JP7443706B2 - Conveyance device - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a conveyance device, and particularly to a conveyance device that conveys articles while storing them in containers.

2. Description of the Related Art A conveying apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, has been proposed as an apparatus for transferring an article contained in a predetermined container, storing it in another container, and conveying the other container. The conveyance device of Patent Document 1 includes a lifter that lifts a supply container containing articles, and a conveyor that conveys the discharge container.

Further, the conveyance device of Patent Document 1 includes a transfer means between the lifter and the conveyor. The transfer means includes a conveyor provided between the lifter and the conveyor, a suction means provided on the lifter side of the conveyor to adsorb the articles in the supply container, and a suction means provided on the conveyor side of the conveyor to adsorb the articles on the conveyor. It is equipped with suction means for suctioning articles. In such a conveyance device, the latter suction means stores the suctioned articles in a carry-out container on a conveyor.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-181869

In Patent Document 1, a conveyor extends between the lifter and the transport conveyor, and the distance between the position where the article is taken out from the supply container and the position where the article is stored in the carry-out container is long. In other words, the distance over which the object is transported by the transport means becomes longer, and as a result, it becomes more likely that the object will be held incorrectly, such as the orientation of the object changing during the transfer or part of the suction holding being released unintentionally. , there is a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and one of its objects is to provide a conveyance device that can stably transfer articles from a source container to a delivery container.

A conveying device according to one aspect of the present invention is a conveying device that transfers an article stored in a source container and stores it in a carry-out container, which extends in a predetermined direction and transports the carry-out container with the extending direction as a conveying direction. an unloading container transport path that extends in a direction different from the unloading container transport path, and transports the original container with the extending direction as the transport direction; a transfer unit capable of transferring an article from the source container to the output container transported by the output container conveyance path, the output container conveyance path and the original container conveyance path intersect three-dimensionally, and the intersection The transfer unit transfers the articles at and around the position where the article is transported, the intersection position of the source container conveyance path with the output container conveyance path is set as the sorting source position, and the article is sorted in the conveyance direction of the output container conveyance path. A position adjacent to the original position is a sorting destination position, and the transfer unit transfers the articles from the original container at the sorting source position to the carrying out container at the sorting destination position, and the carrying out container and the original container are located at the top, respectively. It is formed in a rectangular shape having a short side and a long side when viewed from above, the conveyance direction of the carry-out container conveyance path is set parallel to the extending direction of the short side of the carry-out container, and the former container conveyance path is formed in a rectangular shape having a short side and a long side. A conveying direction is set parallel to the extending direction of the long side of the original container, and the conveying direction of the unloading container conveying path and the conveying direction of the original container conveying path intersect in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to each other when viewed from above, The unloading container conveyed by the unloading container conveyance path and the original container conveyed by the original container conveyance path are the same when viewed from above , and the transfer unit is arranged by a base installed on a floor surface. supported, on at least one side in the extending direction of the original container conveyance path at the sorting destination position, on the sorting destination position side with respect to the source container conveying path, and disposed in the vicinity of the sorting destination position. It is characterized by being set up .

According to the present invention, articles can be transferred from the source container to the output container around the position where the output container conveyance path and the original container conveyance path three-dimensionally intersect. As a result, the source container and the discharge container in which the article is transferred can be brought close to each other, and the distance that the article is transferred by the transfer section can be shortened, thereby stabilizing and speeding up the transfer.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a conveyance device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a right side view of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a left side view of FIG. 1 with the stepped part omitted. FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope without changing the gist thereof. In the following figures, some configurations may be omitted for convenience of explanation. In addition, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "front", and "back" are used with reference to the direction indicated by the arrow in each figure. However, the orientation of each component in the following embodiments is only an example, and can be changed to any orientation.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a conveying device according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyance device 1 includes a step-breaking section 2 into which product numbers T1 as original containers are carried in stacked in multiple stages, and product numbers T1 supplied from the step-breaking section 2 from right to left. It is equipped with a product number and weight conveyance section 3 that conveys the product number in the direction. Further, the conveying device 1 includes a shipping bar conveying unit 4 for transporting a shipping bar T2 serving as an unloading container from the rear to the front, a transfer unit 5 capable of holding and transferring the article W, and a transport unit 5 for detecting the article W. Detection unit 6 is provided.

Although not particularly limited, in the present embodiment, the article W to be transported is a container containing cooked food such as a boxed lunch or a side dish, and has flexibility that can be deformed by a user's grip or the like. shall be taken as a thing. In addition, in the product number T1 carried into the tier disassembly section 2, articles W are stored in two stacks at three positions, one on top of the other.

In this embodiment, the product number T1 and the shipping number T2 are formed in the same form, and are provided in a shape that includes a bottom wall and a peripheral wall and has an open top. Further, in the present embodiment, in the conveying device 1, the product number weight T1 and the shipping number weight T2 are formed into a generally rectangular shape having a short side and a long side when viewed from above, and each of the product number weights T1 and T2 has a short side. The sides are arranged parallel to the front-rear direction, and the long sides are arranged parallel to the left-right direction.

2 is a right side view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view of FIG. 1. The step-breaking section 2 is surrounded by a casing (not shown), and a loading door (not shown) is provided on the right side of the casing (on the near side in the paper of FIG. 2). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in addition to FIG. 1, the step separating section 2 includes a rising separation mechanism 21 in which product number T1 is stacked in multiple stages, and a rising separation mechanism 21 disposed below the rising separation mechanism 21. The set trolley 22 and conveyor 23 are provided. The setting cart 22 runs on the floor (not shown), and the conveyor 23 is arranged at a position slightly above the floor. Heavy T1 is conveyed onto the conveyor 23. Note that a pusher (not shown) may be installed on the left side of the conveyor 23 to push the setting trolley 22 to the right side after the product number T1 has been transferred to the lifting separation mechanism 21.

The lifting separation mechanism 21 holds all the product numbers T1 stacked in multiple stages on the setting cart 22 and then places them on the conveyor 23. The ascending separation mechanism 21 is configured to be able to separate the product numbers T1 stacked on the conveyor 23 one by one from the lowest product number T1 and supply them to the product number conveyance unit 3. In addition, in each drawing, the rising separation mechanism 21 is illustrated in a simplified manner, and detailed illustrations and explanations of the configuration are omitted.

The product number conveyor 3 includes a product number conveyor (former container conveyance path) 31 on which the product number T1 is placed and which extends in the left-right direction, and a product number conveyor 31 and the unstage section 2. A lifter conveyance mechanism 32 provided between the two is provided. The product number conveyor 31 is supported at a height position a predetermined distance from the floor by a casing or frame (not shown). The product number conveyor 31 is driven to convey the product number T1 in the right-to-left direction, which is the extending direction, and this direction is set as the transport direction of the product number conveyor 31.

The conveyance direction of the product number conveyor 31 is set parallel to the extending direction of the long side of the product number T1. In other words, the width (front-to-back width) of the product number conveyor 31 is formed to be slightly larger than the short side length of the product number T1, and the conveyance direction of the product number conveyor 31 and the extending direction of the long side of the product number T1 The product number T1 is placed and transported so that the product number T1 is aligned.

The right end side of the product number conveyor 31 is the sorting source position 31A. The sorting source position 31A is the position of the product number T1 with the code "31A" written in parentheses among the product numbers T1 illustrated in each drawing. The product number weight conveyor 31 stops driving when the product number T1 is conveyed to the sorting source position 31A, and clamps the product number T1 with a clamp (not shown), thereby transferring the product number T1 to the sorting source position 31A. It is provided so that it can be positioned.

The lifter conveyance mechanism 32 includes a lifter conveyor 34 on which the product number T1 is placed, a cylinder 35 that raises and lowers the lifter conveyor 34, and a connecting body that connects the tip of the rod 35a in the cylinder 35 with the lifter conveyor 34. It is equipped with 36. The lifter conveyance mechanism 32 moves the lifter conveyor 34 up and down by driving the cylinder 35 . The upper limit position of the lifter conveyor 34 during such raising and lowering is the same height as the product number conveyor 31, and the lower limit position (indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. be done. Therefore, the product number T1 can be conveyed to the left from the conveyor 23 of the step-breaking section 2 to the lifter conveyor 34 at the lower limit position. After such conveyance, the lifter conveyor 34 and the product number weight T1 are raised to the upper limit position, and the product number weight T1 can be conveyed leftward from the lifter conveyor 34 to the product number conveyor 31.

Note that the product number T1 conveyed to the left end side, which is the downstream side of the product number conveyor 31, is collected by a collection mechanism or an operator (not shown).

FIG. 4 is a left side view of FIG. 1 with the stepped portion omitted. In addition to FIGS. 1 and 2, as shown in FIG. 4, the shipping bag conveyor 4 has a shipping bag conveyor (carrying container (transport path) 41. In this embodiment, the shipping guard conveyor 41 has a structure divided into three parts in the extending direction. In addition, the shipping number conveyor 41 is located at a height a predetermined distance from the floor by a housing or frame (not shown), and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 in addition to FIG. It is arranged below the conveyor 31. In other words, the product number conveyor 31 is three-dimensionally arranged above the shipping number conveyor 41.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shipping weight conveyor 41 is driven to convey the shipping weight T2 in the extending direction from the back to the front. Set in the transport direction. Further, the extending direction and conveying direction of the shipping number conveyor 41 and the extending direction and conveying direction of the product number conveyor 31 are arranged to be different from each other so as to intersect with each other in substantially orthogonal directions when viewed from above. Moreover, since the product number conveyor 31 and the shipping number conveyor 41 are three-dimensionally arranged at different heights, they are arranged at positions where they intersect three-dimensionally.

The conveyance direction of the shipping bar conveyor 41 is set parallel to the direction in which the short side of the shipping bar T2 extends. In other words, the width (left and right width) of the shipping bar conveyor 41 is formed to be slightly different from the long side length of the shipping bar T2, and the width (left and right width) of the shipping bar conveyor 41 is formed to be slightly different from the long side length of the shipping bar T2. The shipping number T2 is placed and transported so that the extending directions of the sides are aligned. The product number T1 conveyed by the product number conveyor 31 and the shipping number T2 conveyed by the shipping number conveyor 41 are the same when viewed from above (see FIG. 5).

Here, the above-mentioned sorting source position 31A of the product number conveyor 31 is a position where the product number conveyor 31 intersects with the shipping number conveyor 41. Further, in the shipping bar conveyor 41, a position adjacent to the front of the sorting source position 31A in the transport direction is a sorting destination position 41A. The sorting destination position 41A is the position of the shipping number T2, which is indicated by the symbol "41A" in parentheses, among the shipping numbers T2 illustrated in each drawing.

In addition, at the front end side which is the upstream side of the shipping barge conveyor 41, the shipping barge T2 is supplied by a supply mechanism or an operator (not shown), and at the rear end side which is the downstream side, the shipping barge T2 is supplied by a collecting mechanism or a worker (not shown). The shipping number T2 is collected by. Further, the shipping guard conveyor 41 may be extended in the conveying direction, and another conveying device 1 may be provided in parallel.

In this embodiment, two transfer units 5 are provided, and although not shown, they are supported by a base installed on the floor. The two transfer units 5 are disposed on both the left and right sides of the sorting destination position 41A on the shipping number conveyor 41 and near the front of the product number conveyor 31. Therefore, the two transfer units 5 are arranged at positions close to both the sorting destination position 41A and the sorting source position 31A.

The transfer section 5 includes a holding section 51 that holds the article W from above, and a moving mechanism 52 that moves the holding section 51 in three orthogonal axes directions and in a rotational direction. The holding section 51 can adopt various configurations as long as it can hold the article W, and examples thereof include a mechanism that sucks the upper surface of the article W, a mechanism that grips the article W by sandwiching it, and the like. The moving mechanism 52 is composed of a six-axis articulated robot having an arm connected to a plurality of links, but may also be a mechanism combining a cylinder, a direct-acting motor, a linear motor, a feed screw structure, etc.

The transfer section 5 is provided to be able to transfer the article W by holding the article W in the holding section 51 and then driving the moving mechanism 52 . Specifically, from the product number T1, which is transported by the product number conveyor 31 and located at the sorting source position 31A, to the shipping number T2, which is transported by the shipping number conveyor 41 and located at the sorting destination position 41A. The article W can be transferred (see the thick arrow in FIG. 4). Therefore, the transfer unit 5 can transfer the articles W at the position where the product number conveyor 31 and the shipping number conveyor 41 three-dimensionally intersect (the sorting source position 31A) and around it (the sorting destination position 41A). can.

The detection unit 6 includes a housing state detection unit 61 and a holding state detection unit 62, each of which is configured by an imaging means such as a camera. The accommodation state detection unit 61 is supported above the sorting source position 31A by a casing or a frame (not shown). The accommodation state detection unit 61 images the article W accommodated in the product number T1 of the sorting source position 31A, and outputs image data for acquiring the number of articles W accommodated and the accommodation position.

The holding state detection unit 62 is also supported by an unillustrated casing or frame. The holding state detection unit 62 is arranged between the sorting source position 31A and the sorting destination position 41A in the front-back direction (see FIG. 5), and is also arranged between the sorting source position 31A and the sorting destination position 41A in the vertical direction. (see Figure 4). The holding state detection unit 62 images the articles W passing between the sorting source position 31A and the sorting destination position 41A during transfer by the transfer unit 5 from below, and acquires the orientation and posture of the articles W. Output imaging data.

Next, the operation of the transport device 1 of this embodiment will be explained. First, in the step disassembly section 2, the lifting separation mechanism 21 separates the product number T1 from the lowest step one step at a time. The product number weight T1 is increased to . Thereafter, the product number T1 is conveyed to the sorting source position 31A by the product number conveyor 31, and then positioned. On the other hand, in the shipping number conveyor 4, the shipping number T2 is transported to the sorting destination position 41A by the shipping number conveyor 41, and then positioned.

After positioning the product number T1 and the shipping number T2 in this way, the accommodation state detection unit 61 images the article W at the product number T1 at the sorting source position 31A. According to the imaging result, the moving mechanism 52 of the transfer section 5 is driven, and the holding section 51 holds the articles W within the product number T1 at the sorting source position 31A. After this holding, as shown by the thick line arrow in FIG. 4, the moving mechanism 52 is driven to move the article W held in the holding part 51 to the shipping number T2 at the sorting destination position 41A and store it therein. During this transfer, the article W being transferred is imaged from below by the holding state detection unit 62, and the direction and posture of the article W being held is corrected by controlling the driving of the moving mechanism 52 according to the image capturing result. Ru. As a result, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of defective transfer or accommodation of the articles W to the shipping number T2.

The transfer of the articles W to the shipping number T2 is repeated until the number of articles W to be accommodated reaches a predetermined required number. When the image pickup result of the accommodation state detection unit 61 shows that the article W with the product number weight T1 is gone and becomes empty, the product number conveyor 31 releases the positioning of the product number T1 at the sorting source position 31A and carries it out. A new product number T1 is conveyed to the sorting source position 31A and positioned. Furthermore, when the requested number of articles W is transferred to the shipping number T2 at the sorting destination position 41A, the positioning of the shipping number T2 at the sorting destination position 41A is canceled and the goods are carried out, and a new empty item is placed at the sorting destination position 41A. The shipping number T2 is transported and positioned.

According to this embodiment, the product numbering conveyor 31 and the shipping numbering conveyor 41 intersect three-dimensionally, so the sorting source position 31A is set at the intersection position, and the sorting source position 31A is set next to the sorting source position 31A. A destination position 41A can be set. Therefore, as seen from above, as shown in FIG. 5, the sorting source position 31A and the sorting destination position 41A can be brought close together, and the product number weight T1 and shipping number weight T2, which are the transfer destination and the transfer source of the article W, can be placed next to each other. . Thereby, it is possible to shorten the transfer distance of the article W by the transfer section 5 (see the bold line arrow in FIG. 4), and the transfer time per article W can be shortened. As a result, it is possible to improve the transfer efficiency, shorten the time for holding the article W in the transfer section 5, suppress acceleration of the article W during transfer, and stabilize the transfer. .

Furthermore, since the product number conveyor 31 is disposed above the shipping number conveyor 41, as shown in FIG. The amount of downward movement can be increased. Thereby, in the transfer unit 5, the transfer load applied to the moving mechanism 52, the power required for driving, etc. can be reduced.

In addition, the sorting source position 31A and the sorting destination position 41A are adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction, which is the conveyance direction of the shipping bar conveyor 41, and the short sides of both the bins T1 and T2 arranged at such positions 31A and 41A are extended. The direction is the front-back direction, and the orientation in top view is the same. In this way, by transporting the article W with each of the weights T1 and T2 arranged in the direction in which the short side extends, the article W The maximum transfer distance can be shortened, and the transfer can also be stabilized by this.

Further, by shortening the transfer distance as described above, even if the article W has flexibility that easily deforms due to external force, stable transfer can be achieved in a good manner.

The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be variously changed, replaced, and modified without departing from the spirit of the technical idea of the present invention. Furthermore, if the technical idea of the present invention can be realized in a different manner due to advances in technology or other derived technologies, it may be implemented using that method. Accordingly, the claims cover all embodiments that may be included within the spirit of the invention.

In the embodiment described above, the article W to be supported is a container for cooked food, but the article is not limited in any way as long as it can be transferred by the transfer section 5. For example, it may be other foods such as sandwiches, bread, or bento boxes, various electrical appliances, devices, or parts thereof, or items packed in boxes or trays other than bento containers. Furthermore, in the article W, the holding part 51 is not limited to the upper surface, but may be a side surface or an edge of the article W, an uneven portion formed from the bottom surface to the side surface, an inclined portion, a protruding portion, etc. .

Furthermore, although a case has been described in which the container weights T1 and T2 are used as the carry-out container and the original container, the present invention is not limited to this, and various containers can be used depending on the items to be accommodated. Moreover, the articles W accommodated in each of the weights T1 and T2 may be stacked vertically or may not be stacked.

Further, the maximum number of articles W held by the holding section 51 of the transfer section 5 may be changed to two or more.

Further, the product number conveyor 31 and the shipping number conveyor 41 are arranged in a vertical position opposite to the above embodiment, so that the product number conveyor 31 is disposed below the shipping number conveyor 41. It's okay. However, the above embodiment is advantageous in that the amount of upward movement of the article W can be smaller than the amount of downward movement of the article W when taking out the article W from the product number T1.

Further, the extending direction of the product numbering conveyor 31 and the shipping numbering conveyor 41 may be a curved direction, and the intersection angle when viewed from above may be changed to an angle other than 90°.

Further, the installation position of the transfer unit 5 is not limited to the floor surface, but may be placed on the ceiling or a housing (not shown), and the number of installation units of the transfer unit 5 is not limited to two, but may be one or three or more. Good too.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, if a transfer failure occurs such as the article W falling during transportation, the article may be transferred from the product number T1 to the shipping number T2 via the worker as described below. W can be transported.

First, the driving of the transfer section 5 is stopped, and the operator stands on the rear left side of the sorting source position 31A, which is the intersection of the product number conveyor 31 and the shipping number conveyor 41. Then, the shipping number conveyor 41 transports the shipping number T2 at the sorting destination position 41A back to the rear of the sorting source position 31A, and the product number conveyor 31 transports the product number T1 at the sorting source position 31A to the sorting source position. Transfer to the left side of 31A. An operator manually transfers the article W to be transferred between the weights T1 and T2 transported in this way. In this work as well, the transport distance of the article W can be shortened.

After transferring the number of articles W to be transferred to the shipping number T2, the shipping number T2 is carried out by the shipping number conveyor 41, and the product number T1, which has been conveyed to the left side of the sorting source position 31A, is transferred to the sorting source position 31A. Carry out the return transport. Thereafter, normal transport can be resumed as described in the above embodiment.

1 Conveyance device 31 Product number conveyor (former container conveyance path)
31A Sorting source position 41 Shipping guard conveyor (unloading container conveyance path)
41A Sorting location 5 Transfer section T1 Product number (original container)
T2 Shipping number (unloading container)
W Goods

Claims (3)

In a conveyance device that transfers articles stored in a source container and stores them in an output container,
an unloading container transport path that extends in a predetermined direction and transports the unloading container with the extending direction as the transporting direction;
an original container transport path that extends in a direction different from the unloading container transport path and transports the original container with the extending direction as the transport direction;
a transfer unit capable of transferring an article from the original container transported on the original container transport path to the export container transported on the output container transport path,
The carry-out container conveyance path and the original container conveyance path intersect three-dimensionally, and the transfer unit transfers the article at and around the intersecting position,
A position where the source container conveyance path intersects with the unloading container conveyance path is a sorting source position, a position adjacent to the sorting source position in the transport direction of the unloading container conveying path is a sorting destination position, and the sorting source the transfer unit transfers the article from the source container at the location to the delivery container at the destination location;
The carrying out container and the original container are each formed into a rectangular shape having a short side and a long side when viewed from above,
The carrying direction of the carrying out container conveying path is set parallel to the extending direction of the short side of the carrying out container,
The transport direction of the original container transport path is set parallel to the extending direction of the long side of the original container,
The conveyance direction of the unloading container conveyance path and the conveyance direction of the original container conveyance path intersect in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to each other when viewed from above,
The unloading container conveyed by the unloading container conveyance path and the original container conveyed by the original container conveying path have the same orientation when viewed from above ,
The transfer unit is supported by a base installed on a floor surface, and is located at least on one side in the direction in which the original container conveyance path in the sorting destination position extends, and is located at the sorting destination position with respect to the original container conveyance path. A conveyance device characterized in that it is located on the side and near the sorting destination position . 2. The conveyance device according to claim 1, wherein the original container conveyance path is disposed above and intersects with the output container conveyance path. 3. The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the article has flexibility.

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