanism 110 can be automated, and labor saving, speeding up and efficiency improvement of the operation can be expected. .

(Third embodiment)
Next, with reference to FIG. 20, a third embodiment will be described. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below, and descriptions of common points with the first embodiment will not be repeated.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operating principle of the tray moving mechanism 112 according to the third embodiment.
In the third embodiment, the driving force of the tray moving mechanism 112 is applied by an actuator such as an electric motor, and the driving force of the vertical moving mechanism 110 is applied via the force input unit 106 such as a handle as in the first embodiment. Given. As shown in FIG. 20 , the storage shelf 10 has a tray movement drive section 166 as a drive source for the tray movement mechanism 112 . One tray movement driving section 166 may be provided for each tray movement mechanism 112 . In the third embodiment, the second force input section 106B to the fourth force input section 106D in the first embodiment may be omitted. The tray movement feed screw 147 of the tray movement mechanism 112 functions as a second force transmission mechanism 108B that transmits the driving force of the tray movement driving section 166 to the tray movement mechanism 112. FIG.

The tray movement driving unit 166 is a driving source that generates a driving force for the vertical movement mechanism 110 in response to an arbitrary operation input such as an electric signal or switch operation, and includes an actuator such as an electric motor. In this embodiment, the vertical movement driving section 164 rotates to generate a driving force in the rotational direction, and the tray movement feed screw 147 as the first force transmission mechanism 108A rotates the vertical movement driving section 164. The driving force is transmitted to the vertical movement mechanism 110 by converting it into a translational movement of the 1-pull-out direction movable portion 148 .

The calculation unit 196 of the control unit 114 selects the tray 104 to be moved by the tray moving mechanism 112 based on the order data 192 and the pickup position data 194, and determines the movement amount of the tray 104 by the tray moving mechanism 112. can be done. The drive control unit 198 controls the tray movement drive unit 166 so as to generate driving force for the tray movement mechanism 112 corresponding to the tray 104 based on the amount of movement of the tray 104 determined by the calculation unit 196 . . The drive control unit 198 controls the tray movement drive unit 166 via the tray movement drive unit 166 based on the detection result of a sensor (not shown) that detects the drive amount of the tray movement drive unit 166 and/or the movement amount of the tray movement mechanism 112, for example. The operation of the tray moving mechanism 112 can be controlled. For example, the drive control section 198 controls the tray movement drive section 166 so that the tray movement mechanism 112 moves the target article G to the same horizontal position as the pickup position.

In this embodiment, by using the tray movement drive unit 166 as a drive source for the tray movement mechanism 112, the operation of the tray movement mechanism 112 can be automated, and labor saving, speeding up and efficiency improvement of the operation can be expected. .

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below, and descriptions of common points with the first embodiment will not be repeated.

In the fourth embodiment, the driving force for the vertical movement mechanism 110 is provided by the vertical movement driving section 164 as in the second embodiment, and the driving force for the tray movement mechanism 112 is provided in the same manner as in the third embodiment. It is provided by the tray movement drive section 166 . The storage shelf 10 has a vertical movement drive section 164 as a drive source for the vertical movement mechanism 110 and a tray movement drive section 166 as a drive source for the tray movement mechanism 112 . In the fourth embodiment, the force input section 106 in the first embodiment may be omitted. The vertical movement feed screw 135 of the vertical movement mechanism 110 functions as the first force transmission mechanism 108A, and the tray movement feed screw 147 of the tray movement mechanism 112 functions as the second force transmission mechanism 108B.

The calculation unit 196 of the control unit 114 selects the tray 104 to be moved by the tray moving mechanism 112 based on the order data 192 and the pickup position data 194, and determines the amount of movement of the support unit 102 by the vertical movement mechanism 110 and the tray movement. The amount of movement of tray 104 by mechanism 112 can be determined. The drive control unit 198 controls the vertical movement driving unit 164 so as to generate a driving force for the vertical movement mechanism 110 based on the amount of movement of the support unit 102 and the tray 104 determined by the calculation unit 196, and The tray movement driving section 166 is controlled so as to generate a driving force for the tray movement mechanism 112 corresponding to the tray 104 in question. For example, the drive control section 198 controls the tray movement drive section 166 so that the vertical movement mechanism 110 and the tray movement mechanism 112 move the target article G to the pickup position. Also, the control unit 114 can control the vertical movement driving unit 164 and the tray movement driving unit 166 based on operation inputs such as electrical signals received from the pickup robot 20 via the communication unit 182 . For example, the control unit 114 and/or the robot control unit 250 move up and down by the drive control unit 198 based on the recognition result obtained by the sensor of the recognition unit 300 of the integrated control device 30, the storage shelf 10, or the pickup robot 20. It is possible to update the control details of the drive unit 164 and the tray movement drive unit 166 in real time, and update the control details of the pickup operation of the holding unit 208 by the operation control unit 266 in real time. In this manner, the drive control section 198 can control the vertical movement drive section 164 and the tray movement drive section 166 while cooperating with the robot control section 250 via the communication section 182 in real time.

In this embodiment, by providing drive sources 164 and 166 corresponding to the vertical movement mechanism 110 and the tray movement mechanism 112 respectively, the operations of all the movement mechanisms in the storage shelf 10 can be automated. As a result, labor saving and speeding up and efficiency of operation can be expected. In addition, the robot control unit 250 of the pickup robot 20 and the control unit 114 of the storage rack 10 communicate with each other to perform the pick-up operation in cooperation with each other. It is possible to improve the precision and efficiency of the pick-up operation.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, referring to FIG. 21, a fifth embodiment will be described. Differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below, and descriptions of common points with the first embodiment will not be repeated.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing the storage shelf 10 according to the fifth embodiment.
In the fifth embodiment, the storage shelf 10 is provided with a shelf transfer mechanism 168. As shown in FIG. The shelf transport mechanism 168 is, for example, a mobile robot on which the shelf body 100 is mounted. The entire storage shelf 10 can be moved by the shelf transfer mechanism 168 . The shelf transport mechanism 168 is, for example, an autonomous mobile cart that does not require operation by an operator, and is preferably a lineless type autonomous mobile cart that does not require lines drawn on the floor surface. The shelf transfer mechanism 168 is, for example, a low-floor AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle). The shelf transfer mechanism 168 may be provided integrally with the shelf body 100, or may be connected to the shelf body 100 in advance. 100 may be carried. However, the rack transport mechanism 168 is not limited to the above example, and may be another type of automated guided vehicle. For example, the shelf transport mechanism 168 may be steered by an operator. The storage shelf 10 may have a plurality of casters (wheels) provided at the bottom of the shelf body 100 . It should be noted that the object to be transported by the shelf transport mechanism 168 is not necessarily limited to the storage shelf 10 .

As shown in FIG. 21, the shelf transport mechanism 168 has, for example, a vehicle body 170, a coupling section (not shown), a range sensor (not shown), and a control section (not shown). The vehicle body 170 has a vehicle body case 172, a moving mechanism 174, and a moving mechanism driving section (not shown). The vehicle body case 172 forms an outer shell of the vehicle body 170 . The moving mechanism 174 is, for example, a traveling mechanism having a plurality of wheels, but may be another type of moving mechanism. The moving mechanism drive section is provided inside the vehicle body case and drives the moving mechanism 174 . For example, the movement mechanism drive has an axle motor that rotates the wheels. Further, the movement mechanism driving section includes a steering mechanism that changes the steering angle of the wheels. The movement mechanism driving section drives the movement mechanism 174 to move the vehicle body 170 to a desired position. The vehicle body 170 is formed to have a thickness that allows it to slip under the loading section of the objects to be conveyed. For example, the vehicle body 170 enters between two casters (swivel wheels) of the object to be conveyed. The range sensor is a sensor that acquires the state of the detection plate, and is a laser range finder (LRF) or the like that can irradiate a laser toward the object to be conveyed.

The connecting portion is provided on the vehicle body 170 and is detachably connected to the object to be conveyed. In this specification, the term "coupling" means a broad concept to the extent of "associating two objects", and includes engaging (e.g., hooking) an object to be conveyed and supporting (e.g., lowering) an object to be conveyed. lifting from the In this embodiment, the connecting portion has an engaging portion that lifts the object to be conveyed from below and engages the object to be conveyed. The shelf transport mechanism 168 can pull the object to be transported by engaging the engaging portion with the object to be transported. Note that the connecting portion is not limited to the lift mechanism that lifts the object to be conveyed from below, as in the above example, and may be another mechanism such as a form in which a pin protrudes. The range sensor is arranged at the end (+X direction side) of the vehicle body 170 . The range sensor has, for example, a range sensor support. The range sensor support connects the range sensor and the vehicle body 170 .

Other sensors may be used instead of range sensors. For example, an optical axis sensor such as a TOF sensor may be used. The optical axis sensor is an optical sensor that measures one axial direction in space. It evaluates and calculates the reflected light emitted along one axis, and converts it into the distance to the object that caused the reflection. Output. An optical axis sensor is an example of a "distance sensor." The light projected from the optical axis sensor may be visible light or light in the non-visible light range such as infrared rays. A plurality of optical axis sensors may be used. Alternatively, an ultrasonic sensor may be used.

The shelf transport mechanism 168 may have a function of detecting damage with various sensors and notifying an operator or the like when the storage shelf 10 or the pickup robot 20 is damaged.

The control unit of the shelf transport mechanism 168 communicates with the control unit 114 of the storage shelf 10, the robot control unit 250 of the pickup robot 20, the general control unit 302 of the general control device 30, etc., and responds to inputs from other devices. The operation of the shelf transport mechanism 168 can be controlled. The controller of the shelf transport mechanism 168 may be configured as part of the controller 114, for example.

In this embodiment, by configuring the storage shelf 10 to be movable, the degree of freedom in selecting the place where the pick-up operation is performed is improved. By controlling the shelf transport mechanism 168 in addition to the vertical movement mechanism 110 and the tray movement mechanism 112, it is possible to perform a flexible pickup operation according to the position/posture and movable range of the pickup robot 20, the placement position of the article G, and the like. Become.

According to at least one embodiment described above, the tray 104 is provided with the vertical movement mechanism 110 and the tray movement mechanism 112 for moving the tray 104 up and down, thereby facilitating the pick-up operation by a manipulator with a low degree of freedom. . This simplifies the configuration of the pickup system.

Some or all of the functions of the integrated control device 30 may be implemented by the control section 114 of the storage rack 10 and/or the robot control section 250 of the pickup robot 20 . One or more of the control unit 114, the robot control unit 250, the central control device 30, the station terminal 40, and the WMS 50 may be omitted, or two or more of these may be integrated as one component. For example, the WMS 50 may be incorporated into the central control device 30, or the station terminal 40 may serve as the central control device 30 and/or the WMS 50 as well. In addition, each process described in the above embodiment is not limited to the above example, and may be executed by the control unit of any device.

In each of the embodiments described above, an example in which a plurality of trays 104 are provided has been described, but the number of trays 104 is not particularly limited. When only one tray 104 is provided, the tray moving mechanism 112 may be omitted.

In each of the above embodiments, the integrated control device 30 has the image sensors 310 to 314, but instead of or in addition to this, the storage shelf 10 and/or the pickup robot 20 may be provided with recognition sensors. can be used.

In each of the above-described embodiments, each control unit such as the control unit 114, the robot control unit 250, and the general control unit 302 is a software function unit. It may be a hardware functional unit such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Pickup system 10... Storage shelf 100... Shelf main body 102... Support part 104... Tray 106... Force input part 108... Force transmission mechanism 108A... First force transmission mechanism 108B... Second force transmission Mechanism 110 Vertical movement mechanism 112 Tray movement mechanism 114 Control section 124 Support plate 128 Mounting section 135 Vertical movement feed screw (first converting section) 136 Vertical movable section 147 Tray movement feed screw (second converting section) 148 First drawing direction movable section 157 Second drawing direction movable section 160 Lid member 162 Opening/closing mechanism 164 Vertical movement driving section 166 Tray Movement drive section 168 Shelf transport mechanism 198 Drive control section 20 Pickup robot 208 Holding section 250 Robot control section 30 Integrated control device 300 Recognition section 302 Integrated control section 40 ... station terminal, 50 ... WMS.

Claims (19)

A storage shelf for storing articles to be picked up,
shelf body,
one or more trays for storing the articles;
a vertical movement mechanism for moving the tray vertically with respect to the shelf body;
a tray moving mechanism for moving the tray in a pull-out direction intersecting the vertical direction with respect to the shelf body;
an operating mechanism that operates at least one of the vertical movement mechanism and the tray movement mechanism based on the operation input in response to the operation input;
A storage shelf. a vertical movement drive unit that applies a driving force as the operation input to the operating mechanism so as to operate the vertical movement mechanism;
a control unit including a drive control unit that controls the vertical movement driving unit so that the vertical movement mechanism moves the target article to be picked up to the height of the pickup position where the pickup is performed;
further comprising
The storage shelf according to claim 1. a tray moving drive unit that applies a driving force as the operation input to the operating mechanism so as to operate the tray moving mechanism;
a control unit including a drive control unit that controls the tray movement drive unit so that the tray moving mechanism moves the target article to be picked up to a horizontal position of the pickup position where the pickup is performed;
further comprising
The storage shelf according to claim 1. a vertical movement drive unit that applies a driving force as the operation input to the operating mechanism so as to operate the vertical movement mechanism;
a tray moving drive unit that applies a driving force as the operation input to the operating mechanism so as to operate the tray moving mechanism;
A control unit comprising a drive control unit that controls the tray movement driving unit and the vertical movement driving unit so that the vertical movement mechanism and the tray movement mechanism move the target article to be picked up to a pickup position where the pickup is performed. and,
further comprising
The storage shelf according to claim 1. The control unit further comprises an input unit that receives first information about the target article to be picked up and second information about the pick-up position,
The drive control section controls the vertical movement drive section and the tray movement drive section based on the first information and the second information.
The storage shelf according to claim 4. The control unit further comprises a communication unit that communicates with a pickup robot that picks up the article,
The control unit controls the vertical movement driving unit and the tray movement driving unit based on the operation input received from the pickup robot via the communication unit.
The storage shelf according to claim 4 or 5. The actuating mechanism transmits the force to at least one of the vertical movement mechanism and the tray movement mechanism in response to being applied with force, thereby moving at least one of the vertical movement mechanism and the tray movement mechanism. is a force transmission mechanism that operates the
The storage shelf according to any one of claims 1-6. further comprising a support movably attached to the shelf body for supporting the one or more trays;
the vertical movement mechanism moves the tray vertically with respect to the shelf body by vertically moving the support portion with respect to the shelf body;
The tray moving mechanism moves the tray in the pull-out direction relative to the shelf body by moving the tray in the pull-out direction relative to the support section.
The storage shelf according to any one of claims 1-7. The support section supports a plurality of trays arranged in the vertical direction,
Each of the plurality of trays is independently moved between a stored position vertically overlapping another tray and a pulled-out position displaced in the pull-out direction with respect to the other tray by the tray moving mechanism. is movable in the pull-out direction;
The storage shelf according to claim 8. each of the plurality of trays has a lid member having an opening/closing mechanism for switching between an open state for opening the tray and a closed state for closing the tray;
The opening/closing mechanism closes the lid member when the tray is in the retracted position, and opens the lid member when the tray is in the pulled-out position.
The storage shelf according to claim 9. The vertical movement mechanism includes a first conversion section that converts the rotational force into a vertical force in response to application of a rotational force, and a vertical force received from the first conversion section to move the tray. A vertical movable part that moves vertically with
The storage shelf according to any one of claims 1-10. The tray moving mechanism includes: a second converting section that converts the rotational force into a pull-out direction force in response to application of a rotational force; a first pull-out direction movable part that moves in the pull-out direction together with
The storage shelf according to any one of claims 1-11. The tray moving mechanism includes a second pull-out direction movable part capable of moving in the pull-out direction together with the tray,
The second pull-out direction movable part is configured to move in the pull-out direction with respect to the first pull-out direction movable part in conjunction with the movement of the first pull-out direction movable part in the pull-out direction.
The storage shelf according to claim 12. further comprising a shelf transport mechanism for moving the shelf body,
The storage shelf according to any one of claims 1-13. A pick-up system for picking up an item, comprising:
a pickup robot that picks up an article;
a storage shelf that communicates with the pickup robot and stores articles to be picked up;
with
The storage shelf is
shelf body,
one or more trays for storing the articles;
a tray moving mechanism for moving the tray with respect to the shelf body;
an actuation mechanism that operates the tray moving mechanism based on the operation input in response to the operation input;
a tray moving drive unit that applies a driving force as the operation input to the operating mechanism so as to operate the tray moving mechanism;
a control unit including a drive control unit that controls the tray movement drive unit so that the tray movement mechanism moves the target article to be picked up to a pickup position where pickup is performed;
pickup system. The pickup robot includes a holding section for picking up an article,
The tray moving mechanism moves the tray from a height position outside the movable range of the holding section to a height position within the movable range by moving the tray at least in the vertical direction with respect to the shelf body. ,
16. Pick-up system according to claim 15. A program for controlling a storage shelf that stores an article to be picked up,
The storage shelf is
shelf body,
one or more trays for storing the articles;
a vertical movement mechanism for moving the tray vertically with respect to the shelf body;
a tray moving mechanism for moving the tray in a pull-out direction intersecting the vertical direction with respect to the shelf body;
an operating mechanism that operates at least one of the vertical movement mechanism and the tray movement mechanism based on the operation input in response to the operation input;
a vertical movement drive unit that applies a driving force as the operation input to the operating mechanism so as to operate the vertical movement mechanism;
a tray moving drive unit that applies a driving force as the operation input to the operating mechanism so as to operate the tray moving mechanism;
a control unit including a drive control unit that controls the tray movement driving unit and the vertical movement driving unit;
with
The processor of the control unit controls the vertical movement drive unit and the tray movement drive unit so that the vertical movement mechanism and the tray movement mechanism move the target article to be picked up to a pickup position where pickup is performed. A program that does something. A method for a pickup robot to pick up an article stored in a storage shelf comprising a shelf body and one or more trays,
The processor of the computer instructs the drive mechanism of the storage shelf to move the tray in which the article to be picked up is stored in the vertical direction and in the drawer direction crossing the vertical direction with respect to the shelf body, moving the target item to a pick-up position where pick-up takes place;
the pick-up robot picking up the target article moved to the pick-up position;
A method, including The method further includes a processor of a computer receiving first information regarding the item to be picked up and second information regarding the pickup location where the pickup is to occur;
instructions to the drive mechanism are determined based on the first information and the second information;
19. The method of claim 18.

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