JP6229600B2 - Existence determination device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a presence / absence discriminating apparatus comprising: a container that accommodates a stored item; and a determination unit that determines whether or not the stored item is stored in the container.

A conventional example of such presence / absence discriminating apparatus is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-014927 (Patent Document 1). The presence / absence discriminating apparatus of Patent Literature 1 includes a transmission unit that transmits detection light as a detection wave and a reception unit that receives detection light transmitted by the transmission unit, and the container transmits the detection light. It is composed of possible materials.
And the presence detection apparatus in embodiment of patent document 1 distribute | arranges and arrange | positions a transmission part and a reception part to the upper and lower sides of a container, as shown in FIG.5 and FIG.6 of patent document 1, When the reception wave is received by the receiving unit without being blocked by the contained object, it is determined that the contained object is not accommodated in the container.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 7 of Patent Document 1, the presence / absence detection device according to another embodiment of Patent Document 1 has a transmission unit and a reception unit disposed above a container, and the determination unit is disposed in the container. When the receiving unit does not receive the detected wave reflected, it is determined that no container is contained in the container.

JP 2005-014927 A

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 of Patent Document 1, when the transmission unit and the reception unit are arranged separately on the top and bottom of the container, a space for installing the transmission unit and the reception unit is secured on both sides of the container. Because it is necessary, it is difficult to install an existence determination device.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7 of Patent Document 1, by installing the transmitting unit and the receiving unit together above the container, the space for installing these transmitting unit and receiving unit can be ensured only above the container. Since it is good, it becomes easy to install a transmission part and a receiving part. However, the determination unit is configured to determine that the container is not stored in the container when the reception unit does not receive the detection wave reflected by the container. For this reason, for example, the detection wave between the transmission unit and the reception unit is contained even though the container is contained in the container as in the case where the detection wave is not properly transmitted due to a failure of the transmission unit or the like. Since the transmission / reception is not properly performed, there is a possibility that the determination unit determines that the stored item is not stored in the container.

  Therefore, there is a need for a presence / absence discriminating apparatus that can more accurately discriminate that the contents are not contained in the container while the transmitter and the receiver are easily installed.

The characteristic configuration of the presence / absence determining device according to the present invention is a presence / absence determining device comprising: a container that stores a stored item; and a determining unit that determines that the stored item is not stored in the container.
A transmission unit for transmitting a detection wave is provided, the container includes a detection unit that reflects the detection wave, and the detection unit is covered with the container accommodated in the container, and the container includes The detected wave transmitted from the transmission unit is provided at a position where the object is exposed in a state where it is not accommodated, and is transmitted from the transmission unit and the first reflected wave reflected by the detected unit. A receiving unit that receives the second reflected wave reflected by the container, and the determining unit receives the second reflected wave in the container when the receiving unit receives the second reflected wave. If the receiving unit receives the first reflected wave without determining that an object is not stored, it is determined that the container is not stored in the container, and the transmitting unit is used as the detection wave. The detection light is projected downward, and the receiving light The unit is configured to receive the first reflected light as the first reflected wave and the second reflected light as the second reflected wave, and the transmission unit and the receiving unit detect the distance to the detection object. An optical distance measuring / detecting device is provided, the container includes a mounting surface for mounting and supporting the storage object, and the detected portion is directly below the storage object mounted on the mounting surface. In addition, the container is provided at a position lower than the placement surface, and the container places the plurality of items stacked in the vertical direction on the placement surface, and the determination unit receives the second reflected light. It is in the point which discriminate | determines the number of the said things accommodated in the said container based on the received information of the said receiving part .

According to this characteristic configuration, when the object is not contained in the container, the detected part is exposed, so that the detection wave transmitted from the transmitting part is reflected by the detected part and reflected by the detected part. The received first reflected wave is received by the receiving unit. Further, when the container contains an object to be detected, the detected part is covered with the object, so that the detection wave transmitted from the transmitter is reflected by the object and reflected by the object. The received second reflected wave is received by the receiving unit. And a discrimination | determination part discriminate | determines that the accommodation thing is not accommodated in the container, when a receiving part receives the 1st reflected wave reflected in the to-be-detected part.
In this way, by reflecting the detection wave transmitted by the transmission unit at the detected portion of the container and receiving the detection wave at the reception unit, the transmission unit and the reception unit are on the same side with respect to the container. These transmitters and receivers can be easily installed.

Moreover, a discrimination | determination part discriminate | determines that the accommodation thing is not accommodated in the container, when a receiving part receives the detection wave (1st reflected wave) reflected in the to-be-detected part. Therefore, for example, when the detection wave is not properly transmitted due to a failure of the transmission unit or the like, the determination unit determines that the container does not contain the stored item even though the stored item is stored in the container. Therefore, it can be more accurately determined by the determination unit that the stored item is not stored in the container.
Incidentally, for example, when the presence / absence discriminating apparatus determines that no container is contained in the container when the container is loaded / unloaded with the transfer device, the container contains the container. Regardless, if the determination unit determines that the stored item is not stored in the container, the transfer device may come into contact with the stored item. Therefore, in such a case, the transfer device or the stored item is damaged due to the transfer device coming into contact with the stored item by accurately determining that the stored item is not stored in the container. Can be prevented.

Further, according to this configuration, since the detection light is reflected by the detected part in a state in which the object is not placed on the placement surface, the receiving part receives the first reflected light, and the optical type The distance measuring device detects the distance to the detected part. In addition, when the object is placed on the placement surface, the detection light is reflected by the object, so the receiving unit receives the second reflected light, and the optical distance measuring device is the object. The distance to is detected. A discrimination | determination part discriminate | determines that the accommodation thing is not accommodated in the container, when the distance to a to-be-detected object is detected by the optical ranging detection apparatus.
Since the detected portion is provided at a position lower than the placement surface, the difference between the distance to the detected portion detected by the optical distance measuring and detecting device and the distance to the container can be increased. It is easy to properly determine that the stored item is stored in the determination unit.

Further, according to this configuration, since the height of the items stacked in the vertical direction differs depending on the number thereof, the determination unit receives the reception in addition to the determination whether the items are stored in the container. The number of items accommodated in the container can be determined based on the received information of the unit.
And since the optical distance measuring and detecting device can be used both as a detecting device for determining whether or not an object is contained in a container and a detecting device for determining the number of objects contained in the container The configuration of the presence / absence discriminating device can be simplified as compared with the case where these detection devices are provided separately.

  In addition, it is preferable that the container includes a positioning body that positions the container at a position that covers the detected portion.

According to this configuration, since the position of the stored item stored in the container can be held at the position that covers the detected portion by the positioning body, it is possible to prevent the stored item from deviating from the position covering the detected portion. In addition, it is possible to prevent the detected part from being exposed due to the positional displacement of the stored item in the state in which the stored item is stored in the container.
In addition, because the stored object can be positioned at a position that covers the detected portion using the positioning body regardless of the size of the stored object in plan view, the size of the stored object in plan view is small. It can be avoided that the detected part is exposed.

Top view of the goods transport facility Side view showing container for loading / unloading at first transfer position Exploded perspective view of container for loading and unloading Plan view showing the container body of the container for loading and unloading Longitudinal side view showing the container body of the container for loading and unloading The perspective view of the container for storage / exit which accommodated the thing Longitudinal side view of the container for storing and storing items Top view of the container for storing and storing items Top view of the container for storing and storing items Control block diagram Longitudinal side view of a container for loading and unloading that does not contain things Longitudinal side view of a container for loading and unloading that does not contain things

Hereinafter, embodiments of the presence / absence discriminating apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a case where the present invention is applied to an article conveying facility.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the article transport facility includes a first transport device 1 that transports the loading / unloading container C <b> 1 along the direction indicated by the arrow, and a picking container C <b> 2 along the direction indicated by the arrow. The 2nd conveying apparatus 2 which conveys, and the transfer apparatus 3 which transfers the accommodation material S to the container C2 for picking from the container C1 for loading / unloading are provided.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, the article transport facility is an optical system that is provided above the loading / unloading container C1 located at the first transport position P1 and projects detection light downward. Laser distance meter 4 as a distance measuring device, image pickup device 5 for picking up image of container C1 located at first transfer position P1 from above, first transfer device 1, second transfer device 2, and transfer device 3 and a control device H for controlling the operation of 3. The laser distance meter 4 has the number of stored items S accommodated in the loading / unloading container C1 positioned at the first transfer position P1 and the stored amount S stored in the loading / unloading container C1 positioned at the first transfer position P1. It is provided to detect whether or not.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the storage container C1 having a rectangular shape in plan view is stored in the storage container C1 in a state of being stacked in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, a sheet-like tablet sheet encapsulated in a state in which a plurality of tablets are divided is accommodated as the accommodation S.

As shown in FIG. 1, a loading / unloading container C <b> 1 that contains the contents S is unloaded from an automatic warehouse (not shown), and the unloaded loading / unloading container C <b> 1 is first transported by the first transport device 1. It is conveyed to position P1. In addition, the picking container C2 in which the contents S are not stored is transported to the second transport position P2 by the second transport device 2.
Then, in the transfer device 3, the contents S are transferred from the loading / unloading container C1 positioned at the first transfer position P1 to the picking container C2 positioned at the second transfer position P2. The loading / unloading container C1 in which a part or all of the stored items S are taken out by the transfer device 3 is transported by the first transport device 1 from the first transport position P1 toward the automatic warehouse. . Further, the picking container C2 in which the contents S are accommodated in the transfer device 3 is directed from the second transport position P2 to the picking location (not shown) where the worker performs the picking work in the second transport device 2. Are transported.

The 1st conveyance apparatus 1 is provided with the conveyance conveyor 7 comprised with the belt conveyor which mounts and conveys the container C1 for loading / unloading, and the holding body 8 holding the container C1 for loading / unloading in the 1st conveyance position P1. Configured. The transport conveyor 7 places and transports the storage container C1 in a posture in which the longitudinal direction of the storage container C1 is along the transport direction of the first transport device 1. The holding body 8 is configured to be movable between a holding position for holding the loading / unloading container C1 at the first transfer position P1 and a retreat position where the holding container 8 is retracted from the transfer path of the loading / unloading container C1.
The first transport device 1 configured as described above moves the holding body 8 to the holding position after the container C1 is moved to the first transport position P1 with the holding body 8 moved to the retracted position. Thus, the container C1 for loading / unloading is held at the first transport position P1. Then, when the transfer of the contents S by the transfer device 3 is completed, the holding body 8 is moved to the retracted position, and then the loading / unloading container C1 is transferred from the first transfer position P1.

  The 2nd conveying apparatus 2 is comprised including the conveyance conveyor 7 and the holding body 8 similarly to the 1st conveying apparatus 1, and the 1st conveying apparatus 1 except the point which the target object to convey is the container C2 for picking. It is configured in the same way. In FIG. 1, the holding body 8 of the first transport device 1 is located at the holding position, and the holding body 8 of the second transport device 2 is located at the retracted position.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer device 3 includes a suction pad 10 supported at the tip of the arm 9, and is configured so that the suction pad 10 can suck and support the upper surface of the stored item S. Incidentally, the suction pad 10 is configured to be elastically deformable in accordance with the unevenness even when the top surface of the storage object S has irregularities, and even if the storage object S is a tablet sheet with unevenness on the top surface, the suction pad 10 can be adsorbed without any problem. It is configured so that it can be supported.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the container C1 includes a container main body 12 and a positioning body 13 that positions an object S at a position that covers a detection target T described later. The positioning body 13 is configured to be detachable with respect to the container main body 12 and is mounted at a position corresponding to the size of the storage object S and the storage position E of the storage object S. In addition, the container C1 for loading / unloading corresponds to a container provided with the positioning body 13.
Incidentally, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show the container C1 for loading and unloading which does not contain the storage object S and from which the positioning body 13 is removed. FIGS. 6 to 9 illustrate the container C1 for storing and storing the storage object S and mounting the positioning body 13 thereon. Further, in FIGS. 6, 8, and 9, the accommodated objects S having different sizes in plan view are accommodated, and the positions of the accommodated objects S and the accommodated positions S are in accordance with the accommodated positions E. The container C1 for loading / unloading with the positioning body 13 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the container body 12 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view. The container main body 12 is configured to include a storage object mounting part 14 for mounting and supporting the storage object S, and a peripheral wall part 15 erected from a peripheral portion of the storage object mounting part 14, An opening 16 through which the stored matter S is taken in and out is formed by the upper end portion of the peripheral wall portion 15. And the mounting surface F which mounts and supports the stored material S is formed in the upper surface of the stored material mounting part 14, On the mounting surface F, the several stored material S laminated | stacked on the up-down direction is mounted. Is done. Thus, the loading / unloading container C1 is provided with the mounting surface F for mounting and supporting the contents S.

A through-hole 17 penetrating in the up-down direction is formed in the stored article mounting portion 14 of the container body 12. A plurality of the through holes 17 are formed side by side in the longitudinal direction and the short direction of the container C1 for loading and unloading, and a plurality of through holes 17 are formed over the entire surface of the storage unit 14.
One of the plurality of through-holes 17 formed in the storage unit 14 receives the detection light from the laser rangefinder 4 in a state where the container C1 is located at the first transport position P1. It is formed at a position where it passes through in the vertical direction, and is formed as a detection hole 18. Moreover, except for what is formed as the detection hole 18 among the plurality of through-holes 17 formed in the accommodation object mounting portion 14, the size in plan view is smaller than the detection hole 18, The fitting part 21 of the positioning body 13 is formed as a recessed part 19 to be fitted.

  One of the four corners in plan view of the container body 12 is preset as a container setting corner 12a. Of the four corners of the container body 12 in plan view, the corner located at the end on the downstream side in the transport direction of the first transport device 1 and the right end in the transport direction is defined as a container setting corner 12a. . The container S having a rectangular shape in plan view is accommodated in the accommodation position E in a state where one of the four corners is aligned with the corner of the container setting corner 12a of the container body 12.

  The positioning body 13 is configured by a single L-shaped member in plan view. The positioning body 13 is formed with a fitting portion 21 which can be fitted into the recessed portion 19 at the lower end thereof. This positioning body 13 is mounted in accordance with the corner of the storage object S located at the storage position E (the corner that is opposite to the corner aligned with the container setting corner 12a).

As described above, by attaching the positioning body 13 to the container main body 12 in accordance with the position and size of the storage object S located at the storage position E, the storage object S is attached to the container main body 12 as shown in FIG. Positioning is performed by the container setting corner 12a and the positioning body 13.
That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the container S accommodated in the container main body 12 is moved by the container main body 12 so that the first conveying device 1 moves downstream in the conveying direction and moves rightward in the conveying direction. The positioning body 13 regulates the movement of the first conveying device 1 to the upstream side in the conveying direction and the movement to the left side when viewed in the conveying direction.
The accommodation S accommodated in this way is accommodated in a position that covers the upper side of the detection hole 18 formed in the accommodation placement unit 14.

  And the stored matter S is accommodated in the accommodation position E in the state matched with the corner | angular part of the container setting corner | angular part 12a of the container main body 12 as mentioned above. The detection hole 18 is formed at the downstream end of the first transfer device 1 in the transfer direction of the first article placement unit 14 and at the right end when viewed in the transfer direction. It is formed in the corner | angular part corresponding to the corner | angular part 12a. For this reason, regardless of the size of the accommodation S accommodated in the accommodation position E, the upper part of the detection hole 18 is covered with the accommodated accommodation S.

In addition to the above-described contents placing portion 14 and the peripheral wall portion 15, the container body 12 is loaded with a tray 22 that is stored below the contents placing portion 14 and can be pulled out in the transport direction, and the tray 22. And a tray mounting portion 23 to be supported. In other words, the tray 22 can be stored in a storage space formed between the storage material placement unit 14 and the tray placement unit 23, and the tray 22 is placed on the tray 22 by being pulled out in the transport direction. The sub-containment (not shown) can be taken in and out.
By the way, in this embodiment, the tray 22 stores one or a plurality of sheet pieces obtained by cutting a part from a tablet sheet, or one tablet sheet as a sub-contained item.

  Then, in the state where the storage container C1 is located at the first transport position P1, the detection light from the laser rangefinder 4 is projected toward the detection hole 18, but as shown in FIG. When the stored item S is stored in the container C1 for loading and unloading, the detection light from the laser distance meter 4 is irradiated to the stored item S. Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the detection light from the laser distance meter 4 passes through the detection hole 18 when the storage object S is not stored in the storage container C1. 11, in the state where the tray 22 is stored in the storage space, the detection light transmitted through the detection hole 18 is irradiated to the tray 22, and as shown in FIG. 12, the tray 22 is stored in the storage space. In the state of being drawn out from, the detection light transmitted through the detection hole 18 is irradiated to the tray mounting portion 23.

A portion of the tray 22 stored in the storage space that is located immediately below the detection hole 18 and a portion of the tray placement unit 23 that is located immediately below the detection hole 18 correspond to the detected portion T that reflects the detection light. . As described above, the storage container C1 is provided with the detected portion T that reflects the detection light, and the detected portion T is located immediately below the storage object S placed on the placement surface F. Moreover, it is provided at a position lower than the placement surface F.
And the to-be-detected part T is exposed upwards in the state by which the upper part is covered with the stored thing S accommodated in the container C1 for storage, and the stored object S is not accommodated in the container C1 for storage. Provided in position.

  Since the shape of the picking container C2 is the same as that of the loading / unloading container C1 except that the positioning body 13 is not provided, a detailed description of the picking container C2 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the laser distance meter 4 includes a light projecting unit 4 a that projects detection light downward, and a detection target reflected by the detection target of the detected part T or the contained object S. A light receiving unit 4b that receives light, and is configured to detect a distance to a detection target. Incidentally, the light projecting unit 4a corresponds to a transmitting unit that transmits a detection wave, and the light receiving unit 4b corresponds to a receiving unit that receives a detection wave transmitted from the transmitting unit and reflected by the detected unit T. The laser distance meter 4 is composed of a transmission unit and a reception unit, and corresponds to an optical distance measurement detection device for detecting a distance to a detection target.

The laser distance meter 4 is provided so as to project detection light from above the loading / unloading container C1 toward the detection hole 18 in a state where the loading / unloading container C1 is located at the first transport position P1. . Then, the detection light projected from the laser distance meter 4 enters the storage container C1 through the opening 16 of the storage container C1, and as shown in FIGS. Depending on the storage state of S and the position of the tray 22, the object S, the detected portion T of the tray 22, or the detected portion T of the tray mounting portion 23 is irradiated.
In other words, in a state where the storage object S is stored in the storage container C1, the storage object S becomes a detection target of the laser rangefinder 4, and in a state where the storage object S is not stored in the storage container C1, The to-be-detected part T of the tray 22 or the tray placing part 23 is a detection target of the laser distance meter 4.

Transfer information indicating the quantity to transfer the contents S from the storage container C1 to the picking container C2 is transmitted from the host controller (not shown) to the control device H. The control device H includes a laser distance meter. 4, the image pickup information of the image pickup device 5, and the transfer information from the upper controller (not shown), the operations of the first transfer device 1, the second transfer device 2, and the transfer device 3 are controlled.
By the way, this transfer information is information for transferring the contents S from one loading / unloading container C1 to one picking container C2, or from a plurality of loading / unloading containers C1 to one picking container C2. There is a case of information for transferring the contents S and a case of information for transferring the contents S from a single container C1 to a plurality of picking containers C2.

  The control device H, after transporting the loading / unloading container C1 in which the material S to be taken out is stored to the first transport position P1, performs the first transport to hold the storage / unloading container C1 at the first transport position P1. The operation of the device 1 is controlled. Further, the control device H controls the operation of the second transport device 2 so as to hold the picking container C2 at the second transport position P2 after transporting the empty picking container C2 to the second transport position P2. .

In order to hold the container C1 for loading / unloading at the first transport position P1 by the holding body 8 after the container H1 is transported to the first transport position P1 by the transport conveyor 7, the control device H The operation of the transport device 1 is controlled.
Next, the control device H images the storage container C1 located at the first transport position P1, determines the position of the positioning body 13 based on the imaging information captured by the imaging device 5, and further determines the determination. Based on the position of the positioning body 13, the position of the storage object S, specifically, the suction target position positioned at the center in the longitudinal direction and the center in the lateral direction of the storage object S is determined.

  And the control apparatus H is based on the information of the height of the accommodation S based on the detection information of the laser rangefinder 4, and the information of the adsorption | suction object position in the above-mentioned accommodation S, and the accommodation S located in the uppermost part. After the suction target position is sucked and held, the stored matter S is moved to a position directly above the picking container C2 located at the second transport position P2, and then the suction hold on the stored matter S is released, so that the stored matter S is removed. The operation of the transfer device 3 is controlled so as to transfer from the loading / unloading container C1 to the picking container C2. The determination of the height and the control of the operation of the transfer device 3 are repeated as many times as necessary based on the transfer information.

Based on the detection information of the laser distance meter 4, the control device H includes the number of items S stored in the loading / unloading container C1 positioned at the first transfer position P1 and the input position positioned at the first transfer position P1. A determination unit h for determining whether or not the stored item S is stored in the shipping container C1 is provided in a program format.
And the discrimination | determination part h discriminate | determines that the accommodation thing S is not accommodated in the container C1 for entrance / exit, when the light-receiving part 4b light-receives the detection light (1st reflected light) reflected in the to-be-detected part T. To do. In addition, when the light receiving unit 4b receives the detection light (second reflected light) reflected by the storage object S, the determination unit h determines that the storage object S is not stored in the storage container C1. First, it is determined that the storage object S is stored in the storage container C1 and the number of storage objects S stored in the storage container C1 is determined based on the light reception information of the light receiving unit 4b. Has been.

When the explanation is added, as shown in FIG. 7, when the storage object S is stored in the container C1, the object to be detected by the laser distance meter 4 becomes the storage object S, and the laser distance meter 4 projects the light. The detected light is reflected by the object S, and the laser distance meter 4 receives the detection light. In this case, the detection information of the laser rangefinder 4 indicates a distance shorter than the distance from the reference position to the placement surface F, and indicates a different distance depending on the number of the accommodated objects S accommodated.
In this way, when the laser distance meter 4 receives the detection light reflected by the accommodation S, the detection information of the laser distance meter 4 indicates a distance shorter than the distance to the placement surface F. The part h determines that the stored item S is stored in the loading / unloading container C1 and, based on the detection information indicated by the laser distance meter 4, the number of stored items S stored in the loading / unloading container C1. Is configured to determine.

Moreover, as shown in FIG.11 and FIG.12, when the storage thing S is not accommodated in the container C1 for storage, the detection target object of the laser rangefinder 4 is the to-be-detected part of the tray 22 or the tray mounting part 23. The detection light projected by the laser distance meter 4 is reflected by the detected portion T, and the laser distance meter 4 receives the detection light. In this case, the detection information of the laser distance meter 4 indicates a distance longer than the distance from the reference position to the placement surface F.
When the detection information of the laser distance meter 4 indicates a distance shorter than the distance to the mounting surface F by receiving the detection light reflected by the detected portion T in this way, The determination unit h is configured to determine that the stored item S is not stored in the loading / unloading container C1.

  As described above, when the storage object S is not stored in the storage container C1, the detection light projected by the laser distance meter 4 is reflected by the detected portion T of the storage container C1 and is laser distance. Light is received by a total of four. And the discrimination | determination part h is comprised so that it may discriminate | determine that the storage thing S is not accommodated in the container C1 for storage when the laser distance meter 4 light-receives the detection light reflected in the to-be-detected part T. Thus, the determination unit h can appropriately determine that the contents S are not stored in the storage container C1.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the detection device that detects that the container S is not stored in the container and the detection device that detects the number of storage objects S stored in the container are combined into one detection device. However, you may provide separately the detection apparatus which detects that the content S is not accommodated in the container, and the detection apparatus which detects the number of the content S accommodated in the container.

(2) In the above embodiment, the positioning body 13 that positions the object S is provided at a position that covers the detected part T. However, the size of the stored object S is sufficiently large, and the position of the stored object S is the detected part T. If there is no risk of detachment from the position covering the positioning member 13, the positioning body 13 may not be provided.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the container itself such as the tray 22 and the tray placing unit 23 is the detection target T, but the detection target may be attached to the container and the detection target may be the detection target T. Specifically, for example, a reflection plate is attached to the upper surface of the tray 22 and the reflection plate is used as the detected portion T, or a seal on which code information such as QR code (registered trademark) is printed on the upper surface of the tray 22 is used. It can be considered that the sticker is used as the detected portion T. Incidentally, the code information may be printed directly on the container.
Moreover, the position provided with the detected part T in the container can also be changed as appropriate, and the stored object placing part 14 may include the detected part T. In that case, a recessed portion that is recessed below the placement surface F may be formed in the stored matter placement portion 14, and the detected portion T may be provided on the bottom surface of the recessed portion.

(4) In the above embodiment, the transmission unit is provided to transmit the detection wave downward, but the transmission unit may be provided to transmit the detection wave in the horizontal direction or upward.
Specifically, the detected portion T is provided on the inner surface of the peripheral wall portion 15, and a transmission portion is formed in a portion of the peripheral wall portion 15 that opposes the portion including the detected portion T, and the detected wave transmitted from the transmitting portion. Transmitting part and receiving part so that the light passes through the transmission part and enters the container and is reflected by the detected part T, and the reflected detection wave passes through the transmission part and is received by the reception part. May be provided.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, a part of the accommodation object mounting portion 14 is formed in the detection hole 18 so that the detection light can be transmitted. You may comprise with the material which can permeate | transmit light, and you may comprise so that the light for a detection may permeate | transmit.

4 Laser rangefinder (Optical ranging detector)
4a Emitter (transmitter)
4b Light receiver (receiver)
13 Positioning body C1 Container for loading and unloading (container)
F Placement surface h Discriminating part S Containment T Detected part

Claims (2)

A presence / absence discriminating apparatus comprising: a container that contains a container; and a determination unit that determines that the container is not stored in the container,
A transmission unit for transmitting the detection wave is provided,
The container includes a detected portion that reflects the detection wave,
The detected portion is provided in a position that is covered with the container accommodated in the container and exposed in a state where the container is not accommodated in the container,
A first reflected wave in which the detected wave transmitted from the transmitting unit is reflected by the detected unit, and a second reflected wave in which the detected wave transmitted from the transmitting unit is reflected by the container A receiving unit for receiving
When the receiving unit receives the second reflected wave, the determining unit does not determine that the container is not stored in the container, and the receiving unit receives the first reflected wave. Determining that the contents are not accommodated in the container ;
The transmission unit is configured to project detection light downward as the detection wave,
The receiver is configured to receive the first reflected light as the first reflected wave and the second reflected light as the second reflected wave,
The transmission unit and the reception unit constitute an optical distance measurement detection device for detecting a distance to a detection object,
The container includes a mounting surface for mounting and supporting the storage;
The detected portion is provided immediately below the accommodation placed on the placement surface and at a position lower than the placement surface,
The container is placed on the mounting surface a plurality of the items stacked in the vertical direction,
The presence / absence discriminating apparatus in which the discriminating unit discriminates the number of the contained items contained in the container based on the reception information of the receiving unit that has received the second reflected light . The presence / absence determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container includes a positioning body that positions the container at a position covering the detected portion.

Images