JPH10188118A - Merchandise ejecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To know the state of passing or storing of merchandise in a bucket by detecting the merchandise, which is ejected from a merchandise storage tray and to be stored in the bucket, through a sensor for passage detection and detecting the merchandise stored in the bucket through a sensor for quantity detection. SOLUTION: Merchandise M is ejected from a merchandise storage tray 1, which stores plural pieces of merchandise M at equal intervals, by a merchandise ejecting means 4, and stored in a bucket 7, which has a size large enough for storing plural pieces of merchandise M and is opened at its upper part, and this bucket 6 is moved from a merchandise storage position to a merchandise ejection position while using a moving mechanism 7. Sensors S1 and S2 for passage detection detect the passage of merchandise M to be stored in the bucket 6 by the merchandise ejecting means 4 and a quantity detection sensor S3 detects the quantity of merchandise M stored in the bucket. Then, the storage operation of merchandise M is limited corresponding to such a state so that the merchandise M can be prevented from being damaged by falling or hanging outside the bucket 6 or the fault of moving mechanism 7 can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product take-out device for storing products stored in a product storage tray in a bucket by means of product take-out means.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A product take-out device for taking out a product from a plurality of trays on which the product is placed using a product take-out means such as a robot hand has been proposed, and is used in a store called an unmanned store. In this device, the entire device and the product take-out means are moved to store the product selected by the purchaser in a bucket held by the device.

[0003]

In the conventional product take-out device, there is no detecting means for detecting the condition of the product stored in the bucket or the product stored in the bucket, so that the product overflows from the bucket and is caught by the device. There is a possibility that the state of the product inside the bucket may be detected. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a product take-out device capable of detecting the state of a product stored in a bucket or a product stored in a bucket.

[0004]

According to the present invention, there is provided a product storage tray for storing a plurality of products, a product removal means for taking out the products stored in the product storage tray from the product storage tray, and a product storage means. A product take-out device comprising a bucket having a size capable of storing a plurality of taken-out products and a moving mechanism for moving the bucket from a product storage position to a product discharge position. It is characterized by comprising a passage detection sensor for detecting the passage of stored goods, and an amount detection sensor for detecting the amount of goods stored in the bucket.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A product take-out device according to the present invention takes out a product from a product storage tray containing a plurality of products at equal intervals by means of a product take-out means, and converts the taken-out product into a plurality of products. The upper part is stored in an open bucket having a size that can be stored, and the bucket storing the product is moved from the product storage position to the product discharge position by using a moving mechanism, and is stored in the bucket by the product removal means. And a quantity detecting sensor for detecting the quantity of the goods stored in the bucket. Therefore, the product taken out of the product storage tray by the product removal means and stored in the bucket is detected by the passage detection sensor, and the product stored in the bucket is detected by the quantity detection sensor. It is possible to know the product passing to the store and the storage state of the product.

As the passage detecting sensor, it is preferable to provide an optical line sensor in the horizontal direction between the opening of the bucket and the product take-out means, since the detection range of the passing product can be widened. The portion between the opening of the bucket and the product take-out means includes at least a position disposed above the sensor for detecting the amount, a portion immediately above the opening of the bucket, and a portion facing the upper portion of the bucket. When facing the upper part of the bucket, a slit or the like is provided in the bucket part facing the passage detection sensor to provide a path for the irradiation light.

The quantity detecting sensor is provided to face the middle portion of the bucket in order to know the storage state of the goods in the bucket. If an optical line sensor is provided in the horizontal direction as the quantity detection sensor, the state range in the bucket can be widened, and the state of the product in the bucket can be further known. When an optical line sensor is used as the quantity detection sensor, it is necessary to provide a passage for irradiation light, and therefore, an opening such as a slit is provided at a bucket portion facing the sensor.

[0008] The passage detection sensor and the quantity detection sensor
You may arrange | position by attaching to a bucket. By attaching to the bucket in this way, it is not necessary to secure a sensor installation space in the device or the like. If the passage detection sensor is also used as a protrusion detection sensor that detects the protrusion of the product from the bucket,
The protrusion of the product from the upper part of the bucket can be detected.

If the operation of storing the goods in the bucket or the operation of the moving mechanism is stopped halfway based on the detection results from the passage detecting sensor and the amount detecting sensor, the goods may protrude or overflow from the bucket. Can be reduced.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a product take-out device is provided on a tray storage shelf 2 or 3 and stores a plurality of products M in a product storage tray 1 (hereinafter referred to as "tray 1"). ), A hand unit 4 serving as a product take-out means for taking out the product M, a bucket 6 for storing the product M taken out by the hand unit 4, and a tray storage shelf 2 serving as a product storage position for the bucket 6.
3, a moving mechanism 7 and a control unit 8, which move the space from the position 3 to the space T above the product discharge unit 100, which is the product discharge position.
And the passage detection sensors S1 and S2 for detecting the passage of the goods stored in the bucket 6, and the amount detection sensor S3 for detecting the amount of the goods stored in the bucket 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, a hook portion 9 which engages with the bucket 6 located in the upper space T is disposed in the upper space T. The hook 9 is provided with a pin 9 at its base 9c.
b, 9b are erected at an interval, and the base 9c is fixed to an immovable portion 99 such as a wall arranged in the upper space T, and the inclined shooter 101 extends from the product discharge portion 100 to the upper space T. And the bottom of the bucket 6 can be opened.

The tray storage shelves 2 and 3 are opposed to each other at an interval so as to be parallel to each other, and are erected on the floor F. The product take-out device is disposed between the two, and the tray storage shelves 2 facing the product take-out device.
The inner side surfaces 2A and 3A of 3 are the goods receiving side. As shown in FIG. 2, the tray storage shelves 2 and 3 have a plurality of storage compartments 14 formed side by side with a plurality of side plates 12 and a bottom portion 13, and the tray 1 is placed in each storage space 14 in a horizontal direction. Stored in. In the embodiment, one tray 1 stores a plurality of products of the same type, and stores different products for each tray.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tray 1 slidably supports a product drawer 11 with respect to a mounting portion 10 on which a plurality of products M are mounted. The mounting portion 10 is indicated by an arrow
Are formed in the depth direction of the storage section 14 and extend in the X direction, which is the width direction of the tray storage shelves 2 and 3. A bottom surface 10a serving as a mounting surface of the mounting portion 10 is formed in an uneven shape in a width direction crossing the X direction. The mounting portion 10 has lower left and right edges 10b and 10c mounted on rollers 17 provided on a pair of guide plates 16 which are swingably supported by a pair of pins 15 on the side plate 12. The rollers 17 are rotatably supported by the respective guide plates 16 and allow the mounting portion 10 to be slidable. The guide plate 16 is formed on the L-shaped cross section, and its inner end 16a is bent upward to serve as a stopper of the placing portion 10 to the product receiving side. A stopper 10 is provided on the rear surface 10d of the mounting portion 10.
e is formed.

The product drawer 11 has an inner end 11b and an outer end 11 located in the X direction of a main body 11a formed in a U-shaped cross section.
The engaging part 18 and the grip part 19 are respectively attached to c. The engaging portion 18 is formed with an engaging groove 18a penetrating in the Y direction which is the vertical direction of the tray storage shelves 2, 3 indicated by arrow Y, and protrudes from the inner side surfaces 2A, 3A of the tray storage shelves 2, 3. It is provided in the main body 11a so as to perform. Body 11
a, the U-shaped opening 11e faces the mounting portion 10, and the inner end 11b is positioned on the product receiving side. A plurality of partition plates 20 are fixed to the upper surface 11d of the main body 11a with bolts 21. The partition plate 20 has an inverted trapezoidal cross-sectional shape and extends toward the mounting portion 10, and is arranged at regular intervals in the X direction. The tip 20a of the partition plate 20
It is formed in an uneven shape which engages with the unevenness of the bottom surface 10a alternately. Only the both ends of the tip 20a rest on the bottom surface 10a, and the product drawer 11 is slidable with respect to the receiver 10.

When the front end 20a and the bottom surface 10a are engaged with each other in an uneven manner, a continuous gap is not formed between the front end 20a and the bottom surface 10a in the tray width direction, as shown in FIG. Edges and the like of a thin product that has entered are less likely to be caught between the two.

An upper surface 11d located between the partition plates 20
Are provided with openings 22, respectively, so that a product M can be placed on the bottom surface 10 a from above the product drawer 11. That is, the product drawer 11 is open at the top and bottom. The outer end 11c is disposed inside the stopper 10e, and comes into contact when the product drawer 11 is slid in the outward direction of the tray storage shelf 2 indicated by the arrow B. With this configuration, the product withdrawing unit 1
As shown in FIG. 6, 1 is slid alone on the product receiving side indicated by the arrow A, and becomes slidable integrally with the placing portion 10 when moved in the direction of the arrow B. The goods M are stored in the space at equal intervals formed by the partition plate 20 and the bottom surface 10a in the horizontal direction. In this embodiment, the horizontal direction of the tray 1 refers to the X direction, and the horizontal direction of the tray storage shelves 2 and 3 is the Z-axis direction (hereinafter, referred to as the front-back direction of the tray storage shelves 2 and 3 indicated by arrow Z). "Z direction"
To write).

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the moving mechanism 7 includes a traveling drive mechanism 30 that enables the casing 6 supporting the bucket 6 and the hand unit 4 to travel in the Z direction. It mainly comprises a bucket elevating mechanism 40 moving up and down as indicated by an arrow Y and a bucket sliding mechanism 45 moving the bucket 6 in the X direction.

The traveling drive mechanism 30 includes tray storage shelves 2 and 3
Guide rail 31 laid on the floor F perpendicular to the X direction and a drive belt 33 driven by a drive motor M1
It has. The guide rail 31 includes tray storage shelves 2 and 3
Are provided so that both ends thereof protrude in the front-rear direction (Z direction), and a part of a slider 23 fixed to the bottom 5a of the housing 5 is inserted through a pair of shafts 25 and 26 fixed to both sides of the rail. ing.

The drive belt 32 is wound around pulleys 27 and 28 supported at both ends of the guide rail 31.
The pulley 28 is rotated forward and reverse by a drive motor M1. A slider 23 is fixed to a belt surface located on each rail, and supports the housing 5 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction (Z direction). The drive motor M1 constitutes a Z-direction drive motor.

The bucket lifting mechanism 40 includes a driving motor M2
The driven belt 43 is wound around the pulley 41, which is rotationally driven by the above, and a driven pulley 42 provided opposite to the pulley 41, which are arranged above and below the housing 5. A bucket sliding mechanism 45 is fixed to the drive belt 43. The driving motor M2
It constitutes a directional drive motor.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, the bucket sliding mechanism 45 includes a frame 4 fixed to the drive belt 43.
6, a square rail 47 and a drive motor M3 are attached. The driving belt 4 is provided on the rear surface 46a of the frame 46.
3 is sandwiched from both sides by a pair of holding members 48 and 49 and is fixed by a plurality of bolts 50.

Both upper edge portions 4 located at both ends of the frame 46
6b and 46c are orthogonal to the X direction, are bent toward the outside of the housing on the side facing the belt 43, and support the pulley 51 and the drive motor M3, respectively. The drive pulley 52 is fixed to the output shaft M3a of the drive motor M3. Below the pulleys 51 and 52, bearings 53,
Numerals 54 are formed respectively, and rotatably support the support shaft 51a to which the pulley 51 is fixed and the output shaft M3a. A belt 55 is wound around the pulleys 51 and 52 with a given tension.

The square rail 47 extends in the X direction, and is horizontally fixed substantially at the center of the frame 46. On the square rail 47, a bucket holder 56 formed in a U-shape with a resin holding the bucket 6 is slidably supported with a bottom 56A fixed to a pair of sliders 57A and 57B with bolts 58. I have. The bucket holder 56 is fixed to the sliders 57A and 57B so that the side portions 56B and 56C protrude toward the outside of the housing. On the back of the bucket holder 56, a drive belt 55a located near the square rail 47 is provided with a pair of holding plates 59a,
The bucket holder 59 is fixed by a plurality of screws 60 and is moved in the X direction by rotating the belt 55.

Here, since the bucket holder 56 is formed in a U-shape, the interval between the side portions 56B and 56C is constant, but a plate material forming the side portions 56B and 56C is attached to and detached from a flat plate. By being provided so that the position in the width direction (X direction) can be changed, buckets 6 of various sizes can be held.

In the embodiment, when the drive motor M3 is rotated clockwise as viewed from above, the bucket holder 56 is moved toward the tray storage shelf 2 and when rotated counterclockwise, the bucket holder 56 is moved toward the tray storage shelf 3. It has become. The drive motor M3 forms an X-direction drive motor of the bucket 6.

At the lower end 46d of the frame 46, a photo interrupter type sensor S5 for detecting the position of the bucket 6 is provided.
S6, S7, S8, and S9 are fixed. Sensor S7
Is arranged at the center of the frame 46, and the sensors S5 and S6 and the sensors S8 and S9 are arranged separately on both sides thereof. The metal shielding plate 29 is fixed to the lower portion 56b of the bucket holder 56. When the bucket holder 56 is located at the center initial position, as shown by the solid line in FIG.
6, S7 are blocked.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 10, and 11, the bucket 6 includes a main body 61 formed to have a size capable of accommodating a plurality of commodities M, and a slider plate 62 capable of opening and closing the bottom of the main body 61. From the main part. Body 61
Is a quadrilateral formed by front and rear panels 61A and 61B facing each other and side panels 61C and 61D facing each other, and has an upper part 6A and a lower part 6B opened. Slits 63a and 63b extending in the X direction are formed facing each other in an intermediate portion 6C of the front and rear panels 61A and 61B. Front and rear panels 61A, 61
Slits 64a, 64b and slits 65a, 65b are formed at both ends of the upper part of B so as to face each other.
The slits 64a and 64b are provided in a passage range of the commodity M that falls by the commodity removal operation from the tray 1 stored in the tray storage shelves 2 and 3.

The front panel 61A and the rear panel 61B are provided with sensors S1 and S2 and a sensor S3. Sensors S1 and S2 are provided with slits 64a, 64b and 6 respectively.
It is horizontally mounted on the front panel 61A and the upper part of the rear panel 61B via brackets 66 and 67 so as to face 5a and 65b. The sensor S3 includes slits 63a, 6
3b, it is horizontally attached to the front panel 61A and the rear panel 61B via a bracket 68 so as to face the panel 3b.
For each of the sensors S1, S2, S3, a transmission type optical line sensor in which a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit are arranged opposite to each other is used. Output.

At the lower part of the front panel 61A and the rear panel 61B, a pair of guide plates 71, 72 provided with a plurality of rollers 69, 70, respectively, are rotatably provided. It is fixed at 74. A projection 76 that can be engaged with a projection 75 provided on the right end 62a of the slide plate 62 is fixed to a left end inner surface 70a of the guide plate 70, and forms a stopper between the main body 61 and the slide plate 62.

Each of the side panels 61C and 61D has its upper part inclined so as to expand toward the X direction, and has a vertical surface extending from the center to the outside.
B, 56C are provided somewhat larger than the inner dimension interval W. The main body 61 has the side panels 61C and 61D arranged in the X direction and is elastically held between the side portions 56B and 56C, and the left and right inclined portions are hooked on the side portions 56B and 56C. Side panels 61C, 61D
The lower ends 61Ca and 61Da are formed in an uneven shape, respectively.

The slide plate 62 is formed in a hat shape, and is suspended from the guide plates 71 and 72 by bringing the back surfaces of the flange portions 62A and 62B facing each other into contact with the respective rollers 69 and 70 from above. ing. Slide plate 62
Are slidably supported in the X direction. Collar 62
A, 62B, the bottom portion 62C of the slide plate 62,
The side panel 61 in a range corresponding to the bottom 6B of the main body 61
C, 61D are formed in an uneven shape to engage with the unevenness alternately. The unevenness of both the slide plate 62 by the rollers 69, 70
Are formed so that their tips do not abut each other when they are placed. For this reason, sliding resistance is reduced and
A continuous gap is not formed between the bottom 62C and the lower ends 61Ca and 61Da of the side panels in the width direction of the slide plate 62, so that the edge of the thin product in the bag is hardly caught between them. Has become.

The center 62D at the left end of the bottom 62C of the slide plate
7, holes 77a and 77b are formed to penetrate in the Y direction, as shown in FIG. The holes 77a, 77b are provided with a diameter larger than the diameter of the pins 9a, 9b of the hook portion 9 provided at the product discharging position, so that the engagement between the two can be performed smoothly. An N-pole magnet 78B is provided in a portion 62E near the guide plate 71 at the bottom left end. The N-pole magnet 78B is disposed above the bottom 62C via a bracket 79 so as to face the S-pole magnet 78A fixed to the side panel 61C, and the two magnets constitute the holding means 79. S
The pole magnet 78A and the N pole magnet 78B are positioned so as to come into contact when the slide plate 62 closes the bottom 6B of the main body 61.

A detecting means S4 for detecting that the slide plate 62 is held by the main body 61 is provided on a portion 62F of the slide plate 62 near the guide plate 72 and on the inner surface 72a on the left end of the guide plate 72. The detecting means S4 is a transmission type optical sensor including a light emitting side S4a and a light receiving side S4b, and the light receiving side S4b emits light from the light emitting side S4a when the slide plate 62 is suction-held by the holding function by the holding function. It is positioned so as to receive light, and outputs a lock signal in this state.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 5 is provided with an arm elevating mechanism 80 for moving the hand unit 4 in the Y direction and an arm moving mechanism 90 for moving the hand unit 4 in the X direction. I have.

The arm lifting / lowering mechanism 80 has a pair of pulleys 81A and 81B and a pair of pulleys 82A and 82B provided oppositely above and below the housing 5, respectively, around which drive belts 83 and 84 are wound. The pulleys 81A and 82A transmit the rotation of the drive motor M4 via a reduction gear train 85 and are fixed to a drive shaft 86 rotatably supported by the housing 5. The drive motor M4 constitutes a Y-direction drive motor of the hand unit 4.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the arm moving mechanism 90 has a drive motor M5 disposed at an upper central portion 91a of a base frame 91 fixed to the drive belts 83 and 84. The drive motor M5 is fixed so that its output shaft M5a faces downward. The output shaft M5a has the first
A base end 92a of the link arm 92 is fixed, and supports the arm 92 so as to be rotatable around the output shaft M5a.

The other end 95b of the second link arm 95 is connected to the pivot end 92b of the first link arm 92 by a pin 97. One end 95a of the second link arm 95 is
The slider 96 is slidably supported by a guide rail 93 fixed to the base frame 91 and is connected to the slider 94 by a pin 96. The guide rail 93 is formed so as to extend in the X direction, and is horizontally hung below the base frame 91.

A support plate 98 is fixed to the slider 94 so as to extend toward the outside of the housing 5 perpendicular to the X direction. It is located in the center. The arm 4 has a center position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 12 as an initial position,
When the drive motor M5 rotates clockwise in the drawing, the drive motor M5 moves toward the tray storage shelf 2, and when the drive motor M5 rotates counterclockwise, the drive motor M5 moves toward the tray storage shelf 3. The drive motor M5 forms an X-direction drive motor of the hand unit 4.

The hand portion 4 has engaging projections 4B and 4C fixed to both ends of a base 4A extending in the X direction. The engaging protrusion 4B is inserted into the engaging groove 18a of the tray 1 stored in the tray storage shelf 2, and the engaging protrusion 4C is inserted into the engaging groove 18a of the tray 1 stored in the tray storage shelf 3. It has become.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the vicinity of the product discharge section 100, various kinds of products M stored in the tray storage shelves 2 and 3 are provided.
Is provided in connection with the controller unit 8 serving as control means. The switch panel 102 allows the user to select and specify the type and number of the products M, and inputs the result of the selection to the control unit 8 serving as control means.

The housing 5 includes sensors S10 and S11 serving as tray protrusion detecting means for detecting the protrusion of the tray 1. The sensors S10 and S11 are provided on the light emitting sides S10 (a) and S1.
1 (a) and light-receiving sides S10 (b) and S11 (b), wherein the inner surface 2 of the tray storage shelves 2 and 3
A, 3A, on the side surfaces 5b, 5c of the housing 5 facing the engagement portion 18 of the tray 1 protruding from each storage shelf.
They are fixed to face each other so that the irradiation light is located at b and 5c.

As shown in FIG. 14, the main part of the control unit 8 is composed of a well-known microcomputer. The control unit 8 includes an operation memory 103, a controller 104, and a determination unit 105, and is connected to a power supply 107.

The operation memory 103 includes a controller 104
Is connected to The operation memory 103 stores various data in the product storage mode, the product discharge mode, and each mode. The product storage mode is the switch panel 10
The product discharge mode is activated when the product designation in step 2 is completed, and the product discharge mode is activated when the apparatus is stopped at the end of the product collection or during operation. The operation memory 103 stores the storage position data of each tray 1 in the product storage mode and the hand unit 4 at the product removal position facing the selected tray 1.
, The stroke amount of the hand unit 4 corresponding to the number of selected products M, the data for positioning the bucket 6 below the tray 1 where the hand unit 4 is located, and the product discharge position in the product discharge mode. Data for moving the bucket 6, data for performing a product discharging operation at the product discharging position, operation data of each unit according to the determination result from the determination unit 105, and the position and size of each product are stored.

The determination unit 105 includes various sensors S1 to S
11 is connected. In the determination unit 105, each sensor S
If the detection signal is output after the irradiation light between S1 and S2 is interrupted, it is regarded that the product has passed, and the number is counted by a counter (not shown). Is assumed to be continuously located between the sensors S1 and S2. When the light from the sensor S3 is blocked, the determination unit 105 determines that a certain amount of the commodity M has been stored in the bucket 6, and determines that the slide plate 62 is in the locked state when the light receiving side S4b of the sensor S4 receives the irradiation light. I do.

In the judgment section 105, the sensors S10 and S11
Output a detection signal, it is considered that the tray 1 is protruding. The controller 104 is connected to drive motors M2 and M3 serving as drive sources for the bucket 6, drive motors M4 and M5 serving as drive sources for the hand unit 4, a drive motor M1 for traveling, a switch panel 102, and a determination unit 105. The data in the operation memory 103 is called in accordance with a selection command from the switch panel 102 or an output from each sensor to drive and control a corresponding drive motor. A motor that can rotate forward and backward is used for each drive motor. If the lock signal from the sensor S4 is not input during the movement from the product storage position to the product discharge position, the controller 104 stops the operation and movement assuming that the slide plate 62 has slid.

Each drive motor is provided with a rotation sensor 106 composed of a known encoder for detecting the rotation of the drive motor. When the rotation sensor 106 outputs a pulse corresponding to the stored data, the operation of each drive motor is started. Is to be stopped. The drive motor M3 is driven at a higher speed than usual until the shielding plate 29 shown in FIG. 6 passes through the sensors S6 and S8.
6 and the sensor S8, and the sensor S5 and the sensor S
9, the engagement between the slide plate 62 and the hook portion 9 and the storage operation of the slide plate 62 are performed quickly, and the data is reliably specified by the data without overrunning the bucket 6. You can stop at the position.

The hand unit 4 and the bucket 6 are located at respective initial positions so as not to hinder the movement of the moving mechanism 7 in the Z direction. The product take-out position in this embodiment means that the moving mechanism 7 and the bucket 6
In the vicinity of the inner surfaces 2A, 3A located between the positions 3, the engaging portion 18 and the hand portion 4 are engaged to indicate a position where the product M of the placing portion 10 can be stored in the bucket 6 by the product drawer 11.

The operation of the commodity discharging mechanism having such a configuration will be described. If a plurality of types of products are selected on the switch panel 102 shown in FIG. 2, the product storage mode is set, and the hand unit 4 and the bucket located at the home position are located at positions corresponding to the trays 1 storing the selected products. 6 is moved. Assuming that the selected product is stored in the (e) row and the (u) stage on the tray storage shelf 2 side, the drive motor M1 is driven until the product hand unit 4 and the bucket 6 face the row. The whole body 5 is moved in the Z direction. By driving the drive motors M2 and M4, the hand unit 41 is opposed to the tray 1 stored in the (U) stage, and the bucket sliding mechanism 50 is moved to a height below the tray 1 in the (U) stage. I do. By driving the drive motors M5 and M3, the hand portion 41 is engaged with the engaging portion 1 of the opposing tray 1 as shown in FIG.
8 and the bucket 6 is positioned below the tray 1.

Then, the drive motor M4 is driven to raise the entire hand unit 4 by an amount set in the operation memory.
The engaging concave portion 4B of the hand portion 4 is inserted into the engaging groove 18a to be at the product take-out position, and the drive motor M5 is rotated in reverse. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the first link arm 92 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, the slider 94 moves on the guide rail 93 toward the tray storage shelf 3, and the product drawer 11 moves to the storage state shown in FIG. It is pulled out from the state in the removal direction shown by arrow A in FIG. By this operation, the product M on the mounting table 10 between the partition plates 20 is pushed by the partition plate 20 located on the rear side of the product M. When the opening 11e is positioned on the bucket 6 from the mounting table 10, the partition plate 2
The product M pressed at 0 falls down into the bucket 6.

The product M is stored in the bucket 6 after passing between the sensors S1 near the opening 6A of the bucket 6, and the number of stored products is confirmed by the sensor S1. The drive of the drive motor M5 that slides on the hand unit 4 stops when the selected number of outputs from the sensor 1 are performed, and is driven clockwise to return the product pull-out unit 11 to the storage shelf 2, and the product pull-out is performed. Part 11
Is stopped and returned to the home position.
The return state of the product drawer 11 and the state in which the hand unit 4 is located at the product takeout position are determined by the output of the rotation sensor 84 of each drive motor. When the value counted by the counter reaches the number of the designated products M, the storage operation is completed and the product discharge mode is set.

As described above, the tray 1 containing a plurality of products M is composed of the product drawer 11 having no bottom and the placing portion 10, and when the product drawer 11 is slid, a single take-out operation is performed. Since a plurality of products of the same type can be stored in the bucket 6, the same type of products can be purchased at a time and the purchase time can be reduced.

When there are a plurality of types of products selected on the switch panel 102, the hand unit is arranged so as to oppose the rows and steps of the tray storage shelves 2, 3 in which the trays 1 for storing the respective products are stored. 4 and the bucket 6 are moved in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions at the product storage position between the tray storage shelves 2 and 3 to store a large number of various products M in the bucket 6.

As shown in FIG. 16, a product M stored in the bucket 6 is provided with a slit 63 provided in the center of the bucket 6.
When the sensor S3 is stored in such a manner as to cover the portions a and 63b, the sensor S3 operates. This state indicates that the product M has been filled in the bucket 6, or that the product M has been stored in a standing state as indicated by reference numeral M1 in FIG. In such a state, there is a problem in storing the next product M. Therefore, the drive motor M3 is continuously rotated forward and reverse to swing the bucket 6 in the X direction to perform the jam clearing operation. By temporarily swinging the bucket 6 in this manner, the standing product M1 can be defeated. If the sensor S3 is still in operation even after the jam clearing operation of the bucket 6 is performed, it is determined that the inside of the bucket 6 is full, the collecting operation of the product M is once finished, and the mode is shifted to the product discharging mode.

When the product M is caught in the vicinity of the opening 6A as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 16 during the accommodating operation of the product M, the operation signal from the sensor S1 is kept output. Such a state is considered to occur when a large number of products M are stored in the bucket 6 or when a plurality of large products are selected and consecutively stored, indicating that storage of the products in the bucket 6 is impossible. In such a case, the driving motor M2 of the bucket 6 is driven to temporarily lower the bucket 6, and the driving motor M3 is continuously rotated forward and reverse to swing the bucket 6 in the X direction to eliminate the jam. Perform the operation.

Alternatively, without lowering the bucket 6, the drive motor M5 is continuously driven forward and reverse to rotate the hand unit 4 in the X direction.
To move the product drawer 11 left and right to open
The jam removal operation of a product stuck in the vicinity of A may be performed. In this case, the range of movement of the product drawer 11 is as follows: the product M is taken out and swung within the empty range, whereby unspecified products stored in the tray 1 fall into the inadvertent bucket 6. Can be prevented.

As a result of the jam clearing operation, if the sensors S1 and S3 are not in the operating state, the merchandise M can be stored again and the storing operation of the merchandise M is performed again. Assuming that the inside is full, the storing operation for the product M times is once completed, and the mode is shifted to the product discharging mode.

The state inside the bucket 6 is detected by the sensors S1 and S3, and the storing operation of the product M is restricted according to the state, so that the product M is damaged or moved by dropping or catching outside the bucket 6. Failure of the mechanism 7 can be prevented.

On the other hand, when the product discharging mode is set, the hand unit 4 and the bucket 6 are moved to the tray storage shelves 2 and 3 when the casing 5 moves.
The driving of the drive motors M3 and M5 is controlled by the controller unit 8 so as not to interfere with the operation, and is returned to the initial position. And
While driving the drive motors M2 and M4 to raise the bucket 6 to a position where the bucket 6 does not interfere with the inclined shooter 101, the drive motor M1 is driven to cause the bucket 6 to protrude from between the tray storage shelves 2 and 3 which are product storage positions. Then, as shown in FIG. 17, the product is conveyed to a product discharge position facing the hook 9 in the space T above the inclined shooter 101. At this time, the bucket 6 is stopped such that the slide plate 62 is positioned above the hook portion 9 while facing the hook portion 9. When the bucket 6 is placed at the product discharging position, a product discharging operation is performed, and the drive motor M3 is driven to move the bucket 6 placed at the product discharging position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 18 together with the bucket holder in the arrow direction. Then, as shown in FIG. 19, the pins 9a and 9b of the hook 9 and the holes 77a and 77b of the slider 62 are formed.
, The movement in the direction of the hook portion indicated by the arrow is stopped, the drive motor M2 is driven to move the bucket 6 downward as indicated by the arrow, and the pins 9a, 9
It stops when holes 77a and 77b provided at the left end of the slide plate 62 engage with b. These operations are controlled by data stored in the operation memory 103.

When the slide plate 62 is engaged with the hook 9, only the drive motor M3 is rotated in the reverse direction to move the bucket 6 in FIG.
0 is horizontally moved in the bucket opening direction indicated by the arrow.
Then, since the slide plate 62 is in the state of being locked by the hook portion 9, the lock magnetic attraction is released by the holding mechanism 78, and only the main body 61 is moved, and the bottom portion 6 on the movement direction side is moved.
B is opened. When the main body 61 further moves, the product M placed on the bottom 62C of the slide plate 62 is pushed in the main body moving direction by the side panel 61C opposed to the moving direction, and the inclined shooter is gradually moved from the opening whose area is formed to be large. It falls on the surface 101 without fail. When the product M is thin, it is squeezed by the unevenness of the slide plate 62 on the side panel 61C as the main body 61 moves, so that the product M is reliably discharged from the inside of the bucket 6.

As described above, the slide plate 62 is slidably provided below the main body 61, the bottom of the bucket 6 is slidably opened and closed, and the slide plate 62 is opened and closed by the operation of the moving mechanism 7 for moving the bucket 6. The product M stored in the bucket 6 is ejected, so that the bucket 6 can be transported to the product ejection unit 100 as in the related art,
The merchandise M stored therein can be reliably discharged to the merchandise discharge unit 100 without turning at the upper part or opening and closing the bottom part downward. Since there is no need for a transport means or a turning or opening / closing drive mechanism for discharging the product, the number of components of the discharging mechanism can be reduced and cost can be reduced, and the lifting mechanism 40 and the sliding mechanism 45 for supporting the bucket 6 and An increase in the load on the housing 5 that supports them can be suppressed, resulting in compactness.

Since the bottom 6B of the bucket 6 is of a slide type, there is no need to provide a bucket swivel space around the bucket 6 or a bottom opening / closing space below the bucket 6, so that the bucket 6 is moved relative to the inclined shooter 101. As a result, the space required for discharging the product can be made compact, and the impact on the product discharged from the bucket 6 can be reduced.

This movement of the main body 61 is performed by a set stroke amount.
The opening of the bottom 6B of the main body 61 is closed by rotating the bucket 3 forward and moving the bucket 6 toward the hook portion by the set stroke. When the bottom 6B is closed, the magnet 78B provided on the slider plate 62 and the magnet 77A provided on the main body 61 are attracted, and the slider plate 62 is moved to the main body 61.
Is held. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the main body 61 and the slide plate 62 from being separated from each other during the movement of the bucket.
Is prevented from being interfered with. The holding state of the slide plate 62 and the main body 61 is confirmed by the sensor S4.

In this embodiment, the magnets 78A, 78B
Are provided on the main body 61 and the slide plate 62 to form a holding mechanism 78. As shown in FIG.
1C via a bracket 107 to an electromagnetic solenoid 108
And the movable piece 10 of the solenoid is
8a is provided with a hole 109 into which the electromagnetic solenoid 10 can be inserted.
8 may be used as a holding mechanism for driving the movable piece 108a into the hole 109. With such a configuration, the main body 61
The holding state of the slide plate 62 and the slide plate 62 is more stable than that of the magnetic pole attraction, and the drop of the product due to the careless movement of the slide plate 62 and the interference with the tray storage shelf 2 are reduced more reliably. Also,
Even when a continuous intense sliding operation in the X direction is performed at the time of clearing a jam or the like, separation of the main body 61 and the slide plate 62 can be prevented.

In the bucket 6 described in the embodiment, the side panels 61C and 61D have a vertical surface extending from the central portion to the lower portion. However, in order to prevent sticking of thin products and to discharge the products more reliably, the side panels 61C and 61D have a vertical surface. 61C, 61
The lower part from the center of D may be formed on an inclined surface that widens toward the slide plate 62.

The lifting mechanism 80 of the hand unit 4 and the bucket 6
The lifting mechanism 40 is provided separately, but the moving mechanism 90 of the arm unit 4 may be mounted on the drive belt 43 located above the bucket 6 to serve as a common lifting mechanism. With such a configuration, the drive system can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

[0066]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the slide plate at the bottom of the bucket is engaged with the engaging portion by the moving mechanism for moving the bucket, a special drive mechanism for performing the product discharging operation is provided. Since the product in the bucket can be discharged by newly adding, the product in the bucket can be reliably discharged in a small space. Since the conventional three-dimensional discharge space is not required, the distance between the product discharge portion and the bucket is reduced, so that the impact on the discharged product is small, and the risk of damage to the product is extremely reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of products stored in the bucket by the product removal means can be reliably discharged from the bucket in a space-saving manner, and various types of products may be damaged. The risk of occurrence is extremely reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the slide plate is held in the holding state with respect to the main body by the holding means,
Inadvertent sliding movement of the slide plate due to the movement of the bucket is restricted, and it is possible to prevent the product from falling during the movement of the bucket.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the bucket can be moved from the product storage position to the product discharge position while moving the bucket in a complicated manner. The restriction on the movement of the bucket after engagement with the product is reduced, the degree of freedom in the arrangement and design of the product discharging mechanism is increased, and it is possible to cope with various installation spaces.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the opening operation of the bottom of the bucket can be performed in a planar space, and the goods stored in the bucket by the side of the main body opposed to the moving direction of the bucket can be moved to the bottom. Since the product can be pressed toward the opening, the product in the bucket can be more reliably discharged to the product discharge unit in a smaller space.

It is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an entire configuration of a product discharging mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a configuration of a tray storage shelf and a configuration of a product discharging mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a configuration of a product storage tray.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view showing a configuration of the product storage tray shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the operation of the commodity storage tray shown in FIG. 3 when discharging the commodity.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a bucket and a moving mechanism thereof, which are main parts of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating the configuration and operation of a bucket sliding mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a bucket sliding mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a configuration of a bucket which is a main part of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the bucket shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway plan view showing the configuration and operation of a moving mechanism of the product take-out means.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a configuration and an operation of a moving mechanism of a product takeout unit.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a controller unit used in the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a product storage tray and a bucket.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a product storage operation by a product removal means.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an abnormal state of a product in a bucket.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged plan view showing an operation of a bucket that moves from a product storage position to a product discharge position.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged sectional view showing an operation of a bucket moving to a product discharging position.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged sectional view showing an operation of engaging a slide plate with an engagement portion.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged sectional view showing a product discharging operation of the bucket.

FIG. 21 is an enlarged view showing a modification of the holding means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Product storage tray 2, 3 Tray storage shelf 4 Product removal means 6 Bucket 7 Moving mechanism 9 Engaging part 61 Bucket main body 62 Slide plate 78 Holding means 100 Product discharge part M Product S4 detection means

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A product storage tray for storing a plurality of products,
A product take-out means for taking out products stored in the product storage tray from the product storage tray, a bucket large enough to store a plurality of products taken out by the product take-out means, and A product pick-up device comprising a moving mechanism for moving the product stored in the bucket by the product take-out means; An article pick-up device comprising an amount detecting sensor for detecting an amount. 2. The product take-out device according to claim 1, wherein the passage detecting sensor is an optical line sensor provided in a horizontal direction so as to face an upper portion of the bucket, and the quantity detecting sensor includes An article pick-up device, which is an optical line sensor provided in the horizontal direction facing the middle part of the bucket. 3. The product take-out device according to claim 2, wherein the passage detection sensor and the quantity detection sensor are attached to the bucket. 4. The product take-out device according to claim 2, wherein the passage detection sensor is also used as a protrusion detection sensor for detecting protrusion of the product from the bucket. apparatus.