JP7447710B2 - Goods conveyance equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention comprises an article transport vehicle that travels along a traveling rail that is suspended and supported from a ceiling, and a work platform that is placed along the traveling rail at a position adjacent to the traveling rail and on which a worker stands and works. Regarding article conveyance equipment equipped with

2. Description of the Related Art In an article conveyance facility including an article conveyor that travels along a traveling rail that is suspended and supported from a ceiling, maintenance of the suspended article conveyor and the traveling rail is often performed at a high place. JP 2018-193169 A discloses a trolley body that runs on the floor, a support part with a pantograph structure connected to the trolley body, a workbench supported by the supporter, and a workbench by expanding and contracting the supporter part. An example is shown in which a worker performs maintenance using a platform for high-altitude work that is equipped with an elevating section for elevating and lowering. Additionally, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2018-70341 discloses installing a traffic control device on the traveling rail in order to prevent workers from coming into contact with goods transport vehicles during work at high places. There is.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-193169 JP2018-70341A

Although a trolley for high-altitude work such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-193169 is easy to move to any location, it is necessary to run the trolley for high-altitude work during maintenance. For this reason, there is a limit to its mobility, and it is difficult to say that it is suitable for daily inspections that mainly involve confirmation. Therefore, work platforms and work paths (often referred to as catwalks) are sometimes installed along the traveling rails through which workers can pass. Such work benches and work paths are provided at positions that do not overlap with the travel locus of the article transport vehicle when viewed in the direction along the travel route. Therefore, there is usually a low possibility that a worker will come into contact with an article transport vehicle, and even if a worker is on a workbench or work path, a traffic control device is used to transport the article, as in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-70341. In many cases, restrictions on vehicle traffic are not taken. Using a traffic control device ensures the safety of workers, but reduces the operating rate of goods transport vehicles, but by providing a work platform and work path along the traveling rail, this decrease in operating rate can be suppressed. be able to. However, if the worker leans out from the workbench or work path toward the running rail, or extends his or her arms in the direction of the running rail, there is a possibility that the worker may come into contact with the moving goods transport vehicle. There is sex.

In view of the above background, we developed an article transport facility that includes an article transport vehicle that travels along a traveling rail suspended from the ceiling, and a workbench that is placed along the traveling rail and on which a worker stands and performs work. Therefore, it is desired to provide a technology that can improve worker safety while suppressing a decrease in transport efficiency.

In view of the above, the article conveyance equipment includes a traveling rail that is suspended and supported from the ceiling and arranged along a traveling route , an article conveying vehicle that travels along the traveling rail, and a vehicle that is placed adjacent to the traveling rail. An article conveyance facility comprising: a workbench disposed along a traveling rail on which a worker stands and performs work; A plurality of rails arranged so as not to overlap with the route and arranged along the travel rail within a predetermined range that includes at least the range where the workbench is installed along the traveling direction of the goods transport vehicle. a warning light, a warning light control unit that controls lighting and extinguishing of the plurality of warning lights, and a transport vehicle detection unit that detects approach of the article transport vehicle to the specified range, and the warning light control unit The section is configured to turn on the plurality of warning lights from an upstream side in the traveling direction to a downstream side in the traveling direction in response to the approach of the article transportation vehicle to the workbench based on the detection result by the conveyance vehicle detection section. lights up in order.

According to this configuration, when the article transport vehicle approaches the workbench, the plurality of warning lights are turned on in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the traveling direction. Thereby, the worker on the workbench can recognize that the article transport vehicle is approaching by the illuminated warning light. Since the warning light lights up from the upstream side to the downstream side, it is possible to appropriately notify the operator that the article conveyance vehicle is approaching in accordance with the traveling direction of the article conveyance vehicle. That is, according to this configuration, it is possible to realize an article conveyance facility that can improve worker safety while suppressing a decrease in conveyance efficiency.

Further features and advantages of the article transport installation will become clear from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the drawings.

Plan view of article conveyance equipment Side view of goods transport vehicle Front view of goods transport vehicle Diagram showing an example of transferring goods using a goods transport vehicle Schematic block diagram showing the configuration of article conveyance equipment Diagram showing an example of a workbench Diagram showing an example of how warning lights are installed Diagram showing other examples of installation formats for warning lights Block diagram showing an example of a warning light control mode Sequence diagram showing an example of a warning light control mode Block diagram showing an example of an article storage facility equipped with a warning light Block diagram showing another example of article storage equipment equipped with three warning lights Block diagram showing another example of article storage equipment with warning lights Block diagram showing other examples of warning light control formats

Hereinafter, embodiments of the article storage facility will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the article conveyance equipment 100 has a running rail 2 that is suspended from the ceiling and is installed along a running route 1, and runs along the running route 1 on the running rail 2. and an article transport vehicle 3 for conveying articles W. The article transport vehicle 3 transports, as an article W, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that accommodates a semiconductor substrate, a reticle that accommodates a photomask, etc., for example. In this embodiment, a FOUP is illustrated as the article W. Furthermore, in the following description, the direction along the traveling route 1 will be referred to as the traveling direction Y, and the direction along the horizontal plane and orthogonal to the traveling direction Y will be referred to as the width direction X. The vertical direction Z is a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction Y and the width direction X.

As shown in FIG. 1, the travel route 1 connects one annular main route 1M, a plurality of annular sub-routes 1S passing through a plurality of processing devices P, and the main route 1M and the sub-routes 1S. It is equipped with a connecting part J. The connecting portion J includes a branching portion that causes the article transport vehicle 3 to diverge from the main route 1M toward the sub route 1S, and a merging portion that causes the article carrier 3 to merge from the sub route 1S to the main route 1M. . The traveling route 1 of the article transporting vehicle 3 is one-way, and the article transporting vehicle 3 travels along the traveling route 1 from the upstream side Y1 in the traveling direction toward the downstream side Y2 in the traveling direction (see FIG. 7, etc.).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the article transport vehicle 3 travels along the traveling route 1 while being guided by a pair of traveling rails 2 that are suspended and supported from the ceiling along the traveling route 1. 9, the transport vehicle main body 10 located below the traveling rail 2 and suspended and supported by the traveling section 9, and receiving power for driving in a non-contact manner from the power supply line 11 disposed along the traveling route 1. A power receiving unit 12 is provided. Further, the carrier body 10 is provided with an article holding section 13 that suspends and holds the article W, and an elevating section 14 that raises and lowers the article holding section 13. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the article transport vehicle 3 travels with the article holding section 13 raised to convey the article W.

As shown in FIG. 4, the article conveyance equipment 100 includes a mounting table 104 installed on the floor side and on which the article W is placed. The article transport vehicle 3 transfers the article W to and from the mounting table 104 with the article holding section 13 lowered. The mounting tables 104 are arranged at multiple locations in the article conveyance facility 100. For example, the mounting table 104 is placed in each processing device P or in an article storage (not shown) in FIG.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, one article transport vehicle 3 is provided with two running sections 9, and a common transport vehicle main body 10 is suspended and supported by each running section 9. The two running sections 9 have the same configuration, and each running section 9 is equipped with a power receiving section 12, for example. The respective traveling sections 9 are arranged side by side along the traveling direction Y of the article transport vehicle 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each running portion 9 is provided with a pair of running wheels 15 that are rotationally driven by an electric drive actuator 35 (see FIG. 5). The running wheels 15 roll on running surfaces formed on the upper surfaces of the respective running rails 2. In addition, each running section 9 is provided with a pair of guide wheels 16 that freely rotate around the axis along the vertical direction Z (around the vertical axis) and are in contact with the inner surfaces of the pair of running rails 2. It is being As shown in FIG. 5, the conveyance vehicle body 10 includes actuators such as a lifting actuator 34 that raises and lowers the article holding section 13, a holding actuator 33 that drives the article holding section 13 that holds the article W by gripping it, and the like. and a drive circuit for driving those actuators. Note that these actuators are, for example, motors, solenoids, and the like.

The article transport vehicle 3 transports the article W between different mounting tables 104 based on a transport command from an equipment control device H1 (MCP: Material Control Processor) that manages the entire article transport equipment 100. In this embodiment, the equipment control device H1 and each article carrier 3 are configured to be able to communicate via wireless communication. Each article conveyance vehicle 3 is equipped with a conveyance vehicle control device 31, and runs the article conveyance vehicle 3 under autonomous control based on a conveyance command, stops above a designated mounting table 104, and moves to an article holding section. 13 is raised and lowered to transfer the article W.

As described above, the travel route 1 includes a plurality of connection parts J, and at each connection part J, one route branches into a plurality of routes, or a plurality of routes merge into a single route. . For example, when a certain article conveyance vehicle 3 branches at a branch point, if another article conveyance vehicle 3 is present on the branch destination route, there is a possibility that the article conveyance vehicle 3 will collide with the other article conveyance vehicle 3 after the branch. In addition, when a certain article conveyance vehicle 3 merges at a merging point, if another article conveyance vehicle 3 exists on the merging destination route, it may come into contact with the other article conveyance vehicle 3 at the time of merging, or the other article conveyance vehicle 3 may There is a possibility that the transport vehicle 3 will collide from behind.

For this reason, in order to arbitrate the passage of the article transport vehicle 3 at the connection part J, the article transport equipment 100 includes a zone control unit H2 (ZCU: Zone Control Unit). A plurality of management zones E (see FIG. 12) are set on the driving route 1, and each management zone E is provided with a zone control device H2. In other words, the management zone E is set in an area where it is necessary to arbitrate the passage of a plurality of goods transport vehicles 3, such as the connection part J, on the travel route 1, and the zone control device H2 is arranged in each management zone E. There is. In this embodiment, the zone control device H2 and each article carrier 3 are configured to be able to communicate via wireless communication. The article transport vehicle 3 passes through the connection J when the zone control device H2 permits passage.

By the way, when maintenance is performed on the article carrier 3, the article carrier 3 may be lowered from the traveling rail 2 to the floor side, but if it is a simple adjustment or inspection, the article carrier 3 may be lowered to the floor. It may also be carried out while being suspended and supported by the rail 2. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, a workbench 4 may be placed adjacent to the travel rail 2 on which a worker 80 can work. In this embodiment, the workbench 4 is suspended and supported from the ceiling via a gantry support column 41. Moreover, although the workbench 4 is arranged along the running rail 2, it does not need to be provided over the entire area of the running rail 2, and may be provided only partially. Since the article transport vehicle 3 is suspended and supported by the traveling rail 2 arranged on the ceiling side, a ladder 105 is installed on the work table 4 to connect the floor surface 42 of the work table 4 and the floor surface 102 of the article conveyance equipment 100. has been done.

Note that FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the traveling route 1 includes a first traveling route 1a and a second traveling route 1b in which the traveling direction Y of the article transport vehicle 3 is opposite to each other. Further, an example is shown in which the workbench 4 is disposed at a position adjacent to the first travel route 1a. However, the workbench 4 may be provided on both the first travel route 1a and the second travel route 1b. Furthermore, as described above, the workbench 4 does not need to be provided over the entire area of the travel route 1, so the workbench 4 is arranged along the first travel route 1a in some sections of the travel route 1, and the workbench 4 is arranged along the first travel route 1a in some sections of the travel route 1. A workbench 4 may be installed along the second traveling route 1b in a part of the section.

As shown in FIG. 6, the workbench 4 is installed on the travel route 1 so as not to overlap with the travel route 1 when viewed in the travel direction Y. Therefore, normally, the worker 80 on the workbench 4 does not come into contact with the article transport vehicle 3 traveling on the travel route 1. However, if the worker 80 leans over from the workbench 4 toward the traveling route 1 or extends his arm or the like in the direction of the traveling route 1, the worker may come into contact with the traveling article transport vehicle 3. there's a possibility that. For this reason, in this embodiment, a warning light 7 is provided to notify the worker 80 on the workbench 4 of the approach of the article transport vehicle 3 (see FIG. 7, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of warning lights 7 are arranged along the running rail 2 within a predefined range K7 along the running direction Y. The specified range K7 is set to include at least the range where the workbench 4 is installed along the travel direction Y of the article transport vehicle 3 (workbench installation range K4). Although FIG. 7 shows an example in which the prescribed range K7 and the workbench installation range K4 are the same, as shown in FIG. 8, the prescribed range K7 is set to a longer range than the workbench installation range K4. It's okay. Further, in FIG. 8, the prescribed range K7 is set to extend toward the downstream side Y2 in the traveling direction from the workbench installation range K4, but it is set to extend toward the upstream side Y1 in the traveling direction. or may be set to extend on both sides of the traveling direction Y.

As shown in FIG. 8, if the specified range K7 is set to extend to the downstream side Y2 in the traveling direction from the workbench installation range K4, the warning light 7 is set to the downstream side Y2 in the traveling direction from the workbench 4. can be installed. In this case, for example, for the worker 80 who is standing at the most downstream side Y2 in the traveling direction (downstream end) of the workbench 4 and facing the downstream side Y2 in the traveling direction, The approach of the article transport vehicle 3 can be more clearly notified by the warning light 7 installed at the front. Even when the specified range K7 and the workbench installation range K4 are the same, when the warning light 7 installed at the downstream end of the workbench 4 lights up, the warning light 7 that lights up on the side of the worker 80 indicates that the workbench There is a possibility that person 80 will notice. However, by lighting the warning light 7 further downstream in the travel direction Y2 than the downstream end, it is possible to more reliably notify the worker 80 of the approach of the article transport vehicle 3.

As described above, the workbench 4 is suspended and supported from the ceiling 101 via the pedestal support pillar 41. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, in this embodiment, the warning light 7 is supported via a gantry support column 41. Since the gantry support column 41 also serves as a support for supporting the warning light 7, there is no need to provide a separate support when installing the warning light 7. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the cost of the article conveyance equipment 100 due to the installation of the warning light 7. Note that, as shown in FIG. 8, the warning light 7 may be supported by a beam member 43 installed on the gantry support column 41 along the traveling route 1, a tension rope (steel wire), or the like. By being supported by a beam member or the like, the warning light 7 can be installed regardless of the installation interval of the gantry support columns 41.

Naturally, the warning light 7 may be supported only by the beam member 43 or the like without being directly supported by the gantry support column 41. In addition, an unillustrated warning light support that is suspended from the ceiling 101 separately from the gantry support column 41, or an unillustrated warning light support that is erected on the floor surface 42 of the workbench 4 is installed. This does not preclude the possibility that the warning light 7 may be installed on the support member for these warnings and the like.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the warning light 7 is installed at a height between the floor surface 42 of the workbench 4 and the ceiling 101. Since the warning light 7 is installed at a position that is easily visible to the worker 80 on the workbench 4, it is possible to appropriately notify the worker 80 that the article transport vehicle 3 is approaching. More preferably, the warning light 7 is installed at a height of about 150 cm from the floor surface 42 of the workbench 4, that is, near the face position of the average worker 80.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the plurality of warning lights 7 are controlled to turn on and off by the warning light control unit 6 based on the detection result by the guided vehicle detection unit 5. The transport vehicle detection unit 5 detects the approach of the article transport vehicle 3 to the specified range K7. The warning light control unit 6 switches the plurality of warning lights 7 from the upstream side Y1 in the traveling direction to the downstream side Y2 in the traveling direction according to the approach of the article conveying vehicle 3 to the workbench 4 based on the detection result by the conveyance vehicle detection unit 5. Turn on the lights in order towards the front (sequential lighting). Here, among the plurality of warning lights 7, the warning light 7 disposed furthest upstream in the traveling direction Y1 is referred to as the most upstream warning light 71, and the warning light 7 disposed furthest downstream Y2 in the traveling direction is referred to as the most downstream warning light 7. It is called a side warning light 72. The warning light control unit 6 lights up the warning lights 7 in the order of arrangement along the traveling direction Y so that the most upstream warning light 71 is turned on first and the most downstream warning light 72 is turned on last. Note that the lights may be turned off one after another in the same order as they were turned on, or may be turned off all at once after the article transport vehicle 3 has passed.

That is, when the article transport vehicle 3 approaches the workbench 4, the plurality of warning lights 7 are turned on in order from the upstream side Y1 in the traveling direction to the downstream side Y2 in the traveling direction. Thereby, the worker 80 on the workbench 4 can recognize that the article transport vehicle 3 is approaching by the warning light 7 that is turned on. Since the warning light 7 lights up from the upstream side Y1 in the traveling direction to the downstream side Y2 in the traveling direction, the warning light 7 lights up in accordance with the traveling direction of the article conveying vehicle 3 so that the operator can appropriately notify that the article conveying vehicle 3 is approaching. 80. Note that the conveyance vehicle detection unit 5 may be, for example, a conveyance vehicle detection sensor 51 installed on the upstream side Y1 of the traveling direction with respect to the workbench 4, as shown in FIG.

Further, the conveyance vehicle detection unit 5 may be, for example, a zone control device H2 that manages a management zone E set in an area including the workbench 4, as shown in FIG. 12. At this time, a zone entry detection sensor 52 is provided to detect the entry of the article transport vehicle 3 into the management zone E, and the zone control device H2 detects the article transport vehicle 3 based on the detection result of the zone entry detection sensor 52. Good too. Alternatively, based on the detection result by a zone exit detection sensor (not shown), the article transport vehicle 3 The warning light 7 may be turned on by estimating the position of the vehicle. In this case, the zone control device H2 and the warning light control unit 6 are connected via an intra-equipment network 90.

Further, the guided vehicle detection unit 5 can also be an equipment control device H1, as shown in FIG. 13. In this case, the equipment control device H1 is also connected to the warning light control unit 6 via the intra-equipment network 90. The equipment control device H1 is configured to be able to communicate with the article transport vehicle 3. Further, the article transport vehicle 3, which autonomously travels based on a transport command from the equipment control device H1, knows the position of its own vehicle on the travel route 1 within a predetermined tolerance. For example, the article transport vehicle 3 can acquire its own vehicle position on the travel route 1 based on information read from position markers installed along the travel route 1. The position marker is a bar code (either one-dimensional or two-dimensional), a position indicator indicated by characters, or a wireless tag. The article transport vehicle 3 is configured to include a barcode reader, a reader with a character recognition function, a wireless tag reader, etc., and is capable of acquiring position marker information. Further, the article transport vehicle 3 can also acquire a position according to the traveling distance from the reference position, for example, based on the detection result of a distance sensor such as an encoder that detects the rotation of the running wheels 15. These vehicle position information can be transmitted from the goods transport vehicle 3 to the equipment control device H1, and the equipment control device H1 sends information on the vehicle position of each goods transport vehicle 3 to the workbench 4 based on the own vehicle position information of each goods transport vehicle 3. Approach of the article transport vehicle 3 can be detected.

For example, the warning light control unit 6 controls the warning light 7 located downstream of the article carrier 3 to turn on in synchronization with the traveling speed of the article carrier 3. Since the speed at which the plurality of warning lights 7 are turned on in sequence is synchronized with the traveling speed of the article transport vehicle 3, the worker 80 can easily feel the behavior of the approaching article transport vehicle 3.

Note that the warning light control section 6 may turn on the warning light 7 without synchronizing with the traveling speed of the article transport vehicle 3. However, the warning light control unit 6 controls the warning light 7 so that the lighting speed from the lighting of the most upstream warning light 71 to the lighting of the most downstream warning light 72 is faster than the traveling speed of the article transport vehicle 3. It is preferable to turn it on. By turning on the warning light 7 in this manner, it is possible to turn on the warning light 7 before the article transport vehicle 3 approaches.

Furthermore, when the conveyance vehicle detection section 5 detects the approach of the article conveyance vehicle 3, the warning light control section 6 controls each of the plurality of warning lights 7 based on a predetermined specified traveling speed of the article conveyance vehicle 3. You may decide the lighting time at which the light is turned on. The travel speed of the article transport vehicle 3 in the area where the workbench 4 is installed can be predetermined. In this case, the warning light can be turned on in accordance with the traveling speed of the article transporting vehicle 3 without sequentially acquiring information on the traveling speed of the article transporting vehicle 3.

Note that the specified traveling speed is not limited to constant speed. If the acceleration is known, the specified travel speed may be accompanied by acceleration or deceleration. In this case as well, the warning light control unit 6 can control the warning light 7 to turn on in synchronization with the specified travel speed. Further, the warning light control unit 6 controls the warning light 7 so that the lighting speed from the lighting of the most upstream warning light 71 to the lighting of the most downstream warning light 72 is faster than the specified traveling speed of the article transport vehicle 3. may be lit.

By the way, when the traveling speed of the article conveying vehicle 3 is high, the distance traveled by the article conveying vehicle 3 per unit time is naturally longer than when the traveling speed is low. Therefore, when the worker 80 is notified of the approach of the article carrier 3 by lighting the warning light 7, the time it takes for the article carrier 3 to approach the worker 80 is longer than the time it takes for the article carrier 3 to approach the worker 80, if the traveling speed of the article carrier 3 is high. is shorter than when the traveling speed is low. For this reason, the time from when the worker 80 notices the lighting of the warning light 7 until the worker 80 takes preventive safety action is shortened. Therefore, the warning light control unit 6 controls the distance between the article transport vehicle 3 and the warning light 7 (most downstream warning light 72) that lights up furthest downstream in the travel direction Y2 as the traveling speed of the article transport vehicle 3 increases. It is preferable to control the lighting of each warning light 7 so that the length of time is increased. When the warning light control unit 6 performs the control in this manner, the distance between the illuminated warning light 7 and the approaching goods transport vehicle 3 becomes longer, so the worker 80 can secure time before taking preventive safety actions. .

Further, when the worker 80 is not on the workbench 4, there is no object to be notified of the approach of the article transport vehicle 3, so the warning light 7 does not need to be turned on. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 14, a worker detection sensor 8 that detects the presence or absence of a worker 80 on the workbench 4 may be provided. In this case, the warning light control unit 6 turns on the warning light 7 when the worker detection sensor 8 detects that the worker 80 is present; If this is not detected, the warning light 7 is controlled not to light up. Thereby, it is possible to suppress lighting of the warning light 7 that does not require notification. Note that when the warning light 7 is controlled in this way, if the warning light 7 lights up when the article transport vehicle 3 approaches the workbench 4, there is a worker 80 on the workbench 4, and the warning light 7 is turned on. If it does not light up, it is possible for other workers 80 and the like to determine that the worker 80 is not present on the workbench 4.

[Overview of embodiment]
Hereinafter, the outline of the article conveyance equipment described above will be briefly explained.

In one embodiment, a running rail is suspended and supported from a ceiling, an article transport vehicle runs along the running rail, and a worker is placed along the running rail at a position adjacent to the running rail. and a workbench for performing work on the article transporting vehicle, the article conveyance equipment includes a workbench for performing work on the traveling rail within a predetermined range that includes at least an area where the workbench is installed along the traveling direction of the goods conveyance vehicle. a plurality of warning lights arranged along the line; a warning light control unit that controls turning on and off of the plurality of warning lights; and a transport vehicle detection unit that detects approach of the article transport vehicle to the specified range. The warning light control unit is configured to control the plurality of warning lights from the upstream side of the travel direction in accordance with the approach of the article transport vehicle to the workbench based on the detection result by the transport vehicle detection unit. Turn on the lights in order toward the downstream side of the direction.

According to this configuration, when the article transport vehicle approaches the workbench, the plurality of warning lights are turned on in order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the traveling direction. Thereby, the worker on the workbench can recognize that the article transport vehicle is approaching by the illuminated warning light. Since the warning light lights up from the upstream side to the downstream side, it is possible to appropriately notify the operator that the article conveyance vehicle is approaching in accordance with the traveling direction of the article conveyance vehicle. That is, according to this configuration, it is possible to realize an article conveyance facility that can improve worker safety while suppressing a decrease in conveyance efficiency.

Here, it is preferable that the warning light control section controls the warning light located on the downstream side of the article transport vehicle to turn on in synchronization with the traveling speed of the article transport vehicle.

According to this configuration, the warning light is appropriately controlled to turn on depending on the position of the article transport vehicle. Since the speed at which the plurality of warning lights turn on in sequence is synchronized with the traveling speed of the article transport vehicle, the worker can easily feel the behavior of the approaching article transport vehicle.

In addition, when the conveyance vehicle detection unit detects the approach of the article conveyance vehicle, the warning light control unit controls each of the plurality of warning lights based on a predefined specified travel speed of the article conveyance vehicle. It is preferable to determine the lighting time at which the light will be turned on.

The travel speed of the article transport vehicle in the area where the workbench is installed can be predefined. In this case, the warning light can be turned on according to the traveling speed of the article transporting vehicle without having to sequentially obtain information on the traveling speed of the article transporting vehicle.

Further, the warning light control unit controls each of the warning lights so that the distance between the warning light lit at the most downstream side and the article transport vehicle becomes longer as the traveling speed of the goods transport vehicle increases. It is preferable to control the lighting of.

Naturally, when the traveling speed of the article transport vehicle is high, the distance traveled by the article transport vehicle per unit time is longer than when the traveling speed is low. Therefore, when the worker is notified of the approach of the goods transport vehicle by lighting a warning light, the time it takes for the goods transport vehicle to approach the worker is longer when the goods transport vehicle is running at a high speed. It will be shorter than when it is low. That is, the time from when the operator notices the lighting of the warning light until the operator takes preventive safety action is shortened. According to this configuration, as the traveling speed of the article transport vehicle increases, the distance between the lit warning light and the article transport vehicle increases, so that the worker can secure time until taking preventive safety actions.

Further, the workbench is equipped with a worker detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of the worker, and the warning light control section is configured to detect when the worker detection sensor detects that the worker is present. Preferably, the warning light is turned on, and if the worker detection sensor does not detect the presence of the worker, the warning light is not turned on.

When no worker is on the workbench, there is no object to be notified of the approach of the goods transport vehicle, so there is no need to turn on the warning light. Therefore, it is preferable that whether or not to turn on the warning light is controlled based on the detection result of the worker detection sensor as in this configuration.

Preferably, the workbench is suspended and supported from the ceiling via a gantry support column, and the warning light is supported via the gantry support column.

According to this configuration, the pedestal support column is also used as a support for supporting the warning light, so there is no need to provide a separate support when installing the warning light, and the installation of the warning light can improve the product transportation equipment. Cost increases can be suppressed.

Further, it is preferable that the warning light is installed at a height between the floor surface of the workbench and the ceiling.

According to this configuration, the warning light is installed at a position that is easily visible to the worker on the workbench, so it is possible to appropriately notify the worker that the article transport vehicle is approaching.

2: Traveling rail 3: Goods transport vehicle 4: Workbench 5: Transport vehicle detection unit 6: Warning light control unit 7: Warning light 8: Worker detection sensor 41: Frame support column 42: Floor surface (floor surface of workbench )
80: Worker 100: Article conveyance equipment 101: Ceiling 102: Floor surface (floor surface of article conveyance equipment)
K4: Workbench installation range (range where the workbench is installed along the traveling direction)
K7: Specified range W: Article Y: Running direction Y1: Upstream side of running direction (upstream side)
Y2: Downstream side in the running direction (downstream side)

Claims (7)

A traveling rail suspended and supported from a ceiling and arranged along a traveling route , an article transport vehicle traveling along the traveling rail, and a workpiece disposed along the traveling rail at a position adjacent to the traveling rail. A workbench on which a person stands and works, the article conveyance equipment comprising:
The workbench is installed so as not to overlap the travel route when viewed in the travel direction along the travel direction of the article transport vehicle,
a plurality of warning lights arranged along the traveling rail within a predetermined range that includes at least an area where the workbench is installed along the traveling direction;
a warning light control unit that controls turning on and off of the plurality of warning lights;
a conveyance vehicle detection unit that detects approach of the article conveyance vehicle to the specified range,
The warning light control unit is configured to turn on the plurality of warning lights from an upstream side in the traveling direction to a direction in the traveling direction in response to the approach of the article transport vehicle to the workbench based on the detection result by the conveyance vehicle detection unit. Article conveyance equipment that lights up in sequence toward the downstream side. The article conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the warning light control unit controls the warning light located downstream of the article conveyor to turn on in synchronization with the traveling speed of the article conveyor. Facility. The warning light control unit turns on each of the plurality of warning lights based on a predefined specified travel speed of the article transport vehicle when the transport vehicle detection unit detects the approach of the article transport vehicle. The article conveyance equipment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the article conveyance equipment determines the time at which the lighting is to be performed. The warning light control unit controls the lighting of each of the warning lights so that as the traveling speed of the article transport vehicle increases, the distance between the warning light that is lit furthest downstream and the article transport vehicle becomes longer. The article conveyance equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the equipment is configured to control. The workbench is equipped with a worker detection sensor that detects the presence or absence of the worker, and the warning light control section detects the presence or absence of the worker when the worker detection sensor detects the presence or absence of the worker. The article conveyance equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a warning light is turned on and the warning light is not turned on when the worker detection sensor does not detect the presence of the worker. . The workbench is suspended and supported from the ceiling via a gantry support column, and the warning light is supported via the gantry support column, according to any one of claims 1 to 5. equipment for transporting goods. The article conveyance equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the warning light is installed at a height between the floor surface of the workbench and the ceiling.

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