JP6571916B2 - Receipt / shipment support system and receipt / shipment support method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology of a receipt / shipment support system and a receipt / shipment support method when goods are received / shipped from an automatic warehouse.

There is known a system for loading and unloading articles stored in an automatic warehouse without human intervention.
In such a system, loop conveyors, looped track carts, loop trackless carts, etc., as transport devices that transport goods delivered from automatic warehouses to the shipping location, or from the receiving location to the storage location of the automatic warehouse Is used.

  For example, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, a cassette processed in a certain manufacturing process is transported to an in-process transport transfer port of an automatic warehouse by an automatic guided vehicle. After that, when the cassette is set by the transfer robot to the interprocess transfer transfer port provided in the upper stage of the automatic warehouse, it is set in the overhead transfer vehicle and is carried to the next manufacturing process by the overhead transfer vehicle.

JP 2006-213526 A

However, in a transfer apparatus using a loop conveyor, a loop tracked carriage, and a loop trackless truck, a place for turning the transfer direction is required. In this way, in places where the direction is turned, goods can not be exchanged, so a useless space is generated.
In addition, since many automated guided vehicles travel in the loop, traffic congestion is likely to occur. In addition, if maintenance is required in one automated guided vehicle, the entire system must be stopped, resulting in inefficient work. It becomes the target.
Also in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the automatic guided vehicle travels on a loop track, it has the above-described problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide an efficient receipt / shipment support system and receipt / shipment support method.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention has an automatic guided vehicle that can change the traveling direction in units of approximately 90 ° without changing the direction of the loaded article, and the shipment of the article from an automatic warehouse or the above A loading / unloading support system for supporting the arrival of the article to an automatic warehouse, wherein the automatic guided vehicle has a loading section for loading the article, and loads the article on the loading section at a loading place, By traveling in a trackless traveling area, the vehicle moves to an unloading location, and when it arrives at the unloading location, the loaded article is unloaded, and the loading section is information provided on the bottom surface of the article An information reading unit for reading a portion on the top surface, and the control unit of the automatic guided vehicle reads the information unit when the article is loaded on the stacking unit. Directly above the automated guided vehicle And judging whether the goods have arrived.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an efficient receipt / shipment support system and receipt / shipment support method.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the receipt / shipment support system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 1 is a block diagram of a receipt / shipment support system according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the external appearance of the automatic guided vehicle which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of a control device concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the automatic guided vehicle concerning a 1st embodiment. It is an operation | movement conceptual diagram of the receipt / shipment support system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the method of loading and unloading of the article | item which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart (the 1) which shows the operation | movement procedure of the receipt / shipment support system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart (the 2) which shows the operation | movement procedure of the receipt / shipment assistance system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the collection plan information which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the comparative example with respect to this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the receipt / shipment support system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the external appearance of the automatic guided vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is an operation | movement conceptual diagram of the receipt / shipment assistance system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the method of loading and unloading of the article | item which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the chain conveyor which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and an automatic guided vehicle. It is a flowchart (the 1) which shows the process sequence of the receipt / shipment support system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the flowchart which shows the process sequence of the receipt / shipment support system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment (the 2). It is a figure which shows another example of the receipt / shipment support system which concerns on this embodiment.

  Next, modes for carrying out the present invention (referred to as “embodiments”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

[First Embodiment]
(System configuration)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a receipt / shipment support system according to the first embodiment.
The receipt / shipment support system Z includes an automatic warehouse 2, a plurality of automatic guided vehicles 1, a receipt / shipment conveyor 3, and a control device 4 (FIG. 2).
The automatic warehouse 2 stores articles 9 and has an entry / exit conveyor 21. The automatic warehouse 2 sends the article 9 to the loading / unloading conveyor 21 in accordance with an instruction from the control device 4 or acquires the article 9 to be loaded from the loading / unloading conveyor 21. In the present embodiment, the loading / unloading conveyor 21 has a roller conveyor 22, and the roller conveyor 22 operates or stops according to an instruction from the control device 4.

  The automatic guided vehicle 1 travels in a trackless traveling region Z1 and transports an article 9. The floor surface of the travel area Z1 is divided into grids (not shown), and a marker (not shown) storing grid position information is installed at the center of each grid. When the automatic guided vehicle 1 receives the route information from the control device 4, it reads the marker installed on the floor surface with the camera 103 (FIG. 5) provided on the bottom surface of the automatic guided vehicle 1, thereby Travel along route information while estimating the position. The automatic guided vehicle 1 will be described later. Here, it is assumed that a barcode is used as the marker.

  The receipt / shipment conveyor 3 also serves as a station of the automated guided vehicle 1 and carries the article 9 received from the automated guided vehicle 1 out of the receipt / shipment support system Z. The receipt / shipment conveyor 3 has a roller conveyor 31. One of the receipt / shipment conveyors 3 is a place where the automatic guided vehicle 1 stops in proximity to load or unload the articles 9. The other is a place where an operator or the like loads the article 9 on the receipt / shipment conveyor 3 or an operator unloads the article 9 from the receipt / shipment conveyor 3.

In the present embodiment, the automatic warehouse 2 (the loading / unloading conveyor 21) and the loading / unloading conveyor 3 are appropriately described as a loading conveyor C1 and an unloading conveyor C2.
That is, when goods 9 are received in the automatic warehouse 2, the goods 9 are transported by the loading / unloading conveyor 3, loaded on the automatic guided vehicle 1, and then unloaded by the loading / unloading conveyor 21, and stored in the automatic warehouse 2. Is done. In this case, the loading / unloading conveyor 3 is the loading conveyor C1, and the loading / unloading conveyor 21 is the unloading conveyor C2.
Conversely, when the article 9 is delivered from the automatic warehouse 2, the article 9 is delivered from the automatic warehouse 2 and then conveyed by the entry / exit conveyor 21. Then, the article 9 is loaded on the automatic guided vehicle 1 and then unloaded on the receipt / shipment conveyor 3. In this case, the loading / unloading conveyor 21 is the loading conveyor C1, and the loading / unloading conveyor 3 is the unloading conveyor C2.
Further, the roller conveyor 22 of the loading / unloading conveyor 21 and the roller conveyor 31 of the loading / unloading conveyor 3 are appropriately described as a roller conveyor C11.

(System block diagram)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the receipt / shipment support system according to the first embodiment.
The receipt / shipment support system Z includes a control device 4, an automated warehouse controller 6, an automated warehouse 2, a conveyor controller 7, an receipt / shipment conveyor 3, an automated guided vehicle controller 8, a plurality of automated guided vehicles 1, and the like.
The control device 4 controls the automatic warehouse 2, the receipt / shipment conveyor 3, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 through the automatic warehouse controller 6, the conveyor controller 7, and the automatic guided vehicle controller 8. In addition, a client terminal 5 is connected to the control device 4, and information related to receipt / shipment of the article 9 is input to the control device 4 via the client terminal 5.

  As described above, the automatic warehouse 2 is provided with the loading / unloading conveyor 21, and articles 9 (FIG. 1) that are loaded or unloaded from the automatic warehouse 2 are loaded on the automatic guided vehicle 1 via the loading / unloading conveyor 21. Or it is unloaded from the automatic guided vehicle 1. In addition, the automatic warehouse 2 receives an instruction from the control device 4 via the automatic warehouse controller 6, and loads and unloads the article 9 based on the received instruction.

  The receipt / shipment conveyor 3 is a conveyor in which articles 9 that are received into the automatic warehouse 2 and articles 9 that are delivered from the automatic warehouse 2 are carried from the outside of the receipt / shipment support system Z. As described above, one of the receipt / shipment conveyors 3 is a place where the automatic guided vehicle 1 stops in proximity to load or unload the articles 9. The other is a place where an operator or the like loads the article 9 on the receipt / shipment conveyor 3 or an operator unloads the article 9 from the receipt / shipment conveyor 3.

  The automatic guided vehicle 1 receives route information and the like from the control device 4 via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8, and self-travels to the destination based on the received route information. Further, the automatic guided vehicle 1 transmits information such as whether it has arrived at the destination or whether the loading and unloading of the article 9 has been completed to the control device 4 via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8. .

Details of the automatic guided vehicle 1 will be described later. The automatic guided vehicle controller 8 and the automatic guided vehicle 1 perform wireless communication. Further, between the control device 4 and the automatic warehouse controller 6, between the automatic warehouse controller 6 and the automatic warehouse 2, between the control device 4 and the conveyor controller 7, and between the conveyor controller 7 and the receipt / shipment conveyor 3, Wired communication or wireless communication may be used.
Note that the automatic warehouse controller 6, the conveyor controller 7, and the automatic guided vehicle controller 8 can be omitted. In this case, the control device 4, the automatic warehouse 2, the receipt / shipment conveyor 3, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 perform direct communication.

(Appearance of automated guided vehicle)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic guided vehicle 1 includes a main body device 11 and a loading device (loading unit) 12. Drive wheels 105 (FIG. 5) are provided in the lower part of the main body device 11, and the traveling direction can be changed while traveling. The direction turning of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is performed, for example, by rotating one of the left and right drive wheels 105 in the opposite direction with respect to the other drive wheel 105. Further, a camera 103 (FIG. 5) is provided on the bottom surface of the main unit 11. As described above, the floor surface of the traveling area Z1 (FIG. 1) is divided into a lattice shape, and a bar code (not shown) storing lattice position information is installed at the center of each lattice. . The automatic guided vehicle 1 estimates its own current position by reading the barcode installed on the floor surface with the camera 103 on the bottom surface of the main body device 11.
The automatic guided vehicle 1 can basically rotate at + 90 °, ± 180 °, or −90 °, but may rotate at other angles. Incidentally, here, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is viewed from above, the clockwise direction is “+” and the counterclockwise direction is “−”.

  The loading device 12 is a device for placing the article 9 (FIG. 1). The main body device 11 can change the direction independently of the loading device 12 (reference numeral D11). By doing in this way, only the main body device 11 can change the traveling direction while the direction of the stacking device 12 remains unchanged.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the stacker 12 is provided with a roller conveyor 14.
A stopper 13 is installed at the loading / unloading port of the roller conveyor 14. When the article 9 is loaded on the roller conveyor 14 installed in the automatic guided vehicle 1, the stopper 13 on the loading side, that is, the side on which the article 9 is carried (the side on which the article 9 moves) is provided. Descend. Similarly, when the article 9 is unloaded from the roller conveyor 14 installed in the automatic guided vehicle 1, a stopper on the unloading side, that is, the side on which the article 9 is carried out (the side on which the article 9 moves). 13 goes down. In other cases, the stopper 13 is in the state shown in FIG.
By providing such a stopper 13, the article 9 is prevented from dropping from the roller conveyor 14 while the automatic guided vehicle 1 is traveling, and from the opposite side of the loading side while the article 9 is being loaded on the roller conveyor 14. It is possible to prevent the article 9 from falling.

(Function block diagram of control device)
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the control device according to the first embodiment.
The control device 4 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer) or the like, and includes a memory 401 such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 402, a storage device 403 such as an HD (Hard Disk), and a transmission / reception device 404. doing.
The transmission / reception device 404 transmits / receives information to / from the automatic guided vehicle 1 via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8, transmits / receives information to / from the automatic warehouse 2 via the automatic warehouse controller 6, or via the warehouse bare controller 7. Send / receive information to / from the receiving / shipping conveyor 3. In addition, the transmission / reception device 404 receives information input from the client terminal 5.
Then, the program stored in the storage device 403 is expanded in the memory 401 and executed by the CPU 402, whereby the processing unit 410, the transfer planning unit 411, the movement control unit 412, and the carry-in / out control that constitute the processing unit 410 are performed. Part 413 is embodied.
Further, the storage device 403 stores collection plan information 431 in which information related to the article 9 (FIG. 1) to be transported is stored. The collection plan information 431 will be described later.

The conveyance plan unit 411 generates the collection plan information 431.
The movement control unit 412 generates route information that is information on a route along which the automatic guided vehicle 1 moves, and transmits the route information to the automatic guided vehicle 1 via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8.
The loading / unloading control unit 413 activates or stops the loading / unloading conveyor 21 and the loading / unloading conveyor 3 of the automatic warehouse 2 via the automatic warehouse controller 6 and the conveyor controller 7. In addition, based on the collection plan information 431, the automatic warehouse 2 is instructed to issue or receive the article 9.

(Function block diagram of automated guided vehicle)
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the automatic guided vehicle according to the first embodiment.
The automatic guided vehicle 1 includes a memory 101 such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a CPU 102, a transmission / reception device 106, and the like.

The automatic guided vehicle 1 includes a camera 103, a free wheel 104, a drive wheel 105, and a loading device 12.
As described above, the camera 103 is provided at the center of the bottom surface of the main body device 11 (FIG. 3) of the automatic guided vehicle 1, and reads a barcode installed on the floor surface of the traveling area Z1 (FIG. 1).
The universal wheel 104 is a wheel for assisting the traveling and direction turning of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and is not controlled by the processing unit 110. For example, when the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is set to the front, the universal wheels 104 are provided with a total of four pairs, one pair at the front and one pair at the rear, or one pair at the front and rear. is there.
The driving wheel 105 is a wheel for causing the automatic guided vehicle 1 to move forward, backward, or turn around. For example, a pair of drive wheels 105 are provided on the left and right of the automatic guided vehicle 1. As described above, for example, the turning of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is performed by rotating one of the left and right drive wheels 105 in the opposite direction with respect to the other drive wheel 105.
Since the loading device 12 has already been described with reference to FIG. 3, the description thereof is omitted here.

The transmission / reception device 106 transmits / receives information to / from the control device 4 via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8.
Then, the program stored in the memory 101 is executed by the CPU 102, so that the processing unit 110, the signal control unit 111, the travel control unit 112, and the loading device control unit 113 constituting the processing unit 110 are embodied. Yes.

The signal control unit 111 sends an arrival notification when arriving at the destination, a loading completion notification that indicates completion of loading, an unloading completion notification that indicates completion of unloading, etc. The data is transmitted to the control device 4 via the controller 8.
When the travel control unit 112 reads a barcode installed on the floor surface of the travel area Z1 with the camera 103 installed on the bottom surface of the automatic guided vehicle 1, the travel control unit 112 estimates its current position from the read barcode. The traveling control unit 112 travels to the destination based on the estimated current position and the route information transmitted from the control device 4.
The stacking device control unit 113 rotates the roller conveyor 14 in the stacking device 12 and raises and lowers the stopper 13.

(System operation diagram)
Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the operation | movement conceptual diagram of the receipt / shipment support system which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.
When the article 9 is unloaded from the automatic warehouse 2 (FIG. 1) to the loading / unloading conveyor 21, the roller 9 of the loading / unloading conveyor 21 is rotated to carry the article 9 to the loading place. Then, the article 9 is loaded on the loading device 12 (roller conveyor 14: FIG. 3) of the automatic guided vehicle 1 that is stopped in the vicinity of the loading / unloading conveyor 21 where the loading is performed in advance. In FIG. 6, the arrow on the automatic guided vehicle 1 indicates the traveling direction of the automatic guided vehicle 1.
The automatic guided vehicle 1 loaded with the articles 9 travels in the traveling area Z1 while changing the direction in units of 90 ° as indicated by reference numerals W11 to W13, and travels to the receipt / shipment conveyor 3 designated by the control device 4. . At this time, the vehicle travels to reach the receipt / shipment conveyor 3 by the shortest possible route.

  The automatic guided vehicle 1 that has arrived at the receipt / shipment conveyor 3 stops near the receipt / shipment conveyor 3, and the loading device 12 rotates the roller conveyor 14 and lowers the unloading-side stopper 13 (FIG. 3). The roller conveyor 31 of the receipt / shipment conveyor 3 also starts to rotate. Then, the article 9 on the loading device 12 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 moves from the loading device 12 (FIG. 12) to the receipt / shipment conveyor 3.

In addition, when goods are entered into the automatic warehouse 2, when the article 9 is conveyed to the receipt / shipment conveyor 3, the automatic guided vehicle 1 that has stopped in advance near the receipt / shipment conveyor 3 rotates the roller conveyor 14. At the same time, the stopper 13 on the loading side is lowered. At the same time, the roller conveyor 31 of the receipt / shipment conveyor 3 rotates to load the articles 9 on the loading device 12 of the automatic guided vehicle 1.
The automatic guided vehicle 1 loaded with the articles 9 travels in the travel area Z1 while changing the direction in units of 90 °, and travels to the loading / unloading conveyor 21 of the automatic warehouse 2 designated by the control device 4. At this time, the vehicle travels to reach the loading / unloading conveyor 21 with the shortest possible route.
The automatic guided vehicle 1 that has arrived at the loading / unloading conveyor 21 stops near the loading / unloading conveyor 21, rotates the roller conveyor 14 of the loading device 12, and lowers the stopper 13 on the unloading side. The roller conveyor 22 of the loading / unloading conveyor 21 also starts to rotate. Then, the article 9 on the loading device 12 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 moves from the loading device 12 to the loading / unloading conveyor 21.

  That is, the automatic guided vehicle 1 loaded with the articles 9 from the loading / unloading conveyor 21A (21) at the loading place W1 travels along the route W2 transmitted from the control device 4 (FIG. 2) to the unloading place W3. The automatic guided vehicle 1 that has arrived at the unloading place W3 unloads the article 9 on the receiving / shipping conveyor 3A (3). Incidentally, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels along the route W2, the loading / unloading conveyor 21A becomes the loading conveyor C1, and the loading / unloading conveyor 3A becomes the unloading conveyor C2.

  In addition, the automatic guided vehicle 1 on which the articles 9 are loaded from the loading / unloading conveyor 3B (3) at the loading place W6 travels to the unloading place W8 along the route W7 transmitted from the control device 4 (FIG. 2). The automatic guided vehicle 1 arriving at the unloading place W8 unloads the article 9 on the loading / unloading conveyor 21B (21). Incidentally, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels along the route W7, the loading / unloading conveyor 3B becomes the loading conveyor C1, and the loading / unloading conveyor 21B becomes the unloading conveyor C2.

In this way, the article 9 is conveyed from the loading / unloading conveyor 21 of the automatic warehouse 2 to the loading / unloading conveyor 3 by the shortest route.
Note that reference numerals W22 and W23 in FIG. 6 will be described later.

(Loading and unloading)
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for loading and unloading articles according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an operation when the article 9 is loaded.
As shown in FIG. 7A, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 stops near the stacking conveyor C1, the stopper 13a (13) on the loading side (loading conveyor C1 side) is lowered, and the roller conveyor of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is moved. 14 rotates, and the roller conveyor C11 of the stacking conveyor C1 also rotates. Thereby, the article 9 is loaded from the loading conveyor C1 onto the loading device 12 (roller conveyor 14) of the automatic guided vehicle 1.
The loading conveyor C1 is the loading / unloading conveyor 3 when the article 9 is received into the automatic warehouse 2 as described above, and the loading conveyor 21 when the article 9 is discharged from the automatic warehouse 2.

FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating an operation when the article 9 is unloaded.
As shown in FIG. 7B, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 stops in the vicinity of the unloading conveyor C2, the stopper 13b (13) on the unloading side (unloading conveyor C2 side) is lowered, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 And the roller conveyor C11 of the unloading conveyor C2 also rotate. As a result, the article 9 is unloaded from the loading device 12 (roller conveyor 14) of the automatic guided vehicle 1 to the unloading conveyor C2.
The unloading conveyor C2 is the loading / unloading conveyor 21 when the article 9 is loaded into the automatic warehouse 2 as described above, and the loading / unloading conveyor 3 when the article 9 is loaded from the automatic warehouse 2.

(flowchart)
8 and 9 are flowcharts showing the operation procedure of the receipt / shipment support system according to the first embodiment. Reference is made to FIGS. 8 and FIG. 9 show the processing focused on one automatic guided vehicle 1, but actually the processing shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 is performed for each automatic guided vehicle 1.
First, the conveyance planning unit 411 of the control device 4 generates the collection plan information 431 based on the input collection information (S101 in FIG. 8). The process of step S101 is performed by, for example, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 or the empty transport plan unit 411 of the control device 4 based on information input to the control device 4 by the administrator via the client terminal 5 (not shown). The loading and unloading conveyor C1 and the unloading conveyor C2 are searched and generated.

(Collection plan information)
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the collection plan information according to the first embodiment.
In the collection plan information, information such as “article ID (Identification)”, “loading”, “unloading”, and “automated guided vehicle ID” is stored.
The “article ID” is an ID assigned to the article 9 to be transported. The article ID is an ID assigned by the control device 4 when information regarding the article 9 is input via the client terminal 5.
The “loading” stores information related to the position where the automatic guided vehicle 1 is loaded.
The “unloading” stores information related to the position at which unloading from the automatic guided vehicle 1 is performed.
The ID of the automatic guided vehicle 1 that conveys the article 9 is stored in the “automatic guided vehicle ID”.

For example, the article ID “F1005” is loaded and conveyed at the position “A03” by the automatic guided vehicle 1 having the automatic guided vehicle ID “AGV03”, and is unloaded at “E04”.
By the way, in the records of the article IDs “F2032” and “F3051”, the “loading”, “unloading”, and “automated guided vehicle ID” fields are blank. This indicates that has not been done.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 8, the movement control unit 412 of the control device 4 generates route information to the loading place based on the current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 (S102), and the generated route information is used as the automatic guided vehicle. It transmits to the automatic guided vehicle 1 used as a process target via the controller 8 (S103).

  Incidentally, the control device 4 acquires the current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 to be processed in the following procedure, for example. The movement control unit 412 of the control device 4 transmits a position notification request to the automatic guided vehicle 1 via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8. The signal control unit 111 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 that has received the position notification request transmits information on its own position via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8. The position of the automated guided vehicle 1 itself is obtained by reading a barcode installed on the floor surface with the camera 103 installed on the bottom surface of the automated guided vehicle 1.

The traveling control unit 112 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 that has received the route information estimates the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 itself based on the barcode installed on the floor surface of the traveling area Z1, and moves to the designated loading location. (S201).
Then, the traveling control unit 112 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 determines whether or not it has arrived at the loading place as the destination based on the barcode installed on the floor surface of the traveling area Z1 (S202).
If the result of step S202 is that the vehicle has not arrived (S202 → No), the traveling control unit 112 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 performs the movement of step S201.

  As a result of step S202, if it has arrived (S202 → Yes), the signal control unit 111 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 controls information (arrival notification) that the vehicle has arrived at the loading place via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8. It transmits to the apparatus 4 (S203). Thereafter, the loading device control unit 113 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 lowers the stopper 13 on the loading conveyor C1 side (S204), and rotates the roller conveyor 14 provided in the loading device 12 (S205). At this time, the traveling control unit 112 stops the automatic guided vehicle 1 so that the roller conveyor 14 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the roller conveyor C11 of the stacking conveyor C1 are in contact with each other.

On the other hand, the loading / unloading control unit 413 of the control device 4 that has received the arrival notification from the automatic guided vehicle 1 instructs the stacking conveyor C1 to rotate the roller conveyor C11 via the stacking conveyor controller (S104). The loading conveyor controller is the automatic warehouse controller 6 when the article 9 is delivered from the automatic warehouse 2, and the conveyor controller 7 when the article 9 is received into the automatic warehouse 2.
The stacking conveyor C1 instructed to rotate the roller conveyor C11 rotates the roller conveyor C11 (S301). At this time, when the loading conveyor C1 is the loading / unloading conveyor 21 of the automatic warehouse 2, the loading / unloading control unit 413 of the control device 4 instructs the loading of the article 9 based on the collection plan information 431, and the automatic warehouse 2 instructs The delivered article 9 is delivered.

As a result, the articles 9 are stacked on the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the loading conveyor C1.
The loading device control unit 113 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 determines whether or not the loading of the article 9 is completed (S206). Whether or not the loading is completed is performed by, for example, the loading device control unit 113 monitoring a change in weight applied to the loading device 12 in a unit time. In this case, if the weight applied to the loading device 12 has changed (increased) within the unit time, the loading device control unit 113 determines that the loading has not been completed, and the weight applied to the loading device 12 has changed per unit time. If not, the loading device control unit 113 determines that loading has been completed.

As a result of step S206, when the loading of the article 9 is not completed (S206 → No), the stacking device control unit 113 returns the process to step S205.
As a result of step S206, when the loading of the article 9 is completed (S206 → Yes), the signal control unit 111 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 sends a notification that the loading is complete (loading completion notification) to the automatic guided vehicle controller. 8 to the control device 4 (S207).
Then, the loading device control unit 113 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 stops the roller conveyor 14 of the loading device 12 (S208), and raises the stopper 13 that has been lowered (S209).

On the other hand, the loading / unloading control unit 413 of the control device 4 that has received the loading completion notification from the automatic guided vehicle 1 instructs the loading conveyor C1 to stop the roller conveyor C11 via the loading conveyor controller (S105).
The stacking conveyor C1 instructed to stop the roller conveyor C11 stops the roller conveyor C11 (S302).

  The movement control unit 412 of the control device 4 generates route information to the unloading location based on the current position (loading location) of the automatic guided vehicle 1 that is the processing target (S121 in FIG. 9). The generated route information is transmitted to the automatic guided vehicle 1 to be processed via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8 (S122).

The traveling control unit 112 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 that has received the route information estimates the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 itself based on the barcode installed on the floor surface of the traveling area Z1, and reaches the designated unloading location. Move (S221).
Then, the traveling control unit 112 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 determines whether or not it has arrived at the unloading place as the destination based on the barcode installed on the floor surface of the traveling area Z1 (S222).
If the result of step S222 is that the vehicle has not arrived (S222 → No), the traveling control unit 112 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 performs the movement of step S221.

  If the result of step S222 is arrival (S222 → Yes), the signal control unit 111 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 sends information (arrival notification) to the unloading place via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8. It transmits to the control apparatus 4 (S223). Thereafter, the loading device control unit 113 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 lowers the stopper 13 on the unloading conveyor C2 side (S224), and rotates the roller conveyor 14 provided in the loading device 12 (S225). At this time, the traveling control unit 112 stops the automatic guided vehicle 1 so that the roller conveyor 14 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the roller conveyor C11 of the unloading conveyor C2 are in contact with each other.

On the other hand, the loading / unloading control unit 413 of the control device 4 that has received the arrival notification from the automatic guided vehicle 1 instructs the unloading conveyor C2 to rotate the roller conveyor C11 via the unloading conveyor controller (S123). The unloading conveyor controller is the conveyor controller 7 when the article 9 is delivered from the automatic warehouse 2, and the automatic warehouse controller 6 when the article 9 is entered into the automatic warehouse 2.
The unloading conveyor C2 instructed to rotate the roller conveyor C11 rotates the roller conveyor C11 (S321).

Thereby, the article 9 is unloaded from the automatic guided vehicle 1 to the unloading conveyor C2.
The loading device control unit 113 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 determines whether or not the unloading of the article 9 is completed (S226). Whether or not the unloading is completed is performed by, for example, the loading device control unit 113 monitoring a change in weight applied to the loading device 12 per unit time. In this case, if the weight applied to the loading device 12 changes (decreases) within the unit time, the loading device control unit 113 determines that the unloading is not completed, and the weight applied to the loading device 12 changes for a certain time. Otherwise, the loading device control unit 113 determines that the unloading has been completed.

As a result of step S226, when the unloading of the article 9 is not completed (S226 → No), the loading device control unit 113 returns the process to step S225.
As a result of step S226, when the unloading of the article 9 is completed (S226 → Yes), the signal control unit 111 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 notifies the unloading completion (unloading completion notification). It transmits to the control apparatus 4 via the conveyance vehicle controller 8 (S227).
Then, the loading device control unit 113 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 stops the roller conveyor 14 of the loading device 12 (S228), and raises the stopper 13 that has been lowered (S229).

  Thereafter, the traveling control unit 112 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 moves the automatic guided vehicle 1 itself to a predetermined standby place or the like. The travel control unit 112 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels in the travel area Z1 while avoiding other automatic guided vehicles 1 and waits for the next instruction without designating a predetermined standby place. Also good.

(Summary of the first embodiment)
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a comparative example with respect to the present embodiment.
In the automatic shipping system Zb in the comparative example, the automated guided vehicle 1 or the like circulates on the loop-shaped track (loop track R), and the goods 9 are loaded and unloaded.
In the receipt / shipment support system Zb in which the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels on the loop track R as described above, as indicated by reference numeral W21, a portion that turns the direction of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is required. In such a place, a loading place or an unloading place cannot be installed, so that a redundant place is generated, and it is necessary to widen the traveling area Z1 in which the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels. Therefore, it is necessary to enlarge the building.
On the other hand, according to the receipt / shipment support system Z of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, since no trajectory is required, there is no redundant part as in the technique of the comparative example. Compared to the traveling area Z1, the building can be made smaller. That is, space saving can be achieved.

Further, in the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example, since the automatic guided vehicle 1 or the like travels on the track, it is necessary to increase the radius of the place where the direction of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is turned as indicated by reference numeral W21. is there.
On the other hand, in the receipt / shipment support system Z of this embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, the direction of the main body device 11 can be changed without changing the direction of the stacking device 12. Like W13, the radius for turning the direction can be made extremely small.
In particular, as in this embodiment, among the left and right drive wheels 105, one drive wheel 105 rotates in the opposite direction with respect to the other drive wheel 105, so that the automatic guided vehicle 1 is A spin turn can be performed, and the radius for direction turning can be made extremely small.

Further, in the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example, the automatic guided vehicle 1 loaded with the article 9 can only go around along the loop track R. Therefore, for example, when loading is performed using the symbol W22 and unloading is performed using the symbol W23, the automatic guided vehicle 1 needs to make a detour because the vehicle moves from the symbol W22 to the symbol W23 along the loop path R.
On the other hand, in the receipt / shipment support system Z of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, it is possible to reach from the code W22 to the code W23 with the shortest distance.

Furthermore, in the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example, the amount that can be conveyed simultaneously is limited, but according to the present embodiment, much more conveyance can be performed simultaneously as compared with the technique of the comparative example.
That is, in the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example, the article 9 is transported through the redundant route as described above. On the other hand, in the receipt / shipment support system Z of the present embodiment, the articles 9 can be transported at the shortest distance, and as a result, more articles 9 are transported than the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example. Can do.

Further, in the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 traveling in the loop breaks down, maintenance is required, or the automatic guided vehicle 1 needs to be added, the vehicle travels. It is necessary to stop all of the automatic guided vehicles 1 that are present. In many cases, the automatic guided vehicle 1 cannot be resumed until it is restored.
On the other hand, in the receipt / shipment support system Z of the present embodiment, it is possible to remove only the necessary automatic guided vehicle 1 or add the automatic guided vehicle 1 while the automatic guided vehicle 1 is running. As a result, the work can be greatly improved in efficiency.

Furthermore, in the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example, when a certain receipt / shipment conveyor 3 or a loading / unloading conveyor 21 has a problem and the work of loading and unloading is delayed, there is a possibility that a traffic jam occurs.
On the other hand, in the loading / unloading support system Z of the present embodiment, loading / unloading of only the loading / unloading conveyor 3 or the loading / unloading conveyor 21 in which a problem has occurred is affected, and other loading / unloading operations are performed. There is no risk of traffic congestion because it does not affect.

Moreover, in the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example, there is a possibility that a traffic jam may occur when a problem occurs in the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the traveling speed decreases.
On the other hand, in the receipt / shipment support system Z of the present embodiment, only the automatic guided vehicle 1 in which a problem has occurred needs to be removed from the traveling area Z1, so that the automatic guided vehicle 1 has a problem and the traveling speed has dropped. But there is no risk of traffic jams.

In the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example, since the loop trajectory R exists, the layout cannot be changed significantly.
On the other hand, in the receipt / shipment support system Z according to the present embodiment, the travel region Z1 can be easily deformed by projecting or retracting a part of the loading place or the unloading place. For example, even if the shape of the travel area Z1 changes, by installing a barcode on the newly added floor surface, or prohibiting the use of a barcode on the floor surface that is no longer used when generating route information Can easily deal with layout changes.

  Further, when the receipt / shipment support system Zb by the loop track R is already installed, the loop track R is changed to the traveling area Z1 by the floor to change to the receipt / shipment support system Z according to the present embodiment. Can be easily done.

Further, in the receipt / shipment support system Zb of the comparative example, since the number of the automatic guided vehicles 1 that operate even when the conveyance amount of the article 9 is large or small, the conveyance is delayed or the conveyance is performed on the contrary. An unmanned automated guided vehicle 1 may occur.
On the other hand, according to the receipt / shipment support system Z of this embodiment, the number of the automatic guided vehicles 1 which operate | moves according to conveyance amount can be adjusted.

  Thus, according to the receipt / shipment support system Z according to the present embodiment, it is possible to efficiently transport the article 9.

[Second Embodiment]
(System configuration)
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a receipt / shipment support system according to the second embodiment.
The receipt / shipment support system Za according to the second embodiment is different from the receipt / shipment support system Z shown in FIG. 1 in that the loading / unloading conveyor 21a provided in the automatic warehouse 2 is not a roller conveyor but a pair of both sides. This is a chain conveyor 22a having a belt. 1 is different from the receipt / shipment support system Z in FIG. 1 in that the conveyor in the receipt / shipment conveyor 3a is not a roller conveyor but a chain conveyor 31a.
Moreover, the point which the loading apparatus of the automatic guided vehicle 1a does not have the roller conveyor 14 (FIG. 3) like 1st Embodiment is a different point from the receipt / shipment support system shown in FIG. The automatic guided vehicle 1a will be described later.

In the present embodiment, the automatic warehouse 2 (the loading / unloading conveyor 21a) and the loading / unloading conveyor 3a are appropriately described as a loading conveyor C1 and an unloading conveyor C2.
That is, when goods 9 are stored in the automatic warehouse 2, the goods 9 are transported to the loading / unloading conveyor 3a, loaded onto the automatic guided vehicle 1, and then unloaded onto the loading / unloading conveyor 21a. Is received. In this case, the loading / unloading conveyor 3a is the loading conveyor C1, and the loading / unloading conveyor 21a is the unloading conveyor C2.
On the contrary, when the article 9 is delivered from the automatic warehouse 2, the article 9 is delivered from the automatic warehouse 2 and then conveyed to the entry / exit conveyor 21a. Then, after being loaded on the automatic guided vehicle 1, it is unloaded onto the receiving / shipping conveyor 3a. In this case, the loading / unloading conveyor 21a is the loading conveyor C1, and the loading / unloading conveyor 3a is the unloading conveyor C2.
Further, the chain conveyor 22a of the loading / unloading conveyor 21a and the chain conveyor 31a of the loading / unloading conveyor 3a are appropriately described as a chain conveyor C11a.

(Appearance of automated guided vehicle)
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of the automatic guided vehicle according to the second embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the automatic guided vehicle 1a does not include the roller conveyor 14 (FIG. 3).
In the automatic guided vehicle 1a according to the second embodiment, the loading device 12a can be moved up and down (reference numeral D21). Further, like the automatic guided vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 3, in the automatic guided vehicle 1a, the main body device 11 can rotate independently of the loading device 12a (reference numeral D22).
In the example of FIG. 13, a camera 103 a is installed at the center of the top surface of the stacking device 12 a, separately from the camera 103 (FIG. 5) provided at the center of the bottom surface of the main body device 11. The function of the camera 103a will be described later.
Other configurations are the same as those of the automatic guided vehicle 1 shown in FIG.

The system block diagram of the incoming / outgoing support system Za shows that the incoming / outgoing conveyor 21 becomes the incoming / outgoing conveyor 21a, the incoming / outgoing conveyor 3 becomes the incoming / outgoing conveyor 3a, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 becomes the automatic guided vehicle 1a. Except for this, it is the same as FIG.
Further, since the functional block diagram of the control device 4 is the same as that in FIG. 4, illustration and description thereof are omitted here.
Furthermore, since the functional block diagram of the automatic guided vehicle 1a is the same as FIG. 5 except that the loading device 12 is changed to the loading device 12a and the camera 103a is added, the illustration and description here are omitted. .

(System operation diagram)
Next, with reference to FIG. 14, an operation conceptual diagram of the receipt / shipment support system according to the present embodiment will be described.
Description of the operations in FIG. 14 that are the same as the operations shown in FIG. 6 will be omitted, and only the differences will be described.
In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the automatic guided vehicle 1 loads and unloads the articles 9 in the vicinity of the loading / unloading conveyor 21 and the loading / unloading conveyor 3, but in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 14. The automatic guided vehicle 1a that has arrived at the loading / unloading conveyor 21a or the loading / unloading place sinks under the chain conveyors 22a and 31a of the loading / unloading conveyor 21a and the loading / unloading conveyor 3a (W31), thereby Load or unload. This will be described below.
Since the operation of the automatic guided vehicle 1a in FIG. 14 is the same as that in FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

  Incidentally, when the automatic guided vehicle 1a travels along the path W41, the loading / unloading conveyor 21aA becomes the loading conveyor C1, and the loading / unloading conveyor 3aA becomes the unloading conveyor C2. Similarly, when the automatic guided vehicle 1a travels along the path W42, the loading / unloading conveyor 3aB becomes the loading conveyor C1, and the loading / unloading conveyor 21aB becomes the unloading conveyor C2.

(Loading and unloading)
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a method for loading and unloading articles according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 15A, when the automatic guided vehicle 1a arrives at the loading conveyor C1, the automatic guided vehicle 1a sinks under the loading conveyor C1. The automatic guided vehicle 1a raises the loading device 12a to load the articles 9 on the loading device 12a.
Similarly, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), when the automatic guided vehicle 1a loaded with the articles 9 arrives at the unloading conveyor C2, the automatic guided vehicle 1a sinks under the unloading conveyor C2. The automatic guided vehicle 1a lowers the loading device 12a to unload the article 9 from the loading device 12a.

Note that the loading conveyor C1 is the loading / unloading conveyor 3a when the article 9 is received into the automatic warehouse 2 as described above, and the loading / unloading conveyor 21a when the article 9 is discharged from the automatic warehouse 2.
Similarly, the unloading conveyor C2 is the loading / unloading conveyor 21a when the article 9 is loaded into the automatic warehouse 2 as described above, and the loading / unloading conveyor 3a when the article 9 is unloaded from the automatic warehouse 2.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the chain conveyor according to the second embodiment and the automatic guided vehicle.
FIG. 16 is a diagram viewed from the arrow A side in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 16, the height of the main body device 11 of the automatic guided vehicle 1a is lower than that of the chain conveyor C11a, and the automatic guided vehicle 1a can sink under the chain conveyor C11a.
And the width | variety of the loading apparatus 12a of the automatic guided vehicle 1a is narrower than the width | variety of the two chain conveyors C11a. Further, as shown in FIG. 16A, when the stacking device 12a is raised, the upper surface of the stacking device 12a is higher than the chain conveyor C11a, and the stacking device 12a is lowered as shown in FIG. 16B. In this state, the upper surface of the stacking device 12a is lower than the chain conveyor C11a. And by making the width | variety of the articles | goods 9 wider than the width | variety inside the chain conveyor C11a, as shown to Fig.16 (a), if the stacking apparatus 12a is raised, the articles 9 on the chain conveyor C11a will be loaded. 12a can be loaded. Similarly, when the stacking device 12a is lowered while the articles 9 are stacked on the stacking device 12a, the articles 9 can be mounted on the chain conveyor C11a as shown in FIG. 16B.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), when the article 9 is loaded on the automatic guided vehicle 1a, the automatic guided vehicle 1a sinks under the chain conveyor C11a on which the article 9 is loaded and loads the loading device 12a. Is raised so as to be higher than the height of the chain conveyor C11a, the articles 9 are stacked on the stacking device 12a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, when the article 9 is unloaded from the automatic guided vehicle 1a, the automatic guided vehicle 1a on which the article 9 is loaded sinks under the chain conveyor C11a, and the loading device 12a. Is lowered so as to be lower than the height of the chain conveyor C11a, only the article 9 is placed on the chain conveyor C11a. If the chain conveyor C11a operates, the article 9 placed on the chain conveyor C11a is conveyed on the chain conveyor C11a.

(flowchart)
17 and 18 are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the receipt / shipment support system according to the second embodiment. Reference is made to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, and 13 as appropriate. FIGS. 17 and 18 show processing focused on one automatic guided vehicle 1a. Actually, the processing shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 is performed for each automatic guided vehicle 1a.
Steps S151 to S153 in FIG. 17 in the control device 4 and steps S251 to S253 in FIG. 17 in the automatic guided vehicle 1a are the same processes as steps S101 to S103 and steps S201 to S203 in FIG. Omitted.

The carry-in / out control unit 413 of the control device 4 that has received the arrival notification from the automatic guided vehicle 1a instructs the stacking conveyor C1 to rotate the chain conveyor C11a via the stacking conveyor controller (S154). The loading conveyor controller is the automatic warehouse controller 6 when the article 9 is delivered from the automatic warehouse 2, and the conveyor controller 7 when the article 9 is received into the automatic warehouse 2.
The stacking conveyor C1 instructed to rotate the chain conveyor C11a rotates the chain conveyor C11a (S351). At this time, when the loading conveyor C1 is the loading / unloading conveyor 21a of the automatic warehouse 2, the loading / unloading control unit 413 of the control device 4 instructs the loading of the article 9 based on the collection plan information 431, and the automatic warehouse 2 instructs The delivered article 9 is delivered.

  Further, after step S253, the loading device control unit 113 of the automatic guided vehicle 1a determines whether or not the article 9 has arrived on the automatic guided vehicle 1a (S254). Whether or not the article 9 has arrived on the automatic guided vehicle 1a is determined by, for example, whether or not the camera 103a installed at the center of the upper surface of the loading device 12a has read the barcode attached to the center of the article 9 Is done by.

As a result of step S254, when the article 9 has not arrived on the automatic guided vehicle 1a (S254 → No), the loading device control unit 113 returns the process to step S254.
If the article 9 arrives on the automatic guided vehicle 1a as a result of step S254 (S254 → Yes), the signal control unit 111 of the automatic guided vehicle 1a notifies that the article 9 has arrived on the automatic guided vehicle 1a. (Article arrival notification) is transmitted to the control device 4 via the automatic guided vehicle controller 8 (S255).
The carry-in / out control unit 413 of the control device 4 that has received the article arrival notification from the automatic guided vehicle 1a instructs the stacking conveyor C1 to stop the chain conveyor C11a via the stacking conveyor controller (S155).
The stacking conveyor C1 instructed to stop the chain conveyor C11a stops the chain conveyor C11a (S352).

  The loading device control unit 113 of the automatic guided vehicle 1a that has transmitted the article arrival notification to the control device 4 in step S255 raises the loading device 12a (S256). Thereby, the article 9 on the chain conveyor C11a of the stacking conveyor C1 is placed on the stacking device 12a.

  Thereafter, the control device 4 performs the processes of steps S171 and S172 in FIG. 18, and the automatic guided vehicle 1a performs the processes of steps S271 to S273 in FIG. The processing in steps S171 and S172 is the same as the processing in steps S221 to S223 in FIG. 9 because the processing in steps S121 and S122 in FIG. 9 and the processing in steps S271 to S273 are the same as those in FIG.

The loading / unloading control unit 413 of the control device 4 that has received the arrival notification from the automatic guided vehicle 1a instructs the unloading conveyor C2 to rotate the chain conveyor C11a via the unloading conveyor controller (S173). The unloading conveyor controller is the conveyor controller 7 when the article 9 is delivered from the automatic warehouse 2, and the automatic warehouse controller 6 when the article 9 is entered into the automatic warehouse 2.
The unloading conveyor C2 instructed to rotate the chain conveyor C11a rotates the chain conveyor C11a (S371).

Further, after step S273, the loading device control unit 113 of the automatic guided vehicle 1a lowers the loading device 12a (S274). Thereby, the article 9 is placed on the chain conveyor C11a of the unloading conveyor C2.
After step S274, the signal control unit 111 of the automatic guided vehicle 1a transmits a notification (unloading completion notification) that the unloading is completed to the control device 4 (S275).
Thereafter, the automatic guided vehicle 1a moves to a predetermined standby place or the like.

(Summary of the second embodiment)
According to 2nd Embodiment, the structure of the automatic guided vehicle 1a can be simplified compared with 1st Embodiment. Moreover, according to 2nd Embodiment, the process of the automatic guided vehicle 1a can be simplified compared with 1st Embodiment.

  It should be noted that in step S254 in FIG. 17, a bar code in which the camera 103a provided at the center of the loading device 12a is attached to the center of the bottom surface of the article 9 indicates whether or not the article 9 has arrived on the automatic guided vehicle 1a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, whether an article 9 has arrived on the automatic guided vehicle 1a depending on whether or not an infrared irradiation device is provided upward in the center of the loading device 12a and infrared reflected light emitted from the infrared irradiation device is detected. It may be determined whether or not.

(Another example)
FIG. 19 is a diagram showing another example of the receipt / shipment support system according to the present embodiment.
In the receipt / shipment support system shown in FIG. 19, an entrance / exit G1 of the automated guided vehicle 1 is provided, and the automated guided vehicle 1 can be discharged from or entered into the entrance / exit G1.
By doing so, maintenance of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and introduction of a new automatic guided vehicle 1 can be performed without disturbing the flow of the conveyance of the article 9 by the automatic guided vehicle 1.
Since the other configuration is the same as that of FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those of FIG.

  In addition, a work instruction terminal (not shown) may be provided at a place where the worker works. When the article 9 is carried by the receipt / shipment conveyor 3a, the control device 4 sends information indicating that the article 9 is carried to the display device (not shown) of the work instruction terminal to the article 9 such as the type of the article 9 or the like. You may display with related information.

In this embodiment, the roller conveyor C11 and the chain conveyor C11a are used in the loading conveyor C1 and the unloading conveyor C2. However, the form of the conveyor is not limited to this, and a belt conveyor such as a belt conveyor is used. It may be in the form. The same applies to the type of conveyor in the loading device 12 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 or 1a.
Thus, in this embodiment, the structure of the stacking devices 12 and 12a can be flexibly changed in accordance with the form of the article 9.

  Moreover, in the receipt / shipment support systems Z and Za according to the present embodiment, entry / exit with respect to the automatic warehouse 2 is performed via the entry / exit conveyors 21 and 21a of the automatic travel 2, but the entry / exit conveyors 21 and 21a are It may be omitted. In this case, the stacker crane (not shown) of the automatic travel 2 may acquire the article 9 directly from the automatic guided vehicle 1 or 1a.

  Similarly, in the receipt / shipment support system Z, Za according to the present embodiment, the receipt / shipment of articles is performed via the receipt / shipment conveyors 3, 3a, but the receipt / shipment conveyors 3, 3a may be omitted. . In this case, the picking worker may pick the article 9 directly from the automatic guided vehicle 1 or 1a.

In the present embodiment, the barcode is installed on the floor. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a QR (Quick Response) code (registered trademark) may be installed instead of the barcode. By doing in this way, information amount can be increased rather than a barcode and this embodiment can be applied also to the vast driving | running | working area | region Z1.
An RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag may be used as the marker. When an RFID tag is used as a marker, an RFID tag reader is mounted on the automatic guided vehicle 1, 1 a instead of the camera 103 installed on the bottom surface of the main body device 11. By doing in this way, more information can be held in the marker, and accurate position estimation becomes possible.

  In the second embodiment, a bar code (not shown) is attached to the bottom surface of the article 9, and the automatic guided vehicle 1a reads the bar code by the camera 103a installed in the center of the loading device 12. Although it is determined whether or not it has arrived directly below, it is not limited to this. For example, a QR code (registered trademark) may be used instead of the barcode. Alternatively, an RFID tag may be attached to the bottom surface of the article 9 instead of the barcode. When an RFID tag is attached to the bottom surface of the article 9 instead of a barcode, an RFID tag reader is mounted instead of the camera 103a installed at the center of the stacking device 12. In this way, for example, by storing the information of the article 9 in the RFID tag, it is possible to confirm whether or not the automatic guided vehicle 1a is the article 9 to be loaded when the article 9 is loaded.

  In the present embodiment, the control device 4 generates and transmits route information from the loading location to the unloading location to the automatic guided vehicle 1, 1a. The automatic guided vehicle 1, 1a Although it is assumed that the vehicle travels to the destination (unloading place), the present invention is not limited to this. For example, every time the automatic guided vehicle 1, 1a arrives at a grid installed on the floor surface of the traveling area Z1, the current position is read from the barcode and sent to the control device 4, and the control device 4 receives the automatic guided vehicle Based on the positions of 1 and 1a, the next direction may be indicated. That is, the automatic guided vehicles 1 and 1a may be instructed in the direction to go from the control device 4 for each grid installed on the floor. By doing in this way, since the control apparatus 4 can manage the present position of each automatic guided vehicle 1 and 1a in real time, it becomes possible to avoid the collision of automatic guided vehicles 1 and 1a.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 or 1a is estimated from the information of the barcode installed on the floor surface of the traveling area Z1, but the present invention is not limited to this. The current position of the automated guided vehicle 1 or 1a may be estimated based on the environmental map. In this case, the automatic guided vehicles 1 and 1a are provided with a laser distance sensor that irradiates a laser within a predetermined angle range (not shown), and the shape data obtained by the laser distance sensor is compared with the environment map. The current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1, 1a is estimated.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the automatic guided vehicle 1 and 1a operate | moves according to the instruction | indication from the control apparatus 4, each automatic guided vehicle 1 and 1a has the structure of the control apparatus 4 shown in FIG. Thus, the control device 4 may be omitted. In this case, for example, each automatic guided vehicle 1, 1 a communicates with each other, so that each automatic guided vehicle 1, 1 a is conveying which article 9, which position is present, etc. Managed by the transport vehicles 1 and 1a. Thereby, each automatic guided vehicle 1 and 1a autonomously conveys the article 9. In this case, each automatic guided vehicle 1, 1 a has the collection plan information 431.

  Further, in this embodiment, the control device 4 generates and transmits the route information each time the automatic guided vehicle 1, 1 a goes to the loading place and from the loading place to the unloading place. It does not have to be limited. For example, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 or 1a heads to the loading place, the control device 4 generates route information to the loading place, and also generates route information from the loading place to the unloading place. The information and the route information from the loading place to the unloading place may be transmitted to the automatic guided vehicle 1, 1a at the same time.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the direction turning of the automatic guided vehicle 1, 1 a is such that one drive wheel 105 out of the left and right drive wheels 105 in the automatic guided vehicle 1, 1 a is opposite to the other drive wheel 105. Although it is performed by rotating, it is not limited to this. For example, instead of the universal wheel 104, a direction turning wheel that can be controlled by the travel control unit 114 is provided, and the direction of the automatic guided vehicle 1 or 1a is turned by changing the direction of the direction turning wheel. Also good.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to having all the configurations described. In addition, a part of the configuration of a certain embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of a certain embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

  Further, it is not necessary that all of the automatic guided vehicles 1 and 1a have the structure shown in FIG. 3 or the structure shown in FIG. That is, the automatic guided vehicle 1 having the structure shown in FIG. 3, the automatic guided vehicle 1a having the structure shown in FIG. 13, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 having other structures may be mixed. In this case, the loading / unloading conveyors 21 and 21a, the loading / unloading conveyor 21 and the loading / unloading conveyor 21a may be mixed, or the loading / unloading conveyor 3 and the loading / unloading conveyor 3a may be mixed. The automatic guided vehicle 1, 1 a may load and unload the article 9 with the loading / unloading conveyors 21, 21 a that match the shape of the loading device 12, 12 a and the loading / unloading conveyors 3, 3.

Each of the above-described configurations, functions, units 110 to 113, 410 to 413, the storage device 403, etc. may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them, for example, with an integrated circuit. Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the above-described configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function by a processor such as a CPU. In addition to storing information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing each function in the HD, a memory, a recording device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), an IC (Integrated Circuit) card, an SD (Secure It can be stored in a recording medium such as a Digital) card or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).
In each embodiment, control lines and information lines are those that are considered necessary for explanation, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown on the product. In practice, it can be considered that almost all configurations are connected to each other.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a Automated guided vehicle 2 Automatic warehouse 3,3a Receipt / shipment conveyor 4 Control device 5 Client terminal 6 Automatic warehouse controller 7 Conveyor controller 8 Automatic guided vehicle controller 9 Article 11 Main body device 12, 12a Loading device (loading unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Stopper 14 Roller conveyor of an automated guided vehicle 21,21a Entry / exit conveyor 22 Roller conveyor of an entrance / exit conveyor 22a Chain conveyor of an entrance / exit conveyor 31 Roller conveyor of an entrance / exit conveyor 31a Chain conveyor of an entrance / exit conveyor 110 Processing part of an automatic guided vehicle DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 111 Signal control part 112 Travel control part 113 Stacking apparatus control part 410 Control part processing part 411 Transfer plan part 412 Movement control part 413 Loading / unloading control part 431 Collection plan information C1 Loading conveyor C2 Unloading conveyor C11 Roller conveyor C11a Chain conveyor W1 , W6 Loading place W3, W8 Unloading place Z, Za Receipt / shipment support system Z1 Traveling area

Claims (5)

It has an automatic guided vehicle that can change the direction of travel in units of approximately 90 ° without changing the direction of the loaded article, and supports the shipment of the article from the automatic warehouse or the arrival of the article to the automatic warehouse. A receipt / shipment support system,
The automatic guided vehicle is
Having a loading unit for loading the article, loading the article on the loading unit at a loading location, traveling in a trackless traveling area, moving to an unloading location, and arriving at the unloading location, The loaded article is lowered,
The stacking unit has an information reading unit for reading an information unit provided on the bottom surface of the article on the top surface,
The control unit of the automatic guided vehicle determines whether or not the article has arrived immediately above the automatic guided vehicle when the information reading unit reads the information unit when the article is loaded on the loading unit. A receipt / shipment support system characterized by The automatic guided vehicle is
A roller conveyor is provided as the stacking unit,
The receipt / shipment support system according to claim 1, wherein a roller conveyor is provided at the loading place and the unloading place. The loading unit is provided with a stopper for preventing articles loaded on the loading unit from dropping.
When loading the article on the loading section, the stopper on the side where the article moves down,
The receipt / shipment support system according to claim 2, wherein when the article is lowered from the loading section, a stopper on the side where the article moves is lowered. In the automatic guided vehicle,
The loading section can be raised and lowered,
The loading place and the unloading place are provided with chain conveyors,
When the automatic guided vehicle arrives at the loading location, the loading portion is lowered below the chain conveyor at the loading location, and then submerged under the chain conveyor at the loading location. Raise the loading section so that it is higher than the chain conveyor at the loading place,
When the automatic guided vehicle arrives at the unloading location, the loading portion is lowered below the chain conveyor at the unloading location in a state where the loading portion is higher than the chain conveyor at the unloading location, and then the loading portion The loading / unloading support system according to claim 1, wherein the stacking unit is lowered so that the load is lower than a chain conveyor at the unloading place. A receipt / shipment support method in a receipt / shipment support system that has an automated guided vehicle and supports shipment of an article from an automatic warehouse or arrival of the article into the automated warehouse,
The automatic guided vehicle that can change the traveling direction in units of about 90 ° without changing the direction of the loaded article,
An information reading unit for reading an information unit provided on the bottom surface of the article is provided on the upper surface, a loading unit for loading the article is provided, and the information reading unit reads the information unit at a loading place. Thus, after determining whether or not the article has arrived immediately above the automatic guided vehicle, the article is loaded on the loading section, and travels in a trackless traveling area, moving to an unloading place, Upon arrival at the unloading place, the loaded article is unloaded.

Images