JPH0623941U - Load collapse detector - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] One optical sensor detects abnormalities in the lateral direction and height of both sides of the traveling direction of the load. [Structure] A rod 4 is rotatably held by a bracket 3 attached to a frame 2 of a load collapse detection device 1. The rod 4 is biased by a spring 5 built into the bracket 3 so as to maintain a constant posture. Detecting arms 6a and 6b are attached to the rod 4, and a perforated plate 7 having a hole 8 is attached near the upper end thereof. A light emitter 9 and a light receiver 10 are arranged in the frame 2, and an optical axis L runs between them. Since the optical axis L passes through the hole 8, when a load W having an abnormal width hits the detection arms 6a and 6b, the optical axis L is blocked and the light receiver 10 does not receive light. When the height is abnormal, the optical axis L is blocked from the load W.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a load collapse detection device which is provided in a stacker crane or a conveyor of an automated warehouse and prevents a load collapse due to an abnormal shape of a package.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Automated warehouses used for temporary storage of goods in factories and warehouses are racks with a matrix of multiple frontages, and stacker cranes that travel up and down the front of the frontage to transfer the goods. It consists of and. If there is an abnormality in the packaging of an item, the components of the shelf will be touched when the article is inserted into the frontage, causing the load to collapse. Equipped with a load collapse detector. A conventional load collapse detection device is equipped with a pair of swingable load width detection arms on the platform of a stacker crane. When a load touches the load width detection arms and swings them, the swing of each arm is prevented. The limit switch or proximity switch to detect was activated. An optical sensor for detecting the height of the load is provided above the arm for detecting the width of the load, and the optical axis is run at the same height as the normal height of the load so that the optical axis is blocked when the load is too high. Was there.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 With such a configuration, a pair of load width detection arms for detecting the width of the load, one for each of the load width detection arms, and one for the detection of the load height, require a total of three sensors. Furthermore, the mounting and wiring of these sensors are complicated, and adjustments and the like are troublesome.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a load collapse detection device capable of detecting a load shape with as few members as possible to prevent load collapse.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is capable of swinging around a vertical axis located on the left and right sides in the traveling direction of a load, and has a width of a distance that matches the left and right width of a normal load. The pair of rocking members that are biased to maintain the defining posture and the optical axis that runs so as to define the height of the normal packing state are inserted by the rocking of either of the pair of rocking members. A load collapse detection device is configured by including an optical sensor provided so that light does not enter the light section.

[0006]

[Action]

 Since the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, it has the following effects.

According to the load collapse detection device of the present invention, the pair of rocking members have the normal load condition, that is, the left and right of the load condition within a range in which the load collapse does not occur even if the load / unload is performed. It is biased to maintain a posture that defines a width that is commensurate with the width, so that normally loaded cargo can pass through it. When the load has an abnormal shape, it strikes the rocking member, and when the load further advances, the rocking member can swing about the vertical axis located on the left and right sides in the moving direction of the load. Therefore, the rocking member rocks. Since the optical sensor does not enter the light entering part due to the rocking of the rocking member, it is possible to detect whether or not the packing appearance in the left-right direction is normal. The optical axis of the optical sensor runs so as to define the normal height of the package, so if the load is too high, the optical axis of the light sensor will be blocked, so that the load in the height direction will be blocked. It can also detect whether the person is normal.

[0008]

【Example】

 The illustrated embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the load collapse detecting apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a photoelectric tube portion of the same embodiment.

The load collapse detection device 1 is provided in the frame 2. The frame 2 is a gate type which is erected on a lifter of a stacker crane (not shown) and surrounds the left and right sides and the upper side in the traveling direction of the load W, and is composed of two vertical portions 2a and 2b and a horizontal portion 2c. . The frame 2 is arranged at the doorway where the load W is transferred between the ascending / descending table and the front of the shelf or the station.

Two brackets 3 are attached to each of the inner side surfaces of the vertical portions 2 a and 2 b of the frame 2. Each bracket 3 holds one end of a rod 4 rotatably around a vertical axis. A spring 5 is built in each bracket 3, and each rod 4 is biased so as to maintain a vertical posture with respect to the inner side surfaces of the vertical portions 2a and 2b.

Detection arms 6 a and 6 b are fixed to the tips of the sets of the upper and lower rods 4 for the vertical portions 2 a and 2 b, respectively. Each of the detection arms 6a and 6b is swingable around the bracket 3 and is urged by the action of the spring 5 through the rod 4 so as to maintain a constant posture. At this time, the interval between the two detection arms 6a and 6b is substantially equal to the width of the load W in a normal load shape, which is within a range that can be handled without causing a load collapse.

Perforated plates 7, 7 are attached to the side portions near the tips of the detection arms 6a, 6b. The perforated plate 7 is attached so as to be parallel to the inner side surfaces of the vertical portions 2a and 2b, respectively, when the detection arms 6a and 6b maintain a fixed posture, so that the perforated plate 7 is The hole 8 of the plate 7 is usually in a position to face a horizontal line connecting the vertical portions 2a and 2b.

A light emitter 9 is attached to the vertical portion 2b of the frame 2, and a light receiver 10 is attached to the vertical portion 2a, and the light emitter 9 and the light receiver 10 constitute an optical sensor. . The optical axis L emitted by the light emitter 9 emits light so as to run at a height substantially equal to the height of the load W in a normal packing shape and to run through the holes 8 of the two perforated plates 7. The device 9 and the light receiver 10 are arranged.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

If the shape of the load W passed between the frames 2 is normal, the load W passes without touching the detection arms 6a and 6b or blocking the optical axis L.

If the width of the load W is larger than the normal range, the load W touches one or both of the detection arms 6a, 6b. When the load W touches the detection arms 6a and 6b, the detection arms 6a and 6b swing around the bracket 3. Then, since the perforated plate 7 attached to each of the detection arms 6a and 6b also moves, the optical axis L comes out of the hole 8 of the perforated plate 7 and hits the perforated plate 7 to be blocked.

As a result, no light enters the light receiver 10, and the light receiver 10 is turned off. Therefore, it is possible to detect that the load appearance is abnormal, stop the movement of the load W, and prevent the load from collapsing.

When the height of the load W is higher than the normal range, the upper part of the load W blocks the optical axis L. Therefore, the light receiver 10 is turned off, and it is possible to detect an abnormality in the packaging.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, one optical sensor including the light emitter 9 and the light receiver 10 can detect an abnormality in the packaging shape on the left and right sides and the height. . Therefore, the number of sensors can be reduced, and the labor for wiring, mounting and adjustment can be saved.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the load collapse detecting apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same embodiment. The same members as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, no perforated plate is attached to the detection arms 11a and 11b, but a reflection type photoelectric sensor 12 is attached to the rod 4a and a light reflection plate 13 is attached to the rod 4b. ing.

The photoelectric sensor 12 emits the optical axis L, and detects the reflected light that has returned by being reflected by the light reflection plate 13 at the light incident portion. Like the first embodiment, the optical axis L horizontally runs at a height substantially the same as the height of the load W in a normal packing shape.

When the detection arms 11a and 11b are opposed to each other at substantially the same interval as the width of the load W in the normal packing state by the action of the spring 5 built in the bracket 3, the optical axis L is aligned with the optical axis L. The position and orientation of the photoelectric sensor 12 and the light reflecting plate 13 are adjusted so that the light is emitted from the light source, is reflected by the light reflecting plate 13, and returns to the photoelectric sensor 12 again.

According to the second embodiment, if the load W has an abnormal shape and the detection arm 11b is touched and the detection arm 11b is swung as shown in FIG. 4, the position of the photoelectric sensor 12 is also changed. Since it fluctuates, the optical axis L emitted from the photoelectric sensor 12 does not hit the light reflection plate 13 and the reflected light does not return, so it is turned off.

When the load W touches the detection arm 11 a and swings it, the direction of the light reflection plate 13 changes, and the optical axis L emitted by the photoelectric sensor 12 is not reflected toward the photoelectric sensor 12. Alternatively, the optical axis L does not hit the light reflection plate 13. Therefore, the photoelectric sensor 12 is turned off.

Further, when the height is abnormal, the upper part of the load W blocks the optical axis L, so that the photoelectric sensor 12 is also turned off. Therefore, since one photoelectric sensor 12 can detect abnormalities in the package shape on the left and right sides and the height, one sensor is sufficient, and the labor for mounting and wiring can be omitted.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

For example, although the embodiment has been described as applied to the stacker crane, the present invention can be applied to other transfer devices such as a transfer conveyor.

[0030]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the load collapse detection device of the present invention, it is possible to detect an abnormality in the shape of the load on both the left and right sides and the height in the traveling direction of the load with one optical sensor. Therefore, the number of sensors can be reduced, and the labor for wiring, mounting, adjustment, etc. can be saved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of a load collapse detecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a light emitting portion of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the load collapse detecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 load collapse detection device 2 frame 3 bracket 4 rod 6a, 6b detection arm 7 perforated plate 8 hole 9 light emitter 10 light receiver L optical axis W load

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A posture capable of swinging about a vertical axis located on the left and right sides in the traveling direction of a load and defining a width of a distance corresponding to a left and right width of a normal load shape. The pair of oscillating members thus biased and the optical axis that runs so as to define the height of the normal packing state enter the light incident part by the oscillating of either of the pair of oscillating members. A load collapse detection device, comprising: an optical sensor provided so as to disappear.