JP5882810B2 - Conveying device and article storage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transfer device, and more particularly to a transfer device suitable for an article storage device that temporarily stores a plurality of articles. The present invention also relates to an article storage apparatus provided with the transport device.

  In facilities such as distribution centers and large warehouses, large quantities of goods are handled every day. For example, in the case of a large warehouse, large shelf frames are arranged in a plurality of rows. Here, each shelf frame body is a long and thin one having a total length of 10 meters or more, and there are a plurality of shelf boards.

  In such facilities, in general, articles placed on pallets, etc. are carried into a shelf frame having a plurality of heights using a self-propelled transport device (material handling equipment with a self-propelled function) such as a forklift. Or are carrying out. The depth at which the forklift can carry into and out of the shelf frame is limited by the length of the forklift claw (fork). Specifically, the depth that can be carried into and out of the shelf frame by a forklift is at most one pallet. Therefore, loading / unloading of articles with respect to the shelf frame body must be performed from the direction with the longitudinal side of the shelf frame body as the front (hereinafter also referred to as the article loading / unloading surface of the shelf frame body).

In view of such circumstances, none of the shelf frames can be arranged so as to pack another shelf frame on the article entry / exit surface side. In other words, in a warehouse or the like where a plurality of shelf frames are installed, it is necessary to form a passage having a certain width or more between the shelf frames in order to secure a space where the forklift can move. is there. Therefore, in a warehouse with only a limited area, the amount of articles that can be handled is limited by the passage provided between the shelf frames and the quantity of articles will soon reach the limit. .
Therefore, as a countermeasure against such a problem, it is conceivable to use an article storage facility as disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an article storage facility in which a plurality of short conveyors are connected to a shelf frame. In this article storage facility, articles are carried from one side in the longitudinal direction of the shelf frame by a forklift, placed on each conveyor driven by an electric motor, and transported between the conveyors, whereby the article is placed in the shelf frame. Can be stored. And the stored article can be carried out arbitrarily from the other side in the longitudinal direction of the shelf frame by a forklift. In other words, since a plurality of articles can be arranged in series in the depth direction (longitudinal direction) of the shelf frame body, the passage between the shelves, which has been indispensable in the past, is no longer necessary. It is possible to increase the occupation ratio. That is, even in a facility having a limited area, the amount of articles that can be handled can be increased, and more articles can be handled than before.

  However, in the article storage facility disclosed in Patent Document 1, a stock detection means (stock sensor) is indispensable for each of a plurality of short conveyors, which takes time for wiring work. In addition, when adding or deleting a new conveyor to an existing conveyor, wiring work for the stock detection means is required, and there is a complaint that specification changes (layout changes) cannot be easily performed. there were.

  Therefore, in Patent Document 2, in order to eliminate such dissatisfaction, no stock detection means is required, no load is placed on the conveyor, and the article is placed on the conveyor. A transport device is disclosed that can determine the presence or absence of an article based on the difference in the number of pulses with respect to the state.

JP 2002-347914 A JP 2004-18184 A

  However, in the conveyance device disclosed in Patent Document 2, depending on the state of the article, the presence or absence of the article on the conveyor cannot be accurately determined, and there is a dissatisfaction that causes problems in the conveyance of the article thereafter. .

  Therefore, in the present invention, in view of the problems of the prior art, the wiring work is easy, and the article storage that can make the specification change (change of the layout) easily and can perform the stock determination with higher accuracy. It is an object to provide an apparatus and a transfer apparatus.

The invention according to claim 1, which is provided to solve the above-described problem, is a transport device capable of performing a basic transport operation for transporting an article from at least an article carry-in side to an article carry-out side, and arranged in series. Divided into a plurality of control zones, each control zone is provided with at least one drive source that contributes to the conveyance of the article, and the plurality of control zones are located at the end on the article carry-in side. And an unloading control zone located at the end of the article unloading side, and an intermediate control zone located in an intermediate region located between them, and at least the loading control zone and unloading control zone of the control zone Is provided with a stock detection means, and at least the intermediate control zone is provided with a stock judgment function for detecting stock information of an article, and the stock judgment function is adjacent to the conveyance direction. It is possible to drive the control source of the control zone so that articles are conveyed in different directions, and to determine whether there is a load based on a load that can occur in the drive source or a change caused by the load. It is the conveying apparatus characterized by this.
The “article” as used herein refers to a single pallet on which products, parts, and the like are placed, or a combination of the pallet alone and products, parts, and the like.

  The conveyance device according to the present invention basically includes a loading control zone located at the end of the article carry-in side and an intermediate control zone located between the carry-out control zone located at the end of the article carry-out side. It is set as the structure which does not need to provide. That is, the conveyance device of the present invention can detect the presence or absence of an article in the intermediate control zone without using the inventory detection means, and can control the conveyance of the article based on the detected inventory information. This is a so-called sensorless transfer device. In the present invention, the presence / absence of an article in the intermediate control zone is determined by the presence determination function.

  Specifically, in the presence determination function, a drive source in a control zone adjacent to the conveyance direction (hereinafter also simply referred to as an adjacent control zone) is driven so that articles are forcibly conveyed in different directions. In this case, the presence or absence of an article on the control zone is determined based on a load that can occur in the drive source or a change caused by the load (hereinafter referred to as a load or the like). In other words, in the presence determination function, the conveyance direction (hereinafter also referred to as the driving direction) by the driving source of the adjacent control zone is controlled in the direction in which the articles are pressed against each other or in the direction in which the article is pulled apart. It is easy to detect a load or the like that can occur in the system.

  For example, when the stock determination function is executed in a state where an article is placed across two or more control zones, the article may be pressed or separated depending on the drive direction of adjacent control zones. And almost stationary. That is, in the state where the article is straddled between two or more control zones, it acts so that the driving force of each drive source in the adjacent control zone cancels through the placed article, so the article is simply transported. A load higher than the case can be generated. In addition, when a stock determination function is executed with one article placed in one control zone, a normal load corresponding to the weight of the article is applied to the drive source of the control zone. Etc. can be generated. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably generate a load or the like on the drive source regardless of the arrangement of the article with respect to the control zone. Can increase the reliability. In particular, this inventory determination function is more effective when the article is placed between two or more control zones, as is clear from the above-described contents. The time for determining the presence or absence of an article can be shortened. This will be described below.

  For example, when the case where the presence / absence of an article is determined by controlling the driving direction of the control zone in the same direction using the technique of Patent Document 2, the article is placed across two or more control zones. In such a state, unlike the present invention, the driving force of the driving source does not act to cancel each other through the article. That is, in Patent Document 2, only a driving force in one direction acts on the article. Specifically, the drive directions of the control zones adjacent to each other in the transport direction are the same direction. In addition, in this case, the article is conveyed, and the load or the like that can be generated in the drive source is reduced. As a result, in the other control method studied, when an article is placed across two or more control zones, there is a possibility that the load of the driving source cannot be accurately detected. Therefore, when determining the presence or absence of an article placed across two or more control zones by this control, the article is first deviated from the state of straddling two or more control zones, and one control is performed. Unless it is placed in the zone, the load of the driving source cannot be confirmed accurately. That is, when the conventional technique is simply used, the number of steps required for the presence determination increases, and the determination operation becomes longer.

  On the other hand, the conveyance device of the present invention controls the drive source of the adjacent control zone so that the articles are forcibly conveyed in mutually different directions, so that the articles can be accurately arranged regardless of the arrangement. The presence / absence of an article can be quickly determined. As described above, in the intermediate control zone, it is not necessary to continuously monitor the presence / absence of a load in the intermediate control zone, and therefore the “load detection means” is purposely installed in the intermediate control zone. There is no need to do. As a result, the installation work is significantly reduced compared with the conventional case, so that the wiring work is facilitated. Similarly, when changing specifications (layout changes) such as adding or deleting conveyors, no trouble is required for wiring work.

  In the transport apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that at least one of the carry-in control zone and the carry-out control zone is provided with a stock detection means. (Claim 2)

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the presence determination function determines that there is an article, the article position confirmation operation is executed. The article position confirmation operation is performed from the carry-out control zone or the carry-in control zone. 3. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving device is driven in order.

According to this configuration, since the drive source is driven in order from the carry-out control zone or the carry-in control zone by the article position confirmation operation, the arrangement of the articles placed in the control zone is surely recognized. Can be made. That is, when it is determined that there are articles in both adjacent control zones, whether one article is placed across the adjacent control zones or one article is placed in the adjacent control zone. When it is uncertain whether it is placed, it is possible to determine which state it is.
Specifically, in the article position confirmation operation, whether or not a load or the like is applied to the drive source of the other control zone is monitored while one of the adjacent control zones is driven. That is, it is confirmed whether the power of the driven control zone is transmitted to the non-driven control zone through the article. Therefore, if power is transmitted through the article and a load or the like occurs in the drive source of the other control zone, it can be determined that one article is placed across adjacent control zones, If no power is transmitted through the article and no load or the like is generated in the drive source of the other control zone, it can be determined that the article is individually placed in the adjacent control zone.
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to more reliably recognize the arrangement of the article by the article position confirmation operation, so that the article can be stably conveyed to a desired position during the basic conveyance operation. Can do.

  In the invention according to claim 4, it is determined by the presence determination function that both control zones adjacent to the conveyance direction are present, and adjacent to the driven control zone in the article position confirmation operation. When a load or a change caused by the load occurs in the drive source of the control zone, the article placed in the adjacent control zone is transported to any one of the adjacent control zones. It is a conveyance apparatus of Claim 3.

  According to this configuration, when it is confirmed that one article is placed across the adjacent control zones, the article is moved to one of the adjacent control zones. Therefore, the subsequent conveyance of the article in the basic conveyance operation becomes more stable. For example, at this time, if the article is moved to the control zone on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, the subsequent basic conveyance operation becomes stable and efficient.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, an article placed in an adjacent control zone is transferred to the control zone of any one of the adjacent control zones after the execution of the presence determination function and the article position confirmation operation. In the case of transporting to the other, the drive source of one of the adjacent control zones is driven, and the drive source is based on the total length of the other control zone in the transport direction. It is driven, It is a conveying apparatus of Claim 4.

  According to such a configuration, when the article placed across the adjacent control zones is moved to one control zone after the execution of the presence determination function and the article position confirmation operation, Since the drive source is driven based on the total length of the other control zone in the transport direction, the article placed between the zones is transported to a position that reliably deviates from the other control zone. can do. That is, in the present invention, the drive source of the other control zone is driven, but the situation where the article still straddles the other control zone and one control zone still occurs. I don't get it.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the basic transport operation, an article is transported from the upstream side in the transport direction with reference to the self control zone, and the self control zone is caused by a load or a load on the drive source of the self. The drive source of its own control zone is driven on the condition that the change has been confirmed. Even though the article has been transported to its own control zone, the load of its own control zone is loaded on its drive source. Alternatively, when a change caused by a load is not confirmed, the drive source of the control zone adjacent to the control zone or the upstream side of the control zone in the transport direction is driven. It is a conveyance apparatus in any one of.

  According to such a configuration, even when an article is transported to its own control zone, a load or the like does not occur in the drive source of its own control zone, or a load or the like has occurred but is too weak to be confirmed. In particular, even if only a pallet for transportation or a light article having a weight less than a certain amount is placed on the pallet, the article is surely carried into its own control zone. be able to. That is, according to the present invention, even if the article is not confirmed to be carried into the control zone and the drive source of the control zone is not driven, the control zone is forcibly forced. Alternatively, since the drive source of the control zone adjacent to the upstream side of the own control zone in the transport direction is driven, the article being transported does not stop at a halfway position. As a result, even when lightweight objects are mixed and conveyed, the articles do not collide with each other and smooth conveyance of the articles can be ensured.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the drive source is a motor, and the presence determination function drives the motor while limiting the duty of the motor within a certain range. It is a conveyance apparatus in any one.
The “motor duty” here means the actual output torque of the motor / the maximum torque of the motor.

  According to such a configuration, the motor duty can be limited to within a certain range, and the drive can be easily detected. For example, if the duty of the motor is limited to a low range of about 5 to 10%, the load due to the weight of the article may be close to or more than the driving force of the motor. That is, a state where a high load is applied is formed in the motor. That is, according to the present invention, if an article is placed on the control zone, a state in which a high load is applied to the motor is easily formed, so the lower limit of the weight of the article that can detect the load or the like is lowered. Can do. As a result, the condition for acquiring the inventory information by the inventory determination function is relaxed, so that the application range of the inventory determination function can be expanded. In addition to this, by limiting the duty to a small range, there is no possibility that the article on the control zone will be violated by the driving force of the motor when the stock determination function is performed.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the stock determination function is executed when power is turned on and / or when power is restored. is there.

As described above, in the present invention, it is not necessary to provide a stock detection means in the intermediate control zone. Therefore, when the inventory information in the control zone in the intermediate area is lost during an unexpected power down or power failure, it is necessary to obtain the inventory information by some means.
In the present invention, since the stock determination function is executed when the power is turned on and / or when the power is restored, even if the power is down and the stock information is lost, the presence / absence and position of articles in each control zone, etc. Can be obtained again.

  The invention according to claim 9 is an article storage device that has a plurality of storage sections arranged in series and temporarily stores a plurality of articles, and transports the articles from at least the article carry-in side to the article carry-out side. The transport device is installed across the storage sections, and the control zone is divided for each storage section, and further contributes to the transport of articles to each control zone. At least one drive source is provided, and the control zone includes a carry-in control zone located at an end portion on the article carry-in side, a carry-out control zone located at an end portion on the article carry-out side, and a gap therebetween. The intermediate control zone located in the intermediate region is located, and at least the carry-in control zone and the carry-out control zone of the control zones are provided with stock detection means, and at least in the intermediate control zone. A stock determination function for detecting the stock information of an article is provided, and the stock judgment function drives a drive source of a control zone adjacent to the transport direction so that the goods are transported in different directions, An article storage device characterized by determining whether there is a load based on a load that can occur in the drive source or a change caused by the load.

  Since the article storage device of the present invention drives the driving source of the adjacent control zone so that the articles are forcibly conveyed in different directions, the presence / absence of the articles can be accurately and quickly detected regardless of the arrangement of the articles. Can be determined. In other words, in the article storage device of the present invention, it is no longer necessary to continuously monitor the presence / absence of a load in the intermediate control zone of the transfer device. There is no need to install it. As a result, the installation work of the stock detection means in the transport device is significantly reduced compared to the conventional case, and wiring work is facilitated. Similarly, when changing specifications (layout changes) such as adding or deleting conveyors, no trouble is required for wiring work.

  The transport apparatus and the article storage apparatus of the present invention drive the drive source of the control zone adjacent in the transport direction so that the articles are transported in different directions, and are caused by a load or a load that can be generated in the drive source. Since the presence / absence of an article is determined based on the change to be made, the inventory information can be obtained without requiring inventory detection means. Thereby, since the installation quantity of the stock detection means is remarkably reduced, the wiring work is facilitated. In addition, the specification change such as addition or deletion of the conveyor is facilitated.

It is a perspective view which shows a part of article storage apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the top view which showed typically the conveying apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram of the control apparatus provided in the carrying-in zone of FIG. It is a block diagram of the control apparatus provided in the storage zone of FIG. It is a block diagram of the control apparatus provided in the carrying-out zone of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the front-packing storage operation | movement (basic conveyance operation | movement) in a carrying-in zone. It is a flowchart which shows the front-packing storage operation | movement (basic conveyance operation | movement) in a storage zone. It is a flowchart which shows the front-packing storage operation | movement (basic conveyance operation | movement) in a carrying-out zone. (A)-(e) is explanatory drawing which shows each state at the time of the front-packing storage operation | movement (basic conveyance operation | movement) of a conveying apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows each operation | movement when one normal article is mounted in one control zone, (a) shows the stock determination operation of a conveying apparatus, (b) performs operation | movement of (a). The position confirmation operation after being performed is shown. It is explanatory drawing which shows each operation | movement when a normal article | item is straddled across a some control zone, (a) shows the stock determination operation | movement of a conveying apparatus, (b) and (c) are (a). The position confirmation operation after the above operation is executed is shown, and (d) shows the position confirmation operation after the position confirmation operation is executed. It is a flowchart which shows the normal stock determination operation | movement of a conveying apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process until a special stock determination operation | movement is performed, (a) shows normal stock determination operation, (b) shows the determination result of each control zone after the operation of (a). , (C) shows a front-packing storage operation, and (d) shows a lightweight article conveyance operation. It is explanatory drawing which shows the process until a special stock determination operation | movement is performed, and a special stock determination operation, (e) shows the stock information which each control zone recognizes after the operation | movement of FIG.13 (d), ( f) shows the special presence determination operation, and (g) shows the determination result of each control zone after the operation of (f). It is a flowchart which shows a lightweight article conveyance operation | movement. It is a perspective view of the conveying apparatus used for an article storage apparatus. FIG. 17 is a perspective view focusing on one control zone of the transport apparatus of FIG. 16. It is sectional drawing of the roller with a built-in motor employ | adopted with the conveying apparatus of FIG. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a roller body rotating idle roller employed in the conveying device of FIG. 16. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a main body / support shaft-integrated idling roller employed in the conveyance device of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a conveying apparatus.

Hereinafter, the article storage apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the article storage device 1 according to the present embodiment includes an upper and lower storage shelves 2 constituting a rack, and a transport device 3 provided on each of the upper and lower storage shelves 2. .
Here, in the following, for easy understanding, a simple conveyor model will be described first, and a specific mechanical configuration of the transport device 3 of the present embodiment will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the article storage device 1 is formed with a frame that can store products, parts, and the like placed on the pallet P (a collective name of the pallet P and products, articles, etc. is referred to as an article Wp). The storage shelf 2 has a plurality of storage sections A to E (five in the model of FIG. 2) arranged in series in the storage shelf 2. Each storage section A to E is a section that can store one article etc. Wp, and can store a total of five articles etc. Wp in series. Moreover, the conveyance apparatus 3 is installed in each storage division AE, and the said conveyance apparatus 3 is installed so that the conveyance direction may straddle the storage divisions A-E.

  In this embodiment, the control zones A to E of the transport device 3 are set so as to correspond to the storage sections A to E, respectively, and the direction X from the article loading side to the article unloading side, specifically, The direction in which the articles Wp flow from the control zone A to the control zone E is defined as the transport direction X on the traveling side. That is, the articles Wp carried in from the control zone A proceed in the order of the control zones B to D and are carried out from the control zone E. Therefore, the control zone A is a control zone located at the end (most upstream) on the article carry-in side, and functions as a “carry-in zone”. Conversely, the control zone E is a control zone located at the end (most downstream) on the article carry-out side, and functions as a “carry-out zone”. The control zones B to D located between them are intermediate zone control zones and function as storage zones.

  Each of the control zones A to E has a motor (drive source) 21 (motor built-in roller 7), which will be described later, and control devices 101 to 105, respectively. Control devices 101 to 105 are connected to the motors 21 included in the control zones A to E, respectively. The control devices 101 to 105 are connected in a daisy chain, that is, electrically connected in series.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the control device 101 provided in the carry-in zone A includes a microcontroller 120, a motor drive circuit 121, an I / O circuit 122, a communication circuit 123, and a dip switch 127. ing.

The microcontroller 120 is an integrated circuit including a conventionally known CPU 124, ROM 125, RAM (stock storage means) 126, and the like.
The CPU 124 is a central processing unit that can execute control programs, instructions, and the like, and is a so-called processor.
The ROM 125 is a storage device configured by an EEPROM, a flash memory, or the like, and can store a control program and the like.
The RAM 126 is a storage device configured by SRAM, DRAM, or the like, and is a so-called main memory. The RAM 126 stores the above-mentioned “stock information” and the like. In particular, the RAM 126 can store information on whether an article is present in its own or other control zone.

  The motor drive circuit 121 is a conventionally known driver circuit capable of controlling the motor 21 (motor built-in roller 7), and can turn the motor 21 on / off, adjust the speed, and the like.

  The I / O circuit 122 is an interface circuit for transmitting / receiving signals to / from an external device. A proximity switch 111, an infrared sensor 112, and an extraction switch 113 are connected to the I / O circuit 122.

  The proximity switch 111 is a non-contact type magnetic sensor, and detects proximity / separation of metal. The proximity switch 111 can detect that a part of a self-propelled transport device such as a forklift that is an external device (a metal claw or the like) has approached or separated from its own control zone.

  The infrared sensor 112 is a sensor that can detect the presence or absence of an article without contact. The infrared sensor 112 includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, and detects the presence / absence of an article by reflecting the infrared ray emitted from the light emitting unit to the article Wp or the like and receiving the light.

  The take-out switch 113 is a conventionally known push button switch, and is a switch that can reverse the conveyance direction X of the article Wp. In other words, the take-out switch 113 is configured to carry out the article removal from the article carry-in side from the article carry-in side to the article carry-out side, from the article carry-out side to the article carry-in side, or from the article carry-out side to the article carry-in side. A signal that reverses in the direction toward the side can be transmitted.

  The communication circuit 123 is a circuit for communicating with other control devices. In the present embodiment, the communication circuit 123 connects the control devices 101 to 105 in the adjacent control zones A to E in the transport direction X, and is downstream of the control zone A in the transport direction X. B is a communication means for receiving “stock information” indicating whether or not an article 80 exists in B.

  The DIP switch 127 is a manual switch for setting switching. In the present embodiment, it is possible to switch the transport direction, switch the transport speed, and the like by operating the dip switch 127. Further, by switching the dip switch 127, the control device 101 can be used as a control device for “storage zone” control. Furthermore, by switching the DIP switch 127, the control device 101 can be used as a control device for “carrying zone” control, and conversely, the control device 105 can be used as a control device for “carrying zone” control.

  Since the control devices 102 to 104 provided in the storage zones B to D have basically the same configuration as the control device 101 described above, in the following description, they have the same members or the same functions. Parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the control devices 102 to 104 provided in the storage zones B to D include a microcontroller 120, a motor drive circuit 121, an I / O circuit 122, a communication circuit 123, and a dip switch. 127. Each of the control devices 102 to 104 can receive “in-stock information” indicating whether or not an article etc. Wp is present in the control zone on the article carry-out side of the control zone. “In-stock information” indicating whether or not an article Wp is present can be transmitted to a control device on the article carry-in side.

  More specifically, the positional relationship for transmitting and receiving “in-stock information” in the storage zones B to D will be described. The article delivery side of the control device 102 (control device in the control zone B) is the control device 103 (control zone). C control device), and the article carry-in side is the control device 101 (control device in the control zone A). Similarly, the article carry-out side of the control device 103 (control device in the control zone C) is the control device 104 (control device in the control zone D), and the article carry-in side is the control device 102 (control device in the control zone B). . Further, the article carry-out side of the control device 104 (control device in the control zone D) is the control device 105 (control device in the control zone E), and the article carry-in side is the control device 103 (control device in the control zone C).

  In the present embodiment, nothing is connected to the I / O circuit 122 of the control devices 102 to 104. That is, the I / O circuit 122 of the control devices 102 to 104 has a sensorless configuration in which not only the proximity switch 111 and the extraction switch 113 but also the infrared sensor 112 is not connected. Therefore, in this embodiment, in the control devices 102 to 104, the presence determination function for determining whether or not an article Wp is present in its own control zone (control zones B to D), and the own control zone A conveyance detection function for detecting that the article 80 is being conveyed is provided. The presence determination function and the conveyance detection function will be described in detail when the operation of the conveyance device 3 is described.

  Since the control device 105 provided in the carry-out zone E has basically the same configuration as the control device 101 described above, in the following description, the same members or parts having the same functions are the same. The description is omitted.

  That is, the control device 105 provided in the carry-out zone E includes a microcontroller 120, a motor drive circuit 121, an I / O circuit 122, a communication circuit 123, and a dip switch 127 as shown in FIG. ing. And the control apparatus 105 is set as the structure to which the proximity switch 111 and the infrared sensor 112 were connected like the control apparatus 101 of the above-mentioned carrying-in zone A. FIG.

  The control device 105 is located on the most downstream side (end on the article carry-out side) in the transport direction X, and there is no control device on the further downstream side. For this reason, when an article Wp is transported from the upstream side in the transport direction X to the carry-out zone E, the article Wp needs to be stopped and stored in its own control zone. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the infrared sensor 112 detects that the article 80 has arrived at its own control zone, it has a function of forcibly stopping the driving of the motor 21.

Next, a basic transport operation in the transport device 3 of the present embodiment will be described.
As the basic transport operation, the transport device 3 according to the present embodiment executes a “prepared storage operation” for prepacking articles Wp from the carry-in zone A toward the carry-out zone E. That is, in the front-packing storage operation, as shown in FIG. 9A, when an article Wp is carried into the carry-in zone A, the article 80 is conveyed toward the carry-out zone E according to the flowcharts of FIGS. Is done.
In the following description of the basic transport operation, it is assumed that it is determined in advance that there is no article 80 on each of the storage zones B to D by a stock determination function described later.

  Specifically, in the carry-in zone A, the presence or absence of articles or the like Wp is detected by the infrared sensor 112 (step 1 in FIG. 6). In step 1, when the infrared sensor 112 detects that there is an article Wp in the carry-in zone A and the detection information is input to the control device 101, the article etc. in the carry-in zone A is input by the control device 101. It is recognized that Wp has been carried in. Then, on the condition that the carry-in zone A has recognized the article etc. Wp, the process proceeds to step 2, and the presence / absence of the article etc. Wp in the storage zone B adjacent to the downstream side in the transport direction X is confirmed.

Here, as described above, since the stock determination function has already determined that there is no article Wp in the storage zone B, the article etc. on the storage zone B is transferred to the control device 101 in the carry-in zone A. “Shipment information” indicating that Wp does not exist is input. As a result, the process proceeds to step 3 where the motor 21 in the carry-in zone A is driven and the control device 101 transports articles etc. Wp to the control device 102 in the control zone B located downstream in the transport direction. Relevant information is input, and conveyance of articles etc. Wp from the carry-in zone A to the storage zone B is started. Then, the rotation of the motor 21 in the carry-in zone A is controlled so as to be driven by a predetermined number of pulses with reference to the total length along the carrying direction X in the carry-in zone A. More specifically, the rotation control is performed such that the motor 21 in the carry-in zone A moves the article Wp by a distance of about 3/4 of the full length of the carry-in zone A.
In the present embodiment, information relating to driving of the motor 21 serving as a driving source such as a driving signal of the motor 21 and a rotation direction of the motor 21 is employed as “information related to the conveyance of the article Wp”.

Then, when the article Wp reaches the storage zone B and the driving force of the motor 21 in the carry-in zone A is transmitted to the motor 21 in the storage zone B via the article etc. Wp, the conveyance detection function works. That is, in the storage zone B, the conveyance detection function confirms the conveyance of the article Wp to its own control zone. More specifically, when the article 80 is sent from the carry-in zone A, the motor 21 included in the storage zone B forcibly receives a rotational force (load). At this time, in the motor 21, a Hall IC (not shown) built in for controlling the motor 21 detects the rotation of the motor 21 and generates a pulse voltage (change due to the load). The pulse voltage (output signal) is received by the microcontroller 120 via the motor drive circuit 121, so that it is recognized that the article has arrived at the control device 102 in the storage zone B.
In the present embodiment, the “stock information” is held in the control device 102 by storing the information in the RAM 126 described above. In addition, as another method for detecting the above-described inventory information, a counter electromotive force (change caused by the load) generated when the motor 21 receives a rotational force may be used.

  In this way, in the present embodiment, it is possible to confirm that the article Wp has arrived at its own control zone without using the infrared sensor 112 by the conveyance detection function. That is, when it is confirmed in step 4 that a pulse voltage has been generated in the storage zone B, it is confirmed that an article Wp has been carried in, and the process proceeds to step 5 where the motor 21 in the storage zone B The rotation is controlled so as to drive the number of pulses. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 9B, the article Wp is completely sent to the storage zone B. That is, in step 5, the motor 21 in the storage zone B is driven, so that the article Wp deviates from the carry-in zone A.

  On the other hand, in step 4 of FIG. 6, when the article Wp is not confirmed in the storage zone B even though the article Wp is conveyed from the import zone A, the pulse voltage is applied to the storage zone B. If the pulse voltage is generated but the pulse voltage is generated but is too weak to be confirmed, the process proceeds to step 6 and the lightweight article transport function described later is performed.

  In this way, when the article Wp is completely transferred to the storage zone B, the transport operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 7 is performed. That is, in step 11 in FIG. 7, the presence or absence of articles Wp in the storage zone C adjacent to the storage zone B on the downstream side in the transport direction X is confirmed. Then, according to the above condition, since there is no article Wp in the storage zone C, the “stock information” “no article in the storage zone C” is input to the control device 102 in the storage zone B. As a result, the process proceeds to step 12 where the motor 21 of the storage zone B is driven and the article etc. is transferred from the control device 102 to the control device 102 of the control zone (storage zone) C located downstream in the transport direction. Information related to the transport of Wp is input, and storage zone (hereinafter, the control zone on the sending side is also referred to as “sending control zone”) from storage zone (hereinafter, the control zone on the receiving side is also referred to as “acceptance control zone”). The conveyance of the article Wp is started to C. At this time, the motor 21 in the delivery control zone B is rotationally controlled so as to be driven by a predetermined number of pulses.

  When the article etc. Wp reaches the acceptance control zone C by the operation of Step 12 and the driving force of the motor 21 in the delivery control zone B is transmitted to the motor 21 in the acceptance control zone C via the article etc. Wp, the conveyance is performed. The detection function is activated, and in the reception control zone C, the conveyance of the article Wp or the like to the own control zone is confirmed (step 13). In step 13, the pulse voltage of the motor 21 in the acceptance control zone C is confirmed. If the pulse voltage is generated, the process proceeds to step 14.

  In step 14, control for driving the motor 21 in the acceptance control zone C by a predetermined number of pulses is executed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9C, the article Wp is completely transferred to the acceptance control zone C. Thereafter, the storage zone C becomes the delivery control zone, and the storage zone D becomes the acceptance control zone, and the same operation as described above is executed. As shown in FIG. Be transported.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 13 that the articles Wp have not been confirmed in the reception control zone C despite the articles Wp being transported from the delivery control zone B, step 5 in the flowchart of FIG. Similarly, a lightweight article conveyance function, which will be described later, is performed (step 15 in FIG. 7).

  In this way, when the article Wp is transported to the downstream end in the transport direction X in the storage zone, the transport operation according to the flowchart of FIG. 8 is performed. That is, in step 21 in FIG. 8, it is confirmed whether or not there is an article Wp in the unloading zone E adjacent to the downstream side of the storage zone D in the transport direction X. Specifically, the presence or absence of an article is detected by an infrared sensor 112 provided in the carry-out zone E. If the infrared sensor 112 does not detect the article Wp, “stock information” “no article on the carry-out zone E” is input to the control device 104 in the storage zone D. As a result, the process proceeds to step 22 where the motor 21 in the storage zone D is driven and the article etc. is transferred from the control device 104 to the control device 105 in the control zone (unloading zone) E located downstream in the transport direction. Information related to the conveyance of Wp is input, and conveyance of the article 80 from the storage zone D to the unloading zone E is started. At this time, the rotation of the motor 21 in the storage zone D is controlled so as to be driven by a predetermined number of pulses.

When the article Wp reaches the carry-out zone E by the operation of step 22 and the driving force of the motor 21 in the storage zone D is transmitted to the motor 21 in the storage zone E via the article etc. Wp, the conveyance detection function is activated. In the carry-out zone E, the conveyance of the article Wp or the like to the own control zone is confirmed. That is, in step 23, the generation of the pulse voltage of the motor 21 in the carry-out zone E is confirmed, and if the pulse voltage is generated, the process proceeds to step 24. Then, the process proceeds to step 24, and when the rotation control is performed in which the motor 21 in the zone D is driven by a predetermined number of pulses, the article Wp is completely shifted to the carry-out zone E as shown in FIG. It will be in the state.
In this embodiment, if the infrared sensor 112 detects an article Wp in step 25, the process proceeds to step 26, and the driving of the motor 21 in the carry-out zone E can be forcibly stopped. For this reason, a problem such that the article Wp passes through the carry-out zone E and falls off the transfer device 3 cannot occur.
In this way, the articles Wp carried into the carry-in zone A are transported to the carry-out zone E and stored under the control in the control zones A to E.

  On the other hand, in step 23, when the article Wp is not confirmed in the unloading zone E even though the article Wp is transported from the storage zone D, step 6 (or FIG. 7, the lightweight article conveyance function described later is performed (step 27 in FIG. 8).

  Further, if there is an article Wp carried in from the carry-in zone A, the article Wp is conveyed toward the carry-out zone E by the same pre-packing and storing operation as described above.

  Further, in the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of safety in carrying out the basic transport operation, in the carry-in zone A and the carry-out zone E, a part of a self-propelled transport device such as a forklift that is an external device (a metal claw) Etc.) is provided with a safe operation function for forcibly disabling the motors 21 in the carry-in zone A and the carry-out zone E. That is, the control device of the present embodiment disables the motor 21 in the carry-in zone A and the carry-out zone E when the proximity switch 111 detects that the external device has come close by this safe operation function, and the proximity switch If it is recognized that the external device is away from 111, control for canceling the disabled state of the motor 21 is executed.

Next, a characteristic operation in the transport device 3 of the present embodiment will be described.
The conveyance device 3 of the present embodiment is characterized by the presence determination function that can obtain the arrival information of articles in each control zone without using the infrared sensor 112 as a characteristic operation, and less than a certain value without using the infrared sensor 112. Is provided with a lightweight article conveyance function that enables conveyance of an article having a weight of (hereinafter also referred to simply as a lightweight article).

  The stock determination function of the present embodiment is a preparatory operation before the basic transport operation described above, and is an operation that is mainly performed when the power is turned on. Here, “when power is turned on” means that the transport device 3 is restarted when the transport device 3 is started at work, or when the power is turned off at an unexpected timing or when a power failure occurs. Is the case.

The inventory determination function includes a normal inventory determination operation suitable for acquiring inventory information of an article having a certain weight or more (hereinafter referred to as a regular article) Wpa, and inventory information of a lightweight article Wpb. It is set as the structure provided with the special stock determination operation suitable when acquiring.
Hereinafter, the normal stock determination operation and the special stock determination operation will be described individually.

First, the normal stock determination operation will be described.
The normal stock determination operation is always performed when the power is turned on. In addition, this normal stock determination operation is performed in a predetermined (6% in this embodiment) duty (actual output torque / maximum torque of the motor) in which the motor 21 in each control zone A to E is limited to low speed rotation. ) And driving based on information that can be acquired from the motor 21 at that time, and determining whether or not the normal article Wpa is present in the control zones A to E. More specifically, in the normal stock determination operation of the present embodiment, control is performed such that the control zones adjacent in the transport direction X transport the normal article Wpa in different directions, and at that time, Information relating to the load that can be generated in the motor 21 and changes caused by the load is acquired, and the presence / absence of the normal article Wpa is determined based on the information.
In the present invention, the duty of the motor 21 in each of the control zones A to E is not limited to 6% as described above, but is limited to a certain range such as 5 to 10% or 5 to 15%. However, a numerical value other than 6% may be used as a fixed duty. However, in any case, it is desirable that the duty of the motor 21 not be higher than a certain value (for example, 20%) when performing the normal stock determination operation.

Specifically, the rotation control of the motor 21 in each of the control zones A to E will be described. The motor 21 in the carry-in zone A, which is the end (uppermost stream) on the article carry-in side, If rotation control (hereinafter referred to as forward rotation control) is performed so as to flow toward the unloading zone E, which is the most downstream, the motor 21 in the storage zone B adjacent to the downstream side of the loading zone A Rotation control (hereinafter referred to as reverse rotation control) is performed so that Wpa flows toward the carry-in zone A, and the motor 21 in the storage zone C adjacent to the downstream side of the storage zone B is controlled in the forward direction. The reverse rotation control is performed on the motor 21 in the storage zone D adjacent to the downstream side of C, and the normal rotation control is performed on the motor 21 in the carry-out zone E.
Similarly, in each of the control zones A to E, the rotation direction of the motor 21 may be opposite to the above-described direction.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10A, when one normal article Wpa is placed in one control zone B, the rotation control of the motor 21 described above is performed for a predetermined time according to the flowchart of FIG. For example, 30 seconds) (step 31). Then, reverse rotation control is performed on the motor 21 in the storage zone B shown in FIG. Accordingly, the normal article Wpa follows the rotation and tends to flow toward the carry-in zone A, but the rotation of the motor 21 is inhibited by the weight of the normal article Wpa. More specifically, the motor 21 in the storage zone B is controlled to rotate at a predetermined duty by the control device 102. However, the motor 21 in the storage zone B is usually in a state where the predetermined duty is not met or is not rotated at all depending on the load of the article Wpa. It will be in a state that does not. In other words, the motor 21 in the storage zone B rotates with a number of pulses smaller than a predetermined number of pulses output from the control device 102, or enters a non-rotating state (hereinafter also referred to as a motor lock or the like).

  As a result, if it is confirmed in step 32 of FIG. 12 that the actual number of pulses of the motor 21 in the storage zone B is less than the predetermined number of pulses output from the control device 102, the process proceeds to step 33. In step 33, the motors 21 in the control zones confirmed to be less than the predetermined number of pulses in step 32 (a plurality of control zones if there are plural) are driven in order from the one located downstream in the transport direction X. (Article position confirmation operation). That is, in step 33, the motor 21 in the storage zone B shown in FIG. 10B is controlled so as to rotate forward at a constant number of pulses. At this time, the rotation of the motor 21 is controlled with a very small number of pulses (in this embodiment, the number of pulses that normally moves the article Wpa by 30 mm).

Then, the process proceeds to step 34, where it is confirmed whether or not the motor 21 in the control zone adjacent to the upstream side of the control zone actually rotated in step 3 generates a pulse voltage. Specifically, it is confirmed whether or not a pulse voltage is generated in the carry-in zone A adjacent to the upstream side of the storage zone B. In the case shown in FIG. 10, since one normal article Wpa is only placed in the storage zone B, which is one control zone, no pulse voltage is generated in the carry-in zone A, and the process proceeds to step 38. To do. As a result, in step 38, it is determined that the normal article Wpa exists in the storage zone B and the normal article Wpa does not exist in the carry-in zone A.
In the present embodiment, since the infrared sensor 112 is provided in the carry-in zone A, the detection information detected by the infrared sensor 112 is adopted for the regular zone A regardless of the result of the normal stock determination operation. can do.

On the other hand, since the normal article Wpa is not placed from the beginning on the other control zones C to E shown in FIG. 10, the motor 21 does not cause a load or a change caused by the load. In step 31 of FIG. 12, the motors 21 in the control zones C to E do not lock the motor. That is, each of the control zones C to E shifts from step 32 to step 37, and it is determined that the normal article Wpa does not exist in its own control zone.
Then, when the inventory information is acquired in this way, the process proceeds to the basic transport operation described above.

  In addition, the normal stock determination operation of the present embodiment performs adjacent control by performing rotation control of the motor 21 so that the control zones adjacent in the transport direction X transport the normal article Wpa in different directions. Even when the normal article Wpa is placed across the zone, the inventory information can be accurately acquired.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, a case where one normal article Wpa is placed across the storage zone B and the storage zone C adjacent to the downstream side is taken as an example. That is, in this case, if the rotation control of the motor 21 is performed (step 31 in FIG. 12), the motor 21 in the storage zone B rotates in the reverse direction and the motor 21 in the storage zone C rotates in the normal direction. That is, the normal article Wpa tends to flow toward the carry-in zone A on the storage zone B side, and tends to flow toward the carry-out zone E on the storage zone C side. In other words, the normal article Wpa placed across the storage zone B and the storage zone C is subjected to a pulling force by the driving force of the motor 21 in each control zone. Further, when attention is paid to the motors 21 in the storage zones B and C at this time, an action of canceling the driving force mutually works via the normal article Wpa.
Even when the normal article Wpa is placed across the storage zone C and the storage zone D and receives a force of pressing with the driving force of the motor 21 in each control zone, the same as described above. Since the action acts on each motor 21, only one case will be described.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the motor 21 of the storage zones B and C can be loaded with the driving force of the other motor 21 as a load in addition to the weight of the normal article Wpa. It is possible to make the change due to the load caused by Accordingly, the motors 21 of the storage zones B and C on which the normal article Wpa is placed rotate at a pulse number smaller than the pulse number output from the control devices 102 and 103, or are in a non-rotating state (motor lock or the like). )

As a result, in step 32 in FIG. 12, it is confirmed that the actual number of pulses of the motors 21 in the storage zones B and C is less than the predetermined number of pulses, and the process proceeds to step 33. In step 33, the two storage zones B and C, in which the number of pulses of the motor 21 is confirmed to be less than the predetermined number of pulses in step 32, are set to a constant pulse in order from the one located downstream in the transport direction X. Control is performed so as to rotate forward by a number (article position confirmation operation). In other words, the rotation of the motor 21 in the storage zone C is first controlled by the article position confirmation operation (FIG. 11B). Then, in conjunction with the rotation of the motor 21 in the storage zone C, the normal article Wpa flows toward the carry-out zone E, and the motor 21 in the storage zone B rotates so as to follow it. Along with this, a pulse voltage is generated in the motor 21 in the storage zone B. That is, in step 34, the pulse voltage generated in the motor 21 in the control zone (storage zone B) adjacent to the upstream side of the storage zone C in the transport direction X is confirmed. As a result, it is determined that one normal article Wpa is placed across the storage zone B and the storage zone C, and the process proceeds to step 35.
In step 33, the motor 21 in the storage zone B is similarly controlled by the article position confirmation operation to confirm whether or not a pulse voltage is generated.

  In step 35, the motor 21 in the control zone where the pulse voltage is first generated in step 34 is driven to rotate forward at a predetermined number of pulses. Specifically, the motor 21 of the upstream control zone (storage zone B) among the control zones (storage zones B and C) on which the normal article Wpa is placed is driven. The motor 21 driven in step 35 is rotationally controlled so as to be driven by a predetermined number of pulses with reference to the total length along the transport direction X in the storage zone B. More specifically, the motor 21 in the storage zone B is controlled so as to move the normal article Wpa by a distance corresponding to the entire length of the carry-in zone A. Then, the normal article Wpa placed across the storage zone B and the storage zone C completely shifts to the storage zone C located on the downstream side of the storage zone B as shown in FIG. As a result, the process proceeds to step 36, where it is determined that the normal article Wpa does not exist in the storage zone B and the normal article Wpa exists in the storage zone C.

On the other hand, the normal article Wpa is not placed on the other control zones A, D, and E shown in FIG. 11D from the beginning, and the load is caused to the motor 21 or a change caused by the load. Therefore, in step 31 of FIG. 12, the motors 21 of the control zones A, D, and E rotate at a number of pulses smaller than the predetermined number of pulses output from the control devices 101, 104, and 105. No rotation will occur. That is, each of the control zones A, D, E shifts from step 32 to step 37, and it is determined that the normal article Wpa does not exist in its own control zone.
Then, when the inventory information is acquired in this way, the process proceeds to the basic transport operation described above.

Next, the special stock determination operation will be described.
The special presence determination operation is an operation that is specially performed if a predetermined condition is satisfied during the basic transfer operation after the end of the normal arrival determination operation. Specifically, the special stock determination operation is an operation performed when the normal article Wpa and the lightweight article Wpb are mixed.

  More specifically, the predetermined condition described above is a case where an arrangement in which a lightweight article Wpb is sandwiched between normal articles Wpa is taken, and it is determined that there is an article by a normal stock determination operation. This is a case where there is a control zone determined to have no article, even though the lightweight article Wpb exists between the designated control zones. Therefore, in the following, as illustrated in FIG. 13, a case where the lightweight article Wpb is arranged at a position sandwiched between the normal articles Wpa will be described as an example.

  In FIG. 13A, one normal article Wpa is placed in each of the storage zones B and D and the unloading zone E, and one lightweight article is placed in the storage zone C located between the storage zones B and D. Wpb is placed. In this state, when the power is supplied to the transport device 3, the normal stock determination operation described above is performed.

  Here, as described above, the lightweight article Wpb placed in the storage zone C has a weight less than a certain value. For this reason, although the lightweight article Wpb is transported by driving the motor 21, the influence of the article itself on the motor 21 is almost zero. That is, in the storage zone C in which the lightweight article Wpb is placed, even if the motor 21 is rotationally controlled with a predetermined number of pulses, the load of the article or a change due to the load can hardly be expected. Therefore, even when the normal stock determination operation is performed, the storage zone C in which the lightweight article Wpb is placed is not determined to have an article. Therefore, when the normal stock determination operation is performed on the condition that the respective articles Wp shown in FIG. 13A are arranged, there are no articles in the unloading zone A, the articles in the storage zone B, and no articles in the storage zone C. The storage zone D is determined to have an article, and the carry-out zone E is determined to have an article (FIG. 13B). Then, based on the determination result, the basic transport operation is performed.

When the basic transport operation is performed based on the determination result, an operation is performed in which the normal article Wpa in the storage zone B is transported to the storage zone C in which it is determined that there is no article by the above-described front-packing storage operation. . That is, in this case, the basic transport operation is controlled according to the flowchart of FIG. 7 (FIG. 13C). Then, according to step 12 of FIG. 7, the motor 21 in the storage zone B is driven by a predetermined number of pulses, and the normal article Wpa on the storage zone B is conveyed toward the storage zone C side. However, since the lightweight article Wpb is already placed in the storage zone C, the normal article Wpa on the storage zone B collides with the lightweight article Wpb and is prevented from being conveyed. In other words, the normal article Wpa on the storage zone B hardly moves from the spot against the driving of the motor 21. Under such circumstances, in the storage zone C, the pulse voltage that can be generated by the normal article Wpa being conveyed cannot be expected, and the light article conveying operation is performed in step 15 according to step 13 in FIG. The
In addition, although the lightweight article transport operation will be described in detail separately, a brief description will be given when the article is transported from the upstream side, but the carry-in of the article is not recognized in its own control zone. This is an operation for forcibly driving the motor 21 of the control zone of its own.

  Then, the normal article Wpa placed on the storage zone B is regarded as the lightweight article Wpb by this lightweight article conveyance operation, and the motor 21 in the storage zone C is forcibly forced as shown in FIG. Driven. Then, after the lightweight article transport operation, as shown in FIG. 14 (e), the storage zone B is changed to a recognition that there is no article and the storage zone C is changed to a recognition that there is an article. However, in actuality, after the lightweight article transport operation, the normal article Wpa placed in the storage zone B and the lightweight article Wpb placed in the storage zone C have not moved from the initial position. The article is also present in the control zone.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, in order to eliminate such inconvenience of recognition of “stock information”, after the light article transport operation is performed, the control zone on the sending side of the light article Wpb (the deemed lightweight article is When it occurs, the rotation of the motor 21 in the upstream control zone of the control zone on which the actual lightweight article Wpb is placed is controlled at a predetermined (for example, 6%) fixed duty. That is, when the lightweight article conveyance operation is performed, the presence / absence of the article is determined again for the control zone on the side where the lightweight article Wpb is sent out by the lightweight article conveyance operation (special presence determination operation). .

Therefore, after the lightweight article conveyance operation is performed, as shown in FIG. 14F, the motor 21 in the storage zone B is controlled to rotate forward (or reversely) with a fixed duty (special inventory determination operation). Then, the normal article Wpa placed on the storage zone B causes the motor 21 of the storage zone B to be in a motor locked state, and the storage zone B is again determined to have an article (FIG. 14 (g)).
Thus, in this embodiment, since the presence of the corresponding control zone is determined again after the lightweight article transport operation by the special presence determination operation, the original arrival information can be accurately recognized.

Next, a lightweight article conveying operation will be described.
In the basic material transporting operation, the light material transporting operation according to the present embodiment transports a light-weight article Wpb having a weight that hardly causes a load on the motor 21 in the control zone, or the transporting article is a light-weight article. This operation is performed when it is regarded as Wpb.
That is, as described above, at the timing of steps 4, 13, and 23 in the flowcharts of FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 or the timing of the special stock determination operation of FIG. On the condition that no pulse voltage is generated in the motor 21, the basic conveyance operation is shifted to the lightweight article conveyance operation.

In the lightweight article conveyance operation, first, in step 41 of the flowchart of FIG. 15, a timer (not shown) included in the control device is compared with a preset time (for example, 2.0 to 3.0 seconds). Specifically, the timer measures the time since the motor 21 in the control zone on the sending side is driven, and it is confirmed whether or not the time reaches the set time. In step 41, if the time measured by the timer reaches the set time, the process proceeds to step 42, and the rotation of the motor 21 in the control zone on the article receiving side is controlled so as to be driven with a predetermined number of pulses. The The number of pulses of the motor 21 at this time is based on a distance obtained by dividing the total length of the receiving-side control zone in the transport direction X by the distance traveled by the lightweight article Wpb by driving the motor 21 in the sending-side control zone. Is calculated.
In this manner, according to the transport device 3 of the present embodiment, even when a light article Wpb or an article regarded as a light article Wpb is transported, the infrared sensor 112 is not required, and a desired place is directed. It can be transported smoothly.

  In the above-described embodiment, the operation of driving the motor 21 in the control zone on the receiving side and sending it out to the control zone adjacent to the downstream side during the lightweight article conveyance operation is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, The operation of conveying the lightweight article Wpb by driving the motor 21 in the control zone on the sending side without driving the motor 21 in the control zone on the receiving side may be performed.

  In the above embodiment, the control zone E is a simple conveyor device, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a safety device such as a mechanical stopper may be provided in the control zone E. Alternatively, by bringing the article 80 into contact with a stopper provided in the control zone E, the final point of “preparation” may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, a configuration has been described in which one control device is responsible for one control zone. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the number of control zones and the number of control devices are the same and correspond one-to-one. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a control device that handles two or more control zones may be included, or the control device may include only a control device that controls two or more control zones.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the change in the number of pulses when the motor is driven with a fixed duty is detected to acquire the inventory information is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the current value when the motor 21 is rotated at a low speed may be measured, and it may be determined that there is an article Wp by the current value.

  In the above-described embodiment, the operation programmed to rotate the motor 21 with the number of pulses when conveying the article Wp in the command programmed in the control devices 101 to 105 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. For example, the command to the motor 21 may be commanded by a transport distance or a rotation angle.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the motor 21 of the motor built-in roller is employed as the driving source has been described. A configuration may be adopted in which a roller with a built-in motor is employed as a drive source.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the infrared sensor 112 is provided in both the carry-in zone A and the carry-out zone B has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the infrared sensor 112 is provided in only one of the control zones. It may be a configuration. In that case, regarding the control zone in which the infrared sensor 112 is not provided, it is desirable to provide the above-described presence determination function.

Next, the mechanical configuration and the like of the transfer device 3 employed in the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 16, the transport device 3 is formed by connecting a plurality (five in this embodiment) of conveyor units 5 in series. In the present embodiment, one conveyor unit 5 constitutes one control zone described above.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the conveyor unit 5 includes three rows of roller groups 8 to 10, and each of the roller groups 8 to 10 is disposed on the fixed frame 11 so that it can rotate in the same direction. Yes. More specifically, the roller groups 8 to 10 are arranged so as to be able to rotate in the transport direction X, and are arranged in a direction intersecting the transport direction X.

  More specifically, each of the roller groups 8 to 10 is divided into two free roller groups 8 and 10 having no drive source, and one drive roller group 9 having a drive source. 9 is arranged so as to be positioned between the free roller groups 8 and 10. In other words, the conveyor unit 5 is provided with a drive roller group 9 at substantially the center of the fixed frame 11, and free roller groups 8 and 10 are provided at positions sandwiching the drive roller group 9.

  The drive roller group 9 has a configuration including a well-known motor built-in roller 7 and a plurality of driven rollers 12 using the motor built-in roller 7 as a drive source. In the present embodiment, the motor built-in roller 7 is used only as a power source for the driven roller 12 and does not contribute to the conveyance of articles and the like Wp.

  The motor built-in roller 7 has a structure as shown in FIG. 18, for example, and has a motor 21 and a speed reducer 22 built in the roller body 20. The output shaft 28 of the speed reducer 22 is engaged with the inner surface of the roller body 20, and the rotational force of the motor 21 is decelerated by the speed reducer 22 to rotate the roller body 20.

Further, support shafts 23 and 25 protrude from both ends of the roller body 20. The two support shafts 23 and 25 are both attached to the roller body 20 via bearings 26 and 27. Therefore, the roller body 20 is rotatable with respect to the support shafts 23 and 25. One support shaft 23 is hollow, and a power supply line 31 and the like are inserted into the hollow portion 30. The motor 21 is supplied with electric power from the outside through the power supply line 31.
The roller body 20 is a hollow roller, but has two annular grooves 35 on its surface for engaging the belt 53.

  The driven roller 12 is a roller body rotating idle roller having a structure as shown in FIG. The roller body rotating idle roller does not have a motor or the like in the roller body 20. That is, the driven roller 12 has a roller body 20, and support shafts 40 and 41 that protrude in the axial direction are provided at both ends of the roller body 20. The two support shafts 40 and 41 are both attached to the roller body 20 via bearings 43 and 45.

Therefore, in the driven roller 12, the roller body 20 can rotate with respect to the support shafts 40 and 41. That is, in the driven roller 12, the roller body 20 can rotate with respect to both the support shafts 40 and 41 at both ends.
The structure of the roller body 20 of the driven roller is the same as that of the motor built-in roller 7, and two grooves 35 for engaging the belt on the surface are provided in an annular shape.

  Each roller 7, 12 has a belt 53 suspended between the adjacent rollers 7, 12. That is, the belts 53 are suspended in both the grooves 35 so that each of the rollers 7 and 12 rotates synchronously with the rollers 7 and 12 located adjacent to each other. Therefore, in the driving roller group 9, all the rollers 7 and 12 are interlocked, and when any one of the rollers 7 and 12 rotates, the other rollers 7 and 12 also rotate.

As described above, the free roller groups 8 and 10 do not have the motor built-in roller 7 as a drive source, but are configured only by the driven roller 13. More specifically, the free roller groups 8 and 10 have eight driven rollers 13 and are arranged at substantially the same position as the driven rollers 12 of the drive roller group 9. As shown in FIG. 20, the driven roller 13 has substantially the same structure as the driven roller 12 of the drive roller group 9 described above, and the axial length of the roller body 29 is shorter than that of the driven roller 12. The structure is different in that the groove 35 is not formed on the surface. That is, the other configurations of the driven rollers 13 of the free roller groups 8 and 10 are the same as the configurations of the driven rollers 12 of the drive roller group 9, and the description thereof is omitted.
Accordingly, the free roller groups 8 and 10 are configured such that each roller 13 rotates independently, and even if any one of the rollers 13 rotates, the other rollers 13 do not rotate in conjunction with each other.

Then, the effect | action of the conveying apparatus 3 is demonstrated.
The transport device 3 is a device that transports articles W such as products and parts on a large square pallet P. And when conveying the articles | goods Wp, the motor built-in roller 7 of the drive roller group 9 located in the approximate center of the conveyor unit 5 is driven. As described above, the motor built-in roller 7 is connected to the driven roller 12 by the belt in the same conveyor unit 5, that is, in the same control zone. Therefore, when the motor built-in roller 7 rotates, the same control zone is used. The inner driven roller 12 also rotates in conjunction with it.

  That is, since the rotations of all the rollers 7 and 12 in the drive roller group 9 are synchronized with the rotation of the motor built-in roller 7, all the driven rollers 12 that contribute to the conveyance of the articles Wp and the like rotate synchronously. In addition, the free roller groups 8 and 10 arranged at positions sandwiching the drive roller group 9 are rotated by the power from the drive roller group 9 being transmitted via the articles Wp to be conveyed. Therefore, the article Wp flows stably along the transport direction X.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the three roller groups 8 to 10 are arranged in parallel so as to intersect the transport direction X in one fixed frame 11 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, a configuration having a roller group of two rows or less or four rows or more may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, there is a conveying device 51 including two rows of roller groups 56 and 57.
Briefly, the conveying device 51 will be described. The roller built-in roller 7 is provided in one roller group 56 of the two groups of roller groups 56 and 57 and is connected to the other driven rollers 12 by a belt. Further, the driven roller 12 is connected to the other roller group 57 by a belt without providing the motor built-in roller 7. Then, both roller groups 56 and 57 are connected by a shaft 55 or the like having an appropriate length so that the power of the motor-integrated roller 7 is transmitted. Thereby, the conveyance operation similar to the said embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, adjacent rollers are connected by a belt and power is transmitted to each roller. However, a single chain may be suspended between a plurality of rollers to rotate each roller synchronously. Moreover, it can be applied not only to a roller conveyor but also to a belt conveyor.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which one motor-incorporated roller 7 is disposed in one control zone is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more motor-incorporated rollers 7 are disposed in one control zone. It may be an arranged configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Goods storage device 3, 51 Conveyance device 7 Motor built-in roller (drive source)
21 Motor (drive source)
101-105 Control device 112 Infrared sensor A-E Storage section (control zone)
P Pallet W Article X Transport direction

Claims (9)

A transport device capable of a basic transport operation for transporting an article from at least an article carry-in side toward an article carry-out side,
Divided into multiple control zones arranged in series,
Each control zone is provided with at least one drive source that contributes to the conveyance of the article,
The plurality of control zones include a carry-in control zone located at an end on the article carry-in side, a carry-out control zone located at an end on the carry-out side of the article, and an intermediate control zone located in an intermediate region located therebetween. In the control zone, at least the intermediate control zone is provided with a stock determination function for detecting stock information of articles,
The presence determination function drives the drive source of the control zone adjacent in the transport direction so that the article is transported in different directions, and the load of the article can be generated based on the load or the change caused by the load. A conveying apparatus characterized in that presence or absence can be determined.   The conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein a stock detection unit is provided in at least one of the carry-in control zone and the carry-out control zone. When it is determined by the stock determination function that there is an article, an article position confirmation operation is executed.
The conveying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the article position confirmation operation drives the drive source in order from the carry-out control zone or the carry-in control zone.   By the presence determination function, it is determined that both of the control zones adjacent to the conveyance direction have an article, and the load or load is applied to the drive source of the control zone adjacent to the driven control zone during the article position confirmation operation. The article placed in the adjacent control zone is transported to any one of the adjacent control zones when a change due to the occurrence occurs. Transport device.   In the case where an article placed in an adjacent control zone is transported to one of the adjacent control zones after the execution of the presence determination function and the article position confirmation operation, the adjacent The drive source of any one of the control zones to be driven is driven, and the drive source is driven based on the total length of the other control zone in the transport direction. Item 5. The transfer device according to Item 4. In the basic transport operation, on the condition that the article is transported from the upstream side in the transport direction on the basis of its own control zone, and that its own control zone has confirmed a load or a change caused by the load to its drive source, It drives the drive source of its own control zone,
When the article is transported to its own control zone, but its own control zone does not confirm the load or change caused by the load to its own drive source, the own control zone or its own control The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a drive source of a control zone adjacent to the upstream side of the zone in the transport direction is driven. The drive source is a motor;
The conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the presence determination function is driven by limiting a duty of a motor within a certain range.   The said inventory determination function is performed at the time of power activation and / or at the time of a power failure recovery, The conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 1-7 characterized by the above-mentioned. In an article storage apparatus that has a plurality of storage sections arranged in series and temporarily stores a plurality of articles,
Having a transport device capable of transporting an article from at least an article carry-in side toward an article carry-out side;
The transport device is installed across the storage compartments, and the control zone is divided for each storage compartment, and each control zone is provided with at least one drive source that contributes to the transportation of articles. Is,
The control zone includes a carry-in control zone located at an end on the article carry-in side, a carry-out control zone located at an end on the article carry-out side, and an intermediate control zone located in an intermediate region located therebetween. Of these control zones, at least the carry-in control zone and the carry-out control zone are provided with stock detection means, and at least the intermediate control zone is provided with a stock determination function for detecting the stock information of articles. And
The presence determination function drives the drive source of the control zone adjacent in the transport direction so that the article is transported in different directions, and the load of the article can be generated based on the load or the change caused by the load. An article storage apparatus for determining presence or absence.

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