JPH1087028A - Article conveying method and device of cargo handling equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out the carrying in and out of a cargo in a simple operation, to allow to handle a small size of cargo without giving a damage to the cargo, and to carry out also the classifying shipment in bulk at the smallest amount of unit efficiently. SOLUTION: In order to self-propel an article A on plural conveying chutes which are provided in a gentle slope from a conveyance starting end side 1 to a conveyance finishing end side 2, the article A is self-propelled in a ski form on a sliding chute 5 provided along the longitudinal direction on the chutes to be a conveying line, it is inclined to one side in the width direction, that is, it is inclined to one side by giving a height difference to the both sides of the cute 5, and article A is transferred to the conveyance finishing end 2 in a series condition, while guiding by a receiving plate 41 . And at the same time, the article A on the lifter 31 of a conveying mechanism 3 is raised along a stopper 7, and at the time when it is raised at the height higher than the height of the stopper 7, only an article at the front head is carried out, or it is pushed out by an article at the rear side, so as to transfer to a conveyer. Consequently, even a small size article, or a bulk article can be managed securely, and the reduction of the working space and the equipment cost can be realized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the loading and unloading of goods,
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transporting articles in a cargo handling facility used for a cargo handling operation in a distribution warehouse, a distribution center, and other facilities that handle transported articles such as sorting and inventory management.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In conventional logistics facilities such as warehouses and distribution centers, racks are provided as equipment for transporting and storing various articles, and a load transport conveyor or guide rail is arranged along the rack shelves. To accommodate a large number of packages in a warehouse, a chain conveyor is arranged in multiple rows in the plane direction and height direction, and by operating this chain conveyor, a device that sequentially conveys from the entrance side to the exit side is available. If adopted, the entire apparatus is large-scale and requires a large amount of cost. Therefore, there is known a flow rack for slidably transporting a load to an inclined conveyance path using an inclined gravity conveyor instead of a chain conveyor. (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-53707,
JP, 52-133682, A) As a method for picking an article, a means for carrying the article to be conveyed to the conveyance line is usually a transfer device such as a forklift system, a lifter system, a clamp system, a vacuum system, or a robot system. It is handled.

[0003]

However, these loading means are not only complicated and expensive, but also require a relatively large number of items to be shipped or a single item in cargo handling work in which various types of articles are mixed. There is no problem with picking, but it is extremely difficult to transport and ship articles and small articles with relatively small shipment quantities, such as cylindrical cans and loose articles, or sorting and sorting in small quantity units. However, since the size of the product is limited to a certain size, the product cannot be used as a line when the product is replaced, or the setting change work is difficult in order to use the product. In addition, when using a robot that is expensive but labor-saving, if the gripping force is increased for a large object, small items tend to be seriously damaged, and it is limited to cargoes of the same shape and dimensions. In a demand such as a small-volume transportation system, the more types, the more complicated the operation control becomes. It becomes worse, and it is actually impossible to unload the goods of the cargo, or it takes too much time to be practical at all.

[0004] Furthermore, in recent years, if baggage is cut out in a designated order by computer software for improving loading efficiency,
Although it has become possible to ship without thinking, it is not suitable for sorting and shipping small items because the handling of a dozen items in a predetermined unit is small and it is not suitable for sorting and shipping small items. However, it required an extremely large one, and it took a lot of waiting time to lower the work efficiency, and the cost was too high to be satisfactory. In particular, if a gravity conveyor is used in which a number of rolls are rotatably mounted on a guide rail or a support frame on the transfer line, the processing and assembly of each roller is troublesome, and the equipment construction period is long, and the weight is large. In addition, it is difficult to increase productivity because of the high cost, and there is a risk that the product will not slip due to the adhesion of dust and moisture, and the maintenance for maintaining the rotational movement of the roller is complicated and noise There was a problem that the working environment deteriorated due to the occurrence. The present invention is intended to eliminate these conventional drawbacks, and enables the handling of small articles without damaging the articles by a simple operation, and the efficient shipment and sorting of the minimum quantity units in bulk. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for transporting articles of cargo handling equipment capable of improving the processing speed and greatly reducing the total cost.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, articles are slid and transported in a serial state on a plurality of transport lines arranged at a gentle inclination from a transport start end side to a transport end side. In an article transport method in which a leading edge article is separated from a group of articles in a series state by an unloading mechanism and automatically sent out to a conveyor, a slip sheet provided along a longitudinal direction on a chute serving as a transport line for the articles. Self-propelled on the upper side, while being shifted to one side in the width direction and guided by the receiving plate while being transported in series to the transport end,
The article on the lifter of the transport mechanism is raised along the stopper, and when the article is raised above the height of the stopper, only the leading article in the serial state is transferred to the unloading conveyor.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In an embodiment of the present invention, when an article is placed on the transport start end side of a gently inclined transport chute, it travels on a slippery sheet by its own weight, reaches the transport end section, stops at a stopper, and subsequently Are sequentially stored on the chute in series. Also, when sending out the article at the end position by the unloading mechanism arranged at the exit of the transport terminal end, the remaining in-line articles are kept stopped on the chute, and the lifter descends after unloading. Move the entire luggage in series and slide it to the front row before stopping and preparing for the next unloading.However, since the conveyance on both sides is a one-sided chute, regardless of the size of the article width, it is always It can be moved to one low level side and slid, and the conveyance control is easy. Can be. Then, one or a plurality of small articles are individually selected in the article group, and the selected articles are incorporated into a conveyer for use. That is, in the case of the small article, the stopper is moved closer to the lifter and fixed to facilitate picking according to the size of the small article, and is introduced from the inclined chute to the transport conveyor to be transported. By sequentially cutting out the small articles on the conveyor by the carrying-in means for each destination, the bulk shipment of small articles can be performed safely and efficiently without damage.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. An article A is self-propelled on a plurality of transport chutes 4 arranged at a gentle inclination from a transport start side 1 to a transport end side 2. In the article transport method in which the articles at the leading end are separated by the unloading mechanism 3 from the group of articles transported in series at the transport end side 2 and automatically sent out to the transport conveyor 8, the articles A Is shifted in one direction in the width direction while self-propelled in a ski state on a slip sheet 5 provided along the longitudinal direction on a chute 4 serving as a transport line, that is, with a difference in height on both sides of the chute. is inclined in the direction, as well as transferred to the receiving plate 4 transfer terminal end portion 2 while guided by _a series state, the articles a on the lifter 3 ₁ carry-out mechanism 3 is raised along the stopper, than the height of the stopper 7 At the time of raising it up This is an article transport method in which only the leading article in a serial state is sent out or pushed out by an article behind and transferred to the carry-out conveyor 8.

[0008] In this case, the stopper 7 with fork-shaped stopper, separable freely be slid opposite the fork with respect to the lifter 3 ₁ forked, predetermined positions corresponding to the dimensions of the conveying articles A The article A on the chute 4 is stopped by adjusting the position of the article A by adjusting and disposing the fastener A to a position corresponding to the article size, and stopping the movement of the article A on the chute 4 from the chute surface. It is one that sliding contact the lubricious sheet 5 a plurality of rows formed at an interval, gliding while maintaining a gap ridges 5 ₁ provided along the longitudinal direction also on the surface of the lubricating sheet 5 To do. Further, the article A on the chute 4 slides on the bottom surface and one side surface in contact with the slippery sheet 5, respectively. . The lubricating sheet 5 is designed to minimize surface friction, eliminates sticking due to moisture or moisture on the chute 4 or obstructs running of articles due to dirt and dust, and significantly reduces manufacturing costs and installation costs. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly convey articles that cannot be flowed by rollers or the like on the line.

[0009] The lifter 3 ₁ operations, or controlled by the detection of such sensors in the presence or absence of an article A, can also or automatically picking a counter control, and to have a role to suppress the article that follows in Picking However, if necessary, it is also possible to provide a head holding member for a subsequent article, for example, a stopper which can be protruded and retracted. In addition, the chute 4 does not have to be attached to the frame 6 with mounting bolts or the like, but only needs to be locked and fixed with a locking claw (not shown) or the like. . Then, when the state-of-the-art article A is removed from the transport chute 4, the stored goods automatically advance, so that the articles can be stocked on the chute 4 in an adjacent contact state, It can be easily processed on the basis of the method of outing.

The transport device includes a plate-like body which is provided with a gentle inclination from the transport start side 1 to the transport end side 2 in the longitudinal direction, and a gentle slope toward one side in the width direction. chute 4 consisting of folding the one end bent forming the receiving plate 4 ₁ Tokyo
Lubricity sheet 5 in the longitudinal direction is provided on the plate-like body and the receiving plate 4 ₁ surface, movement adjust the stop stopper 7 of the article A to be transferred to the series with the transport terminal end 2 of the chute 4 provided freely, successively article from an article group to be stopped by a stopper which is provided adjacent to the stopper 7 can be moved on the horizontal surface of the stopper on the edge vertically movable lifter 3 product transport apparatus provided with ₁ carry-out mechanism 3 equipped with Since the transfer line can be set up with a chute with a slippery sheet, the construction period can be greatly shortened, and the goods can be smoothly transferred without stopping because of stickiness such as moisture and garbage. It can flow from cylindrical cans to plastic bags. Each article is provided with an article storage shelf 12 at the transport start end side for each article, and is supplied to a transport line by a pusher (not shown) or the like so as not to hinder automatic picking. May be used.

The transport line has an angle θ ₁ , 1 to 5 degrees in a traveling direction from the transport start side 1 to the transport end side 2.
A chute 4 which is preferably slightly inclined on the frame 6 at an inclination angle of 2 to 3 degrees, and which can be singly separated from a large number of articles conveyed in series at the conveyance end side 2 of the conveyance chute 4 those equipped with unloading mechanisms 3 comprising a lifter 3 ₁ freely, and an angle theta ₂ Shimete the sliding direction if high and low levels of both sides to one of the width direction of the chute 4, for example to 1-5 ° gentle slope Good. Further, the inclination angle can be made variable through a stand that can be adjusted with a screw bar or the like.

Further, the lubricating sheet 5 is made of a polyethylene resin, for example, high density polyethylene (density of 0.
Is formed into a predetermined width of the tape with polyethylene from 970) to low-density polyethylene (density 0.925), be those interposed the adhesive layer 5 ₂ is secured to the chute 4 surface, along the longitudinal direction parallel at intervals the ridges 5 ₁ multiple width direction. As a mechanism for controlling the traveling speed of the article A on each transport line, an elastic plate such as a rubber roll whose surface is covered with rubber or a rubber plate which slides on the article or the tray is provided at appropriate intervals to adjust the acceleration. May be.

[0013] Incidentally, as a stopper 3 ₁ of the discharge mechanism 3, the provided freely displace a fixed position on the plate-like body of the chute 4, fastening to interpolate fitted into the long hole 10 provided in the plate-like member been made to fix and hold the child 9, wherein the provided with a lifter 3 ₁ of the mounting recess 11 capable of fitting the stand the article or luggage sized to be placed be different sizes. Furthermore, the chute 4 is a elongated object in a substantially N-shape comprising a receiving plate 4 ₁ is bent in the opposite direction on both sides with a metal plate-like body support plate 4 ₂ Prefecture, multiple parallel on the frame 6 Deployed in parallel,
The luggage can be transported to the low-level receiving plate 41 while being shifted to _one side, and the braking line can be applied, so that the transport line can be made into a single line, and the transport control can be performed easily and stably. Is also effective. Further, the stopper surface may be provided with a movable plate (not shown) having a spring or an elastic plate so as to receive the article by a cushioning action so that the article is not damaged.

The transfer chutes 4 are arranged in rows and rows in a horizontal direction and a height direction on a frame 6 framed in a warehouse or the like to form a multi-stage picking shelf, from the transfer start end 1 to the transfer end 2. Alternatively, it may be connected to a picking system line composed of an automatic sorting machine via a transfer line connected to each stage on the transfer end side 2 and, for example, a transfer slope and a picking conveyor connecting the stages.

In this embodiment, the article A is transported by a forklift, a pusher, or the like, and is conveyed to the transport starting end 1.
When it is placed on the desired transport chute 4, it slides on the slippery sheet 5, and is biased to one side to flow, and is skied toward the transport end side 2 by gentle inclination while preventing left-right delusion. Self-propelled in state. And article A
Attempts to gradually increase its sliding speed, but is controlled by a brake mechanism arranged in the middle of the conveyance so that the speed does not exceed a certain speed, and reaches the exit at the conveyance end side 2 at a gentle speed, It comes into contact with the protruding stopper 7 and stops. Further, the following article A comes into contact with the preceding article and stops, and thus many articles are transferred to the transport chute 4.
It is housed in a serial state on top.

[0016] Next to retrieve the articles A, the stop 7 provided in unloading port side while being stopped subsequent number of articles A series states including one before the articles A to protrude the lifter 3 ₁ When pulled up, a single article A on the exit side
Only the stopper is automatically sent out while slowly sliding on the gently inclined stopper 7, and is sequentially cut out by the conveyor 8 so that it can be taken out for each transport destination. . Incidentally, the subsequent articles A, if retract the lifter 3 ₁ is stopped in the lifter 3 ₁ even while protruding the lifter 3 ₁ of unloading port side, since the remaining luggage slides to the unloading port, one with the similarly Only a minute amount of articles A can be taken out, a safe and easy unloading operation can be performed, and this is suitable for small-quantity and frequent picking processing.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, an example using the lifter 3 ₁ which also serves as a stopper to cut in transfer terminal end side 2 of the conveying line, the articles A which resting on the conveyor chute 4 is sequentially transfer terminal end side 2 Self-propelled and in series, but lifter 3 _{1 at} the end
The head of the article resting on the raised above the height of the fixing stopper 7 in the cylinder 17, the top article is pushed to the rear of the article is picked up by the lifter 3 ₁ is conveyed to the next step. Subsequent articles have never travels forward is catch the stopper 3 ₂ on the rear end face of the lifter 3 _1. Then, the lifter 3 ₁ height of conveyor chute 4 to return the cylinder 17 flush Satoshi, but repeating the same operation placed on the lifter 3 ₁ moves the trailing article A to the fixed stopper 7, fit the article size Fixed stopper 7 and lifter 3 ₁
And the pushing force of the succeeding article allows the article to be sent to the next step one by one. In addition, the stopper surface abutted on the rear end face of the article and the stopper 7 fixed to the chute ensure safe and smooth conveyance. It can be handled without damage to the goods. Incidentally, the mounting table lifter 3 _1,
Yes formed shorter than the length of the article A, moreover to as the rear end face to the fixing stopper 7 to form a recess 11 each other so as to be set to wrap state lifter 3 ₁ is the stopper surface of the subsequent article Is good.

Specific examples of FIG. 8 is an example that associates the delivery mechanism 3 for large conveying articles, the lifter 3 ₁ to a mounting table of a large area, a stopper 7 having no recesses with respect to the lifter 3 ₁ also the stopper surface is oppositely arranged and each other to allow excised set by adjusting the distance between the edge of the stopper surface and the lifter 3 ₁ until the article of various predetermined size, on behalf conveying articles to be supplied to the line Also, the position of the stopper can be changed to easily change and set. The stopper 7 uses a channel having a U-shaped cross section.
Any form may be used as long as it has a guide plate on the stopper surface for guiding the article lifted in ₁ to another transport line.

[0019]

According to the present invention, articles are slid and transported in a serial manner on a plurality of transport lines arranged at a gentle inclination from the transport start end side to the transport end side. In an article transport method in which a leading edge article is separated from a group of articles under a condition and automatically sent out to a transport line, the article is self-propelled on a slip sheet provided along a longitudinal direction on a chute serving as a transport line. ,
A point in time when the article on the lifter of the transport mechanism is lifted up along the stopper and is raised above the height of the stopper while being transported in series to the transport end while being guided by the receiving plate while being shifted to one side in the width direction. By transferring only the first article in series to the unloading conveyor, it is possible to handle small articles without damage to the articles by simple operation, and to efficiently sort and ship in the smallest quantity unit. In addition to improving the speed of transport processing, the flow of transported articles should be self-propelled on the same line from the transport start end to the transport end, even if large and small articles are mixed, without using any power. The work space can be reduced, the structure of the entire device can be simplified, equipment costs can be reduced, and maintenance is easy with little replacement or repair of articles. Can be kept trimmed the appearance biased,
The work efficiency can be improved and the handling work can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system explanatory plan view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the transport line in the example of FIG.

FIG. 3 shows an operation state at the time of carrying out a small article in the example of FIG. 2,
(A) is a partial side view, (b) is a partial side view when a large article is carried out, and (c) is a perspective view.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show a chute used in the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A is a cutaway front view, FIG. 4B is a plan view on the transport end side, and FIG. 4C is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line AA.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the unloading mechanism in a use state of FIG. 4;

6 shows details of the example of FIG. 5, (a) is a side view thereof,
(B) is a plan view.

7A and 7B show another embodiment of the unloading mechanism of the present invention, and FIG.
Is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and (b) is a plan view thereof.

FIG. 8 shows still another example of the unloading mechanism of the present invention,
(A) is a longitudinal sectional view, and (b) is a plan view.

[Explanation of symbols]

A Article 1 Transport start end 2 Transport end side 3 Unloading mechanism 3 ₁ Lifter 4 Chute 4 ₁ Receiving plate 4 ₂ Support plate 5 Slip sheet 5 ₁ Ridge 5 ₂ Adhering layer 6 Frame 7 Stopper 8 Unloading conveyor 9 Fastener DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Slot 11 Concavity 12 Article storage shelf

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. Articles are slid and transported in a serial state on a plurality of transport lines arranged at a gentle inclination from a transport start end side to a transport end side, and articles are serially transported by a discharge mechanism at a transport end side of each transport line. In the article conveying method in which the articles at the leading end are separated from the group and automatically sent out to the unloading conveyor, the articles are self-propelled on a slip sheet provided along a longitudinal direction on a chute serving as a conveying line, and the width of While being transported in series to the transport terminal end while being guided by the receiving plate while being shifted to one side, the article on the lifter of the transport mechanism is raised along the stopper, and when the article is raised above the height of the stopper, the serial state is reached. Wherein only the first article is transferred to a carry-out conveyor. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is slidably movable toward and away from the lifter, and is fixedly arranged at a predetermined position corresponding to the size of the article to be conveyed by a fastener to stop the movement of the articles in series. Item 1. The article conveying method according to Item 1. 3. An article on the chute slides in contact with a lubricating sheet formed with a gap between the chute surface and a gap. 3. The article conveying method according to claim 1, wherein the sliding is performed while maintaining a gap between the provided ridges. 4. An article on the chute, wherein a bottom surface and one side surface of the article slide in contact with a slip sheet, respectively.
4. The article transport method according to claim 1, wherein the transport end side is slid in series with the leading article in a serial state. 5. A plate-like body which is provided with a slight inclination from the transport start end side to the transport end side in the longitudinal direction, and is also provided with a gentle inclination toward one side in the width direction, and is bent at one end of the plate-like body. A chute composed of a receiving plate provided with a lubricating sheet along the longitudinal direction on the surface of the plate-like body and the receiving plate, and a stopper for stopping the articles transferred in series at the transport end side of the chute is adjusted. An article transport mechanism provided with a lifter capable of freely moving and sequentially moving articles on a horizontal plane of an upper edge of the stopper from an article group stopped by a stopper provided adjacent to the stopper; apparatus. 6. The lubricating sheet is formed of a polyethylene resin into a tape having a predetermined width, and is fixed to the surface of the chute with an adhesive layer interposed therebetween. 6. The article transporting device according to claim 5, wherein the devices are arranged in parallel in the width direction at intervals. 7. The stopper of the unloading mechanism is provided such that the fixed position of the chute on the plate-like body is displaceable, and is fixedly held by a fastener inserted into an elongated hole provided in the plate-like body. The article transport device according to claim 5, further comprising a concave portion into which the mounting table of the lifter can be fitted. 8. The chute is a long material having a substantially N-shaped cross section comprising a support plate and a receiving plate bent in opposite directions on both sides of a metal plate, and a plurality of chutes are arranged in parallel on a frame. 8. The article conveying device according to claim 5, 6 or 7, wherein: