JP2555709B2 - Conveyor line operation method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Overview] Concerning the operation method of a conveyor line used for supplying and unloading goods of various automation equipment, even when unattended operation of the line, the buffer for magazine pool transported to the shipping site For the purpose of providing a conveyor line operation method that can supply magazines to other normal equipment even if specific equipment goes down, it is possible to connect goods with multiple automated equipment for storing goods. In a conveyor line in which two upper and lower transport lines are provided for transporting the magazine, and a sorting unit for supplying the magazine to the automation equipment is arranged at a predetermined position of the transport line in the lower stage, A means for moving the magazine up and down arranged at both ends, a function for controlling the transfer line and the automation equipment, and an interlocking operation with the transfer line Functions to drive the serial elevator, and a part of the automation system is down and a controller having a function of passing the magazine by stopping the operation of the sorting unit,
When unattended, the control device causes the completed magazine to be returned to the supply buffer via the upper transport line from the lower transport line, and when some automated equipment goes down, the magazine is transferred to the automated equipment. The configuration is such that the sheet is not supplied but is returned to the supply buffer via the upper transfer line.

[Industrial applications]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an operation method of a conveyor line used for supplying and unloading articles of various automation equipment.

Recently, various automated facilities have been operated unattended at night and the facility capacity is being improved. However, when using a two-stage transport line for supplying and unloading goods to / from automated facilities for the purpose of reducing floor space, When unattended, the pool buffer of the magazine transported to the shipping site is required. Therefore, if the pool buffer is not needed, and if a specific facility goes down, supply the magazine to other normal facilities. There is a need for a new conveyor line operation system that can achieve this.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally widely used conveyor lines are, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of, for example, three automated facilities 1-1, 1-
2, 1 to 3 are connected to upper and lower two transfer lines, and the lower transfer line 2-1 stores a magazine 6 for storing a plurality of articles to be supplied to various facilities and flowing them to the transfer line. -1,3-2,3-3 select each automated equipment 1-1,1
−2,1-3 supply line, upper transfer line 2-
2 is an empty magazine 6 in which articles are taken out from the shipping place 5 is used as a return line to the supply buffer 4, and the control device 7 conveys the transfer lines 2-1, 2-2 and the automation equipment 1-1, 1-
It is configured to control 2,1-3.

In the operation of the system configured as described above, the magazine 6 mounted from the supply buffer 4 is transported by the lower transport line 2-1 and the identification number such as the barcode added to the magazine 6 is recognized. The sorting unit 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 is read to the destination previously input to the control device 7.
Specified automation equipment by allocating with 1-1, 1-2, 1-
3 is transported.

When the article stored by each of the automation equipment 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 is finished, the signal is transmitted to the control device 7 and the finished article is stored according to the instruction of the control device 7. The magazine 6 is also carried out to the shipping place 5 through the lower carrying line 2-1. Then, during the manned operation, the worker at the shipping site 5 takes out the worked article from the magazine 6 and sends the article to the next process, and the empty magazine 6 is placed on the upper transfer line 2-2 to supply buffer. It is operated to return to 4.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

The problem with the conventional operation method described above is that during manned operation, the worker at the shipping site picks out the worked item from the magazine and feeds it to the next process, and the empty magazine is placed on the upper transfer line and supplied. Can be transported to a buffer,
During unattended operation, there are no workers in the shipping area 5,
A buffer for pooling the carried-out completed magazines is required, and a large pool space is required depending on the shape of the magazine.

Also, if one of the automated equipments fails during unmanned operation and the equipment goes down, it will not be possible to supply the magazines to the equipment, and the magazines will be clogged in the middle of the transfer line, and other normal automation equipments will be replaced. There are problems that the magazine cannot be supplied, the operating rate of the automation equipment is reduced, and the floor space is increased.

In view of the above problems, the present invention does not require the pool buffer of the magazine transported to the shipping site even when the line is unattended, and even when a specific facility goes down, other normal operation is possible. The purpose is to provide a conveyor line operation system that can supply magazines to equipment.

[Means for solving problems]

According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, upper and lower two-stage transport lines 2-1 and 2-, in which sorting units 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 ... 2 and means for moving the article storage magazine 6 in the vertical direction by disposing it at both ends of the upper and lower two conveying lines 2-1 and 2-2, for example, an elevator 12
-1,12-2, and the conventional function of controlling the above-mentioned transfer lines 2-1 and 2-2 and the automation equipment 1-1,1-2,1-3 ... 1-n,
Elevator 12- linked with the transfer lines 2-1 and 2-2
It is composed of a controller 17 having a function of driving 1,12-2 and a function of stopping the operation of the sorting unit and passing the magazine 6 when a part of the automation equipment goes down.

[Work]

In the present invention, due to the function added to the control device 17 during unmanned operation, for example, the magazine 6 that has been worked in the automation equipment 1-2 is sent to the lower transfer line 2-1 via the sorting unit 3-2. , The next sorting unit 3-3, the elevator 12-1 moves to the upper transport line 2-2, and the elevator transports from the upper transport line 2-2.
It is returned to the supply buffer 4 via 12-2.

Further, if some of the automation equipments go down due to a failure, the sorting unit is deactivated, the supply of the magazine 6 from the supply buffer 4 to the down equipments is stopped, and the corresponding ones already in the lower transport line 2-1. The magazine 6 supplied to the down equipment is each sorting unit 3-1, 3-2, 3
-3, the lower transfer line 2-1
Is sent from the elevator 12-1 to the upper transfer line 2-2 and returned to the supply buffer 4 by the upper transfer line 2-2 and the elevator 12-2. By the operation as described above, the buffer space for pooling the worked magazines becomes unnecessary, and even when the specific equipment goes down, the magazines can be supplied to other normal equipment.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be described in detail below based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the operation method of the conveyor line according to the present embodiment. In the figure, the same members as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same symbols, but the other 12-1 and 12-2 are An elevator, 17 that connects the upper and lower stages of the transfer line to transfer the magazine, is a control device that controls the automation equipment, the two upper and lower transfer lines, and the elevator.

The elevators 12-1 and 12-2 have a size capable of mounting at least one magazine 6, and are constructed so as to move up and down between the lower transfer line 2-1 and the upper transfer line 2-2, and the control device The magazine 6 is raised or lowered according to a command from 17.

The control device 17 has a conventional function of controlling the transfer lines 2-1 and 2-2 and the automation equipment 1-1, 1-2 and 1-3, and has a magazine 6 in the lower transfer line 2-1 when unattended. When the magazine 6 is sent to the elevator 12-1, the magazine 6 is moved up and moved to the upper transport line 2-2, and when the magazine 6 arrives at the supply buffer 4 side of the upper transport line 2-2, the elevator 12-2 Was sent down to the supply buffer 4, and when some of the automated equipment went down due to an obstacle, the signal was received and the operation of the sorting unit was stopped, and it was supplied to the lower transport line 2-1. The magazine 6 has a function of passing the sorting units 3-1, 3-2, 3-3.

The conveyor line using the above-mentioned members is a lower transfer line 2-1 having sorting units 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 arranged at predetermined positions, and both ends of an upper transfer line 2-2 having the same length. Elevators 12-1 and 12-2 are installed in the upper and lower transfer lines 2-1 and 2-2, and the lower transfer line 2-1 includes, for example, three automated equipments 1-1 and 1-2. , 1-3 are connected, and the control device 17 controls each automation equipment 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, the transport lines 2-1, 2-1 and the elevators 12-1, 12-2. Is configured.

As for the operation operation of the above conveyor line, in the manned operation, as in the conventional case, the worker at the shipping site 5 takes out the worked article from the magazine 6 and sends it to the next process, and the empty magazine 6 is the upper transport line. It is placed on the sheet 2-2 and conveyed to the supply buffer 4.

However, in the unattended state, if the supply buffer 4 has a magazine 6 for supplying to the automation equipment 1-1, 1-2, 1-3,
Sorting units 3-1 and 3 via the lower transfer line 2-1
The magazine 6 is supplied to each automation equipment 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 by -2,3-3. Then, for example, the magazine 6 which has been worked in the automated equipment 1-2 is sent to the lower transfer line 2-1 via the sorting unit 3-2, and the magazine 6 passes through the sorting unit 3-3 and the elevator 12 -1 to the upper transfer line 2-2, and returns from the upper transfer line 2-2 to the supply buffer 4 via the elevator 12-2.

Further, when a part of the automated equipment is down due to a failure, a down signal is transmitted to the control device 17 from the automated equipment, and the magazine 6 is supplied from the supply buffer 4 to each automated equipment 1-1, 1
-2, 1-3, when the control unit 17 instructs to stop the operation of the sorting unit concerned to stop the supply to the automated equipment that has gone down, and to sort each sorting unit 3-1, 3-
The magazine 6 is moved from the lower transfer line 2-1 to the upper transfer line 2 by the elevator 12-1 by passing 2, 3-3.
-2, is sent in the direction of the supply buffer in the upper transfer line 2-2, and is returned to the supply buffer 4 by the elevator 12-2.

In the operation example described above, all the upper transfer lines 2-2 to the magazines 6 transferred toward the shipping area 5 during unmanned operation.
Although it is returned to the supply buffer 4 via the above, it may be pooled in the upper transfer line 2-2.

As a result, it is possible to operate for a long time without the need for a pool buffer for magazines where articles have been worked during unattended operation, and even if one automation facility in the line goes down It is possible to operate automated equipment.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the buffer space for pooling magazines in an unmanned operation is not required, and even if one automation facility in the line goes down, with an extremely simple configuration and operation method. Since other normal equipment can be operated, there are advantages such as improving the operating rate of automation equipment and suppressing the floor space, etc., and a conveyor line that can be expected to have significant economic and reliability improvement effects. Can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conveyor line operating system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional conveyor line operating system. In the figure, 1-1, 1-2, 1-3 are automation equipments, 2-1 and 2-2 are carrier lines, 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 are sorting units, 4 is a supply buffer, 5 is a shipping place, 6 is a magazine, 7 and 17 are control devices, and 12-1 and 12-2 are elevators.

Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-57-203611 (JP, A) JP-A-57-1113 (JP, A) JP-A-63-310413 (JP, A) JP-A-62-16916 (JP , A) JP-A-62-36223 (JP, A) JP-A-54-8361 (JP, A) JP-A-57-131628 (JP, A) JP-A-57-77112 (JP, A) 63-144924 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of automated facilities are connected to provide two upper and lower transport lines for transporting a magazine for storing articles, and the magazine is supplied to the automated facility at a predetermined position of the lower transport line. In a conveyor line in which a sorting unit for arranging is arranged and elevators for vertically moving the magazine are provided at both ends of the upper and lower transfer lines, a function of controlling the transfer line and the automation equipment, interlocking with the transfer line Function to drive the elevator,
And a controller that has the function of stopping the operation of the sorting unit to pass through the magazine when some automation equipment goes down. It is returned to the supply buffer via the upper transfer line, and if some of the automation equipment goes down, the magazine is not supplied to the automation equipment and the supply buffer is supplied via the upper transfer line. The operation method of the conveyor line, which is characterized in that it is operated so that it is returned to