JP7472538B2 - Conveyor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveyor, and in particular to a conveyor that transfers items between an unmanned guided vehicle that carries and transports items.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a transport vehicle system having an inlet conveyor, an outlet conveyor, and a transport vehicle is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The inlet conveyor and the outlet conveyor are provided adjacent to the automated warehouse and are used to inlet and outlet articles to and from the automated warehouse.
The automated guided vehicle transfers items between the inbound conveyor and the outbound conveyor.
In the storing operation, the automated guided vehicle carries the article to the storing conveyor and transfers it there, and then the storing conveyor carries the article into the automated warehouse.
In an outgoing operation, the outgoing conveyor carries the article out of the automated warehouse, and then the automated guided vehicle transfers the article from the outgoing conveyor and leaves the outgoing conveyor.

JP 2019-14583 A

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, when an article is transferred between an automatic guided vehicle and the conveyor in front of the conveyor, a lifter of the automatic guided vehicle raises and lowers the article to match the conveying level.
In that case, it was necessary to mount a lifter having a predetermined stroke length on every automatic guided vehicle.

The purpose of this invention is to reduce the need for lifters on automated guided vehicles, thereby enabling cost reduction.

Below, we will explain several aspects as a means to solve the problem. These aspects can be combined as needed.

A conveyor according to one aspect of the present invention is used to transfer articles between an unmanned guided vehicle that carries and transports articles, and includes a conveyor body and a lifting device.
The conveyor body extends in a conveying direction and conveys articles placed thereon.
The lifting device lifts and lowers the conveyor body.
When the conveyor body is in the lower position, an automated guided vehicle carrying an article can enter and exit from the front of the conveyor body.
When the conveyor body is in the upper position, an unmanned guided vehicle that is not carrying an article can enter and exit from the side of the conveyor body.
The conveyor body rises and falls to transfer articles between the conveyor body and the unmanned guided vehicle.

In the first example of the conveyor operation (warehousing operation), the conveyor body is in a lowered state and an automated guided vehicle carrying an article enters the conveyor body from the front. The conveyor body then rises, transferring the article from the automated guided vehicle to the conveyor body. The automated guided vehicle then exits the conveyor body from the side.
In the second example of conveyor operation (unloading operation), while the conveyor body is raised, an unmanned guided vehicle enters the conveyor body from the side. The conveyor body then descends, transferring the article from the conveyor body to the unmanned guided vehicle. The unmanned guided vehicle then exits the conveyor body from the front.

In this conveyor, the AGV can access the conveyor from the front and sides, so there is no congestion caused by the loading and unloading operations of the AGV. This is because the AGV can enter and exit the conveyor body from different places, i.e., one-way traffic is possible. Furthermore, the AGV can exit the conveyor from the side and enter the next conveyor from the side, so combined operations can be realized.
In addition, since the conveyor body raises and lowers to deliver articles to and from the unmanned guided vehicle, articles can be delivered even if the unmanned guided vehicle does not have a lifter.

When the conveyor body is in the lower position and an automated guided vehicle carrying an article enters the conveyor, at least a portion of the lower surface of the article may be at a position higher than the upper surface of the conveyor body.
When the conveyor body is in the upper position and an unloaded automated guided vehicle enters the conveyor from the side, the upper surface of the automated guided vehicle may be at a position lower than the lower surface of the conveyor body.
In this conveyor, when the lifting device moves the conveyor body from the lower position to the upper position, the conveyor body comes into contact with the lower surface of an article and lifts the article.
Furthermore, when the lifting device moves the conveyor body from the upper position to the lower position, the articles on the conveyor body are lowered onto the upper surface of the automated guided vehicle.

The lifting device may include a support frame, a hanging member, and a lifting motor.
The suspending member is supported by the support frame and may suspend the conveyor body.
The lifting motor may drive the hanging member to lift and lower the conveyor body.
This conveyor does not require a pit when installing the conveyor. In addition, there is no need to install any structures other than the conveyor pillars on the running surface of the automatic guided vehicle.

The conveyors may be arranged in pairs side-by-side.
The support frame may have columns shared by two side-by-side conveyors.
This conveyor allows the spacing between adjacent conveyors to be narrowed, and also reduces the number of parts, resulting in cost savings.

The conveyors may be arranged in pairs side-by-side.
The support frame may have posts staggered in two side-by-side conveyors.
This conveyor allows for closer spacing between adjacent conveyors.

In the conveyor of the present invention, the conveyor body rises and falls to transfer items, so items can be transferred even if the automated guided vehicle does not have a lifter.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of a guided vehicle system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a detailed plan view showing the layout configuration of a portion of the transport vehicle system. FIG. 4 is a detailed side view showing the layout configuration of a portion of the transport vehicle system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the guided vehicle system. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a partial arrangement of the transport vehicle system. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an input conveyor. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a partial arrangement of the transport vehicle system. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an input conveyor. 1 is a schematic plan view showing a layout configuration of a portion of a transport vehicle system. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an input conveyor. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a partial arrangement of the transport vehicle system. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an outgoing conveyor. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an outgoing conveyor. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a partial arrangement of the transport vehicle system. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an outgoing conveyor. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing a partial arrangement of a transport vehicle system according to a second embodiment.

1. First embodiment (1) Overall configuration of a transport vehicle system A transport vehicle system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the layout configuration of a transport vehicle system according to a first embodiment.
The transport vehicle system 1 is a system that constitutes a transport system for transporting goods W (an example of an goods, see Figures 2 and 3) into and out of an automated warehouse 3 (an example of an automated warehouse), and has an entrance conveyor 15, an exit conveyor 17, and a plurality of unmanned transport vehicles 7.
The size, shape, weight, and the like of the article W are not particularly limited, and any object may be the article W. In this embodiment, a combination of a pallet and luggage, or a pallet alone will be described as the article W.

In the following description, the first direction (arrow X) is the horizontal direction and is the conveying direction of the in-stock conveyor 15 and the out-stock conveyor 17. The second direction (arrow Y) is the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first direction and is the arrangement direction of the in-stock conveyor 15 and the out-stock conveyor 17. The third direction (arrow Z) is the vertical direction.

(2) Automated Warehouse The automated warehouse 3 has a rack 9 and a stacker crane 11. The automated warehouse 3 automatically stores the articles W transported by the automated guided vehicles 7, and automatically carries out the stored articles W.

In each automated warehouse 3, the racks 9 are arranged in pairs, with the first direction as the longitudinal direction, facing each other at a distance in the second direction. The racks 9 have multiple loading sections in the first and third directions on which items W are placed and stored. This allows the racks 9 to store items W in a matrix in the first and third directions.

The stacker crane 11 travels on a traveling rail 13 that is installed in the first direction between the racks 9 that face each other in the second direction in each automated warehouse 3. The stacker crane 11 includes a traveling cart that can travel along the traveling rail 13, and a lifting platform that can be raised and lowered along a mast on the traveling cart and is provided with a transfer device. The stacker crane 11 transports items W between the loading section of the rack 9 and the inbound conveyor 15 and outbound conveyor 17 described below. The stacker crane 11 transfers (loads and unloads) items W to the loading section of the rack 9, the inbound conveyor 15, and the outbound conveyor 17.

The stacker crane 11 is not particularly limited, and various known stacker cranes can be used. For example, the stacker crane 11 can be a rear hook type that hooks a hook onto the rear end of an item W to take it in, a clamp type that clamps both sides of an item W to hold it and transfer it, a fork type that scoops up an item W with a sliding fork and transfers it, or a front hook type that hooks a hook onto the front end of an item W to take it in.

(3) Storage Conveyor and Outgoing Conveyor The storage conveyor 15 and the outgoing conveyor 17 each have a main conveyor 21A and a sub-conveyor 21B (an example of a conveyor).
(3-1) Main Conveyor The main conveyors 21A extend in the first direction as a transport direction and are arranged in a row. The main conveyor 21A of the inbound conveyor 15 and the main conveyor 21A of the outbound conveyor 17 are arranged adjacent to each other in the second direction. The main conveyor 21A places an article W on it and transports the article W along the first direction.
The type or configuration of the main conveyor 21A is not particularly limited. As the main conveyor 21A, various conveyors such as a belt conveyor, a chain conveyor, or a roller conveyor can be used.

(3-2) Sub-Conveyor The sub-conveyor 21B is a conveyor for storing or unloading goods W to or from the automated warehouse 3, and transfers goods W between the automated warehouse 3 and the automated guided vehicle 7. The sub-conveyors 21B extend in the first direction as the transport direction and are arranged in a row. The sub-conveyor 21B is disposed at the end of the main conveyor 21A in the first direction. The sub-conveyor 21B of the storing conveyor 15 and the sub-conveyor 21B of the unloading conveyor 17 are adjacent to each other in the second direction.

The sub-conveyor 21B will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a detailed plan view showing the layout of a portion of the transport vehicle system. Figure 3 is a detailed side view showing the layout of a portion of the transport vehicle system.
The sub-conveyor 21B includes a conveyor body 31 (an example of a conveyor body) and a lifting device 33 (an example of a lifting device).
The conveyor body 31 is, for example, a pair of chain conveyors. The conveyor body 31 has a transport motor 31A. The type of conveyor of the conveyor body is not limited. The lifting device 33 lifts and lowers the conveyor body 31. Specifically, the lifting device 33 moves the conveyor body 31 between an upper position and a lower position (described later).

The lifting device 33 has a support frame 41 (an example of a support frame), a lifting motor 43 (an example of a lifting motor), and a hanging member 45 (an example of a hanging member).
The support frame 41 is a structure for supporting the conveyor body 31 from above, and has four support columns 41A (one example of a column) that support a pair of drive units 35 and other structures. The four support columns 41A are arranged at the vertices of a rectangle in a plan view, and there are gaps between each of the support columns 41A (the sides of the rectangle). These gaps are not provided with connecting materials or the like that are usually present under the conveyor.
Moreover, the length of the gap between the two pillars 41A aligned in the second direction is a length that allows the unmanned guided vehicle 7 to pass through. Furthermore, the length of the gap between the two pillars 41A aligned in the first direction is a length that allows the unmanned guided vehicle 7 to pass through. As a result, the unmanned guided vehicle 7 can pass in the front (first direction) and side (second direction) relative to the inside and outside of the sub-conveyor 21B.

The two side-by-side sub-conveyors 21B share two support pillars 41A. This allows the distance (length in the second direction) between adjacent sub-conveyors 21B to be narrowed. Furthermore, the number of parts can be reduced, leading to cost savings.

The lifting motor 43 and the hanging member 45 form a pair to configure an electric cylinder, and each pair is provided corresponding to the conveyor body 31. Specifically, each pair is provided near the middle of each conveyor body 31 in the first direction.
The lifting motor 43 is supported by the support frame 41 .
The suspending member 45 suspends the conveyor body 31. The suspending member 45 is an extendable rod connected to the lifting motor 43. The conveyor body 31 is installed so as to be movable up and down by means of a support 41A and a linear guide.
With this sub-conveyor 21B, no pit is required when installing the sub-conveyor 21B. Also, there is no need to install any structure other than the support columns 41A on the running surface of the automatic guided vehicle 7.

When the conveyor body 31 is in the lower position (solid line in Fig. 3, Fig. 6, etc.), the automated guided vehicle 7 carrying the article W can enter and exit from the front of the conveyor body 31. This is because the second-direction width during movement of the automated guided vehicle 7 is shorter than the second-direction gap between the pair of supports 41A, and both sides in the second direction of the underside of the article W move above the pair of chain conveyors. The width between the pair of chain conveyors is wider than the lateral width of the lift table of the automated guided vehicle 7 (see Fig. 5).
When the conveyor body 31 is in the upper position (broken line in FIG. 3, FIG. 12, etc.), an unmanned guided vehicle 7 not carrying an article W can enter and exit from the side of the conveyor body 31. This is because the first-direction width of the unmanned guided vehicle 7 during movement is shorter than the first-direction gap between a pair of support columns 41A, and the upper surface of the unmanned guided vehicle 7 is located lower than the lower surface of the conveyor body 31, which is a pair of chain conveyors.
As the conveyor body 31 rises and falls, articles W are handed over between the conveyor body 31 and the unmanned guided vehicle 7 (described later).

(4) Automated Guided Vehicle The automated guided vehicle 7 is an unmanned transport vehicle. The automated guided vehicle 7 travels along a predetermined route R. The automated guided vehicle 7 can transfer an article W between the inlet conveyor 15 and the outlet conveyor 17. An AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) is used as the automated guided vehicle 7. The automated guided vehicle 7 has, for example, a lift table 7a.
The automated guided vehicle 7 has a vehicle body that travels while being guided along a route R. There are no particular limitations on the guidance method adopted by the automated guided vehicle 7, and it may be, for example, a magnetic guidance type, a laser guidance type, or the like. The route R may be formed, for example, by a magnetic tape (magnetic marker), a laser reflector, a rail, or the like.

The route R is formed in a lattice shape and extends through the inside of the sub-conveyor 21B.
The route R includes, for example, a one-way route R1. The one-way route R1 is a route in which, for example, the automated guided vehicle 7 enters the sub-conveyor 21B of the storage conveyor 15 from the front to store the goods W, moves laterally from there toward the sub-conveyor 21B of the outgoing conveyor 17, and then exits from there to the front to store the goods W.

(5) Control Configuration The control configuration of the guided vehicle system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the guided vehicle system.
The transport vehicle system 1 has a controller 50. The controller 50 is a computer system having a processor (e.g., a CPU), a storage device (e.g., a ROM, a RAM, a HDD, an SSD, etc.), and various interfaces (e.g., an A/D converter, a D/A converter, a communication interface, etc.). The control unit performs various control operations by executing a program stored in the storage unit (corresponding to a part or all of the storage area of the storage device).
The controller 50 may be configured with a single processor, or may be configured with multiple independent processors for each control.
Some or all of the functions of each element of the controller 50 may be realized as a program executable by a computer system constituting the controller 50. In addition, some of the functions of each element of the control unit may be configured by a custom IC.

The controller 50 is connected wirelessly or by wire to the main conveyor 21A and sub-conveyor 21B of the inbound conveyor 15 and the outbound conveyor 17, and controls the transportation of items W by the inbound conveyor 15 and the outbound conveyor 17.
The controller 50 is connected to the automatic guided vehicle 7 wirelessly or via a wire, and controls the traveling operation of the automatic guided vehicle 7 .
As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 50 can send drive commands to the conveying motor 31A and the lifting motor 43 of the sub-conveyor 21B.

(6) Storage and Retrieval Operation (6-1) Storage Operation The storage operation will be described with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 11. Fig. 5, Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 are schematic plan views of the storage conveyor. Fig. 6, Fig. 8, and Fig. 10 are schematic side views showing the layout of a part of the transport vehicle system.
As shown in Figures 5 and 6, before the storing operation, the conveyor body 31 without any article is in the lower position in the sub-conveyor 21B of the storing conveyor 15. In this state, as shown in Figures 5 to 7, the automated guided vehicle 7 carrying the article W enters the sub-conveyor 21B from the front and slips under the sub-conveyor 21B.

8, the conveyor body 31 is raised to an upper position by the lifting device 33. As a result, the conveyor body 31 scoops up the article W, and the article W moves away from the automatic guided vehicle 7.
9 and 10, the article W is transported in the first direction on the sub-conveyor 21B and the main conveyor 21A. At the same time, the automated guided vehicle 7 exits from the side of the conveyor body 31 in the second direction.

(6-2) Outgoing Operation The outgoing operation will be described with reference to Fig. 11 to Fig. 15. Fig. 11 and Fig. 14 are schematic plan views showing the layout of a part of the transport vehicle system. Fig. 12, Fig. 13 and Fig. 15 are schematic side views of the ingoing conveyor.
As shown in Figures 11 and 12, before the outgoing operation, the conveyor body 31 carrying the article W is in the upper position on the sub-conveyor 21B of the outgoing conveyor 17.
Next, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, an automated guided vehicle 7 not carrying an article W enters from the side of the sub-conveyor 21B and enters the lower part of the sub-conveyor 21B.

13, the lifting device 33 lowers the conveyor body 31, so that the conveyor body 31 is lowered to a lower position. On the way thereto, the conveyor body 31 places the article W on the unmanned transport vehicle 7, and then further lowers.
Finally, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, the automated guided vehicle 7 with the article W loaded thereon exits from the front of the sub-conveyor 21B.
In addition, if the automatic guided vehicle 7 has a lifter, the transfer time can be shortened by raising the lifter at the same time as the conveyor body 31 descends.

(7) Advantages of the embodiment Several advantages of the embodiment will be described. It is sufficient that at least one of these advantages is achieved, and it is not necessary that all of them are achieved.
(7-1) Less likely to cause congestion In this sub-conveyor 21B, the unmanned guided vehicles 7 can access the sub-conveyor 21B from the front and sides. Therefore, no congestion occurs due to the loading and unloading operation of the unmanned guided vehicles 7. This is because the places where the unmanned guided vehicles 7 enter and exit the conveyor body 31 are different, that is, one-way traffic is possible.
Furthermore, the automated guided vehicles 7 can slip under the sub-conveyor 21B of the storage conveyor 15 and can move between the lower parts of the adjacent sub-conveyors 21B. Therefore, by utilizing the lower parts of the sub-conveyors 21B, a large number of automated guided vehicles 7 can be operated efficiently and continuously.
As a result, when transferring the articles W between the storage conveyor 15 and the outgoing conveyor 17, it is possible to efficiently handle a large number of articles W by using a large number of automated guided vehicles 7. A high-performance guided vehicle system 1 can be realized.

(7-2) Composite Operation Possible It is possible to perform a combined operation of the automated guided vehicle 7, that is, the continuous operation of transferring an article W to the entrance conveyor 15 and transferring an article W from the exit conveyor 17, without moving the automated guided vehicle 7 in the first direction between them. Specifically, in the guided vehicle system 1, in the one-way route R1, the automated guided vehicle 7 enters the entrance conveyor 15, moves to the exit conveyor 17, and then exits from the exit conveyor 17.
According to this configuration, unloading of goods at the entrance conveyor 15 and loading of goods at the exit conveyor 17 by the automated guided vehicle 7 can be realized continuously.

(7-3) Lifter of the unmanned guided vehicle is unnecessary. Since the conveyor body 31 raises and lowers to transfer the goods W to and from the unmanned guided vehicle 7, the goods W can be transferred even if the unmanned guided vehicle 7 does not have a lifter.

2. Second embodiment A second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a schematic plan view showing the layout configuration of a part of a transport vehicle system according to the second embodiment.
As in the first embodiment, two sub-conveyors 21B are arranged side by side.
The support frame 41 has support columns 41B arranged in a staggered pattern for the two side-by-side sub-conveyors 21B. In other words, the support columns 41B of the two support frames 41 are arranged offset in the first direction, and the support columns 41B closer to each other are arranged at the same position in the second direction. Therefore, the distance (length in the second direction) between the adjacent sub-conveyors 21B can be narrowed.

3. Features of the Embodiments The first embodiment and the second embodiment have the following features in common.
The conveyor (e.g., sub-conveyor 21B) is used to transfer an article (e.g., article W) between an unmanned guided vehicle (e.g., unmanned guided vehicle 7) that carries and transports the article W, and is equipped with a conveyor body and a lifting device.
The conveyor body (for example, the conveyor body 31) extends in the conveying direction and carries and conveys articles.
A lifting device (e.g., lifting device 33) raises and lowers the conveyor body.
When the conveyor body is in the lower position (eg, FIG. 6), an automated guided vehicle carrying an article can enter and exit from the front of the conveyor body.
When the conveyor body is in the upper position (for example, FIG. 12), an unmanned guided vehicle that is not carrying an article can enter and exit from the side of the conveyor body.
The conveyor body rises and falls to transfer articles between the conveyor body and the unmanned guided vehicle.
In this conveyor, the AGV can access the conveyor from the front and sides, so there is no congestion caused by the loading and unloading operations of the AGV. This is because the AGV can enter and exit the conveyor body from different places, i.e., one-way traffic is possible. Furthermore, the AGV can exit from the side of a sub-conveyor and enter the next sub-conveyor from the side, so combined operations can be realized.
In addition, since the conveyor body raises and lowers to deliver articles to and from the unmanned guided vehicle, articles can be delivered even if the unmanned guided vehicle does not have a lifter.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention. In particular, several embodiments and modifications described in this specification can be arbitrarily combined as necessary.

Since the conveyor only needs to be able to transfer items between the automated guided vehicles, an automated warehouse is not required.
The configuration of the automated warehouse is not particularly limited.
The configuration and arrangement of the inbound conveyor and the outbound conveyor are not particularly limited.
The inlet conveyor and the outlet conveyor may be combined into one.
The lifting device may raise and lower the inlet conveyor and the outlet conveyor to three positions, in addition to the two positions of the upper position and the lower position, with the inlet conveyor and the outlet conveyor being positioned at even higher positions.
The automated guided vehicle may or may not have a lifter.
The type of the lifting device is not particularly limited. The lifting device may be a combination of a rotary motor and a drive mechanism (such as a chain or a belt), or a combination of a rotary motor and a linear motion mechanism (such as a rack and pinion or a ball screw mechanism).

The present invention can be widely applied to automated guided vehicles that carry and transport items and conveyors that transfer the items.

1: Transport vehicle system 3: Automated warehouse 5: Conveyor 7: Automated transport vehicle 9: Rack 11: Stacker crane 13: Travel rail 15: Storage conveyor 17: Storage out conveyor 21A: Main conveyor 21B: Sub-conveyor 31: Conveyor body 33: Lifting device 41: Support frame 41A: Support column 43: Lifting motor 45: Suspension member 50: Controller W: Item

Claims (4)

An automated guided vehicle that carries and transports an article and a conveyor that delivers the article,
A conveyor body extending in a conveying direction and on which the article is placed and conveyed;
A lifting device for lifting the conveyor body;
A support frame that supports the conveyor body from above;
a hanging member supported by the support frame and suspending the conveyor body;
a lifting motor that drives the hanging member to lift and lower the conveyor body;
having
When the conveyor body is in the lower position, an automated guided vehicle carrying an article can enter and exit from the front of the conveyor body;
When the conveyor body is in the upper position, an unmanned guided vehicle that is not carrying an article can enter and exit from the side of the conveyor body,
The conveyor body is raised and lowered to deliver an article between the conveyor body and the automatic guided vehicle ,
The conveyor includes:
Two are placed side by side,
A conveyor , wherein the support frame has columns shared by two side-by-side conveyors . When the conveyor body is in a lower position, when the automated guided vehicle carrying an article enters the conveyor, at least a part of a lower surface of the article is at a position higher than an upper surface of the conveyor body;
2. The conveyor of claim 1, wherein when the conveyor body is in an upper position and the unmanned guided vehicle enters the conveyor from the side without an article thereon, the upper surface of the unmanned guided vehicle is at a lower position than the lower surface of the conveyor body. An automated guided vehicle that carries and transports an article and a conveyor that delivers the article,
A conveyor body extending in a conveying direction and on which the article is placed and conveyed;
A lifting device for lifting the conveyor body;
A support frame that supports the conveyor body from above;
a hanging member supported by the support frame and suspending the conveyor body;
a lifting motor that drives the hanging member to lift and lower the conveyor body;
having
When the conveyor body is in the lower position, an automated guided vehicle carrying an article can enter and exit from the front of the conveyor body;
When the conveyor body is in the upper position, an unmanned guided vehicle that is not carrying an article can enter and exit from the side of the conveyor body,
The conveyor body is raised and lowered to deliver an article between the conveyor body and the automatic guided vehicle,
The conveyor includes:
Two are placed side by side,
The support frame has columns arranged in a staggered pattern for two side-by-side conveyors, and two adjacent columns for the two side-by-side conveyors are arranged so as to overlap when viewed from the front of the conveyor body. When the conveyor body is in a lower position, when the automated guided vehicle carrying an article enters the conveyor, at least a part of a lower surface of the article is located at a position higher than an upper surface of the conveyor body;
4. The conveyor of claim 3, wherein when the conveyor body is in an upper position and the unmanned transport vehicle without an article thereon enters the conveyor from the side, the upper surface of the unmanned transport vehicle is at a position lower than the lower surface of the conveyor body.

Images