JP2873621B2 - Load transfer system and load transfer method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to a load transfer system and a load transfer method,
Specifically, the drive source, power supply, and control device of the omnidirectional mobile trolley as a luggage carrier are shared with the transfer equipment that performs cargo handling, so that the structure on the transfer equipment side is extremely simplified and the system is inexpensive. That can be constructed.

[0002]

[Prior art]

Conventionally, as a cargo transfer system, a system as shown in FIG. 20 is exemplified. In the figure, M is a distribution warehouse, for example.
R is a fixed shelf arranged in a plurality of rows in the distribution warehouse, and has a plurality of storage portions (not shown) in the width direction and the height direction, respectively. K is a well-known stacker crane that travels along the fixed shelf R and can perform various cargo handling operations with each storage unit. The stacker crane K has a plurality of electric motors inside the vehicle body as a driving source for cargo handling and traveling, and electric power for rotationally driving the electric motors is supplied from outside through a cable line or the like. N denotes an automatic guided vehicle, which is not shown, detects a guide line buried along a predetermined traveling course, and performs steering control based on the rotational speed difference between left and right wheels provided on the vehicle body. The vehicle has a control device and a battery (not shown) inside the vehicle body, and the wheels are driven to rotate by the battery. Note that, in the distribution warehouse M ′, a station ST including a conveyor or the like for transferring a load is provided.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in the conventional system configuration, the automatic guided vehicle N that transports the load and the stacker crane K that transports the load are used.
In both cases, a motor and the like as a drive source, a power supply, and a control device must be separately provided, and the production cost for configuring the system is extremely high. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described drawbacks, and its purpose is to share a drive source, a power supply, and a control device included in a transport vehicle also with the transfer machine side that performs a cargo handling operation, so that the transfer machine side can be used. An object of the present invention is to provide a load transfer system which can simplify a drive source, a power supply, and a control device and can be manufactured at low cost.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The present invention provides a rack, a load supporter that is movably supported in a lateral direction with respect to a load entrance of the rack, and that can move in a vertical direction, a driving unit that moves the load supporter up and down, A transfer device equipped with a current collecting means for obtaining electric power, a simple controller for controlling the driving means, a fork which can move up and down on the upper surface of the vehicle body, a communication means for communicating with an external management machine, A control device and a battery that controls the up and down movement of the transfer machine and controls its own autonomous traveling; and a power transmission unit that supplies power to the drive unit by contacting a current collection unit provided in the transfer machine. It is basically composed of an omni-directional mobile trolley capable of autonomous traveling in all directions, and a management machine that gives instructions to the omni-directional mobile trolley for traveling, cargo handling, etc., wherein the rack is a fixed shelf or a floating shelf. And in the load transfer system, An omnidirectional mobile trolley is located opposite to the transfer machine, and the power collecting means on the transfer machine side is supplied to the transfer machine by sucking the power transmitting means, and is provided in the transfer machine. By driving the driving means, the load is lifted from the fork of the omni-directional moving vehicle by lifting the load support, and an output signal from the control device provided on the vehicle body of the omni-directional moving vehicle is transmitted via communication means. Transmitting to the transfer machine side, to control the vertical movement of the load support, or an omni-directional mobile trolley is located facing the transfer machine, the current collecting means on the transfer machine side, The power transmission means provided on the omni-directional mobile trolley is brought into suction contact, the omni-directional mobile trolley is run by a control device provided on the omni-directional mobile trolley, and the transfer machine is moved laterally with respect to the rack. The method has been developed into a cargo transfer method characterized by the following.

[0005]

【Example】

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. The system configuration of the present invention is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the omni-directional moving carriage 1, the flow shelf 29, the transfer machine 12 movably supported in the lateral direction with respect to the loading port of the flow shelf 29, the management machine 212 for integrally managing these, And a communication device 209 for giving an instruction from the management device 212 to the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1. Also, if necessary, a simple elevator EV or the like can be installed to exchange cargo between a plurality of floors.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fluidized shelf 29 includes roller conveyors 33 on the upper surface and has inclined inclined plates 30, 31, 32 descending rearward. In this example, so-called fluidized shelves are used, which are arranged in three stages, and the cargo carried in from the carry-in side slides on the slope and is stopped and stored in the opposite side.

A guide rail 36 is connected to the upper portions of the vertical frames 27, 27 of the flow shelf 29, and a guide groove 25 having a groove portion facing upward is fixed to the lower portion over the entire width thereof. Similarly, a guide plate 73 serving as a reference wall surface when the omnidirectional moving vehicle 1 described below travels along the flow shelf 29 is fixedly mounted via a fixture 72 so as to connect the vertical frames 27, 27 (see FIG. 2). As the guide plate 73, a white plate or a white paint is used so as to diffusely reflect the search light emitted by the distance measuring device 7 (described later) of the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1.

The transfer rail 12 and the guide groove 25
Are movably supported in the lateral direction. The transfer machine 12 basically includes a machine frame 13, a cargo handling device 14 movably attached to the machine frame 13, and an electric motor 15 for vertically moving the cargo handling device 14.

On the upper part of the machine frame 13, a guide rail of the fluidized shelf 29 is provided.
A guide mechanism 19 slidably engaged with 36 is fixedly mounted, and a guide roller 24 that rolls in the guide groove 25 is provided below.
Are fixed via the bracket 37. Further, the machine frame 13 has a threaded rod 23 along the machine frame 13 to support the bearing frames 38A, 3A.
It is pivotally supported at 8B.

The reduction gear 18 is fixed to the upper end of the screw rod 23.
On the other hand, the reduction gear 18 is connected to the electric motor via the toothed belt 17.
The torque of the electric motor 15 is transmitted to the pinion gear 16 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 15, and the screw rod 23 can be rotated.

As shown in FIG. 4, the machine casing 13 has a substantially “U” -shaped cross section, and a guide rail for guiding a lifting frame 21 to be described later is provided at a substantially central portion of the web. 44 are provided.

FIG. 4 shows the cargo handling device 14, and the cargo handling device 14 includes a load support 41 attached to the lifting frame 21.

The lifting frame 21 has a guide portion 45 slidably engaged with a guide rail 44 provided on the machine frame 13,
The screw rod 23 meshes with the screw rod 23 at the screw receiving portion 23A. Therefore, the lifting frame 21 can be moved up and down along the machine frame 13 by rotating the screw bar 23 in an arbitrary direction.

A load support 41 is pivotally attached to the lifting frame 21 by a support shaft 22. Further, an electric cylinder 20A is fixed to the lifting frame 21, and the electric cylinder 20A
Are locked by pins 68 to the side surfaces of the support plate 70 of the load support 41. Therefore, the electric cylinder 20A
By expanding and contracting the cylinder rod of
Can be tilted about the support shaft 22, and when a load is placed on the roller conveyor 41A, if the cylinder rod of the electric cylinder 20A is extended, the load slides toward the flow shelf 29 side. It becomes possible.

The load support 41 has roller conveyors 41 A, 41 B, and 41 C having different sliding dimensions fixed to side surfaces of the support plate 70 at predetermined intervals. Therefore, roller conveyors 41A and 4A
Between the roller conveyors 41B and 41C, gaps 39 and 40 are formed between the roller conveyors 41B and 41C.

An electric cylinder 20B is fixed to a bracket BL projecting laterally from one end of the indicating plate 70, and the cylinder rod 20BR is at a right angle to the cylinder rod 20BR. Stopper lever 4 extending to the side
It is fixed integrally with 3.

However, in a state where the cylinder rod 20BR of the electric cylinder 20B is contracted, the stopper lever 43 is moved to the roller conveyor 41A.
When the cylinder rod 20BR is extended while projecting from the upper surface of the roller, the stopper lever 43 is arranged to descend from the upper surface of the roller.

Therefore, when the load is present on the roller conveyor 41A, the load supporting member 41 is used for the tilting operation and the stopper lever is used.
By combining the movements of 43, the timing for carrying the load into the flow shelf 29 can be determined. That is, when the load is carried into the flow shelf 29, the load lever 41 is tilted and then the cylinder rod 20BR of the electric cylinder 20B is extended, so that the stopper lever 43 is moved to the roller conveyor 41.
If it is located below the roller of A, the load slides on the roller conveyor 41A and is transferred to an arbitrary shelf of the flow shelf 29.

The unloading sensor S1 is arranged on the roller conveyor 41A, and the load detection sensor S2 is arranged on the roller conveyor 41C. The sensors S1 and S2 may be of various types such as an optical type and a contact type.

Reference numeral 69 denotes a simple controller for a transfer machine, which controls the electric motor 15 using, for example, a sequencer or the like in which a basic pattern of a cargo handling operation is stored as sequential data.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 42 denotes a stop reference piece that projects horizontally from the machine casing 13 and can serve as a reference surface for causing the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 described later to recognize the stop position.

Reference numeral 34 denotes an arm piece, which protrudes from the machine casing 13 and has a current collecting unit 35 at a tip end thereof.

As shown in FIG. 5, the current collecting unit 35 includes an “L” -shaped support piece 46 bolted to the arm piece 34.
And, a linear guide 47A slidable in the horizontal direction fixed to the upper surface of the support piece 46, and the linear guide 47A,
A vertically slidable linear guide mechanism 47B fixed via a "T" -shaped coupling piece 48, a plate-like substrate 49 fixed to the side surface of the linear guide mechanism 47B, and both ends of the substrate 49 It comprises a current collector 57 fixed to the part, a bracket 55 fixed to the intermediate part, and a friction plate 56 made of iron or the like fixed to the lower surface of the bracket 55. In addition,
The current collector 57 is provided with two electrodes, a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and there is no difference in structure.
The following description will be made only for the current collector on one side, but the other may be considered similarly.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a support piece having a “T” shape fixed to the substrate 49 and having a circular opening on one side protruding forward.

As shown in FIG. 6, reference numeral 52 denotes a sleeper having a flange formed at the upper end, which is located on the lower surface of the support piece 50 and a spring 53 is inserted through a cylindrical portion to lower the current collector 57 downward. It is elastically supported while biased to. The current collector 57 has a threaded part on the shaft and a lock nut on the upper end.
51 is fixed. Therefore, although the current collector 57 is pushed downward by the action of the spring, the lock nut 51 is supported by the sleeve, so that the current collector 57 is supported so as not to be able to descend below this state.

Further, a flat contact piece 54 made of iron or the like is welded to the lower end of the current collector 57, and the contact piece 54 comes into contact with an electrode 59 on the power transmission side provided on the omnidirectional carriage 1. Power supply.

Reference numeral 58 denotes a stopper pin, which penetrates the support piece 50, the sleeve 52, and the current collector 54 to prevent the contact piece 54 from being rotated carelessly. Although not shown here, lead wires are respectively drawn out from the lock nut 51 and connected to the electric motor 15 and the like.

Next, the mechanism on the power transmission side will be described. The power supply to the current collector 57 is performed by bringing the electrode 57 of the power transmission unit 71 provided in the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 into contact with the current collector 57. The power transmission unit 71 is attached to the center and upper part of the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 on the vehicle body front side.
Details will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows the current collector
57 shows a state in which the electrode 59 of the power transmission unit 71 is in contact with the power transmission unit 71. The power transmission unit 71 includes an electromagnet MG, a bracket 66B attached to the vehicle body of the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1, and a bracket 66B.
An L-shaped bracket 66A having an opening in the upper surface, a bearing piece 64 fixed to the vertical side of the L-shaped bracket 66A and having an opening in the lower portion, and a bearing piece 64
And the electrode 59 supported on the L-shaped bracket 66A. It should be noted that two electrodes 59 are also provided on the left and right at positions corresponding to the current collectors 57.

The electrode 59 has a flange 59A formed at an intermediate portion thereof, and is elastically supported while being urged upward by inserting a spring 63 between the flange 59A and the support piece 64. I have. A lock nut 65 is fixed to the lower part of the electrode 59 in the same manner as the current collector 57, and the upward movement is restricted by being locked to the support piece 64 by the lock nut 65. Although not shown here, the electrode 59 is connected to a battery BA mounted inside the vehicle body of the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1.
Connected with 2.

Reference numeral 60 denotes a rubber plate, which is an electrode 59 of the current collector 57 and a contact piece.
In order to alleviate the impact at the time of contact with 54, it is attached to the upper surface of the L-shaped bracket 66A as a buffer. However, the contact between the electrode 59 of the current collector 57 and the contact piece 54 can be performed by exciting the electromagnet MG of the power transmission unit 71. That is, the power transmission unit 71 of the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1
When the electromagnet MG is excited, the friction plate 56 on the current collecting unit 35 side is attracted to the electromagnet MG so that the electromagnet MG is excited. sell. At this time, as described above, the substrate 49 on the side of the current collecting unit 35 is moved with respect to the arm 34 in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.
Since it is slidably fixed, the friction plate 56 is in contact with and fixed to the electromagnet MG at a position where energy in the magnetic circuit generated by the electromagnet MG is to be minimized, and provided at corresponding positions. The contact electrode 54 and the contact piece 54 are in contact with each other, so that electric power can be obtained from the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1.

OP1 and OP2 are optical transmission devices provided on the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 side and the transfer machine 12 side, respectively, so that data communication can be performed in a state where the power transmission unit 71 and the power collection unit 35 are connected. And a signal for controlling the sequencer 69 is provided from the control device 8 of the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1, which will be described later.

The body configuration of the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 used in the present invention is as follows.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, all wheels 9FR, 9PR, 9F
A steering motor 132 is provided in L and 9RL, and each is configured to be capable of continuous 360-degree rotation. Also, two wheels arranged on the diagonal line of the vehicle body, for example, 9FR and 9RL are drive wheels each equipped with a traveling motor 120, while the other two wheels, 9FR and 9RL are driven wheels. is there.

The mechanism of the drive wheels will be described with reference to FIG. 17. A pinion gear 121 fixed to an output shaft of a traveling motor 120, a one-stage reduction gear 122 meshing with the pinion gear 121, and a one-stage reduction gear 122 Pinion gear 123 formed coaxially
A two-stage reduction gear 124 meshing with the pinion gear 123 and a spur gear 125 formed coaxially and integrally with the two-stage reduction gear 124; a driven gear 126 meshing with the spur gear 125 and fitted into a vertical shaft 127; A bevel pinion 128 fitted at the lower end of the bevel pinion 128
And a drive shaft 130 which is fastened to the bevel gear 129 by a key and fixed to the wheel 9FR.

The steering mechanism includes a steering motor 132
, A reduction gear 134 meshing with the pinion gear 133, a spur gear 135 formed coaxially and integrally with the reduction gear 134, and a spur gear 135
And a turning case 137 fixed to the internal gear 136 and rotatably supported by the upper casing.
Therefore, the turning gear case 137 can turn around the turning shaft 139 by turning the steering motor 132.

Reference numeral 138 denotes an absolute encoder which can detect in absolute coordinates how many times the turning gear case 137 has turned with respect to an arbitrary origin with respect to the turning shaft 139. Further, each wheel is provided with a traveling distance measuring wheel 140 for measuring the traveling distance. The traveling distance measuring wheel 140 is rotatably supported via a bearing on a sleeve 142 that is loosely fitted to the protrusion 141 of the turning gear case 137, and a rotary encoder pressed against the traveling distance measuring wheel 140. At 203 (not shown in FIG. 17), the rotational speed is detected and sent to the control device 8.

The sleeve 142 is supported by the turning gear case 137 so as to be vertically movable (not shown). In this example,
The center of the traveling distance measuring wheel 140 is aligned with the turning gear case 1
The turning center coincides with the turning center of 37, so that when the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 turns on the spot, it is possible to prevent an error in the traveling distance from occurring.

The wiring from the rotary encoder 203, the traveling motor 120, the steering motor 132, the absolute encoder, and the like are connected to the control device 8 via a rotary connector 143 disposed at the center of the turning gear case. , The wheels 9 do not twist even if the wheels rotate continuously by 360 degrees.

Further, obstacle detection bumpers 4, 5 and 6 (hereinafter simply referred to as bumpers) that are fixed so as to surround the periphery of the vehicle body and can detect an obstacle by directly contacting the obstacle, Non-contact type obstacle detection devices 213A to 213H which can detect obstacles in a non-contact manner, provided in total of eight on each side of
In order to measure the distance from the vehicle body to the reference wall, a total of eight distance measuring devices 7A to 7H are provided, two on each side surface of the vehicle body, forks 2, 2 and an operation unit 10 provided on the upper surface of the vehicle body. , An antenna 11 of the communication device 200, a power transmission unit 71 attached to a central portion and an upper portion on the front side of the vehicle body, a control device 8 for controlling traveling, cargo handling and control of the transfer device 12, and batteries BA and BA2. Consists of

The forks 2, 2 are provided as a pair of left and right sides so as to be vertically movable with respect to the vehicle body, and are provided with drive conveyors 3, 3 on the surface thereof.

The distance measuring devices 7A... 7H are two on each side surface of the vehicle body.
A total of eight are provided, which measure the distances between the vehicle body and reference walls provided at several places in the system, and serve as reference data when the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 runs autonomously.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show one row of the distance measuring device 7 A, and include an optical distance measuring sensor 100, a slide bracket 101, and a linear guide mechanism 113 fixed to the lower surface of the slide bracket 101. Guide section 11 for guiding linear guide mechanism 113
4 and first, second, third and fourth reflectors 102 to 105
Are disposed on the substrate 116, respectively, and are provided with a parallel movement driving means 106. The optical distance measuring sensor 100 is an issuer 1 of the distance measuring head surface 100C.
A known distance measuring sensor including a light receiving unit 100B that emits measuring light from 00A and receives the reflected light of the measuring light reflected on the object to be measured is used.

The slide bracket 101 has a substantially “L” shape, and a linear guide mechanism 113 having a ball bearing is fixed to a lower surface of the slide bracket 101, and the slide bracket 101 extends along a guide portion 114 fixed to an upper surface of the substrate 116. , Are slidably guided with respect to the substrate 116. On the upper surface of the slide bracket 101, a triangular prism reflector bracket 115A having an isosceles triangle whose apex angle is 90 degrees as a bottom surface is fixed, and the first reflector 102 is attached to the reflector bracket 115A.
(Hereinafter simply referred to as a reflector 102) and a fourth reflector 105 (hereinafter simply referred to as a reflector 105) are fixed.

Further, the second reflector 103 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a reflector 103) and the third reflector 104 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a reflector 104) are provided with the optical distance measuring sensor 100 of the substrate 116. On the side opposite to the side, the reflector bracket 115A is formed from a square pillar having a rectangular base.
Are fixed to the inside of a reflector bracket 115B having a shape obtained by cutting off. As each reflector,
For example, a surface reflector or the like can be employed.

The translation drive unit 106 is a rotary solenoid 107 whose output shaft is rotated by exciting a coil 111, and is fixed to the rotary shaft 108 of the rotary solenoid 107. Pivot piece 109, a link 110 pivotally attached to one end of the pivot piece 109 by a pin, and one end of the link 110 pivotally attached to the upper surface of the slide bracket 101 by a pin. It has a pivotal structure. Therefore, when the coil 111 of the rotary solenoid 107 is excited, the rotating shaft 108 and the rotating piece 109 rotate to act on the link 110,
The slide bracket 101 can be slid. The slide bracket 101 can be slid in any direction by changing the direction of the exciting current of the coil 111.

Reference numeral 112 denotes a stopper pin fixed to the substrate 116. The stopper pin 112 is used to limit the amount of movement of the slide bracket 101 that can be slid by the translation drive unit 106.
08 is limited to a predetermined rotation angle.

However, when the reference wall surface for distance measurement exists at a relatively long distance with respect to the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1, the coil 111 of the rotary solenoid 107 and the rotating piece 109 The slide bracket 101 is slid to the right side in the figure by exciting so as to turn counterclockwise as the center (the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 10). In this state, the measuring light emitted from the light emitting unit 100A of the optical distance measuring sensor 100 goes straight and is reflected by the reference wall surface, and the light receiving unit 100B receives the reflected light, and determines the distance from the reference wall surface. Can be measured.

On the other hand, when the reference wall surface is located at a short distance from the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1,
The coil 111 is excited so that the rotating piece 109 rotates clockwise around the rotating shaft 108, and the slide bracket 101 is excited.
Is slid to the left in the figure (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 10). In this state, the optical distance measurement sensor 100
The light emitted from the light emitting unit 100A is sequentially reflected by the reflector 102 → reflector 103 → reflector 104 → reflector 105 and reaches the distance measurement reference wall surface, and the reflected light is reflected by the reflector 105 → reflector 104 → reflector.
103 → reflected sequentially to the reflector 102, received by the light receiving unit 100B, and can measure the distance between the distance measurement reference side surface and the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1.

The distance measuring devices 7A... Are configured as in the air. The optical distance measuring sensor usually has a measurable range for either a long distance or a short distance. In the case where both distances and near distances need to be measured, two types of optical distance sensors for the long distance and for the short distance must be used individually. This is because, in the distance measuring device described above, it is mainly possible to measure over a wide range of both distances and near distances with a single long distance sensor.

FIG. 16 shows a black diagram of the present invention. The command from the management device 212 on the ground side is sent from the communication device 209 on the management device 212 side to the communication device 200 on the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 side.

The control device 8 of the omni-directional mobile trolley 1 includes a CPU 201, a ROM for storing a running program of the omni-directional mobile trolley 1 as a read-only memory, and a work memory RAM that can be written at any time. A transfer unit control unit 205 for controlling the transfer unit 12, and an interface 202 for exchanging various input signals from outside. Also, as signals input to the interface 202, an absolute encoder 138 for detecting the turning angle of the turning gear case 137, a gyro 211 for measuring the posture angle and the turning speed of the vehicle body, and a distance between the vehicle body and a reference wall surface are measured. 7H, detection signals from bumpers 4, 5, 6 for detecting contact with obstacles, non-contact obstacle detection devices 213A to 213H, rotary encoder 203 for measuring the traveling distance of each wheel 9, etc. Is entered. The detection signals from the distance measuring devices 7A and the like are input to the interface 202 via the distance measuring control device 215 because the data to be handled differs depending on whether or not they pass through the reflector as described above. Further, as the gyro 211, for example, an optical fiber gyro or the like can be suitably used.

As a result of the calculation performed by the CPU, the interface 202
The steering angle and the steering angle of each wheel 9 are controlled by the servo controller 207 via the. When the bumpers 4, 5, 6 and the non-contact type obstacle detection device 213 which detect the obstacle by touching the obstacle detect an obstacle, or when the emergency stop signal 210 is sent, the CUP 201 Is the wheel 9
The vehicle can be stopped by operating the electromagnetic brake 214 provided in.

In the above-described system configuration, the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 conveys a load to the flow shelf 29 based on a storage instruction from the management machine 212. At this time, the management machine 212 gives an instruction to take a load from an arbitrary transfer table where the load is temporarily stored and to transfer the load to an arbitrary opening of the flow shelf 29, for example. The instruction is given to the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 between the communication devices 201 and 209.

11 and 12 show an example of the transfer table 80. The transfer table 80 projects forward from a connection frame 82 extending longitudinally to support a load. Horizontal frame 84 fixed to the lower surface ...
, A foot 83 fixed below the horizontal frame 84, and a movable plate 86 slidably held between the horizontal frame 84.
And a pressing piece 87 slidable with respect to the movable plate 86. 85A, 85B and 85C are stoppers fixed to the upper surface of the support frame 81 to prevent the load from shifting in the front-rear direction of the support frame 81. Also, the load is usually
Two can be placed in parallel before and after the transfer table 80.
Further, a predetermined frontage number BK1 is assigned to each transfer table in advance.

As shown in FIG. 12, the movable plate 86 is fixed to the inner surface of the horizontal frame 84 and has a toothed surface facing downward.
It is fixed to the rear end surface of a bracket 94 that can slide with respect to 93.

A pinion gear 92 that meshes with the flow shelf gear 93 and guide rollers 91F and 91R that roll on the upper surface of the flow shelf gear 93 are supported on the outer surface of the bracket 94. One end of a spiral spring PS1 is fixed above the front end surface of the bracket 94.

The other end of the spiral spring SP 1 is fixed to a winding drum 89, and the winding drum 89 is fixedly supported by the upright portion 90 of the receiving piece 90 L. The receiving piece 90L is fixed to the horizontal frame 84 similarly to the flow shelf gear 93. Therefore, usually, the bracket 94 is held in a state of being drawn toward the spiral spring SP1 by the restoring force of the spiral spring SP1.

The pressing piece 87 is inserted through a guide cylinder 87 A fixed to a substantially central portion of the movable plate 86, and one end of a spiral spring SP 2 is fixed to a rear end portion 87 R. The other end of the spiral spring SP2 is fixed to a winding drum 96 fixed to the back of the movable plate 86. Therefore, the pressing piece
87 is held in a state of being urged forward similarly to the bracket 94. In addition, the movable plate 86 and the horizontal frame 84
Each is used as the reference wall of the forward moving cart 1,
This will be described later. Further, the spiral spring SP1
Is extremely smaller than the spring constant of the spiral spring SP2.

The operation of the forward moving vehicle 1 for taking out the load from the transfer table 80 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. First, as shown in FIG. 1 is opposed to the transfer table 80 based on the running program stored in the ROM. At this time, the contacting piece 117 provided in front of the vehicle body of the omnidirectional moving trolley 1 is precisely positioned so as to contact the pressing piece 87 of the movable plate 86,
The distance to the movable plate 86 serving as a reference wall is measured by the distance measuring devices 7C and 7D in front of the vehicle body to obtain L1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the omnidirectional transfer vehicle travels straight. At this time, the spiral spring SP1 linked to the movable plate 86
Of the spiral spring SP2 cooperating with the pressing piece 87 is set to be extremely small, so that the movable plate 86 extends the spiral spring SP1. The distance from the plate 86 does not change, and the two can slide backward as a unit. Therefore, the distance between the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 and the movable plate 86 is still unchanged and remains at L1, and in this state, the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 continues to travel straight.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15, when the movable plate 86 reaches the position where the sliding is mechanically restricted, the pressing piece 87 can slide backward while extending the spiral spring SP2. By this operation, the distance between the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 and the movable plate 86 becomes smaller for the first time, and when the distance becomes LS, the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 stops running.

Next, after the fork 2 of the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 is lifted and the load is placed on the fork 2, if the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 is retreated, the load is taken out from the transfer table 80. I can do it.
The distance LS and a series of processing procedures are determined by the RO of the storage unit.
It is the one stored in M.

The transfer machine 12 is always located at a predetermined position (hereinafter, referred to as a predetermined position).
(Called the origin). Here, as illustrated in FIG.
The omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 on which the is mounted is positioned to face the transfer machine 12. In this state, the fork 2 of the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 is in a raised state. Then, the trolley 1 is caused to travel, and the gap 3 of the load support 41 of the transfer machine 12 is moved.
After inserting the forks 2 and 2 into 9 and 40, the electromagnetic MG of the power transmission unit 71 is excited, and the friction plate 56 of the current collection unit 35 is attracted to contact the electrodes 59 and 59 with the contact pieces 54 and 54. Transfer machine
Power is supplied to 12, and the forks 2, 2 are lowered. By this action, the load W is transferred to the roller conveyor of the loading / unloading device 14.
Transferred to 14 above.

However, the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 measures the distance between the transfer plate 12 and the guide plate 73 provided below the flow shelf 29 in a state where the transfer machine 12 is connected to the predetermined width of the flow shelf 29 as described above. Distance device
Measure at 7A ... and run along this while keeping the distance constant.

Next, when reaching the storage position from the management machine 212,
The omni-directional mobile trolley 1 stops, and the photoelectric transmission device OP1 provided on the omni-directional mobile trolley 1 side based on a storage command of the management machine 212.
Transmits a predetermined optical signal to the photoelectric transmission device OP2 on the transfer device side, and sends it to the sequencer 69 for controlling the electric motor 15 on the transfer device side. Then, the sequencer 69 of the transfer machine 12 drives the electric motor 15 by a predetermined amount based on the reception signal of the photoelectric transmission device OP2, and the torque of the electric motor 15 is transmitted to the screw rod 23 via the toothed belt 17 to transfer the load W. The loaded cargo handling device 14 can be raised to a predetermined shelf board height (see FIG. 19).

In the above state, the rod of the electric cylinder 20 A of the cargo handling device 14 is extended, and the roller conveyor 41 is inclined in the same direction as the shelf plate of the flow shelf 29. Further, by extending the cylinder rod 20BR of the electric cylinder 20B, the stopper lever 43 descends below the rollers of the roller conveyor 41,
The load W slides from above the roller conveyor 41 and is carried into a predetermined shelf plate of the flow shelf 29.

When the unloading sensor 1 detects that the load W has been carried into the flow shelf 29 from above the roller conveyor 41, the cylinder rod 20BR of the electric cylinder 20B is contracted to move the stopper lever 43 to the roller conveyor. The roller conveyor 41 is positioned horizontally above the rollers 41, and the cylinder rod of the electric cylinder 20 is also contracted to keep the roller conveyor 41 horizontal. After that, the electric motor
15 is driven to rotate, and the cargo handling device 14 is lowered to the initial state.

When the loading of the load W is completed, the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 measures the distance to the guide plate 73 provided below the flow shelf 29 by the distance measuring device 7A. While maintaining the constant, return to the origin with the transfer
The MG is demagnetized to release the connection with the transfer machine 12 and the management machine 212
Wait for the next cargo handling order from.

Note that the omnidirectional mobile trolley 1 loads the forks 2 and 2
In the case of individual loading, first, after the first load is carried into the fluidizing shelf 29 by the above-described operation, the drive conveyors 3, 3 provided on the fork 2 are rotationally driven to transfer the load. Loading machine
12 to the side, and repeat the same
Can be brought in.

[0070]

【The invention's effect】

According to the present invention, by adopting the above configuration and method, the transfer drive means, the battery, and the control device included in the omnidirectional mobile trolley are shared with the transfer machine for loading and unloading. The structure on the machine side was extremely simplified, and a system could be constructed at low cost. In addition, by using the omni-directional mobile cart, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in carrying the load, minimize the space required for traveling, and improve storage efficiency. Further, by changing the traveling program of the omnidirectional mobile trolley, the traveling pattern can be very easily changed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the general outline of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a transfer machine and a flow shelf.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a transfer machine and a flow shelf.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a cargo handling device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a current collecting unit 35.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the final power unit 35 and the power transmission unit 71.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the omnidirectional mobile trolley.

FIG. 8 shows a front view of the omnidirectional mobile trolley.

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a distance measuring device.

FIG. 10 is a plan view for explaining the operation of the distance measuring device.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a transfer table.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing details of a main part of the transfer table.

FIG. 13 is a side view for explaining the operation of the transfer table.

FIG. 14 is a side view for explaining the operation of the transfer table.

FIG. 15 is a side view for explaining the operation of the transfer table.

FIG. 16 shows a block diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a mechanism of a wheel.

FIG. 18 is a front view for explaining the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a front view for explaining the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing a conventional system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Omni-directional moving cart 2 ... Fork 3 ... Roller conveyor 4, 5, 6 ... Obstacle detection bumper 7 ... Distance measuring device 8 ... Control device 9 ... Wheel 12 ... Transfer machine 13 ... Machine frame 14 ... Cargo handling device 15 ... Electric motor 21 ... Lifting frame 29 ... Flow shelves 35 ... Current collecting unit 41 ... Load support 54 ... Contact piece 57 ... Current collecting 59 ... Electrode 71 …… Power transmission unit 80… Transfer base 212 …… Management machine

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ identification symbol FI B65G 47/57 B65G 47/57 B (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B65G 1/00-1 / 20 B65G 47 / 52,47 / 57 B65G 43/00

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rack, a load supporter movably supported in a lateral direction with respect to a loading port of the rack, and movable in a vertical direction, a driving means for vertically moving the load support, and an external device. And a transfer device having a simple controller for controlling the driving unit, a fork that can be moved up and down on the vehicle body, and a communication unit that communicates with an external management device. A control device and a battery that controls the up and down movement of the transfer machine and controls its own autonomous traveling; and a power transmission unit that supplies power to the drive unit by contacting a current collection unit provided in the transfer machine. 1. A load transfer system comprising: an omnidirectional mobile trolley capable of autonomous omnidirectional travel provided with: and a management device for giving instructions to the omnidirectional mobile trolley for running, cargo handling, and the like. 2. The load transfer system according to claim 1, wherein said rack is a fluidized shelf. 3. The load transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the omni-directional mobile trolley is located opposite to the transfer machine, and the power collection means on the transfer machine side is provided with the power transmission means. The power is supplied to the transfer machine, the driving means provided in the transfer machine is driven, and the loading support is lifted to carry out the unloading from the fork of the omnidirectional mobile trolley. Transmitting an output signal from the control device provided on the body of the directional moving cart to a transfer machine via communication means to control the vertical movement of the load support. . 4. The load transfer system according to claim 1, wherein the omni-directional mobile trolley is located opposite to the transfer machine, and the omni-directional moving vehicle is provided with the omni-directional trolley on the transfer device side. The power transmission means provided on the moving vehicle is brought into suction contact, the omnidirectional moving vehicle is run by the control device provided on the omnidirectional vehicle, and the transfer machine is moved laterally with respect to the flow shelf. And the loading method.