JP7521548B2 - Transport Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a transport facility that includes a transport cart for transporting items, a transport path along which the transport cart moves in one direction, a transport unit that transports the items to the outside, and a control system that controls the transport cart.

An example of such a conveying facility is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6461359 (Patent Document 1). The reference numbers in parentheses in the following Background Art section refer to those in Patent Document 1.

The transport equipment disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of transport carriages (110) for transporting items (30), a loop-shaped transport path (100) along which the plurality of transport carriages (110) move in a circular manner, an input section (201) for inputting items (30) to the transport path (100), an output section (401) for outputting items (30) from the transport path (100), and a buffer (600) for temporarily storing items (30) at a position adjacent to the transport path (100).

In the conveying equipment disclosed in Patent Document 1, multiple items (30) are conveyed to the conveying path (100) in the order of arrival at the loading section (201). If the arrival order is different from the intended regular order, a process is performed on the conveying path (100) to change the order of the multiple items (30) to the regular order. Specifically, a bypass conveyance is performed to transfer the items (30) between two conveying carriages (110) arranged horizontally opposite each other on the conveying path (100), thereby executing a mode (a) in which the preceding item (30) that entered the conveying path (100) first is overtaken. This brings up the order of the item (30) that entered the conveying path (100) later. In addition, a mode (b) is executed in which the preceding item (30) that entered the transport path (100) earlier is temporarily stored in a buffer (600) and the preceding item (30) that entered the transport path (100) later waits until it overtakes the preceding item (30). This moves the order of the preceding item (30) that entered the transport path (100) earlier.

Patent No. 6461359

As described above, the conveying equipment disclosed in Patent Document 1 performs a process to rearrange the order of multiple items (30) in the conveying path (100) to the correct order. However, Patent Document 1 does not provide any detailed disclosure on how to improve the conveying efficiency of the equipment as a whole.

In light of the above situation, it is desirable to improve the transport efficiency of the entire facility in a transport facility that has a circulation path along which transport vehicles circulate in one direction.

A transport vehicle for transporting an article;
a conveying path along which the conveying carriage moves in one direction;
a holding device including a plurality of holding sections to which the articles are sequentially conveyed and held;
A discharge section that discharges the article to the outside;
A control system for controlling the transport cart,
the transport path forms a circulation path in which the transport cart circulates in one direction through a carry-out position corresponding to the carry-out unit, and includes a first section set downstream of the carry-out position, and a second section set downstream of the first section and upstream of the carry-out position, and disposed parallel to and spaced apart in a specific direction from the first section,
The plurality of holding portions are arranged in a line along the first section,
a plurality of temporary storage units capable of temporarily storing the items are arranged along the conveying path;
The plurality of temporary placement sections include a plurality of both section temporary placement sections that are arranged along both the first section and the second section between the first section and the second section in the specific direction,
the transport cart is configured to be able to transfer the article to and from the plurality of holding units, the plurality of temporary placement units, and the carrying-out unit at positions on the transport path corresponding to each of the holding units, the temporary placement units, and the carrying-out unit;
One of the objects held in the plurality of holding units is designated as a target object, the objects other than the target object among the objects held in the plurality of holding units are designated as non-target objects, and the holding unit in which the target object is held is designated as a target holding unit,
The control system includes:
When the target object is transported to the discharge section by the transport cart, if there are vacant both section temporary storage sections downstream of the target holding section in the first section, the transport cart performs an intermediate carry-out process in which the vacant both section temporary storage sections are used as first target temporary storage sections, the target object is received from the target holding section and handed over to the first target temporary storage section in the first section, and then the target object is received from the first target temporary storage section in the second section and handed over to the discharge section,
Furthermore, when the relay removal process is performed, if there is a non-target holding section, which is the holding section in which the non-target items are held, downstream of the position where the target item is handed over to the first target temporary storage section within the first section, and if there is an empty temporary storage section downstream of the non-target holding section and upstream of the position where the target item is received from the first target temporary storage section within the second section, an intermediate transport process is performed by the transport cart, with the empty temporary storage section serving as a second target temporary storage section, in which the non-target item is received from the non-target holding section and handed over to the second target temporary storage section during the relay removal process.

According to this configuration, the target object can be temporarily placed in the temporary placement section, which is closer to the carry-out section than the holding section. After placing the target object in the temporary placement section, the transport cart can receive non-target objects from the holding section and place them in another temporary placement section while moving and not transporting the target object. The transport cart can then receive the target object that it placed in the temporary placement section in the second section and properly transport it to the carry-out section. Since the non-target object placed in the other temporary placement section in the above can be a target object for another transport cart, the transport distance when the other transport cart transports the non-target object to the carry-out section can be shortened. In this way, according to this configuration, the target object can be properly transported from the target holding section to the carry-out section, and the non-target object can be moved to a position closer to the carry-out section while moving along the path from the target holding section to the carry-out section. Therefore, the transport efficiency when transporting the object to the carry-out section can be improved for the entire facility.

Further features and advantages of the technology disclosed herein will become more apparent from the following description of exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, which are described with reference to the drawings.

Side view of the transport facility Side view of the transport cart Control Block Diagram FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the process executed in case 1. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the process executed in case 1. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the process executed in case 2. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the process executed in case 3. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the process executed in case 3. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for a case where a temporary storage section reservation process is executed; Diagram of group shipping process Diagram of when group shipping processing is executed 1 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a process executed by a control system.

The conveying equipment is equipment for conveying goods. The goods to be conveyed may be containers (such as folding containers or cardboard boxes) for storing goods, pallets for placing goods, or the goods themselves. Goods include finished goods and work-in-progress. An embodiment of the conveying equipment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport equipment 100 includes a transport cart 1 for transporting an item 9, a transport path 2 along which the transport cart 1 moves in one direction, a holding device 5 including a plurality of holding sections 50 on which the items 9 are sequentially transported and held, a discharge section 7 for discharging the items 9 to the outside, and a control system 8 (see FIG. 3) for controlling the transport cart 1. In this embodiment, the transport equipment 100 includes a plurality of transport carts 1.

The transport path 2 forms a circulation path in which the transport cart 1 circulates in one direction through the discharge position 70 corresponding to the discharge section 7, and includes a first section 21 set downstream of the discharge position 70 (downstream in the transport direction; same below), and a second section 22 set downstream of the first section 21 and upstream of the discharge position 70 (upstream in the transport direction; same below), and arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the first section 21 in a specific direction X.

In this embodiment, the transport path 2 forms a circulation path along which the transport cart 1 circulates within a vertical plane. The first section 21 and the second section 22 of the transport path 2 extend in the vertical direction. In this example, the transport path 2 includes a first connection section 21c and a second connection section 22c that extend in a specific direction X. The first connection section 21c and the second connection section 22c each connect the first section 21 and the second section 22. In this example, the first connection section 21c and the second connection section 22c are arranged spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction. The first connection section 21c connects the upper end of the first section 21 to the upper end of the second section 22. The second connection section 22c connects the lower end of the first section 21 to the lower end of the second section 22.

In the following description, the specific direction along the horizontal plane is referred to as the "specific direction X" and the direction perpendicular to the specific direction X in a planar view is referred to as the "orthogonal direction Y." In this example, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the specific direction X is referred to as the orthogonal direction Y.

In this embodiment, the transport path 2 includes a pair of drive rails 3 spaced apart in the orthogonal direction Y, and a pair of auxiliary rails 4 spaced apart in the orthogonal direction Y. In this example, the drive rails 3 and auxiliary rails 4 are arranged along the first section 21, the first connection section 21c, the second section 22, and the second connection section 22c, and are formed to form a loop when viewed in the orthogonal direction Y. The drive rails 3 and auxiliary rails 4 are arranged offset from each other while overlapping in part (four places in the illustrated example) when viewed in the orthogonal direction Y.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive rail 3 is configured to guide the drive wheels 12 of the transport cart 1, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the drive rail 3 has a rail-side gear portion 30 provided along the transport path 2. The rail-side gear portion 30 is configured to mesh with the drive wheels 12 of the transport cart 1. In the illustrated example, the drive rail 3 has an internal space in which the drive wheels 12 of the transport cart 1 are disposed. The rail-side gear portion 30 is provided on the inner surface of the drive rail 3.

In this embodiment, the auxiliary rail 4 is configured to guide the first and second auxiliary wheels 13 and 14 of the transport cart 1, which will be described later. The auxiliary rail 4 has a pair of guide surfaces 40 provided along the transport path 2. In the illustrated example, the auxiliary rail 4 has an internal space in which the first and second auxiliary wheels 13 and 14 of the transport cart 1 are arranged. The pair of guide surfaces 40 face each other in a direction perpendicular to the rail extension direction in the internal space of the auxiliary rail 4. The distance between the pair of guide surfaces 40 in the direction perpendicular to the rail extension direction is set to a distance such that the first and second auxiliary wheels 13 and 14 do not contact both of the pair of guide surfaces 40 at the same time. The pair of guide surfaces 40 are configured to sandwich the first and second auxiliary wheels 13 and 14 of the transport cart 1 from both sides in the internal space of the auxiliary rail 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the holding device 5 is disposed adjacent to one side of the specific direction X with respect to the conveying path 2. The multiple holding sections 50 are disposed so as to be lined up along the first section 21. In this embodiment, the multiple holding sections 50 are disposed so as to be lined up in the vertical direction. Each of the multiple holding sections 50 is one of the transfer target locations to which an item 9 can be transferred between the conveying cart 1 moving on the conveying path 2. The holding device 5 is, for example, a device for retrieving the item 9 stored in the automated warehouse. In this case, the item 9 to be retrieved from the automated warehouse is sequentially transported to each holding section 50.

Each of the multiple holding units 50 is configured to transport the item 9 along a specific direction X. This allows each of the multiple holding units 50 to sequentially transport the item 9 to a position adjacent to the transport path 2, and to hand over the item 9 to the transport cart 1. For example, each of the multiple holding units 50 includes a conveyor that transports the item 9 along the specific direction X.

In this embodiment, each of the multiple holding units 50 is provided with a presence sensor 50D (see FIG. 3) that detects the presence or absence of an item 9. As described below, information on the presence or absence of an item 9 in the holding unit 50 detected by the presence sensor 50D is transmitted to the control system 8.

The discharge unit 7 is one of the transfer target locations to which the item 9 can be transferred between the transport cart 1 moving on the transport path 2. The discharge unit 7 is located at a location on the transport path 2. In this example, the discharge unit 7 is located on the opposite side of the transport path 2 from the holding device 5 in the specific direction X. In other words, as described above, the holding device 5 is located adjacent to one side of the transport path 2 in the specific direction X. And the discharge unit 7 is located adjacent to the other side of the transport path 2 in the specific direction X.

The discharge unit 7 is configured to transport the items 9 along a specific direction X. This allows the discharge unit 7 to properly receive the items 9 from the transport cart 1, and to transport the received items 9 to a location where the next process is performed (e.g., a location where a picking operation is performed to remove products from the items 9). For example, the discharge unit 7 is equipped with a conveyor that transports the items 9 along the specific direction X.

A number of temporary storage sections 6 capable of temporarily storing items 9 are arranged along the transport path 2. The temporary storage sections 6 are one of the transfer target locations where items 9 can be transferred between the transport cart 1 moving along the transport path 2. By temporarily storing the items 9 received by the transport cart 1 from the holding section 50 in the temporary storage sections 6, it is possible to prevent the items 9 transported to the holding section 50 from remaining there for a long time, and to transport multiple items 9 to the discharge section 7 in an order different from the order in which the items 9 were discharged from the holding section 50.

In this embodiment, each of the multiple temporary placement sections 6 is provided with a presence sensor 60D (see FIG. 3) that detects the presence or absence of an item 9. As described below, information on the presence or absence of an item 9 in the temporary placement section 6 detected by the presence sensor 60D is transmitted to the control system 8.

The multiple temporary placement sections 6 include multiple both-section temporary placement sections 6m that are arranged to line up along both the first section 21 and the second section 22 between the specific direction X between the first section 21 and the second section 22. In this embodiment, the multiple both-section temporary placement sections 6m are arranged to line up along the up-down direction between the specific direction X between the first section 21 and the second section 22.

Each of the multiple temporary storage sections 6m for both sections is configured to transport the item 9 along a specific direction X. This allows each of the multiple temporary storage sections 6m for both sections to receive the item 9 from the transport cart 1 in the first section 21 and to hand over the item 9 to the transport cart 1 in the second section 22. For example, each of the multiple temporary storage sections 6m for both sections is equipped with a conveyor that transports the item 9 along the specific direction X.

In this embodiment, the multiple temporary placement sections 6 further include a one-side temporary placement section 6s that is arranged in a line along the second section 22 and where the goods 9 are transferred only to and from the transport cart 1 located within the second section 22. In this embodiment, the one-side temporary placement section 6s is arranged on the opposite side of the second section 22 from the both-section temporary placement section 6m in the specific direction X. In other words, the both-section temporary placement sections 6m are arranged adjacent to one side of the second section 22 in the specific direction X. And the one-side temporary placement section 6s is arranged adjacent to the other side of the second section 22 in the specific direction X.

In this embodiment, multiple one-side temporary placement sections 6s are arranged along the transport path 2. In this example, the multiple one-side temporary placement sections 6s are arranged in a line in the vertical direction.

Each of the multiple one-side temporary placement sections 6s is configured to transport the item 9 along a specific direction X. This allows each of the multiple one-side temporary placement sections 6s to transfer the item 9 to and from the transport cart 1 in the second section 22. For example, each of the multiple one-side temporary placement sections 6s is equipped with a conveyor that transports the item 9 along the specific direction X.

The transport cart 1 is configured to be able to transfer items 9 to and from the multiple holding sections 50, the multiple temporary placement sections 6, and the discharge section 7 at positions on the transport path 2 that correspond to each of them. In other words, the multiple holding sections 50, the multiple temporary placement sections 6, and the discharge section 7 are transfer target locations where items 9 can be transferred to and from the transport cart 1.

In this transport facility 100, the transport cart 1 is configured to transport an item 9 held in any one of the multiple holding sections 50 to the discharge section 7. For example, while moving from the holding section 50 to the discharge section 7, the transport cart 1 transports the item 9 to any one of the multiple temporary placement sections 6 (both section temporary placement sections 6m or one side temporary placement section 6s).

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the transport cart 1 includes a main body 10, a transfer section 11 for transferring items 9 between each of the above-mentioned transfer target locations, a drive wheel 12 having a wheel side gear section 12g that meshes with each rail side gear section 30 of the pair of drive rails 3, a first auxiliary wheel 13 guided by each of the pair of auxiliary rails 4, and a second auxiliary wheel 14 guided by each of the pair of auxiliary rails 4.

The transfer unit 11 is configured to move the item 9 along the specific direction X. This allows the transfer unit 11 to transfer the item 9 between each transfer target location arranged adjacent to the transport cart 1 in the specific direction X. In this example, the transfer unit 11 is configured using a conveyor. However, the transfer unit 11 may also be configured using a well-known transfer means equipped with a fork mechanism, a chuck mechanism, or the like.

The pair of drive wheels 12 are connected to a drive shaft 12a that protrudes outward from the main body 10 in the perpendicular direction Y. The drive wheels 12 are configured to rotate around an axis along the perpendicular direction Y. The drive shaft 12a is driven to rotate by a drive source (not shown) such as a motor.

In this embodiment, the pair of first auxiliary wheels 13 and the pair of second auxiliary wheels 14 are non-driven wheels supported rotatably relative to the main body 10. The first auxiliary wheels 13 and the second auxiliary wheels 14 are configured to rotate around an axis along the orthogonal direction Y. The first auxiliary wheels 13 and the second auxiliary wheels 14 are disposed between a pair of guide surfaces 40 provided on the auxiliary rail 4 and configured to rotate by contact with the guide surfaces 40. As described above, since the pair of first auxiliary wheels 13 and the pair of second auxiliary wheels 14 are non-driven wheels, the number of drive sources mounted on the transport cart 1 can be kept small. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of the transport cart 1.

In this embodiment, the drive wheel 12, the first auxiliary wheel 13, and the second auxiliary wheel 14 are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. That is, on each side of the transport cart 1 in the orthogonal direction Y, three wheels are supported by the drive rail 3 or the auxiliary rail 4 at different positions in the vertical direction. This makes it easier to prevent the transport cart 1 from tilting in the vertical direction.

In this embodiment, the first auxiliary wheel 13 and the second auxiliary wheel 14 are arranged spaced apart in the vertical direction at a position spaced apart from the drive wheel 12 in the specific direction X. The drive wheel 12 is arranged between the first auxiliary wheel 13 and the second auxiliary wheel 14 in the vertical direction. This allows the first auxiliary wheel 13 and the second auxiliary wheel 14 to receive the moment that occurs when the transport cart 1 tries to tilt in the vertical direction by contacting the guide surface 40. This makes it possible to avoid a load being applied to the drive wheel 12 due to the tilt of the transport cart 1. This makes it easy to appropriately apply a propulsive force for the transport cart 1 to move along the transport path 2 while suppressing the tilt of the transport cart 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the transport facility 100 includes a central control device 80 that controls the entire facility, and transport control devices 81 that are mounted on each of the multiple transport vehicles 1. In this embodiment, the central control device 80 and the multiple transport control devices 81 form at least a part of the control system 8. The control system 8 (in this example, the central control device 80 and the transport control device 81) includes, for example, a processor such as a microcomputer, peripheral circuits such as memory, and the like. Each function is realized by the cooperation of this hardware with a program executed on a processor such as a computer.

In this embodiment, each of the multiple transport carts 1 is equipped with a position detection unit 15 that detects its own current position. Also, in this example, as shown in FIG. 1, detectable parts 25 are provided at positions corresponding to the transfer target locations such as the holding unit 50, temporary placement unit 6, and discharge unit 7. The detectable parts 25 hold address information of the positions where the detectable parts 25 are located. The transport cart 1 can detect its own current position by reading the address information held in the detectable parts 25 with the position detection unit 15. For example, a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code can be used as the detectable parts 25, and a one-dimensional code reader or a two-dimensional code reader can be used as the position detection unit 15.

In this embodiment, the detectable portion 25 is provided on the transport path 2. Specifically, the detectable portion 25 is provided at a position on the transport path 2 adjacent to the upstream side of the transfer target locations, such as the holding portion 50, temporary placement portion 6, and discharge portion 7. This allows the transport vehicle 1 to know its current position before arriving at the target transfer target location. Therefore, the transport vehicle 1 can make arrival preparations, such as slowing down, before arriving at the target transfer target location.

The information on the current position of the transport vehicle 1 acquired by the position detection unit 15 is transmitted to the overall control device 80 via the transport control device 81. Therefore, the overall control device 80 can grasp the current position of each transport vehicle 1 on the transport route 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, each of the multiple holding sections 50 is provided with a presence sensor 50D that detects the presence or absence of an item 9. Information on the presence or absence of an item 9 in the holding section 50 detected by the presence sensor 50D is transmitted to the central control device 80. Therefore, the central control device 80 is able to grasp the presence or absence of an item 9 in the multiple holding sections 50.

In this embodiment, each of the multiple temporary placement sections 6 is provided with a presence sensor 60D that detects the presence or absence of an item 9. Information on the presence or absence of an item 9 in the temporary placement section 6 detected by the presence sensor 60D is transmitted to the overall control device 80. Therefore, the overall control device 80 is able to grasp the presence or absence of an item 9 in the multiple temporary placement sections 6.

The control system 8 controls the transport cart 1 to transport an item 9 held in any one of the multiple holding sections 50 to the discharge section 7 based on information acquired from the inventory sensor 50D provided in each of the multiple holding sections 50.

The control system 8 also controls the transport cart 1 to transport the item 9 to one of the multiple temporary storage areas 6 while the transport cart 1 moves from the holding section 50 to the unloading section 7 based on information acquired from the load sensor 60D provided in each of the multiple temporary storage areas 6 (both section temporary storage areas 6m or one side temporary storage area 6s).

As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 8 assigns the items 9 to be transported to the discharge section 7 to each transport cart 1. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the letters (A, B, C...) attached to the items 9 correspond to the letters (A, B, C...) attached to the transport cart 1. For example, the item 9 (D) corresponds to the transport cart 1 (D). That is, the item 9 (D) is assigned to the transport cart 1 (D) by the control system 8. In this case, the transport cart 1 (D) transports the item 9 (D) from the holding section 50 to the discharge section 7. Note that the letters (A, B, C...) attached to the items 9 and the transport cart 1 in FIG. 1 do not actually exist. Here, such letters are illustrated for the convenience of explanation.

In this specification, one of the objects 9 held by the multiple holding units 50 is the target object 9, the objects 9 held by the multiple holding units 50 other than the target object 9 are the non-target objects 9, and the holding unit 50 in which the target object 9 is held is the target holding unit 50. Each of the multiple transport vehicles 1 is the target transport vehicle 1, and the control system 8 assigns the target object 9 to the target transport vehicle 1. In the example shown in FIG. 1, when focusing on the transport vehicle 1 (D), the object 9 (D) assigned to the transport vehicle 1 (D) is the target object 9. The holding unit 50 in which the object 9 (D) is held is the target holding unit 50. In other words, the target object 9, the non-target object 9, and the target holding unit 50 are concepts that change depending on which of the multiple transport vehicles 1 is the target transport vehicle 1.

In this embodiment, after the target transport vehicle 1 has handed over the item 9 it was transporting to the unloading section 7, the control system 8 specifies the target item 9 to be transported by the target transport vehicle 1 during the time until it reaches the holding section 50 located most upstream. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the control system 8 specifies the target item 9 (H) to be transported next by the target transport vehicle 1 after it has handed over the item 9 (V) to the unloading section 7. The target transport vehicle 1 (H) then travels around the transport path 2 to receive the item 9 (H) from the target holding section 50 and transport it to the unloading section 7.

The control system 8 is configured to execute a relay carrying-out process or a direct carrying-out process as a process for transporting the target item 9 from the target holding unit 50 to the carrying-out unit 7.

[Relay transport processing]
When the relay carry-out condition is satisfied, the control system 8 executes the relay carry-out process by the transport cart 1. The relay carry-out condition is that when the transport cart 1 transports the target object 9 to the carry-out section 7, an empty two-section temporary storage section 6m is present downstream of the target holding section 50 in the first section 21. Note that the downstream side of the target object or target position is a concept that includes both the reference position and a position spaced downstream from the reference position, with the placement position or target position of the target object being the reference position. Here, the target holding section 50 is the target object, and the placement position of the target holding section 50 is the reference position. When the relay ejection condition is met, the control system 8 sets the empty temporary storage sections 6m of both sections as the first target temporary storage section 61t (see Figure 4A, etc.), receives the target item 9 from the target holding section 50 and delivers it to the first target temporary storage section 61t within the first section 21, and then receives the target item 9 from the first target temporary storage section 61t within the second section 22 and delivers it to the ejection section 7.

[Direct removal processing]
When the direct carry-out condition is satisfied, the control system 8 executes the direct carry-out process by the transport cart 1. The direct carry-out condition is that when the transport cart 1 transports the target object 9 from the target holding unit 50 to the carry-out unit 7, there is no empty both-section temporary storage unit 6m downstream of the target holding unit 50 in the first section 21. When the direct carry-out condition is satisfied, the control system 8 receives the target object 9 from the target holding unit 50, transports the target object 9 as is to the carry-out position 70, and hands over the target object 9 to the carry-out unit 7.

The control system 8 is configured to execute an intermediate transport process or a pre-transport process as a process for transporting the non-target items 9 from the holding section 50 to the temporary placement section 6.

[Intermediate conveying process]
When the intermediate transport condition is satisfied, the control system 8 executes the intermediate transport process by the transport cart 1. The intermediate transport condition is that, when the relay carry-out process is executed, the non-target holding unit 50, which is the holding unit 50 holding the non-target object 9, is present downstream of the position where the target object 9 is handed over to the first target temporary placement unit 61t in the first section 21, and an empty temporary placement unit 6 is present downstream of the non-target holding unit 50 and upstream of the position where the target object 9 is received from the first target temporary placement unit 61t in the second section 22. Note that the upstream side of the target object or target position is a concept that includes both the reference position and a position separated upstream from the reference position, with the placement position or target position of the target object as the reference position. When the intermediate transport condition is satisfied, the control system 8 sets the empty temporary placement unit 6 as the second target temporary placement unit 62t (see FIG. 4A, etc.), and receives the non-target object 9 from the non-target holding unit 50 and delivers it to the second target temporary placement unit 62t during the relay carry-out process. In addition, in the intermediate conveying process, the both section temporary placement areas 6m or the one side temporary placement area 6s may be used as the second target temporary placement area 62t, and the non-target items 9 may be handed over to the second target temporary placement area 62t.

[Pre-transportation processing]
When the pre-transport condition is satisfied, the control system 8 executes the pre-transport process by the transport cart 1. The pre-transport condition is that the non-target holding section 50 is present upstream of the target holding section 50 in the first section 21, and that an empty temporary placement section 6 is present downstream of the non-target holding section 50 and upstream of the target holding section 50. When this pre-transport condition is satisfied, the control system 8 sets the empty temporary placement section 6 as the third target temporary placement section 63t (see FIG. 6A), and before receiving the target object 9 from the target holding section 50, receives the non-target object 9 from the non-target holding section 50 and transfers it to the third target temporary placement section 63t. In the pre-transport process, the temporary placement sections 6m of both sections of the temporary placement section 6 are set as the third target temporary placement section 63t, and transfer the non-target object 9 to the third target temporary placement section 63t. As described above, in the pre-transport process, the non-target items 9 must be handed over to the temporary placement section 6 before the transport cart 1 receives the target items 9 from the target holding section 50, so the one-sided temporary placement section 6s located downstream of the holding device 5 (all holding sections 50) cannot be used as the third target temporary placement section 63t.

In this embodiment, when there are multiple non-target holding sections 50, the control system 8 determines each time the transport cart 1 reaches each of the multiple non-target holding sections whether there is an empty temporary placement section 6 to which the non-target item 9 can be handed over when the non-target item 9 is received from each non-target holding section 50. This makes it possible to determine whether to transport the non-target item 9 depending on the status of the temporary placement section 6 at the time when the transport cart 1 is able to receive the non-target item 9 from the non-target holding section 50.

Next, the processing of the control system 8 in a number of different cases will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Note that in Figures 4 to 6, the actually existing item 9 is shown with a solid line, and a dashed line that imitates the shape of the item 9 is shown on the empty temporary placement section 6 to which the item 9 can be transferred.

[Case 1]
4A and 4B show the processing executed by the control system 8 in case 1. Case 1 is a case in which the control system 8 executes a relay carry-out processing and an intermediate conveyance processing.

As shown in FIG. 4A, at time T11, the empty both section temporary storage units 6m are present downstream of the target holding unit 50 in which the target item 9 (A) is held in the first section 21. Therefore, the relay carry-out condition is satisfied. The control system 8 starts the relay carry-out process, and receives the target item 9 (A) from the target holding unit 50 by using the empty both section temporary storage units 6m as the first target temporary storage units 61t, and transfers the target item 9 (A) to the first target temporary storage unit 61t within the first section 21. As shown in FIG. 4A, in this embodiment, when the control system 8 executes the relay carry-out process, if there are multiple empty both section temporary storage units 6m downstream of the target holding unit 50 in the first section 21, the most upstream both section temporary storage unit 6m among them is set as the first target temporary storage unit 61t. This allows the position where the transport cart 1 (A) transfers the target item 9 (A) to the temporary storage unit 6 to be more upstream. Therefore, the range of the transport path 2 in which the transport cart 1 (A), which continues to move along the transport path 2 thereafter, can transport the non-target item 9 can be secured widely.

At time T12 (later than time T11), downstream of the position where the target item 9 (A) is handed over to the first target temporary placement section 61t in the first section 21, there is a non-target holding section 50 (the fourth holding section 50 from the top) holding the non-target item 9 (B), for example, and downstream of the non-target holding section 50, there is an empty temporary placement section 6 (for example, the both section temporary placement section 6m) upstream of the position where the target item 9 (A) is received from the first target temporary placement section 61t in the second section 22. Therefore, the intermediate conveyance condition is satisfied. The control system 8 executes the intermediate conveyance process, and with the empty temporary placement section 6 (the both section temporary placement section 6m) as the second target temporary placement section 62t, during the relay carry-out process, receives the non-target item 9 (B) from the non-target holding section 50 and delivers it to the second target temporary placement section 62t. The control system 8 selects the second target temporary placement unit 62t in the intermediate transport process from both the both-section temporary placement unit 6m and the one-side temporary placement unit 6s. Therefore, when there is an empty one-side temporary placement unit 6s that can satisfy the intermediate transport conditions, the control system 8 may select the one-side temporary placement unit 6s as the second target temporary placement unit 62t instead of the empty both-section temporary placement unit 6m.

As shown in FIG. 4B, at time T13 (later than time T12), the control system 8 resumes the relay carry-out process and receives the target item 9 (A) from the first target temporary placement section 61t in the second section 22. Then, at time T14 (later than time T13), the control system 8 transfers the target item 9 (A) received from the first target temporary placement section 61t in the second section 22 to the carry-out section 7.

In this way, the control system 8 can temporarily place the target object 9 (A) in the temporary placement section 6, which is closer to the carry-out section 7 than the target holding section 50, by executing the relay carry-out process. Then, after the transport cart 1 (A) delivers the target object 9 (A) to the temporary placement section 6, it can receive the non-target object 9 (B) from the non-target holding section 50 and deliver it to another temporary placement section 6 while moving and not transporting the target object 9 (A). After that, the transport cart 1 (A) can receive the target object 9 (A) that it delivered to the temporary placement section 6 in the second section 22 and appropriately deliver it to the carry-out section 7. The non-target object 9 (B) placed in the other temporary placement section 6 in the above can be the target object 9 for the other transport cart 1, so the transport distance when the other transport cart 1 transports the non-target object 9 (B) to the carry-out section 7 can be shortened.

[Case 2]
5 shows the process executed by the control system 8 in case 2. Case 2 is a case in which the control system 8 directly executes the unloading process.

As shown in FIG. 5, at time T21, there is no empty temporary storage section 6m in both sections downstream of the target holding section 50 in which the target item (A) is being held in the first section 21. Therefore, the direct discharge condition is met. The control system 8 executes the direct discharge process, receives the target item 9 (A) from the target holding section 50 (time T21), and transports the target item 9 (A) to the discharge position 70 and hands it over to the discharge section 7 (time T22).

In this way, in a situation where there is no empty temporary storage section 6m downstream of the target holding section 50 in the first section 21, the control system 8 can properly transport the target item 9 (A) from the target holding section 50 to the unloading section 7 without transporting the non-target item 9 by executing a direct unloading process.

[Case 3]
6A and 6B show the processing executed by the control system 8 in case 3. Case 3 is a case in which the control system 8 executes a pre-transport processing and a relay carry-out processing.

As shown in FIG. 6A, at time T31, upstream of the target holding section 50 holding the target item 9 (A) in the first section 21, there is a non-target holding section 50 holding a non-target item 9 (B), and downstream of the non-target holding section 50 and upstream of the target holding section 50, there is an empty both section temporary placement section 6m (the both section temporary placement section 6m on the fourth level from the top). Therefore, the pre-transport condition is satisfied. The control system 8 executes a pre-transport process, and sets the empty both section temporary placement section 6m as the third target temporary placement section 63t, and before receiving the target item 9 (A) from the target holding section 50, it receives the non-target item 9 (B) from the non-target holding section 50 and transfers it to the third target temporary placement section 63t.

At time T32 (later than time T31), an empty both section temporary storage section 6m (the two section temporary storage sections 6m on the second level from the top) is present downstream of the object holding section 50 in which the object 9 (A) is being held in the first section 21. Therefore, the relay carry-out condition is met. The control system 8 starts the relay carry-out process, and with the empty both section temporary storage sections 6m as the first object temporary storage section 61t, receives the object 9 (A) from the object holding section 50 and transfers it to the first object temporary storage section 61t within the first section 21.

As shown in FIG. 6B, at time T33 (later than time T32), downstream of the position where the target item 9 (A) is handed over to the first target temporary placement section 61t in the first section 21, there is a non-target holding section 50 (topmost holding section 50) holding a non-target item 9 (K), but downstream of the non-target holding section 50, upstream of the position where the target item 9 (A) is received from the first target temporary placement section 61t (both section temporary placement sections 6m from the topmost section) in the second section 22, there is no empty temporary placement section 6. Therefore, the intermediate conveyance condition is not satisfied, and the control system 8 does not execute the intermediate conveyance process. Therefore, the control system 8 does not receive the non-target item 9 downstream of the position where the target item 9 (A) is handed over to the first target temporary placement section 61t in the first section 21, and receives the target item 9 (A) from the first target temporary placement section 61t in the second section 22. Then, at time T34 (later than time T33), the control system 8 transfers the target item 9 (A) received from the first target temporary placement section 61t in the second section 22 to the discharge section 7. Note that, if the intermediate transport condition is satisfied, the control system 8 may execute the intermediate transport process before receiving the target item 9 (A) from the first target temporary placement section 61t in the second section 22.

In this way, by executing the pre-transport process, the control system 8 can move the non-target item 9 (B) to a position closer to the discharge section 7 while the transport cart 1 (A) is moving until it reaches the target holding section 50.

[Temporary storage section reservation processing]
In this embodiment, the control system 8 is configured to execute a temporary placement section reservation process. The temporary placement section reservation process is a process for reserving a specific temporary placement section 6 in order to place an article 9 therein, when the transporting carriage 1 is located upstream of the vacant temporary placement section 6. Even if the reserved temporary placement section 6 is actually vacant, the other transporting carriages 1 regard it as a section in which an article 9 is placed.

Figure 7 shows a case where the control system 8 executes the temporary placement section reservation process. In the example shown in Figure 7, two transport vehicles 1 are moving on the transport route 2. The transport vehicle 1 (A) moving first (downstream) of the two vehicles is assigned the target item 9 (A). The transport vehicle 1 (B) moving second (upstream) of the two vehicles is assigned the target item 9 (B). In the following, the transport vehicle 1 (A) is referred to as the leading transport vehicle 1 (A), and the transport vehicle 1 (B) is referred to as the trailing transport vehicle 1 (B).

As shown in FIG. 7, at time T41, when the leading transport vehicle 1 (A) receives the target item 9 (A) from the target holder 50, there are two vacant temporary placement sections 6m for both sections (the second and third sections 6m from the top). The control system 8 executes a temporary placement section reservation process to reserve one of the two vacant temporary placement sections 6m for both sections (the third section 6m from the top) as the temporary placement section 6 for the leading transport vehicle 1 (A) to place the target item 9 (A).

At time T42 (later than time T41), when the trailing transport vehicle 1 (B) receives the target item 9 (B) from the target holder 50, the leading transport vehicle 1 (A) has not yet placed the target item (A) in the reserved temporary storage areas 6m for both sections (the temporary storage areas 6m for both sections in the third tier from the top), so that there are actually two vacant temporary storage areas 6m for both sections (the temporary storage areas 6m for both sections in the second and third tier from the top). However, the temporary storage areas 6m for both sections (the temporary storage areas 6m for both sections in the third tier from the top) reserved earlier as temporary storage areas 6 for the leading transport vehicle 1 (A) to place the target item 9 (A) are treated by the trailing transport vehicle 1 (B) as having the target item 9 (A) placed therein. Therefore, the control system 8 executes another temporary placement section reservation process to reserve the vacant temporary placement sections 6m of both sections (the temporary placement sections 6m of both sections second from the top) other than the temporary placement sections 6 reserved as the temporary placement sections 6 for the preceding transport vehicle 1 (A) to place the target item 9 (A) as the temporary placement sections 6 for the following transport vehicle 1 (B) to place the target item 9 (B).

In this way, by executing the temporary placement section reservation process, the control system 8 can avoid a situation in which multiple transport carts 1 moving along the transport path 2 receive items 9 from the holding section 50 but are unable to transport the items 9 to the temporary placement section 6.

[Group shipping process]
In this embodiment, the control system 8 is configured to execute a group delivery process. The group delivery process includes a process of regarding some of the items 9 stored in each of the multiple temporary placement sections 6 as the target items 9, and selecting an item to be delivered to the delivery section 7 from among the multiple items 9 regarded as the target items 9. The control system 8 executes a relay delivery process and an intermediate transport process together with the group delivery process. That is, the control system 8 sets one or more items 9 stored in the temporary placement section 6 that are regarded as equivalent to the target item 9 as equivalent items 9, and when the control system 8 can execute an intermediate transport process when it regards the equivalent item 9 as the target item 9 and regards the temporary placement section 6 in which the equivalent item 9 is stored as the first target temporary placement section 61t, it executes the relay delivery process and the intermediate transport process by regarding the equivalent item 9 as the target item 9 and regarding the temporary placement section 6 in which the equivalent item 9 is stored as the first target temporary placement section 61t. For example, a configuration can be adopted in which an item 9 containing the same product as the target item 9 is set as the equivalent item 9. In addition, when multiple items 9 (for example, multiple items 9 specified by one order information) are transported as one group to the discharge section 7, the items 9 included in the same group as the target item 9 can be set as equivalent items 9.

Figures 8A and 8B show a case in which the control system 8 executes a relay removal process and an intermediate transport process together with a group release process. In the example shown in Figures 8A and 8B, the item 9 (A) placed in the both section temporary storage areas 6m (the both section temporary storage areas 6m on the top tier) and the item 9 (A) placed in the one side temporary storage area 6s (the one side temporary storage area 6s on the fifth tier from the top tier) are considered to be equivalent to the target item (A) to be transported by the transport cart 1 (A).

As shown in FIG. 8A, at time T51, in the first section 21, an empty both section temporary storage section 6m (the both section temporary storage section 6m on the third tier from the top) is present downstream of the object holding section 50 holding the object 9 (A). Therefore, the relay carry-out condition is met. The control system 8 starts the relay carry-out process, and with the empty both section temporary storage sections 6m as the first object temporary storage section 61t, receives the object 9 (A) from the object holding section 50 and transfers it to the first object temporary storage section 61t within the first section 21.

At time T52 (a time later than time T51), downstream of the position where the target item 9 (A) was handed over to the first target temporary placement section 61t within the first section 21, there is a non-target holding section 50 (the holding section 50 in the second tier from the top) holding, for example, a non-target item 9 (B); however, downstream of the non-target holding section 50 and upstream of the first target temporary placement section 61t (the temporary placement sections 6m in both sections in the third tier from the top) to which the target item 9 (A) was handed over earlier within the second section 22, there is no empty temporary placement section 6. However, in this case, the item 9 (A) already placed on the one-side temporary placement section 6s (the one-side temporary placement section 6s in the fifth tier from the top) downstream of the empty one-side temporary placement section 6s (the one-side temporary placement section 6s in the fourth tier from the top) is considered to be equivalent to the target item 9 (A) to be transported by the transport cart 1 (A), and the one-side temporary placement section 6s on which the item 9 (A) is placed is considered to be the first target temporary placement section 61t. Therefore, an empty one-side temporary placement section 6s (the one-side temporary placement section 6s in the fourth tier from the top) is present downstream of the non-target holding section 50 (the holding section 50 in the second tier from the top) in which the non-target item 9 (B) is held, and upstream of the position (the one-side temporary placement section 6s in the fifth tier from the top) that receives the target item 9 (A) from the first target temporary placement section 61t in the second section 22. Therefore, the intermediate transport condition is satisfied. The control system 8 executes the intermediate transport process, and uses the empty one-side temporary placement section 6s as the second target temporary placement section 62t, and receives the non-target item 9 (B) from the non-target holding section 50 during the relay carry-out process and transfers it to the second target temporary placement section 62t.

As shown in FIG. 8B, at time T53 (later than time T52), the control system 8 resumes the relay carry-out process, and receives the equivalent item 9(A) that it regards as the target item 9(A) from the one-side temporary storage section 6s (the one-side temporary storage section 6s on the fifth tier from the top) that it regards as the first target temporary storage section 61t within the second section 22. Then, at time T54 (later than time T53), the control system 8 transfers the equivalent item 9(A) that it received as the target item 9(A) to the carry-out section 7.

In this way, by executing the group shipping process, the control system 8 can increase the options available when transporting the item 9 to the unloading section 7 or temporary storage section 6, thereby increasing the possibility of executing the relay unloading process and intermediate transport process.

Next, the processing steps executed by the control system 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 9. Note that the processing shown in the flowchart in FIG. 9 is executed for one transport vehicle 1. The control system 8 executes such processing for each of the multiple transport vehicles 1 moving on the transport path 2.

As shown in FIG. 9, the control system 8 first determines whether the pre-transport conditions are met (step #1). If the control system 8 determines that the pre-transport conditions are met (step #1: Yes), it executes the pre-transport process (step #2). Next, the control system 8 determines whether the relay carry-out conditions are met (step #3). Note that if the control system 8 determines in the processing of step #1 that the pre-transport conditions are not met (step #1: No), it proceeds to processing of step #3 without executing the pre-transport process.

If the control system 8 determines that the relay carry-out conditions are met (step #3: Yes), it starts the relay carry-out process (step #4). By starting the relay carry-out process, the control system 8 receives the target item 9 from the target holding unit 50 and transfers it to the first target temporary placement unit 61t. Note that if the control system 8 determines that the relay carry-out conditions are not met (step #3: No), it executes the direct carry-out process (step #9) and ends the routine.

After starting the relay removal process (step #4), the control system 8 determines whether the intermediate transport conditions are met (step #5). If the control system 8 determines that the intermediate transport conditions are met (step #5: Yes), it executes the intermediate transport process (step #6). The control system 8 repeatedly executes the process of step #5 and the process of step #6 until it determines that the intermediate transport conditions are not met.

If the control system 8 determines that the intermediate transport conditions are not met (step #5: No), it resumes the relay transport process and transports the target item 9 in the first target temporary placement section 61t to the unloading section 7 (step #7), and then ends the relay transport process (step #8).

The conveying equipment 100 described above can improve the conveying efficiency of the entire equipment when conveying the items 9 to the discharge section 7.

Other embodiments
Next, other embodiments of the conveying facility will be described.

(1) In the above embodiment, when the control system 8 executes the relay carry-out process, if there are multiple empty both-section temporary storage units 6m downstream of the target holding unit 50 in the first section 21, the control system 8 designates the most upstream both-section temporary storage unit 6m as the first target temporary storage unit 61t. However, without being limited to such an example, the control system 8 may designate any one of the multiple empty both-section temporary storage units 6m as the first target temporary storage unit 61t when executing the relay carry-out process.

(2) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the control system 8 specifies the target item 9 to be transported by the target transport vehicle 1 after the target transport vehicle 1 has handed over the item 9 it was transporting to the unloading unit 7 and before the target transport vehicle 1 reaches the holding unit 50 located at the most upstream side. However, without being limited to such an example, the control system 8 may specify, for example, the target item 9 to be transported next by the target transport vehicle 1 before the target transport vehicle 1 hands over the item 9 it was transporting to the unloading unit 7.

(3) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the multiple temporary placement sections 6 include a one-side temporary placement section 6s that is arranged in a line along the second section 22 and where the transfer of the item 9 is performed only with the transport cart 1 located within the second section 22. However, without being limited to such an example, the multiple temporary placement sections 6 may include both-section temporary placement sections 6m, and may not include a one-side temporary placement section 6s.

(4) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the transport path 2 forms a circulation path along which the transport cart 1 circulates within a vertical plane. However, without being limited to such an example, the transport path 2 may form, for example, a circulation path along which the transport cart 1 circulates within a horizontal plane. In this case, the first section 21 and the second section 22 of the transport path 2 are configured to extend along the horizontal direction, rather than the up-down direction.

(5) In the above embodiment, the specific configuration of the transport cart 1 has been described with reference to FIG. 2. That is, the transport cart 1 has drive wheels 12, first auxiliary wheels 13, and second auxiliary wheels 14, and these wheels are arranged at different positions in the vertical direction. However, the transport cart 1 is not limited to the above configuration, and may be configured to be movable along the transport path 2 and to be able to transfer items 9 between multiple transfer target locations. The transport cart 1 may be realized using a well-known configuration.

(6) The configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments may be combined with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, provided no contradictions arise. With respect to other configurations, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples in all respects. Therefore, various modifications may be made as appropriate within the scope of the spirit of this disclosure.

[Summary of the above embodiment]
The above-described transport facility will now be described.

A transport vehicle for transporting an article;
a conveying path along which the conveying carriage moves in one direction;
a holding device including a plurality of holding sections to which the articles are sequentially conveyed and held;
A discharge section that discharges the article to the outside;
A control system for controlling the transport cart,
the transport path forms a circulation path in which the transport cart circulates in one direction through a carry-out position corresponding to the carry-out unit, and includes a first section set downstream of the carry-out position, and a second section set downstream of the first section and upstream of the carry-out position, and disposed parallel to and spaced apart in a specific direction from the first section,
The plurality of holding portions are arranged in a line along the first section,
a plurality of temporary storage units capable of temporarily storing the items are arranged along the conveying path;
The plurality of temporary placement sections include a plurality of both section temporary placement sections that are arranged along both the first section and the second section between the first section and the second section in the specific direction,
the transport cart is configured to be able to transfer the article to and from the plurality of holding units, the plurality of temporary placement units, and the carrying-out unit at positions on the transport path corresponding to each of the holding units, the temporary placement units, and the carrying-out unit;
One of the objects held in the plurality of holding units is designated as a target object, the objects other than the target object among the objects held in the plurality of holding units are designated as non-target objects, and the holding unit in which the target object is held is designated as a target holding unit,
The control system includes:
When the target object is transported to the discharge section by the transport cart, if there are vacant both section temporary storage sections downstream of the target holding section in the first section, the transport cart performs an intermediate carry-out process in which the vacant both section temporary storage sections are used as first target temporary storage sections, the target object is received from the target holding section and handed over to the first target temporary storage section in the first section, and then the target object is received from the first target temporary storage section in the second section and handed over to the discharge section,
Furthermore, when the relay removal process is performed, if there is a non-target holding section, which is the holding section in which the non-target items are held, downstream of the position where the target item is handed over to the first target temporary storage section within the first section, and if there is an empty temporary storage section downstream of the non-target holding section and upstream of the position where the target item is received from the first target temporary storage section within the second section, an intermediate transport process is performed by the transport cart, with the empty temporary storage section serving as a second target temporary storage section, in which the non-target item is received from the non-target holding section and handed over to the second target temporary storage section during the relay removal process.

According to this configuration, the target object can be temporarily placed in the temporary placement section, which is closer to the carry-out section than the holding section. After placing the target object in the temporary placement section, the transport cart can receive non-target objects from the holding section and place them in another temporary placement section while moving and not transporting the target object. The transport cart can then receive the target object that it placed in the temporary placement section in the second section and properly transport it to the carry-out section. Since the non-target object placed in the other temporary placement section in the above can be a target object for another transport cart, the transport distance when the other transport cart transports the non-target object to the carry-out section can be shortened. In this way, according to this configuration, the target object can be properly transported from the target holding section to the carry-out section, and the non-target object can be moved to a position closer to the carry-out section while moving along the path from the target holding section to the carry-out section. Therefore, the transport efficiency when transporting the object to the carry-out section can be improved for the entire facility.

When the control system executes the relay removal process, if there are multiple vacant temporary storage units for both sections downstream of the target holding unit in the first section, it is preferable that the control system designates the most upstream temporary storage unit for both sections as the first target temporary storage unit.

With this configuration, the position where the transport cart places the target item in the first target temporary placement section can be made further upstream. This makes it possible to ensure a wide range of the transport route along which the transport cart, which continues to move along the transport route thereafter, can transport non-target items.

When the target item is transported from the target holding section to the discharge section by the transport cart, if there is no empty temporary storage section for both sections downstream of the target holding section in the first section, the control system preferably receives the target item from the target holding section, transports the target item as is to the discharge position, and hands over the target item to the discharge section, thereby executing a direct discharge process by the transport cart.

In some situations, there may be no empty temporary storage areas downstream of the target holding section in the first section. With this configuration, in such a situation, the target items can be properly transported from the target holding section to the unloading section by executing a direct unloading process, without transporting non-target items.

Preferably, when the non-target holding section is located upstream of the target holding section in the first section, and an empty temporary placement section is located downstream of the non-target holding section and upstream of the target holding section, the control system performs a pre-transport process using the transport cart to receive the non-target item from the non-target holding section and hand it over to the third target temporary placement section before receiving the target item from the target holding section, using the empty temporary placement section as a third target temporary placement section.

According to this configuration, by executing the pre-transport process, non-target items can be moved to a position closer to the discharge section while the transport cart is moving to the target holding section.

When there are multiple non-target holding sections, the control system preferably determines whether there is an empty temporary placement section to which the non-target item can be handed over when the non-target item is received from each of the non-target holding sections each time the transport cart reaches each of the multiple non-target holding sections.

With this configuration, the transport cart can determine whether to transport a non-target item depending on the status of the temporary placement section at the time when it is able to receive the non-target item from the non-target holding section.

The control system preferably sets one or more of the items stored in the temporary storage area that are deemed equivalent to the target item as equivalent items, and if the intermediate transport process can be executed when the equivalent item is deemed the target item and the temporary storage area in which the equivalent item is stored is deemed the first target temporary storage area, executes the relay removal process and the intermediate transport process by regarding the equivalent item as the target item and the temporary storage area in which the equivalent item is stored as the first target temporary storage area.

This configuration increases the options available when transporting items to the unloading section or temporary storage section, and increases the likelihood that relay unloading processing and intermediate transport processing can be performed.

The plurality of temporary placement sections further include a one-side temporary placement section that is arranged in a line along the second section and in which the article is transferred only to and from the transport vehicle located within the second section,
It is preferable that the control system selects the second target temporary placement portion for the intermediate transport process from both the both-section temporary placement portions and the one-side temporary placement portion.

This configuration increases the options available when transporting non-target items to the temporary placement area, increasing the likelihood that intermediate transport processing can be performed.

A plurality of the transport vehicles are provided,
It is preferable that the control system designates each of the multiple transport vehicles as a target transport vehicle, and designates the target item to be transported by the target transport vehicle after the target transport vehicle has handed over the item it was transporting to the discharge section and before the target transport vehicle reaches the holding section located most upstream.

With this configuration, the target items can be appropriately transported on each of the multiple transport vehicles circulating along the transport route.

The technology disclosed herein can be used in a transport facility that includes a transport cart for transporting items, a transport path along which the transport cart moves in one direction, an unloading section that unloads the items to the outside, and a control system that controls the transport cart.

100: Transport equipment 1: Transport cart 2: Transport path 21: First section 22: Second section 5: Holding device 50: Holding section 6: Temporary placement section 6m: Both section temporary placement sections 6s: One-side temporary placement section 61t: First target temporary placement section 62t: Second target temporary placement section 63t: Third target temporary placement section 7: Delivery section 70: Delivery position 8: Control system 9: Item X: Specific direction

Claims (8)

A transport vehicle for transporting an article;
a conveying path along which the conveying carriage moves in one direction;
a holding device including a plurality of holding sections to which the articles are sequentially conveyed and held;
A discharge section that discharges the article to the outside;
A control system for controlling the transport cart,
the transport path forms a circulation path in which the transport cart circulates in one direction through a carry-out position corresponding to the carry-out unit, and includes a first section set downstream of the carry-out position, and a second section set downstream of the first section and upstream of the carry-out position, and disposed parallel to and spaced apart in a specific direction from the first section,
The plurality of holding portions are arranged in a line along the first section,
a plurality of temporary storage units capable of temporarily storing the items are arranged along the conveying path;
The plurality of temporary placement sections include a plurality of both section temporary placement sections that are arranged along both the first section and the second section between the first section and the second section in the specific direction,
the transport cart is configured to be able to transfer the article to and from the plurality of holding units, the plurality of temporary placement units, and the carrying-out unit at positions on the transport path corresponding to each of the holding units, the temporary placement units, and the carrying-out unit;
One of the objects held in the plurality of holding units is designated as a target object, the objects other than the target object among the objects held in the plurality of holding units are designated as non-target objects, and the holding unit in which the target object is held is designated as a target holding unit,
The control system includes:
When the target object is transported to the discharge section by the transport cart, if there are vacant both section temporary storage sections downstream of the target holding section in the first section, the transport cart performs an intermediate carry-out process in which the vacant both section temporary storage sections are used as first target temporary storage sections, the target object is received from the target holding section and handed over to the first target temporary storage section in the first section, and then the target object is received from the first target temporary storage section in the second section and handed over to the discharge section,
Furthermore, when the relay removal process is performed, if there is a non-target holding section, which is the holding section in which the non-target items are held, downstream of the position where the target item is handed over to the first target temporary storage section within the first section, and if there is an empty temporary storage section downstream of the non-target holding section and upstream of the position where the target item is received from the first target temporary storage section within the second section, the transport equipment performs an intermediate transport process by using the transport cart to receive the non-target items from the non-target holding section and hand them over to the second target temporary storage section during the relay removal process, with the empty temporary storage section serving as a second target temporary storage section. The transport facility according to claim 1, wherein when the control system executes the relay removal process, if there are multiple vacant temporary storage units for both sections downstream of the target holding unit in the first section, the most upstream temporary storage unit for both sections among them is set as the first temporary storage unit for the first target. The transport facility according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the target object is transported from the target holding section to the discharge section by the transport cart, if there is no vacant temporary storage section for both sections downstream of the target holding section in the first section, the control system receives the target object from the target holding section, transports the target object as is to the discharge position, and delivers the target object to the discharge section, thereby executing a direct discharge process by the transport cart. The transport facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, when the non-target holding section is located upstream of the target holding section in the first section, and an empty temporary storage section is located downstream of the non-target holding section and upstream of the target holding section, the control system performs a pre-transport process by using the transport cart to receive the non-target item from the non-target holding section and deliver it to the third target temporary storage section before receiving the target item from the target holding section, using the empty temporary storage section as a third target temporary storage section. The transport facility according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, when there are multiple non-target holding sections, the control system determines whether there is an empty temporary storage section to which the non-target item can be handed over when the non-target item is received from each of the non-target holding sections each time the transport cart arrives at each of the multiple non-target holding sections. The transport facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control system sets one or more of the items stored in the temporary storage section that are deemed equivalent to the target item as equivalent items, and when the intermediate transport process can be executed when the equivalent item is deemed to be the target item and the temporary storage section in which the equivalent item is stored is deemed to be the first target temporary storage section, the control system executes the relay removal process and the intermediate transport process by regarding the equivalent item as the target item and the temporary storage section in which the equivalent item is stored as the first target temporary storage section. The plurality of temporary placement sections further include a one-side temporary placement section that is arranged in a line along the second section and in which the article is transferred only to and from the transport vehicle located within the second section,
The transport facility according to claim 1 , wherein the control system selects the second target temporary placement part in the intermediate transport process from both the both-section temporary placement parts and the one-side temporary placement part. A plurality of the transport vehicles are provided,
The conveying equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control system designates each of the multiple conveying vehicles as a target conveying vehicle, and designates the target item to be conveyed by the target conveying vehicle after the target conveying vehicle has handed over the item it was conveying to the discharge section and before the target conveying vehicle reaches the holding section located most upstream.

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