JPH0411442B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is provided with a plurality of article storage zones in the width direction, a shelf from which articles are taken out from the front side, and a container for replenishing articles to the shelf. An article conveyance line for conveying is provided on the back side of the shelf,
The present invention relates to article sorting equipment that is provided with a distribution supply means for distributing and supplying articles conveyed by the article conveyance line to each article storage zone.

[Conventional technology]

Such article sorting equipment is capable of sorting multiple types of articles into containers destined for the same shipping destination by, for example, storing the articles taken out by a worker in accordance with an instruction to take out the articles into containers conveyed along a container conveyance line. In addition, it is possible to appropriately replenish the remaining amount of articles that have decreased due to the removal of articles.

Incidentally, the shelf is generally divided into a plurality of shelf parts along the transport direction of the container transport line, that is, along the width direction, and different types of articles are stored in each partitioned shelf part. Then, instructions for taking out articles are given to each shelf section separately. In other words, a worker is assigned to each of the shelf sections, and while the containers are being transported from the shelf section on the upper side of transport to the shelf section on the lower side of transport, the shelf section that each worker is in charge of is assigned to each worker. By taking out the articles from the container and storing them in the container, it becomes possible to store a wide variety of articles in the same shipping destination container while reducing the responsibilities of one worker. (Patent application filed in 1986 by the applicant)
(See No. 103372) [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In order to appropriately supply replenishment articles to a desired article storage zone, it is necessary to accurately position the replenishment articles at a location facing the article storage zone. To this end, it is desirable to slow down the conveyance speed of the article conveyance line, but on the other hand, in order to efficiently perform article replenishment work, it is desirable to increase the conveyance speed of the article conveyance line. It becomes something that can be done.

However, in the past, the article conveyance line was driven at a constant speed, which made it impossible to satisfy both of the above demands.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is capable of accurately positioning replenishment articles at a location opposite to a desired article storage zone, and efficiently performing article replenishment work. The point is to make sure that you are satisfied as well.

[Means for solving problems]

The characteristic configuration of the article sorting equipment according to the present invention includes an article arrival detection means for detecting that a replenishment article approaches an article storage zone where it is to be stored, and an article conveyance line based on detection information of the article arrival detection means. The apparatus is equipped with a deceleration means for decelerating the conveyance speed, and its functions and effects are as follows.

[Effect]

In other words, while the article conveyance line can be driven at high speed to increase the conveyance efficiency of replenishment articles, the conveyance speed of the article conveyance line is decelerated as the replenishment articles approach the article storage zone where they are to be stored. By doing so, the dispensing and supplying means is activated as the replenishment items reach the location opposite the desired item storage zone, and the supply of the replenishment items to the item storage zone is prevented from causing problems such as large overruns. Therefore, it can be performed with high accuracy.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Therefore, although the article conveyance line as a whole is driven at high speed so that article replenishment work can be carried out efficiently, the article conveyance line is decelerated as the replenishment article approaches the desired article storage zone. Therefore, it is possible to replenish the replenishment items by accurately positioning them at a location opposite to the desired storage zone, thereby satisfying both of the above-mentioned requirements and making the system even more convenient to use. Ta.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the article sorting equipment includes an article replenishment work area A and an article sorting work area B.
A pair of article conveyance lines 1 are arranged between both work areas A and B.

As shown in FIG. 12, the article replenishment work area A includes a plurality of article replenishment vehicles 3 that store multiple types of boxed articles A storage stand 4 is provided which stores the items separately and in a stacked manner.

Therefore, the goods replenishment worker located in the goods replenishment work area A unpacks the goods X on the goods replenishment vehicle 3 and supplies them to the storage table 4, and stores the goods in the storage table 4 based on the replenishment command described later. The work of supplying the article Xa to the article transport line 1 and the work of replacing the empty article replenishment vehicle 3 with a new article replenishment vehicle 3 are performed.

However, 2 in the figure is a main indicator light which will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 2, the article sorting work area B has two rows of shelves 5 for storing multiple types of articles Xa.
are arranged with their backs facing each other, and a container conveyor 6 serving as a container conveying line for conveying the containers Z for storing articles is provided at a location on the front side of each shelf 5, and the article conveying line 1 is , are respectively provided on the back side of each shelf 5, and further provided with a distribution supply means K for distributing the articles Xa conveyed by the article conveyance line 1 to the article storage zones N lined up in the width direction of the shelves 5. It is being

As shown in FIG. 3, the shelf 5 is formed in a so-called gravity rack type in which the loading surface formed by the idling rollers R is inclined so that it becomes lower toward the front side. , it is possible to move articles fed to the back side to the front side by their own weight. The shelf 5 is divided into a plurality of sections along the conveyance direction of the container conveyor 6, that is, along the width direction. , and three article storage zones N are provided in each loading section 5a along the width direction.

Therefore, a plurality of article retrieval workers are arranged on the front side of the shelf 5, one for each shelf section 5A, and the article retrieval workers receive instructions for article retrieval information, which will be described later. The task is to store the taken out articles in the container Z based on the following.

The article conveyance line 1 includes a pair of upper and lower belt conveyors 1A, 1A corresponding to the upper and lower loading parts 5a of the shelves 5, and the belt conveyors 1A,
A branch conveyor 1B is provided at the conveyance start end of the conveyor 1A, which is vertically swingable using a hydraulic cylinder or the like. Therefore, by swinging the branch conveyor 1B,
The article can be conveyed while switching between a state in which the article is conveyed to the upper belt conveyor 1A and a condition in which the article is conveyed to the lower belt conveyor 1A.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the distributing and supplying means K pushes and supplies articles to a shelf side, respectively, to a pair of upper and lower car bodies 19 that are movable in the conveyance direction of the belt conveyor 1A in the article conveyance line 1. It is constructed by attaching a pushing tool 20.

Therefore, the distribution supply means K moves the vehicle body 19 to a location corresponding to the desired article storage zone N, and in this state supplies the article Xa to the shelf 5 by operating the pusher 20. .

The vehicle body 19 runs along a guide rail 21 having a square cross-section, and includes a pair of front and rear propulsion wheels 22 running along the upper surface of the guide rail 21, and a shelf of the belt conveyor 1A. It is equipped with a pair of front and rear idle wheels 23 that run along the upper surface of the guide section located on the lateral sides, and a pair of steady rest rollers 24 that are in contact with both lateral sides of the guide rail 21. We are preparing for Note that the front and rear propulsion wheels 22 are interlocked and connected by a propulsion electric motor 25 and a transmission chain 26.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the pushing tool 20 is attached to a second rail 28 that is slidably engaged with and supported by a pair of front and rear first rails 27 in the width direction of the vehicle body. The article Xa is slidably engaged and supported in the direction, and is pushed out and supplied to the shelf side by moving parallel to the shelf side in a state protruding from the front side of the cover 19a of the vehicle body 19, and When the cover 19a is retracted inward and moved in parallel away from the shelf 5, it returns to the initial position. And extrusion tool 2
A driving chain 29 of No. 0 is wound in a rectangular shape in plan view, and the proximal end of the extrusion tool 20 is attached to the chain 29, and an electric motor 30 for driving the extrusion tool is connected to the drive sprocket of the chain 29. 31 through a transmission chain 32.

As shown in FIG. 14, the vehicle body 19 includes:
A vehicle body side controller V is provided to control travel control and the operation of the pushing tool 20, and a ground side work controller 1 is provided to the vehicle body side controller V.
1, an encoder 34 for detecting the amount of travel of the vehicle body 19, a brake 35 for traveling of the vehicle body 19, and a location of the vehicle body 19 on the travel route. A traveling detection unit 36 detects whether the article Xa approaches the vehicle body 19, an article arrival detection sensor 37 serves as an article arrival detection means and detects that the article Xa is located near the vehicle body 19. An inventory detection sensor 38 and a surplus space detection sensor 39 serving as surplus space detection means for detecting surplus space in each article storage zone N are connected to each other.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the optical transmitting/receiving device 33A includes a pair of front and rear support brackets 40, 4 protruding downward from the vehicle body 19.
It is pivotally supported on a plate-shaped frame 42 installed between the two parts 1 so as to be able to swing up and down about the horizontal axis P, and the angle can be adjusted by a pair of front and rear swing angle adjustment bolts 43. It is designed to be maintained in a state where it faces the transmitting/receiving device 33B on the work controller side installed at the end of the vehicle body movement path, regardless of the movement of the vehicle body. However, numeral 44 in the figure is a cover body which also serves as a support frame for the guide rail 21, and light for transmission and reception passes through the inside of the cover body.

The encoder 34, as shown in FIG.
The traveling brake 35 is interlocked with a pinion 46 that engages with a rack 45 attached to the guide rail 21 so as to rotate integrally therewith. It is configured as an electromagnetic type that uses braking action.

The running detection unit 36 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, a photo interrupter type emergency stop sensor 36a detects when the vehicle body 19 has reached the end of the travel route, and a photo interrupter type emergency stop sensor 36a detects when the vehicle body 19 has reached near the end of the travel route while traveling forward. Photo interrupter type forward deceleration sensor 36 to detect
b. A photo-interrupter-type backward deceleration sensor 36c that detects when the vehicle body 19 has reached near the starting end of the traveling route while moving backward; and detects that the vehicle body 19 has reached the origin on the starting end side of the traveling route. Each sensor 36d is provided with a photo interrupter type origin detection sensor 36d, and is attached to the plate-shaped frame 42. In addition, each sensor 36a, 36b, 3
Plate piece 48 on which each of 6c and 36d acts for detection
A, 48b, 48c, and 48d are attached to the inner surface of the cover body 44.

As shown in FIG. 4, the article arrival detection sensor 37 detects the arrival of an article when the light projected obliquely forward from the light projector 37a is blocked by the article Xa and the light reception by the light receiver 37b is stopped. It is something to detect.

The inventory detection sensor 38 includes a sensor piece 38a that is elastically biased toward the protruding side, and a sensor piece 38a that is elastically biased toward the protruding side.
and a switch 38b for detecting that the object Xa has been swung in the backward direction by the article Xa.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the extra space detection sensor 39 includes three photoelectric switches 39a, 39b, and 39c with different detection distances, and all of the photoelectric switches 39a, 39b,
39c is in the state where there is the largest margin of space in which the detection does not operate, and the photoelectric switch 3 has the longest detection distance.
A state in which there is a fairly large margin for only 9c to operate, a state in which there is a slight margin for the longest detection distance 39c and the middle one 39b to operate, and all photoelectric switches 3
9a, 39b, and 39c can perform detection in four stages in which there is no extra space for detection operation.

In the figure, 49 is a power supply rail unit attached to the cover body 44, and 50 is a current collector on the vehicle body side.

Next, an instruction means D for instructing information to take out articles from the shelf 5 based on the work data, and a remaining article management for managing the amount of articles remaining on the shelf 5 in accordance with the type of article based on the article consumption data. Based on the information of the means E and the remaining goods management means E,
An article replenishing means L replenishes articles whose remaining amount has decreased, and determines whether or not the article replenishment is appropriate based on the surplus space detection information in each article storage zone N, and stops the article replenishment if it is inappropriate. Each of the stopping means T and the container conveying means G that drives the container conveyor 6 to convey the containers Z will be explained. However, the article replenishment means L consists of a notification means F for an article replenishment command that instructs a replenishment worker to replenish articles whose remaining amount has decreased, the distribution supply means K, and an article conveyance line 1, and The controller 11 causes the deceleration unit U ₁ to reduce the conveyance speed of the article conveyance line 1 based on the detection information of the article arrival detection sensor 37 and stops the article conveyance line 1 based on the information of the inventory detection sensor 38. Line stopping means U ₂ are constructed.

First, to explain briefly based on FIG. 14, when the contents of the order form 7 issued by the customer etc. are input to the host controller 8, the host controller 8 processes the order form according to the contents of the order form 7. Purchase order 9
is created, and goods are purchased according to the contents of the purchase order form 9. Also, the host controller 8
creates work data based on the contents of the order form 7 input in advance, and outputs the work data to a work data storage means 10 which stores the work data in a storage medium such as a floppy disk.

A work controller 11 including a work data reading means 11A and an arithmetic processing unit 11B is provided corresponding to each of the shelves 5, and work data is input to this work controller 11 using the storage medium. . However, a management work for managing the work controller 11 is provided, and this management worker performs the work of inputting work data into the work controller 11 and the work of supplying empty containers Z to the container transport conveyor 6. will be held.

When the work data is input to the work controller 11 and the work preparation is completed, the management worker transfers the empty container Z to the container transport conveyor 6 as described above.
It will be supplied to As shown in FIG. 15, the work controller 11 performs container transport processing corresponding to the container transport means G, article removal information instruction processing corresponding to the instruction means D, and remaining article management means E.
A remaining article management process corresponding to the notification means F, a replenishment article notification process corresponding to the notification means F, a transmission/reception process for exchanging various information with the vehicle controller V, and a process corresponding to the deceleration means U ₁ and the line stop means U ₂ Each process in the replenishment article conveyance process will be performed until the work is completed. However, even after the article replenishment operation is completed, in order to complete the article replenishment operation, each process required for article replenishment is executed while checking whether or not the article replenishment is in progress.

In addition, in parallel with the execution of the processing by the work controller 11, as shown in FIG. A travel control process to control, an extra space detection process to detect extra space in each article storage zone N, an article replenishment stop process corresponding to the article replenishment stop means T,
Each process of the extrusion tool driving process for controlling the drive of the extrusion tool 20 is executed.

In short, each of the above-mentioned means D, E, G, L, T,
U ₁ and U ₂ are configured using the work controller 11 and the vehicle body controller V,
In the following description, the operation of each controller 11 and V will also be described.

The container conveying means G, as shown in FIG. 1, controls the conveyance of containers by using electromagnetically operated egress/exit stoppers 13 that receive the containers Z at positions facing the front of each of the shelf portions 5A. and the container Z is located at a location on the downstream side of each stopper 13.
The work controller 11 operates the stopper 13 to move in and out based on information from a photo-interrupter type container detection sensor S that detects the passage of the container, and a reset switch 14 provided in a display H, which will be described later.

In other words, when the container Z is received by the stopper 13, an article retrieval worker stores the article in the container Z, and when the reset switch 14 is operated upon completion of the article storage operation, the stopper 13 is retired and sends the container Z to the downstream side of the conveyance, and as the container detection sensor S detects the presence of a container once and then detects the absence of a container again, the stopper 13 is protruded and transports the following container Z. I will accept it.

The container conveyor 6 is constructed using a roll conveyor that is constantly driven, and the stopper 13 is moved in and out through a space between adjacent rollers. Also, 13a in the figure
is an electromagnetic operation stopper that controls the conveyance of containers Z to the shelf side, that is, to the work area side, and it is an electromagnetic operation stopper that controls the presence or absence of containers on the shelf section 5A on the uppermost side of the conveyance, and the information on how well they are conveyed. The work controller 11 performs entry/exit operations based on information from a photo-interrupter type container detection sensor Sa located on the side.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the indicating means D includes a main indicator light 15 disposed at the top of each shelf section 5A, and a main indicator light 15 arranged at the top and bottom of each shelf section 5A. A pair of upper and lower auxiliary indicator lights 16 are provided correspondingly, and an indicator H is provided to correspond to each different type of article stored in the storage zone N of each shelf portion 5A, and the main indicator light 15 is turned on. This indicates that there is an article to be taken out on the shelf portion 5A, and the lighting of the auxiliary indicator light 16 indicates which side of the upper and lower loading parts 5a there is an article to be taken out. Further, the display H indicates the article to be taken out and the amount to be taken out.

That is, as shown in FIG. 13, the display H includes a lamp 17 indicating the article to be taken out, a numerical display section 18 indicating the amount of article to be taken out, and the above-mentioned reset switch 14, and a work controller 11. The operator operates the main and auxiliary indicator lights 15 and 16 provided on the shelf section 5A where each container Z is located, as well as the indicator H, while managing the positions of the containers Z that are sequentially transported, based on the work data. I will do it.

Note that the lamp 17 provided in each display H will be turned off when the reset switch 14 provided in that display H is operated, and the auxiliary indicator light 16 will be turned off.
The main indicator light 15 will be turned off when all the articles have been taken out from the corresponding loading section 5a, and the main indicator light 15 will be turned off when all the articles have been taken out from the corresponding shelf section 5A. become.

The remaining article management means E manages the remaining articles by calculating the difference between the storage amount of each article stored in the shelf 5 in advance and the consumption amount of the article taken out from the shelf 5 by calculating for each article. . In other words, the amount of articles to be stored on the shelves 5 is input in advance to the work controller 11 for each article, and the work controller 11 calculates the difference between the pre-input storage amount and the amount of articles consumed during the work. Calculations will be performed for each item.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, the notification means F is a main indicator light 2 provided in the article replenishment work area A.
and a display Ha provided corresponding to each of the plurality of types of articles stored in the storage table 4, and the display Ha has the same structure as the display H attached to the shelf 5. ing.

The main indicator light 2 is turned on to notify that there are articles to be replenished, and the display Ha is used to notify the article and the amount to be replenished. That is, as shown in FIG. 17, while the work controller 11 determines the remaining amount of articles based on the calculation result by the remaining article management means E, if the remaining amount of articles is small, the main indicator light 2 and the display Ha will be activated, and each display will be activated.
When it is determined that all replenishments have been completed based on the replenishment completion information from each Ha, the operation of the main indicator light 2 is stopped.

However, in order to activate the notification means F, the storage work for one container Z is treated as one order,
It is configured to be executed every time a set value order, for example 100 orders, is completed. Also, the display Ha
The belt conveyor 1 in the article conveyance line 1 notifies the articles to be replenished and the amount of replenishment thereof.
Notification is made to each of the article storage zones N lined up along the conveyance direction of A separately and in order from the article storage zone N on the upper side in the conveyance direction to the article storage zone N on the lower side in the conveyance direction. Yes, and furthermore, there may be a plurality of upper or lower loading portions 5.
After completing the notification process for a, the notification process for the plurality of cargo loading sections 5a on the other side is performed.

The transmission/reception process between the work controller 11 and the vehicle body controller V notifies the vehicle body controller V that replenishment work is required and the article storage zone N where the article should be replenished. In addition to notifying the replenishment amount of articles in each article storage zone N, the work controller 11 is also notified that the vehicle body V is stopped, and the article arrival detection sensor 37 is activated. Inventory detection sensor 3
8 has been activated.

In the replenishment article conveyance process, the replenishment article is conveyed by driving the article conveyance line 1 while determining whether or not conveyance is necessary and by switching the branch conveyor 1B.
The article conveyance line 1 may be decelerated and driven at a low speed as the article detection sensor 38 operates to detect the presence of the article.
The article conveyance line 1 is also stopped when the detection operation is performed.

That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 18, first, it is checked whether or not the vehicle is being transported, and if it is not, it is checked whether or not the article replenishment work has been completed and whether the vehicle body 19 is in the process of replenishing the article. The necessity of transportation is checked while determining whether the vehicle is stopped or not.

If there is a need for conveyance, branch conveyor 1B
After confirming whether or not switching is necessary and performing a switching operation as necessary, a process of driving the article conveyance line 1 at high speed is executed.

When the above-mentioned check indicates that the item is being transported or after the line is driven, it checks whether or not deceleration is necessary based on the information from the article arrival sensor 37, and executes processing to decelerate the article conveyance line 1 if necessary. do.

Thereafter, the necessity of stopping is checked based on the information from the inventory detection sensor 38, and if necessary, the process of stopping the article transport line 1 is executed.

Along with execution of the above-described replenishment article conveyance process, each process is executed as described above based on commands from the vehicle controller V.

Basically, the traveling control process is to make the vehicle body 19 sequentially travel from the origin of the travel route toward the side of each article storage zone N that requires article replenishment, and when the article replenishment is completed, return the vehicle body 19 to the origin. It is used to run to certain locations. However, in order to prevent the vehicle body 19 from running out of control due to detection errors of various sensors, the forward deceleration sensor 36b and the reverse deceleration sensor 3 are
It is possible to decelerate while checking whether or not deceleration is necessary based on the information of
The system also performs an emergency stop while checking whether or not an emergency stop is necessary based on this information.

That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 19, first, it is checked whether the vehicle is running or not, and if it is not running, it is checked whether the replenishment and storage of articles has been completed and whether the vehicle body 19 is moved to replenish the articles. Check whether or not the vehicle needs to run while determining whether or not to continue stopping the vehicle.

If it is necessary to move, the distance to travel to the next target position and forward movement are determined when replenishing goods, and when replenishing goods is completed, the direction of travel is determined. Execute the process to determine the travel distance, and based on the result, the vehicle body 1
Run 9.

If the above-mentioned check indicates that the vehicle is traveling, or after the vehicle has started traveling, a check is made to determine whether or not the vehicle is traveling to the origin.

When traveling to the origin, it is checked whether the vehicle is at the origin position based on the information from the origin detection sensor 36d, and if it is at the origin position, the traveling brake 35 is activated to stop the vehicle body 19. .

If the drive is not to the origin, the encoder 34
Based on this information, it is checked whether the vehicle has traveled to the target position or not. If the vehicle has reached the target position, the travel brake 35 is activated to stop the vehicle body 19.

If it is neither the origin position nor the target position, the forward deceleration sensor 36b and the backward deceleration sensor 3
It checks whether or not it is at the deceleration position based on the information of the emergency stop sensor 36c, and executes the deceleration process if it is at the deceleration position, and also checks whether it is at the emergency stop position or not based on the information of the emergency stop sensor 36d. If the vehicle body 19 is checked and the vehicle body 19 is in the emergency stop position, the traveling brake 35 is activated to stop the vehicle body 19.

In the extra space detection process, when the vehicle body 19 stops at the target position, the extra space detection sensor 39
Based on the detected information, it is determined which of the four levels the surplus space is in.

In the article replenishment stop process, as shown in FIG. 20, it is checked whether the vehicle body 19 has stopped at the target position to be replenished, and only when the vehicle body 19 has stopped, the article to be replenished into the article storage zone N is The size of Xa is compared with the free space in the article storage zone N to check whether there is space to replenish the article Xa, and if there is no space,
Processing for instructing to stop replenishment of goods will be executed.

In the pusher drive process, the pusher drive motor 30 is rotated by a fixed amount only when there is no instruction to stop article replenishment.

Note that when the article replenishment is stopped, the worker removes the excess article Xa and continues the article replenishment work.

[Another example]

In carrying out the present invention, the specific configuration of the container conveying means G, the specific configuration of the shelf 5, the specific configuration of the indicating means D, etc. can be changed in various ways depending on the purpose of use.

In the above-described embodiment, the article replenishment means L is configured by a worker supplying replenishment articles to the article conveyance line 1 in a semi-automatic manner based on instructions from the notification means F. 1 may be provided with a conveyance line for automatically supplying replenishment items, so that the process can be carried out fully automatically.

To configure the article arrival detection means, a sensor may be provided corresponding to each article storage zone N, but if the distribution supply means K is configured using the vehicle body 19, a sensor may be provided on the vehicle body 19. 37, one sensor 37 can be used as a sensor for a large number of article storage zones N.

Furthermore, in order to decelerate the conveyance line 1, instead of decelerating the entire line, only the belt conveyors 1A and 1A may be decelerated.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the article sorting equipment according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the entire article sorting equipment, FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the shelf mounting section, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the distribution supply means. 4 is a schematic plan view of the vehicle body, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the mounting portion of the pushing tool, FIG. 6 is a front view of the same portion, FIG. 7 is a front view of the encoder mounting portion, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing the mounting part of the transmitting/receiving device, and FIG. 9 is a cutaway side view of the same part.
10 and 11 are arrow views of the X-X line and X-X line in FIG. 8, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the article storage state, FIG.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control configuration, and FIGS. 15 to 20 are flowcharts showing the control operation. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Article conveyance line, 5...Shelf, 19...Car body, 20...Extrusion tool, 37...Article arrival detection means, D...Instruction means, K...Distribution supply means, N...
...Goods storage zone, U ₁ ...Deceleration means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A shelf 5 is provided with a plurality of article storage zones N in the width direction and from which articles are taken out from the front side, and an article conveyance line 1 is provided for conveying articles to be replenished on the shelf 5. , the article sorting equipment is provided with a distribution supply means K which is provided on the back side of the shelf 5 and distributes and supplies the articles conveyed by the article conveyance line 1 to each article storage zone N, Article arrival detection means 37 for detecting that replenishment articles approach the article storage zone N to be stored, and deceleration means for decelerating the conveyance speed of the article conveyance line 1 based on the detection information of the article arrival detection means 37. Goods sorting equipment equipped with U ₁ . 2. The dispensing and supplying means K comprises a vehicle body 19 that is movable in the conveying direction of the article conveying line 1, and a pushing tool 20 for pushing out articles, which is equipped on the vehicle body 19. Goods sorting equipment. 3 The article arrival detection means 37 detects when the vehicle body 19
Article sorting equipment according to claim 2, attached to.