JP5846790B2 - Article conveying device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an article in which a plurality of article transport carriages that travel in a line on a traveling path in which a plurality of article transfer places are installed transfer articles from a transfer source article transfer place to a transfer destination article transfer place. The present invention relates to a conveyance device, and more particularly, to an article conveyance device having a plurality of travel paths.

  In the conventional article transport apparatus, a plurality of article transport carts travel in a line on the same track, and each article transport cart is used to transfer an article from each article transfer location of the transport source to the transport destination. When transporting to the article transfer location, the control means selects an optimal article transport cart according to a predetermined condition such as a standby one or a nearby one of the plurality of article transport carts. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 to 6).

Japanese Patent No. 4232112 Japanese Patent No. 4329035 Japanese Patent No. 4329034 Japanese Patent No. 4089154 Japanese Patent No. 2857836 JP 2007-119145 A

  However, since the article conveying apparatus described in Patent Documents 1 to 6 has only one track, the article transfer position when the article to be conveyed increases and the article having the processing capacity or more is conveyed. The goods may get stuck. For this reason, it is conceivable to increase the number of article transport carts on the same track in order to increase the processing capacity, but there is a limit to the increase in the number of article transport carts on the same track, and each article transport cart is controlled. The control means is becoming more complex as the number increases.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an article conveying apparatus capable of simple control while further improving the processing capability.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an article conveying device of the present invention is
An article conveying apparatus comprising first and second traveling paths arranged side by side in which a plurality of article conveying carts travel in a row, and a control means for controlling movement of the article conveying carts in each traveling path,
The control means is configured to transfer the article to an article transfer location determined for each article transport carriage on each traveling path when transferring an article to the outside of the first and second traveling paths. Controlling the movement of the transport carriage, and transporting both articles when transferring the article between the article transport carriage on the first travel path and the article transport carriage on the second travel path. Control the movement of both goods transport carts to the position where the carts are in parallel,
Each article transport carriage on the first travel path and each article transport carriage on the second travel path each run for each region including an article transfer location determined for each article transport carriage on each travel path. The movable range on the road is defined,
Each article transport cart on the first travel path is defined as an article transport cart on the second travel path that performs the inter-carriage transfer, and the movable range of the article transport cart that performs the inter-carriage transfer Includes an overlapping region in which the article transport carriage is in a parallel state on the first travel path and the second travel path, and the overlap area includes both article transport carriages that perform transfer between the trucks. Adjacent article transport carts on each of the travel routes are defined as non-movable ranges,
At least one article transport carriage on the first travel path has an overlapping region that is in parallel with a plurality of article transport carriages on the second travel path.
According to this feature, each article transport carriage on the first travel path is controlled to move by the control means, moves to an article transfer location determined on the first travel path, and transfers an article. The movement of the article transport carriage on the first travel path to which the article has been transferred and the corresponding article transport carriage on the second travel path are appropriately controlled so that the movement between the carriages can be performed by the control means. Move to each parallel position. At that time, the position where both the article transport carriages are parallel includes an overlapping area where the article transport carriage can be paralleled in the first traveling path and the second traveling path, Since the adjacent article conveyance carriages on each traveling path of both article conveyance carriages that perform the transfer between the carriages are determined as non-movable ranges, the control of movement by the control means is the movable range of each article conveyance carriage. The article transport carts do not come into contact with each other only by controlling movement. The movement of the article transport carriage on the second travel path to which the article has been transferred by inter-carriage transfer is controlled by the control means to move to the article transfer position determined on the second travel path to transfer the article. Included.
On the other hand, the movement control is similarly performed by the control means for the transfer of articles from the article transfer location determined on the second travel path to the article transfer location determined on the first travel path. In parallel with the movement control being performed, the article conveying carts of the first or second traveling path other than the article conveying carriages of the first or second traveling path performing the transfer between the carriages are The movement is controlled by the control means so that the article can be moved by moving to a predetermined article transfer location, and the second corresponding to the article transport carriage on the other first travel path. It is also possible to transfer between the carriages in parallel between the article transport carriages on the travel path.
Thereby, transfer between trolleys is performed at a position in an overlap region where the article transport carts can be arranged in parallel on the first travel path and the second travel path, and the overlap region is transferred between the trolleys. Since the adjacent article transport carts on each travel path of both article transport carts are set as non-movable ranges, the adjacent article transport carts do not move, so that adjacent article transport carts There is no contact and the movement of the adjacent article transport carriage is not hindered. In addition, since each article transport carriage on the first or second traveling path has an article transfer location defined, each article transport carriage on the first or second travel path moves to the article transfer location. Even when the article is transferred, the adjacent article conveyance carriages are in contact with each other because the article conveyance carriage on the adjacent first or second traveling path does not move to a predetermined article transfer location. There is no such thing and the movement of the adjacent article transport carriage is not hindered.
Accordingly, it is possible to increase the processing capacity by arranging the first and second traveling paths in parallel and increasing the number of article conveyance carriages, and it is possible to simultaneously perform movement and transfer simultaneously in each article conveyance carriage. Therefore, the article can be transferred more efficiently. In addition, the article transfer location to be transferred, the article transfer carriage for transferring between the carriages, and the overlapping area where both article transfer carriages are arranged in parallel at the time of transfer between the carriages are grouped together in advance. By increasing the number of article conveyance carriages, it is possible to prevent the movement control of each article conveyance carriage from becoming complicated and to carry out movement control more easily.

The article conveying apparatus of the present invention is
A plurality of the article transfer locations are arranged adjacent to each other on the movable range defined with respect to the article transport carriage on the first or second traveling path.
According to this feature, a plurality of the article transfer locations can be arranged adjacent to each other on the movable range defined for the article transport carriage on the first or second travel path. When a plurality of article transfer locations are arranged adjacent to each other, for example, when a loading / unloading section for loading / unloading is provided on the first traveling path side, a loading path and a loading path are provided separately. By providing different article transfer locations for each, the position where the article transport cart is transferred differs depending on whether it is carried in or out, so that it is possible to support continuous carry-in and carry-out of articles. . Further, for example, when an article storage warehouse is provided on the second traveling road side, a plurality of article transfer locations for entry / exit of the article storage warehouse are provided, and the article transfer for entry / exit of each article storage warehouse is provided. Articles can be stored in and out of the respective places.
Further, when a plurality of the article transfer locations determined for each article transport carriage on the first or second traveling path are arranged adjacent to each other, the first or second traveling path Since the article transport carriage moves between adjacent article transfer locations on the movable range, and the overlapping area defined in the adjacent article transport carriage is determined as a non-movable range, the adjacent articles There is no contact between the transport carts, and the movement of the adjacent article transport cart is not hindered.

The article conveying apparatus of the present invention is
The article transfer location on the first travel path is an article transfer location for loading / unloading at a load / unload section for loading / unloading articles, and each article transport carriage on the first travel path is used for loading / unloading. The goods are transferred at the article transfer location,
The article transfer location on the second traveling path is an article transfer location for loading / unloading in an input / output section for loading / unloading articles, and the article transport cart on the second traveling path is the article for loading / unloading. It is characterized in that the article is transferred at the transfer location.
According to this feature, the articles carried out from the carry-in / out section for carrying in / out the articles are transferred to the respective article transport carriages on the first travel path at the carry-in / out article transfer location. The article transport carriage on the first traveling path to which the unloaded articles are transferred performs transfer between the carriage and the article transport carriage on the second traveling path. The article transport carriage on the second travel path to which the article has been transferred transfers the article to the entry / exit section for entry / exit at the entry / exit article transfer location, so that the entry / exit section It can be stored in an article storage warehouse. On the contrary, the articles delivered from the entry / exit section for article entry / exit are transferred to the article transport cart on the second travel path at the entry / exit article transfer location. The article transport carriage on the second traveling path to which the delivered article has been transferred performs transfer between the carriage and the article transport carriage on the first traveling path. The article transport cart on the first travel path to which the article has been transferred transfers the article to the loading / unloading section for loading / unloading the article at the loading / unloading article transfer position, so that the loading / unloading section can store an article storage warehouse, etc. The goods delivered from can be carried into a production line or the like.

It is a top view which shows the article conveyance apparatus in an Example. It is a top view which shows a traverser. It is a front view which shows a traverser. It is a perspective view which shows a barcode sheet | seat and a position detection sensor. It is a system block diagram which shows the structure of an article conveyance apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the transmission / reception condition of each information at the time of conveying the container carried out from a production line to a storage warehouse. It is a top view which shows the state in which a traverser is located in front of a carrying-out conveyor. It is a top view which shows the goods conveyance apparatus at the time of transferring a container from a carrying-out conveyor to a traverser. It is a top view which shows the article conveyance apparatus at the time of transferring a container from the traverser of a rail to a traverser of a rail between trolley | bogies. It is a top view which shows the article conveyance apparatus at the time of transferring a container from a traverser to a warehousing conveyor. It is a top view which shows the article conveyance apparatus at the time of transferring a container from a delivery conveyor to a traverser. It is a top view which shows the article conveyance apparatus at the time of a traverser moving after transferring a container from a delivery conveyor to a traverser. It is a top view which shows the article conveyance apparatus at the time of transferring a container from the traverser of a rail to a traverser of a rail between trolley | bogies. It is a top view which shows the article conveyance apparatus at the time of transferring a container from a traverser to a carrying-in conveyor. It is explanatory drawing which shows the transmission / reception condition of each information at the time of conveying the container discharged from a storage warehouse to a production line. It is a top view which shows the goods conveyance apparatus at the time of transferring a container between the traversers of a rail to the traversers of a different group of rails. It is a top view which shows the goods conveyance apparatus at the time of transferring a container between the traversers of a rail to the traversers of a different group of rails.

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The form for implementing the goods conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention is demonstrated below based on an Example.

  An article conveying apparatus according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 will be described as the front side (front side) of the article conveying apparatus, and the left side of FIG. 2 will be described as the front side (front side) of the traverser.

  Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 is an article conveying apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The article transport apparatus 1 includes a plurality of traversers 4 (provided between a production line (not shown) such as a factory and a storage warehouse 3 that temporarily stores containers 2 (articles) carried out from the production line. The container 2 is conveyed by these traversers 4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, end-like rails 51 and 52 (tracks) having arbitrary lengths are laid, and on these rails 51 and 52, 3 Each traverser 4 is arranged. As a travel path, it is only necessary to provide a track or a transport path in which a plurality of traversers 4 travel in a single line in addition to the rail. Traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c are sequentially arranged from the rear side (right side of the paper) of the rail 51 on the first travel path, and the rear side (paper plane) of the rail 52 of the second travel path 52. The traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f will be described in order from the right). The plurality of traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c travel on the same rail 51, and the plurality of traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f travel on the same rail 52. The movement of each traverser in each travel path is controlled by a carriage PLC 24 (control means, carriage control means) of the ground board 12 described later. The traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c transfer (outside transfer) each of the plurality of carry-in / out conveyors of the production line on the outer side (upper side of the paper) of the rail 51 at each article transfer location, and the traverser 4d. , 4e, 4f transfer (outside transfer) each of the plurality of loading / unloading conveyors of the storage warehouse 3, which is outside the rail 52 (downward on the paper surface), and the article at each article transfer location. An article transfer location is predetermined for each traverser 4 on each rail, and the traverser 4 on each rail transfers an article at the determined article transfer location, and each traverser 4 on each rail. In addition, the movable range of the area including the article transfer location is predetermined. Moreover, the rails 51 and 52 are arranged side by side, and it is comprised so that the traverser between rails can transfer articles | goods (transfer between trolley | bogies). One or a plurality of traversers can be defined for one traverser as a traverser that performs transfer between trucks. For example, in the present embodiment, inter-carriage transfer for transferring articles between the traverser 4a and traverser 4d, and inter-carriage transfer for transferring articles between the traverser 4a and the traverser 4e is performed. It is stipulated to do. Similarly, it is determined that the traverser 4c and the traverser 4f perform inter-carriage transfer, and also perform inter-carriage transfer for transferring articles between the traverser 4c and the traverser 4e. In addition, for the traverser 4b, only the traverser 4e is determined to perform transfer between trucks. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the traverser 4e can transfer between the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c on the rail 51 between the carriages. When performing transfer between trucks, both traversers include overlapping regions that are parallel in each movable range. This overlap area is an area in which both the traversers can move in parallel within the movable range between the rail 51 and the rail 52, and the adjacent traversers on both rails of both traversers performing inter-carriage transfer are set as non-movable ranges. It has been established. In this way, in this embodiment, for each traverser, the article transfer location to be transferred, the movable range on each rail that is an area including the article transfer location, and the traverser that performs transfer between carriages, When the transfer between the trucks is performed, the overlapping areas where the two traverser cars are arranged in parallel are determined in advance. In this embodiment, the groups are grouped by dotted lines shown in FIG. 1. Groups S1, S2 and S3 are grouped in order from the right side of the page. Group S1 includes traverser 4a and traverser 4d, and group S2 includes traverser 4b and traverser. 4e and a traverser 4c and a traverser 4f belong to the group S3. Further, as will be described later, each article transfer location is assigned to each group, and a movable range of each traverser and an overlapping area are defined in each group.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of traversers 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, and 4f have the same configuration, and therefore the predetermined traverser 4a will be described with reference to FIGS. The traverser 4a has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and can place the container 2 on the upper surface, and is provided with a traveling motor 6 for traveling in the front-rear direction.

  The traverser 4a is provided with a transfer motor 7 for transferring the container 2 and an endless roller chain 8. Then, the transfer motor 7 is driven and the roller chain 8 is rotated, so that the container 2 placed on the upper surface of the traverser 4a can be moved in the left-right direction as viewed from the front side (left side of the paper), The container 2 is automatically transferred. Thereby, the traverser 4a can be transferred to and from the carry-in / out conveyor on the production line at each article transfer location, and the traverser 4a transfers articles between the carts with the traverser 4d or 4e. Can do. Further, the traverser 4d on the rail 52 side can be transferred between trolleys and transferred to and from the carry-in / out conveyor on the storage warehouse 3 side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the vicinity of the rail 51, a barcode sheet 9 on which a plurality of barcodes are continuously printed is provided along the rail 51. The current position is located on the lower surface side of the traverser 4a. A position detection sensor 10 for detecting information is attached. This position detection sensor 10 has an absolute encoder, and is an absolute position detection sensor 10 that detects the absolute position of the traverser 4a.

  In the present embodiment, when the traverser 4 a travels above the barcode sheet 9, the position detection sensor 10 reads at least three consecutive barcodes among the barcodes printed on the barcode sheet 9. Based on the barcode sheet 9, the current position of the traverser 4a is grasped (see FIG. 4). Each traverser has a position detection sensor 10 that detects an absolute position, and the operation PLC 23 and the carriage PLC 24 grasp the current position of each traverser using the position detection sensor 10, thereby detecting the current position of each traverser. The reliability is improved, and the operation PLC 23 and the carriage PLC 24 can accurately grasp the current position of each traverser, and each time the article transport device 1 is activated, the traverser performs operations such as origin adjustment with respect to the rail 51. There is no need.

  As a modification for grasping the current position, instead of using the barcode sheet 9, a code plate in which a large number of through holes having different shapes are formed between the two rails 51 is used in the longitudinal direction of the rail 51. The U-shaped read head may be attached to the lower surface side of the traverser 4 so as to sandwich the code plate. In this case, the current position can be grasped by reading a code pattern composed of a plurality of through holes 28 with a reading head.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, optical wireless communication devices 11a and 11b capable of performing optical wireless communication using infrared rays or the like are attached to the front and rear portions of the traverser 4a. Via the optical wireless communication devices 11a and 11b, the current position information is transmitted to the ground board 12 (ground part) that controls the traverser 4, and the movement instruction information from the ground board 12 as the control means is received. (See FIG. 5).

  The other traversers 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, and 4f are also provided with optical wireless communication devices 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f, 11l, 11m, 11n, 11o, 11p, and 11q, and rails 51 and 52, respectively. Optical wireless communication devices 11g, 11h, 11j, and 11k are also attached to both ends of the optical fiber (see FIG. 5). The optical wireless communication device 11h at one end of the rail 51 and the optical wireless communication device 11a of the traverser 4a are attached so as to face each other and can communicate. The optical wireless communication device 11k at one end of the rail 52 and the optical wireless communication device 11l of the traverser 4d are attached so as to face each other and can communicate with each other (see FIG. 5).

  Further, the optical wireless communication devices 11b and 11c between the traversers 4a and 4b can communicate with each other as a pair, and the optical wireless communication devices 11d and 11e between the traversers 4b and 4c can communicate with each other as a pair. It has become. Further, the optical wireless communication device 11g at the other end of the rail 51 and the optical wireless communication device 11f of the traverser 4c can communicate with each other in pairs. The optical wireless communication devices 11m and 11n between the traversers 4d and 4e can communicate with each other, and the optical wireless communication devices 11o and 11p between the traversers 4e and 4f can communicate with each other. It has become. Further, the optical wireless communication device 11j at the other end of the rail 52 and the optical wireless communication device 11q of the traverser 4f can communicate with each other in pairs.

  In this way, a loop-shaped network is constructed using the optical wireless communication devices 11a to 11h of the traversers 4a, 4b, 4c and the rail 51, and similarly, the optical wireless communication devices 11j of the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f and the rail 52. A loop-shaped network is constructed using ˜11q, and by this networking, the laying of a wired cable for communication can be omitted, and the installation cost of the article conveying apparatus 1 can be reduced. In the embodiment, a loop-like network is constructed on each of the rail 51 side and the rail 52 side. However, a single loop-like network is constructed by all the optical wireless communication devices 11a to 11q. May be.

  In addition, the connection between the ground board 12 and the traversers 4a, 4b, 4c, and the connection between the ground board 12 and the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f are in the form of loops, respectively. For example, even when information transmission between the traverser 4a and the traverser 4b is cut off, the traverser 4b can receive information from the traverser 4c side, and can continue the operation of the article conveying apparatus 1. It has become.

  Further, anti-collision sensors 13a and 13b are attached to the front and rear portions of the traverser 4a. The collision prevention sensors 13a and 13b detect other traversers 4b, the ends of the rails 51, and the like, and the collision speed can be prevented by limiting or stopping the traveling speed. Similar collision prevention sensors 13c, 13d, 13e, 13f, 13l, 13m, 13n, 13o, 13p, and 13q are also attached to other traversers 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, and 4f, respectively (see FIG. 5).

  As shown in FIG. 1, on the left side (upper side of the paper surface) of the rail 51, carry-out conveyors 14 a, 15 a, and 16 a (load-in / out sections, articles) on which containers 2 carried out from a production line (not shown) are temporarily stocked Transfer locations) and carry-in conveyors 14b, 15b, 16b (load-in / out sections, article transfer locations) for carrying the container 2 into the production line (not shown) are provided. The traverser 4a in the group S1 can receive the container 2 from the carry-out conveyor 14a and can deliver the container 2 to the carry-in conveyor 14b. The traverser 4b of the group S2 can receive the container 2 from the carry-out conveyor 15a and can deliver the container 2 to the carry-in conveyor 15b. The traverser 4c of the group S3 can receive the container 2 from the carry-out conveyor 16a. And the container 2 can be delivered to the carry-in conveyor 16b. In this way, each traverser has a predetermined article transfer location for each group.

  On the right side (the lower side of the sheet) of the rail 52, the storage warehouse 3, a plurality of warehousing conveyors 17 (article transfer locations) and an output conveyor 18 (article transfer locations) that store and retrieve the containers 2 with respect to the storage warehouse 3. ) And are provided. The traverser 4d of the group S1 can receive the container 2 from the two delivery conveyors 18 in the group S1, and can deliver the container 2 to the two entry conveyors 17 in the group S1. Further, the traverser 4e of the group S2 can receive the containers 2 from the four delivery conveyors 18 in the group S2, and can deliver the containers 2 to the four receipt conveyors 17 in the group S2. In addition, the traverser 4f of the group S3 can receive the container 2 from the three delivery conveyors 18 in the group S3 and can deliver the container 2 to the three delivery conveyors 17 in the group S3. Yes. In this way, each traverser has a predetermined article transfer location for each group.

  A plurality of racks 19 for storing the containers 2 are arranged in the storage warehouse 3, and rails 20 are laid along the longitudinal direction of the racks 19 between the racks 19, 19. A crane 21 (article storage warehouse) travels, and the container 2 is loaded and unloaded between the stacker crane 21 and the rack 19.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-out conveyor and the carry-in conveyor are alternately arranged, and the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, and 16a and the carry-in conveyors 14b, 15b, and 16b form a pair of carry-in and carry-out conveyors, respectively.

  Similarly, the warehousing conveyor 17 and the warehousing conveyor 18 are alternately arranged, and the warehousing conveyor 17 and the warehousing conveyor 18 transfer the container 2 between the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f and the stacker crane 21. ing. For example, on the rear side (the rightmost side of the paper surface) of the article transporting apparatus 1, the warehousing conveyor 17, the warehousing conveyor 18, and the stacker crane 21 constitute a set of warehousing / unloading units S1-1.

  In this embodiment, a group S1 is constituted by the carry-out conveyor 14a and the carry-in conveyor 14b provided on the left side (upper side of the paper) of the rail 51, the loading / unloading units S1-1 and S1-2, the traverser 4a and the traverser 4d. ing. Similarly, the unloading conveyor 15a, the loading conveyor 15b, the loading / unloading units S2-1 to S2-4, the traverser 4b and the traverser 4e constitute a group S2, and the unloading conveyor 16a, the loading conveyor 16b, and the loading / unloading unit S3. A group S3 is configured by -1 to S3-3, the traverser 4c, and the traverser 4f.

  For example, when the container 2 is transported from the unloading conveyor 16a of the group S3 to the warehousing conveyor 17 of the loading / unloading unit S3-1, the traverser 4c and the traverser 4f of the group S3 perform the transportation. Further, when the container 2 is transported from the unloading conveyor 16a of the group S3 to the warehousing conveyor 17 of the loading / unloading unit S2-1, the traverser 4c of the group S3 and the traverser 4e of the group S2 perform the transportation. It is also possible to transfer between trucks between different groups of traversers.

  Here, the area on the rail 51 of the group S1 (the area on the right side from the dotted line on the right side in FIG. 1) is defined as the range in which the traverser 4a can move, from the carry-in conveyor 14b (article transfer location). The area between the carry-out conveyors 14a (article transfer locations) and beyond the carry-out conveyor 14a to the rear side of the rail 51 (the rightmost side of the paper) is a movable range. In addition, the area on the rail 52 of the group S1 is defined as a range in which the traverser 4d can move. ) Is a movable range. Moreover, the transfer between carts is possible in any of the overlapping areas X which are areas where the traverser 4a and the traverser 4d can move in parallel (see FIG. 1).

  Similarly, the region on the rail 51 corresponding to the carry-out conveyor 15a (article transfer location) to the carry-in conveyor 15b (article transfer location) in the group S2 (region between two dotted lines shown in FIG. 1) is a traverser. 4b is defined as the movable range, and on the rail 52 corresponding to the four sets of the receiving conveyor 17 (article transfer location) and the outgoing conveyor 18 (article transfer location) of the input / output unit S2 in the group S2. Is defined as a movable range of the traverser 4e. Moreover, the transfer between carts is possible in any of the overlapping areas Y, which are areas where the traverser 4b and the traverser 4e can move in parallel. Further, the traverser 4e can be moved between the carriages in any of the overlapping areas B, which are areas where the traverser 4a and the traverser 4e can move in parallel, and the traverser 4c and the traverser 4e can move in parallel. It is possible to transfer between trucks in any one of the overlapping areas A (see FIG. 1). In front of the rail 51 between the carry-out conveyor 16a (article transfer location) and the carry-in conveyor 16b (article transfer location) and beyond the carry-in conveyor 16b in the group S3 (the region on the left side from the dotted line on the left side of the drawing in FIG. 1) The area on the rail 51 corresponding to the side (the leftmost side of the page) is defined as a range in which the traverser 4c can move, and the three sets of the receiving conveyors 17 (the article transfer locations) of the receiving / sending unit S3 in the group S3. ) And the region on the rail 52 corresponding to the delivery conveyor 18 (article transfer location) is defined as a range in which the traverser 4f can move, and the traverser 4c and the traverser 4f can move in parallel. Transfer between trucks is possible in any one of the overlapping areas Z (see FIG. 1).

  The article conveying apparatus 1 in this embodiment performs inter-carriage transfer between traversers of the same group in the overlapping regions X, Y, and Z, and performs inter-carriage transfer between different groups of traversers in the overlapping regions A and B. It is like that. In this case, in each overlapping region, the adjacent traversers on the rails of both traversers that perform transfer between the trucks are defined as non-movable ranges. For example, in the overlap area A, the traverser 4c and the traverser 4e are areas in which transfer between the carriages is performed, so that the adjacent traverser 4b of the rail 51 is determined not to move to the overlap area A. The adjacent traverser 4f of the rail 52 is determined so as not to move to the overlapping area A. The same applies to the overlapping region B. In addition, since the traverser 4a and the traverser 4d perform the inter-carriage transfer for the overlapping area X, the traverser 4b adjacent to the rail 51 is determined so as not to move to the overlapping area X. 52 adjacent traversers 4e are determined so as not to move to the overlap region X. The same applies to the overlapping areas Y and Z. The traverser on each rail is controlled so as not to collide by traveling only within the movable range within the group. In the present embodiment, the distance on the rail 51 from the carry-out conveyor 14a to the carry-in conveyor 16b shown in FIG. 1 is set so that the last-stage entry conveyor 17 (the rightmost side of the paper surface) in the group S1 to the first-stage delivery conveyor 18 in the group S3. In the case where the distance is shorter than the distance on the rail 52 to the leftmost side of the paper, it is assumed that the frontage on the production line side is shorter than the frontage on the article storage warehouse side. For this reason, since the length on the rail in each group area | region of the rail 51 and the rail 52 differs, the traversable movable range of the rail 51 in the same group and the traversable movable range of the other rail 52 are different. The overlapping area is the range that can be transferred between trucks. For example, as described above, the movable range of the traverser 4b is an area on the rail 51 of the group S2, and this area is an article transfer set for the traverser 4a and traverser 4c adjacent to the traverser 4b of the rail 51. This is an area excluding at least the area between the carry-out conveyor 14a and the carry-in conveyor 14b (the range where the traverser 4b cannot be moved) and the area between the carry-out conveyor 16a and the carry-in conveyor 16b (the range where the traverser 4b cannot be moved). In addition, the movable range of the traverser 4e is an area on the rail 52 of the group S2, and this area is an entry transfer position defined for the traverser 4d and traverser 4f adjacent to the traverser 4e of the rail 52. An area corresponding to the two conveyors 17 (article transfer location) and the delivery conveyor 18 (article transfer location) of the delivery unit S1, and 3 sets of the delivery unit S3 in the group S3. This is an area excluding at least the area on the rail 52 corresponding to the warehousing conveyor 17 (article transfer location) and the delivery conveyor 18 (article transfer location) (traverser 4e non-movable range). Therefore, the overlap areas A, B, X, Y, and Z are determined so that the traverser transferable range in each group is the range excluding the traverser movable range in the adjacent group. It has been. As described above, since the area in which the adjacent traverser may operate is determined so as not to move, each traverser of the rail 51 or the rail 52 moves to the predetermined article transfer location. In doing so, the adjacent traversers do not come into contact with each other, and the movement of the adjacent traversers is not hindered. In addition, since each traverser of the rail 51 or the rail 52 is transferred between the carriages, the overlapping area is also excluded from the area where the traverser adjacent to the rail 51 or the rail 52 may operate. In this case, the adjacent traversers do not come into contact with each other, and the movement of the adjacent traversers is not hindered.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the optical wireless communication devices 11a to 11f, the switching hub 22, the travel motor 6 that travels the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c, and the container 2 are transferred to the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c. A transfer motor 7, an operation PLC 23 (control means, cart control means) for controlling the traveling motor 6 and the transfer motor 7, collision prevention sensors 13a to 13f, and a position detection sensor 10 are provided, respectively. The traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f include optical wireless communication devices 11j to 11q, a switching hub 22, a travel motor 6 that travels the traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f, and a transfer motor 7 that transfers the container 2. , An operation PLC 23 (control means, cart control means) for controlling the traveling motor 6 and the transfer motor 7, collision prevention sensors 13l to 13q, position detection A sensor 10, but are provided. As described above, each of the traversers 4a to 4f has the same configuration.

  The ground board 12 is provided with a carriage PLC 24 (control means, overall control means) that controls the traversers 4 a to 4 f in an integrated manner, and a switching hub 25. The switching hub 25 includes a carry-in / out conveyor PLC 26 for controlling the carry-out conveyors 14 a, 15 a, 16 a and the carry-in conveyors 14 b, 15 b, 16 b, and a loading / unloading conveyor PLC 27 for controlling the warehousing conveyor 17 and the delivery conveyor 18. It is connected.

  Next, the operation and control of the traversers 4a to 4f when carrying in / out and loading / unloading the container 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, when there is a conveyance request from the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, and 16a, the container 2 is carried out from the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, and 16a, and the container 2 is conveyed to the warehousing conveyor 17 through each traverser. The warehousing operation and control will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, there is a container 2 to be transported on the carry-out conveyors 15a and 16a, and there is no container 2 that needs to be carried on the carry-out conveyor 14a. For example, the container 2 from the carry-out conveyor 15a is conveyed to the warehousing conveyor 17 in the loading / unloading unit S2-1 via the traverser 4b and the traverser 4e, and the container 2 from the carry-out conveyor 16a is fed to the traverser 4c and the traverser. The case where it is conveyed to the warehousing conveyor 17 in warehousing / unloading unit S3-1 through 4f is demonstrated to an example.

  The traversers 4a, 4b, 4c are located on rails 51 corresponding to the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, 16a from which the containers 2 are carried out from the production line. When the container 2 is not transported on the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, and 16a, the carry-out conveyor is driven by the carry-in / out conveyor PLC 26, thereby moving the containers to the article transfer location of each traverser.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the container 2 arrives at one of the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, 16a, the conveyance request information is transmitted to the carriage PLC 24 in the ground board 12 by the carry-in / out conveyor PLC 26 via the switching hub 25. (See FIG. 6).

  The transport request information includes information on which carry-out conveyor is carrying out the container 2, and in this case, it is indicated that the carry-out conveyors 15 a and 16 a are carrying out. When the carriage PLC 24 receives the conveyance request information, the carriage PLC 24 transmits movement instruction information to the target carry-out conveyor to each operation PLC 23 in the traversers 4b and 4c corresponding to the carry-out conveyors 15a and 16a. Then, the travel motor 6 is simultaneously driven by the operation PLCs 23, and the traversers 4b and 4c are moved to positions corresponding to the carry-out conveyors 15a and 16a belonging to the respective groups in charge (see FIGS. 7 and 8). For example, when the position on the rail 51 corresponding to the transfer location from the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, 16a is determined as the initial position, the initial position as shown in FIGS. Since there are traversers 4a, 4b, 4c, no movement instruction is required.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the traversers 4b and 4c are moved to positions corresponding to the carry-out conveyors 15a and 16a, the operation PLCs 23 in the traversers 4b and 4c transmit movement completion information to the cart PLC 24, respectively.

  It is not necessary to transmit movement instruction information to the traverser 4a in charge of the group S1 to which the carry-out conveyor 14a to which no container 2 is to be transported belongs.

  The cart PLC 24 transmits the carry-out operation start instruction information of the carry-out conveyors 15a and 16a to the carry-in / out conveyor PLC 26, and the pull-in instruction information of the container 2 is given to the operation PLC 23 in the traverser 4b and the operation PLC 23 in the traverser 4c. Sent.

  While the operation of the carry-out conveyor 15a is started, the transfer motor 7 is driven by the operation PLC 23 to rotate the roller chain 8, and the container 2 is drawn into the upper surface of the traverser 4b, so that the container 2 is brought into the traverser 4b. At the same time, the carry-out conveyor 16a and the traverser 4c operate in the same manner, and the container 2 is transferred to the traverser 4c.

  Next, when the transfer of the container 2 to the traversers 4b and 4c is completed, transfer completion information is transmitted from the operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4b and the operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4c to the carriage PLC 24, and the carry-in / out conveyor PLC 26 When the dispensing of the container 2 is completed, the dispensing completion information is transmitted to the cart PLC 24.

  Next, in order to perform transfer between carriages, the carriage PLC 24 moves between carriages with respect to each operation PLC 23 of the traversers 4b and 4c and each operation PLC 23 of the traversers 4e and 4f of the corresponding group of the rail 52. The movement instruction information for instructing the movement to is transmitted. At this time, as the transfer position between the carriages, the carriage PLC 24 selects a more optimal position from the current positions of both traversers performing the transfer between the carriages and the overlapping area where the transfer between the carriages is possible. Specify the position to move. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, since the traverser 4b of the group S2 is in the overlapping area Y where transfer between trucks is possible and the traverser 4e is not in the overlapping area Y, the truck PLC 24 sets the transfer position between trucks. The position is determined as the position where the traverser 4b exists, and the traverser 4e is instructed to move to the position where the traverser 4b exists. Alternatively, if the carriage PLC 24 determines the inter-carriage transfer position as an intermediate position between the traverser 4b and the traverser 4e, the carriage PLC 24 instructs the traverser 4b and the traverser 4e to move to these intermediate positions. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the traverser 4f of the group S3 is located in the overlapping area Z that can be transferred between the carriages, and further at the position of the warehousing conveyor 17 in the warehousing unit S3-1 that is the warehousing destination. On the other hand, since the traverser 4c is not in the overlapping region Z, the carriage PLC 24 determines the inter-cart transfer position as the position where the traverser 4f exists, and instructs the traverser 4c to move to the position where the traverser 4f exists. The carriage PLC 24 receives the current position information detected by the position detection sensors 10 in the traversers 4a to 4f from the operation PLCs 23, thereby detecting the current position and instructing movement. In this way, the transfer position between the carriages can be determined as any optimal position within the overlapping region.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the traversers 4 c and 4 e are respectively moved to the inter-carriage transfer positions, and the operation PLCs 23 in the traversers 4 a to 4 f respectively transmit movement completion information to the car PLC 24.

  When the movement of the traverser is completed, the carriage PLC 24 transmits container transfer instruction information to the operation PLC 23 of the traversers 4b, 4e, 4c, and 4f, and the transfer instruction of the container 2 is made to each traverser.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the transfer motor 7 is driven by each operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4b and the traverser 4e to rotate the roller chain 8, and the container 2 is transferred from the traverser 4b to the upper surface of the traverser 4e. The transfer motor 7 is driven by each operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4c and the traverser 4f to rotate the roller chains 8 respectively, and the container 2 is transferred from the traverser 4c to the upper surface of the traverser 4f.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10, when the transfer of the container 2 to the traversers 4e and 4f is completed, transfer completion information is obtained from the operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4b and traverser 4e and the operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4c and traverser 4f. Each is transmitted to the cart PLC 24.

  Next, the cart PLC 24 selects the warehousing conveyor 17 to which the container 2 is transferred based on the information from the loading / unloading conveyor PLC 27 of the transport destination, and transmits the movement instruction information to each traverser 4. . In this embodiment, the warehousing conveyor 17 in the storage / unloading unit S2-1 is selected as the transport destination of the container 2 transported by the traverser 4e, and the transporting destination of the container 2 transported by the traverser 4f is in the storage / unloading unit S3-1. The case where the warehousing conveyor 17 is selected will be described as an example.

  When the transfer of the container 2 to the traverser 4e is completed, the movement instruction information to the warehousing conveyor 17 in the loading / unloading unit S2-1 is transmitted to the traverser 4e by the carriage PLC 24, and the loading / unloading unit S3- to the traverser 4f. 1 is transmitted to the warehousing conveyor 17. In this case, since the traverser 4f is already located at the transfer location corresponding to the warehousing conveyor 17 in the warehousing / unloading unit S3-1, it is not necessary to move, so it is not necessary to transmit the movement instruction information.

  Since the traverser 4a and the traverser 4c are located in the area within the group S1, the traversers do not collide with each other even if the adjacent traversers 4b and 4e move within the group S2.

  When the movement completion information is transmitted to the cart PLC 24 by each operation PLC 23 in the traverser 4e, 4f, the payout instruction information of the container 2 is transmitted to the operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4e, 4f by the cart PLC 24. The warehousing operation start instruction information of the warehousing conveyor 17 in the warehousing / unloading unit S2-1 and the warehousing conveyor 17 in the warehousing / unloading unit S3-1 is transmitted to the warehousing conveyor PLC27.

  The transfer motor 7 is driven by the operation PLC 23 in the traverser 4e, the container 2 is discharged from the traverser 4e to the warehousing conveyor 17 in the warehousing / unloading unit S2-1, and the warehousing conveyor 17 is driven to rack the container 2 It is moved in the 19 direction. The traverser 4f operates in the same manner, and the container 2 is transferred from the traverser 4f to the warehousing conveyor 17 in the warehousing / unloading unit S3-1.

  When the transfer of the container 2 is completed, the payout completion information is transmitted to the cart PLC 24 by each operation PLC 23 in the traversers 4e and 4f, and the transfer completion information is transmitted to the cart PLC 24 by the loading / unloading conveyor PLC27.

  The container 2 transferred to the warehousing conveyor 17 is transferred to the corresponding stacker crane 21 and then transferred to the rack 19 for storage. The stacker crane 21 in the storage warehouse 3 is controlled by another control device (not shown).

  Next, in FIG. 15, when there is a delivery request from the delivery conveyor 18, the delivery is performed when the container 2 is delivered from the delivery conveyor 18 and the container 2 is transported to the carry-in conveyors 14 b, 15 b, 16 b via each traverser. -Carry-in operation and control will be described. In this embodiment, a case where the container 2 to be transported is present on the delivery conveyor 18 of the entry / exit units S1-2, S2-1, S3-1 is taken as an example, and the entry / exit unit S1-2 The container 2 from the delivery conveyor 18 is conveyed to the carry-in conveyor 14b via the traverser 4d and traverser 4a, and the container 2 from the delivery conveyor 18 of the delivery unit S2-1 is passed through the traverser 4e and the traverser 4b. An example will be described in which the container 2 conveyed to the carry-in conveyor 15b and conveyed from the delivery conveyor 18 of the entry / exit unit S3-1 is conveyed to the carry-in conveyor 16b via the traverser 4f and the traverser 4c.

  When the delivery request information is transmitted from the delivery conveyor 18 to the carriage PLC 24 in the ground floor 12, the carriage PLC 24 moves to the delivery conveyor 18 where the container 2 to be delivered is located for each operation PLC 23 in the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f. Instruction information is transmitted. The output request information includes information on which output conveyor the container 2 is output from, and in this case, there is an output from the output conveyor 18 of the input / output units S1-2, S2-1, S3-1. Is shown.

  The trolley PLC 24 transmits movement instruction information to the unloading conveyor 18 for unloading the container 2 to the operation PLC 23 in the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f based on the unloading request information from the loading / unloading conveyor PLC27.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the traverser 4d is moved to a position corresponding to the delivery conveyor 18 in the loading / unloading unit S1-2, and the traverser 4e is moved to a position corresponding to the delivery conveyor 18 in the loading / unloading unit S2-1. When 4f is moved to a position corresponding to the delivery conveyor 18 in the entry / exit unit S3-2, the operation PLC 23 in the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f transmits movement completion information to the carriage PLC 24, respectively. Further, for example, when the position on the rail 52 corresponding to the transfer location of the unloading conveyor 18 is determined as the initial position and the unloading is performed from the initial position, an instruction to move the traverser is not necessary.

  And with the trolley PLC24, the delivery operation start instruction of the delivery conveyor 18 in the delivery unit S1-2, the delivery conveyor 18 in the delivery unit S2-1 and the delivery conveyor 18 in the delivery unit S3-2 with respect to the delivery conveyor PLC27 The information is transmitted, and the instructing instruction information of the container 2 is transmitted to the operation PLC 23 in the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f.

  The operation of the delivery conveyor 18 is started, the transfer motor 7 is driven by the operation PLC 23, the roller chain 8 rotates, the container 2 is drawn into the upper surface of the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f, and the container 2 is delivered to the delivery conveyor 18. Will be transferred to each traverser.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the transfer of the container 2 is completed with respect to the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f, transfer completion information is transmitted from the operation PLC 23 of the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f to the carriage PLC 24, respectively.

  Next, in order to perform transfer between the carriages, the carriage PLC 24 includes the operation PLCs 23 of the traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f of the rail 52, the operation PLCs 23 of the corresponding groups of the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c of the rail 51, In response to this, movement instruction information for instructing movement to the inter-trolley transfer position is transmitted. As the transfer position between the carriages at this time, as described above, a more optimal position of each overlapping area is selected and the position to move is indicated. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, since the traverser 4b of the group S2 is in the overlapping area Y where transfer between trucks is possible and the traverser 4e is not in the overlapping area Y, the truck PLC 24 sets the transfer position between trucks. The position is determined as the position where the traverser 4b exists, and the traverser 4e is instructed to move to the position where the traverser 4b exists. Alternatively, if the carriage PLC 24 determines the inter-carriage transfer position as an intermediate position between the traverser 4b and the traverser 4e, the carriage PLC 24 instructs the traverser 4b and the traverser 4e to move to these intermediate positions. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the traverser 4f of the group S3 is in the overlapping area Z that can be transferred between the carriages, while the traverser 4c is not in the overlapping area Z. The loading position is determined as the position where the traverser 4f exists, and the traverser 4c is instructed to move to the position where the traverser 4f exists. Similarly, for the group S1, the traverser 4d is in the overlapping area X where transfer between trucks is possible, and the traverser 4a is not in the overlapping area X. Therefore, the truck PLC 24 has the traverser 4d as the transfer position between trucks. The position is determined, and the traverser 4a is instructed to move to the position where the traverser 4d exists.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the traversers 4 a, 4 e, 4 c are moved to the inter-carriage transfer positions, and the operation PLCs 23 in the traversers 4 a to 4 f respectively transmit movement completion information to the car PLC 24.

  When the movement of the traverser is completed, the cart PLC 24 transmits container transfer instruction information to the operation PLC 23 of the traversers 4a to 4f, and the transfer instruction of the container 2 is given to each traverser.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the transfer motor 7 is driven by the operation PLCs 23 of the traverser 4a and traverser 4d to rotate the roller chains 8, respectively, and the container 2 is transferred from the traverser 4d to the upper surface of the traverser 4a. The transfer motor 7 is driven by each operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4e and the roller chain 8 is rotated, and the container 2 is transferred from the traverser 4e to the upper surface of the traverser 4b, and is transferred by the operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4c and traverser 4f. The loading motor 7 is driven to rotate the roller chains 8 respectively, and the container 2 is transferred from the traverser 4f to the upper surface of the traverser 4c.

  Next, when the transfer of the container 2 is completed with respect to the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c, transfer completion information is transmitted from the operation PLCs 23 of the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c to the cart PLC 24, respectively.

  Next, the carriage PLC 24 transmits movement instruction information to the carry-in conveyors 14b, 15b, and 16b in charge of the operation PLCs 23 in the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c, respectively. In this case, since the traverser 4c is already located at the transfer location corresponding to the carry-in conveyor 16b, it is not necessary to move, so that it is not necessary to transmit the movement instruction information.

  Each travel motor 6 is driven by each operation PLC 23 in the traversers 4a, 4b, 4c, the traverser 4a is moved to the carry-in conveyor 14b, the traverser 4b is moved to the carry-in conveyor 14b, and the traverser 4c is moved to the carry-in conveyor 15b. (See FIG. 14).

  When the movement completion information is transmitted to the cart PLC 24 by the operation PLCs 23 in the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c, the payout instruction information is transmitted to the operation PLCs 23 of the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c by the cart PLC 24.

  The transfer motor 7 is driven by the operation PLC 23 in the traverser 4a, and the container 2 is paid out from the traverser 4a to the carry-in conveyor 14b. Further, the transfer motor 7 is driven by the operation PLC 23 in the traverser 4b, and the container 2 is discharged from the traverser 4b to the carry-in conveyor 15b. The traverser 4c operates in the same manner, and the container 2 is transferred from the traverser 4c to the carry-in conveyor 16b.

  When the transfer of the container 2 is completed, payout completion information is transmitted to the carriage PLC 24 by each operation PLC 23 in the traversers 4a, 4b, 4c, and the transfer completion information is sent to the carriage PLC 24 by the PLC 27 of the carry-in / out conveyor. Is done.

  The containers 2 transferred to the carry-in conveyors 14b to 16b are carried into the production line by the carry-in conveyors.

  As described above, in the article transport apparatus 1, after the container 2 is transferred from the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, and 16a to the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c, the containers 2 are transferred to the traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f, and then transferred to the warehousing conveyor. It can be loaded and stored in the storage warehouse 3. Further, after the container 2 is transferred from the storage warehouse 3 to the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f, the containers 2 are transferred to the traversers 4a, 4b, 4c, and then transferred to the carry-in conveyors 14b, 15b, 16b. In the present embodiment, the case where the container 2 is unloaded to and loaded and the unloaded to loaded operation is performed in the same manner in all groups. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, unloading conveyors 15a and 16a are used. When the container 2 to be transported exists and the container 2 that needs to be transported does not exist on the carry-out conveyor 14a, the group S1 and the group S1 are operated in parallel with the above-described warehousing operation. In, you may perform the leaving operation. For example, in the group S2 and S3, the container 2 is carried out to the warehouse, and at the same time, in the group S1, the container 2 is transferred from the storage warehouse 3 to the traverser 4d, and then transferred to the traverser 4a. It is also possible to perform an unloading to carry-in operation such as transfer to the carry-in conveyor 14b.

  Further, in this embodiment, inter-carriage transfer between different groups of traversers can be performed. In this case, since the same transfer and movement control is performed for the above-described outer transfer (transfer in / out of the container 2 and transfer in and out of the container), the operation in the transfer between carriages will be described below.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 16, after the container 2 is transferred from the carry-out conveyor 16a to the traverser 4c and the transfer completion information and the payout completion information are transmitted, the traverser 4c and the traverser 4e are dolly. An explanation will be given by taking the case of performing the interim transfer as an example.

  In order to perform the transfer between carriages, the carriage PLC 24 moves to instruct the movement PLC 23 of the traverser 4c and the movement PLC 23 of the traversers 4e of different groups of the rails 52 to move to the transfer position between carriages. Send instruction information. At this time, as the transfer position between the carriages, the carriage PLC 24 selects a more optimal position from the current positions of both traversers performing the transfer between the carriages and the overlapping area where the transfer between the carriages is possible. Specify the position to move. In the present embodiment, the traverser 4c of the group S3 is in the overlapping area A in which the transfer between the carriages is possible, and if the traverser 4e is not in the overlapping area A, the carriage PLC 24 indicates the transfer position between the carriages in the traverser 4c. The position is determined as an existing position, and the traverser 4e is instructed to move to the position where the traverser 4c exists. When the movement of the traverser is completed, the carriage PLC 24 transmits container transfer instruction information to the operation PLC 23 of the traversers 4c and 4e, and the transfer instruction of the container 2 is given to each traverser. The same operation as described above is performed. After the container 2 is transferred, the container 2 is conveyed from the traverser 4e to the warehousing conveyor 17 in any of the warehousing units S2-1 to S2-4.

  At this time, for example, when the container 2 is transferred from the carry-out conveyor 15a to the traverser 4b, both the traversers 4b and 4c have the container 2, and both of them want to transfer to the traverser 4e. In this case, the carriage PLC 24 can determine the order of transfer and instruct each traverser. As for the transfer order, the priority order of the traversers may be determined in advance, and the transfer may be performed in the order of higher priority, or the transfer order is instructed to the carriage PLC 24 in the order of arrival of the movement completion information. It may be.

  Also in this case, the loading / unloading and loading / unloading of containers 2 in other groups, for example, loading / unloading of traverser 4d of group S1 and loading / unloading of traverser 4f of group S3 as shown in FIG. Can also be done.

  On the contrary, as shown in FIG. 17, the container 2 is transferred from the delivery conveyor 18 of the delivery unit S2-1 to the traverser 4e, and the transfer completion information and the delivery completion information are transmitted. Next, the case where inter-carriage transfer between the group traverser 4e and the traverser 4a will be described.

  In order to perform transfer between trucks, the truck PLC 24 instructs the movement PLC 23 of the traverser 4e of the rail 52 and the movement PLC 23 of the traversers 4a of different groups of the rails 51 to move to the transfer position between trucks. To send the movement instruction information. Also in this case, as the transfer position between the carriages, as described above, a position where the more optimal position of the overlapping region is selected and moved is indicated. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, when the traverser 4e is in the overlapping region B and the traverser 4a of the group S1 is not in the overlapping region B in which transfer between trucks is possible, the carriage PLC 24 sets the transfer position between trucks. The position is determined as the position where the traverser 4e exists, and the traverser 4a is instructed to move to the position where the traverser 4e exists. Alternatively, when considering that the carriage PLC 24 is subsequently transferred to the carry-in conveyor 14b, since there is a corresponding position of the carry-in conveyor 14b in the overlapping region B, the inter-cart transfer position corresponds to the carry-in conveyor 14b. The traverser 4a and the traverser 4e may be instructed to move to such positions. When the movement of the traverser is completed, the carriage PLC 24 transmits container transfer instruction information to the operation PLC 23 of the traverser 4a, 4e, and the transfer instruction of the container 2 is given to each traverser. The same operation as described above is performed. After the container 2 is transferred, the container 2 is conveyed from the traverser 4a to the carry-in conveyor 14b.

  At this time, for example, when the container 2 is also transferred from the delivery conveyor 18 of the entry / exit unit S1-2 to the traverser 4d, both the traversers 4d and 4e have the container 2, and both are connected to the traverser 4a. In the case where it is desired to perform the transfer, the carriage PLC 24 can determine the transfer order and give an instruction to each traverser as described above.

  Also in this case, the loading / unloading and loading / unloading of the containers 2 in other groups, for example, loading / unloading of the traverser 4d of the group S1 and loading / unloading of the traverser 4f of the group S3 as shown in FIG. Can also be done.

  As described above, the article transporting apparatus 1 can also perform inter-carriage transfer between the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c and the adjacent different groups of traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f. Thereby, for example, the transport conveyor 16a of the group S3 on the production line is transported via the traversers to the storage conveyor 17 of the group S2, and the container 2 is stored in the storage warehouse 3 of the group S2, and then the group 2 The container 2 is adjacent to the delivery conveyor 14b of the production line group S1 from the delivery conveyor 18 of the storage warehouse 3 of S2 via each traverser, such as group S3 → group S2 → group S1. By passing through the group to be transferred, it can be transferred to the production line or the storage warehouse 3 of all the groups. For this reason, when different processing is performed on the products in the container 2 in each group's production line, the products in the container 2 are moved one after another through the group in the production line and processed in each production line. Thus, it is possible to provide a process that can process a finished product. In this case, the storage warehouse 3 can be used for temporary storage between the processing of the production lines of each group.

  In this way, grouping is performed as in groups S1 to S3, and the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c and the traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f are in charge of the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, and 16a, and the carry-in conveyor 14b, respectively. 15b, 16b, warehousing conveyor 17 and warehousing conveyor 18 are moved in advance by defining a moving range, so that the movement of the adjacent traverser is not hindered. The unloading-loading operation and the unloading-loading operation can be performed in parallel for each group. In addition, for the overlapping area, the adjacent traversers on each rail of both traversers that perform inter-carriage transfer are defined as non-movable ranges, so the adjacent traversers do not move, so they are adjacent There is no contact between the traversers and the movement of the adjacent traverser is not hindered.

  As described above, in the article transport apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the plurality of traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c travel in a row, and the plurality of traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f that are arranged in parallel travel in a row. The article conveying device 1 includes a rail 52 and a carriage PLC 24 that controls movement of each of the traversers 4a to 4f. The carriage PLC 24 is outside the rail 51 and the rail 52 (the production line side or the storage warehouse 3 side). When the outer transfer is performed to transfer the article, the movement of the traversers 4a to 4f to the article transfer positions determined for each of the traversers 4a to 4f on each rail is controlled, and the traversers 4a and 4a of the rail 51 are controlled. 4b and 4c and the traversers 4a to 4f are arranged in parallel at the time of transfer between the carriages for transferring articles between the traversers 4d, 4e and 4f of the rail 52. The traversers 4a, 4b and 4c of the rail 51 and the traversers 4d, 4e and 4f of the rail 52 are articles defined for each traverser of each rail. The movable range of each rail is determined for each of the areas S1 to S3 including the transfer location, and the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c of the rails 51 perform the inter-carriage transfer and the traversers 4d of one or more rails 52. 4e and 4f are respectively defined, and the movable range of the traversers 4a to 4f that perform transfer between the trucks is an overlapping area A, B, X, and Y in which the traverser can be paralleled by the rail 51 and the rail 52. , Z, and the overlapping areas A, B, X, Y, Z are inaccessible to the traversers adjacent to each rail of both traversers that perform transfer between the trucks. It is defined as. The traversers 4a, 4b, 4c of the rail 51 are controlled to move by the carriage PLC 24, move to a predetermined article transfer location on the rail 51, transfer the article, and the traverser 4a of the rail 51 to which the article is transferred. , 4b, 4c and the corresponding traversers 4d, 4e, 4f of the rail 52 are controlled to move by the carriage PLC 24 and move to appropriate parallel positions where the transfer between the carriages can be performed. At this time, the position where both traversers are parallel includes the overlapping areas A, B, X, Y, Z in which the traverser can be paralleled by the rail 51 and the rail 52, and the overlapping areas A, B, X , Y, and Z are defined as non-movable ranges for adjacent traversers on both travel paths of both traversers that perform inter-carriage transfer. Therefore, the movement control by the bogie PLC 24 is controlled by the movable ranges of the respective traversers. The traverser does not come into contact only by controlling the movement at the point. The movement of the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f of the rail 52 to which the article has been transferred by inter-carriage transfer is controlled by the carriage PLC 24, and moves to a predetermined article transfer position on the rail 52 to transfer the article. On the other hand, movement control is similarly performed by the carriage PLC 24 for the transfer of articles from the article transfer location determined on the rail 52 to the article transfer location determined on the rail 51. Further, in parallel with the movement control being performed, the traverser of the rail 51 or the rail 52 other than the traverser of the rail 51 or the rail 52 performing the transfer between the carriages is controlled to move by the carriage PLC 24, Each article can be moved to a predetermined article transfer location to transfer the article, and between the traversers of the other rails 51 and the corresponding traversers of the rails 52, the transfer between the carriages can be performed in parallel. it can. Accordingly, the transfer between the carriages is performed at the positions in the overlapping areas A, B, X, Y, and Z where the traverser can be arranged in parallel between the rail 51 and the rail 52, and the overlapping areas A, B, X, Y, and Z is defined as a non-movable range for the adjacent traversers of the rails of both traversers that perform transfer between the trucks, so the adjacent traversers do not move, so the adjacent traversers are in contact with each other There is no such thing as preventing the movement of the adjacent traverser. In addition, each traverser of the rail 51 or the rail 52 has an article transfer location, so when each traverser of the rail 51 or the rail 52 moves to the article transfer location and transfers the article, Since the traverser of the adjacent rail 51 or the rail 52 does not move to a predetermined article transfer position, the adjacent traversers do not come into contact with each other, and the movement of the adjacent traversers is not hindered.

  Therefore, it is possible to increase the processing capacity by arranging the rail 51 and the rail 52 in parallel to increase the traverser, and it is possible to perform the movement and transfer simultaneously in parallel in each traverser. Articles can be transferred. In addition, the article transfer location to be transferred, the traverser for transferring between carriages, and the overlapping areas A, B, X, Y, and Z in which both traversers are parallel when transferring between carriages are determined in advance. Thus, by grouping and increasing the number of traversers, the movement control of each traverser can be prevented from becoming complicated, and the movement control can be performed more easily.

  In addition, a plurality of the article transfer locations can be arranged adjacent to each other on the movable range defined for the traverser of the rail 51 or the rail 52. When a plurality of article transfer locations are arranged adjacent to each other, for example, when a loading / unloading section (production line) for loading / unloading is provided on the rail 51 side, the loading conveyors 14b, 15b, 16b By providing the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, and 16a separately and providing the article transfer locations for each of them, the position where the traverser is transferred differs depending on whether it is loaded or unloaded. It can be adapted to carry-in and continuous carry-out. Further, for example, when the storage warehouse 3 is provided on the rail 52 side, a plurality of storage conveyors 17 and output conveyors 18 for the storage warehouse 3 are provided. Articles can be loaded into and unloaded from the conveyor 17 and the shipping conveyor 18, respectively.

  Further, when the carry-in conveyor 15b and the carry-out conveyor 15a or the carry-in conveyor 17 and the carry-out conveyor 18 defined for each traverser of the rail 51 or the rail 52 are arranged adjacent to each other, the rail 51 or the rail 52 The traversers 4b and 4e move between the adjacent carry-in conveyor 15b and the carry-out conveyor 15a, or between the carry-in conveyor 17 and the carry-out conveyor 18, so that the carry-in conveyor 14b and the carry-out conveyor defined for the adjacent traversers 4a and 4c are used. By controlling the movement of the transfer between the carriages as a position in the movable range excluding between the carry-in conveyor 16b and between the carry-in conveyor 16b and the carry-out conveyor 16a, between the carry-in conveyor 14b and the carry-out conveyor 14a, Travers that move between trucks between the carry-out conveyor 16a Are adjacent to each other, when the adjacent traversers 4a and 4c move between the defined carry-in conveyor 14b and the carry-out conveyor 14a, or between the carry-in conveyor 16b and the carry-out conveyor 16a, the adjacent traversers 4a and 4b. 4c does not come into contact with each other, and the movement of the adjacent traverser is not hindered.

  In addition, the carry-in conveyors 14b, 15b, and 16b of the rail 51 and the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, and 16a are carry-in / out article transfer locations in the production line for carrying in / out the articles, and the traversers 4a, 4b, 4c of the rail 51 are provided. The goods are transferred by the carry-in conveyors 14b, 15b, and 16b and the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, and 16a, and the warehousing conveyor 17 and the warehousing conveyor 18 on the rail 52 are used to move the goods in and out in the storage warehouse 3 for warehousing and loading goods. The traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f of the rail 52 transfer articles by the warehousing conveyor 17 and the warehousing conveyor 18. According to this, the articles carried out from the production line for carrying in / out the articles are transferred to the traversers 4a, 4b, 4c of the rail 51 by the carry-out conveyors 14a, 15a, 16a. The traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c of the rail 51 to which the unloaded articles are transferred perform inter-trolley transfer with the traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f of the rail 52, respectively. The traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f of the rail 52 to which the loaded articles are transferred can transfer the articles by the warehousing conveyor 17 so that the articles are stored in the storage warehouse 3 or the like from the warehousing conveyor 17. Conversely, the articles delivered from the delivery conveyor 18 are transferred to the traversers 4d, 4e, 4f of the rail 52. The traversers 4d, 4e, and 4f of the rail 52 to which the delivered article is transferred perform the transfer between the carriages with the traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c of the rail 51, respectively. The traversers 4a, 4b, and 4c of the rail 51 to which the articles are transferred transfer the articles to the carry-in conveyors 14b, 15b, and 16b, and the carry-in conveyors 14b, 15b, and 16b receive the articles that have been delivered from the storage warehouse 3. Can be brought into the production line.

  By controlling in this way, adjacent traversers 4a, 4b, 4c can be prevented from interfering with each other, and the control conditions can be simplified so that even a simple cart PLC 24 at a low cost can be controlled.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and modifications and additions within the scope of the present invention are included in the present invention. It is.

  For example, in the embodiment, three traversers are provided on each rail, but two or four or more may be combined.

  In the above embodiment, one traverser 4a, 4b, 4c and one traverser 4d, 4e, 4f are assigned to each group S1 to S3, but a plurality of traversers 4a, 4e, 4f are assigned to each group S1 to S3. A traverser may be assigned and operated.

1 article transport device 2 container (article)
3 Storage warehouse 4a, 4b, 4c Traverser (goods transport cart)
4d, 4e, 4f Traverser (goods transport cart)
51, 52 rail (traveling road)
10 Position detection sensor 12 Ground (ground part)
14a Unloading conveyor (loading / unloading section, article transfer location)
14b Carry-in conveyor (loading / unloading part, article transfer location)
15a Unloading conveyor (loading / unloading part, article transfer point)
15b Carry-in conveyor (loading / unloading part, article transfer location)
16a Unloading conveyor (loading / unloading section, article transfer location)
16b Carry-in conveyor (loading / unloading part, article transfer point)
17 Warehousing conveyor (item transfer location)
18 Unloading conveyor (item transfer location)
21 Stacker crane (goods storage warehouse)
23 Operation PLC (control means, cart control means)
24 cart PLC (control means, general control means)
26 Carry-in / out conveyor PLC
27 Loading / unloading conveyor PLC

Claims (3)

An article conveying apparatus comprising first and second traveling paths arranged side by side in which a plurality of article conveying carts travel in a row, and a control means for controlling movement of the article conveying carts in each traveling path,
The control means is configured to transfer the article to an article transfer location determined for each article transport carriage on each traveling path when transferring an article to the outside of the first and second traveling paths. Controlling the movement of the transport carriage, and transporting both articles when transferring the article between the article transport carriage on the first travel path and the article transport carriage on the second travel path. Control the movement of both goods transport carts to the position where the carts are in parallel,
Each article transport carriage on the first travel path and each article transport carriage on the second travel path each run for each region including an article transfer location determined for each article transport carriage on each travel path. The movable range on the road is defined,
Each article transport cart on the first travel path is defined as an article transport cart on the second travel path that performs the inter-carriage transfer, and the movable range of the article transport cart that performs the inter-carriage transfer Includes an overlapping region in which the article transport carriage is in a parallel state on the first travel path and the second travel path, and the overlap area includes both article transport carriages that perform transfer between the trucks. Adjacent article transport carts on each of the travel routes are defined as non-movable ranges,
The article transporting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one article transporting carriage on the first traveling path has an overlapping region in parallel with the plurality of article transporting carriages on the second traveling path.   The plurality of article transfer locations are arranged adjacent to each other on the movable range defined with respect to the article transport carriage on the first or second traveling path. The article conveying apparatus according to the description. The article transfer location on the first travel path is an article transfer location for loading / unloading at a load / unload section for loading / unloading articles, and each article transport carriage on the first travel path is used for loading / unloading. The goods are transferred at the article transfer location,
The article transfer location on the second traveling path is an article transfer location for loading / unloading in an input / output section for loading / unloading articles, and the article transport cart on the second traveling path is the article for loading / unloading. The article conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article is transferred at the transfer location.

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